nineish+i+think

ten It’s a girl! She shouldn’t have any power! Why would you listen to her?” The man yelled. The men holding his arms jumped back as he burned them and the man jumped on me. I had the earth engulf him. “They listen to me because I’m wiser than most people my age. They know I know power and the modern world better than any of them. Do not doubt my power or my wisdom.” I told him with his his head sticking out of the earth his eyes wide. “How would you be wise? You’re a girl! You don’t know the ways of a tribe!” He yelled at me, not bothered by the earth that had him in a stranglehold. The earth spat him out and he came up to me. He took a step into my personal space expecting me to back down. I stood my ground like the stubborn high school fighter I was. Girls confronting each other wasn’t abnormal in my school and this didn’t bother me any more than they bothered me. His eyes got wide and he stepped so close that his chest touched mine. It started to get uncomfortable but I still held my ground. His eyes narrowed. He grabbed me by the neck and forced me to my knees. I made myself insubstantial. He gasped as the coldness of my spirit engulfed his hand. I was standing next to him the next instant. “I’m not a normal girl and I’m no ordinary protector. Don’t every try something stupid with me.” I said. He grabbed me and when I tried to become insubstancial I couldn’t. His spirit was trapping mine. The fear I’d known so recently engulfed me but then I thought straight. I showed him my pain, the pain of your spirit ripping to pieces. He crumpled instantly. They all stared in wonder. He looked up at me with fear. “I know that pain so thoroughly, I’ve lived in it. I’m no ordinary girl.” I said to him. He stood and grabbed me again. I tried to force the memory upon him and he blocked it. I couldn’t think of anything else I could do so I tried to burn him. He didn’t seem effected by it. He tried to burn me and it didn’t bother me at all. The heat felt nice actually. When I relaxed under the heat he dropped me. He stared at me with curiosity. “What did you do to my men?” He asked me. “I put them to sleep,” I said simply. “How?” He asked me getting closer. “I used the power of spirit,” I answered. “How can you even use spirit like that? It’s the same power a shaman shows.” He said. “Well that would make sense being that I’m a shaman.” I said. The anger that flared in his eyes as he tried to attack me was shocking. “Why does everybody take this so badly?” I asked Rya, dodging his angry onslaught with ease. “It’s been a man’s role since the very beginning. Nobody has ever challanged that and it enfuriates most of our people because women have always been looked down upon. Think of the goth kids winning the prom king and queen or becoming head of student council.” She said. They all stared at her. “Ouch! That would be bad. Seriously, they’d turn the entire school black, though black is awesome, there is a limit to how much of it you can wear in one normal week.” I said and grinned at her. The man kept coming at me. I stopped him with a blow to the chest with all of earth’s power. He flew fifty feet back and crumpled, unsoncsious. “So that’s why they have such an issue with it?” I asked her. “Pretty much,” She answered me. “Huh,” I said walking over to him. I healed him quickly and called his spirit back into consciousness. “No! Don’t do that!” A bunch of the elders yelled at me. He woke up before I could ask them why and he got his hands around my throat in less than a second. I called the elements to me and I couldn’t control my body anymore. I felt every memory of a hundred lives flow into me and every minute of the last a thousand years control me. I looked and saw my tattoos and my streak glowing with a magnificent glory and I looked at him to see true fear. “Do not attack me or I will kill you.” I said, and a hundred voices accompanied mine. Each a new woman’s who had passed away long before me. I came back down to the earth, the power of air had driven me away from gravity’s pull and I walked up to him. My tattoos were still glowing with power but I controlled myself again. He took a step back as my power washed over him. His eyes were wide and his body afraid. “I am a shaman and a protector, they listen to me for a reason,” I said to him. I calmed myself. My tattoos stopped glowing. I took away my tattoos and my streak and made myself look average. “This is who I was,” I said. I put them back on. “This is who I am. Do not question it.” I said. I walked away then. I felt the shock and the respect of the people following me down to the lake. I took off my dress and my leggings and dove in. The water assaulted my senses with such a cool touch that I gasped. I let the joy and calm of this gift wash away my fear and my anger and my pain. I floated there for a long time. I heard a splash as Sam came in too. I grinned and dove. He followed me under and we splashed each other when we came back up. I heard somebody clear their throat. I looked toward the noise and the man stood on the edge of the water. “Hi,” I greeted him. He looked surprised that I was so casual but he didn’t let it distract him. “Why didn’t you kill me?” He asked. “I don’t really want to kill anybody. I honestly don’t want death on my hands but I will kill if I have to, to protect my people.” I said. His brow furrowed. “I don’t’ want to hurt anybody. I will, but I won’t like it.” I said. He nodded. “So, do you plan on trying to drown anybody today?” I asked him. His eyes got wide and he shook his head. “I came to talk.” He said looking wierdly awkward. “Uhh…” I looked around for where I’d left my clothes. They were hanging in the top branch of a tree now. Sam laughed at my expression. “Did you do that?” I asked him glaring. “Isaiah did,” He said to me. “And you didn’t stop him because…?” I asked him. He laughed. “This guy wants to talk to me and I’m in my underwear. Is that really all that prudent?” I asked him. He laughed again. He got out and put his shirt back on. I glared at his back. “Wind, come to me!” I commanded the element. //Bring me my clothes me,// I told the element. The wind tried to lift them and an elemental force stopped them. “Isaiah! I’m gonna kill you!” I screamed at him. I was sure the entire village could hear me. I heard loud and roaring laughter coming from every place in the village. “Elements, don’t let me drown,” I said. I went into the spirit realm and looked in my hut for my clothes and I looked in the infirmary and they weren’t anywhere. I went and tried to pry it out of Isaiah’s mind and he had every wall up. I came back into my body and screamed on the top of my lungs. The man started laughing. “How old are you?” I asked him all of a sudden. “I’m 20.” He said. “You seemed so much older.” I said. He shrugged. I knew what that felt like. “Um, if I told you to…never mind. I’d end up walking around in my underwear either way.” I said. He laughed. “Sucker,” He said. “Wait, I thought you grew up in the village?” I asked him. “I went to a public school.” He said. I nodded and then a big wave forced me out of the water. I was stuck in a bush with my scanty little bra on and my underwear being pulled down by a branch. I tried to climb out and my underwear got so caught I knew they’d come off before I got out of the bush. “Oh, my God, Isaiah, you are a dead man.” I said. He sat there not looking for a moment then he turned around. I blushed so bad at his gaping expression that I could see my own cheek get red. My underwear covered even less than my swimsuit. I called my towel to me through air and it was pinned down. I made myself a spirit and went home. I grabbed a normal outfit and took off my tattoos. I brushed my hair and made myself look like I used to for school. I put on so much makeup I felt like a little kid trying on makeup for the first time. I looked in the mirror. I looked like a model with my skinniness and overly tanned skin and the makeup on just right. I had an idea and put on my lowest cut shirt and my shortest shorts and grabbed a pair of high lace up heels. I looked in the mirror and smiled. I looked like a model and I took my hair down. I let some of my hair fall in front of my eye and it looked awesome. I grinned and spirited myself back to the village. It had taken me forty minutes to make myself like this. I’d had to shave so I looked like a serious model. I went and found Isaiah. He didn’t recognize me until I kicked him so hard he doubled up. While he was doubled up I burned his clothes off. He covered himself and looked seriously embarrassed. All his friends were watching. “Do not pull crap like that with me. You know I always get back.” I said. One of his friends threw a pair of pants at him. I rolled my eyes and looked for Sam. He gawked at me and I gave him a flirty smile and let my hair fall in front of one of my eyes. He totally melted. I flipped my hair and grinned. I strutted over to him and he pulled me into a kiss that promised love forever. Every eye in the village was on me. I snuggled into him and felt delicate and safe in his arms. I heard someone clear their throat and opened my eyes. I looked for the source and the guy from before was looking at the floor and blushing at getting my attention and looked up to meet my eyes. I smiled and stepped out of Sam’s arms. “You might want to put something else on or the poor boy won’t be able to see anything besides your body.” I heard an old voice from behind me. I saw the herb woman and I grinned. “Well, //somebody// hid my clothes so I don’t really have anything to wear.” I said. “Isaiah,” She said looking at him. He sighed. “In Lily’s hut,” He said. I nodded. I looked to Sam who quickly went to get them. He threw me my bag and I put up an earth dressing room. When I took the walls down I looked like any normal villager would. Their eyes widened at the quick change. “If you wanna talk you’re gonna have to keep up.” I said to the guy. He grinned at the challenge. I started running and he easily kept up. I stepped up the pace and he stepped it up further than I could we were racing. I leaped into a tree and he followed me up in the tree in front of the one I was on. I climbed higher and higher and he kept up just fine. Once I got to the top branches of the tree my clothes were in I got them out from the elemental barrier. He grinned and when I stood back up he was on the next branch up. “That branch can’t hold your weight for much longer.” I said to him. “How would you know?” He asked me. The branch broke and he fell for a second and he grabbed the branch I was standing on. He swung up and stood next to me looking completely at ease. “I have a connection to the elements that’s more than the usual protectors’.” I said. “So, are we done racing?” He asked me sitting down. “Yeah, I just needed to get my favorite outfit out this tree. Can you jump from here?” I asked him. “Yeah,” He answered. “I’m jumping,” I said. He stood up and jumped before I could. I rolled my eyes and jumped after him. I loved the freefall. I had the air catch me and so did he. I jogged toward the village and he followed me. “Where are we going?” He asked me. “I don’t know, I just feel like moving.” I said. “So, how did you become a shaman?” He asked me. “I showed the chief of my tribe my tattoos in the spirit realm and he knew what it meant. I’d already dealt with a demon and proved a good fighter. I’d already tied the knot and he knew that nobody had given me permission. Both me and my fiancé are shaman.” I said. He nodded and looked absolutely shocked. “You’ve tied the knot? How old are you?” He asked me. “Seventeen, going on one thousand and one,” I said to him. “Why do you say that?” He asked me. “The pain I showed you before was mine.” I said to him. He tripped and fell on his knees. “You’ve actually lived in that?” He asked me. “Twice,” I answered. “and I’ve lived in fear just like it.” I said. “Tell me,” He said. I told him everything about the pain and we ran back to my home village. When