REAWAKENED 2: SHE IS LILA

It's not that simple

Knocking off time came and as Blake was in her car driving home, her mind was caught up on Jackson and how she was going to tell him that she wasn’t interested in being his girlfriend because one, she didn’t see him that way and two, she liked somebody else.

And it wasn’t that he was a bad person or anything, he was a nice sweet boy, both inside and out. He was actually the exact kind of boy her mother wanted her to be with; a squeaky clean boy who got good grades, didn’t indulge in mischievous behaviour and was respectful to his parents, it was just that she had zero feelings for him. He had a perfect score of three out of three but even still, Alexander who scored lower than him was the one she liked and wanted to be with and so though he looked like the perfect candidate on paper, her heart was reserved for Alexander.

Reaching home, Blake wasted no time in continuing to play The Golden Quintessence. After she put her bag on the floor and took her shoes off, she got her gear on and entered the game.

Lila and William continued making their way through the Marshes of Gaillenheim, following the trail of golden dust along the road-sized wooden walkways as inside, they wondered on where it was going to lead them.

Just then, a cackle came from above, and as it echoed throughout the marshes, they came to a quick stop, with William immediately recoiling with fear.

“Goodness, what was that?” he asked.

“It sounded like a cackle,” Lila answered.

“A cackle? As in a witch’s cackle?”

“Yes,” she said suspiciously. Where there was a cackle, there was a witch, and quickly she began to look around for her so that she could deal with her before she caused any trouble. But unfortunately that thought didn’t come quick enough because just as she lifted her head and was about to begin looking around, a witch flew out of nowhere on a witch’s broom and grabbed William.

“Lila!” he shouted as the witch hanged him over the front end of her broom and flew off with him, cackling on. Her name was Geldah and she was wearing a dark robe with a matching witch’s hat.

“William!"

A new objective popped up; REACH GELDAH'S COTTAGE AND RESCUE WILLIAM.

Geldah had quickly disappeared into the trees and so Lila had no idea where she went or where her cottage was, but the map did and following it, turning right, left and right again, she ran as fast as she could to go and rescue William before the witch hurt him or worse off, cooked him and ate him. And the map was taking her in a direction opposite to that of the golden dust trail but she didn’t even care, her main priority was rescuing William and so that was what she focused all of her energy on.

Continuing to follow the map, turning this way and that way, Lila finally made it to Geldah’s small and creepy cottage. There was a one minute timer in which she was supposed to get there and she got there just in time, and the moment she walked onto the small piece of land her cottage was built on, a thick cloud of dark green smoke poofed on the roof and out of it appeared Geldah, cackling. She was an old witch with a warty face, a large nose like a troll and long dark split nails, and as she stood there on the flat roof with her broom in her hand, Lila could only hope that she wasn’t too late.

"Witch! Give me back my friend," Lila said.

"Foolish little girl, do you know who I am? I am Geldah, the most powerful witch in the marshes," Geldah said in her screeching voice.

"I don't care who you are, give me back my friend right now.”

She laughed and poofed disappearing off the roof and then poofed appearing on the ground right in front of Lila, and after she skillfully swung her broom about, like a ninja, she got into her fighting pose and gave Lila a death stare.

"Come and get him," she taunted.

“Done,” Lila said and pulled her sword out, and also got into her fighting pose.

LILA VS. GELDAH.

Geldah swung her broom at Lila and they started fighting; with Geldah moving quite agile for an old lady she proved to be a worthy opponent. Evenly matched, they went back and forth for a while until one of them finally managed to land an attack; after Lila blocked Geldah’s attempt to poke her in the chest, she countered with a slice to her cheek.

Shrieking in pain, she then poofed onto the roof and removed a small glass vial with a black liquid inside it from inside her sleeve and threw it at Lila; and seeing it coming, she swung her sword at it. Big mistake. It was an explosive potion and the moment she sliced through it, it exploded, not only pushing her back but causing her quite the damage.

“Ugh,” she heavily groaned as she slowly rolled onto her side. The explosion didn’t just affect her hearing and her sight, it ate up a good chunk of her life as well, drastically weakening her, so much so she had to drink some tulip syrup or else she was going to die.

