Take Back the Light

Chapter 37

It was warm.

Alana took a deep breath of clean, clear air. She was warm, but it wasn't unpleasant. She felt safe, at ease. Calm.

She was laying down, and whatever was beneath her was soft, and also warm. She could feel her hair down and spread out around her head, and she felt the material beneath her shift ever so slightly with every breath she took.

There was the sound of water nearby. A shore, she realized- the sound of a current hitting sand banks. The air smelled faintly of saltwater. Slowly, like her senses were tuning in to a radio station, her senses sharpened. She could hear voices around her. They sounded familiar in a way that made her feel like she was... home.

Finally, Alana opened her eyes and sat up.

She was on a white sandy beach, warmed by gentle Lumino light. Crystal clear aquamarine water glittered where it met the sand twenty feet in front of her, giving off dazzling reflections of the Lumino light. The cavern ceiling was pale blue, and there were a few palm trees around her. She was in a cyan swim shirt with short sleeves and black swim shorts.

For a moment, it struck her as odd that she was in a swimsuit. Then that seemed silly. She was at the beach. Why wouldn't she be in her swimsuit?

Alana scooped up a small handful of sand, letting it flow between her fingers. It felt like she had just woken up. Had she been sleeping? That didn't seem quite right, but why else would she be laying down in the sand?

Then she heard footsteps behind her. She turned and smiled as a woman approached her, also in a swimsuit, royal blue and cyan. But she also had a belt on to hold her blaster. She would never go anywhere without her blaster.

"Hey, spark," Evanlyn Caelum said as she held out a hand to her daughter. "Did you have a nice nap?"

For a moment, Alana's heart leapt in her throat. Something felt wrong with this.

There were a few pink sparks at the edge of her vision.

She relaxed and took her mother's hand.

Alana got to her feet and dusted some sand off her legs. She still felt somewhat disoriented, but she couldn't figure out why.

"I think I did," she told Evanlyn. "I feel all weird. I think I was having a dream. Something with a bridge?"

Evanlyn smiled, and Alana immediately felt better. Evanlyn radiated confidence- her short brown hair framed her face and her eyes, the same color light blue as the streaks in her hair, were lively despite a few age lines on her face.

"You've always had a lot of dreams," Evanlyn said. "You don't calm down even when you're sleeping."

"No I don't," Alana agreed with a smile. She glanced out over the glittering teal sea. "I love the Cay Cavern. It's so beautiful."

Evanlyn nodded, following her daughter's gaze. "And always so peaceful. I thought it would be a good place to spend our day off."

Alana nodded, watching as two adults walked up to the mother and daughter, coming out of the surf. Both were soaked and holding the frames of masks in their hands. It took a moment for Alana to recognize them. Marcus Dorado and Donatella Richmond, two of her mother's Paladins.

"The Aquabeeks are migrating, I'd go check out the reefs at some point today," Marcus said, shaking out his black hair. "They're all out and about, and all the movement is stirring up the other fish."

"And we got to see a shark," Donatella added, but she didn't sound scared. Instead, she seemed pretty pleased with the development. "They're keeping their distance from the beach, though."