we got back to my hut I told him to wait a second and I ducked inside and grabbed some more clothes. I came out with a bag on my shoulder and led him back to the other village. “You know both of these villages so well, which do you belong to?” He asked me. “The one we were just in. They dragged me over here for reasons I don’t know.” I said to him. He laughed. “What’s your village like?” I asked him. “My village is much like these, but they’d kill the woman who tried to become a shaman.” He said. “My people would have killed me if I hadn’t been such a huge help and such a power among them. I vanquished the demon, and they’ve seen me fight the elders and they’ve seen my power and all been very afraid of it. I talk like thunder sometimes, when I’m really mad or I want everybody’s attention. They always get really quiet when I do.” I said. “Why did your village attack mine?” I asked him. “They’ve always been enemies. I think it’s over land or something though. I’m not quite sure, I was forced into the army and all they tell us is that our honor depends upon victory.” He said. We were home by now so I went to the elders and asked them why we were enemies of the other tribe. “It’s a dispute that’s been long. It’s in the honor of our ancient people that we fight for their honor.” They said. “You don’t know why then.” I translated. Their eyes got wide. “I’m not stupid. I think that I should go to his village and find out if they know why we hate each other. If they don’t, I say we stop the fighting.” I told them. Everybody stared at me. “I still haven’t found out your name,” I said to the guy I’d spent half my day with. “My name is Zebediah.” He said. “Zeb?” I asked him. “Pretty much,” He said. “Do I have your blessing to go?” I asked the elders. They all looked to each other. “I’d like to see the person who could try to kill me without getting themselves hurt. Either way, I don’t plan on dying so…” I looked to Rya. “I’d like to go as well.” She said. She came and stood by me. //The baby?// I asked her. “Isn’t coming for a few months obviously,” She said to me aloud. “I won’t die and you all know it. I’ve died before and I don’t intend to go there again.” I said. Zeb stared at me in shock. They nodded. “You have our blessings.” They said in unison. “Do you promise to protect me?” I asked Zeb. He nodded. I put my hand out and he put his hand in mine. “Do you promise to protect me and plan to keep this promise?” I asked him. “Yes,” He said. I could feel the truth in his words and in his spirit. His spirit wanted to protect me and end the fighting. “I believe you,” I said dropping his hand. I put in my streak and he watched amazed as I became identical to Rya. “We will spirit ourselves home every night to sleep in peace,” I said to him. He nodded. It would be easier for him if we did. “I need to go tell Sam and Rya needs to tell Qwen. They will not sway us from this task. We will leave after dinner.” I said. They all stared at the strictly business tone to my voice and the maturity they saw. They all nodded and I walked out. I found Sam easily. “I’m going to stop the fighting.” I said to him. “How?” He asked me, his friends staring at me. “I’m going to Zeb’s village and we’re going to work it out with his elders.” I said. “No, you aren’t.” he said. “I already told the elders that I was going and Rya is telling Qwen right now. We’re coming back here every night to sleep, so we won’t get killed in our sleep and Zeb has sworn, with me testing his spirit to see if he was lying, that he would protect us.” I said to him. “You’ve already thought this all out haven’t you?” He asked me. “Yeah, I have and you can’t stop me.” I said. “Fine, you can go.” He said to me. I grabbed him and we went to our tent till dinner. I had one duffel bag and so did Rya, and I had all normal village clothes in it. We ate and shared our news with our friends and then we announced it to the village. There were gasps and a lot of worried chatter. “We can take care of ourselves as we both showed when the village was attacked.” I said loudly. I heard a lot of murmured agreements. We finished our meals and we went to the edge of our village. We each grabbed one of Zebs’ hands and he took us to his village entrance by spiriting us there. The village was laid out in an arrow shape and the huts were all strongly built and more modern looking than ours were. Neither me nor Rya had our streaks or our tattoos on. We looked absolutely identical. Zeb had been so shocked at our frighteningly similar appearances that he couldn’t tell us apart and thought there had been two of me. We’d put on the exact same outfits. “Hey, looks like you found a couple of wives,” A man said. “They like your old and youngness or something?” He said and laughed. I squeezed Zeb’s hand and showed him how hard I wanted to laugh. He laughed out loud seemingly at the man’s joke. “Joseph, this is Rya and July.” He said holding up our hands with our names. He nodded and came up to me. “So, how was it seeing your village fall to our armies, sweetheart?” He asked me. I felt my eyes threatening to become a vicious red. I didn’t say anything the way a woman was expected to. He stepped really close. “Have you got enough to share?” He asked Zeb. He put his arms around me and I tore out of his arms. “Fiery,” He commented and got into my personal space again. I could feel my eyes getting closer and closer to red. Zeb cut in. “They’re not to be my wives,” He said. “Then why are they here?” Joseph asked. “They speak for their village.” Zeb said. “It’s suitable for women to come to declared their surrender.” Joseph said getting even closer to me. I couldn’t help it anymore. My eyes became so red that he took a step back. “You brought a protector to our village?” He asked shocked. “Yes and they come to learn of our history.” Zeb said. “The other one is a protector as well?” Joseph asked. “Joey, they’ve sworn not to harm our village.” Zeb said. “Fine, they can learn but that’s it. Then they can return to their dying village.” Joseph said. I rolled my eyes and sighed. “You’d better respect us,” Joey said threateningly. That broke my patience. “Or what? You can’t do anything to me!” I said and the volume of my voice surprised him. “Don’t you yell at me!” He yelled back at me. “Don’t be a hypocrite.” I said and he struck out at me and I dodged so easily it surprised him. Zeb took a step in between us. “You promised you’d keep a handle on your temper.” Zeb said to me harshly. “And you said they wouldn’t be that bad, but I think I’m in high school again but this time everything’s pumped up on steroids.” I said. He laughed. Joey just stared at my casual stance that obviously was not what he expected. People grabbed my arms from behind and I became a spirit. They stared shocked. I was in front of them in a second and then I was solid again. “What are you?” Joey asked me. “Many things. None of them, you’d expect.” I answered casually. “Why are you here?” He asked me cruelly. “To speak to your elders,” I said to him. “They will not speak to women.” One man who had tried to grab me said. “Then they’ll speak to protectors.” I said. “You’re weak. We don’t have to do anything.” An old man said and came up to me. He got into my personal space and he obviously expected me to back down. When I didn’t his eyes got wide. “I’m not a normal woman. You need to answer my questions.” I said. I knew he was an elder. “How would you make me?” He asked me. “Well, I could just grab your hand and take your memories and go home but, that wouldn’t be pleasant for either of us so I’m trying to avoid that.” I said. “You can’t get into my mind.” He said. “You’d be surprised.” I said. He grabbed my hand a pain throbbed through me. It looked like he was feeling the same pain I was and he was trying not to crumple under it. It didn’t bother me. I’d been through so much worse. “Trying to make me feel pain doesn’t work. I’ve felt worse.” I said. “There’s nothing worse than this in the world!” He yelled at me and finally crumpled. “I’ve had my soul ripped into pieces, one by one, lost myself in a fear so intense that I didn’t remember who I was for a whole week. I’ve died and come back from the dead.” I said to him in harsh and cruel words, and I could see him flinch under each of them. Then he got up. “You lie like the treacherous snake you are.” He said and slapped me. “You want to feel it? I’ll show you and you’ll crumple and wish to die from the pain.” I said and offered my hand. He sent Joey forward to take my hand. “I don’t want to hurt him. He’s not the one I need to prove this to.” I said. The man offered his hand to Joey and Joey took his hand. He crumpled under the weight of the sorrow. “Tell me who’s pain is worse.” The man said to him. Joey stood and took my hand. He screamed in such pain that he was knocked unconscious. “I wish I wouldn’t have had to that to him,” I said in a bored voice. I knelt next to him. “Spirit, bring his mind awake again.” I said and he opened his eyes. He saw me and cowered away from me. “How did you live?” He asked me. “I couldn’t even think to kill myself. I tried to burn and then I remembered that I don’t burn.” I said and he nodded. “I wouldn’t live through that.” He said. “I’ve lived through death and back and it wasn’t as bad as that was.” I said. His eyes got wide. “Really?” He asked me. “Yes,” I said and the man saw the truth in my words. “I don’t know how…” “I need to talk to your elders.” I said to him. Zeb took my hand and the guys whistled at Rya and I. They thought we were going to be married with Zeb. I rolled my eyes and followed him obediently. He brought me into a room with the elders at a risen ground with chairs and a desk thing in front of them. It was made of earth and it looked worn and old and strong, like the people behind it. They saw us and they smiled. “I see you have chosen wives then,” One man said with a smile. There wasn’t a single woman up there. They were all men. I closed my eyes so they wouldn’t see my anger. “They are not my wives to be.” Zeb said respectfully as he could through his irritation. “Then why are they here? They are not from our tribe so it’s all the worse that you’ve brought them in our presence.” Another man said. “They are from our enemy tribe.” Zeb said. I saw men around me draw arrows and pointed it out to Rya. She nodded. “They wish to speak to you.” Zeb said. “We will not speak to women. They are the bottom of this planet and they do not belong in our presence. Take them away or kill them or have them killed.” The first man said. Zeb started to walk away. “Are you really afraid of them?” I asked him without opening my eyes. “Kill them,” The second man commanded. Arrows flew and Rya and I dodged them easily. I heard a piercing cry and saw Zeb bleeding on the ground. I went to him and tore the arrow from his chest. The blood spurted out of his chest. I called the elements to me and had them heal him quickly. They tried to launch more of the arrows at Rya and I as we crouched over him and Rya put up an elemental shield around us. When he didn’t heal at my will I summoned it all aloud. “Elements, come to me! Heal this boy of an unjust death!” I yelled and hundreds of female voices echoed mine and the power in my voice and my hands increased and the elements healed him with their power. “Bring this boys spirit and his mind back to be my peacemaker! Do not let and innocent soul, die while I can stop it!” I yelled to the elements. He wasn’t coming back. I went to the spirit realm and saw death take his hand. I went to death. “It’s not his time yet.” I said to death. The cloaked figure I stood before recognized me. “You are a strong soul. Heal him if you can or I’ll take him.” The voice of death was horrible and it made me want to die. I touched Zeb and told spirit to heal him. I saw the tears in his soul heal and when his spirit was finished healing I whispered to it. “Go back to your body now. It’s not your time.” I said and went back to my body. I waited a minute over