“Soldiers,” Mistress Ebony addressed her recruits, all standing in a straight line in front of her, “you’re about to take part in one of the most important missions since 1856, when Omar was sent to seek a vampire. He came back from battle bruised and broken, but he succeeded. But, enough about history! Let’s lower the golden staircase so you can get down to the Free World.”
She called out to the workers to lower the staircase and they began pulling chains, much like how a drawbridge would be pulled down.
Mist stood nervously in her jeans and tank top, the closest thing she could find to human clothes. Her pointed ears had been magically shrunk to look more natural, and her wings had been shrunk into her back.
“Can’t you go any faster? Use magic or something!” Ebony ordered the workers. One of them turned to face her.
“We would, missus, but the fing is, we wasn’t ed-oo-cated. We pulled out o’ school first year we could. Sorry.”
Ebony rolled her eyes impatiently. Mist couldn’t imagine living without magic, but here she was, about to enter a world of science where she would not even be allowed to sprinkle a little pixie dust to stop her from getting cold.
“Right, now that these two have finally figured out how to get the staircase down all the way, I’d just like to go over a few rules.” Ebony shifted her eye contact evenly among her recruits, never lingering. The recruits already knew the rules, but it gave some comfort to Ebony’s command by repeating them.
“Rule number one: never use magic of any kind. If a human sees it, our future is doomed. This is absolutely serious! There will be the highest punishment for those who will break this rule.
“Rule number two: you may only mention to one human that you are a pixie, but I prefer if you did not tell them at all. It would make it less hassle for us. We do have prepared spells that will ensure no information about us will leave the poor human, though, if you do so happen to indulge about us.
“Rule number three: Never take a fancy to a human. The last pixie that did wished they hadn’t.” Ebony glared especially at the female recruits, including Mist, when this rule was spoken.
“Once you get down to the bottom of the staircase, open the door one at a time and it will take you to your allocated destination. You will land somewhere far away from civilisation, so that no one will see you fall randomly from the sky. Figure your own way out.
“Lastly, on the maps I have given you, there will be a circled area. That is where you are allowed to go. Wander into someone else’s area and they can dispose of you in whichever way they see fit.” Ebony smiled. “Good luck, all of you. Don’t forget to watch out for the prophecies.” Ebony took a deep breath after she finished her speech and gestured at her crew to say they could leave.
Mist stepped onto the golden staircase daintily, as if scared she would all of a sudden disappear. She didn’t, so she continued her walk to the Free World, where her dreams of ever getting married vanished.
The walk to Earth was long and tiring, the staircase too steep for them to stop for any purpose. A couple of people stumbled, and a sprite even tripped and almost fell off the staircase altogether. Mist gave him a hand with straightening himself up before he actually fell over. He gave her a thankful smile and a salute in return.
Eventually, after much pain and tears, the soldiers reached a doorway. A soldier at the front pushed it open with difficulty. As soon as he entered, the door slammed shut, making the others flinch at the loud noise. Many others went through the door and much the same thing happened. The whole time Mist shuffled nervously, not knowing what the door beyond held. Finally, it was Mists turn to enter, and she pushed the door open, realising how heavy it was. It slammed shut behind her, but she was unable to hear it, for silvery voices were filling her ear with chants. She concentrated on just one, and realised that they were prophecies, the things Ebony had warned her about. They eventually died down, except for one, and she concentrated hard on it to make sure she understood it.
We see you, Misty Eyes,
The book does not tell lies,
You knew it was forbidden,
And you thought it would be hidden,
Immisteria, naughty girl,
Have you ruined the pixie world?
It continued to echo loudly in her ears even after it had finished. She tried to understand the haunting words it repeated. Was she about to break one of the rules? She was determined not to screw her first chance to become a successful PMA, so why would she put her new career in danger? But the more she thought it, the more she doubted it. How could she change the future without knowing how she was in that position anyway?
Her mind stopped spinning when she landed with a thud in a meadow, a long way out from anywhere that she could see. She lay there for a long time, thinking and wondering about everything.
The smell of Earth first hit her as she opened her eyes, and at this moment she began to take in the Free World.
