Emily and the Sprites of Light

by Karen Michelle Brooks

Emily and the Sprites of Light, continues the main character, Emily May Harrison's journey and focuses on the Power of the Imagination, with the idea that 'Everything is Alive'.

EMILY AND THE SPRITES OF LIGHT

Emily and the Sprites of Light

Karen Michelle Brooks

Emily and the Sprites of Light

Copyright © 2007 Karen Michelle Brooks

Smashwords Edition 1.

ISBN: 9781301233564

DEDICATION

For Cilliers, who has always believed in me,

and in so doing, has set me free.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

To the many teachers on my path who have sparked my interest in worlds unknown, and to those who are dedicated to educating our children on the wonders of the world.

Our imaginations create the world's we live in, the only way to know is to believe it. Find the Power of your Imagination…

CHAPTER ONE

Emily felt like she was finally coming out of her slump.

She woke to the sound of the waves crashing onto the misshapen, centuries-old rocks outside her bedroom window and stretched in the newness of the day. Seagulls squawked outside.

She looked fondly at the new white dressing table, with mirror, that her gran had bought for her before she came home from boarding school the previous year. Emily loved the pushing and shoving that happened in the mornings as they both battled for space on Gran's tiny dressing table seat. While Gran tried to curl what little hair was left on her head, Emily would run Gran's antique silver comb and brush through her full, thick hair. Even though she had her own dressing table now, she still preferred to plague Gran each morning. Smiling, Emily sat up in her high tokoloshie bed. Her mind replayed the teasing and taunting that had happened the previous day.

"Emily, stop hogging the seat," said Gran, pushing Emily away with her hip, stretching her neck for a glimpse of herself in the mirror.

"But Gran, what do you need the mirror for? You've only got wisps left of your grey crowning glory. Shouldn't you rather use the curling tongs and try to conserve what you have left?" Emily had said her bum firmly planted.

Gran had thrown the curling tongs at her, shouting, "Impudent girl. Go away. Get. Shoo!" swatting Emily away like a fly, as she ducked. It was good to have some of the bantering and happy moments back in the house.

Emily had spent most of the Christmas holiday cocooned inside the house, her head buried in books. Her best friend, Sam, remained the eternal optimist. Sam had run in every day regardless and tried to get Emily back into the sunshine.

Once or twice Emily had gone with Sam, but she still felt so separate from everyone. She felt like a ghost, floating at the edges of the games and festivities, wanting to be a part of them but unable to because she was invisible.

She read a lot of books about death during the holiday, unusual for a girl who was approaching her fourteenth birthday. Her favorite book was written by a psychiatrist who worked with children dying of cancer. She was trying to find logical, scientific evidence of different worlds and things out of the ordinary, and was curious about what happened to people once they died. Too many people had just disappeared on her, leaving her with unanswered questions.

That was why she decided to stay away from the people around her who knew what had happened last year. Sam seemed to take everything in her stride, and the more she saw Sam, the angrier she got. Sometimes it was just easier to stay away from people that knew everything about you.

She knew it wasn't anyone's fault that Jessica had died, but she wanted to lash out at someone, anyone. Poor Gran was usually in the firing line

Which is why it was so nice to be bantering with Gran again. Emily swung her legs over the side of the bed, looking down at the multi-coloured rug that covered the wooden floorboards in her room. Her white dressing gown hung over the end of her bed with her slippers neatly beside it on the floor.

Too hot, she thought, looking out the window at the late-morning sun coming into the room. She found that she was reading later and later at night and waking up later during the day, but since she had nothing to do or no one waiting for her, it suited her just fine. Of course, it made Gran mad, but wasn't this her role as the wayward, wacky teenager?

Emily plodded over to her wardrobe and pulled a bright summer dress full of sunflowers off the hanger. She slipped it over her head then sniffed her armpits. She preferred showering in the evening, since the day's solitary walks accumulated beach sand and grass between her toes.

She stepped into her slip-slops and walked out the bedroom.

"Good Heavens!" Emily heard Gran say, out the corner of her eye, "aren't you a sight for a sore eyes? So what's changed? Where are you going?"

"Oh, Gran. Stop it. I haven't been so bad, have I?" asked Emily, "I just want a bit of sunshine in my life again."

"Good for you girl, you go get it," said Gran, folding up the newspaper she'd been reading out on the front porch. "Lunch is at one o' clock sharp remember, but since you've decided finally to join the living again, we'll wait if we have to."

Gran had been very concerned about the books Emily had been reading. A girl as young as Emily shouldn't have to deal with things like death and grief. But there was nothing she could have done to change anything. She knew her granddaughter felt responsible for her friend Jessica's death, but wasn't able to convince her otherwise.

And Jessica's death brought up the death of her mother and disappearance of her father, of course. Emily had asked questions about them all the time as she grew older, but Gran had never been able to tell her the whole truth, only because she had no clue herself. God help me, Gran had thought, when the Elder had told her about Jessica's death. Please help Emily, she had prayed reverently.

Eventually, she decided to leave Emily to her morbid books. If they were helping Emily, so be it. Now it seemed to have worked, since the shining apparition that was Emily reborn had suddenly appeared. Smiling, she watched Emily bounce down the front steps of the house.

She creaked up on her elderly knees, yelling, "Mamasita! Emily's up and about." Mamasita danced out of the kitchen, singing, "What you be yelling about now, you ole fool." Black as the ace of spades, Mamasita was the perfect companion for the Queen of Hearts that Gran believed herself to be.

"Our Em's wearing her sunflower dress and is off to the beach," grinned Gran. "I think we can finally bring out the best cutlery and sunniest smiles." "Hallelujah!" said Mamasita, "Praise to God. I was feeling like the dead in my own house." Gran smiled and the two of them held hands, swinging around in a mock waltz.

"I know it's been difficult having to walk on egg shells around her Mamasita, but surely not all bad. Ah, it doesn't matter. She's back. Our girl is back. Oh careful… " Gran said, trying to avoid the bulldog like creature that appeared out of nowhere, carrying what seemed like a jiggling twig on its back.

Emily walked towards the beach, wondering how she was going to re-integrate herself into her group of friends. Her blue flowery slip-slops crunched down, each step reminding her that she was alive and that all she needed to do was show up.

She had grabbed her bright striped beach towel off the wooden stake fence as she'd swung out of the yard, and dumped it over her shoulder. It slapped her with each step.

Suddenly it hit her bum hard, as if someone had forced it. She turned around sharply, hands up to fight, fearful but ready. Nothing. No frightful Snake or threatening Man of any kind. Just giggling coming from her feet.

"Hi Em, phlegm, ahem," said a fast-moving hand-sized creature, its furiously waving arm the size of her little finger. Elvis.

"Hello Emily May," came the more serious greeting from the dog lookalike, Pugly, at the same time, "Are you feeling better?"

Emily looked down at her two Auranian companions. They'd been gone for so long she'd almost forgotten what a pleasure their company was. She'd helped them last year to stop their land, Aurana, from disappearing entirely. Aurana seemed to be a parallel universe of sorts, but her Shimmers, as she called these creatures, had visited her before that in her dreams and in her 'real' life.

Emily had wondered if Aurana was where people went when they died, but the creatures and beings there were so different from humans that she wasn't sure she'd found the answers to her questions about death. With all its colours and shining and dark folk, Aurana was still an anomaly to her.

The reason she was out and about today was because she'd decided to stop thinking. It was as simple as that. She'd decided to stop thinking, reading and trying to figure things out, and to live for a change. She'd also decided that she didn't want to think about Aurana, or what had happened last year, because when she did, the Shadows and the most hideous, frightening Manpopped into her head at the same time.

But she couldn't ignore these two Auranians. They seemed to take 'Go away' as an invitation to come closer, so instead of the usual 'Bug off', Emily said grandly, "Well, hello fellow travellers of the universe. How art thou?"

"Say what, squat, lot. Have you lost it, kit, git, Em?" Elvis said, grinning naughtily, grabbing onto her swinging towel and squirming his way up to her shoulder, his favourite spot.

"Fellow travellers of the universe, nice, ahem, ring to it. So you're finally going to acknowledge us? Left your nonsense behind, figured out that life is for the living?" asked Pugly.

"Yeah well, it's been tough, okay? Jess might not have been a close friend but I still can't figure out whyshe stepped in front of me, whyshe was the one that Silenkis…" Emily shivered, "ugh, that snake, if that was what it was, killed her or what happened afterwards. What happened to her? Do you know, Pugs?"

"Or should I rather call you wise one or traitor?" asked Emily.

Grimacing at the reference to him not being at Emily's side during the Battle, Pugly said, "Let's not go there. And I think you've been focused on the dead for too long; let's rather look at living for a while. Maybe if we do, we'll find the answers that will help. What do you say, hey? And I prefer wise one, if you're looking at labelling me."

"I agree, on both counts. You're right as always. It's your most irritating trait, you know that, Pugs? Knowing everything, or should I say, almosteverything?" Emily said, smiling innocently, knowing that she would get up Pugly's nose with that remark.

"To the beach, to the beach, reach, peach, witch," said Elvis, his body squiggling in excitement, as the three companions walked onwards.

Emily was aware that other humans couldn't see Elvis and Pugly. Or at least, most humans, with the exception of those who had been with her during the Battle in Edwina's weird shop in Kingstown. She realised it probably looked like she'd been talking aloud to the ground for a few minutes. She reminded herself to act as normally as possible when Pugly and Elvis were there.

Last year, most of what she'd learned was that thoughts are things. Pugly's laughing voice popped into her head. "Welcome back Emily May. Good thing you remembered to hear us insidebefore you met your friends on the beach. They think you're mad enough already. Imagine if they saw you speaking to nothing in particular?"

"Oh hush Pugs, I'm remembering. I'm also remembering what a pain you could be," Emily said in her mind, smiling at Pugly. She loved the fact that her teacher was back, but purposefully looked through him at the beautiful white lily that had grown up in the damp on the side of the pavement on the road.

Emily walked past the tea room, where visitors often spent their days eating delicious ice creams and seafood, past the parking lot and down the ramp towards the beach. She stopped to take off her flowery slip slops, slipping them into her beach bag. The fine velvet sand oozed between her toes – hot, but not too hot.

Thinking about velvet made her smile at the image of Josh that popped into her head. Josh lived in Kingstown, a street kid with heart and uncanny intuition. She wondered how he was doing. A frantic full-armed wave caught her eye, making her forget momentarily about Josh as Sam called loudly to her.

"Em, here we are," Sam said, rushing towards her.

"Hi Pugs. Hey Elvis," she said, reaching towards Emily's shoulder. Sam had seen the two beingsat the end of last year when they had suddenly appeared in The Void, after the fight was over. She'd wondered if she would see them again and was delighted that she could.

She had wanted to speak to Emily about them, along with everything else that had happened. Snakes stabbed with swords, or so Emily had told them. Ugly beak-faced monkeys that had started to transform in front of their eyes. The Man that Emily mentioned a few times after the fight, shivering and pale.

Sam was glad that she'd seen some of the creatures Emily talked about, and was very glad she hadn't seen some of the other creatures. Hey Sam, she heard in her mind. She wasn't used to voices running around her head. Thinking she had heard it from Pugly's mouth, Sam said aloud again, "Hey Pugs."

Emily laughed; the first real laugh she had had since last year. "Sam, you're going to have to remember to speak in your mind. If you walk around saying, 'Hey' to things that other people can't see, you'llbe the talk of the village for a change, not me."

"Oh, okey dokey, pokey," said Sam, sounding a little like Elvis, "I forgot, but you've had a whole year to practice hearing thoughts and speaking to nothing, Em."

"Hey, say, way, we aren't nothing, suffering, puffing," Elvis teased.

Sam asked aloud, "Did you hear that in your mind? Elvis's words? At least I think it was Elvis?"

"Hear what?" joked Emily, leaving Sam hanging for a while. "Yes, yes, of course I did."

" Isn't this the coolest thing ever, Em? Is it really just you and me who can see them?" asked Sam.

"And Gran and sometimes Mamasita, though they seem to frighten the stuffing out of her," Emily laughed.

"At least here that is. I think the others that were in the room at Edwina's would also be able to see them, like Josh and his Mom. Maybe Sarah did, I don't know. And Morgan, or at least for a moment there she said she could. But you know Morgan, she doesn't think much," said Emily, contemplatively.

Sam saw their friends in her mind's eye, wondering if or how they were all coping with seeing things. Now that she was out of her doldrums, Emily was freakishly excited at how things were progressing.

Sam took Emily's arm and led her forward, saying, "Let's go Em, everyone's been waiting for you to come out of your shell, or book hole. They've been asking about you, believe it or not, since you seemed stranger than usual, ha-ha, but I told them you'd taken a beating at the end of last year and didn't want to show your bruises."

"Kidding, kidding." said Sam, as Emily shot her a sharp look.

"Nah, I just said that you needed some time since we lost a good friend last year and that you felt like it was your fault. It wasn't, you know? Jess did what she did because she wanted to. She was a bit odd, remember? Always sneaking around…" Sam prattled on, as she moved Emily into their group of Paradise Beach friends.

"Hey Pete, here's Em. She promised me she'd stay around for a while this time." Sam smiled as Emily blushed, her pink cheeks glowing in response to Sam's teasing. Pete, Sam, Emily and some of the other friends on the beach had spent their junior years together in the Paradise Beach school.

"Yeah, yeah," Emily managed to get out in defense, finding her feet and courage at the same time, "I'm here. Here to stay for the day – or at least until lunch time."

Everyone laughed and the conversation returned to where it had been, as the two friends continued bantering. Emily took off her flowery dress, laid out her striped towel and showed off her new polka dot bikini. Ouch, she thought, I must remember to not clash so much; flowers, stripes and now dots. She lay backwards, heard a "No man," and turned sharply to look behind her back, but realised it was Pugly trying to sit in her shade, complaining. He moved out of the way to find another place to rest. "You don't really need shade, do you Pugs?" she said voicelessly, not waiting for an answer.

"Em. Em. I've been itching to tell you, I'm so glad you're finally here. I've got a surprise for you," Sam said slowly, prophetically, not realising that she had just repeated the last words Emily had heard from the Elder before she'd disconnected from Aurana at the end of last year.

CHAPTER TWO

Emily had tried all of her powers of persuasion to get Sam to tell her what the surprise was, but Sam wasn't budging. No matter how many times Emily dunked her in the sea or chased her with the cricket bat, threatening Sam's bare brown legs, Sam wouldn't tell her. Sam just kept repeating, "It wouldn't be a surprise if I told you, now would it?" running away, laughing.

Surprises weren't Emily's favourite things. She'd had too many disturbing surprises to make them fun. But she had to leave Sam's taunting eventually, since Gran had come down to call her home. They'd been having so much fun she'd missed lunch entirely.

"So, child," said Mamasita, squashing her large frame into the antique wooden dining room chair, "I haven't seen you feeling so good for a while now. Glad to have your ole self back finally."

Emily was starving. She nodded while shoveling in another forkful of salad. Greens weren't her best food, but after a day of running around she was ravenous.

"I keep getting the feeling that something is going to happen tonight …" Gran said, her eyes unfocused. Emily stopped chewing and glared at her Gran: What on earth did she mean by that? Gran shook her head and looked at Emily freaking out on the other side of the table, "Oh I don't mean to frighten you Em. Everything's okay, really. It just feels like the airis a bit different. Hasn't felt like this for ages, and if I'm not mistaken, I saw that dog and jiggly thing today for the first time in a long time. What do you call them Em? Oh yes Pugly and, and … help me out Mamasita … oh yes, Elvis," Gran continued, as her thoughts and words all jumbled out together.

"What do you mean, the air's different?" asked Emily.

"Can't you feel it, girl?" said Gran, wondering why Emily, with her advanced sense of intuition, couldn't. "I, or the air, or whatever," Gran teased, using one of Emily's favourite words, "just feel lighter, happier maybe. It's probably because you're back from the dead," Gran laughed, dismissing any claim to anything else being different as dinner resumed and discussions went back to normal everyday things.

Emily walked sleepily to her room. She had run a piping hot bath, gently soaking the sand, sun and sea from her body. She usually had quick showers, but Gran's words of things being different had got her thinking about, or rather feeling for, the difference in the air.

Lying in the bath, she had allowed herself to drift into nothingness. She called it nothingness because it was when her mind seemed to stop all its incessant chattering. The noise and words that swam in her head seemed to go silent, or fade into the background, for a little while.

It had been a long time since she'd allowed herself to relax. Not since she'd seen The Man and received the threat, "This is the Beginning of the End, Emily May."

The Beginning of the End of what?

And just like that, her mind had started running around in circles again. But for that moment, that small warm comfortable moment, she had remembered what it felt like to find a sense of peace.

She shrugged out of her dressing gown, dropped it at the end of her bed and slid out of her slippers. It was long before her usual bed time, but she was tired. She smiled as she thought about Pete, who supposedly liked her (or so Sam said). Pete was such a shy guy. She wondered if he'd ever come out and tell her he liked her.

Emily hadn't had much interest in boys in the past, but after today, she felt a flicker of excitement. Strange emotions coursed through her body, emotions she wasn't sure what to do with.

Emily automatically pulled down the five crocheted blankets that were put on her bed every night. Anyone would swear that Gran thought she'd get cold on these midsummer nights.

She swept open her clean, cold white sheets, pummeled her pillows into puffiness and lay down on her back. Her feet were pointing like a ballerina's as the sheets were still tucked in at the bottom. Why does she tuck them in so tight? thought Emily, as she kicked and squirmed her feet and legs to get the sheets loose. Pointing her toes skyward, she smiled at the thought of Sam running away from her today, squealing like a real girl.

She rolled onto her side and grabbed her book. This one she'd found at the library last week. For a change, it wasn't about death and dying. It was just a story. Emily remembered seeing the beak-faced monkey there at the beginning of last year, and how it had transformed at her feet at the end of the battle in The Void.

Emily felt like she'd crossed a barrier after a long, hard walk; like she had her sense of freedom back, her sense of anything being possible. Her belief in the good of things was coming alive. She decided that it was a nice place to be.

She tried to read the words on the page but they kept blurring as her thoughts rambled and yawned. She put the book down, too tired to read, too warm to care, smiling comfortably as she switched off the light, listening to the swishing sea outside.

"Emily, oh Emily, wake up our dear beloved Emily."

Floating words, drifting on the colours and lights that swam in the deep of the room surrounded her. "Emily, oh Emily, come play with us and you will see," drifted around her as she became aware of being in her room but also somewhere else at the same time. Nice, I must be dreaming, she thought, rolling over, not fully awake. She felt safe, not wanting to wake up any more than she already was, as words drifted into her consciousness.

Emily, you've asked to know

About all things and how they go

Allow the vision, search to see

Then find within your next key.

The tales of old, of ground and sky,

Are here for you: the reasons why.

The sand will shift, the earth will turn

The light will shine, the sun will burn.

Find the people of the desert now

To figure out the why and how

Of sight, in vision it will come clear

As you journey, allow us near

Emily's eyelids remained closed, her eyes moving rapidly in their sockets. It was like seeing without using eyesight as she became a part of the dream vision.

Emily looked down at her feet to orient herself. Depending on what shoes she had on, she could usually figure out where she was.

She knew that physically she was still lying in her bed, but her presence was somewhere else. She, or whatever she really was inside of her body, was actually wherever her focus was. She sometimes called it her spirit, sometimes her soul. So, her body was still sleeping but her spirit had gone visiting.

This was the part she'd found so hard to explain to the others when she'd first found Aurana. Sure, she'd entered Aurana physically, when she'd found the hatch at boarding school, but before she'd physically been there she'd been transported to it via her spirit. Now, she could see both worlds at once, with her mind's eye.

Emily looked down at her feet. She wasn't wearing any of her everyday shoes so she knew she was somewhere else. She wasn't sure where yet though. What was strange was that she wasn't wearing her leather warrior sandals that told her she was in Aurana.

She was barefoot.

She felt the sand flow through her toes. As she looked further around her feet, the sand shifted from white beach sand to a darker, dustier gold. The sand got hotter.

Emily moved her eyes up her body looking for clothes and yelped in embarrassment. All that was covering her were some tattered animal skins. The top of her body seemed to have some kind of a carryall hanging sideways over one shoulder, like the baby bags she'd seen new mothers carrying.

Pulling the scant covering around her body, wanting to cover herself, she realised it was futile when she heard the voice and words that had called her here.

Emily, you've asked to know

About all things and how they go

Allow the vision, search to see

Then find within your next key.

The tales of old, of ground and sky,

Are here for you: the reasons why.

The sand will shift, the earth will turn

The light will shine, the sun will burn.

Find the people of the desert now

To figure out the why and how

Of sight, in vision it will come clear

As you journey, allow us near

Emily allowed the words to flow over her almost naked body. She had no idea where she was, but did want to know who was calling her. This voice certainly wasn't the Elder's. It was lighter somehow, like a hummingbird's fluttering wings, but stronger in depth and tone.

"Who are you?" asked Emily, remembering that she could interact within these visions, "and where, exactly, am I?"

"I am a being filled with light; you will find meaning as you gain sight," the voice sang back at her.

"But I can see already, cant I?" asked Emily, "I mean, I can see Aurana on this side of the Veil. I can see Pugly and Elvis and the other beings. What do you mean, find meaning, gain sight?"

"In our worlds, there are things to see, that some cannot find, for they chose not to be," sparkled through her senses.

"You mean I'm going to see more things on my side? Or on your side? What kind of things?"

"Things buried in time will come to the fore, as you've asked for understanding, more and more. When the time comes, go inside to see, there you will find a being so free." Ugh, Emily thought, frustrated at getting answers that were riddles.

"Can I see you?" asked Emily.

There was no response.

Emily concentrated on the sand between her toes. She looked up. Some of what she saw seemed familiar, but the landscape was still strange. The golden sand flowed in curves up and down mountains of more sand. There were no trees anywhere around her, at least not living trees.

Far off into the distance, a dry, grey tree caught her attention. She squinted as the heat around her shimmered and deceived her eyes. Was it really there, the dried out tree stump? Or was it a mirage in her dream?

She took a step towards it, looking around for any signs of life. The being of light had talked of finding the people of the desert. What people? There didn't seem to be anyone for miles around. She felt the heat surrounding her, as she put one foot in front of the other, trusting that she would find her way to the dead tree, even as it appeared and disappeared.

Her lips cracked, as moisture seemed to be sucked out of her.

"Hello. Hello, are you still there? Being of light? What exactly am I supposed to be doing? Have you got any clues for me? Please!" said Emily, frustrated and thirsty. The sands undulated and flowed, but no answer came. Just like them to leave her in the lurch with no idea of what she was supposed to be doing, she thought bitterly.

She looked down at her feet and remembered that she could shift her focus back to her physical feet in the room to get out of this dream-vision. Suddenly, in the corner of her eye, she saw movement. Something in this desolate landscape had definitely moved. Under the sand, like a snake, it was slithering towards her. She hated snakes! She picked up her feet and started running, her bag smacking her stomach with each stride. She ran as fast as she could towards the tree.

The voice had said she would find another key. What key? Emily wasn't waiting to find out. She was getting away from the thing racing towards her. But the faster she moved, the closer it got. Or was that an optical illusion?

Still she ran. Was the dead tree getting closer?

She ran the last few steps as the moving sand caught up with her, and leapt into the uprooted, dead tree, turning around to face her enemy. Sand sprayed upwards as a head popped out. A smiling, if slightly sinister head, with the biggest eyes, looked up at Emily. Out of its mouth came words she could understand.

"Hello Emily May. Have you come to play?" Emily wondered if she'd ever get used to strange beings, from strange worlds, dreams or no dreams, talking to her. "I'm just a part of your dream so please don't scream and I've come to say, I'll lead the way. When you find the gold sand, in the far away land, you can look for me, and then there I'll be," barked the creature.

It disappeared before Emily could respond. The head ducked under the sand and a wisp of slithering dust streaked away in a curved line.

Emily carefully put her foot down onto the sand. Her bare feet started to shimmer as the sand underneath them blew away.

She kept her eyes closed. Still dreaming, she felt her awareness flow back into her body. She moved her right foot and found it tangled in the starched sheet. For a moment she felt trapped. She panicked, but then her foot broke free.

"Mmm," she mumbled in her sleep, feeling at one with herself, comfortable to be wholly in one place, drifting on the tide as the waves hit the shoreline. Then, "Yuck," she said, as she moved her foot back under the sheet, feeling a damp tongue licking her.

"Do you think, blink, wink, she'll find it, bit, wit?" asked Elvis, hopping onto Pugly's back for a free ride.

"She'll have to, won't she? She doesn't know what it all means or what she'll have to deal with when she gets there, and maybe that's a good it's started,' said Pugly seriously, wanting to curl up at Emily's feet and take a nap, but knowing that they had more important things to attend to.

"She doesn't know that once you've started you've got to go all the way to the end. She thinks that she's left it all behind her, but it is just the beginning," Pugly said, staring into the future, knowing that there were more surprises in store for all of them.

"But she can take a break, wake, flake, can't she, see, whee?" said Elvis, clinging onto Pugly's flying form in take-off.

"She's just taken her holiday. Now we need to make sure she's ready to take her next leap of faith," said Pugly, excited and nervous. He took off into the air, heading for his home forests of Avignail.

CHAPTER THREE

Emily stretched, and wiped at the dribble on her chin. She had slept like the dead. Smiling at the thought, she opened her eyes, thinking, well, not quite like the dead. Do the dead even sleep?

Something had woken her.

She listened at the usual morning commotion. Gran was talking and Mamasita was shouting about breakfast from the kitchen. Another voice interrupted the chaos. Emily listened, kicking off the sheets she'd become tangled in during the night.

Straining, she listened to the excited third voice, and now fourth voice, trying to figure out if they belonged to people she felt like seeing today, or whether she should make her excuses as she wandered past them via the dining room into the bathroom at the back of the house.

The third voice shrilled excitedly then collapsed into loud, confident laughter. Sam. What was Sam doing here so early?

Sam was worse than Emily when it came to mornings or waking up with the seagulls, as her Gran said. They both preferred to sleep late. Emily pulled on her flowery gown that she'd inherited from Gran, since she'd grown taller over the last year and her old one no longer fitted. She couldn't recognise the fourth voice and didn't want to go out in her old cow pajamas.

She opened her door, jumping backwards in fright as Mamasita bustled past with a full tray of coffee mugs and plates filled with buttery toast, sprouting, "Outta my way girl, we haves an important guest here with us. Was wondering when you'd make an appearance." Before Emily could ask who the important guest was, she heard more laughter to her left. The voice sounded vaguely familiar but she couldn't figure out who it was.

Emily poked her head around the corner and looked out of the window that framed the patio and the ocean in its solid borders, seeing her Gran in her customary chair, recently plumped up with square patchwork cushions.

Gran seemed to be shrinking in her old age. Sam's long blond locks faced forwards, towards the sea, towards the person sitting in front to her. The dark hair that belonged to the person seemed to create a fringe on Sam's so that she looked like a blond cockatoo with a striking black punk hairdo. If she didn't know any better she'd say it was Josh. But it couldn't be him, could it?

Josh was a city boy who'd said he'd never visit a small seaside village. She must be mistaken.

Emily decided to have a look for herself. But just in case it was someone she wanted to impress, she quickly retreated into her room, threw off her Gran's old gown and her cow pajamas and pulled on the bright beach dress she'd had on the day before. It smelled like coconut tanning lotion. She licked her hand, drew it through the top of her thick, brown hair and quickly plaited it into a braid. In all of three minutes, she was ready to step outside.

Barefoot, she walked shyly into the laughing, jabbering group sitting on the patio. "Josh! It is you! What the, I mean, what are you doing here?" asked Emily. Sam was the first to recover at the interruption, "I told you I had a surprise for you."

Emily stared at Josh, disbelieving her open eyes, and said "Yeah Sam, you did. But I'd call this a miracle. What did you say to Josh to convince him to visit us here?" Sam, about to answer, was interrupted, "What? Ya fink I'm ta high and mighty to come an' visit ya here then, do ya? I must tell ya I almost didna."

Emily's smile widened at the words. She'd missed her town friend, his way of saying things and his solid presence that made her feel all warm and tingly. Josh was a mensch, a word her Gran often used to describe someone she really liked, someone real and good. Like Sam, he was confidence personified and even now, out of his comfort zone, he seemed to be able to say the right thing.

Emily went over to give Josh a hug. She bent down just as he stood up and for her trouble got a hard knock under her chin. "Ouch," Emily said, moving backwards holding her jaw, her arms now pinned awkwardly to her sides.

"Oops, sorry fer that," Josh said, becoming bearlike in his grip, straight stuck up black hair tickling her cheek, as she moved her head sideways to get her eyes out of the way.

Inside, in her thoughts so no one else could hear, she heard his voice loud and clear, "Good ta see ya again, mighty mouse. Good ta see ya."

At the last line of, "Missed ya somefink aweful too ya know," she pulled back and blushed, only to see his wicked wink.

Half way through last year, she found that Josh could talk inside her mind like the Auranians. Josh somehow had the ability to see and hear more of her than she liked. He often knew what she was thinking and feeling.

She remembered that she could stop him from seeing or talking inside her head, by pulling her mind-shutters down, but was obviously out of practice. The only one in Paradise Beach that could sometimes read her was her Gran. She'd have to be more careful now that he was around.

Still blushing, she moved a safe distance away from him and sat in the chair next to Gran, opposite Sam and Josh. She pretended her heart wasn't beating fast, and asked coolly, "So what on earth brings you here, Josh? How long are you staying? How's Edwina? And your parents? Where are they? Has something gone wrong?"

"Whoa, Em, one question at a time."Josh laughed.

Gran intervened, "Em, slow down, take a breath. Breathe, child breathe," sensing that there was something more between these two, desperately wanting to know what herself. Gran knew Emily would start taking an interest in boys but had hoped it would be someone from Paradise Beach.

"Okay, okay," said Emily looking around at the others sitting at the table, "Please just tell me, Josh. Too bad if you others have already heard it all. Just start at the beginning please Josh. What are you doing here?"

"Fanks. Sounds like ya don't want me to be here then?" Josh said as Emily's mouth opened, planning to interrupt, closing wordlessly as Josh waved his hands downwards, saying, "No worries, just kidding" in her mind, as he continued aloud, "Haven't told em anything. I was waiting for ya ta wake up first, lazy bones. Me and Sam jus' arrived before ya decided to grace us wif ya presence."

How did he manage to have two conversations at once – one in her head, and one out aloud? Emily shook her head, closing her mind-shutters tightly to stop any further confusion. She really was out of practice.

Laughter at her expense rumbled around the table as Josh started telling them of his journey to their quaint little village.

Josh had woken up earlier that week feeling he needed to go to Edwina's. He loved his city, the craziness of all the people, and the Old Quarter where Edwina's shop was. He'd started teasing Edwina, calling it the 'little shop of horrors', after the battle that had been waged there at the end of last year. Chaos, and craziness, Josh thought, remembering the day it had all happened. He had long ago learned to trust his feelings and the messages he received, since they kept him out of trouble, so he had gone down to Edwina's.

The spooky door frightened most people away, as did Edwina with her swordfish nose, but sometimes you have to look past the outer to find the inner, thought Josh. This was true of both Edwina and her weirdly wonderful shop. They were both delightful treasures once you knew them.

The bell chimed as he squeaked the hulky door open, yelling, "Edwina, ya here? I got ya message. Waddaya want?"

The hanging bead dividers over the door at the back of the store parted noisily, as the biggest, jolliest woman with the brightest bluest eyes came through, arms open, wanting to drown him in their embrace.

"Hello lovey, knew ya'd come. I haven't seen ya for ages. Where ya been hiding?" said Edwina, continuing, not really expecting an answer, "So glad ya also didn't feel the need to run away after that awful episode last year. Wish the girls were here, don't ya? Me too, but dinna ya worry, ya'll see em sooner rather than later. I got somefink I need ya to do for me."

Josh tried his best to untangle himself from her heaving chest that encompassed his whole head. It was a bit more embarrassing now that he was growing up and had become aware of such things. He wished Edwina wouldn't hug him anymore, but since he needed to avoid her nose from stabbing him, the only other place he could put his head was slap bang in between her breasts. Josh couldn't wait until he was taller than her, so he could at least move his head over her shoulder and breathe through Edwina's hugs.

Edwina pushed Josh out, holding him at arm's length and took a good look. "Ya a sight fer sore eyes lad. A sight for sore eyes."

Finally disengaging himself, he took a step back and looked around at the shop.

Things had changed since he'd last been here. He'd come a few times, once school had ended and the girls had gone home, but hadn't felt the need to come over the holidays.

"See ya cleaned the place up a bit, Ed," Josh joked, "No more dead bodies or freakish snakes or Lost Ones hanging around, I see."

"Dinna ya joke lad," Edwina scolded, smiling nonetheless.

"Nah, place is looking good Ed. Empty, but good," Josh said, looking around.

The front window that had been filled with images, pictures, moulds, real life pint-sized dragons, fairies, sprites and other-worldly creatures was strangely devoid of life. The books that had covered multiple groaning shelves and spread like moss over the floor space seemed to have been categorised into logical sequence. The owls with unblinking eyes that had sat in the dusty corners, along with the spider webs, seemed to have taken flight. The dark corners that had harvested and borne various species of goodness knows what were now filled with light.

"Jeez, Ed, ya sure cleaned ya place up. Wha' made ya change fings so much? I thought ya'd never get rid of ya creepy stuff?" he teased.

"Aah boy. Don't ya know that magic abounds everywhere and besides a good spring cleaning never 'urt a soul?" laughed Edwina.

"Anyway, boy, nuff of that. I need ya ta take something to our Em. Seems ta me she's about to wake up again. Almost thought we'd lost her and I wouldna been surprised if we ha', after what the poor soul went through last year. But she's tough our Em, tougha than we know."

"What does ya mean I gotta take somefink to her, Ed? Ya know she's at home, down by her beach?" said Josh.

"Aye, ya knows I know tha' boy, so you must know that Ed's got a plan on the brew," said Edwina mysteriously.

"But I done never left this town before Ed. How will I get ta her?" asked Josh, scrunching up his face in an effort to catch Edwina's thoughts and plan.

"Why ya'll haft a get a lift then, won't ya?" laughed Edwina.

Two days later, he was waiting in front of Edwina's shop for his lift to arrive so that he could take the package to Emily at her beach. Curiosity piqued, he felt, squeezed and moulded his fingers around the package, trying to find out what it was. But Edwina had wrapped it up tightly in yards of colourful cloth. To his dismay, though he had asked her, Edwina had said it was up to Emily to share what it was, and only if she wanted to.

So here he was, sitting on the white plastic chair, Edwina having somehow let Sam know that he was on his way, holding Emily's mysterious package, smelling the air, wondering why the spicy coconut smell was enchanting him.

"Nice story. Even though you said you'd nevercome here," teased Emily. "Josh….!" she called from across the table, "Josh, are you with us? Are you going to give me the package then?"

"Oh, sorry Em, here ya go," said Josh, as Emily turned curiously away to Sam asking, "How did you know that Josh was coming? Oh never mind. Whatever."

Josh handed over the silky orange-red-pink package.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd think Ed has sent me her long nose. Remember the words I first heard about her Josh? The word Ednose. It should have been my first warning that all is not as it seems,' laughed Emily, unwrapping the bolt of material.

Round and round the material went, uncurling as the package got smaller, or rather thinner. Pulling at the last few meters of fabric impatiently Emily said, "This is like those dolls, you know, when you open one there's just another one and another one and …"

Whatever had been wrapped rolled out and fell to the floor with a slap. They all ducked their heads under the table to find it; all except Gran who couldn't bend that far.

"What is it?" asked Sam as Josh reached for it.

"Looks like a riding crop, ya know, like ta spur on a horse, but since I'm such a city boy what would I know?" said Josh teasingly, snatching it up before Emily could reach it.

"Oh get over yourself, Josh. Give it to me, now," warned Emily sternly, her Eight itching and warning her.

