the Forest of Emmitaenu

Encore

[art by Valeria Bogado]

Her alarm clock started to ring. Lara reached over and felt for the snooze button with her fingertips, not wanting to open her eyes. First, she would make that insufferable noise stop, then she would get up and turn the alarm completely off. Lara found what she was looking for and pressed down on it. The noise ceased. She sighed, thank goodness it's Friday, she thought. This time tomorrow she would still be asleep. For now, she needed to pry herself out of bed and get into the shower. In little over an hour, class would be starting.

Lara forced herself to leave the warmth of her bed and walk to the bathroom. Stifling a yawn, she pulled out her hair tie and dropped it onto the sink. Her mahogany hair fell in feathery layers and flowed down her back. It had gotten longer in the past year and she refused to cut it. Her eyes fought to stay closed under the bright light of the ceiling fan's three light bulbs. She fought back. It was time to wake up. She turned on the water and let it run as she leaned back against the wall and watched the steam rise up.

Lara wanted desperately to skip school today. Ever since her parents last wedding anniversary, school hadn't seemed that important. So what if you could do algebra and geometry and trig? So what if you memorized your biology and chemistry and physics? What good is it going to do you in the real world? Can it save you from being attacked? Will it guide you when you are lost? No.

Feeling the heat of the steam rise, she was beckoned to the shower. She stepped in and let the water flow over her, burning her skin and turning it red. It felt wonderful. Lara closed her eyes and memories of her dream came flooding back to her. She dreamed the same thing as she often did. She would see herself dancing through the enchanted forest of Emmitaenu, listening to the birds, smelling the wilderness, and feeling the breeze all around her. She could remember the way the moss turned even the trunks of the trees green, and see the way ivy covered the treetops like an enormous mesh blanket, shrouding the world she loved with its enchanting curtain of vines.

In her dream she raced joyously toward a familiar clearing, chasing a disco-spectrum of sunlight as it filtered through the leafy tree branches and played across the ground. After reaching her destination she found her friends Jade, Zeftx, and Lienkin all waiting there. Zeftx handed her the red cloak embroidered gold at the trim with golden moons and stars all over. She smiled up at him and he smiled back. His eyes swam in an array of oranges and blues, flecked with yellow. He was so happy. She was too.

When she approached Jade, Lara could see a mug in her hand. The scent of the herbal tea wafted to Lara's nostrils on the gentle breeze. Jade handed the mug to her and Lara drank it without hesitating. Jade chuckled and smiled. Lara giggled too, although she wasn't sure why. 

The last friend she turned to was Lienkin. He met her gaze with his startling deep brown eyes. She could drown in those eyes. He traced a symbol on her forehead, the shape of a birds foot print, and he smiled. He leaned in to brand a kiss upon his mark but then she woke up. The alarm was ringing.

Now, in the shower, two sets of eyes flashed through her mind. First the colorful, ensnaring, emotional, caring eyes of Zeftx, of the demon. Then she saw the deep, mysterious, dazzling brown eyes of Lienkin, of the witch. Her mother had been the one to reveal what Lienkin actually was. Her mother had revealed a lot after their return from Emmitaenu last year. Lara had skipped school for an entire week afterward.

The water turned to ice. She had exhausted the hot water supply. Her father wasn't going to be pleased. She wrapped a towel around her body and dashed to her room to get dressed. She slipped quickly into her favorite pair of jeans and put on the third shirt her fingers touched in her closet. Before tying on her oldest and most comfortable tennis shoes, she slipped her arms into a trendy, crop top, zip-up jacket that matched her shirt perfectly. Hanging over her bedpost was the red cloak with the golden moons and stars from her dream. Jade had given it to her as a gift back in Emmitaenu. Lara treasured it now.