Moon and Star - Part One

The First Flight

  ~Chapter Four~

Xiala had woken up early and was eating her porridge when she heard the clanking of armor. More specifically: Air Kingdom Armor. Xiala groaned and smacked her head on the table. "Xiala - You - Idiot - Why didn't you - Think that - Olivia might - Track you - By using - The hermit?" With each word she smacked herself. "Um, Xiala? Why are you hitting yourself?" Mira asked. She was standing in the doorway. "Get - Ready to - Leave." Xiala never ceased her smacking. "Xiala, you're going to hurt yourself. What's going on?" Mira asked, pulling Xiala away. "Olivia - Found us - By using - The hermit." Xiala said, now slapping her forehead with her hand. "Alright. So we'll pack." Mira said. "That's what - I just - Told you - To do." Xiala finally stopped smacking herself so she could grab a bag and pile food into it. "Potatoes, chocolate, more chocolate, carrots, tomatoes, bananas, apples," She kept listing the things she stuffed into the bag. "Peppermint?" She asked, then shrugged, stuffing it into the bag. She then ran to get clothes and shoes and socks. She grabbed Eve's hairbrush, which was surprisingly well-kept, for such a careless woman, and two spare, new toothbrushes and a tube of toothpaste. She passed Mira, who was grabbing practically every book in the library. She ran to Eve's room. "Oh, Eve, I'm so sorry." Xiala then turned everything that was metal into a weapon: Arrows, bows, daggers, spears, axes, swords, etc. The clanking of armour was nearer now. Xiala thought she could hear it right through the door. "Hurry," she hissed at Mira. "We'll escape by the window." There was a frantic, loud knocking on the front door. "Anyone home?" A muffled voice demanded. "Don't open the door," Xiala whispered. Mira rolled her eyes. "As if I were stupid enough to do that. Hurry up, we've gotta go." Xiala gritted her teeth and zipped up her pack. She hoped she'd carried the right amount of everything needed. She hoped the small amount of training yesterday would benefit them in some way. After all, she had unlocked the mystery of mind-reading, this way or that. Mira had flown for the first time in her life. There was another knocking at the door. "Captain, I think they're in there," a voice said from outside. Aha. So Olivia isn't here. Or maybe she's just down the road, waiting for us. "Quick," Xiala urged again. "Wait - one more thing." Mira hurried up and took out a leaf pouch from Eve's nightstand drawer. "What's that?" Xiala asked. "Horseradish and aloe, plus some other curing plants just in case we need it." Mira replied. "Great thinking. Now let's get going," Xiala said just as the front door was shattered open and twelve air kingdom warriors broke into the house. One of them spotted Xiala and Mira first as he crossed a corridor. He opened his mouth to alert the others, but Xiala leapt up and quickly stuffed a sock in his mouth - a dirty sock. He coughed it out and reached for his sword. Mira kicked him across the room and he banged his head against the drawer. "Come on," she urged Xiala. They hurried across the bedroom toward the window. Footsteps were hurriedly coming their way. Their fight had caused quite some noise. Xiala let Mira jump first. She glanced back at Eve's cottage before she followed. Farewell. And with that, she jumped into the cold stream below her, coughing in the cold water as it gushed up her nose. As it turned out, Olivia was, indeed, waiting for them. They quickly clambered out and hid behind a tree. "Mira, go." Xiala hissed. She had a plan. And it would not go well for her. "But-" "Just go, Mira. I'll catch up to you. If I'm not back with you by sundown, do not come looking for me." She shoved the bags into Mira's arms. Her sister nodded and took off. Xiala fingered the small candy in her hands. She'd never thought that such a small piece of sugar could change her life - or take it. She quietly unwrapped the candy and, before she could lose her surge of confidence, she shoved the peppermint into her mouth and swallowed. The reactions started quicker than normal. First she got rashes, then her tongue swelled and she choked. Xiala coughed something that sounded like, "This was a terrible idea." But it sounded like, "Fit as an aerial, Mira." Olivia was quickly attracted to the sound of her voice and grinned as she rounded the tree and found Xiala choking and trying to clear her throat. Then Olivia frowned. "Where's your sister?" She demanded. Xiala managed a defiant smile. "Gone." She said proudly, not adding the I hope part. Olivia snarled. She clapped her hands and two warriors came and tied Xiala up against the tree. "I will be back in a jiffy." Olivia said to her, then ran off to catch Mira. Please be gone. PLEASE BE GONE! Wait - Olivia dropped something as she ran. Xiala squinted. It was a black rock, the size of her thumbnail. It was polished and carved into the shape of a gust of solid wind. The ring was all too familiar, as Crystal had inherited Eve's ring, then passed it down to Olivia. The rock. . .Skyfire! Did that mean Xiala could hear her thoughts now? She listened for a moment, concentrating more than she'd ever had on the minds around her. Suddenly she felt Olivia's mind. But then, not far from it, she felt another mind - one that she'd only heard once but was way too familiar. Her sister's life depended on her. Mira. Had she dropped her skyfire by mistake, or on purpose? Maybe she wanted Xiala to listen to her thoughts, to know what was happening to her and if she was safe. As Xiala listened, her eyes grew as wide as the moon and her mouth formed a perfect O. Because in Mira's brain: School, Family, Cooking, Friends, and last of all, a tiny sliver of boys.

Mira's thoughts: I hope Xiala is alright. Urgh, I hate twigs sticking out of nowhere. Hey. Xiala, can you hear me? Hmph. Who am I kidding? Of course she can't hear me. She wouldn't think of such a thing. And - AAAH! Is that Olivia? RUN! How did she get so close!? NEVERMIND MOONMIRA, JUST RUN!!!!

Olivia's thoughts: Haha! I see you! MWA HA HA. Stealth master! And pounce - wait. WHERE'D SHE GO? There - on that tree! I can fly, silly. Haha! And you're climbing. And I thought your sister was stupid. You aren't even flying. You have air powers, you know.

Mira: Why aren't I flying? BECAUSE I CAN'T! THAT'S DANGEROUS! Here are a thousand ways I could die - URGH. Nevermind that. WHY'S SHE SO CLOSE BEHIND ME? Oh. Yeah. She's flying. I wish I were flying. STOP THINKING THESE THOUGHTS, MIRA!