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Post by Yangi on Sept 13, 2014 1:58:14 GMT -6
The afternoon sun threw dancing shadows over a green garden. Everywhere flowers blossomed, colorful and sparkling in joy of life. Under a group of trees, Kia Tenner, a tanned teenage girl lay in the grass dozing off to some dreamy place, her bare feet moving every now and then, the red streaked hair swaying with the wind. Few meters away an older version of her sat in front of a laptop at a green garden table, fingers dashing the key board, blue eyes fixed onto the screen. Olivia was the oldest with her 20 years of life experience and she took her responsibilities more than serious. Three years had already passed since the two sisters had left their parent’s house for the Australian coastline and only one month ago Rhinoa and Josephine had joined them. The two spend most of their time at the beach.
Down a natural staircase heavy wind and rain had hewed into the cliff side, the ocean whispered with every rolling wave that hit the shore. Water wiped through the warm air, dainty fume rising up as soon as it left the cool ocean to twirl around in circles and bows. A black mass of hair, as wild as the ocean itself, glistened in the light. Rhinoa’s dark hands barely moved while a great wall of water arose before her, rolling up and down the shore just like the girl commanded. Josephine observed with caution. She was a Frenchwoman and at the edge of 25 by now. Unlike Olivia, she was patient and therefor more suited as a tutor even though Rhinoa already did great on her own. One stroke through the short brown hair and Josephine made a hip-swinging walk over. Rhinoa loosened her hands and the water crashed back into its origin.
“Amazing! Really. I’d never thought your abilities would go this far.”
The girl replied with a proud grin before her tutor continued: “Now. We know you can create strong and big waves but what about finding water? Ever tried that?”
The grin faded into an expression of deep thinking.
“What do you mean? I’ve only ever been at the ocean… Where else should I get water? You mean like a shower?”
Josephine laughed. For a second their brown eyes met. She liked this girl, Josephine noticed once again, then stowed away the discovery at the back of her mind and smiled: “A little, yes.”
For a moment the words flew untranslated and chaotic over the Frenchwoman’s tongue until her glance halted at the edge of the cliff. Right behind it, she knew the house of the Tenner’s lay. With one finger the woman pointed upward saying: “Let’s try this. Up there is the house. Where there’s a house there’s water. In pipes, glasses, vases, weird decoration objects…”
“Okay, okay I get it”, Rhinoa giggled and the black eyebrows lowered in concentration. Five long minutes they held their position and the girl exhaled in exhaustion. Josephine gave her a questioning look.
“And? How did it go?”
“Not a drip.”, Rhinoa replied akimbo. “The ocean’s too close I guess. Can’t sense anything but big mama.”
They smiled at each other.
“Well then let’s go upstairs. I’d like a sip of my drink too.”
Said and done. Few minutes later they joined Olivia at the table under a white sunshade and leaned back in their chairs. Josephine sighed in delight: “Shade! Finally!”
Beside her, Rhinoa fumbled around with the adjustment until the chair had her desired position. Relaxed she leaned back, strong muscles showing themselves as she rested her hands under the head. For a moment the brown eyes closed. Then they opened again to search for a well known face. Rhinoa found it under a tree. Grinning she watched her friend doze in the sun. One month ago, when the Tenner’s had come to her island, she had been so excited. Being taught in an art most people didn’t even know existed sounded like a great adventure! Ever since, the two girls had become good friends. After training they spend most of their time together, visiting the nearest towns, going for a surf or simply hanging out in the sun. The only thing she regretted was the fact she wasn’t allowed to visit the school in the next village. The reason the Tenner girls lived so far form all civilization lay in Kia’s temporary lack of control. Her powers matched up easily with Rhinoa’s and therefore bore a threat when unleashed by accident. To prevent the world in finding out their secret, the two sisters had agreed on avoiding any assemblage of people that might cause stress or fear and school was definitely one of them. Rhinoa on the other hand had lived a very familiar life. The ocean surrounding all edges of the tiny island, no one had ever noticed her secret doings when helping out with the waves for surfing. Her school had been very small and almost tentative with its wooden walls. The girl had hoped for a more varied education than sitting in the living room of the Tenner’s big house being lectured by an elder woman.
Under the tree, Kia moved and drew her knees closer. Rhinoa blinked, than leaned back in her chair again. After all this might be the only pause she’d get for the day!
Josephine slurped on a colorful cocktail fancily decorated with fruits. Over its top her eyes lost focus on the far horizon. A warm breeze blew threw the thin hair. After a while she raised her voice: “Something important?”
Without looking up, Olivia answered: “We got the ‘Go’.”
Josephine’s eyes widened. Surprised she turned away from the ocean and towards her colleague.
Olivia’s fingers still flew over the letters of the keyboard. “What? You had the dream, right?”
Josephine slightly nodded, still puzzled. “I wasn’t sure if it was the real thing. I hadn’t expected it… so soon.”
Olivia sighed busily: “Well, me neither but what can we do?”
The Frenchwoman opened her mouth and closed it again.
“What dream? Something important?”
The women looked up. Rhinoa had raised herself to take part in the conversation. Without them noticing, Kia blinked from under her hood as well. For a moment only the ocean’s constant whispering filled the air, then the tapping started once more. It meant Olivia left all explanation to Josephine. The Frenchwoman thoughtfully drew a big draught from her drink before she began: “Remember what you were told when we first met?”
Rhinoa nodded heavily.
“About the others like you?”
Another nod.
Josephine twisted sentences around in her mind. Where to begin?
“There is a woman. She’s called the Great Guardian. Upholding the balance of magic and no-magic is her purpose. She’s also the one who decided on you and Kia to receive the honor of…” her hands tried to grab the right word “visiting the Council.” It wasn’t poetry and probably didn’t help the girl one bit but she couldn’t do any better at the moment. Indeed Rhinoa lifted one eyebrow but kept silent to give her tutor the opportunity to continue in her explanation: “We were allowed to bring you and Kia together because you both had already discovered your powers and your current locations lay close to each other. We were supposed to be contacted by the Guardian when the time had come to unite all of you and ultimately take you to the Council.”
Kia swallowed. Some words had gotten carried away by other sounds from the table to the tree and the girl had to prick her ears hardly to get the important parts. She had known about the Guardian but not about the planned visit to the Council. Whatever that was it didn’t sound pleasant.
Josephine’s lips moved again and all thought was repressed by concentration.
“Last night I…” The woman glanced over to the long-curled blonde and corrected: “We had a dream. It was send from the Guardian to tell us that it’s time to find the others and get you together.“
Rhinoa had grown astonishingly silent. Usually she was a fond question-asker but this seemed too much for her. All she could come up with was a slow “I see.”
Finally Olivia chimed in, hitting the enter button and instantly flapping her laptop shut: “There seems to be three others. At least that’s the ones we are supposed to collect. The first one’s in South Korea. If we hurry, we can still catch flight in the evening.”
Suddenly Kia was right at her feet, mumbling something like “have fun” and rushed away.
Silence. Everyone watched the small figure vanishing behind the house. Josephine slurped her drink. She paused for a “Shouldn’t we stop her?”, then turned back to her glass. The older Tenner stored the laptop away into its case.
“No. It’d cost us a fortune last time we tried to get her into a plane. The repairs’ just finished.”
Rhinoa tried to imagine the scale of the earthquake. The typing stopped and the blond curly mass turned toward Josephine: “We pack, you guys drive ahead, I get my sister somehow and we meet at the airport.”
The drink clanked when it touched the table.
“If you say so. Come on Rhinoa. Looks like training will have to wait.”
Rhinoa clenched her fists in a notion of joy and followed her trainer into the house trying to ignore the slight motion under her feet.
Two hours later at the airport
People bustled from left to right, bags, backpacks and trollies of all color and size passed the two foreigners. Rhinoa bobbed from one leg onto the other.
“Where are they?”
The Frenchwoman looked at her watch: “Don’t worry, we still got half an hour ‘til check in.”
“How long do we fly?”
“19 hours and 55 minutes.”
“Wow! That’s pretty long!”
Josephine gave her a sideways look and smiled: “Say Rhinoa… have you ever been on a plane?”
The girl chuckled then shook her head. A hand tousled through her dark curly hair and Josephine smiled warmly: “It’ll be fun, for sure. Ah! There they are!”
The slim figure of Olivia sloughed from the mass of passengers, closely followed by Kia whose eyes were covered with a dark cloth. Even though the stone floor was cool, only sandals covered her feet. Few meters away Olivia stopped, talked to her sister and then went over to meet Josephine.
“So? How did you do it?”, the Frenchwoman wanted to know.
Olivia sighed of exhaustion: “She thinks we’re on a dance contest.”
Rhinoa lifted her eyebrow to show her distrust in the plan: “How do you plan on getting her into the plane?”
Olivia started waving wildly with her arms, explaining: “Not plane, backstage area. Therefore the identity check.”, then winked twice and swirled around to get her sister. Rhinoa snorted. Immediately Olivia jumped back to her side: “Shh! Just play along, okay?”
With that she dived back into the crowd to her excitedly dancing sister, coming back forth with her towards the check-in. The lie worked. Kia even got happier because of those super comfortable seats they got for her, while Rhinoa was practically glued to the window, watching the flaps go up and down. If the captain wouldn’t have given his welcome, the flight might have been a pleasant one.
“AAAAH!”
With one move the cloth was down and Kia started to revolt in her seat. A hand squished her arm. Olivia flashed in fury, muttering between her teeth: “Not one move, or do you want us to crash?”
“I hate flying!”
“I hate cheese, but I still eat it. Look at Rhinoa, she’s flying for the first time and already has fun.”
One row behind them Rhinoa really was filled with excitement, so much she didn’t dare to move. Eyes wide she stared out of the window, drawing her breath while the metal bird slowly rolled onto the tarmac. Josephine grabbed the hood in front of her. On her bracelet a strange sign gleamed in alarm.
“You know we wouldn’t do this if there was a boat to take. Be a good girl, it won’t be long.”
