1. Night Sky #3
Aonia smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes.
“Sorry... I have responsibilities later today, and I can’t risk getting in trouble for going into the Forest. Especially if that means we can’t be friends.
” She sucked in her cheek on one side and looked down at her feet.
“My mom says I have to get my hair done because we have visitors. There’s a whole...
Well, people seem to really care about how I look for these things.
They’re already worried I have too much freedom as is.
They’ll take it away if I’m late for things. ”
Noec sighed. “I know, I know.” Then he huffed, “Even though it’s dumb.”
Nia stood up, shook off the sand that managed to get onto her pastel dress, then draped her cloak over her arm.
“Well, buh-bye! Noec—anyone asks, I wasn’t there.
I’ll be sure to send lots of flowers when he kills you,” Aonia said, waving hurriedly as she began to scuttle away.
She halted, and it was like she had short-circuited.
She swiveled toward Flora and bowed gracefully.
“I mean... It was an incredible pleasure meeting you, Lady Florabelle. My hope is that our paths will cross again.” Her voice stiffened like she was reading from a teleprompter.
A quick internal debate, and she snatched the dirty crystalline rock from the sand before going on her way.
“Excellent performance,” Noec muttered under his breath, feigning a clap.
“See you!” Flora replied. “And thanks!”
As Aonia began her stroll down the stony road, she called back to Noec, “He won’t be half as mad as you think. And hey, we always make it home safe, right?”
He swallowed and fixed straight ahead. “Right.”
Aonia gave one last wave, and Flora returned the gesture. Aonia pulled her posture tight and grasped the bulk of her dress in one hand as she walked, following the rockbound path that faded beyond the village ahead. Soon, Aonia was far out of earshot.
“Why will your uncle be angry about me?” Flora worried aloud.
“He won’t be angry about you.” Shifting a bit, Noec continued, “Most likely, he won’t be angry at all.
” He inhaled sharply before explaining, “‘Disappointed’ is what I’m worried about.
I’m not supposed to go into the Forest. He gets real serious about that.
It’s too dangerous.” He was staring steadily at the crystal water as it wept from the rocks. “And I should know better.”
“Am I gonna get you in trouble?” Flora mumbled.
He nodded with a shrug. “Maybe. Probably. But, you need an adult, right? To get home?” The water plopped and glazed the shimmery rocks as it fell. “Seems bigger than me having a bad day.”
Flora rested her head on the knees of her candy cane-striped pajama pants, the same ones she had worn to bed that night. Maybe, she thought, she just needed to try a bit harder to wake up.
One... two... she clipped her eyes tight and... three.
“Do you know why I come out here by the water so much?” Flora jumped a little as his voice broke her concentration.
“Because it’s pretty?” She looked around expectantly. The same scene was still painted around her. Whatever. The warm, picturesque oasis meant that this particular dream was no longer a nightmare.
Noec paused and thought for a second. “Kinda? I guess. But the main reason is how the water makes you feel. I’ve even seen it heal cuts and stuff.
My aunt says that it’s blessed by the goddess with magic!
” he said. He unfolded his awkward legs and kneeled at the edge of the water. Flora cocked her head curiously.
“Watch,” he instructed, submerging one hand in the water, then holding it dripping out in front of him. Flora watched in awe as a tiny papercut on his hand mended before her eyes. “It kinda tickles, but it’s so cool to watch.”
“Woooaah,” Flora awed.
“There,” Noec said, pointing to a tiny scrape above Flora’s right brow. “That’s from when you fell, yeah?”
She nodded. Noec craned over the water and splashed some of it in his face. He smiled with his teeth and giggled as it rolled back down toward the thirsty sand.
“Come on!” he beckoned eagerly. He smothered his face dry with his shirt, then encouraged her, “Come on, try!”
Flora took off his jacket and set it aside. She looked down at her own wobbly reflection and stuck out her tongue. This time, instead of anxiously avoiding her eyes, Noec burst into a bubbly laugh.
“Ready?”
She nodded. She was startled by the cold chill against her fingertips as she cupped a bit of water.
Little prickles, though not at all painful, seemed to absorb into her veins and bubble pleasantly under her skin.
Her hand felt serene and rested, but there was a new pulse in it, a faint shock of lightning in her fingertips.
Flora could’ve sworn that Noec said something, but his voice became an elusive sound.
She closed her eyes.
Flora’s eyes fluttered open in surprise.
Finally. She was back in the comfort of her bed, huddled in her pink, flowered blanket as a nighttime chill crept through her windowsill.
She could still hear the screech in the forest, over and over, echoing in her mind.
She stared up at the popcorn ceiling, her mind making up shapes in the dark.
While most dreams fade away in only a brief time, Flora’s remained fresh in her mind.
The cold breeze caressed her cheek, and in her thoughts, she was still running... running... running.
“Dad?” she called into her parents’ unlit bedroom. “Mom?”
A couple disjointed grumbles arrived in response.
“Hey sweet pea, what’s going on?” her father whispered, half asleep.
“Scary dream.”
Her father groaned as his daughter fumbled onto the bed, all elbows and knees.
“Looks like you’ve been sleepwalking again,” he said, brushing the tiny scrape above her brow.
He rolled lazily to his feet and said, “You forgot one thing.” He propped open his bedroom door just a little bit–just enough for some hallway light to make its way in.
For the rest of the night, Flora remained wide-eyed and sleepless.
And the next night, after another miserable day at school, it seemed like it would be more of the same.
Flora looked on her nightstand, where there was a dainty gold wristwatch that her mother had nearly thrown away.
It was much too wide for Flora’s scrawny wrist, but it was pretty, and shiny enough to add to her hoard of trinkets.
Maybe it was an ancient artifact with a mysterious backstory. Maybe it was from Walmart.
Regardless, it was hers now. Flora listened to the steady heartbeat of the watch, ticking softly against the silence of her room. And just when she had finally begun to settle into sleep, her right brow began to burn with a fizzy sensation.
There was a flash of red, sharp as a lightbulb flaring to life. The soft, warm glow spilled through her eyelids. And, for some reason, her feet were wet.