The Elemental Sisters

Prologue

Bianca, stuck in a deep slumber, began to dream. Most dreams are about yourself or something you fear, or clairvoyance even. Well, not this one. This dream wasn't about her. It seemed to have been about someone else, a girl that looked like Bianca, yet not her at the same time. It was as if Bianca was just an observer of the entire ordeal. It was dark, foggy, and full of dead trees, with no actual land anywhere in sight, all but a golden mirror in the middle of the gloomy forest. The wind whipped across the girl's face as she raced through barren trees, trying to put some distance between herself and the shadow-like creature that had been chasing her. "RAAAAAGHHHHHH!!" The creature bellowed. The force of the monster's roar shook the ground beneath the girl's feet. She tripped at the edge of a pool full of black water, catching a glimpse of her scratched and muddy face in the process.

"Come on, get up. Keep moving!" She said to herself. She dug her fingers into the cold, dark black soil, pushing herself towards the mirror that she had been desperately seeking. "Just... a little... further!" She shouted, continuing to keep herself encouraged. Suddenly, the beast crashed through the trees, ripping them apart behind her.

"RRRRRROOOAAAAGHHHHH!!" The creature shouted in a fit of rage. The white-haired girl quickly rolled onto her back as the beast thundered towards her prone body. Out of options, she threw her hands up, and searing energy began to pulse through her fingertips.

"Yueguang Trabem!" She screamed, a bright light flashing from her hands, immediately blinding everyone, including Bianca, who began to start waking up in shock. She bolted upright in her bed, clutching her chest tightly.

"That... That felt so real!" She told herself. Just then, her phone buzzed aggressively on the nightstand beside her bed and she looked over to see that it was nearly ten. Her alarm had been going off for almost two hours. "Crap! I'm going to be late for that meeting with my advisor!" She exclaimed. She swiftly scrambled out of her bed and dashed to her closet to throw on something to wear. She soon grabbed a plain gray short-sleeved shirt, a pine green colored jacket, and a pair of black shorts. Once she was dressed, she bolted out the door as fast as she could manage, not noticing someone watching her from inside the mirror. It was the girl from her dream, she seemed to be upset about something. Bianca ran into her advisor's office without a moment to spare and dropped into the chair across from her desk. "I'm so sorry! I overslept." She explained. Her advisor, Ms. Hallace looked at her seemingly surprised.

"You're not late, so that's quite alright, Ms...." The advisor had forgotten Bianca's surname. She started rifling through some papers on her desk for some sort of clue.

"Just Bianca is fine," Bianca said with a reassuring smile.

"Bianca, right. Forgive me. I'm used to dealing with more... troubled students." Ms. Hallace disclosed. She found the correct file and slid it behind her desk. As she scanned the pages, she frowned. "By all accounts, you're a perfect student. It's only a couple of weeks into the quarter, but your grades and attendance are excellent. So, I've got to ask, Bianca. Why are you here?" She inquired. Bianca pondered to herself for a few moments before answering, unsure of the answer herself.

"It's hard to describe. I know I should be happy, but I'm just... not." A frown began to form on her face. "I try so hard, but no matter what I do, it all just feels like... like I'm sitting in a waiting room or something. And no one ever calls my name." She imparted.

"And... what is it exactly that you're waiting for?" Ms. Hallace queried.

"I guess I'm looking for a magical world," Bianca said in response. Ms. Hallace looked at her with a puzzled expression.

"What?" She asked, keeping her puzzled look.

"I want to live somewhere exciting and extraordinary! A place where absolutely anything could happen. That's not too much to ask, is it?" Bianca exclaimed with a joyful aspect.

"Those are certainly some... original aspirations. But I can't help you live in a fantasy world, Bianca."

"Yeah, I know. I'm only joking. I wish I knew what I was looking for. Whatever it is... it's not this." The girl said with a sigh. Ms. Hallace nodded her head in understanding.

"I know you're at a crossroads right now. And one of the directions you could go would mean dropping out of Brickfield."

"The thought crossed my mind..." Bianca admitted, glancing at the floor. Ms. Hallace felt a bit upset.

"Please don't do it. When this phase you're in ends, you don't want to discover that you've given up your chance to get a degree, do you?" She said, trying to persuade Bianca to stay.

"But... but what if you're wrong? What if it's not a phase?" Bianca asked worriedly.

"I'll tell you what. Why don't you go home and think about it? Will you do that for me?" Ms. Hallace asked in return.

"Sure. I... I guess I can do that." Bianca said as she nodded her head lightly. Little did she know, she wasn't going to get that chance. Later, she stood in the bathroom of her home and looked at herself squarely in the mirror in front of her. "I know you belong somewhere. I know there's more to you than this." She told herself. Suddenly, the lights in the room started to flicker. "What the hell...?" She blurted in a shaky voice. A few moments later, something caught her attention out of the corner of her eye. A glint in the bathroom mirror. "Huh?" She said, seeing her reflection. It appeared to be the girl from her dream again, but Bianca didn't know what was going on. 'Why do I look like this?' She contemplated. "That's... That looks like my face, but..." She didn't finish her sentence. She felt as if she was still somehow dreaming. She raised her hand to her face to confirm her suspicions, but when her reflection didn't move, she froze. She narrowed her eyes as she noticed that the mirror itself looked a little odd... Almost shimmery. She started to wonder once again if this was a dream. "Am I... Am I dreaming again?" Bianca questioned out loud. She reached her shaky hand towards the mirror, and when her fingers touched the surface, they pressed into the glass, as if it had been some sort of portal. She let out a quick gasp. "Woah!" She tried to pull her hand back, but it wouldn't come free from the mirror's grip. Her hand began to sink into the glass, then her forearm, and before she knew it... "Wait, wait, wait--" Her entire body was sucked through. On the other side of the mirror, rushing water yanked her forwards, forcing her to squeeze her eyes shut against the current. Just as she felt her lungs starting to strain, a splash comes from her right. She felt a pair of strong, sturdy arms wrap around her abdomen and pull her towards the surface of the water. She felt herself being dragged onto dry land and sputtered as she wiped the water from her emerald green eyes. She attempted to get her bearings, taking a moment to gape at her surroundings. This was not where she thought she'd be. This wasn't her home... So where was it? "Wh- Where...?" She said, continuing to peruse the area.