Shore ( A Modern Fantasy Beach Action Adventure)

Late-Night Talk

      Her hands slide off her face. She sees the familiar ceiling that she sleeps under. She moves her head around to see the same desk crammed in the corner, with books piled high. This was Arena's office before she co-opted it as her temporary bedroom.

      Lahar lies in a cold sweat. Pressure pushes down on her stomach. She lifts her head to find Pie asleep with his head on her and the rest of his massive body lying on the floor with a blanket over him.

     Lahar's fingers graze her face to find any scratches, burn marks, or any sign of what happened. She can't find any. She reaches for a glass of water on a nightstand by her bed, careful not to wake Pie. She gulps the entire full glass of water all at once. Her eyes bounce around the room as she looks to see if anything is out of place. Everything is exactly as she left it. The curtains are drawn, but the window is securely closed.

     The pale moon is out, and she sees the field and beach from where she is sitting. It is late into the night as the wind blows outside. For a moment, a shiver runs through her body. She ignores it and keeps looking.

     A light shines under her door. Lahar knows it is the hallway light that Arena leaves on. The clock on the wall shows the late hour that he's normally in the greenhouse. He is always working on something, can never keep still. She carefully gets up from her bed, trying not to wake Pie. She fails. He sniffs as his eyes slowly open. He looks up at Lahar. She can tell he is worried and still half asleep.

      "Don't worry. I'm just getting more water," she says, shaking the empty glass in her hand. She walks to the massive door. As she turns the handle, she can feel the nudge of Pie's head on her back. He is determined to follow her, even though he is barely awake. She smiles and gestures to him to follow. They step into the hallway and walk to the door that leads to the greenhouse.

     The handle glows softly as she turns it. She opens the door to see the greenhouse on the other side. Arena sits at the table with a lamp on, leaving it up to the moon to illuminate the rest of the room. Lahar looks up through the glass to see a sky full of stars. She lets out a small sigh of relief.

     Arena has stacks of books around him and papers scattered about. He turns around to see Lahar and Pie walking in. "What are you two doing up? You should be asleep," Arena says with a yawn.

     "Like you should be saying that." Lahar pulls up the chair next to Arena and sits down.

     "What brings you half-asleep zombies here this late?" Arena asks, turning back to his work.

     He flips through a book, jotting down random segments in a sketchbook and scribbling the occasional symbol.

     "I had a dream I feel like you need to know about." Her fingers run through her hair as she tries to wrap her mind around what she has just dreamed.

     "Dreams hold significant value in both the psychological and magical communities. So let's hear it," he says, and he chews on the end of his pen and continues to stare at the book.

     "Well, that's the thing. I don't think it was entirely a dream. I think part of it really happened," Lahar says, not believing her own words.

     Arena turns to her with a curious expression on his face as Lahar continues to talk. She explains to him the dream she had, from when she was staring up at the tree to the freezing white flames engulfing her. She tells him the deal Void tried to make with her.

     Arena sits there considering what she has said. Lahar sits there in silence. For a moment, she worries he won't believe her but finds that silly. After all, she is now in a world where anything is possible, even the outrageous. "The last time I checked the seal, it was still strong. He shouldn't be able to do what he did from there," Arena says as he scratches his head with his pen.