2 - The Fall

How is he back? Susan said he'll be back an hour before dinner time. That's four hours away. "Zoey?" He calls me again.

Does he know? Did he see the videos on the internet? Will he yell? Am I a disappointment to him now? Does he hate me? Has he rang my mother? "Zoey?" This is the third time he's called me. I should turn and face him.

Slowly I turn around with a sliver spoon in my hand and a pounding heart in my chest. I'm in shock when I see a smile on my face. No signs of anger or disappointment. I don't want to jinx anything but he looks happy. Let me not get in over my head, this could be the calm before the storm. He and my mother know that today is report day. He may want to see it, then all hell will break lose. He'll ring my mother and the worst may happen. Boarding school.

"Hey dad." My voice is shaky. Trembling. "What are you doing back so early? Did you forget something? What is it? I can go get-"

"Zoey calm down." He cuts me off and chuckles. "I actually have something for you." It's only now that I realise that his hands are behind his back.

Curiosity replaces the nervousness. "You got me something? What is it? Did I do something special?" I ask in a hurry, before remembering what happened last year when he said this. "Are you working with Jake to prank me again?"

His smile stretches more when he laughs wholeheartedly. "No. That was the time, I assure you." I realise a sigh of relief. "Your mother gave us quite the lecture that day." We both chuckle at that memory. Jake was grounded for three weeks, I began to feel bad for him at some point.

"So what did you get me?" I ask because I'll surely die of curiosity.

Slowly he brought his hands from behind him. My heart stopped pounding, only to melt. In his hands was a white puppy. "You've wanted one for so long so your mother and I thought it was about time you got one." He handed me the puppy. It's fur is soft. "Plus with the holidays starting you'll spend ample time with her." He had put a purple bow on top of her collar. I take a look at the pendant, it's written Jewels. "I named her at the pet store. You can always change the name if you don't like it."

I walked closer to my father and hugged him. Carefully not to squash Jewels. "I love the name." I say against his chest. "And I absolutely love her. Thank you dad." We realese from the hug and I coo more at Jewels.

"You dropped something." My dad hands me the spoon. I must have dropped it while I was obsessing over Jewels. "You could consider this an early birthday present." What?

"What do you mean an early birthday present, dad?" I look up from the little fur ball in my hands. There's a guilty look in his eyes. I know this look, I've seen it for the past five years. I just thought this year would be different. "You're going to miss it again? This will be the sixth time dad."

"I know, Zoey. And I'm really sorry." I can feel tears starting to form again in my eyes. "The biggest projects always come up during the festive season. I tried convincing them to change their minds about the timing, but they just won't burge." The first tear rolls down my face. "I'm really sorry, Zo." I quickly wipe it away.

"It's fine, dad." I bolt back to my room with Jewels in my hands. Immediately she jumps out of my hands and runs to the balcony. I eat one cookie from the packet of ten and Jewels starts barking furiously.

"Jewels. What's wrong girl?" I pick her up and try to look at what made her angry. Maybe she wants to go outside? "Do you to go outside, girl?" This excites her because she jumps out of my hands, again, and runs to my door. I open the door for her and she runs out.

I notice that my dad has left when we get downstairs. Shrugging it off I take the kitchen door because it's closer to the garden. Where I suspect Jewels wants to go.

As soon as I open the door she runs to the oakwood tree and starts sniffing it. I follow suit. I gasp when I see what the tree has on its trunk. An opening. Purple and blue substances ooze out and onto the ground.

"Zoey?" I'm startled by a voice. I look at it's owner from the side of the tree. Benjamin. He's still in his soccer uniform, so he must be from practice. "What are you doing behind the tree?"

Should I tell him the truth? No, he'll just think I'm messing with him. I say the first thing that comes to my mind. "I'm getting closer to nature?"

"Right. I'll leave you to it then." He chuckles and rushes inside.

I turn my attention back to Jewels only to find her looking at me. "He wouldn't believe me if I told him the truth. You'll understand soon." I pet her gently. She jumps slightly and moves closer to the tree. Suddenly she gets sucked into the opening. Panic and fear rise in me. "Jewels!" I scream her name out. Shortly after I hear a distant bark. I reach my hand inside the opening. I don't feel anything, it's like I'm reaching in air.

