I was running down the hall of the castle, pulling at the edges of my long dress so that I wouldn't trip. I saw him ahead of me, walking towards the staircase. The man who had awoken me in the temple, the one who claimed to not be my childhood love, Casimir, yet went by his name. I caught up with him, gasping slightly to catch my breath. He stopped but did not move to face me.
"Casimir!" I called out, my hand reaching to touch the back of this strange man's jacket.
He turned to me, his face blank. "My name is Ren, your highness."
I pulled back my hand, frightened by the lack of warmth or familiarity in his voice. It was true, this person barely looked like the man I loved, with his wider shoulders, long face, and deeper voice, but I knew they were the same. I reached out with my powers trying to get a sense of his feelings. They were dull, almost nothing was there, just a slight hint of irritation. I would be lying if I said I wasn't crushed by this revelation. I was still staring at his face, which seemed bare without his glasses. I stood very still, examining closely his longer-than-normal reddish-brown hair, his dark coat, and his subdued expression. What has happened to him?
"You said your name was Casimir Ren," I stressed, pressing my hand against my chest.
"Yes," he responded. "That is my full name. Do you need assistance?"
I scoffed slightly, glancing down at the floor. I need you to remember, I thought bitterly. When I didn't respond to his question he bowed his head, turning to walk back down the stairs.
"No, wait!" I cried out and he stopped. "Don't you remember me?"
I waited with bated breath for his answer. He nodded slightly and my heart took flight.
"You are the youngest daughter of the late King Cynefrith, Princess Taya Sarai Aytas Cadeyrn."
"No..."
"But you are," he insisted.
"That's not what I mean, don't you remember us?"
"Us?"
"We belong together," I whispered, choking on my own words.
"I don't understand," he said simply and I could feel his confusion. He really didn't remember.
Tears began falling from my eyes, I couldn't begin to explain all that I was feeling at that moment. I was crumbling, lost. As I turned to escape, my breathing grew erratic. Panic spread through my body and I barely remembered the walk back to my room. As I slammed the door behind me I broke into hysterics. He wasn't just pretending, Casimir had forgotten me. I laid down upon the cold stone ground of the castle now lost as one of my last anchors in this world had left and I was now adrift.
------------------------------------------
I awoke feeling groggy. My head ached like I had been crying and my back was crazy stiff. I slipped out of bed, running to the bathroom to wash my face and take care of other bodily needs. I had slept a solid eight hours, which was almost unheard of. Once again I had dreamt of something new but had failed to retain anything besides a deep sorrow upon waking. I could get used to this. I wondered if learning more about Terra was helping my dreaming issues. I was eager to hear more about this new world and my past life if that was the case. I hummed to myself as I checked out my skin for any unusual bruises. It seemed like the evidence leftover from my adventures the other night was all but gone.
Eventually, I made my way out of the bathroom, drawn by the voices in the living room. Maayan's laughter drifted down the hall and I was intrigued.
"Hey, what's going on?" I asked.
"Oh, good morning Diana," my grandfather said, turning to face me.
"More like good afternoon," Azar teased. He was standing shirtless, next to a half-dressed Maya, both surrounded by a pile of clothes.
"Hiya!" Maya said brightly, giving me a small wave. They were twisting their hips so that they could make their pleated skirt spin outwards. Casimir was sitting on the couch, fiddling with a school tie, attempting to tie it into a knot.
I took a moment to take the whole scene in, crossing my arms over my chest as I stared. "So, why are we trying on school uniforms?"
"We're going to school!" Maya blurted out.
"What? No way, why?"
Grandpa sighed, shifting his weight slightly as he spoke. "After what happened with Mr. Burke it became clear to me that we need a few more eyes on the school and you definitely need more protection."
I thought back to my attacks, both happening within a 24-hour period of each other.
"Yeah okay, but having both of them show up at school, isn't that going to look super suspicious?" I said, shrugging my shoulders as I spoke. "How do we even explain where they came from or how we know them? And also, how did they suddenly get into our super-elite private school? The waiting list is a mile long."
"Actually they have been on your school waiting list for years," Grandpa responded with a small smile.
"Seriously?"
"Unfortunately when the first spot opened up they were not ready to come over to Earth, so I had Casimir step in at the last minute."
"Is that so?" I muttered, glancing over at the young man on the couch. He didn't seem upset by this fact but I had to wonder why Casimir was not his first choice. "Will they be living and working on the farm also? It's gonna be crowded in here." Just the five of us standing in the living room was beginning to feel cramped. I couldn't imagine trying to eat dinner at our tiny kitchen table or where they would sleep long-term. Not to mention the bathroom situation.
