In the World Away from It All

I just wanna say thank you to everyone who has been reading my work. This sequel was impromptu but for those who wanted it; here ya go.

Lastly, if you haven't read In The Forest Away From It All I highly recommend starting there before reading this story.

IN THE WORLD AWAY FROM IT ALL

Chapter 1

Not a day had passed without Thesipha thinking about that cold, wet morning in the woods, about the look on Ray's face. Hers was an aching, the deep longing to be close to him again. She wondered about a world in which he hadn't run. In all her years, she had never experienced anything close to what the two of them shared. Especially after the magical dome fell, and she had to become accustomed to the wider world. Who would have thought that thread of fate between lovers was real and the absence in her soul once she had lost him? It was that purity she saw in the young man that drew her to him. As if it was happening all over again, her mind flashed back to simpler times. That day she found him swept up on the riverbed, broken and unconscious. She feared deep down what would come next, but what came was unexpected. Barely five months after she had been thrust into an unfamiliar world, she found out that her life wouldn't be only her own. Now more than ever, she would need to survive.

After the bubble disappeared, days had turned into weeks, with not as much as a sighting of human life. Frankly, she was more afraid of anyone seeing her than she was of being alone. She was a creature of nature, so she thought it would be easy to find her way on her own, but she soon realized how mistaken that assertion was. She would soon come to realize she wasn't meant to be entirely alone. In order to survive, she had to find shelter, and that would be the hardest part. She could no longer depend on nature to take care of her, for most of her magic had been stripped and weakened. Sleeping in caves was out of the question with the responsibility that lay ahead.

She reminisced about the days they'd held each other under the moonlight. It was almost as if she could feel Ray's skin against hers when she closed her eyes. The weather was miserable--it had been a wet autumn. There was a time she would have relished in the rain, but not those days. She could not remember the last time she enjoyed being outside. Thesipha had tired of sleeping under juts of rocks and makeshift shelters. Never before in her life had she felt so exhausted. She had managed to get some clothes and food from shelters every now and then but always managed to disappear before anyone discovered, took interest, or even noticed her presence. Her distinct physical features were the reason why she feared going into the towns she passed through. She wore a large coat, and a hooded sweater underneath to cover her pointy ears and always steered clear of crowded streets.

Not one to give up, she promised herself she was going to forge on; if not for herself, then for the life that depended on her. Her world had fallen apart, and the one she had found herself in was terrifying and cold. Time became less meaningful as each day became a perpetual struggle. Her heart had grown heavier and heavier, which only made her mind cloudy. Her feet were sore, and her stomach panged with hunger.

The wind hissed against the noisy rustling of leaves that rose all around her. Her hair wildly blew, wrapping its strands around her face and she could barely see. "I can't do this," she thought. She had never felt weaker in all her centuries. Thesipha walked onto an open road that seemed to have no end. She dragged on, hoping no one would spot her, yet she wondered, would that be so bad? Anything was better than what she was going through right now. She took a deep breath, trying her best to pull her weight up. Everything she was wearing felt like it was dragging her behind by the tons.

It had felt like hours on that tar road when the rain started to fall. The first drop hit her on the eyelid, causing her to blink continuously and she wiped it off quickly. The second fell on her cheek, then the third. Please do not do this to me. She remembered begging internally, as if communicating with the now fully formed dark grey clouds. The sound of thunder cracked furiously before the skies opened up and it had begun to pour furiously.

Within minutes, her coat was soaked, but she trod on determined to make it to safety. The cold rain cut deep into her bones and chilled her instantly. Thesipha couldn't remember having ever been colder than that day. Her thighs were on fire, especially on the inner sides. Below, her swollen feet made each step excruciating. Just a few more steps, she tried to convince herself, despite not knowing where she was going. A sharp pain struck her lower abdomen, causing her to shriek in pain and she came to a halt holding on to her stomach. She had been feeling those gradual aches from time to time, but this was different. Another painful spasm and she slowly started to get on her knees, desperately looking for something to hold on to. She had not realized that she had come to the end of the road with the heavy rain. She felt the cold mud on her knees as she let out a blood-curdling scream, coming to the sad realization that she was on her own. The pain was too much to bear, and she was short of breath. Attempting to take in deep breaths, Thesipha managed to mouth Ray's name. How disappointed he would be if he found out what had happened. This was it. Nature had finally killed her, she thought as she closed her eyes and drifted away.