"Hold ya horses," said Josh, as Sam started giggling next to him.

Josh turned the long length of grey, dry wood around and around. "It looks jus' like a stick. Now why would Ed give ya a stick? What's it for ya think?"

"I don't know. Maybe it would help if I held it and had as much of a look and feel as you've just had," said Emily sarcastically. Josh smiled sweetly, as he handed it over, "Sorry Em. Curiosity killed tha cat an' all that, ya know."

Emily took the long piece of wood. Turning it over in her hands, she realised it looked just like the tree she'd seen in her desert vision. The dream-vision flooded into her psyche. The stick was grey, old and wizened by the sun and light, as if the slightest breeze could just wisp it away into nothing but strangely strong.

Tapping it on the table carefully, Emily said to the waiting, questioning eyes, "I don't really know what it is apart from a piece of tree, Josh. We're going have to go and ask Edwina. It's just like her to tweak my interest and leave me hanging."

Emily didn't want to divulge anything about her dreams just yet. Tapping the stick a little harder, feeling it bend but not break, Emily said in a voice that was scared and exasperated at the same time, "Now I'm going to have to go back to her stupid shop and find out." Her thoughts continued, And I really wanted to avoid going there.

Sam piped up positively, saying, "It's okay, Em. It'll be an adventure and I'm sure the worst is behind us. It can't possibly be as bad as last time." Josh wanted to show support too. "She's cleaned it up too Em, her shop I means. Looks very different, I tell ya, all light and airy and stuff."

She tapped the stick harder. Her Eight throbbed. She looked into Sam's and then Josh's eyes, taking in their words but knowing that her life was about to leap forward into the unknown again.

They all jumped when sparks flew out the end and blew Josh's spiky hair backwards, like a gust of strong wind flying off the top of the white waves.

CHAPTER FOUR

The Peugeot crawled up the hill to drop the girls off at boarding school.

Mamasita filled the front seat. This left little room for Gran to operate the gears and handbrake, which made this trip scarier than most. They had screamed and shuddered their way towards and around town for the last hour. Sam, Emily and Josh sat in the back, relaxing as they entered familiar territory and realised they would soon be out of this death trap of a car driven by an old woman wearing a hat.

"So Josh, you must be the thorn between the roses," said Sam, waving at passing friends and teasing Josh mercilessly, "Or are you planning to turn into a girl, wear dresses and come stay with us in the dorm room this year?"

Josh had stayed at Emily's house for the last few days of the holidays. Sam had seen the awkwardness between Emily and Josh, the shy smiles, and wondered if her friend had found her first love. Not wanting her best friend to be put off, Sam had started teasing Josh about his weight instead, saying he'd gone soft since he'd put on a few kilos with Mamasita's cooking, spoiling and coddling.

"Softie," she said again, grabbing for the tyre that had appeared around his waist almost overnight.

Josh, in his own way, had picked up the vibe from Sam, delighted that he had her support in Emily's potential affections. Heo played along. "Dinna ya worrie girl, before ya knows it I'm gonna be thin and trim, but ya still gonna be ugly."

The banter continued as Emily stared out the window at the people, scenes and streets of town. Daylight made it look innocent but she knew that the Lost Ones were still out there. Opening up her heart-feel as Pugly and Elvis had taught her, she felt the goings-on of the few blocks around her. Emily had read a lot about death, but also about intuition, and believed it was similar to what Pugly called heart-feeling.

She heart-felt under the bridges and in the dark alleys looking for the down-and-outs, the sad, the depressed, the crazy, the unlucky, the ones they'd heard Edwina call the Lost Ones. She turned to Josh, who had stopped fooling around with Sam. They looked at each other. He had a big grin spread across his face and a twinkle in his eye. "They're lighter somehow, happier? I don't know how to explain it, Josh but the people, the town and the Lost Ones don't feel as heavy," said Emily.

"I didna want to say something before. I wanted ya ta feel for ya'self. Ya see Em, things are changing because of ya and what ya did."

Emily dropped her eyes shyly at the praise. "It wasn't just me, Josh. Lots of people helped, lots of friends were there, you made a difference, helped me too." She looked into Josh's eyes. "It helps to know that whatever happened has helped others, not just hurt them." Josh saw Emily's eyes focus inwards towards Jess and the battle. She lightened, and boxed him. "You should have told me before! You should have told me that the Lost Ones are feeling better, or starting to change, or whatever. My holiday might have been better for it, you jerk."

Josh parried sideways, missing Emily's clenched fist, "Ya wouldn't have believed me, would ya? Ya had ta feel it for ya'self Em. Ya dinna trust me that much yet, do ya?" he taunted. "Besides that will teach ya ta always see the bad in things rather than the light. Best ya lighten up then, hey?" Josh said, play-boxing Emily back, gently, like a gentleman.

"Miriam?" Sam yelled out the window as the car swung heavily into the driveway of the boarding school. She was surprised to see Josh's mom waiting. Josh usually ran around on the streets of the town as he wished, so it was strange to see Miriam waiting at the hostel.

The car jerked to a handbrake halt just before it hit the boarding school wall. Trust Gran to find the only open spot and to block anyone else from coming or going, thought Emily.

Sam jumped out and raced towards Morgan to catch up on the holiday news. Josh slithered out the back and went cautiously to his mother with Emily following close behind. Before Josh could utter a word, Emily said, "What's wrong Miriam?" Miriam smiled innocently. "Why, nothing, child. I just wanted to check that all of Josh's hair is still in place. I believe some sparks were flying around your house a few days ago?" She grabbed Josh in a hug. "Besides, I missed my boy. He's never been gone from us for so long before."

Josh went bright red and mumbled, "Ah ma." Emily got a chance to laugh at his embarrassment for a change. She looked at the two of them, so similar and yet so different. They talked differently but seemed to heart-feel the same way. Miriam wasn't first to tell her that all was not as it seemed – and boy, was that a lesson she had learned last year.

Miriam seemed connected to a wider universe than Emily was. Or perhaps she just trusted it more? How else would she have known about the sparks that had come out of the tree-wand miles away? Or was Miriam referring to the sparks that seemed to be flying between her and Josh in other ways? She decided to ignore Miriam's curious smile. Her thoughts formed questions that Miriam answered before she could say them aloud. "Ah, Em. You know that all is not as it seems. I felt the light flow out of the tree-wand – is that what you call it? – the moment it flew through the air. Aren't you in for a magical year?"

"Oh, don't worry so much," Miriam said in double meaning, seeing the look in Emily's eyes, "Things will happen as they do. You'll know soon enough what your wand is for. This is all so exciting. Go and visit Edwina when you have the chance and she'll explain it all better than I can; now come on, Josh, say goodbye. Let's leave your love to unpack and go home."

Josh smiled at Emily's reaction then turned tail and followed his mother out the boarding-school grounds. Emily watched them go. The more these people spoke, the less she knew what they meant. What did Miriam mean when she said a magical year was coming? Last year, Miriam had been as upbeat about everything, and Emily had found herself in a battle. It was so frustrating that everyone seemed to know more than her. And she was supposed to be the saviour mage.

Emily thought of the words that had appeared to her in her book, at the beginning of this journey. Saviour mage indeed, she shrugged, recalling them as she walked towards Mamasita to help with the luggage:

In all the worlds there can be only one

Who can act on our words, melodies and song

Today, appearing, words read on this page

We salute you oh blessed one, our saviour Mage.

Words will come as they are needed

We ask you simply that they be heeded

When they arrive, in whatever form

Trust yourself, for you now are sworn

Know only this, in accepting this quest

Your life will be challenged but also blessed

With things only imagined, not real, before

All power creates when you heed the call.

Mamasita sweated and heaved, and Emily took her suitcase.

Her book, the one with her name on it that had found its way to her via Edwina last year, was safely stored back at Edwina's odd bookshop. She knew never to let that book out of her sight, since it had almost been stolen last year, but felt that Edwina's bookstore was the safest place. She almost managed to convince herself she was crazy this holiday, but the tree-wand, Josh, Miriam's presence and being back in Kingstown brought everything back into sharp focus.

"Em. Em, wait," she heard Sam say behind her as her Gran closed the boot of the car. Sam struggled towards her with her own suitcases, but Gran's bear hug stopped her in her tracks. Mamasita grabbed Emily in a warm embrace. "You be carefuls now girl, those tokoloshie thingies, they not so good, but I know you be brave," whispered Mamasita into her hair as she struggled for breath.

Sam and Emily grabbed a quick breath of air before the two old ladies swopped places and they found themselves back under pressure. Emily dropped her cases unceremoniously on the paving to give her Gran a hug back.

"Em, you are in safe hands. Trust yourself and Edwina and those around you," whispered Gran into her ear. Emily responded in shorthand. "Gran, love you, thanks, I know, kind of, see you soon."

Tears threatened, but both of them straightened their backs and stroked each other's clothes. Gran moved as if to close Emily's top button but Emily shuffled backwards, looking at her gran's watery eyes, "I will be fine, Gran, promise. I've survived worse than boarding school." Gran smiled at Emily's attempt at humour but got the message to back off. Emily looked around and saw many girls doing the same, while others streamed through the doors to find their cubicles.

Waving goodbye, Gran and Mamasita plopped into the front seats, started the car and promptly reversed into the plants that framed the hostel fence. Pretending nothing had happened, they lurched away. "Change gears Gran, you silly old bat," yelled Sam after them.

Emily smiled and wondered how Gran let Sam get away with talking to her like that.

Sam picked up her cases. She entered the hallway, throwing, "I wonder if we'll have the same cubicles?" nonchalantly behind her. Emily bent down to retrieve hers, then stood up quickly. She hadn't thought about that.

She had assumed they'd have the same spots this year. Luck, providence, whatever, had put her in the cubicle that contained the entrance hatch to Aurana last year. They couldn't tell anyone, so she hadn't thought to ask if they could have the same sleeping spaces.

Emily quickly walked to the roster pinned to the wall. She overtook Sam, who had found someone else to chat to. She bustled her way through the three girls who were searching for their own names, pushing them out the way with a 'sorry' which she didn't mean. Her finger went to the top of the list and hurried downwards until she found it.

A1 stood next to her name. Emily moved away from the list, head downwards, shyly apologising once more to the girls for pushing them out the way. A slow smile spread across her face as she looked up at Sam.

"So what cube am I in, Em? Same time, same place again, roomie? Are we in our room with the view of different lands and times? Our land of red mist and rain? So are we?" insisted Sam. Emily looked up at her sharply, only to realise Sam hadn't let anything out of the bag since no one else knew what she was talking about.

Morgan and Sarah passed Sam and Emily on the stairs. "Hey, you two. Still on about seeing things? Though I must admit that beaked-faced monkey that appeared in Edwina's was a surprise," said Morgan, a questioning look on her face. "As for the rest…who knows, it's just hearsay or is that heresy?" Morgan wasn't the smartest girl on the block.

Sarah's mouth opened and closed, then opened again. "Are we in for any more of that this year? Oh please no, once was enough don't you think?" "It's not over till the fat lady sings," said Sam, laughing at the picture of Edwina that came into her mind, "and Em's got a wand this time so at least we know she won't have to stab anything."

"Shush," said Emily sharply.

"Ooh, more mystery, khuul," said Morgan.

"Or at least we don't think she'll be stabbing anyone with the tree-wand," said Sam, leaping up the stairs like a gazelle, running away from Emily.

"Shhhhhsssh." Emily hissed louder, raising her eyebrows as she ran up the stairs after Sam. "You don't get off that easily, Emily May Harrison," said Morgan, forgetting the power in a name. Morgan grabbed Sarah and bounded up after them.

Emily puffed up the last few steps as her friends chattered away. It was good to be back. Somehow with the noise of boarding school surrounding her she didn't feel so alone. Bodies, lots of them in the same place, seemed to keep her feet on the ground, while the noise level that came with them seemed to cocoon her in life and the living. A nice change from contemplating the dead and dying, she thought.

She would always wonder why Jessica had intervened but it was time to move on. She walked past Jess' old cubicle, empty, with the bare mattress and open cupboard doors flung wide. She wondered who would arrive to replace her.

Emily tossed her cases onto her bed, noticing that the green splotchy curtains hadn't been replaced. The space seemed smaller. It wasn't big to begin with, crammed as it was with bed, bedside table, cupboards and a desk, but still it seemed smaller. Emily took two steps towards the hatch that was padlocked, stroked the join between the top and bottom halves and whispered, "Hello, Aurana. Hello, Elder."

She heard a scuffle at her feet. Elvis was scurrying his way up her clothes towards her shoulder. "Cool, fool, gruel, to be back, smack, whack," he said excitedly, wiggling so much that Emily was scared he'd fall off her. She smiled at Elvis, and at Pugly, who was turning around and around in circles looking for a space to get comfortable. Sometimes he was really wise and almost human, Emily thought, and at other times he's just like a dog chasing his own tail.

Emily opened her case and started putting her clothes into the cupboard and her books into the bedside table. She took out the roll of brightly coloured material in which the tree-wand lay dormant in.

"Sam, keep a look out," she whispered, catching Sam's attention by pointing her fingers in a 'V' at her eyes and back at Sam's eyes, like those on a stake-out would do when they can't talk.

Sam convulsed into giggles at the sign but nodded in a silent yes as she calmed herself to look down the corridor past the other cubicles toward the door. Morgan and Sarah sat wide-eyed and silent watching the two friends. They had been part of the team that had learned to thought-feel, helping Emily last year, but still couldn't seeanything outside of the Void, like Emily could.

Emily knelt and scrambled under her bed to the corner. She had found a loose wooden plank last year to keep the sword hidden and assumed that no one would have fixed it over the holidays. Prying the hiding place open, she plopped the material with the tree-wand into it and secured the board tightly back into place.

Something hissed in the opposite corner. Emily shot up and bumped her head on the iron base of the bed just as Cook's cat scampered past her, stinking of fish and goodness knows what else.

"Dammit!" she yelled, pulling her head out and rubbing a bump. "That frigging cat! If I catch it, I'm going to skin it alive. Smelly, awful cat, I'm going to teach you a lesson this year. Just you wait and see," she continued shivering in disgust, turning for sympathy to her friends. The tension broke at that moment, and they all burst into uncontrolled laugher, clutching their stomachs.

The rest of the afternoon settled into normality. Morgan continued asking questions about the holidays, and tree-wand, and any other subject that came to mind, while Sarah listened in. Emily and Sam finished unpacking. They made their beds and answered all the questions as best they could. Elvis remained on Emily's shoulder, interrupting all the comments and chattering away on his own mission. Pugly moved onto Emily's pillow as soon as her bed was made.

A new girl appeared just before the supper bell rang. She had short curly black hair, a mocha brown face and the biggest white teeth they had seen on anyone. Perhaps it was just because her smile was so wide. Sam walked up to the 'newbie', and welcomed her 'home'.

Sam took over the newbie's cubicle by plonking herself on the bed. Morgan shoved Sam further up on the bed, looking for space as they asked their endless questions. Sarah hung around the disastrous curtains, while Emily, always shy with new people, said a simple hello and sat on the stiff, wooden desk chair, listening in.

Emily smiled as Elvis said in her mind, "Hmm, chocolate brown, frown, crown, nice, spice, mice," continuing to be part of the conversation, as Pugly, unaware and unconcerned, slept on in Emily's bed.

The new girl filled them in, happily, on all her details as the questions were asked. She told them that she was sure they wouldn't be able to pronounce her African name so she'd happily go by the name Gift. She was from a tribe of warrior women, strong, healthy and independent, who lived in the hills and valleys not far away. She was here because the sangoma, a diviner in her clan, told her that she was needed in Kingstown, in this boarding school. Gift, her teeth beaming, confidence incredible, stared straight at Emily, as she said it was time for her to come be at another girl warrior's side to help guide, teach and protect her.

The girls gasped, eyes on Gift and Emily. This year was definitely starting off with multiple sparks, bangs and things that weren't as they seemed.

CHAPTER FIVE

The girls settled into the hostel rhythm.

Emily hadn't told anyone, not even Sam, about her desert dream-vision. She'd done some research in the Paradise Beach library about the talking-gecko-sand-lizard. She decided Gift must somehow be linked to the creature, but didn't know how yet.

She longed to see Edwina to find out more about the tree-wand but knew that she wouldn't be able to get out of hostel anytime soon. She'd have to wait for their first free Saturday.

They'd decided to trust Gift after she so earnestly told them who she was and why she was there. They shared their secret about the tree-wand, Emily's book and Edwina. But they decided to keep the hiding place under Emily's bed secret, until they had introduced her to Edwina and Josh. If Josh and Edwina also liked and trusted Gift, they would tell her more.

Sam had begged them to say nothing to Gift about Edwina's nose and the shop, as she wanted to see the look on Gift's face when they met. Emily protested. "That's not fair, Sam," said Emily, "even though I think it will be a laugh."

"Oh come on, Emily. You kept it from us last year. Let's surprise her. She'll understand that we aren't having a laugh at her, but with her."

"How can you give a Gift a surprise?" Morgan said, butting in and wanting to be funny but missing the mark a little.

Sam won in the end as they all giggled about the reaction Gift was sure to have when she actually did see Edwina. But for now, all they could do was go to school, play the sports they wanted to play and wait for the first Saturday they were allowed into Kingstown. Without question, they all agreed they wanted to go to Edwina's.

The smells and sounds hit them before the Old Quarter came into focus. The Old Quarter was Emily's favorite place in Kingstown. She loved that she could disappear from Kingstown's shadows and heaviness into a place right in the middle of it, filled with color, taste, lightness and mystery.

Gift's eyes started twinkling as she turned the final corner and saw the billowing saris and silks in red, orange, pink, oleander, green, lime, gold and velvet.

"Gift, move those hips of yours, girl!" shouted Sam, as the sweeping music of the Quarter greeted them. They had discovered Gift's love of music. After supper every evening, Gift played music and danced around the dorm unselfconsciously. She and her music had become so infectious that they all, even Sarah, now learned to dance with abandon every night. "I'm a-swinging, I'm a-swinging," said Gift, moving her hips and feet in a rhythm that none of them could emulate, no matter how hard they tried.

Al's General Dealer came into view. Gift stopped in front of the windows, speechless. She pointed at all the bits and bobs, toys and tanks, forks and fittings and hundreds of others goods that filled every nook and cranny.

"Is this the surprise?" asked Gift, as their jaws dropped simultaneously. Sam was the first to recover. "How do you know about the surprise?" she asked cautiously. "Oh, did I forget to mention that I have great hearing – along with inner intuition?" Gift asked. The girls were crowding the sidewalk, so people walked around them patiently. Nothing was a problem in the Old Quarter.

But Gift couldn't stand it for long. Guffawing, snot almost coming out of her nose in the rush of laughter, she pealed, "Kidding. Kidding and while I am awesome at some things, this time it was nothing mysterious. I just overheard you the other day. And you thought you could get the better of me."

"So what exactly did you hear?" said Sam.

"Only that you had a surprise for me – and I love surprises."

Emily and Sam's eyes connected in a secret look that said, Just you wait and see.

"Okay, Gift, you got us," said Sam, moving off down the road on the way to Edwina's bookstore.

The bookstore's spooky grey door had been repainted a bright, shiny red. Emily and Sam looked at each other, shrugging shoulders in unison, as they heard a voice coming at them. "Hey kids, how ya doin'? Thought I'd be seein' ya here, todays," said Josh, grabbing Gift's hand in a handshake grip, "Ya must be the newbie then, Nosipho or is it Gift I should call ya's?" Gift, unfazed, disengaged her hand and grabbed Josh in a bear hug, "And you must be the all knowing, loving Joshie." Josh, accepting the hug, squirmed at the name and made faces over Gift's shoulder at the chorus of girls.

Emily laughed heartily at the two of them but felt her stomach contract in a strange jealousy. "Come on, let's go in," she said in an effort to free Josh. Free from the hug, Josh smiled, asking, "So, I takes it she has'na met Edwina then?" "What is it about this Edw…" said Gift, her voice trailing off as the red door opened and the longest, sharpest nose came out.

"Come on in then all ya's, no point in standin' outside, get yourselves into this here store," said Edwina, her nose retreating into the bookstore. "Come on, come on, lovies. I wants to hugs ya, it's been ages since we last saw ya's." Emily took a big deep breath and walked in; enveloped in more bright blood red, Edwina's hippopotamus frame, heaving breasts and loving arms closed over Emily's body.

"Oh girl, oh warrior girl, good to see ya's all okay. I was worried 'bout you for a while there," said Edwina, swinging Emily off her feet as she danced her further into the shop. Morgan, Sarah and Josh followed, with Gift cautiously maneouvering into the shop, staring.

Edwina let go of Emily and moved towards the others. Emily coughed to get her breath back and smiled at Gift's bemused expression. "Edwina, this is …"

"I know who this be, girl. Ya dinna have to introduce me, ya be Rosie's girl, ain't cha?" said Edwina, the ship, sailing towards Gift. "Nosipho, that's ya name or ya clan name, ain't it?" Gift nodded. "We call her Gift, that's the English translation," said Emily as Josh took his hand away from the front of his mouth and laughed like a roaring lion.

"See, did ya see, ha-ha," he carried on not able to make any words form into a sentence. Emily ignored him and realised what Edwina had said, "Ed, Edwina, you knowher? Gift? Her," she said pointing, suddenly not sure what to call Gift. "O'course I knows her. Me and her clan goes way back, been involved for a long whiles. Dearie, come here for ya hellos then," Edwina said, grabbing Gift and smothering her, while whispering in her ear, loud enough for the others to hear but giving Gift a wink in support, "and stop staring, my nose ain't gonna get any shorter no matta how much ya want it to, believe me I done tried."

"I, I don't, sorry, I don't mean to be rude," said Gift recovering , "but you know my clan?"

"Ah," said Edwina, understanding, "so it's not so much my nose, as it is I knows ya then? Ya'll come to know that I know many, many things; too many fings I sometimes fink!" said Edwina, turning towards the back room where her kitchen was. "I'll put on some tea; why don't cha look around and gets accustomed to the new surroundings ya'll. And when ya's ready ya know where's to find this ole' lass. Hope ya like the change Em?" Edwina smiled sweetly, like chocolate dripping off a warm biscuit, sweeping Emily into the new world Edwina had created within the bookstore.

Emily looked around, noticing the changes. Josh had only seem a fraction of them when he'd come to fetch her wand.

"Ed, about my w …" said Emily towards the back of the store. Edwina pretended not to hear, so Emily let it go.

Emily's eyes couldn't focus on any one thing, so swept across the bookstore like a person watching a tennis match. Last year the bookstore had been the darkest, dingiest full-to-the-brim store. Goblins, fairies, trolls, dragons, spiders, owls and books had filled every available space; on shelves, the bookstore windows, the floors, the rafters. More than once Emily was sure that she'd heard scurrying. She still didn't want to know what had made that sound, but it seemed she didn't need to. There were still one or two darker corners, but the bookstore had changed completely.

Emily quickly looked at the door to the Great Hall, where the Void was. She shuddered involuntarily, knowing that she didn't want to find out what was behind the ordinary looking door yet. Would the floor be blood-spattered from the battle? Then she smiled, knowing she was safe among books and friends, and decided to start at the beginning. She headed toward the bright, blood-red front door. Standing with her back to the smooth door, she looked up at the ceiling.

Millions of tiny lights floated above her, all shining down on the white slate floors. She thought she saw things swooping and flying in between, under and over the lights, but couldn't be sure. Perhaps it was just the lights flickering? She tried to heart-feel what might be up there, but all she could feel was warm, wispy air. A chorus of tiny voices, whispered in her head, sounding nothing like the Elder or anyone she had met so far. She felt the voices soothe her senses, making her feel light, loved, and almost invisible:

Child of ours, do not ask yet

You have no need to fiddle or fret

We can't be seen but know we're here

When times are right we will appear

Emily smiled and said a small, prayer-filled thank you. Perhaps they, whoever they were, were the reason she felt safe here now. She'd learned not to ask for more than she needed at any given time, since she wasn't given the answers until she was ready to receive them anyway. It frustrated her, but patience was the only cure for it.

She wandered past the newly polished silver and glass counter. Filled with all sorts of crystals, rings, earrings, pendants and shining stones, flowing with gold, silver, bronze and copper, the whole counter sparkled and shone. She saw rows and rows of bookshelves to her right, filled with books whose covers had miraculously changed from dusty browns to bright, colourful marvels. The once dark wood of the shelves was now a translucent glass. What had Edwina done with all that old stuff? Where had she got all of this?

Emily heard giggling coming from the end of one of the alleyways between the books and headed in that direction. She found Gift jumping up towards the ceiling as if trying to catch something. "What are you doing Gift?" asked Emily, intrigued. "Tickling the little ones," answered Gift, assuming incorrectly that Emily would understand. "What little ones?" Emily said, scrunching up her eyes curiously. "Don't worry, if you can't see them now, you will. Oh," said Gift, stopping abruptly, "I forgot, you can see them, Emily May, can't you?"

Emily looked at Gift blankly.

"You just need to look harder Em, outside, not inside," said Gift, restarting her infernal hopping and scratching at the air. "What on earth do you mean?" asked Emily, grabbing Gift's arm to stop her from bouncing so they could have a decent conversation. "What do you mean, outside not inside? Why does everyone assume I'll know what they're talking about?" she said, her temper flaring. "Relax, Emily. Seriously, you need to take a load off, girl," replied Gift.

Gift sat Emily down on the clean, cold, white slate floor. "Em, that's partly why I'm here. To teach you for a change, to show you how to see not just those things inside of you that you also now see outside, that different world, um whatcha call it, oh Aurana, but also what's really here in this world, our real world."

Gift patted the floor. "This world that we live in physically, do you understand?" Emily nodded, not sure that she understood at all. "I'm not blind you know, but I still don't see what you're trying to catch."

"I'm not trying to catch them. I'm tickling them. Anyway, forget that. Emily, there are things in this world, our world, the world that we live in, that are just as mysterious as other worlds and I'm here to help you find-see them. Simple, see?" Gift said, as if it all made sense. "Whatever," Emily said, giving up. Gift just laughed. "Now you know how your friends felt when you were trying to teach them. It's not easy to believe that something's supposed to be there, but it's not. Or is it that something's not supposed to be there but it is?"

Giggling, the girls looked into each other's eyes, understanding but not understanding, knowing that things would work their way out. Like Elvis and Emily in their first meeting, Gift and she would need to work out each other's meanings.

"I did heart-feel something earlier, like windy wisps, and heard them say not yet or close enough. Is that them?"

"Maybe, maybe not," said Gift, laughing heartily, "that's the first thing you and I are going to have to learn together. What you see, I might not see and what I see you might not see and how on earth we are going to get each other to see the same things?"

Laughing with Gift, Emily threw her hands in the air theatrically, saying, "Oh, I give up!"

Gift grabbed Emily, pulling them both up to stand. "Now are you ready to see behind that door? I've been watching you, and you're really freaking out about it. What's behind it?"

Emily shrank, her laugher dying down, "That's where The Void is."

"The what?" asked Gift, laughing louder.

"That's where Jess was killed; we told you about her, remember. That's where the battle happened."

Gift stopped laughing, smiled cunningly and said, "Okay then. Facing your fears time. I'll go with you. You know it might even surprise you, like this bookstore did this morning."

Emily wondered if thiswas the surprise that the Elder had whispered about she'd shut her thoughts down last year. It couldn't be, could it? She was sure she wasn't going to like any surprise that had something to do with The Void. Oh please, oh please, oh please, thought Emily as Gift dragged her towards the door, muttering on, oblivious to Emily's wanting to run in the other direction.

"Come on," said Gift. "It's like when we were little and the monsters would come. When you turned on the light, or looked directly at them, no matter how scared you were, they always seemed smaller and not half as bad as you imagined. Trust us, trust me. It's just your imagination working overtime again and while the imagination is the key, you can't let it run away with you," Gift gabbled on, her hand now on the doorknob.

"No," shouted Emily, grabbing for Gift's hand, "Oh frig, Gift, just give me a minute, would you. Just a minute, please." Emily felt Gift let go of her arm. Smoothing her T-shirt towards her jeans, Emily felt like she was about to go into the Principal's office or to the dentist. But she knew Gift was right. She had to open that door and walk in, or it would remain her nightmare.

She expected the worst but believed the best, and took Gift's hand like a little girl. "You'll be with me, right next to me, just in case?" Gift nodded, puffing out her chest, sounding like a confident woman of the world, saying, "We are warrior women. We can have, be, and do it all!"

Emily opened the door.

The floor was the same white smooth floor that was all over the bookshop. Nice and firm, ordinary screed concrete, definitely different from before and lighter like the entire bookshop had become.

The ceiling looked like the sky, bright blue with shimmering, wispy clouds. The sun shone, lighting and warming the Hall. Time moved quickly here: the sun rose and set, the stars and planets came out to play in clear dark heavens until the sun rose again.

Emily looked down at her feet, still holding on to Gift's hand. Her heart leaped.

Her sneakers had disappeared and her bare feet were surrounded by flowing desert sands. Gift put her other hand on Emily's right arm.

"Emily, it's okay. The sand, it's fine; just let things be. We'll be going here together sometime soon. In our world. Okay?"

Emily looked at Gift with wide eyes, back at her feet which were now in sneakers again, with not a speck of sand to be seen. "You see, I mean saw the sand? The desert?" asked Emily flabbergasted. No one else had ever seen what her dreams had shown her before.

"Yup," replied Gift, "I can see it."

Before Emily could ask the next question, Gift answered by saying, "We'll be visiting this place later in the year. It's kind of what I was trying to say to you before. This place is real, it's outside, not inside, here in our world. But it is special, don't you think?" Gift said, looking out at a horizon that stretched way past the end of the hall that Emily could see.

"Can you still see the sand?" asked Emily.

"Oh, has it gone from you again?"' asked Gift, curiously, "Does your fear chase it away?"

Emily tried to concentrate hard on getting back to the desert, but the harder she willed it, the more solid her trainers appeared. "Dang it man!" she said, as Gift scowled mockingly.

"You know you need to get out of your head and into your spirit to see these things from afar, girl. What's wrong with you, lost your way again?" Gift pealed with laugher.

"It doesn't matter. It will still be waiting for us when the time is right. Have you seen enough for now to ease that silly fear inside of you?" asked Gift, moving freely about the big hall as Emily stretched out her hand to stop her, hanging back.

"Void? What Void?" asked Gift walking about, stamping her feet on the solid white floor, throwing her arms wide. "Ain't nothing here but air, man."

CHAPTER SIX

Emily followed Gift into the middle of the Great Hall. There really was nothing but air where the Void had been – at the moment, at least.

Pugly was at her feet, and Elvis launched himself like a sky-diver onto the top of her legs. "Oh, hi, Pugs. Where's the Void gone? Don't get me wrong, I'm glad it's gone. But all that learning and training...did I make it disappear?" Pugly sniffed around near Gift. "Not quite, sorry, Emily May. It's still around, just not here right now. Things aren't always as they seem, you know. Sometimes they're here, sometimes there, sometimes they only appear when needed."

"I wish someone would make sense for a change," said Emily, exasperated. "Ouch!" she flinched, as Elvis grabbed her ear to steady himself on her shoulder.

"Em, you started The Beginning of the End. That changed this whole place, or at least gave permission for it to be changed. Edwina's looked after it for a long, long time. She held back the forces, so to speak. Now the change has started. The first thing Edwina and the Elder were able to do was to stop The Void from being a permanent fixture. At least for now."

"Who are you mumbling at?" asked Gift, coming towards Emily, looking around her feet in circles. "I can feel him but can't hear or see him. Is that your flying friend? And where's his eternal companion, the wiggly creature? Ah, there he is," Gift said, pointing at Emily's shoulder. Gift stuck out her index finger as if to poke Emily in the ear and said, "Pleased to meet you, little one." Elvis giggled in delight, almost falling off Emily's shoulder. "Gift, lift, sift, pleased to see you, too, whooo!" he howled.

"So you can see one but not the other? I wonder why that is? Pugs?" asked Emily. "Elvis has come through the Veil before, remember Em? That's why. It's not rocket science you know," responded Pugly, wondering if Emily had lost all her brains over the holidays. Gift spun Emily around towards the door and said, "Come. Let's go find the others. Not so scary anymore is it, Emily May?"

Emily found Josh and Sam in the kitchen with Edwina. As she walked in through the beaded curtain (the one thing she would have changed but Edwina hadn't) she felt rather than heard the silence. What were they keeping from her? First the Elder, now Edwina, Josh and Sam. What surprise was so important? She wished they would just get it over and done with, so that she could be a part of things rather than the one they kept looking at as they hushed conversations.

"What?" asked Emily.

"Nuffing, nuffink, don't be so sensitive," said Josh, looking back towards Edwina showing Emily the back of his head, as Gift swished the beaded curtain aside. Emily caught the secret wink he gave Sam but before she could say anything, he continued, "Don't ya wanna ask Edwina somefink about ya wand then?"

"You know I do Josh, don't be so smug about it," said Emily, mad at him for leaving her out of the picture and redirecting their focus.

Emily decided she could push to find out what they were talking about or leave it. Letting it go because she really did want to know about the wand, Emily sat down at the table. She silently decided she was going to start calling these secretive friends the Simpleton Sorcerers. That would teach them to keep things from her.

Edwina put steaming cups of tea in front of Gift and Emily then heaved her bulk into a dainty chair. The chair creaked as they all held their breath in anticipation.

CRACK!

They all looked wide-eyed and shocked at Edwina, who remained comfortably seated in her undamaged chair. Beneath the empty space at the table where Josh was a second ago, the girls saw him on his back on the floor. His bum was high in the air, his knees around his ears. Gift, Edwina, Sam and Emily screeched with laughter at Josh, who untangled himself and stood up sheepishly. "Er, sorry, Ed, I'll be replacing that, somehow, sorry."

As soon as Edwina could talk, which was ten tissues later, having snorted, dribbled and dabbed away at her eyes, she hiccupped, "I told ya not ta rock on these chairs me boy. Ya ha' put some weight on o'er the holidays, haven ya?"

Emily was still laughing as Morgan and Sarah flew through the beaded curtain. Morgan, fists in the air yelled, "What happened? Is everyone okay?"

Everyone settled down as Josh got a new chair. They all shuffled closer together to give Morgan and Sarah space around the table.

"So, the wand?" said Edwina, moving into story-telling mode. They all fell silent, gripping their mugs of tea as Edwina started talking.

An ancient tribesman named !Xu had carved the wand. He lived with his people in the desert to the north of them. Edwina told them that !Xu and his people had lived off the land for generations, but were now under threat as civilisation crept closer and endangered their ancient ways.

The people of !Xu's tribe did not record the dates of births and deaths, so !Xu's age was unknown. His tribe's role was to protect the ancient knowledge hidden deep within their lands. A certain tree, said to be upside down with roots pointing at the sky, was a gateway to wisdom. The nomadic hunter-gatherers were difficult to find. Though the secrets of the ancient ways resided in these trees, one had to first travel with !Xu's people through rites of passage and ceremonies before they would pass the knowledge on to those who had earned the right to know.

"So Emily May," Edwina continued, "As !Xu's people migrated into the city, word got out about this here tree of wisdom and shook peoples to wantin' ta know the knowing. Fer centuries, people have been trying ta access it, and since ya the One, I guess that's why 'e sent us the wand," said Edwina, finishing off the story.

"But what am I supposed to do with it?" said Emily, not feeling like the One at all.

"I believe ya nearly blew Josh's hair offa his head," said Edwina, smiling at the image, "but much as I'd like ta know kiddo, I don't and ya gonna haves ta find out by yaself. Had any of ya dreams lately?"

"How do you know about my…" Emily trailed off, knowing that Edwina was part of the group, with Miriam, that seemed to infuriatingly just know stuff. "I can only imagines that ya dreams of them desert sands, ya talking lizard and that there wand," said Edwina, pointing towards the colourful material sticking out of Emily's backpack, "are goin' ta lead ya into that wasteland."

