Tempest

Five

[carpe noctem / seize the night]

The explosion swept Tessa off her feet, a wave of energy throwing her back the way she'd come. She hit the ground with a thud, wincing at the ringing in her ears and the suden sharp pain through her shoulder.

"Tessa!" Kaden exclaimed. Suddenly, he was beside her, concern etched into his handsome face.

Tessa sat up. "I'm fine," She winced, trying to ignore the searing pain in her shoulder. Did she hit a rock or something on her way down?

Her sea green eyes flicked back to the bonfire, which was in an onyx blaze. Campers started to gather nearby, watching the flames in horror. The fire grew higher and higher, and the longer Tessa stared into it, the more she felt pure and utter fear rip through her.

Suddenly, she was trapped in a world of fear. She saw herself when she was younger, on that day when the hydra invaded her school. She had been playing dodgeball in PE, when it materialized before her. Its roars still haunted her dreams and now...now she was reliving it somehow.

She screamed at the top of her lungs, and as the water fountains behind her exploded with her force, the image in the flame changed. She saw her mother, alone back in their suburban Chicago home, as monsters flanked the house. Tessa continued to shriek and scream and sob, her eyes glued to the false reality the obsidian flames were showing her.

And finally, she saw her worst nightmare. She saw the winding cave, the stalagmites that served as checkpoints for each time she visited the cavern in her dreams, and the wicked dagger protruding from her chest.

Pure fear ran through Tessa's veins as if every horror she had ever feared had manifested itself into her blood. Her heart was pounding erratically, her breathing was ragged, her throat hurt from screaming. This was fear, this was true petrification, this was what she would face if she left the valley of camp. It would be inevitable.

Suddenly, Tessa's vision was changed. She felt herself being lifted off the ground and carried away from the amphitheater, strong arms holding her. She blinked away tears, seeing the blurry figures of fellow campers rush in the fire's direction, the trotting of satyrs and Chiron's hooves as they followed. No one payed any attention to Tessa and her savior, and if they did, they knew not to interfere.

By the time her vision cleared, Tessa was sitting at the beach. Her savior perched her on a rock, the waves lapping against the stone rhythmically. Instantly, the calming power of the ocean began to dilute the fear in her body, tranquilizing her panics.

Tessa took a ragged breath. She turned to see Kaden, standing a ways away from where she sat. His eyes were wild with worry.

"Are you alright?" He asked softly, his voice as calm as the sea in front of them.

Tessa opened her mouth to speak, but she couldn't find her words. Images of what the flame had showed her surged back into her mind, and tears flooded her eyes as she tried to force them away. She shook her head, wiping away the falling tears with the back of her hand.

Kaden didn't miss a beat. He rushed forward, sitting beside Tessa and wrapping her in his arms. He held her tightly, stroking her hair soothingly. If his words were laced with charmspeak, Tessa couldn't tell; he spoke hardly above a whisper, muttering reassuring comments that made Tessa feel fuzzy on the inside, despite her worry.

Tessa buried her face in his shoulder, blinking away the tears and forcing away the pain as the sounds of chaos echoed from the amphitheater in the distance.