Flaming World

_

"How are you feeling?" Alexander asked his sister. She had been tired during their dance so they had come outside for some fresh air.

"I'm fine, though it is a bit hot," Elaina replied, and as she said it a cool gust of wind blew past them causing Alexander to give her a pointed look.

"Maybe it's the mask," she took her hand to the back of her head and loosened the knot letting the mask fall on her lap.

Alexander placed one hand on his forehead then placed his other hand on hers. It was subtle but her temperature was higher than normal and it was slowly rising.

"I'm fine, Alex," Elaina moved his hand from her forehead.

"No, you're not," Alexander frowned, "Wait here, I'll bring you a drink," he quickly stood and Elaina tried to protest but he already left.

She sighed and leaned into the wooden bench, resting her head on it. Something did feel wrong. The darkness started to spread around her and her consciousness slowly started to fade when the crunching of dry leaves brought her back. 

"Elaina? What are you doing out here?" Kaede leaned over her head and asked while she opened her eyes to meet with his pale green ones,

"I came out to get some fresh air," she answered.

She raised her head as Kaede went to stand beside her, "We are here for the same reason. I don't see Alex," he added.

"He went back in to get something," she replied.

"Well, would you like to take a walk with me while you wait?" he asked, hoping desperately in his heart that her answer would be positive.

"Sure," came her reply and his face brightened in delight.

"The castle is amazing," Kaede started a conversation as they walked side by side in the large garden.

"Yes, it is beautiful. Life in the castle must be splendid," Elaina stated with a chuckle. A cool breeze blew past them but it didn't quell the rising heat in her body.

"You are right. This year's ball is the best I have attended,"

Kaede's father was a duke so he had many opportunities to attend parties and balls hosted by the elites. "The dance floor was the most amazing," she replied. After she said this, her legs started to tremble with every step she took. Not wanting to bother him, her confusion and panic were hidden by her smile as well as how her dress covered her legs.

"I would have loved to dance with you, Elaina," Kaede's voice brought her out of her thoughts.

"It's not too late, we could go back in," her reply came with a temporary wobble that went unnoticed.

Kaede stared at Elaina. She held her mask in her hand, leaving her beautiful face bare to the world. Her long eyelashes fluttered with every blink and he realized that this was the first time he was seeing her without her glasses.

"I'd rather stay here with you, I'm afraid someone would steal you away from me the moment we step inside," he mindlessly stated. Realizing he had said that out loud his ears turned red. A strong gust of wind blew past them and,

"I-it's getting chilly, we should head back inside," he quickly changed the topic. His eyes moved to her arms, she must be cold, he thought, and was about to offer his jacket when he noticed the beads of sweat rolling down her temple.

That wasn't right, even with his suit on, he could still feel the strong breeze that left him shivering lightly. He stopped walking and turned to her, "Is everything alright, Elaina?" he asked.

"Everything's fine," she breathed out while wiping the drops of sweat that had formed below her chin with the back of her hand. She saw Kaede's skeptical look and thought that she could relate, she didn't believe her words either.

Her legs wobbled again and she asked, "Can we go back? I need to sit down," which came out like a plea.

"Of course," he answered and they turned around to walk back to where they came from.

Elaina's legs wobbled violently when she took her first step towards the bench and when she took her second step, her legs gave up on her and she fell forward.

"Elaina!" Kaede exclaimed as he quickly caught her. He turned her around but she didn't respond.

Elaina was ready to fall into the darkness but her mother's warning suddenly rang through her head, 'Do not lose consciousness in front of strangers' so she snapped her eyes open.

She saw Kaede about to place his hand on her forehead so she quickly pushed him and stepped back.

"D-don't touch me,"

"What? But you don't-" Kaede started but,

"I'm fine," she cut him off.

"That's an obvious lie, you almost fainted!" he exclaimed.

"I'm fine, I really am," she tried to convince him with a smile. "I-I want to be alone, please," she said politely.

Kaede's heart broke, "Fine, but it isn't safe here, let me escort you back to the bench," he sighed in defeat and she nodded.

