• Chapter 3
    I can’t take it anymore. Kirstine won’t tell me anything. Whenever I bring it up, she talks about birds. Birds! Mom’s as silent a gagged captive. I’ve tried to indirectly ask, but she won’t tell me anything. Dad acts even more clueless than mom!
    What’s really going on? Am I a mutant from mars? Am I a psychopath? Who am I going to reveal? Or more accurately, what am I going to reveal? What was Kirstine talking about? I ask myself every day, but I can’t come up with an answer.
    Nothing makes sense anymore. I’m starting to get scared. I wish someone would tell me. But no one’s gonna give the answer on a silver platter. I wish someone would show me the way. But no one seems to want to be my guide.
    I don’t know why I’m feeling so emotional. It’s not like I’m dealing with a life or death situation. Or at least I think.
    “Sierra! Time for dinner!” Sierra put down her journal. “Be right there!” she yelled back at her mom.
    She sighed and tiredly slid the shiny blue ballpoint pen into the spiral of the journal, then carefully placed the notebook on her bed stand.
    Sierra had decided to keep a journal, since there seemed to be no one else she could talk to. Even though it couldn’t talk back, it still helped her to feel better.
    She slipped on her wool slippers and treaded down the tall stairs to the kitchen. That was one of the disadvantages of an upstairs bedroom.
    She was already dressed in her PJ’s as she sat down for dinner. “What are we having?” she asked.
    “Spaghetti and meatballs,” her mother replied.
    “Again?” complained Sierra.
    “It’s only for the third time! Quit whining!”
    Sierra sighed and slid down in her seat. She stared at the cream colored walls and glanced around at the dirt on the off-white carpet of the living room.
    She recalled the legends her grandmother used to tell her before she moved to Georgia. They consisted of a ten year old girl who disappeared one night in a fire that completely destroyed the upper floor of the house and burned up the lower one. Her family searched the ruins but her remains were never found, not even a single bone. The people searched everywhere, but she was lost forever.
    After the fire they rebuilt the old house. They did their best to make it look the same as it did before the fire; they even painted the walls the same. They tried so hard to make it look like it had before, as if the house would bring her back.
    After two weeks, the family couldn’t bear it anymore. They left, but no one knows what happened to them after that. Some think they left the country, but no one knows for sure.
    The landlord could not bear it either, and sold the house and the property to the Baechawichs.
    “Sierra!” Her mom’s voice snapped her out of her day dream. “You’re spaghetti’s getting cold.”
    Sierra groaned. She stuck her fork into her spaghetti, twirled it around, and then shoved it in her mouth. “Hey mom?” she asked, her mouth full of spaghetti.
    “Yes?” was her mother’s short reply.
    “Could you tell me more about the previous owners of the house?”
    “What is there to tell you about that you don’t already know?”
    “What……what was the girl’s name? The one who disappeared?”
    “Hmm, let me think.” Sierra’s mom slid her fork onto her full plate of spaghetti. “I believe it was Talleigha.”
    “How would you spell that?”
    “T-a-l-l-e-i-g-h-a.”
    “And that’s pronounced tuh lee uh? Cool.” She shoved another fork full of spaghetti in her mouth. “What was her mother’s name?”
    “Sarah.”
    “And her father’s?”
    “Why are you asking so many questions about them?”
    “What about siblings? Did she have any sisters or brothers? And what about pets? Did she have any-“
    “Sierra! Why do you want to know?”
    Sierra stopped. “I……I’m not sure, exactly. Maybe…I don’t know.” Confused, she pushed a meatball around her now spaghetti less plate.
    “So,” her dad began as a failed attempt to distract their minds from the awkward conversation. “Who here likes baseball?”


    Sierra sighed and looked up at the stars. They were so white and beautiful. A lonely cloud drifted across the big dipper. There was a full moon in the sky. Pale shadows on its face matched the deep blue sky around it.
    She lay back in the lush, deep green grass of her front yard surrounded by trees. The occausional dragonfly accompanied the few fireflys that buzzed around her head. The occasional sound of squirrels in the trees was accompanied by the deep hoots of an owl.
    It was such a peaceful night. That was why when she heard heavy feet on twigs she spun arround in surprise.
    A tiny nose stuck out of the underbrush, followed by chocolate brown eyes and tiny, furry ears. A whole head showed now. It was a pup, no more than four months old. Its gray fur glowed silver in the light of the moon. Its tiny paws left tiny prints in the soft soil, and its fuzzy tail wagged back and forth.
