Prometheus' Orb (Legends of the Dark Creatures Book 1)

Chapter Eleven: Awakening

"Samantha, I am glad we are talking again," said Ashley, in a low apologetic voice.

"And I am sorry for being the way I was. I guess I over-reacted a little," Samantha replied.

Ashley had just walked Samantha to her house. The cold of the night hit Ashley like waves against rock.

That's what I get for wearing a sleeveless shirt, Ashley thought.

Samantha lived exactly seven houses away from Ashley's place. The design of both their houses was almost the same. The lights were off since no one was in yet and moon's light shined caressingly on the flowers that grew by the veranda... casting upon them all a unison bright color. The Mitchells were already in Salem when Ashley and her mom moved into the town; that was twelve years ago.

"Do you remember the day we first met," Samantha asked as if reading Ashley's mind.

"Sam... Of course, I do," Ashley replied, sitting on the stairs. "Two days after we had moved here I was playing outside the house..."

"Yes," Samantha interrupted. "I guess trying to literally dive into a storybook can be considered playing."

Ashley laughed.

"Hey I was five... and I remember you coming out of nowhere and telling me that I was doing it all wrong. You said, if I may quote, 'You need a magic spell to open a portal into the book realm' and we even created a spell for it..."

"We call on the powers... super and grand...

We call upon them... take us... to Wonderland."

"Well... Wonderland was quite tempting," Samantha said.

The girls laughed so hard that Ashley actually felt her stomach muscles tighten.

Samantha's head rested against Ashley's shoulder.

"You know, there was a point when I truly believed magic was real."

Samantha's voice was low. Ashley knew where this conversation was headed but she didn't try to stop Samantha. Instead, she said, "Me too Sam...me too."

"And you're sure what happened that day was all in our imagination?"

"I don't know Samantha," Ashley said.

Five years ago, an ocean wave almost hurt Ashley and Samantha but Ashley had stopped it. She remembered it clearly. The rush of power she felt, the wave obeying every hand gesture she made. She never told Samantha or anyone this but that wasn't the only time something like that happened. There were other times...

Why was she thinking about that!? Like Samantha said; it was all in her head. After over two months of therapy, Ashley had come to accept that she was just like everybody else... a normal human being.

Ashley's head automatically turned to her left shoulder.

"Still no recollection of how you got the tattoo huh," Samantha stated.

"None," Ashley replied, her right palm rubbing gently against the tattoo.

Ever since the accident last year, Ashley had that tattoo; a tattoo of a Chimera. Most of what happened last year was a blur to Ashley. The cliff. She almost lost her life on that cliff and yet she was still drawn to it. No one could figure out how she survived that fall, how she missed the rocks below, how the giant waves didn't drown her. When she awoke-- washed up near the beach-- Ashley had no memory of being there.

"Anyway I am sure it will come back at the moment you least expect it to," Samantha said, trying to cheer Ashley.

"I hope. Well, I better get going," Ashley said.