The Light in Aquala

Mara looked at Lena. Her sister's face was illuminated by the faint glow of the perimeter lights below, and her Neon was swirling madly, flickers of flames shooting across her face. Lena's expression was a mixture of fear, curiosity and excitement.

She looked knowingly at Mara, silently saying that they had a decision to make.

It only took a few seconds for Mara to think about the woman below them, lost and alone in an unfamiliar jungle and about the dog-like creature, so protective and loyal. She remembered the new light at the waterfall and how it exploded and shattered, and the strange sounds.

Her scientific mind was searching for the possible correlation of the Neon flowing through the tree they were hiding in, the early Season changes and the woman's Neon that was affecting the plants around her.

She thought about what Lena had said to her earlier, about not wanting to spend the rest of her life wondering because they were not brave enough to follow the light.

"Lena," Mara whispered, her voice barely audible. "What if we are making a mistake?"

Lena turned to look at her sister, and Mara saw the familiar spark in her eyes. "What if we aren't?"

Mara shook her head. "I am serious. We do not know who she is or what she wants or where her and her dog creature came from."

Lena was quiet for a moment. Then she reached out and took Mara's hand. "I know, I’m scared too. But I don’t want to play it safe and never find out.”

She squeezed Mara's hand.

"We can find out together. That is what we have always done. If she is dangerous, we will face her together and if this is a mistake, then we will fix it together. But I cannot go back to the village and spend the rest of my life wondering what would have happened or discovered if we had just been brave enough to climb down from this tree."

Mara heard the truth in her words and agreed. She took a deep breath. "Okay. Let’s go down."

Lena's face broke into a grin, the same grin she always wore when she was about to do something crazy and adventurous.

"I was hoping you would say that."