Heroes of Dreamland Rewritten, Book 2: Stars in Far Places

Chapter 10

Blue | 青

Do you ever wish you had a mask, a way to hide yourself from the world? A way to protect yourself from all the bullies who find reasons to hate you no matter what you do? A way to make yourself seem better than what you actually are?

Because I wish that, honestly.

At this point, I wish it all the time.

Clutching a stack of comic books that I just picked up at the general store, I keep my head down and quickly follow the small stream path that leads outside of town, over a wider river crossing that tends to be rather rough this time of year, and eventually out to the library. Silent as always, my Warp Star follows right behind me, keeping an eye on me and making sure I don't get into trouble. The air is hot and muggy, but here by the stream, where the breeze blows a little spray into the air every once in a while, it's not too bad.

It's Midsummer; my tenth birthday was just last week. Most kids are on summer vacation, and I am too, from my book lessons, anyway. But Blossom still teaches me the sword and how to be a warrior every day. Not that I'm complaining; I'm happiest when I have my small, real sword clutched in my glove. It makes me feel cool and strong, not like the bullied shy kid I really am. That, and it makes me feel safer, too. If another monster ever comes along, I want to be prepared from the very beginning; not give it time to hurt Blossom first. As long as I have a say in it, nothing's ever going to hurt Blossom again. I can't lose her.

As I get closer to the library and farther out of town, I start to relax a bit and quit staring at my feet. Out here, out at the library, I'm safe being myself. I can talk about how exciting history are literature are to me without Father telling me I need to focus more on science and math. I can tell Blossom all about my favorite comic books without anybody calling me a loser. Best of all, I can practice being a knight, achieving my destiny, being a hero, hopefully saving the people I love in the process from the hungry jaws of death. Nobody is there to tell me my goals are stupid or that Nightmare has been dead for centuries and that I'm being paranoid. Nobody is there to glare at me disapprovingly and remind me that I'm going to go to the Academy one day and become a doctor, whether I like it or not, and that I need to actually show up for my apprentice hours rather than skipping them (even though I'm still not legally old enough). At the library, I don't have to worry about being anything for anybody, except for who I really am.

Blossom lets me be myself, and she loves me for being myself. And I love her for being her, as strange and funny as she is.

I smile a bit to myself, but then freeze as I can hear the twinkling sounds of Warp Stars quickly coming up behind me. Ducking behind a tree, I wait until the raucous group of several kids my age and a little older flies past. As always, of course, Fire and Forest are bringing up the lead, while all the other kids fly along behind them, laughing at their dumb jokes (which are usually rude and almost never actually funny), praising every little thing they do, and helping them pick on whichever kid is unlucky enough to be the outcast of the week.

Me? I'm the outcast every week, because A) I'm not from here and B) genetics suck. Majorly.

Once the noise dies down, I sigh in relief and step out from behind the tree, putting my head down and walking towards the library a little quicker. But as it turns out, I stepped out of my hiding place a little too soon, going by the wicked, prissy giggle that acknowledges my arrival from on top of a Warp Star on the path just ahead.

"'ey, Whitey," a mint green Star Warrior girl with red eyes taunts me. "I knew we'd find you wanderin' around out 'ere." I put my head down and keep walking around her, giving her a wide berth. "Aw, come on. Ignoring me? Really?"