"Talking lizard! What talking lizard?"sniggered Josh. Edwina shushed him with one look. Emily asked, "Wasteland! Oh frig, Edwina, why do I have to do this? Why is it always me?"

"Oh, stop being melodramatic, Emily," said Sam. "You know you might have to lead the charge but that we'll be right there with you. Adventure time, remember? Adventure ahoy!" Sam threw her hands into the air like she was at the top of the roller coaster ride about to snap downwards. "And you have me and my all-seeing eyes now too," said Gift, completely serious if unconsciously arrogant.

"Why can't my surprise be nice for a change?" whined Emily. "Oh, this isn't your surprise at all. Is it, Rupert?" said Edwina, looking across the table, over Emily's head, towards the beaded curtain that was being swept aside once more.

Edwina lumbered out of her chair. Gift turned to look at the newcomer who'd stopped Emily's whining in her tracks. Rupert stood tall and square. No longer cowed by the enormous burden of his past life, he was a different person. Gone were the dark circles under his eyes, the pasty skin, the hopelessness. Gone were the tatty clothes, the dirty stains and the air of negativity. Standing in front of them was a new man.

Emily's rage boiled over. She wondered if his new look was because that horrid snake had died or because Jessica had. Surely, having just lost his child, he should be devastated? And this was the man that had tried to steal her book! Why was Edwina inviting him in?

"Now, now Emily May, calm down. I can feel ya hackles rising an' there's a lot ya don't know," said Edwina. "You think?" Emily snapped, on guard. "Em, this is what Ed and Josh were telling me about earlier, when you walked in. I know you think we were keeping things from you, but they were trying to gauge how you'd react. I guess we know now." said Sam.

Emily flew to her feet, sending her chair skidding away from her. "What is he doing here?" she yelled. How dare they make her share the room with the person who had sided with that thing, that Man, and been instrumental in the killing of his own daughter?

"Em, um, Emily," Rupert said, clearing his throat, "I know you don't like me, that you probably even hate me. But please – give me a chance to explain."

"It had better be a frigging awesome explanation," shouted Emily, breathing hard. She wanted to put up her fists like Morgan had not so long ago and duke it out with him. Rupert moved forward a few steps into the room. He sidestepped Emily's seat and sat down in the chair that had miraculously appeared next to Edwina.

"Sit yaself down Emily," commanded Edwina.

Emily bumped down back into her seat, unaware that she had even stood up.

"Gives this here man a break. Gives 'im a chance ta explain. He helped ya, an' whether ya believe it or not, ya owe him an ear to listen since 'es had the courage ta ask for it." No one else said a word. Looking from Rupert to Emily, they waited for a fight to break out.

Emily breathed in through her nose and out through her mouth. She counted to ten. She breathed in and out, trying to calm her raging feelings in the silent room.

"You've got ten minutes," she said, "No, five minutes. So you'd better make it good."

CHAPTER SEVEN

Rupert had carried his daughter out of The Void. Two jagged fang holes pierced deep into her flesh. She'd hung limply, like a big raggedy doll, her head hanging over one of his arms, and her long legs hanging over the other.

He'd kept calling her name, over and over, like an animal howling into the night in pain, as Edwina had steered him around by the elbow. He'd clutched Jessica to his heart, his long-lost girl, swearing that he would never again make the same mistakes; swearing on his daughter's life that she would be avenged and that he would leave his wicked ways behind.

Edwina had taken him toward the back of her kitchen, into the alley behind her back door, into a different world. A world he had never known existed and still didn't remember very well. The days and nights he'd spent in the world behind Edwina's kitchen door were all fuzzy. He'd felt like he was swimming through dense currents, numbed to the sights and sounds that had surrounded him, like he was diving in the deep sea without goggles. Everything was muffled and he could barely move in his grief.

Edwina had taken Jessica's body away from him and he'd handed her over, so lost, so willing for someone else to take over. She pushed him in the direction of caretakers, who had taken him into a different area, into what seemed like a hospital. This was the nearest comparison he could make.

He felt like he'd gone through hell, as he'd been strapped down in his anguish. He had screamed his way through to sanity. Long years of alcohol, drugs and hard living had taken their toll and at times he'd thought he would never make it through.

His caretakers had been at his side throughout it all. They had whispered their heart-feeling into his own heart, calming his fears, and soothing his outbursts. They had massaged his cold hands and feet when he'd felt like he was dying, an explorer lost in the cold unknown. They had given him water and small morsels of food even when he'd begged them to let him die.

Eventually, having weathered the storm, he had thanked them gratefully, knowing he could never fully repay them for giving him back his life. He'd left, empty but alive, not sure where to go or what to do. That was when he'd learned what was expected of him, in return.

The Rupert that stood before Emily, in the newly renovated bookshop looked twenty years younger. Last year he'd looked like a real down-and-out sixty-year-old, but there had obviously been a shift inside of him. Emily realised she had no idea of his real age.

Rupert started apologising, "Emily, I can't begin to tell you how sorry I am. I know I betrayed you. If it makes any difference to how you think about me, know that I'll never forgive myself for killing Jess."

Rupert hadn't seen Jessica after Edwina had taken her away. She simply told him that she'd delivered Jessica into the best hands she knew while they waited for him to come out of his madness.

"I know I wasn't the one that killed her, but Iwas to blame. She was here because of me. All I can say is that I hope she found the peace that we were both looking for. I know she's in a better place. I'm not sure where, but I know I'm on my way to finding out," Rupert said, his eyes looking toward the ceiling as if into heaven, expecting some insight into things unknown and unseen.

Emily glared at Rupert, unconvinced. His youthful looks and earnest prayers simply didn't redeem him. "Not good enough," she said angrily, standing up and pointing toward the door. "I think you should leave now."

"Wait, wait, Em, jus' ha' some patience, will ya?" said Josh, "Look at the man, will ya, he's obviously found some kinda good thing." Josh leaned over and put his hands on Emily's cheeks, pointing her eyes towards Rupert again. "Look at 'im. Don't ya think he's different? Stop lookin' wiff ya eyes will ya, and look wiff ya heart, ya silly sausage."

Emily swung her head around and glared at Josh, "Don't you tell me…" she started and stopped, realising that everyone was looking at her with huge eyes, as if waiting for her to burst into flames. She certainly felt like she was burning. She vowed that if she learnt how to make flames come out of her eyes or fingers or elbows one day, Josh would be the first one she'd practice on. But for now, she had to listen.

He was right. She was just seeing the outer shell through her eyes, and even though Rupert did look physically younger, she still only saw the betrayer that he'd been.

"Emily. Please. Give me a chance to change what I did. I know that I was influenced before, though that doesn't excuse my behavior. I believe it's because of you that I got a break. I believe you killed that thing, that snakethat killed Jessica and had power over me? Still, I could have resisted, I know that now. That I'm ultimately in control, or can and should be."

"Please. I have something for you," Rupert said, holding his hand out in peace.

Emily took a deep breath. She centered herself and heart-felt Rupert. He was shining. When she'd felt him before he'd been a dense, dark mass. Now he seemed to shine like her Shimmers. Had he crossed over to the other side, her side? Feeling with her heart, she put a tentative hand out to shake Rupert's. All eyes in the room remained on their strange exchange.

"Okay, Rupert. For now I'll let it slide. You seem to have been through some kind of a transformation, but if it's all the same with you, I'm going to take this one day at a time. Okay?" Rupert smiled beatifically, like the sun coming out after a long hard winter. "I'll take what I can get."

A collective release happened. Everyone around the table seemed to breathe at the same time. Like a dam wall bursting after the long strain of holding tons of water back, they all started talking at once.

"Thank the heathens," said Edwina.

"Don't ya mean heavens Ed?" asked Josh.

"I'm not sure you should forgive this cretin," said Morgan, still caught up in the mood of last year, since she was still not able to heart-feel like Emily. Morgan was one of Emily's greatest protectors and she couldn't find her way clear to letting go of all her animosity yet. Sam looked at Morgan. "Oh let it go already Morgan. If Emily can, you can."

Edwina got up to make another pot of tea as Rupert settled into the chair next to hers. He looked at the group of friends, listening to the teenage exuberance and the chatter of their monkey minds. Emily watched him from across the table, her eyes focused on the light waves that surrounded him, "You said you had something for me?" "Mm? Oh yes Em, let me go and fetch it for you," Rupert said, jumping up like a gymnast doing a floor performance, all toes and nimbleness. He walked out of the kitchen and returned with the book she had left in Edwina's care at the end of last year.

"My book? That is my book, isn't it? What are you doing with my book?" accused Emily. "Patience Em," said Josh, watching Emily's rage rise. "Yes, it is your book Emily. There's something in it that you need to read. There's a new message," said Rupert, leaning over the table, handing it to her.

"Oo, a new message for ya. Best ya keep on top o' things then Em," teased Edwina, curiously reaching out for it herself. Emily grabbed it away.

"You mean you haven't seen it yet, Ed? I thought you knew everything," said Sam, teasing Edwina.

"I knew about our Rupert here but not 'bout a new message appearin' in the book. Seems like that there book is always going ta escape and confound me," said Edwina, laughing back at Sam.

"What exactly is so special about this book this time? I thought it was just used to train us. Oh please, no more thoughts are things! It was hard enough last time," said Morgan, peering over Emily's shoulder trying to get a good look. At the word special, Emily's mind clicked. '"Is this my surprise?" Rupert shrugged his shoulders. "I was tasked to get it to you, Emily, that's all. I haven't had a look inside yet either." He smiled slowly to himself. He was glad he'd managed to keep his curiosity at bay and not betray Emily again.

Emily looked at the fading title, a question in her eyes aimed at Edwina. Why was the original title, Emily and the Battle of the Veil fading? Edwina shrugged her shoulders, not having an answer. She flipped open her book, as all eyes turned towards her. She snapped in shut loudly, making everyone jump, then silence descended.

"Drum roll please," she said, smiling at the attention, wanting to break the tension.

Emily looked at the fading title again, ignoring her need to know. She started flipping through pages until she came to the words written on the page. She read the words.

"Oh no, frig. Aha, no kidding, okay, what? Um, I did?"

"Okay, um, you did, what?" everyone said in unison.

Emily threw the book hysterically onto the table, saying, "Look for yourselves, if you can." She wasn't sure if she was excited or terrified. Written in the book were the words:

Be Forewarned! You have been made aware

That following this path can be a scare.

Once it begins, it can never stop

As the formless comes, the gate will unlock.

You spirit will undergo drastic changes

As all is revealed, in the formless danger

For everything happens as it should

On the path of rightness, path of good

You'll remove yourself from the world you know

And travel deep into the perilous unknown

Acceptance of this path, you have already given

Journey safely, mage, towards heaven.

CHAPTER EIGHT

Admonai kicked malicious clods of sand into his followers' faces as he stormed around his underground desert cave. He roared, and shapeshifted violently. Scales to flesh to feathers to hair, black to green to blue to purple, small to medium to huge.

Terrified, his subjects cowered before him. They had never seen him in such a state. Even when he raged, he usually chose a single fearful form and stuck with it for a few minutes. He shook his fists at the ceiling. "How dare you, Heathens? You must have known she would defeat me! How dare you?"

His followers curled more tightly into small balls, trying to become invisible. Voices thundered in response to Admonai.

You have your orders, Admonai. You can not waver, no matter what your personal vendetta is, no matter you want. You cannot – nay, will not – change what is set down for you, as your task, as your future, as your purpose, in this journey of the Saviour Mage.

Admonai screamed even louder, "She is neither saviour, nor mage! She is a puny little girl!"

Nevertheless, your role is written. You have a second chance. Do not waste it, boomed the Voices.

"How could she have defeated me?" howled Admonai, stunned in his arrogance that he had lost at all. "And what has happened to that ugly monkey of mine? Where isthat stupid monkey?" The answer never came. After a while, realising that The Heathens had disappeared, he stopped pacing. "Heathens?" Admonai asked regardless, listening blackly, calmly.

A cloud started forming around him, becoming denser as his frustration increased. How could they just leave while he was talking to them? The cloud turned from grey to sombre black to pitch black. Did they think they were better than him? His followers could see him changing shape rapidly inside the cloud. Lightning struck the ground around him.

A tearing crack of thunder, and he was gone.

The troglodytes strung their webs lazily across the cave. The Circles of Influence had long stopped turning. Silenkis, Admonai's soothsaying snake, was dead.

The cave roof rained fine sand, making the webs look like fairy lights. A rumble, a heavier rain of sand, then the cave lit up. Noise bounced off the walls. The troglodytes ran for cover, not caring about all the fat bugs they had saved for special occasions, and vanished.

Admonai of Old, The Man, emerged from the shadows. He strode towards the Circles of Influence. "I must have some Persuasion left," he murmured, lost in his thoughts. A rat scurried out of his way to hide behind a clay pot. "There must be a way for me to work these infernal circles."

He poked at the outer circle that held an inner circle within it, both of them lying side by side in their deep sleep. He willed it to start turning. He searched restlessly through Silenkis' books. His eye fell on Spells Linking the Lands Between Time. Stroking the book gently, he felt a remnant of Elgeba, a touch of defiance, of madness. That monkey deserved everything he got, thought Admonai angrily.

He sniffed the air like a rabid dog, sending his senses out into the ethers, willing himself to find the ugly beaked-faced monkey that seemed to have disappeared into thin air. Closing his eyes, he mind-spat his thoughts through the tunnels of darkness that flowed into, out of and around everything in existence. Briefly, he felt he was close to finding Elgeba. But something was wrong. Elgeba changed into a blank wall in his mind.

Where was he? The infernally naughty curious monkey stank of mischief. That's how he'd managed to track him down in the first place, how he'd been able to entice him into the darkness that was his home. The Man who wasn't a man laughed at the easiness of that word running off his tongue. How he'd love to make the whole of Aurana his home, he thought.

But his two greatest allies, Elgeba and Silenkis, had deserted him in his time of greatest need, in the war over Aurana, in the battle of Light against Dark. He had more followers, many subjects and the ear of The Heathens, but it was not enough.

He hated not knowing what happened to Elgeba. He knew all too well what happened to Silenkis. That ridiculous stuttering snake, who thought it could outwit him. More than once Silenkis had tried to take over from Admonai, wrest from him his power. But he had to concede that it would have been a lot easier if Silenkis was still here to operate the Circles of Influence.

He had sacrificed Silenkis knowing he would lose some control over the Balance. The lesser of two evils, he thought. Rather lose a slave than his life, he thought, not knowing how close he was to understanding what had happened to Elgeba.

Aurana's light side was encroaching on his dark desert. He'd felt the change in the Balance. The winds whispered words of wonder, spread the seeds of lies, telling the creatures of good, of greatness, of oneness. Instead of his influence gaining momentum as he'd wanted the Battle to do, it was diminishing. He'd have to find someone, or something, that could do huge amounts of damage this time.

Emily, he thought. Emily May Harrison, I might not be able to touch you yet, but I know who you are. And if I know who you are I can get to you. I won't underestimate you a second time. A rat dashed for cover behind a clay pot.

Distracted, Admonai morphed into a rat himself. "Come out, come out, wherever you are," he sang softly to the shadows. "Come on rat-a-tat-tat, I know you're there, show yourself to me, so I can set you free," he laughed cruelly, scurrying past pots, weaving across the shattered room, stalking his prey.

Admonai moved deeper into the shadows, stalking the smell of betrayal, following the smell of the frightened animal.

"Boo," he said, believing he'd found the rat, wanting to scare it out of hiding. Admonai was having fun. "Boo yourself," replied an unknown presence in front of him. Admonai jumped up in fright, his rat claws scrabbling in the air, panic in his red rat eyes that searching in all.

The voice continued, serious, dark. "Don't you think you have better things to do than chase a rat, Admonai of Old?"

"Who are you? Where are you? Show yourself," shouted Admonai, changing into his man form, walking to the other side of the dormant Circles of Influence.

"You cannot see me?" said the voice, "That is good. That is very good."

A dark shadow softened the air in front of Admonai, to the right of the Circles. "Do you recognise me now, old friend?" said the shadow, solidifying into a darker mass, swirling in and out of focus.

"Ah, Marakis, I thought you had long left the employ of The Heathens?"

"I have, my old friend. But you know I can sense where I will be respected, perhaps even enjoyed," said Marakis dangerously. "I believe you've just been defeated in Battle. What a shame, someone as highly exalted as you. Perhaps you have need of someone such as me? Are you desperate enough to welcome me? I think you could make good use of someone such as me now."

"As a matter of fact," said Admonai, moving forward to stand at the edge of the wavering, shadowy, dark matter, "I could do with your help, demon."

CHAPTER NINE

Marakis resolved into a human-like form. Intimidated, Admonai shapeshifted too. He became The Man, filled with malice, anger and danger. His eyes changed into deep, black pits.

"So, old friend," said Marakis, watching Admonai resolve into The Man whom he found quite normally ugly and not very frightening at all since he believed he had better powers at his disposal, "you lost to a girl." Marakis cackled like an old crone, mirthlessly haunting the caverns underground as the sound seeped through the clay walls.

"Do not dare to become familiar with me," fumed Admonai, advancing on the puny human form in front of him, wanting to take out his frustration.

"Be careful Admonai," whispered Marakis, side stepping the rage coming at him but wanting to goad Admonai further. "Are we not on the same side? Take back your anger. It is not for me that you rage and even you do have to admit, it's really funny. A girl; you lost to a girl!"

Admonai's rage abated. The only way he'd ever get away from the incessant teasing was to find the girl and kill her. He needed Marakis to help him. Burying his anger deep inside, he played along.

"So Marakis, you think you can handle a slip of a girl? If you can, please, be my guest." Admonai swept his hand out enveloping the lands surrounding him, invitingly.

"What would you have me do, Admonai? Simply kill her, or can I have a little fun and frighten her to death?" he laughed, as only a demon can. The air around the cavern was filled with disgust. The rat, who'd been running and hiding from Admonai, shuddered. Its strong, thick black hair stood up straight on its back. Hiding behind the pots, it scurried to and fro, as if lost, wanting to attack, but silently knowing that it wasn't strong enough.

"Do whatever you want to. Just get rid of her," said Admonai, sniffing the rat's movements in the air.

Sensing Admonai's shift in focus, Marakis said, "Will you leave that rat alone? We really do have better things to discuss and plan. It's just a stupid rat, for Heathen's sake."

The rat stood up on its back legs, its front claws scratching uselessly. It slumped back down and scurried closer, wanting to hear the conversation between the two old rivals, caring but not caring about its own survival.

Marakis stroked the Circles of Influence lovingly. "I see you couldn't get these to work again, my friend? How useful they would be."

"I have not been able to find the incantation, but I will. Tell me you don't need these stupid circles, Marakis? Surely your reach is further than that?" Admonai said, wanting to get the better of his nemesis.

"S-s-sure, it is-s-s," said Marakis, imitating Silenkis while Admonai looked at him sternly. "My reach is still wide, and now stretches to so many new horizons since I'm out of The Heathens clutches that I already know her movements for the next few months. Can you say the same? Do you have any idea where she is or what she will be doing?" Marakis taunted, "Or are you so closed off, so beaten, so shackled by The Heathens now that you are clueless?"

"Be careful, Marakis," warned Admonai. "You are here at my invitation only. If you continue to take pot shots at me, I might think of telling The Heathens of your movements." Marakis realised he'd been a little arrogant. "Apologies, old friend. I'm getting ahead of myself. But I do think you want to know what I know. Don't you?"

Admonai felt like Elgeba was back at his side. He hated not knowing what others knew. Swallowing his own pride, he said, "Marakis, spit it out, what do you know?" Marakis settled into a lumpy clay-like chair. The troglodytes scampered closer to the Circles of Influence slowly connecting the broken strands of their webs that trailed on the ground, spitting on some ends, making them stick to other ends.

Marakis began to tell his tale.

When he'd overstepped his orders, last given to him by The Heathens, he'd been lost to the darkness, banished to what they called the Isle of White. The Heathens had told him to use the time in this holding place to find out who he was. But Marakis was too clever for them. The Heathens had left him there to die of madness, but he'd found a way out.

He had ended up there because he'd wanted to do things hisway. Marakis wasn't very good at being a follower. In the moments of time that had stretched endlessly in the whiteness, he'd found himself screaming for attention, for anything that would acknowledge his presence. Nothing had come. They had left him there to go mad, to rot. They had left him there. He'd almost lost himself, lost his way.

Marakis told Admonai that a Voice had spoken to him. The Voice had given him some sanity in the endless white, asked him to accept, asked him to live, asked him to hand himself over to something bigger, asked him to belong. He pretended to accept, locking his real essence deep within himself as the Voice had asked:

Let me into your weak mind

Let me move on through your spine

From your head down to your toes

As your reasoning slowly goes

Give to me your bleeding heart

So you can get a new start

Belong to me now, live my laws

Let every cell now heed my calls.

Marakis fooled the Voice. He accepted the challenge laid before him and gained invaluable insight into the Other side.

"Are you aware that there is a Book?" said Marakis, believing he had one up on Admonai. Admonia, smelling a rat, said, "Yes, I know she has a book."

"No, not her book, though it is bad enough that she has that one. I mean a specific one that holds the secrets to the imagination," said Marakis, explaining further.

"This book holds some of the secrets of the journey. It has pointers towards the way of Balance. And I believe that the Balance has just shifted away from you, Admonai?" said Marakis condescendingly.

Marakis continued, telling Admonai of the people of the desert, of a specific person called !Xu, who held the keys to the tree of wisdom.

"Did you know that our Emily, that dear little girl that defeated you, now holds the first clue to finding that wisdom?" asked Marakis, shifting Admonai's roving attention from the rat back to himself. Admonai seemed to be very distracted by the rats in the cavern. "Admonai!" shouted Marakis, hating to be ignored, "Do you not want the darkness to reign? Do you want to live in Balance? Admonai!"

"Sorry, sorry," said Admonai as he crushed a rat in his wolverine mouth, spat it out and returned to human form, "I don't know what it is about these rats that are driving me to crazy today. Perhaps I am hungry? The wisdom of the ancients and a book, you say, about the imagination? How can that possibly harm us?" he continued.

"Argh, you are so stupid sometimes," said Marakis, lucky that Admonai was stalking another rat.

"Oh, we tried to steal her book once but that stupid monkey failed. Surely you can handle this small task by yourself? Since you have such a wide reach now," said Admonai distractedly, sniffing another weak rodent cowering in a corner.

"Not her book!" snapped Marakis. He grabbed Admonai by the chin and forced him to look into his eyes. "She will find !Xu. He will be with her when the time comes. And not her book, but a book about the power of the imagination."

"I am not scared of !Xu. And what do you think she will come to know?" said Admonai, shaking the hands off his jaw, irritated.

"She will master her imagination, that's what. And if she does, she can directly affect us," explained Marakis, talking to the most stupid pupil he'd ever had to teach.

"So what's so scary about that? We are still more powerful than her, you will see. And she has already come into Aurana," said Admonai, "You aren't exactly telling me anything new."

"You're an idiot! She has no idea of the power of the imagination!" burst out of Marakis, "She has only just touched the tip of the iceberg by coming here, can you not see that?"

"She knows she's a mage now and how special she is, you dense daemon, but she is still only human," said Admonai sarcastically, stalking away.

Marakis slowly dissolved into formless, dense darkness. "She is so much more than that. If she gets hold of this book and learns how to use her imagination, she will find her way into the desert sands and into our kingdom. Then all will be lost, Admonai."

"Oh don't be so melodramatic Marakis. Let her come to the desert. It is my haven, my world. Let her come," said Admonai, scheming.

"You are short-sighted, you dumb animal," said Marakis, under his breath.

"If you will not listen, so be it, but thank you for deciding to work withme. You have no idea what freedom this gives me. Now, I must go, I have my own plans," Marakis said inconclusively, and disappeared.

Admonai sniffed around the cavern, turning into a hunting hound, chasing after the rats that scattered into the corners. Chomping on one after the other, he felt as if he was missing something key to his survival, but the more he hunted the rats the less fulfilled he felt.

In a corner at the far end, deep in the darkness, one rat stood up on its hind legs. It had heard what it needed to hear. Admonai whirled around to see a small puff and hear a ripping noise. Too late, he lunged towards it.

The rat disappeared before his eyes.

CHAPTER TEN

The Lennox hotel doors had long been unable to close. Warped with time, they gaped invitingly to anyone who wished to enter its world-weary halls. The black mass moved up the stairs, transforming as it did into the shape of a man.

Rupert sat in his comfortable leather-backed chair that Edwina had given to him as part of her clean up of the bookshop. The old bookshelf, also a present from Edwina, groaned against the facing wall, sparkling in its latest coat of paint. Rupert looked around at his furniture; all of it, in fact, recently given to him by Edwina. All except the creaky sunken bed.

The bed had to go. He'd earned some money the previous day, good money after a hard day's labour, and decided that he'd be visiting the second-hand furniture store around the corner from Edwina's in the Old Quarter. He deserved a good night's sleep.

When Rupert had left the world behind Edwina's kitchen door and been unceremoniously shoved back into the real world, he'd had no idea what to do in his new-found persona. He made his way back to the only shelter he knew. He'd been to hell and back. He decided that he needed to start from where he'd left off – at the Lennox. He felt strong these days; the intervention at Edwina's calmed his burnt, raw soul. He no longer felt alone. The littlest voice in his head reminded him simply to take one day at a time

So he did.

He'd returned to his decrepit, ratty room that stank of smoke and alcohol, and opened the curtains for the first time in years. The sunlight streamed in over the stench and stagnation. He'd removed the old thin mattress that had been on top of a thicker one and thrown out the cigarette-burned sheets. He'd rather have slept with nothing than in the bug-infested blankets lying limply over the springs.

The only thing he'd left behind was the thick mattress that his body had not touched directly. He'd become used to lying in a certain position and the springs of this mattress welcomed him.

He'd gone down the corridor, having unbelievably heard a vacuum cleaner there somewhere in the past. He knocked on a few doors and found the woman who owned it. He'd borrowed it to suck up the accumulation of bad years.

He had the old bed and mattress, nothing more, when Edwina knocked on his door. She always knew when someone was in need. She brought the chair, bookshelf, carpets, curtains, sheets, blankets and a lamp.

He remembered her words to him that day long past as he sat in his refurbished chair, the sky clear and stars twinkling, sipping some late-night coffee, "Dinna ya waste ya second chance, Ruper' me boy. You 'ear me. You make somefink of this life of yours now."

He planned to.

Once a week he held an official meeting of the Almost Anyone Club. He felt like he was back in his childhood where he'd been a part of a group, with secret handshakes, a treehouse you could only enter with passwords and where girls were excluded from everything.

Only this time the girls weren't excluded. There were fewer women than men, admittedly, in his Almost Anyone Club, but the streets didn't discriminate based on gender. A Lost One was lost, no matter where they had come from or where they were going.

He'd sent word out into the surrounding streets about the meeting he would hold once a week. He only had one rule for being there: the desire to find something more, to find a better, gentler life.

Initially he'd sat there alone. But the word spread, and slowly, one by one, they trickled in.

More than once, angry, spiteful Lost Ones who were unwilling to change had come to disrupt the meeting. They tried to intimidate the few who had come, but Rupert had calmly allowed them to rant and rave until they were spent. He'd then wished them well as they turned and left to go on their next wild spree. The Lost Ones who'd had told others of his calm presence, patience and love, so more and more had come to spend time with him at his weekly meeting. Often as he was walking down the street, they would seek his counsel or smile in recognition.

Rupert smiled to himself, took another sip of his coffee and picked up his book. He'd listened to Edwina's words and was making a difference where he was. He was glad he'd decided to return to The Lennox, his home. Here people remembered him as a gambler and a drunk. Now they saw a changed being.

Rupert read late into the night. It was his only pleasure these days but he had a lot to learn, and thanks to Edwina he now also had an endless supply of books on so many subjects that he never seemed to have enough time to take it all in.

He was tired. His head dipped and wove like a swallow flying through the air. He put down his book and turned off the lamp. Its glow faded slowly. He moved to the bed in the dark and took off his clothes. He put on his shorts and went to stand at the window.

He sniffed the air like a rat, spread his hands out onto the cold glass and took in the night. He had a special purpose now. He was the bearer of news, and was glad that Emily had considered forgiving him. Forgiveness, he decided, was a powerful elixir. But the air held warnings tonight. Stronger warnings than usual. Something was happening tonight; something on the dark side of the Balance.

Rupert closed his eyes, sank deep into his essence and tried to find the Balance that he now knew existed. He breathed in deeply, willing his senses to find it. Menace was coming. Mayhem was about to break free. Rupert let go. He'd done everything he could for the day, and left the world and its people in the hands of something infinitely more aware than himself.

He slept.

The dark dense figure of a man crept down the stained corridor towards the door with the peculiar markings on it. The markings had been placed there specifically for demon eyes; normal eyesight would not have picked up the luminescence that lay deeply embedded in the grains of shattered wood. He stopped, fighting the temptation to knock, simply to see the surprise on the occupant's face.

He dissolved into the black mass and whispered through the cracks in and around the door. He slid towards the sleeping body and engulfed the light that shone from it. Slowly, slowly, he changed the light to shadow with whispers. Whispers that made hollows where there'd been truths, that twisted good into bad.

You are small, weak, yet alive. Do not wish for death, coward. Wish for me to fill you so that together we can be more. Together, we can be powerful. You are nothing without me. You know that you are nothing without me. Invite me in, let go, allow, so that you can have peace.

Terrible birds gathered, with red eyes glowing in the dark.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Emily strolled up the grass embankment, leaving the school behind on her way to hostel. She was lost in thought.

Emily loved the summer months. Water helped her to muffle the sounds that shrieked constantly around her, the noise of friends shouting, the chattering of monkey-minds that she had come in contact with again after opening up her senses to Aurana and her world. She was learning to cut out the noise and surround herself in a bubble; learning to pick up only those thoughts that affected her. But she was out of practice after the long switch-off she'd had during the Christmas holidays.

Emily was part of the school swimming team this year. She always stayed behind after practice. When her ears filled with water she found the muffled silence peaceful and soothing, a world very different from her own.

Emily looked up at the hostel. She felt a swish next to her ear, jumped involuntarily and stopped walking. Looking up the hill she saw the tree near the hostel where she'd discovered Pugly and Elvis in Kingstown last year.

She looked behind her towards the school expecting someone to be walking up the path behind her. Nothing was there. She was jumpy since she'd read the forewarningin her book. Emily didn't like warnings of any kind, especially when it hadn't told her who to look out for. She felt like a target. Some birds high in the sky caught her attention .Those black birds seemed to be multiplying. She saw them everywhere she looked these days.

She'd looked them up last time she noticed their numbers. In the tiny metaphysical section of the library she'd discovered that a raven was a 'bringer of magick'. She had a feeling, deep inside, that she ought to keep looking at these kinds of books, but she wasn't sure what she was looking for. And magic still frightened her, even after everything she been through and learned.

Some days she still wished things were 'normal', but knew that wasn't her path.

She often sat after school and during break times watching people around her. Their lives seemed so uncomplicated. No warnings, no weird dreams, no different worlds overlaying their own; just easy talking between friends. She still found it difficult to breach people's outer shells. You just don't know how someone's going to react, even when you think you know them, she thought, her mind seeing images of Jessica.

Mostly people gave out smiles, sometimes curious glances, but there was a part of people that scared her, a part they kept hidden, so she veered away from them. Perhaps it's because I know what else is out there, thought Emily, shaking her head to stop the dark rambling thoughts.

At that moment, she looked straight into the eyes of a raven.

"Emily! Emily, wait, will you," she heard behind her, as she stepped through the wooden back doors of the hostel.

"Gift, I mean Nosipho, I mean, Gift," repeated Emily, confused about what to call her friend. She was Emily and that was that, where poor Gift seemed to have a different name at school, at home and with her clan. What is it about a name that was so important? wondered Emily, remembering how Admonai had managed to find her and how Elvis, then Edwina, had warned her not to say her name to them in full. She was still trying to figure out who they were, another reason she didn't speak to people or give her own name out so freely.

Perhaps Nosipho, Gift, had it right. Perhaps it was better to have more than one name. Emily smiled at her revelation.

"Gift, we must find a nickname for me," she said, as Gift puffed out her last few hurried breaths, leaning against the bushes at the back doors.

"What are you talking about girl?" replied Gift, her bright brown eyes connecting with Emily's blue ones. "You're always on some tangent or other that the rest of us have no idea about. Why do you want a nickname? Oh, can I call you The Intimidator?" Gift laughed, remembering how stern she'd been with Rupert.

Realising the opportunity Emily had just presented to her, Gift sang on, "Or what about, um Fool, that sounds good. Hello Fool! Oh, oh or what about, I've got it, Funny Face, or…"

Lungs inflated after her break at the doors, Gift bounded up the stairs with Emily behind her, yelling, "Hey Morgs', Sartjie, Samantha, Emily wants a nickname. I vote for Pudding, since she can't seem to stop eating the sweet stuff."

Gift seemed to yell even when talking was sufficient."Well, you have put on a few kilos since being back at boarding school. You have to admit that, Em?"

Emily glared at Gift, pulling her T-shirt down.

"I'm not going to share anything with you from now on, you know that. You just don't know how to keep your big mouth shut." She stormed past Gift, and the barrage started. "What do you guys think about Strangerer or…oh! Oh, I know, Crazy Daisy?" Morgan yelled, "I know! I know! Em, how does Freaked out Francis sound?"

Emily loved her friends most times, but she hated them now with a passion. "Wait until I start calling you all names. See how much you like it." She pulled her curtains shut sharply. She flung her school satchel onto her creaky chair. Pugly lay curled up on her pillow, with Elvis resting on his protruding stomach. "At least you're still my best friends, aren't you, Pugs and my man El?" Pugly raised an eyebrow, the irony of her name-calling not escaping him. Emily scooted them out of the way and plopped onto her bed.

Some people you could trust, some not, she thought. The trick was figuring out which was which.

Later that night, her homework done, dinner (some surprisingly lovely fish and chips) finished, showered, and in her pajamas, Emily felt her stomach. She felt a newly formed fat roll. She decided to cut back on her starches and puddings. At least she wasn't looking like Josh yet.

She knew she was eating too much white bread, and the extra handful of chips with supper never helped, but she hadn't been in the best of moods. Comfort eating, Mamasita called it. But Mamasita thought it was a good habit and somehow always convinced Emily to eat more. Mamasita believed that the bigger your bum was, the greater the man you'd attract.

Emily had felt Josh's eyes on her over the holidays. Maybe she had been comfort eating. "Ugh," said Emily aloud, shaking at the image of a great big bum. Her cubicle curtains swished open with a flourish.

"Ugh what?" asked Sam, moving into Emily's space as if she owned it. Now this is one chick who has no problem with trust, thought Emily. "Are you okay? I trust…" said Sam, her eyebrow lifting as she wondered where that word came from. "I mean, we're sorry, Em. You know we're just kidding with you. You're sometimes too serious about things."

Sam moves towards the bed where Emily lay with her book on her chest. Emily's thoughts continued to revolve unconsciously, thinking about how Sam really owned a space when she walked into it. That's confidence, she thought.

"I like your space," said Sam, looking around, "it's confident tonight somehow." It was Emily's turn to raise her eyebrow. "What are you talking about, Sam?" "I'm not sure. I keep feeling like there are words in my head, but I don't quite know where they're coming from. I'm not making much sense, am I?"

"Nope, not a lot. Talking about a confident space seems a little Spacy Tracy. Ha! I think I just found your new name," said Emily. She sat up on her bed cross legged as Sam sat down opposite her.

Emily dragged a pillow out from behind her back and threw it at Sam. The two long-term friends leaned against the walls and chatted about everything and nothing as they had done all their lives.

Slowly, the others from the dorm started trickling in too.

Morgan smiled at Sam and Emily's friendship that continued regardless of fights and bitchiness, anger and sadness, wishing that she could have a friend that stood by her like that. Sarah hid her scars away, the ones on the inside by smiling slightly, the ones on the outside with long sleeves, even though it was a hot summer's evening. She cupped her sleeves in her hands and crossed her arms as she sat down on her pillow on the floor. She too wished there was someone she could talk to, and to share things with.

