Solar Flare

Chapter Two: The Wild Woman

We all had our own routines at night in the cave. In a way, we functioned like a type of family. Ninna usually put the kids to bed, they slept in the second chamber, almost directly across from mine, with Ninna. She moved in there when it was clear their mother wasn't coming back.

Every night Ninna encouraged them to tell her about their days -even though they spend the day together. Tera loves to tell Ninna about the different bugs she finds and what she names them. They are usually types of beatles, but once she found a huge anthill and spent an entire week watching them build their colony.

Kyle spends his days building with rocks. Occasionally he gets lucky and can find a pliable area of clay from the cave and make his structures a little more permanent. He even built a small wall around Tera's ants to keep them safe.

Even though Ninna watched them do these activities every day, she never failed to act surprised or proud when they told her their tales.

I listened from my sleeping area as their little voices trailed through the cave. I held my hand in front of the small candle flame that was my only light source. Lack of food had turned my own body into one that I didn't recognize. My fingers seemed long and boney though I had relatively small hands. The dirty mirror I had propped against the wall showed a stranger looking back at me. Her cheeks were shallow, and her eyes were dull. Her hair was an unmanageable nest, curly black locks that used to hang in smooth waves down her back, now shoved into a band and kept out of the way. I wondered if I would ever get used to this stranger. I didn't want to.

The ring Tera found laid on a pile of books next to my blanket. I'd gotten most of the dirt off it, and it was really quite beautiful. I could now see the green stone was probably a real emerald, or at least I liked to imagine it was. And around the large green stone were many small diamonds. I slipped the ring onto my finger, it was only a little too big, and imagined I was one of those Disney princesses my mom used to read me stories about. Being almost seventeen I was probably too old for such fantasies, but there was one that I always thought of before going to bed.

I closed my eyes and pictured a prince showing up to the cave. He was the cliche prince with the white uniform with maroon trim, a huge white horse, and a sword. There always had to be a shiny sword. He'd slide off his horse and duck into the cave. 

"Mira?" He'd call out. I'd come to the sound of my name, and my breath would catch in my chest.

"Hello?' I'd ask shyly, taken aback by his charming appearance.

"Mira, I've been searching for you. We've found a place untouched by the Solar Flare, come with me. There's more water than you could ever drink, fruit trees, and lots of space for all your friends." He'd gesture to my cave family. In this particular fantasy, he pulled out the beautiful emerald ring and offered it to me. I'd be swept away by this magnificent stranger, and we'd fall madly in love.

It didn't matter how silly or unrealistic this dream of mine was. It never failed to calm my heart and send me into a peaceful sleep.

I set out early the next day in search of a good trade for the ring. I wanted to make sure I didn't squander this opportunity. Not only because we needed a good meal, but also because Tera was so excited to help out.

"Mira!" Her high pitched voice rang through the cave. "Mira! Maybe I can find something else to help. Like a bracelet, or necklace to go with it." She sat in front of Ninna who was attempting to untangle her long brown hair with her fingers.

"That sounds like a great idea, then I can trade them as a set." My enthusiasm sent her over the edge and she could no longer sit still long enough to have her hair detangled. Her little feet slapped against the clay and stone floor as she pranced outside.