Kyno: Shadows

5 | Tale

Nora POV

"Hey!" I said, the phone pressed to my ear. Everyone was yelling, screaming, and splashing water around before they went to bed, and I had to cover my other ear to block out the background noise.

"Hello Nora," Brunhild said calmly on the other line.

An awkward silence passed between us.

"Did you finish your homework?" I finally asked. Papers began rustling from Bunny's end.

"Uhhh... yeah?" She chuckled nervously.

"You didn't! Ha! I caught you! Well, neither did I."

"The homework they give us I can do really quick because it is so easy, so I put it off."

"The homework they give us I can't do really quick because it is so hard, so I put it off."

"I can help you," Bunny mumbled.

"Really? Hold quick." I moved the phone away from mouth. "I AM TRYING TO TALK TO MY FRIEND HERE!"

"Shut up!" One of my brothers called back.

"Continue, oh Great Tutor," I said, moving the phone back.

"I can't tutor you over call...!" Bunny squeaked.

"Sure you can!"

"No, I can't."

I sighed, and I heard her write something on something.

"What if I met you at the library?"

"That dusty place? No way. Come over to my house!"

"Ok. What's your address?"

•••

Brunhild arrived a short while later. Over the next hour, we did our homework together, but when we finished, we weren't talking about mathematics anymore. I had a fairly big yard, a treehouse, rabbits, a fort made of logs, a big pile of sticks, and a creek that we played in. I teased Bunny about the bunnies, but she didn't seem to care.

We pretended we were dragons saving a mysterious, magical land. Two evil, pixie twins had taken rule at the castle, but nobody liked them. They killed anyone who spoke out against them, and, even worse than death, they sent their disobeyers' souls to an oblivion prison, leaving their bodies to be eaten in a chimera's den.

As we were invading the twins' castle, mom called us for dinner. We ran up the hill to the deck/patio, through the sliding door, and into the dining room/kitchen. Dad, Jay and Henry were already sitting at the table; Jay with that far-away look in his eyes, Dad kind of setting the table, and Henry grinning ear-to-ear at me. There were seven chairs at the table, but four of them were empty. Zac was who knows where, Kaden was at Micheal's house, and Mom went out with her girlfriends.

I sat next to my twin, and Bunny sat to my left. I saw the hint of a smile on her lips. "Mmm, shish kabobs!" Steak, zucchini, onions, tomatoes, mushrooms, and red and green peppers were strewn on long wood sticks that were like a toothpick. There were even ones with fruit on it.

"I haven't had a good meal like this in a long while!" Bunny exclaimed.

"Why?" I looked at her. She shrugged.

"My family never eats together so..." She hesitated, and avoided my gaze. I think I saw her gulp. "We never get too fancy with food."

"Well," Henry said, still smiling. "We eat as a family! You're part of ours tonight!" Bunny blushed, and grabbed a shish kabob.

Dad handed each of us a fruit stick and offered corn on the cob, but only Henry and I took it (we like food). I gave Jay my mushrooms and Dad my tomatoes, and slid the rest of my food onto my plate. Jay poured us all milk, and Bunny and I got a moustache after taking a long chug from our glasses. After dinner was finished and everyone left the table, Bunny and I headed up the stairs to my room. It had pink walls and colorful art pieces cluttering my dresser, china cabinet, and desk.

"Did I ever show you my necklace?" I asked her, and she shook her head. She looked so out of place in my bright room in her dark clothes. I took my necklace from under my sweater and held it out to her. She gasped.

"That's the same design as my bracelet!"

"That's why I wanted to show it to you!"

We grinned at each other in silence.

"Let's see if there is any difference," I offered, and held it near her hand. She agreed, and held it near my necklace. We leaned in close, our heads almost bumping. They were a rainbow of colors, with a white or black design running down the middle all the way to a black or white gem. Bunny's had the white design and black gem, and mine was the opposite. "It's like they were meant to meet up one day," I muttered. We bumped the gems, and a strike of worry coursed through me. Did we scratch them?

I didn't have much time to think because at that moment, noise pounded in my ears and I could only see a blur of colors and, then, darkness.

•••

I woke up, grass brushing against my face. I yawned, rolled over, and felt that my body ached from laying on the ground. I slowly sat up, and, blinking against the sun in my eyes, looked around. The grass was green, yes, but still looked more blue than green. There was a tree nearby and it was the biggest one I had ever seen in my life. It had a HUGE trunk, and I felt dizzy looking up to its topmost branches. It was a willow tree, and its long, dangling white leaves seemed to shimmer and sparkle. Three big moons decorated the sky, and a red-tinted sun shone down on the land. Strange creature pushed through the grass, and other gigantic trees stood tall farther away. I noticed the trunks seemed to pulse and glow after a little while. Even though it was day, the part of the sky farthest away from the red sun had stars dotted across it. The sky was purplish, and I loved it.

Yet where was I?

A groan sounded behind me, and I whipped around. Bunny, except with her bracelet back on and black tattoo-like marks surrounding it, was waking up too.

"Where are we?" She asked wearily, her voice hoarse. I helped her up, and she gazed around, eyes wide and disbelieving.

"I don't know," I whispered in awe, looking with her.

We were in a new land, with strange sounds and strange sights.

We were in a new place, with not knowing where we were.

We were in a new story.

We were in our own adventure.