The Portals ( book 1 )

∞15∞ You're Welcome

Keira was standing in the red sand, surrounded by towers of flame that seemed to reach the stars. Through the tendrils of smokeless fire, she could make out the rippling outlines of two familiar figures. Her parents. Her breath caught in her throat. They were just standing there, so close she could nearly make out their faces, their smiles; but untouchable. "Mom!"she called out. "Dad!" her voice was a squeak, a hoarse whisper, like the missing smoke had gone straight to her throat. But they were gone, replaced by a different man and woman. She had blond hair and familiar bright eyes, he was taller and more rugged looking. Keira tried to take a step forward but the fire raged upward as if alive. "Help!" she croaked out, but they were gone too, the fire flaring higher and higher as two figures were replaced by one. The last thing she saw before the inferno consumed her were gold-flecked eyes that held all the green they had never seen.

∞

Keira's eyes opened and she was immediately aware of the fact that she was not, in fact, surrounded by fire. In the next few seconds, she became aware of three other things : One, the pain in her ankle had receded to just an echoing throb. Two, there was a tent roof above her head that hadn't been there last night. Three, Zach was still asleep.

It would take her a while to get used to sleeping with someone else. Especially since, she realised, this was the first time that she was awake before him. She turned onto her side and looked at him. His endlessly long, dusky lashes brushed the top of his sun-kissed cheekbones, sharply slanted like two brushstrokes. His hair looked limp in the dark, like its fiery light had been extinguished without the sunlight. It was, very plainly, blond, but Keira thought that the word wasn't quite right. There were many kinds of blond, and Zach's was none of them. They were too warm to be platinum blond and too shiny to be dirty-blond. Zach's hair were golden.

Keira had read the words - "He looks so innocent when he sleeps" a thousand times in a thousand books but even when he was sleeping, Zach was straight lines and hard edges and a set jaw. Only his eyebrows weren't tense and furrowed.

Realizing the situation she'd be in if he suddenly woke up to find her staring right at him, Keira slowly raised herself up on her elbows, and then sat up completely. She tenderly wriggled her toes and then flexed her ankle. It still hurt, but the pain was nothing compared to last night. Extricating herself from the warm blanket that had been wrapped around her, she gingerly tested her weight on her feet. Miraculously, she was able to stand. She tried to crawl out of the tent as slowly and quietly as she could, Zach had lost enough sleep over her, but as soon as she drew aside the fabric, he was blinking and opening his eyes. Hardly had they focused on the brightness outside, when a frantic light dawned in them and he lunged for his pack. He ripped it open, and shuffled around until he found what he had been looking for - a brass tube that made a gentle clacking noise.

"We're late." he said bluntly.

"Aaand a very good morning to you too!" replied Keira with an exaggerated smile.

Zach rolled his eyes. Keira was considerably impressed. A few more days and Mr. 'Stick to the Schedule' here might even express a sense of humour. A few more days...She'd already been here how many? Two? Three? Crap, she had to get going, she had to get home. She pushed down the wave of nausea that ran through her. Remember what we discussed?,she thought to herself. We don't think of home, we think of getting there. Work, walk, but don't worry.

She finally realized that Zach had asked her something and she was just gazing stupidly at him while he looked back, irritable and expectant."W-what?" she mumbled. He looked like he was about to roll his eyes again when he pointed at her ankle like he was trying to explain something to her except she couldn't speak English. "I asked how your foot was."