The
Full Moon Rises
The
night of the full moon was terrifying. It seemed that all of nature
was disturbed. Water elves were sent to all the watering places to
meet and intercept the night elf before the Queen found her. Sylvia,
Jayden, Drake, Warren, and Fayette stayed in the night chambers in
silence. The moon rose slowly. Finally, Damian came and summoned
them. The tree was strangely dark. The lights were so dim it was
hard to see. The wood elves and water elves were silent tonight,
instead of merry. They looked at the elves and fairies as they
passed. The fairies ducked their heads a little, but Sylvia and
Jayden walked upright, with straight faces. They were taken to the
moon room. Frederick was already pacing the floor, apparently lost
in a vision of the future. None of them dared disturb him.
Finally
he stopped pacing. The five night creatures sat on the floor,
waiting for him to speak.
“I
have urgent news. Our elf is going to change in a pool unprotected
by a water elf.” he turned to Sylvia and Jayden. “I need you to
go and find her. Get Cynthia to show you where the pool is, but go
quietly. Be like the shadows. This is a job only a night elf can
do. But be careful. The Mud Queen and her swampy minions are on the
prowl tonight.”
Jayden
and Sylvia found Cynthia by the door. She told them where the pool
was, and they slipped into the night. Each of them were shrouded in
dark gray cloaks, with hoods pulled to hide their faces. They ran
through the grass silently. The pool Frederick had mentioned was
indeed unguarded by water elves. It was an enchanting place,
surrounded by trees and shrubs. They hid themselves under the roots
of a tree and waited silent, breathless, for the new elf to change.
After a
while, Sylvia elbowed Jayden and pointed to the pool. There was a
girl kneeling by it. The moon was nearly over an opening in the
trees. They watched as the water began to come alive like it did
when they changed. The girl smiled and slipped off her shoes,
stepping into the water. She sank instantly.
They
slipped over to the shoes and hid inside them. The girl finally came
up, after what seemed like ages. She was just as confused as Sylvia
and Brett had been. She barely managed to climb out of the pool.
Sylvia pulled an extra cloak out from under hers and slipped out of
the shoe. Jayden followed. He slipped up behind her and quickly put
a hand over her mouth.
Muffled
noises escaped her lips, but Sylvia came around in front.
“Shh!”
she hissed. “Put this on and come with us. We'll explain
everything when we get back.” she held out the cloak. Jayden
removed his hand. The girl put the cloak on, and Jayden and Sylvia
led her back to the tree. They hustled her into the moon room first.
“Thank
everything sacred to the elves!” Frederick cried. The Moon Queen
was there now, and her face broke out in a smile at the sight of the
girl. “The moon rises quickly. What we do must be done quickly.”
Frederick continued.
“Frederick?”
Sylvia said. “The poor girl is confused. She knows nothing. We
have to explain this to her.”
“Ah,
yes, mhm, right.” Frederick cleared his throat and adjusted his
spectacles. “What's your name, child?”
“Ivy.”
she said.
Ivy.
Sylvia mulled the name over in her head. It seemed to fit the
brunette girl with the dark green eyes. She had dyed streaks of her
hair dark green and dark purple. It reminded Sylvia of the dark
purple streaks in her own hair. She'd had them put in after finding
out her power color.
While
Frederick told Ivy about the Mud Queen and her plot to rule the
world, he prepared to read the moon for Ivy's powers.
The
moon certainly took its time coming over the moon window.
“Come
on moon!” Frederick growled. “We haven't got all night!”
This
time the moon didn't seem to mind Frederick at all. He tapped his
foot, paced, and looked back and forth from floor to window. Time
never moved so slowly as it did now.
At long
last, the silver stars began to shine, and the moonlight filled the
room. All those present stood as Frederick lifted his arms to the
moon.
Sylvia
watched Ivy as she watched Frederick. She seemed to be in shock.
When the moon passed and Frederick lowered his arms, he smiled at the
Moon Queen.
“The
night is in balance again. All that remains is to overthrow the Mud
Queen and all will be right once more.” he then turned to Ivy.
