Oriana's Eyes by Celeste Simone

the smiling boy I first met. Something is aging him faster than time.
    I look past him to examine Azura, a girl whose unique features were hidden in the darkness of the cave and then distorted by the light of flames. She has slanted green eyes and long brown hair that curls into unruly ringlets. She presses her pink lips together and glares at me. Somehow I know this look will become familiar.
    The young stranger beside her does not look back. I feel uneasy about his presence but decide to remain silent. He is after all one of my rescuers.
    I get to my feet and hurry after them. We head into the woods, moving as quickly as we can manage, weaving in and out of branches and bushes. I marvel at the many different species of plants.
    Above is a sharp cry that startles me, and I look up to find the silhouette of a bird, its wings are spread, allowing sunlight to glisten through. I yearn for its freedom, its beauty and mastery of the sky, yet I know it will never come to pass.
    Soon we’ve put many layers of forest between us and the cave’s exit. We start up a hill, determined to put it even deeper in the past. As we reach the crest, Dorian and the stranger together guide Azura to the base of a fruit tree and help her sit on a large boulder.
    As the part-blood turns to face me, I see that his hair is a deep auburn. Not the brilliant red I saw in the cave’s firelight, but the deep red of blood. He looks up at me, noticing my gaze and I see that his eyes hold the same color.
    I realize how strained my muscles are as I take a seat on the mossy ground. I let out a sigh of relief. Leaning back against the trunk of the tree I gaze up into its fruit-laden branches. Red ripened spheres ornament the teardrop leaves, some still green in places where they have not reached their peak. Hidden among the green leaves are smaller orbs, healthy, fresh, and awaiting their time to drop.
    “Would you like some?”
    I notice Dorian kneeling beside me. He holds a plump fruit before me, offering a chance to taste its sweetness. I nod, and he grasps both ends of the fruit, twisting in opposite directions to split it open. Juice escapes down his wrist as he hands me one half, the white center gleaming temptingly on top. I take it gently, first watching Dorian take a large bite and then hazarding a taste myself. It is much richer than the bland, gritty foods I am used to. I’ve only read about the fruit of trees. As I swallow the sweet center, I feel as though I’ve been accepted by the forest. My white robes take on the white of the fruit, the white of blooming flowers or the birds singing to the sun.
    “Are they going to meet us here?” Azura asks between bites of fruit, which she retrieved from a branch overhead. “They can’t expect us to walk all the way back by ourselves; we’re already exhausted.”
    Dorian stands to his full height and stretches his arms over his head before tossing the core of his fruit into the nearby foliage. “I was hoping they would be here already …”
    Just then, Dorian’s fruit core hurtles toward him from behind and hits the back of his skull. He flinches, rubbing the sore spot and turning to face the source. “I guess I spoke too soon.”
    Then he smiles as the branches part to reveal a man of great height whose face glows triumphantly. He is followed by a young boy and a girl, clearly chuckling over the recent jest. The tall man approaches Dorian, grabs his hand, and claps him on the back in welcome.
    “I see you’ve made it in one piece,” he says in a deep commanding tone. His rich chestnut eyes twinkle with humor. They are shadowed by sandy curled hair that reaches below his ears, and as he steps further into the light, I notice his wide grin displays two charismatic dimples. He is older than Dorian and I, but still fairly young.
    My mind automatically labels him as a part-blood. In fact, the others are part-blooded as well, all with shades of brown hair. As they approach Azura and the other