(The New) Power of the 8 Elements: Part One

Chapter Twenty Two: Home

"The magic thing about home is it feels good to leave, and it feels even better to come back." - Wendy Wunder
PRESENT DAY
PHOENIX

"Do you get it now?" Skrael asks. "I mean, not all of it of course, but some of it."

I try to speak, but I'm too astonished. Teachers always say that I'm ahead of my classmates, but I never realized that I was this far ahead. But it's so weird. Why don't I remember anything? It was like I had had so much knowledge, and a simple spell pretty much wiped it all away except for a few spells. Now I'm starting from a clean slate.

"It is a lot more complicated than I thought," was all I could say.

"It's a lot," Bellroc says. "Nari will show you around while I have a word with Skrael."

Skrael's face goes pale, and I can see that he's a little terrified. Not only that, but I can feel it, too, almost. Nari happily jumps up from the couch she was sitting on and takes my hand.

"Come, I'll show and tell you everything!"

We enter a hallway. "Okay, so this is what we like to call the corridor. There is one main hallway that connects to a system of other rooms," Nari says. "Ooh, I'll show you my room first." She opens one of the doors and proudly shows me a leafy green room that looks slightly like a jungle. Her pillows are mushroom caps and vines hang from the ceiling. "What do you think?"

I feel a drop of water fall on my nose, and I look up at the ceiling and see leaves with dew drops on the ceiling.

"It's awfully wet." I walk towards the bed and try to avoid the puddles on the ground.

Nari giggles. "I hope you like it here. It hasn't changed a bit. At least, from my memory." I draw a hand over the support beams on her bed. "You know, Skrael isn't always a jerk. He can be nice sometimes. He just chooses not to. And Bellroc is really sweet as well. Do you want to go somewhere else? You seem bored. Oh, dear. I hope I don't bore you."

"What?"

"I said I hope I don't bore you."

"No, I heard you. When someone says that, it means that I don't understand why you would say something like that. I don't think you're boring. I think you're rather exciting."

"Oh! Thank you. Uh...is that a good thing?"

"Of course."

"Oh, well, Skrael says that sometimes I'm boring."

"Yeah, well, Skrael is boring."

Nari smiles and laughs. "I tell him that all the time."

I laugh as well, and the two of us begin talking.

"What's it like living with Powered people?"

"It's pretty basic. They aren't as powerful as you, but everyone there is really nice."

"Really? I try to tell Bellroc and Skrael that the mortals aren't that bad; they just have to get to know them first."

"I have lots of friends, too."

"Are they nice as well?"

"Friends have to be nice."

"I don't have any friends. I don't think siblings count."

"Well, you and I are friends."

Nari gasps. "Really?"

I nod. "Yeah."

"Cool! I can't wait to rub it in Skrael's face."

I smile when suddenly I get a ping on my phone. I pull it out and begin checking my texts. I had had five missed calls—most from Terri.