Spectacular World

Exploring Oleander

She dreamed of the Beast.

The raging monster roared and tore Oleander apart, and the only thing left to stop it was her. The hero, Cinder, stood all by herself as she got ready to face down the massive monster.

She failed.

Of course, she did.

The Beast was a force of nature. A creature that, if not dealt with, would one day bring about an end to planet Earth.

And then she woke up.

Hope's eyes opened slowly, and she groaned slightly as the nightmare she had been forced into faded away. It took her a few seconds to figure out what she was seeing. The roof of a tent was above her, and arms were wrapped tightly around her. On either side of her, her mother and father slept. It was a little embarrassing snuggling with them since she hadn't done something like that since she had been a kid, but she didn't mind. It had been so long since she had actually gotten to stay in her father's arms.

Despite that, though, she was up while her mom and dad were still asleep. She gently got out of their arms and stood up, stretching. She had been given some basic clothes to wear, mostly a sweater for the cold and some long pants, and she hadn't bothered to change when she fell asleep, and she didn't see a reason to change now.

As quietly as she could, she climbed out of the tent and felt her breath hitch a bit. Even after seeing it and being told by Sky herself, it was amazing to see the community that had been. Dozens of people were roaming around the station, some getting clothes ready and others laying out food for the rest of the day. Everyone had something to do, and everyone was hard at work.

As she was looking around at all the different people who had been taken in, one of the workers caught her eye. Instantly, their eyes went wide as they saw her, and they let out a squeak, which caused several other people to turn and look at her. Before she even had a chance to move, dozens of different people had all formed a small crowd around her. All the people were staring at her and began to rattle off dozens of questions, which she had a hard time understanding.

"I overheard what the others said; you're Cinder, right?"

"You beat the Beast! If not for you, Oleander would be gone!"

"Several months ago, I was at a mall which was attacked by a massive stone monster, and you saved the day then!"

"I was in the crowd watching you and Poseidon give it your all when you fought the Beast!"

"Do you remember Flea Street? It caught on fire, but you and your team totally came in and saved the day!"

"Are all the stories about you true? Is your name really Hope Lauren? You've been all over the news lately, why did you decide to come back to Oleander now?"

As the questions were fired off by the people, her head spun a bit as she tried to figure out what to say or which ones to answer. It was kind of annoying that they recognized her even without her costume. All because of that fake Cinder. She'd seriously have to deal with that shapeshifter monster at some point and put a stop to it.

Before she could give an answer to her fans, a hand came through the crowd and wrapped tightly around her wrist. She was dragged forward through the crowd and nearly tripped over her feet but managed to keep pace. She gave a small grin and nodded her head. "Thanks for the save."

"It's what I do." Sky dragged her forward as they left the crowd behind. "Get back to work, people!" Sky didn't need to tell anyone twice, and they all scrambled to obey, getting the hint.

"They all just listen to you?"

"Perks of being in charge."

Hope giggled a bit and nodded her head. "It must be nice."