Brilliant flash. No feeling in her fingers, toes, arms, legs. Prickling in her eyes. Sickening lurch of her stomach. Gargling in her throat and lungs. Her tongue was on fire and her back burned from the pressure. What was happening? It hurt! Stop! Make it stop!
"Cian!" she cried. Tears came pouring from her eyes. Each droplet was a dark red and singed her cheeks as they fell. "Cian! Help! HELP!" she screamed. Her voice was hoarse with terror. It wasn't her own, she didn't recognise it.
She fell and landed in a heap and the floor. She staggered and stood up. She couldn't see clearly. She squeezed her eyes shut; the light and the colour were confusing her. Her head was disoriented and her breath came in haggard gasps. She couldn't feel her legs at first and fell over her feet until she found a piece of wall to learn against, she slid to the ground and tried to control her breathing. Her heart thumped angrily in her chest like an animal beating against the bars of a cage.
"Alex!" an urgent whispered voice came through the haze. She knew that voice but in her shock couldn't place it. She opened her eyes and looked around groggily. It was still bright but not over-powering, it was artificial and dull but glaring in only an artificial light could be. It reflected off the yellow walls and intricate patterns that coloured the shimmering gold. She wasn't at the base anymore.
"Alex!" it came again. It was Cian but something was different but she couldn't make out what it was then he came round the corner of the lengthy corridor. The similar brown curls and dark eyes but he was small, just a child now. She could see innocence glitter out of his eyes; he was out of place, uncomfortable with a bad cut just over his eyebrow, blood was getting into his eye.
This was familiar but her mind was too muddled and confused that she couldn't do anything but stare at the small boy in front of her. She brought her hand up to rub her eyes and found that she gripping something tightly so her knuckles were white and sore. She tried but she couldn't bring herself to let go. Her hand had cramped in the terror and she wasn't going to drop it.
The young Cian sighed, he looked near tears. His shoulders visibly drooped and he hung his head, his eyes were closing slightly. He sat down next to her and looked right through her, he didn't even acknowledge her existence. A thought came to Alex then. This was very similar, this corridor, these walls. She reached out her hand and waved it in front of his eyes. Not a blink.
This was where she sat. Jack had been angry, she was upset, she ran, Cian followed. This is where it happened. This is where she died.
Then that meant that the door just there was the room where it happened. Alex forgot her dizziness and the flames in the throat and eyes and jumped up. She burst through the door.
She was there. Herself. Reaching out her hand to touch the smooth curves of the orb.
"NO!" she yelled, screamed, cursed at the stupid child in front of her. She tried to hit her, restrain her, pummel her but all her swings and punches fell through her like the girl was just air. Or maybe she was.
The sphere cracked and shone red, getting brighter and brighter and the younger her jumped away. It was like something hatching from an egg and was making a sound like something going to explode. The brainless child backed away and shielded her eyes against the light, not knowing that her best friend was just a few metres away and then spoke.
"Oh shit,"
"YOU IDOIT! YOU STUPID, STUBBORN, ARROGANT CHILD!" Alex roared and spat at herself. She hated her. She hated what she had done. This was all her fault. The sound in the room became unbearable as the orb geared itself up. Alex recognised the memorable movements of the child's hands coming up to cover her face from the light but it wouldn't help. The orb blasted apart. Debris scattered everywhere, flames burst forward and enveloped the girl. The force slammed her body against the wall. Alex listened and watched her own body shatter from the impact. A jagged piece of metal flung from the wall and ripped at the child's leg. Her head had hit the surface with such force that blood splashed from the resulting injury and her limp body fell to the floor and half the ceiling went with her. She was already dead before part of the ship fell on her but the crunch of her leg underneath the weight was enough to make Alex turn away and hide her face but the worst was over.
She heard some screeching of metal on metal and grunts from behind her. She can't be alive, could she?
"No, Alex, come on," Cian's voice came as a desperate sob. Alex spun around. No he can't be here, he can't see that! That's awful; no child should see their friend like that!
"Cian! Go away! Don't look!" Alex shouted at him but he wouldn't move, he couldn't hear her.
A sob escaped him. He was stopped trying to pull the great and heavy metal that he had no chance of moving and sat back to look at the body, a shocked and hopeless look was on his face. No innocence sparkled in his eyes. They were dull with the weight of the world.
"Alex? We've got to help Jack remember...Please wake up, Alex, please?" he tried. His voice was heartbreaking. Anyone who looked at this would tell you there was no way that child was alive. There was no possible way. Cian reached out to touch her face and her hair as if she were alive then placed two fingers against her neck.
Realisation hit his face like a wet cloth. Tears welled up in his eyes and he cried, the salty drops flowing down his cheek. Some were mixed with blood from his cut but he didn't notice. He was frantically searching for a pulse.
"Alex don't...don't leave me, please don't go." he sobbed.
"I'm here, Cian," Alex whispered from the sidelines.
"We've got to save Jack and...and you're going to be adopted...you can't go," He stood up and wiped his face of blood and tears and ran out of the room.
"Forget about him, he isn't important," a cold voice said.
Alex tore her eyes away from her lifeless body and looked at the intruder. A woman. Not just any woman. It was the one who visited her at her grave. She was nice then maybe she would help Alex now.
"You!" Alex laughed "Look! You have to help me. I don't know what's happening. I don't know why I'm seeing this, please."
"Yes, you'd like that, wouldn't you?"