his lifeless body and then an amazing thing happened. He opened his eyes and his dead body came to life. It was the most miraculous thing I’d ever seen. I leapt up with joy and gave a victorious shout. “I was dead, I took deaths hand. My body stopped…” He said. “You know me, who I am, did you think I’d let you die?” I asked him. He nodded and I could see the shock in him. “You really can do the impossible,” He said. “Oh please, this is me we’re talking about.” I said and grinned I helped him up. I felt my tattoos and I looked up. All of the elders stared at me in shock. “Might as well put it all back on,” I said to Rya. I only had the tattoos on my face. I smiled and felt the burning sensation as every one of my tattoos burned back into my skin. I watched as my streak glowed into existence as the hair that was covering my left breast became silver and shone like the silver necklace around my neck that Sam had given me to remember him by. He knew I might not come back. “I have questions to ask you, I was the one in my village that wanted to know why you attacking us. I asked for permission to come here and ask you why we’ve been fighting for more than a thousand years.” I said to them. “It’s been for only a thousand years that we’ve been at war.” One man said grudgingly. I turned to Rya. “They’ve been fighting for three hundred years before I was born.” She said. “Is she not listening to me?” The man said. “She was a trapped spirit for a thousand years.” I said. They looked at her with shock. “She is human now, but she’s lived a thousand years.” I said. “We’ve been fighting over our beliefs. They let women be powerful in their villages.” The man said. “Did I just not show you that women can be powerful and use their power right?” I asked them. “I saw you heal the boy and women are allowed to do that. That’s all they know how to do.” They said. “I had to go to the spirit realm and call his spirit back from death, I just spoke to death.” I said, getting irritated. “Prove it!” One man yelled. I looked to Rya. She nodded. I approached him. Arrows flew at me and burst into flame when they got within ten feet of me. I came up to the desk. I offered my hand to him over the earth. “You cannot be this close to me!” He yelled at me. “You told me to prove it. This is how I can prove it. I could take you to the spirit realm, I could show you the memory of speaking to death himself, but I do not know how to do so without touching you. I’m good, but I’m not that good yet.” I said. “That just proves it!” The man said. “I’ve had my powers, known of the villages for just over two months. Give me a break.” I said exhausted. They all stared at me. “You lived with those commoners your entire life?” One man asked me. “Yeah, and I didn’t get myself killed.” I said sarcastically. I said. “Respect us!” One man yelled at me. “I’ve had the nerve to come here before you, come to my enemy’s village to learn and none of you even have the nerve to take my hand and let me show you my power, my story. I’ve taken my life into my own hands and I’m trying to make peace in our villages. None of you are willing to even let me show you that I’m not lying.” I said. “Come here,” The oldest said to me. I went to him. I offered my hand to him and he took it. I showed him the spirit realm and fighting the demon and talking to death. When my memories were done I let go of his hand. He looked at me in shock. “You’ve done all of that?” He asked me. “All by myself.” I said to him. “Amazing, but how did you… you’re a woman.” He said. “Women can do it just as well as men can. My village is excepting my power. Rya is just as powerful.” I said. “Rya? I remember my grandfather telling me of a woman named Rya who moved mountains for fun.” He said. “It was a great prank.” Rya said grinning. “They got so mad at for constantly moving the mountain.” She said. I laughed. He gawked at her. “Either way, if you truly don’t want to change your ways, why don’t we agree to disagree and leave each other’s tribes alone. My tribe is willing to stop the fighting if you are. Why waste precious lives?” I asked them. They nodded. “Zebediah, where is my army?” A tall man, maybe forty asked him. “They’re sleeping in our infirmary.” I said to him. “WHAT?” He demanded. “They were attacking my people so I went to the spirit realm and told their spirits to sleep. They fell like rocks. Spirit is a powerful element.” I said. “That is only something a shaman can do, though.” The man said, glaring at him. I raised my eyebrows at him. “Are you a shaman?” He asked me. “I just went into the spirit realm and saved him from death by putting his spirit back together. I think that might qualify me as a shaman.” I said to him. His eyes got wide. “You cannot be a shaman.” He said. “Why not? If I have the brains for it and I have the heart for it, why not? If I perform the duties of it correctly then why not?” I asked him. He opened his mouth and looked like he was going to say something, and then he thought for a moment. He looked utterly stumped. I yawned. “Are you tired already?” The man asked me. “I’ve been up since seven this morning and seriously, I’ve had a long day, fighting with people about whether I could try and make peace or not.” I said. “So you didn’t have full consent,” One of the elders asked. “No, my fiancé was worried about me coming here alone and we had an argument about it.” I said. “And then people kept hiding my duffel bag,” I said, glaring at Rya. I jumped lightly down from the raised earth and made myself an earth sofa. “Isaiah hid your bag with the help of Lily. I didn’t have anything to do with it.” She said. “But it’s not like you helped me get my clothes back,” I complained at her. “I’m your conscience half of the time, not your mom full time.” She said and grinned. “Conscience? You’re usually the one egging me on.” I said. She burst out laughing. “Let’s disappear from the village as a prank! Let’s cut Qwens hair so he looks creepily like Isaiah and neither of us knows who’s who anymore!” I said. “Let’s dye the streak into your hair before you’ve actually earned the wisdom of that streak!” She said and laughed all the harder. “So the streak isn’t real?” The man asked. “Can I know your name?” I asked him. His eyes got wide. “It’s bugging me.” I said. “Hunter,” He said. That works. “Okay then, Hunter, my streak is real, but at first we dyed it in so that we could bug our elders. It’s confused them a lot.” I said. “Now, I’ve earned it through pain and brave choices.” I said. I yawned really wide and let my barrier down just enough for an arrow to embed into my thigh. I sighed and put the barrier back up. I pulled the arrow out of my thigh and healed myself. I called water to me and cleaned the blood away, having the earth soak it up like a sponge. I then flung the arrow back at the man who had shot it and hit his bow and broke the string. They all stared at me shocked. “I can fight and aim just as well as any of you, thank you very much.” I said. “I’m dead tired so I’m gonna go home. See you later.” I said. They dismissed me and we all left. “Zeb, do you think it would mean anything to them if we gave them their soldiers back?” “Yeah, probably.” He said. “Okay, I’ll tell them to go home.” I said. Rya and I spirited ourselves home. I appeared suddenly in front of Sam and he yelped in surprise. I put my head on his thigh and lay there for a while. “Yeah, because she seems so vicious and invulnerable right now,” The guys he was talking to said. The guys that he was talking to were obviously from our enemy village. “What happened?” I asked Sam yawning. “Isaiah and Qwen woke them up with help from the shaman. They made sure that they’d be civil and then they let them roam free in the village.” Sam said. “They shot at me! My thigh hurts.” I complained to Sam. He tugged my leggings off with surprising speed. I tried to keep them on but then he had me hanging upside down by my leggings. I fell head first and he had my leggings. He examined my newly healed thigh. He rubbed it gently and the bruise that was still there hurt. I let him rub the bruise though it hurt and I lay down and closed my eyes. He ran his hands up my hips and on my waist searching for bruises there, keeping it appropriate since we weren’t alone. He flipped me onto my stomach and rubbed my back. He worked all the knots out of my back and it felt amazing. I was so far asleep that he had to carry me back to the hut. He checked me for bruises or new scars and rubbed my back until I fell asleep. I woke up in the morning feeling so good that I woke up Sam and we just snuggled for a while. Then he kissed me and we kissed for a while. When I woke up again, I felt so good and comfortable in his arms that I forgot about my conquest to stop the war in our tribes. I snuggled deeper into his arms and was about to fall asleep again when Rya burst in. “You’re not even out of bed yet? They’re expecting us to there in ten minutes!” She yelled at me. I sat up and threw on some clothes. I threw on my favorite outfit and pulled a brush through my hair and then we went to the enemy village. I was still yawning when we got there. I was rolling my shoulders when we got yelled at to get into the women’s area. I tripped over a large rock and almost fell on my face. I caught myself with my hands and pushed myself back up to see Hunter. “What’s wrong with you?” He asked me, sounding slightly worried. “I woke up five minutes ago.” I said and stifled a yawn. He laughed. We came out from under the canopy of trees and then the light blinded me. I ran back into the cover of the trees. Rya grabbed me with me complaining about it being too bright for this early in the morning. She dragged me complaining about it being too early into the elders hut. “I wanna go back sleep! It’s Saturday!” I complained at her. “There’s a woman for you.” One man grumbled. “No, this is seventeen year old girl who’s been sleeping in on Saturdays her whole life. Sleeping in! Do you even know what that means!” I yelled at Rya. I started to leave and she dragged me back and we started wrestling on the ground. She pinned me and I rolled over and made myself an earth cocoon. She set in on fire and the heat put me to sleep in seconds. I was really cold and I mumbled something about Sam closing the frigging door. She used air to pick me up and I slept midair. “I swear, I’ve never met someone before you that could sleep through a fire.” She complained. She set me on fire again. I put the fire out or worry of my clothes. “I shouldn’t be up this early. I’m going home.” I said and she grabbed me and slapped me so hard that I fell back over. I came up to her and slapped her right back. Soon we were beating the crap out of each other. I heard somebody clear their throat as I landed a square roundhouse kick into Rya’s stomach that sent her flying. I stopped and looked around. Hunter was looking at me with a grin. “Looks like you woke up.” He said. I nodded somberly and got nailed in the head with a big rock. I chucked it back at her. I didn’t bother aiming and I heard a crunch as her nose broke. “Oh…crap…” I said and ran up to her. She punched my nose and it broke too. “Yeah, I deserved that.” I said, holding my nose. Hunter just stared at us. “Neither of you even cries out!” He said. “We’ve both had worse. She’s dealt with my pain and I’ve lived the past two months of my life.” I said. She nodded. “And the healer is where?” I asked him. He showed us where the healer was and she looked at us in shock. “How did both of you manage that?” She asked us. “We were fighting.” We said in unison. She rolled her eyes and set our noses. We healed ourselves and went back to the elders after thanking her. “I’ve never seen a more amusing battle.” One guy said. “I totally won,” I said. Rya kicked me in the head and I sent fire after her and she threw a hornets’ nest after me. I screamed and ran as fast as I could and then used the elements to kill them. She was laughing so I kicked her butt as she doubled up and she