Chapter: A Walk in the Woods
If my lifeMate – supposedly the perfect guy of my dreams – wasn't trying to kill me, I'd be much happier.
Sigh, sorry, let me backup. I've gotten way ahead of myself.
It all started earlier today, while I was still on Earth, walking through a park and minding my own business.
For the first time in several months mom and dad agreed it was safe enough for me to visit Earth. The real Earth, not one of the second dimensional valleys all Sídhí live in.
About four thousand years ago, we (all the Sídhí races) got sucked through a gateway and dumped on Earth. You see, a really powerful elvish ruler had been trying to end the Great War between the Sídhí races when he shoved pure energy, aptly named synth crystal, into dozens of gateways connecting our home world to Earth. Unfortunately for him, the gateways exploded, killing him and creating hundreds of dimensional valleys that lay scattered across the face of Earth. The discharge of that much power sucked people and animals from Sídhí into the newly created valleys. We haven't had contact with the home world of Sídhí since then.
One of the largest valleys created was Trellick Valley. My family has ruled over the valley since Sídhí first appeared on Earth. The current monarch, Sarah Trellick aka Chi’Kehra, was my sister. As far as older sisters go, she was the best. She never tried bossing me around, not like my older brothers always did.
There was an unspoken Sídhí law dating from the old world. Sídhí were considered adult once we passed through puberty and I went through Sídhí puberty - twenty-one days of slam-bam growth spurts of going from bone-thin twiggy to having boobs and hips – two years ago. Now, if someone would tell my brothers – and my parents – that tidbit of info, I'd be totally happy.
Yeah, I know, being smothered was part of growing up. My parents insisted I was independent, letting me go – most of the time – anywhere I wanted to go with one major concession: my shadow.
Ugh! My parents gave me a babysitter.
Get real! Hello? Today was my seventeenth birthday. Do you know how embarrassing it was to hear 'there goes Miranda... and her babysitter.'
Oh, I knew he was really my body guard, a muscle-bound hot guard, but I was sick of having a shadow.
At least today, he let me pretend I was on my own. The trees in the park helped, keeping him hidden from view. I couldn't see or smell him, but I knew he hadn't let me out of his sight. It was so embarrassing when he followed me everywhere, even into public restrooms. And, yes, that really happened! And at a high school football game of all places! I groaned just thinking about it. My friends teased me for weeks.
The soft hooting of an owl brought me abruptly back to the present. I jumped like I’d been shot. Glaring into the branches of the surrounding trees, I searched for the culprit, but I didn't see him. A strong gust of wind blew through the park, making the tall oaks sway high above my head; the limbs danced between me and the dark sky, creating odd moving shapes along the path in front of me.
I'd been walking the paths for several hours, only seeing a handful of people this late at night. I loved the feeling of solitude the large park gave me. Back home, at Trellick Castle, I was always on display, but not here.
I didn't have trouble seeing. My night vision made the entire area look like a store room lit-up with a dangling forty-watt bulb instead of hundred watt one. Full and brilliant, the moon helped; moonbeams splotched along the path as they passed between tree limbs.
To my right, water softly murmured as it flowed down the Arkansas River. I didn't know why, but the river smelled different than the one at home. It wasn't a bad smell, just different.
I craned my neck, trying to see the river, but only bits and pieces of the water and sand bar peeked through the trees. I picked this park, because several weeks ago, I did a term paper on
If my lifeMate – supposedly the perfect guy of my dreams – wasn't trying to kill me, I'd be much happier.
Sigh, sorry, let me backup. I've gotten way ahead of myself.
It all started earlier today, while I was still on Earth, walking through a park and minding my own business.
For the first time in several months mom and dad agreed it was safe enough for me to visit Earth. The real Earth, not one of the second dimensional valleys all Sídhí live in.
About four thousand years ago, we (all the Sídhí races) got sucked through a gateway and dumped on Earth. You see, a really powerful elvish ruler had been trying to end the Great War between the Sídhí races when he shoved pure energy, aptly named synth crystal, into dozens of gateways connecting our home world to Earth. Unfortunately for him, the gateways exploded, killing him and creating hundreds of dimensional valleys that lay scattered across the face of Earth. The discharge of that much power sucked people and animals from Sídhí into the newly created valleys. We haven't had contact with the home world of Sídhí since then.
One of the largest valleys created was Trellick Valley. My family has ruled over the valley since Sídhí first appeared on Earth. The current monarch, Sarah Trellick aka Chi’Kehra, was my sister. As far as older sisters go, she was the best. She never tried bossing me around, not like my older brothers always did.
There was an unspoken Sídhí law dating from the old world. Sídhí were considered adult once we passed through puberty and I went through Sídhí puberty - twenty-one days of slam-bam growth spurts of going from bone-thin twiggy to having boobs and hips – two years ago. Now, if someone would tell my brothers – and my parents – that tidbit of info, I'd be totally happy.
Yeah, I know, being smothered was part of growing up. My parents insisted I was independent, letting me go – most of the time – anywhere I wanted to go with one major concession: my shadow.
Ugh! My parents gave me a babysitter.
Get real! Hello? Today was my seventeenth birthday. Do you know how embarrassing it was to hear 'there goes Miranda... and her babysitter.'
Oh, I knew he was really my body guard, a muscle-bound hot guard, but I was sick of having a shadow.
At least today, he let me pretend I was on my own. The trees in the park helped, keeping him hidden from view. I couldn't see or smell him, but I knew he hadn't let me out of his sight. It was so embarrassing when he followed me everywhere, even into public restrooms. And, yes, that really happened! And at a high school football game of all places! I groaned just thinking about it. My friends teased me for weeks.
The soft hooting of an owl brought me abruptly back to the present. I jumped like I’d been shot. Glaring into the branches of the surrounding trees, I searched for the culprit, but I didn't see him. A strong gust of wind blew through the park, making the tall oaks sway high above my head; the limbs danced between me and the dark sky, creating odd moving shapes along the path in front of me.
I'd been walking the paths for several hours, only seeing a handful of people this late at night. I loved the feeling of solitude the large park gave me. Back home, at Trellick Castle, I was always on display, but not here.
I didn't have trouble seeing. My night vision made the entire area look like a store room lit-up with a dangling forty-watt bulb instead of hundred watt one. Full and brilliant, the moon helped; moonbeams splotched along the path as they passed between tree limbs.
To my right, water softly murmured as it flowed down the Arkansas River. I didn't know why, but the river smelled different than the one at home. It wasn't a bad smell, just different.
I craned my neck, trying to see the river, but only bits and pieces of the water and sand bar peeked through the trees. I picked this park, because several weeks ago, I did a term paper on
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