《Each Determined Child》


 Chapter One

    Have you ever had a bad day? Like¡­an astronomically horrible day? Like a day that nothing could go right and the chances of everything abnormally horrible happening all at the same time increased like God had decided to make you the butt of his practical joke? No? Let me tell you what that kind of day is like.


    ?¡°I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m just not into you like that.¡± Mary said, rubbing her neck and avoiding eye contact with me. It was fine. Totally fine. She was allowed to have that opinion and the fact that I¡¯d been in love with her since High School didn¡¯t change that. So my brain said. But my mind hadn¡¯t been laid bare to the woman whose perfect cheekbones had put me through sleepless nights. No, my brain and logic were functioning juuust fine. My heart and soul were two very different matters. Infinite sadness coupled with justified fury at myself threatened to slip loose at any second.


    ¡°Um¡­ you okay?¡± Mary asked, waving a hand in front of my still frozen features. I needed to recover. I¡¯d already destroyed this interaction. I had to escape with a shred of dignity.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine!¡± I say waving my hand with a forced smile. ¡°I mean- you¡¯re fine! Not like ¡®Fiiiine¡¯,¡± I say this with the second worst tongue click and wink I have ever shown another person, ¡°but you know, you¡¯re¡­ an upstanding gal.¡± Nailed it. Before Mary could get anymore confused or afraid of me I turned to leave. ¡°Great talk, Mary! See you on Monday-¡± I stop as I slam into a street light. ¡®When was that installed?¡¯ I wonder as I fall to the ground, my face already stinging with tears from my rejection and unwilling make out session with a piece of metal.


    Mary towered over me with a concerned look on her face. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m gonna go. I hope you¡¯re all good.¡± She said as she awkwardly walked away. I wonder how I¡¯ll ¡®See her on Monday¡¯ when I was fired three hours ago. It was that instant that made me think I should seize the moment and confess my feelings for my old colleague. You saw how that worked out. I wondered how this day could go any more wrong. A sudden flash of lightning answered my question. The rain came down in a post- apocalyptic deluge that made seeing even a few centimeters in front of my face impossible. So I laid on the ground, in the rain. Jobless and alone. Seems the old Gypsy was right.


    ¡°Is it because I¡¯m gay?!?!¡± I scream at the sky.


    ¡°No! It¡¯s because you aren¡¯t that likable as a human being!¡± A random man answered.


    ¡°Thank you, I was talking to God!¡± Which, if you¡¯ve ever read the Bible, doesn¡¯t always pan out in your favor. Remember how I said this day was a horrible day? The kind of day where astronomically bad things could happen? Well, in that instant, God chose to respond to me with some meteorites falling to Earth. All large enough to destroy it on impact. But that didn¡¯t register in my mind the second I saw that chunk of flaming death barreling straight towards me. What registered in my mind and came out of my mouth was, ¡°FFUUUUUUUUUUUUU-¡± And that is the story of how I died. Any questions? Well, here¡¯s the deal. We don¡¯t always get the answers to questions we have. Life is great like that. But, I will move on. You saw how I died. What I didn¡¯t tell you was that I came back to life.


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    You¡¯re probably thinking, ¡®Golly, she¡¯ll probably have loads of adventures and meet someone special and save a whole kingdom!¡¯ The truth is I learned a very important lesson from my new beginning. Two, actually. One- no matter how bad things are, they can always get fifty three billion times worse. Two- never underestimate a well placed banana. But I¡¯m getting ahead of myself. Let''s begin with my tale of rebirth, redemption, and betrayal.


    ¡°UUUUCK!¡± I shouted as I sat up. Imagine my surprise when I realized I wasn¡¯t a pile of smoldering ash. Instead, I was laying in a field, staring up at a meteorite-free sky. The sun was high and warmed the tall, soft blades of grass surrounding me to a comfortable temperature. I had no idea where I was, but it was better than what I left. I looked down at my body- oh my God what happened to my body? Gone were my long arms and legs- they were short stubs that ended in tiny fingers. Gone was my flat chest- oh, wait, no, that was still there. But my long hair, my comfortable clothes, all of it was replaced by a short body with a large head that felt too heavy. What the Hell was I? I stood up and nearly fell over. My heavy head was becoming more of a burden to me every second. Where was a guillotine when you needed one?


    I ran along the grassy field as fast as my stubby legs could carry me. Was I a midget? I followed a route through dark woods that I seemed to know from instinct until I came upon a bustling village. People the size of giants shouted about deals on their carpets and sheep while other people loudly bargained the price down on a pair of clogs. As I passed a small stand that specialized in mirrors, I caught a glimpse of my reflection. I had short blonde hair that spiked up at all angles like a poorly drawn anime character. My round face was pale and covered with light freckles. My eyes were large and brown, looking very much like a scared deer. But what struck me most about my appearance was that I was a ten year old.


    Yes. A ten year old. I couldn¡¯t believe it either. I stood there for a solid ten minutes.

 Chapter Two

    ¡®Holy Hell.¡¯ I thought as I continued to stare. I was wearing clothes that looked medieval. A loose gray shirt made of roughly stitched cotton, a pair of brown leggings, and no shoes. Either I was dirt poor or I had a strange obsession with getting calloused feet. The woman who owned the stand- an older woman with a rather heavy build- impatiently said, ¡°You buying somethin¡¯ kid?¡±


    ¡°Um...erm¡­ no?¡± I said.


    ¡°Then beat it!¡± She snapped. Old hag. I quickly walked away from the stand with a million questions running through my mind. Where was I? Why was I a child? What drugs had I taken the previous night to set off this kind of hallucination? Forget that. I¡¯d never done drugs. Was any of this real? Was I in Heaven? Scrap that. I was gay. Or was God more lenient than my Aunt Susan led me to believe?


    I slammed face first into the rear end of an old woman who had been standing in the middle of dirt road. She was unlike the other people bustling around like ants at a picnic. She wore a red dress that looked like it had seen better days and a pair of beaten sandals. She turned to me with a look of surprise. ¡°Oh my! Are you quite alright little boy?¡± She asked, kneeling next to me. It was nice to know that my gender confusion had transcended my death. That¡¯s it, I decided, I am growing out my hair.


    ¡°I¡¯m a girl.¡± I corrected the woman. Although I¡¯d have to give my leggings a quick check later as I wasn¡¯t entirely certain about that. ¡°And I¡¯m fine.¡± I add, ¡°I¡¯m sorry for bumping into you.¡±


    The old woman waves it off with a grin that adds more wrinkles to the corners of her eyes. ¡°Think nothing of it! Are you lost?¡±


    ¡®Yes, but you¡¯ll never know to what degree.¡¯ I think before nodding.


    ¡°Are your parents nearby?¡± She asked. Did I have parents? Had I unknowingly possessed the body of some little girl and separated her from her family?! As if I needed any more reason to look like a bad person. I settle on a shrug.


    ¡°Well, perhaps we can call for them! Just tell me your name and I¡¯ll look into getting the other shop keepers to circulate it!¡±


    Oh no. What was my name? I only knew my old name. What if the little girl had a different name? Greta Slatshinger wasn¡¯t exactly a common name. What if her family never found her? Why do I keep asking questions I clearly have no answer to?!I look at the ground nervously and consider just running away to figure this out on my own.


