Hope Released

Growing Benevolence

     The vibrant sky of early morning hues of pink and orange attacked my eyes with only the pain of overwhelming beauty. For a brief electrifying moment, at the start of our fall, I felt my stomach clench uncomfortably with our sudden descent. 

     But now I fell with newfound freedom that whispered glories to my bones. 

     We flew at a swift pace that reminded me of my time below the surface of water. It was everything I knew about swimming but some things varied. The density of the water was replaced by dashing air that required much less movement to maneuver in and the scenery changed drastically from an endless alien world unknown by most people to an endless world only known fully to people. 

     Although every small tilt of my body directed me towards my right or left, up or down, I realized we were in an air current that belittled any power over destination. 

     "Where is this leading us!" I shouted to Rento who flew just out of my reach , his worn and dirt covered shoes hovering in front of Skye and I. 

     Rento's blonde head appeared from behind his shoulder, angled strangely towards us.

     "Huh?!" his usual  loud and bold voice barely registered to me and I tried asking again with no response. The hissing air overtook all other sounds until Aria's velvet voice whistled over with commanding power to our ears.

     "THEY ASKED WHERE THIS IS LEADING US AND TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION ITS A TYPE OF TRAVELING TUNNEL THAT ENCIRCLES THE INNER BOUNDARIES OF CENTRAL AWETONY. IT'S USED FOR SECURITY PURPOSES BUT IS AVAILABLE FOR SOLDIERS OF THE SUN ON LEISURE DAYS. ITS NOT ADVERTISED TO US SO THAT IT DOESN'T GET CROWDED, BESIDES, THERE ARE A LARGE GROUP OF US WHO ALREADY HAVE THE ABILITY TO FLY IN SOME WAY OR ANOTHER." clear but not deafeningly loud, Aria's ability to manipulate her ways of communication shocked me into a moment of silence until Skye spoke to her from my right.

     "So we're doing a lap and heading back for breakfast?" He asked casually.

     "EXACTLY."

     That's when I remembered that last night Nixon promised to meet me for breakfast this morning and I had no way of running back to fulfill my promise until we came to the end of the air current back at the hill. Seeing as we didn't even stop for breakfast (except for Skye's pie at the small kitchen provided to us when the lunchroom was not serving.) my worry only settled as far as the idea that I would get to the lunch room just as breakfast was ending. We left early enough that breakfast was only in the process of being prepared.  I took an unsettling breath accompanied by a smooth exhale and thought of the boy to my right. Adventurous, mischievous, overprotective, sensitive, with a strong will to succeed he was my Guardian. A dark, handsome one at that. 

     Nixon. Adventurous, mature, caring, powerful, and mysterious he took on the persona of a knight in shining armor I only conjured up in my dreams after reading stories upon stories of thrilling action and romance. Sure and bright , his light took over my daydreams very often. Were we together now? Was it official? I would have to speak to him about that when we reentered the castle grounds. 

     But did I want it to be this way?

     "Look there." Skye's excited voice rushed to me as he nudged his shoulder against mine. He pointed with his free hand at a crystal clear pool of water, small and round and deep, so deep it gradually faded to a deep blue in the center; sky blue were the edges. A semicircle cliff wrapped around its one side while the other opened up to a small descent on a rolling hill facing away from the training grounds.

     "It's so pretty." I responded, wide eyed, already imagining my free tail diving deep in its waters. 

     "We'll have to go sometime." Skye said, looking towards me, his deep eyes serious as they looked into mine. I faintly detected a hidden meaning behind those words. Something more intimate and secretive.