Akasha 4 - Earth by Terra Harmony

Once it was full dark, he sat down at the fire beside
me and Susan.
    He poked at the fire, glancing up at
us. "Everyone okay?"
    No one answered. He addressed us
individually, "Susan?"
    "I'm fine," she said,
tight-lipped.
    Was she mad? I suppose she had every right to be. She was hard
at work saving my child while I was busy flying around, knocking
down trees, and dumping more people in the river.
    "Kaitlyn?"
    "Huh?" I said. My eyes flitted from
Susan over to Alex.
    "You okay?" he asked.
    I looked down at Bee, and pulled the
blanket tighter around her. "I'm not getting back in the river
until we get her a lifejacket."
    "Agreed," said Alex and Susan at the
same time.
    More silence, and more poking at the
fire.
    "Did you eat anything?" Susan asked
Alex.
    "No. I'm going to take a canoe across
the river; make sure the camp over there has everything they
need."
    "Eat something first," she said. It
wasn't a suggestion; it was an order.
    "Yes, ma'am." Alex stood up and went
over to another fire they were using to cook food.
    Susan picked up Alex's stick and
assumed fire duty.
    I stared into the glowing coals.
"Susan…"
    She paused poking.
    "I just wanted to say…that if anything
ever happens to me—"
    "Don't," she interrupted.
    I glanced at her.
    "There isn't any need to have that
conversation because nothing is going to happen to any of us.
Micah, Alex, you, Bee, and me. We're all going to be just
fine."
    It really was wishful thinking,
considering I was thrown into the mix.
    I leaned back, adjusting my legs under
Bee. "You guys have really been great to her. Thanks for saving her
today, and thanks for…well, just everything."
    She sighed, put the stick down, and
scoot closer to me. "You're welcome." She wrapped her arm around
me, laid her chin on my shoulder, and looked down at Bee. Susan
straightened. "Our pants."
    "What about them?" I looked over at
them drying across a log.
    "Didn't Alex say they can
float?"
    He had.
    "Sure weren't floating for me today,"
I said.
    "You have to take them off," Alex
said, entering our clearing while eating an apple. He wiped juice
off his chin. "Tie off each leg, then cinch down the
waist."
    I stood, and handed Bee to
Susan.
    She asked, "What are you—?"
    "Geez, Kaitlyn," Alex cut off Susan's
question as he turned his back to me.
    The blanket was already on the ground
at my feet.
    "A little warning next time?" Alex
mumbled.
    "Oh, please. We're all adults here."
It wasn't like he had never accidentally walked in on me when I was
changing, or using the bathroom – in the woods.
    I put on my oversized shirt before I
grabbed my pants. Under Alex's direction, though he still refused
to look, I tied each leg off.
    "Now hold them at the waist, and bring
them up, then down quick, catching the air. Cinch the waist straps
down," he said.
    It took me a couple tries.
    "It will work better when the waist is
in the water," Alex said, having turned around.
    "By the time she is in the water, it
will be too late," Susan said.
    I studied the pants, "We could seal
the waist up, instead of tying it off."
    Alex picked out the seeds and threw
the core of his apple in the fire. "I'll check with the other side
if they have anything for that." He handed me the seeds.
    "Thanks. Oh – and Alex?" I looked up
at him. "See if anyone can spare some pants."

Chapter 11

    Nightmares
     
    "Easy there, princess." Shawn's words
echoed through my head. His blue eyes floated in front of me, but
they were familiar. I was able to ignore them. It was the same
dream that always plagued my sleep. The circle of fire surrounded
us, Shawn held a knife, and there was something at my
back.
    This time, I would make a decision.
Maybe it would end the repeating nightmare. I turned, leaving my
back vulnerable to Shawn and his knife.
    "Where's the baby?" I heard him ask
behind me. I ignored him.
    The thing at my back was a large ball
of light, steady and strong. It didn’t flicker like in the last
dream. When it began to rise, I pulled at it,