Flagrant Fragrant by Heron Djenne Canvasback

The Wanderers (Childrens' Sci-Fi Fantasy Epic)

Kelsey woke up one morning in a room that wasn't hers. She reached for her stuffed animal raccoon, Alana, and touched a lamp instead; her green eyes flew open, and she cried for her mother.

There had been a blinding bright light shining on her window last night. She was surprised that she managed to finally sleep. She thought that maybe the person who illuminated her room somehow kidnapped her.

She left the room, and looked around the house; it looked like a collection of traditional showrooms. Three cats were in the cathouse, and two were napping. She walked outside into an unfamiliar busy city; there were all types of different people here.

She tapped a short older teen boy on the back. "Hello," he said.

"Do you know where my mommy and daddy and home are?" she asked.

A sad look came across his face. "They're back on earth."

"Then where are we?" she asked.

"We're in...." the boy stopped talking as four sets of hands came from the sky, and grabbed people. "Run inside!" He told her going as he was going into a convenience store.

The girl looked around; everyone was exiting their bikes and toy cars rushing into every building in town. She walked towards Main Street, more concerned about getting home than to temporary safety, and the hands missed her by yards. This world seemed too perfect; nothing was flawed. She went through all the neighborhoods, on the west half, with their cookie-cutter $300,000+ homes, looking for her home, or a place near it. Suburbia was nostalgic, but she didn't find what she was looking for.

         There was a wooden mulch-covered playground with a two older boys; one had short brown hair, and eyes so light gray that they made you tear up, and the other had black hair, and dark brown eyes, and was tall. The first one was up high on the swings, and the second went down the long slide. No other souls dared to leave their refuges.

"Hey, where are our parents?" she asked them.

The first one spoke first. He was around twelve, and was a Romanian Jew. "Nowhere near here." He landed with a perfect leap. "Exactly where we're supposed to be."

"No one above seventeen can live here' kids who age-out are take somewhere else." The second one was about twelve too and a Moroccan-Irishman. "We're in a very bad place."

"Please, what's this place called?" she asked.

"How should we know? No one who knows will tell us anything. Just know that you have to take care of yourself. There are no bills, money, crimes, or responsibilities in this place. It's a utopia of living dolls restrained in an unchanging world." The second one said.

"Are you new, or are you from the eastern, northern, or southern zone, or somewhere in between?" the first one asked.

She pushed her black hair out of her eyes. "I don't know. I walked towards Main Street, but I can't remember the direction I came from. I'm Kelsey Delton."

"Let's help her." the first one said to both of them. "I'm Karp Vadim"

"Sufyan Killough," The second one, shook their hands, and faced Kelsey.

"You should use your star," Karp said.

"Star?" Kelsey asked.

Sufyan pointed at the star on the chain of his jeans.

The star was carved out pretty rocks and had a pulse like a heart.

Karp lifted his up. "Your North Star; it shows you the way home. Girls wears theirs on their necklaces, and boys wear theirs on chains.