rounded on me and we rolled around on the ground for a while. Zeb came in to see us fighting and picked me up off of Rya. My eyes bugged out. “I’m never gonna get used to everybody being able to pick me up.” I said and Rya laughed. “Well, you can pick me up and we’re pretty much identical twins so…” She said. “Not the point. People didn’t randomly stop a fight in the normal world, they clustered around to see who’d win.” I said. She laughed. I made a couch and we sat on it together and I showed her the image I’d tried to paint that had originated in the fire. It took her breath away, this beautiful flame. I showed her images in it, riding horses, and she gasped. They were beautiful, and powerful with their strong men and women atop the horses. I showed her an eagle soaring and she was so captured by this art, as was everybody else in the room. I went back to the flame of the riders and their horses and called some soft earth and drew with my hands into the soil of the ground. It took me minutes to make an amazing picture in the flames become a permanent fixture in the ground. Rya saw it and gasped. “So fast,” She whispered to me. “It’s not hard for me.” I told her. She nodded. “Go eat.” The oldest of the elders said. We did as we were told. I heard them speaking and realizing that women could fight and that we could be artists as well. We ate with Hunter and Zeb and we were the only women at the table. Everybody but me looked awkward. “Zeb, I would have kicked your butt if I would have been fighting you.” I said to him. He grinned. “Oh really? You think so?” He said. “Puh-lease, you would’ve been frying.” I said to him. He stuck out his hand and I grabbed it. The thumb war was on. They all watched as we battled it out in a thumb war of the ages. Eventually I finally got him and shouted my victory. He hung his head in defeat. I stuck my hand out to Rya and we were both so mad and each other that we just ended up with a double thumbed thumb war. We both had one of the other person’s thumbs pinned. I stuck my hand out to Hunter and he just stared at me. “What, never had a thumb war before?” I asked him. “I lead actual wars not thumb wars.” He said. I looked at him. “Oh.” I said and felt awkward for a moment. I looked around for a good tree and saw the tallest tree I’d ever seen in my life. I felt my whole face light up. “I so wanna climb that tree.” I said. Hunter laughed. “Good luck with that.” He said. “I could totally climb that tree!” I said indignantly. He laughed, “Then do it!” “By any odd chance is it a sacred tree or something?” I asked him. Most of the table erupted in laughter. “A sacred tree? Are you kidding?” He asked me laughing so hard that he looked like me might wet himself. “Shut up. I don’t know your customs.” I said and when I told him to shut up the entire village went quiet. He grabbed and headed toward the guy’s dorm. “Oh come on! Every village, somebody tries this!” I yelled at Rya. She was laughing herself sick. I became spirit and he gasped at the cool touch of my spirit. I sat next to Rya again. He came and grabbed me and started beating me. I fought back and we fought in the middle of the village. I was using everything I knew of karate and then I remembered my elements. I used the strength of earth in my next punch and he took it better than Zeb did and didn’t fly fifty feet. He grunted under the extra pressure and fought harder. He grabbed me by my hair and my street fighting started coming in and I attacked him with everything I knew. Eventually we were breathing so hard and we were exhausted past being able to move. “Truce?” I asked him gasping. “Yeah,” He gasped. Applause broke out amongst the guys and the women just looked appalled. I stood up before he could, calling the elements power to me. I offered him my hand and he let me help him up. We went back to the table and we finished our meal. I looked at my dress and it was all beat up. “You know, this was my favorite dress. Well, at least that you guys wouldn’t kill me for wearing.” I said. “That’s a dress that’s fairly on the edge. You have dresses that are worse than that?” Hunter said. “I come from the modern world. You’d kill me for my swim suit.” I said. Rya fell off the bench laughing so hard. I stomped my foot under the table and she flew thirty feet in the air. She screamed and flew around for a while. I rolled my eyes and returned my attention to the people who weren’t acting totally eccentric. Zeb turned from the people he was talking to and asked me, “Do you paint?” I was surprised by his question. “Yeah, why?” I asked him. “Why don’t you paint us something?” He asked me. “Get me the supplies then,” I said. He got up and came back five minutes later with everything I’d need. I set it all up and thought for a moment. I called fire and made a person and I let my mind wander with that person and then it ended up being Sam. I blushed and put it out. Rya came up behind me. “Somebody’s missing her //boyfriend.//” She leered at me. “Shut up.” I told her. “You could call him over you know. They wouldn’t seriously care.” She said. “I’m not doing enough already to convince them. If they see the way we act around each other they definitely wouldn’t stop attacking us.” I said to her. Then I decided what I wanted to paint. I painted my sash, surrounding two people that were holding hands, the elements pulling them together and their spirit animals, our spirit animals, playing in a field below them. I painted for probably four hours, and when I was done it was amazing. The detail and the brilliance that it was took my own breath away. I left it where it was and went to the elders. Rya was just talking about random things with them. I came in sheepishly, knowing they might not appreciate me not showing up. “Well, you’re not even going to show us the painting?” Zeb asked me. I grinned and went and got it. Rya saw it first and she gasped. I showed the rest of them and their awestruck silence was good enough for me. “That’s… astounding…” Zeb said. I put it up in the room and they just stared at it. I looked to Rya. “You know I recognize everything in that picture.” She said to me. I stuck my tongue out. “How?” Zeb asked her. “Do you remember Sam? They’ve taken some voyages to the spirit realm. That’s a lot what they look like when no one is watching.” She said. He smiled. I sat on the couch and thought of him and wished I could be with him. “Go get him then!” She said to me. “I’ll be right back,” I said to the elders and they nodded. I spirited myself back to the village. I found Sam and he looked absolutely bored. “I held out my hand and he took it. I brought him back to Zeb’s village. Sam looked shocked. He stood close to my side and then he got more confident, intertwining his fingers through mine. We went back to the elder’s hut and we sat on the couch. I put my head on his shoulder and they were still examining my painting. “I’m sure they prefer rated G from the people that come to them,” Rya said and pointed to the door. I shrugged and led him outside. I kissed him for about a half an hour before anybody bothered us. I heard someone come out, stutter and go back in. “What were they doing?” Rya asked. She came out and yelled, “July!” I jumped and bit at the same time and bit Sam’s lip hard enough to make him bleed. “Ow!” He yelled three seconds after she yelled my name. “Rated G, both of you.” She said and dragged us back into the hut. We sat on the couch and I reached up and healed his lip quickly. He sighed and leaned into my hand and I cupped his face gently. Rya smacked the back of my head so hard that I fell flat into his stomach. My head was half wedged into his stomach and I slid my head down to his thigh and lay there. “I give up,” She said walking away with her hands in the air. I laughed and snuggled into him. The elders looked at me questioningly. “Is this exceptable in your village?” One man asked me. “Not really, but they’ve given up on me. They know they don’t have control over me anymore.” I said. “So they can’t control their own people?” Another man asked me, leaning forward. “No, they can’t control a city kid who has never lived her life by rules of any sort besides ‘don’t kill anybody’” I said. “So they can’t control their own people?” He asked. “They can’t control me. Anybody else in the village respects all the rules. I respect most of them, but they don’t try to make me anything I’m not. They know I’m the strongest soul of all of them and they can’t compete with that and a connection to the elements that exceeds the norm for a protector.” I said. Rya looked at me. “Anybody else would have killed themselves by now. Or they wouldn’t have come back from the dead.” I said to her. “Good point.” She said nodding. “They can’t control their own people.” The man said. “I’m not anybody’s people. I’m my own person and I belong to no tribe but I belong wherever I go.” I said using my words to undo the trap he’d put me in. “Then why do you speak for them?” The man asked me. “I speak for them because I want peace. I don’t want my friends hurt in a meaningless war.” I said. “Meaningless?” He squawked at me. “You are listening to a woman, you’ve seen my power, you’ve seen my abilities. You know that women are not to be disregarded considering that I am stronger than your men.” I said. “And seeing that I am clearly a woman, then why do see a need to keep women so low in your village? They could help you in ways you don’t even realize.” I said. The oldest man, clearly the leader now that he held his hand up to silence the shouts of outrage at my words, he looked me in the eye. “Does anybody deny this woman’s power?” He asked. Nobody said anything. “I haven’t seen the power of any woman other than you,” He said. “Rya?” I asked her. She called the elements to her and did flips and acrobatics and used every element to make her routine more exuberant and amazing. They stared in awe at her. “But she is your sister anyways.” He said. “She lived one thousand years ago. I’m only seventeen,” I said taking off the maturity that had been marked on me and grinning at him. “You don’t seem like a seventeen year old modern girl.” He said. “Give me a half an hour and you’d be shocked.” I said. He nodded. “So am I becoming modern then?” I asked him. He shook his head. “Do any of you see a reason not to change the customs?” He asked. “How do you plan on telling the village about this?” One man asked. “Do you want to take down the wall that separates the woman’s pen? It would be a symbolic way of showing equality.” I offered. The men looked at each other and talked for a while. “Why don’t you show them to a hut, Zeb?” The leader asked Zeb. Zeb nodded and took us to a hut and left us in peace. Sam and I were completely alone. Around dinner time a man came in to get us. We were sleeping and completely snuggled into each other. I rolled over and stole the top blanket and Sam complained at the chill. I told him to be quiet, barely awake. He scooted over to me and held me close to steal heat. I smiled half awake and buried my face in his neck. I kissed his neck gently and he kissed my forehead. We were snuggled like that for maybe five minutes when I realized we weren’t alone anymore. I sat up with the blanket covering me and the man just stared at me. “You let her do that? You let her have power?” He asked. “I wasn’t awake enough to argue.” Sam complained and pulled me back down for the heat. I gave him a touch of fire and his breathing slowed to sleep again. I smiled down at him affectionately. The man just stared at me. “What did you do to him?” He asked me. “I gave him the warmth of fire.” I said and grabbed for my clothes. “I need to come to dinner, right?” I asked. “Go see the elders before you do.” The man said and left. I dug into my duffel and pulled on the first pants and top I found. I saw myself and decided to put on makeup. I pulled a brush through my hair and then I pinned it up. “Wake up,” I said and shook Sam’s leg. “Five more minutes,” He said not awake