The Light in Aquala

They spotted a shadowy figure warily coming towards one of the perimeter lights.

Mara wasn't sure if it was stalking it or trying to hide from the light. The figure moved slowly, cautiously, as if unsure of its surroundings and then disappeared.

Lena held her breath and both of them stayed completely still, with only the nighttime breezes blowing a few strands of hair across their faces.

The breeze was now carrying the scent of damp foliage, fresh, cool water from the waterfall, and something else that they didn’t recognize. It was a smell of something entirely new.

Somewhere nearby, something else was moving through the undergrowth and there was a faint crack as a twig snapped beneath its weight.

Time seemed to slow down.

They could not discern whether the figure was a human or an animal, but they knew it was definitely moving towards them. As it got closer, they realized it was actually two figures, one taller than the other, occasionally together and then sometimes apart.

What on earth was approaching them!

No one ever ventured by themselves to Aquala; it was an unspoken rule. Most of the villagers kept their distance from the waterfall since they worried they would develop the Neon glows on their faces like Lena and Mara. Only a few saw their glowing Neon colors as something to be desired rather than to be wary of, or feared.

One of the spine-tingling sounds like they had heard before rose from the darkness, confusion evident in its tone, and this time followed by “Hush” and gentle words that they could not make out.

The sisters looked at each other, partly relieved and now with curiosity outweighing their fear. This sound was a bit different than the others and no longer seemed threatening because of the uncertainty in it.

Whoever, or whatever was approaching seemed to be just as unsure about the situation as they were.

The perimeter equipment lights started turning from a deep orange to a more reddish color and just at that moment, a human walked into sight. Followed by a large dog-like creature unlike anything they had ever seen. It was sleek and black, its coat shimmering like oil on water, and its eyes were glowing a Neon yellow.

The creature moved cautiously, its body tense and alert as it followed the woman. Its glowing eyes seemed almost impossibly bright against its black coat, piercing the darkness with an intensity that was both beautiful and intimidating.

It looked about quickly, scanning the area around it, trying to figure out where it was. The creature's ears twitched at every sound, its nose working constantly, taking in the unfamiliar scents of the jungle.

They felt an instant pang of concern and sympathy for the confused creature. This would explain the unknown sounds at the waterfall. It was from a creature who was lost and trying to find its person, trying to figure out where it was.

The creature now had the perimeter's red light shining on it fully, and it scrunched its eyes into slits, quickly moving back towards its human. It started stealthily circling her while leaning up against her legs. It was trying to protect her while drawing comfort from her at the same time, a gesture that spoke of deep trust and loyalty.

Mara and Lena now focused on the human, who was a woman about their age. Incredulously they looked at each other and then back at her.

The woman had glowing Neon colors on her face!

Beautiful, rich purple, gold and silver colors that were moving quickly in random swirls, occasionally combining into new shades of color before separating again. Against the darkness of the jungle, the effect was mesmerizing.

The woman's Neon seemed more alive somehow, more responsive, as if it was connected to something deeper than mere emotion. It was not just responding to her mood, it seemed to be responding to the jungle itself.

Or the jungle was responding to it. Her Neon glow colors seemed to be influencing the faint glow of the mist around the jungle plants.

Lena couldn’t believe what was happening! This was the first time they had seen another person with the Neon on her face! She felt an instant connection, one she had waited her whole life for, as she watched the woman's Neon swirling across her face.

She had heard stories from her great-grandmother about the Queens of Neon.

She looked at Mara who was remembering how she read about people like this before in the old recordings at the Academy, which said there were people who had been changed by the Neon in ways that could not be explained and these people had been classified as anomalies.

Some of the more far-fetched accounts were dismissed as recording errors in the past, or misinterpretations. Or perhaps the Queens of Neon that were handed down in stories from one generation to another.

“Look at her face,” Mara said, her voice barely above a whisper. "Look at the way her Neon glows are moving. I don’t think they are just responding to her mood. They are responding to something else and the jungle is responding to her. Look at the plants, their colors are the same as her Neon. Something new is going on here."

Lena studied the woman's face, then glanced at Mara. "You’re right! What do you think this means?"

"I don’t know, yet. But I think she has been affected by something we have not experienced. Something larger than the Season changes."

Completely intrigued and forgetting their earlier fears, they watched as the human now leaned over slightly, hugging the huge dog-like creature while whispering words of reassurance.

Her voice was soft and gentle, the tone of someone who had comforted this creature many times before. The creature responded by leaning into her embrace, its body starting to relax.

She then walked up to one of the perimeter lights and from here noticed the glows from the other two perimeter lights.

Slowly she started scanning the surrounding jungle for signs of life, probably hoping if there were other humans, they would be kind. Her movements were careful and deliberate. She seemed as reluctant to reveal herself as they were to reveal themselves.

Suddenly, the dog-like creature stiffened, lifting its nose into the air and sniffing rapidly. Its entire demeanor changed in an instant. It straightened to full height, its body changing to that of a protector, radiating strength and confidence as it bared its razor-sharp, white teeth.

Mara held her breath.

After a while the creature looked up into the tree, its eyes searching for their hiding place, but there was something different in its posture. It was still wary, still alert, but some of the tension had drained from its frame. Its ears, which had been flat against its head, lifted slightly. Its tail gave a tentative wag.

"It knows we are here," she whispered. The quiet night suddenly seemed unbearably loud when all of a sudden Lena sneezed.

Instantly, everyone froze.

The sound seemed to hang in the darkness. Two pairs of eyes looked up at them, and they saw Lena and Mara's eyes staring back. Their Neon colors were now swirling rapidly from being startled by the sneeze, and the reality that they had been discovered.

For one suspended moment, nobody moved. Nobody spoke. The sisters stared down.

The woman stared up, and the dog-like creature's glowing Neon yellow eyes flared and remained fixed on them.