My Patchwork Child

Chapter Fourteen

Special. Yes, that's how I'd describe how I felt when Malia grunted her goodbyes.

We continued following Cinder, and the air grew thin with promises of a cold night. Chewy's swaying lulled me into an uncomfortable tiredness. I blinked to keep myself awake and constantly found myself trying to steady my seat.

As the moon found its way across the star-lit sky, a wind gathered around our feet. But even as it grew fiercer, I noticed that our guide did not falter once.

Exhaustion washed quickly over me as swiftly and coolly as the wind had. My finger and ear tips turned a gentle pink, indicating the change in temperature.

The forest darkened but Cinder's feathers never dimmed. As if they were illuminated by the moon, their soft peachy-white colour reflecting the its glow.

Rubbing at my eyes, a faded vision of a women appeared before me.

She walked straight ahead on us, as though we weren't present. Just above her slim frame, Cinder glided at the same pace as the women. Her long hair was the same, gentle shade as the dove's feathers and the clothes she wore were simple, but neat. She bore no shoes, no necklaces, no rings or bracelets. A calmness swept through the woods, following her barely visible figure. I could see the trees ahead of her, her transparent skin making her seem unreal.

Each time she stepped, a light glow would appear at her feet and new plants forced their way through the dirt.

She was magical.

And, somehow, familiar.

I blinked, to check if she was there. But when I looked again, she'd disappeared as quickly as she'd come. Only the dove remained.

I looked over at Alden, but he acted unfazed. Either he hadn't seen her, or he wasn't letting it show.

Baffled and at a loss for words, I simply shook the memory to the back of my mind, where I intended it to stay for a good while.

We trudged on, and I slept.

My dream had felt surreal. The forest, Alden, Chewy and Cinder had all vanished. I was walking (all by myself, with no assistance) through the plains. In the far distance, I could see the herd and recognized Angel grazing amongst her family. I longed to run straight up to her and feel free once more. But it seemed I was not able to control this dream version of me. Instead, I kept walking forwards.

The navy-blue sky began evolving into strange colours of purples, silvers, pinks and blues. The stars grew bright till they were glowing a bright yellow, like the sun. The colours mixed and danced with one another, swirling and diving as though trying to paint the sky itself.

I watched the unique patterns create this wondrous picture, that I lost myself in it. Staring obliviously upwards, it took me awhile to realise I'd began climbing a tower of stairs.

They had no support, they just flew straight up into that bright sky. I couldn't see the end.

I willed myself to stop clambering up them as my body grew slowly more and more tired, but I kept going. My heart tightened in my chest and my lungs screamed for air, but I kept going.

Tears built in my eyes and poured unforgivingly down my cheeks.

A loud cracking noise echoed in my ear warned me before my eyes did so. The staircase was breaking behind me. Each step falling, then the next. It was slowly closing in on me.

So, I ran. Sprinting unceremoniously up the flight of never-ending stairs, I could feel each step breaking at my heels, urging my forwards. Aching choked at my throat, making it harder to breathe.