enough. I sighed and told water to soak him. I heard a splash and a shocked yell. I booked it out of there but he got one good boot in my butt as I ran outside. “Get dressed!” I yelled at him over my shoulder. He pulled on a pair of pants and came after me. “You know I’m a better runner than you,” I said to him. He threw another boot at me and he hit me in the back of my head. I stumbled and fell. He tripped over me and fell on the ground. I sat on his back and he got up like I was a backpack. At my protest he told me to shut up. He stood up and I jumped on his back. He laughed and spun me around till I let go and tried not to puke. He laughed at my dizziness. I tried to get back up and fell flat on my butt. He laughed at me some more and I yanked him down next to me. I pinned him and he sat there for a moment just laughing at my disoriented expression. Three men came by this time and they just stared at us. “You let her shame you like that?” One man asked. Sam flipped me onto my back and stood up. “I wouldn’t really care if a guy did that to me, so why not a girl? They can fight too,” Sam said. I grabbed his hand and pulled myself up. I fell into him and he held me for a minute and then left to go find a shirt. I kissed him quickly before he let go of me. The men looked shocked. “You shouldn’t take what isn’t yours to take,” The smallest of them said. He looked like he was maybe fifteen. “But that was mine to take,” I said and started walking towards the elder’s hut. He grabbed me and steered me towards the guy’s dorm. “Don’t bother.” I said and turned around easily. The next biggest guy grabbed me and moved the other guy, and this guy was my age. He moved me more easily than the fifteen year old guy had. I used the earth’s strength and went back towards the elder’s hut. The biggest guy grabbed me and flipped me onto his shoulder easily. “Put me down!” I yelled at him, annoyed that yet another person was picking me up without me permission. I climbed down and he hit me hard. I roundhouse kicked him fifty feet away from me. The guys from the dorm started pouring out and surrounding me. I kept walking towards the elder’s hut, pushing whoever got in my way out of my way. They were shocked that I was so strong. When I got there five of them grabbed me at once. I became a spirit and entered to see them. Bows were drawn and shot at me and the fact that I was a spirit in that moment kept them from killing me. “Why are you trying to shoot at me?” I asked the elders calmly. “You’ve been lying the entire time.” One man said. I stared at him blankly. “Another man has been controlling you!” Another yelled. The noise was too much all of a sudden. “Silence!” I yelled and the thunder that came from my mouth silenced everything in the village. I made a bubble of elemental power and the arrows didn’t penetrate it. I went to the spirit realm and looked for peace. I searched for Rya and I couldn’t find her. I looked for her body and found it in the morgue. She was dead. My spirit was forced back into my body and I screamed so loud and piercing that they all cringed at the pain they could see apparent in my face. I went to the morgue and touched her body. It had dead for hours. I planted my feet in the earth and used everything in me to get to her spirit. // I found myself in the land of the dead. Or, I guess it was heaven. It was wondrous and amazing and beyond belief. I found Rya’s spirit and it was rejoicing with friends and family that she had seen die centuried ago. I touched her spirit. “It wasn’t your time yet.” I told her. She spun and saw me. “My time was up a long time ago. I’m glad I got to try and make peace though.” She answered. “It wasn’t your body’s time though. Or your baby’s. Come back.” I told her. She looked extremely sad. “I can’t. It’s not possible.” She said. “I’m here. That’s supposed to be impossible. Qwen in back there. He needs you more than anything else.” I told her. “I can wait till he dies.” She said. “You’re not dead. You’re journeying.” I told her. Inspiration came to me. “The village needs you, and if I bring you back from the dead then they will believe us. They know you’re dead and if I bring you back, they’ll believe me. They already showed the village your dead body.” I said. “Every man in the village knows you are dead. If you come back you will prove my power. If you come back, the war will end.” I told her. I saw a spark in her eyes. “Qwen needs you, your friends need you, and your village needs you. What’s one more lifetime to you?” I asked her. Her brow furrowed. “How do I do it?” She asked me. “Let’s go back to your body.” I said and offered her my hand. She took it. It hurt like hell to bring us both back. Like, I wanted to die hurt. I showed her, her body and saw that my eyes were glowing. My mouth was open and the glow came from there as well. People were staring from all around and my tattoos began glowing and my hands glowed with a life giving power and Rya melted back into her body and I touched her at the same time. // Once she was in I was forced back into my body with such a force my mind felt like it would explode. I was gasping hard and then I puked up my guts. I was hurting inside and outside my body. My mind felt like mush. I called the elements to me and had them bring my mind back. When I could think again Rya’s eyes fluttered open. They all took a step back. She sat up. They stared at me in awe. I stood up and I touched her stomach. The baby was dead. I called on the power of the elements and everything that was life and the glow came back. I was totally engulfed in the raw power that I almost forgot what I was doing. Then I reached inside Rya. It was gross and weird, but I reached inside her stomach and I brought her baby back to life. She gasped as she felt the life in her stomach come back. I helped her up and we walked out of the morgue together for the second time, both of us now having come back from the dead. We walked hand in hand as people stopped and stared. I put up an elemental shield and we entered the elder’s hut again. Their eyes were wide and frightened when they saw the dead walking. “If you try to kill either of us again, I will personally kill all of you.” I said and a thousand voices, men and women, all of my village’s protectors, spoke with me. The raw power that engulfed my words had them cowering in their seats. “So, you thing somebody else would have tried to bring the dead back to life? Only a woman would try to, only a woman denies the way things have been for millions of years the way I do. Only a woman wouldn’t have excepted her death.” I said. “We believe you.” The leader said. He got up and he walked out of the hut. People stared as he grabbed my hand and led me to the dining area. “This woman, a woman alone and not influenced by anyone else, she has brought her best friend, from death to life. I proclaim that there shall be no more discrimination against women, for there is a power in the soul of this woman that is worth bowing to and freeing the rest of the women to do the same is crucial to our advancement.” He said loudly and clearly all of this. All of the rest of the elders had followed him and they echoed his proclamation and women from the other side of the pen thing heard. They came out to see what was happening to see the men all kneeling to me. I motioned for them to rise. “Respect your women. If they cross a line that even I wouldn’t cross, then make sure they know it. Do not punish them for things that a man can do, like become a shaman, become a village leader, or fight in your army. They are wise and they see and hear everything. They will show you power and grace and forgiveness. It will make your lives a lot more interesting, that’s for sure.” I said. The men all nodded. “Women! I see you!” I yelled to them. They cowered. “Come and tell me if they keep abusing you the way they are now.” I said and I had the earth take down the walls of the enclosure that had separated them for centuries. They all stood completely silent. “Speak! They won’t punish you!” I said to them. “Why are you doing this for us?” A girl my age asked me. “I’m doing this because you deserve this. It’s a priveledge and an amazing gift. Let yourself be heard. You can change things too.” I said to her. Sam came up behind me and put his arms around me. I started heading for the food and he followed me. We got our plates and sat down. When nobody else moved I got up and told the women to go get food. When they seemed shy about it I went up with them and loaded a couple plates. They stared at the food shocked and men started getting food as well. They acted towards the women the way I would treat Sam’s mom. Slightly casual but trying to be respectful and not quite sure what to do. I laughed at their awkwardness and sat down. Most of the women sat with me and I encouraged anybody who was married to sit with their partner. They did and I saw the joy of the women who hadn’t seen their husbands in a while bubbling carefully beneath the surface. The women who came out who didn’t have kids to take care of, who were my age, all sat by me and the other women eventually spread out. They sat in big clumps of tables. Eventually I grabbed a couple of guys my age and dragged them over to my table and Zeb was the first one I grabbed. He was so comfortable with the girls they immediately got comfortable around him. I could see one girl taking interest in him right away. He was telling of meeting me and she kept blushing at him and looking down. He didn’t even seem to notice because he was so intent on telling them how he’d had a chance against me. I laughed. “I kicked your butt and you know it. Don’t even try to put a better spin on it for you.” I said. He grinned sheepishly. I got up and sat enxt to the girl who kept blushing and whispered in her ear, “You like him.” She blushed and wouldn’t even look up. “Talk to him, he won’t bite.” I whispered into her ear. She looked up, and I could see fire that had been quenched for a long time light. I grinned at her and bumped her with my shoulder and she bumped me back. We were joking around for a while and she actually laughed out loud. She had the nicest laugh and it had Zeb’s attention immediately. I flicked a grape at her and she flicked one and I ducked and it hit Zeb in the forehead. She blushed and tried to hide and I disappeared. He flicked the grape back at her and she laughed. They joked around for a while and she was laughing so hard by the end of dinner that she had most of the village’s attention. I could tell they both liked each other. Sam saw the intention in my eyes as I got ready to flick a grape that would put them seriously close, definitely in easy kissing distance and he tried to stop me. He couldn’t of course but we made a nice distraction wrestling for no reason at all and then I caught a glimpse of Zeb’s lips brushing hers quickly. I saw her blush deepen and she was staring at the ground again. Then Sam had me pinned and I laughed. He glared at me. “You interfere too much.” He complained and got off me. I grinned at him. I went up to Zeb. “Are we allowed to have a bonfire or something?” I asked him. “Do you wanna chop enough wood for it?” He asked me. I grabbed a bunch of women and we grabbed axes. We went and chopped enough wood to last all night for a huge bonfire. We all took the wood back and the men just stared at us. “Zeb, where can we set this up?” I asked him. He looked at me shocked and got up and led us to a clearing that obviously had been used for celebrations before. I put enough wood up so that it would burn effortlessly. I set it on fire and I soaked in the warmth. The people of the village eventually trickled down to see what was happening. I’d found some women who knew how to play instruments and go them playing and Sam was teaching me to dance to tribal music. I wasn’t very good at it. Zeb sat there laughing at me as I raised my hands mimick Sam’s but ended up looking like a stupid attempt at a ninja move. Sam