"Ah no, they have dorm rooms," Grandpa assured me.
"Who is paying for that?" I blurted out, as I knew the dorms were super pricey.
"Don't worry about it," Azar said, pulling a pack of cigarettes from his pocket. I watched in shock as he lit one, without a lighter, his finger magically on fire.
"Are you smoking inside the house?" I screeched. "No way, outside now!" I marched over to him to snatch the cigarette from his hand. I couldn't stand smoking, it was one of my most hated smells. Azar ducked out of my reach, his long arm easily playing keep away.
"Chill out princess," he scoffed, looking down at me.
"Grandpa, seriously?"
"Actually they're not regular cigarettes," Casimir piped in, appearing at my side. "They're called okashi on Terra and they're more like a snack." Casimir handed Azar his newly tied school tie. "Here, try this."
Azar took the tie, pulling it over his head to let it hang lazily around his neck. He took another drag from his 'okashi' before looking back at me. It still looks like a teenager smoking to me.
"I'm a Fum'ouk or Fire Elemental, we can consume smoke as energy," Azar said. He let out a puff of smoke only to pull it back in and swallow. "It's not made of your tobacco leaf and poison."
I sniffed the air curiously and a warm scent filled my nose, almost like I had walked by a bakery in the morning.
"Is that cinnamon?" I asked, trying to breathe in deeper. It was actually making me hungry.
"The Terra equivalent to cinnamon, yes," Casimir responded, nodding. I felt strangely deflated, I had gotten so worked up over something that turned out to be nothing.
I glanced over at Azar sheepishly. "Oh, well, sorry I yelled. I'm just not a fan of smoking." He just shrugged in response. "Although if you're pretending to be a teenage boy you're going to get yelled at by a lot of people on Earth for lighting up."
Azar smiled slightly. "I've noticed."
"I wanna taste, can I smell?" Maya asked, moving in closer to Azar. He leaned over towards them, almost close enough to kiss before letting out a cloud of smoke. Maya closed their eyes and took in a deep breath. "Oh, yummy, tastes like pie."
I found myself blushing as I watched them interact, they seemed really close. I coughed nervously, curious to know more about the pair. "So Azar, you're a Fire Elemental?"
"Yep."
"And you can eat smoke? Does that mean you're flameproof?"
"Mostly."
"Mostly?!" I repeated, arching my eyebrow.
"There are more powerful forms of fire on Terra and they can cause pain even to Fire Elementals. You have to train for hundreds of years to learn to control them all," Casimir lectured. I listened thoughtfully, trying to imagine this more powerful fire.
"Hundreds of years huh? So how old are you Azar?" I asked.
Azar ran his fingers through his hair, pushing back a few loose strands of his burgundy mane. "201."
My eyes widened in surprise. "Woah, so you're older than Casimir?"
"Just call me big brother," he laughed. I scoffed at him as my attention moved on to Maya, who was fidgeting with the buttons on their top.
"And how old are you Maya?"
"Um, I forgot."
"Maayan, you're 200, remember?" Grandpa clarified gently.
Maya perked up immediately. "Oh, right, yes 200!"
I had to stop myself from laughing, they were too cute. "And what powers do you have? Are you a Nephilim or an Elemental?"
"I'm a Lunar Fairy who aligns themselves with water magic," Maayan responded, poking at their cheek.
"What like, wings and pixie dust and all that?"
Maayan laughed loudly, much like when Zola asked if Azar was their boyfriend. "No silly!"
"It's honestly just a poor translation to English," Casimir sighed, glancing at the fairy. "Maayan is what we call a Fae. They are people who live in harmony with nature and never use their powers for battle."
"But, I saw you fight with Ajax, or I guess I never saw you fight, but you did have a bow and arrow," I recalled, thinking of the other night when that giant man called Ajax snatched me from the art room.
"I'm a fighter!" Maya cried out, posing strangely as they spoke. "I ran away from home to help the rebels. Well, mostly Master Enki."
"Maayan gave up a lot to join in the cause for the resistance," Grandpa explained with a sad smile.
"Aw, I'm sorry," I said. "That you had to give up anything I mean."
Maya put their hands firmly on their hips as they responded. "I'm not! I love getting to explore, it was so boring where I lived."
