Chapter 7

     As far as Kat could see, a multitude of bright colors spread themselves over a giant field, waves upon waves of purples, greens, and every other color of the rainbow. Tiny flowers mixed with each other in a giant tapestry of life, bending lightly in a soft wind, their perfumed scent blending together into a pleasant smell that filled her with peace. Sitting on the ground in the midst of them, a tiny smile sat upon her face as she wove the stems of several together to create a tiny wreath. She was content and happier than she could ever remember being, with no worries plaguing her. The sun was warm on her skin, caressing it like she imagined a mother would, a mother that actually loved their child with all of its heart. Humming softly, she deftly twisted the little stems together to finish the wreath, looking down at her final product with satisfaction. Woven from a little of each flower, it was larger than her own childish head, but when she unconsciously went to sit it on her brow, she found that it sat their snugly.

     Surprised a bit, she looked a bit closer at her hands and body, and found that they were larger than she ever remembered them being. Turning her hands over, she saw that they were like her sister's hands, and her body had filled out, her legs long as they stretched out on the soft, warm earth. A mirror appeared in her hands, but she didn't question where it had come from, as if it was commonplace for something so mundane to appear out of nowhere. Examining her face, she thought for a moment that she was looking at her sister Maddie, but instinctively she knew that this wasn't the case. Her features were sharper, more distinct. Where her sister was strong, yet soft, Kat's face seemed to be chiseled from stone. Her cheekbones were prominent on her face, her eyes sharp and calculating. They seemed to have a depth that she had never noticed in anyone at home before, as if they had seen things that no mortal should ever have to see. An image flashed through her mind of a man with a scarf around his face, with similarly deep eyes, but it quickly disappeared, the soft breeze carrying the unpleasant image to some other place.

     Shrugging off the sudden change in her body, Kat bent over to pick a few more flowers, intending to make another wreath. As she pulled the tiny flower off of the ground, she saw a tiny patch of red oozing upwards from where it used to be, and she scrunched her eyebrows together as she stared at the spot. The red patch started growing bigger, touching the flowers nearby, the patch growing faster the larger it got. Standing up quickly, Kat backed away from the spot instinctually, watching the red spot that looked quite a bit like blood seem to suck the life right out of the nearby flowers as it grew. The flowers withered and blackened, much to Kat's dismay, and she could only watch, horrified, as the small patch grew into a giant puddle. Turning, she started running in the opposite direction, glancing at the sky as she did. Large, angry storm clouds pushed in front of her warm sun, blocking out the light, and the soft breeze turned into a biting gale.

     With chattering teeth, Kat tried to outrun the puddle that was now spreading very quickly. Rain began to pour out of the angry storm clouds like large, fat tears, stinging Kat's body as they slammed into her in the strong wind. Fighting the wind, Kat looked over her shoulder as she ran, noticing with horror that the puddle was starting to overtake her, growing faster than she could run. Heart pounding in fear, Kat pushed her long legs as fast as they would go, but it wasn't enough. The puddle was right on her heels, the viscous red liquid reflecting the darkness of the clouds. Shrilling laughter echoed everywhere around her, but she couldn't spare a glance to see what was causing it, her eyes squinting against the biting rain and wind, her breath coming in gasps as she fought a losing battle. Just as the red lake was about to touch her heels, a giant gaping hole opened up in front her, and she pitched headlong into it, her arms and legs flailing as air rushed by her in a different sense. A loud scream born of primal fear tore itself from her lungs, tears pouring down her face as she fell into the deep blackness, no bottom in sight. The rush of the wind as she plummeted and screamed, flailed and kicked for what felt like eternity, was replaced by the feeling of ice cold water across her face.