(The New) Power of the 8 Elements: Part One

Chapter Twenty: Arcane

"The family is a link to our past, bridge to our future." - Alex Haley
PRESENT DAY
TERRY
PHOENIX

When I wake up, I have a terrible pain in my head. I look up at the ceiling. It doesn't look much like my room, but the bed is very comfy. I groan in pain. Mom must be down the hallway about to come in and take my temperature or something like that. I wonder if Terri's here, too. What happened at school was crazy, and I couldn't wait to tell Xan about it. My memory is slightly foggy after I hit my head, but I can recall some hooded guy breaking in and fighting the teachers and scaring off students. Well, either that actually happened or I was still in my lucid dreaming phase. It had to be because it was all too real. I can't wait to wake up and have an excellent day, ace my healing test, and get to the next meeting at the team.

"Mom?" I say, weakly trying to sit up without causing any more pain.

I gasp. I don't sound like that. My voice isn't that high. I bring my hands to my mouth, and I immediately stop. I looked down and found that there were tiny claws on each finger. I gasp in my high and annoying voice. I feel my face, and it is not the same. I have two eyes, two legs, and two arms.

"No, no, no!" I look around the room and quickly begin to realize that this is not my bedroom. I'm not in my house. What occurred at school actually happened. That wasn't a dream. This isn't normal. I jump out of the bed and trip on my feet, falling onto the floor with a high-pitched squeal. I stand up, struggling to walk on two legs. Why is it so much easier with seven?

I look in the mirror in the corner of the room and finally see myself. What...happened? Navy sclerae. Icy antlers. I don't look like a monster! I look like a girl. "What the-?"

I hear footsteps coming from down the hallway, and I immediately jump back into the bed. The door opens, and I see the same person who raided my school standing in the doorway. My face of fear becomes one of anger, and I scowl as he enters the room.

"No worry; I'm not armed." He holds up his hands to show how defenseless he is. He has a smug smile on his face, and I want to slap him because he shouldn't be this happy when he almost killed my teacher. I hope that he hadn't. "You have questions I can tell."

I hit him, and I showed no remorse while slapping him across the face, but that doesn't erase the smile.

"Okay, that one I deserved, and I'm sorry about destroying your school."

"You destroyed it?!"

"It'll be closed for about a week. What's the problem? You don't learn much there anyways. It won't hurt to miss a few days."

He has a point, but I don't want to show that I agree with him.

"Yeah, you know I'm right."

"I don't even know who you are, or what you are?"

"You don't remember me?" the person says a little disappointedly.

"It's not everyday I see people like you."

"Has it been that long?" he says.

"I don't know what's happening, but I will hit you again. I won't hesitate; you saw me."

"Yeah, I felt it, too. Something tells me you don't want to hear the truth from me."

"What truth? I just want to go home."

The hooded figure turns to a dress form with armor on it—long drapery feathers with a gradient from white to blue that encircled the body like an asymmetrical dress. The feathers curved into an upright collar at the neck.