New Story! Hera: Woes of a Reluctant Bride (Part Uno)

So . . . for the record, Planets is officially on hiatus. I have ran into some technical difficulties that I'll be able to sort out soon but I just realized that I might want to finish the whole story before I finish posting it. The story is just at a point that I can't post one part and change my mind about it or else, apart from being totally confusing to the reader, I will make it harder for myself to remember which idea I chose! (Does that make any sense?) Poor Kendle has heard way too much about Planets but can't be helped, she's my very helpful springboard. You can just ask her if I change my mind frequently. (Her answer would be a definite YES!)

In any case, I have a story, already finished thank heavens, that I wrote last year during English. It's a bit odd but I kind of like how it turned out. Just as a little background, last year in English we were spending a lot of time on Greek Mythology. I noticed that one of the Gods, Hera (Zeus's wife), got a bad wrap. Basically, everyone hated her because she was jealous of the women that her husband would go have affairs with! I felt that her side of the story should be heard so I commenced to write it. I tried to keep it as close to myth as possible but I have taken some liberties with it.

Well, enjoy!

Hera

“Aren’t you excited? Within a few hours you’ll be married!” Chara exclaimed as she straightened her cousin’s veil. “And to the god Zeus no less!”

Hera sighed sadly. “Are you so wiling to get rid of me?”

“No! I am happy for you! This is an important time. Aren’t you excited or at least halfway happy?”

“He tricked me. I never really had a choice in the matter. How could I know that he would disguise himself as such a harmless looking cuckoo? And then he . . .” she broke off, anger and shame in her eyes then after a moment she resumed her lament. “He doesn’t love me anyways. You’ve heard of his escapades, as have I. You know he will never be a faithful husband.”

“He loves you, I’m sure. I’ve seen the way he looks at you. It’s love in his eyes,” Chara tried to reassure her distraught cousin while straightening the hem of Hera’s silver gown.

“Rather lust I would say,” Hera snorted, her eyes glistening with tears. “I know I’m beautiful but now it seems to have landed me into a rather unwanted predicament,” a curl escaped her massive up-do. She viciously brushed it aside.

Chara carefully pinned the offending curl up with a sparkling star. “Now it can’t be as bad as you make it sound. He is very powerful; he is the god of the heavens, after all. Why are you so against this marriage in the first place?”

“You just don’t understand, Chara. I wanted to make a name for myself before I became tied down. Do you realize that I still don’t have power over anything? Even you are the Goddess over something.”

“Kittens,” Chara proudly announced. “I’m the Goddess of Kittens.”

“Now I’ll be stuck with something because I’m his wife,” Hera moaned.

“You’ll be the queen of all the gods!” Dina said brightly but just received a sob in return
.
“Is it too much to ask for that I love the one I marry, and he love me?” Hera’s voice was no more than a whisper for that is all she could muster with tears coursing down her face.

“Oh, I know,” Chara’s caring voice took on a much different tone. “You’re still weepy over that mortal, what’s-his-name.”
“Takis,” Hera replied, her face in her hands. “His name is Takis.”

“Come on, Hera, you know that it wouldn’t have ever worked out, even if Zeus hadn’t decided to marry you. He was a mortal! Within a few years he will be with Hades as the Fates dictate.” She was sewing another star on Hera’s cloud veil but Hera pushed her aside.

“Leave me,” her voice was filed with despair. “Please, Chara. Leave me.”

. . . . . . I FINISHED IT!!!

Planets: Chapter Eight: Slowly but Surely

Chapter Eight: Slowly but Surely
“Kelsi, you have been behaving quite well for the past couple weeks, I think it’s time for us to progress further into your training.”
Kelsi’s smirk was self assured, not unlike the chilly smile of Mistress. She had worked hard the last two weeks and had gained confidence and assurance along with knowledge. She laughed at how afraid she had been before and scoffed at the notion that Mistress was “creepy.” Mistress was powerful, the picture of a well-meaning mentor. Kelsi could only dream of that she would someday be as intelligent and influential as Mistress.
“As you have learned, you are magical. As a mintis of royal blood, however small the percentage of royal blood may be, you are able to harness you magic to do more than household chores as the peasant mintis do.”
Kelsi’s eyes lit up and she almost exclaimed with joy but she resisted the impulse and composed herself.
“Magic is a very hard thing to control, it’s often flighty. It will take a lot of self-control to use your magic. One wrong move and it could destroy you.”
“I’m up to the challenge!” Kelsi stood up, her hair falling out of it’s up-do and into her face in her vigor.
“Really? I’m not quite so sure that you are,” Mistress’s questioning voice stung Kelsi. She quietly sat back down, her face burning as scarlet as the ribbons weaving through her hair.
“I know that you are confident in your ability, Kelsi, and I’m pleased to note that you’re assured. Unfortunately vim is not enough by itself. There are several things you still need to know. One especially important thing that is connected to magic is a familiar.
“Familiars are special creatures that every magical royal mintis has. These animals protect their mintis and help channel their magic. Most Familiars stay as one creature form their whole life but can change forms when their mintis goes through a drastic life changing experience. Not surprisingly Familiars can’t die until their mintis passes on.”
“Do you have a Familiar?” Kelsi asked Mistress, her even tone masking her eagerness to learn. Perkiness was something Mistress abhorred and Kelsi had been working hard on curbing her detestable emotions.
“Yes,” Mistress replied and Kelsi saw a black widow scurry from behind Mistress’s ear down across her neck to her arm where it placed itself on her finger, looking like a lethal ring. Mistress stroked it with one finger. “May I continue with my lecture?”
“Yes,” Kelsi looked down, shamefaced. How could she have been so rude? She knew that Mistress hated interruptions.
“You will get your own Familiar in time. Familiar’s come to mintis when they have reached a point in their magic where they need the Familiar’s protection. It should come soon for you. The more powerful the magic, the more protection is needed. Do you have any questions? You must understand this. It is vital to your training,” Mistress paused as Kelsi gathered her thoughts.
“It all makes sense but I don’t understand why I can’t already start to do magic now. You have taught me so much and you say that I have much potential. Why can’t I start right now, today?”
Mistress gave Kelsi a tight-lipped smile. “If you think you are ready than we will see what you can do.”
Kelsi felt like squealing with joy but simply smiled back at Mistress.
“Stand up,” Mistress ordered.
Kelsi obeyed and waited silently for instructions.
“We will need to go to a different room, it’s two crowded in here. The last thing we need is an unintentional injury to occur,” Mistress grasped Kelsi’s arm and they appeared in an empty room, devoid of any hangings, furnishings or decorations of any kind. Kelsi was shocked that such a room existed in Mistress’s lavish castle. The room was still made of high quality materials such as the onyx tiles that paved the floor but the extravagance that was common among the other rooms wasn’t found here.
There aren’t any doorways or windows. The thought slightly frightened Kelsi as she realized there was no way out. She was trapped.
“Here we are, this shall do nicely,” Mistress looked around the room approvingly, admiring the echo of her voice in the large empty room. “We shall begin your lesson now. Channel your emotions, namely anger, to create magic. I want you to start by crating a bird. Imagine the bird’s every detail, you don’t want to wind up with a half-formed bird,” Mistress finished instructing then looked at Kelsi expectantly.
Feeling rather self conscious, Kelsi breathed in deeply and focused on her anger. Why has it taken Mistress so long to teach me magic? She felt the self-righteous anger bubble up. Does she think I’m stupid? How dare she! Why won’t she just believe in me? Why does she have to be so condescending?
That’s enough, Kelsi,” Mistress interrupted Kelsi’s fuming thoughts.
Kelsi looked up, startled. Could Mistress read her mind?
“You have built up enough anger for this task, now focus your energy on creating the bird.”
She is so controlling. Kelsi thought one more angry notion than began to imagine a bird.
The bird was a sparrow, soft brow feathers speckled with charcoal covering it’s fragile body. It’s beak and small twig-like legs a golden brown and when it opened it’s minute beak the sweetest heart-breaking melody was released. Kelsi had watched many a sparrow back at the orphanage and knew exactly how the small bird should fly. Focusing the energy she had just built up, she pushed it towards the bird, willing the tiny bird to fly out of her mind and into the room. Within seconds the sparrow was there, gliding around the room. Kelsi gave a little sigh of relief then braced herself up against the wall, feeling drained. The bird may have been small but the amount of energy and concentration it had taken to create it had been unbelievable. She scrutinized the little creature, admiring her work. The sparrow had landed, and, shiny, beady eyes bright, had begun to scratch the tiled floor looking for bugs. It was perfect, except she hadn’t imagined the silver feathers at it’s temples. She frowned. Strange.
“Excellent,” Mistress’s expression was one of pure boredom. “Now kill it.”
Kelsi lifted her hand and without thinking twice, projected an electrical orb towards the innocent sparrow. A grievous cry came from the bird’s frail body on contact with the orb. It’s shiny eyes dulled and it’s winds became rigid. The little bird died.
Mistress looked more joyous about this accomplishment than the last. “Let us go now,” her eyes gleaming, she touched Kelsi’s shoulder and transported.
Kelsi sat down at her desk, unfazed that she just killed the bird she had crated. She reflected on the whole experience, coldly noting that it took more energy to create the bird than destroy it.
She sauntered out of the room without saying a word to Mistress who was already rummaging through parchments. Kelsi felt invigorated from her first magic lesson. Everything had gone perfectly and she thought proudly of her sparrow, it’s sweet music ecstatic. Even it’s death had been beautiful at the blue tinged energy hit it’s speckled body and it mournfully shrieked.
She smiled, unaware that her eyes were filled with a frightening hunger. Mistress may have though that she had appeased Kelsi’s want for magic power but she had only made it stronger. Now Kelsi was determined more than ever. She would be a powerful sorceress, even if it killed her. Kelsi was hit with a wave of determination. She was going to be the most powerful sorceress, second only to Mistress. Hopefully that day would come soon.

