Guardian's Amulet: Zineria Viose

CHAPTER 3 - Mama(s) Is Home

He pulled the curtains aside. I gasped softly, unable to tear my gaze away from the view. There was a large lake in front of us, filled with white fluffy clouds floating across its surface; sparkling waves crashed against the shore, and the wind blew gently, making the small white caps ripple slightly. I looked up at him smiling brightly.

"So beautiful," I mouthed silently.

Ryoko smiled happily back at me. "Come on. We need to start getting everything prepared, so we can go downstairs and wait for them in the dining room." He grabbed my wrist as he guided me toward the dining room, where a table with seven chairs and lots of food was already set up.

There was a knock on the as just as Kaida put the last bit of food on the table.

"I'll get it," I told them. When I opened the door I was met with two middle-aged women wearing long flowing dresses with floral patterns. One wore a red dress with pink flower patterns while the other wore an elegant black dress with an orange flower pattern and long sleeves.

Both looked very beautiful and elegant, despite their rough appearances, with dark hair tied up neatly behind their heads. Then I realized one of the women was Ryoko's mother and the other was Tatsuya and Kaida's mom

"Ah! Ayla, welcome back." Kaida's mom hugged me tightly

"Yes, welcome back, although I wish someone would have told us that you were back," Ryoko's mom seethed through her teeth and glared at the three teens.

"Anyways come inside, Mrs. Katsunami and Mrs. Kimba," I insisted.

"Please call me Aurelia," Ryoko's mother replied.

"And call me Eloise," Kaida's and Tatusya's mom added. I nodded and closed the door. We all walked back to the dining room where everyone exchanged hugs.

We all sat down at the table eating a variety of tasty dishes that were placed in the center of it. Tatsuya and Kaida had already started preparing rice balls as well as vegetables. Krios had also made some fried eggplant rolls and green beans. There was even a huge bowl of rice soup with a side of spicy bean curd (which was not something I had ever eaten before), along with various kinds of fried fish, chicken and pork strips, rice balls, and a large serving of grilled chicken pieces. The table smelled delicious, but I could feel my stomach growling. Tofu, carrots, peas, and a bunch of other things I couldn't identify because of how exotic they all looked.

My mind was reeling with questions. How had they known I would be here today? That's dumb a portal opening up on the beach would surely tell you that something's coming. The flower. I remembered why I came here in the first place.

I stood up and tapped my fork against my glass cup to get everyone's attention.

"Thank you everyone for welcoming me back, I've got a very important announcement, as I left the island a few months ago. I have realized there is one issue that needs to come to light. I don't know how to explain this without sounding crazy, but there's a flower of some kind and it's killing crops and plants."

Everyone's eyes laid on me. They looked at me like I was crazy.

"What?" Tatsuya Tatsuya said.

"Well, this is a red flower. It's spreading all over my city, it's tougher than weeds, and I believe it's an invasive plant." I explained with a serious tone.

"I believe I am to blame," Ryoko stood up.

"Ryoko ... Explain yourself," Aurelia sternly asked.

"When you were returning home and the portal was closing I threw in a flower, so u could remember us by." He explained as his head hung low. But his ears are glowing red.

"Do you know what type it was?" Krios asked.

"No not really, I did it impulsively and I didn't look at it closely," Ryoko replied quietly.

"Ayla, do you remember what it looks like?"

"Red, four pedals, red stem, and smells sweet,"

"That is still not given us enough,"

"Oh, I think I have a picture of it on my phone." I realized. I checked the pockets of my dress and pulled out my blue iPhone. Everyone looked at me strangely, as I unlocked my phone showing them the picture I had taken of the flower.

"What is that?"

"It's an iPhone is what we use on Gaia, Earth."

I pulled up the photo and everyone's face turned pale.

"It is a Zineria Viose, the bloodflower, and it's a symbol of death for those who aren't protected" Tanwen answered solemnly.

The room was completely silent. Everyone was staring directly at me, except for Mrs. Katsunami. She seemed to be deep in thought.

I noticed the two women sitting next to each other looked uncomfortable as if something bad happened to their family or friends.

I felt sick to my stomach. This wasn't good. Not only did I have no idea what a bloodflower could be, or anything about Zineria Viose or this 'flower'. All I knew was that it was an invasive species and people could be killed for no reason, and now I knew the root cause: It's a deadly poison. I shuddered. This was the exact opposite of the perfect summer vacation I wanted.

"Now that you have brought this news to our attention we must discuss a solution."

***

Mrs. Katsunami seemed deep in thought, possibly connecting the situation with something from her past or the history of their world. The uncomfortable expressions on the faces of the two middle-aged women hinted at a shared concern, perhaps suggesting that the bloodflower had affected their families or friends in the past.

The urgency of the matter hung in the air, emphasizing the need for a solution. Ayla's attempt to provide a visual reference by showing a picture of the bloodflower on her Earth device, the iPhone, added a touch of modernity and otherworldliness to the narrative. The characters were now faced with the challenge of dealing with a threat from another world, and the stakes were high.

The shift from the anticipation of a joyous reunion to the grim reality of a potential crisis highlights the unpredictable nature of the plot. The characters will likely need to collaborate and strategize to find a way to eradicate or contain the bloodflower before it causes further harm. The story seems poised to explore themes of responsibility, consequences, and the interconnectedness of different worlds.