No reply, no trouble. For now. The women nodded in appreciation, and then the plane took off. Rhinoa shrieked when gravity changed and the plane took curse in direction of Sidney. Olivia studied her sister. Eyes shut, hands drilled deeply into the seat, sweat glistening from her forehead. It didn’t look good. Suddenly the plane pounced. The gleam of the sign on the bracelet went brighter, steel crunched, passengers anxiously moving around as the flight got more turbulent by the second. Olivia jumped around in her seat and shouted directly into Josephine’s face: “Damn it Josy, hurry!”
“Got it!”
Much later, Seoul, South Korea
Rhinoa had gotten paler but other than that, she was fine. Josephine poked against Kia’s limp body, hanging in the plane seat. No reaction.
“I think that was too much valerian…”, she commented dryly.
Olivia huffed and continued in throwing luggage onto her unconscious sister from the compartments.
“That’s not my fault! She was tearing the whole plane apart! There!”
A bag hit Josephine on the head. One good shaking and the light brown hair was as beautiful as ever. Loading the luggage under her arms and onto the surrounding empty seats, the Frenchwoman mentioned: “We can’t put her under medication every time…”
“Maybe YOU can’t but I do!”, shouted the blonde and heaved Kia onto her back to make way for Rhinoa as they got in line for the exit.
Forces united, the group managed to leave the airport, taking a taxi south. Few kilometers out of Seoul a smaller town named Doung-ri shone welcomed them in late daylight. Hyona Park surely lived grand. The taxi halted in front of a huge mansion, an electronic gate parting the entrance from the street and a tall butler answering their ring and leading them into the living room. Her father owned a chain of amusement parks all over Asia, how they learned later. Instead of a girl, Soo-Jung Park, the handsome brother welcomed them. In perfect English he introduced himself and set down on a sofa opposite to his guests. Rhinoa immediately saved all the new impressions in her mind. She had never seen so many sparkling things in one room before. The young man eyed her with a bit of amusement, then turned towards the two women.
“Now, may I ask, what you came for?”
“Your sister.”, Olivia answered promptly.
A shadow crossed his eyes. “Oh, I’m sorry. Heyona’s not home. Maybe I can help you?”
The women exchanged a glimpse. They would have to remember how to pronounce the girl’s name. Josephine nodded in consent and Olivia spoke: “We know… Heyona” She paused to make sure the name sounded correct before continuing: “…has certain abilities. Something normal people aren’t able to do. Josephine and I are commissioned by a place called the Council to form a group of such talented people and train them to hopefully enable them to protect others like them. My sister here is one too. She’s… good at making earthquakes.” After her last sentence, Olivia hawked awkwardly. Soo-Jung surveyed the sleeping girl a moment. “I presume she’s not much into flying then.”
“We had to… tranquilize her…”
“I see. “, Soo-Jung nodded slightly. It was the first time Olivia didn’t get a strange reaction and the first time she felt ashamed about it.
“And who might you be?”, he waved politely at the dark girl, scanning his furniture.
“Rhinoa Tinbau. I’m love water.”, she babbled without looking up.
“Ah. And my sister is supposed to be…”
The man didn’t seem convinced in the slightest. Unimpressed he had been listening to his guests, presenting sheer politeness on the outside, but at the same time urgent to make them leave as soon as possible.
“exception in terms of fire.”, Olivia added, fixing his eyes. A blue shimmer enlightened the room. The earth crystal had awakened. Around Olivia’s neck a star formed crystal lifted into the air, its prongs sliding apart soundlessly and a hazy image of the earth appeared. A red sign shone over South Korea. “Hyona Park.”, commanded Olivia and the image changed to the town and finally the house. Somewhere over their heads, the red sign blinked. With the wink of an eye everything was over, the crystal hanging innocent from Olivia’s neck. The man sighed.
“So that’s how you found us.”
“Why did you lie?”, Olivia asked. From the sofa a soft mourn distracted her. Josephine helped Kia to get up. Slowly, her conscious came back. Soo-Jung got up and went over to a pompous fireplace. Right above it hung a big family portrait. With one finger, he shoved it to the side until a black mark showed itself on the wall.
“Hyona doesn’t have her powers under control. You’re not the first ones to ask for her. Believe me when I tell you, that I just want what’s best for her.”
“Then let her join us.”
All eyes on Kia. Wavering she took the glass of water Josephine had ordered for her. After taking a few sips, the young girl continued: “I know my sister can be annoying.”
Olivia’s eyes immediately narrowed to slits.
“But she takes good care of us even though we cause quite some trouble with our powers. And Josephine… with that bracelet she recognizes any trouble one of us is in. I kind’a… tested it a lot…”
She sighed and one hand rose to her forehead. “I’m a bit drowsy…”
This time Olivia averted any eye contact trying to ignore the screaming voices of her bad conscious but what her sister then said made her wonder: “It might sound stupid, but we really need your sister. I know what you’re afraid of. But we’re not one of them. I’m not sure what the Council is but they can’t be too bad if they send Olivia and Josephine to teach us. This could be her chance to learn how to handle her powers.”
Olivia blinked in astonishment. A spark of pride twinkled in her eyes. Rhinoa and Josephine smiled at each other, the island girl softly patting Kia’s tired head. Soo-Jung reflected. He got up, went over to the sofa and drew on a cord. Soon after, the butler entered. Tense the group of strangers prepared for the worst.
“Get my sister down, she has guests.”
The night air was filled with the scent of rain, wet earth and the odor of hidden flowers. Somewhere a dog barked and the stars disappeared behind grey clouds. Wind rushed over the many tree tops of the city, up a steep hill until he reached an eastern mansion, big enough to hold a princess in a golden cage. Inside, a group of shadows formed before the window of the living room. The wind found entrance and blew through the curtains and a pair of black curls until Soo-Jung closed the window shut.
“I’m sorry.”, the young master said, moving back to his seat in front of his visitors, “The wind’s strong this time of year.”
Olivia watched him curiously. Every step the handsome man made seemed elegant, well thought-of, as if he considered every single motion before doing it. She couldn’t imagine how tiring it must be to live like this. The butler appeared in the door and gestured silently to the side before making way for the princess.
A tall, slender girl stepped into the room. Under an asymmetrical long shirt in white, red shorts peeped out, while her feet were tucked into fluffy house boots slurping over the floor. Her brown straight hair waved from side to side, as Hyona made her way to the sofa. One glance at the pack of strangers and an icy discussion started between the siblings. Rhinoa was fascinated by the sound of korean language. Beside her, Kia shifted down her second glass of water, just to fall back into the white set of the sofa. Josephine fanned the girl a bit of air. It got louder. The flames of two tea lights reached critical extent. Then, suddenly, everything was over. One last time Hyona glinted at her brother through blazing eyes, then turned with a drive towards Olivia.
“Hyona Park. Please take good care of me. If you’ve got a moment, I’ll go pack.”
Off she went. Soo-Jung sighed, covering his forehead in exhaustion. Meanwhile the butler left the room, his footsteps echoing up the staircase. Josephine checked the candles, but they had went out completely by now and a tiny trail of smoke lifted to the ceiling.
“Guess that didn’t go well…”, Rhinoa finally said, breaking the silence. Kia groaned.
The two women turned to Soo-Jung. He looked devastated: “She’ll get used to it. Probably faster, then you might think.”
Olivia doubted he was in understanding of the full consequences of this debate, but she decided not to interfere. Instead she nodded slightly, replying: “I really hope so…”
After a terrible concert of rumbling above their heads, Hyona stormed back in. Ignoring her brother entirely, she followed an even beeline across the living room, threw her luggage before Olivia and said: “Isn’t there someplace we need to go?”
The blonde exchanged a glimpse with Soo-Jung but Hyona blocked her view and faced her straight on to leave her no other option then to admit: “Eh, yeah. The airport. 3 hours ‘til the L.A. flight.”
Within seconds Kia had fully recovered and was back on her feet, taking leave. Unfortunately her sister could get hold of the hood and any escape was impossible. Rhinoa came prancing in to announce the taxi had arrived. Josephine was already directing the storage of their luggage. The Tenners thanked her in unison and the island girl hopped off giggling to herself. The older sister resumed to their debate: “I’ll buy you those protective sleeves you wanted so badly… You know… the glowy ones.”
That was thought provoking. Kia really wanted those. Hyona waited in the hallway, her foot tapping impatiently against the brown marble. After a minute she grabbed her bag herself and went out into the fresh night. Olivia motioned her sister to follow up and they relocated their discussion into the hallway. Through the glass door, Olivia recognized the blurry shadows of Josephine, Rhinoa and Hyona. Relieved she turned back to the bigger problem. Kia was still weighing reward against challenge. The door opened and moments later Rhinoa’s strong arms clung around her friend grinning wide. “Come on, come on! L.A. won’t wait forever!”
In a moment of delusion, the earth-talented girl seemed encouraged and before knowing, her mouth formed the words: “Let’s go!”
“Let’s go CC! Your call!”, the woman patted her star on the shoulder, then walked off hectically talking into the mike of her headset. Bass dinned rhythmically; the guitar gave noise; the light dimmed into one single spot. Cheers broke loose and swept over the gigantic mass of people like a wave. Thousands of flashes flickered, a star was about to appear. The rocky blue-black outfit started glowing as CC stepped onto the stage, reddish hair twirling shiny on the way to the microphone. Behind the singer, dancers appeared before a fiery background and took positions.
“Hello LA!”, her lips motioned and within an instant the sound shot over the mass of people and they made noise. Very loudly. Somewhere amidst thousands of hopping and screaming fans, Hyona couldn’t believe her eyes.
“CC Arlin? The CC Arlin is one of us?!”
Olivia heaved Kia puffing and blowing up her back so she wouldn’t fall down. It got loud on the stage, the concert began. “That’s her alright. And we got to convince her of joining.”, the blonde answered, trying to get a glimpse of the famous idol but not a chance. It was complicated enough to keep Kia safe in this constantly swaying mass of people besides, everyone but Rhinoa seemed exhausted by the flight. Shoving herself dancing through a group of people, the dark girl screamed over the noise: “Do we know where the last one is?”
Olivia shook her head: “It’s strange. The crystal says she’s here but I can’t get a clear signal.” The dark girl shrugged her shoulders: “Maybe she’s just dancing?” Off she was again, moving to the melody of a rock song.
