Marigold

Chapter 1 - Meira

The ground is soft and springy under my feet as I wander barefoot through the woods. I look up and see the sunlight filtering in through the green leaves. The forest is my happy place; it always has been. I guess that's what happens when you're an elf nature just speaks to you in a way that people don't.  

My peace is interrupted by the sound of someone stomping through the underbrush and heading my way.  

"Meira, are you out here?" I hear my best friend Ashton call out. With a sigh, I drop down from the branch of an oak tree and land in front her. "Shit! Meira, why are you always sneaking up on me?" 

I laugh and hook my arm through hers. "You came to find me," I remind her, "and if you weren't making so much noise, you may have heard me up there. Anyway why did you come out here to  find me?" 

We head back toward the park and the city of Silver Springs. I love this area of town because most of the residents won't head into the woods. Evanora lives close by and most of the residents are scared that she'll curse them if they get too close to her house. 

"Hunter is looking for you," Ashton says, "Some of the flower beds are dying near the library and he thinks you can fix it." Hunter is our boss and in charge of all the parks and plants around Silver Springs. "He and I have both tried, but you know Jinn are only kind of connected to nature and shifters are more connected to animals than plants..."

"Any idea what happened to them?" I ask my mind already whirling with what could bring the flowers back to health. I hated seeing nature suffering; whenever it was, it was like I could hear the Earth crying in pain. 

"They looked smushed and black, so maybe someone stepped on them... but you know Hunter has used your green thumb to save money this past year so he can have a raise," Ashton said as we emerged from the woods and head toward where our bikes were laying in the grass. 

"Yeah, yeah, makes me wonder what he did before I was here. He doesn't seem to know much about plants at all." We grab our bikes and start to pedal toward the library. "So why did you bike all the way out here instead of traveling by smoke?" I asked, "You know I think that's one of the best parts of being a Jinn."

"You couldn't have traveled back that way and I didn't want you to get distracted on your way back. And I know you only like using a car if it's somewhere too far to bike," Ashton said. One of the greatest things about my bestie is how she goes along with my oddities that most people try to convince to give up, but do you know how bad cars are for the plants? My family had always walked or used bikes to travel. That was the one positive thing I could take away from them before I ran away and came to Silver Springs. 

We continued on in silence until I saw the flower beds in front of the library. The flowers were flat to the ground and blackened, the dirt was also black. I dropped my bike and ran to the area feeling my eyes start to fill with tears. As I knelt on the ground, I noticed it was still warm. 

"Maybe someone drove over them..." Ashton said looking over my shoulder. 

"No," I said, "This wasn't a car. This was fire. Who would do this?" I dug my fingers into the dirt ignoring the heat and pushing magic into the soil. The roots started to grow back and reach further into the Earth and the stems and petals started to grow toward the sky. When I finally pulled my hands back, the bed was full or orange, red, and purple flowers with a shrub on either end. 

I turned around a little dizzy from using so much magic but a smile on my face. Hunter had joined Ashton at some point and was looking at the restored flowers. "Way to go Marigold," he said, "I knew you could do it. Now I'm going to go get lunch." 

"Don't call me Marigold!" I snapped, "You know I hate that name. And you just hoped I could do it."

"You haven't let me down yet," he said, "Why don't you two go check on the other beds and make sure whoever destroyed these hasn't found anymore to damage." He turned and climbed into his Hummer and started the annoying loud engine leaving skid marks in the parking lot as he peeled out. 

"How about we stop at Jewel's Cafe and then walk around the town?" asked Ashton, "I've heard some people are finding harems when they drink the PSL. It's a year round drink now, and it wouldn't hurt to see if Julian can help us find some men."

"Men?!" I laughed, "I've had enough men between my father and brothers and all their choices of suitors. You can get the PSL, I'll go with a black coffee."