Time Traveler

Before you lynch me for posting a short story instead of Planets, I just want to explain myself. This story hasn't been taking time away from Planets, it's part of an assignment for school. It actually is based on a story I wrote for a state wide test, I liked the concept so much that I lengthened it to the format it's currently in. Comments and questions are always appreciated.

Time Traveler

By Ginny Romney

"I should have listened to Steve," I say aloud, my truthful words echoing into the cold, dank cell. "It's too late now and I have to face the impending doom, now or never." I peer through my long, brown hair as my mind drifts back to a time that seems ages ago; a time that in reality happened a mere week ago.
I was sitting on my atrocious teal couch, an apparent cast off of my mother's seeing as I would never purchase a couch of such a hideous hue. My apartment was warm and toasty, mostly from the blazing fireplace in the middle of the room but also from the on-going argument between Steve and I.
"I'm telling you, Leslie, you're going to wind up hurting someone, this is not a good idea!" Steve exclaimed, pounding his fist into the poor ugly arm of the couch.
I replied just as passionately. "I don't see what you have against it! This vaccine will save hundreds, no millions of lives!"
"Time travel is so risky and even if you save the smallpox victims have you though of what all these extra people will do? Like you said, the vaccine will save thousands of lives but who can really tell how much longer they'll live? With so many extra people living there could be an increase in famine, additional diseases and crime. In actuality more people could die because of the vaccine."
I wasn't convinced. Stubborn fool that I was, I just laughed at him. "Now you're just looking for things to worry about. I've made up my mind and there's no way you can change it!"
Steve heaved a giant sigh. "I better be on my way then if you're sure there's no way I can talk you out of this one," he stood up and brushed the wrinkles out of his khaki slacks. "Good luck on your trip, Les, I hope everything will go how you planned. ‘Bye," he promptly left, grabbing his coat and scarf without saying a word.
"See you later!" I called after him as he slammed the front door and walked out into the frigid winter air. I shivered from the cold blast of air that Steve had let in and the excitement of my oncoming adventure. Nothing could dampen my spirits, not even Steve. I knew he meant well but his often pessimistic attitude left a bit to be desired.
What I would give to have his negative self her now. I smile, knowing that he would just lecture me, telling me what I could have done to stay out of this mess but even his scolding voice would be welcome. Nothing could be worse than the villagers that frequently stand outside my cell, yelling and screaming as they hold flaming torches. They are out there now, calling me names and telling me that it won't be long before I'm with my supposed maker, the Devil.
Shortly after Steve left I gathered my supplies for my journey. I was leaving early in the morning and I didn't want to be searching for misplaced shoes and missing bags. Everything, from the sterilized needles that were the foundation of my mission to the three changes of clothing for myself, lay next to the door, waiting for the rush of the upcoming day.
The next morning went as smoothly as I had planned. Traffic was going to be light since most time traveling took place later in the day. My family was there to see me off, even my Great Aunt Lena who always said that I would never amount to much.
I interrupt my own musings as a tear slides down my cheek. My family had been so supportive and almost as positive as I had been. They wouldn't have a clue about what happened to me. Maybe it's just as well, Aunt Lena would be ecstatic to know she was right. I'm not going to amount to anything. I'm just a blip in history, a character with noble notions but nothing more than that. I know I have grown a lot since last week because I've excepted the fact that I'm not anyone special. If only I'd learned that sooner.
After I arrived at my destination, early 18th Century England, I began my quest. Admiring the lush countryside, my first couple of days were joyful. I was still enthusiastic and thrilled the difference I would make. It was absolutely bliss until day three, that's when the bad luck struck.
It had drizzled a few times since I had arrived but on Wednesday it POURED. My sneakers soaked and my provisions ruined, I found it hard to laugh it off as I had before. Luckily wasn't far from a village. The welcoming that I received wasn't far from hostile.
"Mama who is that lady?" A child no older than seven asked her mother.
"Just gather the eggs," the woman replied as she nervously continued her work.
"Excuse me," I approached her. "Please, may I vaccinate you and your child? It won't take long, I promise. It may save your life."
The woman just looked at me, horrified. Tucking the last egg into her skirt, she hastily grabbed her child and fled into the run-down hut before her.
I sighed, sad for her but not discouraged, or at least not yet.
What if I had given up then? I wish I had, for if I had I would be home right now, watching Steve gloat. It would be worth the chagrin, just to be safe, warm and carefree.
I plodded along, approaching villagers as I had before. Very few of them actually took me up on my offer and those that did ran away once they saw the needle.
I had been through several tiny villages before I finally reached the whole cause of my mission. This town was only slightly larger than other villages I had gone through but, if my research was correct, in a few short months it would be completely annihilated by smallpox.
As before not many people heeded my frantic warnings.
"Please," I begged a young mother who was several years younger than I. "Think of your children! Think of their future!"
She looked at me fearfully, eyes bright with terror. "May God have mercy on your soul," she whispered to me before she took off.
I was stunned. She thought me a witch? No one could seriously believe I was a witch, that was just unfathomable. I sat down on a wooden fence, my head reeling with unbelief.
Several men approached me, their eyes full of hate.
"This is the one!" A burly man roared. "This is the witch that threatened my family with her instruments from the Devil!"
More people had gathered around, drawn in by the yelling of their fellow neighbors. Darkness began to cloak the sky, casting ominous shadows on the faces of the angry mob.
Understandably, I began to panic, realizing the dire consequences to come. "Please, let me go!" I shook free of the red bearded man that had accused me of witchcraft. "I have just come to help!" I can save your children from the smallpox epidemic! Just let me vaccinate them, it will only help them!" My pleas were drowned out by the furious townspeople.
"Don't listen to her, she will take the souls of your children!"
"She was sent to kill our crops!"
"Why? Why are we being punished so?"
"How can we keep her from cursing us? We haven't done any wrong. We are a God fearing people!"
"Burn her!" The shout came from multiple people. It grew louder and louder until everyone was shouting it.
"No!" A dark-haired man bellowed loud enough to silence the crowd. My heart rose. Maybe someone understood that I was just trying to help. "We must give her a trial first."
My heart sank. I was as good as dead.
What if Steve had come to save me? The thought is ridiculous but it keeps praying on my mind, even now that all hope has been lost. Imagination gone wild, I can't help but visualize him, pulling up in a time machine, as picturesque as a knight on a white steed. I haven't been aware of it, but just yesterday I realized that I love him. He isn't just the boy from next door, he's the man who has always been my intellectual equal, the only person that corrects me when I'm wrong. Now he'll never know it, but it's just as well. I was always just the little girl with the braided hair and the skinned knees. We were best friends but that's where it ended, at least on his side.
"Order!" The black robed judge yelled, his grimy white wig askew. The room grew no quieter; it still rung with the shouting of angry souls.
"Burn her! Kill her!" I covered my ears, trying to block out the crowd's blood thirsty chanting.
"Silence! We haven't even heard the case so there can be no verdict . . . yet. May the witness please take the stand."
The young mother that I had spoken to before took the stand. Face pale and thin body shaking, she frightfully waited for the rook to become silent. "She tried to gouge me children with her silver instrument of the Devil! An' when I snatched them up and ran from her she cursed me, telling me I would die and me children would die with me, of smallpox!" The delicate girl's voice quivered and her eyes were brimming with tears. "I've done no wrong. I don't want my children to die."
I found myself touched by her frank testimonial, even though I knew it was untrue. I knew there was no hope for me but I still clung to my innocent plea.
Witness upon witness testified against me, some frightened and pathetic, some furious and vengeful. I cringed each time a new villager took the stand, wishing I could free myself from this terrible mess I had gotten myself into. Finally, I was called to the stand.
"I was just trying to save you. I meant no harm, I swear. This vaccine would save you, not kill you. I'm sorry, just let me go and I'll never come back, I promise. Please, just let me go!" I pleaded, not ashamed of the tears that fell from my eyes.
"Lies!" Spat the large red-bearded accuser. "You hear her voice, you see her clothing, she can only be a witch! She babbles on of this "vaccine" that will save us but it will really steal your soul! She wishes to take our souls to her master, the Devil!"
"No!" I cry, fearing the loss of the little sympathy I had just won. "That's not true! Just let me leave in peace., I beg of you!"
The room was filled with a terrible ruckus once again.
"Can we take a witch's word?" He said, malice emanating from his countenance. "If we let her go she may comeback disguised as another person. Or worse yet, she may bring more demons and witches with her the second time around!"
"The only true way we can save ourselves is if we kill her!" Screamed a portly good wife, her face flushed and eyes bulging.
"I have made my decision," the judge stood up, banging his gavel across the stand. "The witch dies."
Cheers were heard as two men clamped their rough hands onto my arms and led me back to my cell. Tears fell down my sorrowful eyes. How could everyone hate me so?
I sadly smile now, knowing my moments still alive are very short. The villagers have spent the last few days building a pyre for me and they scream to me that I will be where I belong today. I accept that I will die for death doesn't scare me anymore. There's no sense in crying anymore, I have cried enough and not a thing has changed.
The lock has just turned; they have come to burn me. None of what I did mattered, it was all for naught. For as the flames lick my body I will be forgotten. As the smoke climbs on high I will disappear. When my shrieks fill the air my memory will die. I shall be no more.

