Moon and Star - Part One

The Cottage - Part Two

"Wake up! It's training time." Mira said, roughly pushing Xiala awake. Xiala got up from her bamboo sheets and yawned. Sunlight filtered through the cottage windows, confirming that yesterday wasn't a dream. The air was filled with the smell of rice and rabbit porridge. Xiala rubbed her eyes and brushed her hair, putting on her outfit of black leggings and a gray t-shirt. Mira had the same outfit, except her t-shirt was aqua-marine. She got up and walked behind Mira to the living/dining room. This time she studied the drawings on the walls; one was a beautiful painting by some artist, of a night sky dotted by galaxy stars; it was signed, Rose Sunflame. Eve's mother, possibly. Xiala didn't pay attention in history class. Another one seemed like a sort of Picasso painting made by a kid who didn't know how to draw; half of the person's face was drooping while the other half was smiling, and her hands were bent back unusually. It was signed in three-year-old handwriting, Eve, Moonheal and Everaeeeee! The last part seemed as if the three children had started fighting for the pencil and Eve had stolen it before adding some additional "e"s to their masterpiece. Xiala tried not to laugh. She sat herself across the table, facing Mira, and poured herself a bowl of porridge, soaking herself in the sweet smell. "By the way, where did you get the rice?" She asked Mira, who was occupying herself with her own bowl of porridge. She waited a moment for her sister to swallow. "Well, it turns out that our ancestors -" By that, Xiala knew, her sister meant Rose, Eve, Evera and Moonheal, "- worked a lot on this cottage. I found an abandoned field of wheat, but it's growing like wild. We could eat it for centuries. There's also an animal pen, but the animals have all escaped, and it's a wreckage after a century. You'll need to fix it with some metal, and we'll catch some chickens. I also discovered a waterfall and a clear stream, which will be a great source of water - for drinking and training both." "Great. We'll get to that as soon as we can. Yesterday, when I went exploring, I discovered an armoury shed." Xiala said, swallowing the last drops of porridge. "Wow, you really love eating that." Mira said as Xiala took a second round. "We need energy to train," Xiala huffed back, pushing her chair closer to the table. "More specifically, I need sugar, and this has enough. Also, where did you learn to cook?" Mira giggled and stood up from her seat. "I'll wash the dishes. You go get some fresh water for us to train with." Xiala said. Mira shrugged, grabbed a few buckets and left. Xiala piled the dishes up beside the well (which was full of water ONLY used for washing the dishes) and started washing. Her mind wandered off and she found herself washing the same bowl over and over again. She switched, only for the same thing to happen. Xiala was frustrated now and the water at the bottom of the well bubbled. Then it erupted and Xiala got doused. She was kneeling there, breathing heavily as her normally wavvy-turned straight hair dripped water, turning the grass around her wet. Flowers would have wilted under Xiala's glare as she fumed. Then she dropped all the dishes in the well, dropped some soap in, swirled the water around and used a jet of water to get the dishes as she caught them. Bringing them back inside she left them to dry and examined the broken stalls. "Xiala?" Mira called from outside. "Coming!" Xiala growled back, flicking her wrist and letting the water wash the dishes from last night itself, as she'd already washed the dishes from that morning. . When she hurried out she gasped. On the clearing Mira had already set up a tower of metal objects for Xiala - chairs, keys, unscrewed buttons - whatever you could name it, it was all there. There was also a big, dark cardboard box set in the clearing. "What's that for?" Xiala asked. "Well, we still need to practise our moon powers, right? And I need to be air-trained. You need to be mind-reading trained. We need to work on our weak powers, and reinforce and advance our strong ones." "So right now, I'll work on mind reading and you will work on flying," Xiala ordered. "But whose mind will I read? There's only one person." "Your own!" Mira yelped. At the same time Xiala said, "Yours! It'll only be for a little while, okay? You can take off your skyfire and put it back on later. Just don't lose it. And try not to think evil thoughts, okay? I want a clear first-hand experience." "Fine," Mira sighed, taking off her skyfire. "I guess you can practise on my mind while I try to fly." Xiala's heart beat. Mind Reading had always been her weak spot. Sometimes she'd heard snippets here and there, but it wasn't really interesting as all the royals had skyfire. Now Mira's mind was exposed to her. She closed her eyes, controlling her excitement and focusing on the small voice in the back of her head that was slowly growing as more and more of Mira's thoughts swarmed into her mind. Her sister was climbing up the tall tree by the cottage, and flinging open her arms just as Xiala heard the first mindreading words she'd ever heard so clearly and confidently before, Three - Two - One - JUMP! "STOP!" She yelled. But it was too late. Mira jumped, alright - she jumped head-first onto the straw she'd laid onto the ground with an "oof". Climbing up and muttering something inaudible, Mira climbed up the tree again. Xiala heard her thoughts in her mind. Well, that was unexpected. This time, I'll surely fl - AAAAAAAAAIE! Corresponding perfectly as Mira landed harshly on her bottom. She had never flown before. She barely even used star teleportation, or air power, or even moon power. She'd only used it once, in the Battle of the Labyrinth, when she'd unlocked her power and nearly cut off Xiala's ear instead of pushing Olivia to the floor. She never wanted to use it again. Xiala heard her thoughts and hurried over. "Maybe you need to take a break?" She asked. "Maybe you just need a teacher, like Moonlight." Mira sighed. "Olivia is not going to teach me anything." "Yes. But I thought you said yesterday that you found an air kingdom scroll?" Xiala insisted. "Oh - yes! Of course! How could I forget that?" Mira's eyes lit up and she hurried toward the cottage. Xiala shrugged and followed. Soon her sister reemerged by the door, holding a scroll in her hand. "Found it!" She announced triumphantly. "Guess what!?" She exclaimed. "You also found a metal scroll." Xiala said, clearly bored. Mira's jaw almost hit the floor. Xiala's eyes twinkled with amusement as they walked back outside. She was just fixing the pen when a voice yelled, "Ye better get outta here!" And an old man hobbled over. Xiala slapped her hand over her mouth to suppress her giggle. "Who are you?" Mira asked. "I'm the groundskeeper! Queen Eve hired me to keep care of her cottage and I say, ye better get outta here!" "I'm her great-granddaughter!" Xiala cried. "And I say no!" The hermit snorted and said, "Ya right! Get outta here before I make ya!" "Then it's the hard way. I'm game." Xiala challenged, stretching out her hand and forming a sword. "Wait a minute. You control metal? You're Xiala? That means you must be Mira. I received an order recently from Queen Olivia TO KILL YA! YAAAAAAAAAAAH!" He charged at them, pulling out a sword of his own. "Xiala!" Mira yelped. Xiala stood firmly, ready to block the hermit's strike. Then the guy changed course and charged at a defenseless Mira. "XIALA!" She screamed. "DO SOMETHING!" Xiala thought frantically, then gestured to Mira and yelled back, "FLY!" Mira took a deep breath, and suddenly she lifted into the air, scaring them both so much she shot up and got stuck in a tree. Xiala rolled her eyes and skimmed up the tree, untangling her sister from the branches. "Thanks," Mira gasped. She reached out to the stream and sent a jet of water toward the man, freezing him instantly in ice. Xiala waved her hand and her sword re-formed into a pair of handcuffs that lodged itself around his hands. "We have to go." "But-" "No, Mira! We have to go!" "Fine but can we please stay the night?" Xiala nodded.