Chapter 1 - Introductions
"Hey Luce! What kept you waiting?" asked Allegra, Lucy Evans' best friend, as Lucy flew out of her window to her side.
"Sorry. Mum and Dad stayed up watching a movie," she replied. The two twelve-year-old girls then set off for the Stardust Glade (the meeting place of the stardust spirits) in the woods, doing flips and telling jokes under the starry canvas of the sky.
Eventually, they reached the clearing where around thirty stardust spirits were either flitting around the glade or talking in little clumps on the ground. They wore clothes of blue, green, silver and gold, each colour representing a different type of spirit: green for spring, gold for summer, silver for autumn and blue for winter. But there was one spirit that was stood out. She was wearing a pearly grey dress - the mark of a new, uncategorized stardust spirit. On closer inspection, it turned out that she was about twelve (Their age, Lucy thought excitedly), with long, straight, dark brown hair, a spray of freckles across her nose, and dark grey eyes that were flecked with gold.
"Ah, there you are, you two," Xanthe Greenwood, Allegra's mum said, "This is Estelle McCann. She just moved in nearby and only found out tonight that she was a stardust spirit. I'd like you, Ella and Faye to show her the basic magic and tell her about our world and our purpose. Is that ok?"
Both girls nodded.
"That's great. Ella and Faye should be in the Alder Grove nearby," Xanthe added before giving the girls a warm smile and joining the other adult spirits. Allegra and Lucy turned to Estelle.
"So, want to follow us?" Allegra asked. Estelle smiled shyly and gave a tiny nod. With that, they swooped away to find Ella and Faye. (I'm a poet and I just don't know it! :D)
When the three reached the Alder Grove, they found Ella and Faye healing a patch of burnt grass from an ignorant human's campfire.
"Hey guys!" Lucy called, excitement evident on her face. "This is Estelle. She's a new spirit. Xanthe wants us to show her the basics."
Ella nodded and stated, "My name is Ella Black and I'm a spring spirit. This is Faye Dawkins and she's a winter spirit."
Estelle said nothing, a distant look in her eyes. Allegra broke the silence by saying,
"So, since Xanthe said that you're new to the area, where did you come from, Estelle?"
She looked up and said with a rather strong American accent, "I used to live at a year-round camp in New York with my older brother and sister, but they both died last summer. My dad died when I was three, so I ended up living with my auntie."
An even more awkward silence ensued. Faye went over to her and gave her a quick, reassuring hug.
"Want to see some magic?" Faye whispered.
Estelle broke through her sombre demeanour and agreed quickly.
"Rain be with me!" Faye shouted, her hands pointed at a patch of clover. A small, grey raincloud formed and rain started to pelt down. She expertly changed the rain to snow, then hail, then back to rain, before dissipating the cloud. Ella went next.
"Earth be with me, plants grow!" A small oak tree sprouted and grew until it was three metres tall. Then she shrank it to nothing. Then came Allegra.
"Wind be with me!" A cool breeze picked up several leaves, before the breeze faded away.
Then came Lucy's turn.
"Fire be with me!" A fireball burst from her fingertips. It burst above their heads like a bright orange firework. Estelle clapped excitedly.
The girls spent the next hour or so explaining about their purpose - about how they were supposed to protect nature and heal the damage that humans created.
"So, after you perfect your basic magic, you can learn higher magic-" Lucy explained before she noticed that Estelle was no longer paying attention.
"Are you okay?" Faye asked nervously. Estelle looked at the small group.
"Stay here. Don't follow me." With that, she flew quickly from the clearing.
The small wait seemed to take forever. When Estelle returned, she was covered in golden dust and had a long, angry cut down her arm.
"You're hurt!" Faye gasped. She quickly flew over to the wounded girl and used her powerful higher magic to heal the cut.
"What happened?" Ella asked. Estelle waved the question away.
"Oh, nothing. Doesn't matter. Now, where were we?"
The evening went normally from then on, and before Lucy knew it, she and Allegra were flying home.
"So, what do you think of Estelle?" Lucy questioned.
"She seems nice - quite quiet though. I think she and Faye will get along quite well. I wonder what type of spirit she'll be." Allegra replied.
"I'd just like to know where she disappeared to. It seems quite suspicious."
"She won't be a dark spirit - she didn't know what type of spirit she was. I guess we'll just have to wait and see."
"Yeah… Anyway, night, Allegra!"
The two girls then parted ways to have a restful night's sleep.
So, chapter 1 done! Remember to tell me what you think - constructive criticism is welcome!