“Your power color is purple. Your powers are electricity and
telepathy. Sylvia and Jayden will teach you to use them.” he
turned back to the Moon Queen. “The moon has revealed to me that
the Mud Queen lies in wait outside Sylvia's human home. She seeks
her death, and thinks Jayden already dead. We have little time
before she and her army come here.”
“I
trust your judgment, Frederick. Come, my loyal subjects. It is time
we talked.” the moon queen led them up to the top of the tree, and
waited until they were all seated. “When I visited you last I
spoke with you about your external powers. You all know what they
are. I also mentioned your internal powers. These you have not
used. Before we continue, I want you, Sylvia, and Jayden, to show
Ivy how her powers work.”
Jayden
instantly threw a bolt of lightning at Sylvia, who blocked it with an
electric zap of her own. She used her other hand to throw Jayden
back, and he attempted to slingshot a tree branch at her. Sylvia
caught it, and the two of them settled back down.
Ivy
sparked some electricity on her hand and tried to throw it at Sylvia,
but she caught it and threw it back. Jayden jumped in and grabbed
it.
“Sylv,
she doesn't have the ability to catch 'em.” he thought to her.
No one
noticed the look Ivy gave Jayden when he dove in front of her to
catch the flying lightning.
“You
will have to learn the art of telepathy later, Ivy.” the Moon Queen
said. “For now, I will teach you all to access your inner powers.”
she had all of them stand up. “You all possess the power of
controlling electricity. I want you to focus your energy into an
electrical ball.” They all stood in a circle. “When I count
three, send electricity into the center of your circle. The results
will trigger a reaction with the full moon that will tell us your
inner powers.” the Moon Queen stepped back. “One. Two.
Three!”
Electricity
sprang from each of their hands, meeting in the center of the circle.
For a moment it only glowed and pulsed, but then it exploded toward
the full moon. All of the elves and fairies fell back. They all
glowed slightly purple.
“The
power centers are fully awakened. You are now the most powerful
beings in this world. It is up to you to find your inner powers.
Find them quickly, and be on your guard. My sister knows now that
you are all here and have made the connection with the moon.” and
the Moon Queen disappeared.
The six
night creatures sat in confusion for a moment, then Fayette suddenly
said, “Guys, how do we find our inner powers? I mean, we all
control electricity, and we can all use telepathy. Jayden and Sylvia
have telekinesis, and can control shadows and night-related things.
Warren and I control the night too, by the way. We've got all the
external powers covered. What else is there?”
“Maybe
Frederick's purple book can help us.” Warren suggested.
“I
have it in our quarters. Come on down.” Jayden said.
The six
went into the space they had shared before Ivy's arrival. Jayden
pulled out the book.
“'The
inner powers are a mysterious force that lies deep within the power
center. It must first be awakened by the full moon.' Well, we did
that.” he said, then continued reading. “'The moon itself must
reveal the inner powers of the elf or fairy.'”
They
returned to the top of the tree and looked up at the moon. “Alright
moon, give us some answers.” Fayette mumbled.
“'When
the moon reveals the power, the elf or fairy will glow purple and
fall into a trance. They will swear the moon spoke to them, telling
them their power.' So I guess whoever glows first.” Jayden closed
the book.
It was
Ivy who the moon chose to be first. The other five waited anxiously
for her to tell them what her inner power was.
“Ghost
Mimicry.” were the first words out of her mouth. “I can turn
into a ghost.” she gasped.
“A
ghost? Try it.” Drake finally spoke.
Ivy
stood and morphed into a hazy, misty image of herself. She also
seemed to float.
“What?
No sheet with the eyes cut out? Lame.” Warren teased.
Ivy
suddenly morphed again. “Better?” she asked. Her voice was
eerie.
“Woah.”
Jayden stared at Ivy.
When
the moon chose Sylvia, she felt very strange. First a warmth
enveloped her, and she slipped into some sort of subconscious state.
She then heard a whispering in her mind. “Sylvia! Sylvia!”
“Mom?”
She tried to answer back.
“Hush,
my darling. Don't talk. Just listen. The moon has connected with
you in ways more powerful than any other night creature. You and
Jayden both.”