    ¡°My dear, would you look at me?¡± She asks. I look up and she¡¯s now centimeters from my face.


    ¡°Woman!¡± I shout as I stumble backwards with surprise.


    The old woman nods as though she¡¯s made up her mind about something. ¡°I recognize you! Come along. I know exactly where your family is!¡± She says. She begins to walk through the crowd at a speed faster than her age would suggest she was capable of. The way she looked at me¡­ she didn¡¯t seem like a pedophile. Do pedophiles have outlying features, though? She led me into a tavern- not where I would expect for a little girl to find her family. She leads me to a homey backroom full of trinkets and furs. The furniture is mostly made of wood and flowers are everywhere there can be flowers.


    I¡¯m automatically on my guard. Who knows what atrocities she committed in this room. Murder? Torture? Crossword puzzles? She puts down the flowers and settles into a large leather chair. ¡°You have no idea where you are, do you?¡± She asks.


    ¡°I thought our earlier conversation implied that-¡± I begin.


    ¡°No! You aren¡¯t really a child are you? I can see it in your eyes. You¡¯re out of place. Out of time. You probably woke up in the middle of some woods an hour ago, right?¡± She asks.


    I narrowed my gaze at her. ¡°How do you know?¡±


    ¡°There are others like you. I¡¯ve met them. Seen them all over the course of my lifetime. Strangers in a strange new world. I used to work with a man who-¡± She stopped. ¡°But you must be famished.¡± She says. My stomach snarled like a ravenous dog. ¡°Let''s get you some food. We can speak more about your current situation after.¡± She climbs to her feet and ducks into a kitchen. ¡°My name is Prudence!¡± She calls. Prudence, huh? I¡¯d heard stranger. My own name included.


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    I wander around the small¡­ house? It looked like a back room in some tavern but it¡¯s equipped with a staircase, closets, coat racks, it even seems to get slightly bigger as I blink. Prudence has a lot of stuff. Clothing, trinkets I¡¯d never seen before, there¡¯s even a small mechanical mouse that pokes its head out of a hole in the wall for a fraction of a second before vanishing again. It was like a fairy tale. Except I had no idea what fairy tale began quite the way mine did.


    ¡°Just chicken?¡± I ask. There¡¯s a sound like a police siren and Prudence walks out carrying a plate larger than my body. It¡¯s full of meat, vegetables, fruits, and some weird paste that I would stay away from at all costs.


    ¡°Eat up! You¡¯ll need your energy!¡±


    ¡°For what?¡± I asked as I began stuffing my face with chicken.


    ¡°We¡¯re going to do a little shopping. I doubt you have a family so I will be taking care of you until you can go to School!¡±


    I groaned inwardly. I¡¯d already experienced puberty once. It seemed a cruel punishment to have to endure it again. I also felt a twinge of confusion. I¡¯d been on my own for some years. The thought of another human being taking care of me again was¡­ unsettling. I didn¡¯t know this world and Prudence seemed nice¡­ maybe it was for the best that I just stuck with her until I had a better grasp on things.


    ¡°Okay. Will you tell me about the man from before?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Ah, yes! He was in an order of Magicians that specialized in the misplacement of souls on the journey to the great beyond!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s oddly specific.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ it wasn¡¯t particularly popular. There were only fourteen members at its height and then the Institution cut funds and- but I¡¯m getting ahead of myself. There were anomalies where people or children would appear at random, completely unaware of this world but very aware of another life. Though because of the strange placement and unpredictable timing of the anomaly it was very hard to track.¡±


    ¡°And these guys were Magicians? Like ¡®untie yourself from a straight jacket¡¯ kind of Magicians or ¡®You¡¯re a hairy, Wizard?¡¯¡±


    Prudence thought for a moment and said, ¡°Magic is very real my dear. It is everywhere and many can tap into it. A select few may be very good at it. A magic wielder may choose to do any number of things. Why there¡¯s Beast Binding, Stealth Magic, Strengthening and Blacksmith, I even know a little bit of Necromancy!¡±


    I slowly chewed my food and tried not to think about it too much. ¡°How many others are there, like me?¡±


    ¡°Enough that a school has been started to teach you about this world. Currently there are only a handful of students.¡± Prudence smiles. ¡°But never you mind. Finish your food and we¡¯ll talk more about this later.¡± Prudence tells me about the town of Vivid and all it has to offer. Which amounts to nothing. This town was only busy because this day was one of the only two times a year merchants passed through. She takes me out and buys me a few pairs of clothes, some toys- which I scowled at- and an axe.


    ¡°Why the axe? Am I going to be helping with your Necromancy?¡± I ask it as a joke but there may be a very real possibility that¡¯s what she wants.


    She throws her head back with a laugh that lightens the mood. ¡°Of course not! I assure you my dear¡­ oh. You didn¡¯t mention your name.¡± No way in Hell was I going to be called Greta Slatshinger again. I tell her this and she replies, ¡°Very well. I¡¯ll call you Nelia, then. I assure you that if I needed anything done as far as Necromancy I could accomplish it on my own! No, the axe is for later. All things in good time.¡± What was I getting myself into?

 Chapter Three

    I was having a dream. A dream where I was eating a hamburger. It was a very simple dream. I¡¯d loved hamburgers. They were all I ate- though not always by choice considering how much of a miser my former boss had been. Lettuce, onions, and ketchup create a symphony of flavor as the taste of a quarter pound all beef patty cooked medium well-


    ¡°Rise and shine!¡± A cheery voice interrupted. I snorted and sat up. I was covered in thick furs of various animals in a room that got significantly brighter as Prudence opened my curtains. This brightness wasn¡¯t due to any sort of sunlight, but rather floating orbs. The kind you see on ghost hunting shows that are there for a second and gone the next. Except these weren¡¯t disappearing and I hoped that they weren¡¯t soul Prudence kept around as glorified light bulbs. I want to fall back into the warmth of sleep and the pleasant hamburger dream, but Prudence hums a catchy tune that causes the bed to shift so that I roll out.


    ¡°Whazzat?¡± I grunt.


    ¡°It¡¯s time for breakfast! We have a lot to do today and I need you awake!¡± She ruffles my hair affectionately.


