Chapter Four
In Preparation
All I could do was take it all in. The village was lined with houses and small shops. The ground, except for the dirt roads, was alive with cỏ and beautiful blossoms. Among the many people there, I spotted động vật such as a panda, a deer, and a heron.
Tia perched on my shoulder as a parrot, like she used to, only now she spoke, "So what do bạn think? Isn't it a nice place?"
"Yep, I think I'm going to like here," I told her happily. "But which house is the one I'm going to live in?"
"Maybe the one with your mom standing in front of it?" Tia gestured with a wing, and for the first time, I noticed my mom waving at us.
"Hi, Mom!" Turning back to normal, Toby hustled his way through the crowd to get to her.
"Well, let's not make her wait much longer." Tia flew off of my shoulder and over to the house, before transforming back as well. Mom didn't look the least bit fazed.
I tried to follow Tia, but almost ended up stepping on a cat's tail.
"Sorry!" I exclaimed quickly. The blue-gray tom glanced up at me. Its face was pure white. "Uh, are bạn an Anipeilan?" I asked it, relishing the term for the first time.
The cat just looked confused. "Mrow?"
"Okay... I guess not." Clearly not all of the động vật here have superpowers,I realized. "Well, anyway, sorry about that."
The cat kept gazing placidly at me, then turned and scampered away, disappearing into the surrounding forest.
"Sharon!" My mom embraced me in a tight hug. "I'm so glad you're here!"
"Mom!" I hugged her back, almost as tightly. "You knew about this place?"
"Of course I did, sweetie," she answered.
"Wait, what?" inquired another familiar voice. Mom and I broke apart and I turned around to see Elese, who came up to us looking bewildered. "You knew all about this, and bạn never bothered to tell us? bạn didn't think it would be important?"
Mom sighed. It was clear she'd been dreading this question. "Your father and I agreed that bạn shouldn't have to know about this until all of bạn came of age. Well, almost all of you," she added as Amy stepped out of the house behind her.
Seeing Amy again brought a pang of relief, but also reminded me of Goryn. If I was right, I had seen him earlier that ngày - a full-size dragon. Had that been real, hoặc had I just been imagining it? Then again, I had also thought that I had imagined that eagle from before, and now look where I was because of it.
From behind Amy, Barry emerged. "Oh, hey, guys," he greeted me and Toby. "I've just been giving Amy horseback rides. She loves it."
"You have a horse?" I asked.
"Oh, no." He smiled. "I am the horse."
With that, he transformed into a palomino stallion, then back. "Huh? Pretty cool, right?"
"Eh, mine's still better," Toby boasted. Barry glared at him.
"Well, I think it's great," I told him.
"Thank you! See, this is why you're my yêu thích sister." Barry put his arm around my shoulder. Elese rolled her eyes.
"Oh, please. That's just what he đã đưa ý kiến to me before he pulled a prank on me the tiếp theo day, so watch your back, Sharon," Elese warned me.
Mom chuckled. "Well, what do bạn say we all just get ready for your ceremonies?"
"Sweet!" Barry and Toby rushed into the house, leaving the door swinging behind them until it closed.
I looked at Elese. "So, Elese, what's your-"
"Puma," she replied tersely. "How about you?"
"A leopard," I responded. "And what about Amy?"
"We're not sure yet. That Gwen girl đã đưa ý kiến that she hasn't shown any sign of transforming."
I glanced back at Amy, who gave me a friendly wave.
"Go ahead inside, girls," our mom instructed. "Elese, why don't bạn hiển thị Sharon her new room?"
So we obliged. The inside of the house was nice and roomy, but with a cozy feeling akin to a cabin. Somehow, it didn't feel that different from our original home.
"Our rooms are upstairs," Elese informed me.
"Okay, thank you." I started up the stairs, then turned around. "Elese, what do bạn think our ceremony is going to be like?"
Elese considered that câu hỏi for a moment before answering, "Weird. But also amazing. Just like everything else in this place."
"Probably," I agreed. Then, I hurried up the stairs, hoping to see my new room, when I came to a door with a small, paper sign taped to it. On the sign were the words "Sharon's Room" written in Mom's neat handwriting. Slowly, I opened the door, and to my astonishment, all of my belongings were there, even my pillows and blankets. The furniture was arranged a little differently, but other than that, it felt like I had just walked into my old room. When I checked my closet, I found all my clothes there, hanging just as they'd been when I'd left that morning for school. Along with my old outfits were a couple of new ones.
"Yeah, those were Gwen's idea. When it comes to fashion, she can get a little overexcited. She wanted to recreate your entire wardrobe, but Faust told her not to."
I whirled around to see Tia standing behind me. "Tia! How did bạn get all of my stuff here?"
"Oh, I didn't. I just told them what to bring here from your old house, and they did the rest," Tia explained. When I looked puzzled, she amended, " 'They,' meaning the leader of the Anipeilans and the help he enlisted."
