Nature's Sign

Chapter 1

I wake up to the sounds of nature. Birds are chirping, trees are swaying in the breeze. I get out of bed and start getting ready for the day. I put on a white tank top, gray jeans, my windbreaker, and knee boots. I eat a quick breakfast of cereal and fruit, then I brush my teeth and hair. I look in the mirror and see my wavy dirty-blonde hair, extending a few inches below my shoulders. My blue eyes and freckles. This is me, Alexa. I don't have a last name, but that's just the way things are.

Before leaving, I look around the tree I call home. My bed is underneath the stairs that spiral up the inside of the tree, leading to my workshop and a balcony.

The workshop with a giant desk connected to the wall going almost all the way around, leaving a opening that goes to the balcony. Metal, tool, blueprints, and other things scatter across the workshop.

The balcony is big enough for four people to stand on with plenty of room. A table and two chairs made of wood sit in the middle of the balcony.

Across from the bed is an opening in the tree, which serves as the entrance. Next to the opening is a desk with loose pencils and papers scattered across it. Some of the papers have drawings on them and others have writing.

Extending across the whole wall between the desk and the bed is a bookshelf, about 6 feet high, filled full of books, some old, some new, some weathered, some bent. In front of the bookshelf is a rug and on the rug is a bean bag chair and a small table with some books on it.

On the other side of the stairs is a wardrobe and a screen. Beside the screen is a giant cork board with a table underneath it. The cork board has tons of drawings and descriptions pinned on it. I always pin my drawings from the weeks lessons on the cork board and they will keep being added for a month and then a new lesson starts. In between the cork board and the opening is a pantry and a machine built into the wall that will make food for you when you tell it what you want.

I scan the room one last time, then I grab my bag containing my journal, sketchbook, tablet, some pencils, pens, and a snack. I sling it on my back and walk outside into the clearing right in front of my home.

"Hey! Wait for me!"

I hear a voice and turn around. Flame bounds out of the tree and lands on my shoulder.

"You almost forgot me!" Flame says in a huff.

I chuckle. Flame is a miniature red fox with magic powers. He can grow or shrink, he can burst into flames and do lots of other things. One thing he can't do is fly. Flame's normal size is small enough to sit on my shoulder.

"Hey, where's Sky?" I ask.

Sky is my other pet. She is a sky blue dragon the same size as Flame. She is a winged dragon and is also magic.

Flame shrugs.

"I don't know."

At that moment, my bag moves. I take it off and look inside. Sky is inside and smiles at me when she sees me.

"Good morning, Alexa!" She says.

I laugh.

"Good morning to you too, Sky. Now get out of my bag," I say.

Sky flies out of my bag and lands on my shoulder. I put my bag back on and start walking into the forest. I don't get far before I see the ground flash a familiar green. I smile and run back to the clearing. Mother Nature is there to greet me.

"Hello, my Gem!" Mother Nature says.

Her nickname for me is Nature's Gem.

"Welcome home," I say, "How was Father Earth?"