Our Planet has Crashed [COMPLETE]

eighty four - KOTLC

Marella POV: 

FOLLOW THE MANIC PYROKINETIC.

Marella broke rank from the group of prodigies and followed a blond man with sky blue eyes, who was heading to the center of the bejeweled city they were in. Marella had no idea where they were anymore; it seemed familiar, but she just couldn't remember.

The manic pyrokinetic—why did the name 'Fintan' come to mind?—ordered her to gather wood and set up a bonfire. But Marella didn't budge, because the Voice didn't allow her to. The blond man scowled at her and yelled at a blonde woman with ice blue eyes, "Hey! Get some wood here! The Redek girl isn't cooperating!"

The blonde woman—something about a giraffe popped into Marella's head—called something, and one of the prodigies from the group Marella had just left snapped, and a large pile of wood appeared at Marella's feet. "Well? Build a fire," snarled the manic guy.

A moment later, the Voice commanded, BUILD THE BONFIRE.

Marella obediently began stacking the wood until a large campfire-like wood pile was nestled nicely in the city's center. It must have been as wide as a school bus. Another snap sounded, and a large pile of purple flowers appeared at Marella's feet. She frowned, but the Voice commanded, NEUTRAL FACE and Marella wiped it off. She waited for her next command. It came a few seconds later: SPREAD FLOWERS THROUGHOUT THE WOOD.

Marella obeyed—only she also looked up to see her . . . friends. She thought they were her friends. At the moment they resembled an army. The blonde woman—Giraffe, Marella thought—was tapping her foot, annoyed, as a group of tall, gray-skinned creatures with sharp claws entered through the golden-and-silver door of a sprawling diamond palace with four domed towers, seeming to patrol—or at least check out for dangers—the place before Giraffe could enter. 

Somehow Giraffe didn't sound right, but Marella couldn't quite remember the correct name.

Marella slowly spread more flowers in the bonfire as she subtly watched the process. Her . . . friends, maybe, were standing in a row between Giraffe—oh! It's Lady Giraffe—and a forcefield, which was maybe even bigger than the bonfire Marella had built. Inside, there were other people. Elves, if Marella's memory was correct. No, wait, she was an elf, too. What?

The sound was muted, but she could tell from their expressions they were tired, dirty, and desperate. Tired from being caged in their own capital city. Dirty, because from what Marella remembered, they had been there at least the last day without food, water, and means of staying clean. And desperate to get out. They must know something Marella didn't. Maybe it was about the black-cloaked figures that seemed to swarm the place, or the large scaled, winged creatures with even sharper claws than the gray-skinned creatures that flew all over yesterday, herding the screaming elves into the forcefield. 

Lady Giraffe eyed the elves in the forcefield with the kind of look a mother gave her child when he broke a vase. Instead of reprimanding them—or at least getting them to shut up—she motioned to two more of Marella's friends from the group she had just left, and one other adult elves from a similar group stationed right next to hers. Although the hoods of their black-with-a-white-eye cloaks were up—a requirement—the ability badges on the black fabric told her the taller prodigy was a Flasher—William, right?—and a Guster she didn't know. The adult elf's badge said he was a Guster, too. Giraffe looked around like the other adult Flasher might appear, but seemed to remember something and looked at the three in front of her. 

They stood rigidly in front of Giraffe as she stared them down. A moment later, the Gusters raised their hands and a wind so strong it knocked Marella off her feet and made her eyes water whipped around the diamond palace—the Seat of Eminence came to mind. Marella struggled to place the remaining flowers in the bonfire.