( I will only say this a third time, so please listen, this is the third installment of “ Andra’s Story” so if you haven’t read the previous posts, please do. Also, if you’re new to KOTLC, please take the time to read the books before you ruin it for yourself and read my story. Thank you! Now……. on with part three!)
The Accident
“ Wow, I didn’t know Linh’s house was so beautiful!”
Andra, Marella, and Maruca all stood together as the enormous house materialized before them. Choralmere was an elegant home that stood nestled between a lush rainforest and a shimmering, blue cove. Of course, Andra wasn’t surprised at the extravagant designs of elvin architecture. Her own home, Wolfstod, was quite an impressive estate, but this house was one of the most unique designs of an elvin abode she had ever seen. The main roof of the house shone golden in the afternoon sun, descending into smaller, tiered roofs, all connected with strings of ornate hanging lanterns hovering over various courtyards. The strong, sturdy walls of amber and garnet completed the entire structure.
Andra drank in the sweet smell of honeysuckles and daffodils as the sound of a hundred windchimes sang softly in the breeze, creating an overall sense of perfect tranquility. She gazed longingly upon the gorgeous building before she set off on the winding path with the rest of the girls.
“ I’m so glad you decided to come. I know this is going to be a good change of pace,” Maruca confided to Andra.
Andra smiled nervously, trying to seem like she was excited. She just hoped she could casually slipping away and sit quietly at the sidelines without anyone noticing. Marella didn’t say much to her when she first met them outside of Foxfire, which seemed strange since usually she was the one talking first. Andra figured it was because she was a scared of her and that she had heard about her little “incidents”.
When they reached the entrance Maruca knocked lightly on the door. Mai Song cracked it open and stared at the three girls. She looked annoyed when she said,
“ Linh’s not here. She’s practicing down by the cove.”
“ Thank you,” Maruca said, and motioned for the other girls to follow. Linh’s mom was certainly not happy about having any visitors. Andra noticed she was a bit tense and irritable. She could also see a look of …pain in her eyes before she closed the door. Maybe it was because she was worrying for of her son, Tam. Maybe she was worried he may not be coming back. The fact that she was a Shade probably didn’t help matters either.
The girls silently hiked down towards the cove when Andra gasped as a giant, watery moonlark burst into the sky then sailed back down towards the ebbing waves. A beautiful girl with long dark, silver tipped hair, stood firmly against the wind as she raised her hands towards the shimmering creature. The bird dipped it’s glassy wings and glided with every gentle sway of her hand. Andra had never seen anything like it. She had seen her mom do some neat tricks with water before, but she could never mold a living creature out of water and make it fly as smoothly or gracefully as Linh. Marella and Maruca were equal rapt in awe of the spectacle, marveling at how the moonlark gently floated and danced above the water. When it completed its path, Linh spread out her hands and the moonlark dispersed into a silvery shower, raining softly back towards the gentle waves from once it came.
Marella and Maruca cheered from the top of the hill. Marella yelled,
“ That was AMAZING! You should definitely ask the Council if you can do that at the next Celestial Festival! You’d be a total hit!”
Linh laughed and shouted back, “ I doubt that they would want to let the Girl of Many Floods perform in their seasonal show that’s been held for thousands of years!”
“ Ha! I’m sure they trust you by now,” Marella insisted as she made her way down the hill.
“ Yeah, they should!” Maruca added when she caught up with Marella.
Linh shrugged and said, “ I don’t know, did you the flood I made in Atlantis?”
“ Did you see that awesome display of absolute talent and perfection? Nuh, uh, no way we’re not letting this go. We’re definitely fighting for you on this one,” Marella insisted, stopping in front of Linh.
Linh smiled and said, “ Yeah…maybe, maybe next Celestial Festival.”
Linh’s smile became sad as she stretched her blue eyes over the open sea. She seemed deeply distracted when she snapped herself back to the present.
“ Well, shall we get started? I’ve got some new tricks that maybe we could…oh I’m sorry, I thought you were Sofie,” she said, turning her attention to Andra,
“Sorry, the white hair made me think that you were someone else.”