But it was Gift's entrance that raised the roof, as it always seemed to do these days.

"Hey, Gift, welcome to the party," laughed Sam.

"Hey Spacy Tracy," said Gift, "and I'm sorry too, Em. I didn't think it you'd take the name game so seriously. What's in a name anyway?"

Gift smiled sweetly at Emily, willing forgiveness, all guile and teasing gone. "So, if we can't find you a name now, and that means Spacy Tracy Sam hasn't either I guess, perhaps you can show us how that wand of yours works. If it works?" said Gift. Emily's reluctance was drowned out by, "Oh, that would be cool," and "Yeah, let's do it." along with one quiet smile.

Moving bodies out of the way, she crawled under her bed and pried up the corner of the wooden plank. She smiled as she saw Pugly and Elvis sniffing around excitedly and gathered that it was okay to get it out of its multi-coloured cloth.

"You keep that dang cook's cat away from us," Emily whispered at Pugly and Elvis. Elvis mounted Pugly like a horse and urged him to charge into battle by digging into his ribs. He swung an imaginary sword. He said, "Yeah, bear, care, beware cat, splat, flat."

"Are those pals of ours here Em?" said Sam, hanging upside down from the bed and lifting the duvet out the way to look. She extended a casual, "Heya."

"How come you can see them, Sam, and we still can't?" moaned Morgan. "We did the same training and stuff that you did last year. We should be able to see them too. We were also there at the end. We saw them at Edwina's that one time but I haven't seen them since. Are they really here?" she continued, feeling around her like a blind person, thinking she'd stumble in to them sooner or later.

Sarah curled up a little smaller trying to get out the way. Sam said, "Maybe it's because I know Em better than you, and what she knows I know, but I'm not really sure how come I'm seeing them now. But I still don't see the rest of Aurana like you do Em. Why do you think that is?"

Before Emily could answer, Sam punched Morgan on the arm, "You don't think you'll feel them, do you?"

"Oh, actually, maybe you will. I mean if you heart-feel as opposed to sweeping your hands around like a flightless bird, you tart!" said Sam.

Sam was confused."Is that why I can see them now? By heart-feeling?" Sam jumped off the bed, started swishing her hips and swinging her arms around, singing, "Me. Me. I got some heart-feeling in me. Yipee."

"I don't know how or when it happens to anyone else," said Emily. "I guess it happens differently for all of us?"

"Don't hassle about it Morgs," Emily said, redirecting her gaze towards a sullen Morgan, "All I know is that the more you try, the less will happen. So just relax."

"That's stupid, the more you try the less will happen. Goes against everything I've been taught," mumbled Morgan.

Emily sat on her pillow and watched Pugly and Elvis keeping an eye out at her curtains. She unwrapped the colourful cloth with the wand in it. Gift's mouth had remained surprisingly tightly shut through all Sam's dancing and Morgan's comments. Her big brown eyes never left the wand. Emily reached into the bag.

"Ouch," she said, jerking her hand backwards, "It shocked me," then laughed as she saw the frightened faces around her.

Trying again, she reached in slowly, gently feeling and touching the wand, whispering in her head, It's okay, okay, gently now, gently.

Gift didn't even blink. Emily took out the wand. She swished it around in a circle like a little girl with a fizzing sparkler.

Unexpectedly the room lit up, as tiny fairy-sprite lights began spitting and sparkling in a circle, following the wand's path.

Sarah screamed and ducked. Morgan grabbed Sarah's arm in surprise, went rigid then collapsed. Sam skittered out of the way sideways, almost standing on Morgan as she put her feet on the floor. Gift sat still, as if in a trance, following the lights at the foot of Emily's bed on the floor.

Gift put her arms up, her hands twinkling through the dancing light. She looked at Emily's face, realising that Emily was as surprised as the others. She moved her hands through the warmth, focusing on the circle. Minute faces and tiny bodies inhabited it.

"Finally," she said, her fingers dancing downwards, sprite sparks attached all around them. "Finally."

The girls erupted.

"Your hands, Gift! They're on fire!" said Morgan.

"What's happening?" said Sarah, as Sam interrupted her saying, "Awesomely cool, Em". All the comments were broken by a forceful "Shush," from Emily.

"Gift, Gift?" she said, gently touching Gift on the shoulder, not wanting to disturb what seemed like a very intimate conversation between two beings. "Gift, the rooms still alight, can we touch them too?" asked Emily, entranced but afraid. "Will they hurt us or burn us?" "Nah," said Gift, still in awe, "They're here to be with us, to light the way in a manner of speaking. They won't harm a fly."

Emily put her hand out tentatively into the circle of light, just as Sam did the same. Looking closely, heart-feeling her way, Emily saw what Gift was seeing.

The sprite-light was made up of beings, tiny, sparking, smiling sprites dancing, turning and tumbling.

"Careful," Emily said, grabbing Sam's outstretched hand that was swiping at the circle. "Look closer, heart-feel Sam, can you see them now?"

"Oh wow," said Sam squinting, using her newly discovered heart-feeling, not caring where or how she'd got the ability from. Morgan, seeing the sparkling circle, said excitedly, "Me too. I can see it!" She didn't realise there was more to see than the circle of light.

Gift said the last words before the sparkles waved, whispered and faded away. "The sprites, they're here. At last." She jumped up and hugged Emily. "I so wanted you to show me at Edwina's, and then Rupert interrupted. You have no idea how long I've waited for this moment. You really are the One."

Gift squeezed onto the bed, shoving Sam out the way. "I have a confession to make, Em. I wasn't sure, you see, even after we'd been to Edwina's and I saw your book."

"Why do you keep yourself so alone, so small?" asked Gift, pulling Emily into a standing position as their friends looked on, flabbergasted. She started to dance in a circle. She pulled Emily along with her, like the tide in the deep, dark sea. Morgan jumped onto the bed screeching in delight, shoving Sam in the other direction, as Sarah ran out of the cubicle, desperately trying to get out the way.

"Stop, Gift. Stop!" laughed Emily, as Gift swung her around, "You're nuts, man!"

Faster and faster they whirled, arms locked, hands on each other's shoulders, as Pugly and Elvis, who'd run in to join in the fun, whirled in the centre, smiling like rodeo cowboys and divine dogs.

Emily started feeling dizzy and wanted to let go, but Gift held her fast.

"Look, Em." Gift said, "Look around you, look down, at your feet and then up to the sky." Emily looked down and saw that her feet were covered in desert sand. She wasn't dreaming, she wasn't asleep, and she definitely wasn't at Edwina's, but she could see the sand. Here? Now? How?

"Look up, Emily May, look up," Gift said, leading Emily out of her confusion. Emily looked up at the light blue sky. The storm clouds were gathering somewhere off to her right but above her in circles, in patterns and forms, in delight and divinity, swarmed the tiny bodies of the spark sprites.

"Do you see them?" said Gift in delight. "You do, don't you? No dreams needed, no reality impeding, just believing you can and some imagination."

Gift jerked Emily to a sudden stop, causing her to stumble backwards and land squarely on Sam's lap. "What the heck just happened?" asked Emily. Sam, Morgan and Sarah looked around at each other. Morgan snapped her fingers. "They went out, just like that." "No Morgs. I mean…" said Emily trailing off, realising that to Morgan that was what had happened. But what happened to her and Gift?

"Well, I guess now you've learnt to see beyond what's on the surface, hey Em? I know you speak about Aurana, and I know you say you've found a way through to them, but I bet you didn't know you can access things in the here-and-now; at least with the help of a few little friends?" smiled Gift.

Emily caught something out the corner of her eye outside the window. She felt a slight movement and heard something that sounded like the flapping of wings.

The bell rang. Sarah's startled scream shattered the night and the excitement was gone. More questions remained unanswered along with the awe at what they had all just seen. The girls scattered to their individual beds, free to discover, dream and wonder on their own.

Emily packed her wand away, whispering in her head to Pugly, "Jeez Dawg, did you see them? And what's with Gift and seeing beyond the beyond?"

Pugly smiled knowingly, "All is not as it seems, oh Em phlegm. Everything is alive," Elvis belly-laughed at Pugly's nickname for Emily.

Emily was getting used to mystery but not to the miraculous.

"Oh, gross, Pugly. Couldn't you come up with something a little better than Em phlegm?" she replied.

CHAPTER TWELVE

Emily spent the next few weeks in absent wonder, still flabbergasted that she had seen the tiny sprites in 'real' life – not Aurana's time-space or her usual dream space, but actually in the here and now. Her friends thought that she was being weirder than usual when they asked her what she was thinking about and she tried to tell them, but since they were used to her being a little odd, they eventually left her alone.

She had rubbed her eyes once or twice when the sprites were dancing in front of her. It didn't feel like she was seeing them through her eyes, but from behind her eyelids. Her friends had seen the circle of light too, so that meant it had to be outside of her, but the detail of the sprites seemed to come from somewhere deep inside of her. She hesitated to call it her imagination, but knew that this is what her gran would have called it. Emily wondered why was it that when someone said it was your imagination that it was assumed that things were not real?

That was why she was walking around in a daze, trying to figure out if she had seen the sprites or just made them up. The only thing that kept her from going off the deep end was the fact that Gift could also see the tiny bodies, eyes and detail of the sprites. They couldn't both be crazy, could they?

Maybe they were both loons, thought Emily, deciding to leave the thought process behind until she could logically find out more information. Emily felt a deepknowing, like Miriam and Edwina. She felt that somewhere this information, about how two people could see the same thing and others not at all, would be found.

Emily climbed out of the swimming pool and scraped off her horrid bathing cap. She hated being forced to wear it – it made her look dorky. She grabbed her towel. Drying off, she felt her mind quieten.

The air whispered about her, willing her to let go of her logical mind. She shivered, a scattering of fear travelling down her spine. She was alone in the pool area and the sun was beginning to fade. She seemed to have lost time somewhere. That was happening a lot these days. Some days seemed to drag on forever; others flew by.

Yup, crazy as a daisy, thought Emily. She knew her mom was dead, even though sometimes it felt like she was around, watching over her. But she worried if, or how much of, her 'crazy' genes had been passed down. She could deal with being dead, but wasn't sure if she could handle being locked up in a nuthouse.

Hurrying her clothes on over her semi-dry costume and slipping on her slip slops, she thought a profound thought. She wondered if the nutters in the nut house really were nuts, or if they simply saw things that other people couldn't.

Emily smiled and ran up to the hostel in the dimming light, thinking. There's a fine line between genius and insanity, she thought. Wasn't that the case with everything? How was she, or anyone, supposed to make the right judgment call, while having no real clue which one was really right, or real?

She loved the feeling of being alive, but was also fearful. She shouted into the ethers as she walked.

"You're losing it, girl. You'd better be careful."

That night, after lights out, she wondered why she was at school at all, instead of out in the world exploring, finding some space and time for herself again. Her day had been filled with all the mundane things of living in the world, like lumpy mash and sausages and studying boring subjects.

She got out of bed in her tatty old cow pajamas and twirled herself around in circles until she landed with a smack-thump on her bum. She couldn't seem to access the sprites at will – perhaps she needed the wand at the same time? This was as frustrating as learning to sword-fight. Her logical brain stepped in. She knew that when the time was right she would be taught or know what to do.

She felt the need to get in touch with the sprites again. For the last few days, her Eight had spat and sputtered between warm and cold, the tingling at the back of her neck, alerting her to an approaching change.

She'd tried to heart-feel around for what might be causing her Eight to play up. She seemed to step into anxiety instead of calm when she did – her first indication that all was not as it seemed. Something was going down, or starting up, somewhere. She knew she could handle whatever came her way, she was strong when she needed to be, but that didn't make her any less fearful.

Being human is way too frigging complicated, thought Emily as she rubbed her sore bum. Pugly was laughing at her. "Oh Em, I wish you could have seen yourself. You know better than to force things to happen!" Elvis brayed like a donkey as he laughed. She shoved Pugly to the side of her pillow and squished Elvis in her hands, willing him to sleep. Emily slowly drifted off into the twilight zone.

The desert sands baked. The sun rose and set like a movie that had been put on fast forward. The plants opened and closed, the animals came out to scuttle around in the dawn heat, ducking down into hollows to cool off when they started burning in the hot midday sun. The shadows lengthened as the clouds formed and sheets of rain sloshed down into the dry desert sand. Sun, moon; morning, night.

Emily dreamed lucidly. She was in a strange land. Fear gripped her, along with excitement, the feelings mingling and morphing into anxiety, then expectation, aliveness and dread. Her feet were covered in sand, the wind whipped and flew, the distant broken tree shimmered. A tunnel of sand skittered towards her as something burrowed rapidly in her direction.

She sent her heart-feeling out towards it. This time, she recognised its presence, or essence. It was her new guide in the wilderness, the talking lizard, which she now knew was called a barking gecko. She still didn't know how her dream world and the real world connected, but she felt happier that there was some logical, factual evidence of this creature existing. She smiled, watching the tunnel of sand. I've heard its bark, she thought. Let's hope it doesn't bite.

The gecko's head popped up just in front of her. "Well, if it isn't Emily May, come once again, to stay? No, not this time I'm sure. You here to find a cure? No, not this time I see. This time to spend with me? No, no…this time, you're here to find!" The gecko's mouth widened as his bark got louder. "A water bug in mind?"

"What?" asked Emily, utterly confused. She knew with all her swimming, since word had gotten out that she wanted a nickname thanks to her friends, that people were calling her things like water baby and pickled fish, but couldn't remember someone calling her a water bug.

Reading her transparent thoughts, the barking gecko made a sound not unlike a cat coughing up a fur ball. Frightening and funny at the same time. Emily found herself spraying snot unwittingly. She wiped her nose. "Sorry, you scared me. What was that noise?" "I laughed in your face," it said, "as you sprayed your grace."

"Okay, I know I'm dreaming. I know I've been here. And I know I've met you before. But must you guys always talk in riddles? It's bad enough trying to figure out what's going on without still trying to figure out its meaning. And what do you mean when you said that thing about a water bug?" she asked.

"Come, walk, into the sun, walk with me, let's be one, then we'll find the beetle bug joy, so you can one day help your boy." Sentence finished, the gecko sped across the desert sands looking like a dimpled, hard skinned, shining, lopsided four-legged speed-warped alien.

Emily was really glad that he'd first approached her under the sand, as she would have run away screaming had he sped at her with his tongue flicking in and out as it did now. She would have lost her water-bug mind.

"Hey, slow down, you barker," she said, sprinting after him. Her swimming legs had developed nicely but she hadn't had a good run for a while. But here, in her dream world, it didn't seem to matter. She loped like a gazelle after him, feeling lighter than a breeze, freer than a bird, more powerful than a lone desert lion.

Not knowing where she was being led, but not caring, she followed the barking gecko across the dry landscape into the interior of the desert. High on the desert dunes, she spotted the azure ocean off to her side, feeling the cool air it swept into the mainland. The gecko led her on. Twisting and turning, she felt like they were moving in circles. At times he would stop and point out landmarks, buried for centuries or unknown. Emily had no idea when, how, or even if she would need this knowledge.

She stored it deep down in her psyche anyway.

Suddenly night approached. They rested under an upside down tree. The barking gecko told her tales of how the tribes believed that this tree was planted upside down to contain secrets and how they sometimes used it as a backdrop to their tribal dancing, spiraling out of control while they turned the world on its head too.

Emily found herself drifting asleep in her dream, softly snoring. The gecko barked at the morning sun, shoving Emily awake. Had she really spent a whole night here, listening to the gecko prattling on?

A shadow moved across the dawn light towards them. A dune lark descended, inviting them to climb on his back. They took off over the desert. After what felt like a few minutes, the gecko pointed downwards, showing her the circles that had formed on the desert sands. Circles, which he called fairy rings, that could often only be seen from above.

"Emily May, see how to perceive, in a different land, you must first believe. First, to see must come faith, then with distance, get a sense of place."

Emily understood, as if by magic. Sometimes things unseen at one distance or with one perspective weren't always noticeable when you were on top of them? Sometimes you needed to be lifted up to see? Basically, that you had to believe what the eye couldn't see until it could see it?

The dune lark descended, the circular fairy rings disappearing as the gecko in his halting poetry told her that many scientific theories over millennia had tried to explain their appearance, but that there was still no known answer. Some thought it was because of the changing weather and vegetation adaption, others that it was termites. Either way, why they happened weren't important, he said. Believing something existed, even if she couldn't see it with her naked eye immediately, was key.

The dune lark dropped them off on the top of the highest dune, overlooking the warm blue sea. Emily and the gecko sat side by side, pondering.

A bark hissed off to her side, startling her.

"You'd think I'd be used to your strange sound by now," Emily said, shivering in the cool air after the heat of the desert.

The gecko hissed again, pointing at a tiny beetle standing on its head. Emily found what he was pointing at, laughed, and pointed at it too. "Why is it standing on its head?"

"Clever beetle, gathers the dew, when there's nothing else to do," answered her gecko friend.

"Down it trickles, off his back, into his open mouth it tracks. When there's nothing else to do, open wide and collect the dew."

Emily gathered somehow that this was another important fact that might be needed in some future time or space. This dream seemed to be a biology lesson, but she guessed it might be useful, so tried to keep her attention focused.

"So what am I supposed to be learning about this? That this beetle stands on its head so it can collect water? It's drinking the water coming off the hard shell of its back? Nice thought, Geks," she said, "but unfortunately I don't have an exoskeleton to collect drops from." The barking gecko rolled its eyes at Emily. How could a human be so dumb?

The dune lark swept past them and picked them up. It flew them back over the circles, towards the great upside down tree. Dropping them off, it fluttered its wings in what Emily believed was a goodbye. The gecko barked, hissed, pointed and ran off at high speed over the alien landscape, back the way they had come.

Emily was glad to have him as a guide because there was no way she would be able to find her way through these shifting, sailing dunes and valleys. She ran loosely behind him, drifting through the peaks and troughs, realising that one looked just like the other. She thought, once, that she'd moved through a fairy circle, feeling some tall grasses brush her legs and an unfamiliar twinge low in her belly.

She was about to ask the gecko why her stomach felt quivery when everything went pitch dark.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Emily tried to blink open her eyes but her eyelashes stuck together. In the dark, she wiped something dry from her eyes. Was it sand?

A loud noise came from her right, shattering the dark silence, "Emily. Wake up."

Emily scraped frantically at her eyes, trying to recognise the voice. She blinked once, twice, trying to focus and immediately curled into a protective ball as something hurtled towards her.

"Ow, ouch, ow, damn it, Sam!" she said, trying to get her legs out of the way as Sam trampled all over her, "And be careful of our feathered friends." Sam looked around, "What feathered friends? All I can see are Pugs and Jiggly Jim?"

"Ow, ouch, sh…," said Sam, putting her hand over her loud mouth, rubbing her ankle with the other hand, "I can't believe it. It bit me!"

Emily sat up, laughing quietly, "Serves you right for calling Elvis a Jiggly Jim. Hey, Elvis?" Emily scooped Elvis into her arms like a baby, out of harm's, or more specifically Sam's, way.

"I felt it. Em, I felt him," Sam said, her ankle no longer the focus of her attention, wonder coming into her eyes. "I've seen them on and off since last year, but I felt him this time. He bit me, he actually hurt me."

"No wonder you spent the first while back from Aurana saying Sorry, oops, things like that. You felt them, didn't you Em? Did it feel like you were standing on them or that they were bumping into you? Wow!" said Sam, clicking into the dual world that Emily had learned to exist in since she'd returned from Aurana the first time.

"How on earth do you do this? Thank goodness I only see these two critters… okay, back off you two, I mean creatures, people, whatever, chill," said Sam, warding off Pugly's growl and Elvis's lunge with her hands.

"You get used to it," said Emily, smiling at the entourage that surrounded her, "but now you know why I asked the Elder to 'turn it off' for a while over Christmas, especially as they were appearing everywhere and anywhere once the Battle was over. I felt like all I was doing was tumbling all over them, all the time."

"Do you see them all, all the time?" asked Sam, squinting around her, putting her hand up over her eyebrows like a lifeguard looking far out to sea, "I mean, like now, are there more here in the room with us?"

"No, um yes, no," said Emily as she explained again how the Auranians existed within the same, if parallel, dimension, about half a meter higher than the human world.

"They have houses and, oh sorry Elvis, hovels, so they have homes like we do and they move about, but we don't always occupy exactly the same space. Also, I've found it depends how much I'm in tune at any given point. I've found the quieter I am, if I'm more focused on them, rather than anything else, then the more I'm aware of them. But when I'm busy or in my thoughts a lot, then I don't seem to see or heart-feel them as much and it makes things a little easier if duller," said Emily, her hands talking with her mouth, in quotation marks, sweeps, then finally coming to rest on her lap.

"Oh, I see," said Sam, understanding, sort of, a whole bunch of questions flitting through her brain. Emily saw them but chose to ignore them.

Deciding to test Sam's new intuitive abilities, since it was early in the morning and the noise of the hostel hadn't started yet (there'd been loud protests at Sam's earlier shouting and then silence except for their own whisperings), Emily sent a thought out into the ethers.

Sam, Sam, I was in the desert last night, thought Emily.

"Hmmm, I'm hungry," said Sam, mumbling, lazily pulling the duvet at Emily's feet over her knees, "I feel like some pudding, dessert, something sweet."

Emily tried again, this time with fewer words and more pictures. She imagined the desert, her barking gecko, the fairy circles and the upside down tree.

"Hey Em," Sam said as if coming awake, making the connection, "I've got all these pictures in my head of a desert. Did you dream about it again last night?"

Emily smiled. Her best friend had come a long way since being completely oblivious and unaware. It was nice to have someone to share things with, even if Sam didn't quite understand what was going on. Emily wondered if Sam was improving so rapidly because of Gift's presence. Two are always more powerful than one, she thought, so three must be a much more powerful unit. Something shared is something known.

Emily felt wise beyond words in that moment, her soul starting to feel like the sage that she might be.

"Hey, dream girl, pudding face, fat jack, I asked you a question," said Sam. Emily plopped down back to earth, as Sam kicked her under the duvet. Sam had a way of bringing her back to herself. "Yeah Sam, I was there, and it was wonderful," Emily said. She told Sam about her flight, the fairy circles, the water bug. "But it seems like there might be a problem with a boy at some time, maybe Josh, but I don't see how he'd get there? Who knows? But I did learn that seeing what isn't there sometimes takes believing first, and the gecko said something about gathering dew when there's nothing else to do – don't know what the heck that was about."

Emily's conversation stopped as the bell rang to wake everyone up, as the moans and groans started to welcome in the chaos of a school day. Emily hated the bell since it was always such a rude awakening, but at least this morning her eyes were already open.

Sam jumped off the bed and belted towards the showers, finishing their conversation for the morning, "Oh Em, stop worrying, we'll find out soon enough. You know worrying never helped anyone. Live in the moment, pudding bum." When Sam said things like that Emily wondered who the real sage was.

Their days continued with schoolwork mounting up as the mid-year tests loomed. Study times were spent actually studying, not passing notes around, as everyone got more and more nervous. Their group had all learned some sign-language at the beginning of the year as a way of communicating silently, without the teachers knowing, but even these communications were kept down to a minimum. School wasn't a joke these days. The work was getting more complicated.

Their escape came on the Saturdays they were allowed out of the hostel and into Kingstown. This weekend they had another free pass and had agreed unanimously to forgo watching the latest movie and head to Edwina's. There was something about being in the Old Quarter and her bookshop that made them feel special, or naughty.

Morgan had told the group that wanting to go to Edwina's was like belonging to a secret club, where only a few knew that password and the mystery of it made you want to be there all the time. There was something in the air there that turned them inside out and on, something secret that they just had to know, something that made them feel alive.

Emily had become quite concerned about Morgan as she'd talked about it, considering her eyes had glazed over like a junkie's. She wondered, for the fiftieth time, what it was that she was getting her friends involved in, even if they did come willingly.

So as they studied, worked, learned and played a little sport, the week moved slowly forward, until finally, Saturday morning arrived.

"Wake up," scattered Emily's dreams, along with Sam's body. For some reason Sam had made a habit of screaming and jumping on Emily's bones as she tried to eke out the last bit of languishing in the morning sun. Emily smiled a disgruntled smile, still preferring Sam's wake-up to the bells. There was something in Sam's tone of voice that made her want to get up, where the bell just made her want to hide under her covers.

The moans and groans started until Sam yelled, "It's Saturday, Edwina day, come on lazy bones, let's go." Her yell rattled the cubicles as she ran up and down the corridor of the dormitory.

Stretches and yawns became excited chatter as the girls tumbled out of bed and raced each other for the showers. Emily, not a morning person, joined in the race as a feeling of expectation came over her.

This wasn't going to be an ordinary visit to Edwina's. Not that any of them were. But she could feel something was going to happen today. She just wished she knew what, but that was part of the excitement, wasn't it? Not knowing. Sure it was scary sometimes, but once a person knew things they seemed to become ordinary.

The trick was to make sure the ordinary stayed extra-ordinary, thought Emily sage-like.

"Come on Puddle-butt, Hurry up," said Sam, shoving Emily unceremoniously towards the showers, "You've got that silly smirk on your face. What do you know that I don't?"

Emily stripped off her cow pajamas that were fast becoming too small for her, and got into the mood, saying, "For me to know and you to find out."

"Ag man," said Sam, as she flung Emily into the shower's spray that was pelting down on nothing, as Gift jumped out of the way.

Showers finished, jeans on their hips and sneakers on their feet, they hurriedly ate a breakfast of steamed fish and eggs, or at least the two spoonfuls they could get down without hawking it back out like Cook's cat.

Emily saw the disgusting creature lurking around their legs, looking for loving attention and purring its bad breath out at anyone who'd notice it. It wasn't allowed to be in the dining room, but that didn't stop the stupid beast from roaming anywhere it felt like. Emily hadn't liked the fur-ball since her cubicle had been violated and her book stolen last year. Besides, it often shrieked and hissed when it saw Pugly and Elvis. She couldn't help grinning when Pugly growled and Elvis hissed back, sending the cat scampering out the door. Sam caught the exchange, and they shared a smile. Breakfast done, they ran upstairs to collect their bags.

Emily crawled under her bed, lifted the floorboard and grabbed the colourful cloth protecting the wand. Shoving it lightly into her back pack, she twisted and turned it to try and make it fit, before giving up and letting it stick out.

"Come on. Let's go," said Gift, sounding like Sam, and winking at Emily as they ran out of the dormitory. Running down the steps, Gift grabbed Emily's hand, saying, "Exciting day, ain't it?" now sounding a little like Edwina. Gift seemed to have the ability to mimic different people.

Emily gave Gift a quick once over, saying, "So what are you so excited about? Do you know what's going to happen? I can just feel something, but I don't know what, do you?"

"For me to know and for you to find out," replied Gift.

Emily lifted Gift's hand towards her lips as if to kiss it, then bared her teeth in frustration. But before she could bite it, Gift whipped her hand away, laughing as she sped off.

The girls ran down the long street into Kingstown; twisting and turning past dark alleys, the shadows retreating at their youthful exuberance. The street children waved as they passed, some of them running along with the group for a while then peeling off and going back to where they had come from.

Just before the girls got to the Old Quarter, they heard heavy footsteps behind them. Sarah, at the back of the pack, turned sharply in fright then relaxed as a melodic voice sang out, "Wait up y'all. Bet I cans guess where ya off to in such a hurry."

Josh smoothed his hand across Sarah's shoulder and gave her a huge smile as he ran past her towards Emily. Sarah sighed.

"Hey, wait up, big bum," he said.

Emily stopped dead. Turning around she was about to hurl abuse at Josh, when next to her a shout of laughter erupted from Gift. "I know I got a big bum ya schmuck, but that don' give ya the right to say it! Jus' 'cause that's where I store all my supplies for a long trip." Gift cuffed Josh on the shoulder as his cheeks turned red. "I dinna mean ya," he said sheepishly.

Gift did have a rather large bum, but none of them had wanted to refer to it in case it hurt her feelings. Even Emily, who had been called all sorts lately, didn't think it appropriate to bring up the fact, since they all had something physically odd about them. Like her eight and Sam's bum-thumb, Gift just happened to have a very round bum.

Josh smiled shyly, wondering if he'd offended Gift, repeating, "I dinna mean it for ya, I meant it for Em."

"I know you did you brute," Gift giggled, then looking around at her girl-friends continued "and I know you've all noticed it too but it's been really nice of you to say nothing so far."

Sarah, feeling self-conscious herself, said "Gift, we didn't ..." as Sam continued laughing like a banshee.

Emily took Gift's hand in her own, raising it up to her lips, her teeth showing.

"Oh no, you don't. I've just protected you from this bully," said Gift, snatching it away.

Emily grabbed Gift's hand again, kissing her quickly on the spot where she'd almost bitten it earlier and said, "Thanks friend. I owe you big. I haven't seen Josh this girly pink embarrassed for a long, long time."

Swinging down the street, looking like they owned the world, not caring that they might be too old to hold hands, the two girls ran through the Old Quarter's bright colors, sweet smells and saucy sounds towards Edwina's shining red door, willing the others to keep up.

Josh followed wordlessly.

The red door swept open, welcoming them in to the light before they'd even had time to knock.

"Heard ya comin' from a mile aways," said Edwina, enveloping them in her voluptuous frame, "what's all the racket about then?"

"Oh nothing," said Emily innocently, turning as Edwina continued, spotting a red-faced Josh, "an' what's up with your shining pink face then sweetie?" winking at Gift as she sashayed past, "Guess you got the better of 'im then 'ay Gift?"

Herding them back towards her kitchen for tea, the gaggle of girls and the red-faced boy started talking over each other, each wanting to tell Edwina their side of the story.

Emily trailed after her friends and smiled at the tumble of words coming out of everyone's mouth. Though they were all telling the same story from their perspective, it seemed so different it from what had happened for each of them.

After the first cup of tea, Morgan drifted out towards the shining, sparkly objects that Edwina had in and around her counter, while Sam and Josh carried on talking, trying to get the better of each other. Emily stood up and walked out past the beaded curtain into the main bookstore area, realising that Sarah had been missing for a while and no one had seemed to notice. Gift sat quietly in a corner of the kitchen reading a book.

Emily trailed her hand along the brightly covered books, some reds and blues, some with black covers, others brightly orange and yellow. She kept feeling like words of wisdom and knowledge should be encased in a book of dark, stained, old leather with cobwebs coming off it. The newness and brightness of these multitudes of books intimidated her, so she carried on walking aimlessly down one shelf and up another, looking for something she didn't know.

She found herself in front of the door to the Great Hall. It was closed as always. Her hand reached automatically out to open it as her stomach's butterflies started fluttering about in a swarm.

Her logical, unimaginative, scared brain was shouting warnings. 'Be careful, people have died in here!' "Shush. Keep quiet," Emily said aloud to herself as she turned the knob. The butterflies burst out of her stomach into the great hall, flying in unison towards The Void as she followed in a trance-like state.

Emily looked around her at the white floor and the blue sky. The sun shone as if singing down from the heavens. It was all a little strange since this was supposed to be a hall with a roof and walls, but she was so used to strange by now that she accepted the landscape as it was.

The butterflies twirled in ropes, magically twining, creating circles and streaks, keeping Emily's attention focused on the beauty of their balancing act.

She felt the need to look down at her feet to check where she was, but something kept her attention focused upwards. The sprites! In between the butterfly wings, the whispering sprites spiraled. Their small wings beat out the song of the ages, their smiles split their faces and their being became all that there could be.

Emily heard a noise behind her. Her attention moved towards the door where Gift now stood, Sarah's head poking out behind her quickly then disappearing as she moved back towards Edwina's safe, warm kitchen. "Gift?" Emily asked, wondering if they were seeing the same thing. "Can you see them?" she asked. Emily felt as if her feet were lifting off the floor.

"Aah … crazknocks!" said Emily as she dropped rapidly down a few feet, landing with a bump on her shaking knees, but managing to stay upright.

"You, you, you…" said Gift, staring but not managing to speak, "You, you, you…" "You, you, you, what?" said Emily irritably, the fear overtaking her for a second. "You were flying? I mean standing up there!" said Gift pointing to a few feet off the floor. "How did you do that?" asked Gift excitedly, the spell broken, running to grab Emily, "Please, pretty please, teach me how to do that!"

Emily looked around her, trying to understand what she'd just done, realising that she had been a few feet off the ground, "I just, I just…Oh heck Gift, I don't know how I just did that."

"Wait, wait, Emily, don't think too much about it, you know that's the killer, just go with the flow again, go with the flow, let your imagination go, go go," said Gift, redirecting Emily's attention back into the room at the swirling sprites and dancing butterflies.

Gift slowly let go of Emily's arm, stepping back slightly so that Emily had space all around her. Gift's voice took on a soothing quality, "Just let go Em, look how beautiful they are, can you see them, I can, go to them."

Emily was drawn back towards the sprites. The light bounced up, over and around the room. They danced, twirled and jumped through the air, creating currents of circles and spirals. It was so beautiful.

Emily heart-felt her way towards them, wanting to connect. She turned and smiled at Gift knowing that she saw them too, knowing that they shared the joy. Emily's logical brain asked, "Why is Gift so much shorter than you?" but she ignored it this time and turned to dance with the sprites.

She felt light on her feet as she swept around and around in circles, faster and faster, whirling and turning around.

She looked at Gift out of the corner of her eye, shouting, "Come Gift, come, come join me. Let's turn and burn baby."

Gift said softly, "Coming," but as much as she jumped, imagined and willed her feet to lift off the ground, it just didn't happen the way it did with Emily. So Gift did it her way. She closed her eyes and saw the Great Hall and the Void within her. She bent down and prayed to her ancestors to grant her this journey and then asked the sprites to come and fetch her, asked their permission to join them in the dance.

Her eyes still tightly closed, Gift believed that she felt Emily sweep past her at one point, but still refused to open her eyes; just in case. She didn't want to fall out or down. Gift's eyes fluttered rapidly behind her eyelids, but Emily didn't notice at all.

Rising into the air, further and further up, Emily sank into the light, trusting the sprites to hold her, move her, dance her to wherever and whenever. She let go of her fear, not an easy thing to do, and became.

Not something or anything. She just was.

Emily didn't know which way was up, down or sideways, but it didn't matter as she was surrounded by the sprites of light. At one point, everything went a stark full white, as if she was in a room with continuous white walls surrounding her on all four sides with no interruption, not a speck of color to be seen anywhere.

Emily felt a second of sacredness or was that scared-ness; but it was just a second. Then she heard the Angel's voice, sweeter than sound, softer than a whisper:

Look up, around, all about you, child

For within this space you can go wild

Your greatest fears, your every wish

Created here: like a soft loved kiss

Emily felt a soft kiss on her cheek. Her eyes closed in ecstasy as she drifted on the whispering. The whispering got louder, more insistent, puncturing her bliss. Emily swatted her hands about, trying to kill the fly buzzing around her.

She felt, rather than heard, a bark. Not like a dog but like a….

She opened her eyes. Her friend the desert gecko was sitting opposite her on the lap of a very old, wizened, wrinkled man. Elvis sat on his shoulder with Pugly nowhere to be seen as sprites danced in the breeze around them.

Interestingly, Gift sat on his left though she was dressed in what looked like ragged animal skins, one draped over her breasts and the other loosely hanging on her hips.

"My name is !Xu, Emily May. Look Emily, look…" said the wise wrinkled man in her thoughts, trying to get her to focus.

Emily looked around. A world away, a galaxy formed around her. The earth became her seat, the sun became her star, the comfortable, dark unknown became her pillow. Time and place changed slowly as the parallel world of Aurana overlaid it, its beings sweeping and swooping, swirling with the sprites.

"Emily. Look," she heard again.

Emily turned to look behind her. The darkness was morphing into birds with long beaks and red eyes, the ground becoming desert sands, dark with longing.

"Emily. Quickly, focus now," she heard from !Xu, his sense of urgency crashing through her waves of surfacing fear.