With one hand Olivia opened the earth crystal round her neck. People were pushing from every side and she had a hard time not to fall down along with Kia. She boggled. A tiny symbol shimmered not too far away. Josephine watched from over her shoulder.
“D’you think that’s it?”, the Frenchwoman said in a hush tone. Without answering Olivia took direction like a hound: “Her signal’s weak. Let’s hope it’s because of these many people.”
Soundless, the earth crystal closed back into its original form. As long as the concert was still going, they wouldn’t have a chance of finding that girl. Patience was indicated.
Rhinoa and Hyona were enjoying the concert more or less, Rhinoa dancing wildly, Hyona merely smiling but Josephine blamed that on her sudden departure. She would warm up, after a while. Everywhere people urged on the Frenchwoman and, what was worse, on Olivia with her sister on the back. Cautiously Josephine took hold of her co-coach and led her to the outer border of the concert viewers.
“Thanks.”, Olivia admitted and released herself from her sisters’ weight, letting her rest against a fence. They sat down beside her. For a long moment nobody spoke. The bass pulsing under their bodies, CC’s voice ringing in their ears, blowing away every unpleasant thought. And then that moment ended. Something else was festering the Australian. Josephine knew that.
“What’s troubling you? We’re almost done, aren’t we?”
Olivia nodded. It was a tired move of her head using gravity not willpower. She opened her mouth, then closed it again, uncertain of what to say. “I don’t know it’s just… “, she sighed. Josephine waited patiently until she made another attempt: “What if, she’s weak? Her signal sure is. What if… the Council turns out different then we had thought? Their intentions… I couldn’t bare losing my sister.”
A hand touched her shoulder. “Don’t worry”, Josephine said softly, “I’ve been to the Council many times and I promise you, that your sister’s in good hands. And if the Great Guardian chose that ‘weak’ girl, there must be something about her.”
A thought crossed her mind and she grinned. With a thumb Josephine pointed at Kia: “We survived the earth’s quarrel, what’s a weakling against that?”
They laughed. On stage CC threw her long hair back and forth, her voice chased over the clamoring crowd like a storm. And somewhere, between those fanatic fans, music lovers and passionate dancers, one little heartbeat sped up.
“Kia… Kia wake up!”
The girl opened her eyes and turned her head. Music, crowd, stage… A concert, her mind concluded. Slowly she crawled up against the fence until she was sure her legs would carry her. Olivia was getting impatient again: “Josy and the others are already backstage. We got to find the last chosen one before she leaves the concert.”
That having said, she went off into the crowd, Kia – still a little drowsy- staggering behind her.
“The last chosen one? You mean she’s here?”, Kia asked between a hand full of squealing girls and the monstrous backside of a man. In front of her, Olivia just passed the man to disappear into another group of youngsters. Kia had to listen hard, to hear her sister over the noise: “Yey-yes, what else! Now help me look, she has to be here somewhere. Argh, screw all theses people!”
Even though the concert was already over most of the visitors where still there, hanging about, stuck in their memory, in the atmosphere of the latest events. The crystal relocated the glowing symbol anew every three seconds, as if it was wandering about in a radius of 15 meters. Olivia cursed. Kia sighed. She had to take a breath and stopped for a moment. Suddenly her feet signaled strange vibrations. There was something in the earth. Kia closed her eyes and let her toes reach out, the senses wide open. Annoyed her sister whirled around after noticing the still-standing of the younger Tenner and reached out her arm to drag her onward: “Kia! Come on!”
“Something’s pulsating…”, after focusing a little more, Kia added: “like a heartbeat…No it’s more like… a whole bunch of hearts!”
“What?”
The hand let go. Kia concentrated harder, both feet evenly on the ground. Suddenly her arm rose up pointing into one direction.
“That way.”
“You can’t go through.”
Josephine stared demanding at the haggard man. “Why not?”, she asked with a fake French accent. Her English was near to perfect, but experience had proven that she could get through with practically anything as long as she made her roots clear. The man in front of her wasn’t an exception. His eyes showed interest but his fingers fiddled with the tie indecisive.
“Well, you see… this is the dressing room of our starlet and, how do I put it? She doesn’t like being disturbed.”
Josephine’s gaze grew stronger: “How am I supposed to do an interview with CC Arlin without CC Arlin?!”
The man nervously loosened the collar a bit. “Well, that’s complicated, I…”, he went on with many explanations. Hyona rolled her eyes. They had managed to get backstage, past several question-askers, bodyguards and what not. Everything that was left was that stupid door and the man guarding it.
In the background Rhinoa played with a hideously little dog, japing around. Josephine interrupted the agent in his flood of words: “We’ve been waiting for this interview for days now.”
The man waved his hands into the space between them and answered nervously: “I know and I’m really sorry about that but at the moment… why don’t you wait just a little longer. I’m sure she will come out anytime soon.”
Everything pointed against that. Josephine sighed.
In the meantime, the Tenners had narrowed down their suspects to five. The earth crystal still couldn’t make clear statements, but at least Kia got some training. A bit of listening and the turquoise eyes confronted a flood of golden hair… of three kinds.
“Hi!”, Olivia user her nicest voice. The three very Scandinavian girls turned around in wander. On their faces the moment of eternal happiness still lingered, the fan shirts lightly sweated.
“Jessica Vierson?”, She tried randomly, eager to any reaction.
“Yes?”, the most petite one of them answered. The massy blond hair was a bit yellower than Kia’s and tamed in a queue on the side of her head. A thick fringe kept the viewers eye away from the forehead and focused any attention on the clear and dark blue pair of eyes. Her mouth spread wide over both cheeks which gave the girl an indistinct feel of true happiness. The resemblance of the other two girl’s nose and cheek bone’s indicated their close relation. What followed, made Kia blink in astonishment. Without second thought, Olivia fed the girls a line and a good one with that: “The ticket sales went along with a lottery for a meeting with CC. You are among the winners.” Minutes of screaming and hopping followed. That was all it took.
The second time in two days. Kia felt embarrassed even though this time it didn’t directly involve her. The older Tenner lied with scary conviction.
Joyfully grinning, the newest victim named Jessica trotted obediently after the Tenners, her two cousins in tow. Kia gave her sister a dark side glance, which was ignored. After some minutes and a lot of jam, the group finally reached the stars’ dressing room. Josephine nodded to Olivia, then gave Rhinoa a sign and soon after the sprinklers went on. In the up roaring chaos nobody noticed how a group of girls disappeared behind a starry door.
Within seconds the racket descended into a silent mumble as the door went shut. Josephine scanned the room for CC. She wasn’t there, the window closed. A door lead away at the other end. The dripping of a shower became clear and she signaled Olivia, who went over positioning herself in front of the bathroom. While Rhinoa and Kia sneaked further into the room, Olivia commanded Hyona to lock the front door. One grip from the Korean and the lock began to bubble.
“I said lock not melt!”, Olivia shouted.
The girl shrugged absently: “Yeah… still got to learn that.”
Olivia smacked her forehead. She was overtired and peevish. From a corner a metallic sound made her jump. She turned around just to see Rhinoa at a stack of dresses, one half in her arms, the rest down on the floor together with the metal hangers. The emerging hunger did the rest. Before she knew it, Olivia crashed the bathroom door open with one kick and a flustered CC glanced at her. Kia laughed. She laughed hardly. The others were too scared to move. While her sister was occupied with dragging CC away from the mirror, Kia realized a tremor in the atmosphere. Jessica was shaking badly, eyes as big as plates, clinging to the wall. She had totally forgotten about her!
The Scandinavian shook her head until the long queue smacked her in the face. “Who are you people! Where are my cousins? I wan’na leave right now!”
Kia scratched her head, uncertain of what to do. “So you really don’t know much yet… Eh…”, she started, then hesitated in search for the right words. Behind her, Josephine and Hyona tried to pull Olivia from CC who was bitterly screaming. For a moment Kia was distracted by the commotion. When she turned back, Jessica had moved a few inches closer to the door knob.
“Oh, I wouldn’t do that. Not… that I wouldn’t let you do that but… I’m afraid the door’s lock was pretty much destroyed by our friend Hyona there.”
It took a moment to sink in. Jessica’s eyes grew even bigger!
“You-you’re one of them! I’m not talented, really! Not at all!”, she was shaking terribly, then with a mourn her legs gave away under her and she sank against the melted door, face hidden in her hands. Kia wanted to sooth her, but Hyona was faster. In a wink she was kneeling before the blond. When she spoke, it was a sweet, calming melody: “No, don’t worry. We are talented, yes, but we’re not from an organization.”
Jessica authored a sob. Astoundingly patient the Korean girl kept talking, making the tremble of the girl disappear more and more with every word she produced: “I know you are afraid. I was, too. But trust me, these people are… anything but an organized hiring squad.”
With the last sentence she threw a cold gaze at Kia. Instinctive the dancer clenched her fists. What was that idiot thinking? They were all in the same boat. Luckily other matters were in need of Hyona’s attention and the girl cleared off. Watching her back for a while, Kia tried again: “Please, don’t freak out. You’re here for a reason, like we all are. I’m not entirely sure what it is, but it must be important to make us fly all the way from Australia just to get you guys.”
There! A spark of curiosity flashed between a terrified mouth and a pair of angry eyebrows. For an instant, Jessica even dared to look behind Kia to get a glimpse of her idol. Kia saw that as a good sign. “How about we start again?”, she offered. “I’m Kia and the long-haired version of me there is my sister Olivia. We’re Australian. The other woman is Josephine. France. The ‘model’ is Hyona from South Korea and the strong black girl is Rhinoa from a tiny island in Polynesia. And the last one… well I bet you know more about her, then me.” With one hand, she invited Jessica to continue.
“Clara Christin Arlin, known as CC Arlin. Famous rock and pop star. Born in Chicago. 16 years old.”, the awed girl said, eyes wandering between the knot of people in the back and Kia right before her. Unsure, which one might be the greater threat, Jessica decided on Kia for the time being. After all she was closest. Kia took a knee to seem less minatory and countered the other girl’s gaze with her open turquoise eyes. “And you are?”
