It started as a tiny flame In the pit of my heart The oxygen kept flowing But I ignored it Expecting it to dwindle It grew and grew It burns and burns You provided the water to keep the fire under control With your flowers Your flowers were finite So I felt bad when I took one The fire ate up the flower Another day, another burning petal I pulled you into the fire with me I managed to get you out Now it’s deeper than ever Ever growing Never shrinking I stopped accepting your flowers And I’m tempted to let myself burn If it weren’t for you I would’ve I owe you The flowers you gave me So I have to survive To pay you back Once I return the favor, I can let myself sink and cry Until I die

As Nova explores further and further into the big, silent field, the louder the voice echoed. It was as if it were calling her. The wind whistles gently, blowing softly on her face. The cool summer night was heavy with dew, the moon shining on it and turning it silver. The sky was clear, and all the stars were visible against the pitch-blackness of the sky. The voice blended right in, like rocks on a mountain. It sounded completely natural on the cold, crisp night. The further Nova got, the louder and more clear the voice became. It rung in her ears, and she began to recognize it. It sounded like the voice of her brother. Her brother, Heath, was supposed to be at home, in bed. Nova had gotten bored, and, unable to sleep, had gotten up and decided to explore in their new neighborhood. The voice led her through the field, down a trail, through the forest and once Nova got through the forest, she was led in a small clearing with a pond in it. The pond had big flowers edging it, along with cattails and other big weeds. Sand dusted the edges, and crickets chirped in the distance. Nova crouched, and spotted small fish dancing in the pond. She reached out to touch the water, and was greeted with a shock of ice. Ice-cold shivers ran down her fingers, up her arm, and through her whole body. It made her hair stand on end. Nova let out a surprised yell when she discovered that she couldn’t pull her hand away. Her fingers were stuck! Suddenly, the fish began to warp into mysterious monsters. The clearing wasn’t so warm and inviting anymore. The trees whistled and shook violently, even though there was no wind. The fish joined and evolved into a weird alien. It was in the shape of a 16 year old girl, but she had tentacles for fingers and her eyes were merely just two slits in her face. Her mouth was a big black hole with sharp knife-like blades for teeth. Nova was glued with fear, as the girl crept closer and closer. The girl reached out, grabbing Nova’s ankle and wrist, and lifted her up from the ground. Nova felt herself flying through the air, the ground disappearing beneath her, hurtling into the sky. Her chest tightened, and tightened, until it felt like it was going to explode. She kept flying, then she felt something hard ran into the back of her head so hard it made her see stars.

That was when she woke up. The first thing she noticed were that her pet goldfish was gone.

She had never felt so alone. She had friends, a nice, loving, accepting family, but she never felt at home. Ever since the accident she hadn’t felt the same. It was like she was stuck in the past, while everyone was moving forward, she found herself acting like she used to, thinking like she used to, and looking like she used to, not aging or maturing at all. It had been 9 years since it happened. Why wasn’t she over it?

She looked at the field, once green and springy with dew, now stained with blood. Tired, sweaty warriors, once young, innocent classmates stood, some dead, some dying, some kneeling over their fallen friends, but most were standing, chin up, tears of victory streaking their bloody faces while they looked proudly at their newfound queen. Amy raised her chin. ”Students of the Temple, ” she began solemnly, ”The war with Neferet has ended. We have reclaimed our kingdom and can finally restore this once-peaceful dimension. With Neferet and her servants gone, we can focus on restoring the safe sanctuary we call home. With me as your new leader, I will lead you into victory and keep you safe until the throne is passed on.” Amy paused and looked around. She looked at her king. Heath, beaten and battered, the stab wound in his side keeping him from standing, he let out a weak smile. The warriors started cheering and clapping, smiling and celebrating. ”We have our home back!”