Elemental School of Hard Knocks

Chapter 1: No Place Like Away From Home

Kyra stared at the swirling vortex inside the newly constructed Stonehenge atop Mount Maunganui. The damp moss growing over the Jade stone pillars belied its recent construction. The swirling concentric patterns engraved upon them were rumoured to have carved themselves into the stones as the power of the portal was first activated.

Kyra wasn't certain if she believed that, but however they had gotten there, they certainly added to the ancient and imposing vibe of the place.

The rest of the mountaintop was deserted. It wasn't a surprise really. The first rush of people who had decided to cross over had already gone through a month ago, and the curious sightseers who just wanted to get a look at humanity's so-called "biggest invention since the internet" usually came up to picnic during the day. Not in the middle of the night as she was doing.

The only other human being up here was her baby brother. Not even a year old, he was currently sound asleep and strapped to her chest in a carrier.

She had named him Ihaka in the hope that she would see him laugh one day, and to honour her heritage on her mother's side. Although she never knew her mother's family, curling up on her lap as her mother read to her about Maui and his brothers, were some of the fondest memories of her childhood.

It had not initially occurred to Kyra that she might want to go through the portal and into an unknown and unfriendly dimension. Especially with no other backup and a baby in tow.

Then her mother had died a day after giving birth to Ihaka, and Kyra had known that she could not stay.

So with nothing but her brother in her arms, the clothes on her back, and the Pounamu pendant that her mother had given her for her fifth birthday hanging around her neck; Kyra had gone to enrol herself into the training program that had been set up by the government in order to give people a fighting chance at surviving on the other side.

As a legal young adult with no financial background and a minor to support, she was even given government funding to be able to attend the training for free.

Now, standing in front of the stones, just a few feet away from no way back, Kyra felt her heartbeat pounding through her ears as she took a deep breath. One hand wound around Ihaka to make sure that he was secure, the other groped around behind herself to check for the thousandth time that her survival pack was indeed still there. She stepped forward once, twice, thrice... and she was through.

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Author's Note

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Hello to Everyone reading this! Thank you so much for giving my novel a try.

Friendly background info for those of you who are currently scratching their heads going; Mt Maunganui where? Maui who? Heritage what?

Kyra is a New Zealander. Mt Maunganui is a mountain there. Her mother's family - though she does not know them - is Maori. Maori are the native people of NZ that were there before the white colonists.

And as for Maui, many of you may recognise the name from a certain Disney film called Moana. It's almost the same person, but not quite. As the legends of the NZ Maori have some derivations from the Pacific Island equivalents.

This book will not be going into too much detail about Maori Culture, as this story is about her leaving Earth behind. As well as the fact that Kyra was never really exposed to it outside of some bedtime stories anyway. She may make some references to her favourite characters, but I promise to keep in mind international audiences as she does. So no one should feel like they can't read this without a deep understanding of NZ and Maori culture.

Anyhow, I hope you all enjoy. And strap in, because you're in for a wild ride!