Kat suddenly felt faint as sweat began beading on her brow and she had to resist the urge to hurl right there on the floor.
Kat? Are you okay? You look really pale."
She turned to face her brother, feeling embarrassed that he'd noticed, and could see a glimmer of worry in his eyes.
"Urp, Just- Just a bit nauseous. Probably from skipping breakfast this morning," Kat's world was starting to spin slightly as she almost slipped off the pillar.
"Maybe we should eat our lunches then," her brother said, obviously still concerned about her, "Though, if we need to leave, we can."
Kat lowered her backpack to the ground. Unzipping the large pocket, she began scrounging through the trail supplies until she found what she was looking for. Pulling out the insulated lunch bag, she pulled out her sandwich and started eating. Almost instantly she felt her stomach begin to relax, and the nausea begin to subside.
She kept glancing at Nathan as she ate. He was staring at her intently, only looking away to take a bite of his own food. However, she found his expression softening as it became apparent she wasn't about to hurl everywhere.
"You don't look nearly as pale," Nathan said as he got to his feet when they'd both finished eating.
"Told you I was just hungry," Kat replied, turning to put her lunch bag back into her bag, though a bit of nausea still lingered.
Her brother messed up her hair as he walked past her, "I'm your older brother. It's my job to worry about you."
"Well I wouldn't have had to skip breakfast if someone wouldn't have been rushing me so much," she shot back, patting her black hair to make sure it wasn't too messy.
"Well, I wasn't the one who decided to sleep in."
She shook her head and stayed quiet, she had completely forgotten that they were going on an expedition and hadn't set an alarm that morning, which resulted in a very rushed effort to get ready to go.
She watched her brother pick his way back towards the pedestal and pull out his notebook as he continued to make notes. Smiling to herself, she began wandering towards the entrance to the temple.
The next few hours passed without much event as her brother carefully examined everything and took numerous samples and made countless notes. Occasionally, she would be hit with a wave of nausea, though it was never as bad as the first time. She explored the building too, amazed that no one else had found this place before, or if they had, hadn't completely looted the place.
Eventually, Kat planted herself on a collapsed pillar near one of the waterfalls out front. She found herself wincing as she rubbed her stomach. She closed her eyes, waiting for the feeling to pass. The sound of the waterfall mixed with the warmth of the sun as it made its way across the sky, as Kat found herself struggling to stay awake.
She couldn't deny that there was a peace here that seemed to permeate the very air. It was as if she was on an entirely different planet than everyone else. Nothing existed beyond the edge of the clearing. Maybe that's why no one else found this place, she thought to herself, they wouldn't be able to leave it.
She continued to rub her belly, enjoying the cool breeze as it made its way across her skin. She couldn't help but wonder what would happen if it really was a goddess here. She didn't particularly believe in any gods, but if there was one, this would be the place she would chose to manifest. Right here, in this temple. The magic would permeate the whole area and all who came here would feel welcome.
Her mind began to drift as she tried to figure out the reason why there were so many women being worshipped throughout history with big pregnant bellies. She couldn't shake the images from her mind, and she continued imagining herself as one of them.
The sounds and feeling around her were almost hypnotic as she found herself drifting closer to sleep, and her thoughts began to mingle with the stirrings of dreams. Slowly her hand began to drift down her stomach towards her groin and her breathing began to slow and become more regular.
"Kat."
She was faintly aware of someone calling her name, though it sounded like it was a thousand miles away.
"Kat. Wake up."
The voice sounded like her brother's though it was tinged with a bit of concern.
"Kat. It's time to go."
"Go where?" She mumbled, her voice sounding distant and far off as sensation slowly returned to her body.
"Home, silly. It's getting late."
Kat blinked, wincing slightly as another wave of nausea washed over her. Nathan was standing over her, a faint look of concern illuminated by the red glow of the sun as it began inching towards the horizon. He reached out a hand, which she took, and he helped hoist her to her feet. She wobbled unsteadily, shaking her head as she remembered where they were.
