The Dandelion System

Chapter 19

I went to the room we were in last time, but it was empty. I returned to the tower and searched around but there were no signs. I was wrecking my head for ideas when I remembered the forest where I took a walk with Annabelle. It was dense with trees and good for hiding.

When I stepped in the forest I started to call for him.

"Oscar? Are you here?" It felt silly shouting to the trees, but I had to. It was getting darker, not that the sun was even up before. "I won't bring you to Oda. I promise."

I heard the sound of a twig snapping and turned my head to see a figure running. It was him.

"Oscar!" I hollered. "I'm not here to catch you!"

"Then why are you here?" he shouted back, looking at me over his shoulder, his hair flying with each jolt.

"I want to ask why you ran away!" I manage to explain before tripping. Thankfully I collide into a tree instead of the ground. I panted heavily as I steadied myself. "Please! Stop running away from me!"

Oscar stopped. He turned to stare at me before leaning against a tree, obviously tired too from the chase.

"Karina, was it?" He looked around the forest warily.

"Yes. Why?"

"Oda was interrogating me about you and what I did to you. What did you tell her?" he hissed, his familiar scowl back.

That's why he ran. Oda didn't tell me she was planning on interrogating him. I only felt more distrust for her.

"I only said we talked and then you let me sleep on the couch." He sighed before running his hand through his hair.

"Come, I don't want her to find us."

I smiled. He trusted me.

After stumbling through bushes, tall grasses, and between trees, I see a white fountain. When we come closer, I see that there is no running water, only still water inside with a layer of moss over it. Vines sprouted from an unknown source and tangled itself between the cracked marble. The place surrounding the fountain was devoid of grass and flowers, only weeds.

He sat down on the ground, leaning his head against the fountain. He breathed in heavily and white clouds escaped his pale lips. He was only wearing a shirt and trousers.

"Why don't you just tell Oda the truth?" I questioned. He shook his head.

"Do you think she'll believe me? And she's furious about what I did to her mother." I notice that he refers to Queen Sonota as 'her mother', not 'our mother'.

"Why did you hurt her then?" I knelt next to him, carefully tucking in my skirts under me so the stones in the ground don't cut my legs.

"I—" He turned to face me, his eyes catching mine. "I can't control myself sometimes. I just get so mad when I see their faces."

"I suppose it's only natural to feel that way." He shrugged.

"I don't want to live this way anymore." For once he looks helpless. "I'm not Otto, I'm Oscar. I want to be me, but if I'm me, I'm always locked up."

"Wouldn't it be impossible for them to lock you up forever?"

"I don't know, but they never give up. Not on Otto. They love him." He looked down at the ground. "They perform strange rituals, give medicines, get spiritual people to help him, and even now they lock him up in hopes I disappear."

"Why can't they just let you two shared a body?"

"Because we aren't sharing it." He looked at me. "Only one of us can have it."