Emily reached out for Gift. She didn't want to be alone. She couldn't do this on her own. Not this time. Please, Gift, help, she shouted in her head.

Gift took her hand and bit it hard. "Ow!" said Emily unconsciously, about to protest. "Emily, stop focusing on your fear. Don't worry about what's behind you, look in front of you," said Gift wisely.

Emily looked into the dark surroundings, clenching Gift's hand, desperately trying to ignore red eyes and menace, into the dark surrounds. Letters appeared, swimming through the darkness, forming words she felt she knew:

In the Map of the Mind's Eye, where you pray

You must discern and make your own way

There are no signs or symbols, let's be clear

That you will need to be focused over here

To find your direction, follow your nose

Love and light are your guides, but this you know

Focus your thoughts, and every feeling too

As one step at a time, you find your way through.

Emily squinted, reading the words but not yet comprehending them. "Gift, do you see them? What's the Map of the Mind's Eye?" she asked.

Gift nodded that she saw them, then shook her head that no, she didn't know what the Map was. Gift took Emily's hand and said in a trance-like voice, "Time to go Em, time to go, slowly, slowly, let's move with the flow, slowly, go."

Emily waved goodbye to the shrunken, wise old man and her barking gecko as they faded away in the mist. Elvis skittered across the sprites of light like they were a pathway, up onto her shoulder.

"Em phlegm, ahem, catch em, phlegm," said Elvis pointing at the fading light. Emily stroked the jiggling short-stop, feeling floaty and disconnected.

She looked at the butterflies flying around her, heard the sweet sprites whispering and looked for Gift who she realised was no longer holding on to her hand.

Why was Gift down there? her logical brain asked again, as her feet felt around for the ground. Toes stretching and searching downwards like a ballerina tapping the floor, she watched as Gift slowly grew.

Where is the floor? Emily's brain thought, as she looked down at her feet, her mouth yelling "Aahhh" before her body plummeted the last few metres towards the white floor.

Gift's eyes flashed open at the bang. Emily lay in a heap in front of her, rolling around on her back like a hockey player who, unguarded, had been hit on the shin.

"Ouch," said Emily loudly, "I think I've broken my ankle, aahhh!"

Gift, blinking rapidly to adjust to her surroundings, walked calmly over to Emily and said, "Nothing like coming back to earth with a bang, hey Em? Oh stop being such a drama queen."

Giggling at her friend's expression, and excited at having been a part of what had just happened to Emily, Gift said, "Now if you had an outstanding, get it, outstanding cushion butt like mine and you'd learned how to use it for a softer landing, that might have helped."

Trying to lift her friend off the floor, Gift said, "Jeez, you have got heavy. Did you see it? The Map of Make Believe?" Emily hopped in a circle, one foot in the air. "You were there. How did you get up there? You were still down on the ground? And it wasn't Make Believe, it was Mind's Eye, the Map of the Mind's Eye. What's on earth is that? Do you know?" she asked.

Gift ducked out the way, as behind her, their other friends ran into the Great Hall all shouting something different.

Josh bolted into the room, eyes closed, amazingly avoiding them all, viewing things that no one else could see, his hands and stance karate like, saying, "Begone. Begone with you. A rat? A rat? Oh wow, okay. Hey, sprites."

Sam came second, her hands raised like a boxer's, prancing lightly on her feet in wide sweeps, screaming, "Where are they? Where are you, cowards, let me at them, let me at them!" Morgan ran in behind Sam with a pole she had found somewhere on the way, swinging wildly, narrowly avoiding Gift.

At which point, Emily, her sore ankle forgotten, collapsed in a heap of laughter before her protectors. Gift was the only one who noticed Sarah clawing at her arms like a mad woman, terrified of coming into the room.

Edwina was the last to arrive in the chaos, swirling a turquoise tent in her wake, her eyes twinkling. "Now ya gots a Map hey lovie? Now ya canna get lost."

"Map, what map?" asked Josh, his eyes still closed, his smile downturned, grimly looking towards the Void swirling around the Great Hall. Josh received his instructions, nodded his head in a responsive yes and opened his eyes.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

The Map of the Mind's Eye became all they talked about for the next week or two. Josh's obscure words about rats had swept past them all since they were used to strange things coming out of his mouth.

Mid-year tests and exams took over as each one focused individually on trying to get through something that didn't take a team effort. Gift joined Emily at the pool, as she'd promised to train her when swimming competitions and trials were over. They spent more time talking about their semi-shared vision in the Void than swimming, but slowly their confidence in each other's faith and abilities expanded.

The girls would gather in Emily's cubicle after lights out, tired after a day's hard work, listening to either Gift or Emily tell of what they saw and felt in the Void. Emily caught Sam on more than one occasion, eyes closed behind her cubicle's curtains, twirling around. There was often a frown of concentration stretched across her forehead, but once, Emily found Sam smiling beatifically. She hadn't wanted to disturb her any of the times so didn't even mention to Sam that she had seen her practising. Emily was just so pleased her friend was finding her own way, like the map had said.

The last days of term brought much colder weather, so they huddled under their combined blankets, seeking warmth from each other. One night they sneaked into the kitchen and sat in front of the coal stove, gathering warmth and eating marshmallows. They all got a fright when a rat streaked past them, scampered up a cupboard, closely followed by Cook's smelly cat, but other than that, the evening passed uneventfully.

The last day of term came suddenly and with it a surprise announcement.

They were fooling around in their home-room class, wishing the time away, when their teacher entered.

"Settle down now everyone," said Ms Farmer, walking towards her desk, her head and hands buried in report cards. Everyone stilled, knowing that their fate sat firmly in her hands.

"Now before I hand out your report cards, oh, don't look so terrified, you all did fine, not as well as I'd like you to have done but you have all passed," she said, as the class erupted into shouts of joy.

"Settle down, settle down," said Ms. Farmer, her floppy upper arms waving like wings on an airplane, "as I was saying, before I was rudely interrupted, or is that erupted," she laughed, "you see the difference, anyone would think I'm an English teacher, ha-ha." She was their English teacher.

Noticing that no one shared the joke, but hearing some sniggers from the back of the class, she puffed and huffed, saying, "Anyway, before I hand out your reports, I have an announcement to make. You know that as you get older we go on field trips…" The class erupted again.

"Stop the noise now, please!" she said irritably. "Well," the class quieted down in anticipation, "well, this year you get to go on one. Want to know where to?"

"Yes!" came the expected unanimous response. It was so much easier asking leading questions, Ms Farmer thought. That way you got the response you wanted without too much hard work. Yes and No questions got Yes and No answers.

"Were going into the, into the…," she said leading them on, getting a couple of, "Aaah, Miss, tell us already," on the way. She waved her arms about her in a flourish, saying "We're going into the desert! Yay!" she finished, feeling like she should try and connect with them on the teenager's level.

The silence was palpable. It hung in the air like a skunk's smelly spray, wafting over the group, as if they were dumbstruck and holding onto all the breath they could.

"What? What's wrong? I thought you'd be excited by your first field trip," said Ms Famer innocently, "You don't like the desert?"

"Miss, Miss," came a small reply, "The desert, in winter or early spring? Won't it be, um, like, cold?" "Well yes, a little," admitted Ms Farmer, not understanding their reticence, "but it's preferable to the summer when we'll all fry like eggs on a hot car bonnet."

Ms Farmer was a very large lady. She didn't like the summer months at all since she sweated herself silly. Dark spots appeared under her arms no matter how much spray or powder she used. Ms Farmer would have preferred to go anywhere but into the desert. However, it wasn't her choice but the school's and if she had to pretend to enjoy it, then her pupils had better do the same.

Ms Farmer wasn't a bad teacher, nor was she a terrible person. She just wanted people to like her. Sadly, though, the more she tried the worse things became.

She was prepared to go into this desert, despite her own misgivings, hoping that this would be a bonding experience, even though everything inside of her screamed at her not to go.

Emily and her gang of girls camped out in her cubicle talking excitedly about the desert trip planned for next term, wondering how her dreams were linked to this. They weren't stupid enough to think that the two weren't related; they'd all got a lot savvier this year.

Pugly walked into the cubicle, seemingly through the hatch on the one side of her room. Only Emily and Sam knew that behind the locked hatch was the entrance into Aurana. Sam had been too afraid to cross over into Aurana last year with Emily, but had seen some red mist. Emily had been gone for hours exploring the 'other side', as Sam called it in her best horror-movie voice.

Sam waved hello to Pugly.

"Are you waving at nothing again, Spacy Tracy?" said Morgan confused as always, "Or is that your name, Em? Don't know who's what, or what's whose, or who's who these days," she continued saying, falling about in mirth, while her friends looked at her funnily.

Emily smiled as Pugly settled himself in Sam's lap. Since the sprite episode in Edwina's Great Hall, it seemed Pugly had taken a liking to Sam. Perhaps he was jealous that he hadn't been a part of it?

"Don't you think funny things like that Emily May," she heard in her mind, "Sam's just been working really hard to connect to us; you've seen her in her cubicle when she thinks no one's watching. I'm just getting her used to having someone around since she'll be meeting her very own teacher soon."

"Ooh…" said Emily aloud.

"Ooh what?" said Morgan looking from Sam to Emily to Sam and back. "You guys are always talking stupid, do you know that. Like you've got some secret code, I've had enough of being excluded," said Morgan, standing up and leaving in disgust, dragging Sarah wordlessly after her, "Let's leave these batty buddies behind."

Gift was already fast asleep, so had not featured in the equation or Morgan might have included her in her outburst since she had become what Morgan considered 'batty' as well.

"Ooh, does she know?" said Emily again, her focus back on Pugly, absently waving Morgan and Sarah away with the back of her left hand, "Can you tell me who? I mean what? No, I mean who?" "Emily May," said Pugly like a teacher talking to a dumb pupil, "We are all who's, even if we're a what. You caught yourself just in time that time. And no, she doesn't know yet." Emily was clearly in the dog box at the moment. "Okay, okay already. Sorry. Who or whom will her teacher be?" "For me to know and you to find out," said Pugly regally, turning around to snuggle further under the blankets on Sam's lap.

"Oh not that again," said Emily, continuing the conversation with Pugly in her mind as Sam sat there smiling dim-wittedly, watching the exchange.

"What?" said Emily, looking at Sam.

"So I'm getting a teacher? Of my own? How cool is that?" said Sam. Emily had forgotten how much Sam had learned in such a short while. This wasn't really a problem since they talked about everything anyway, but if she did want to share some private thoughts with Pugly, she'd have to make sure they were alone or Sam was otherwise occupied.

Pugly turned around and around in Sam's lap, looking at Emily askance. "Trust you to ruin the surprise," he said, as Elvis whispered into Emily's ear, "Em phlegm, ahem, Em." It seemed she was never going to get rid of that name. From the day that name had surfaced, Elvis seemed to start his sentences referring to her as a long string of snot stuck in the back of a throat. "Ahem…," he continued slightly in her mind's ear as if it was clearing its throat. "Ahem, phlegm, Em, visit, is it, time to visit Aurana, banana, manana, hey!" Elvis said, jiggling and giggling, speeding up towards the end until he became maniacal or at least seemed to lose it slightly.

"Come visit Aurana?" said Emily, questioning the words and the meaning. "Pugly?" she said looking for assurance, "but the Elder, won't I harm the Elder? Every time I go in, doesn't she get weaker?"

"Well she did, but she's stronger than we know," said Pugly, "and it's not as bad as we originally thought. We believe now that because more and more people are tuning in, becoming less lost, more aware or awakening, if you get my meaning, that she's gaining strength rather than losing it."

"Um, though it still seems your energy is key, we believe that as more people are righting the Balance, the thinner the Veil is becoming and therefore, by deduction, the less we are harming the Elder's Circle, or Aura, or whatever," said Pugly conceited one minute then realising that there were still things he didn't quite understand either. "Anyway," he continued, back on track, "you've been invited to enter Aurana. Maybe you'll even meet your Angel, isn't that what you've been calling her, this new voice you've been hearing?"

"Oh, and Sam too," he said nonchalantly, like it wasn't the best news ever, "Sam can come too. The Elder said she's earned it."

Pugly ended up on the floor in a mess of arms, legs and flapping fur as Sam jumped up on the bed, punching the air like a winner, screaming incoherently, "Yes! Yes! Yes! I knew I could, if I just tried, I knew I would, they would, we would, yes, yes, yes, finally!"

Emily set her alarm clock for eleven o' clock as she usually did when she planned to go into Aurana. Sleeping lightly, waiting for the buzzer to go off, she heard footsteps next to her bed. She opened one eye to see Sam fully dressed in day clothes at quarter to eleven, marching impatiently on the spot in front of the hatch.

"Okay, I'm up, I'm coming, hang in there Spacy Tracy," whispered Emily, crawling out of bed onto her hands and knees, feeling horribly cold, "You do know it doesn't matter what you wear? No matter how embarrassing my cow pajamas are, there were some beings, or creatures, a lot stranger than that."

"But on second thoughtb, I'll change too," said Emily, pulling her top down knowing that it barely covered her bulging stomach, shivering. She'd have to ask Gran to get her new pajamas over the holiday. She wasn't sure why she was putting on all this weight, since she was still active and training. "Perhaps it's got something to do with all the chocolates and sweets you shove in. Now hurry!" came Sam's sarcastic voice off to her side, as she answered Emily's thoughts.

Emily remembered to switch off her alarm, her slow steady pace irritating Sam even more since she mouthed, "Open the freakin' hatch already, won't you?"

Emily moved towards the hatch, grabbed the lock and twisted two to the left and one to the right. The lock clanged open as Sam moved past her grabbing it off its hinges, swinging the two sides vertically open.

"Whoa," said Emily, grabbing Sam, "I know you're keen girl but you're going to have to startslowly. Step in with me."

The two girls stepped into the hatch together, barely fitting, as Sam took a deep breath, "Sorry, I'm just really excited, and boy have we both grown since last year, this is a little tight don't you think?" Emily giggled, "Yeah, now remember, oh, or perhaps you don't know, anyway, things speed up a little once we're inside, so time will pass a lot quicker, though it won't feel like it since we'll be there, but days can go by without us worrying about being back late, okay? And hang on to your helmet – you're in for a hell of a ride."

"What do you mean hell of a ride? And how will we know when it's time?" said Sam, eyes big as saucers, as the red mist started enveloping them both. "For me to know – and you're about to find out," giggled Emily in answer, "and that's what our teachers are for," Emily smiled, as Pugly and Elvis walked past them into Aurana, even though they didn't need to use the hatch.

The red mist started clearing.

Emily saw the Scroll of Seven starting to appear. Sam, raising an eyebrow in question, pointed towards it.

"Yup," said Emily, "welcome to the Scroll," as it appeared in front of them:

First, to start, you must know thought

The take care to not get caught;

Seeing world's most times concealed

Desire creates what is revealed

Restored, slowly, in plain sight

Imagination then takes flight

Linked to feeling; heed this clue

As once discovered, all comes true

The only limit's in the mind

Forgotten secret depths you'll find

Go with the flow, in and out

Leave behind you every doubt

Then, with time, the Dead will out

Healing, healing all will shout

Resurrected, an old prayer

From the earth's intent to care

Time, once slow, will run much faster

As you learn to be a Master

With fire burning in the night

So Creation comes to light

Within your faith you'll twist and turn

Your sense of place being where you'll learn

Within yourself is so much more

Relative to all that's been before

Once, together, we'll become

All you've searched for, not just one

Creating magic with each leap

All is shown for you to keep

"Each verse seems to link to a new year or new discovery or new time, I'm not sure yet, but I think the first one was linked to the battle, thank goodness that's over. Now we seem to be involved with the second one, somehow," said Emily.

"So we seem to be flopping around in this one?" said Sam, pointing:

Restored, slowly, in plain sight

Imagination then takes flight

Linked to feeling; heed this clue

As once discovered, all comes true

"What exactly do you think will be restored? Are we supposed to discover something Em, or am I just being a little blond?"

"I think it's got something to do with our imagination, since we were last pointed at the map of the Mind's Eye. I do wish things weren't so cryptic all the time, but hey, such is life," said Emily, stepping forward into the cave, dragging Sam with her.

Sam, looking behind her at the rest of the scroll, said, "Oh wow, this is so amazing, blazing, random, who would have thought it would be such an adventure? And we're still only at the starting blocks. Yipee!" said Sam, snorting like a horse, pawing at the ground as if waiting for the starting gun to go off. "Yipee yourself," said Emily, "not so great if you have to be the ones fighting, or doing whatever."

"Yeah, I know, fuzz bucket," said Sam, trying to notch Emily's spirit up a level or two, "but now we're on the adventure side, battle done. I can't believe I'm here with you. This is so random."

"Oh Sam, don't be so sure that the battle's over. Just because something is started, doesn't mean it's ended too," said Emily, wondering why she sounded so dark and mean.

"Come, let's go, get moving along, mind the gap, whoa," said Sam, suddenly feeling woozy. "I told you to hold on to your helmet," laughed Emily, "things move faster here remember. Just stand still for a while and acclimatise." "Aclawhat?" said Sam, feeling her practicing come into place as she quickly regained her sense of balance.

"Let's go," said Sam suddenly, stumbling towards the front of the cave, into the wider open mouth, pulling an amazed Emily with her. How had Sam managed to get her balance so quickly? Emily felt a bit like the constantly bewildered Sarah these days. She wondered in her heart-feel space what was going on with her friend Sarah. She knew deep and dark twists were going on with her friend. Sarah seemed to be fighting off her own demons and Emily didn't want to interfere. She didn't want to scratch open a sore that might be festering. It was up to Sarah to open up, to want help. Emily decided to leave that challenge for another time since she had enough on her plate already.

She sent a prayer to whomever was listening for Sarah, then calmly said, "Come on Spacy Tracy, get with the programme and find your centre. I know you've been practicing and I am so proud of you, but it does take some getting used to. Now breathe in and out, find the Now. Come on, slowly, slowly, in and out."

Emily laughed at her friend's shaky expression as her white face started regaining its colour, "Haven'tyou just earned your nickname! I definitely think Spacy Tracy is all yours."

The sound of the waves crashing on the shore and the smell of the sea astounded them. As Sam barreled towards the barrier at the entrance of the cave, Emily released her breath, knowing that Sam was truly supposed to be here with her. At last she wasn't the only human on this side, or so she thought, not having seen anything remotely resembling people before in Aurana.

"It feels like I'm back at our beach, where you and I practised at home, or rather you preached and I practised." said Sam recovered, pointing at the dolphamums, "What are those things?"

"Oh aren't you in for a treat," said Emily delightedly, "but I would urge you to keep your big mouth shut and eyes wide open from now on. Are you heart-feeling? Looks like it. I hope you left your judgment on the other side of the hatch, because you've just entered never-never land!"

Emily was about to step outside the cave with Pugly and Elvis in tow, when behind her she heard his "Wait!"

"What?" said both girls in unison, in fright at his insistent command. At Pugly's instruction, they immediately strengthened their respective egg-shaped bubbles surrounding their bodies and consciousness, so they wouldn't be overwhelmed by the energies of Aurana.

"Just wait a second longer. Now look towards the skies," said Pugly mysteriously, looking like his eyes were about to pop out even more than usual. Emily sent her heart-feeling out into the clear blue sky, feeling a glimmer of wings, a whish of sound but then nothing.

Sam closed her eyes, heart-feeling her way around, then opened them wide staring off into the distance, concentrating her sight on a specific spot. "Pugs? Is that…?" she asked. In return, she received a beautiful smile and nod. "Is that what?" said an unusually lost Emily as she scanned the energy airwaves again. Sam started hopping from one foot to another in excitement. "It's coming, it's coming, what do I call it, Pugs? I can't very well call it, well, it, can I?"

"It will tell you itself, but I'd rather you start calling us whos, Sam, were not objects you know," said Pugly disgustedly. "Now go to him."

"You mean fly?" said Sam in wonder, "How do I do that?"

"Well sort of fly, not in body yet, but using your imagination, like you have in practice, imagining the sprites around you, remember? Just keep your eyes closed, at least until you're as advanced as I am and can do it all, body and soul, and eyes open," he continued smugly.

"Oh Sam, don't look at me like that. Just imagine, believe, trust. Close your eyes and imagine, pretend if you will," said Pugly as if those were the easiest things in the world to do. Sam closed her eyes and her light body that was a perfect image of her physical form, lifted off the ground slightly then banged back to the ground, "Hey, I felt that," she continued in absolute wonder.

"You're in Aurana remember, which will help. Anything is possible here, or at least more instant and easier to do here than there," he continued, looking towards the back of the cave and hostel grounds.

Emily stared, flabbergasted, as a replica of her friend's body, all shining and shimmery, took off over the waves towards some unknown point, while her physical body remained rooted to the spot, her eyes rapidly moving under tightly closed lids. Emily jumped up into the sky, willing herself to follow, concerned that Sam might be heading into trouble, but just landed flat on her feet. She tried again and again, leaping up into the sky. "Pugly, help, I did it in the Void, I know I did, or at least something like it, but with my body, I think, why can't I do it here. What if she's in trouble?"

"Relax, you control freak," said Pugly a little unkindly, "You can 'fly' yes, but you're trying too hard and coming from a place of fear and you know that's not going to get you anywhere. Let her go. She's fine Emily May. She's gone to meet her teacher. You know, like I'm yours, or at least I try to be?" said Pugly, his sentence mumbling off in dissatisfaction.

Sam's shining replica flew over the waves as the dolphamums jumped in, out, over and around her. She heard their words telepathically, welcoming her to their world, singing her praises like they had done once before to Emily:

Loved she is, she's finally come

Big and strong, she is the one

We await her, shining bright

Sending out our coloured light

Heroes, heroes, are we all

From the biggest to the small

Warrior mage, oh hear our song

For our world will soon be gone

In our land, come learn our way

Make us whole once more, we pray

She changed her mind and changed directions, steering with her imagination. If she wanted to go up, shesaw herself moving up; if she wanted to move down, she imagined herself moving down. There was a sudden buzz beside her. Sam turned to her right and halted in mid-flight as if she was standing now on the top of the waves. She curtsied to the being in front of her, like a pauper to a queen, respect and love shining in her eyes.

"Um, hello," said Sam, unsure of how to greet her teacher.

In return she got a huge, toothy smile which practically took over its whole body. It was a good thing its body was about the same size as Elvis, or she would have run screaming.

Sam looked at her teacher. The closest description she could come to was that it looked like a dragon-fly. Wings jutted out in all directions from a rounded, undulating body. Feelers abounded on top of its head. Underneath them sat the biggest blue eyes on top of a large group of teeth. Its head was about the same size as its body.

"Um…hello?" said Sam aloud, not having got a response previously. "Finished your looking then, Sam?" said the teacher, turning around in a circle, showing Sam one side, its backside, then the other side before turning to face her with its huge grin once more. "Am I approved?"

Sam was stunned and embarrassed at the same time. "Yes, I mean no, I mean yes, you're beautiful, wow, look at you," she continued as she got her confidence back. "Pleased to meet you too," came the response, as a tiny arm prickled out from under the large head. Sam grabbed it between her thumb and second finger and shook gently.

"My name is Wizzer, or if you'd prefer, Wiz for short. I'll be your…teacher. I think this is what you call us? Shall we return to the others then?" it said as it turned tail, waited for Sam to catch on with her imagination and then sailed back towards the figures waiting outside on the cave rocks.

Emily had a long-question-and-short-answer session with Pugly while they waited for Sam.

"How come her body, light form, whatever, can fly just like that? I had to concentrate hard in the Void and I'm not even sure you could call what I did flying?" she asked. "You hardly had to concentrate Emily May. Gift helped you to let go. And the energy is different, you silly girl, you know this, you just need to adapt," came the response.

"So I can fly too, or imagine myself flying, anywhere?" she said.

"Mostly."

"What do you mean by mostly?"

"If you believe, and…," said Pugly.

"If I believe? I believe more than anyone. Or at least I thought so." she said looking at Sam, her light body hovering over the water like she was born to do it.

"And, what else?" said Emily looking hopefully at her teacher.

"And imagine in full-colour pictures," said Pugly laughing, as if Emily had a way to go with that.

Knowing she wasn't going to get much more concrete teaching out of Pugly, seeing Sam and the blob of wings next to her flying back toward them, she said, "So what's her teacher like?"

"Full of fun, like Sam," said Pugly, smiling at Sam's body next to his, watching her light shimmering next to Wiz.

"We do try and match each other, you know," said Pugly seriously, watching Emily's reaction. "You mean you and I are the same, or similar?" said Emily, wondering how they could be. "Well yes, I'm vertically challenged, got a round stomach, see through bug eyes, worry about my butt and…" said Pugly, a glimmer in his eyes.

Emily stared at Pugly, her hand unconsciously moving to her bigger bum, as he hiccupped to recovery saying, "Kidding, well sort-of, it's our insides we match up with, not necessarily our outsides, you fool. Wish you could see your face."

Emily stayed wide-eyed and silent as her friend, along with her winged teacher, landed, graceful as a ballet dancer. Sam's flying light-body seemed to melt into her standing physical one.

How did she do that? And so effortlessly? thought Emily jealously. How come Sam seemed to 'float' through life, easily making things happen?

For the first time in a long time, Emily wished she was more like Sam.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Admonai wept red tears in his underground caverns. He wept blood, not for his missing Soothsayer, but for the Circles of Influence. He hated relying on anyone. Now he had to make peace with Marakis' meddling.

What good was shapeshifting and sensing space and time if he couldn't break through the boundaries between the two worlds – if he couldn't breach the Veil?

He felt limited. He hated being limited. He wanted to be all-powerful, all-seeing, all-sensing, in all worlds. The Heathens had promised him that he would be if he listened to them, if he had patience. His patience, over the years of servitude, was starting to wear thin. Promises were made to be broken, weren't they?

In making the promise to The Heathens and by keeping his promises so far, they had kept him from his magnificence, from all he could truly be. His promise kept him bound to where he was and to who he was. It was not his fault that he hadn't been able to kill the girl. The Heathens should have warned him, taken him into their confidence. Now, he felt them plotting behind closed doors, excluding him again, since he'd lost the Battle.

Perhaps it was time to break away from them? Perhaps it was time for him to be truly on his own, unfettered by rules and regulations, unfettered by their wishes and wants, and unfettered by space and time. Perhaps it was time to become unlimited and to become his own master, like Marakis?

The thought became an itch. The itch, once scratched, became a want. The want, once voiced, became a need. The need became an obsession. He wanted to be free, wanted to be his own man. Welts appeared all over his form, seeping sores visible through the dark, coarse hair that covered him everywhere.

He slunk through his underground tunnels.

The obsession to become more followed him night and day.

The dark creatures that occupied the tunnels slithered and skittered out of his way. They were used to being swallowed and spat out, screamed at and stamped on. The dark creatures grew afraid as the shadows coalesced and darkened in the impassable underground. They crawled into the spaces they had carved for themselves, willing the awful sense that pervaded everything to move on. It was not a comfortable place to live. It never had been, but at least it had been bearable before. Some creatures, fearing for their lives, took these in their own hands. They crept out of the underground tunnels at night and fled into the desert sands. There, the sun roasted them to charred pieces of coal.

Admonai paced and pondered. He withdrew into the lower levels of the caverns, scattering the white blind beings. He withdrew deep into the darkest dark as he obsessed and clawed away at his own insides. Pictures of escape floated above him, unseen by any. Pictures of victory, of magnificence, of desperate dreams and wanting needs formed around him as he flew off on different tangents, looking for ways to be his own master.

There had to be a way.

Days and nights passed. The darkness that held the desert in its enthralled grip once, only turning red once Emily had come into Aurana, converted into clouds of danger. Admonai's thoughts, feelings and being whispered up into the air, shattering the red clouds into darker pieces.

She was the key. She was always the key, but he'd refused to admit it before. Now he knew better. She was the one that had started The Beginning of the End. She was the one he had to get to and destroy.

Admonai walked and thought, in circles, trying to come to a logical conclusion. Marakis was generating darkness on both sides of the Veil, and was doing his best to turn the tide. But it would not be enough. There had to be a way to get to her.

Who did she trust? Who did she care for? Who did she love?

Admonai scratched, wept blood, plotted, planned. He was limited to Aurana, but would find a way through the Veil. The Elder had weakened considerably in the passing years, and in her efforts to assist Emily during the battle, but was slowly gaining strength as the Balance moved back towards the light. He'd have to act fast now that the Veil was almost breakable by one such as He.

His Presence had grown stronger, greater as the Elder's had weakened and he'd also gained an upper hand in the Battle. Unknown to any but himself, he'd attached some of his darkness to Emily. That's why she'd almost left them to fight on alone, why she'd spent days pondering death during the holidays. He had felt her soul becoming darker and relished the change. He chuckled at his cleverness.

He'd been so close. He'd almost killed her. Then that infernal monkey ruined it all. He knew Elgeba had done something. He was always doing something stupid.

Where was that monkey? What had happened to him?

The last time Admonai had seen him was when Elgeba had disappeared just before the Battle, but where could he have gone? He had managed to breach the Veil, to aspirate to the other side permanently? Could he use him if he had? Where was he?

Admonai transmuted into a black rat, eyes weeping and glowing red in the deepest dark. He sniffed the air, sending his senses reeling out into the world of darkness, searching. His claws twitched and scratched at the air, feeling, wanting and yearning.

Nothing.

His front feet came down to earth as he scampered out of the darkly infested hole, running through the tunnels towards the surface.

The creatures of the dark that had crept into their lairs, hiding from the obsession that had clawed at their insides, felt a lifting, a relief from the heaviness that had killed all but the toughest of them. Those that survived moved towards the air above the underground tunnels, kicking the dead to one side, collapsing tunnels on those not quick enough to get out of the way. Some looked at the dead with hopeful eyes, wondering when their time would come, when they too would be set free. But for now, they were simply grateful for the relief, for the urge that moved them towards the surface of the desert.

Admonai leapt into the windswept desert of Attica.

The storm had passed, and the clouds had lifted. The red sky remained, and the sand was still. He transformed into a snake, slithering silently through the shifting dunes, daring to move towards the edge of light, his forked tongue flicking and tasting, sensing movement.

He sensed the monkey on the tip of his forked tongue.

So, the stupid beast was still in Aurana. But why was he on the light side? What was the monkey doing with the Shimmers? He was a dark beast, he would be found out, he would not have the ability to resist, would he? He had been so far down, living, breathing in the darkness; he couldn't be turned, could he?

The darker beings instinctively moved towards Attica once they had either transmogrified into Aurana or had been there for a while. He'd made sure of that by leaving his pockets of discontent spread far and wide.

He slowed down.

Was he doing the right thing? Should he even be looking for the stupid monkey? Shouldn't he rather leave him in peace? He had done his bit after all, hadn't he? By aspirating through the Veil, by finding her Book, by finding her?

Standing on the edge of the desert, Admonai shapeshifted into a softer, manly form. His bloody tears dried up and the weeping, stinking sores on his body started healing. Scars that had oozed blackness, turned red, then pink, then vanished.

Admonai smiled beatifically, feeling a sense of peace deep within him. In shock, he realised that the light was starting to affect him! He had come into the light unfettered, unprotected, his obsession with finding the monkey almost leading him into danger.

Admonai smirked and whispered the words of the ancients, cloaking himself in darkness, sucking all desperation, all pockets of discontent in towards him. Darkness filled his pores, snuffing out the light, suffocating any thoughts of not going after the stupid, beak-faced, bones-on-the-outside monkey.

He needed him and would find him, but not by losing himself. He would have to be careful now and not throw away his very own power, his own ferocious, fearful self.

He waited.

His thoughts swirled logically. He thought, but did not react, for the first time in many years. He had begun to change as he'd moved closer to the lighter side. Would the ugly monkey have done the same? What would he look like now?

He became a rat once more.

Admonai's claws clacked over the hard rock face, skittered off the sharp stones, as he raced onwards over the mountain. He sniffed and sensed the monkey on the other side. He was on the right path towards it.

His rat-red eyes burned in need. A bird, large and bloody, sharp-beaked and shattered, stared at him from afar. He felt its menace, its need to hurt, its need to take over. He called the bird to him, daring the Harpy to take over his mind and to crush his rat-form. The bird swooped forwards excitedly and stopped in mid-air a few feet from the rat, as if remotely controlled. The bird's eyes glazed over. It nodded and gently picked up the rat in its claws, carrying it away from the mountain towards the deep, dark dense forests of Avignail.

Then, as he flew, he felt her in Aurana. Emily May was in Aurana!

He would get near her, would fool her, he would whisper sweet nothings to her. He would make her come to him.

There was something brewing in the golden sands of the Veil that overlaid his very own dark desert. He knew that a great rift could be created there. He would lead her towards the overlapping desert lands and wait patiently as he worked on breaking through the Veil. He would pounce when the time was perfect.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

The two humans and three Auranians walked, or flew, over the rocks near the sea and into the lands of Aurana, no fear in their hearts, no worry about danger.

The bug-a-lugs shifted in the white sands, standing up on their hind legs as if praying to the sun that dappled as the group walked past. The sights and sounds of the Auranian beings captivated Sam, whose head swiveled around like the strange clowns found at amusement parks.

Sam asked questions non-stop. What's this? she'd say pointing to a being of yellow floating windless atop another creature crouched low to the ground as if they were mindlessly connected. What's that? she asked when she saw a tall giraffe-like animal passing, its stately demeanor making them think she was royalty. Each time Wizzer, her teacher, would smile and do its best to describe the creature. The list of beings pointed to and explained was endless, so eventually even Sam got quiet and just stared goggle-eyed at the sights around her.

"Shouldn't we try to fly to Avignail, Pugs?" asked Emily, trying to get more than a few meters off the ground.

"Pugs? Didn't you say last time that it would be quicker and easier?" she asked again. The group ignored her. Emily had spent the time in Aurana floating up, crashing down and catching up to the group who walked on ahead of her unperturbed.

"Pugs." she shouted, irritated by his ignoring her.

"Emily, just breathe in, look around you, aren't we beautiful?" Pugly said, redirecting her gaze over the multitude of colours shimmering and shining around her.

Emily's focus shifted towards the undulating green star-like beings off to the one side. She smiled and felt lighter as her gaze travelled through them towards the mountains behind.

"Okay, you can come down now," she heard below her.

Emily looked down and wobbled. "Oh dear, oh dear, oh frig, sorry," she said, as she slid down a few meters from her airborne flight gracefully before crashing into Pugly.

Legs and arms squashed out at angles underneath her, she heard Pugly say, "Get it now? Sometimes you've got to let go before you can go? Know what I mean."

"Yes. At least I think so. It's about letting that something that's bigger than me, but is me, take over? I flew, Pugs, and not just like Sam did, I used my real body, how amazing was that?" Pugly decided he was a good teacher after all, as the group continued further into Aurana towards his native home of Avignail.

As they reached the edge of the forest, Emily heard scampering in the trees above her. She looked up but couldn't see anything. It didn't worry her too much as she knew bushy-tails inhabited the area along with a thousand other creatures smaller than her toe-nail that she couldn't see either. Avignail, though full, was a peaceful forest. For the first time in many, many days Emily relaxed into the space that surrounded her, turning all thoughts off and simply enjoying it for what it was.

Soon, the shouts of joy and excitement reached them as Pugly's tribe heart-felt him arriving. Pugly's mother was especially excited. He'd been gone from them for longer periods with no explanation. She worried about him all the time, whether he was in her sight or not these days, even though Aurana was doing much better.

Pugly's mother was proud of him too, though she would never embarrass him by telling him. He had played a very large part in starting to bring the Balance back to Aurana, which is why his tribe now welcomed him home rather than ridiculed him. He no longer padded to the top of the trees to send out his ether messages, so the teasing stopped. Since Emily had come to Aurana, she and Pugly were firmly connected so the ether-messages were now old hat. Thank the Elder for that, thought Pugly, as he moved into his mother's hug. Even though he was independent, it was nice to have a home to return to.

