Seekers of Fire

Chapter 5 - Fiery Ruins

Amelia was falling through the Earth. Her hands were flailing about as she watched the hole that connected to the surface grow smaller. She was falling with her back facing the ground – if there was one in the first place. Although she could not stop from staring at the surface that was now a speck in the darkness, she somehow knew that she would survive her plummet down the long dark tunnel. She closed her eyes and counted, trying to ignore the fear that gripped her body.

... 97... 98... 99... she counted before the air pressure changed around her. She dared to open her eyes and saw that she was not falling through a tunnel anymore. She was now in a huge cavern that was lit up with lava. Her descent suddenly slowed to a crawl and she let out a groan as gravity took its toll on her body. Soon after, her back rested gently on a rocky surface and she knew she had reached the bottom.

Amelia slowly stood up and gasped. She stood on a rocky island surrounded by boiling lava. When she looked around, all she could see was darkness and a sea of lava reaching out into the distance. Where am I?

"Amelia!" a female voice yelled from behind her.

She immediately turned around and saw someone hovering above the lava. For some reason, Amelia could not make out her face but could tell that she was in a hurry to tell her something.

"Amelia, listen to me! You have to—" the woman's voice was cut off as a monstrous roar echoed through the caverns.

Following the sound was a huge lava wave forming behind the woman, rising as high as a five-storey building and heading towards her like a tsunami. The woman gasped as she disappeared into the lava wave from behind and Amelia froze with fear. In the middle of the red-hot tsunami were glowing yellow eyes staring at her fiercely. She had seen those eyes before. The tsunami now towered above her and she screamed as the lava wave collapsed onto her.

"No!" she yelled as she suddenly found herself staring at the ceiling. The room that she was in now was dark and familiar. It was her bedroom. Amelia threw off her blanket and got up into a sitting position as she swung her legs to the side of her bed, gasping as her heart raced. What... how? That felt so real. She shook her head and concentrated on her breathing.

Amelia had been having nightmares every two to three days, but none of them had compared to this. For one thing, the nightmares she had were mostly forgotten by the time she woke up, but this one was vivid. She could still recall falling through the Earth, landing on a rocky island filled with lava and seeing that giant lava wave heading towards her. And then there was that mysterious woman whose face was unclear.

Nothing made any sense in that dream, and even though she wanted to forget about it, Amelia knew that it would still linger in the back of her mind. She sighed, stood up and reached for her phone. There were a dozen text messages from Drake and a few missed calls. Only two texts were from today, as the rest has been received throughout the week.

She decided to read the recent ones from yesterday. Amy plz reply :( it sucks not being able to speak with you for a week. How long are u gonna ignore me? was the first text. Amy im going to a beach party on Saturday. Hope u forgive me by then D:

Amelia turned off her phone and placed it in her pocket. She remembered Monday night at Drake's house, and how she had confessed her feelings for him only to not have them returned. She remembered getting home that night, going to bed early and then crying herself to sleep. Why does loving someone who does not share the same feelings hurt so much?

She had ignored him for a week. Of course, Drake had tried to reach her and apologise to her the whole week, but she did not want to face him. After Tuesday, she was no longer mad at him and was not as upset, but she was too embarrassed to look him in the eye. Amelia checked her phone again for the time. It was only four in the morning, and today was Saturday.