    That was when she realized this was not a dog pup, this was a wolf pup. It walked up to her and Sierra gently put out her hand. It tentatively walked up, sniffed her out stretched palm, and shoved its little nose into her hand. It felt cold and wet.
    She found it to be a female. “I’ll call you Silver Moon,” Sierra told it. Silver Moon parted her jaws in a yawn. Her teeth, not yet sharp, gleamed like pearls and her little pink tongue stretched out of her mouth.
    Sierra laughed. It was so cute! But when she picked it up, she realized that such a little creature could not have made such heavy steps, which could only mean……
    Sierra gasped and stood up, turning just in time to see a pair of eyes glistening in the dark. These eyes were not cute, these eyes were not young. These were the eyes of a creature who had seen many battles, one that had matured many years.
    The mother.
    The elder wolf stepped out of the bush. Her paws silently took her towards Sierra untill her noble head was no more than a yard away.
    The way the moonlight glinted off her silver pelt made her fur look astonishingly blue. Lean muscles rippled beneath her coat. The she-wolf stood proud with her head held high.
    Sierra stood captivated by the wolf’s beauty. The sliver and blue wolf’s light brown eyes met her’s and they both stood still and stopped moving.
    Moon River, thought Sierra. The name really did fit the she-wolf standing in front of her, holding her ground with many years of wisdom.
    Moon River’s eyes lost their intenstity to be replaced by kindness and trust, and she smiled and padded forward. Her fur brushed Siearra’s legs as she circled her and lay down at her feet. Sierra bent down and stroked the coat to find it softer than the softest teddy and finer than silk. She set down Silver Moon beside her mother, who picked her up in her jaws.
    Another wolf exited the surrounding forest into the yard. This one was larger than the first, and it’s muscles were stockier than they were lean. Its fur was thick and jet black, only just standing out from the darkness. At first, Sierra thought it to be male, but realized that this one, too, was a she. Its eyes were the purest gold, the color only broken for the blackness of the pupil. Her claws sheathed and unsheathed, her tail, held high, lashed back and forth.
    “Midnight,” Sierra whispered, and she could have sworn that she saw the she-wolf nod. Midnight prowled over near to where Moon River lay and sat down a few yards from her.
    A third wolf, much younger than the first, entered the front lawn from the rear. Her coat was a creamy off white. Her eyes were a chocolate brown and showed a wearyness that contradicted her body language. Her ears twitched back and forth and her tail waved with interest. Curiosity radiated from her agile body. The stars reflected off her pure pelt. “Star Mist,” Sierra told her quietly, and the wolf seemed to agree.
    Star Mist came toward Sierra and the other wolves. Sierra reached a tentative hand down and stroked Star Mist’s back. Mist gave a low, satisfied rumble. Feeling a little more confident, she reached scratched around her ears. Mist’s tail started wagging.
    Midnight looked at Sierra and held her gaze. Sierra felt compelled to stroke her dark coat, but her intimidating look kept her feet glued in place. But no glue could hold her, and Midnight’s gaze eventually lulled Sierra over.
    Sierra kneeled down beside her. Midnight’s eyes softened and Sierra gently touched her nose. Midnight recoyled, but slowly placed her head under Sierra’s still outstretched hand. Sierra cuatiously ran her hand over the black wolf’s head and down her back. Midnight sat rigged as Sierra repeated this movement over and over, until both human and wolf were relaxed.
    Sierra stood up. The other three she-wolfs, Silver Moon in Moon River’s mouth, had softly padded over beside her during her session with Midnight. She looked up at the moon as a she heard the bone chilling howl of a fourth wolf in the distance. It sounded fearful, sad, glad, and anxious, all at the same time.
    The four wolves by Sierra immediately sat up and perked their ears. As it sounded again, they darted off into the distance. Sierra sat down in the grass in amazement and awe of the majestic visitors that just left.


    Chapter 4
    “Kirstine! I’ve been looking for you!” Sierra trapped her friend at the locker.
    Kirstien mumbled under her breath.
    “Kirstine, I want answers and I want them now.”
    “Can……can this wait untill after school?”
    “Did you not hear the last part of my demand?”
    “Yeah, well…”
    “Well what?”
    “I…I can’t… I can’t tell you, not now.”
    “Why not?”
    “If I could tell you that I could tell you everything.”
    “So tell me everything.”
    “It’s more complicated then that. Otherwise I would.”
    “What could be so complicated that you can’t tell me now and that you’ve been avoiding me so you wouldn’t have to tell me?”