The End

Planets: Chapter Seven: Futile Search

You guys should know the drill by now. Here's a new chapter, I hope you enjoy it. Comments, speculations, and questions are always appreiciated. Thanks!

Chapter Seven: Futile Search

“Dragons are temperamental creatures, full of very strong emotions. One of the strongest is the most important emotion, anger. Anger is what drives us, it is what empowers us. This is why dragons are our most formidable ally.”
Kelsi looked up from her notes. “What about love or joy? Aren’t those strong emotions?”
Mistress laughed a quiet laugh that made the hairs on the back of Kelsi’s neck stand up. “Strong? Those feeble “emotions”? Those are mere child’s feelings, not worthy of being in the same sentence as power. “Love” and “joy” will never be able to compare with anger and hate just as the weak will never be able to measure up to the mighty.”
Kelsi wiggled her nose, slightly confused. Love, the one thing she ached for, was considered weak? She defiantly had lots to learn.
“You must banish all your hunger for love, Kelsi. Do not try to deny it; I know your desires better than you do yourself. All this wishing and hoping and crying over love is weak and I won’t tolerate it any longer. Nor will I put up with this “confusion” that plagues you. Even if you are puzzled about something you must not let is how. You have potential to be a great leader, Kelsi, and leaders do not show weak emotions like confusion and fear. They only emulate strength and power. You must root out these inferior human tendencies that were planted into your head while you were on Nesserum. Essentially everything you learned on Nesserum must be discarded, forgotten. Their human ways have done much damage within you but in time we can change that.”
Kelsi listened, clearly fascinated. Mistress was practically commanding her to become an emotionless stone. How long would that take her? She scribbled down some of what Mistress had just said and roughly sketched a very detailed drawing of a dragon. Gazing at the dragon’s sharp teeth and spines, Kelsi winced. She defiantly wouldn’t want to get on a dragon’s bad side, especially if their temper was as legendary as Mistress had said it was. Just by looking into its wide, penetrating eyes she could tell that they weren’t friendly.
“You did get that last part,” Mistress said, her tone straight and commanding. “You may leave now; lunch will be waiting for you in your room.”
Kelsi silently nodded her thanks and left the room, letting out her breath as she walked swiftly down the empty hallways. Though she knew that Mistress was helping her it didn’t keep the prickling sensation on the back of her neck. Try as she might, Mistress still scared her terribly.
The past few weeks had been very much the same, lessons with Mistress for the better part of the day then the rest to herself, generally to do as she pleased unless Mistress said otherwise. Though in retrospect it sounded rather boring, Kelsi found everything she had learned enthralling. She clung to every word Mistress said, finally fitting together the pieces of her perplexing life. Even in her spare time she sought after information, taking books from her desk and reading them feverishly. The scrolls written in a different language were still unintelligible but she had got out the distorted star charts and studied them. She even went as far as sneaking out of her room at night to find the constellations in the darkened sky. Mistress probably knew about her midnight escapades but asking permission would be giving Mistress more power. Mistress already had so much power over her; Kelsi felt she had to fight back in some small way.
Walking down the cryptic corridors, Kelsi smiled as she realized that she now knew her way around the enormous estate. Actually, she knew her way around some of the estate. There were parts of the building that Kelsi had never explored because she was too afraid of what Mistress would say or do. Yet again Kelsi felt another wave of resentment surge through her. She was grateful for all that Mistress had given her but was it worth the fear and imprisonment? The question frequently flew through Kelsi’s mind, agitating her even more.
Kelsi heaved the heavy plank door open, breathing easier now that she was in her own room. Her room was tranquil and she found it a sort of haven from Mistress, even though she knew there wasn’t anything keeping Mistress from entering.
A tray sat on Kelsi’s desk, slowly steaming and smelling delicious. She sat down and examined the food, realizing that even though she didn’t recognize much of it she would hungrily consume it anyways. Munching on some sort of wheat bread, she gazed out the window and admired the fire colored leaves. It was probably mid-autumn so Kelsi estimated that she had been at this estate for about a month, though it felt like she had been here for years. Disappointed, Kelsi noted that she hadn’t learned about “the others” that had taken Lorna captive. The majority of the new information that Kelsi had acquired was history of the sister planets and trivia about the magical creatures that Mistress promised Kelsi soon would interact with. Actual magic wasn’t something had learned about . . . yet. In time Mistress would teach her, but for now she would have to be content with the rare snatches she had seen. She had only seen Mistress do it once or twice and that time Caleb opened the door.
Caleb. That was someone Kelsi hadn’t thought about for a while. She blew on a spoonful of stew as she tried to remember the last time she had seen him.
It was the day after I had seen the bandages on his hands, Kelsi thought, shocked that it had been so long ago. She had assumed that he was gone because he was getting treatment for his injured hands. Now I’m not so sure. What was it that Mistress said when I asked after him? Something about how he was paying for him mistakes. When I asked her what that meant she changed the subject and started to talk about the evil’s of faeries. Is Caleb okay? Kelsi began to worry. He had always been nice to her, what mistakes could he have possibly made? Maybe I should look for him. That’s ridiculous! She chided herself instantly. Mistress would be furious if she found out. But he would do the same for me, I know he would.
Kelsi stood up and brushed the crumbs off her skirt with resolution. She snuck out of her room quietly, tiptoeing down half of the hallway before she nearly burst into peals of laughter. Mistress would suspect her of being up to something if she acted so suspicious. She began to walk regularly, opening every door she came to. After an hour Kelsi began to feel discouraged.
Who am I kidding? I’m never going to find him, this place is huge! I should just go back to my room. She began to turn around until she heard a noise in the next corridor. She tried one of the doors but found it was locked.
“Is anyone there?” She asked and softly knocked.
“Kelsi?” A familiar, cold voice sounded from behind her.
She whipped around. “Mistress, you must be the person I heard!”
“What are you doing here?” Mistress brushed past Kelsi, checking the locked door. A slight look of relief flitted across her face for a mere second.
“I’m just looking for the . . . library!” Kelsi replied a little too brightly.
“The library?”
“You mentioned a library before and it sounded rather intriguing.” Kelsi nearly breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed Mistress was taking the bait.
“Why didn’t you just ask me where it is?”
“I didn’t want to bother you. I just thought I’d read up a bit more on dragons. They’re just such fascinating creatures! I mean, how many animals that colossal actually fly? Not many! And the fact that they’re so intelligent, it’s just so amazing!” In her relief Kelsi found herself babbling.
“I’ll show you where the library is,” Mistress began to lead the way.
Kelsi began to follow but looked back reluctantly. She knew she heard something and it wasn’t Mistress. Something was behind that locked door, something that Kelsi wasn’t supposed to know about and that made it all the more interesting. It made it more vital that she figure out what it was.

Planets: Chapter Six: Unknown Knowledge (Part Two)

Here you go, Kat?e! I know you've been looking forward to the rest of Chapter Six. I only hope it lives up to your very high expectations. I'm having a harder time with this story now and I'm afraid it's showing. A lot has to happen and I'm not quite so sure how to do it. In any case, like always, comments, questions, and especially suggestions are always appriciated! Enjoy!