Jessica opened her mouth to speak.
In front of the bathroom, door splinters covered the violet carpet where the group of three were still jostling around silly. Finally, Rhinoa decided to step in. With one tight grip, she ripped Olivia from the singer and threw her onto the carpet. The Australian huffed. She blew blond curls out of her face. CC glared at the woman, holding her arm where a red mark glowed in the shape of a hand. Just as the two went for another round, Josephine threw her arms between them: “Enough! The Council! Now!”
Before anyone could react, the earth crystal flashed brightly and a second later, they were gone.
The bright light slowly faded. When a warm dry wind got caught in her hair, Jessica opened her eyes and stifled a scream! Before her feet the ground fell into nothingness. Carefully, Jessica stepped back until she bumped into someone. CC barely turned to meet Jessica’s astonished gaze. The others were there too. All except Josephine seemed petrified with awe! Jessica ran her hand over the face and looked again, this time, following the gaze of the others towards something else. Something big. Jessica’s mouth fell open.
Before them a beautiful waterpark extended towards a city of white stone. Rhinoa bent down to touch the surface of a surreal blue color. Her hand met the ground fast and a tiny cloud of sand twirled around her fingers. As the girl pulled out her hand again, the water stuck to it a while longer as if in embrace, unwilling to let her go. Patiently, Josephine gave the group a moment to accustom themselves with the view. When their facial features more or less hit a normal expression, she pointed towards a stone path on water level that led towards the great buildings in the distance. “Shall we?”
“What is this place?”, Hyona murmured more to herself, eyes following the strange floating sky. On closer inspection, the soft motions resembled swirling fog, churned by an undetectable wind. Nostalgic dominated the Frenchwoman’s face. In remembrance the brown eyes wandered over the paradisal landscape. “This” she announced in a loving voice. “is the Great Council.”
The stone path was just too narrow to go in twos but the girls still had so much to discover, no word would have left their mouth anyways. Fascinated their heads moved from left to right and back again, seeing so much wonder. After a while of marching, what had looked like an entire city had was now close enough to be recognized as one grand palace. Every little building was connected to another bigger one which was connected to another even bigger and so forth. From the sky it must look like a star with the main building as a center and the outspreading paths and stairs becoming smaller and smaller like the houses they lead to as prongs. The main building was, in contrast of the others of gigantic structure: A massive edifice rising into the air, divided into three main parts. The lowest was the biggest and seemed to be used like a cross road where most of the sub-buildings’ stairs and paths went to. There was a wide rind around it like a balcony that could hold thousands of people. The second part was smaller and held two pompous balconies with white handrail and a stone carved symbol resembling a pair of wings. They seemed to having been made for events of great importance like the announcement of a ruler. Their dark blue color repeated itself in all the roofs of the palace. In the middle acing the girls, there was a grand window front with two long yellow flags flanking them. The third part was the upper platform from which several smaller towers grew into the sky. The whole thing reminded Kia of a tart.
“Everything you see”, Josephine explained, “ is actually a floating island in the middle of time.”
Hyona listened attentively and opened her mouth before thinking properly: “How can something be ‘in the middle of time’? Do you mean there’s no time here?”
The Frenchwoman laughed and threw a side glance at Olivia. The Australian had only once before entered the walls of the Great Council and it had been very dark back then. She looked just as astounded as the other girls. Focusing back on the stone path, Josephine answered: “Of cause there is. Just that it changes direction every now and then. Sometimes it goes forth, sometimes back and sometimes it stands still. But that’s a bit more complicated. The important thing for you is: As soon as you enter this place, the time where you came from stands still or at least runs really slow.”
They continued on their way. Jessica, who had, for a moment, forgotten all her fears, trotted behind the others as the path drew a big curve. The palace with all its glory was now in full sight and so where the inhabitants. At first they had looked like strange birds, tottering between the walls but when the group had gotten even closer, Jessica noticed they were working on one of the greater stairs running through the air from building to building. She hadn’t thought a place like this could actually become knackered at all. The stone path twined onto shore and the first white walls blocked their view. Josephine gestured upward where the roof began. Small embellishments had been cut into the stone, showing wavy creatures and flowers, stars and sceneries. The pattern repeated itself around each window and door of the following houses until the first stone stairs lifted from the ground. Josephine guided them up and with every turn they made, the stairs lead them higher and higher over the rooftops. Soon Kia’s eyes were solely fixed onto the stone before her sandaled feet, knees slightly bended to feel the sturdy bridge under her. She had never been too fond of heights. After entering the inner ring of the palace, each of the girls had expected to see more of the inhabitants but everything held a ghostly atmosphere or silence and liveliness here so that Olivia finally asked: “Where is everyone?” Josephine nodded towards the main building.
“Most of them are in there. It’s work time so everyone’s going on about their business.”
“Huh.”, Olivia commented in slight disbelieve. Jessica remembered something she had been wondering earlier and got a move on until she was at a level with the Frenchwoman.
“So there is some kind of time here after all?”
“Yes and no. There is no actual continues time flow like our earthen day and night. But the body of most beings is dependent on some kind of time rhythm so the Wisemen created an artificial change of light, symbolizing day and night.”
A wave of understanding “Ah”s ran through the group. Obviously they had had a similar if not same question in mind.
The main building was only one more crossroad away and excitement, of what was to come, rose to a critical maximum. Suddenly Josephine turned left and followed a staircase up to a big round building. Olivia obediently followed, while the girls seriously considered moving on without them. Too close was the center with its promising secrets. But after some exchanged glimpses, they sighed and climbed the stairs. Entering the building, Hyona asked: “What do we want here? I thought we would go to the center?”
Some of the other girls nodded in agreement. The walls inside seemed almost brown in the dim light that shone through two smaller slits under the ceiling. The air was heavy and wavering. Cautious they moved on, trailing after Josephine further into the dark.
“Before we go there, you’ll have to meet someone.”, her voice echoed through the dark and the girls had a hard time stumbling through the thicket of shadows until it broke up into a green and yellow lighted place. It was then, that the group realized they had been wandering through tight standing group of trees, circling an old looking fountain like a protective shield. Over their heads, the orange sky fell upon them through a skylight that resembled the wing shape they had seen on the balconies of the palace. Carefully, one after the other, the girls started exploring. Hyona went, like Rhinoa and CC directly to the fountain. The rim was broad enough to sit on but, like everything else in this place, had been overrun with hassock, fighting their way to light between the joints. On one side one very proprietary tree had thrown his many thin but long branches into the basin, building a shape like a gateway. Hyona touched the twigs and the whole tree wiggled in respond. A Korean word slipped her tongue before backing away. Rhinoa and CC were mostly admiring the three meters tall statues of two centaurs fighting over a fish. The discoloration of one of the centaurs’ back indicated that the water fountain usually hit it, no doubt creating a loud noise. But the water hadn’t been moving in a while and the basin was full of green sediments. Kia, who had stayed at the entrance like Jessica, clearly shared the Swedish opinion on this place. Something wasn’t right. But when they turned around, the grown ups had gone and the trees had closed, forming a sturdy wall.
“Hey!” What had left her mouth out of surprise, now repeated to alarm the others: “Hey! Olivia and Josephine are gone!”
“The entrance too”, Jessica added, equally disturbed. Immediately the three girls joined them to check. They pulled and hit but the trees wouldn’t give in. Hyona growled angrily: “A trap! You! Kia!”, her finger flew in front of the Australians nose. “You’re an earth-talented. Make them move.”
Kia slung down the evil comment, her mind had prepared to take another look around before answering: “No. There’s something strange about this place. I don’t think using our powers would be good. Besides, if you’re so eager in leaving, why not burn the whole stuff down?”
The tall girl looked away in defeat. A strong mood started pressing down on them, like an unknown force, preventing them from any movement. With it and growing stronger by the minute, an eery choir of whispers chased Jessica’s ears. A piercing sound, disbanding any other thought. Jessica covered her ears, her face filled with fright.
From the corner of her eye, CC sensed a motion. Behind the fountain the trees parted to let in a figure. “Watch out!”, she yelled, jumping closer towards the other girls. Muscles tensed, they stared onto the unknown.
Yet, the fountain blocked their view and kept the intruder from revealing itself. However, before the figure left its lair, a woman’s voice was carried across to meet their ears with a melodic hum: “Welcome young ones, to the Great Council. Fear not.”
A young woman of Josephine’s age stepped from behind the fountain. Her dark skin was covered by a slight transparent gown in crystal patterns and exceptionally long, bulky hair that was close to blond on the top and dark brown at its ends. “I am the Guardian. Protector of Balance and Leader of the Council of Wisemen.” The rays from the sky light hit her skin. Suddenly a complex pattern shone forth. “I’m honored to finally meet you.” The guardian’s eyes gleamed when her lips widened to a joyous smile.
The five girls exchanged glances. Unsure of what to do next they fought out who was to speak first and meet this strange a woman. Even Hyona held back. Jessica slowly lifted her hands from her ears. The whispering had gone leaving a queer silence. One that made every sound reach her hearing with such clarity she would have been able to distinguish between an ant and a lady bug crawling over the floor. The Guardian patiently sat down onto the fountain’s edge, her gown swaying with the slightest movement like veils of fog. Kia lost the soundless debate. With one push by the Korean the blonde tumble forward a few steps. Hurriedly Kia caught her balance and the stumbling ended with the controlled steps of a dancer. Two meters from the black woman, Kia came to a stop. She drew her breath, felt how courage grew within her chest and spoke: “H-Hi.”
In the background Hyona slapped her forehead. The ‘smack’ reached Kia’s ears without delay and red rushed over her cheeks. “W-Where is my sister and… why are we here?”, she managed to get out of her mouth before all air left her with an exhausted puff. The Guardian surveyed her with interested eyes, than smiled again. “Your sister is safe. I wanted a moment with you alone before… well. We’ll come to that in a moment. Surely, you must have questions and today is the time for answers. But let me tell you about this place first.”
The woman merely moved, resting within her posture with calm and knowing eyes. It made her unnatural, CC thought. While her body gave the lofty image of a goddess, having seen too many wonders to ever be caught in surprise, there was something hidden in her features. Excitement? Tension? She couldn’t tell from a distance. Observant, the starlet fixed her view upon the Guardian, eager to catch even the slightest motion.
