Chapter 29

Tori’s POV

I called out for help until my voice turned hoarse, each word weaker than the last, breaking against the silence that surrounded me like it didn’t care whether I lived or died.

I didn’t see a single soul, no one came around and I was very sure a lot of people must have left the hill already.

My body kept sinking slowly, the sand tightening around me with every passing second, dragging me down inch by inch like it had already decided my fate.

I had stopped struggling a long time ago, not because I wanted to, but because I had learned the hard way that fighting only made it worse.

At this point, I didn’t even know how long I had been stuck there. It could have been an hour or even more.

A shaky breath left my lips as I forced myself to think, to hold on to something, anything that could get me out of this.

Then it hit me. Those words which were given to me by that weird old woman. The same ones she had given me weeks ago.

My mind scrambled to remember them, pushing past the panic, past the exhaustion, until they finally came back to me, clear and exact like they had been carved into my memory all along.

This would be the second time, and after I would only have three wishes left. I hope it would work in a situation like this.

The thought lingered for a second, heavy and unsettling, but I pushed it aside quickly. I didn’t have the luxury to hesitate.

Not now, especially when I was already halfway buried. I took in a deep, unsteady breath and whispered the words.

For a moment, nothing happened and doubt crept in instantly, sharp and cruel.

Fuck!

A strange warmth spread through my body, starting from my chest and radiating outward, like something had come alive inside me. It wasn’t painful, but it wasn’t normal either.

The ground around me shifted slowly.

The tight grip the sand had on my legs loosened, just slightly at first, like it was hesitating, like it was being forced to let go.

My breath hitched.

The weight pulling me down started to ease, the pressure reducing little by little until it felt like something beneath me was pushing upward instead.

Lifting me slowly. It felt surreal

The sand that had been swallowing me began to slide away from my body, peeling back in small movements, as though invisible hands were pulling it off me.

I didn’t move and I was too scared to breathe too hard. I just let it happen.

My legs came free first, then my waist, then the rest of my body as I was gradually pushed upward until I collapsed forward onto solid ground, coughing as I dragged in a sharp breath.

I was out. I was actually out.

For a few seconds, I just lay there, my chest rising and falling rapidly, my body trembling from the exhaustion, the fear, everything all at once.

I forced myself up slowly, my legs weak beneath me, my entire body covered in mud that clung heavily to my skin. Every step felt like a struggle, but I pushed forward anyway, knowing I couldn’t stay there.

The sun was already gone, leaving only faint traces of light behind, and the deeper I moved, the more unfamiliar everything started to look.

I tried to follow what I thought was a path, brushing past branches, stepping over uneven ground, but nothing looked the same anymore.

Every direction felt wrong.

My breathing grew heavier with each step, my strength slowly draining away as exhaustion began to take over. My legs ached, my body protested every movement, but I didn’t stop.

I couldn’t stop.

"I just need to get out..." I muttered under my breath, my voice barely audible.

But the more I walked, the more everything started to feel the same.

A strange unease settled in my chest as I slowed down, my brows pulling together slightly.

Something wasn’t right, I took a few more steps forward and then I froze realizing the same spot. What the hell? All I did was walk in circles? I was back to the spot where it had happened

A weak laugh almost escaped me, but it died before it could fully form.

Before I could even process it properly, something shifted behind me. I wasn’t alone and I could clearly feel someone’s presence around.

My body tensed instantly as I turned slowly, I squinted my eyes trying to figure out the human figure that I was staring at.

Wait! He really came here to get me? Laura’s words rang in my ears, and he really did have the opportunity of what she imagined.

And there he was, Kael was right there. He was really close to where the sand was.

Standing there, his figure barely visible under the dim light, his gaze locked on me like he had been searching for me all along.

For a second, neither of us spoke. That was the first time I’d seen him that worried over someone.

******

I woke up with my head hanging and my entire body felt sore and it was a struggle trying to move it.

"Don’t bother to move." That familiar voice, it was Laura’s. I looked at the other side of the room and she was standing right next to the window blocking the shade.

"What are you doing here?" Those words she had said to me that night before she walked away suddenly relived again.

She stepped closer while she sat at the edge of the bed. Her hands caressing my legs.

"I just wanted to let you know that we are now even. We have been through a lot together and this was the only way to call it even."

"Is this a joke? I almost died. That’s not even and you went too far. If you didn’t forgive me, why did you have to lie about it?" I questioned, disgust clearly written all over my face. 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

No wonder she was in my room, apparently she has been waiting for me to wake up so she could cover up her crimes.

"He must not know that I did this. Everything can go back to normal if you keep this a secret."

"What are you keeping a secret?" Kael walked into the room, interrupting us.