Emily and Sam were surrounded by Pugly's shimmering tribe, who touched them tentatively, as if making sure they were real. Sam found herself doing the same, her eyes sparkling in delight at the feel of them all. They were led towards the refreshing river that flowed through most of Aurana as it made its way towards the sea. It had been a long day of walking and the grassy banks were a welcome sight. The group sat down, accepting drinks of clear water from one of the tribesmen who stared at them in awe.

Sam decided to swim. Not caring, she stripped down to her undergarments and dived in. She surfaced with a gasp as the cold water stung her alive, then paddled and floated around without a care in the world.

"So when do we get to see the Elder, or Angel?" asked Emily, smiling at her mentor friend, whom she'd forgiven since she'd learned to fly. "Oh, we're not going to see the Elder or Angel this time, Emily May," replied Pugly, sipping on his water like it was a rejuvenating cocktail.

"I thought you said we would!" said Emily, confused. "So what are we doing here?"

"Just hanging around," said Pugly mysteriously.

"We never come to Aurana just to hang around, Pugly. What's going on?"

"For me to know and for you to find … Ouch!" said Pugly as Emily cuffed him on the shoulder saying, "Don't you start that again. It's been doing the rounds and I think we're a little old to be playing like children, don't you?'

'No, I think playing like children is a key way to live. And since you just have to know what's going on, control freak, we came so Sam could meet her teacher," said Pugly, trying to leave it at that.

"So we just walked an entire day to say hello to your family?" said Emily. "That's cool and all, and it was nice to see so many Auranians again, but Pugly, really, what's going on?"

"Always looking for facts and figures, aren't you, Emily May? Just relax for a change, let things be as they are, please. Observe, look around you, things will happen when they're ready to happen, or not, okay? You can't control everything and quite frankly you shouldn't want to," said Pugly.

Emily tried to relax but her Eight had been sparking intermittently since she'd come into Aurana. It wasn't burning hot like it had been in the past when things were about to get crazy or some kind of battle was about to happen. It was sparking, as if someone was playing with electrical circuits inside her brain, warning her that something wasn't quite right.

Emily looked around her at the river, the trees, the surrounding mountains and the fish-tailed flowmers that Sam had just discovered. She was having a conversation with them. Aurana was such a beautiful place that stillness seeped into every one of her pores. Emily let her elbows bend and sank backwards to lie down, her head finding a soft, mushy patch, a welcome mound under her head.

Pugly smiled, lying as still as a pillow, as Emily's head descended on to his rounded stomach. He looked up into the branches of the surrounding trees, feeling Emily's Eight spark, spit and stutter. He was coming!

Emily's eyes started closing and then opened dreamily. Every time she wanted to drift off her pillow moved or her Eight sparked. She gave up, keeping her eyes open, staring up into the canopy of leaves.

Out of the corner of her eye she saw something scampering and scratching on the hard-barked branches. It was black and small. Emily heart-felt towards the rodent-like creature as a feeling of connection came over her. The connection extended into her whole body as the point under her belly button started burning. For some reason, she wanted to stand and run towards the rat, but at the same time a warning bell sounded deep within her. She felt trapped in blissful silence.

Not able to move, she let go, as Pugly had earlier instructed her and did her best to let be what will be. She stared at the black-brushed creature as it scampered over the grass and came to sit on her stomach. Their eyes connected and she felt like she was safe, loved, and surrounded. There was something specific about this rat that made her think, strangely, of home.

The rat's eyes bored into hers, a tear slipping out of one eye, water collecting around the corner of the other. With a human gesture, it wiped the tears away with its tiny paws and sat down on its haunches not once breaking eye contact with Emily. She waited in anticipation, excitement and fear moving through her in waves. She heard words:

Oh child of life, how you have grown

The winds of time have this way blown

When the two worlds become one

Together we'll be, and I'll have won.

Emily wondered why there was an essence of threat in the words, since the rat seemed so loving. Suddenly the rat snapped away, leaping and bounding over the grass as if it had done something illicit or was being chased by some unknown danger. Emily reached out towards it as it ran towards the nearest tree, her heart yearning in loss as it disappeared into a small hole. There seemed to be more than one rat under the bushes, but Emily didn't find that strange.

Then she noticed that the rats were fighting. Before she could move, her eyes were drawn upwards towards a larger creature leaping from branch to branch. She heart-felt it. Shock propelled her into a sitting position.

Ready to run, she found herself pinned down by Pugly who had quickly come around to sit on her legs and Elvis who was hanging on to her arm for dear life as he scampered up towards her ear. "Em phlegm, it's okay, lay, say, he's not bad, sad, mad," said Elvis as he bit her ear to get her attention. Why was everyone biting these days? ripped through Emily's mind as the words, "Pugly. What's going on here?" frantically escaped her mouth.

She scrambled to stand up. Pugly forced her back down to a sitting position. "Emily. Focus. Listen to me. Leave the rats alone. They will sort it out among themselves. There are things you don't know, and that is the way it must be for now. And as for that…" continued Pugly, pointing towards the leaping creature.

Sam felt Emily's panic. She leapt out the water. "What, Emily, what? Where?" said Sam. "Sam, it's …" shouted Emily to her nearly-naked friend, unconsciously letting the rat fight go while pointing at the creature in the tree.

"Stop it – both of you!" yelled Pugly, grinding their potential attack to a halt. "Do not see it as it was! See it as it is. Use your heart-feeling, not your heads. See it now as it is, not as it was. Free yourself from your fear, from your preconceptions and look again with clear eyes."

"Wizzer," he continued silently instructing the toothy dragon fly. Wizzer nodded and flew off towards the leafy canopy, its hand out in invitation to the creature that held back in shame.

Silence descended as the creature took Wizzer's tiny hand in supplication and gratitude. Emily and Sam stood dumbfounded as the creature softened and flowed, transforming as they heart-felt towards it, changing into a molten beauty.

Its eyes widened, softening into a deep blue as it saw them accept its presence. It bowed its head offering its soft neck as a sign of surrender. The harsh coarse brown hair on its arms turned a soft, downy white and its fur surrounded and plumped out its ribcage, as Emily and Sam opened their hearts to their one-time enemy.

Elgeba, the ugliest beak-faced monkey.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Rupert blinked his eyes, slowly opening his senses to the new day. Light flooded into the room.

He ran his hand down his chest towards his flat stomach, stopping below his belly button. His sweet-spot was warning him, burning him, willing him to remember and act on something. Rupert always felt premonitions in his stomach. When it felt like butterflies, like nervous childish laughter, he knew something big, but good, was about to happen. But only once before had his stomach burned.

He wiped his eyes again, ran his hand over his forehead and went into a deeper dark trance in his effort to find out what was going on. It wasn't a place he liked going, having spent his life there, but he knew he'd find the edge of the precipice there. He would have to leap into it, in faith, knowing that something would now lead him to what he needed to find.

As he lay on his lumpy mattress, he saw himself in his mind's eye walking along a dusty, flat-topped mountain, alone, towards an unknown destination. He walked and walked, simply placing one foot in front of the other as he had learned to do. He trusted, as his body lay still in his room, that his mind's-eye form would find an answer. He walked and walked, all over the mountain top. On one side, looking over the mountain's edge, he saw dense forests. On the opposite side, he saw desert sands stretching into infinity.

At some point he knew that he was no longer alone on top of the mountain. A feeling, a nervous warning, shot through his body near his belly button, telling him to be aware, to be careful. He looked around him at the clear skies, the dusty plateau stretching all around him. He moved his senses out in every direction and thought he'd felt a small dark mass moving quickly in from the desert, across the plateau towards the forest, but it was gone before he could heart-feel it any more. All he'd felt was that it was darkly black and solid.

Danger seemingly past, something redirected his focus back towards himself, moving him towards the desert side of the mountain. His feet walked towards the edge. Rupert didn't like heights as a rule, so it was a good thing this was just in his mind's eye. Anything was possible in this space, even leaving fear behind.

Rupert stepped right up to the edge. A flurry of dark, black wings and red eyes shot past him.

"Oh heck!" he said, frightened out of his wits, turning away from the edge. "Hey," said a stern voice in his head.

"Sorry," he said to the voice that sounded like his long gone mother.

Another big black bird streaked past his back, up past the edge of the mountain and into the clear blue sky just above his head. The two harpies, red eyes bleeding, cawed and scraped at him as they circled overhead. One dive-bombed down, its beak yawning open, its teeth like a shark's overlapping in layers, opening as wide as Rupert's head.

Rupert ducked just in time. The harpy's teeth scraped his shoulder and drew blood.

"Dammit," said Rupert wondering how he could bleed in his imagination. Surely he had control over what happened in his mind's eye?

At that thought, he regained control of his vision, speaking directly to the harpies. "What do you want? Why are you here?" he said, facing down the nightmare of them. "We want, we want, we want!" they said simultaneously, like a bad chorus. Rupert could see their want becoming a frustrated need as he ignored their flapping wings and dripping red eyes. "Well, you can't have," he said, turning his back on them, feeling in control once more. "Tell me your warning and then be gone."

"Beware the one that comes," they said, cackling heartily.

Rupert almost laughed aloud. The dark always used the sneakiness of the night to terrify and create shadows that were unreal and yet real at the same time.

"I'm no longer scared of you," he said.

"Not for you, for another he comes," the harpies screamed again.

Rupert waved his hand in a swishing momentum in his mind's eye and wiped the harpies out like a painter swiping at a canvas, erasing something that he didn't want in the picture.

He heard knocking. Turning around on the dusty, mountain plateau, he looked for the source but couldn't find it.

The knocking continued, rapping urgently.

Rupert realised it was coming from his room door. He opened his eyes. "Hold on, hold on, I'm coming. Hold your horses." He pulled his jeans over his sleeping shorts. "I'm coming!" he yelled at the persistent knocker.

Rupert opened the door as the blond woman fell through it, the white of her skin matching only the fright in her eyes. "Help, please help me," she said faintly, collapsing.

Melanie woke up, but kept her eyes closed. The dark dreams seemed to have faded away. She felt around tentatively with her fingertips, stroking a lumpy mattress lightly. Light surrounded the edges of her eyelashes. A cold cloth moved over her face, the damp smell pervading her nostrils.

She sneezed.

"Ah, so you are awake," said a friendly voice, as the mattress next to her rose with the body that had just vacated it. Melanie opened her eyes.

"And not looking as white as a ghost anymore either. You have some colour back in your face. Good," it said.

Melanie smiled a shy smile. She couldn't remember how she got here. But that was nothing new. She often didn't remember how she ended up in places. She would start the evening with resolve, promising herself that she wouldn't but she still did. The temptation was just too strong.

"Um, hi," she said, sitting up gingerly, smoothing down her short red skirt, and looking around her at the room filled with some interesting and relatively good-looking furniture. Rooms that she usually woke up in mostly had nothing but mattresses on the floor.

"So how old are you, exactly?" asked the kind voice, "You look like you should still be in school."

"I'm old enough," replied Melanie, her bravado coming out of her, protecting her. "I guess I should go now," she said standing up, moving towards the door. "No, wait," said Rupert, his bare feet moving towards her as he grabbed her upper arm to stop her. "Let go!" said Melanie, jerking her arm away.

Rupert put his arms up in surrender, like a hostage who had a gun pointing at him, not wanting any trouble.

"Okay, just relax. Sorry, I didn't mean to touch you. You came to me for help, remember?"

"I did, for help?" said Melanie, with no recollection.

"Yup, knocked frantically on my door this morning, yelled help and then passed out on my carpet before my sore old eyes."

"Oh," said Melanie, trying hard to remember through the haze of her always jumbled thoughts. She felt bleak and dark, as always.

"Doesn't matter," she said, moving towards the door again, wanting to get out. She was not looking for kindness or favours or anything that she might have to owe someone one day. She owed enough to too many bad guys already.

"Wait. How about a cup of coffee?" Rupert asked gently.

Her thoughts jumbled onwards, I need to slow down. Stop it. Stop running. She looked through the man standing in front of her. This one didn't seem so bad. He hadn't hurt her, or asked for anything so far; her dress seemed to be in one piece, so nothing seemed to have happened through the night.

Perhaps she could stay for a little while. At least until the need to run overtook her. She turned away from the door and moved into the room towards the windows.

"Okay?" said Rupert, hands slowly lowering as he walked around the young girl towards the tray which held a plastic white kettle and the coffee cups. "Why don't you sit down in that there chair, and if you want, or not, your choice, tell me who you are?"

Rupert was learning how to be a listener. The stories he'd heard could make one's teeth curl, and he didn't think this one would be any different. Hell, his own story was bad enough.

"My name's Rupert by the way," he said. "Shall I tell you my story first? Perhaps that would make it easier?" he said, watching as the girl slowly sat down on Edwina's old bookstore chair.

Rupert put the kettle on and busied himself doing things as he told his tale of gambling and drink.

Melanie listened to Rupert ramble on. His story sounded like most of the street tales she had heard except that something was different here. His room seemed to be clean, neat and tidy. Most street people didn't have anything remotely like furniture, let alone furniture that looked cared for.

She looked at the surroundings again. Light seemed to flow into this room. It made her uncomfortable. She preferred living in the shadows. It was all she knew.

Melanie had grown up in a house filled with fear. Her father drank and her mother grew smaller with each beating. When she asked her mother why she took the beatings without fighting back, she'd responded, "To protect you, child." Clearly, her mom didn't know, or didn't want to know, what her father was doing to Melanie late at night. She'd begged her mom to find the strength to leave, telling her she couldn't stay in that place with him any longer. But her mom, shoulders drooping, said, "But we've got nowhere else to go."

So she'd left.

That way her mom didn't need to protect her. She was old enough to make her own decisions.

Melanie thought she knew better at the time. Now she wasn't so sure. There was always somewhere new to go to on the streets but the places were often filled with the same kind of people. All she knew now was that she couldn't and wouldn't go home, if home was what you could call it. So she'd become a drifter, moving from one bad situation to the next.

She let her guard down.

Rupert felt the mixture of emotion, light and dark, love and menace coming from the young girl sipping the coffee next to him.

Strange, he thought as his words continued telling the story of his life aloud. Usually it was one or the other, almost black or white. Perhaps it was because she was still so young and innocent? he thought.

Would he be in time? Would he be able to help her? Rupert almost laughed aloud at the thought. Though he was getting stronger each day, and he knew he was here to help, it wasn't something that came naturally.

Edwina popped into his head, almost like a bubble of insight had come over him. Of course, he thought, Edwina, the revelation becoming clearer. I must get her to Edwina; she'll know what to do.

Rupert steered his conversation towards the bookstore and how Edwina had helped him.

"So," he said aloud, "how would you feel about coming with me to Edwina? Looks like you could do with a break?"

Melanie put her coffee cup on the ground next to the chair, ignoring the side table as if it didn't exist. Rupert felt the two warring parts of her fighting each other. Should she? Shouldn't she? Should she? Shouldn't she? Rupert heart-felt the tug-of-war going on inside of her.

She stood up and said, "Yes, let's, can't do no harm," but Rupert saw the dark side inch over her as her thoughts turned to escaping.

He knew that she would run the minute he opened the door. He also knew that he'd have to let her go. He had learnt to let go, no matter how much he wanted to help. He wanted to shake her and say, "There is another way," but knew she would have to make her own choice and follow her own path.

Rupert knew that it was up to her to find her way to Edwina's and he couldn't take her there no matter how much he wanted to. His way was not the way of force but of choice.

"Just let me pull on my shirt and socks," Rupert said as Melanie stood up, every muscle in her long legs tensed to run.

He needed to go to Edwina's anyway, with or without this beautiful lost soul. He'd remembered his vision and what the harpies had told him. In telling his story to the young girl he'd made sense of the message. Now he needed to get to Edwina so that they could prepare.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Rupert strolled into Edwina's new bright bookstore. Looking around at the crystals and shining chandeliers, he smiled to himself, thinking that they'd all come a long way.

"Ed. Ed, where are you?" he shouted.

"Here we are lovie. Did ya manage to bring 'er then?" said Edwina, her massive frame and long nose poking out through the beaded curtain that led into her private kitchen nook.

"How did you…?" said Rupert, shaking his head, then laughing, "I should know better by now, shouldn't I? You still astound me sometimes, Edwina. How did you know about the girl?"

"What girl?" said Edwina, her eyes twinkling in mischief, willing Rupert to tell the tale regardless.

Rupert moved towards Edwina as she disappeared to put the kettle on. Edwina believed a cup of tea could solve everything. He swished the beaded curtain aside, stared lovingly at her back door and the healing world he now knew was behind it.

"Oh no ya don't," said Edwina, catching him, "ya knows ya stronger than 'at. Ya don'ts need to go there ever again if ya choose."

"I know, I know Edwina, but the pull is strong. How I'd love to be in bliss, not be in this sad, bad world of ours struggling to keep things together daily."

"Whoever said it was going to be easy, my boy? Ya just gots ta keep on trucking like we all do's." said Edwina, putting a cup of steaming tea in front of Rupert.

She shifted her bulk into a spindly chair. "Ya know tha drill, get up, get moving, one little step at a time," Edwina finished kindly. "I know but…," moaned Rupert. "No buts about it. Now tell me's why ya here then?"

Rupert told Edwina all about the girl's arrival and the very brief conversation they'd had. Then he related how, the minute they'd set foot outside of The Lennox, she'd run off like a jack-rabbit. "She seemed to be wavering between the two sides, Edwina. More so than anyone I've ever heart-felt before. Light and dark, light and dark, one or the other, rather than the shades of grey I've found in so many of the street people."

"I know lovie. She's different 'cause she got a purpose that's still making its way to 'er. She be connected ta another an' it seems tha' tis other is also still vacillating. An' until that's decided, she won't be neither."

"What do you mean?" asked Rupert, "I thought we controlled our own destiny? Or at least that's what you've been sprouting at me every time I've weakened even a little bit."

"Well we does have control but tha' don' mean we doesn't share the worl' wif so many others, now does it, ya silly git. Surely ya figured out that we are all connected someway, somehow?"

"Well yes, but how?" said Rupert wanting to learn more.

"Now's not the time silly, just knows we are. Everything alive is connected, ya just gotta figure the how out for ya'self." said Edwina laughing, enjoying the frown of frustration on Rupert's face.

"So what else ya gots to tell ol' Eds then?" asked Edwina, rousing Rupert from his mind's-eye musings.

"Oh. Oh, yes. The harpies," said Rupert.

"Ah," said Edwina knowingly, "So's they finally arrived for ya then, did they?"

"What?" asked Rupert wanting to know how Edwina alwaysknew what was going on with him. Knowing he wouldn't get an answer, he continued, "The harpies brought a warning of sorts. Best you go off and tell that Angel that you seem to keep talking to."

"Oh no lovie, I ain't gonna tell her nothing. Ya gotta."

"And how exactly am I supposed to do that?" asked Rupert, lifting his eyebrows.

"Well, in ya case since ya so dense still, ya gotta go into the Void," Edwina said, waiting for Rupert's reaction to this news.

"The V… no Ed, I can't. Please don't make me," came the expected reaction.

"I can't. I just can't!" said Rupert, like a child terrified of going to bed alone at night, his head cradled in his fluttering hands.

The last time Rupert had gone close to the Void was to cradle his dying daughter Jessica. He had avoided it ever since then. The memories were still too raw, too sore, too near to his soul for him.

"Please, Ed," said Rupert, looking up into the kindest, bluest eyes he'd ever known.

"Ya gotta rein ya fear in, my boy. Ya won't go back where ya been, I knows that for a fact. An' if ya don't trusts ya Edwina, then what will ya trust?"

"But I don't know what to tell her," said Rupert, pleading to get out of it, "or how I'm supposed to tell her?" he continued, wondering how things worked in the Void, since he was solely focused on Jess the last time he was there.

"Now, now," said Edwina, her voice softening, "it's like most things in life. Ya just start, do what ya think is right, and then one step at a time…"

Rupert was led out the kitchen towards the dreaded door which housed the grandest of all Halls and the Void, and submitted courageously with a small smile. "You sound like a broken record. One step at a time. Do know that, Ed?"

Edwina just smiled and opened the door.

Rupert walked into the Great Hall, transformed from its dark depths into a moving canvas of nights peppered with stars and days bathed in sun. He glanced around, feeling a little more comfortable. This wasn't how he remembered it at all. The hall he remembered had brought death and darkness. Perhaps he would be able to do this, he thought.

"So, how do I…?" he started saying, turning around to find that Edwina had gone.

"Oh sh…," he said, before remembering his language and heart-feeling around him to make sure he wasn't in any danger. Even though he felt like he was about to have a panic attack, he couldn't sense any evil near him.

Rupert looked down at his feet, clothed in well-worn leather shoes that he'd managed to buy at the thrift shop. Willing them one step forward, he found himself fighting a war between his feet and his brain. His mind said go and his feet said no.

Rupert stood there for a long time trying to figure out how to move. In fact, he started to wonder if there was dribble coming out of the corner of his mouth since he was feeling a little idiotic. Faintly, off in the far corner, he heard a voice swell in command:

Come one, come all

However you fall

We welcome here

For witness you bear

Step forward with ease

Your words to hear, please

Frighteningly, he suddenly found his body propelled forward by the very feet that had been screaming no at him. Rupert felt like he'd hit a freezing cold pocket of air. Then warmth surrounded him as he found himself moving like a puppet on a string, towards the middle of what he could only assume was the Void.

He kept waiting for something to jump out of the shadows but couldn't find any shadows in his surroundings. The skies continued to shift from night into day, the white tiles beneath his feet shifted from sand to greenery.

It was a little disconcerting standing in a place that continuously moved, Rupert thought as a bubble popped out next to his head, almost frightening him into ducking, before it burst without a sound.

"Balance, balance, balance," Rupert said aloud to himself, remembering something that Emily had shown him in her book. "Just go to find your balance, lad," he repeated, sounding like the street people he knew that talked to themselves.

Balance it is that comes here this day

You're welcome friend to have your say

Wise words you've spoken in this place

Please do hurry up, as we live in haste.

Rupert sensed some humour floating around the words even as he understood their urgency. "Um, I guess I should just let you know I got a warning?" said Rupert, stepping backwards as something coalesced into a form in front of him.

Rupert stared as the smallest of lights, not visible before, made a weaving pattern in front of him. Speechless, he watched as the form took on a heavier, denser shape though still filled with light. Transforming, the form settling into solidity, Rupert found a beautiful white-haired monkey standing in front of him.

"They thought it might help if you spoke to something you could see rather than a nebulous nothing," said the monkey, pointing his finger over his shoulder at the nebulous nothing.

"You speak? English?" asked Rupert, flabbergasted at what had just appeared, let alone that he could understand it.

"Of course I can. Do I look like a monkey?" it said, bending double in gleeful laughter. "Sorry, I couldn't resist," said the monkey mischievously, straightening up. "Anyway, let's get the how out the way, and by that I mean who cares how this all works. Now tell me, I mean us, about the warning."

Rupert relayed the mind's-eye meeting he had had with the Harpies and how he was awakened by the girl. "Ah," said the monkey, pondering, his fur rippling, "Beware the one that comes. I wonder what that means?"

Rupert wasn't sure whether the monkey was fearful or pulling his leg again. The monkey, deep in thought a moment before, suddenly shifted focus back to Rupert and smiled a sinister smile. "What do you think Rupert? Did the harpies mean Him? Or the girl that knocked on your door afterwards?"

Rupert began to shiver too, unsure whether it was the monkey's pungent, sharp smile or the reference to Him that scared him.

"Ah, never mind, Rupe the Dupe, warning acknowledged. I'll relay the message, but please assume that we already know about it anyway. Now I've got to go, you know: things to do, places to be, problems to solve, mischief to be made," the monkey said, before turning bright white.

The monkey shouted backwards towards the nebulous nothingness, "Guess he ain't afraid anymore, so can I go now? You have conquered your fear of death, haven't you, Rupert?"

Rupert stared, "But … hey … wait," he said, as the sparkle shattered and he had to cover his eyes or be blinded.

"What am I supposed to do now? Was this all about me facing death?" Rupert found himself standing alone, talking to himself in The Void. Looking around, he saw the changing patterns of sky and landscape, waiting.

The sweet, honeyed voice came from the corner:

All is alive, dark true to form

Light will come; follow the swarm

Know for now, you will be needed

Make sure that you move, when heeded

Now we must plan once more for war

To claim the Balance, shore to shore.

Rupert felt his feet moving backwards unwittingly, his body still facing forward. He felt like he was doing a moon dance, except he wasn't on the moon.

May as well have been, thought Rupert, for all the craziness that's gone on today. He felt the wave of cold sweeping through his body. Looking back down at his feet, he realized he felt different. Grounded perhaps?

He might not have got any answers. In fact, everything seemed to be more unclear than ever. What was he supposed to do now? Where was he supposed to be? When?

Rupert sighed heavily. He looked at the changes happening in hyper time in front of him, no longer feeling a part of it, but separate. He felt like a little boy in his favourite play spot. What was it about these places that seemed to surround Edwina that made him feel better?

He turned around to head for the door knowing nothing more was going to happen, that he'd done what he could by passing on the warning and hoping that Edwina had another cup of tea and kindness to spare his vulnerable self.

CHAPTER NINETEEN

The long beach stretched in front of the two girls who huddled up inside their bright patterned coats, hats and scarves.

Emily wore a pink scarf knitted lovingly and beautifully by Mamasita and a very crooked hat, in matching pink, knitted as lovingly, if haphazardly by Gran, with her dark black coat pulled up as close to her chin as possible. Sam, whose clothes were store-bought, looked the picture of elegance next to her, in shades of brown and green.

"We'll definitely be able to find you amongst the dunes Em. I might fade away in my camouflage, but you, not a chance!" teased Sam, her teeth chattering.

"Yeah, yeah," said Emily, smiling at her friend, knowing that Sam was somewhat envious of the two old ladies loving her as they did.

"So remind me, what exactly are we doing out here on such a cold day?" quizzed Sam, looking lovingly behind her at the warmth of the tea room they had just left.

"I just needed to clear my head and the wind seemed to be the obvious thing to blow all our cobwebs away. Besides…"

"Besides what?" asked Sam impatiently, "Spit it out. It's too cold to be messing around or playing games. Spit."

Emily sucked through her nose, deep into the back of her throat and made as if she was going to spit. Sam smacked her on her shoulder with a look that threatened imminent death.

"Besides, I came across this really interesting book," Emily said, pointing backwards through the bush and sand dunes in the direction of the small one-roomed library that had pride of place in the middle of the green common.

"Oh Lordy, not another one," said Sam.

"No, no, nothing like mine. It was old though. It seemed to have been stuck in its place for a very long time."

"And no, it's not your kind of book Sam, since it didn't have pictures in it," said Emily, nudging Sam's shoulder jokingly, a smile breaking over her cold chattering teeth.

"Come, let's go back to the tearoom, and I'll tell you all about it. It really is way too cold out here."

"Hallelujah Sister, some sanity prevails," said Sam, turning sharply around and marching off at top speed back towards the tar road and tea room.

Emily's boots ground down the sand on the cement sidewalk. They crunched past the brightly painted beach toilets. Dolphins and all kinds of sea creatures frolicked on the side walls, crabs and shells their companions, along with the ripe smell of a long lost cleaned out septic tank.

"Ugh," said Emily, wrapping her plush pink scarf around her nose and mouth, "and I was about to tell you that the book was all about the Power of our Imagination. Who needs an imagination when you can smell?"

The two girls slammed the front door of the tearoom shut, making a beeline for the table perfectly positioned in front of the fire.

Annie, the tea room owner, gave them a sharp warning glance at the noise, and Emily apologised for slamming the door. She seemed to do that quite a lot in the little seaside town. Pulling the wooden chairs out, which were adorned with red stretched plastic fake-leather seats, they started stripping off their layers.

"Hey Pugs, where you been all my life?" said Sam, smiling at her feet. Looking around her, noticing the seascapes on the walls but glancing past, Sam asked, "So, where's my Wiz?"

Pugly moved around in a circle, looking like he was sniffing his bum, then curled up in a ball having found what he believed to be the most comfortable spot. "Around," he replied lazily.

Elvis, jiggling more than usual, scrambled over Pugly's back and moved his large stomach to the one side, winding him with an Umph, then snuggled into a sitting position with Pugly's stomach at his back and the roaring fire in front. Elvis said, "Jeez, wheeze, Louise, it's cold, fold, sold, out there, bear, lair."

"You got that right," said Sam.

Emily watched the interaction silently. All of this chatter had gone on without a single one of them voicing any words aloud. Not one of them had moved his or her lips.

Annie, if she'd been less lost in her own world cleaning up around them, might have seen raised eyebrows or strange looks into strange places, but wouldn't have known that there was anything going on.

Emily shook her head in wonder. And people think there's nothing to the imagination.

The two girls were tempted to order steaming hot coffee, but knew they'd go home skipping around on a high and be caught out by the hawk-eyed Gran and Mamasita. They still weren't allowed caffeine. They ordered pink milkshakes instead. Emily smiled, getting her own revenge on Gran, since the sugar hyped her up almost as badly.

"Pink milkshakes? You really are into your pink, aren't you, Emily?" said Annie, pointing at the scarf and hat draped over the back of the chair, bustling off to the kitchen with a smirk.

Emily pulled her face, smiling sarcastically at Annie's bustling behind, her thoughts repeating the sentence in a childish voice. Sam burst out laughing at Emily's expression and the words that only she and their companions could hear.

"Oh Em, it's just her way of making conversation, so don't hold it against her. Annie must get really lonely here during the winter months with no visitors and no staff to help her. It's a wonder she doesn't go completely batty in all this silence."

"In fact if it wasn't for us, I don't think she'd have any intelligent life visiting her since you can't really call the old fuddy duddies that stop in here for their bridge and tea once a week intelligent," teased Sam.

"Anyway, tell me about this book now. I'm all ears," said Sam, swatting at the air as something flew around them, buzzing like a large horsefly.

"Oi!" said Wizzer.

Sam laughed, and said, "Oh crazknocks Wiz, sorry, I still need to get used the difference between you and something irritating from our side of the Veil."

"Irritating, what a cheek," Wizzer teased, his multiple wings coming to rest like a helicopter's rotor slowing down on Sam's head, pulling at her hair.

Annie bustled out of the kitchen with their thick milkshakes. Her feet shuffled over the carpet in front of the fire towards them, caught in something and the tray landed with a clatter, milkshakes saved only by the quick reactions of the two girls.

"What was that?" said Annie, looking down at the spot she'd just tripped over. Emily and Sam watched her silently, waiting. "Must be losing it. Sorry girls, well caught."

Emily and Sam sniggered. "Do you think she saw…" thought Sam, eyebrows raised in silent question at Emily.

"No way. Maybe? If we can, and Gran, and the others in Kingstown, who's to say it won't be happening here too?" said Emily in response.

"We'd better start talking aloud," stated Emily taking a sip of the milkshake, "or Annie's going to thinkwe've lost it."

"You're right," said Sam aloud.

"Right about what?" asked Annie behind the counter, her head swirling in pictures and scenes.

"Nothing Annie, wasn't talking to you," said Sam, as Annie nodded her head in acknowledgement, a questioning frown remaining on her face as she went through the back curtain into the kitchen.

Emily watched the scenes and pictures linked to Annie's thoughts and imagination disappear into the back with her. She stared in wonder, realising what she had just seen.

Bubbles.

Or what looked like bubbles, almost like the speech bubbles in comics. They bumped each other for space around Annie.

Each bubble was filled with a different picture. One had a white poodle dog in it, playing with a bone. Another had a man, smiling. Some more were just filled to the brim with words that jumbled and sprang around making nonsense sentences. Some bubbles stayed in one place, others appeared and faded, then returned. Still others disappeared entirely only to be replaced by another scene.

"Annie," yelled Emily at her disappearing back.

"What?" asked Annie, flapping the curtain aside and coming back into the room, "What do you still need?"

"Oh sorry, nothing," said Emily, only wanting to confirm that the bubbles had actually been there.

Emily stared at the bubbles surrounding Annie. They seemed to be attached to her somehow, seemed to go where she went.

Sam, cottoning on to the fact that something different was happening, said, "What Em? What do you see?"

"Bubbles," said Emily in amazement, "Lots of bubbles."

"Yeah, sure, bubbles. If you say so," said Sam shaking her head in amusement, looking in the same direction but seeing nothing. Sam, full of smiles, knew better than to disbelieve what Emily was seeing.

"So, a book, another dang book?" said Sam, trying to get Emily to refocus on the purpose of them meeting in the tea room.

Emily stared at the new bubbles above Sam's head, her thoughts wandering off into, "Maybe I should start reading?" including new bubbles which now filled with pictures of Sam watching a clock and shaking her head then running off to various sports and pleasures. Emily smiled as she interpreted the pictures. Reading wasn't going to be what Sam spent her time on any more than she had in the past.

"What?" said Sam, patting her head as she saw the direction Emily was looking, forgetting all about Wizzer.

"Oi," they heard.

"Oh Wiz. Sorry. Again. Okay, last time I'm going to say that. I can't keep saying sorry all the time, okay? So I'll do my best to remember you're around, but since this is all very new to me, you're going to have to forgive me my mistakes and do your best to just get out the way. Perhaps it would be better if you stayed where I can see you?"

"Now, Em. Emily May, what are you looking at?" asked Sam.

"Bubbles!" said Emily, feeling stupid.

"You do realise what you sound like?" said Sam, smiling at her friend whose eyes seem to have lost focus. She waved her hand in front of Emily's eyes. "Hello, anyone home?" She took a sip of her milkshake, sitting back in the chair waiting for an explanation.

Emily snapped out of her childlike trance, but said, "Bubbles, bubbles. How weird, and wonderful, makes sense I suppose?"

"Okay, big bum. Spit," said Sam, moving her chair back as Emily sucked in air through her nose, pretending again, "Oh. No you don't. Okay, I'll use another word from now on. There's only so much of your mumbo jumbo I can take. Spill it all now or I'm out of here."

"Um, how to explain? You know how we can see Pugly and them," Emily said pointing at the various other Auranian creatures around them at various levels, "but other people can't? And you know how we can talk to each other in our heads, no sound? And you know how we can heart-feel others, sort of, when they allow us to but we couldn't really hear them? Well it's sort of like that except in bubbles."

"You have got to be kidding me Em," said Sam exasperated, "What are you talking about?"

"Oh Sam, how on earth can I explain this one to you? You couldn't see Aurana before, so just try and make up your own pictures or make your own meanings, deductions, whatever, of what I'm trying to tell you. Instead of just hearing words and seeing Auranians, it seems I can now see thoughts."

"Yes, like that," said Emily looking at the top of Sam's head again.

"Like what?"

"Sam, when we think, we seem to do it with words and pictures, and these pictures surround you in bubbles. It's like instead of just hearing the words that you are thinking like I have up to now I can see what you are thinking in these bubbles. It's amazing!"

"I'm sure you can," said Sam sarcastically, not really getting it, slurping up the last of her milkshake, "do you get it Wiz? Perhaps I should talk to you rather than Miss Wacky Universe over there."

"It must have something to do with me now understanding the Power of Imagination. From that book."

"Ah, finally, the book," said Sam, rocking her head from side to side, smiling stupidly at Emily, "Finally, something we can touch and feel, right here and now, something real."

"Sam," said Emily in surprise, "But you …"

"Kidding, girl friend, kidding. No, I don't see the bubbles, yet, but I'm sure I will. In time and on time, yes? So I can fly and you can't. You can see bubbles and I can't. Maybe we're even now." teased Sam. "It makes sense in some crazy way, actually. I've always been the athletic, moving, grooving one and you've always been the one living in your head," Sam laughed.

"Yeah, yeah," said Emily in response, slurping up her milkshake quickly, scraping her chair back, and grabbing her black coat and pink scarf and hat and bolting for the door, "I wonder if Gran does or Mamasita?"

"Hey?" said Sam to Emily's rapidly retreating back, "Hey?" again to the slamming door.

A new bubble, unseen by Annie or anyone else, burped up into the air around Sam. The picture was one of her paying the bill, with words saying, 'Some friend she is, leaving me with the bill again.' Another bubble, with a picture of Sam whacking a book on the wooden table, the words, 'What happened to her telling me all about the stupid imagination book she found?'