    ¡°Knock it off. It¡¯s not like I¡¯m te-¡± Oh, God that¡¯s right. I was a ten year old. Prudence gave me a hurt look and I sighed with defeat. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. This whole thing¡¯s new to me and I just¡­ I haven¡¯t had any time to adapt.¡±


    ¡°I understand perfectly. Get dressed and come to the kitchen when you¡¯re ready.¡± She then walked out the door. I let out another sigh. I had so many questions. ¡®Maybe I should just go with it. If what Prudence said is true, I¡¯m gonna be stuck here anyway.¡¯ I think. I pick out a linen dress from the dresser and a pair of sandals that feel rough against my feet as I walk down stairs. Prudence has already prepared a meal of bear meat, bread, and blackberries. I gobbled it all down and had a glass of milk. ¡°Thank you.¡± I said to Prudence, who had eaten a slice of bread and nothing more. She smiled. ¡°You¡¯re welcome. I¡¯m glad you ate everything. The task I have for you today will not be an easy one.¡±


    ¡°Tasks? What can you have me do? I¡¯m ten!¡± Prudence shakes her head. ¡°Nelia, you simply must make up your mind about if I should treat you as a ten year old or a woman.¡±


    The situation was a little more complicated than that. It was something we¡¯d have to figure out later. I shake my head for now and she takes out a few books. ¡°These are the history of the world you live in. I expect you to study them, learn about it. I simply can¡¯t have you wandering around unaware of where you¡¯re going. It¡¯s begging for disaster! Why, you could be eaten by the Mountain Trolls of Arcania. Or devoured by the Nine Armed Cyclops of Whatootsie!¡±


    Aaand there she went spouting names that would get any normal person thrown into an asylum. ¡°I expect you to read about geography today. Tomorrow we¡¯ll focus on history!¡±


    ¡°You expect me to read all of this in one day?!¡± I exclaimed.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be ridiculous. I expect you to read it by the time I return from market.¡± My mouth dropped. ¡°Do calm down. I am only making a joke. Take your time and learn my dear. I have flowers to sell. Ask Nolan if you have any questions. Prudence, awaaaaaaay!¡± She exclaimed as she shrunk into a sparkling green mass and vanished. I pinched myself before I began to read.


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    I¡¯d never been a very good student. I passed High School with A¡¯s and B¡¯s, sure. But that was because I either had help or cheated. While it surprised me how often I got away with it I never complained. These books reminded me why I¡¯d gone through most of my schooling years cheating. The material was so dry it could pass for a desert. There were places that I couldn¡¯t pronounce all over. I was lucky I¡¯d ended up in a town simply called Vivid. It turned out that this new world was one continent with multiple nations that lived on it in harmony. The book went in depth to the different races and their characteristics. It honestly felt like I was ready a fantasy RPG guide.


    By the time Prudence returned- in a similar way to which she left- I was already though two of the books. ¡°My goodness!¡± She gasped as she looked at my progress.


    ¡°What? Was I not supposed to read?¡± I ask.


    ¡°No I¡¯m merely surprised by the fact that you¡¯ve read so much. I was only gone for an hour.¡± Crap. At this rate I¡¯d be Einstein.


    ¡°Come with me.¡± Prudence ordered. She picked up the axe as she walked through the kitchen and out a door that I¡¯d never seen. I followed her to a backyard of sorts. It was closer to a garden. Flowers of all shapes and sizes were planted in the earth or crept up toppled walls made of stone. The air was fragrant and filled with the sounds of birds that whistled in delight. Prudence led me to the center where the flowers had been cleared away from a stump with a single log of sitting on top of it. ¡°I would like you to chop that piece of wood.¡± She said with a smile.


    ¡°Okaaay?¡± I said. I took the axe from her. I¡¯d never held one prior to now so the little bit of weight that it had surprised me. What could I say? I didn¡¯t grow up on a farm. I did know that the sharp end was supposed to hit the wood though. So maybe there was hope for me. I swing the axe down with all of my ten year old strength¡­ and miss the piece of wood entirely. Prudence doesn¡¯t laugh or mock me. She corrects me and lets me have another swing. Literally. This time I manage to cut the piece of wood in two. I lift the axe out and ask, ¡°What was the point of that?¡±


    ¡°Oh, dear. It looks as though it wasn¡¯t cut.¡± Prudence says.


    ¡°What are you talking about? I just cut right through it!¡± I look and the log has magically reformed. I frown and ask, ¡°Are you screwing with me, Prudence?¡±


    ¡°Not in the slightest! I simply need that piece of wood cut up. Come back inside in an hour or so for a snack.¡± She says before leaving. How responsible. A senile old woman leaving a ten year old with an axe and an hour.

 Chapter Four

    I was now thoroughly convinced that an eternity of chopping a log that repaired itself after every hit was my personal hell. By the time the hour Prudence had allotted me to attempt this task was up, I was so soaked in sweat my clothes clung to me like I¡¯d decided to take an ill advised dive into the ocean. I could barely hold my screaming arms up- never mind continue to swing the axe that now laid on the ground beside the demented wood. I slowly walked into the house where Prudence was making yet another large plate of food. I was grateful for my impossibly fast metabolism in this body or I would look like Santa minus the jolly good will to all.


    Prudence watched as I scarfed down another meal and asked, ¡°What was your life like before now, Nelia?¡±


    I swallowed and replied, ¡°Kind of boring. I grew up in a fairly well off family that expected perfection and got¡­ me.¡± I shrugged and resumed eating.


    Prudence frowned and asked, ¡°What were your interests? How much do you recall?¡±


    ¡®I can remember being rejected by the only person I ever loved, getting called a generally terrible human being, and being crushed to an ashen pulp by a meteor the size of a football field.¡¯ ¡°I had a dog named Spotty.¡± I answer.


    ¡°Ah, touchy subject?¡± She asked.


    ¡°You could say that.¡± I answer. Prudence let me finish my food in silence.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you go and take a bath and we¡¯ll begin our lesson in magic?¡± She asked. I began to choke on the gray paste that actually was quite delicious.


    ¡°What did you just say?¡± I ask.


    ¡°Magic! I intend to have you learn how to do it.¡±


    ¡°Prudence, no offense, but I feel like my head''s about to explode. Do you think we could call it a day on learning new things?¡± I was hopeful that the old girl would have some pity on me and let me take a nap.


    Sadly, it seemed she was devoid of the emotion known as ¡®empathy¡¯ because she shook her head. ¡°You only feel tired because you think you¡¯re tired!¡± She said.


    Now I seriously began to doubt her sanity.


    I guess it showed in my new expression because Prudence quickly said, ¡°You only believe you¡¯re tired because in your past life you would¡¯ve fallen over dead by this point! Dead I say! But you must think beyond your old self. Do you really feel tired?¡± She asked.


    ¡°Yes, Prudence. I am exhausted.¡± I say very slowly.


    ¡°Spoken like a true quitter! Take your bath and we¡¯ll begin your lesson!¡± I walk up the stairs to my room. Prudence has already laid out a towel and a new pair of clothes. With the items in my arms I go to the bathroom contemplating my escape from this loony taskmaster I¡¯d made the mistake of assuming to be a decent person. I came to a circular room where the only object was a bathtub on top of a drain. It was filled with water that steamed and bubbles. I climbed in and let out a groan at how amazing heated water could feel against a sore body.


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    While I soaked, I thought a little more about my life before. I hadn¡¯t been lying to Prudence. My Mother and Father had expected nothing less of me than to get perfect grades, the perfect job, the perfect boyfriend, the perfect everything. I learned quickly that I was anything but and exploited every method I could to keep my parents away from that knowledge. I¡¯d even paid a guy named Keith to be my ¡®boyfriend¡¯. Ah, Keith. We¡¯d had some fun times pretending to have fun.


    After a good twenty minutes of soaking and cleaning I get out of the tub. The clothes Prudence has selected for me are a sleeveless shirt and a pair of loose paints. Both white. I shrugged and walked out of the bathroom¡­ into the garden again. The door closed behind me and Prudence appeared. ¡°Are you prepared to learn about magic?¡± She asked.


