To Be a Dandelion

#Zero

Do you have a memory from your childhood that's so vague you're not sure whether it's real or not? I do have some of them, mostly stuff that I don't believe happened. Why? Because everything before the Apocalypse was just a lie. Well not for me at least.

First of July, 2004. My parents decided to take me to Disneyland Park as a late birthday gift. We've waited since February for the weather to get better and my parents to have a day off at work. I wasn't complaining though, I could wait a thousand years just to be with them. While I was only four years old, I still remember that day so vividly. Why wouldn't I? Your dream of becoming a princess is coming true. That day we were stuck on the highway. I remember how hot it was. Boiling someone would say. My dad messed with us a bit, telling us silly stories.

"Oh yeah Kaia, your dad fought a huge puma once" I remember being so fascinated by this story. I asked him at least a thousand times when and how this happened. My mom laughed cheerfully, her eyes glued to my dad's face.

"In his dreams" She stated.

"Hey! Don't ruin my story" My dad funnily rolled his eyes and got a smile from my mom. I loved them to pieces. Mom came from Hawaii and dad was born and raised in California. Thanks to them I had thick, chocolate-brown hair and huge brown eyes with freckles under them. My skin was slightly tanned, which is why mom used to compare me to peanuts.

I think they showed me what love means. Not that I understood much while being only four. Although, whenever I looked in their direction, I could feel my heart beating fast, making me the happiest kid on earth — however, not that day.

I remember all of a sudden cars began to honk, one after another. My mom had this worried look on her face. Dad got out of the car to see people run towards us. Screaming, crying, pushing one another. It was a colossal disaster.

"Mike?" My mom's voice called out to dad in worry, trying not to make me panic. I had no clue what was going on, but my insides told me I have to run. It was as if a predator waited somewhere near to hunt me down. The problem was, I couldn't see anything.

"Get out. Take Kaia." At that moment I realised something wasn't right. I let a few single tears out but followed my mom without any questions. She grabbed my hand, squeezing it as hard as she could, and we started to follow the crowd. I didn't look back, and I tried to ignore the fact that everyone was screaming. "We're all going to die" they kept repeating.

"Mommy?" I pulled her sleeve, but she didn't stop. My dad held her other hand tightly, fear in his eyes.

"Go, Kaia, move!" She rushed me, so I did.

Suddenly, we all felt the ground beneath us shake. I thought it was an earthquake, but how wrong was I that day. Elders dropped on their knees and began to pray. Kids were crying so loud it hurt my ears. My mom fell on the ground with my dad. I wasn't sure as to what was going on. At least not until I watched the road we were travelling on earlier split into half, consumed by red flames. Buildings we passed by, were falling like houses made of cards. The sky was as red as people imagine what it would be like inside hell. The whole planet reminded me of it — cold wind cleaning everything on its way like a tornado.

I stood in one place, staring helplessly as my home city was turning into ashes. My mom reached her hand out to me, but I couldn't make myself grab it. I was so terrified by the view I had in front of me that my body froze.

"Kaia, go! Run!" My dad yelled, and I blinked being pulled out from my thoughts. Then I saw a bright smile decorating my mom's face. It warmed my heart and unfroze my body. As I took a step forward, the surface beneath my parents split and took them underground with it. "Mommy! Daddy!" I screamed from the top of my lungs but didn't hear a response. The last of people passed me, and I was sure that by now I was the only one left behind. As a kid, I didn't see a point in running. Where would I go? My parents are dead. And I? I was left all by myself, alone on this dying planet.

The last thing I remembered from that day was the colossal lightning strike hitting the ground at least a few meters away from me, making the area around it disappear. All I could feel at that very moment was my heart, not beating anymore.

Writers note! Okay, Hi everyone who decided to check this book out! First of all, I'm Mika, and I started writing To Be a Dandelion last year but abandoned the idea. I was inspired by Boku No Hero Academia, and after watching the movie, I thought ' Let's finish up this story! ( Many thanks to Lloyd and Lysandra for supporting me!)

If you can tell, it's my first book in English and fantasy genre. Polish is my native language, so please no hate! I just want you to enjoy this whole story and leave some comments and stars behind!

That's it! Love ya xxx