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Our eyes remained locked on each other for a moment. “Alright, if you say so,” I said.

“Thank you,” he answered, as he began to lie back down on his blanket.

I turned west and began walking, both canteens in my hands now. The request felt odd, but I wasn’t going to question it further. As I kept walking, I waited for the sound of a stream to hit my ears. After some time, I was starting to think there was no stream.

I walked through thick forest, hardly able to see in the heavy darkness. Getting fed up, I pushed past a final set of vines and foliage only to find myself suddenly in a big clearing. When I looked up, my jaw nearly hit the ground.

Hundreds, no,thousandsof stars lit up the sky in a way I had never seen before. My heart began to pound at the surreal feeling I was experiencing. The way the stars took over the darkness could only be described as a work of art created by the gods themselves. It was as if the sky was using the stars to tell a story – to paint a picture of the beauty of this world and the next. Were we a star as well, drifting through the realms and lighting up somebody else’s night sky?

The sight was so beautiful that a small tear began to fall from my eye. I stood there for long minutes, not taking my eyes off the gleaming array of stars above me.

When I finally felt like I had soaked it all in, I turned to head back to camp, completely forgetting why I had left it in the first place. Upon arrival, Elias was lying on his blanket with his arms up and handsbehind his head. Even in the darkness, I thought I could make out a smile on his face.

“Did you find it?” he asked.

I had the feeling he wasn’t referring to the stream, but I indulged him anyway. “No,” I answered. “I couldn’t find a stream.”

“Oh,” he said nonchalantly. “That’s my fault then. I’m sorry, I could have sworn we passed one.”

“Right,” I said. “You’ll have to quench your thirst tomorrow. Get some rest, Elias.”

He nodded and rolled over to fall asleep. I watched him doze off, with the thought in my mind that maybe he knew I would run into the clearing. Maybe he knew I would find the stars I so desperately wanted to see.

I made the mistake of lying down, the image of the radiant stars still dancing in my mind, and began to doze off.

* * *

I’m running through the woods. Running. Running. I’m being hunted, and they’re right on my tail. But I’m not alone. My mother is in front of me, dragging me behind her by my wrist. We zig-zag through the forest, faces and hands getting cut on the low hanging branches of the trees. “Mama!” I scream at her in terror. My voice sounds younger.

My mother turns to look at me, and cups my face in her hands. “It’s okay, Aurelia. It’s okay. You’re going to be alright.” I’m in hysterics now, trying not to sob. “Look at me, baby,” she says. I look up into her beautiful icy blue eyes. “I have to do something. I have to do something to keep you safe. It’s going to hurt. But you’ll be okay. Do you trust me?”

She looks so brave, so confident. “I’m scared,” I admit through sobs.

“I know. I know, baby. But you have to trust me. Okay?”

I sniffle and wipe my eyes. “Okay,” my childlike voice answers.

She smiles and kisses my forehead. “Come lie down next to this tree, my love,” she orders me gently. I do as she says. “This is going to hurt for a little while, but it’s not going to kill you, okay?”

I do my best to be brave and nod my head. “I love you, Mama,” I say through my tears.

Tears begin to flood my mother’s eyes too. “I love you, Aurelia. Don’t ever forget that. I will always love you.” She gives me one final hug and kiss.

My mother backs away, then I hear her speaking words that I cannot understand, perhaps because I’m crying so hard that I can barely hear her.

Suddenly, something strong wraps around me and whatever it is starts burning. My skin is scorching, and the pain is immeasurable. I begin screaming in agony, my body feeling like it has been set on fire. I can hear my mother’s sobs, but her voice gets quieter and quieter as the pain gets more and more intense.

It starts to feel like thousands of knives are slicing my skin and someone is pouring hot oil into the wounds. I have never experienced so much pain. I keep screaming, praying to the gods for it to stop.

* * *

When I came to, I realized I was screaming in real life. The remnants of the pain felt so real, and I started to sob into someone’s chest. It took a moment for me to realize where I was and who I was with.

Elias was holding me in his arms. “It’s alright, Aura. I’m here,” he said gently. “You’re safe.”

I was practically gasping for air now, holding onto the only thing that felt real. Holding onto Elias. He began stroking my hair and hushing me softly. “You’re okay,” he repeated again and again until I could finally breathe normally. “I’m here.”

“It felt so real,” I finally choked out, bodystill trembling.