Igniting Sparks

Chapter 4.

Edited by KitWulf: 7-2-2020

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Standing at the door of Dr. Jensen's office, Azura hesitated a bit. Things between her and Lucas had been tense ever since their explosive conversation a few days prior. When they'd been at the house there was a tense atmosphere that was almost suffocating, hence she mostly tried avoiding him. Rose had diffused the situation a bit when she was around, forcing them to actually kind of interact, but she was not there all the time.

Her room had become a safe haven despite it being bland and not hers. This was the first time Azura had actually left the house. Besides that, the nightmares had returned after that first night. They were getting worse and had become so intense that she'd woken up several times bathed in sweat and probably screaming. The actual hours she was getting a decent and good rest were slimming down rapidly. Her body felt tired, worn down, and she didn't know how much more she was able to take.

Azura took a deep breath and opened the door. She arrived in a big hall with marble tiles on the floor and a beautiful old oak desk in the middle. On both sides was a big indoor palm tree and on the left side to the wall stood a simple red couch. Not the average waiting room Azura noticed. She carried herself to the desk, her steps unsure and more hesitant with every single one. There was nobody there, but a small bell on the desk caught her attention. Azura pressed it and the ringing sound carried through the whole room. It was loud and to Azura, it felt like a cannon fired next to her ear.

Soon after, the door behind the desk opened and a small middle-aged woman walked out. She looked a bit stern with small lips and round glasses resting on her nose. She had hair tied up in a neat knot on her head, brown strands with some gray in them betrayed she was a bit older than Azura first assumed.

"Can I help you miss?" Azura was rudely awoken from her thoughts as the woman placed her hands on the desk.

"Uh yes... I have an appointment with Dr. Jensen at eleven." Azura tried to give a small smile but she was put off immediately by the stale look the woman gave her.

"Your name?" She said rigidly.

"It's Azura Thoreau. Rose made the appointment." She took a step back, intimidated by the woman in front of her.

The woman raised an eyebrow at hearing her name but quickly composed herself again with a much softer look on her face. "Ah, Rose! Such a dear. How is she?" The sudden change of demeanor caught Azura off guard, but the woman would not let Azura reply. "Yes, yes... Here you are. You can go right ahead. Take the door on your right and then the second to your left. I will let Doctor Jensen know you'll be coming."

Azura nodded and turned to her right, letting out a sigh of relief as she walked away from the woman. Going through the door, she ended up in a hallway with a high ceiling and dazzling mosaics on the walls. Azura walked forward with her fingers lingering on the small tiles. Just then she noticed there was more to the wall than just colorful tiles, they formed an image across the length of the entire hallway.

Azura stepped to the other side and gazed at the gorgeous image that unfolded in front of her. It was like the view from her room. Mountains with snow, a blue sky with a few clouds, and pine trees. As her eyes traveled to the left her heart skipped a beat when she saw the snow leopard. It looked to be made like it was hunting a mountain goat also depicted in the image. Even though it was mosaic and not so detailed, the image looked so lively to Azura.

A door behind her opened and a short bald man stepped out of the room. "Miss Thoreau?" Azura spun around as he spoke up.

"Oh, I'm sorry! I was admiring the mosaic. It's simply amazing!" She smiled and raised her hand for introductions.