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Wonderful!¡± She snapped and one of the trees bent over so she could take a scroll from it. She unrolled it and cleared her throat. ¡°As I told you before, Magic is accessible to everyone but only a select few are extremely good at it. There are different schools of magic that originate from the five elements recognized in this world-Wind, Water, Fire, Earth, and Lightning. From there, you can specialize. Necromancy, Enhancement, Stealth, that sort of thing. Since you aren¡¯t a Beastman I¡¯m going to assume that Nature isn¡¯t your strongsuit.¡±


    ¡°ENGLISH.¡± I say.


    ¡°What¡¯s English?¡± She asked.


    I let my head fall into my hands and sighed. ¡°Explain it slowly. What the hell¡¯s a Beastman? Why wouldn¡¯t Nature magic be my¡­ whatever you said?¡±


    ¡°Beastmen are¡­ what is the word you would use? They¡¯re like humans but their mastery over natural magic allows them to transform into animals and control nature. It¡¯s a valued skill that they seem to be born with. Since you don¡¯t have a tail or antlers I¡¯m going to assume that isn¡¯t what you¡¯re good at.¡±


    ¡°You really know how to make a girl feel special.¡± I mutter. Prudence teaches me about the different uses of magic and how it was outlawed after the Fifth War to be used in a military situation. I was surprised to find that I retained everything she told me. Maybe I¡¯d gotten lucky and become smarter in this life. It would explain the strange array of vocabulary I¡¯d taken to using. When she finishes up her first lesson, she hands me the axe and vanishes with a wink. If it was possible to hate someone who only did positive things for you I think I¡¯d discovered how to.

 Chapter Five

    The bubble exploded. As far as ¡®weird ways to start a sentence off¡¯ go, it¡¯s not that unusual. But the bubble I had created- or attempted to create- literally exploded. Prudence had water on hand for the tiny flames that flew into the grass around us. My previously white outfit was now blackened and full of unflattering holes from where the flames had clung to me. This was the fourth time this week that Prudence had tried to teach me water magic and the bubbles had exploded. At this point I would have thrown in the towel and laid down to watch a marathon of the Lord of The Rings series. Prudence- the damnable eternal optimist that she was- never stopped encouraging me. Each failure was greeted with, ¡®I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll get it next time¡¯ or ¡®If at first you don¡¯t succeed try, try again!¡¯


    I wondered how screwed up I was that as someone who was deprived of this treatment as I had been could consider positive encouragement a bad thing. After another attempt to form a solid bubble of water that ended in another explosion Prudence allowed a break. I went inside, not stopping until I got into my room and closing the door behind me. I sank to the floor- covering my face in my tiny hands. I was a failure. In a world of people who could easily make fireballs or lightning storms at a whim, I couldn¡¯t even make a non-flammable bubble.


    Do you recall the mouse? The mouse in the house? No, this is not a children¡¯s story. The mechanical mouse that I¡¯d seen before was Nolan- one of Prudence¡¯s creations. Despite his small size he was extremely helpful. Or so Prudence claimed. All he¡¯d ¡®helped¡¯ me do was explore how loudly I could scream. Nolan was not the cute little robotic mouse that many Steampunk stories portrayed. He was actually closer to a mouse skeleton made out of a glowing metal that had the smoke-like outline of a mouse. Nolan skittered close to me and asked- in a disturbingly deep voice- ¡°What is wrong, ma¡¯am?¡±


    ¡°Nothing. I¡¯m just tired.¡±


    ¡°Does the young lady require a change of clothes?¡± He asked. I nodded. Nolan ran across the room to my dresser, looking over his shoulder to ask, ¡°Does the young lady have a preference?¡±


    ¡°Something fireproof.¡± I reply. Nolan tilts his head and replies, ¡°Not found in current wardrobe.¡±


    ¡°No preference.¡± I reply.


    Nolan climbs into the drawers and drags out a new shirt and pants. As I dressed, Nolan perked up. ¡°Master Prudence has requested that you go to the market to pick out a new pair of clothes.¡±


    I shrug. What else could I do? Tell Prudence to go get them herself? For one thing that was rude. For another, the last time I tried that she¡¯d come back with the frilliest pink dress that I¡¯d ever seen. I left the house through the bar, ending up on the main road of Vivid, It had been roughly a month since I arrived here. Things had quieted down significantly. There was rarely any activity outside of a farmer or rancher passing through to shop. Vivid was essentially the town equivalent of watching paint dry.


    I went to the clothing store owned by Mrs. Germanotta. She was a tall and slender woman who I knew nothing about beyond the fact that she sold clothes and her husband was a butcher. She gave me a smile that didn¡¯t reach her eyes as she welcomed me back. ¡°Another¡­ incident?¡± She inquired. I nodded. She gestured for me to follow her into the back room. It was there she made the clothes she sold in her store as well as some that never reached the light of day. I had to admit some of the outfits she¡¯d designed were beautiful. Some were disturbing and would¡¯ve caused an uproar back in my original time.


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    Mrs. Germanotta turned to me and asked, ¡°What outfit is it today?¡±


    ¡°The white.¡± I reply. She nodded and gave me a white outfit.


    ¡°What do you think of this design?¡± She asked as she gestured to a dress. It was a sundress with tiny yellow flowers along the collar. The rest of the dress was white and seemed like it would move fluidly even as it lay still. The lace cuffed sleeves and low back gave the dress a kind of regality. The more I stared at it, the more beautiful if became. This was strange for me because I didn¡¯t even like dresses. ¡°Should I take your dropped jaw as you like it?¡± Mrs. Germanotta¡¯s voice snapped me out of focus. I hadn¡¯t even realized my mouth had opened. I closed it as quickly as I could but the damage was done. She smiled again as we left the back room.


    ¡°Why make a dress like that if you never mean to sell it?¡± I asked. She thought it over as she counted the coins I placed on the counter.


    ¡°The dresses I make¡­ they are not like the clothes you would purchase from a vendor. I make them with specific visions in mind. The man makes the clothes just as much as the clothes make the man.¡± Could no one speak straight in this world? I take the clothes and leave the store, wishing Mrs. Germanotta a good day. Outside of her store are two farmers who have rather rudely parked their herd of Shoats- an animal that was rather like a mixture of a sheep, a goat, and a cow- in the middle of the road. Each was arguing about the directions and how they¡¯d ended up in Vivid instead of Thadaran. As I passed by, their conversation became a quiet whisper.


    Now, I wasn¡¯t always curious. But when I was, nothing short of a SWAT team could prevent me from learning what I wanted to know. I crept closer to the two farmers who muttered about Shoats. ¡°...heard about Steve¡¯s Herd?¡±


    ¡°No. What happened?¡±


    ¡°Twenty of his Shoats, all dead! No wounds, no sickness, nothing!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re yanking me chain. That isn¡¯t possible. From a medical standpoint, a perfectly healthy Shoat has no reason to suddenly pass! You really ought to read the article published by Doctor Maximus Vernon. He goes in depth to Shoat-¡±


    I stop listening and walk away. Twenty Shoats dying at once? They were hardy animals. It was hard to imagine it as anything other than idle gossip. Still the affair of farmers weren¡¯t of any concern to me. I had to get back before Prudence started worrying about me. It could get so tiresome at times.

