SERENA

PART I: Chapter 4 - Earth Training Ground

"No!" Serena exclaims.

"Why not?" Kiana asks confused. "I thought you had fun."

"I lied." Serena looks at the ground.

"You didn't have fun?"

"No that. Mom and dad didn't know." She keeps looking down, waiting for Kiana to answer, but she doesn't. When she realizes she won't get an answer, Serena looks up at Kiana. She's not sure whether Kiana is angry or worried. "Don't say anything."

"I have to tell them. They're your parents, they have the right to know where you were."

"Please! I just wanted to do something fun." She looks at the ground again.

"You can do fun things with your parents."

"Not since Rakon was born." Serena looks at Kiana again and pouts.

"Oh, so that's what this is about." Kiana says and Serena nods. "I get it. When my brother was born I felt the same way. And now I'm going to have another sister soon." She studies Serena's expression and she still looks sad. "But we'll always have each other, right?"

"Yes!" Serena exclaims smiling and hugs Kiana. "So, you won't tell mom and dad?"

"No, I won't. It will be our little secret."

"Thank you!" She hugs Kiana again.

They hear footsteps coming down the hallway and turn to see who's coming. It's Queen Nami.

"There you are!" She exclaims. "I've been looking everywhere for you."

"I'm sorry, Your Highness. We lost track of time." Kiana tells the Queen.

"Where were you?"

"At the garden." Kiana says, hoping the Queen didn't look for them there.

"Really? I was there and didn't see you."

"We went to the kitchen for a while to steal some cake because someone got hungry." Kiana looks at Serena smiling as she says that.

"Oh, alright." The Queen says. "Did you have fun?" She asks her daughter.

"Yes!" Serena replies.

"Your Highness, supper is going to be served." A servant who had walked into the hallway says.

Queen Nami and Serena say goodbye to Kiana and join King Soky to have supper.

On the following days, Serena asks Kiana to take her back to the place where she practices but Kiana tells her that she doesn't want to keep lying to the King and the Queen.

"Please, it will be fun." Serena says.

"If you tell your parents about it and they say you can go, I'll take you." Kiana tells her.

"But they won't let me." She says sadly.

"Then we can't go."

"But we're safe there. And I want to see all the trees and the beautiful flowers. And I want to play with Nolyn again." She looks Kiana in the eyes. "Please, please, please!"

"Serena..."

"You said we have each other..."

"That's not fair." Kiana tells her. "But okay, I'll take you."

"Yes!" Serena exclaims, jumping up and down.

They decide they will go out to the Earth Training Ground once a week. Kiana keeps helping Nolyn developing his powers and he gets better every week. Serena is still waiting for her power to manifest and now she hopes to be able to control earth like her friends. Being able to create beautiful flowers, trees and bushes is the best thing Serena can imagine. She watches amazed as her friends make nature grow and get more and more beautiful.

Two years go by and Serena is now five years old. Her hair is still white and her father is getting desperate about it. He pressures her every day to try and control an element, but she can't. She starts feeling like she isn't good enough and that maybe she will never be. The only moments she's happy is when she's with Kiana and Nolyn.

"It's for you." Nolyn tells Serena and gives her a pink flower he made. "You look sad."

"Thank you." She smiles but she doesn't look any happier.

"Is it still about your powers?"

"Yeah..."

"Just because you get your powers later doesn't mean you won't be very powerful."

"Yeah, I guess..."

"Serena!" Kiana exclaims and runs towards the two kids. "Serena, we need to go!"

"Why? What happened?" Serena asks.

"I saw a guard from the palace. And he saw us too."

"Oh God, my parents are going to kill me!" Serena exclaims and gets up, ready to leave.

"Yes, they are. They're going to kill us both."

The girls leave and head back to the palace as fast as they can. When they get there, the King, the Queen and Rafi are at the front gate waiting for them.

"How long have you been lying to us, Serena?" That's the first thing King Soky asks his daughter.

"I'm sorry..." She says.

"Come on, we have a lot to talk about." He tells her and takes her to her bedroom.

"What about you, young lady?" Rafi asks Kiana. "We also have a lot to talk about."

In Serena's bedroom, her parents are furious. Serena told them that she has been going there for two years and they get even angrier.

"And why were you with a boy from the low class?" King Soky asks.

"He's my friend." Serena answers.

"You're not supposed to be friends with people from such a low class. You're not even supposed to leave the palace. Even when you do get your powers, which I really hope happens soon, you're supposed to practice inside the castle. Everything you need is in here."

"But..."

"No buts. And you're grounded. I'm going to take all your toys away for a few weeks."

"No, please don't do that."

King Soky grabs Serena's toys and elevates himself in the air to reach the top of a high cabinet, putting the toys there.

"And one more thing." King Soky says. "No more hanging out with Kiana."

"What?" Serena asks.

"Maybe I'll even ban her from the palace."

"No!" Serena exclaims and bangs her right hand on a table. As she does that, the table immediately starts burning.