The kids kept staring at the beautiful view in front of them. They had never seen a place like this before. And had never thought a place like this ever existed. To them, it can either be a place in their subconscious mind.
Stella had told them it was a place birthed through their imagination.
But can they have thought of the same thing at the same time?. Can the same thought be going on in their mind? To have birthed a beautiful place like this?.
They stared at one another.
"Children," Stella began. And they all focused their attention on her. "If you count the waterfall right in front of you, they are seven which make up the seven colors of the rainbow and the seven of us here". She stared at them to be sure they understood what she meant and they nodded, showing they understood.
She smiled. "Now, We are all going to walk through the waters. Just pick the color of your choice"
Everyone stared at one another. They could not understand what Stella meant by walking through the waters.
Are they to walk into the colored waterfalls right in front of them?
"D-do you mean we should walk through it?" Jabal asked, stuttering slightly.
The rest stared at him not sure if he is stuttering out of excitement or out of fear.
"Yes," Stella replied and his eyes brightened up. The rest concluded it has to be due to excitement and not fear.
They were excited too. Excited they are exploring something new. Something different from what they had seen or experienced before.
To them, exploring new things gives them the ultimate joy that must be feeling now. They all wondered what is beneath the waterfall or rather what they will tend to see when they cross to the other side.
"What happens when we go in?" Ariana asked curiosity written all over her face.
Every one of them had curiosity written over their faces too. They wanted to know what to expect on the other side of the waterfall.
"That is yours to find out" Stella replied and every one of them groaned.
Can't she just give them a hint? No matter how small it is. They are dying of curiosity already. A little hint might help them but Stella won't be saying anything more.
"Now choose your color," Stella said and they sighed.
She is not saying anything to them. She read their thought and smiled.
"Nothing makes it more interesting than finding out what lays on the other side by yourself," she said and they furrowed their brows. She decided to expatriate. "What you will see on the other side of the waterfall you choose will depend on you. Only you can create what you want to see"
"What do you mean, Stella?" Kelvin asked.
"That is all I can say to you," Stella said and they sighed. They took turns picking their colors, allowing the ladies to pick theirs first.
Jasmine chose yellow, not because it was her best color but because her instinct had led her to the part. Ariana chose red, just like the color of her hair and Jabal's. To her, it is the best color she can choose which gives her hope of a better tomorrow for both of them.
The next to choose was Jabal who chose orange. He had chosen the color because it called his name. He was sure he heard his name from the orange waterfall.
Kelvin chose blue. He had seen Jasmine's face in it. Though he thought it was his imagination, he still chose it anyway.
Ryan chose the violet color. To him, it is a color of hope. He had seen the hope of seeing his mate soon. He was sure with time, he would be able to overcome his love for Jasmine and move on.
The colors remaining were green and indigo. Jamal chose green. To him, it represented the peace and fertility of the world. If the world is peaceful, the land will be green.
The indigo color was left for Stella and she smiled. Indigo represents seeing what the others won't be able to see. She would be able to enter into their waterfall, one after the other to see what their world looks like. And to see if they would be able to over the tasks engulfed in the waterfall.
They all stood in front of the waterfall they had chosen, awaiting the next instruction from Stella.
"Now, take a deep breathe," Stella said and they closed their eyes, taking a deep breath.
"You will take a step at a time walking towards the waterfall until you get into it fully. Remember you rule your world. Whatever you want, you should imagine. You have to learn to control your emotion. You have to control your world. Only then can you succeed and return with the pass"
Eyes closed, they walked slowly towards the color of the waterfall they had chosen. And one after the other, they vanished into the water.
The waterfall had varnished and will only return. They will return one after the other, only when each one of them has done their task correctly and had gotten the pass. They all had a different tasks to deal with.
**
ARIANA
When she walked into the waterfall, her hair changed into its usual black color. The color, it was before she became a red-haired witch.
She wondered why her hair had suddenly changed into black. She walked through the water and her past was opened to her. Everything she had done and regretted was opened like a book to her
Her heart hurts seeing what she had done in the past. She stopped moving, feeling her legs wobbling.
Why is her past being opened to her? Why does she have to feel the pain of her past? Was it to prepare her for the things to come or to weaken her.
She had different thoughts running through her mind. She couldn't take a step further. There was fear of going further. The fear of facing her fears. She suddenly realized it was one of her tests. She knew she has to overcome her fears to move into the next phase.
She sulked in some air and took a few steps. She won't let her past define who she is going to be. And who she is now is better than who she used to be.
"Ariana" a voice called, as she find her way through the water. The voice sounded so real and familiar. "Ariana" the voice called for the second time. But this time, it was closer than it was before. It was like a whisper.
She turned swiftly and gasped, seeing Jabal standing close to her. His eyes shun like a ray of light.
"J-Jabal" she stuttered slightly. He was quiet and was just staring at her. "Why aren't you saying anything?" She asked, curiosity eating her up.
