Sister of Time

12 Time

"It's time for you to learn." She places her hand on my forehead and I am plunged into my dream, fast forwarding to the part where the girl opens her eyes and I would wake up. Briella lets the dream continue, forcing me to watch.

The girl on the hill transforms, no longer a younger form of myself, but a similar girl with the same facial features and blonde hair, but gold eyes. My sister easily makes her way up the hill and the other girl holds her hand out. Aleaya takes it and joins her on the hill standing next to her and staring out at the field. I struggle to reach them, and as I do the grass and plants around me wilt and die, the field turning brown as if just by looking at it my sister and the girl had killed it. As I think this, I continue forward, but I notice something different about my sister. Her blue eyes were glowing with power, as were the gold eyes of the girl next to her. I look away and see that where I had stepped, the grass remained green and healthy. I look back and see them join hands, a smile forming on their lips as they turn their gaze on me. There is a sudden, strange heat behind me so I turn and see a wall of fire descending on me. Scared, I run, or at least I try, but the ground has turned to quicksand and I find myself sinking slowly. Frantically I clutch at the ground in front of me, trying to pull myself free, but the blades crumble and the dirt just slips through my clawing fingers. I cry out as the wall of fire catches up to me, as I sink deeper into the ground, as my sister and the girl smile at each other and watch me perish in the flames.

The image fades and my eyes open and sting.

"I still don't understand..." I whisper. She releases my forehead and sighs.

"That girl, the one you didn't know... she is also your sister. Delly informed us of this. You had been separated at birth by your parents... and now Aleaya knows it. The girl's name is Mira.” She pauses and then pulls a chair over and sits in front of me, taking my hands in hers.

“Your mother and father made the choice to spare her life, to send her away. Mira is the middle child, born a few years after you. When you were five and she turned three, your mother discovered that she was again pregnant. The way this city works, you must have a male child for every two females, due to the population scare after the plague a few years before your birth. When Aleaya was born a city official came to your home and informed your parents that they either had to kill Aleaya or adopt out one of their other children. We are still unsure why your parents chose to disown Mira, but they did, and now she is the right hand of the man who began the battle of time..." She pauses to breathe and another voice is heard.

"Galdaro." Nayna speaks up for the first time, her voice thick with loathing.

"Yes. He caught wind of Mira's powers while he was licking his wounds after our last battle when she was playing with the life span of birds in the woods just before Aleaya was born..." I lift my head from the table.

"I'm still a little lost here..." I remind them.

"Yes, well you would be sweetheart." Nayna pats my shoulder.

"Mira possesses the power of time. She can suspend you in time, freeze all time completely, fast forward your life, or slow your life down so you are forced to live every minute as if it were an hour.” A shudder runs through me, making me shift, uncomfortable in my seat.

"Of Mira is our sister, then I have a similar power, don’t I?" I lean forward, anticipating her answer.

“Not only you miss, your sister also has similar powers. “ Nayna tells me calmly.

"Right. Your sister controls emotions. She can make millions angry in a second, thousands weep for no reason, and hundreds overjoyed at nothing. She can excite a crowd or calm a riot. Her power is important to keep the balance between time and space. Without time, peace would not exist. Without peace, time would be irrelevant."

Nodding, I lean back in my chair, stunned by this information.

"So she can make people behave how she wishes? And Mira can control time? Than what can I do?" I can feel my impatience rising.

"You? You are the balance. You control the elements. Your sister Aleaya? She is thought. And Mira? She is time. You? You are the earth. You are the balance between ideas and time."

"I don't... how do the elements help balance the mind and the time? I still don't understand how time is affected by the mind, and how the mind is affected by the elements." I put a hand on my forehead, trying to rub the headache away.

"Without thinking, there would be no need for time. You wouldn't be worried about knowing the day or the hour. You wouldn't care if life went by slow or fast, you wouldn't mind being stuck in a loop of the same days over and over. You wouldn't be able to think your way out of it. You would be emotionless." This made sense.

"But where do I come in?" Briella closes her eyes and takes a deep breath. I can almost see the frustration seeping from her pores.

"Without the earth, there would be no one to effect. Without the sky, there would be no earth to have people on. Without the air, the people would not be able to breath and they would die. Without fire, the people would not have curiosity or a thirst for knowledge nor the need to grow and improve. They would starve or freeze. Without water, they would have no way to keep hydrated and would surely die. Without people, there would be no mind, with no mind there would be no time."

"Oh." Is all I can say.

"You three are the balance. If one of you tips the scale, the whole world would fall into chaos. Mira, is coming dangerously close to tipping her end, and if she gets Aleaya involved..." Now I can see the danger. I guess it shows in my eyes because Briella relaxes and smiles, satisfied.

"I guess that means it's time to act?" I ask, nervously. She looks around and then back to me.

"Yes. That means it's time to go rescue your sister."