Sun Kissed

8. The Dream (EDITED)

8. The Dream

Stones blanketed with lichens tickled the soles of Sofi's bare feet as she made her way to the riverbank. The moon hung above her, full and easily visible through the ceiling of mangrove trees. The pearly light revealed a figure that moved through the water with ease. Its movement slowed once it reached the shallows, as if waiting for Sofi to approach. Even in the darkness, Sofi could identify the red in Amancio's hair as he emerged onto shore.

    Sofi blinked and he was gone. She shuffled backwards into something – no, someone warm and solid. Hands settled onto her shoulders. Skin brushed her ear.

    "Flutter home, little mariposa."

    The voice, though male, did not belong to Amancio. Sofi turned to confront this new Encantado, but again, he had vanished. She stared into a leafy, vined sea of darkness. Such a darkness should have frightened her. Instead, she let it pull her along, draw her in as Amancio's song had.

    The echoes of the river faded at her back, only to give way to new sounds and scents. Saltwater clung to the air around her. The sound of a flute hitched a ride on the breeze. Sofi put her hands out and moved aside the black ferns and vines as they pressed in on her.

    The voice that did not belong to Amancio spoke again.

    Go home, butterfly. Stay away from this place.

    "Where are you?" Sofi gasped, surprising even herself. She did not wish to know the who or the why. All that mattered to her was where.

    "Take me to paradise," she demanded. That could be the only explanation behind the smell of the ocean, the sound of wind instruments, and the images that followed.

    She moved aside a leaf the size of an elephant's ear, and on the other side was a layer of reptilian skin pulled taut over muscle. She didn't know if she was looking at the tail or torso or both.

    Go back.

    She ducked left and dug past another veil of plants. A second set of skins interrupted the darkness. One was golden and spotted, while the other was bluish black. The skins vibrated as the air close to Sofi's ears carried a deep purr.

    This is not where you belong.

    Sofi stumbled and lost her footing. She fell backwards into water. The ocean closed in around her. The music from the flute became warbled and broken. Salt burned her nose.

    The next breath she took marked the end of the dream. As she lay there on her mattress, drenched in sweat, Sofi understood that this dream was not like the others. She remembered this one, while the ones before had all dissolved as soon as she regained consciousness.

A gentle knock on the door startled her.

Sofi's voice came out hoarse. "Not now."

The door opened anyway. Sofi glared at tia's face through the crack.

"I did not mean to wake you, but a young man is here for you."

    Sofi rolled over to face the wall. "Tell him to go away."

    Behind her, tia sighed. "I told him that you were resting, but he insists on talking to you. It's Antonio. You know, the poor boy who lost his sister?"

    For a moment, Sofi stopped thinking about the dream and actually paid attention to Maya's words. She turned her head away from the wall. "Toni? He wants to talk to me?"