The Pain Inside

Chapter 3

The next thing Kat knew, she was standing on a small path beneath a moonlit sky. Behind her she could hear the faint sound of waves crashing, could smell a hint of salt on the breeze. One glance back was enough to confirm that in the distance, the path behind her led to the ocean. The sandy shore ended about halfway between her and the water, giving way to tufts of grass and then, just past where she stood, to groves of trees. She found her eyes riveted to the ocean itself though, and her breath caught as she stared. Beneath the moonlight, the deep blue waters were sparkling like diamonds. It was as if there were thousands of gemstones floating along the surface, each of them catching the light as they rode the waves and tossing it back out in a hundred different directions. She'd never seen anything like it. She'd seen the ocean at night before, but it was nothing like this. Not only did it not sparkle, but the waves were tinted more of a blue-green than the deep dark blue she saw beneath the surface of the shimmering water here. No, this was more the ocean of some fairy tale, a place of magic and mystery, that the real version paled in comparison to.

Next her eyes were drawn up to the moon, and it was no less shocking. Not only was it full, but it was closer than she'd ever seen the moon before. Closer than it ever could be without catastrophically altering Earth's tides. But this wasn't Earth. Here the moon was close enough that she could see its shape, see its ridges and mountains and valleys. Could almost feel the peaceful nature of its light as it shone down on her. It was remarkably beautiful.

And around the moon, the stars... Oh, the stars... Not only were they plentiful, but she could see their colors, as vibrant and brilliant as if they were a heartbeat away rather than untold light-years. Deep and softer blues. Fiery reds and oranges and yellows. The near-white grays. And then, colors she knew no real star could ever be. Majestic purples and violets. Calming greens in shades ranging from lawn to hunter. She even made out a few pink ones. She'd never seen anything like it. It was more like an artist's painting than a true night sky. She felt like she could stare at it for hours without ever losing the wonder of it.

When she was finally able to pull her eyes away, it was like she saw the area around her in a new light. The way the grass moved ever so slightly in the breeze. The shape and placement of the trees and their leaves. The colors. It was almost too perfect. Even the air around her was just cool enough to be refreshing without crossing into the cold of discomfort. If someone had told her that places of magic were real, and that this was what they looked like, she'd have believed them without a second's reservation.

As dark and shocking as the castle had been, this piece of Matt's mind was beautiful beyond description. It touched her in a way she couldn't describe. She almost wished she could wrap it all up in a package with a lace bow and tuck it safely away in her heart to keep forever. It was a reflection of everything amazing she saw in him, of the beauty of his heart and mind. She could only hope that she had places inside her that looked just like this.

Fighting an impulse to just stand in that spot and take it all in for hours, or days, or even months, Kat finally set off down the path before her. She still had someone to save, and the path was her best bet to finding him. She didn't know what had happened to the castle. She hadn't managed to help Matt, she was sure of that. It was like the sight of her in pain had been too much for him. Maybe that had been what jarring his awareness was like. It had disrupted everything so severely that his mind's eye had been forced to turn elsewhere. It was still hard for her to believe he'd hidden so much for her. Not just his insecurity and hatred of himself, but that single most important of things... But then, had he told her, would it have made a difference? She didn't know, not for sure. But it changed nothing about how she felt now, how much she cared for him, and the quest she'd set herself on. It didn't make her want him back any less.

She'd only been walking for a little over a couple minutes when the trees on her right gave way to a meadow. What drew her attention wasn't the sight and smell of dozens of different flowers. Nor the taller grass which seemed to take on a faint blue tinge in the moonlight. No, it was the fox and cat playing in the meadow, tumbling together and taking turns chasing each other. "Neko-chan and Kitsune-kun," Kat whispered softly to herself, staring. It had been their nicknames for each other, after they started dating. He'd been her Fox, and she his Kitty. Her name had naturally given way to the nickname, and his sharp mind and quick wit had made a fox seem like the perfect name to give him in return. Then one day they'd been watching an anime series together that had included a fox, and she'd found the Japanese word for fox so cute she'd called him by that instead, Kitsune. After that, they used the Japanese version of the nicknames almost as much as the English.