The awakening...

Present Day

Lyla

With trembling hands, I lifted the paper closer and began to croon the words softly, my voice shaky at first. Suddenly, my voice tuned in with the melody that I should be singing with the song, then a strange sensation began to wash over me.

A warmth spread through my chest, radiating out to my fingertips and toes. It was as if the song itself was breathing life into me, filling me with energy I'd never felt before. My voice grew stronger, and I felt myself take my eyes off the paper, lifting my eyes to the sky as the rest of the song rolled onto my tongue.

The more the melody rolled off my mouth, the more exhilarating and terrifying and disconnected I felt from my own body, as though something else was guiding me. I tried to focus my gaze on Xander who stood in front of me now, his hands placed on the stone in the middle of the standing stones.