Kelsi looked away. “Okay.”
“Thank you,” Caleb walked away as Kelsi closed the door.
Little does he know that I’ve already done just that, Kelsi thought sullenly. Why does he care if I’m angry or not? She shook her head as if she could shake the suspicious thoughts out. What’s wrong with me? One minute I’m yelling at the top of my lungs, the next I’m on the verge of tears. And if that’s not enough, I’m suspecting everyone like I’m some sort of paranoid freak. She crumpled onto the floor, tears streaming down her face. It’s this place. There’s something about it that I can’t quite put my finger on. I feel out of sorts because I feel like I’m being watched and . . . because I have no idea what’s going to happen. I should leave, She thought frantically, before I go crazy here.
“Stop your unsightly, sniveling behavior, Kelsi,” Mistress materialized in the middle of the room, “and save your breath. You aren’t going to leave, I won’t allow it. You can’t run away from your problems your whole life, as if they are the orphanage you stole away from two days ago. Is that really how you want to live your life, running away from everything like a scared rabbit? You have so much potential; you can’t throw your life away, especially since . . .” she trailed off, her eyes gleaming. The gleam was quickly extinguished and replaced with her usual cold look. “Besides, how will you save your dear friend or see your long-lost parents? The only way is if you stay here, with me.”
Kelsi trembled, somehow this didn’t seem like it would end well but what could she do?
“Alright,” she stood up, her legs wobbly. “What do you want me to do?”
Mistress’s eyes glittered as she grabbed a hold of Kelsi’s hand. Suddenly, Kelsi’s bedroom wasn’t there any more and she was back in the room she had been dismissed from earlier today.
“Sit down. We have much to cover before . . . sit down!”
Kelsi quickly sat down and got out a quill. It seemed like a good idea to take notes.
“Listen carefully; I don’t want to repeat myself.
“Long ago there were three planets; sister planets. These three planets were inhabited by mintis, magical beings who could build bridges across space. These bridges connected the three sister planets together. Only mintis with royal blood could cross and build these bridges, although they could take anyone or anything with them. For the most part throughout history, the mintis that could go across the bridge were full blood royals, sometimes a mintis with a little bit of common blood but no more than ten percent, could make it across. Never has anyone made it across with more common blood than that except for you.”
“If the tree planets are magic why isn’t there any magic on Nesserum?” Kelsi quietly asked.
“There was a time when the planets were offered an opportunity to exchange the planets magic for technology. This opportunity was seriously considered and the rulers of the three planets consulted with their subjects on what should be done. The majority of the subjects on Nesserum decided that technology was more important than “old fashioned” magic. All the magical creatures and mintis who wanted to keep their magical abilities fled to the other two planes as the mintis who wanted technology headed to Nesserum. This exchange was not made without a price; all records of magic were wiped from Nesserum, including the minds of the former mintis.”
“What about that book I found? And what about me?”
“You’re not patient,” Mistress sighed angrily.
“I’m sorry, it’s just for so long-” Kelsi began to apologize.
Mistress interrupted. “Be quiet and I will tell you.
“The troubles between the sister planets were not over. In fact, they had only begun. Queen Seirerny found the change of planets unsettling and decided to seek the future of the planet she ruled over, Iulete. She sought a prophetess that was reliable and had advised her in the past. The prophetess gazed into a basin of water and gasped at what she saw. The sight was tremendous; she had seen the end of Iulete and it was in the not so distant future. Even though she tried to break the news gently, the queen, having a weak heart, fainted.
“It was decided immediately to take action. Messengers were sent out across the land to inform the people of the calamity. Checkpoints were set up where royal mintis would take the common people,” Mistress’s nose wrinkled with disgust, “to safety.
“Your mother and father were peasants as I have said before. In fact, they were farmers on Iulete, plowing their fields when they heard the horrible news. In their rush to a checkpoint they must have accidentally forgotten you, their new baby, their only child.”
Kelsi’s eyes widened as she was overcome with grief. Her parents had forgotten her? She struggled to control her emotions, trying to keep the tears that threatened to stream down her face from doing exactly that.
“And me?” Her voice shook dangerously. “Why did I end up on Nesserum?”
“You crossed the bridge. Asleep you dreamt of a golden bridge and decided to cross it. How you made it across safely is beyond me. The bridge from Iulete to Nesserum is very broken down; no one’s cared to repair it. As for the medallion ad the book that you found, very few items survived the switch from magic to technology; those were a few of them. A building survived as well. Your beloved orphanage was once a monastery, the monastery where it was decided that Nesserum would become technology oriented.”
“Why didn’t my parents come and get me from Nesserum?” Kelsi felt her eyes sting with suppressed tears.
“If anyone were to go to Nesserum his or her magic would be taken away in the twinkling of an eye.” Mistress replied unfeelingly. “Your parents weren’t able to cross the bridge anyway and no sane royal would take them even if they wanted go across.”
“What about me? How did I make it to Nesserum without losing my magical abilities? Or did I lose them?” Kelsi decided it was about time the subject was changed. She no longer wanted to talk about the parents that abandoned her.
“You didn’t lose them, surprisingly. The only way I can see that you made it across it that you subconsciously crossed the bridge. Even though you made it across, your body knew that you shouldn’t be there and it put up a protective barrier to keep you safe, forcing you to forget everything magical.”
Suddenly, it all made sense. Why she couldn’t use calculators, why she couldn’t get on the school bus, and all the other infinite things she couldn’t do, it was because she had magic running through her veins. She yawned, realizing for the first that she had been listening to Mistress for several hours now.
“You may leave now. I’m sure tat I’ve answered enough of your pesky questions today,” as soon as Kelsi heard the words she found herself in her own bedroom instead of the “classroom.”
“Sleep well,” Mistress’s voice echoes into the room erieely, causing shiver to run up Kelsi’s spine.
She looked around the room, wondering if there was a draft from an open window. An unshakable chill engulfed her. What had she gotten herself into?
Walking to the window, she checked the latch, making sure that the wooden slats were bolted on the window. She peeked outside before locking it and she found it as creepy as it was beautiful. It was like mostly everything in the huge manor, gorgeous with a slightly disturbing undertone.
Kelsi yawned and her eyes watered. Her brain began to shut down; tiered from the overwhelming amount of information she had received and began to ache in advance from the volumes of knowledge tat today’s information entailed. The bed beckoned to her and se stumbled to it, not minding to her clothes, climbed into its welcoming, comforting embrace. Her eyes closed and she was out before she could even think of the Mistress’s information and the danger it put her in. If only she had known.

One Truth Prevails

No way! I'm actually posting something other than stories, gasp!

Two or three years ago, my Uncle John started watching this anime show called Case Closed. I watched it with him and was instantly hooked. A show that combines both murder mysteries and anime, count me in! Case Closed is about a teenage super slueth named Jimmy Kudo. He is slipped some posion when he gets too close to some sinister men in black and is shrunk into an eight year old boy! Now, under the name of Conan Edagawoa, he is staying with his almost girlfriend, Rachel, and her father, Detective Richard Moore, hoping to stumble on the same men in black so he can find the posion and come up with an antidote. In the mean time, he must solve the mysteries meant for Richard (Richard isn't the brightst bulb out of the lot.) It's hard work, especially since Conan's "just a kid" but with his super brains and awsome gadgets he'll find a way!

In any case, you can get some of the episodes on Netflix (or buy them on DVD). Kendle and I can't wait until we can get the next lot of them! Just a warning, the murders a pretty graphic, even if it is cartoon blood and there is some swearing (very minimal compared to High School, I can assure you) but I would definatly recommend this fun anime that has been running since 1996. The real question is: Will Jimmy ever get his real body back? We can only hope so!

Planets: Chapter Six: Unknown Knowledge (Part One)

I think this should clear up a lot of things, well, at least some things. Enjoy, and remember, comments, speculation and crititisim PLEASE!