Then a bubble popped up containing a picture of a full bath, hot running water creating soapy bubbles: Bubbles, yeah right said the words, as Sam stomped out of the tearoom after Emily.

CHAPTER TWENTY

The holidays passed with lots of reading in front of fires and pink milkshakes.

Once, Sam had remarked on seeing a bubble over Emily's head, saying, "Are you thinking that I'm a moron, Em, because I'm sure I can see a picture of a bumbling fool."

Back at school, Emily smiled as she unpacked her clothes into the small cupboard in her cubicle. Tripping over Pugly, Elvis riding rodeo on his back holding onto his ears, she saw a new bubble created over her own head saying, 'Oh, do get out from under my feet and move onto my pillow now, Pugs!'

Emily wondered how she was going to get rid of the bubbles over her own head as they had become something of an irritation. Though she liked seeing other people's pictures, she had tried to find her own 'off' switch for the last few days. She thought it would be in her head somewhere and so had gone inside her own brain, using her mind's eye, trawling down her nerve endings towards her pineal gland. She was sure she'd been close when Sam had interrupted her concentration. Perhaps she'd try again in the evening, under the cover of darkness, if the scary ravens weren't there.

Emily remembered them appearing one night, red eyes poking into her private space. She didn't want to do any brain surgery on herself with them staring at her.

"So," popped a springy voice in her corner, "How were the hols in your peaceful village?"

"Hey Gift, not too bad," replied Emily, "but I could do with a little less of Sam over the next few days."

"Oh and by the way, if she keeps looking past you at the top of your head and saying bubbles, don't commit her to the insane asylum just yet, okay?" laughed Emily.

"What? You two, one as crazy as the other," said Gift, slamming her body down on Emily's bed, narrowly missing Pugly and the tummy-snuggling Elvis, who was protesting loudly at being woken up.

"Now tell …" began Gift, looking at the pillow strangely. Emily wondered if Gift had also been practicing over the holidays to see Auranian creatures as opposed to what she could see in the everyday as she proclaimed. Emily told Gift about discovering the Power of the Imagination book and the subsequent bubbles that had started appearing.

"So where's this book ,then?" said Gift, wanting to get her education started.

"I found it in a back corner in Paradise Beach's library. Sorry, I couldn't bring it. But it give us a good excuse to get you to come and visit us." said Emily as her friend groaned. "I did make some notes," Emily continued, changing packing directions to scratch in her school bag, "somewhere in here, I think?"

"Oh yay," said Gift, "I get the condensed version. Hope it's going to be enough. Did your notes help Sam?"

"Sam, being Sam, hasn't read them, so you might get the jump on her yet," laughed Emily.

"Just please do tell her it really helps to read and understand howthings work, rather than taking the long way around and trying to figure it all out herself. Do please tease her when you get to see the bubbles before she does."

"Oh cool and even cooler," said Gift, grabbing the notes from Emily's hand and loping off towards her cubicle.

Turning around, remembering something, Gift asked, "Are you excited about our field trip yet?" Emily didn't look at Gift. She shoved things into the cupboard, missing the fearful yet calm look that Gift shot her way, while responding "Yes and no, yes and no. I feel like something's going to happen there and as always, I have no real idea what, but when I start worrying I get a picture of that barking lizard and feel better. So I guess come what may…"

Turning around, Emily realised Gift had left, gone to greener pastures and wondered why she had the irritating habit of asking questions then not hanging around to listen to the answers.

Emily's thoughts shifted to where she was, in Kingstown, wondering how everyone was. A bubble popped up next to her head, with a rolling picture of Josh's happy face, open smile and warm body. Emily blushed, shook her head as if trying to clear it, and looked around to make sure no one else had seen that one.

School started as school does, the boring routine encompassed in the excitement of catching up with everyone's news. Before Emily had had a chance to get her bearings, the day of the desert field trip arrived. Emily had hoped to at least get one trip into town to catch up with Edwina, and Josh of course, but for some reason the trip was moved forward by three weeks.

Ms Farmer told them that it had something to do with a mix up around the accommodation; that it had been booked when she wanted to go, but Emily thought it was because it was still as cold as Eskimos out there. That way Ms. Farmer wouldn't have to suffer the sun as much.

Emily stood outside the hostel, the day children having been dropped off by their parents, as it was the departure point for the trip into the desert.

Ms Farmer was bustling around the students like a hen herding her chickens. They watched in amusement as she huffed and puffed her way back and forwards trying to get some order, her large flowery sunhat only faintly obscuring the white layer of thickly smeared sun screen. It seemed Ms Farmer was taking her motto of 'be prepared' quite seriously. Some of the girls were pointing and sniggering behind her back, while others simply ignored her.

Emily glanced around the area, her Eight warming up in warning. A quick movement caught her eye, near the purple agapanthus that blanked the small hill behind the hostel. Squinting, she wondered if she'd seen correctly; could that have been Josh? It was quite likely that he was running around nearby, but why would he feel the need to hide?

Emily looked around her at the melee of girls creating a cacophony of noise and chitter-chatter, and smiled. Not much could intimidate Josh, but a large group of females might well be too much for him.

Emily kept her eye on the bushes but Josh, if he had been there, didn't appear again. Regardless, just in case he was still there, she waved a small hand in that direction. Her body felt embarrassingly warm and tingly. Why was he having such an effect on her these days? It was bad enough that she had to contend with bubbles, let alone these new and exciting surges of warmth.

As the heat wave coursed through her, Emily felt her Eight spike sharply in temperature. There was no way this was a Josh reaction.

"Ouch. What?" she said aloud unwittingly, slapping her hand over her eight and holding it tightly until the burning hurt turned to slow throbbing. Her warning bell had just gone crazy.

Oh frig, thought Emily, looking around her frantically for the potential threat but she found nothing. Just keep your guard up, she heard silently in her head with no accompanying bubble.

Distracted by the lack of a bubble, but with the words resounding and her Eight throbbing, Emily didn't see Josh slip into the luggage compartment before the bus driver closed it.

No one saw him.

The bus meandered slowly towards their destination with songs of, Row, row, row your boat and We're all going on a summer holiday repeating over and over and over.

The first night they stopped off at a holiday resort next to a dam and were fed with day-old dry sandwiches. Emily hoped this wasn't a promise of things to come otherwise she was going to hike back to town.

The next day was much the same, with the landscape changing as they headed further into the desert landscape. Emily, having scammed Sam into keeping the window seat by telling her she'd be much more accessible to all her friends if she stayed in the aisle, looked in amazement out the window most of the time.

She knew no one else could see what she was seeing and since her friends were used to her wafting off, they left her alone. If Sam had taken a moment to be still she might have enjoyed the view too.

Emily, seeing both Aurana and Earth as she did, watched as the landscapes changed, mimicking each other. They mirrored each other in some ways and others not. At one point, the bus had chugged up over a large escarpment, and things had changed dramatically in Aurana.

Where the roads had gone from tar to dust, from green to dry grasslands gradually on Earth, Aurana seemed to change from green to desert sand, almost like the escarpment was a dividing line.

Emily swore that the creatures from one side to the other also had distinctive markings or characteristics. Emily stared at what seemed like charred pieces of wood on the other side of the Veil, wondering what could have created them so far from anything even remotely resembling fire. She stared at hobbled, bent creatures that seemed to be in pain, looking helplessly towards her, reaching a hand out in need.

Could Auranians see her on this side of the Veil? She believed that most of them couldn't see her, that she could only see them, except for those that were in tune, like Pugly, Elvis and Wizzer.

But if she could heart-feel them, maybe there was something in them that could sense her? Emily shuddered, her hand instinctively covering her throbbing eight as she remembered The Man and his warning. He seemed closer now.

She wondered how that could be, since The Void was so far from where she was. Perhaps it was the menace that seemed to hang around in the air.

At one point, as the bus lurched into a large, round crater in the road, Emily was sure she heard a sharp "Ow," coming from below her seat. Bubbles popped up showing pictures of something being driven over and left to die. She quickly looked behind the bus, but could see nothing through the dust clouds that followed them like greasy smoke.

The bus chugged onwards towards their destination, arriving at the campsite late that night. Thank goodness we don't have to put up our own tents, thought Emily, feeling like she had reached a much-needed oasis after drifting through the dust for hours and hours.

"Water, water." shouted Sam as she leapt off the bus, running like a gazelle towards it, feeling as dry as they all did. Leaping in fully clothed, despite the freezing night air and the shouted warning from Ms. Farmer, Sam surfaced, surprise ringing out, saying, "It's warm."

The other girls that had followed Sam tentatively, more aware of the cold wintery air, dipped their toes in the water.

"Are you sure you didn't make it warm, Sam? That was a long drive from the last toilet," teased Morgan.

"Ha- ha. How big do you think my bladder is?" replied Sam, as she climbed out dripping all over the cement that hugged the side of the hot spring.

"Oh, frig it's cold once you're out," said Sam, running towards the bus. She grabbed her suitcase that was now waiting for her on the dusty road, then moved off in the direction of the nearest tent.

"Girls, girls, girls," came Ms Farmer's heavy sigh, which went largely ignored by everyone as they grabbed their baggage and went to claim their own beds. Ms. Farmer had made a sleeping list, wanting to shuffle the girls around, out of their usual 'gangs', but gave up in disgust for the night. Instructing the driver to get her baggage, she moved off to her own small tent off to one side.

Emily was the last one to claim her suitcase as she looked around at the campsite. Tents, large enough to sleep at least six girls in single beds, three down each side, toe to toe, surrounded the hot springs that were the focal point of the campsite. Dotted in between the big tents were smaller ones with two beds which, she assumed correctly, were for the grown-ups and camp facilitators.

Feeling the need to release some bladder pressure after Sam's reminder of water, and knowing that Sam would have kept her a place and the campsite was secure, Emily dropped her case where she stood. Looking around her she tried to figure out where the ablutions were.

'Oh please tell me we don't have to go into the bush to wee', bubbled up next to Emily. Not spotting anything obvious, she yelled out to a passing guide, "Where's the toilet, please?"

A finger was pointed towards the far end of the camp, past the circle of sleeping tents to a faintly lit path, where a smaller tent sat all alone. The guide's voice boomed out, "We try to minimise our footprint on the earth, so everything's in tents and we move it all back when we are done here."

Emily shrugged her shoulders, wondering what she was about to find since she'd never heard of a toilet in a tent, but moved towards it urgently as her bladder was about to burst. Inside she found four large plastic toilets, which thankfully had doors that could close, like ones she'd seen next to road works.

When she was finished, she loped back towards her suitcase and the tent she'd seen Sam enter, hearing the excited chatter.

"Feels like luxury to me," she heard Gift laugh, "You girls are all too soft and pampered, you should come and spend some time with me in my village. Then you can talk about things being basic."

"But I need my own room," moaned Sarah, "I need it."

"Oh stop being so silly Sarah, we've all seen you naked before, even if it was a year or so ago. What's with you these days – hiding away from us, not wanting to swim with us this summer, it's like you've become another person." said Morgan angrily.

"Oh leave it, you won't understand," said Sarah in a huff, striking back in an unusual show of emotion, as she left the tent with a handful of pajama's, gowns and slippers and swept past Emily.

"You girls need to give Sarah some space," said Emily, feeling like she could do with some of it herself when she saw the chaos within. "Sam, you could at least try and stay in your area."

Clothes, towels, shampoos, soaps, shoes and jeans, mostly Sam's, were strewn all over the tent. "Did you have a bun fight? You've only been here a few minutes and already you've taken over," said Emily, testily.

"Just leave me my space here," said Emily, demarcating the area around her bed with a pointed finger circling, while her foot kicked out anything that didn't belong there.

"But I love to be in your space, Em, please can I, huh huh?" said Sam, sounding like Elvis, jumping over the imaginary line and enveloping Emily in a bear hug.

"Ugh," said Emily, "Actually, I don't mind you invading my home or my cubicle or actually this space since I see I'm not going to be able to keep you out of it anyway but do you have to hug me naked? Don't you think we're getting a little old for that?"

Sam shimmied off, tauntingly, sticking her bum and tongue out at Emily. A picture of Sam looking five bubbled up next to Emily. "I saw that," said Sam, "so I'm a kid at heart, what can I do?"

Recognition dawned in Sam's eyes as Emily also realised what had just happened.

"I saw that. The picture, the bubble. I saw it Em," said Sam excitedly, turning around heading back in Emily's direction, her hand outstretched, to touch and feel again.

"Put some clothes on first please," laughed Emily, pushing her away towards her own bed. "Then we can go and sit at the campfire and have a decent conversation."

The girls headed over towards the campfire and their fellow classmates who were roasting marshmallows on long sticks over the fire pit.

"Just like at home, except with more company," said Morgan, thinking about last year's trips to the hostel kitchen, where they secretly congregated. They still sneaked in from time to time.

Emily, Sam, Gift and Morgan grabbed folded seats and manoeuvered themselves into marshmallow-to-fire-ready positions and got down to some serious talking. Sarah was missing, presumed still in the ablutions so not yet missed.

Sam, the loudest, claimed the first telling. She excitedly explained the bubble-picture she had seen, looking at Emily for confirmation of what she was describing, while Gift continuously interrupted with questions.

"But you haven't read the book yet, how can you see them?" Gift asked.

"Perhaps because I just know so much more stuff than you, you know, stuff that you can't get it books?" teased Sam.

Emily, snaking her forgotten and now blackened marshmallow off the fire, smiled as she listened to the two friends argue back and forth about bubbles.

Morgan said, "I wonder where Sarah's got off to. Hope I didn't offend her? She's so full of herself lately."

"I think you need to give her some space," said Emily, repeating her earlier sentiment, "I think she's going through a bit of a tough time but doesn't want us to know or at least isn't ready to tell us. You know her best, Morgs, what do you think is going on with her?"

"Who the heck knows? She wouldn't let me come and visit her at home at all this holiday, kept saying something about renovations or some such rubbish. Insisted we just spend time at my house. Which made it a bit boring; and we had to put up with my idiot brother all the time constantly interrupting, so I couldn't even get a chance to give her a piece of my mind. Which she obviously deserves."

"I wonder if something's happening at her home then?"

"Probably, since she didn't want me there at all," said Morgan, looking at Emily like she'd hit the nail on the head, "I wonder what though?"

"Talk of the devil. We were just talking about you," said Morgan as Sarah interrupted, walking out of the dark shadows towards them, already in her pajamas.

"Aren't you always?" said Sarah, sensitively.

"We were just wondering why you…?" said Morgan loudly, stopping as Emily cuffed her on the shoulder. Emily's eyes told Morgan to look around and see how many interested ears had perked up in the group, alerting her to the fact that this might not be the best time and place to have the discussion. Obviously, quite a lot of Sarah's school mates had realised something was going on.

Sarah wiggled her chair into the little circle of friends, sending a relieved, grateful smile in Emily's direction and sat down, changing the subject.

"Em," she said softly, "I could have sworn I saw Josh when I went to the ablutions. But that can't be can it?" said Sarah looking small, terrified and lost.

"Oh Em, I don't know what to do. I think I'm going crazy," she said, whispering under the cover of darkness. "I mean, why would I see Josh here, so many miles from anywhere?"

Emily took her friend's hand kindly, wanting to reassure her, but Sarah jerked it away. Before Emily could say she'd wondered the same thing back in Kingstown, Sarah said strongly, "No, no. I'm okay. It was just my imagination playing tricks with me, that's all. That's all."

"Sarah, you know you can talk to me. Please let me help you," said Emily.

"No, I'm fine. Sorry," Sarah said, shaking her head, crossing her arms over her chest, withdrawing, "I'm okay. Really. So what's news with you?" The moment had passed but at least Emily felt a crack had appeared in Sarah's unusually distant demeanor; at least Sarah had almost asked for help.

The Josh thing was rather strange though. First, she thought she'd seen him, but that was back at school. Now Sarah thought she'd seen him out here in the desert. Emily started to wonder who was playing tricks with their minds.

Changing the subject, trying to distract her friend into lighter thoughts, she said, loud enough for their little group to hear, "Well, I brought my tree wand with me. Thought it might be fun to see what we can do with it out here in the dark desert, away from the city lights. I'm just not sure how we're going to get far away enough from everyone, or when we won't have eagled-eyed Ms Farmer staring at us, to play with it."

"Yes," shouted Sam, bubbles bursting around her, filled with pictures of plots and schemes. All the girls on the camping trip, sitting around the fire, turned to look at Sam and her weird circle of friends.

Some of the girls wondered why Sam would deign to spend so much time with Emily's clan, when she could be part of theirs and shook their heads in disgust, others looked in envy, wanting to be a part of the close-knit group, but everyone wondered what the crazy friends would soon be up to.

Before Sam could say anything more to alert everyone at the fire about their plans, Gift butted in loudly. "I just want to make something clear before we all go traipsing through the desert. I am not a desert person. I cannot find water or run for miles chasing buck or do anything of that sort. I am not related to anyone in this part of the world. I know you sometimes lump all black people in the same category, but I have nothing to do with what will happen, okay?"

Emily wondered at Gift's outburst as many eyebrows were raised at her strange statement. "But we don't think you're the same. We know you come from nearby Paradise Beach, just like us. What are you on about Gift?" said Emily.

"I know you know, but they don't," said Gift, pointing at the girls who were starting to scatter towards bed, rolling their eyes as if to say 'madman' at Gift, as they walked past her.

"And what do you mean by what's going to happen?" asked Sam.

"For me to know and you to find out," laughed Gift, as she ran in the direction of their tent. Sam chased her, screaming like a banshee.

CHAPTER TWENTY ONE

Emily shot out of her bed at the sound of a loud trumpet call.

"What? What's happening?"

The startled faces of her friends surrounded her, all of them alert if not quite awake as the trumpet blasted again. This time, a voice shouted, "Rise and shine, rise and shine, its breakfast time."

Panic subsiding, the girls flopped back onto their beds, groaning at the thought of getting up. The daylight streamed into their tent, through the side flaps and any crevice that had not been nailed down. They could already taste the dry, dusty landscape, but none wanted to venture out into the cold morning.

They had all stayed up way later than they were used to last night, huddling closer and closer to the fire, fetching blankets off their beds when the fire no longer helped keep the cold at bay but not leaving the cocoon created by the meagre light. The desert was freezing at night and early morning, yet it still warmed up harshly during the day. It wasn't the place to be in late winter.

Emily was starving after the meager rations of sandwiches and water over the past two days. She pulled on her socks quickly, while still under the thick blankets on her bed. At first, her friends wondered what on earth she was up to but quickly followed her lead. Dressing under the covers seemed the only sane thing to do.

Pulling on T-shirts, jerseys and as many tops as they could, they shivered under their respective blankets. Sarah's eyes shone as she realised she had found a way to dress and undress in company; no one would think she was being a little odd. "Thanks Em," she mouthed.

Emily caught the bubble above Sarah's head and smiled back, willing her thoughts to her friend, thoughts saying: you owe me one now kiddo, so make sure you spill your beans to me sometime soon.

Sarah shook her head as beans popped into her consciousness, wondering if she was hungrier than she thought since she hated beans.

Emily laughed, saying, "I hope it's not baked beans for breakfast, hey Sarah?" Sarah smiled shyly.

Dressed, the girls made their way back to the fire-pit that had steaming pots off to one side. They stood in line with their aluminum plates and camp knives and forks at the ready. Their bellies started rumbling as those ahead of them in the queue dished up fluffy yellow scrambled eggs, crispy bacon, tomatoes, mushrooms and toast.

"Looks like we won't starve after all," mumbled Morgan.

As everyone ate the scrumptious breakfast, Ms Farmer, dressed as she had been for the last two days in her large sun hat with a smeared white body and face, and beamed at the fact that she had them all in one place and finally quiet enough to listen.

"Now girls," she began seriously, looking around the circle, "I'm going to leave you in the capable hands of these gentlemen for the day trips they have planned for you over the next week." Questioning looks went from some faces to others, smiles sneaking out, as clearly, Ms Farmer wasn't planning on joining them.

"The tented camp will move to a different place every day, closer to where you are visiting, and I'll have to supervise that, but don't worry," she said as she heard rumblings of discontent, "we'll have the same as we have here, or almost, as each of the campsites seem to have a fire-pit if not a hot spring."

As she pointed at the surrounding tents, she launched into a lecture. "As you can see, our sleeping arrangements and toilets, are all movable so as to leave as light a footprint as possible wherever we go. The ecology of the desert is such that…"

Emily smiled as the others groaned. Most of the girls' ears closed, the words becoming a background hum, until Sam, scraping the last morsel off her plate, said, "So where are we going today, Ms Farmer?"

Losing her train of thought, Ms Farmer looked at the guide sitting nearest her, saying, "Oh, Sam, I guess, um, Mr Green here will let you know all about the plans for the week or so."

Emily thought Mr Green was in the wrong place with a surname like that, though he seemed to sit comfortably in his khaki clothes and blend into the desert. As he talked, she realised he was also very knowledgeable and passionate about the desert surrounding them. He talked about the dunes, explaining that they were some of the highest in the world, and the clay pan that lay under their feet.

He entranced the girls, lulling them with his voice that took them on a journey through the dunes to the coast. He explained the direction they would head towards and the stillness they would all need to find inside themselves, to see the wonders that existed in the desert world. He explained that there were millions of small creatures hiding just below the sand during the day, peaking out during the cooler nights and that the optimum time to catch them were in the early mornings or late evenings before the heat of the day.

"So that's why we've been woken at the crack of dawn," whispered Sam. The mood was however broken for Emily as she drifted towards her own visions of barking geckos and fairy circles.

"Will we see any fairy circles?" interrupted Emily, to the disgust of the group who were now looking at Mr. Green like camp groupies. Emily wondered how she could have missed how cute he was too. She blushed while he looked at her, wondering what was going on with her hormones these days. Looking around the group she realised she might not be alone in these feelings either.

"Good question. We may, but they often aren't visible unless you are in the air," he said, "I see you know a few things already missy. Good for you."

"Well, on that note, I guess we should pack up and head out to explore."

At the misinterpreted groan, he quickly said "Oh don't worry, the tents and things will be sorted out, you just need to grab your day packs and make sure you have lots of water and some snacks. We've got a way to walk before we'll find some shade from the midday sun."

Emily couldn't believe how some of the girls darted off to get ready, especially since some of them hated any form of exercise. Now she understood why Ms Farmer wasn't going to be joining them. Walking with her weight in that dress in this heat was definitely not going to be a pleasure.

Thinking about Ms Farmer, Emily was about the only one apart from Gift that heard her say, "…and remember to put lots of sun screen on girls. We don't want you burning to a crisp."

"Yeah right, won't I just look as beautiful as you then," mumbled Gift. "Oh Gift, don't be silly. I've got some clear cream you can use. Then you won't stand out like a sore thumb or at least not any more than you already do after your statement last night," giggled Emily. "What's that about a thumb? Are you teasing me?" asked Sam, as Gift and Emily waved her concern away, moving off towards their tent.

Following in Gift's footsteps, and thinking about Ms Farmer's remark about burning, Emily wondered if that was what had happened to the burnt pieces of charcoal she had seen on her way here.

Could something burn up so badly without fire?

Rushing back to the tent, she suddenly lurched to a stop, her hand flying to her neck. "Ow. Man. What's this all about?" she asked aloud to no one as her Eight burned. Back at the tent, she began grabbing things for her day pack and slathering on the sunscreen.

She was anticipating the stillness of the desert. Perhaps she'd have some downtime to figure out what the warning was all about, now that Sam seemed to have taken up a position right up front with Mr. Green. She started walking at the back of the pack, overhearing Mr Green saying, "…on our last day we'll meet up with a range of mountains that drop off sharply into the sea. One of the strange anomalies of this place, like the fairy circles your friend mentioned, because no one's sure quite how they formed...", before she got lost in her own world, wondering if that would be the first time she'd be able to whip out her wand.

The desert lengthened to every horizon. It had no hiding spots. It wouldn't do for everyone to see a display of sparks and light.

Emily trudged after the other girls through the thick sand, barely noticing the withered roots, bugs and odd rock that Mr Green pointed to excitedly. Tiny crawling animals burrowed into the sand as soon as any movement passed by. Mr Green continued his discourse of the desert, its daylight movement and shifting sand moods, its nighttime heavens and star spectacles.

Emily sank into herself as the excited chatter died down. Everyone started to heat up. Step after step, she wondered if there was going to be an end to the heat and sand. At about lunchtime they found themselves under a thorn tree with sparse leaves, but a resting place nonetheless. A lunchtime tent had been set up for them by Mr Green's camp guides, so at least they managed to stay out of the harsh sun. They were all exhausted, not used to exercise over the winter holidays. Emily hoped that there wasn't another walk planned for the afternoon, but couldn't see their bus anywhere. She resigned herself to more trudging along.

At least this is doing something for my big bum, she thought, catching Sam's very own bubble thinking a similar thought. Sam' bubble then showed them both slurping down pink milkshakes and fired marshmallows. Emily stuck out her tongue at Sam, who roared in laughter.

She'd definitely have to do something about it. Spring would blossom soon, and she didn't want to remain the butt of all their jokes.

After lunch the girls were called to order. The groaning continued, as Morgan voiced what they were all thinking. "How much longer do we have to look at nothing?"

Emily smiled, no longer feeling quite alone, but found herself at the back of the pack as soon as they set off. She worried about her Eight that was still burning. She did her best to ignore the warning that she could do nothing about, overlaying it with positive thoughts of wand practice in the desert.

She wondered, too, where on earth Pugly and Elvis had got to. She'd got so used to them being underfoot but hadn't seen them since they'd crossed the great escarpment. Initially she thought they'd just taken themselves off somewhere else in Aurana for the day, as they sometimes did. But they'd never stayed away from her for more than a day of Earth time before, excluding Christmas when it had been at her request.

Emily shivered, wondering what was going on. The only other time she'd missed them for this long was when she'd had to go into battle in the Void with the Man. This really was a desolate place. She started heart-feeling around, while automatically putting one foot in front of another. She found only emptiness stretching for miles.

Late in the afternoon, when she could see the campsite in the distance, she noticed that the troupe of girls had stopped and, with hands above their eyebrows, were staring off into the distance. Emily pulled up beside Sam, squinting to see what they were all looking at.

Then she saw it. A husk of a dead tree. Oh yay, Emily thought, a tree, just how excited am I supposed to get about a tree. Emily ignored the resonance that started in the base of her belly.

Thirsty, she marched off towards the camp ahead of everyone else.

CHAPTER TWENTY TWO

Emily lay on her bed in the early evening, glad to be back at the camp and its water-filled containers. They were all exhausted by the long hike through the desert and the camp was eerily silent, with only the guides jabbering amongst themselves as they banged pots and pans preparing for supper. Most of the girls were sleeping, but Emily remained awake even though her eyes were closed.

Something hovered on the edge of her consciousness, calling to her, wanting her.

The uncomfortable feeling wavered around her belly button as her Eight continued to burn. Giving up on sleep in disgust, after an hour, and hearing signs of movement, she realised some of her other school friends had moved towards the central eating place. Suddenly, she was starved.

Emily carefully poked Sam, Morgan, Sarah and Gift awake, each of them cursing her as she did so.

"No fair, wanna sleep more," said Morgan.

"Bugger. I'm with Wiz, le' me 'lone," said Sam.

"Okay, okay," said Gift.

"Mfw," said Sarah, snuggling deeper into her pillow.

"Oh come on you lot, food's waiting," said Emily, managing to get their undivided attention. Looks like we're all starving, thought Emily, as she saw their eyes suddenly spring open.

"Ooh, look at that!" said Emily, who had stepped out of the front of the tent. The sun was busy going down and the sky was a kaleidoscope of blues, pinks, oranges and reds. "Wow, what a vision."

"Oh jeez Louise, it doesn't just prod people awake, it talks too," said Sam, pulling on her thick socks and shoveling her arms through her tracksuit top after having spent the day in a T-shirt. "What's been up with you today? You've been strangely silent and in a really weird mood."

Emily looked around at her friend's swept up blonde hair and blue eyes. "And I mean that in the nicest possible way since you're usually weird at the best of times," continued Sam, zipping up her top.

"Oh Lordy, it is nice," said Sam, looking at the sunset, "and smell that."

Sam took off to where a makeshift fire pit had been made in the desert sand. On the sides sat different pots and oddly shaped foil-wrapped food, giving off the most delicious aromas. Coming out of their tents, the girls looked like ants craving a feast, filing one behind the other, waiting to have their turn at any tiny morsel. They started circling around the dishes in delight, not wanting to get too close to the fire-pit, but licking their lips in pleasure.

"I can't give you anything unless you go get your plates my ladies," said the guide-cook, looking at half of the girls who'd forgotten to get their cutlery from the provisions tent. There was a mad dash and the queue reformed almost instantly.

Emily, hungry and distracted by the smells and sights surrounding her, spent the next hour gorging on as much of the pumpkin fritters, baked potatoes and stew that she could. Eating the baked pudding and custard, Emily was amazed at what could actually be served up in the middle of nowhere.

The evening continued much the same as the night before, all of the people huddled around the fire, getting warmth from where ever they could. There were no real calls for bedtime. The girls were tired after the day's exercise, so they yawned and faded as soon as the stars started peaking out in the sky.

Their group went to bed early too. Emily shook and shivered under her multitude of coverings. At one point in the night, she got really cold and put all her clothes and her towel on top of the bed's blankets, hoping this would help. But she continued to shiver in the dream world between awake and asleep. Something hovered on the edge of her consciousness, calling her to leave the safety of the tent. The urgency of wanting made her hurt, toss and turn.

"Sheez, Em. What happened? Did a bomb explode near you?"

Emily scratched at her sand-caked eyes, opening a slit to see Sam surveying her bed as the timid sunlight peaked through the gaps in the tent.

"My turn to poke, prod and irritate you," said Sam as she high jumped onto Emily's bed, screaming at the others, "Rise and shine, sleepy heads," Sam ruffled Emily's hair teasingly, sitting on her chest, trapping Emily's arms under her folded legs.

"Ge' roff," said Emily, trying to move Sam and wake up. "Frig, Sam, you weigh a ton."

"At least I've expanded upwards and not sideways like you, big bum," said Sam, throwing Emily's clothes around on the bed, "And if I was you, I mean a you that needs to eat so much these days, I'd grab these clothes and get into line quickly."

Emily smelt bacon and eggs, delicious yummy greasy breakfast food. She shoved Sam off her in a mighty heave.

"Yikes, food really has become your first love," said Sam toppling onto the floor. She quickly recovered and darted out the door, "I'm gonna get there before you." Emily smiled at her friend acting like a five-year-old as her night's tossing and turning dissipated in the day's light and laughter.

The days that followed were much the same; early mornings were followed by long hot days hiking through the sand, looking at the obscure and sparse fauna and flora of the desert. Once they saw a Gemsbok, far away across the dunes, but mostly they came across the odd tough-looking cactus-like Welwitschia plants that lived for up to 2 500 years. Emily couldn't even contemplate how something could survive that long out here, let alone want to.

The landscape started changing subtly as they moved closer to the coastal area that hugged the inland desert, but they were still surrounded by sand that stretched in all directions. The dunes they had to cross now became higher.

Emily's nights remained fraught with tossing and turning and worrisome thoughts. She willed Pugly and Elvis to come to her but they never did. She could see some of Aurana's creatures off in the distance, every now and then during the day's walks, but though she called to them, they never came closer.

At times, she felt Josh around her, close to her, mostly during the evenings, but her nights continued with shivers and sweats. She was glad she was surrounded by her friends and often saw Gift looking at her. When she caught Gift's looks, Gift would simply smile her beaming smile, while bubbles next to her head were of a mother looking at her new born baby. Emily thought Gift's looks and pictures were almost as bad as her nights.

Mid-week arrived and the girls were told that the day was theirs to do with as they pleased since they would camp in the same spot that same night. At least this camp site had a hole in the ground, filled with brackish water, that they called a swimming pool. Emily wasn't sure she was brave enough to dip her toes into it. She wondered what kind of things floated around in the darkness underneath and was never one that enjoyed dam or river mud squelching through her toes since it felt like inadvertently tramping in new, wet dog poo.

After breakfast the day started warming up. Sam jumped into the brackish water along with a ball she had miraculously produced from seemingly nowhere. The more athletic girls started playing with her, as Emily sat on the side, her feet occasionally skimming the top of the water.

Since sandwiches were the usual daily fare, Emily grabbed one of the first ones the guide-cook made at lunch time and retired back to her tent and bed. She was tired from the restless nights, but was pining for some reading. It had been almost a week since she'd last managed to open up a book.

Opening up the compartment in her case where she put all her paperbacks, she whipped her latest favorite author out, read a few pages while she ate, then promptly feel asleep.

She awakened to a changing, shifting world. The sun was setting as the colours of the desert muted into dark oranges and reds, streaking the sky with what seemed like blood. She shuffled her feet into her slip-slops dreamily and stood up, like a robot following a faraway signal. She walked out the front of the tent, round the corner and into the dry, lonely desert.

The sun continued setting, the glorious colours of heaven shattering the sky, as Emily moved further away from the camp towards her unknown destination. Her dreamlike state swept her thoughts away, pictures popping up and dissipating, filled with blank stares.

The desert sand started flowing around her feet, lapping like the waves of the sea, sweeping off her slip-slops. Emily didn't notice the loss, the sand slipping between her toes, as she walked over the nearest dune and dusk took over the world.

At one point, her consciousness returning for a second, she stopped and looked down at her feet. Wondering if she was in a dream, she was startled to find the sand rushing in an underground, secretive tunnel towards her. Her Eight burned. She turned, wanting to flee, but found that she didn't know which direction to run.

The sand tunnel suddenly came alive, as out popped a tiny creature, barking in joy and delight.

"You came, you came, say my name, glad you came."

"I don't know your name you stupid barker. Why do you always have to tunnel underneath the sand and scare me to death?" said Emily fearfully. The barking gecko just smiled. "My heart just jumped out of my chest and my Eight is screaming. Do you know why?" said Emily, calming slightly but holding onto the back of her neck.

The barking gecko smiled and pointed down towards the sand underfoot. "You want me to sit? Is that it?" said Emily, plopping down in relief, crossing her legs and putting her hand out to her dream-friend. "Am I dreaming?" she said looking around, "I can't be, although this does kind of feel a bit woozy but I have my own clothes on. So I guess not."

"But then where's the camp? How far have I walked?" she asked, her voice sharpening as she realised she was alone in the rapidly cooling desert.

The barking gecko smiled, taking a tentative step onto Emily's outstretched hand.

"Stop smiling you silly gek and tell me what's going on. You're supposed to be the wise one here, I think?"

"So why am I here? And why is my Eight burning? And what am I doing out in the middle of this desert with you? And…."

The barking gecko smiled as Emily rambled on and on and on. Finally, words and panic subsiding, Emily took a big breath and sat still as she realised that all her questions couldn't be answered until she had the patience to listen.

The gecko smiled and walked up her arm towards her shoulder, just like Elvis would have done if he'd been here. Emily wondered where her friends were. She missed them terribly and would have felt somewhat better if they'd been around.

The desert sand swirled as dusk set in and the ground cooled under Emily's slowly shrinking bottom. Still the gecko just smiled.

"Will you talk to me, please?" she asked, after what felt like hours of silence though it had only been a few minutes. "Listen inside child, pick up your vibe, for she is near, she who holds you dear. Let there be no fear, for she has come be clear." Emily was about to retort hastily then decided against it since she never got answers when she was seeking them urgently with her logical mind. So once more, she sat still, doing her best to ignore the cold that started creeping into her bones.

She sat with the barking gecko on her shoulder, still as a mouse, her eyes closed as she tried to get her thoughts to stop running away from her. Her thoughts reverberated into the stillness: You must be mad. Out here all alone in the desert with a reptile on your shoulder; and a talking one at that, waiting for goodness knows what.