“Most of you know already, that there are others like you, people with exceptional talents of various shape and intensity. Now, the Great Council was founded a long time ago to ensure an equilibrium between magical and non-magical talented. Members of the Council, the Wisemen, made a vow to protect their fellowmen and to do so without force or violence of any kind. In times of need, they soon realized they had been bound by their own rules and kept from intervening. Helpless they had to watch chaos grow until a group of courageous young people rose from the world to fight for justice. They became the first Paragons and thereafter, were entrusted in the active preservation of peace and balance.”
Hyona exhaled with tension. But when her eyes drove around to meet the others’, they looked as if in trance. A spell had befallen them, the kind that made children quiet down when a story of fairies and princes was told. They’d got to be joking! Annoyed, she turned to meet the wake Guardian’s expression. Startled, the Korean had to blink a few times to disarm the spell and confront that strange woman with her question: “What about the Guardian? I thought you were… I had thought you were part of this from the start.”
The Guardian laughed. A bit too heavy for Hyona’s taste and she pursed her lips in disapproval. Noticing so, the black woman quickly restrained herself. The warm smile reappeared. “Pardon me, but do I look that old? I’m the 46th Guardian so I’m sorry to disappoint you.”
“46 guardians?”, some of the others exclaimed and murmured something in wonder. Even Hyona hadn’t expected that. At least she had had the decency to blush a little concerning the age-matter she had brought up with her question.
“I may not have been there, but from what I know, the first Guardian was one of the first Paragons.”
She winked! For a second, CC snapped out of the enchantment of that melodic voice, just to witness this tiny demonstration of humanity.
“The time has come for new Paragons to take over. After many years of observation, you five have been chosen to fulfill that task and that is why you are here today.”
Jessica finally remembered to breath and inhaled deeply. Rhinoa caught her eye and tried to grin. Her hands were shaking. Right, they were in this together. The Guardian stood up to face Kia who hadn’t moved an inch. She wasn’t particularly tall so the woman had to look down to meet her eyes. She smiled her smile, then rose her head to let the others be part of this moment.
“Now. Are you ready to become Paragons? Then follow me to the Congregation of Wisemen. The first step to a new life.”
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Post by Yangi on Sept 28, 2014 4:13:17 GMT -6
BOOK 1, Chapter 2
A Life of Magic
Summary:
The five chosen-ones have arrived in the great council. Lead by the guardian, they will encounter the congregation of wisemen. Past and future clash and a play of shadows will proove that nothing's what it seems.
The Congregation of Wiseman, the main building of the Council. A realm within worlds, an uncharted space, a void with a name.
Frightened the young girls clung together. Only Kia seemed in the mood of exploring and led the group on through a well-lit hallway. Strange plants were growing from the pictured walls and starry patterns glistened from the ceiling. Under Kia’s feet a slight shift, soft as drifting sand, moved slowly in endless trails. It was irritating, like a far away hum one can’t allocate, repeating itself over and over, making it impossible to ignore. The air was heavy with a mysterious scent that drowsed their minds.
“Must be the plants.”, Olivia concluded, moving exceptionally careful not to touch one of the violet flowers. Her sister agreed. “Yeah, probably. Though I don’t know what kind of green this is. It doesn’t… live like normal plants do. I can’t feel anything.”
Olivia’s eyes grew wide. Slowly Kia’s finger reached out and brushed one of the leaves. A sharp sound raced through the passage, making their ears ring and Kia backed away. Immediately Olivia was with her.
“Don’t worry”, the young Tenner assured and held her hands up as proof. A sigh of relief travelled through the group. Only CC’s brows grew closer. “Maybe it’s some kind of alarm-system.”, she said more to herself, surveying the walls more thoroughly. The others joined her in that thought. After a moment of silence, Rhinoa added for consideration: “I’m not so sure. This place is practically non-existent. What do they need alarm-systems for?”
Hyona nodded slightly and walked over to one of the walls. The picture there, framed by violet spikes of plants, showed a woman, caught by something that looked like fire, the face distorted by pain. It gave her a chill. Quickly Hyona moved onward thinking out loud: “True. Who would gain anything from breaking into a Council? We don’t know much yet, but if this is like a center for magical-talented, they sure have something of value.”
“They sure do.”
Josephine walked past them. When she turned, her face looked sly and knowing. “But that’s not for you to know so keep moving. We’re late already.”
The others shared a confused glance but did as they were told. The end of the hallway appeared out of nothing, as did the two hooded figures guarding it. Their countenance lost shape in a deep darkness that made Jessica fear the face hidden underneath. Uneasy she sped up to pass them as fast as possible. The doors opened without a touch, the figures staying still like statues and when Jessica turned around, a faint whisper reached her ear. Josephine saw her and grinned. She didn’t enter the room and the doors fell shut.
The heart of the Congregation building drew a perfect round, white pillars holding the high ceiling, white benches spreading out in multiple rows like an amphitheater. The ground was strewn with dark blue lines leading towards the center where another gigantic head light made the incoming rays look like spotlights. Many faces, many pairs of eyes. The girls noticed four main balconies that were highest and reached over the others. The people sitting there looked different but it was hard to make out much in the high contrasted light. There were some that looked human just that their hair was white as snow, the faces delicate, young and of a light heart. Most of them wore brown clothes except for a pair of beauty. The young man was draped in a feathery, very detailed white robe, shrouded by what looked like a heavy blood red cloak. Beside him a woman sat even more dashing. Her looks were like a portrait. The ideal, the unreachable, the undoubtedly perfect. CC couldn’t take her eyes off that woman. There was something playful around her lips… The second balcony was draped in shadows, except for few pieces of clothing, shining in bright colors. The heads were hardly to make out. Just the eyes gleamed in a strong green out of the darkness. The third balcony had very large and small figures on it and Kia would later swear, they had been shimmering, limbs covered in foreign paints, but right now there was not much to make out. It was the farthest and lay right behind the beaming rays. Hyona found a fourth one but it was empty. On the fifth and biggest of them all, the Guardian sat enthroned between long yellow flags. Beside her, serious looking officials stared them down. CC felt how stage fright rose and with it, excitement. She knew exactly what to do. A laugh on her lips, the starlet lightly jumped ahead and turned around.
“Come on, guys! This is our moment. I bet this is some kind of initiation so let’s just get over with it.”
“You can talk”, Hyona grunted but one after the other the five girls got under way and entered the circle of light. Olivia wanted to follow but a hooded person like the guards outside, held her back. Instead she was lead to an empty space of the front bench. Not far from her, a group of young women about the same age were grinning. Their clothes looked normal except for one who was merely covered by a towel. Olivia breathed. In and out. With every breath she took, Kia was farther away and finally swallowed whole by the gleaming light. Nothing but silhouettes and a play of shadows, a wisp of life.
The Guardian rose and greeted the Congregation in a language that resembled Gaelic. Her moving head finally came to rest to confront her youngest guests. Arms opened wide, the chant of her voice filled the air: “Children of Earth, this is the Congregation of Wisemen. This is where each of you has been chosen, this is where you will gain the title Paragon and here it will be taken from you when the time has come.”
Her eyes flickered over to the four women. They narrowed to a smile. “And would someone be so kind to provide Elly with proper clothing?”
Elly, a short but slender woman with shoulder-long brown hair and light skin, stood up widely grinning and bowed to the hooded figure, bringing her a white cloak. With one quick move the soft cloth wrapped her up and the towel fell to the floor. The other three women watched, having a hard time holding back their amusement. With relief, the young girls felt how the atmosphere lifted. Stares grew to gay glances and released the five young ones of their worries. After the bright rays had closed around them, Jessica had been very thankful for the head light. She knew the Congregation wouldn’t be able to see her reactions very detailed, neither was she able to recognize any of the faces, even if she tried. It comforted her. From the corner of the dark blue eyes, Jessica noticed a shadow. Kia had moved. Suddenly the blond curls were covered with a hood that hid her upper face well. Hyona’s eyes nervously changed direction, unsure on what to focus on, while Rhinoa’s contently lay on the Guardian. When the Swedish checked for CC, her heart made a jump. She looked marvelous in the light and very confident. It was easy for her of cause. She’d been through this a thousand times. Before she knew it, Jessica found herself jealous.
“In due time you will learn more about the members but today” The Guardian paused to commend everyone with an effective glance. “…we gathered to celebrate the dawning of a new era. Behold! The gift of Arienne.”
Something was happening. The first thing Rhinoa noticed was the uproar of the audience. They were murmuring and humming like a swarm of bees. Jessica’s hands shot to her ears. The whispers had become loud, breathing in strange tongues. She was certain of it now. They weren’t human. Kia tumbled against Rhinoa. The slow motion under her feet had abruptly changed direction and thrown her off balance. Now it was like a wild river spiraling closer and closer until it shot up her body. Hyona felt an icy heat crawl up her skin and CC’s soul was pulled into different directions. Concurrent, a bright light beamed from their left shoulders and grew to six different symbols. Their clothes lost color and shape, dissolving into fragments, than put back together into something new. Dark teal cool cloth spread over their breasts, each ending differently over throat and shoulder. Right under their chests, a lighter fabric in a lighter color emerged, twining itself close around the girls’ waists to end in pant legs, tight or wide skirts. Their shoes turned into teal boots and their arms were covered in white. In a flash all light was gone. Feathers danced, like stars in the night. One by one they rowed in to a whirl around the girls until nothing could be seen. With a heavy wind the feathers burst to pieces. Only some of them, pure as crystal, decorated arms, boots, hair and chest. On the back of the young girls, a pair of light crystal wings slowly came to rest. They looked like a fan of single feathers, spiky and asymmetrical.
Hyona remembered to breath and opened her eyes. Something was different. She felt different. When she turned, she couldn’t believe her eyes. Everyone had changed! They looked older, more grown up and their hair had become longer. CC’s brown-red hair had become a strawberry brown, pinned up at the back and Rhinoa’s originally short locks had become a waist long black mass. Kia’s hair was shorter on the sides and had one long lock curling over her left side of the face and Jessica’s was parted into two low bunches. Frantically, she reached for her own head. At first she was relieved. Still there, still straight. However her fingers could run down quite the distance before reaching the ends.