What a place, thought Mist. Although she’d studied Earth at school, it was nothing like seeing it in the flesh. It gave her a feeling of hope, like now that she was here it would be easier to achieve her goal.
Mist decided it was time to get up and start walking, but she still had no idea what she was supposed to do. Where was she going to stay? How was she going to get there? Where was she supposed to start looking? Damn that Ebony for not fully preparing her for the mission.
One thing that was certain about her duty was the reason she was here in the first place. Mist knew little of the Stones of Eline, but she did know that they had been missing for a long time, and only one of the seven had been found. She also knew that the door that they belonged in was powerful magic, and if all the Stones were placed in the Door, there was supposed to be a big magical explosion and the Door would finally open.
Mist continued to walk, until at last she came to a road. This road was different to the ones in Evanesca. Instead of cloud, it was made of tiny, black rocks. Again Mist marvelled at the wonders of the human world, but instantly felt a pang for those other recruits. I bet some of them didn’t study Earth in school. They wouldn’t know about human transport, or food, or anything along those lines.
Now starting to get hungry, Mist wondered how much longer it would take to get to the nearest town. Probably awhile on foot. She sighed and trudged on.
Just as this thought passed, a car honked at her. She turned her head to face it. It had pulled over on the side of the road, and the driver wound the window down.
“Need a ride?” the driver asked.
Seeing as Mist was unaware of the dangers brought about by hopping into a stranger’s car, she simply nodded and wasted no time getting in.
Once she had closed the door, she took in the interior’s features. The car’s walls were dirty and small, and she had to hunch her back to fit in: partly because the car was small, partly because pixies, including Mist, were so tall, too.
The car reeked of stale cigarettes and the leather seats were uncomfortable, but it sure bet walking all the way.
Next to the driver, beaming, sat a much younger man, likely the driver’s son. Mist noticed he was quite handsome, with brown, curly hair and amber eyes. He kept on smiling at Mist. She quickly diverted her eyes to the driver, hiding a smirk.
“Where to?” the driver asked.
Mist hesitated. She had no idea.
“Uh…” She looked at the map she had been given and answered once she knew. The driver chuckled and drove off.
“So,” the boy turned around to face her, “I’m Elijah, this is my dad, Harry. You are…?”
“Im… ogen. Imogen… Frank,” Mist stuttered, realising halfway that her real name would stand out in this world. “I’m new. I’ve been transferred to the high school here for the last semester.”
Mist was extremely pleased with her story, only having just made it up then.
“Well, pleased to meet you Imogen. I think you’ll fit in just fine here.”
“I sure hope so,” Mist replied.
“So, Imogen, how did you manage to get all the way in the middle of nowhere?” Elijah’s dad asked.
Mist had no idea what to say. Taking a big breath, she tried as hard as she could to say something believable, but not before she attempted to dodge the question.
“Um… well it’s kind of a long story.”
“We have time,” Harry replied cheerfully.
“Well, my dad got a job in the area, so we bought a house in the town and decided to move. When we got to the train station, we got a phone call from… my auntie, who said that my grandma had been diagnosed with cancer. My parents decided it would better if I didn’t see her like that, so they told me to catch the train to, well, here while they went back to… Alice Springs to check on grandma. It wasn’t until after they left that I realised they had the ticket and the money, so I had to start walking.” Mist breathed a sigh of relief, hoping her story was believable.
“That is an interesting story, and a long way to walk. Lucky we came along.”
Mist was relieved he didn’t question her story. She smiled, deciding she liked these people.
After a while of driving, they finally arrived in the small town.
“What address are you at?” Harry asked.
“14 Green Street,” Mist replied, consulting her map.
They arrived at the said address. Mist almost gasped outloud. It was a shabby, rundown joint that looked as if it would fall apart at the touch of a doorknob.
“Uh…” Harry began when he saw the house. “You know what? I would love to welcome you to our town. How about you come to our place for the dinner?”
“Thanks, but… I ate at the station,” she replied. “We should have looked at the house before we bought it.”
Elijah and Harry looked at each other with worried expressions.
“Okay… But if you ever want any help with…uh… repairing, or redecorating this place, just talk to Elijah at school and we’ll be there.”
Mist thanked the pair and watched as they drove off. Then she turned back to the house and wished herself luck.