 Chapter Six

    Someone once defined insanity as, ¡®doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result¡¯. If that were true then at this point I deserved to be thrown in the highest security asylum ever created. Everyday for the last two years I had come outside to the garden and tried to chop a piece of wood. Every day. I had the arm strength of Atlas and the damn piece of wood kept repairing itself. Today Prudence watched me, offering encouragement. Today was different. Perhaps it was the sky or the fact that the roses were in bloom- wait I know! It was my livid rage at an inanimate object. I¡¯d been pissed off before, but never quite like this. And the smug piece of wood was to blame.


    I didn¡¯t even have time to process if the amount of hate I held towards it was even rational. I raised the axe above my head and brought it down. Hard. I would chop that piece of wood if it was the last thing I did. And I didn¡¯t stop at the wood. Oh no. I sliced the very stump it sat on in half. The axe stopped moving when it was buried in the dirt. My arms shaking I stared at the piece of wood. I didn¡¯t move. Didn¡¯t breathe as I waited. And waited. ¡®Is this it?¡¯ I thought. Was this the day that- ¡°GODS BE DAMNED!¡± I shouted as it reformed. Prudence raised an eyebrow at me. ¡°Yes, I know, five coins in the bad word jar and three laps around the village- why do you still have me doing this?!¡± I asked.


    ¡°I wanted you to build muscle. And I wanted that piece of wood chopped. All these years I assumed it was just me¡­ I suppose no one will chop it.¡± Prudence said with a heavy sigh. ¡°How ever will I build that cozy winter¡¯s fire now?¡± She asked.


    I drop the axe and repress my anger into a tight tone of voice as I reply, ¡°Gee, Prudence, maybe you could¡¯ve chopped down a different tree? Or used the log as a WHOLE?!¡±


    ¡°Oh. That¡¯s true. At any rate, I have a different task for you today.¡± I couldn¡¯t believe it. Two years of work for her to end it with one sentence. I picked up the axe and promptly snapped it in half. ¡°I would like for you to go and register at the Adventurer¡¯s Guild today.¡±


    ¡°Is this going to end with me signing my name with a pen whose ink always vanishes after I write?¡±


    ¡°Heavens no! I do intend for you to earn money somehow. Registering with the Adventurer''s Guild will put your name on the list of registered adventurers who do any array of jobs to earn money.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m only twelve.¡± I say. Well, physically anyway.


    ¡°I know. Your age will be registered and they¡¯ll assign any jobs that seem appropriate to you. Once you¡¯re done there, stop by Mrs. Germanotta¡¯s store.¡±


    ¡°More clothes or meat?¡± I ask. Prudence gives me a knowing smile and shakes her head. ¡°You¡¯ll see.¡±


    As I set out from home I wondered what sort of help someone needed from a twelve year old. ¡®Probably just some small jobs like a fence painting.¡¯ I thought. I shivered at the prospect of someone asking me to come chop wood for them. That could only go poorly. It was a pretty day outside. The sun was high, the skies were clear, and the main road wasn¡¯t terribly busy. It was too peaceful. Call it pessimism if you want, I was suspicious of anything too calm.


    ¡°Surprise!¡± A voice said. It¡¯s weird how people think it¡¯s still a surprise when they announce it. Kind of like saying ¡®Rain¡¯ as a rain storm starts. At any rate, the small boy who tries to tackle my is greeted by a me reversing him so that his right arm is pinned behind his back and his face is in the dirt. ¡°Let me go you freak!¡± He exclaims. While it¡¯s suddenly very tempting to do the exact opposite, I release him. He gets to his feet in a hurry and stays about two arm lengths away from me. What would Prudence want me to say in this situation? ¡°Sorry. I guess.¡± I mutter the second part under my breath.


    ¡°Whatever. Everyone knows you live with that witch in the tavern!¡± He said. I shrugged. He wasn¡¯t wrong about Prudence¡¯s affinity for magic. And it wasn¡¯t like she needed me defending her honor. I step around the boy and head for the guild. ¡°Weird boy.¡± He says before running off into the woods again. I grind my teeth at the mention of being a boy. I¡¯d been growing my hair out since I met Prudence. It nearly reached my lower back now and I had to keep some of it in a braid. How many people who weren¡¯t women kept their hair in braids?


    I reach the local Adventurer¡¯s Guild HQ with about thirty more minutes of travel. It¡¯s not a building as one would expect it to be. It¡¯s more of a kiosk in the middle of the road with a bored attendant sitting under the cover. He looks down at me as I approach and yawns. ¡°No we do not sell candy, no there is no one by the name of Ike C. Veiner here, no we do not sell candy, no you can not borrow my sword, and no I haven¡¯t seen any dragons around here.¡± He drones off monotonously.


    ¡®I guess they don¡¯t have candy.¡¯ I think. ¡°I¡¯m actually here to register for the Adventurer¡¯s Guild.¡±


    He raises an eyebrow and looks at me again. ¡°How old are you, boy? Ten? Eleven?¡±


    ¡°Twelve. And I am a girl.¡± I say between clenched teeth.


    ¡°Fantastic. You¡¯re a twelve year old girl who wants to register as an adventurer. You¡¯ll be about as useful to the guild as a broken pot.¡± Was he implying that an unbroken pot was useful to a bunch of adventurers?


    ¡°Are you gonna register me as an Adventurer or do I have to go see someone else?¡± I ask. He weighs it and takes out a slip of paper. ¡°Name?¡±


    ¡°Nelia.¡±


    ¡°Full name.¡± He says. Crap. Prudence hadn¡¯t given me a last name.


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    ¡°Blackwall. Nelia Blackwall.¡±


    ¡°Alright. Age and birthday?¡±


    ¡°I just told you I was twelve.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re pretty sassy for a twelve year old. When¡¯s your birthday?¡±


    ¡®Hell if I know.¡¯ The months here weren¡¯t individual. They were three months compacted into one season with over ninety days in each season. Figuring out what specific date my actual birthday fell in would¡¯ve been like playing ¡®Where¡¯s Waldo¡¯ in a peppermint factory.


    ¡°Just mark a random date down.¡± I replied.


    ¡°Whatever. Looks like you were born on the fifty seventh, Winter Harvest.¡± He says. I frowned. It was considered to be one of the unluckiest days of the year due to a high number of snowstorms, wolf attacks, uprisings, and crop failure. The worst one had been around thirteen years ago when rabid wolves attacked an uprising of unhappy farmers who had suffered massive crop failure in the middle of a blizzard. But my ¡®birthday¡¯ was out of my control now.


    ¡°Are you magically talented or registered in the Mage Guild?¡± I have to resist the urge to burst out in sad laughter. I had failed miserably at every kind of magic Prudence had attempted to teach me. Every kind except Enhancement. Ask me to set a fire and you¡¯d end up with a burnt down forest. Ask me to enhance my speed- the only thing I could enhance- and even a cheetah on steroids with a full bladder would be able to outrun me. ¡°No.¡± I answer.