    “I-“ Kirstine started to explain, but just then the bell rang. “Catch me after school…you know where.” With that she darted off.

    After school, Sierra started down her normal path home. When she turned the corner, she looked around to be sure no one was looking. After she was sure no one was, she darted left into the trees, running quickly as so not to get caught.
    When she saw the big oak, she slowed to a steady walk. Sierra flung her backpack under the camoflage tarp they kept under the many bushes lining the tree.
    She crawled under the natural and hidden ark in the bush branches a few yards until she reached the base of the tree. Taking off her sandles she scaled the tree, disapearing under the numerous vines that covered it.
    After the branches became so thick she could no longer see the ground she stopped and carfully inched around the base untill she saw the place the branches were tightly woven together. Squeazing through a hole in the side, she found herself in a small hut-like struckture, furnishe with a rug, two pillows, a stack of books, a wireless radio, two bean bags, five journals, a jacket, a walkie-talkie, a battery powered lamp, and two coolers: one with ice for drinks and one without for snacks. She also found Kirstine lounging in the purple bean bag. Sierra seated herself beside her in the green one.
    The first thing out of Kirstine’s mouth was, “Have you ever wondered why the branches holding this thing together never snap or fall?”
    “Well yeah,” Sierra admitted. “Every time I come in here, but I always dismiss the thought. ‘It hasn’t fallen yet’ I think, why now?”
    “I know why the branches are so strong.”
    “Okay then, I’ll ask. Why?”
    “Magic.”
    “Uh huh.”
    “That’s the secret I couldn’t tell you. Or at least, that’s part of it.”
    “That’s it? Magic? Ha! That’s the secret?” Sierra couldn’t help it! She burst out laughing.
    But then something happened she didn’t expect, something that stopped her laughter in her throat.
    Kirstine’s tongue lolled out of her mouth as her ears moved up her head and became pointed and covered in dark and light brown fur, the same fur that began to cover her arms and legs. Her fingers shortened and her nails lengthened, just like her feet had done. Her eyes became wiser and amber, while her face changed shape and her teeth got sharper with her snout covered in a more silvery fur. Her tail bone shot out, then was emediatly covered with flesh and light and dark brown speckled fur. She feel forward onto all fours as her clothes suddenly appeared neatly folded on the floor beside her to reveal a wolf.
    Kirstine was a she wolf! Well, actually, she became a she wolf, one with speckled silver and brown fur. She walked up to Sierra and stuck her muzzle right up in her face within and inch of her nose. Sierra froze.
    And then something in her mind, what seemed like a thought, just suddenly popped up involintarily.
    |Hey.| Sierra narrowed her eyes.
    |I said hey! Hello! Anybody home?| Sierra blinked, confused.
    |Yoohoo! Can you talk? Don’t you recognize my voice?| Now that she thought about it, yes, Sierra did recognize the voice. It sounded almost like…
    |It’s me, Kirstine! Haven’t you ever heard of telepathy?|
    “Holy COW!” Sierra shreiked. “No way!!”
    |Yeah way! Isn’t this neato?| Kirstine pulled her head away form Sierra’s face and started to change back. The process only took five seconds, but during those five seconds, Sierra’s vission blurred so badly she couldn’t make out anything! But when her vision cleared, there was Kirstine, sitting in the purple bean bag picking her nails.
    “That’s nuts!” Sierra shouted.
    “Yeah, I know. That’s what I first said I first learned about it.”
    “Who taught you?”
    “Moon River.”
    “Who?!”
    As if on que, a small white dove flew into the branch shelter. Again, Sierra’s vision blurred in the short time it took for Moon River to shift back.
    “But you can call me Reily,” she said. Reily had straight, light brunette hair and four blue hightlights with chocolate brown eyes and fair skin. A few freckles ran down her arms and across her cheeks. Reily realy wasn’t that short, she was about the same size as Sierra herself, and she had a sing-song voice and when she walked she seemed to glide. “I know you’ve already met my younger sister, Silver Moon. She likes to be called Molly.”
    A small squirel darted in, morphed human following the same proceedure as the others, and appeared, smiling, beside her sister. “Hi,” said Molly shyly. She looked like a mini copy of her sister, but without the blue highlights: hers were red.
    “Midnight and Star Mist couldn’t make it. They were both caught up in other things. Nasha had soccer and Misty is having a hard time dogding…him,” Reily informed them.
    “Don’t ask,” Kirstine said, seeming to have read her mind.