“ This is my friend, Andra,” Maruca proudly stated, gesturing towards the quiet Shade, “She just manifested recently and I thought it would be nice if she could practice with us,”
Andra tried not to look too uncomfortable and shyly smiled back. Linh looked a little surprised, but smiled friendly and said,
“ Welcome, Andra! Glad you could join us!”
Andra relaxed a little and started to be preoccupied with the conversation.
“ Hey, did you hear Sofie went off to a secret meeting ordered by the Council today? I heard it was something very important. No wonder, because she’s always the special one,” Marella said, jealously.
“ Yeah, my cousin, Wylie was also called away. I also heard Stina, Dex, Biana were also called. It must be something big,” Maruca mused.
“ Must be,” Linh said.
“ Stina? The Council must really be desperate these days,” Marella remarked, making Andra chuckle. Andra looked at Maruca and she saw that she wasn’t very amused, so she kept her eyes to herself.
“ Sorry,” Marella said to Maruca, “ I forgot that you were still friends with her.”
“ That’s okay,” Maruca assured her, “ she can get a little annoying at times, but since she’s manifested as an Empath, I’m hoping that maybe she’ll be a little more considerate about other people’s feelings.”
“ Fat chance of that,” Marella muttered under her breath.
“ So, Andra, what ability did you manifest?” Linh asked.
Andra froze as all the other girls started looking at her, waiting for her to answer. She gulped and tried not to look at any them, when she said, in a small, quiet voice,
“ I’m a… Shade.”
Linh’s face turned sad again and she stared at her as if she was staring at a memory of her brother. If only she’d asked Maruca how much Linh knew about her before they light leaped. She didn’t want to be another reminder of Linh’s heartache and make her not like her for just because she was a Shade. But Linh didn’t do any of that. She walked right over to Andra and said in a gentle tone,
“ There’s nothing to be embarrassed about. My..my brother is a Shade.”
“ Yeah, I know. I’m… sorry about what happened.”
Linh smiled her sad smile again, but this time she didn’t look away and whispered,
“ Thank you.”
They shared a moment of silence as they stood in the swaying breeze and the churning sound of the ocean. Andra smiled for the first time and actually started to feel like some of her shell was starting to peel away.
Maybe this isn’t going to be too bad after all.
Linh grinned at her when she suddenly gasped, turned to Maruca, and said,
“ Does she know?”
Maruca shared a nervous look at her, then back at Marella, then at Andra.
Andra was confused and asked with her eyes what it was she was missing.
Marella suddenly turned pale and locked her beseeching eyes on Maruca.
Linh pulled Maruca aside and whispered privately a little further down the beach, leaving Andra standing awkwardly with Marella. Andra tried not to look at her, but she kept looking away as if she was deeply embarrassed about something.
Andra started making toe circles in the sand, impatiently waiting for the two to get back from their private conference. By her tenth sand circle, the two girls finally returned and came to a conclusion. Andra anxiously looked at both of them and asked,
“ What is it?”
Maruca looked at her with a confiding look and said, “ Well, we…have a secret we’d have to share. Before you practice with us, you must promise you won’t tell anyone about this?”
Andra nodded timidly and waited for the dreadful secret. Maruca took a quick glance at Marella( who was trying so hard not to look anyone in the eye)
“ Okay, Marella….is a Pyrokinetic.”
Shocked, Andra turned to Marella who was brushing her blonde curls nervously in front of her flushed face.
So that’s why everyone thought she was Talentless. She had been hiding her ability this whole time…. just like me.
The only Pyrokinetics that Andra knew were the ones that were apart of the Neverseen, like that dastardly, horrible, heartless Fintan who destroyed Lumenaria, and killed her…………no, Marella would never do something that evil. Marella was a sweet, innocent girl who’s got some sass in her, but she would never become a criminal like them. Andra unclenched her fists and calmed herself down, when Marella finally looked at her and said in a unusually low and desperate tone,
“ You can’t tell anyone about this. If the Council finds out, they will send me to…”
Exile.