eventually gave up and we swing dances to a faster song. The entire village stared at us as we managed to move to the beat with a swing dance. Afterwards we just sat next to the fire with Zeb and the girl who blushed a lot next to each of us. “What’s your name?” I asked the girl. “I’m Jasmine.” She said. “Go sit next to him,” I whispered into her ear. “I know what you did earlier.” She said. I grinned guiltily. “Thanks,” She said and got up and sat next to Zeb. He looked at her, shocked at her forwardness, then stretched and put his arm around her. She snuggled into his side and I grinned at him. He grinned right back and lifted her head up to kiss her. Her eyes held a joy that’s hard to find and horrible to lose. She kissed him with an enthusiasm that had him breathless quickly. He stared at her wide eyed and she scooted away from him embarrassed. He scooted close to her and put his arm back around her and he kissed her neck until she kissed him so she wouldn’t end up with a hickey. I could see the fire in the kiss and I had to go separate them. “There might be little kids around.” I said and pointed to the moms starting to trickle down to the bonfire. They were both breathing hard. “Get a room,” I muttered and Zeb laughed. “Maybe we will,” Jasmine was never any redder than she was in that moment. She realized her position and sat up so that they weren’t really touching anymore. Then she started talking. They talked about the colleges that they would have gone to in they were going to, and Zeb talked about trying for Ivy League and Jasmine talked about a small college that wouldn’t be too overwhelming. They talked about everything and I watched them as the night wore on. They got closer and closer to each other till Jasmine had her head in Zeb’s lap and he was stroking her hair. She looked tired though. She definitely looked tired. They started walked toward the dorms and I went to ask Zeb where I was sleeping, not sure if I was sleeping in the same place. Jasmine and Zeb were in some heated discussion about who knows what, when they walked into the guy’s dorm together. This wasn’t even allowed in my village. As soon as they realized where they were, after a couple of guys pointing it out, they tried to walk out and pretend it never happened but the guys made sure it didn’t go unnoticed. They both got thrown into a hut and the guys put a lock on the door. When the guys left laughing like hyenas, I went and burned off the lock and knocked. “Yeah?” Zeb asked, sounding awkward. I came in and Jasmine looked like she wasn’t sure what to do. “Do I sleep in the same place that you showed me before?” I asked him. “Yeah; did you think we messed with it or something?” He asked. “Just making sure, and, by the way, good job. Even I stay conscious of that rule.” I said to them. Jasmine blushed. “It hasn’t happened in a while and my mom never told me…” She said. “Well, she told me about the engagement thing, but she didn’t tell me the…requirements for the first night or anything…” She said looking like she’d like to curl up in a ball. “When I followed Sam in by accident they just threw us in a hut and he told me to sleep and I did. It had been a bad day so he didn’t do much besides leave the room so I could change but that’s it.” I told her, sitting next to her. She put her head in Zebs’ lap and I yawned. “Speaking of Sam, I’d better go find him. I’m ready for bed.” I said. Jasmine blushed and Zeb looked away. “Not like that! He always wakes me up when he comes in and out of any hut that I’m sleeping in. Then I get all crabby and we fight over something stupid.” I said and rolled my eyes. “Have fun you two,” I said over my shoulder as I left. I heard them whispering and knew they’d be up all night talking. I went and found Sam sitting around the fire with some guys and they were talking. I was so tired, I curled up on the ground, told the earth to soften a bit and fell asleep with my head on his thigh. I woke up in a hut and saw Sam next to me smiling. “You slept for a seriously long time, and talked about me the entire time.” He said with a grin. I grinned and kissed him fervently. There was a fire beyond control and I recognized it. I got up and ran, though I was only in some boy shorts and a sports bra. I ran letting my connection to Rya take me to her. I ended up in the girl’s dorm and when I shook her awake she looked like she wanted to scream. “Love the outfit, what’s wrong?” She asked me. “Somebody put the damn fertility thing on us again.” I said to her. Her eyes got wide. “I didn’t do it this time.” She told me honestly. “Wonderful.” I said. “I need to run so…” I trailed off. “Where are you going?” She asked me. “I need to //run,// not go. I need to get this energy out. Maybe I’ll run back to the village. And maybe I’ll get dressed first.” I said looking at my underwear. Rya laughed. I headed back to the hut. When Sam saw me I could see the longing in his eyes and I felt it too. “I can’t! Not yet!” I sobbed. He held me and the fire engulfed us. I sobbed and sobbed, and he held me through it all. Once I was done crying we went and got breakfast. People were staring at me and my too modern and not modest enough clothes. “Are you going somewhere?” Zeb asked me. “Somebody put a fertility thing on us, again, so I’m gonna run around for a while. I need to run home though.” I said sadly, my eyes darting to Sam longingly. My hand snuck towards him traitorously. I clutched it to my chest wishing that I could have him. Zeb looked away embarrassed. “What? Are you seriously going to get all awkward because I said that?” I asked him. “I’m not used to issues like that coming up.” He said. I laughed, and I could feel the slightly eccentric tone slip into it. “By now I am. Never even heard of it before I’d come to these villages and now I know the difference between the damn fertility thing and the one thing that makes you be around a person whether you want to or not. I know the differences in feelings and everything.” I said to him. He laughed. He touched my hand and he took some of my memories. “That’s not a fertility charm, that’s just a plague limited to two people of serious lust. The fertility charm is strong enough that it would be pain all over to not…” He said. “I know what it is. I’ve had it before and the first time it was absolutely terrible. I was glad to have school to keep me distracted.” I told him. “And you’re seventeen anyways. Why wouldn’t you want a kid?” He asked me. “I have high school to finish.” I said simply. “Online high school.” He said. “I don’t know… I’m just not ready for it I guess.” I said. He looked at me skeptically. “When are you going to be ready for it?” He asked me. “When I finish high school and when I’m not doing crazy things like this anymore.” I said to him. He laughed. I saw Jasmine come out of the hut they’d been in last night and I could see her walk was a little different. Before, her walk had been stiff and quick but now her walk was looser and slower. I grinned at him. He wouldn’t meet my eyes and he totally proved himself guilty. I scooted over for her and she sat next to Zeb. “Somebody must have had fun last night.” I said to her. She blushed and grinned at the same time. “At least I didn’t fall asleep in the center of the party.” She said. “I guess that’s how it happened then.” I said. “How what happened?” She asked me. “Somebody put a stupid fertility charm on us.” I told her. “Ouch! That sucks.” She said. I nodded and finished my meal. “So, I’m gonna run home and probably kill time till this week ends, and then I’m gonna come and teach you girls how to fight. But I got about twenty miles to run right now so,” I said and gave her a slip of paper with my phone number on it. “Call my cell if you need me. I can be here in five seconds if you need me. Seriously.” I said to her. She nodded and took out her cell phone and put it in. “You have a cell phone?” I asked her. “We’ve all gone to school and if we got lost then we needed something to call on.” She said. I nodded and washed my dishes. I said bye to everybody with a cheerful ‘I’ll be back,’ and started jogging toward the second village that I’d been to. When they saw me they immediately surrounded me. “What happened?” Maggie demanded of me. “They have accepted women as equals after seeing me bring Rya back from the dead and then somebody put a fertility curse on Sam and I while we were sleeping.” I said. They stared at me incredulously as I ran back to my first village, my home, and went through it easily. People waved to me as I passed through and then I ran home. I was breathing heavily already and I still had about five miles to run. I pushed myself harder and further than I ever had before and collapsed on my couch when I got home. I was home. I went up to my bed and slept till three in the afternoon. Then I got out of bed and showered. Once I felt clean and comfortable, I looked at myself in the mirror. My tattoos had more detail and more brilliance now. Bringing Rya back from the dead was definitely making me stronger. I examined them for a long time. Around four I got dressed and took it all off. I made myself a normal looking teenager. I looked like the person I used to be. It was amazing. I went outside and I jogged to my pond. I meditated till seven. By then my stomach was going crazy with hunger and finally I went home. I went to the store in the morning and got some food and made myself breakfast. I painted till lunch and then I ate again. Once I was done eating I went and painted some more, finishing my painting, till dinner. I ate and then I watched movies till I got tired. I stayed in this routine for a week. By the end of my week I had seven amazing paintings. I grabbed them and ran them back to my home village. I’d already eaten and I ran to the next village. When Maggie saw me she came and hugged me hard. “We miss you being here and wreaking havoc, against all odds.” She said. “I promised to teach the girls in the other village how to fight so I’ve got to go.” I told her. She nodded and let me go. I kept running till I got to the village I needed to be in. They all seemed to be in the same state I’d left them in except they seemed a little more casual with each other. I went to the hut that Zeb and Jasmine had been thrown into and knocked. I heard a lot of rustling as they adjusted themselves in the sheets so they’d look decent enough for an adult to see them. I heard Jasmine hiss at Zeb to give at least half of the blanket and they argued over the blanket and then I heard more rustling as they obviously fought over it. “I’m coming in anyway,” I said and the rustling stopped immediately. I walked in to see Zeb’s butt half covered and Jasmine completely naked going after the blanket. Their expressions were the funniest thing I’d ever seen. I went in the other room and grabbed a blanket and threw it at Jasmine. “Oh…” She whispered. “Either way, it’s not that hard to share a blanket.” I said to Zeb as he covered himself. I shook my head and Jasmine giggled nervously. “I’d feel so awkward if I wasn’t used to this by now.” I said. Their expressions went blank. “I have two other brothers who are horrible at not walking in on Sam and I and I’ve walked in on them too. And Rya, but she just completely disappears.” I said. Zeb kind of laughed. “Either way, both of you need to get up. I’ve already lugged all these twenty miles and I’m not waiting for you two to fight over clothes next.” I said. I walked out and I heard some hissing and then an awkward silence and then a snore. I soaked them. There was a high scream. I laughed and kept walking. “July!” Jasmine yelled at me. I laughed. I went into the village and realized it was actually an ungodly hour. I took out my phone and it was four in the morning. It was dawn. I laughed and started towards the girl’s dorm. I walked in and some of the women were starting to wake up. I looked at them. “Why are you in here so early?” One woman asked me. “I’m gonna teach all of you to fight.” I said. Here face