    “Okay then. But I believe you owe me an explination.”
    “Well then, sit back, relax, and try not to die of bordom,” Reily told her.
    “Ha ha, very funny, Reily, but my speach really isn’t that boring.”
    “Psh, right. You practically sent Molly to sleep!”
    “She’s four!”
    “Your point?”
    “You two are acting like and old married couple!” Sierra shouted.
    “Fine then. If you think my speaches are so boring, you tell her,” Kirstine said.
    “Fine, I think I will!” Reily replied.
    “Will someone just TELL me please?!”
    “Here we go. We aren’t normal, our little band of heros. We posses, um, powers, if you will. Me, I’m a teleporter, Nasha does the whole controlling elements thing, your friend Kirstine over here flys-“
    “I LEVITATE!!” Kirstine interupted.
    “Okay then, levitates, Molly turns invisible and creates forcefeilds -some how those two are always found in the same person- and Misty is psychic. It’s actually kind of creepy what she can do, but looking at her past, It’s not surprising.
    “You see, what you call us now didn’t used to be our names. We all have an interesting past that lead us to be who we are, that lead us to do what we do. Misty’s is the most complicated, so I’ll let her tell you. Nasha’s parent’s died in a car accident, leaving her in the hands of her seemingly crazy aunt, Mary. Nasha’s name used to be Kortney. Turns out, her Aunt actually knew about the alternate world –you’ll find out about that much later- and taught her all about it. It was through this that she was able to cope and go on living a seemingly normal life under cover.
    “I’m a missing child. I dissapeared ten years ago, or rather was taken, when I was mearly two. I grew up with the man, who only took me because he knew of my talents. Back then, my name was Ashley. The man raised me well and brought me up as if I were his…I thought I was! He married when I was five, then died two years later, leaving me with his wife, Caitlin, who just so happened to me Nasha’s aunt’s sister. That’s how we met.
    “Molly, well, Molly was wandering around at the age of two, and she, um, well, she kinda fell off a cliff-don’t ask me how! Anyway, Nasha found her and took her home. She was half dead by then. But Aunt Mary- I call her that too- healed her –that’s her gift- and taught her some of what she knows.
    “Kirstine is and elf. No, I’m kidding. She’s no more elf than you are. NO, you are not an elf! Kirstine’s name is Sun Leaf, no nickname, and she was actually on the Titanic! She couldn’t swim and sunk way down where a shark –I don’t know what it was doing there- bit her arm off. The scent of blood attracted others, and soon she was surrounded by sharks. Kirstine is an odd one, the first one of us who has discovered her talent on her own. Some how she morphed into a blue whale and swam off. When she morphed back, her arm was fully healed. She wandered the woods for years and years and years, until finally she met me, also in the woods, just exploring. I took her back and now she stays with me.
    “And now we come to you. You’re normal, as far as I can tell, the first of us to discover their talent without anything tramatizing. Congratz! No suffering! Or at least not yet. Oh, right. Kirstine, what’s her power?”
    “She’s a time stopper.”
    “How’d she find out?”
    Kirstine relayed the whole story on Reily, starting from that day in math and ending with the blackboard.
    “Were you not wearing your necklace?”
    “No, the chain had broken that morning. Besides, she doesn’t have one so it wouldn’t have mattered anyway.”
    Sierra noticed for the first time the little gems around each of the girl’s necks on different types of chains or leather. The gems were small, smooth, and perfectly round, and each had a different color.
    “Oh. Yeah. Well, anyway, welcome to our group, Sierra. I dub ye-“
    “Hey! Only Aunt Mary can change names or truly accept her into the group!” Kirstine then turned to Sierra and said, “Sorry, but that’s just the way it is.”
    Sierra couldn’t say a word. She was too shocked with all of this information.
    Molly cocked her little head and spoke for the first time. “Is she making pie tonight?” Her words still a babyish tone and a ring like a bell.
    Reily patted her little head. “If you want her to. But last time I heard it was gonna be macaroni and cheese or spaggetti.”
    Sierra winced inwardly at the mention of spaggetti.
    “Then can we go home and eat?”
    “Sure. Come on Kirstine.”
    “Be right there!” Kirstine replied. “Hey, try not to tell anybody. I hope you’ll forgive me.”
    “Ye…Yeah….Yeah, course. Sure. Oh, wow.”
    Kirstine gave a little chuckle. “See ya later.”
    A minute later two doves and a squirrel left the small branch shelter, leaving Sierra alone, deep in thought.