"There's a leader of the Anipeilans?" I asked. "Am I going to meet him soon?"
"You've already met him. Gwen's brother, Faust Dynidge. But he does play a role in our ceremonies."
"These ceremonies... How often do they happen?" I questioned her.
"Not very often," she replied, somewhat solemnly. "Not lately, anyway. There seem to be less Anipeilans nowadays in Kariarelm, and even fewer in Earth."
Suddenly, an echoing clang like a chuông, bell reverberated through the house. Tia perked up instantly. "Yes! It's time for our ceremonies! Meet bạn outside!"
Tia took off like a bullet down the stairs. A few giây later, my brothers burst from their rooms and followed suit.
A mix of excitement and anxiety washed over me as I strolled down the stairs. What would my ceremony be like? What would happen? And what would my element be? My mind buzzed with các câu hỏi as I joined the others outside, closing the door of my new trang chủ behind me.
Author's Note:
"Said" is dead! Have bạn noticed that throughout this story, I have never used the word "said" to introduce dialogue? If I ever do that, just assume that I'm really, really, brain dead. XP
That being said, stick around for chapter 5! The ceremony! *cue dramatic music* And please tell me what bạn thought in the comments! :)
In Preparation
All I could do was take it all in. The village was lined with houses and small shops. The ground, except for the dirt roads, was alive with cỏ and beautiful blossoms. Among the many people there, I spotted động vật such as a panda, a deer, and a heron.
Tia perched on my shoulder as a parrot, like she used to, only now she spoke, "So what do bạn think? Isn't it a nice place?"
"Yep, I think I'm going to like here," I told her happily. "But which house is the one I'm going to live in?"
"Maybe the one with your mom standing in front of it?" Tia gestured with a wing, and for the first time, I noticed my mom waving at us.
"Hi, Mom!" Turning back to normal, Toby hustled his way through the crowd to get to her.
"Well, let's not make her wait much longer." Tia flew off of my shoulder and over to the house, before transforming back as well. Mom didn't look the least bit fazed.
I tried to follow Tia, but almost ended up stepping on a cat's tail.
"Sorry!" I exclaimed quickly. The blue-gray tom glanced up at me. Its face was pure white. "Uh, are bạn an Anipeilan?" I asked it, relishing the term for the first time.
The cat just looked confused. "Mrow?"
"Okay... I guess not." Clearly not all of the động vật here have superpowers,I realized. "Well, anyway, sorry about that."
The cat kept gazing placidly at me, then turned and scampered away, disappearing into the surrounding forest.
"Sharon!" My mom embraced me in a tight hug. "I'm so glad you're here!"
"Mom!" I hugged her back, almost as tightly. "You knew about this place?"
"Of course I did, sweetie," she answered.
"Wait, what?" inquired another familiar voice. Mom and I broke apart and I turned around to see Elese, who came up to us looking bewildered. "You knew all about this, and bạn never bothered to tell us? bạn didn't think it would be important?"
Mom sighed. It was clear she'd been dreading this question. "Your father and I agreed that bạn shouldn't have to know about this until all of bạn came of age. Well, almost all of you," she added as Amy stepped out of the house behind her.
Seeing Amy again brought a pang of relief, but also reminded me of Goryn. If I was right, I had seen him earlier that ngày - a full-size dragon. Had that been real, hoặc had I just been imagining it? Then again, I had also thought that I had imagined that eagle from before, and now look where I was because of it.
From behind Amy, Barry emerged. "Oh, hey, guys," he greeted me and Toby. "I've just been giving Amy horseback rides. She loves it."
"You have a horse?" I asked.
"Oh, no." He smiled. "I am the horse."
With that, he transformed into a palomino stallion, then back. "Huh? Pretty cool, right?"
"Eh, mine's still better," Toby boasted. Barry glared at him.
"Well, I think it's great," I told him.
"Thank you! See, this is why you're my yêu thích sister." Barry put his arm around my shoulder. Elese rolled her eyes.
"Oh, please. That's just what he đã đưa ý kiến to me before he pulled a prank on me the tiếp theo day, so watch your back, Sharon," Elese warned me.
Mom chuckled. "Well, what do bạn say we all just get ready for your ceremonies?"
"Sweet!" Barry and Toby rushed into the house, leaving the door swinging behind them until it closed.
I looked at Elese. "So, Elese, what's your-"
"Puma," she replied tersely. "How about you?"
"A leopard," I responded. "And what about Amy?"
"We're not sure yet. That Gwen girl đã đưa ý kiến that she hasn't shown any sign of transforming."
I glanced back at Amy, who gave me a friendly wave.
"Go ahead inside, girls," our mom instructed. "Elese, why don't bạn hiển thị Sharon her new room?"
So we obliged. The inside of the house was nice and roomy, but with a cozy feeling akin to a cabin. Somehow, it didn't feel that different from our original home.
