Princesses, heroes, villains, magicians, scientists, talking trees, Queens, idiots, humanoids, lovers, warriors, soldiers...
Where can you find a single book that manages to incorporate such a diverse range of characters?
A short stories anthology...
a/n: content warnings: death by fire scene at the end of the story
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Yara blinked rapidly, her vision distorted for a minute before clearing.
It's happening again.
For the past two to three years, strange and cryptic incidents had been happening around her. Whenever she walked, any leaves around her seemed to rustle. She had even become proficient at taking care of plants – something she was not always great at doing. Living organisms seemed to recognize her touch, almost as if they connected with her.
She used the little tricks to her advantage until they became problematic. She would feel thirsty all the time, no amount of water she drank gave her the satisfaction she craved. Once, a freak fire started in her school. Rumour had it that Yara had somehow caused it because of her awful temper. She had a strong feeling the rumors were true but didn't understand how that could be since she had no recollection of setting any desks alight.
Yara distanced herself from everyone after that incident. She realized that she could be a hazard to others if she didn't learn to keep her emotions in control. No matter how much her classmates taunted her, she remained calm.
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The sun was making it hard for Yara to breathe. It felt like the rays were setting her lungs on fire. She had just woken up from a nightmare, and it was possible that the heightened emotions from her dream were causing the strain on her airway.
Once Yara managed to calm down, she shook herself and began to prepare for another torturous day at school.
As she walked there, she couldn't stop thinking about her nightmare. It was the first time any of her dreams were so vivid. There was a fire. Lots of it. At first, she thought the fire was engulfing her. Then, with growing horror, she realized that she was the cause of the flames. Just as the realization settled in, she began to feel drained. She looked around and noticed steam. The water in her body was evaporating from her.
And then the nightmare had ended.
She was shaken out of her musings when a leg tripped her. With a sickening lurch, she went flying to the ground, hands, and knees scraping the hard pavement. Tears gathered in her eyes from the pain and humiliation, but she quickly blinked them away before her tormentors could see them.
