Thane stepped out of his hiding spot and approached the trio. "Hello, my name is Thane Albrecht, and I am in need of your assistance."
The three startled at the sudden voice. The stranger who emerged had straight, dirty blonde hair that fell to his shoulders and deep blue eyes. He was tall, with a slightly muscular frame that suggested discipline and training.
"Thane, that was what you said your name was?" Sollene asked, her tone calm but cautious. "I have an inkling that we are in the same situation."
Thane frowned slightly. "What do you mean?"
The boy with copper colored curls and a wiry build stepped forward, hands on his hips. "Let me guess you were at home, doing whatever it is you normally do, and then, out of nowhere, woosh everything around you changed?"
Thane hesitated, surprised by how close the boy's description was. After a moment, he gave a slow nod. " more or less ."
""Is that also how you got here?" Thane asked.
"Yes, all of us," Sollene answered. Then she turned to Cael. "I think we should take a break. We've been walking for a long time." Cress, who had been slumped against her back, had begun to stir.
Thane's eyes were drawn to the youngest girl as Sollene carefully set her down. He paused. Puffy, pale grey eyes almost blue blinked up at him. Had she been crying? Then his gaze dropped to the cloth tightly wrapped around her leg. Maybe it was because she was injured.
"We should go into the forest next," the copper haired boy muttered. "I don't think we'll find anything near the water."
"Did you come across any food or animals on your way?" Sollene asked, directing the question to Thane.
"Unfortunately, I did not," Thane replied. "I did come across a stag but I doubt it was safe to eat. It looked… strange.".
"What do you mean it looked strange?" It was Cael who asked, his brows knitting with.
Thane hesitated before responding. The image of the stag its translucent form, the ethereal light that clung to its body lingered in his mind. He wasn't sure how to describe something so unnatural yet oddly majestic.
"I have a few preserved foods in my bag," Thane said instead, reaching down for the small satchel that had remained fastened at his waist. The leather was scuffed, the stitching worn a reminder of home, of the world he'd just lost.
"How hungry is everyone? Can you take it for a few more minutes?" Sollene asked, her voice calm but edged with concern. Cress, still resting near her feet, stirred faintly in the moss. Everyone nodded in agreement,
"Congratulations Cael, looks like we'll be going into the forest after all. And if we get too hungry, we can eat Thane's foodthat is if you'll be coming with us?" she asked, turning her hazel gaze on Thane.
He blinked. Even with the tension in the air and their unfamiliar surroundings, she was composed. Strong. The kind of person others naturally followed.
"I think that would be a good idea," Thane answered, brushing his hair back from his face.
"Great. We should get going," Sollene said as she crouched down to pick up Cress, her movements tender but practiced, like someone used to taking care of others.
"Wait." Thane stepped forward before he could stop himself. "What is your name?" he asked the girl sitting on the ground.
"I am Cress," she said. Her voice was barely a whisper, soft and fragile, like it might be carried off on the breeze.
Thane's expression softened. He knelt beside her, careful not to startle her. She looked so small far too small to be carrying the kind of pain that had been written on her face. "Is it okay if I carry Cress this time? You look tired," he said, glancing at Sollene.
"I would be grateful. My name is Sollene, by the way," she said, standing slowly and rolling her shoulders with a quiet sigh of relief.
"I'm Cael. It's nice to meet you," the auburn-haired boy added. His tone was reserved, but not unfriendly.
"Likewise," Thane replied, shifting the strap of his satchel more securely as he reached out to gently lift Cress into his arms. She didn't resist just leaned into him, her head resting lightly on his shoulder.
She was feather light. Too light. It made his chest tighten, and not just from the weight. These people were strangers, yet they already felt like the only thread tying him to this strange new world.
They went on their way, but as they walked, they saw nothing. Everything looked identical rows of trees repeating themselves endlessly. It was as if nothing lived in this forest. Even the birds they occasionally heard were nowhere to be seen.