glowed. “I’ve always wanted to fight.” She said. “Well, I’m gonna have to wake them up.” I said. She laughed. “It’s impossible to wake every girl in here up before five. Getting them all up is around six.” She said. “That’s a normal person trying to wake them up, not me.” I said. I summoned water and soaked all the sleeping girls and a scream unified all of them. They were all up in about five minutes. The woman who had been awake and talking to me was laughing so hard she looked like she might pee on herself. Most of the girls were glaring at me. “Get up. Finish your chores before noon. We’ll be training after then. I need you all ready to learn to fight by one.” I said and left the room. I heard a lot of grumbling and a lot of excited murmuring. I grabbed the woman who had talked to me before who was still chuckling. “I know that’s not all the women that were here before. Tell me who else I’m waking up.” I told her. She led me around the village and pointing to huts. I poked my head into each one and told the girl or woman in them to get up. If she wouldn’t I would get the elements to disturb her and not the guy till she had to get up. Those girls were always the maddest at me. Once all the girls were up and working, before even the earliest risers were out of bed, we finished all of our work by ten in the morning, when the last of the men were waking up. They all looked so happy to be done so early and then I rounded them all up and brought them to a field. I trained them in the barest of basics of karate till they mastered them that day. I trained them day after day for the next two weeks and the muscle was becoming obvious in each woman. They looked stronger and they had more fire in them then I’d seen in any group of girls before. I was teaching them roundhouse kicks and I felt hands come around my waist and my immediate reflex was to roundhouse kick. I heard a grunt and saw Sam flying ten feet away from me. “Oh my gosh! Sam!” I yelled and went to him. I healed the bruise on his face right away. He sat up shaking his head trying to orient himself. I laughed at his expression. “And that is the effect of a successful roundhouse.” I said. A bunch of the girls laughed and continued the what they’d been doing before. Sam kissed me right then and there and the fire was beautiful and it had me before I could stop it. It got really quiet as our kiss deepened and the back of my mind told me that I was embarrassing myself in front of the entire female population of the village. The front of my mind screamed at the back of my mind to shut up. Sam broke away gasping and I remembered myself and realized that my position at the moment wasn’t exactly appropriate for public. I sat up and blushed to see all of them staring at me with odd expressions. I stared at my leg that looked slightly ajar and waited for my blush to fade. Sam touched my back and rubbed my shoulders and I instinctually leaned into him. The fire was there, but not in a way that meant the fertility thing was there. It was longing and missing his love. “Are you going home tonight?” He whispered in my ear. I shrugged. “Then come to our hut. I miss the old village.” He said. “I still have to train them more.” I said. “You run further going all the way home though.” He said. I gave in with a sigh and kissed him. He held me to him with an anticipation that had my whole body melting into him. I heard somebody clear their throat and I broke away from Sam gasping. I looked up to see the woman from the first night standing over me. “We can pick this up tomorrow if you want us to.” She said and I blushed. “No, Sam why don’t you go find something else to do, besides distracting me.” I said to him. “I won’t be a distraction,” He said loud enough for the woman to hear and then he whispered in my ear, “I’ll take all of your attention.” He said. I blushed furiously. He gave me one last peck on the cheek and he got up and left. I watched him leave longingly. I got up and my knees were slightly wobbly. “What happened to not letting boys distract you?” A mouthy girl asked me. “That isn’t a boy, that’s a man. Totally different if he’s my man.” I said to her. She snorted. I roundhouse kicked her and she flew twenty feet back. “Don’t mess with me, I can kill you in a second.” I told her. She nodded and gasped for breath. “Anybody else have any comments?” I asked them. Nobody said anything so I let it go. Once the day was over I headed back to my home village and I found Sam right away. He lifted me up and twirled me around and he held me for a long time. People didn’t bother to tell us to get out of public eyes. They just walked by without a word. The next morning I woke up early and showered and got dressed in a pair of sweats. I was only in that and a tank top when Sam woke up. He pulled me down with him and didn’t let me back up. About two hours later I told him I had to go. I was seriously late and they were going to slack off. He finally let me go and I ran all the way to the third village and when I got there they were already half way through their chores. I grabbed something to do and finished quickly. The girls kept grinning at me. A couple of snickers every here and there that were obviously aimed at me. I took it with good humor knowing I deserved it. Once we were done, about an hour late, we started training. I was teaching them a new series of kicks and I was so loose that I ended up kicking myself in the face. Well, more like kneeing myself in the face. I fell over and just lay there for a while. They were all laughing so hard I was sure they weren’t going to be able to breath for a while. I gave up and walked away to a lot of jeers. I sighed and went and got lunch. I ate and nobody bothered to disturb me when I was obviously in a bad mood. The girls came for lunch still laughing and I sighed. I walked back to the second village and found Rose and Aiden. “Hey,” I said to her and she grinned. “So, apparently you converted them?” She said. “Yep. And now I’m teaching the girls to fight and they’re all giving me crap about Sam.” I said. She laughed. “Oh, you poor baby.” She said. I glared at her and gave up. I went and showered and put on some normal clothes. Then I decided against it, grabbed my swim suit and went to the pool. I swam for a long time in the water and enjoyed the cool but not freezing water. I was in really good shape now and I was so tanned now I looked absolutely amazing in my suit. I got a lot of looks from a bunch of guys and I ignored them effortlessly. I saw some of the girls from my school who were absolutely horrible to me and I dove off the diving board with an extra flourish. They saw me and gasped. I’d taken off my tattoos that marked me as a protector and left the rest of them on and they’d gotten more intricate and they saw the full beauty of them. I’d left my face blank as well and I looked like, amazing. My stomach was flat and starting to edge towards a six pack from the constant work outs. I came up and brushed my hair out of my eyes. I came out of the pool and walked over to them. They had all of their friends with them of course and the shock and the awe in their eyes at my steady approach was kind of funny. “Hey!” I greeted them. A big ‘hi’ and ‘hey’ chorus rose up from them. More enthusiastically by the guys of course. At the leader of the groups’ shocked stare I laughed and walked off. I left a little while later and got ready to go back to the village when Rya and Maggie showed up at my house. I was making myself some dinner and trying to mop the floors. I kept having to go check my food because it smelled like smoke constantly. When they came into the kitchen to see me mopping next to the stove they just stared. I finished the floors and called air to dry them and got my food and sat down. They came and sat next to me at the table. “We’ve been looking for you all day, since you left the training session. The girls had absolutely nothing to do so they found their way to our village with Zeb guiding them. Where did you go?” Maggie asked me. “I was at the pool.” I said. My streak shone into existence and she ignored my glowing hair. “You need to tell people where you’re going.” Rya said. “If you would have called to me I would have answered.” I said. Her face went completely blank. “Oh yeah…” She whispered to herself. I laughed at her idiocy. I let my eyes wander back to my food but I saw something that shocked me. “You’re showing!” I exclaimed. She blushed and covered her stomach. “You’re going to have to tell them soon.” I said to her. She sighed and put her head in her hands. I smiled and finished my meal. I cleaned my dishes and pulled a brush through my hair and searched for some running clothes. I found a pair of sweats and a tank top and left the house. They’d already gone home so I ran. When I got to the village I went and found Sam. As soon as he realized I was there he grabbed my wrist and started jogging towards the second village. I started jogging ahead of him, already shifting into my comfortable lope. He fell behind me quickly and when I got to the village I made an earth couch and sat and waited. Fifteen minutes later he came and grabbed my wrist again. He led me to a place in this village that I didn’t recognize. He led me into a big hut that I hadn’t noticed before and inside it were all the girls I’d deserted today. I turned right back around and started to walk away when somebody stronger than me wrapped their arms around my waist and picked me up. I gasped and they took away my vision. I went totally limp and they picked me up in a more comfortable manner. I stayed limp and tried not to punch the nose that was breathing down on me. They put me down and I knew exactly when I got my sight back though my eyes were closed. I didn’t bother to open my eyes. I let my other sense reach out and then I yelled on the top of my lungs and I could feel the rush of people trying to get away from me. I opened my eyes and one of the men I remember putting to sleep who was a protector was standing over me. I laughed at all the girls who were cowering away from me. I got up and started to walk out when he grabbed me and plopped me right back down and when I tried to burn him it didn’t even effect him. I glared at him and he grinned down at me. “You’re not going anywhere. And don’t try anything on me because I know how to do it all and how to deflect it.” He said. I laughed in his face and became a spirit and he forced me back to being a solid again. I grunted with the force he’d put on my spirit and I tried to have the earth engulf me and he threw me back out of the earth. I tried to become mist and he forced me into solid form again. I stood up and fought him physically and he pinned me with his weight after about five minutes. I was gasping by now and I decided to try a new tactic. I took down my hair and got really close to him and started flirting really hard and he had absolutely no clue how to deal with that. I knocked down all his barriers and then I ran like hell was chasing me. He couldn’t keep up with me. I went and collapsed in Rya’s hut and laughed till I cried. She came in and just stared at me. “Sam might kill you for that. But, seriously resourceful.” She said and lay next to me laughing with me now. We sat there and talked for a long time. We talked about everything and I fell asleep with her next to me. We woke up the next morning and I grabbed one of her dresses and she threw me a pair of leggings and we got dressed not caring if we saw each other. We basically had the same bodies, I just had a bunch of tattoos. We left the hut looking identical. I grinned at her and linked arms with her. It was funny when people stared at us unsure who was who. We ate breakfast and Sam came up behind me and dragged me to our hut harshly and yelled at me for about a half an hour for flirting with another guy. When he’d blown off all his steam I said, “Nothing else was working so tried a different tactic and it worked.” He stared at me shocked and