Fine Print

Chapter Seven

Wake up.

She shot up, terrified. A sense of reality came back when Sang was sent into a silent, but painful, fit of dry heaves. Pushing herself up fully, she laid a tentative hand on her neck. So, that had been real, her eyes slowly flitted around her bedroom, then how did I get here?

She remembered Silas and Gabriel. The two spirits had stood above her as the exhaustion from her tears finally forced her eyes closed. With aching bones, Sang forced herself to roll off the bed. Though she remembered the two spirits, they were nowhere to be seen.

"Gabriel?" She tried to call out, but her voice only produced a soft wheeze. Her feet padded across the carpet and Sang was momentarily startled by the shaking of her hands. Where is he?

She hadn't expected to become so dependent on the once stranger, but right now, he felt like a life line. Swallowing the panic attack that wanted to creep up on her, Sang made her way to the door. It opened without a sound and she stepped onto the wooden floors of her hallway... only it wasn't wood.

The soft moss tickled her toes and Sang tried to jump back into the safety of her room. Her attempt was futile, because the door was no longer behind her. Wide eyes flicked over her shoulder and she gaped at the massive forest surrounding her.

It wasn't normal, like the one outside her house; no, this forest was too green.

Everything was covered by a plush coating of flowers or moss, even the rocks that dotted the tree roots. Speaking of trees, those weren't normal either. Instead, the trees were huge, like the massive redwoods she'd seen pictures of. The whole area resembled a mixture of a fairytale and an alien planet. By now, Sang wouldn't have been surprised to see dinosaurs.

What do I do? Her mouth was stuck in a permanent gape as Sang looked in front and then behind herself. There wasn't a path in sight, everything was covered by the matching moss. She closed her eyes to fight off the panic. That would lead her nowhere.

She took a steadying breath and reoriented herself. She needed to move.

Choosing the path forward, Sang turned on her heel and tip toed through the greenery. Nothing made a sound and the effect was unnatural, eerie.

The trees hung over her in shadowed lumps, but as time passed, the effect became strangely nonthreatening. Instead, it felt anticipatory. Like the whole world was waiting for her to make a choice. But this was a choice she didn't know the consequences of, so Sang continued to walk. Her path led her deeper into the woods and soon her path was mixed with flowers.

It was gorgeous.

They weren't the typical purple and yellow she'd seen in post cards. No, these little flowers were as bright as the rainbow, some even holographic. They didn't seem to have a definite shape, instead they morphed every time she glanced away. One second they appeared as bright orange roses and then the next, a nearly transparent orchids in a blue hue.

When one turned into a dusty green color, Sang knelt down onto the plush moss. Her fingers flitted along the edge of the petal in amazement. It was so beautiful, so otherworldly. Pinching a petal between her fingers, she marveled at the texture. The flower didn't look as soft as it appeared, but it felt like velvet in her hand.

"Hey," the voice was soft yet commanding and Sang dropped the flower in reflex. The voice continued, "Are... are you Sang?"

Scrambling forward, Sang darted to the nearest tree. Latching onto it for dear life, she turned her terrified eyes onto the stranger. He stood tall, like a living oak tree, but not nearly as tall as Silas. His hair was a soft brown and it was cut in a natural length. But the most prominent features were the stunning green eyes hidden behind a pair of glasses.