87 Fly

She walked along the bright crystals, her hand still holding the shadow's hand tightly as it pulled her along toward the end of the tunnel.

"Can you see?" the voice asked.

Regan looked up at where the voice pointed drowsily, it's voice barely making it through her ears. "Be~autifulll," she muttered, staggered towards the bright light at the end of the tunnel, "so beautiful…"

Her feet felt numb and the breeze flowed through her hair as she ran toward the light. The twinkling crystals looked like shooting stars as she ran forward to their sun. Regan pushed forward, her feet not even hitting the ground as the shadowed stranger followed behind her in close pursuit.

"There…" Regan grinned, she was seconds away from reaching the light, it's bright rays had become so lumiscient that she used her hand to shield her eyes from them as she ran forward.

"THERE!" Regan laughed with glee as she ran into the light, her hand slowly falling to her side to see the beautiful sight in front of her.

"Wow…" Regan muttered her eyes unable to believe what she saw.

She stood on top of a cliff beside a waterfall, the gushing water running right beside her legs. But that wasn't the sight to behold. She was surrounded by waterfalls. Running down green luscious hills, they fell down into a blanket of mist which Regan couldn't see through. Fractions of light bounced through the raging streams of water falling off the cliffs, making a prism effect and rainbows dancing in the air on the mist formed from the running water.

The entire aura was godly. She was surrounded by sounds of water, falling down with their own rhythm but somehow forming a song of their own that mixed with the lovely tweets of the flying birds that circled the waterfalls. Butterflies fluttered their delicate wings, weaving through the droplets of water in the air and somewhere down below were the hums of other animals all living in one space in harmony. Her heart leaped out of her chest with a fish that jumped out the waterfall, diving downwards along the steady flow of water.

"Wow…" Regan muttered, her mind feeling so light that she was barely able to think, she was overwhelmed by the beauty in the place surrounding her.

Mist brushed against her face and she looked up at the bright sun, beating down on her with warm rays. This was her paradise.

"Do you want to go together?" the voice asked, slipping its hand into her's again, "do you want to feel what it's like to be that free fish? That fluttering butterfly? Do you want to fly? Do you want to be free forever?"

"Yes…" Regan replied, squeezing the shadow's hand, "I want to be a butterfly, I want to fly. Fly with me."

The voice smiled and patted her head, "let's go together."

"Ready?" the voice asked, stepping up to the cliff, "ready to take flight?"

Regan nodded her head, a bright smile on her face. She gripped the shadow's hand tightly, "thank you."

The shadow paused for a moment before pulling her into a hug and smiling, "you're welcome."

Regan stepped towards the edge of the cliff and turned her back towards the edge, looking at the shadow beside her, "ready?"

"Yes," the shadow nodded.

"3… 2..-" A hand pushed Regan's chest softly and her feet slipped off the edge.

Losing her balance she began to fall. The world slowed to a stop and it was just her and the air as she slowly descended. Past the butterfly and past the flying fishes, down the depths of the mist below. It was only after she saw the amber lock of hair poking out from under the shadow's hood that she realized that she couldn't fly.

She fell numbly, the pain in her feet kicking in and the mist welcoming her. And just like the shadow had muttered, the arms of the sea opened up and swallowed her.

First of August… that was the day today was. The day she was going to have to put on her fake smiles and shake the hands of the ants she would be stepping on in the upcoming months.

Gradis looked down at her watch, a shaky breath of air escaping her lips. "A few more hours to go…" she murmured to herself as she swiveled in her chair, loosening her tie. "A few more hours…"

"Haha… sounds like you're looking forward to something," a voice chuckled.

Gradis immediately stopped her chair, almost plummeting to the ground.

"JULIAN?!" she yelled, her eyes widening with surprise.

"Missed me?" he grinned awkwardly.

Gradis stared blankly at Julian for a moment before bursting into a fit of laughter. "Of course babe!"

"MOMMY!!!" Matheio screamed running into his mother's lap, "DID YOU MISS ME??!!"

"Of course my cutie!" Gradis smiled, wrapping her hands around Matheio and tightly hugging him.

After a few seconds of enjoying an embrace with Matheio, she turned back to him, throwing away all the stress in her mind and putting on a smile. "Did you get cuter?"

"Mommy…." Matheio pouted.

"Hm? What is it bunny?" Gradis frowned, pulling his cheeks.

"I'm handsome mommy… not cute…" Matheio frowned.

Gradis blinked, then a smile graced her face. "Yes hun," she chuckled, ruffling his hair, "my handsome bunny."

"Geez, am I not even here anymore?" Julian rolled his eyes, pouting.

"Ah…" Gradis looked up to Julian, then back to Matheio, smirking, "looks like Julian's jealous."

"Jealous? How could you be a jealous daddy? Of a boy that isn't even half of your age," Matheio shook his head in dismay, "bad daddy."

"Hehe," Gradis giggled, ruffling Matheio's hair, "when did you words grow so strong?"

"Huh?" Matheio frowned, his eye's lowering, "was I wrong?"

Gradis scooped him up into her arms and grinned, "of course not love. Your daddy is a VERY jealous daddy."