Immortal Consequences(63)
Masika crossed her arms, sighing. “Took you long enough.”
“Well, maybe if you’d waited for me before going through the first door like I told you to, it wouldn’t have taken me so long to find you.”
Masika smirked, clearly pleased with herself. “So…how far is your soul?”
“About three doors,” Irene calculated. “You?”
“Two, I think.”
Irene nodded. She bent down, running the wet sand between her fingers. It felt so real…each grain brushing against her skin. The damp particles in the air. The moisture clinging to the ocean spray.
“Then I suppose we take care of yours first, and then we can move on to mine.”
Masika hummed in surprise. “You’d really be willing to let me go first?”
“Why not?”
“It’s a bit risky, isn’t it? By the time we locate your soul, we could very well be too late.”
“Oh, please.” Irene brushed her off with a wave of her hand. “You and I both know we’re faster than the others. I wouldn’t be surprised if they haven’t even passed through their first door yet.”
Masika chuckled softly. “You’re doing it again…”
“Doing what?”
“Underestimating everyone else.”
“I’m not underestimating them. I simply know my value.”
“I’m not saying that your skills aren’t impressive by comparison,” explained Masika, throwing her arm over Irene’s shoulder as they began to trudge along the shoreline. “But these other nominees are talented. They’re strong. Smart. They were chosen for a reason. And honestly…they deserve to win. We all do.”
“You’ve been spending too much time with the others,” Irene muttered furiously. “They are brainwashing you.”
Masika chuckled. “Irene…”
“It’s true. All this talk of bonding and us being unfortunate acquaintances…you’re one group hug away from completely losing your focus.”
“Group hug?” Masika echoed, biting back a smile.
“Don’t mock me.”
“I’m not—” Masika came to a halt, turning to face Irene. She grabbed her squarely by the shoulders. “Listen. I get it. The Forgetting terrifies you. It terrifies all of us—”
“That’s not—”
“—but one of these days you’re going to have to accept it. If we don’t become Ascended, then eventually…it’ll happen. It’s just the natural next step in our duty. An inevitability that we can’t run from.”
Irene pushed herself away from Masika. “I can run from it. And I will.”
Masika startled. The soft smile on her face vanished.
“What are you saying?”
But before Irene could respond, something in the sea at their side began to change. It was a small, almost indiscernible difference at first, the waves swelling in size, the ocean spray hardening. And then the roar of the waves turned deafening. The ocean spray pelting their skin like shards of glass.
“Masika.” Irene grabbed her firmly by the wrist. “Run.”
The moment they broke into a sprint, the ocean sprang to life, a towering wall of water sprouting from it like a skyscraper. A paralyzing shock ran through Irene as the wave descended upon them. Her hands went numb, her feet rooted helplessly to the ground.
But Masika was fast.
She pressed her hands out and stopped the wave just as it sprang toward them, changing its trajectory. The water fell over them in an arch, crashing to the ground a few yards to their right.
“Come on!”
Something unidentifiable warped Masika’s voice. Confusion. Desperation. Irene wasn’t sure what it was, but it snapped her out of her daze and brought her back to her senses. She darted forward, sprinting as fast as she possibly could. Suddenly, something materialized in their line of sight—a wooden door with iron detailing.
“There!” shouted Masika. She began to run straight toward the door, all the while casting a protective barrier around them.
The water roared in defiance, another monstrous wave rising from the surface of the ocean. Irene couldn’t help but feel as though it were alive, chasing after them. She wasn’t sure if it was her imagination, but she swore she saw a face reflected against the wave. A familiar face that reminded her of her own.
Terror uncoiled in her chest. “Mom?”
Masika glanced at her as they ran, eyes wide and brows furrowed. “What did you say?”
But Irene never answered. Instead, they hurtled through the door, throwing themselves into the next world in a dizzying blur. Her hands landed on asphalt, the wave crashing behind them just as the door slammed shut.
The sound of it rattled against her ears.
And then…silence.
27
Masika
Masika didn’t know what to say. It wasn’t like she could just pretend she hadn’t heard Irene call for her mother. But she also knew trying to bring it up would be pointless. Irene would grow defensive. She’d bury herself inside that iron fortress and lock the doors, shutting Masika out completely.
“Are you okay?” Masika pushed herself off the ground and onto her feet.
They’d landed on what appeared to be an open road, flanked on either side by dark clouds and a blanket of stars. A single streetlight hovered above them, the flashing red light washing the concrete in a faded crimson hue.