• Chapter One:

    Serenity



    Sorei looked around as she entered the quiet forest. Sorei was surprised to see that there was a trampled, burnt patch of leaves in front of her. She sniffed about, listening intently.

    Unsure of what other action to do, she kept walking, alert at every small forest movement. A small animal darted out onto the wild, overgrown path, making Sorei's heart beat about 5 times faster. Calm down, there is nothing to scare you here! She told herself firmly. But she knew that she was not being irrational, because her gut feelings usually turned out right.

    She continued on, quietly, making as little noise as possible, because every small crunch of the leaf, every rustle of the bushes echoed a thousand times more thunderous and deafening than the small, insignificant noise it really was. The wind whistled through the trees, blowing around the loose brush and leaves around Sorei's feet.

    She watched silently, beginning to feel more at home and comfortable. She closed her eyes, breathing in gently and deeply, calming her mind so that her powers might work.

    She lifted a finger, quickly, nimbly, and as she did so, a twig darted up in front of her. She manipulated it to spin and dance along to the music of the birds twittering and the bushes rustling and even the dried leaves from last fall scraping up against each other. She breathed in deeply through her nose, relishing in the deep, woody scent of the trees around her.
    The spring blossoms were waving at her, slowly, softly, and she reached up and brushed her fingers against one. The cool breeze lifted her soft red hair off of her forehead, cooling her tired brow, for she had been walking for quite some time now.

    She twitched her fingers, the inspiration of this beautiful spring day moving her. The loose, pastel petals and the dry leaves began swirling around her. The birds began singing in a curious way, making melodies and harmonies to be carried away over the spring breeze. Their bright songs made Sorei feel as if she could conquer the world.

    She spun around, whirling in a spiral of inspiration and joy, and the leaves danced. Petals waltzed about the air, infusing the air with their sweet smell. Her fingers flew around, manipulating the many objects she had flying around her. She looked up at the sky,
    grinning at the beautiful cloud formations she saw above, the sun was streaming through the mottled green canopy of trees above her.

    A bright blue jay bird flew overhead. Sorei called up to it, speaking in the musical language of the birds. She invited the jay to sing along, and be happy. A while later, she walked on. The wood suddenly grew darker and wilder.

    She stopped to get a drink out of a bubbling brook. An ominous shadow fell over her, she looked up and screamed! Then, everything went black.


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