She knew she was still in the waterfall but she couldn't understand why Jabal is the one she saw and why he is not saying anything.
"Jabal" she wanted to say but kept shut when Jabal transformed into his wolf form. He was a black wolf with red eyes. Just like the demon bear he was called. His eyes were like fire.
Ariana watched him move slowly backward, before dashing deep into the forest. Everything had changed immediately Jabal changed into his wolf form.
She ran after him, calling his name. He was going deep into the forest and she couldn't understand why. As she run after him, she heard different voices calling her name.
They were members of the red-haired witches.
"Ariana" they called.
"Come, you belong here. Come you are our queen, come" Anna's voice cooed. She stopped abruptly. Why is Anna's voice so clear in her ears?
Why are the red-haired witches suddenly appearing to her? She looked up to see Jabal been chained. He had transformed into his human self and was tied to a tree. She took a few steps but stopped when Anna called her name. She turned to see Anna standing beside her.
"A-Anna?" Ariana cooed and Anna sighed.
"Tell me, are you going to leave us just to save him?" Anna pointed at Jabal.
"I-i can't leave him to die. He's my mate"
"Then you will leave your destiny unfulfilled for him?"
"My destiny?"
Anna nodded. "Yes. Your destiny to be the new ruler of the red-haired witches coven"
"But..."
"Make a choice Ari. To either save him and lose your place here or be with us, lose him but be known all over the world. Choose Ariana. Choose" Anna said as her voice faded away and she finally disappeared.
"Ari, save me. You have to save me please" Jabal cooed. Though he was far from her, she could hear his voice so close.
She took a step backward. Why does she have to be in a situation like this?
"Ariana" she heard Stella's voice call her name.
"Stella?" She called, wondering if it was her mind playing tricks on her.
"Yes, it's me" Stella replied. Anna turned around to look for her but she did not see her.
"Where are you?"
"I am not there with you. You can only hear my voice so listen carefully..."
"Stella, what's going on?. Why is Jabal in my imagination? Why did he run into the bush? Why was he tied to a tree? Why was Anna here?"
"You should calm down Ariana and stop asking too many questions" Ariana took a deep breath. "Now listen to me" Stella continued. "You make your choice on where to be. I will give you a quick summary. You see Jabal is going to be the new alpha of the Silvermoon pack and the alpha of all alphas. He will lead all the packs and the world to victory and with him, peace will return. But he needs your help. His life is going to be in danger and you alone can help him be who he is supposed to be. That means you will have to forfeit your destiny which is to be the queen of the red-haired coven. You are to rule them and also rule the covens of witches. You..."
"What of Jasmine? Isn't she suppose to be the ruler of all the witches?"
"No, Ari. Though she is the white witch, it is her choice to choose where she wants to belong just like you"
"Which is?"
"This is about you, Ari. You have to make your choice. Look towards the ray of light. You've got a short time to make your choice. If you choose the wrong choice you will be trapped forever in this waterfall. But if you choose the right choice, you get the pass and will return"
"How long do I have?"
"Less than an hour. Do remember that Jabal's death will have no effect on you and that won't stop the world from moving to a peaceful place"
Ariana furrowed her brows. What does that mean? If Jabal's death won't affect the world or her, then she should choose her life over his. But would she get a new mate? Won't her life be empty without him?
She shrugged. She is not a werewolf. The mate bond will have little or no effect on her. But what about his twin?
"What effect will it have on Jasmine?"
"Their lives are linked together. His death may not lead to her death but will make her lose absolute control over herself. If you don't choose before the time ends, you won't only be trapped here. Jabal will lose his life and the red-haired coven's members will go into complete extinction. Their existence depends on the choice you make. I will leave now. Make your choice Ariana. Your time starts now"
After Stella left, Ariana was left in a state of confusion. It was difficult to choose. She decided to weigh her options.
It would be nice to be the queen of the red-haired witches and the ruler of all the covens. To be famous is not a bad idea but with or without her, the red-haired coven will remain. They will always have someone to rule over them.
But what about Jabal. If he dies, Silvermoon will not be resurrected. Jasmine's life will be in danger and though it won't affect her that much, she can't let her friends suffer so much for the decision she makes.
She can support Jabal to be a better alpha. She will be his luna and that will make her famous too. But what if Jabal betrays her?
What if he rejects her after she helps him? She had every reason to choose her life over his. But something kept her back. She remembered what Jabal had told her and all the promises he has made to her.
She sighed. She would take the risk and save him. Even when she doesn't know if that is the right choice for her, she decided to give it a shot.
Without looking back, she ran towards Jabal. She would rather save him and not be the ruler of the red-haired witches.
She fought so hard and was able to save him. Gradually, the last sound of the clock was heard. She stared as everything began to disappear.
As she choose the wrong choice? She thought.
"Ariana" Stella called and she froze.