CHAPTER 2

"I can't believe it sometimes you know." Thesipha sighed, turning to her friend who stared into the horizon of the park. The sound of children playing in the background drowned their intimate conversation from any prying ears.

"Vicky, I have been thinking a lot lately and--" Thesipha knew this was the last thing her friend wanted to hear, but she had to say it anyway. "I think it is time I looked for him."

Vicky's eyes were glued to the hollow double slides as two little girls emerged from its exit. She turned around stiffly, glancing at Thesipha in rehearsed surprise. Her septum piercing complemented her deep dark piercing eyes.

"Who?" She knew damn well who. "And please do not say what I think you are about to say." Vicky gave Thesipha a way out of the conversation, but in all honesty, the way out was for herself. The two women had talked about this enough times to know that there was nothing left to say and no agreement to be made.

"Do you see that little girl out there having the time of her life? Or have you forgotten what you went through eight years ago?" Vicky was stern, just like she had always been when this came up.

"All the more reason to find Ray, don't you think?" Thesipha did not care about Vicky's argument. They'd turned into the same thing repeatedly: be here with her, was usually how it ended. Deep down, she knew that she had already made up her mind today.

Vicky looked at her watch and stood up. It was time to go, so they both started walking towards the playground. It was a beautiful day to take Delilah out, though the little girl always disliked coming home before the sun came down.

"Mommy! Mommy! Did you see me on the swing?" Delilah shouted, running towards her mother when she saw her approaching.

She knew they were about to leave, so she begged for her mother to push her on the swing one last time. Thesipha couldn't say no to her, especially knowing what news she was going to drop on that poor child's shoulders. Her baby would be so devastated.

Thesipha couldn't even believe her little girl was already eight years old. It seemed like only yesterday when she went into labor in the middle of nowhere. She was convinced that they were both going to die until Vicky found her and rushed her home. If not for her midwifery skills and impeccable timing, who knows what would have happened? She often thought about Delilah's father and what being a family would have meant to Ray. It was all the more reason she needed to look for him once more.

Delilah screamed in excitement as she swung into the air. Ray deserved to know he had a beautiful, healthy child. He deserved a chance to be a better father than his own old man. After a lovely walk in the autumn sunset, they had dinner early, then stopped by a local store to stock up on groceries and ice cream, which she had promised Delilah. Thesipha had years of perfecting her cover in the small town. She and Vicky were housemates who helped each other co-parent a sweet little girl, as far as anyone was concerned. She learnt how to hide her preternatural appearance with makeup and always let her hair down to hide her pointy ears. Vicky was a witch and the only one who truly knew what Thesipha was. It was refreshing to meet someone who was an outcast like her. They hardly stayed out past hours and always kept to themselves. It was a dance of feigning normalcy here in what Thesipha would find out was Canada.

The ride back home was awkward and silent. Neither of the two women dared to confront the other in the little one's presence. With Vicky behind the wheel, Thesipha kept stealing glances at her daughter, who nibbled on the nuts in her fudge pop as she hummed joyously. Her long reddish-brown hair flowed so beautifully down her rosy cheeks. The more Thesipha looked at her, the more compelled she was to find her other half. Her smile and personality reminded her of him, and the older she got, the more she resembled him.

Thesipha had helped many women give birth in her lifetime, but never had she imagined the agony that came with childbirth nor the effort. She had wanted to die when she woke up lying in a strange bed with soaked clothes. The pain grew more unbearable as she tried to push the baby out, but ended up crying in defeat. Vicky didn't let her give up until she was holding Delilah in her arms. Tears of joy overwhelmed her as she looked into that little baby's eyes and the three of them took it one step at a time.

As always Delilah ran into their small rural house when they arrived, leaving them to unpack in their privacy outside by the car.