Elaina walked a few steps behind Kaede. Her breaths came out heavy and she tightened her fists to contain the pain and remain conscious. The wine must have done something to her system, she concluded as that was the only explanation she could find.

Her feet throbbed with every step she took and the world around her began to spin, flames flashed in front of her eyes and her knees buckled.

Just when she thought she couldn't go on anymore, her blurry vision took note of Alexander running towards her before everything went black.

...

Kaede turned around just in time to see her falling and he stretched his hand out to catch her but Alexander pulled her arm drawing her into his embrace.

He wrapped his left arm around her back to hold her up protectively against his body. He stared at her unconscious face with fear and worry marred all over his face. He told her to sit there! It was only when he had entered the hall that the realization of what could have been happening to Elaina hit him.

"What happened to her?" Kaede asked. He moved forward to check on her but Alexander moved away from him.

"It's nothing," Alex said without looking at him.

"It doesn't look like nothing," Kaede commented with a light scoff, "She fainted!"

Alexander sighed. He shot a glare at Kaede and said, "I will take care of her. You can leave,"

Which sounded more like 'mind your business' to him. That's right, he was an outsider, Kaede's face fell. "Take care of her," he stated before walking away.

After he left, Alexander placed his right hand on Elaina's neck to check her temperature and he almost withdrew his hand due to the heat but he kept his composure. His eyes scanned the area, they were too out in the open. Hooking his arm under her leg, he lifted her and walked to a secluded part of the garden.

After ensuring that they were the only ones there, he placed her feet on the floor while holding her up and called, "Elaina!"

_

Inside Elaina's closed eyes, she stood in a world made of flames, where the only thing visible was white and fire. The flames stretched far and wide and no matter how far she looked, the flames were all that existed, giving the world an orange tinge to it. The place was unbearably hot and at the same time, it wasn't.

In the middle of the world, a ball of fire floated in mid-air, its intensity outshone the other flames and it shone as bright as the sun. She could barely see it, as she stood miles away from it but she could still feel the intensity of its heat that radiated like the sun.

The flaming ball drew her in and mindlessly, Elaina walked towards it like a moth attracted to a flame. She walked through the flames that felt warm and inviting, they didn't burn her and she felt at peace in them while in the outside world, Alexander saw steam coming from the sleeve of his arm on her back.

With every step she took, Elaina got closer to the flaming ball, the intensity of the flames increased but they still never burnt her. What felt like hours, passed since she had been walking and exhaustion started to set in. Her legs shook with every step she took, but she didn't stop. After a few more steps, her legs gave up on her and she fell flat, extinguishing the flames on the ground. The impact with the ground brought some light back to her dull eyes.

She raised her upper body and sat on her knees. Wondering where she was, Elaina slowly turned her head, taking a look at her surroundings where all she could see was fire. She reached her hand out to the flames surrounding her. They felt warm. She turned her hand in it and brought it up to her face, there was no burn.

'Keep going, Elaina' a voice spoke out of nowhere. The voice was sweet and compelling and it dulled the little light in her eyes, returning her to the trance-like state she was in before. She tried to stand but to no avail, her legs had no more strength.

In the outside world, Alexander called and shook Elaina but to no avail. His eyes moved to his steaming sleeve that would burn at any minute. He raised his hand, ready to flick her forehead but changed his mind. He placed his hand on her shoulder and heard a sizzling sound. Not minding the burn, he pinched her not so gently.

"Ouch," Elaina flinched. She had almost gotten up completely when a sharp pain ran through her shoulder causing her to fall back. The light in her eyes returned, but before she could react to her surroundings, she felt herself being sucked through a hole and the flames faded into the distance along with her memory of it, till she was surrounded by darkness.

Alexander saw her eyelids flutter and he placed his hand on her neck to check her temperature. It was rapidly reducing, returning to its normal degree. He heaved a sigh of relief, the worry disappearing from his face.

After about a minute, Elaina's eyes opened. Her blurry vision cleared and her eyes focused on Alex's gray eyes staring straight into hers.