"Our rooms are upstairs," Elese informed me.
"Okay, thank you." I started up the stairs, then turned around. "Elese, what do bạn think our ceremony is going to be like?"
Elese considered that câu hỏi for a moment before answering, "Weird. But also amazing. Just like everything else in this place."
"Probably," I agreed. Then, I hurried up the stairs, hoping to see my new room, when I came to a door with a small, paper sign taped to it. On the sign were the words "Sharon's Room" written in Mom's neat handwriting. Slowly, I opened the door, and to my astonishment, all of my belongings were there, even my pillows and blankets. The furniture was arranged a little differently, but other than that, it felt like I had just walked into my old room. When I checked my closet, I found all my clothes there, hanging just as they'd been when I'd left that morning for school. Along with my old outfits were a couple of new ones.
"Yeah, those were Gwen's idea. When it comes to fashion, she can get a little overexcited. She wanted to recreate your entire wardrobe, but Faust told her not to."
I whirled around to see Tia standing behind me. "Tia! How did bạn get all of my stuff here?"
"Oh, I didn't. I just told them what to bring here from your old house, and they did the rest," Tia explained. When I looked puzzled, she amended, " 'They,' meaning the leader of the Anipeilans and the help he enlisted."
"There's a leader of the Anipeilans?" I asked. "Am I going to meet him soon?"
"You've already met him. Gwen's brother, Faust Dynidge. But he does play a role in our ceremonies."
"These ceremonies... How often do they happen?" I questioned her.
"Not very often," she replied, somewhat solemnly. "Not lately, anyway. There seem to be less Anipeilans nowadays in Kariarelm, and even fewer in Earth."
Suddenly, an echoing clang like a chuông, bell reverberated through the house. Tia perked up instantly. "Yes! It's time for our ceremonies! Meet bạn outside!"
Tia took off like a bullet down the stairs. A few giây later, my brothers burst from their rooms and followed suit.
A mix of excitement and anxiety washed over me as I strolled down the stairs. What would my ceremony be like? What would happen? And what would my element be? My mind buzzed with các câu hỏi as I joined the others outside, closing the door of my new trang chủ behind me.
Author's Note:
"Said" is dead! Have bạn noticed that throughout this story, I have never used the word "said" to introduce dialogue? If I ever do that, just assume that I'm really, really, brain dead. XP
That being said, stick around for chapter 5! The ceremony! *cue dramatic music* And please tell me what bạn thought in the comments! :)
which seems like the
most logical
answer.
I’m not exactly
dead, dead
I’m just kind of
gone.
Wiped off the
face of the planet.
bạn have to be or
t h e y
will find you.
I know,
t h e y
sounds very vague.
The real term for them is
Musuh (Moo-soo),
which means “The Enemy” in Indonesian.
They are like my kind’s
Supreme Court
but their punishments
can be a tad thêm um...
severe,
let’s say.
Now onto my kind:
vampires.
Yes, the blood-sucking,
immortal,
***s p a r k l e – i n – t h e – s u n l i g h t***,
soul eaters.
Sigh.
Mortals have always had a
v a s t
(and slightly crazy)
imagination.
Real
ma cà rồng are hardly
any of these things,
well except
blood-sucking
and immortal.
most logical
answer.
I’m not exactly
dead, dead
I’m just kind of
gone.
Wiped off the
face of the planet.
bạn have to be or
t h e y
will find you.
I know,
t h e y
sounds very vague.
The real term for them is
Musuh (Moo-soo),
which means “The Enemy” in Indonesian.
They are like my kind’s
Supreme Court
but their punishments
can be a tad thêm um...
severe,
let’s say.
Now onto my kind:
vampires.
Yes, the blood-sucking,
immortal,
***s p a r k l e – i n – t h e – s u n l i g h t***,
soul eaters.
Sigh.
Mortals have always had a
v a s t
(and slightly crazy)
imagination.
Real
ma cà rồng are hardly
any of these things,
well except
blood-sucking
and immortal.
Why me?
I look to the stars
for answers.
All they do is sit there,
*T w i n k l i n g*
They make me want to
grab
and
tear
them out of the sky.
Not that it
would help.
Nothing can help me now.
It’s hard for me to understand that
I’ve
been
sentenced
to
death.
All my mistakes,
I knew they’d come back to
actually kill me.
It’s not fair.
I know:
l i f e ’ s n o t f a i r.
I’ve had thêm
than enough times
figuring
that
out.
I look to the stars
for answers.
All they do is sit there,
*T w i n k l i n g*
They make me want to
grab
and
tear
them out of the sky.
Not that it
would help.
Nothing can help me now.
It’s hard for me to understand that
I’ve
been
sentenced
to
death.
All my mistakes,
I knew they’d come back to
actually kill me.
It’s not fair.
I know:
l i f e ’ s n o t f a i r.
I’ve had thêm
than enough times
figuring
that
out.