Andra wouldn’t really be surprised if they actually considering doing such a thing. She imagined herself being dragged away to Exile countless times if they ever found out she was a Shade. Of course deep down she knew that was ridiculous because Tam was accepted at Foxfire, and he was a Shade. But for Marella, that was real, it actually could happen. Considering how many times Brant and Fintan sparked Everblaze and nearly destroyed the Lost Cities, and the fact that Fintan had killed one of their Councillors, it wouldn’t be too surprising if they decided to lock up an innocent girl just for being a Pyrokinetic.
Suddenly, Andra felt a deep sympathy for the frightened girl before her, staring at her with her wide, desperate blue eyes. She understood the fear of discovery, the agony of keeping an ability secret and the constant watch for anyone who might’ve noticed. Except that it must be ten times worse for Marella who will probably have to hide her ability the rest of her life.
Without a second thought, Andra walked over to her and surprised herself by hugging the shaking girl. Marella and the others seemed equally surprised at the gesture, and Andra said in a tender whisper,
“ I promise, I won’t tell anyone.”
Marella blinked her watery eyes, then looked at Andra in the face like she didn’t know what to think. She wiped her eyes uttered a quiet “ thank you” in response. Linh and Maruca were also touched by the scene, and Andra looked at them with a smile that indicated that there were no walls between them now.
The four girls stared at each other for one tender moment, then all of them suddenly started giggling and laughing, giving each other friendly hugs and pats on the shoulder.
“ Okay, now are we ready to practice?” Linh asked as the giggling girls calmed down.
“ Oh yeah!” Marella said.
“ I’m game!” Maruca exclaimed.
“ Okay, let’s see what you got,” Linh challenged as they started to gather around the base of the hill. Andra managed to slip away to a nearby boulder and watch.
The girls did so many amazing tricks and stunts that Andra believed it to be more of a grand show than a simple “training exercise”. Marella and Linh individually practiced their various skills with fire and water until they both combined them together to make what Andra described as a “ water, fire, tornado”. It was quite the spectacle . Then Maruca started doing her Psionipath skills and shielded from Marella’s blasts of flames and Linh’s crushing water waves. Marella offered a brilliant idea and cultivated many balls of fire above Maruca’s head, and Maruca, with her finesse and masterful precision, immediately trapped the balls each within their own sparkling sphere. Andra watched all this while casually curled with her finger a tendril of hair.
When the girls decided to take a break, they each sat( or lay) down on the grass beside the rock in various positions, panting and sweating, then started talking about the different moves they did and what they could do better.
Linh casually commented, “ Yeah, we should defiantly brush up on those attacks. I’m pretty sure those waves were lagging a little bit. They must really like being in the ocean.”
“ No, I think those attacks were just fine. Those waves almost crushed by shields to the point where I thought they were gonna be flattened,” Maruca protested, wiping her sweaty brow.
“ Well, I believe those “ fire-bombs” are perfect for taking down the Neverseen. We should totally show them to Sophie, if she ever gets a chance to actually come around to check on her friends,” Marella crossly.
Linh replied, “ Yeah, she’s had a lot on her plate recently. But I have something I need to discuss with her, so she should be able to clean up her schedule for this.”
“ Yeah,” Maruca agreed, appearing like she already knows what Linh’s request was.
Andra listened intently to the conversation, knowing too well it would be her turn to show what she could do. She wanted to prolong that moment as long as possible, so she casually kept the conversation going by asking,
“ So…. are you all in the Black Swan, or are you just helping Sophie?”
“ I swore fealty recently, though took me forever to get that stupid black cube to open ,” Marella grumbled, “ but Maruca is trying to get her stubborn cousin to let her ask the Collective to see if she can join. By the way, have you talked to him yet?”
Maruca said, “ I did, twice. He still won’t listen to me. He just doesn’t want me to get hurt. Wants me to stay as far away from the Neverseen as I possibly can, and I get it….he’s been through a lot..but he can’t treat me like a kid anymore. I’m going to talk to Sophie about seeing if she can arrange a meeting with the Collective. No way am I not joining this fight. They need all the help they can get.”
Linh and Marella silently agreed. Andra kept quiet until Maruca surprised her by asking,
“ So Andra, are you thinking about joining the Black Swan?”
