The reflection

part 6

Any other questions? Shikha asked, breaking the silence. Yep. Two more. Said Aria Did my human parents adopt me? Because Im pretty sure they didnt but then Mena and Jedrek are almost definitely my real parents, so whats going on? Lyra scratched her head before answering. I honestly dont know. I guess them adopting you would be most likely, and least crazy And what was your last question? Aria blushed as red as a tomato. Um, are fairies immortal? No. said Shikha quietly But we do live a lot longer than humans, because we have good medicine, no murders, climate problems or lack of food and water. The average lifespan for a fairy is around five hundred years. Wow. Aria muttered under her breath Thats a long time.

Yes, it is. Admitted Lyra But its also been a reasonably long time since youve slept, and Its time for all you children she looked at Cynthia, Sophia, Garth and Aria To go to bed. A round of groaning started, and Avahur sighed. Come on, Aria, he said, gesturing for her too come with him Ill show you where youre sleeping. Aria followed him to a huge room with three king beds in it. Goodnight. Avahur said, and left. Aria took a better look around the room. The walls were white but seemed to have a green tinge to them, and hanging from the ceiling was a huge sparkly chandelier. One wall was just a glass window, and looking down there was a breathtaking view.

There was huge city, but it wasnt just any normal city. It was like a mandala. On the outside were all the tallest skyscrapers, their lights twinkling. The next row were a bit shorter, and had Indian- style roofs. Even though it was pitch black, Aria could still see the colourful patterns on all the buildings. They seemed to be glowing. The next few rows of the mandala continued getting shorter, and then In the center was a gigantic statue of a beautiful fairy with long, wavy hair and wings. It was made out of what appeared to be diamond, but it was lightly tinted different colours. Hey Aria, Owen said, making Aria jump Sorry about before. I didnt really get to properly say hi. Thats okay. Aria reassured him I would have been shocked too. Lets start over. Owen nodded and sat down on the bed across from her. Hi. Hi, Aria said Im Aria. Im thirteen years old. I like nachos and triangles. My favourite colour is blue. Whats your name?

Im Owen, Im fifteen years old, and I like quenimas. My favourite colour is purple. What are quenimas? Aria asked They sound like some kind of Mexican food! Theyre deep- fried laguza wrapped in fremilan pancakes. Owen said, chuckling. Oh, sorry. I forgot that you didnt grow up here. Laguza, which youve probably never heard of before, is a spicy yet sweet fruit related to chillies. And fremilan is a sort of grain that tastes like. He paused and scratched his wavy hair Dreams and rainbows! Aria sighed and looked out the window Boy, I wish I could have been brought up here, and had quenimas for breakfast while flying around. If I was a flyer, of course. Owen walked over next to Aria and put his hand on her shoulder. I know its been a rough few days, but eventually everything will get sorted out. Youll see. He said Anyway, we should probably go to bed. Im sleeping in here too. Aria went into the bathroom and got changed into her pyjamas, then brushed her knotty hair and settled into bed. It should have taken her a while to get to sleep, because Aria had only been awake for a few hours after her four day nap, but she fell asleep almost immediately. She didnt even hear Owen talking to Sophia on his walkie- talkie watch.