Fear and Understanding

It started like any other day. Robyn was lying in her bed staring at the insides of her eyelids, wishing that her alarm would miraculously turn itself off and she could drift back into blissful sleep. No such luck. Groggily, she untangled herself and stumbled to her dresser, slapping the off button on the clock. She stood there staring at the digital numbers almost in a daze. Was it her or were the numbers exceptionally bright just now?

She snapped out of her sleep induced trance and began fumbling through the drawers for clothing to wear. Gathering up various scattered shower materials, she took one last longing look at her bed before heading to the bathroom. What possessed her to take an 8:00 morning class was beyond her. Not to mention said class was on Friday and happened to be her only one for the day. She was a smart one, that Robyn. She went through her normal morning procedure allowing for the routinely ness of it to wake her up more fully. By the time she made it to the kitchen, she felt bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. Not necessarily a morning person, she felt remarkably energized this morning. Humming a song that was set on repeat in her mind, she poured herself a bowl of cereal and checked the time on the microwave. A bit ahead of schedule, good.

She gathered up her things and keys after placing her dish in the sink. She and her roommate would allow for the build up of dishes till the evening, when one or both would face the task of washing them. Not that they had much, just the monotonous act of doing it every time was annoying.

Robyn took one last sweeping look over the room, mentally checking to be sure she had everything and all was locked and set before leaving for the morning. Despite this being her only class, it was a four-hour studio that started on time and lasted the full length. However it was one of her more fun ones. Even though it had very little to do with her major, Robyn was required to take an art elective at some point during her years at college. A beginner’s pottery class seemed like fun enough. Even though there were memories attached to pottery, she decided to do it for herself. Molding and folding the clay required work but that was what made interesting and a challenge. She had gained a new respect for potters. Sure she had always admired the delicacy or intricacy or durability of pots and clay-wear, but now she had a deeper understanding of the craft that went into them. She herself would never become a master, but it was still a nice skill to have under her belt.

She slipped out the front door and securely locked it behind her before turning to face the day. Her roommate didn’t have to come to life till later on, so Robyn made sure things were locked up before departing in the morning. She turned and took a deep breath of morning air. Everything seemed to be crisper and more alive. What a beautiful day this was going to be. She hopped down the front steps to engage the day.

Her morning was nothing that special, though she found herself noting how all the little smells and sounds and other sensations were so much stronger. She could smell the earthiness of the clay; feel the intensity of the kiln. She was acutely aware of the calm atmosphere of the class. This feeling seeped into her mood so that by the end of the session, she was in an almost Zen state.

She snapped back into focus once she left the class and headed back to her apartment. As she walked back, she found that all of her senses were screaming with sensations. She smiled and embraced these feelings. Once back at the apartment, Robyn cleaned up and changed into her work uniform. She had a little time before her shift started so she made herself lunch and thought about what she might take for later on.

Evidence of her roommate’s activities could be seen about the kitchen. Though she wasn’t a complete slob, she wasn’t a neat freak either, though more scatterbrain then anything. Oh, Clarissa was great girl and actually a really good roommate; she just had a fluttery personality at times.

Deciding to splurge and buy something later on, she once more went through the procedure of going out for the afternoon and evening. It was funny how she and her roommate’s schedules were just so that they either didn’t see each other all day or for only brief moments to check in, like the rare occasions when both were awake early.

As she stepped outside, she had this strange sensation wash over her. Something had changed. She was still hyper aware of her surrounding, but there was something different in the air. Making her way to her part-time job, Robyn noticed that the people around her didn’t seem to notice any change. Hadn’t they felt it, too?

Looking up to the sky, she saw it. The darkness swooped in like a storm; black clouds covered the sky and all the light. People began to panic. This was almost like hurricane or tornado weather, but here? Robyn watched the chaos the change in atmosphere had caused. What was going on here? She looked to the sky again and saw the cause of the disturbance. Five beings descended from the sky and landed at pivotal points on the surrounding buildings of the street she was on. These beings did not appear to be of this realm or time for that matter. Each was dressed in what seemed to be ancient samurai armor, save for one, who appeared to be female, the others decidedly male.

One of the samurai dropped down to the middle of the street and proceeded to hack and slash anything and everything around him with his many swords. His cuts would burn and painfully melt away whatever they touched. Another soon joined the first and removing the clawed weapon mounted on his back he raked a web of razor sharp cuts out into the masses. The third quickly entered the fray and with him came the darkest moments of agony. Each thrust of his mighty sword cast a wave of pain filled darkness. The fourth paced back and forth before he too joined into the slaughter. Casting his weapon with deadly accuracy, the cries of his victims soon joined those already in chorus. The fifth stood aloft, content for the moment to allow the four boys to have their fun. She would get her time soon enough.

