Flash!

The sight of the hypnotizing light beckons me forward once again, but before I can run after it, I am grabbed from behind. Dellan has his hands on my shoulders, looking me in the face. I struggle to get away, but he simply tightens his grip on my arms. The pain in my shoulder throbs and I suck in a gasp of pain.

"Let me go, Dellan!" I stare at him with wild eyes.

"What are you doing?!" He yells through the rain. It is falling so hard that the sound and water would drown out any voice unless they were yelling. I struggle to get out of his grasp but his hold on me doesn't loosen.

"Let me go!" I scream again. The need to follow the flashes is tearing at me. I need him to let me go.

"Just tell me what's wrong." I stare at him and stop struggling just enough for him to loosen his grip. I take this chance and break away from him, tearing through the rain toward the garden. The light sears through the downpour and I chase after it. The rain pounds against the ground so loudly that I can't tell if Dellan is following me, but I suspect that he is, and the knowledge pushes me on faster. The ground beneath me is littered with slippery puddles and it's all I can do to keep my feet.

Flash!

The light fills the night sky. I don't understand why they aren't calling to Dellan in the same way that they are calling to me. But the thought is fleeting. I can only consider it for a moment before I have to throw open the garden gate and fly across the path. The light flashes inside of the window in the wall and without a second thought I tear it open.

I hear Dellan's voice yelling my name as I climb through the wall. It sounds miles away in the rain, but I can see him on the path just a few steps behind me. Yet I know that he won't follow me in here. My eyes focus on him for just a moment, but another flash deeper within the trees draws my attention and without a second thought I chase after it into the forest.