    ¡°Alright. You¡¯re set. Sign here.¡± He plops down the largest pile of papers I¡¯ve ever seen in my new- and previous- life. ¡°What this is for, kid, is saying that the Adventurer¡¯s Guild isn¡¯t responsible for any injury or crimes you happen to inflict. We are also unaccountable for any hexes, curses, illnesses, afflictions, parasites, haunted weapons and or properties, enraged dragons, Elder Demons, Elder Elder Demons, Gods, Angels, Valkyries, Werewolves, Vampires, or possessed sheep that you happen to cross.¡±


    ¡°Are you responsible for any possessed rabbits I come across?¡±


    ¡°You laugh but have you ever seen a possessed rabbit?¡± He asks as a haunted look comes into his eyes. ¡°I¡¯ve lost three friends to possessed rabbits.¡± He says with a slump to his shoulders. ¡°Sometimes¡­ I can still hear their screams of agony as Mister Fluffy attacked¡­¡±


    ¡°Wow. I¡¯m sorry-¡±


    ¡°Anyway, sign here and move on.¡± He says, unfolding the pile to a dotted line.


    ¡°Will I ever be able to quit the Guild?¡± I ask.


    ¡°Sure but your soul belongs to us.¡±


    ¡°What?!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s just in the case of Reapers getting involved without proper paperwork. We¡¯ve got a fantastic Soul Legal Defense team.¡± He says.


    ¡°Do...do I have to sign in blood or something?¡± I ask. He wrinkles his nose.


    ¡°D¡¯you think we¡¯re uncivilized? Write with ink.¡± He says as he passes me a quill and ink pot. I sign and head back to Vivid, knowing I¡¯d have to ask Prudence about possessed rabbits some time.


    Mrs. Germanotta was waiting for me with a box. ¡°What is that?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Something Prudence requested I have made for you when the time came.¡± She slides the box towards me. I open it to see a something red and folded. When I touch the item, it¡­ bristles? Tiny scales raise up-pricking my fingers- and settle quickly back into soft material. I drop it fearing it¡¯s some possessed shirt that will end up burning down the village. ¡°What is that?!¡± I exclaim.


    ¡°That is a shirt made out of dragon scales. The dragon it comes from was a red dragon, which will give you protection against fire. Prudence tells me you have a¡­ knack for flames.¡±


    While I¡¯m not appreciative of Prudence divulging the fact that I¡¯ve set air on fire to another human being the shirt draws me back. I lift it out to see it¡¯s short sleeved with a kind of criss crossed ribbing all over it. It¡¯s light in my hands now and seems to give off its own heat. ¡°The scales have recognized you as their wearer. The shirt will work for no one else who wears it.¡± She says.


    ¡°You made this?¡± I ask a little awed and terrified that a shirt made of another creature¡¯s skin now saw me as its new owner.


    ¡°Not without help from Prudence. You should thank her when next you see her. Oh, and do not worry about the size. The shirt will adjust to your body as you grow. Your other gift is rather straightforward.¡± She hands me a sword that comes up to my chin. It isn¡¯t meant for a child, but I imagined it was something Prudence wanted me to get used to. It was a rather plain weapon. The grip was made of brown leather, and the blade was double edged with a pommel that was a solid metal loop. It was light to me and would work a one handed weapon.


    ¡°Thank you, Mrs. Germanotta.¡± I said. I meant it. These gifts were the nicest things I¡¯d ever gotten.


    ¡°That¡¯s all I needed to give you. You are free to head home now.¡± She said with a smile.


    I left her shop with the strangest feeling in my chest. While it would be my luck to be having a heart attack, I felt 99% sure it was happiness. Not that happiness should feel like a heart attack but seeing as though I¡¯d never experienced either it was an unusual feeling.

 Chapter Seven

    Everyone has a different way of showing fear. Some scream, some run away, some people stand and fight whatever had the audacity to scare them. When it came to the good old fight or flight response I¡¯d gotten pretty good at running. Funnily enough that was how I met my best friend. That was a good time. Scary as Hell. Maybe the lightning bolts, fireballs, and velociraptors had something to do with it. That was a weird day. As I recall, it began with getting a job from the Adventurer¡¯s Guild.


    ¡°Remember to not get into too much trouble and everything I taught you about the sword. Oh, and make sure you take enough bread!¡± Prudence fretted over me like a mother duck. I stood still as she loaded me up like a pack mule with enough food, books, and supplies to make a hike to Alaska and back. When I¡¯d tried to protest she¡¯d given me a look that would¡¯ve made even Chuck Norris second guess his life choices. By the time she¡¯d loaded me up with stuff, I carried a backpack that towered¡­ sixteen feet over me. We¡¯d had to go outside and purchase a ladder for the final touches.


    ¡°Prudence, it¡¯s just one little quest.¡± I said, noting the people who began to stare.


    ¡°It is not just ¡®one little quest¡¯!¡± She says, imitating my voice so perfectly it scares me. ¡°It is your first quest! A girl should never forget her first anything!¡±


    ¡°Keep it PG I¡¯m only twelve!¡± I exclaim.


    ¡°What¡¯s PG? Is that more of your ¡®English¡¯?¡± It turned out that no one here spoke English. Every creature spoke the ¡®Common Tongue¡¯. When I¡¯d tried to explain to Prudence that it all sounded like English to me she got confused. Her guess was that my physical body- as a result of being born into this world- understood and spoke the Common Tongue clearly. I didn¡¯t care. But it made the explanation of a few things impossible. I let it drop with a shrug.


    ¡°Even so, I don¡¯t need all of this. I mean, you¡¯ve packed seven pairs of socks, fifteen changes of clothes, thirty five potions-¡±


    ¡°I wonder what I did with that snake¡­¡± She muttered.


    ¡°Is there a snake on my back?!¡± I ask as I swing around to try and feel for it.


    ¡°No, no, no, no, no, no, my dear! Of course there¡¯s no snake! But...erm¡­ how do you feel about self-administering antivenom?¡± She asked with a sheepish grin.


    ¡°It¡¯s not like the Adventurer¡¯s Guild is three days away in some god forsaken desert!¡± I say. Prudence crosses her arms and gives me a stern look. No arguments. I groaned and let her load me up. The two years of intense exercise Prudence had given me on a regular basis meant the load on my back was unusually easy to carry. Then again, maybe she¡¯d put super steroids in the bear meat. I had no way of knowing.


    With these positive thoughts in my mind and a possible snake on my back I headed out towards the guild. The sky was clear, the air was cool, and the road was clear of any traffic. All in all, it was a perfect day. Too perfect. Too clear. I had to wonder, ¡®Why is the weather always perfect?¡¯ I mean, sure, that¡¯s what would make this region so ideal for farmers but as long as I¡¯d been here I hadn¡¯t experienced a truly bad day.


    The very nano second this thought slipped from my head the sky became dark with clouds more ominous than a looming shadow at the end of your bed. With a clap of thunder a downpour of rain so heavy I couldn¡¯t see two steps in front of me began. ¡°Are you kidding me?!¡± I shouted at the sky. I barely ran out of the way as an arm of lightning hit the ground where I stood only a few seconds ago. ¡°Are you serious? First a freaking meteorite, now lightning?! Are you not getting tired?¡± I shouted at the sky.


