Trisha lay in a coma on life support, her parents crying near her hospital bed. Time was running out and the decision to discontinue the life support was being discussed. But unknown to her family and doctors she wasn't dead, but trapped inside, ins...
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Zada sat on the windowsill staring out over the landscape in Mike's room, thinking of Caleb, her first and only love. The sun was setting over the mountains to the west, toward the Emerald Castle. Caleb's castle. It was just over a year ago....
Zada walked through a field of daisies, yellow flowers filled the meadow. She'd never felt this way before in the ten years she had been living in the Dream World. The suns were above in the blue summer sky warming her skin in the cooler mountain air. Birds sang in the trees surrounding the mountain meadow, and butterflies danced above the flowers. A small creek snaked its way through the valley with freezing-cold spring water.
Zada laid down upon the ground, squishing some flowers down with her body, hidden from sight by the other flowers, and stared up at the sky, watching a couple of fluffy clouds slowly float by. A few birds flew over, chasing one another around and around in the sky. She smiled and relaxed, enjoying the day.
Then a huge beast flew over. She sat up and watched it go by. It must have seen her, because it circled back. Zada lit her hands with her fire power ready to defend herself. It landed at the other end of the meadow, and she was surprised to see a boy dismount from its back. He walked toward her, holding up his hands in front of him, showing her he was not a threat.
"Hi, I'm Caleb." He said, holding out his right hand.
Zada looked at his hand and then at his face. He was slim but muscular, and tall, over six feet, with short black hair. His smile was a little crooked, higher on one side, but she found it endearing. He was very handsome, dressed in black trousers and a black long sleeve shirt that was unbuttoned halfway showing part of his muscular chest. She extinguished the flames and took his hand.
"Ow!" He yelled, quickly pulling his hand back. You burned me!"
"Oh, I'm so sorry!" She cried, looking down at his hand. She fumbled in her pack for her water horn, going to her knee and throwing things out as she tried to get down to it. When she found it and pulled it out to pour on his burned hand, she looked up and he had a big grin on his face.
"Gotcha!" He smirked.
She stood and slugged him in the arm. "You jerk! That wasn't funny!"
He laughed at her. She glared at him. Then after a minute she couldn't hold it any longer and started laughing as well. When their laughter finally died down, she said, "I'm Zada."
"Zada," he said pondering the name. "I like that name. Never heard of anyone named Zada before. I see you have the power of fire. Anything else?"
Zada held up her hands, and the earth rumbled and split between the two of them. Then they were moving away from each other while still standing still. It was the earth opening up between them. Far below, the crack filled with lava and intense heat rose from below. Caleb looked across the gulf with mouth wide open. Then he turned and whistled. His flying beast came to him like a dog would to his master. Caleb climbed upon his back, and flew over the chasm, landing on Zada's side. Again, he dismounted and walked up to her.
