Elemental Empires

{Chapter 17}

The line moved and she reached the front and faced a burly guard, she stood there awkwardly not knowing what to do until the guard sighed and gruffly told her to put out her hands. Mia did as she was told and he removed the Amberin.

"You the newbie yeah?," he asked as he brandished a yellowed scrap of paper.

"Hmm," Mia replied quietly as the guard swished his finger as if he was writing and letters began to ink themselves on the paper.

"Just remember this that don't ya try to escape, don't use yer powers or else they'll backfire on ye and don't fight with us or yer roommates," he said gruffly and handed her the paper.

"Yer bag," the guard said tiredly, Mia handed him her bag and read the paper. It was a really shiny and glossy paper with numbers written on it.

"1152001," it said in an ink which was incandescent and changed colours as it caught the light.

"What is this eh?," he asked, flipping her dollar bills and coins in his hands curiously before throwing it away. Mia started to say something but stopped.

What use are Dollars here?

"Yer cardigan and whatchya standin fer? Print it!," the guard yelled as Mia gave him her cardigan. He sighed at Mia's puzzled face, took the glossy paper from her hands and slapped it on the inside of her wrist. When he removed it, the numbers were engraved on her skin in the same iridescent ink.

"Temporary slave number that is newbie. Welcome!," the guard jeered and pointed her to the middle of the cells where a guard stood, seeing Mia, he touched the upper corner of the invisible wall and the rippling vanished. He quickly pushed Mia in and the wall re-appeared. Mia touched it. Solid.

"Oh a companion! Finally!".

Mia was startled as a honeyed voice spoke from somewhere in the room. Mia turned around and had to look twice before she saw the tiny, thin frame if a girl sitting beside a large haystack.

"Hello!," the girl stood up and Mia gasped at her skeletal frame. The girl was stick-thin, her dirty dress hanging off her lanky body, her hands calloused and bleeding but still she was astoundingly beautiful with smooth, chocolate-brown skin, long locks of silver hair which curled at the tips and an unforgettable smile. "I am Kira!," the girl smiled and dimples adorned her cheeks.

"Hi, I am Mia," Mia extended her hand.

"Why are you doing that? Does your arm hurt?," Kira asked curiously.

"No, you shake it," Mia explained, coming closer to Kira.

"Oh alright," Kira grasped Mia's hands firmly and shook it sideways," like this?," Kira asked.

Mia laughed," Something like that".

"That's a strange way to greet someone," Kira laughed and Mia couldn't help but be mesmerized by her icy, turquoise eyes, swirling with specks of navy, which lit up when she laughed.

"You didn't tell me your name! I told you mine, it's Kira! Before you ask, no, I am not faking happiness! I tend to have positive vibes and be optimistic at all times. To look for the good things in life and hope for the best, the people here think I'm a fool for thinking like that but it's in my aura that I'm an optimist and anyways I was brought up that way! Although I was orphaned when I was very young, yet I stayed strong and here I am! I fought through it all! I'm so glad to have a companion! Nobody sticks with me because they say I natter a lot but truly I only rarely speak!,"Kira gasped for breath and smiled.

Mia was taken aback, now she knew her history in just their first conversation!

What is an aura? Well, she did talk less.