Scenes

Sparks

As I closed the distance between us, my foe's back-up arrived a mere fraction of a second before I hit him. The blast of water hit me like a truck, extinguishing my flames and hurling me into the far wall of the warehouse, hard enough to tear the sheet metal panel off the building and carry it into the middle of the street.

I fought to stand, managing to push myself up onto my knees just before a second gout of water slammed into my chest, knocking me the rest of the way across the street and into the brick wall of the little coffee shop across from the warehouse. I fell to the ground limply and struggled to get back up, but I was too weak to move.

I dimly heard the clicking of heels on pavement, growing steadily louder as the wearer came towards me before I slipped into unconsciousness.

A faint breeze and the gentle rustle of tall grasses greeted me when I awoke. When I opened my eyes, I saw that I was standing in a vast field of wheat, the sunlight creating a sea of gold that seemed to stretch out for eternity.

"Hey there!" I heard someone call from behind me, causing me to almost jump out of my skin.

I turned to see a large man in overalls wading through the wheat towards me. I approached him cautiously, but as I drew closer, I started recognizing some of his features. His broad shoulders, shoulder-length brown hair, and the matching beard that he had always kept trimmed short.

"Father!" I cried out, eyes brimming with tears as I ran to embrace him. Leaping into his arms for the first time in six years brought back fond memories of times back before I had power, back when my life was simpler and no one wanted to kill me but my older sister.

"How good to be seein' you again, Alice!" He laughed, his voice just as deep and as strong as it had been back then. He set me on the ground as his face became more serious, "S'much as I would like to keep you around here for a while to chat and catch up, you don't seem to have enough time for that."

"Wait, what are you talking about? I'm home!" I exclaimed, confused "This is exactly what it looked like!"

He clasped my shoulders with his strong, callused hands and looked me straight in the eyes, "Alyssa, our home burned," He said gravely, "It burned and took your mom and I with it!"

"Then what is all of this? Why are you here?" I demanded.

"We don't have time enough for details, so I'll simplify it." He stood and motioned around us, "This is one of the elemental planes, the Plane of Spirit specifically. Here you'll find the deceased living out their afterlives in whatever way would bring them eternal peace."

"Eternal peace? from growing wheat?" I asked quizzically.

The big man chuckled, "The peaceful quality lies in that it's a simple lifestyle. I'd love to tell you more, but you won't be here long enough, you're already starting to get pulled back." He shot a glance at my left arm.

Looking down at it, I cried out in alarm. My arm was dissappearing, just dissolving into nothingness. It didn't hurt, but a light tingling sensation was coursing up from the fading area, causing a chill to ripple up my spine. I looked back up to my father. "What's going on?" I asked, a hint of worry creeping into my voice.

"You're being pulled back." he replied, "Someone doesn't want you dead."