After ice cream, I retreat to my room. The air seems colder now, but that could be from there not being two warm bodies occupying the space. Cujo stays downstairs with Mom as I resume my game. Unlike before, I don't feel the need to strip down to my skivvies to best cool down. If anything, I could actually turn down the air conditioning. I remain on the safe side and leave it alone for the time being, though. Once the ice cream runs through my system, my temperature might climb again. I don't want to take that chance.
The sky darkens even further as my exploration takes me from grasslands to the desert and back to my homebase carved into a mountain. My eyes begin to strain from the electric glow of my TV screen. Once I am safe and sound in my virtual bed, I save my game, shut off the Xbox, and retire to my real bed. I peel off the comforter, leaving only the sheet as I crawl in and settle down for the night.
In a blink, a field of white flowers stretches below me. The breeze is a comfortable warmth on my face as I take a casual flight. My large white wings flap on occasion, mostly letting me coast on the wind as it guides me along the clear blue sky. The rows of white break every now and then for stretches of green; figures congregate in these sections, making joyous music and cheerful conversation. With a slow descent, I touch down and walk amongst them.
To my surprise, few have white wings like mine. Gray hues make up the majority of feathers as I pass them by. Their owners, though, pay no mind to the various shades. They don't even notice my white wings. They smile and greet me as if they have known me all my life. Dressed in flowing cloth of silver, pearl, and gold, with skin ranging from the palest white to the darkest brown, they emanate a strong sense of community. It's beautiful. They're beautiful. Part of me wishes I could live here forever.
At the edge of the next field of white flowers stands one of them. Her feathers, charcoal gray, fold in and flex out as if stretching like muscles. Even with her back to me, I would know that head of red velvet anywhere. Her arms rest bare at her sides. My footsteps are cushioned by the lush grass, but as I draw near she glances over her shoulder. Her eyes are more vibrant here, authentic amethysts. Her Cupid's Bow is ever so inviting in her small smile.
"Ashiel," she breathes my name. "How sweet is your arrival."
"As is your own presence, Seraphina," I respond with my own smirk. I know my voice is mine, but it sounds different. My tongue is of an old dialect, but feels as normal in my mouth as any other words I've ever said. "How fare thee on this day?"
"Splendid," she answers, reaching her hand out to me. I take it without hesitation. "Far more so now that you are by my side."
"And what of our friends?"
"Enjoying the peace." She squeezes my hand with a thankful sigh. "As we all should."
"Aye, as we all should," I repeat. But something sours in my chest. "Do we count your father amongst the joyful?"
"Do we ever?" she hesitates. "I have seen him naught for a fortnight. Last I had heard from him, he wished to stew in his plots up in his tower."
"Let him." I pull her close to me, our chests coming together with our arms around each other. "These days are for the young, the jubilant..."
"The romantics," she adds.
"Yes, them above all."
Something in the air shifts. Clouds storm into the sky and shield the sun. In a heartbeat, the wind kicks up into a violent blow. The conversations around us hush as we all search our surroundings for the cause of this immense change, but nothing beyond the will of Mother Nature is apparent. The Sages had not foreseen such a dramatic forecast, as far as I can remember. We were meant to have only a beautiful day, nothing less.
YOU ARE READING
Incinerate
ParanormalWhen Ash Woodward moves to a new town before the beginning of the school year, he makes it his goal to befriend anti-social track star Sera von Abaddon. As Ash traverses his new life with his new friends, mysteries arise as to who Sera truly is. But...
