Elements

Chapter 8

"Aaaaaaah!" Ira yelled as she traveled at the speed of light. The vibrant colors around her shifted and glowed. And in a matter of seconds, she was standing right in front of her door, with her sisters nowhere to be seen. She was still wearing the same clothes. The lilac sweatpants, the striped shirt, everything.

"Ira!" Mrs. Thomson's voice rang from the kitchen. "Are you in your room? Do your friends want snacks? We have a lot of snacks-"

"No, no!" Ira blurted. "It's fine...they left already."

"Oh?" Mrs. Thomson's head popped out of the kitchen. "So soon?"

"Yeah..." Ira opened the front door. "I'm going to Alyssa's house, 'kay?"

Mrs. Thomson blinked. "I never knew you had those clothes. Did you buy them at the mall recently?"

Ira's face turned red. "Uh, yeah! Can I go now?"

"OK. Just be back by six, sharp!"

"OK." Ira slipped on her shoes and strolled to the bottom of her driveway. That was a close one. Ira thought.

As Ira sprinted to Alyssa's house, she thought about what Jane said. Don't expose our secret. Hmm. Did that mean not telling anyone about this magical world? Not even Alyssa? Ira sighed. This was too much to take in. And why did that Sammy girl hate her so much?

The sun shined down on Ira's house, making everything look bright. Little kids were playing on a driveway, drawing with chalk and jump-roping. The sun was starting to sink, leaving the houses on Ira's street dappled with red and orange light. Ira started to walk towards Alyssa's house, thinking about the new world she had encountered. She clutched the locket around her neck, which seemed to be colder than before.

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"Ira?" Alyssa tapped Ira's shoulder, and she sighed. She was wearing a yellow t-shirt and jeans, black sneakers, and a yellow headband. Ira shut the lid of her computer and turned around in her swirly chair to face Alyssa.

"Yeah...is it important? I have to finish the essay for-"

"What happened? You're not your normal self. You seem so let down and confused these past few weeks."

The truth was, Ira was confused. After meeting her real family in that magical world, she hadn't even SEEN Jane, Nick, Sammy, or Blake. It had been three weeks! It seemed really strange.

Alyssa walked over and sat down on Ira's bed. "Tell me."

Ira shrugged. "Nothing." she lied.

Alyssa raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, right. I know when something's on your mind. You can tell me, you know."

Ira smiled. Alyssa was a great friend. But...Ira sighed. She knew she couldn't tell her anything.

Alyssa crossed her arms. "Are you OK?"

Ira grinned halfheartedly. "I'm good. Seriously."

"If you say so, then," Alyssa said. She picked up an open book that was on the bed and started reading it. "Finish quickly, Ira. There are WAY better things to do than homework! Let's go outside!"

Ira rolled her eyes and turned around in her chair. She opened the lid to her computer and started to type again. But this time, she wasn't as focused.