"How do you know he wants to be found? Why look for him when you do not even know if he's looking for you?" Vicky blurted out as they carried the paper grocery bags into the house. Thesipha stayed quiet. Part of her was analyzing her next move when her daughter came running into the kitchen. She was holding the Popsicle stick while she announced that she was finished. Her mother sat her on the kitchen counter and wiped her mouth with a towel she dampened in the sink. That girl sure was a messy eater. It wouldn't be long before she started falling asleep after the day she'd had, so Thesipha took her to her bedroom upstairs while Vicky handled things in the kitchen.

Halfway through the bedtime story, Delilah fell asleep, allowing her mother to sneak back to the kitchen. Vicky had poured herself a glass of wine as she stood by the kitchen counter, looking into the descending veil of night, swallowing the tree line.

"There's something I need to tell you. But you have to promise that you will not judge me."

Thesipha sat next to her and poured herself a glass as well. Taking a huge gulp, she found the courage to speak. "I think I may have already found him, Vicky."

Unbeknownst to her housemate and friend, she had been following every trail she could for the last eight years until something finally turned up. Supernaturals, as Thesipha would come to know them, often reached out in distant communicative forums of magic. Eventually, she discovered a town taking refugees of the supernatural. A haven safe from the prying eyes of man and built off of them.

"You have got to be kidding me! Why would you go looking for him, Thesipha? Oh, and it did not even cross your mind that I needed to know that?" Her reaction was warranted; in fact, Thesipha had expected it.

"He has no one, Vicky. Imagine if that was you, thrust into an unfamiliar world with no one to guide you. I know the pain and confusion he must feel because I was just like him when I was pregnant with our little girl." She wondered why her best friend could not understand that.

Vicky shrugged. It's not that she did not understand, but she was worried. "What about you babe? Wasn't that your pain too? You said it yourself; you suffered too much and have come so far just to throw that all away. Besides, he was the one who left you while you were expecting his child."

Thesipha was growing frustrated. Vicky had no right to take it there.

"You have no idea what it was like, pregnant and alone. Ray had no idea and if he did, he would never have left. Being turned into what he'd become was a cruelty he could never overcome," Thesipha explained carefully, but she was still unsure and nervous.

Vicky exhaled in a bid to be more supportive. She knew that Thesipha fantasized about reuniting her family, but sometimes fantasy truly didn't match with reality.

"I need to go now before his trail goes cold again." As the words left her lips, she saw the concern written all over Vicky's face. She continued quickly, cutting her off from any premature protests.

"I have thought about this. You just have to trust me." She reassured Vicky as best she could. Vicky made no attempt to speak. It was clear she wasn't going to break through this time.

"Can you please take care of her while I'm away?" she asked with the utmost sincerity. She could not bear the thought of being away from her daughter, but she had to do something if she wanted to save Ray's lost soul.

Thesipha looked at her friend and admired her beauty and their past. Being a beautiful young African American woman, she had a robust chest with a pair of perfectly shaped breasts. Her thick thighs and round behind highlighted her silhouette. It was a wonder she had been single for so long and Thesipha often teased her about it. But beneath all of that Vicky's beautiful soft face and dark alluring eyes, hid years of sadness and isolation thanks to the world's unjustness. From what Vicky had told her and what Ray had informed her of prior, her people were not accepted by the rest of the world. This insane idea she couldn't even comprehend--the depths of humanity's ugly cruelty. Even in the world of magic, her people were either underestimated or highly disregarded.

When she met Thesipha, she felt like she'd finally found a companion after years of solitude. Her fashion choices often embodied her spirit, and she loved black and green, truly colors that complemented her appearance. It had been a long time since she'd used her powers, but when she heard Thesipha's inconsolable cries that fateful night, her instincts kicked in and she rushed into the rain to find her. Even amidst the heavy pattering, she could still hear her as clear as day. The heavily pregnant woman was unconscious by the time she got there, so she carried her home in a horrendous struggle through the frigid rain. It wasn't long before she came to, seething in pain when Vicky realized that she had already gone into labor. The baby did not have much time, so she acted hastily to save both their lives. Perhaps that experience had drawn them closer to each other, or maybe it was the fact that she was a magical creature just like her.

Vicky looked back at her friend intently. She had felt it even before she saw her unique nature when Thesipha became a mother. Nymphs were the stuff of legend, a figment of a story teller's imagination. She doubted what was in front of her eyes at first, until she studied her purity. It was scary, a little bit more than it was exciting. Either way, when she came to, the two were united by one precious little girl that would change their lives forever. The rest was history. Vicky would do anything to protect Delilah, and now she had no choice but to prove it.

