Breathe In
The sound of falling water echoed in her ears. The soft warm touch of the liquid soothed her numb skin. Warmth flooded her body as she slowly opened her eyes. The darkness was was hard to brush away from her tired mind. She breathed in slowly as the sleep fell from her eyes and thoughts. Stars gleamed overhead in the darkness of the night sky. No moon could be seen, yet the night was strangely bright. She sat up and looked around. She had been laying on the shore of a large pond. The water was only deep enough to wash up to soak her back. A flash of fire, the color of envy, brushed passed her mind, and then it faded away. She stood up and took in her surroundings. A garden surrounded the large pond, and a tall and elegant fountain stood tall and graceful in the center of the pond. It consisted of water spouts and tall pillars of marble. Water cascaded into the pond below. The girl walked softly over to the fountain and stood underneath the falling water. She relaxed as the liquid fell down her body. It felt like silk and it ran down her pale skin. No thought of where she was crossed her mind as she closed he eyes. She felt at peace in the strange place. She felt like she was safe, for now.
"Adira" a soft cry broke the silence. Her eyes shot open and she looked around, but no one was there but her. She stepped out from underneath the water spout. She heard a small clinking noise come from below her. Her eyes widened when she realized her clothes were different. She faintly remembered wearing a school uniform, but what she wore now was not a school uniform. The clinking noise had come from the small chains that fell in loops from her belt. The belt was wrapped around her waist and the re-wrapped to loop around her legs in an angle. Attached to the belt, with small silver clasps, was a long half skirt. It covered her backside, but left the front of her body uncovered. Half way up the skirt pleats fell to her ankles, and delicate lace adorned the bottom of the skirt. her shoes were black with a single white belt clasped at her ankles and two smaller belt wrapped on the foot of the boots. her top was a white crop top with an elegant trim on the bottom. The shirt reminded her of a school uniform shirt, only it had no sleeves. Her right hand was covered with black fingerless gloves, ribbons wrapped laced around her arm, and they stopped below her elbow. On her left arm a long flowing sleeve was tied at her a few inches below her shoulder. Trim, similar to that on her shirt, adorned the bottom edge of the sleeve.
She felt as if she had seen herself in the same outfit before, but no memory came to her mind. All that she remembered was black water, and a flash of light. Then, she had woken up in the waters of the fountain and pond. Suddenly a feeling of sadness and loss overwhelmed and she fell to her knees. Water splashed up around her and fell like glistening tears around her. She did not understand. Why could she remember nothing but dark water , and the bright light that had brought her to the beautiful fountain? Why was she here? Most of all, who was she? Tears pricked at her eyes as she broke down. A wave of exhaustion spread over her body ,and she began to loose consciousness once more. She heard foot steps coming closer as she closed her eyes ,and she fell into the water. She felt the warm tears run down her face , and she fell into the darkness, just as she had before.
In the darkness of her mind, she felt safe. In the emptiness of her mind, she felt at home. She slipped peacefully into the black emptiness.
He was on watch when he saw the bright light light up the area where the pond was. He was mesmerized, for a short moment, by the beauty of the light. Warmth filled his body. He paused for a moment , and then he ran towards the light to investigate it's cause. He ran quickly and softly until he came to the steps that lead down into the garden. Then, he noticed the figure standing under the water. A girl, judging by her clothing. He paused. He had never seen the girl around the city, but that would mean that she had come from the bright light. For a he moments he watched the girl. What was she doing in Radiant Gardens? Was she there to make trouble? Was she a threat? The heartless had left the city, and he did not wish for the stranger to bring the darkness back. This was why he was so wary. For the moment the girl did not seem to pose a threat. The man smiled as he watched the girl relax under the water fountain. She almost reminded him of a distant memory. Then, the girl moved abruptly out of the water spout and looked around. He froze, and hoped that stranger would not see him. She looked around, but it seemed as if he had escaped her searching eyes. For a few minutes she just stood there. For some strange reason, she seemed to be examining her clothes. the man watched her curiously until she fell to her knees. A sense of urgency fell, like blanket, across him mind. He ran fro the girl, and as he ran she fell into the water.
Water splashed around her as it fell slowly into the pond. Though she was a stranger, he could not allow her to drown. He ran through the water until he cam to the girl's side. Slowly he scooped her up into his arms. Luckily, she was still breathing. He was right to believe that she was not from the gardens. She looked young. He guessed she was 16 maybe 17. Without a second thought he stood up and carried the girl in his arms. He could not let leave her in the gardens. Not while she was unconscious, and not when he did not know if she posed a threat. Slowly he carried her through the silent city until he reached the house he was looking for. Merlin, the kind wizard he had known and trusted for a long time, would know what to do. A light flooded out a closed was still awake.
"Merlin!" The man called out. He heard a crash followed by a series of noises, that sounded like books hitting the ground. A few moment later the door opened slowly. A bearded wizard stared at teh man, and he smiled.
"Leon, what brings you here at this time of night?" The wizard asked, but then his eyes fell upon the girl.
"I found her at the fountain. She passed out into the water." Leon replied. Merlin motioned for the man to come in. Once the two were inside the old wizard closed the door. Leon walked over to an empty bed. He then laid the girl on the soft bed. Merlin walked over to the girl and stared. He had not seen the girl before, but he believed she would do no harm. He would ask her questions after she had gained her strength back.