A take deep breaths and try to calm myself down. I rush back to my room to change into clothes that are suitable for walking and possibly rescuing. I pull out a green pair of shorts, a red t-shirt, the climbing boots my mother bought us. From the top of my table I take a blue bag in which I put the cookies inside, the ice cream will have to stay. My red hair keeps getting in the way so I tie it to the back quickly. I wear the gloves Jason got me last month.

I run back downstairs and luckily I don't encounter any of my brothers or the help. I make to the tree. First I stick my foot in to see if I won't get stuck. Both my legs fit, so I let go of my hold and slide in too.

My hair is lifted off my back, my t-shirt is rolled up a bit and my bag slips out of my hold. Slowly I open my eyes. Around me is a evergreen rain forest. Tall trees stands firmly placed in the ground, while some vines plants crawl up them for sunlight. Looking down I see a purple-blue river and I'm about to land in it. I try to swim in the air to avoid falling in, but my attempts are in vain because shortly my body is consumed by semi-warm water.

I push myself up for air, and after what feels like ages, I can breath actual air. Looking around myself I see how massive this river actually is. I start swimming to the banks. My bag lands a shortly after with a small splash, I swim back for it.

"Jewels!" I call hee when I finally drag myself out. There's a strange tingling sensation in the palm of my hands, I choose to ignore it. This time, unlike the other times when I called her, she doesn't bark back. Worry begins to settle in the pit of my stomach. I hope she's alive, I don't even know if she can swim, she's still a puppy.

My hair is plastered all over my face, I slowly remove it and wring it dry. "Jewels." I call her again, while taking my shoes off and flipping them upside down, water pours out rapidly they are soaked so I know they are ruined. Great! These were supposed to be water-proof, stupid rip off, wannabe designers.

Something startles me when the bushes in front of me started moving and a hissing sound starts. I tremble and move back, but because of my clumsiness, I stepped on a rock and slipped. My ankle feels bad, I hope I didn't hurt it. How am I going to save Jewels with a hurt ankle? The hissing does not stop though. A large brown patterned snake emerges from the bushes. It flicks it's tounge out and comes closer to me. I keep pushing myself back with it's every approach.

The snake kept coming closer and the closer it came I could see it's large body. So large it could probably swallow me without much hustle. Plus I'll be an easy catch. I'm on my behind with a snake that wants to each me.

"P-please." My voice trembled. "Y-you won't even like how I taste." I can hardly complete a sentence without stuttering. "I'm sure I taste bad, plus I'm all bones no fat. Y-you will just choke on my ugly bones." At this point I stopped moving backwards because I have no land to move back on. I hold out my left hand motioning for it to stop, but do animals ever listen? No! Take Jewels for example, she found a way to get herself sucked into this place. And now I'm stuck her with a large reptile that sees food in me.

I feel a stick beneath my right and I pick it up and point the snake with it. "S-stay there." I try to sound brave but it comes out like a plea. "I-I-I-I have a weapon, it will hurt you badly if you come any closer."

Soon I feel the river beneath me, so cowardly I throw the stick to the snake's head. Nothing happens, the stick didn't have an effect on the snake, but in its defense it was a pretty small stick. Well good luck dear fallen solider, I hope you continue to serve in the after life.

Right now I'm in fight-or-flight mode. And I'm pretty sure I'm not going to fight a snake, so I'm either going to dive back into the river (where it could follow me and eat me there) or make a run for it, knowing me, I'll probably encounter another dangerous animal that has an appetite for me. So in essence, I'm a goner.

Knowing that my life is possibly ending today doesn't put my nerves at ease. I'm still trembling, shaking in my pants, wait in my shorts, sorry. The tingling sensation is back. The snake keeps coming closer, hissing and flicking its tounge out, in, out, in, out, in like a routine.

The tears in my eyes start to spill, my life isn't suppose to end like this, not now. I haven't met the people I wanted to meet, now I'm going to be swallowed by a stubborn snake that won't understand that I taste awful.

How is my family even going to find my body? If I don't die and I find Jewels how am I suppose to leave this place? I fell from the sky so am I meant to fly back up? I don't want to a silent death I open my mouth to scream. My scream is cut short when a hand clasps over my mouth. "Shh." A low raspy voice said near my ear. "Hold on tight, alright?" Although I could not see the owner of the the voice, I felt obligated to nod, the hand moved from my mouth to my waist. For a short while the person's body came into view. "Now!"