The Truth about the Lazuli

First Encounters (1)

Sophie had always wondered how she would die. She had always hoped for a painless death, preferably in her sleep. Tears ran down her face as she realized that she would not be granted such a kind wish. Burning, searing pain spread throughout her body and the force of impact caused her neck to jerk in an awkward direction. The sound of screeching tires and metal crunching filled her ears. Sophie couldn't process what was happening, as everything happened so fast. All she knew was that it hurt to breathe.

Her body forced out a cough, and a warm liquid escaped her mouth. Blood. The iron flavor filled her mouth, and the back of her throat felt raw and scratchy. Sophie's eyes had trouble focusing on her surroundings. Her vision was spotty, with black dots painting her blurred vision.

With a pitiful groan, Sophie tried to move her head up to see what happened. But her body didn't listen. Her hearing was dull, and Sophie felt like she was slipping away.

No. Not like this. I don't want to die.

Memories flashed before her eyes, and she wondered if this really was the end. Laughter from her friends filled her senses, and she remembered all the silly drama that happened in the friend circle. She remembered the parties she would host, and how they all played board games or sing Disney songs until 2am. She remembered watching her friends grow from teenagers to adults; they graduated or got their first job or got married. And then she remembered her boyfriend. The warmth of his hugs when he'd embrace her would fill herself with warm fuzzy feelings. The silly ways he would show his affection was cute, and always embarrassing. He would always give her many weird kisses or make inappropriate jokes with wandering hands. He'd try to cheer her up when she stressed over little things or wipe her tears when she cried over a tv show.

Stay awake.

But as much as Sophie tried to force herself awake, she felt herself losing consciousness. She knew if she blacked out, she wouldn't make it. She wouldn't be able to tell her boyfriend that she loved him one more time. She couldn't say goodbye to her friends or family. She couldn't do anything. And soon, her eyes slowly fell and the pain started to dull. Her body grew cold, and the last breath was drawn.

--- x ---

Warmth touched Sophie's skin. It felt soft, like the sun basking on her. Slowly, her eyes opened and her vision filled with blue and green.

Trees?

Sophie shot up in surprise. She felt dizzy at first, but she sat up and took in her surroundings. In front of her was a small lake. The sound of bugs buzzed around and the tall grass bent softly as the wind blew past. The smell of nature filled her nose, and for a moment, she forgot how to breathe.

Almost instantly, memories rushed back to her and she remembered what had happened. She had died. Painfully. And now, for some reason, she was alive.

Sophie felt her face heat up as she realized that she was lying in the grass with no clothes.

Ugh, how embarrassing.

Confused as to where she was, she got up on her feet. The wounds she thought she had gotten from the crash were non-existent. Something didn't seem right, but too much was happening and Sophie didn't know what to do.

"Hello?" she calls out. Her voice was wary, but it sounded stable.

What the fuck? What the fuck? What the fuck?

Sophie's heart started to pound, and her breath started to quicken. Tears started to well up in her eyes, and Sophie let out a strangled cry. Tears streamed down her face, and her nose filled up with snot. Soon, she wasn't able to breath from her nose and she tried to breathe through the wails she let out. It had probably been a good 20 minutes before Sophie's crying started to calm down. Her head hurt from crying so hard, and her body felt sluggish and numb. Crawling to the lake, she peered over the water and saw her puffy face.