40

Chapter Forty: Jailbreak

She started out having pleasant dreams, with events that had never happened. In one, she was little more than a toddler, and Sam was showing her how to fly a kite. The kite wasn’t entirely right though. As she squinted, it turned into a phoenix with a burst of fire that singed the kite string and allowed the bird to fly free. The child version of her in her dream was enchanted by the sight and continued watching it until she realized the clouds were gathering, and the sky had darkened. The phoenix disappeared with another flash of fire, and then she realized she was no longer in the park.

Now, she was in a shadowed vale, though it was difficult to make out any distinguishing features. A flash of lightning across the sky provided brief illumination, and she saw a group of people before her. She made her way toward them, using the lightning that flashed every few seconds to guide her way.

As she reached them, a final burst of lightning that lasted for more than