"Do you have any special powers?" I asked, hoping to change the subject a little.
Maayan gave me a wide grin, placing their hands in front of their face. The light around their hands began to glow a soft blue and from nowhere water formed, curling and twisting in the air. I stared, mesmerized by its movement.
"Oh wow, that's so beautiful," I whispered, reaching out to poke it. Maya made the shape change into a heart and I laughed.
"I can't do a lot since there is so little magic here," Maayan said with a pout. "If we ever go to Terra I can show you some real magic!"
"Let's not make any plans just yet, there is still that little problem of the Dark King," Azar chided.
Maya made a face, sticking out their tongue. "Blegh, I hate that guy."
"So we have earth, water, fire, and the sun?" I said, pointing at each person as I spoke. "Aw, too bad Casimir isn't wind, then you'd be a complete group. There are wind people, right? I don't have my notes."
"Ah yes, there are people with wind powers," my grandfather said with a small chuckle.
I glanced between Azar and Maayan, pondering my next question. "Is it rude of me to ask if you are wearing a talisman? I mean, you all look pretty much like humans."
"Pretty much?" Azar snorted.
I wrinkled my nose at him as I spoke under my breath. "Impossibly beautiful humans."
"I think you're pretty Dai-dai!" Maya shouted, wrapping their arms around me for a surprise hug.
"Thanks, Maya," I said, patting them firmly on their shoulder. This fairy sure loved their hugs.
"Can I show her?" Maya asked as they pulled away, looking over at my grandfather.
"Since we are inside the farmhouse, yes, go ahead," Grandpa nodded.
Maya reached up to remove their earring on their left side. There was a shimmer and suddenly the room filled with a soft glow, coming from Maayan. Their skin was luminescent, making their freckles pop even more. They looked less like freckles and more like small dots of glitter. The fairy's iris seemed huge to me, their color a vivid blue, brighter than any I had ever seen. Their hair had changed from a strawberry blonde to an impossible white gold. Even that looked like it had glitter in it. I was in awe of their beauty.
"Your skin, it's glowing," I said, blinking rapidly. "You're gorgeous." I looked the fairy up and down, admiring their glow. "I can see why you can't walk around like this."
I was still staring when another thought popped into my head. I hesitated, unsure if I would offend Maayan with a more personal question. The Fae was smiling at me and I decided to take the risk.
"Maya, can I ask why you are wearing a girls' school uniform, since you go by they/them?" I blurted out.
Maayan looked down, pulling up at the edges of their skirt. "Oh, well, I don't identify as male or female but sometimes I do enjoy wearing dresses."
"Oh?"
"Unfortunately it raises fewer questions if Maayan presents as female on Earth," Grandpa remarked.
Maya nodded vigorously. "Haha, mostly I don't want to cut my hair."
I reached out to touch Maya's braid, hesitating slightly before feeling the impossibly soft fibers in my hand. "Some boys have long hair here," I murmured, running the braid between my fingers, it ended almost at the fairy's knees.
"Not as long as mine!"
"Yeah, yours is impressive," I admitted. Maayan smiled at me, grabbing the end of their braid and tickling my nose a little.
"We did cut it, a little," Azar admitted, staring at his comrade. I was shocked, trying to imagine hair longer than their knees.
"It's battle-ready!" Maya said with a fierce face, they flipped the long braid around their neck and over their shoulder. I couldn't help but giggle. I looked over at Azar, who was also laughing. The Fire Elemental was still half-dressed, with his shirt open and untucked, tie hanging loosely at his neck. His hair was a deep burgundy right now, and I could only imagine what crazy color it was underneath the illusion of his talisman.
"So what does Azar really look like?"
The Fire Elemental shrugged, the smile leaving his face. "Pretty much like this, but with fangs and long ears."
"What, you're not gonna show me?" I sniffed, placing my hands on both my hips.
"Maybe some other day," he said, glancing off to the side, avoiding my stare.
"It is draining to go back and forth," Grandpa admitted.
"Oh, I'm sorry, I had no idea."
Maya stretched out both their arms, miming as they spoke. "It's like you're wearing a reaaaaally tight piece of clothing. Once you get used to it you feel fine, but if you take it off you just don't want it to go back on."
"But it does have to go back on," Casimir noted, looking at Maya.
"Aw, but it feels so good, just five more minutes?"
Casimir sighed slightly. "Fine, but then we need to go over the school rules."
Maayan raised up their arms in triumph, shouting as they smiled. "Yippee!"