Chapter Six: Unknown Knowledge

“Did you sleep well?” Asked Caleb. He was at Kelsi’s door, the sun from the open window catching the golden stands in his sandy hair.
“Yes, thank you,” Kelsi replied.
“I’m sorry to disturb you but Mistress sent me here to retrieve you.”
Kelsi sighed. She was always being retrieved. It was as if she were a book and not a person. “That’s fine. Let me just find a pair of shoes,” a pair of silver slippers very similar to the golden shoes she had worn yesterday were next to her bed. “Well, I’m ready to go,” she closed the door behind her.
As before, Caleb led her though the confusing corridors, except this time the pathway was different.
“I never really thanked you for showing me the gardens last night. They were superb,” Kelsi smiled, trying to catch his eye.
“It was my pleasure.”
Kelsi frowned. There was something wrong, she could tell. Caleb wouldn’t look at her, his eyes brimming with a mixture of pain, hate and fear.
What have I done? Kelsi racked her brains, trying to remember if she did anything completely unforgivable. Something caught her eye. Caleb was wearing gloves with amazing leatherwork in the soft black leather. He hadn’t worn them yesterday. She looked closer. It was hard to tell but she thought she could see bandages in between the cuff of his blue long sleeved tunic and the gloves.
Catching a hold of his arm, she pulled up the linen sleeve of his shirt. He tried to pull away but wasn’t fast enough. Kelsi gasped. She had been right, there was a bandage, a snowy white bandage dotted with blood.
“Please, don’t ask,” his voice was desperate. He pulled down his sleeve, covering the bandages that wound up his arm from his palm.
Kelsi stopped the words that were on the tip of her tongue. What happened? And where do I fit into all of this?
Caleb knocked on one of the doors, standing as straight as a pole as he waited for them to open.
Why won’t he just speak in his weird language? The pleasant yet mysterious life she thought she might have was shattered. Now everything seemed downright confusing and a more than a little sinister. The glimpse of the darkness that she had seen last night when Caleb said that his life was in danger, was slowly becoming a full fledged view.
Mistress finally opened the door. “Kelsi, so good to see you,” she welcomed, her smile as frigid as the first frost. “Caleb, you may leave. This way, Kelsi.”
It was a different room than the room Kelsi had met Mistress in the day before. Though it still was filled of the finest materials it wasn’t as extravagant as the other room; this room had a purpose. A gold gilt chalkboard that was covered with strange symbols was on the wall next to diagrams made out of thick parchment. The diagrams had pictures of ferocious looking animals, some recognizable from fairy tales, others unknown to her. A sturdy desk was in the middle of the room facing the chalkboard. Various parchments, quills, scrolls, inks and dusty, thick books lay on the mahogany desk.
“Wha . . .” Kelsi began but was quickly cut off by Mistress.
“I shall explain later. Follow me, breakfast is waiting in the other room,” she walked briskly towards a door and opened it. It led out to a sort of glass enclosed porch. Outside was a part of the garden that Kelsi hadn’t seen last night. Golden buttercups were liberally mixed in with the green lawn and a gorgeous lilac bush that matched Kelsi’s dress was planted near one of the windows, partially obscuring the view. Kelsi inhaled. The smell of the lilac was almost intoxicating.
“Take a seat,” Mistress was already sitting, unfolding her napkin and putting it in her lap. “Fresh fruit?” She served Kelsi an interesting array of fruits. “I’m sure you’ll find your fruit delightful. All crops you eat here are grown on this estate. You should find that the fruit is slightly different than your Nesserum varieties.”
Kelsi bit into an apple slice tentatively, then slowly chewed, rolling it across her tongue to taste it better. For the most part it tasted like an apple, only the flavor was more intense. She took a bite of a strawberry. Like the apple the flavor was bursting, exciting, bold. As she sampled the other fruits she found the case to be true with all of them.
“It tastes better,” Kelsi quietly said. “It’s as if the flavor has been amplified.”
“You will find that the case here.”
“Is it always the case?” Kelsi questioned, feeling confident that this was at least one question that would be answered, unlike many of the questions she had asked before.
“It is very rare when it is not,” Mistress began to nibble a bit of toast then cracked a hard boiled egg with her spoon. “Have some toast or an egg.”
Kelsi obeyed. She dipped her knife in a pot of what appeared to be raspberry jelly and spread in on her toast. She took a bite and smiled. Raspberry jelly was her favorite. Following Mistress’s example she took a hard boiled egg and cracked it. Sprinkling salt and pepper on it, she took a bite, enjoying it every bit as much as the toast.
Mistress put her napkin down on her plate and stood up. “Let us go into the other room,” her voice was very businesslike as was her facial expressions.
Kelsi stood up and followed Mistress out of the glass porch and into the room she had seen before.
“Sit down,” Mistress pointed to the desk and Kelsi sat down obediently. “Now I shall answer some of those questions you have been asking. I shall start by telling you who you really are.
“Your name is Kelsi Uialiin, a native of Crisinae, one of the three sister planets. Your parents are Renee and Austin, peasants, low class,” she said the words with disgust. “I have traced your mother’s line and your great-great-great-great-grandmother was a lesser princess. That’s what makes you so unique, that’s why you are here.”
Kelsi tried to follow what Mistress was explaining but became very lost. “What are you saying?”
“Haven’t you wondered how you got here? You owe it all to your great-great-great-great-grandmother Silyvia. Though it is a wonder that you could do it, Elise Slme was a royal with only one percent common blood in her veins and she had was a sister to the queen but she couldn’t make it across the bridge,” Mistress studied one of her cuticles, as if the task of telling Kelsi about her heritage was extremely boring instead of extremely confusing.
“What do you mean?” Kelsi finally snapped and lost her temper completely. She stood up from the desk and accidently knocked off some books and a bottle of crimson ink that shattered and drenched the carpet, books, and the hemline of her dress. “You’re not making any sense!”
Mistress chuckled. “So you do have anger. I was beginning to wonder. So far all I’ve seen is a mess of confusion, frustration, sadness and happiness. It’s good to know that there is anger somewhere inside you. We will need to use that later. You may go now,” she turned to some paper work, busying herself before Kelsi even left.
“No! I won’t!” All the emotions inside of her had burst. Part of her felt exhilarated as she screamed, as she let everything out. “I’m tired of all these little facts that don’t fit together! I want to actually know what’s going on! I won’t leave until I get real answers!” In her adrenaline rush she didn’t care what Mistress did to her as punishment, Kelsi was no longer afraid of her. She felt a power course through her, a power that made her feel invincible. Her hair began to fly out and a bottle of ink towards the right of her left hand began to shake, threatening to fall over though the room was as still as a crypt.
A look of pure joy and triumph flitted across Mistress’s face. Kelsi saw it and the look instantly stopped her anger. That look, it wasn’t good.
“I see you’ve stopped throwing that temper tantrum of yours,” Mistress was flipping through papers again.
Kelsi’s face flushed. “I’m sorry, I don’t know what overcame me.”
“Go to your room,” Mistress didn’t even look up.
“Yes, Mistress,” Kelsi walked out of the room, embarrassed and ashamed. All fear of Mistress’s puzzling look had evaporated and was replaced by humiliation.
Halfway down the hall Caleb joined her. “Let me guide you back to your room.”
“Okay,” Kelsi mumbled.
At the door of Kelsi’s room Caleb talked once more. “Please, don’t lose your temper, don’t get angry,” he earnestly whispered.
Kelsi looked away. “Okay.”

Planets: Chapter Five: Confusion (Part two)

