Sometime while the two carried me to safety I must have fallen into cool unconsciousness, saving me from the firey pain. But now, I was awake again. Awake again from nothingness into pain. But this time, it was different. Better. Instead of lying mangled in a pool of my own blood atop rocks, I was on a firm mattress wrapped tightly in a quilt like a caccoon. And instead of tormenting againy, I felt a dull, stiff pain. Only aches were left now. The walls of the room I was in were dull and drab; a faded brown. The ceiling looked dusty and had more then one crack in it. There were no windows, but somehow light found its way in; dim and shadowy. But it was still light enough for me to make out the empty cobweb in the far corner. The only thing pleasant in the room to look at were the flowers on my bedside table. They were wide and droopy, their petals mixing with colors red, purple, and blue. They smelled sweet, fresh, and a little dizzying. I let my lips fall open to breath in their air even more; it tingled across my lips, dancing like sugared honey. My eyes closed, but not heavily. It was as if someone had blown gently on their lids. A warm summer breeze. There was grass all around me. And those flowers-
"Rianne?"
My eyes snapped open. The fragile image in my head was gone, a mist wiped away. The girl from before was standing by the door on my right. I noticed she was short standing there in the doorway. her hair was long and fell down to the small of her back, straight and thick. She had changed her outfit to a simple red dress. I could only remember the colors of what she wore before. I made a note in my mind to ask her about her clothes from earlier. But that was the least of my burning questions, my need to know. I blurted out a more urgent question instead, "What did you just call me?" I didn't mean to be so frank, I kept my tone light and curious. But I was far more then merely curious. The girl smiled.
"Rianne. It's your name."
Rianne. I turned it over in my mind. I didn't remember anything about it, yet it was mine, so I took it and asked another question.
"And what's your name?"
"Jadyn. My name is Jadyn Scorlie."
My mind was still blank. I felt no sudden understanding or remembering. But I still had more questions, hoping one would bring memories. "Who was that boy that helped bring me here?" I asked.
"That was Jorge, my older brother. He just turned eighteen."
I felt nothing at this. Nothing. My hope was gone, a pin in a balloon, a knife through a soap bubble. Jadyn walked into the room a little further, her dress swishing around as she did so.
"When I woke up, before this, who were all those people? How was I hurt? And that spear-"
Jadyn held up her hands to stem the flow of questions, and I complied. She ventured further into the room, and sat down on the end of my bed. The mattress groaned and curved under her. Then she spoke, "I'm not going to tell you everything now. It's too much. But I'll answer you questions. The people in the black and blue are called Hysstens. Their name translated is 'dirty beast', and once you know of their nature it's not that hard to tell why. Their kingdom is to the far east of here, where all matter of horrible flash eating creatures live," Jadyn paused here and shuddered. Obviously these creatures were not her favorite subject, but I selfishly wanted her to continue for my own sake. And continue Jadyn did.
"Some say the Hyssten people are spawn of the Devil himself, and at times I believe it. We used to have somewhat of peace with them, some two-hundred years back. But they attacked, and now it's constent war," Jadyn looked at me for a second, then asked, "Do you remember any of this yet?"
But the answer was no. No, I my mind was still blank of those memories, no only holding so few they seemed to echo around in my mind. I countered her question with one my mine.
"Which side are you on, with the red and silver?"
Jadyn smiled, sitting up straighter with pride.
"We're the Mandoise. That means "noble men." Our kingdom used to be grand and harmonous, but the Hysstens have seen to that," she ended with some bitterness to her voice. "We were in the middle of battle when an explosion wnet off, a dirty trick of the Hyssten's. That's how you were hurt. The spear, also courtesy of the Hysstens."
All was silent for a little while, Jadyn staring at the wall and i at the ceiling. Then, an odd feeling erupted around my middle and my stomach growled. Jadyn half smiled. "Of course you hungry," she said, "I'll get you something to eat." She stood up and walked to the door to leave.
"Wait," I called. I had one more question for now. "What are these flowers called? I like them."
Jadyn full out smiled, brightening her face. I knew the sparkle in her eyes; it was a new hope she had just caught sight of. A glimpse of bold color in black and white.
"They're called Ressins."
Then she left, still smiling, closing the door behind her quietly but with gusto. I struggled to find the color she saw. But there was no new hope i could see, so I did the least, or most, I could do at the moment. Hoped to find hope. I turned my head to one side to look at the ressins. Withdrawing my arm from the tightly wrapped quilt, I plucked one from its vase. I held it on my quilted chest and breathed in its scent again. It helped me hope.