She adjusted her short, brownish curly hair, then slowly parted her lips to speak.

"You have to promise me you will be careful. You know I cannot raise this girl on my own." Admittedly, she did think of the worst, and maybe that was habitually formed for Vicky.

"I never knew my father, and if I had the chance to, I know I would have taken it. That said, I still think this is an insane idea, but I respect it in the end. It's taken me longer than I would've liked, but I see you more." Vicky raised her glass in respite. There was no talking Thesipha out of it anymore.

Vicky could not deny her friend's conviction and desires, not after everything they had been through both before they met and after they had. "I promise to watch her for as long as you need, just as long as you promise to come back in one piece with or without Ray," she forcibly stated.

After a lengthy discussion of what needed to be done, they held each other in an embrace and prepared themselves for what was to come. Delilah would not receive the news of her mother's departure quite as well, or with maturity.

Thesipha went upstairs to see her sleeping beauty one last time. She was the most perfect little being she had ever seen in her lifetime. She saw a little bit of both herself and the girl's father.

"What's wrong, Mommy?" She woke up confused, startling Thesipha. She was amazed by her innocence every time. The girl was only eight but had already started sensing emotions. Obviously, Thesipha's magical nature must've passed to the girl. Thesipha considered telling the girl a story and forgetting about going for Ray. She could lie and tell her that her father was dead, but what kind of a mother would that make her to not even try to choose a lie?

Inexperienced and untainted by the world's troubles, she had no clue the tsunami that was occurring around them. Thesipha hugged her in an attempt to get her to sleep, but it did not work. It was harder when she brought her downstairs, only to watch her packing up the trunk of the car.

"I have to go on a long trip, baby, but I will be coming back soon," she confessed. It was hard to look into her daughter's pure sea-blue eyes and tell her she'd be with only Aunty Vicky. Something Delilah had never experienced in her life.

When Delilah asked where, she felt compelled to say. Honesty was the best policy, just like she taught the little girl. The least she could do was own up to it.

"I'm going to get Daddy. We have been apart for too long, but I think I found him. We are going to be a family," she stated as simply as she could for the eight-year-old.

Delilah was as apprehensive as Thesipha could've expected about the idea. She begged her mom not to leave her alone. It wasn't that Delilah didn't want to be alone with Vicky but rather hadn't known a life without the two women--her two mothers. The sweet little girl foolishly asked if they could write to her father. Seeing as she was clearly upset, Thesipha picked her up and continued making promises she did not know if she could keep. With a kiss on the forehead, she sealed her last goodbye and told her that she loved her. Vicky stood there calmly watching them until it was time to grab Delilah from her mother as she got into the car.

"I love you both," she called out, unable to look back as she turned on the ignition of the car and began to drive away. Thesipha's heart shattered into pieces as tears rolled down her cheeks, watching Delilah running after her. The twilight of night was swallowing the rural streets and the orange of the disparate lamps highlighted the girl running. She needed all the strength she could get now, and the promise she gave to her daughter was all the fuel she needed.

CHAPTER 3

It was the hardest thing she'd done to date, leaving her daughter behind, that is. Now she needed to focus on what was to come. Thesipha's journey had her driving out of Canada where they lived and across the border into Alaska in search of a town called Portlock. From what she understood, Portlock was abandoned years back due to stories of strange wild animal attacks and missing people being horribly eviscerated. But she couldn't help but wonder if she was on a wild goose chase. The line between this wild animal--well, being a wild animal and the circumstances of modern man encroaching on nature had been very thin in this modern world, or it being Ray and that beast that dwelled inside of him. With all these considerations, she knew, regardless, to be careful in the world. Although she had a hard time grasping what was going on around her, one thing was certain: human behavior had not changed much from the ancient times. Violent desires, sexual desires, shame, greed, and small mindedness--it didn't matter. Humans had been humans. The gods had created Thesipha and her kind to help teach man and have man balance with nature, but it seemed futile. She often wondered if her gods were really gods or just forlorn caretakers of a once grander world.