"Can you sense it?" Leon inquired, as he stared at the sleeping girl. She seemed relaxed, as her chest rose and fell in rhythm with her breathing. Her light brown hair reflected the bright fire, that burned in the fireplace nearby. Merlin looked up at the man and nodded.
"Yes, but I do not believe it will cause harm to the city." he paused. "We will find out more once she wakes. Until then you should get some rest, also."
Leon nodded, and then sat down in a large cushioned chair. Almost instantly, he was asleep. Merlin smiled, it was good to see Leon when he was not troubled by his past. He could see the flickers of innocence in the man, when he was relaxed and at peace. He heard a slight movement from the bed. The girl had stirred slightly in her deep sleep, but now she was relaxed once more. He wondered what had brought the girl to Radiant Gardens. He knew one thing, the girl possessed great power, but he did no know if the girl knew what she possessed. With one last glance at the sleeping girl he turned and sat at his table, and then he began to read once more. The mysteries of the girl did not bother him. What would happen, would happen. Only time would tell him what awaited the young girl in the future.
The sound of the ocean reached past the darkness of her dreams. She could feel waves crashing at her feet, and the warmth of the sand against her cheek. The sun warmed her chilled body, bringing color back to her pale skin. She had thought it was a dream, the loss of her sister that is. She remembered clearly, reaching for her sister, and then a bright light that had blinded her. Then there was darkness. She wanted to cry, but she did not have the strength to do so. For a moment she kept her eyes closed as she willed the memories away. She tried to focus on the sound of the waves hitting the sand, but nothing erased the despair from her heart. She did not even care about how she had been brought to the beach. All she knew was that her sister was gone. She could feel it, and so it had to be true. She was not dead, but she knew Adira was gone. Slowly the girl pushed herself up onto her knees. Her body was exhausted, and her breathing was hard and labored. She coughed slightly, and a small amount of sea water spilled out of her mouth. Finally she opened her heavy eyes. She gathered that she was on a small island from the shape of the land. There were tall palm trees, and tree houses built in them. She knew the place had to be inhabited from the structures. Slowly she stood up. Her legs threatened to give way, but she forced herself to stand up. She tried to walk, and at first she managed to take a few steps. She took a few more steps ,and then her knees buckled. Reality came crashing down on the girl's heart.
Tears flooded down her cheeks, and she tried to stand up again. In the distance she could see three people running towards her. She knew she had been seen. her legs buckled once more, and she feel again. Only this time she did not have the strength to get up again. Her parents were dead, and her sister was gone. She was alone.
"I have lost everything. Everything." her own thoughts echoed through her mind as she began to fall into darkness. She had almost lost consciousness, when she felt a pair of strong arms pick her up. She could barley make out the voices of two guys and a girl before she slipped into her mind.
The sun was very hot, and it continuously beat down on the small island. The heat was intense steam came off of parts of the ocean. A soft cool breeze blew across the island, and it brought a refreshing feel to the sweltering two boys had been sparing with one another when a blinding light shined on the other side of the play island. the two immediately stopped their fight and watched the light grow in size. A few moments later the light faded, and in the distance a small form could be seen on the edge of the ocean. It was not moving as it lay on the hot sand. They could not make out what it was, and all they knew is that it was not there before. The sun was too bright to focus on the small figure. A girl looked at the two boys ,and then she asked.
"Should we go check it out?" Without a word the three began to race down the hot beach. They could see the figure stand up, and then they knew it was a human. The silver haired boy sped up when he saw the figure fall. Something inside of him told him to run as fast as he could. Whoever it was, they were in bad shape. He could see that it was a girl. Her soaked clothes stuck to her like tape. sand had already begun to cling to the small girl's body. Within moments the three were at the girl's side, and the silver haired boy picked the girl up. She had passed out, probably due to exhaustion. She was pale in color,and she was very tense. Her expressions were pained.
"Who is she?" The brown haired boy asked. He stared at the girl curiously. He hoped that she would be okay. She seemed tense in her sleep,and it troubled him to see a person in pain. He could also sense the light within the girl, but it was being hit with darkness of some unknown force. The sun seemed to be growing in girl clearly needed help, and a safe place to rest.
"Riku" he paused. the silver haired boy looked up, and waited for the other boy to continue. "We should get her some mom will know what to do."
Riku nodded and stood up. He cradled the girl carefully in his arms. She was small and somewhat light in his arms. Her hair was the same length of Kairi's. It was a light shade of brown with golden highlights that glistened against the sun. Sora looked over at Riku. The silver haired boy seemed worried. The small grouped walked back to the dock and carefully got into the wooden boat.
"How do you think she got here?" Kairi asked. Sora looked at the red haired girl and replied.
"Maybe she came the same way you did, Kairi." Sora replied. Riku nodded in agreement, but in his mind he knew something was about to happen. With light comes darkness. The girl they had found was clearly filled with the same light that Sora was filled with. He could feel the warmth of her soul. The small bites of darkness locked within him ached from the light, but he was used to it. Still the question remained. If this girl is light then who is the carrier of darkness.
The green witch smiled as she watched the scenes take place in the pool of water. Everything was falling into place, and soon she would have the power to bring the darkness back once more. She had not expected the girl's twin to follow her sister into the lake, but it made no difference to the woman. She had not expected the girl ,known as Adira, to loose her memories, but it would make it even easier to manipulate her into what she needed. She had had plenty of practice in twisting someone's heart. This time she would not fail. She watched Adira through her scrying pool and smiled. Soon the young girl would be hers. Soon she would have a princess of darkness.