Sapphire Flame

TWELVE

ACT II

Sapphire Flame  -  Yasmeen J.

   Only when the wind caused a strand of grass to move and tickle her nose did she begin to awake. Her head still was pounding and her limbs ached. Her cheeks were stained with dry tears and her eyes were red and could barely open from the crust that had built up between her eyelids. How long had she been asleep?

   Eventually, she was at least able to roll on her side and then onto her back, the heat of the sun beaming down on her. But the sun doesn't shine in Aedezia, she thought back to what Akantha had said. She was out.

   But where she was- was the bigger question. She still hadn't opened her eyes and she was afraid. What if it all was another trick, an illusion to get her to believe something was there when it wasn't?

   Still, there was a chance she could be close to home, where she desperately wanted to go. She then forced her eyes open while she rubbed the sleep crust from them. Like she had felt, the sun was just above her, shining with the furious summer heat. 

   She made her hands feel around herself, the touch and smell were enough. Grass. Taking her eyes away from the sky, she saw the tall lively trees around her, their leaves soundly shuffling in the wind.

   No... not this again. This has to be another trick.

   Groaning in pain, she sat up slowly hugging the side of her stomach where Akantha had stabbed her. The battle... she just wanted to forget it, forget it all.

   She made it to her feet and was surprised when she felt no pain from her wounds, in fact, her stab wound didn't even hurt as she cradled it. Glancing around once again, she realized that in order for her to find out if it was a trick or not, she had to go beyond. No illusion could stretch so far... right?

   So she took the way back to her old house. It was always a pretty long journey when she wasn't on Mutt's back. It had to be a mile or two when walking. It seemed like forever without him.

   "Kaena?"

   She hadn't even realized she was staring down at her feet almost the entire time while she walked until that voice made her look up. The memories were so distant that the big lone white picket fence suburban house was almost a blur. But the two figures standing on its porch were clearer than the day.

   "Mom?" she choked out, a sob building in her throat. "Daddy?!"

   She broke out into a run at full speed as her parents stepped down from the porch and raced to her as well. They all collided in a sweet, warm, desperate hug. Kaena broke down into happily devastating tears.

   "I-I know this i-isn't real but... I-I've m-missed y'all s-so much," she whispered into her mother's chest, her words muffled.

   She felt her mom's gentle hands on the side of her head trying to lift her. She looked up into her sweet warming eyes that started to cloud with tears as well.

   "My baby... We've missed you too, more than you could ever imagine. And I promise you... this is real. You're really here with us. You're home."

   "But... you're dead. Both of you. This has to be a dream," she said.

   "Kaena," her father said. She turned to him. "What your mom said is true, but we don't have much time before you go back."

   "Go back?" She took a step back to look at them better. "If this is real then I'm not going anywhere. I'm staying with you."