Blue is a Sleepy Colour

21- In Your Dreams

Steven smiled as a butterfly landed on his finger.

It was so pretty; he marvelled at the brilliant white colour of its wings, looking almost as if it shined in the gentle moonlight. His blue eyes followed it as it flew away, leaving a trail of glitter behind it as it disappeared into the starry night sky. He giggled.

With a relaxed sigh, he leant back onto a nearby tree stump, gazing at the beautiful cosmos stretched out above him.

He was alone.

Finally, alone.

So, so alone...

Irritation picked at his peaceful mood, but he couldn't quite figure out what annoyed him so much. He just wanted to enjoy a relaxed evening by himself, with no worries about his daily life. No training, no stress, no war.

No war.

War. War. War.

Flashes of a great green spaceship flooded his mind, and he jolted up in surprise. What the hell? What was that? He had never seen a spaceship before, let alone in the shape of a hand! Wait, hand?

A sound jostled him from his thoughtful posture, and he quickly found himself glancing around anxiously. Where was it coming from?! Frustrated, Steven stood up from his spot and looked around the forest, noticing the boardwalk leading back to his home just beyond the clearing a few metres away. Home. His beach house.

Cautiously, he began to move. One foot after the other. The sound got louder. It sounded an awful lot like... water? But there was no water in the forest? Confused, he continued to make his way towards the edge of the town, desperation itching at his mind. He just wanted home.

Where was home?

He stopped.

He could see it. Beach City. That was home, right? But, the water...

He listened closer, noticing the sound of crashing waves slowly but surely becoming unbearably loud. It felt like home... no! Water... bad bad bad!

Terrified, he gripped his head with his hands, fiercely trying to cover his ears from that damned noise.

"Come home, Lazuli..."

A rough, coarse voice snapped him from his stupor.

"Jasper?!" He cried instinctively. He quickly slapped a hand over his mouth. Jasper? Who was Jasper? Where was home? Where was the water?

Images of orange flashed before his eyes, and he quickly stumbled back, startled. A small splash called his attention from behind him. Steven looked down.

His blood ran cold in his veins.

Water. So much water. It was rising quickly, already having reached his ankles and soaking his shoes. He shivered at how cold it felt.

It didn't take long for the panic to kick in.

Air could no longer fill his lungs, and his breaths became sharp and sporadic. His heart thumped against his ribcage almost painfully. Oh God- It was touching him!

Sporting an unceremonious scream of horror, wings swiftly sprouted from his back, not hesitating to carry him high into the air and as far away from the rising water as possible. His wings flapped almost painfully hard as he flew higher into the sky.

The stars, the moon- they were right there. Just beyond his fingertips.

"Don't you ever just want to... I don't know, fly away? Touch the stars? Or the moon?"