Robyn had many emotions bombarding her at the moment, but the most over whelming was the desire to protect. A surge of power came into her and with it the knowledge that she would have to defend these people and this world herself. It scared her, but that was not the point. She had a power and it was her responsibility to use that strength when the time came.

In her hands appeared a weapon and with it a focus for her power. Through the weapon she channeled all the might of the ocean. The raw energy of her blast catapulted one of the rampaging warriors into a building, annihilating him and the surrounding structures as well. She then sent out a shockwave, which shook and shattered the very earth beneath their feet using a staff of sorts as the chosen focus weapon.

This earth-shattering attack disrupted the remaining three and drove their full attention to her. Robyn was not about to run. She began to fire with amazing accuracy arrow after arrow with a most powerful bow as the instrument this time. Each shot carried with it the ferocious speed of the winds, hurling her charged arrows at the enemy.

Two were struck down, but before she could let loose another, the blade dropped. She blocked, just barely, with one of her own. The strength behind the blow was great and it was all she could do to keep it from falling on her. Her own majestic sword trembled a bit, not out of fear but shear will to fight back against this warrior. Robyn flung him off and countered with a move of her own, her actions more from instinct then any kind of formal training, which she had none.

Through the blade, she called upon all the static energy in the very earth and air and focused it into a single piercing cut. It shattered the darkness surrounding the enemy, engulfing him in an electric surge of energy.

Her senses were on fire as something from above dropped down to battle. Instantaneously, the fifth and final figure took action leaving no time to recover. This warrior attacked with an intensity that rivaled her own. Engaging with this fighter awakened a new sensation in her. Drawing upon this new energy, she unleashed an inferno. With her twin blades, she cast a flame so powerful it devoured her opponent and surrounding area in ravenous hunger.

As strong as the flames were they quickly burned themselves out and left little behind in wake. Robyn at last saw the results of the battle. Nothing remained. What she could see was unrecognizable. What might have been cars or streets or shops were nothing but twisted debris. No human remains could be seen where her fire had burned. What corpses remained were either entombed in the earth or washed away by the tide.

Her energy spent, her senses in over drive, Robyn fell into darkness. As she slipped away, a piece of her seemed to die. A part of her had died or was taken or enslaved and that was all that mattered in the world. This scared her and she screamed.

Robyn woke but didn’t move. She froze despite the pounding of her heart and the scream that threatened to come out. Her breathing came in quick, panicked breathes. Her brain desperately tried to comprehend or deny what she had just been through. Her body was slowly getting back sensation and a prickly feeling spread over her as she began to wake more fully.

She finally decided to uncurl herself and move to be sure that she was indeed awake and safe in her bed. She opened her eyes and tentatively scanned her room. She closed her eyes and wrapped her blanket a bit more tightly around herself. She tried to calm down to get back to sleeping but the intensity of the dream was still with her and all the emotions to go with it.

After an hour or so of tossing and turning, she gave up and crawled out of bed. She meandered to the kitchen with the intent of making something that would comfort her. Hot chocolate was sounding remarkable comforting at the moment. She made a cup and climbed into a chair at the table. She didn’t exactly drink the stuff but rather curled up around the warmth, pulling her legs up to her chest and cupping her hands around the oversized mug.

She blew on the hot liquid in the mug and thought. That dream had touched her to the core. The raw emotions were too much. The awareness of everything; the power to destroy or protect; knowledge that you and you alone had the skill and will to command such power; the ferocity of battle and engaging an enemy of equal strength; the desperate drive to survive not only battle but the shear force of your own power; too much. All this was too much for her to dismiss and brush aside. And then the understanding that because of such strength, you were not only its master but also its slave.

Was that how they had felt? She wondered at this. Was that how they felt when they took up and downed those armors for the first time? Is that how they felt now? Robyn put her mug on the table and wrapped her arms around her legs. She stared off in contemplation about her friends. They were some of the most remarkable human beings she had ever had the privilege and honor to call her own. They were her friends and despite the pain and emotional stress she had caused them all, they still cared for her. To think that they might have felt that, had actually experienced that, at an age when one was just beginning to find oneself was overwhelming.

She had not lived a charmed life, far from it. She had made her fair share of stupid and horrible mistakes but that was something different. Something not so earth shattering? Sure her life would have been ruined, but out of the world what was one less worth?

Robyn’s gaze gravitated over to the phone. She got up and padded over to it. She stood there for the longest time till finally she picked up the receiver.

In a room somewhere a phone rang, but no one was there to answer…