Kelsi just stared dumbly. The woman, Odyssomai, was gorgeous, unhumanly so.
Her shiny, raven-colored locks shone under the bright lights, exactly the opposite of her porcelain skin. Smoothing her black satin dress, Odyssomai looked at Kelsi intently, her dark eyes gleaming like the glistening opals she word around her neck.
“I know you can speak. I know more about you than you know yourself. I even know about your parents,” her words were cold, without feeling, just like her stunning beauty, but they were enough to release Kelsi from her stupor.
“You know my parents?” The words were squeaked out, nonetheless they were exactly what the strange woman wanted.
“All in good time, my dear,” Matron had sometimes called Kelsi “my dear” before, but when Matron said it, Kelsi felt warmth. When this woman, Mistress, said it, she felt fearful, as though the words were snakes waiting to bite her. “We have much to discuss before we come to the subject of your parents.” She fingered a strand of hair, a strand as crimson as her full lips.
Kelsi felt the need to protest but swallowed it, feeling that questioning the mistress would only provoke her. “Yes, Mistress. What would you have me do?”
An unnerving smile played across Mistress’s face. “First, I would have you eat lunch with me. I assume you haven’t eaten.”
“No, Mistress.”
Mistress clapped her hands and Caleb appeared in a cloud of smoke.
“Yes?” He quietly asked the mistress, looking into her bottomless eyes.
“Fetch us some food. The finest from the kitchen.”
“Yes, Mistress,” Caleb vanished, the reappeared moments later, displaying an extravagant meal.
Kelsi realized she hadn’t eaten since lunchtime yesterday but found she wasn’t hungry even with the platter full of delicacies before her. Caleb set in on a faceted crystal table that was set for two.
“You may leave,” the mistress told Caleb. Kelsi wanted to call out, to make him stay and not leave her alone but it was too late, he had vanished.
Mistress took two bowls of soup, steam rising from them in spirals, from the silver tray.
“Take a seat,” she motioned for Kelsi to sit down. Kelsi looked at the mistress questionably, there was no chair for her to sit in, until Mistress snapped. A delicate little platinum chair appeared. Kelsi gingerly sat down, afraid to even breathe for fear that the chair would break.
“Be at ease. Eat,” Mistress commanded as she blew on her soup.
The soup was thick, creamy and white in color. Kelsi carefully dipped in her spoon and, following Mistress’s example, blew on the soup. She closed her eyes and relished the flavors. Potatoes and onions were obviously the staple ingredients, though she couldn’t recognize the other flavors, mostly due to her lack of knowledge in the food department. The orphanage wasn’t known for it’s culinary arts. The school cafeteria either.
“Like it?” The mistress asked, smiling faintly. “I’m sure you haven’t had anything like it on Nesserum. The secret ingredient it cilrag, a native plant grown here. It’s mostly known for it’s horrendously potent poison but, if cultivated correctly, the bulbs are a delicacy. Shall we move on to the next course?” Mistress snapped her fingers and the bowls disappeared. She lifted up the cover and dished some type of meant onto the two plates, then added two small piles of what appeared to be vegetables.
“Speak. I grow tired of your silence,” Mistress commanded.
“Where is my friend?” Kelsi tried to say the words with force but they came out frightened instead.
“Such loyalty and dedication,” the mistress said, her words mocking Kelsi. “She is with the others.” She carefully cut a small square of meat and placed it into her mouth, even her chewing was graceful.
“Others?” Kelsi questioned.
“Those against us, those that are wrong,” she paused, drawing a drink from her jeweled goblet. “It is not time to speak of these things, at least not yet.” She waved her hand over the two plates. As before, the plates disappeared. Kelsi’s meat had hardly been touched, she had only taken two or three bites.
“Did you find the meat satisfactory?” Mistress asked. Opening the cover for a last time, she drew out two fruit filled pastries.
“Yes, Mistress.”
“Good.” Several silence filled minutes passed by.
“Why am I here?” Kelsi couldn’t hold the question in any longer.
“That, like many of your other questions shall be answered later,” she daintily ate the last mouthful of pastry. “You may leave. I will summon you when I need you again.” She clapped and Kelsi found herself in the bedroom once again.
She sat down on the bed and stared at the wall blankly. What just happened? Her brain felt like it would explode from an information overload. Or rather, a sensory overload. I didn’t really learn anything new. Kelsi thought harder. Well, I did learn that someone knows something about my parents. What that something is, I don’t know. She flopped back on the bed and looked up.
On the ceiling there were stars, glittering dots that were faintly shining different shades of blue, red, yellow and white. She couple pick out a few constellations she had learned back at the orphanage, like Twenty-five Kittens and Singing Family but they were in the wrong place and took a while to find. Other constellations that should’ve been there, weren’t. Weird. Why would anyone paint the stars on wrong? Is this some kind of a senseless joke? What’s the point? She closed her eyes, not wanting to look at the wonky stars on her ceiling. Sleeping was out of the question. She was too keyed up from the new . . . place she was at.
A desk in the corner, sturdy ebony with delicate carvings, caught her eye. In her excitement earlier today she had overlooked it but now she had plenty of time to examine it. It might help pass the time; she had no idea when Mistress would summon her. She walked over to the desk and fumbled with the objects on it. Several reams of paper were on the desk along with multicolored inks and quills made of exotic feathers. Inks and quills? This place seems to be untouched by time! Not that it’s a problem for me. I never could use ballpoint pens anyways. She dipped a bright blue plume into some scarlet ink and carefully printed her name across the top of some parchment: Kelsi Wood. Wood wasn’t really her last name and she didn’t particularly love it but she didn’t have much of a choice. When she had come to the orphanage Matron hadn’t known her last name so Kelsi was named after where she was found, a wood. It had led to several mean nick-names like Wooden Head and Dumb Tree, names which had hurt at the time but no longer bothered her. Anyways, by now she had been called more insulting things.
She unrolled a scroll that was in one of the cubbyholes and frowned at it. The scratches on it were just as foreign as the words Caleb had spoken a while ago. Kelsi suspected that they were the same language. Another unrolled parchment showed a map of the nighttime sky using the same star patterns on her ceiling. There were many constellations on the paper but Kelsi rolled it into it’s former shape and put it back. She wasn’t up to the crazy stars again.
Her thoughts bounced around her head, untamed, caged monkeys that wanted to be free. Reaching out for a fresh bottle of navy blue ink, a snowy white feather, and a fresh piece of paper, she opened the cage door. She began to list all her questions in neat letters down the page.
Why am I here? How did I get here? Where exactly is “here”? She rested her head on her fist. After a second she scribbled furiously. Where is Lorna? Is she okay? Will the “others” hurt her? Will they brainwash her? What is the weird language that Caleb spoke? What does Mistress want with me? How does she know my parents? Are my parents still alive?
Though she had many more questions she lay down the quill. Writing down all her questions not only made her think of more questions, it was also rather tedious. It’s sad how I try to deep myself occupied and I end up confusing myself even more! She crumpled up the paper, stood up, and scooted in the chair.
I could just take matters into my own hands. If Lorna is anywhere here, wait, Kelsi interrupted herself. Mistress said that “the others” have her. She sunk onto the floor, resigning.
What can I do? In a strange place with no one I know I’m helpless. Tears of self-pity began to run down her face as she realized her predicament. I can’t even help Lorna because I have no idea where she is!
A knock on her door made her quickly dry her tears. “Yes?” She opened the door, not to terribly surprised to see Caleb on the other side.
“Are you alright?” He asked, his emerald eyes full of concern.
“I guess,” Kelsi smiled ruefully. She hadn’t thought that her tears were so apparent. “Does Mistress have need of me?”
“Not yet, though I dare say that she will soon. It isn’t like her to take someone in and forget about them. I suppose that you are wondering why I’m here. I was rather abrupt earlier and I’ve been afraid that I gave you the wrong impression ever since.”
“What’s that?” Had she been incorrect in trusting him?
“That I’m rude, secretive and uninformative. I can assure you that those qualities are not in my nature. I wanted to make it clear that those are all characteristics that I lack. Would you care to take a stroll with me?” He offered her his arm.
Kelsi was speechless for a moment. How he could think that she thought him anything but gentlemanly was beyond her. “I would love to,” she finally got out the faint reply.
“Mistress has a lovely garden. I was thinking that it would be a good place to walk. It does get a bit chilly though,” he added as an afterthought. “You may want to bring a coat of some kind.”
Kelsi glanced around the room and found a golden cape on a hook. “Sounds wonderful,” she smiled as she grabbed the cape and linked arms with him.
“Would you mind if I asked you a question?” Caleb asked as he led Kelsi through the corridors.
“No, not at all,” she looked at him expectantly.
“Why were you crying?”
“You weren’t supposed to know. I guess I never was good at hiding my emotions,” she studied the threads of her sleeve as if they were a fine portrait instead of well done embroidery.
“I’m sorry, you don’t have to answer.”
“No, I don’t mind,” he had finally gotten them outside. Kelsi sat down on a marble bench and collected her thoughts. “I’m just so overwhelmed and,” she paused, “so helpless. I hate to admit it but I’m stuck in a strange place with no friends. It’s not like I had many to begin with and now one of them’s lost!” She stopped, breathing in deeply so she wouldn’t cry. “In a way I feel like an ungrateful brat, I mean, new clothes, a perfect bedroom, fabulous food, hot baths, how could a person go wrong? But . . .” she trailed off. “Does any of this make sense?” She felt bad, overwhelming the poor guy when she hadn’t even known him a full day. With her luck he’d think she was a whiney crybaby. He probably regretted ever asking such a question.
“Well, at least you got one thing wrong, you do have one friend,” he gave her a warm smile. The smile touched his eyes, or rather lightly tapped them, but in that instant Kelsi saw a glimpse of how he really was without the curious sorrow.
She gratefully smiled back and actually looked around the grounds for the first time. Earlier that morning through the open window the garden had looked young, like it was late spring or early summer. A closer look showed it to be about the same season as the forest near the orphanage, late fall. A slight cold breeze blew through the garden, tousling the leaves. Kelsi shivered slightly and drew her cape in closer.
“Are you cold? You can use my cape if you wish. Mine is probably warmer,” Caleb offered his hunter green cape.
She inspected the cape and decided he was right. His was lined with something fleecy and warm while hers was made of a thin silk, decidedly not the warmest of materials though it did have a certain appeal, look-wise.
“No thanks, I’m all right. Do you mind if I ask you a question?”
“I may not be able to answer it but other than that I don’t mind.”
“Why are you sad?”
Caleb instantly stiffened. “That is one of the many questions I can not answer.”
“I’m sorry I shouldn’t have asked,” Kelsi instantly regretted asking the question; even though it had been praying on her mind all day it wasn’t worth turning her only ally against her.
Caleb relaxed. “No, I shouldn’t have reacted that way. It’s hard to explain and it is forbidden. It would cost me my life indefinitely if I told you,” he hesitated for a moment. “I could give you a reason but it may be a bit uninformative.”
“No!” Kelsi quickly interrupted. “Please, forget I even ever asked. I was out of line, I’m so sorry!”
He looked surprised that she felt so strongly. “Let me show you more of the gardens,” he offered his arm to her and she took it.
Kelsi sighed a sigh of relief. It was as if Caleb had read her mind. She really didn’t want to continue discussing her disastrous, dangerous question.
The sun began to set, it’s dying rays turning the sky blood red.
“Oh no,” Kelsi murmured, her eyes riveted to the sunset.
“What? Are you alright?”
“The sky, it’s red,” she replied faintly.
“Is that bad?”
“Horrible, worse than horrible. Red skies are the worst of signs. It’s a terrible omen. Back when I lived at the orphanage you knew you or someone you loved would get hurt soon, either physically, emotionally or mentally, if the sky was red.” The superstition had proven to be true, at least to Kelsi’s point of view.

