I breathed in and tasted chill, earthy, floral air. It tasted nothing like the city air I had grown up with, nor, for that matter, like any I had tasted. Twigs and rocks dug uncomfortably into my side, and soil damped the checkered pajama pants and shirt I had worn to sleep. The chirps and chitters of wildlife filled the air.
I went to sleep in my bed.
This was not my bed.
Was I still dreaming?
Something tickled my chin.
My eyes sprang open, and I shot up off my side and onto my feet as if the Nazgûl themselves were hunting me. The creature–which had been tucked up against my side–disappeared into the golden stalks of the field.
Heart pounding, I stared at where the creature had vanished, wondering when it would come back and devour me. The stalks rustled, and I tensed, ready to make my escape. A tiny, black head popped out from the wheat stalks. It was Ani. The pounding in my veins slowly dulled as relief flooded me. I didn't have to worry about being mauled. For now, anyway.
Ani trotted over to rub against my soft silk pants, and I bent over to pat him on the head a few times as I looked at the scenery surrounding me.
The wheat field we'd woken up in was as large as a football field and sloped gently downwards, a bright gold against the most brilliant blue sky I'd ever seen. The sun peeked over the top of the mountain, morning rays stretching to warm my face. There must have been a lot of dirt or dust in the atmosphere, as the sun looked a fair bit redder than I was used to.
The red, gold, and purple leaves of the encircling forest were snatched off their trees to be spun in a dance for the distant, muted, dark blue mountains before the wind dipped them peacefully on the ground. The sun flickered through the ever-changing forest canopy, reflecting off the pollen and dust in the air, turning the pollen and dust into twinkling lights the wind stirred in a constantly shifting kaleidoscope. Despite the apparent fall weather, colorful flowers and bright pinks, purples, and oranges dotted the forest floor where the canopy was thinnest, and lime-green vines twisted their way up tree trunks.
I recognized absolutely none of it. The closest mountains, the Ozarks, were mere hills in comparison. These were actual, towering mountains, which matched the grandeur of the Rockys.
For a moment, I wondered if this was punishment for my comments about the web novel yesterday. If the confusion and disorientation I felt at this moment was one shared by all the protagonists, I felt a bit of empathy for them. However, the empathy was soon drowned by a torrent of fear and apprehension.
"We're not in Kansas anymore, huh, Ani?"
Ani meowed and stood up on his hind legs to bring his head closer to my hand for more petting, uncaring of our surroundings. Clearly, he was already becoming spoiled with attention. I took comfort in the feel of his warm fur against my skin.
The full reality of the situation hit me then. I was out in the wilderness with only a kitten for company. I had no food, no water. No idea where the nearest city was. I didn't know how we got here or, for that matter, how long we'd already been here.
How long had it been since we went to sleep? I wondered. It had been long enough to end up in the mountains. But why here? Were we kidnapped? Why would a kidnapper take Ani as well? And why would they leave us in the mountains? If I wasn't kidnapped, why was I still in my pajamas? Why did I have no shoes? Enough questions popped up in my mind to make me dizzy.
None of it made any sense.
And I was certain we were going to die. Growing up, I'd focused more on reading than anything else. I'd never gone camping, joined the boy scouts, or even been on a hike lasting more than a couple of hours! The closest I had come was through reading, but I wasn't sure how knowledge of books like Lord of the Flies would help me. I didn't even have glasses to start a fire with.
What I did know was that I had to find a freshwater source as soon as possible.
But there was no water anywhere in sight.
A frustrated sigh escaped me, and I reached my hand to brush some of my auburn hair behind my ear. My fingers brushed against something hard and cold in my earlobe, and I aborted the motion.
A distant memory stirred.
…these will protect you. Don't ever take them off.
Both hands went up to my earlobes, and I carefully felt for the earrings I'd seen in my dream. My fingers skimmed across my ears, feeling pushbacks behind and cool stone in front. I swallowed, then pulled one out to check, placing it on my palm for inspection.
Sitting there, reflecting enough sunlight to glow like a candle flame in my palm, was one of the earrings from my dream.
The blood drained from my face. A gentle, shaking hand reached back up towards where the earring had been, careful not to drop it. I found the empty piercing immediately. Strangely, there was no pain, even when I fiddled with it. There was no blood or discharge either.
Carefully, I returned the ruby to my ear, unwilling to lose my clue.
I'd never pierced my ears.
This made even less sense.
Vaguely, I could recall a cloaked figure and a lingering image of darkness from the dream. But no matter how hard I focused, trying to grasp the strands of the dream, or anything else relating to why we were here, the memory slipped through my fingertips like water.
Eventually, the heat of the sun started to burn against my back, and I knew my fair skin would begin to blister if I sat around much longer.
I displaced Ani from my lap, getting an angry yowl in return, and stood up.
"There's no point in staying here, I suppose," I said, more to myself than Ani. Way back in school, we'd been taught if you got lost to stay put so that you could be more easily found. However, that banked on the idea someone was both looking for me and looking to help me.
I took a steadying breath and gingerly began trudging through the woods, Ani following close behind. Since water flowed downhill, our best chance was probably to head down the mountain, hoping to encounter a creek or river, then civilization on the way, and put this whole ordeal down behind me.