Andra was startled when all the girls started staring at her, expectantly waiting for her to give an answer. She slowly started saying,
“ Well, it’s not like I don’t care for the Black Swan, and it’s not like I don’t care about what’s happening in our world, it’s just…. I don’t think I’d be right for you guys. I’m… happy just being a kid and going to school and not having to worry about black hooded freaks wreaking havoc on our world. You know? Plus, I think you’re full up on the whole “ Foster group thing” you’ve got going here. I just don’t think I’d fit in.”
Maruca gave an understanding nod along with Marella and Linh. Maruca responded, saying,
“ Yeah, I totally get why you want a normal life. Believe me, I’d love to not have to worry about all of this crazy stuff going on and live like nothing bad is happening. But…. sometimes the only way to make it all go away is for some people to sacrifice their normal, everyday lives to bring peace and justice back to their world. That’s why I’m joining the Black Swan.”
Andra pondered this. She never really thought about what it takes to have a safe and normal life, but she knew she could never be that strong. If her dad were alive, he’d agree with Maruca, but she knew that she could never be as brave and as noble as her. Or any of them for that matter. She was just not ready.
Maruca broke the silence with another shocking question which jolted Andra right out of her musings, saying,
“ So, are you ready to practice?”
Andra felt like she was just hit by lightning, and muttered, “ What?”
“ Yeah, you said you wanted to practice your ability. This is as good a time as any.”
“ Uh, uh…” Andra stammered as Maruca stood up and pulled her onto her shaking feet.
“ Actually, I really think I’d better just practicing on my own first before I.. you know… show off,” Andra contested as Maruca led her to the center of the field.
“ Come on, this is the only way you’re ever going to get the hang of your ability, and that’s with other people cheering you on and telling you not to give up! Right gang?”
“ Right! I agree with Maruca, don’t be nervous. You’ll be just fine. It just takes some practice and a lot of encouraged,” Linh reassured.
“ Yeah, you’ve got this! Bring out the inner Shade!” Marella chimed in.
Andra wanted to believe that. She wanted so much to believe that she could do this and that she could be just a normal Shade and be able to control her abilities as well as them. But she couldn’t bring herself to do it. She knew she would never get the hang of it. She’ll mess it up and then live with this curse forever and she’ll never want to show her ability to anyone ever again.
Maruca left Andra then walked several paces away, then turned and said,
“ Okay, all you have to do is break through my shields.”
“ Break through your shields? How can I do that?”
“ With shadows, Tam used to do all the time.”
Linh cringed at the name and Maruca gave her an apologetic look.
Lady Zillah never told me that I could do that. What else can I do that she’s hiding from me?
Andra got back into focus when Maruca activated her shield. The shield glittered and sparkled around Maruca as she got into a battle stance and said,
“ Okay, ram me! Show me what you got!”
Andra panicked and froze right on the spot. Her hands her shaking and her heart was beating wildly. Her mind raced with so many possible horrific scenarios that her mind was paralyzed. She tried to bring herself to call the shadows, but as soon as she felt their soft, cold presence curl at her fingertips, she panicked and fought against it.
I can’t do this.
Linh noticed Andra’s hesitation and walked over to her, saying,
“ Hey, are you okay?”
Andra nodded “yes” despite the telling fact that her forehead was sweating.
“ Hey, it’s okay to be afraid. I was afraid of my ability for a long time, but I when finally overcame that, I began to see that I could learn to truly understand it, then it wasn’t so bad. After a lot of support, patience and lots of practice… I wasn’t afraid anymore.”
Andra’s tense shoulders started to relax and her heart started to slow down when Linh continued saying,
“ My….my brother was afraid. But he didn’t give up, and that’s why he’s going to come back, and that’s why you’re going to succeed. You can do this. I believe in you.”
Andra looked into Linh’s cool, blue eyes and saw that she really meant it.
“ When I manifested, I nearly burnt my house down,” Marella shared, “ But every time I feel like I’m losing control, I remember what Fin…uh..my Mentor said to me. He said that it’s not a contest against your ability, it’s basically just getting to know your ability and just show it who’s boss.”
“ It’s not a matter of strength, it’s looking at it in a brand new way. You’re ability’s not a curse, it’s a gift. You just have to see it that way.”