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    ¡°Sorry, love that was actually just me.¡± A voice said.


    That was it. I was done. I dropped my 16 foot monster of a backpack and prepared to run like I¡¯d drank sixteen gallons of water in the middle of a crowded Ikea. I stopped when I heard a gasp, followed by a thud and neither of these sounds belonging to me. I brought out my sword- just for show because God knows I wasn¡¯t going to use it in a fight at this point- and cautiously crept around to the front of my bookbag.


    A girl wearing a black shirt with torn sleeves, shorts, and gauze wrappings around her hands and feet laid on the ground in front of me. ¡°Ow¡­¡± She muttered.


    ¡°Who...what are you?¡± I asked. She looked up at me with dancing green eyes.


    ¡°Um¡­ hi.¡± She said with a crooked grin. I lowered my sword while she climbed to her feet, rubbing the back of her neck. ¡°So I heard you were heading to the Adventurer¡¯s Guild and thought I¡¯d hitch a ride. You¡¯re really strong by the way!¡± She says as her gaze travels down the book bag.


    ¡°Who are you?¡± I ask.


    ¡°I¡¯m Sola!¡± I wait for a last name. ¡°Erm, just Sola. In my tribe the women usually have only one name till they¡¯re married. And since I¡¯m not married-¡± She gives a little gesture.


    I pinch the bridge of my nose. ¡°You said you were the reason lightning almost hit me?¡±


    ¡°Yep! It¡¯s one of my abilities. Lightning, I mean. D¡¯ya think we can get out of this storm?¡± She asked. We take refuge under a nearby tree. Sola explained to me she was a martial artist from one of the northern tribes. She was this far south because of a¡­ disagreement with her Elders about her ability as a fighter. ¡°Anyway, I was meditating on your back and thinking about lightning when ¡®BOOM¡¯. There¡¯s a storm and you¡¯re screaming at the sky.¡±


    I glare at the ground.


    ¡°I really am sorry about it.¡± She says.


    ¡°The part where you got a free lift without my consent or nearly killed me?¡± I ask.


    ¡°Both. Tell you what. It¡¯s pretty likely we¡¯re going for the same job. Why don¡¯t I help you out?¡±


    ¡°Why would I want help from someone who can¡¯t control what she can summon?¡± I ask.


    Sola gets a hurt expression. ¡°I¡¯m pretty handy in a fight! And it¡¯s not just lightning I can access. I can make fire.¡±


    ¡°Great. So in addition to giving my best lightbulb imitation I¡¯m also going to get turned into toast.¡± I say. She gives me a strange look before continuing.


    ¡°Look, I know I messed up. I¡¯m tryin¡¯ to make up for it. Let me come with you and help you out. After that, you never have to see me again.¡± She holds out her hand.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have to see you again even if I don¡¯t agree to let you tag along.¡± I say. Considering that two heads might be better than one though, I sigh and shake her hand. ¡°No using the lightning or fire unless you¡¯re absolutely certain it¡¯ll work.¡±


    ¡°Gotcha!¡± She said with a grin. ¡°This¡¯ll be great!¡± Oh, how wonderful. Another optimist.

 Chapter Eight

    You¡¯re probably thinking, ¡®Nelia, you liar, there were no Velociraptors or fireballs. You just met some weird girl! How dare you get my hopes up! I swear to God, you¡¯re just like Steve!¡¯ Well, I¡¯m sorry Steve is so horrible at telling stories but I wasn¡¯t done with mine. Meeting Sola was only the beginning of what I would later call ¡®The Snake Incident¡¯.


    Sola and I arrived at the Guild kiosk soaking wet. The storm hadn¡¯t let up until a few moments ago. Throughout the trip I had listened to Sola¡¯s near endless talking. She told me everything from innovative and daring new ways to skin a fish to why the Endless Sea wasn¡¯t actually endless. I¡¯d never felt so happy to see the bored expression of the man who¡¯d signed me up as an adventurer again. As we approached the counter I asked, ¡°Do you have a life or do you just sit here all day?¡±


    ¡°Do you ever speak with a purpose or is it just to fill silence?¡± He asked.


    ¡°Hi Marty!¡± Sola said with a smile. ¡®Marty¡¯ looked at Sola, becoming more awake. ¡°Hey, Sola. You¡¯re here for the job?¡±


    ¡°We are. We¡¯re completing it as a team!¡± She said with a grin. If Sola became any sweeter I would have to throw her off a cliff. Marty shrugs.


    ¡°Okay. Probably for the best anyway.¡± He takes out a folded letter with the Guild¡¯s Stamp on it. ¡°Why?¡± I ask, growing very suspicious.


    ¡°Just read the letter and get moving short stuff.¡± He says to me. I am impossibly close to losing it when Sola- after speed reading the letter- thanks Marty and pulls me away. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen Marty act like that.¡± She says.


    ¡°Maybe I¡¯m special.¡± I reply.


    ¡°Maybe if you were nicer to him-¡±


    ¡°Sola,I get that being nice works for you. And that¡¯s fantastic. But I¡¯m not nice. Been there, done that, got stepped on.¡±


    ¡°How?¡± She asks. I start to play with the edges of my shirt as I reply, ¡°Where I come from¡­ there was this day where you celebrated your mother. Essentially thanked her for giving birth to you. I was f-¡± I stop myself from saying fourteen.


    ¡°-F?¡± Sola asks.


    ¡°Freezing cold because the previous night had been a blizzard that snowed my family in.¡± I finish. She nods slowly. ¡°I get up before the sun rises to make her breakfast. I follow every recipe to the letter, bring it up to her on a silver platter with a hot cup of coffee, and give it to her with a card I¡¯d spent a week on prior to that. She said two things to me, ¡®The toast is dry¡¯ and ¡®there¡¯s no creamer¡¯.¡±


    Sola¡¯s quiet for a long moment. ¡°That sounds rough.¡± She finally says. I shrug.


    ¡°But she was your Mom.¡±


    ¡°She didn¡¯t get the memo I guess.¡± I say.


    ¡°How were Father¡¯s Days for you?¡± She asks.


    ¡°Not much better-¡± I stop. Stop moving, stop talking. There was no Mother¡¯s Day or Father¡¯s Day here. It was impossible Sola would know about that unless¡­ unless¡­ Sola smiles. ¡°Pieces clicking together?¡± She asks.


    ¡°You...you¡¯re from Earth. From my time- my home.¡± I whisper.


    ¡°Yeah. Got here about four years ago. You really aren¡¯t good at hiding where you came from.¡± She says.


    ¡°How¡¯d you die?¡±


    ¡°Meteorites. They hit my home. Last thing I remember was a flash and¡­ burning heat.¡± Sola runs a thumb over the gauze on her right hand. ¡°I never thought I¡¯d meet someone who was also from home.¡± She adds quietly. I can barely process what I¡¯ve heard. Another person¡­ like me. I¡¯d given up hope that I¡¯d ever meet someone in this wide expanse of a wold. And now¡­ I didn¡¯t know who Sola was before this. She seemed nice but you never could trust what people chose to show you.


    ¡°Who were you?¡± I ask.


