Page 38 of Firefly

Rebecca

Rebecca held a hand above her eyes, shielding them as she watched fire rain from the sky. Massive balls of flame hurtled toward the earth, crashing into the ocean.

All along the beach, people lounged, sunning themselves, laughing, watching their children chase seagulls. But along the horizon, a dark line surged forward.

“Run!” Rebecca screamed. “Get out of here!” She ran toward the people on the beach, shouting at them, but no one seemed to hear. No one saw the tidal wave racing for the shore.

Rebecca gasped as she clutched her chest. A weight sat on her, making it hard to breathe, and her throat was raw, as though she had truly been screaming as she slept.

“Mama?” Sarah rubbed tired eyes, blinking over at Rebecca.

“It’s nothing, baby. Just a bad dream,” she croaked.

Sarah closed her eyes and was asleep again in moments.

Rebecca watched the steady rise and fall of the girl’s chest, letting it settle her own racing heart. She wasn’t sure if the pounding in her chest was because of the dream or the memory of her father’s latest experiment.

Since resuming his practice of stealing magic from her, he hadn’t given her a night off. In three weeks, he’d found her every night and called her down to his dark table to extract more of her life force.

She was sure now that was his goal. He was draining her life to extend his own.

She closed her eyes as a single tear rolled down her cheek. She would never see Sarah grow up or become the woman she was meant to be. Fear seized her as she thought again of how her father might use Sarah as he had used her.

If only there were a way to protect her.

When Rebecca opened her eyes again, daylight streamed through her window, and Sarah was gone. Something prickled along her skin. A premonition of something to come. Nervous excitement thrummed through her veins, giving back some of the energy her father had stolen.

“Sarah,” she called.

Sarah danced into the room, twirling in a new blue dress. “Look, Mama. My new dress is here.”

“That was supposed to be a present.” Rebecca laughed as Sarah twirled in circles.

“It was a present. Today is our birthday!”

Today? Had so much time passed already? She felt as though she had merely blinked, though time had flown by.

“I have a present for you, too,” Sarah said, lifting her arms for Rebecca to scoop her up.

Rebecca lifted her, sighing in relief as the strength she always felt at Sarah’s nearness bled into her and set her down beside her on the bed. “You do? Where did you get it?”

“Close your eyes, Mama.”

Rebecca closed her eyes, holding out her hand. Something solid and cold was placed in her palm.

“Okay. Open!”

Rebecca opened her eyes and gazed down at a small pink stone carved in the shape of a butterfly. “Sarah, it’s beautiful.” She turned it over in her hand, feeling its solid weight. Not an illusion. It was real. “Where did you get this, sweet girl?”

“Simon gave it to me.”

“What?” she gasped as her chest constricted painfully.

“Last night when he came to see us.”

Rebecca sat up in bed. Her heart was pounding dangerously fast, and it was a struggle to breathe. “Simon was here? Last night?”

Sarah nodded, growing serious. “He said you’re going to be okay.”

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