It wasn't until the sun began to set that they saw it.
A single tree, standing out against the others. It was shorter nearly the same height as Thane with a pale white trunk and dark blue leaves. Veins of magenta ran through the leaves, the color bleeding from the center like ink in water.
Two fruits hung from its branches. They were large, and one fruit alone could feed two people. Somehow, they had been lucky enough to find two.
Cael didn't hesitate. He walked up and picked both fruits.
They were beautiful.
The fruit pulsed with a warm, orange light, its surface swirling with deeper, fiery hues. The dark blue leaves cradled the glowing spheres like careful hands, their undersides flashing with a red orange tint. Delicate tendrils curled outward, as if the fruit was slowly reaching. A faint golden shimmer clung to its skin like dust caught in sunlight.
"Is it poison?" Cress asked cautiously.
"What do we have to lose?" Thane said. His words hung in the air, quieting everyone. A solemn look crossed their faces.
"Let's just eat it," Sollene said. She took the fruits from Cael and carefully split them into halves, handing the pieces to each of them.
What they tasted was not flavor.
It was memory.
Thane tasted the moments when he played music his favorite time of day, when the world faded and the notes carried everything he couldn't say.
Cael tasted warm bedtime stories and lullabies sung by his birth mother, her voice low and gentle, her arms wrapped around him.
Cress tasted the soft hum of her father's workshop, the way he smiled at her stories, the warmth of his hands guiding hers as they worked on dolls together.
But for Sollene, it was different. There was no taste. No memory. It was like drinking cold water refreshing, but empty. She felt full, but not satisfied.
From the looks on the others' faces, she could tell something was missing. But she didn't say anything.
"It tastes strange," Thane said quietly.
He didn't really know how else to describe it. It wasn't sweet, or bitter, or anything he could name. It was like eating something that reminded him of a time he felt safe. Something warm. He didn't want to say all that out loud, though. It felt too personal.
"Yes, it does," Cress said. "It made me happy while I was eating."
She looked down at her hands, like she was afraid the feeling might slip away. She hadn't felt that kind of happiness in a long time not the scared kind, or the pretending kind, but real, quiet happiness.
"It did, didn't it?" Cael added. He didn't smile, but something softened in his face. He was thinking of a voice warm and low reading to him in the dark, even though he hadn't heard that voice in years.
Sollene didn't say anything. She just stared at what was left of the fruit in her palm. There was nothing left to taste. And when there had been, it had tasted like nothing. Like air. Like cold water. Like emptiness.
But she didn't say that.
As soon as they had eaten the last bite, something shifted.
The air felt clearer. Lighter. Different. The forest that had been deathly empty was now filled with strange life
A few feet away they saw a creature, small and white, like a rabbit but not quite. It had wings. Soft, feathered wings that folded neatly against its back. The feathers were white, but the very ends were dipped in black. Its long tail curled gently over the branch where it perched, the tip swaying like a cat's. It looked at them, not afraid. Just...watching.
Above them, birds they hadn't seen before flew by in quiet bursts of color and movement. They were the same birds they'd heard before but now they could see them. Now they were real.
The trees weren't bare anymore. Fruits of all kinds hung from their branches some glowing faintly, some dull and soft like pears. The forest no longer felt empty. It felt like something had always been there, waiting for them to notice.
It was like their eyes had only just opened.
"I think I'm hallucinating," Cael said, blinking rapidly.
"Me too," Cress whispered.
"Better than being dead," Thane muttered, not sure if he meant it as a joke or not.
"I don't think it's a hallucination," Sollene said. Her voice was steady. "I feel like it's all real."
She wasn't sure why she felt so sure. Maybe it was the way the air smelled now warmer, full of leaves and moss. Maybe it was the way the light moved through the trees. Or maybe it was because, for the first time since they'd all met, something about this world finally made sense.
They stood still, staring into the strange, living forest, not saying anything more.