"Ladies?" he demanded, his voice crisp and sharp. "Why are you loitering in the hallway during class hours?"
Aeryn looked up from Kaelen and her breath instantly hitched in her throat.
"MAERON?!" Aeryn gasped, backing against the wall.
The school principal's eyes narrowed into slits of pure fury. "I BEG YOUR PARDON?!" he exclaimed, his voice booming down the quiet hall.
At that very instant, the classroom door swung open, and Ms. Sakina hurried out, looking thoroughly alarmed. "My deepest apologies, Mr. Maeron! The girl has not been feeling well and has been completely out of it since this morning! Please forgive the offense!"
Principal Maeron was practically fuming. "I did not expect such utter insolence from a student in your class, Ms. Sakina! Have her meet me in the administrative office immediately after school!"
Adjusting his tie with a scowl, Maeron turned and marched down the hallway.
Aeryn stood there, her mouth hanging wide open in utter shock.
"Hey! Close your mouth, girl! You'll catch flies!" Kaelen giggled, nudging her shoulder.
Ms. Sakina turned on them both, her eyes flashing sternly. "Both of you! Go straight to the Reflection Room and wait for your punishment!"
Their punishment turned out to be a mandatory 1,000-word disciplinary essay.
Throughout the rest of the day, Aeryn's excitement gradually began to fade into a strange, hollow confusion. She desperately tried asking everyone about Sahirra the realm, the magic, the war.
When she mentioned it to her mother the day earlier, her mother only laughed, calling it a childish fantasy story.
When she brought it up to Kaelen, Kaelen snorted and insisted Aeryn must have watched a fantasy movie, before going on a ten-minute rant bragging that she looked like a famous movie actress herself (to which Aeryn could only roll her eyes).
When she tried asking Ms. Sakina, the teacher simply shushed her and told her to focus on her essays.
Even when she walked past the front gate and asked Guard Vael and Vienna if they remembered the House of Omon or the Regent's crown, Vael only chuckled warmly, throwing his arm around Vienna. "Magic crowns and grand estates? I would certainly love that sort of power, wouldn't we, my love?" he joked, and both he and Vienna laughed merrily as they headed toward their car.
No one knew a single thing. No one had ever heard of Sahirra, the Trinity, or the elemental magic.
How was it possible that something so painfully, terrifyingly real a life written in blood, ash, and sacred fire was nothing more than a dream?
By the time Aeryn reached home that afternoon, the morning's surreal excitement had dissolved into a quiet, melancholy sadness. She sat on the porch, staring at the suburban street, feeling utterly alone in a world full of familiar strangers.
Her mother stepped out onto the porch, looking down at her with a gentle, knowing smile.
"Aeryn, sweetie?" her mother said softly. "I called your childhood friend over. Her mother had some errands to run in the city today, so I asked her to bring her daughter along as well. I thought maybe having some company would put you in a better mood."
My friend...? Aeryn thought numbly, barely looking up.
Ding-dong.
"Ah! I guess they're here!" her mother exclaimed excitedly, rushing past her to open the front door.
Aeryn heard the door open, followed by the cheerful sounds of two adult women laughing and hugging as they stepped into the entryway. Behind the visiting mother, a young girl was shuffling in timidly, holding a large wooden basket filled with fresh apples and oranges, using the fruit basket to completely hide her face from view.
"Aeryn, come help your friend with the basket!" her mother called out over her shoulder as she guided the visitor toward the kitchen. "We'll be in the back making tea!"
Aeryn sighed softly, pushing herself up from the porch steps. She walked over to the front entrance, gently taking the heavy fruit basket from the girl's hands and placing it on the entryway table.
Without even looking at the girl's face, Aeryn turned around, ready to retreat to the quiet solitude of her bedroom.
Behind her, a small, trembling voice called out.
"My Lady... won't you welcome me?"
Aeryn froze.
The world around her vanished. The whirring ceiling fan, the electric lights, the suburban house everything ground to an absolute halt.
Slowly, agonizingly, Aeryn turned back around.
The words caught in her throat. Her chest heaved, and hot, unbidden tears instantly flooded her eyes, spilling down her cheeks in heavy streams.
Standing in the doorway, wearing a simple cardigan, her dark eyes shining with endless warmth, loyalty, and undeniable recognition, was her fire.
"Rissa..." Aeryn whispered.
THE END