Our Destiny: Bearers of the Dagger

Impossible, Part 1

The jungle was so green.

Michelle had never seen such beautiful and vibrant hues of emerald and celadon, of chartreuse and jade. It was like the tree canopies were a stain glass ceiling that shone brilliantly on to the flowers below.

Flowers.

There weren't any flowers by the beach, or any other plants besides palms, ferns and bamboo. Now there were giant rubber trees, monolithic kapok trunks and hundreds of balsa plants standing amidst floral seas of tulips, dahlias and thousands more that she couldn't identify. This was a rain forest paradise for sure, and simply the most gorgeous place she had ever seen in her life.

It was the reason she could forgive the incredible humidity and the daunting sounds of forest animals that sang out incessantly every minute of the day. The birds were always out of sight, singing and flapping through leaves like invisible minstrels. She would have rather seen them instead of the enormous insects which buzzed overhead, most of which looked terrifying but there were some that were totally stunning.

Right then for instance, a huge butterfly coloured ivory and gold, fluttered past Michelle's face and she watched it, awestruck, as it disappeared into the brush. She so badly wanted to marvel at such an exquisite and beautiful thing, but the unshakeable dread in her heart wouldn't let her forget how dangerous her situation was.

'Michelle.'

The voice made her jump. It caught her off guard.

She turned to boy behind her, smiling awkwardly as she brushed her hair behind her ear.

'Did I scare you?' Steve grinned. He was holding a bamboo spear in his hand.

'A little,' she smiled.

He nodded and Michelle couldn't help staring into his brown eyes. He really did have such great eyes. They matched perfectly with his long chestnut hair. All of him was great really. Especially that disarming smile. It made her feel happy and safe.

But she knew she wasn't.

'Hey,' Steve said, frowning a little. 'Something the matter?'

'No,' she smiled hastily. 'I was just thinking.'

'About what?'

She knew he wasn't deliberately trying to press her, he seemed genuinely concerned. But Michelle shook her head.

'It doesn't matter.'

'Okay,' Steve didn't look convinced.

If they were still together, he wouldn't have let it go. But they weren't together anymore. Were they?

'Come on,' he waved his spear into the trees behind them. 'We're moving on again. No time for resting.'

Michelle nodded and she followed him out of the clearing, back towards the rest of the group. She hadn't planned on walking so far but it was so easy to get lost in this place. Left, right, forward, back, each direction looked more or less the same. And now they were so far from the ocean, she couldn't hear the noise of the waves so she was relying on the others to guide the way.

'Shouldn't walk off like that,' Steve said as they trod through the undergrowth.

'Not even to go toilet?' she laughed.

The long-haired teenager sighed. 'You know what I mean. You have to stay close in here. I mean, those crabs are dangerous.'

Michelle frowned. They hadn't seen the crabs for a while now. She doubted very much that the fact had escaped Steve's attention.