Learning the hard way that the vials were explosive, Lila quickly got back up onto her feet and ran and took cover behind a tree, and as Geldah threw more vials at her, she equipped her bow and began to fire arrows at her.

She fired two double shots at her and when she poofed back down to the ground, Lila ran to her re-equipping her sword, and they continued fighting. They danced for a while but slightly more skillful than her opponent, Lila managed to catch Geldah again. She blocked an attack to her head and when she countered with a three-hit combo; a left front kick to the gut, a right back kick to the neck and another right back kick to her under chin, Geldah flew into the air and landed hard on the ground.

Shrieking in pain again, she then poofed back up onto the roof and threw a vial at Lila, and as she quickly took cover behind a tree, she equipped her bow and began shooting at her. She fired three double shots this time and when Geldah poofed back down to the ground once more, she ran to her switching her bow for her sword again, and they went on fighting.

Geldah knew that she was about to be defeated and so she gave the last stretch of the fight everything she had. After they went back and forth for a good while, this time she was the one who landed an attack. Lila wanted to slice her across the neck but blocking her swing and countering it, Geldah hit her in the face and poked her in the stomach with her broom, and then kicked her in her chest. And as she flew back, she quickly grabbed not one, but two vials from inside her sleeve and threw them at her.

Lila saw them coming and shielded her face with her arms but that did nothing. One vials was dangerous enough on its own, two was catastrophic, and when they reached her and exploded, not only was she injured to the point of death, but she was also pushed back so hard she cracked her spine against a tree.

Geldah cackled as on the ground Lila lay moaning in excruciating pain; so deafened and blinded by the explosion all she could hear and see was a high-pitched ring and blackness respectively.

Using the very last strength she had, she then pulled out another bottle of tulip syrup from inside her coat and drank it, and bouncing back like a fish being thrown back into the water, she got up and wanted to continue fighting but she didn’t have her sword. She had dropped it and as she spotted it on the ground right in front of Geldah and quickly analyzed that she wasn’t going to be able to get it without being hit with more vials, she equipped her bow and began to shoot her. And every time she hit her she poofed and appeared somewhere else and so Lila had to keep moving so that she could get a good shot.

Hit with five double shots, Geldah poofed and appeared back at the front of the cottage and knowing that that was where she was going to appear, Lila quickly ran there and dove to the ground grabbing her sword and when Geldah appeared, she threw her sword to her chest and pierced her through the heart.

Geldah flew back shrieking and defeated, she blew up into black dust as Lila’s sword flew on and pierced into the side of the cottage. It was a tough fight but it was finally over, and when Lila walked up to the cottage and grabbed her sword, she slid into the scabbard and went inside to rescue William.

Evening came and out of the game, Blake was in the living room watching TV with mom. They were cooking supper and were seated together on the long couch waiting for the chicken in the oven to get ready.

Suddenly, a knock came to the door and they immediately looked at each other wondering who it could be.

“Did you invite someone over for dinner?” Blake asked.

“No I didn’t,” mom answered. “Did you?”

“No.”

“So who could that be?”

“Only one way to find out,” Blake said and went to answer it. “Ooh, maybe it’s Ryan and he's come to ask you out.”

“O.k.”

She chuckled and unlocked and opened the door, and when she saw who was there, she gave out a small shout as absolute shock came upon her.

“Jackson?” Blake went.

“Jackson,” mom repeated and curiously got off the couch to see who this Jackson she had never heard of before was.

“Hey Blake? Good evening Mrs. Morgan,” Jackson said.

“Uh hello there?” She looked him up and down and coyly smiled. “Jackson.”

“WHAT are you doing here?” Blake asked, utterly blindsided.

“Blake sweetie, that is no way to speak to a friend, please Jackson come in.”

“What! No. He is not coming in.”

“What, you want him to talk from the door?” mom asked.

“No, I want him to leave.”

“Honey behave, this is not how I raised you. Jackson please, you’re welcome,” she said and welcomed him in as Blake just stood there completely baffled. What was he doing at her home? How was he even there? He didn’t have her number and yet he knew where she lived, how? And why was he there? It was 18:30 in the evening, what on earth was he doing showing up at her home at 18:30 in the evening?

