Flames of Lies

1. Amica

Amica was sitting at the top of the main staircase of her large home. She wasn't exactly poor due to her family's history of having the rare gift of horns. Honestly, she didn't see what the hype was. In fact she thought horns were a bit demonic and made the Ignis race altogether look cruel and mean. Her horns weren't exactly something to be proud of anyway. They were nothing but two small stubs that barely stuck out of her hair like a baby goat. Sure they were cute but to her they were embarrassing.

Soon enough what she had been waiting for arrived. The sound of her parents voices drifted closer until they eventually stopped around the kitchen area. The voices weren't gentle sweet words before bed but rather loud harsh ones. She had gotten used to her parents arguing over the past few months as it had happened every night now. She liked to listen in on their conversations out of nothing but pure curiosity for what the two were on about. It wasn't exactly eavesdropping if she was in plain sight, was it?

"Why does everything always have to be about you!? Just because you have your little "horns" doesn't mean your the only one supporting this family!"

"I'd hardly call this a family anymore! All you do is argue and Amica is nowhere in sight except for dinner time! She's always hiding in her room like a rabbit probably scared your going to lash out at her every second for being an Ignis!"

As much as her Moms words hurt, they were true. Amica was scared that her dad would lash out at her. In fact, she was scared everyone other than the Ignis would turn on her and toss her like trash. Beat her till there was nothing left but a pile of flesh and shreds of bones. With what was happening in her streets today she wouldn't be surprised.

There was destruction everywhere especially around Ignis territory. The Caeli and Unda were starting to resent the Ignis and the Terra weren't far behind. There was rampage everywhere along with signs and destruction. Some Ignis homes were even completely blocked by mounds of earth or trapped in bubbles of water. Abscondita was not what it used to be.

Before the riots, Abscondita was a beautiful place and even though it consisted of mostly Ignis the other races fit in there perfectly too. Amica remembered being popular and having many friends and for a while she didn't know why. Of course later she figured out it was only because of her horns. After hiding them under her black winter beanie everyday she noticed her friends started to dissipate until the only ones left were Puer and Puella the Caeli and Terra twins.

Puella and Puer were a peculiar set of twins no one could quite figure out. Twins of different races were quite uncommon in fact they were almost unheard of altogether. Not only that but the twins looked surprisingly similar for being two different races. Puellas hair was as light as brown hair can get before its considered blonde and Puer's was as dark as it could get before considered brown. They both had the same set of beautiful brown eyes, and not the boring black brown but the amber-chocolate kind that practically glowed and looked Hazel in the sun. Sometimes the two could be opposites but sometimes they were like the same person. It was especially weird when Puer would go from very serious to extremely immature that Amica sometimes wondered how he was a year older than her.

As soon as her parents were out of range, Amica quietly pranced down the stairs and out the door. She was done with their fighting, done with the hatred against her kind, and done with the entire Elfannue race in general! She needed a Vacation. And she knew just the place.

When she arrived at Puel and Puellas house, Amica was surprised to find the door opened before she laid a hand on it.

"Oh I'm sorry Amica dear I was just heading out for some yelken shells, would you like some?"

"No thanks Mrs. K I'm kind of in a hurry." Amica responded. The twins mom or Mrs.K as Amica liked to call her was a very sweet woman. Her and her family had never shown any hatred or resentment towards her or any other Ignis.

Amica made her way upstairs to the twins bedroom. As soon as she arrived she made sure both twins were there and alert before she continued.

"I need your help."

"With what?" The twins asked. They seemed a little worried as Amicas plans and scemes didn't always work out for the best. Last time they went along with her crazy ideas they all ended up neck deep in a pile of wattlobatler dung.

"I need to get to the southwest Unda portal that leads to the big ocean."

"Whoa WhOa WHOA THERE! Amica, first of all, portals are forbidden to be used be anyone but the elite for emergency purposes only! Second of all how in holy drangonhufe are we supposed to sneak into Unda territory and break into one of the most secure and exposed portals not to mention the serious backlash you would get from being spotted there?!" Puella was in a confused but furious rage. This went beyond any crazy plan Amica had come up with before and that was saying a lot.

" I have a plan. And who said we would be spotted?" At this the twins groaned in disbelief. On one hand, Amica was absolutely insane. Like ready to jump into a Loudrolier's mouth insane. On the other hand however, she was their best friend and they couldn't leave her to go by herself like that.

" Alright lets gooooooo! Hurry or we'll miss the pet where we almost get drowned to death by the hydroghasts guarding the portal!" Turns out, Puer was out of his mind too. The two girls couldn't tell if he was joking or not but they're were pretty sure he'd go either way.

"Fine. But we need to at least have to know your plan first." Puella gave in.

Amica took a piece of paper and some colored pencils out of the twins art drawer. "This is the portal" she said drawing a purple blob on the paper.
"You do know portals look like normal objects right?"

"Yeah but we don't know what this one looks like."

"Ooh I know!" Puer piped in. " it looks like a waterfall."

"How do you know?" Amica asked suspiciously

"All the Unda portals do. They're not very creative you know."

"Oh yeah, by the way Amica, why that portal of all portals?"

"Well first of all, it's the closest portal that doesn't lead to somewhere deadly. Second of all, I think there's someone there waiting for me." Of course there was something Amica didn't tell them. She didn't tell anyone. Sometimes she would see visions in her small flames. Sometimes it was too blurry to make out but other times she could see a thing or two.

The same images kept reappearing. A guy sitting calmly with flames engulfing him, a blonde human girl on her knees crying, and a sign on the beach that said OBX.