Radiance

Anna couldn't breathe. She and Serenity had been hiking for the last four hours and they still had miles to go before they reached the peak.

“You okay?” Serenity asked.

“I'm good,” Anna said. She grabbed a bottle of water from her hip and took a drink. She hefted her bag further up on her shoulder and forced herself onward. As the photographer, Anna took it upon herself to carry all her equipment. Extra weight that she was starting to regret. What little plant life remained pricked at her ankles and the chemicals in the air clogged her lungs. Anna kept her flashlight aimed at the ground, looking for any stray boulders. There wasn't any wildlife to worry about, all the predators long since extinct and the prey animals crushed into warehouses for human consumption.

While she focused on breathing, Serenity had paused as well, her multi-colored glow sticks bobbing while she rocked on her heels and stretched out her lithe arms.

The cities had artificial light, of course, gleaming out from all the smog and ash, but they were far from the city. This deep in the wilderness, their own lights provided the only illumination, even at one in the afternoon. It had been years since Anna had seen the sun, decades if she wasn't worried about showing her age. Memories of warmth as hazy as the air around them. Which was part of the reason for her trek. The other reason added additional weight to her pack. A magazine article about her latest show. Banal and dreary were the primary adjectives used. It had been a beautiful shoot, overflowing with lush colors, provocative poses, and fresh green ferns that cost a fortune. Serenity modeled for that shoot as well. Anna had little reason to fool herself. She was on this trip out of spite.

Her phone vibrated, lit up like a flame in the darkness. Anna checked her messages, grateful for the opportunity to extend her break.

Anna rolled her eyes, but typed out a response.

“Who was it?” Serenity asked.

“Eli.” Her ex-husband. They had parted on reasonably amicable terms and could have conversations that were only marginally stilted. Texts were easier on both of them. “Wanted to make sure I was still taking Quinn tonight.”

Serenity looked at her own phone. “Are you going to be back in time?”

“Absolutely.”

Quinn wouldn't care one way or the other. She'd stopped talking to Anna years ago. At least about anything serious. Anna only found out Quinn was graduating high school a year early because Eli told her. She grabbed the heart shaped locket under her t-shirt. Eli gave it to her when he found out she was pregnant with Quinn. Sixteen years ago. She could still remember the night: the warmth of candlelight flickering off the gold of the pendant, the warmth of his hand in hers, and the warmth of future possibilities.

Anna took the opportunity to gaze at Serenity, who was focused on her phone, the blue light dancing across her face and fingers. In the privacy of her own mind, Anna could admit that Serenity reminded her of Quinn. Probably why she used her so often for her photos. They were the same age. Serenity was blonde instead of brunette, with pointed features instead of Quinn's softer face and angles. But they both had the energy and exuberant hope of youth exuding from every pore and movement.

“Ready?” Anna asked. Serenity nodded and shoved her phone back into her jean pocket.

They made it to the mountain peak within the hour. Anna didn't notice they'd reached it until she tried to take another step and realized there wasn't another step.

“Is this it?” Serenity asked.

“I guess so,” Anna said, dumping her bag on the ground and trying to keep the disappointment out of her voice. She had tempered her expectations, but evidently not well enough. She'd been looking for something wild and untamed and bright. And she'd found this. The highest point in the hemisphere. Dark and empty and dirty.

But they were there and Anna had her equipment, so they might as well shoot some photos. She set up her camera and was beginning to set up the lights when Serenity gasped.

“Wait,” she shouted, flapping a hand frantically at Anna. “Don't turn those on yet.”

She was looking at something over the edge of the cliff and shoving her glow sticks into her pockets to douse their light. Anna approached her cautiously.

“Don't fall over,” Anna warned, but Serenity didn't respond, arrested by whatever it was she was staring at.

Anna leaned over and saw what had her captivated. From this high up, the lights from the city were visible again, a diamond glittering against the shadows. Pretty enough, but still disappointing. At least for Anna.

The echoes of the light danced across Serenity's awe-stricken face, her eyes alight with neon.

The locket had fallen out of Anna's shirt when she leaned over. When Serenity turned to Anna, her mouth partially open, her eyes locked on the locket.

“It looks like sunlight,” Serenity whispered.

“Yeah,” Anna said. Even though she knew it was only a reflection.