Bird of Fire

7

Sweat beaded at Alex's forehead, drenching the bed. It was the same dream as before: the people dancing, the rich couple and the fire, there was so much fire, more than before. The trip to the bathroom shouldn't have felt as long as I did, it was only down the hall and the first door to the left. What was just a few minutes felt like hours, her legs were numb from sleep and her mind was spinning from the dream.

Cold water splashed on Alex's face didn't help, it wasn't cold enough, the phantom fire in her dream was now in her head. The heat screaming at her, yet in the broken mirror just above the sink, her face looked normal. The water wasn't cold enough. She needed something colder. Stumbling for the bath, Alex turned it to the coldest temperature possible. The running water wasn't as loud as the ringing in her ears.

~

Lithaen danced in the prince's arms, her glittering green dress sparkled on the dance floor.
"My dear, you are what the kingdom has been waiting for, a beautiful queen." He said with a voice as smooth as chocolate.
"My good sir, I do hope that the kingdom is ready-"
Before Lithaen could finish her sentence the sound of running water filled her ears. She had stopped and turned to look at the charming prince and asked:
"Care to tell me what that is?"
"What what is?" He replied, before the strange dream could continue, Lithaen sprang from her bed to investigate the sound.

Lithaen had run down the hall so fast that when she left her room, she was practically already at the source of the noise, the bathroom.

Water was all over the floor, the sink was still running and same for the bath. Alex laid in the bathtub limp, she was so hot that the water she was bathing in was now steam.

Alex was so hot that her skin burnt Lithaen's hand.