* * * * *

She had been eight when she had first heard the of the questionable fear. Even at eight she had scoffed at tales of boogeymen and black cats. When she heard of the red sunsets her reaction was the same as when she had heard of ghosts. She laughed.
“Red sunsets? They’re just a scientific phenomenon. There’s nothing creepy or scary about them,” she could hear her little kid self now.
The older orphanage girl, Stella, gasped. “With an attitude like that, they’re going to become more than that. You shouldn’t say stuff like that, especially not that loud! They might hear you.”
Her little, naive self nearly fell over, she was laughing so hard. “I think that you’ve had to much homework or something. You’ve lost it!” She skipped away, still chuckling.
“I tell you, someday you’ll regret that you didn’t listen to me!” Stella yelled after her. She, being young and inexperienced in many things, payed no heed to Stella’s warnings.
If only she had. How much heartache would she have avoided? Kelsi could only wonder.
The someday that Stella talked of, happened the very next day.
Kelsi had a kitten, a pure white one that she had found forsaken near the forest. She loved the kitty, which she ironically named Midnight. Kelsi had fixed up an abandoned shed that was near the orphanage, collecting old, dirty dishcloths that the cooks discarded, she even found a broken, old crate for Midnight. The food that she brought to her kitten was food from her own plate or food that she rescued out of garbage bins, like tuna cans and leftovers no one would eat. She never had a pet of her own, never had anything to care for so she cherished Midnight and visited her every day, before and after school.
This particular morning she was surprised to find that Midnight hadn’t greeted her at the doorway, like she usually had. She walked into the shed and lifted up the towel that covered Midnight’s bed. Midnight lay there, her breathing shallow. Kelsi’s eyes grew wide.
“Midnight?” She gingerly reached in and picked up the kitten. Midnight’s eyes were closed tightly. Kelsi just sat there dumbly, not sure what to do. She held the frail kitty close, tears running down her face. A few minutes later, the inevitable happened. Midnight died.
Kelsi did the only logical thing she could think of. She wrapped the kitten up in the cleanest of all the towels and carried her outside. A rusty shovel was near the doorway so Kelsi put Midnight delicately down and began to dig a small grave near Midnight’s favorite climbing tree. The task wouldn’t have taken very long except Kelsi had to stop more than once, her sobbing making the task quite difficult. Once she was done she laid Midnight’s body down into the grave and sprinkled flower petals over the towel covered kitten, then cast a handful of dirt over the petals. Finishing the job, she shoveled the dirt over the kitten she had loved so dearly, placed a large stone at the head of the grave and placed blossoms on top of that. Kelsi tried to quiet her wails but soon gave up, she crumpled up into a heap and cried, long and hard. She wasn’t the girl she had been a day ago, the girl that scoffed at silly superstition. She was older now, she had now know abandonment, loss and death.
Wiping her tears, she eventually walked back to the orphanage, long after school had ended for she had spent the entire day at Midnight’s grave. The school had called and she received questioning and a lecture from Matron but she didn’t care. What could Matron do that was worse than the death of her beloved cat?

* * * * *

Caleb put an arm around her, trying to soothe her. “That may be a bad omen on Nesserum but it isn’t a bad sign here. It’ll be okay.”
No, it won’t. She silently thought. “If you don’t mind, I’ve had enough for one night. Please take me back to my room.”
“It would be my pleasure,” Caleb turned and led her back the way they had come.
The two walked the rest of the way in silence. Before Kelsi knew it, they were already at her bedroom door.
“Thank you,” Kelsi opened the door, “for showing me some of the gardens. I’m sorry we couldn’t see the rest of them.”
“We can always see the rest another night, that is, if it would please you,” Caleb bowed to her. “Good night.”
“Maybe, good-night,” she shut the door then slid down, her back against it. Her breathing came in gasps and she shook, terrified. Subconsciously she knew it was ridiculous to have this fear of a sunset but she couldn’t shake it. The fear consumed her. Anyways, if it was bad luck at St. Bradwock’s it was bound to be worse here in this strange place where nothing made sense. She sat on the ground a while longer, quaking until she realized that she was quite tired.
What do I wear to bed? She looked for a closet but a dark blue nightgown with silvery gauze draped over the darker fabric caught her eye. Kelsi shed the dress that she had been wearing and slipped the nightgown on. It wasn’t quite as soft as the previous dress but it was warmer and cozier. Flowers and swirls were embroidered in darker silver thread keeping the gauze from becoming separated from the dark blue cloth. Kelsi stopped shivering and climbed into bed. She was so much warmer now, especially since she was under the downy comforter.
She banished all confusing thoughts, for now she would forget that her best friend was missing, forget that her new acquaintance had a troubling past that could result in his demise. Right now she would just pretend that she really was a rich girl who lived in a rich house with a rich guardian who gave her rich things.
Kelsi smiled at the though. She may not understand what was going on but she wasn’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth. There may be consequenses tomarrow but she was going to live it up today.

Pass-a-long Stories: Faithful . . . ish

I'm sure that you all have read Kendle's post called The Green Man (of course you have, right? =>) This is another one of those Pass-a-long Stories. Now Kendle changed the color to go with who wrote what but I find it more fun to try and guess who wrote the different parts. So, without further ado:

Faithful . . . ish

She had to hold on for just a few moments more. Even though she felt her fingers slipping she kept telling herself she had to hold on. If she let go now all would be lost . . . he would be lost. This was their last chance to be together. She had to hold on or she would never see him again but if no one came to rescue her from this cliff soon she would never again have the chance to be with him. She tried once again to pull herself up, but couldn’t.

Ryan, she thought. Do it for Ryan.

“Still hanging on?” A man appeared above her. “I thought you would’ve let go long ago. You’ll let go now.” He sinisterly laughed as he pried her hands off. “Good-bye.”

She screamed as she fell through the air. Then everything went black.

When she opened her eyes she was surprised to not find herself on gleaming white shores but in a pair of muscular tan arms. The first word out of her mouth was “Ryan,” but a silky deep voice answered, “No, actually it’s Drew.”

“Oh, where am I?” Mae said in a groggy voice. Here head hurt terribly.

“Well, you’re in my cottage at the bottom of Mt. Sinister.”

“Mt. Sinister? Oh now, Mt. Sinister, Ryan!” She jumped up out of Drew’s arms but fell back into them because everything was spinning horribly. “I have to find him!” Mae told Drew.

“Not now, you need to rest.” She gazed into his handsome, worried face.

“Are you sure you’re alright? You took quite a fall.”

She smiled shyly. “I am now.” All thoughts of Ryan vanished as Drew smiled, his white, even teeth gleaming. He leaned in close, their faces almost touching. He softly kissed her then brought his mouth to her ear and whispered, “Can I keep you?”

She was about to give in completely when she thought of Ryan cold and hurt and faithful in a dark dungeon. She had to save him but she wasn’t sure she was going to marry him once he was free. This is crazy. She thought. She had just met Drew but oh what a live, what a grip.

She looked up at him with pained eyes.

“What’s wrong?” He asked, concerned.

“I . . . I can’t stay here, I . . . I need to go save someone I love.”

His smile faded a little but then it broadened as he said, “Is this that Ryan person you keep talking about?”

“Yes and I need to save him now or I’ll never see him.”

“All right,” he said kindly, “but you have to wait until you’re better.” Then he carried her into his room and laid her on his bed. Then he kissed her gently on the cheek and told her to sleep.

Once Mae woke up, she felt extremely better. Drew came in with some soup in a bowl for her.

“Mmmm, this is delicious, Drew,” she loved the way his name sounded and how she lovingly curved her lips to form the W in his name.

“No problem. I would do anything for you.”

She looked down, his gaze made her feel . . . she couldn’t explain it. A glint caught her eye. A ring. A diamond ring. What? Who was that from? She pictured a face but couldn’t think of his name. Then suddenly it came to her. Ryan. Ugggh! Quickly she took off the engagement ring.
“Can you dispose of this for me?” She smiled at him.

“Of course.”

She couldn’t take it. His eyes were so sincere. She brought his head down to her level and kissed him.

“I hope Ryan rots,” she thought. He had never kissed her like this before. They were just starting to get some plum into it when who of all people, Ryan, walked in.

“Mae?” She quickly pulled away from Drew.

“Ryan!” She said in surprise. “I didn’t expect you to be here. How did you get out of the prison?”

