Stellar

Chapter 2

Petra's surroundings faded. A violet haze engulfed her. The faint sound of Ruby's voice disappeared. She looked around for any sign of the forest she was just in but all she could see was an endless cloud of purple. There was no going back now.

Petra walked through the haze slowly, unsure of what she might find. Purple smoke filled her lungs leaving a bitter taste in her mouth. Coughing and spluttering, she quickened the pace in hope of finding the end of this fog. The haze started to disperse, like smoke disappearing into the night, and Petra could see clearly that she was not in the forest anymore... well not the same forest anyway.

Petra's breathing quickened. She felt strange. It was like something she had never felt before. A tingling sensation in her chest, a warmth in her heart. The feeling radiated throughout her body. She collapsed onto her knees, falling into the damp grass.

Petra closed her eyes, overwhelmed by the new sensations filling her body. She had no idea what they were. She could swear it was starlight, moonlight and sunlight that she could feel but she had never felt it before. The warm feeling from the sunlight hugged her, the sparkly energy from starlight flowed through her veins and the calmness from the moonlight filled her mind. The trio of lights entangled with each other as they penetrated her soul. She could only liken it to the feeling of being wrapped up in a duvet on a cold winter morning with a hot chocolate in hand. Safe, comforted and warm. But in the background, there was another feeling. One of possibilities and power. A feeling she rarely felt in her own world.

Every one of her senses felt heightened. She noticed every rustle of the leaves, every tiny bug or creature around her. She could smell the damp, sodden mud and in the distance, the faint aroma of what reminded her of freshly baked cinnamon buns.

She took a shaky breath, attempting to calm herself down. Slowly opening her eyes. They darted over the scene in front of her. She first thought it was a forest just like the ones found in the English countryside but as Petra studied the scene, she noticed it was so much more than a normal forest. It was a town. A town camouflaged amongst the trees.

Petra slowly rose, clammy hands grasping at a nearby tree, trying to steady herself. As her breathing evened out, the new sensations seemed to dampen down. They became less overwhelming, but she could still feel the tangled lights within her and the residual sensation of power was still present.

Petra's jaw went slack, and she took a step forward trying to take it all in. The trees towered above her providing a blanket of leaves that covered the town underneath. Even though the sky was covered, the sunlight was finding ways through the greenery above like twinkling fairy lights illuminating the blanket fort of a town.

Petra stared up at the trees, just like she used to when she was little. Walking the path with her mum by her side, Ruby far ahead and their dad trying to keep up. She felt just as small as she did then.

She walked toward an archway of twisted trees covered with carved-out symbols. Pausing for a moment, she studied the symbols, but she didn't understand what any of them meant. One seemed to look like a tree, another like an S and a backwards P combined. She stood trying to decipher what they stood for when a white frog-like creature with thin pink stripes hopped past, slightly startling her. Petra's eyes tracked the amphibian as it jumped into the nearby trees, two similar smaller frogs following it.

Petra looked up, eyes scanning the sight of the vast town in front of her. It seemed to stretch as far as she could see. It was a hive of energy with people going about their daily lives. Some of the residents were busy rushing along the web of wooden bridges and paths that connected the foliage-covered log cabins and treehouses. Others took it more slowly pausing in conversation, bumping elbows as they greet each other. Children played games near the roaring waterfall, splashing each other in the clear, cherry-ade coloured water.