Remember Her? (an II au)

4- lightbulb

"Aha!" Henry walks back with chalk and hands it to serenity.

"Thank you..." She moves the chalk around in her hands before tracing an almost perfect circle onto the floor.

"What are you doing?!" I ask, my bristles sparking more as she circles me, leaving a bit of room infront of me as well.

"All done... and this is to... help. With the 'ritual.'" She hands the chalk back to Henry. Sernenity steps just outside the circle. "Now, tell me, what did you want."

"Um... to see..." I gulp, trying to fight down my nervousness. "...Petra..."

"I see... Now, put your hands in mine..." She reaches her hands out and I put mine out as well. Our hands connect, forming a circle. "Repeat what you want again...?"

"I... want to see Petra...?"

"With... more confidence."

"I want to see Petra."

"More... enthusiasm..."

"I want to see Petra!"

"Louder..."

"I WANT TO SEE PETRA!"

"Now, repeat that over and over..." Serenity asks and I feel excitement, 9 years of built up excitement bursting inside me... fueling my courage.

"I WANT TO SEE PETRA! I WANT TO SEE PETRA!"

"Louder, it is working... And faster... Close your eyes..."

"I WANT TO SEE PETRA, I WANT TO SEE PETRA!" I shut my eyes tight. "I WANT TO SEE PETRA! I WANT TO SEE PETRA!" I begin to feel warmth. "I WANT TO SEE PETRA!"

"I will begin, three..."

"I WANT TO SEE PETRA, I WANT TO SEE PETRA!"

"Two.."

"I WANT TO SEE PETRA, I WANT TO SEE PETRA!"

"One..."

"I WANT TO SEE PETRA, I WANT TO SEE PETRA! I WANT-"

I am cut off as I feel an extreme jolt. Wind begins to whip through my bristles. I slowly open my eyes...

Smoke clouds puff from the distance, obscuring the blood red sky. Scattered trees dot the landscape, half of them still have dead dark brown leaves. The other half of the trees look even more so dead, the flowers surrounding them drooping. One thing in common between the trees, however, is their seemingly gray trunk and branches.

The ground these trees manage to sprout from is covered with rock and stone, leaving only small blades of brown grass to spike through the round pebbles.

Everything here looks dead.

"I don't think I'm on Inanimate Island anymore..." I mumble shakily, gripping my sweater tight.

I turn my gaze slightly, being able to see something that looks like a city in the distance.

Bright lights shine through the thick fog. The city's buildings seem short... apart from one.

I squint, seeing a logo on the giant building, seeing a familiar shape...

Meeple.

It's been so many years since anything bore the symbol of the company that had destroyed so much... but this symbol was ingrained into most peoples' minds as a bad symbol... one that showed control, power, and tyranny. One that shows genocide, murder, and incompetence. One that showed... Steve Cobs.