“I stopped waiting for you to come and rescue me, that’s how.”

“Cool, I’m glad you’re okay,” she wished that he would disappear.

“That’s all you can say!?” The rage that had built up in Ryan burst. “Look at me! I’m a wreck becuse you didn’t come save me!” He was right. Dried blood matted his hair. Bruises dotted his skin and his clothes were terribly tattered. Drew stepped in between Ryan and Mae.

“Excuse me, this beautiful woman has suffered an incredible fall. I don’t think yelling will help her recover.”

Ryan’s face twisted with hate. “I don’t care what you have to say,” he tried to shove Drew aside.

“I can’t allow you to verbally abuse Mae,” Drew punched Ryan in the gut. Ryan groaned and dropped to the floor.

“Thank you,” Mae twisted her blonde hair and smiled at Drew. “Dispose of him.”

“Of course,” Drew kissed Mae deeply. Ryan’s face was stricken with grief.

“Out you go,” Drew grabbed Ryan by the scruff of his neck then pushed him out of the room. Once Drew came back Mae locked the door. She kissed him so hard that she accidentally sucked his brains out through his mouth, but Mae wasn’t going to let that get to her.

“Oh well, no use crying over spilled brains, Oh RYAN!”

Planets: Chapter Five: Confusion (Part one)

Since you guys are so impatient, not to mention any names (Kat?e!) I'm posting PART of a chapter, since I don't have the whole thing typed up. Enjoy! (And comment/speculate, PLEASE!:>)

Chapter Five: Confusion

The sun hit Kelsi’s eyelids and they began to flutter, fighting to stay closed in the warmth.
Warmth? Kelsi sat up and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. Amazed at the sight before her, she slowly folded the plush quilt back and stood upon the gleaming oak floor. Sunshine streamed into a welcoming room that was perfect in every possible way. Kelsi’s feet treaded over the luxurious rugs that overlapped each other, made of a fine, sturdy material that was brightly colored. She reached out the window and began to close the ebony shutters but stopped when she was the emerald sea that was the outside world. Plants seemed to grow before her eyes, she could have sworn she watched a rose open it’s velvet blood red petals. Tearing her eyes back to the glorious room, Kelsi stared at the shimmering draperies. Designs full of life danced across them, obviously made by someone who was handy with a needle and some embroidery thread. Even the bedspread glittered, though the superb flowers were not made of thread but sparkling jewels. Examining the fabulous room could have taken hours but Kelsi felt she should move on.
She could feel her muscles strain as the pushed the heavy ebony door open. A hallway with lots of doors was in front of her.
“Wait, where’s Lorna?” Kelsi remembered her best friend for the first time since she had woken up, ten minutes ago. “Is she in one of these rooms?” Her voice oddly echoed, as if the whole house was empty. Her voice sounded misplaced, as if the silence shouldn’t be disturbed so she kept the rest of her thoughts exactly that, thoughts.
That’s strange, shouldn’t the draperies on the walls keep it from echoing? Just like in the room she had woken up in, the walls glittered with elegant tapestries, though unlike the bedroom these seemed to tell a story. On one wall hanging there was three identical planets that were connected by golden bridges. The puzzled look that had become increasingly more familiar to Kelsi’s features inhabited them once more.
What does it mean? Reaching forward, she touched the hanging with her fingertips then spun around. She needed to go through the door behind her, she felt she needed to. Walking to the nearest doorway she pushed it forward. Inside was a bathroom of sorts. Steam engulfed her, warming her through and through. Self-consciously she reached up, realizing that she was a wreck. Pine needles were stuck in her hair and dirt covered every visible square inch of skin. There was a deep tub that was halfway filled with hot water. Not thinking twice, Kelsi stripped down and carefully settled into the basin, avoiding the fancy bottles along the side. She held her breath and dunked herself all the way under, watching her hair gracefully float. It was eerie, the way she could let go and forget everything. Her mind was blank, she stopped caring. She was just there. After a couple seconds, her lungs threatened to give out. Resurfacing, she drew in a deep breath then gasped when she realized what she saw. Several bottles floated up and poured themselves into the constant stream of water that flowed into the tub. The water foamed and bubbled, then started to change colors. Some other bottles levitated and rubbed themselves into Kelsi’s hair and skin. Fragrant smells harmonized as she sat there, enjoying the most wonderful bath she had ever had. The pleasurable bath abruptly ended as the basin quickly drained itself and a pitcher filed with water repeatedly dumped itself over her head.
Kelsi coughed and sputtered, some of the water had gone down the wrong tube, and pushed her sopping hair out of her eyes. A fluffy towel was hanging on a jeweled hook so she grabbed it and wrapped herself in it.
Her dirty, old clothes had been replaced by a new, extravagant dress. She slipped it over her head, the cloth feeling as light and soft as cloud vapor. The gown was a soft orange, a color that Kelsi herself would have never picked, and studded with golden brown topaz and deep orange embroidery. It hugged her body, fitting like a glove so she turned around and around, feeling the soft fabric swirl around her legs. Kelsi had precious few dresses as the orphanage and none had come even close to fitting as well as this one did. As she spun she caught a glimpse of a girl, so she stopped. She looked closer and found that it was a looking glass infront of her. She gasped. The girl in the mirror gasped back.
Is that really me? Kelsi put her fingers forward and touched the mirror. For once Kelsi looked . . . elegant. Instead of looking like the frightened, lost, unloved orphan that she really was, Kelsi could have been mistaken for a young woman with happiness, wealth and suitors. Her hair began to twist together, strands intertwining with gold stars to create a sophisticated coiffure. Kelsi slipped on a pair of golden slippers that had materialized in front of her and quietly left the room.
“Can I help you?”
Kelsi let out a high pitched scream then quickly regained her composure. “Oh, I’m so sorry! You startled me. I was beginning to think that this place was deserted,” the words tumbled out of her mouth. It was such a relief to know that she wasn’t alone.
The boy smiled, but it didn’t reach his sad, bright green eyes. “I’m sorry for startling you. My name is Caleb, I was sent her to fetch you and bring you to the mistress of this estate.” He led Kelsi through many confusing twists and turns. Even with her experience of the orphanage’s puzzling set up Kelsi was lost after walking through the second corridor.
“What is this place?” Kelsi asked.
“Mtudeuh. It is owned by a powerful sorceress. She is the mistress that I am taking you to.”
“How did I get here? Where is my friend?” Kelsi’s voice grew more urgent as she asked about Lorna.
Caleb’s eyes flashed. “I can tell you no more. Please, don’t ask me anything else, I may say something that will cause trouble for both of us.” His voice was soft and sincere.
I trust him. The thought surprised her. Kelsi’s trust was hard to attain. The only other people that she truly trusted was Lorna, her best friend who knew Kelsi better than she did herself and Matron, who had cared for Kelsi since she had been a baby.
Kelsi quietly studied him as they walked along the endless hallways. He was tall with sandy blonde hair that was short and tousled. Kelsi supposed he was around 18 or 19, he looked about as old as the Seniors that roamed Dilworth High’s campus. It seemed wrong to compare him to the cocky Seniors at her high school. Intelligence seemed to emit from him but he acted like his heart had been broken.
Caleb finally stopped in front of a golden door. He closed his eyes, said several strange words, then pulled the door open with a crystal door knob.
“Here,” he said in a whisper full of respect and fear, “is the mistress’s room.”
“Are you coming with me?” Kelsi didn’t want to enter the ominous room alone.
“I can’t,” Caleb replied. “You must go alone. I’m not wanted.”
Kelsi looked distressed. “Alone?” Her voice wavered.
He solumnly nodded, doing nothing to help the increasing fear that Kelsi felt growing inside her. She looked forward, dreading walking down the darkened chamber.
“Goodbye. Thank you,” she looked back to where he had been standing only to find that he had vanished. Her eyes grew wide. Strange. Taking a big breath, she mustered all her strength and stepped into the room. Immediately the room erupted with light, color, and life. Rainbows from crystals that hung from the ceiling brightened the room, gold paved the floor, diamonds encrusted the extravagant furniture and the furnishings were made of luscious black and red silk.
“Welcome Kelsi,” a soft feminine voice spoke. The voice wasn’t soft because it was timid, it was soft because it was so powerful, so commanding, that it didn’t need to be any louder. Silence ensued. Kelsi had head that you shouldn’t speak unless you had been asked a question. Though she hadn’t ever lived by this rule it seemed fitting under these circumstances.
“You may walk in closer, you have nothing to fear,” the voice came from behind a large chair that was covered in scarlet crushed velvet.
Kelsi took several steps closer, still trembling despite the voice’s attempts to calm her. She crept closer until she reached the back of the armchair.
“Face me,” the voice commanded.
Kelsi walked around the chair then stopped in front of it.
“My name is Odyssomai,” the beautiful woman said, “though you may call me Mistress. Most people do.”