Sylvia
tried to look at him. An invisible hand caressed her face. “Don't,
Sylvia. He is being told his powers as well. You and Jayden are
more powerful than any other night being. The moon has granted you
the most powerful of all the powers. You have Elemental
Manipulation. You control all four elements of nature. Use your
power wisely and always for good. I love you sweet girl. Tell your
father, when you see him again, that I love him too. Good luck.”
and the vision ended.
Jayden
awoke at the same time, and they found Ivy asleep and the fairies
still entranced.
Sylvia
sat spell-bound for a moment.
“You
OK Sylvia?” Jayden asked.
“My
mom spoke to me.”
“What?”
“My
mom told me what my power was. It wasn't the moon. It was my mom.”
she stood and walked to the edge of the platform they sat on and
looked out at the woods.
“My
dad told me mine.” Jayden said, laying back. “What is yours,
Sylvia?”
“Elemental
Manipulation.”
“I
got two. Tracking Evasion and Mental Manipulation.” he suddenly
turned and looked at Sylvia. “Sylvia! My dad is dead, and he's
the one that told me. Why did the moon choose your mom?”
Sylvia
sighed and said nothing. Jayden walked over to where she stood,
leaning on the railing. He stood behind her, with a hand on the
railing on either side of her.
“What
happened Sylvia?”
“She
died, Jayden.” there were tears hidden in her voice. “She was
killed by a drunk driver eight years ago, when I was eleven.”
“That's
it...your mystery. The sadness in your eyes when there shouldn't be
any.”
“Yes,
Jayden. There's the answer.” Sylvia closed her eyes and two tears
ran unbidden down her face.
Jayden
turned her around and wiped them away. “Tell me. I want to know.”
Sylvia
wiped away another tear and began. “It was my birthday. Mom and I
had gone out that night. It was snowing, and the night seemed almost
magical. We were driving down a quiet, country road, and I was
reading her a story Brett wrote. He's a really good writer. Anyhow,
we were laughing, I was trying to read the story off my new phone,
but I was giggling too much. We saw the glow of headlights ahead.
And for a moment we ignored them. Then suddenly my mom told me to
stop talking for a moment. She was scrutinizing the lights. Then
suddenly this truck comes barreling towards us in our lane. Mom
swerved, but it was icy and the truck broadsided us. We spun off the
road, hit a tree and flipped over.” Sylvia stopped, remembering the
awful scene. “I was upside down, held in place only by my
seatbelt. I was too scared to even call my mom's name. She didn't
say anything, and I was afraid she was dead. The truck was still
parked on the road, and the guy who was driving it came stumbling
down into the ditch. He asked me if I was OK, but I blacked out. I
don't know who called the police or the ambulances. I woke up for a
moment when they were rushing me into the ambulance. I finally
called my mom's name, but she wasn't there. They told me nothing
about her, just that I would be okay.” she stopped again. “When
I woke up again I was in the hospital, and had been for three days.
My dad was kneeling by my bed, and when I asked him where my mom was,
he told me she was dead.”
Jayden
could barely breathe, but Sylvia wasn't finished. “I broke my arm
and my leg. I dislocated my shoulder and couldn't walk for months.
All of that pain is gone, but the pain of losing my mom will never go
away. There's no medication I can take for it, there's no doctor
that can tell me I'll be okay. You lost your dad to a disease, your
mom was murdered by a crazed witch. My mom should still be alive,
and my dad and her should be together still.
“I
had no idea.” he said reverently.
Sylvia
sniffed and wiped away more tears. “They told us that mom died in
the hospital only a few hours before I came to. If they hadn't let
me sleep I could've seen her and told her I loved her. I attended
her funeral in a wheelchair. I went to school in a wheelchair. I
was weak, and my dad couldn't help me. That's why Brett and I got so
close. He was always with me, always there. Even Jake was around.
When your mom and sister died, I knew what you were going through. I
knew that pain. That's why I wasn't going to leave you. That's why
I begged you so hard to stay with me. I didn't want to lose you.”
“Sylvia,
I don't care what we're going to face in the days to come, but I
promise you, no matter what, I'm not going to leave you alone. I'll
always be here for you.” Jayden lifted her face until their eyes
met.
“Thanks,
Jayden. Just don't tell the others, okay?”
“As
if.” he replied, pulling her in for their first kiss beneath the
moon.