    ¡°Cassandra Emilia Lobo.¡± She replies. ¡°I lived in Madrid and I was born in Spain.¡± She holds out a hand with a smile.


    ¡°Greta Faith Shatslinger. I was born in New York. Lived there until I died.¡± I said as I shook her hand. She gives a chuckle as we start to walk again. ¡°It is good to meet you. We should finish this job though.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°It is for a farm that borders the Velox Woods. The farmer writes that a group of¡­ Hawk Lizards have been attacking his livestock.¡± She says as she reads the scroll. ¡°He wants us to kill them.¡±


    ¡°Are we dealing with flying lizards?¡± I ask.


    Sola shrugs. ¡°My Tribe never came this far south. I¡¯m unfamiliar with some of the wildlife. I was hoping you¡¯d know.¡±


    ¡°Why are you here, then?¡± I ask. Sola purses her lips. ¡°Sensitive subject?¡±


    ¡°No, not really. No one asks so I¡¯ve never had to explain it.¡± She takes a slow breath. ¡°My tribe has a¡­ belief that female warriors shouldn¡¯t travel.¡±


    ¡°So they¡¯re sexist?¡± I ask.


    ¡°No. Female warriors are seen as equals in the tribe. It¡¯s just frowned upon that they travel to make a name for themselves. It¡¯s dangerous and we don¡¯t have many women to begin with.¡±


    ¡°So¡­ you¡¯re sexist. But it¡¯s a survival-based sexism?¡±


    ¡°No it¡¯s-¡± Sola sighs.


    ¡°Can the men travel?¡± I ask.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°But the women can¡¯t?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that they¡¯re restricted from doing so. It¡¯s just not really tolerated and they¡¯re usually married off before they can. And then they have to stay- oh Gods we may be sexist.¡±


    I shrug. ¡°So were you married off?¡±


    ¡°No. I¡¯m only thirteen. At this point they just considered it a phase and let me go.¡±


    ¡°So are you traveling just to prove a point?¡±


    ¡°No. I¡¯m going to be the leader of the Adventurer¡¯s Guild.¡± She says.


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    ¡°Good for you.¡± I shift the massive pack on my back so that the belts of potions don¡¯t fall off.


    ¡°What about you? What¡¯s your goal?¡± She asks.


    I open my mouth to answer but close it. I realize I didn¡¯t have one. I was walking around and exploring only because Prudence forced me to. I didn¡¯t have any goals or aspirations. It was almost as bad as my last life. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± I finally say.


    ¡°That¡¯s fine.¡± Sola says with a shrug of her own. ¡°Nothing wrong with living day by day.¡±


    We arrive at the farm soon. Everything¡¯s quiet again and, well, you know how I feel about quiet places. Sola notices that I¡¯ve tensed up. ¡°You all good, Blondie?¡± She asks.


    Ignoring her nickname, I listen carefully. Nothing except the wind. Some birds. In the distance there are some church bells. I think I hear a mouse break wind. ¡°Might¡¯ve been not-¡± Sola¡¯s interrupted by a sound that¡¯s similar to nails being dragged along a chalkboard. She tackles me to the ground as a black shape flies over us, crashing into a tree nearby. I turn to see the thing wriggling to its feet. Its clawed feet that are the size of my arm with one particularly large nail glinting at me. The creature is covered in muddy brown scales that shift over its muscular body. It has a fringe of green feathers on its head, right above its soulless yellow eyes. The black slits shift to me and Sola as it lets out another roar.


    ¡°Move!¡± Sola shouts as she drags me to my feet. We run into the woods, the creature following us. ¡°That¡¯s a freaking Velociraptor, Sola!¡± I shout as we circle around a tree.


    ¡°I know. I¡¯ve seen Jurassic Park. Don¡¯t they usually hunt in packs, though?¡± She asked. I push her as three more lunge from the dark underbrush and tackle me. As far as ways to die go, ¡®eaten alive by velociraptors¡¯ had a neat ring to it. Before I can fully embrace that, a fireball knocks them off of me and scorches some of my hair. ¡°Sola!¡± I exclaim as I climb to my feet.


    ¡°What? I controlled it, didn¡¯t I?¡±


    ¡°Can you control the major forest fire you¡¯ve made?!¡± I shout. Four more come from the underbrush as the path behind us is consumed with flames.


    ¡°Not my brightest moment.¡± Sola admits. Which I found pretty ironic since the forest around us was going to burn to the ground soon.


    One of the raptors lunges at Sola. She grabs it by the ankle and swings it into a burning tree. Two come at me. I draw my sword and stab it into one of them. Which is harder than most movies made it seem. There was bone and muscle that I had to stab through. Later I found out that I didn¡¯t even stab in the right place so I just made it angry. The other one- you know, the one that was going to eat my face- had my attention at that moment though.


    I let instinct take over and closed my hands over its mouth before throwing it into the air. It flew farther and higher than I expected it to go. With a roar it tumbled through the air off to some other neck of the woods to-hopefully- become someone else¡¯s problem.


    Sola breaks the neck of another one and says, ¡°That looks like the last of them-¡± She pauses to fight the one that has my sword in it. All around us, the flames are getting higher.


    ¡°How is this possible?! It rained less than an hour ago!¡± I exclaim as I try to avoid the tendrils of flame that lick at my cloak. Sola screams as the Velociraptor''s talon digs into her arm. With a sharp ¡®crack¡¯ she breaks the claw off. The velociraptor¡¯s roar calls the attention of more. Sola, holding her bleeding arm, stumbles back with me as the group forms a circle around us.


    And then we died. Permanently. The end.


    Okay. I lied. We lived. But I was scarred mentally. We were about to be little girl sushi for a bunch of formerly extinct lizards when something else hissed. I looked over my shoulder and saw what I thought at the time was a black, scaly freight train. It crashed through the burning woods and crushed all of the velociraptors in its path. Which happened to be all of them. After about ten minutes of it slithering around and destroying property and animals, the snake looked over its non-existent shoulder at me¡­ and winked. It slithered off into the sunset, leaving a trail of property damage no one in this time would be able to calculate.


    Sola looked at me with her mouth wide open and her arm gushing blood. We both looked at my bag, where the trail of destruction had originated from. ¡°That¡­ was that the snake in your bag?¡± She asked.


    ¡°I-I think so?¡± I said. We cautiously walked over to it. When nothing else sprang out of it, I gave Sola a healing potion and wrapped up her arm.


    ¡°The veins and skin were torn pretty badly. You¡¯ll have a wicked scar.¡± I say.


    Sola grins with delight. Of course she does. ¡°Here.¡± She tosses me the claw. I step to the right and dodge it. A) there¡¯s still blood all over it and B) I don¡¯t need a murder lizard¡¯s claw. When I tell her this, Sola shrugs. ¡°You never know when you might need something that looks useless. Plus it¡¯ll make for a great story.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± I grunt as I pull out my sword from the crushed remains of the velociraptor, ¡°how we destroyed a farm and released a giant snake upon the world.¡±


    ¡°Or, how we survived a horde of velociraptors and a forest fire!¡± Her eyes are practically glowing with excitement. Sola would always tell the story with greater exaggeration than I preferred, but that was nowhere near what our ¡®fantastic adventure¡¯ would be.