Hope Released

Exhaustion

    My mind had been racing for a long time when Skye came to check up on me. I had escaped to the library on the third floor giving my excuse of being tired.  Mrs.Misten informed me of a sofa bed I could claim up here after I shared my complaint.

    I couldn't - can't - quite grasp the idea of the trapped society I had lived in all my life. It wasn't quite obvious to me as I walked down streets near the bakery every evening after my studies of Faith, Kingdomship, and Strengths after school. Nor was it easy to understand the concept of a weak  Kingdom as Gloria and I hung to watch the sun dip up into the ground during some evenings laughing as the blood rushed to our heads and our hair swayed with the branches below us. Danger didn't seem real to me until.... was it only yesterday? Yesterday I was almost captured by rebels AKA the "Shadows" -apparently that's what the warriors of Awetony call them, yesterday a stranger by the name of Skye saved me, yesterday we were followed by the Shadows, it was only yesterday that we were forced to hide in the strangely elegant underground bunker. It was yesterday that I learned how important I was in this battle between the true Kingdom and the rebels, a pawn in a war with potential to be a weapon, or a savior. 

    "Taseaya?" a boy's voice, recognizable but so far away.

    "Hmm?" My mind still trying to process so much I didn't know if I responded in my mind or out loud. Either way, it doesn't matter... my family is all I need and hoping they're safe is not enough. If I'm so important to the Shadows to get what they want but they can't find me they could use my parents as bait to lure me to them... or someone else I care about that they might somehow know about. What if this is true? I lose my mind among so many thoughts, I don't know if they just didn't get to me before or if my natural reaction of being told my life is in danger is relative calmness, at first...

    "Taseaya? Are you okay?" That voice again. 

    Perhaps the adrenaline that made me run through the tunnels and the calm ocean water made me forget how I was supposed to feel? Now that I thought about this unrealistic reality, my mind spins in circles. What do I do now? Save my family? Inform Unantis? If I don't act now, it will be too late... the Shadows were already on our heels.

    I start to feel dizzy and although I feel the pressure of crying behind my eyes , no tears stream down my cheeks.

    "Taseaya what's wrong?" Skye kneels beside me as I sit on the edge of the sofa , head in my hands. 

    "Skye? Oh... hi." I try to sound casual but I doubt my troubles don't show through my cracking voice. 

    "Is this about everything you've been through? Something else?  Can I get you anything? Sorry I'll-"

    "Yes... no. Actually my throat feels kind of dry. "

    Without a word I hear Skye run down stairs and a moment later holds a glass of water in his gentle hands; beside me once again. I take it from him and gulp it greedily.

    "You seem thirsty." Skye says with a chuckle and takes the empty glass from me.

    "So... are you sure you're okay? You seemed-"

    "Could I have more? You know, it's okay. I'll get it myself this time." I stand but to my surprise fall straight into Skye who barely catches my fall. My head spins and I try to stand again but continue to stumble into Skye's arms.

    "Stay still! Here, I'll help you." Skye says and the next thing I know, I'm being carried down several flights of stairs as I watch the ceiling spin uncontrollably. I decide to close my eyes to try to ease the spinning motion I feel in my head.

    "Why... why am I so, so dizzy?"  I ask as I'm set down somewhere soft.

    "Lie down. I don't know...it might be related to stress, sickness, anything!"

    I do as Skye says and lay down wherever I am but the dry ache I feel in my throat and... skin? Why does my skin feel so suddenly dry?

    "Skye?"

    "Yes? What is it?" I feel a jostle to my right where Skye must have just sat down beside me.

    "I feel... I feel like sandpaper.. I think."

    "Sandpaper? You mean all dry and rough?"

    "Yeah."

    "Weird. Sandpaper? Why would you-oh!" Before I can respond I feel Skye's strong arms slide under my knees and back once more, and we're moving , too fast for my liking out the door and across the beach. 

    "Where are you taking me?" I say and open my eyes to see a focused and concerned face stare back at me. Skye's dark blue eyes search mine for a moment, lips set in a line then opens his mouth to speak but I don't hear what he says. The splashing of water around his legs is all I hear right before he throws me into the water before him. 

    I want to hurt him. I do. How could he have just thrown me into what I feared most? I don't want to spiral down into the water's abyss and he knows that. He's my guardian after all. He's obviously a horrible one too.

    But the moment my skin breaks the waters surface and it swirls around me, it's as if spikes of energy, like electricity, breaks through my skin and finds its way deeper into my core in seconds. Trillions of bubbles swirl around my face filling my vision beneath the waves and I can't help but laugh.

    I start to giggle as my dizziness and thirst disappear and a sense of relief fills it's place as if the water welcomes me into it's embrace. I have no sense of troubles in my free-floating world but suddenly I grow alarmed as my hands, previously catching the larger sparkling orbs that wiggled to the surface , start to change. My nails suddenly shine like opal, and a webbing appears between my fingers. I squirm a little, trying to find the sand between my feet but my legs have decided to fail me, instead they feel jelly-like and numb. Right before I manage to stick my head out of the water , a sparkling starting from around my wrist stretching up my arms catches my attention and I freeze but just as soon as these changes are about to shock me in surprise, they decide to retreat; my nails no longer shining, the webbing shrinks back towards my palm like a cat's retractable claws. The sparkle covering my arms fading and my legs functioning normally once again. 

    I find my balance and return to my feet, standing up to find Skye. The moment I do finally get my head out of the water I spot Skye a few meters away from me. He stands knee deep in water, as I stand chin deep and quickly swim to him. 

    "Did you see?!" I exclaim, grabbing his shoulders and staring him down.

    "See what??"

    "My arms, they were sparkling, and my nails were too! No, they were shining more than sparkling. But the weirdest thing was that my hands were webbed like a frogs or something. Oh! And-"

    "I'm happy to see you're better! Tell me more inside and don't worry about that outfit you got drenched, I'll explain what happened to my mom as soon as we see her."

    "I didn't even realize oops. Fine but what's the hurry? Why can't I tell you now?" I watch as Skye's lips turn up into a shy smile.

    "Because, your Highness, there is a surprise for you waiting at my front door."