Fighting the Red City

Chapter 2

I weave through the trees. I've only seen trees before on street corners, but those are small and spindly. These are large, looming, and beautiful. I stop and sit in a patch of green where light shines through the canopy above. Its so unreal, so natural, that I wonder if its a dream.

"It is a dream," a whisper behind my tree makes me jump to my feet. "Don't worry, Cat, its just me." I sigh I in relief as a boy steps out from the shadow.

"Eric," I hug him. "You scared me."

"I know. I'm sorry. You still wearing that necklace, Butterfly?"

I laugh. I ponder the nickname. He's never called me that. "Like always,"

"Good," his face clouds over.

"Eric? What is it?" I put my hands on his shoulders and lean back. His facial expression tumbles from grace and his lips curve into a sneer.

"You," a voice growls that is definitely, for sure, NOT Eric.

I stumble back as the creature, still morphing, grasps my hand with cold, clammy fingers. It pulls me near while I try to escape. It grins eerily. Its hand touches my neck, reaching for the Courage pendant. I stop struggling.

"Don't give in!" shouts a tiny voice in my head. I listen. I snap my head back, just before the creature can grab my most prized possession. Still latched to my wrist, I whip it around and fling it back into a black hole in the darkening forest.

It falls down the sudden cavity and is swallowed by the dream with a drowning cry. The earth closes and the ambient peace resumes, soft sounds surrounding me as I sink to the ground at the roots of a tree. I weep silently in fear and distasteful mistrust.  How could I let this happen? How can I know what's real and what's not?

If I'm sleeping, and this certainly is a nightmare, why can't I wake up?

My sobs take form and volume. I can't wake myself up. I usually can. I curl up and cry because I am scared, alone.

Then, I am not alone. An arm slinks over my shoulder and pulls me close. A warm shoulder to cry on is offered, and I take it.

After the sobs turn to sniffles, I look up to see Eric. He smiles softly, sympathy and caring in his eyes. There's something else there too, but I can't tell what it is.

"Are you real?" The question is so simple, so serene, that his face seems to break with feeling. He nods.

"Yes, Cat." I know by the way he says it that it is true. I move closer to him and he wraps his arms around me, holding me tighter. Protective.

I smile and, grasping my lovely necklace, drift off to sleep.
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Maddie and I carefully stride up to the glossy structure, pausing next to and behind pillars of black before entering. Slowly we creep to the door, glancing at each other and nodding. Maddie grabs the handle and pulls it. We each take a step into the abyss of fire.

The inside of the building is very different from its dark counterpart. It looks like it could've looked clean, white, and pristine, had it not blazed in a child-consuming inferno just minutes before. Actually, it looks as though it suffered minimal damage, despite the fact that the explosion came from its mouth.