“Jackson, what the . . ?”

“Honey!” mom interrupted, sitting on the long couch with Jackson seated next to her.

“I wasn't going to say a bad word mother calm down.”

“It sounded like you were.”

“Well I wasn't, although the moment perfectly calls for it because what is even this? Jackson, what-the-heck?!” Blake said hysterical.

“Oh my gosh Jackson, I am so sorry, please forgive my daughter.”

“It’s alright,” he said. “I probably should have called first.”

“Or just not have shown up.”

“Honey,” mom went giving her look, wondering why she was being so rude.

“He’s in our home mom, why is he in our home? Goodness Jackson why are you here? How are you even here? How did you know where I lived? Did you follow me?” Blake asked.

“Um . . . Yes, I did.”

“Oh wow, that is not stalker-ish of you at all.”

“Honey calm down,” mom said.

“I will not, he followed me home mom, do you not see how creepy that is? If it was a thirty year old man who followed me home from the mall, you would not be saying the same thing.”

“I really am sorry to just show up here like this but I promise I have a really good reason,” Jackson said.

“Oh my gosh,” Blake wearily said to herself; with what happened in the morning, him about to tell her from his heart of hearts that she was beautiful, she had a pretty good idea of what he was about to say.

“Go ahead Jackson,” mom said, hoping that it was what she was thinking because from what she had seen so far, he seemed like just the kind of good boy she wanted her daughter to be with.

“I am actually here to see you.”

“Oh o.k.”

“My name is Jackson Raymond and I came here to ask you for your permission,” he said and Blake quietly groaned to herself; she knew it.

“Permission to do what?”

“Permission to take Blake out on a date.”

“Oh my,” mom said, immediately turning red. It was what she was hoping for and hearing him just come out with it, was so bold it blew her away.

“Blake and I are in the same class and she’s amazing. She’s smart and funny and is by far the coolest girl I have ever met.”

“Aw.”

“I’ve liked her since the first moment I saw her and having become her friend and gotten to know her a little bit, I’ve come to like her so much more,” Jackson said as Blake quietly groaned on, beating herself up inside.

Had she told him that she wasn’t interested in him the moment she discovered that he was interested in her, this wouldn’t have been happening; but instead, she let the whole thing drag and now look what she went and caused.

“I’ve been wanting to spend some time with her but because of the rule you gave her about her not being allowed to hang out with boys, she’s obviously been turning me down,” he said.

“If she’s hanging out with them just as friends then I don’t have a problem with it, my main concern is if she wants to start dating, then she has to bring him home to meet me so that I can talk to him and see if he’s good enough to be with her,” mom said.

“Wow, you’re such a good mom.”

“Aw Jackson thank you. And you are such a sweet boy.”

He chuckled. “Thank you. The girls at our school don’t think so though. They all think I’m a loser. Except Blake. She’s the only one that actually talks to me like a person. I know I can get a little annoying sometimes but even though I annoy her, she still talks to me. She sees me. She smiles at me. She makes me laugh. She’s nothing like the other girls. She’s really special. And I came here to ask you if I can take her out on a date, so that I can show her just how special she really is.”

“Oh my gosh,” mom said touched. He was sweet, respectable, cute and could pour his heart out beautifully like that, where were the papers so that she could sign them.

Even Blake was touched. She was boiling inside and was about to erupt like a volcano when he had just shown up but after hearing the words that came out of his mouth, she was moved. Not because she had hidden feelings for him, but because he was just a boy who wanted to find that one girl who was going to love him and care for him in the way that he deserved.

He just wanted to find his person and live happily ever after with her, and when he believed that he had found her, he put on his big boy pants and took a chance; and that chance paid off because Blake’s mom said yes, and not only did she say yes but she also set the date for the next day and agreed to chaperone, to make sure that the date went smoothly.

"What!!!” Arthur said flabbergasted. It was the following day and Blake had just told him what shocking thing transpired at her home the night before. They were seated in her car talking and as the students flooded the yard, Blake sat with a numb expression on her face as inside, she continued to beat herself up.