“What the hell is going on?!”
All eyes on her. Except for Rhinoa’s who struggled with the high stilettos of her over-knee boots. The four women finally stood up to meet their successors.
“The gift of Arienne: Magic.”, Elly said with a wink. Jessica made a jump when her wings decided to flat a little. Fascinated, Kia took them between her fingers to examine them.
“Hey stop, Kia that’s not funny!”, the Swedish yelled but Kia just laughed and continued fiddling with the big feathers. The women grinned. The tallest of them, a blond, strong person with an aura entirely filled with self-awareness, let her arm rest on her hip and said: “We know that’s a lot to take in at first but it’ll prove practical. I’m Cordelia by the way.” She pointed towards a typical irish woman, red head with messy hair and green eyes “That’s Anabel” then over to a pretty Asian with chin short hair, two curls framing the porcelain face “Lily and Elly of cause.” Elly waved casually with the cloak.
Hyona looked down on her new outfit. She didn’t look pleased.
“I feel like I’m in a stupid Anime!”
Elly was right at her side with a quick: “See! That’s what I said back then! It really looks that way too from the outside. All that magical transformation and stuff.” She patted her on the back and Hyona growled. “Great…”
“I think it’s pretty hot!”, CC exclaimed, throwing herself in a super star pose. The girls laughed and Rhinoa fell. Immediately, Kia and Lily were there to help her up.
“Could I change these shoes? It’s terribly exhausting.”
Kia grinned and said: “Oh, come on. Think of it as training, huh?”
Pouting, Rhinoa threw her arms towards the Australian’s feet with a loud: “Not fair! You don’t have heels at all!”
“Duh, I’m earth talented. I need my feet free from any distraction and close to the ground.”, Kia explained self-satisfied and they bickered on a while. In the meantime, Hyona started accepting her fate: “But I do change back, right?”
The women laughed. With one nod towards the Guardian on the balcony, Cordelia answered: “Actually you can change back anytime but if I tell you how, I’ll get scolded.”
CC and the Korean exchanged glances but kept it at that. In the background, Jessica tried to get the two squabblers apart. CC leaned in closer to Hyona to get a good look at her symbol. It resembled a twirly U with a dot above. She twisted her own arm. Hers had more of an inside out S with the upper swirl being bigger than the lower one.
“You’re the former Paragons, right?”, she asked without looking up. The women nodded. Hyona jumped into the conversation and demanded to know who was the fire-talented. The four women looked at each other and laughed. Irritated Hyona crossed her arms.
“What’s so funny?”, she demanded to know. Elly wiped away one tear and put her hand onto the girl’s shoulder. “None of us, deary. But I can tell you that I had the same symbol as you and my power is metal.”
“Metal?”, Jessica repeated, listening attentively. Seconds later she was flung to the ground by Rhinoa who tripped again. Elly made an ugly face before helping them to their feet. Anabel tapped her hand thrice and whispered: “That’s why she’s always late. Can’t carry a watch!”
The redhead giggled to herself hideously and CC couldn’t help but think how cute that was. The symbols bothered her still, though. Thoughtful, one hand went up to touch chin and mouth. “Not the power then…”
Elly heard her and grinned. Her hand made a fast row of signs and the others nodded. The Guardian smirked too and silently came floating down from her balcony. It was only then that the girls realized, they had entirely forgotten about the Congregation. The moment the dark woman’s feet touched the stone floor, the girls went quiet and turned, ready to listen. The Guardian each thanked them with one elegant nod and stopped at the outer circle of the room’s center where everyone could see her.
“The symbols on your shoulder are the reason for your current appearance. They work like a seal. In your normal lives, they will hold back a certain amount of your powers to make control an easier task. At the same time, it saves up energy that will be unleashed as soon as you transform. This energy, combined with the held back power will make you mighty. It is vital that you learn to use that extra power which is why you will train with Josephine and Olivia from this day on.”
Olivia flinched, feeling eyes on her back. The Guardian continued in a lower voice, talking directly to CC: “Well? Tell me what you think.”
The girl blinked. “Uh…t-the symbols?”
The Guardian nodded smiling. CC repeated the gesture sternly. “I thought they would represent our powers since… some of us make use of the four elements that are known in mostly Europe and other ‘western’ countries. But E-Elly” she was clearly uncomfortable not knowing her last name “said she had the same symbol as Hyona. I guess one could argue that metal is somehow connected to fire but I think…” A hand went up to a thinking pose while CC concluded: “I think they stand for some kind of task or position.”
Expectantly, the five girls looked at the dark woman. She allowed herself plenty of time before gifting them with a proud smile. Happily, the Guardian held her hand towards CC and announced: “Clara Christin Arlin, the strategist. You’ve proven yourself a smart thinker with wide imagination and your flying skills will serve you well in staying on top of things.”
The hand traveled over to Hyona. “Hyona Park, the raider.” Hyona’s head swirled around to Elly in astonishment. The funny woman cheery held her thump up. She didn’t look violent at all! “Your passionate attitude and quick reaction made you first choice. Work on your accuracy and open your mind for the creativity of combat like your predecessor.”
Elly excitedly gesticulated in silent joy over the sudden compliment. Anabel smiled, nodding approving, while Cordelia patted her on the head. Lily had been quiet and stayed so.
Kia, Rhinoa and Jessica meanwhile had stepped closer. Rhinoa was next: “Rhinoa Tinbau, defender.” Before the Guardian could continue, the black locks jumped while dark hands clapped fast. “Yes! Yes!” The woman gave her one deep look and Rhinoa stopped. Embarrassed she tried a laugh and failed.
“Your unshaken sense of justice and protection convinced us of your abilities.”
The two remaining girls shared a glance. Both wanted to be next, neither the last. Kia won. “Kia Tenner, the scout.” There was a strange pause and a certain flicker in the Guardian’s eyes but she kept it well hidden and so the true meaning behind it escaped CC after all. The voice a bit stronger, a bit more sonorous than before, the Guardian carried on: “You are a very talented young girl. Not only where you the first to awaken, but also the strongest both in physical and mental power.” Silence suddenly filled the air. A roaring silence, like the calm before the storm. Negative emotions mixed with wonder circulated above them and before she knew it, Kia had become the center of attention. She tried to distract herself by focusing on the slow drain of energy under her feet. Jessica’s ears rang. There they were again! The voices. Hundreds and thousands of them, crawling from the ceiling, the pillars, the floor. They rushed past in whirls and circles, hushing secrets into her head! Sweat ran glistening down a cheek. ‘Just ignore it’, her mind told her. There was something about this place… and she would make sure to ask the Guardian about it. Later. Right now the worry about the sudden aggression and outrage of the attendants towards Kia were far more threatening. Even the former Paragons seemed irritated and one face was gleaming with charges. Cordelia, if she remembered correctly. The Asian beside the blonde caught her eye and they exchanged a long glance. A moment of connection, understanding. Then the Guardian’s voice rose once more and the contact was lost. “With your sensibility you will keep your team members safe, ensure their forthcoming and gain information about your enemies. And Jessica…”
As she spoke, the Guardian’s tongue had gotten sharper, her glance piercing, demanding. The girl decided to hold it. “You’re the diplomat. You” she started wandering around Jessica in a circle, stopped and floated back to her balcony with a dismissive wave. “… will be responsible for all communication in and outside of your team. If anything goes wrong, you’re the one to blame.” Cold brown eyes stabbed Jessica over and over again. What was her problem? Not far form the Swedish, Lily retorted the attack with disbelief and pure anger. Her mouth opened. A hand landed on her shoulder. Cordelia slightly shook her head and the mouth closed again. CC’s watchful mind had captured the silent dispute and searched for Jessica’s eyes. It took a while but finally they met. Serious wonder and frustration flashed back at her and something else. Memory. It was so intense CC couldn’t hold onto the comforting smile she had wanted to pass on and her face fell back into shadows.
On the balcony, the Guardian made a half-hearted attempt of a wave and said: “Lily? If you would be so kind.”
The Asian fired deathly glimpses towards the grand flags but they were ignored. Luckily, she knew better than to challenge that woman. Lily took one deep breath. The others gave her room and the beauty started talking: “Six years ago, a dark kind of magic flooded Earth. It enabled non-magical people to develop powers in an unpredictable pattern. Most of the victims show an increased aggressive behavior and fragile moral understanding. The Council is still investigating the cause of this incident but while we were…” Sadness swayed with her voice. “…trying to find a solution, some naturally talented, called Cheshi and accidentally talented, the Cian, started working together and build orga-“ Her throat had run dry. But even without her finishing, most attendants knew what she was going to say. Jessica stiffened noticeably. Delicate porcelain fingers restive pulled on the black dress Lily was wearing. She hawked and tried again: “Organizations.” Hyona’s eyes blazed. Lily looked onto the floor before her feet. When she spoke again, her voice wavered slightly but she faced the listeners with bravery: “Some of those claim to be peaceful and that might have been the case at first. But I warn everyone in this room to trust too easily. Over the years, motives have twisted and justified actions of sinister character. The more the foreign magic spreads, the more chaos and madness are taking over and people we once knew might change within seconds. So far, the magic doesn’t seem to affect Cheshi, however the organizations strive for power and are willing to take their members by force.”
Lilies voice died away in the deep silence that unfolded merciless. After a time that seemed like forever, the Guardian’s chant filled the air with new life. “That’s enough. Thank you, Lily.” Lily didn’t move, she just looked down on the floor. Jess studied the dark woman curiously. All anger and sharpness had left her, leaving the welcoming honey-sweet melody that she had felt when they had first met by the fountain. A smile widened across the Guardian’s face, than parted for a speech: “Members of the Congregation. You have heard about Earth’s situation and I will use this ceremony to beg for your support. It is unusual for new Paragons to be selected at such times but we must have faith in Arienne and trust that it happened for a greater purpose. You, young paragons:”, her gaze fell upon the girls. “Listen to your tutors. Beside their youth they have proven more than worthy of this position and will provide you with all the knowledge you need to face these enemies. You will learn to fight and to battle as a team. Once you are ready, Josephine will bring you to me. Until then I must insist, you stay out of trouble. These are dangerous times. An early exposure could cost us everything.”
