Playing With Fire

Chapter 18: I Get a Pep Talk From My Mom

I was in a room with no door. The only possible way I could've gotten in was through the window ten feet above my head, but even then, it looked too small to fit me through. The walls were a graphite color, and the moonlight shining through the window only made it depressing.

"Get me out of here!" I shouted and started banging on the wall with the window. "Please! I need to find my friends!" I tried banging some more on the wall, but it did no good. No one was going to come.

I turned around and slid down the wall, wrapping my arms around my knees, and started sobbing.

I don't know how long I sat there, but it wasn't until my sobs had turned into sniffles that I realized someone was sitting next to me, stroking my hair. I turned my head and saw that it was beautiful women with a glowing blue aura around her. She had thick, wavy, light brown hair reaching halfway down her back. Her body was strong, and while she was skinny, she would be described as fit. Freckles dotted her nose and cheeks, and had a nice, even tan, looking like she spent her days on the beach. All this helped me, but one look at her lime green eyes told me exactly who she was.

"Mom?" I asked.

"Hey baby, how are you doing?" she asked, a smile spreading across her face.

"Oh, my gosh, Mom!" I was so happy that happy isn't even the right words to describe my emotions right now. I wrapped my mom in the biggest hug even, hard enough to crack some ribs if I wanted to. I was sobbing again, but this time from joy because I had my mom back again!

"How are you here?" I asked as I wiped tears off my face. "I thought you died."

"I did, and I still am dead," she explained. "I hate to break it to you, but this is only a dream."

"Really?"

"Yeah, but don't wake yourself up! We have some catching up to do."

"Okay," I said. "So where do we start?"

"Well, I want to know if you have found out about what happened to Miranda."

I winced. I wasn't in the mood to talk about that.

"Touchy subject?"

"Yeah. I'm in this whole mess because of her."

"Ah. Cameron said something like that."

That snapped me out of it. Did she say what I thought she said?

"You've talked to Cameron!?"

"Yes, but hush, you'll have your turn later," she told me. "What do you want to talk with me about."

"I don't know," I sighed. "I'm lost now. I failed. How can I go on anymore."

"Now, now Briana. What has Disney taught you?"

"To never give up on my dreams? But how is that supposed to help?"

"That is not the only thing you have learned. What about Ratatouille?"

"Everyone can be a cook?"

"Yes, but also, 'If you focus on what you have left behind, you will never be able to see what lies ahead!'" She took a deep breath. "If you stay here, sulking over Cameron's death, you will never be able to move on, and I mean physically. If you give up now, not only will you be letting yourself down, but you will be letting your friends down. Cameron can't die for nothing; I know you won't let that happen."

"But, Mom, it's impossible!" I whined. "I don't have what it takes."

"Oh, honey, I can do this all day. 'Nothing is impossible!' The Doorknob, Alice in Wonderland. And I would like to add the 'impossible' spells out 'I'm possible'. As for the part where you said you don't have what it takes, you are dead wrong. Mufasa tells us to, 'look inside yourself. You are more than what you have become.' Briana, you have what it takes inside of you. All you have to do is believe in yourself."

She was right. "Thanks, Mom."

"Anytime sweetheart. Oh, and how come I haven't heard of this Pax guy yet? You got a lot of beans to spill."

"Alright," I laughed. "He's a guy that I met after I escaped this prison they had me in. He took me back to his house and gave me food and new closes and he's reeaally nice."

"Is he cute?"

"Mom! That's not why you date a guy!"

"Yeah, but is he?"

"He is," I sighed.

"Briana's in love!" my mom teased.

"No, I'm not!"

"Don't deny it, Briana," I heard Cameron say, and he appeared next to my mom. "I saw the way you looked at him."

"Be quiet- CAMERON!?" I jumped up and tackled him in a hug.

"Nice to see you too," he said with a laugh and hugged me back.

"Well, I'll let you two talk. Briana's is going to wake up soon anyway," my mom said.

I broke away from me and Cameron's hug and hugged my mom.

"Thanks, Mom," I said. "I really needed this."

"Anytime, sweetheart," she said, and faded away.

I turned back to Cameron. "Cameron, I am so sorry, I tried-"

"Hey, hey, hey, that is not what I am here to talk to you about," Cameron replied. "I put no blame on you whatsoever. You didn't kill me did you?"

"No, but-"

"No buts. You didn't kill me, so you shouldn't feel guilty. What you should feel instead is the burning rage of revenge."

"But you know that's not like me."

"I know, that's why I'm here. I'm going to be that devil on your shoulder telling you to go slaughter all those," and we stop here to keep away the unwanted curse word.

"Cameron!" I exclaimed.

"Okay, that might have been a little much, but are you feeling more confident?"

I strangely was. "Actually, I am!"

"Great! Okay, so you are about to wake up, but when you go into battle," Cameron said, but everything was starting to fade. "Show those," bad word, "why they don't mess with Briana Winter!"

Everything went black. I couldn't even feel anything, but as I slowly gained consciousness, I felt the cool texture of stone against my entire left side. I opened my eyes and found myself laying on the ground of another prison cell. I tried sitting up but soon realized that was a terrible idea and immediately laid back down. My whole body felt like it had been hit by a truck.

I heard feet walking toward me, and forced myself into a sitting position, no matter how much my head throbbed. When they arrived, I looked up and saw Miranda, who looked like I felt. She had a swollen, black eye, a broken nose, scratches around her jaw, and a bruise around her neck, which was probably from when I choked her when she was a lion. I couldn't see any other injuries, but she was wearing long sleeves and tights, so my guess is she had scratches underneath them too.

"It's about time you woke up," she said. "Get up."

I tried, but I swayed on my feet and lost balance, crashing into the wall.

"Do I have to do everything myself?" she asked, exasperated. She stomped over to me, dragged me to my feet, and held my arms behind my back so I wouldn't try anything, not that I was in the shape to do that.

"Where are we going?" I asked.

"To your death."