"Yep, he showed up out of the blue and asked mom if he could take me out on a date . . . And she said yes,” she said, looking cute in a white floral dress and pink sandals.

“Oh my goodness.”

“And the date is tonight, at The Blue.”

“What? No, dude, you have to bail,” he said, not wanting anything to wreck the chances of her and Alexander ending up together.

“I can’t, mom’s chaperoning.”

“Oh my gosh.” He threw his head down into his hand but then quickly raised it back up when something came to him. “Wait, isn’t today your chill with Alexander?”

“It was supposed to be today yes,” she regrettably said.

“No, no, dude, no! What are you doing cancelling on Alexander? You’re supposed to be cancelling on Jackson.”

“It’s not that simple,” Blake said.

“What do you mean it’s not that simple? Oh my gosh, do you have feelings for Jackson?”

“No I don’t, stop talking crazy.”

“O.k. so say no and don’t go,” Arthur said.

“It’s not that black and white.”

“Hmm, I like you so I’m going to go on a date with you, I don’t like you so I’m NOT going to go on a date with you, seems pretty black and white to me.”

“Dude, I don’t want to break his heart alright,” Blake said.

“Oh o.k. but it’s o.k. to break Alexander’s?” he said and his words immediately cut her like a knife.

Both hearts had the potential to be broken so why was she more concerned about breaking Jackson’s heart more than she was breaking Alexander’s? Wasn’t Alexander the one she liked? Her kinda sorta boyfriend? So why did she care about Jackson’s feelings more than his?

“You do realize that you not telling him the truth is what got you into this mess in the first place right? Because had you told him from the get-go that you weren’t interested in him, this wouldn’t have happened. But now it has and because you don’t want to break his heart, this date is going to turn into a relationship, then you two are going to get engaged and then you’re going to get married and have a baby, whilst your true love Alexander is going to be standing on the sidelines broken hearted, wondering where it all went wrong,” he said.

“Goodness, you are really deep,” Blake said.

“Well, that’s the thing about the truth, it’s deep, especially when it’s not pleasant.”

“I’m not going to marry Jackson. It’s just a date. It’s not even a date-date, it’s just dinner. We’re just going to sit, eat and talk, that’s it.”

“You better use this date, dinner, whatever it is to tell him the truth or else I’m going to tell him,” Arthur said giving her a strong look.

"I’ll tell him, gosh.”

“Because you’ve dragged this long enough. You know he likes you and you know you don’t like him like that, so tell him the truth so that he can move on and find his true love.”

“Alright I hear you, I’m going to tell him,” Blake said.

“Good. And Alexander? Have you told him?”

“Yeah I told him last night.”

“And how did he take it?” Arthur asked.

“I told him I had a thing with my mom so, he took it o.k.”

He turned all the way to her and gave her another strong look. “You lied to him?”

“What, you wanted me to tell him the truth? That I was going on a date, dinner, whatever with Jackson?” she said.

“Yes, you always have to tell the truth Blake, even if it’s going to hurt people’s feelings, I’ve said this.”

“Oh come on, it’s just a little white lie, he doesn’t have to know.”

“White lie? There’s no such thing as a white lie. Just like there’s no such thing as a small sin or a big sin; sin is sin so lying is lying whether you lied about stealing a pen or killing someone. And what is lying? It’s one of the seven abominations of God. Proverbs Chapter 6 Verse 16 – 19 ‘These six things the LORD hates, yes, seven are an abomination to Him; a proud look, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that are swift in running to evil, a false witness who speaks lies and one who sows discord among brethren.’ The whole little white lie thing is a ploy to deceive people especially believers into thinking that it’s o.k. to lie if it’s just a tiny lie because unlike most of them, the devil knows that there’s no such thing as a small sin or a big sin, there’s just sin and sin leads to death and condemnation, and so if he can get you to sin through the smallest of things, knowing that that small thing is very much capable of damning your soul to eternal torment, that’s a massive win for him,” Arthur said.

“O.k. fine, I’ll tell him the truth.”

“Today!”

“No not today, tomorrow,” Blake said and he gave her a squinty-eyed stare. “I’ll tell him tomorrow I promise,” she then said and he sighed calming down.

“O.k.”

“O.k.”