Elements

Chapter 7 - Distractions

 Zora's POV

"Canada?" Zanna asks stepping towards the desk.

"It's on Earth?" Zarco also steps forward for a closer look. His voice is filled with excitement. As it should be. It would be amazing to be literally in your element. If we go down there, to Earth, we will feel solid ground for the first time in our lives. I can't imagine how it will feel for Zarco, all that earth. Feeling it alive beneath him. A feel I admittedly long for.

"Not to sound silly or anything but, how do we get there? Jump on one of those severely noisy flying roarers?" This causes Eli to chuckle. He seems amused by my lack of knowledge.

"Uh, no Zora," he tries to keep a straight face, "Firstly, the flying roarers, they're called planes. Humans use them to flying from one place to another."

"Hold on, there are people in those things?" His smile is hidden, as though not wanting to insult Zanna. Typical.

"Yes. Oh, and Zora jumping on a plane is highly dangerous and should never be done. We take a much safer route down via the hut outside Mehco's gate. My mind flies back to the moment before we entered Mehco. The round, stone hut on the resembling the one outside Hanzid. It had a pointy roof and one wooden door. Even if we wanted to leave Hanzid before and explore the world, we would never have known where to begin.

"By the way, this map is incredible." We have Rodney thank for it.

"Yeah, well that's what you get when you deal with Rodney. Incredible random things." Eli's head turns at the mention of his name.

"That's right, you guys know Rodney."

"Sorry but no, Zarco and I have no idea who the strange man is. Yet Zora here says he is an old friend, from where? Well, that's anyone's guess." Zanna turns to me with such attitude and interrogation. Three pairs of eyes stare at me, waiting for an explanation. One I do not want to give. Although we are closer than siblings, not everything that happens in my life I share. I'm afraid that fact will surprise them. I have a feeling I hide more than they do. But to have someone, even them, know everything, every little detail; there are just some things they don't have to know. But I need to come up with something. Something that is most of the truth, yet not too much.

"We met about three years ago in the marketplace. I was buying some food for our dinner when I bumped into him. He told me he just moved to Hanzid by himself and wanted some help finding his way around the place. So I walked him to his house and we talked and decided to hang out later, show him around more. From then on we were friends. Last I heard of him was he went to visit his parents in the Water Realm and seemed he stayed there." I take a breath. I wasn't too far from the truth. All that happened, just with one less person present. Keeping the truth from them now is a courtesy. It keeps a silly argument from erupting. Especially here, with an almost stranger, during a quest.

"Funny," I turn to Eli, "The last time I saw him was three years ago too. I stayed with him and his parents for a while and then they decided to move to the Water Realm. Didn't know he headed to Hanzid. I should pay him a visit once we've saved the dear Princess." It is strange to think that Eli knew Rodney. They are apart of two different stories in my mind. Yet as Eli said goodbye to his friend, I said hello to mine.

Despite the hidden truths, my siblings accept my story. Zanna walks over to Eli, grabs the map from the table and throws it to Zarco. Smart move, getting closer in an oh-so-subtle way. Eli, who is about a head taller than Zanna, looks down and smiles. Obviously not subtle enough.

Just then we hear a rumbling sound. Being in a cave, my mind instantly believes that it came from somewhere inside the mountain, yet it seems much closer. I see Zarco grab his stomach with a large grin.