She held their eyes for a moment longer, before ending the ceremony. “Thank you all for joining us on this eventful day and may Arienne’s spirit guide our Paragons to wisdom.”
Some words in the Gaelic resembling language followed and the loud murmuring and moving of a crowd parting from an event echoed through the room. Kia tried to get a better view of the strange figures on the other balconies but except for the white haired, they had vanished.
The beautiful couple gifted the four women with the kind of attention one would grant an old friend and descended further into the shadows. Cordelia waved absent minded. Elly had joined Olivia by the time. Her mouth moved so fast, it was unbelievable she was still able to breathe! Even Olivia seemed overwhelmed by the young woman’s enthusiasm. When Kia walked up to them, Elly stopped to greet her. “Hullo! You’re Kia, right? Come on, sit down, sit down.” Her hand fanned the air frantically before her head swirled back to the older Tenner to continue her monologue: “It’s amazing, right? I mean, I’m excited even though I’ve been through this already but it really brings back memories. Anyways, how’s our element ring working? Wait. Where’s that other woman?”
Olivia blinked irritated. Her brain was busy processing the information, filing most of it as ‘unimportant’, while her head aimlessly turned around to find her co-tutor missing.
“I… don’t know.” She seemed surprised herself and once more her mind started working. Kia decided to give her some time. “’Your’ element ring?”
Elly turned around. “Huh? Oh, yes, yes! We built the element ring that Frenchwoman is wearing. Lily and me that is. It’s tradition that each paragon generation leaves a gift to their successors. After we heard how young and unexperienced you guys were, we decided to make you that warning system.”
Unintentionally, Kia had to think of the incident on the plane. “It sure works, alright.”, she said blushing.
Near the big door they had entered through, CC, Hyona and Rhinoa were talking with Lily and Anabel about their powers. Lily struggled with herself in quiet until she revealed her talent. She was an Empathist and the diplomat of her team. She could practically look into other people’s heads, see their emotions and even influence them. The Asian insisted that she would never do the letter if it wasn’t absolutely necessary. Hyona couldn’t help but wonder why Lily seemed so uncomfortable with it. She would know lot’s to do with powers such as hers. Elly was a Metal-Wielder. She could sense and use any wee bit of metal in up to 1 kilometer distance and make use of it. Even after hearing this, Hyona couldn’t imagine the joyfully blabbering brunette being the raider. Their powers and characteristics didn’t match in the slightest. Frowning, the Korean fixed her glance onto the white robe between the Tenners. Cordelia turned out to be the strategist. CC immediately pricked up her ear's in excitement.
“What power does she have? Is it like mine?”
Anabel shrugged her shoulders apologetic while her rolling accent chanted: “Sorry, not in the slightest. She’s an Illusionist and a true joker. Better stay away from her when she’s angry.”
It wasn’t what the starlet hat hoped for. Disappointed, CC joined Hyona in a pose of disagreement. Anabel herself was a true flower spirit. Not only had she a green thumb but had few trouble adapting to unknown terrain and knew a lot about healing arts. She had been the healer of the former paragon team. Hyona raised an eyebrow. Anabel smiled kindly and waved a finger from left to right. “We were more than you, you see? We had six members but not everyone could attend today’s ceremony.”
“Wait, so who was the defender?”, Rhinoa demanded to know. She had been patient all this time because she had hoped to gain more information about her mission but she would soon join her two comrades. “Sorry, we’re not allowed to tell you much.”
Lily, who had been spacing off somewhere, directed her gaze onto her friend. “You know, actually we were seven.”
“Ah, you mean…”
The three younger girls crossed their arms and threw a questioning look at their predecessors. Lily had to smile. It was the first time they saw her joyful and it made them wonder why.
“A long time ago, we had help from someone. It wasn’t a paragon but it was thanks to that person, that we came this far.”
“What happened?”, Rhinoa asked.
Anabel threw her arms into the air to express her lack of comprehension. The red massy curls jumped with them. “We don’t know! Our helper simply disappeared one day and has never been seen since.”
“G-Great Guardian! Please wait!” Jessica hurried over to the root of the balcony. The only way up was through climbing over the benches, up the rows and over the outer edges of the other balconies. From above, the dark woman gleamed at her, then stepped away from the banister.
“No, wait! Please! I have a question!”
“Kia… Kia!” Olivia was getting impatient. Beside her, Elly giggled into the long sleeves of her lent coat and got up to stroll over to meet the rest of the bunch at the grand door. Indecisively, Kia looked back an forth between her sister and Jessica, who seemed desperate to get the Guardian’s attention. After a moment of thought, she finally decided: “Sorry. You go on ahead, I’ll wait for Jessica.”
Olivia raised one eyebrow, then turned and walked away with the words: “Alright. But make it quick.”
The hall was nearly empty by now so the short haired Australian didn’t have to strain her ears. Jessica’s voices reached her well enough, thanks to the acoustical built of the Congregation.
Over the many benches, Jessica made her way up towards the fifth balcony. There was a man, young and handsome, who stepped to the Guardian from out of the shadows. He whispered something and delayed her departure just long enough for Jessica to catch up. With one last jump, she caught grip on the railing and pulled herself up. When their eyes met, there was a glimmer of surprise in the Guardian’s but it faded quickly to be replaced by something unpleasant. Jessica held out her hands helplessly and made a small attempt of a bow.
“Please, I really need to speak with you.”
She hoped it would show her respect. The Guardian scrutinized the young girl for a long minute. Then her features softened a bit. With one hand she released the man beside her who turned his orange-golden locks, before entering the blackness just to throw a charming wink at Jessica. After he was gone, the Guardian directed her full attention towards the newly selected paragon.
“What is it you need to ask?”, she asked with her honey-voice, lifting one hand to signal Jessica to proceed.
“I… I…” Now that she had gotten so far, doubt started twisting thoughts, leaving the girl speechless. ‘This might be my only chance!’, a voice rang from within and all chaos was blown away. Jessica inhaled once and started anew: “I’m sorry. The others all seem to know what their power is but… I don’t. You said I was to be the diplomat but…” she sighed, eyes to the floor. “I’m just not sure if I’m fit for this task.”
At this the Guardian smiled. It was more of a knowing, then a hearted one but anything was better than being stared to the ground.
“On this, we agree, young one.”, the dark woman grinned. Again those deep eyes ran over Jessica, however, this time with curiosity. “You hear things, don’t you? That was your question.”
Jessica’s head shop up in astonishment. “You knew?”
“Of cause I did, sweety. I am the Guardian. You could say it’s my job to know things.”
Gracefully, the Guardian sat down onto her throne once more, patting the small stool beside it. Jessica sat down, careful not to break the fragile looking object.
“I was wondering, how much you already knew but I guess I’ll have to enlighten you after all.”
Her tone had slipped to a normal vocabulary and a less perfect melody. Jessica asked herself if it might be her true self that showed. She didn’t mind the negative connotation, nor the annoyed glances she was darted with every once in a while. She needed answers, the sooner the better.
The Guardian’s look hazed, traveling to a place far beyond the walls of the Council. When her lips parted, a voice so strange came our, Jessica froze out of shock.
“You’re hearing voices no one else can hear. Ilya, they call them. Spirits comprising of pure magic, so it is said. Their intentions, we do not know. Legends tell, they need a true voice. A being, able to understand them and to act in their place. All I know is…”
Slowly, the Guaridan’s consciousness seemed to be returning from whatever place it had left to and at last, their eyes met. “…you’re not the first paragon with this power. Some call it a curse, some see it as a gift. There’s a tale of an object, a magical item forged by a paragon many years ago. What it does, I do not know but it was a Listener who made it and it was meant for Listeners to come. In other words, for you. ”
Jessica couldn’t believe it. Perplexed from the weight of the new information and the lack of solutions for her problem at the same time, she waited desperately for the Gurdian to continue but she remained silent. Bewildered, the girl exclaimed: “That’s all? I… I still don’t know anything! What happened to that object? What does it do?”
“I told you, I don’t know. The Wiseman say it was lost many years ago, long before my time as Guardian. No one knows of its whereabouts.”
Frustration held a tight grip around Jessica’s heart and brought her to tears: “Then, what am I supposed to? What am I supposed to… to do with this power?”
“Listen.”, the Guardian answered calmly, pointing upward. “I’m afraid there is nothing more I can do for you.”
Jessica relieved her stress with a sound of dissatisfaction and turned away from the dark woman. Hurriedly she brushed over the small tear that had made it down her cheek. She halted to look at her hand where the dark teal twined around her ankle. ‘A paragon’, she repeated in her mind. ‘What does that even mean?’ She had no answer and when she looked back, the Guardian had gone.
“What were you talking about?”, Kia asked later, after Jessica had joined her. Together they crossed the hall, stepping over blue and white marble towards the rest who was waiting at the exit. Jessica seemed worried enough. Kia didn’t want to make it worse by making her eavesdropping known. She hadn’t intended it after all…
“Nothing really”, the Swedish girl lied, her footsteps growing further apart as she marched on.
“I see. Well, the others are waiting.”
It was a dull reply, Kia knew that but there was nothing else to say and if there was one thing she disliked, it was the queer silence. The group of people was only few meters away, when Jessica suddenly realized: “That’s a different door, isn’t it?”
Kia followed her gaze and checked along the circled wall for other entrances but there was but this one. Her eyebrows drew a stern line.
“You’re right. Something’s different. We came from another angle…”
“Yeah.” Serious, Jessica slowed her tempo until she was head-up with the earth-talented. In a low voice she whispered: “What of Josephine?”
“No one has seen her since we entered the room.”
“I thought so. I saw her just before the door closed behind us. She was whispering with those guards in the hallway.”
That hit Kia off guard. Something told her, Jessica’s suspicion was justified but too much had happened and the possibility of Josephine plotting something seemed so improbable that the thought got brushed aside the moment they joined the others.