"How long was I out?"
"At least a few hours, though I figured it was best not to wake you until it was time to go."
She shook her head and slowly wandered over to her pack, slinging it over her shoulder. She glanced back at the outside of the temple before following her brother out of the clearing, and along the path they'd taken to get there with a slight hint of disappointment that she couldn't stay and enjoy the peace. She would've just suggested that they stay the night if she didn't have school the next morning.
They walked along quietly, focused on staying on the path as the sun set. Slowly the sky changed from red to purple to a dark blue, and they had to pull out their flashlights to see the faint trail. The breeze became chilling as Kat no longer had the sun to help keep her warm, and the sound of nocturnal insects began to fill the air.
She couldn't deny that she loved nature. Especially at night. Unlike her small city, nature really seemed to come alive at night. She smiled as a firefly twinkled off in the distance as if to emphasize that point.
Suddenly the forest was filled with a faint white light as the full moon moved out from behind a cloud, and she cast her gaze to the heavens that were filled with stars. She stopped for a moment and just admired how beautiful everything was. She could almost hear the trees swaying in the wind high above her, and she could almost feel the grass flowing in the night breeze that was filling the air.
Her brother seemed to stop and do the same. For a moment, it was like she could see his thoughts and he was daydreaming about his own life. She was about to say something when he quickly shook his head and they continued to follow the path.
Kat was again struck by a sense of longing that she couldn't quite place. It was almost familiar, as if she needed to be somewhere else at that very moment. She had the same feeling just before falling asleep by the waterfall. It wasn't a bad feeling, but it left her feeling a little empty inside, like she wanted to return to the peace she'd felt.
After what felt like forever, they finally arrived at Nathan's jeep. Quietly they threw their packs into the back and climbed into the front. The two rode in silence, both exhausted from a long day. Kat was sure that Nathan would talk her ear off about his discoveries later, but now, it was time for rest and contemplation.
Kat awoke again just as they were pulling into their driveway. The sound of the engine and the slight rocking of the car had put her right back to sleep. Groggily, she opened the door and stepped out into the night. She grabbed her pack and followed Nathan towards the front door, looking up at the dark house.
Her parents were probably asleep already, though that was fairly normal. Kat and Nathan would often arrive home from their expeditions late at night, and their parents had long since given up on trying to stay awake to wait for them.
Nathan stopped just a few feet away from the front door, pulling his car keys out. He looked at her as if wanting to say something, but just ended up shaking his head and unlocking the front door before stepping inside. Kat followed him, and placed her pack on the floor next to his, just beside the front door.
She followed Nathan into the kitchen where she knew there would be leftovers from dinner waiting for them. Their mother always made sure they had food ready for when they got home. This time, it was lasagna. Nathan reheated his food in the microwave before carrying it up to his room. Kat figured he'd probably be up consolidating his notes and thinking about what he'd seen for at least another hour.
She reheated her own food and carried it up to her room, where she shut the door and turned on the lights. She plopped down at the chair in front of her writing desk, looking around the messy room. Clothes were strewn everywhere, and she noticed a few dirty plates sitting on the edge of her desk. There were a few miscellaneous posters on her walls, ranging from video games to boy bands. Honestly, her room looked pretty much like a typical teenager's room.
She quickly ate her lasagna, glad when it seemed to help her growing nausea subside, and began getting ready for bed. She stripped out of her clothes and slipped on a tank top, and some fuzzy pajama bottoms before crawling into bed. She glanced at her alarm clock and sighed as she realized she'd only be able to get about 5 hours of sleep if she wanted to make it to school on time.
Her dreams were filled with images of being pregnant. She dreamed she was huge and growing. Then, suddenly, she woke up.
The sound of the alarm was clear in her ears, though she was barely aware of it. The dream had felt so real, but still, something didn't seem quite right this morning.
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