The Shadow Wanderers

Looking up at the illuminating sky, her heart fills with sheer delight as she pedals steadily. Her feet strain against the pads of her bike on their own accord. The sun appears partly on the horizon, the sea reflecting it flawlessly like a mirror. The insubstantial pink clouds hover in the orange ethereal morning sky. The cliffs and low hills of the island cover the sea from three sides while the sun rules the remaining one. It's a breathtaking view to look at early in the morning. That's what she does every day at dawn―rides her bike to the cliff to view the most pleasing sight ever. It slackens her in a strange way. Plus, being on one's own is always the cherry on top. She can relax and enjoy her own company and relish the magnificent displays of nature. She halts her bike at the end of the cliff and bounces off the bike. Standing dangerously close to the edge, she takes a deep breath. Strange calmness seeps through her body. But something inside of her is disturbed because of curiosity; the deep itchy urge to do it. And if she did, would she be able to walk through it? Will she escape Erini, and will it lead her to someplace different? Where will she end up? What will be the consequences? A voice breaks through the haze of her restless thoughts. "Calista! What the heck are you doing here?! Step back!" Naomi yells. Subconsciously, Calista takes two steps back and looks at her best friend as she realizes her secret didn't remain hidden anymore. "Don't look at me like that. What were you trying to do? Have you gone crazy? Just because that douchebag says stuff to you doesn't mean you can kill yourself," Naomi keeps shouting at Calista, while she stands in an awkward position, analyzing everything that Naomi says. "You think I was going to kill myself?" Calista says baffled at Naomi's assumption. "Why else would you be here?" She frowns and points to the edge of the cliff. "Some people come here to find peace." She stomps her feet on the rocky ground and turns around to grab her bike, but Naomi seizes her wrist before she can do so. She turns Calista around and pulls her in a hug. A smile slithers over her lips, and she hugs her back. "I'm sorry, I overreacted. You scare me a lot," Naomi says in a soft voice, which is full of guilt due to lashing at her best friend. It melts Calista's heart, and she hugs her tight. They pull apart and smile at each other. Then, Calista grabs her bike, and they both start to walk down the other side of the hill to school. "And, by the way, I wouldn't have killed myself even if Isaac crossed his limits to bully me. I have you and Dad," Calista assures her. "I know," says Naomi. "Plus, I don't even care what he says or does." Naomi hums while staring at the ground as they walk. "I'm happy, Nom. Really," Calista adds and smiles at her, but it doesn't quite reach her eyes. Naomi looks up at her and stares right into her eyes. "You're lying, aren't you?" Calista looks away. Her smile falters. They both fall silent. But it's not an awkward silence at all. It is a silence of soothing and understanding. Naomi has known Calista for as long as she can remember, and knows her heart and soul. She's always been aware of Calista's struggles and the loneliness in her life. Calista likes to describe it as 'constant nudging in her chest' or 'a hole in her existence.' There is nothing handy that Naomi can do about it; she knows it's inevitable and that someday Calista will succeed in filling the hole by herself. She'd be finally satisfied that day. They both walk down the hill until they reach school. They can see the old shabby building from a distance. Calista parks her bike in the lot. Distant chatter of teenagers rings in their ears, and it becomes a din of laughter and shouting as soon as they open the door to the main hall.Student lockers line up the ends of both the walls, stretching to the end of the main hall. Students are gathered in different groups around their lockers; some running around and messing with each other while others busy in idle talks. "Hey, Calista! Is that you? I almost didn't recognize you," Isaac calls, but she tries to ignore him and walks past him and his friends. "Look what depression has done to the little girl." His friends bark out in laughter, and Calista turns in time to see him fist-bumping one of the guys. Hearing his grave voice sends chills down her spine, and she becomes weaker. Her confidence wanes, and her heart starts to palpitate; she can't think of anything to say. Naomi grabs her arm and takes a firm step beside her. Calista knows he's referring to her new haircut, which she got the previous day. Her ginger hair is now a long bob, and the waves fall over her shoulders. Previously, her hair was long and straight that fell effortlessly down her waistline. They both walk up to their lockers which are right next to each other. They start spinning their combinations and put their books inside. Calista steals glances at her, and Naomi seems to sense the sudden tension between them. "Just say it, Cal," Naomi finally says, looking at her. Calista still can't look her in the eyes, perhaps because she knows how she'd respond to it. "Nom, I was wondering about something," she starts and trails off. Naomi doesn't respond and quirks her eyebrow at her while shifting her weight on her right foot. "Okay, you see, the legend—" "What about the legend, Calista?!" Naomi cuts her short and almost yells in astonishment. Calista shushes her and looks around to see if anyone had heard them. A few heads whip in their direction, but then they turn back just as quickly to continue their chatters. "I was thinking about it. What if you could open a doorway? I mean—" she tries to explain, but again, she's interrupted. "Cal, a lot of people did that already. No one succeeded. You know the stories," Naomi says. "I know. But I won't find out if it's true unless I try it," she replies. Naomi groans at this point. She is aware of Calista's obsession with ancient legends and history, and that she'd do anything to clarify whether a myth is true or not. Perhaps, the only thing stopping Calista from making her life whole again is to verify or perform every legend in history. "Woah, someone's going to try the legend, huh?" As if things were in control, Isaac pops into their conversation. Naomi and Calista were so absorbed in the conversation that they had forgotten that Isaac's locker was two to the right from theirs. Naomi rolls her eyes at him while Calista looks at him with annoyance. "What do you want, now, Isaac?" Naomi has the guts to ask the most arrogant guy in school. "She's trying to escape Erini—this place she considers hell—by opening a doorway through a false legend," Isaac says, contemplating everything that he eavesdropped. He has the biggest smirk on his face. "I think everyone needs to hear this." Isaac turns around and claps twice. "May I have your attention, please?" He says, and everyone's heads turn towards them. Naomi and Calista stand in shock, unable to do anything on instinct. They know what's coming, but they aren't prepared for it. "This girl right here, I'm sure everybody knows her." He points at Calista. Some people laugh while others have no idea what's going on. "Calista Davis. She's going to stand on the edge of the cliff at dawn tomorrow. She will be opening doors to another world, and she's going to disappear through it. It's the legend. Y'all know that. Tomorrow morning, y'all are going to witness history." Gasps and whispers occur from the crowd of students. Isaac turns around and faces her. He can see that her face has gone pale, and her jaw hangs agape. Creases form on her forehead in helplessness, and she feels humiliated. Isaac succeeds in ruining her reputation yet again. Staring right into his evil eyes, all her helplessness and weakness go entirely down the drain and transforms into determination. Staring into his evil eyes, she decides to do something no one on Erini has ever done successfully.