Andra was surprised when Maruca spoke up, not noticing when she briefly turned off her shield. She didn’t know what to say. She had never had so many caring, supportive friends before, and it touched her deeply. It almost made her believe that she can do this and that she can master being a Shade. That she can be seen as more than just a creep or a monster. She took a deep breath and let her body relax for a few moments before she said,
“ Okay, let’s do it.”
“ Awesome! Maruca will get in position again. All you need to do is concentrate,” Linh said.
Maruca got into her battle stance again and activated her shield. Shaking, Andra took several deep breaths to calm back down before she did it. Maruca stood before here, waiting patiently for her to make her move. Andra stood there, hesitating, and Linh jumped in, saying,
“ Can I give you some advice? Whenever I try to call the water to me, I would usually try to create a mental picture in my head of what I want it to do. You can do the same thing with the shadows, just imagine in your mind the shadows coming to you.”
That wasn’t too hard since that was Andra’s daily nightmare, and sure enough, the shadows started coming. They started clouding around her feet then making their way up her body. Andra started to panic as icy, black swirls wound around her legs and climbed towards her waist. Linh stared at them in amazement and said,
“ Very good, now tell them to break through Maruca’s shield.”
Andra gave the command, but the shadows only fluttered outward. She tried again, but the shadows refused to cooperate. They continued rebelliously wrapping themselves around her body, covering her torso in icy blackness.
“ Uh, it is supposed to be doing that?” Marella asked. Linh started to worry and said,
“ Andra, they have to listen to you. Tell them to attack Maruca’s shield!”
Andra repeated the command again and again, but they still wouldn’t listen. Her torso started to feel like it was coated in ice as the subtle swirls slithered along her back. Her fingers began to have the same deathly chill as they made their way up her forearms. Linh started yelling at her, saying,
“ Andra! You have to believe the shadows will obey you. Andra!”
Linh’s cries started to fade into the background as the shadows laced themselves around Andra’s throat. They firmly covered her neck then slowly started to tighten, choking her. Air become harder to find as the shadow’s hold grew tighter. The world around her started to grow dim, when Andra had a sudden revelation: the shadows weren’t trying to kill her, she was telling them to do that. Suddenly, it all became clear. The shadows didn’t follow her around because they were wanting to hurt her, but that she was afraid they would follow her, therefore they did as they were told. She can tell them what to do. She just needed to give them the right command.
As the cold, numbness started to seep through her body, something deep unlocked inside of her and a new confidence started to rise within her, and before she knew it, all of the shadows peeled themselves off of Andra and formed into a single, piercing black arrow. It immediately burst forward and shattered through Maruca’s shield with one blow.
Soon, the world grew bright again, and Andra started to breath. When the shadows left, she doubled over and gasped for air. Her vision slowly started to clear, and that’s when she spotted Maruca’s body a few yards away, lying motionless on the ground.
“ Maruca!”
Marella and Linh raced towards their friend as Andra snapped back to reality, turning white when the terrible truth suddenly dawned on her:
What have I done?!
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Yeah, that’s probably one of my most favorite cliffhangers I’ve written so far. I hope you’ve enjoyed the third part of Andra’s story. Please subscribe( lol, just kidding) and I will be writing my main novel this week, so I won’t be releasing any more parts to the story until the weekend( just to keep you guys in longer suspense, ha ha!). Must work on my main story if I ever want it to get done. Even though this is a cruel cliffhanger, I can say that this is about half way through the story( if I don’t add any more chapters). Again, thanks to all my faithful readers for bearing with me this far. Please give your thoughts and notes on the story and if anything needs to be changed or corrected. Thank you!
Also, another KOTLC fun fact for ya’ll! I was digging through my thesaurus app searching for that “ perfect” word for my sentence, I stumbled upon another word which might intrigue you all: vesper. It means a bell that at tolls at evening, which is a very interesting word picture to use for our cold and heartless Empath
( who I believe is the mastermind by the way. Still haven’t finished reading
Stellurlune. Almost halfway though!) Vespera. Vesper can also mean pertaining to or appearing in evening, which makes a little more sense since she’s a villain. I believe the tolling bell at evening can be an excellent word picture for a person who signals the coming of darkness. Just something to think about. Anyway, have an awesome week!
come on