looked at it from that point of view. Then he laughed and kissed me. He held me for a long time and I melted into him right then and there and we lay down and snuggled close to each other. I fell asleep with him holding close and when I woke up again it was to the guy from the night before. “Crap,” I muttered and tried to spirit myself away but he grabbed me before I could get out of there. He dragged me to the same hut as the night before, me flailing around the entire time. He laughed when he put me down and he was completely unscathed. I was so freaking mad I punched him in the face and ran like hell. He was clutching his nose and I ran all the way home. I laughed and got into the shower. I put up all my walls and shampooed my hair really well. Once I was out of the shower I went and ate. I went upstairs and painted some more and waited for someone to come and find me. I took down my walls after I ate breakfast and I knew it was only a matter of time till they came to get me. I finished my first painting and went to my pond and climbed. I climbed to the highest branch of the tallest tree. I was happy to be high in the air and then my legs were carrying me against my will. I dove into the earth and I went into the spirit realm. My body stopped trying to move and I whispered to Rya, “I win,” and I got an image of her screaming in frustration. I laughed and let my spirit drift in the spirit realm. I came back to my body when it was time for dinner and let my body carry me to the village and went and got food. I ate and laughed every time they tried to summon me to them and I made my legs stay still. They were so mad that they couldn’t make me do anything against my own will. Rya looked for me with our link and I let her find me. She spun around and yelled in frustration, seeing me sitting there calm and comfortable. Sam laughed. I got up and ran to him and hugged him hard. “I totally won,” I said to him. “No, now we won. You came,” he said picking me up and taking me back to the hut from before. I couldn’t help myself. I kissed him and he slowed down and I deepened it till he had to stop and put me down. He kissed me hard and fast and I led him to our hut and I almost got out of doing whatever they’d wanted from me till the guy grabbed me. I complained uselessly and grabbed Sam before I couldn’t reach him anymore. I dragged him along with me and the guy tried to get me to let go but I bit his hand. He pulled his hand away and I jumped into Sam and he kissed me and walked forward with my feet on his. I kissed him and he moved and I couldn’t have cared less. I knew when I was inside the building but I didn’t pull away and when he tried to I wouldn’t let him. He broke away but I didn’t let him go and he tried everything to get to let go but I was determined not to let go. He sat down in the chair that I was supposed to sit in and I sat in his lap and kissed him with everything in me and tried to get him to take me to the hut. He knew what I was trying to do and he grinned against my lips and I knew it wouldn’t work. I thought for a moment my lips close enough to his to feel his breath. I shrugged and went into the spirit realm and sat there for a while and he sighed. He started touching my body that I would have slapped him for had I been in my body. He got rougher with my body and the anger forced me back into it. I slapped him so hard that the mark looked viciously cruel. I got up and when the man tried to stop me, I punched him in the gut so hard that he doubled up gasping for air and I ran and ran. I climbed into the trees and made myself invisible, blending with my home in the earth well enough that they’d never be able to find me. I threw up all my walls and when they tried to find me I laughed. The laugh was bitter and cruel and it scared me but I didn’t care. I can deal with any kind of fear and I can deal with any kind of pain now. I could come back after death. I slept in the tree and I slept like a rock. I went back to the first village and made myself look completely average and worked with the women for the next three days. When Sam and Rya couldn’t find me they started panicking and I didn’t care. Once at each meal I would tell Rya I was fine. They were still frantic to find me. On the third day the women I was working with noticed the extra set of hands and got suspicious. They questioned me and when I screwed up with the lies they grabbed me and turned me in to Qwen who was searching our area for me. He took me and brought me to Rya who grabbed me by the hair and brought me into the hut and I fought so vigorously that she had bruises everywhere but her stomach. “They’re not going to do anything bad to you! Stop fighting!” She yelled at me. She made me be still and when I stopped struggling she sat next to me limp. She called Sam to us and he sat on my other side. I wouldn’t look at him and he stayed silent. After about five minutes of silence he apologized. I glared at him and he picked me up and held me. He stroked my hair gently and I considered burning him. He apologized over and over and kissed my forehead while they tried to get all the girls back into the hut. He whispered sweet things in my ear and I couldn’t stay stiff and angry with my body. My body relaxed into him but my eyes were still angry. Rya stared me down. “I’m not forgiving him for touching me like that in front of so many people.” I said to her. I felt a hot liquid on my neck and looked up to see him crying but trying to hide it. He met my eyes and he closed his eyes and sobbed into my hair. I was comforting him right away and I touched his face gently, caressing him and trying to show him he was forgiven. I kissed him and his mouth was finally responsive to something I’d done. The fire was immediately unquenchable. I kissed him rough and fast and his mouth moved with mine, promising so much without a word. Rya cleared her throat after about five minutes and we broke apart, gasping. I stared him in the eye and I could see the promises that he was eager to keep. Rya grabbed my head and made me face forward. Maggie had come in and she was standing in front of us. I grinned at her and she rolled her eyes. Her eyes questioned me. “I have no idea why I’m here. Enlighten me,” I said sarcastically. “We all want to know how you dealt with the fertility charm.” She said. I rolled my eyes. “By not seeing each other for about three weeks.” I said to her. Her eyes got wide. “Are you avoiding kids?” She asked me. “I was hoping to until I got out of high school.” I said. The back row of women started chanting something unfamiliar. “Sam, what are they doing?” I asked him. “I have no idea.” He said sounding worried. I grabbed Rya’s hand and she thought it was to squeeze as I got scared but I looked into her mind and she blocked me out before I could get anything besides that it was a ritual. I told this to Sam and we both darted for the door but Rya had the earth hold both of us down. I told the earth to let us go but it did Rya’s bidding over mine. We sat back down and I blocked out all sound from our ears. When we calmed down, Rya made sure we could hear everything. The next two rows of women had started chanting and I searched my entire memory for what this was. My eyes got wide and I told Sam. He swore. They were going to make sure I had a kid with Rya. I summoned all my power and put up a struggle that took Rya by surprise. She almost completely lost her grip on me but she managed to win the fight. I started yelling and screaming but she silenced me. “You’d get out of having to back to that school. Would it really be so bad?” She asked me. I looked to Sam. He looked frightened. “What do you want?” I asked him. His expression became utterly confused. “What do you mean?” He asked me. “Do you want a kid soon? Like in nine months?” I asked him. “I want to be married first.” He said. I looked to Rya. “Please,” I begged her. “When do you plan on that happening?” She asked me. I looked to Sam. “I know it’s going to happen. I don’t care when we get married.” I said. She held up her hands and the room got quiet. “So you wouldn’t care if it was in the next two weeks?” She asked me. My eyes got wide and I looked to Sam. His eyes were excited and I saw joy trying to burst through them. I smiled at him. “I wouldn’t mind.” I said. He kissed me right then and there and the fire was burning me through within seconds. Rya pulled me off of him. “Then let’s set a date.” She said to me. I got up and she didn’t stop me. I found my mom after about half an hour. Her and Josiah were doing some serious kissing. “Ugh…parental make out scene…I’m scarred for life.” I said. My mom broke away and looked up at me. “I haven’t seen you in a month.” She said. “You look so much…older. You looked ancient before but…this is just scary.” She said. “Are you okay with Sam and me getting married like…within the month?” I asked her. Her eyes got wide and she leaned into Josiah. “What brought this on?” She asked me. “Rya,” I said. “I guess you might as well…I don’t care.” She said looking a bit light headed. Josiah caught her as she slumped against the wall of the hut and looked like she was going to pass out. He put her in his lap and stroked her hair reassuringly. “Rya would be the kind of person to rush things like this. Don’t worry, you’ll get used to her.” He said with a grin. “I’m mostly used to my daughter and they’re like soul twins. I’m just having a rush of, crap I feel old, and I need some sleep.” She said and he held her gently. She cuddled into him and it was weird seeing my mom like this. I shook my head and started heading out. “Are you inviting anybody from the rest of the world to the wedding?” She asked me. “Grandma and any other relatives that you feel need to be here.” I said to her. I was about to leave when she asked me, “Do you want your father here?” Everything went black. I woke up staring at her and Sam in the infirmary. “I’m sorry; I should have given you some kind of warning.” She said. I nodded and sat up. “You’ve been able to contact him the entire time?” I asked her. “I know how to, yes. I haven’t though.” She said. I threw my legs over the side of the bed and tried to get up to find the vertigo throwing me back on the bed with the violence of the gravity. I fell back to the bed and lay there staring at her. “I want to meet him before he comes to my wedding. Does he know about the village or our culture?” I asked her. “When we were together I told him everything. I planned on marrying him and I told him everything about me. When I got pregnant the second time, he booked it out of my life. He disappeared one night and didn’t come back.” She said. I nodded. She took out her cell phone and found a number. She dialed it and handed me the phone. It rang and on the third ring somebody picked it up. “Angeni, why the hell are you calling me?” The man on the other line asked in a gruff voice that didn’t sound completely angry, and slightly shocked. I gave the phone back to her and she turned it on speaker. “Do you remember me?” She asked him. “Of course I remember you. How could I forget?” He asked her. “Remember the kid I was going to have before you left me?” She asked him. “What, the kid ran away or something?” He asked her. “No, she’s getting married and I wondered if you were interested in coming.” My mom said to him. “I don’t even know her!” He said, sounding uncomfortable. “Now you do.” I said and I could here his shock. “She sounds nothing like you! Or me!” He said. “I’m different than both of you in ways you couldn’t imagine.” I said to him. He was quiet for a while. “Do you want to meet me?” He asked me. “I don’t even know your name.” He said. “My name is July, and yes, I would like to meet you.” I said to him. “July, are you okay?” Qwen said bursting in. “I’m talking to my dad.” I said to him. He got quiet instantly. “Your tattoos look amazing,” He said to me, staring. I grinned. “I’m better at accenting them.” I said. “Anyway, where do you want to meet?” I asked him.