blurred | revised

V • shape without form

CHAPTER FIVE

S H A P E  W I T H O U T  F O R M

The sunlight was bright and beautiful, but it was fading fast. They had been walking long enough for the Sun to begin its descent, and the girl was anxiously awaiting for it to sink out of sight altogether. They must have been walking for hours, but Drew showed no sign of stopping the relentless pace.

"It's not much farther," Drew promised for the seventh time. The girl had believed her the first four times, but after that, she had begun to completely disregard her comments. It was hard to determine what "farther" meant when they seemed to be completely lost in a deep forest.

She squeezed Esperanza's hand, and the younger girl returned the gesture with a beaming smile. The girl couldn't pretend that she was somewhat scared of Esperanza, after watching her render Willow completely helpless with nothing more than a thought. But she had spent a very long time protecting her, and that loyalty overpowered her fear.

"Where are we going?" Esperanza asked sweetly, her bare feet stepping over sticks and rocks like it was second nature.

Drew glanced back at them, anxiety running rampant in her dark eyes. "A safe place. That's all I can tell you; it's not safe to talk out here."

Her anxious eyes scanned the trees, as if expecting them to grow ears. The girl wanted to roll her eyes or protest in some form, but she was beyond grateful to Drew for rescuing her and Esperanza; she would happily follow her anywhere that wasn't the cellar, even if it took hours to walk there.

The girl found herself stealing glimpses at the sky as they continued their walk. Esperanza seemed completely unbothered by the beauty that surrounded them, but the girl was enamored by it. It had been so long since she had seen anything other than dirty stone and metal; the blue of the sky was the most color she could remember seeing. She wanted to stare at it forever.

Spots decorated her vision as she tore her gaze away from the sky. She shook her head, as if that would erase the colored spots. Drew noticed her motion, and frowned.

"What's wrong?" she asked, hand reaching for the knife that hung from her belt.

Her left ear seemed to be hearing from underwater. She shook her head again. "I feel...strange," was all she could think to say.

Drew's frown deepened. "Shit. When's the last time you ate?"

The girl tried to remember, but the world began to spin around her. The colors, the beautiful colors she had tried to memorize, swam together in a cacophonous routine, seemingly mocking her. The ground was wet beneath her knees, but when had she fallen? She tried to stand, but her body felt like it was a thousand miles away, and a distant part of her realized that she was now lying on the forest floor.

A distant voice spoke, and the girl strained to listen. It sounded like Esperanza said "let me help," but the words blurred together as the girl's eyelids fell closed.

• • •

The girl opened her eyes, and found herself standing on an empty beach. Waves crashed lazily against the golden shore, and the setting Sun cast a romantic glow on the world. The girl felt herself smile as she took a step on the soft sand, enjoying the cool sensation. The world was silent and serene, and she began to debate if walking into the ocean would continue to be relaxing.

"I am afraid that we are severely lacking in time; I advise that you relax when you can afford to," a sharp voice said.

The girl jumped and spun around to find a woman standing on the beach beside her. The woman smiled, but it was devoid of warmth. Her chocolate-colored hair was braided in plaits that were tied off with golden ribbon, and the white dress that she wore seemed to ripple in the breeze.