The old paragons had left earlier and without any sign of Josephine, it was up to themselves to find a way back. For a while the group of teens and Olivia wandered the many similar looking hallways, stairs and rooms until they finally found a way out. Josephine waved smiling at them from the outer edges of the grand square that surrounded the main building of the Council. CC waved back. From the corner of her eye she saw Jessica flinch. When she turned her head some more, distrust was written in the girl’s eyes. Interested, the green eyes searched for more clues. Both Tenners shared the expression, though Kia seemed mainly confused. Had something happened? It wasn’t until the tutors had exchanged some words that it hit her. Josephine hadn’t been there. But why? CC didn’t have to wait long for an answer. Shortly after the platforms rippled into multiple staircases, Jessica positioned herself next to Olivia, throwing glances at her. The Australian didn’t react immediately. It had been part of the agreement, not to ask anything of Josephine or her whereabouts, but she had to confess, she too was curious to know.
In the end, she slightly nodded in Jessica’s direction. Observing the situation, CC frantically hit the other girls in the shoulders, signaling them to speed up so they could hear the upcoming conversation. Hyona showered her with complaints but followed up anyways.
“I didn’t see you at the ceremony.”, Jessica said. She had meant it to sound casual but it turned out an accusation after all. Josephine’s smile went even wider, her eyes turning to slits.
“No reason to hide it. I know you’ve seen me.”
The other four girl’s threw questioning glances at each other, then stared down Olivia who waved them away without even looking. Jessica felt how anxiety clawed at her wit. She would have to hurry before all courage left and the Frenchwoman didn’t make any attempt to clear the matter herself. In fact she seemed shamelessly amused by the young girl’s show.
“Why weren’t you with us then?”
Josephine drew an oval into the air with one finger. A random gesture that was surely meant to confuse her, Jessica thought. “I was simply catching up with some old acquaintances.”, the woman chattered nicely. “You might have noticed, I’ve been here before. How else could I know my way around so easily?”
This being said, Josephine abruptly changed direction, forcing Jessica to stop and loose connection for a second. It was enough to end the discussion. The rest of the way, the other girls drilled Jessica with questions. Even Hyona was eager on the matter but the blonde wouldn’t give in. Nobody spoke after that.
It was strange coming back to Earth. Back into the messy dressing room, the ruckus of the broken sprinklers still audible through the door. Slowly, the girls stepped away from each other, in search for what to do next. “It’s like we never left”, Hyona stated, lifting a dress from the floor. Olivia started cleaning up and pointed at Rhinoa and Kia to help her out. Her sister pouted but obeyed.
“Technically, nothing has changed. When you enter the Council, you’re out of time. You’re entering a realm where the rules of time don’t apply so it’s as if everywhere else…”
“…the time is stopped.”, Hyona ended the sentence and hung the dress onto a hanger. Olivia nodded. Bored, Josephine watched how silence spread among them once more, each of the girls busy with their own thoughts, absent-mindedly cleaning the room. When the mood grew to heavy for her delicate shoulders, the Frenchwoman shook her hair to perfection and jumped from the red couch at one wall. Automatically, the light hands went over the tight skirt to drive out any wrinkles until she stepped over to her colleague.
“Still plan A?”, she asked with a wry smile. There was a small enlightening in Olivia’s eyes, as if she had forgotten about something entirely that she now remembered. “Ah, yes.”, she said. Searching for her sister’s eyes first, the woman rose her voice so everyone could hear her:. “Since the organizations are very eager to gain powerful members, Josy and I agreed on us all traveling together with CC for the time being. The constant location-change hopefully will keep us secret just a while longer until you’ve worked on your skills.”
The girls exchanged a glance. Jessica couldn’t decide to cry or laugh. She would be super-close to her idol but she also wouldn’t be able to see her family and friends. Hyona simply made a disapproving sound and turned away.
“How are we going to explain that to everyone? I mean for financial matters it’s not that big of a deal but I don’t know what my manager will say about that. Not to mention everyone’s family.”
CC looked around leaving the clothes be for a moment. The others slightly moved their heads in agreement. Before Olivia could answer the question, Josephine smirked widely and sang: “I’ll take care of that. You better start worrying about getting your powers under control.”
She winked at the gang then turned on her heel and pranced out of the room. Kia and Rhinoa looked at Olivia but the woman only shrugged her shoulders explaining: “She has her ways. Better don’t ask.”
It didn’t take long, until the voice of the manager accompanied a loud knock against the door. CC got up and moved towards it, when Olivia told her to wait.
“You’re still Paragons. If you want to turn back, draw a clockwise circle with your hand onto your tattoos. If you want to transform into Paragons again, do it the other way around.”
Rhinoa was the fastest. With one swift motion, the circle was completed and the symbol illuminated the room. The teal texture and boots vaporized and deformed into her former clothes. The hair grew shorter, her appearance lost a little bit of height. Fascinated, she scrutinized her hands and arms. CC was next and the others followed. Jessica was surprised how accustomed she had become already with her new taller self. Her mind was irritated by the sudden change of eye-level. When she looked into the mirror the strong woman had gone, leaving the fragile and pale girl to herself again.
When CC opened the door, the manager had already heard the news and expressed his full support in the matter. It caught the starlet aghast and for a minute or two, all she could do was stand by, mouth open and listening to the many benefits the man saw in the situation. He left the room with a smile, which, according to CC almost never happened. With the bang of the shutting door, time seemed to speed up. People came flooding in, dragging CC to her dance and singing sessions, cleaning the room and pushing out everyone who was left. They were replaced by a group of stern looking men in dark suits asking the girls to follow them to their Hotel. Olivia stayed back to wait for Josephine so the Hyona, Kia, Rhinoa and Jessica were hurriedly brought to a dark van that turned out to be far more comfortable than any car they had ever been driven in and thrown out in front of a fancy hotel entrance. The doorman ordered some younger people to take care of the luggage while one of the suit-men accompanied the girls inside to take care of the booking matters. Dinner time had already passed but they were assured to order anything from the room service. That being said, the man dropped two room keys into Kia’s hand and left. Kia blinked. Questioning, she held her hands up to the others asking: “Uh, how do we split?”
Hyona had been asking herself the same question the entire length of the drive. Who would be able to tolerate the most? She was pretty sure Kia wasn’t her choice… Jessica was very quiet but if she really was a fan of CC, sharing rooms might become annoying. That left her with one choice: “Rhinoa’s with me.”
The island-girl was as surprised as the others but smiled contently and followed the tall Korean to the elevator. Jessica seemed to be a bit out of it, so Kia tried to get her attention. The waving didn’t work well so she took the key and clanked it against the reception desk. After the blonde had turned into her direction, she flashed a smile.
“Wanna go? I hope it’s okay with you. I don’t snore or anything so sleeping should be no problem.”
Jessica sighed. She looked tired but a weak smile tattered across her lips. Rhinoa waved friendly as the elevator doors shut. Kia grinned and pointed towards the carpeted staircase leading to the next level.
“Should we take the stairs? Might take a while ‘til the elevator comes back.”
“Fine with me”, Jessica replied. It was a longer way up than anticipated but the two girls used it to chatter about sports and family, movies and music. It turned out they had quite something in common. With every level they passed, Jessica seemed to blossom more and more and as they had reached their room she laughed out loud when Kia dropped the key by mistake.
In the room across the hallway, Hyona threw her luggage into one corner, dropped onto her bed and flipped her smartphone from out of her pocket. Frantically her fingers started typing, eyes fixed onto the screen. Rhinoa at first tried to start a conversation but it died out very quickly so she got ready for bed and shut the lights. From outside the giggling of the other two was heard, while the dark girl tried to sleep with the blue-ish screen light enlightening the room.
“So!”, Kia exclaimed, throwing herself onto the bed, crossed arms behind her head. “You’re CC’s fan, huh?”
Jessica blushed, her fingertips tapping together repeatedly. “I guess so… I know a lot about her a-and she’s a really good singer!”
Kia grinned widely. “Why good for you! You’re the first fan ever to get that close to her!”
The fingers stopped in mid-air, Jessica blinked, realizing the situation she was in. A smile of pure happiness rose from ear to ear! But before Kia could say anything further, it faded just as quickly and the blonde turned to unpack the few things she had brought for the concert trip.
“That might be true… Don’t get me wrong I’m super happy being able to see her all the time but… It’s just everything else that… This whole Paragon… thing!” A shirt landed on the bed by the window, then Jessica followed covering her eyes with one arm. Kia sat up to watch her. For a moment, she struggled to continue the course the conversation had taken or swing in another direction to lighten the mood. From what she’d heard Jessica was entirely knew to the existence of magic. No wonder she was confused. After another minute of consideration, she finally opened spoke up: “I’ve hear what you’ve been talking about with the Guardian. Back in the Coucil. I didn’t want to but your voices just travelled real far…”
“It’s okay”, Jessica’s voice said from under her arm.
Kia took that as a sign to carry on: “I would lie if I told you ‘I know how it feels’ because I don’t. My sister is magical and I was real young when my talent showed so I had plenty of time to adjust to it. But I might know a bit of those voices you where talking about.”
The arm lifted from the blond mass and Jessica turned her head to meet Kia.
“It’s probably not the exact same thing. I mean I didn’t hear anything but… I felt something. Under my feet. It was like a stream of sand that flows in flat water, changing direction every once in a while.”
“Hm… I didn’t feel that.”
Kia grinned: “See? I’m earth-talented so my sense of feeling is somehow extended by the earth around me. I can feel things others can’t. Maybe those voices are some kind of a side effect from your actual talent too, you know?”
Jessica turned to look at the ceiling. “That sand stream you felt… couldn’t it be the stream of time?”
Kia hopped on her bed in excitement: “Yeah, right? That’s what I thought too! Josy told us it doesn’t have a straight flow so maybe it changes directions. In other words, I felt the movement of time. Maybe those voices are connected to some kind of magic too!”
Jessica smiled a bit and looked over to her roommate. “Could be… That would be cool.”
They grinned at each other and one after the other, the paragons drifted into sleep, dreaming about the new life that lay ahead and what the next morning would bring. For magic never stayed the same, but changed like time and every living thing in this world.
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