The Destined

Chapter Eight: Melissa

    Melissa    

Training field? No. Impossible. This is all a dream. Just a silly, old dream of mine.

Except, maybe it isn't.

This is real. I saw it happen. I saw us being...zapped to this world from school.

Or maybe I am just hallucinating. I am probably going crazy and I'm dreaming in a mental institution. Yes, that's it. I'm crazy.

"Well, girls. It's story time!"

I sigh. This field is much like the one I first appeared in, large and endless, with mountains in the distance. The sky is perfectly blue, though, and the breeze blows only warm air. I could feel myself sweat. So maybe it is real, if I can feel it.

Lotso sits down on the ground, legs crossed, and as if there is some unspoken order in the air, we sit down too. It's a small, ovular circle with a large space in the middle. Lotso takes out a bottle of what I think is water. Before I can say anything, he pours it in the space in the middle. To my surprise, it doesn't seep into the ground, but just stays on top like a puddle.

"What is this?" I ask, but Lotso shushes me. I watch the water, which stays steady and clear and reflective. For a moment, I begin to think if I am missing out on anything. Am I not looking at it right? But then I see it. A moving picture materializes on the water. It's four girls, staying hand in hand, in the middle of a dark, fairly wooded forest. It's raining and they are soaking and shivering, but they are glowing. They kind of resemble us, but not so much that you can't tell them apart.

"Who are they?" Avani asks in awe.

"They were four girls, just like you."

"But we are only three," Anna says, cutting in. "Is there supposed to be another girl?"

"We haven't found her yet," Lotso says quietly. "Well, we won't be looking for her. Firens tend to be...dangerous."

"What?" I exclaim.

I haven't realized the queen has been standing behind us.

"You all belong to an element," she says calmly, collected. I am so utterly confused.

"Yes," Lotso agrees. Then he adds on, "You all have special talents...er...powers. With them, you can control an element."

We look dumbstruck. Avani looks at me, I look at Anna, and she looks at Avani and we all exchange faces, glances of pure confusion.

"Let me explain it this way." Lotso looks at the queen for approval and when she nods, he continues. "You three were all born in Lybrethium, at the same time you were born in the Real World. You all have a great big destiny upon you."

"What is it?" I cut off.

"You'll see. One step at a time, Melissa. One step at a time," Lotso says. "Anyway, you were supposed to find out about this world – about your powers, etc. – when you were sixteen years of age. Unfortunately, our world has been set under extreme attacks, all of them wiping out entire villages."

"Who was in charge of these attacks?" Anna asks.

"We don't know for now." Lotso continues, "We realized if you guys were to take over our world," Lotso gives me a look, as if I shouldn't interrupt. "It had to be done now or never."

"Why did you choose us to be so important?" Avani asks.

Lotso glances at the queen. She walks over and sits down to join our little circle. "I can't rule the five lands forever. I am getting weaker. My powers are not a strong as they were years ago. My immortality will fade when I am no longer fit to rule."