Her mind swirled and finally stilled as the sun set behind the dunes and darkness began to fall. Warmth started trickling through the cold surroundings, comforting Emily, as the sweetest honeysuckle voice rang out:

When all may seem to be unusual and strange

When known is unknown so near to the flame

Be on your guard, for it's not what it seems

Know thyself and you'll find what we mean

Soon comes great harm, but do not be alarmed

Use your heart and your skill to recreate calm

One very dear to you, will be lost and then found

As the light brings focus to everything around

Emily floated in bliss. The words entered her consciousness, seeking to be remembered, but having no meaning. The warmth that had enveloped her disappeared into the night. She shuddered as the desert air claimed her and the barking gecko slipped down her shoulder towards her knee. Slowly the words of the Angel started moving through her mind.

So what's new, she thought. Things are always strange and unusual or not what they seem.

Then her mind reached the second stanza and the words 'great harm'. Her eyes shot open as her hand turned upwards, grabbing the barking gecko on its back legs, "Oh no you don't. Not so fast," she said, bringing its face up towards her own. The moon and stars rising in the sky reflected in her eyes, giving them a menacing glint.

"You guys just come and leave warnings that don't mean a thing and then just disappear and leave me here. That's not cool. I want some more answers, more information, more something this time."

The barking gecko's mouth opened, his sharp teeth bared as he rasped out, "There'll be no more, continue with your tour, then answers you'll find, from your very own kind." His teeth snapped at Emily's hand playfully and his body bounced like a cat onto the desert floor as she let go in surprise.

"Now remember Emily May, for attention you must pay, to the land and to the sun, beware of he who comes." The barking gecko turned and started tunneling.

"Wait!" said Emily, jumping up, lurching towards the gecko in a panic, "So you won't tell me anything, okay, I get it. I'll figure it out, I'm sure, even though I hate you guys doing this, but please don't leave me out here in the middle of the desert. I don't know which way to go to find the camp."

The gecko barked and barked.

"Are you laughing at me?" asked Emily, swatting at the buzzing sounds that swam around her head, wanting to kick and spit, but trying to keep calm.

"Please, just point me in the right direction. At least do that," she said, kicking the sand underfoot, shivering, moaning, "It's cold."

The gecko barked, smiled and barked again, his mirth unhidden, nonchalantly tunneling with his one foot as he pointed over Emily's shoulder. Emily turned around. "Oh, guess I can't miss that," she said, feeling small and stupid.

The light coming from the campfires and lanterns reflected up into the dark, starlit sky a few hundred metres away.

CHAPTER TWENTY THREE

Emily walked back to the camp sheepishly, silently, and freezing, waiting for some comment about her missing hours, but realised no one had missed her. They all sat in front of the campfire, enthralled by Mr Green's stories.

When she'd walked up to the fire, Sam's only comment had been, "Sleepy head. We were wondering when you were going to climb out of the heaps of blankets on your bed." Emily was grateful that she hadn't been in danger with friends like hers.

Mr Green told the girls later that night that the following afternoon and evening they'd be bussed to where some of the local desert tribesmen were supposed to be, and that they could expect a spectacular event.

Emily's mind had jumped to !Xu, to the stories that she'd been told at Edwina's and wondered if, by some strange fate, he'd be there. The warning words of the Angel swirled through her thoughts for most of the night. She didn't feel an immediate threat, and slept soundly next to her friends that night.

The girls hopped on the bus, chattering excitedly, after having spent the morning at leisure. Sitting in the same seats they had somehow unconsciously booked for themselves on the way up, Emily turned to Sam who was shouting across the aisle.

"Sam."

"What, oh friend of mine?" responded Sam, sitting down next to Emily. "Have I not paid you enough attention lately? Wasn't it you that told someone else that you'd be pleased to have break from me?"

Why can't anyone keep anything to themselves? thought Emily, glaring at Gift. It wasn't important enough to start a fight over, so Emily let it go.

"Whatever, Sam. Listen, have you seen Wiz since we've been here?"

"What? Um, no I guess not. Why? Strange that, actually…" said Sam, looking above her head and all around her. "I guess I'm not that used to having all the critters around all the time." she continued, quickly pulling her legs up onto the seat, expecting to be bitten by a jiggling mouthful. "Nope, no bite, so I guess your critters aren't around either?" asked Sam, unhelpfully, as she turned to continue the shouting match, before being interrupted by Ms Farmer telling them all to calm down.

The bus set off down the dusty pathway towards the desert road as the noise level slowly increased, the girls ignoring Ms Farmers pleas to keep it down.

Emily stared out the window thinking about the Angel's warning and wondering what, exactly, she was supposed to pay attention to.

About an hour later they arrived at a rag-tag settlement with makeshift thatch hovels under a tree whose roots seemed to grow into the air. Odd bits of dry grass, spattered here and there, were desperately holding out against the sea of surrounding sand.

The girls were marched off, away from the staring, silent group of darkly coloured, small-boned women, children and men, towards some rock formations where painted artworks had stood for thousands of years.

After a talk on the artworks and the people's existence from Mr Green, the girls were left to wander around freely to view the strangely formed animal murals.

A giraffe, indicated by its long neck, but with a human-like face sat next to a red lion; its tail looking like a human hand. Its back legs had feet, but its mane was sprouting around its head. "These are so cool," joked Morgan. "If this is art, I can call myself an artist too. Stick figures are my best."

"Shush," said Sarah, as she saw a lone, loin-clothed male heading in their direction. Emily and Sam, having seen strange creatures for a little while now, looked closer at the pictures, dragging their hands over them, wondering whether they would see ones like these in Aurana.

Emily felt a tap on her shoulder and shrugged it off, saying, "I'm coming, I'm coming just give me a minu…" her words fading as she turned and saw !Xu.

"You are here," she said softly, bowing her head, moving forward as if to hug a friend, then reaching her hand out in a handshake, withdrawing it and realising she had no idea how to greet him.

"I was wondering if I'd see you, or if you just lived in the clouds, I mean the Void, whatever. I didn't see you when we got out the bus so I thought this probably wasn't your tribe, even though Edwina said your physical form wandered around in the desert."

"We are one tribe, Emily," said !Xu softly, "We are only one tribe. All together, all of us, all the time." Emily wondered about language and how easily things got lost in translation. "It is good to see you here, in the flesh too," giggled !Xu, his leathery face transforming into child-like wrinkles and smiles. "We have been waiting for you and your kind," he said, his hand sweeping across the girls who pointed at the drawings on the stone faces, "so we can show you some of our older ways."

"Come, you must help me to speak to your group."

Emily looked at the surprised faces all around her.

"How do you know how to speak…" said Sarah, her jaw dropping a notch.

"What's that gobbledegook he's saying?" said Morgan.

"You understand him?" asked Sam, in awe.

Gift, off to one side, said nothing.

"Um, well, don't you?" said Emily.

"They cannot hear what you hear inside of you, Emily. They do not, what's the word you used, translate, yes, I like that word, translate like you do," said !Xu, taking her hand gently, "that's why you must speak for me."

"Wait," said Emily as she gathered her friends and !Xu around her in a circle. "I can't just walk there and tell them I can speak to you. They think I'm nuts already. And you," said Emily pointing at her friends threateningly, "not a word. Not one word."

"!Xu," said Emily, surprising them with her pronunciation of his name. "I will translate as best I can but I'm going to tell them I know sign language and so do you. Okay? Like we've done before in study hall, okay Sam, Morgan, Sarah, Gift? That's the only way I'll do this."

"What do I care?" said Morgan, miffed but curious, "I don't understand anything these days, so what's one more unknown?" Sarah and Gift just nodded their heads in unison, while Sam's laughing eyes sparkled. "Can't wait. This should be good," she said. "And for someone who can't stand attention, Em, you aren't doing so badly," continued Sam, giving Emily a dig in the ribs.

Emily breathed in, nodded to !Xu and the group made their way down the rock outcropping towards their group of schoolmates who were sitting in a half-circle facing the grass huts and half-clothed people who carried on doing whatever they were each doing, mostly unaware of their gawking audience.

Mr Green stood up on the far side of the semi-circle and started his usual 'telling', explaining what the tribe were doing, as !Xu moved towards him.

"They have a very difficult dialect, so I'm not sure quite how we're going to ask questions and get answers but my friend here," he said pointing to !Xu, "has some knowledge of English, so I'm sure we'll get by."

!Xu took Mr Green off to one side, whispering, as the girls watched curiously.

"Oh. But I don't know sign language. When did you learn this?" Mr Green was heard to say in wonder and surprise. "You constantly challenge me, my friend." More whispering followed. Mr Green placed his hand on !Xu's shoulder, then the two gentlemen turned towards the group.

Mr. Green addressed them, delight and unbelieving looks shifting across his face, "I believe that someone here knows sign language? Is that right? Apparently my friend here has learnt the language that deaf people use and he said he observed one of you using it earlier. Is that true?"

Emily reluctantly put up her hand.

"You can?" said Mr Green, shaking his head in disbelief, "Will the wonders never cease? He said he observed someone here using it not so long ago while you were looking at the paintings. Why would you use it when looking at the paintings? Do you know my friend !Xu from somewhere?" asked Mr Green, trying to calculate the odds while Emily scrambled for something to say, knowing that if she admitted to knowing !Xu she'd be in trouble.

"Um, no. I've never met him, but, um I do know some sign language, but I'm not deaf," she said quickly as the girly group started sniggering. Sam added, "Hardly, but you do zone out from time to time." Everyone laughed, the tension broken. Sam winked at Emily as a bubble appeared next to her head showing a picture of Emily walking up onto a platform in front of the school, with words saying "Floor's yours, Em."

!Xu walked towards Emily, took her hand gently and pulled her towards the side to stand next to Mr Green and himself. With a wink, he started moving his fingers and hands around like a classical pianist and talking in his clickety-clack language.

Emily translated.

"Um, he says welcome and thank you to Mr Green and all of us for coming here."

!Xu's fingers kept moving in a pantomime of his very own made up sign language, his mouth continued clicking and a smile lit up his face, as Emily's eyebrows raised.

"He says to tell you that they have a special surprise…" the clicking and finger movements sped up. Emily started smiling herself, wanting to giggle, "for all of us tonight as they have a trance dance planned."

"A what?" said the group along with Emily. Now Emily moved her fingers in strange circles and combinations, asking !Xu in her mind, what exactly he meant by that. His response to Emily was, "You must pay attention. It is in your honour, yes. Especially for you." She whispered, "I can't tell them that," pointing towards the group. "They think I'm too full of myself already."

Emily turned to the girls and made up the words for the picture that had bubbled next to !Xu. "Um, it's like their very own dance, they'll perform for us around the campfire, kind of like going in circles."

Emily was getting good at using her mind's eye and 'translation' skills, but the combination of the bubbles, chattering and hand movements were all getting to be a bit much.

!Xu clicked and clacked some more, fingers still, "It is how we touch the heaven, Emily, how we become together with what is alive. Everything is alive, much is not what it seems and you must watch the dance closely."

Emily was not going to say all of that, since it seemed to be for her ears only, so told the expectant group, "He said to enjoy it. And that this is how they learn to draw the good pictures up there on the rocks."

!Xu giggled next to her as she pointed at the rock art, then ran away into one of the grass huts.

Mr Green was amazed. "Wow, you're impressive girl. You're going to have to teach me some of that." Emily blushed at the attention, wondering how she could explain anything, even to someone as nice as Mr Green. She wanted to follow !Xu at a run, so she could also hide.

Mr Green turned back to the group of girls and redirected their attention towards the truck that was humming up the track behind them, loaded with the finger foods that had been prepared back at camp for their supper.

The rich, delicious food was shared out among both the girls and the tribe, though they spent most of the time looking at the strange fare, testing it on their tongues and then tentatively taking small bites. The tribe and girls sat eating silently, watching each other.

The sky started changing into muted oranges, reds and pinks.

CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR

The tribe started humming a low drone in unison, as the fire was fed more dry wood that had been gathered during the day. The tribe had swelled by another few men, who had come in later in the evening, after having been in the dry dusty land gathering pieces of wood and other strange plants, roots and even a small buck.

The air prickled with unknown energies. Some of the girls were getting excited, while others moved closer together in clumps, terrified, as the sounds swelled and undulated into a chorus of expectation.

Some of the tribe, sitting on the opposite side of the fire from the girls, wavered in and out of fixed forms as the fire light wafted and weaved in its own dance. Soon, the sound of drumming, the booming and patting, the light strokes and the dark, started filling the air surrounding them.

The tribe's women started encircling the fire, slapping their feet, moving in a strange rhythm, humming and clicking. The girls sat mesmerised as the dancing and the accompanying sounds got faster and faster. The dancers raised their arms to the heavens and rained them down to the ground, their voices finding a melodic unison.

Gift leant over to Emily and whispered in her ear, "I feel almost at home. They do it a little differently to us. The fire, the songs, and the dancing, but it's nice to be in nature again." Emily smiled at her newest friend, as Sam piped up from the other side, "Can you see the size of their bums, Em? Even you can't match that!"

Gift, overhearing, leant behind Emily and pinched Sam on the arm saying, "Nothing wrong with big bums Sam, that's where we store our provisions for the hard times. And judging by the size of you, you'll be the first to go when those hit."

Emily turned to them. "Shush, you two," she snapped. Morgan raised an eyebrow in question, wanting to be a part of what was going on. Sam shook her head in Morgan's direction, waving her hand dismissively, as if to say nothing was going down.

Emily caught sight of Sarah sitting on the other side of Morgan, her mouth gulping open and closed, as if she couldn't get enough air. Tears were streaming down her face, glinting off the firelight, as she tried to wipe them off before anyone saw. Emily reached out towards her. Sarah caught the movement to her left, wiped her face quickly again under each eye, shook her head, and scrunched up into a ball.

Emily withdrew her hand, but sent her heart-feelings out to Sarah, who blocked her energetically as well. Sending out her thoughts to Sarah, she tried to let her know that she was there if she needed her. Sarah must have caught the thought, as she nodded. But she waved Emily away with her hand.

"What's up with …" Morgan began to ask Sarah, as she caught the exchange, but Sarah batted her away too, saying, "I'm just caught up in the moment okay. It's so beautiful here, so peaceful. Leave me alone and focus on what's in front of you. Maybe then you'll start to understand what you're so intent on missing."

Morgan harrumphed, saying, "Now you're also speaking stupid like these other so-called friends of ours."

Emily shushed them again. The girls fell quiet.

Round and round the fire went the dancers as they lulled the girls into the rhythm of the earth, the darkness of the night and the dancing of devas.

At one point, the rhythm changed and out of the grass hut walked a sparsely dressed !Xu. Initially, there were some sniggers and pointing but it soon died down, as his dancing and delight refocused them, lulled them and tore them away from everyday reality.

!Xu whirled around the fire, his arms reaching for the sky and sinking into the earth, his feet stamping the sand, spraying it in forceful circles. Emily focused her eyes outwards, then inwards into a new silence. Silence that stretched beyond the stars and the moon, that collapsed the ground underneath her into a floating platform, a silence that made everything, including her own self, disappear. Emily became one with the dance, with the musical drumming and with !Xu.

Then a thought intruded.

"Everything is alive. Everything is alive. Beware the one that comes."

Fear suddenly snapped Emily out of her silent world. Looking around questioningly, she saw her friends next to her, not moving. Gift glanced at Emily, shrugged her shoulders as if to say, 'What's up', but Emily turned away wanting to ask !Xu if the words had come from him.

!Xu was no longer there.

The dancers whirled around the circle, undulating. As each one passed Emily she looked carefully, wondering why !Xu had stepped out of the circle

!Xu, she spoke silently, where are you? No answer came.

Emily felt her Eight, hot but calm, which meant there wouldn't be any immediate danger. She tried to relax again. The dancers gyrated, up and down, sideways, forwards and backwards, like snakes slithering along the sand, giraffes reaching for food on high thorn trees, like animals on the hunt.

In front of the fire, spats and spits created warmth and illusion. Emily's thoughts, caught in a string, wondering how these physical firelights could relate to her sprites. She wondered if she'd be able to direct them into a meaningful pattern. The firelight transformed, grew, dissipated, formed and disappeared. Then, out of the bottom of the fire, the sand started swirling in a tiny dust devil, the light caught in its swirling vortex, as the feet of the dancers swept past it.

Emily rubbed her eyes. In the middle of the vortex shone a mirror. She rubbed her eyes again, as her logic tried to understand how this could be happening. She knew mirrors and glass were made from sand but like this? Not possible.

Emily looked, squinted and squirmed nearer. Was that her reflection? She looked around at her friends, all of whom were lost in their own silent worlds.

She looked again and this time she could swear she saw Josh. Emily turned sharply to look behind her. Nope, no one there – least of all Josh as they were in the middle of the desert for goodness sake and Josh was safely in the city, wasn't he? Emily shook her head, trying to clear it, desperately wanting to figure out what was going on.

The vortex swirled. The sprites formed and re-formed. The mirror disappeared. !Xu appeared in front of her, twisting and turning in the spirited vortex, light emanating from his small frame, almost as if he gathered the sprites of light around himself. His frame shifted within the light, making it difficult for Emily to look directly at him. One moment he seemed to be !Xu, but the next moment his form would change, shift and shimmer and Emily would see a reaching giraffe, a slinking snake or a creature half-human half-buck.

Feeling a little off-centre, Emily tried to go with the flow, watching, retreating, engaging then sitting back silently to watch the show. She disengaged from the dancing and the fire and looked up into the clear, starry night sky. She felt the peace of nature, of love, of oneness sink down towards her. Her thoughts flew as pictures of the people in her life filled her. She looked at them as if from a distance and gave thanks for them being in her life.

She thought of her parents, wondering where they had gone, why they had gone and whether there was ever a hope of seeing either one of them again. A picture of her mom, younger than she would have been had she lived, filled the swirling vortex. Her dad, similarly, smiled at her. A hand reached out to her, lovingly, as Emily understood why this scene could have affected Sarah so much.

The picture of her mom sank slowly into the ground, as the light danced in a rhythm in front of her. Emily thought about her friends in Aurana and one by one they appeared, as they flitted through her consciousness. Emily smiled serenely. Each time a being would appear or disappear in the light, a funnel would dance from the floor up into a whirling mass and down again as the next one took its place.

Emily breathed in deeply, filling her soul with the land, sea and sky, being completely present, completely there, right next to the fire with the dancers and her friends. No more pictures appeared but the light kept dancing.

A small vortex started in front of her again, the dancers shuffling past, drumming and voices lost in the winds.

The form of a rat appeared.

A rat? thought Emily, what's a rat got to do with anything? You don't find rats out here in the desert. Would the tribe know about rats? Would !Xu, since he seemed to be putting on this show for her? Emily hadn't seen anything resembling a rodent on their hikes, but realised there must be a creature like them out here in the desert. Feeling warm, Emily stared and smiled.

The dancers whirled past, the humming got higher, the drumming beat faster. The sand, light and sprite vortex got bigger. The sprites morphed and flowed as an image started to form.

Emily screamed.

Other screams surrounded her as the whirling stopped, but the feet kept softly stamping. The chorus of humming and keening stopped, but the drumming continued, the rhythm of the night unbroken.

Emily screamed again as a hand came out of the swirling vortex and grabbed her. Scratching at the fingers pulling her upwards from her sitting position, she flailed helplessly, shaking in fear, closing her eyes disbelievingly.

"Stop! Stop, girl. It is only me," said a kindly, childlike, clickety-clack voice.

"Open your eyes, look girl, be not afraid."

Emily opened one eye and looked out the corner at !Xu, his fingers softening on her arm.

"What did you see? Emily, it is important. You must remember it," said !Xu. "I, I, I saw a rat and then I saw Him, the Man," said Emily, starting to heave great big gulps of air into her lungs, "That frigging hideous, beginning of the end, evil man! What was he doing here? My Eight didn't warn me!Her chest heaved as adrenalin coursed through her body.

"It was not him, but me, here, but you must remember the form that he took, for it is as this that the danger will come. I was just helping the view of what is, what can be, do you understand, girl."

"How the hell, sorry, frig. How can I not understand, you stupid, scary, imbecile?" said Emily, anger spouting from all her pores now that the fright was moving down towards her toes. "That's not a form I will ever forget."

"Remember the form before the form. Many answers for you lie here. All is not as it seems. It is good, all good," said !Xu, giggling like a childish prankster, as he turned and ran back into the grass hut.

Emily was perplexed, and didn't understand what !Xu meant. She looked around at the staring, glaring faces.

"Way to go, kid," said Sam, "Nothing like frightening the living daylights out of the rest of us."

Emily realised that everyone had seen her outburst. She was going to be the butt of jokes for the next long while, just for a change. She whirled and stalked off alone towards the rock paintings. The drumming slowly wound down and the dancers left the sand stage.

More logs were fed onto the fire as the groups started chattering like monkeys amongst themselves. She heard whispers behind her, saying, "She's mad. Why does Sam even like her? And as for those other friends of hers…"

Emily ignored the comments, as she had done for most of her life, wondering what form before the form she was supposed to remember. The rat? Josh, her mom, her dad?

She reached the red artworks. Unable to see them in the dark, she sat down on the cold hard rock and cried.

CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE

"Em, Emily, earth to Emily," said Sam. Emily kept her eyes tightly shut against the blaring morning sun creeping in under the tent flaps and her intruding friend.

"I know you're awake, your eyeballs are moving, so stop pretending," said Sam, jumping on her friend's bed. Emily felt more lumps land at the bottom of her bed and curled up into a protective ball, wishing them all away.

A finger touched her eye lid and pulled it upwards. Her hand swatted it away. "Okay, okay, I'm awake,stop it Sam," she said as both her eyes were pulled open and her eyeballs felt like they were popping out.

"So spit. I know you've got a wild imagination, Em, but what on earth happened last night? I think we've all been more than patient, allowing you to wallow in sorrow and ignore us as if we don't exist."

After the dancing and drumming had stopped, the girls had gathered together. Sam had been sent to fetch Emily up on the rocks. They had all been loaded back in the bus and journeyed for an hour through the night.

Sam had warded off the questions and remarks that had come thick and fast from the goggling group. She placated Ms Farmer (who kept mumbling on about having a heart attack) and Mr Green (who was curiosity itself). Emily had left Sam to do what a good friend does. She'd ignored them all and sat staring out the window at the darkest dark the entire trip back.

Emily sat up gingerly, shuffling onto her pillow, thinking that the world had upended itself, feeling very vulnerable.

"I saw the Man," she said as if that was explanation enough. "What man?" said Morgan, "there were lots of men there and women and children, in case you didn't notice?"

Sam interrupted, "The man? Oh, the Man," understanding. "Heck, Em, I think we're going to have to have you committed."

"It's not funny, Sam. I did see him, though !Xu said it wasn't him?" Emily still perplexed continued, "I don't know how or why, but I know what I saw and it wasn't just !Xu. What's scaring me more than anything is that we weren't in the Void. Why would I have seen Him out here?"

"Will you please tell me what you are talking about?" begged Morgan in frustration. Emily sighed and told them all what she had seen in the fire: the mirror images of herself, her mom, dad and Josh, the changing figures of animal and human, and finally the image of the Man.

"You know what I'm talking about Morgan, because you were there when the Battle happened."

"Yes, but that doesn't mean that I saw him last time either," said Morgan, batting the ball back at Emily.

"You mean none of you saw what I saw last night? Surely you saw something, Sam? You've opened up a lot, you must have seen something!"

Before Sam could respond, Sarah interrupted shyly, "Um, I saw the fire and the light, my fam… and um, some strange human-animal like things, Em."

Morgan cuffed Sarah on the arm, "No way. You're just making that up."

"Am not," said Sarah, grabbing her back bone in both hands, "Just because you don't understand anything doesn't mean the rest of us don't."

Morgan collapsed, rolling on the bed, holding on to her chest, as if Sarah had mortally wounded her. "Who are you? And where have you been all my life?" she giggled, looking at Sarah, then "Oh Lordy, not you too, now you're also seeing things that aren't there? It looks like I've got a whole bunch of catching up to do. Perhaps you should give me those notes you've been secretly passing on to Gift, Em, so I can be as nuts as the rest of you."

They all laughed at Morgan, who reached out to Gift, "Well come on then. Where are they, thosewhoo-whoo-secret-power-of-the-imagination-I-can-see-all notes?"

"I don't have them here, you fool, they're back at school and we're in the middle of the desert. Like you were going to do some reading right here, right now, yeah right," said Gift, pushing Morgan off the bed.

The laughter continued as they started dressing.

"Are you sure it was the Man?" asked Sam, realising that she should spend the rest of the trip paying more, not less, attention to her friend.

"Well, yes and no, I guess, I don't know Sam. !Xu said that I needed to pay attention to what was going on, then, after I stopped screaming and frightening the living daylights out of you all," they all giggled, "he said something about remembering the form in the form."

"Oh yay, you astound me with your insight and descriptive presence Em," said Morgan, pushing Gift out from under her feet. Emily ignored her.

"Oh, and before that there were some words from somewhere, something about, 'beware the one that comes' "

"More words of wisdom," laughed Sam, getting in on the act.

"Now you know how I feel," said Emily in a rush, laughing with her friends, relieved, "Everything is always so cryptic. I wish someone would just tell it to me straight for a change. One day I'm in danger, then I'm not. One day I'm wondering off into the desert speaking to barking geckos, then …"

"Say what?" said Gift, before Sam could open her mouth.

"Oh, I kind of wandered into the desert the other night, after my afternoon sleep."

"I wondered where you'd got to," said Gift, as the others let her take over the chatter. "You really talked to the gecko. Was it a real one, on this plane, earth, whatever, not an imaginary one? Oh, you know what I mean."

"Well, I guess if you can speak clickety-clack, then why shouldn't you be able to understand a real-life barking gecko?" said Gift, getting the picture, a bubble, popping up next to her showing the exact scene of her in the desert with the gecko on her shoulder.

Emily smiled at her friend, realising Gift had a good idea of how to use her imagination, if not sensing others herself yet. "Now I'm starting to envy you, Em, I've always wanted to be able totalk to nature and get a response that I know for sure."

"You're all bananas," said Morgan, packing her clothes in her suitcase, as a trumpet call rang out. "Hurry up, that's breakfast and we got another long, dusty road ahead of us where you can tell us all about wanting to love the birds and the bees, Gift."

"Ooh, and since we're talking about love Em, perhaps you can enlighten us about why you keep seeing Josh everywhere you go?"

Emily and Gift looked at each other over Morgan's back. They nodded at each other, grabbed their pillows and started thumping at a flailing Morgan. It didn't take long for Sam, and then Sarah, to join in the fun. By the time they got out of their tent, all that was left for breakfast was some buttered toast, which they gobbled up before jumping onto the bus.

Once on the bus, the conversation rallied around Gift as she suddenly made a surprising statement.

"Did you hear what those others," she said, pointing at a group of grungy girls that always seemed to sit in the back seat of the bus, "said about me last night on the way back from the tribe's people?"

No one said anything, waiting for Gift to continue with her juicy story. "They said I was one of them."

"Meaning what?" said Emily, voicing what the other said by rolling their eyes.

"One of them said that I was black and wild like them and that they'd better watch out. That they better keep a close eye on me in case I came to take their spirits away, or harm them or something." said Gift, trailing off, feeling hurt.

"You don't know what its like," she said, "living in two different worlds. People saying things like that about you. Why are people so mean?"

"Oh," said Emily, a smile creeping over her face, "You're right, I have no idea what it's like for people to think you're different and talk about you all the time."

"Oh Em, you know what I mean," said Gift angrily, "I live in two different cultures and just because I look different, now I'm a threat?"

"Well you have us," said Sarah quietly, as Sam jumped up, her clenched fist hitting the soft inner pad of her other hand.

"Damn right, let's go pummel them," said Morgan.

"Whoa, whoa," said Emily, grabbing Sam and Morgan, "Sit down. Fighting's never solved anything, though I know you've been itching to smack the smiles off their faces for a long time and Gift's just given you your excuse."

"Sit. Down boy," Emily told Morgan, as if talking to a rabid dog, as she broke into a sinister smile.

"You're such a pleaser, Em. Please can I just go and hit them once?" asked Sam, as she was dragged down onto her seat by force.

"Nope. And as for you, Gift, you've got something they don't have and will never have." said Emily.

"Yeah, us," said Sam, rising again.

Morgan pushed Sam down half-heartedly, willing to listen to her friends but wanting to brawl, "Now don't you go start something that I'm going to have to finish!" she said.

"Gift," said Emily, raising her voice, overriding Sam's protest at Morgan backing down, "Gift, you have the gift."

"What?" said Morgan, "Oh frig, here we go again."

"This should be interesting," said Sam, settling down, as Sarah leaned over the chair to listen closely.

"No really. Gift, you know you know stuff that they still haven't figured out. I mean, look at them, all negative and full of pain and desperately trying to hide it."

"You should feel sorry for them, not angry, and definitely not sad for yourself." said Emily, continuing, "You're connected."

"What are you on about?" said Morgan, freaking out, as Gift took in Emily's words and realised she was right.

"What do you mean Gift has the gift?" asked Sarah quietly, putting them back on track.

"She can make connections, knows patterns, knows that what she sees here, in the real world, is part of more," explained Emily. "This is what the two different worlds, or cultures, or whatever you called it, gives you. A way around the everyday and into the unusual."

"You wouldn't be who you are if you were just like us," said Emily, getting philosophical and leaving her friends behind in thought and understanding.

'I know, but it doesn't mean it doesn't hurt sometimes to hear what other people think of you, Em," said Gift, "When people stare at me or say things like that, it just emphasises my difference."

"Let's be real. It's not like there are a hundred others like me at school and unlike you it's a tad more obvious since I wear my colour on the outside!'

Emily laughed, Gift giggled and the last of the tension went out of the group. Sarah's eyebrows raised in unanswered questions as she sank down into her seat to stare out the window in thought.

"So," said Sam, slinking closer to Gift, shoulder to shoulder, conspiring, "when exactly were you planning to tell us that you're black, let alone what you can do?"

They all smiled at Sam.

"I can't do anything, at least not yet, though I am being trained up. That's why it's important for me to go home over the holidays, but I do know stuff, I guess," said Gift, "Like, what we see isn't all there is to see, with our eyes, I mean."

"Great answer, thanks Gift. That spells it all out for once," said Morgan, peeved at the cryptic conversation.

"Morgan, stop being so dense. It's like the sprites, you saw those when Em first used her wand at hostel. They weren't there and then they were."

"But Emily used a wand," protested Morgan, "that's what made them, didn't it?"

"No, all things are already alive, they just change form or shape or something and then come into existence, into our seeing world but it doesn't mean they weren't there before," replied Gift, feeling like she'd explained the mystery.

"How do you know stuff like this?" asked Sam, wondering if she'd missed another book or scroll or intuitive reflex.

"Well, I guess as Emily said, that's the beauty of living in two worlds or cultures. I think I've always known it," said Gift.

"Not fair," said Sam, punching Gift on the arm, "You have an unfair advantage! I'm just a poor white girl with a loopy friend or make that two loopy friends and I hate reading. How come it's so easy for you two and I have to practice at it?"

"Please show me how to get connected," said Sam.

Gift smiled at her good friend and sometimes protector. "It's not something that can be taught really. But if you're serious about wanting to know you're going to have to come and visit me, in my village that is, and heart-feel what we do, how we live, learn some of our customs, maybe…"Gift trailed off wondering how one visit to her home would make the difference.

"Oh yes please," said Sam, a vision of rolling green hills and round mud huts popping up next to her, "Can we? When can we, huh-huh?"

"Soon," said Gift laughing mysteriously, "but there are still a few things that have to happen first."

"Here we go again," said Morgan, rolling her eyes.

"Does the invitation extend to all of us?" said Sarah quietly from the back seat, "Or only Sam?"

Gift swiveled around in her seat, looking over the dividing headrest at Sarah and said, "Girl. You more than anyone need to come an' visit us in the deepest, back-of-beyond countryside."

Sarah smiled shyly, crossing her arms, thinking that anywhere but home was a good place to be as the others laughed at Gift's description of her home.

"So is that when you'll finally let us into your other life, the whoo-whoo of you. I like the sound of that since you've never spoken much about it apart from those first few words in introduction, oh warrior woman," said Emily, also remembering her and Gift's private moment in the great hall at Edwina's.

"You are in for a surprise. White city girls like you have no idea what you've just signed up for," smiled Gift, feeling much better than when the conversation had started.

Smiling at the good friends around her, and remembering again that it wasn't what was on the outside that mattered but on the inside, Gift turned around towards the back of the bus, stuck out her tongue childishly, rolled her eyes so that only the whites showed, and forked her two fingers into a snake-like action and pointed them at her eyes, aiming towards the grungy girl who she'd overheard a few times.

Seeing a shudder run through the girl, she turned around satisfied, to look straight into Emily's searching eyes.

"Shouldn't have done that voodoo girl," laughed Emily, "All you've done is put a nice red target on your back. Looks like I could teach youa thing or two about being inconspicuous."

"In con what?" smiled Gift, "Don't use words like that, I'm just a wild, dumb black girl remember? Besides, what's the point of staying inconspicuous when you have to hide your true feelings? That'swhat I'm going to teach you all about Emily May Harrison,"

"Don't," said Emily concurrently, trying to stop Gift from saying her whole name but failing.

"Oh don't be silly, Em, that's just superstition. You're even worse than I am," said Gift turning away to strike up a conversation with Sam, who'd started pestering with questions while Emily sat trying to figure out what was real and what was not and whether it really did make a difference if her whole name was said aloud by someone like Gift.

.

CHAPTER TWENTY SIX

The bus arrived at the campsite where they'd spent their first night.

The girls tumbled out into the cooling pool, fully clothed and uncaring, just like Sam had done. Initially ignoring the shouts from Ms Farmer, which became more insistent as she huffed and puffed around the bus in the early afternoon heat, they finally dragged themselves out, retrieved their suitcases and went to their designated tents.

Hanging wet clothes up over the tent poles and any other dry surface they could find, they changed into their swimming costumes and went straight back to the pool. Ms Farmer, who had finally stopped screaming, though she was still white-faced with massive amounts of cream, sat in the shade of one of the overhangs of the tents, keeping her beady eye on every one of them.

Emily felt the skin on the back of her neck crawl like she was being watched. When she turned around quickly to look for the source, she saw Ms Farmer look quickly away. Why is she staring at me? wondered Emily. She believed it was her fear at Gift saying her whole name aloud, but then saw some of the others in the pool also look at Ms Farmer strangely.

The afternoon passed and the land started cooling down, hurrying the granny-skinned girls into hot showers and tracksuits with hoods pulled up over their hair. The clatter of cooking pots started as the sun started leaching its warmth back towards itself and the desert colours moved into their heavenly reds, oranges, pinks and yellows. The fire pit was lit, hot chocolate was offered and with delighted smiles at the treat, they started settling down close to the fire.

Emily jumped as a pot clattered off the round stones around the fire-pit, water hissing as it hit the hot coals. On edge, her Eight strangely welcoming and warm at the base of her neck, Emily's nerves were stretched taught. She looked around for the sense of danger, but saw only good friends, trained guides and fellow school-goers. There was nothing to be worried about, but still the sense of unease settled around her.

What am I missing? she wondered, feeling like she'd overlooked a vital clue. Finishing her hot chocolate, she walked alone, mug in hand, towards their tent. Entering, she saw that someone had kindly put on the gas light that swung from the highest point. Now I'm becoming afraid of the dark, she thought, whispering to herself, "Get a grip, girl!"

She put her empty mug on the green groundsheet, leaned under her bed and pulled out her suitcase. Opening it, she rifled through until she felt the familiar material. Rolling it out over her hands, she looked at the wand that Josh had hand delivered to her at the beginning of the year.

Did her unease have anything to do with Josh? Yes. No. Maybe. But it felt strange as the context wasn't right. He wasn't here, and it felt like something was going to happen here, soon.

Her logical brain warred with her intuition. Not much of a weapon, sighed Emily, looking at the wand, feeling like she had last year when the Battle was about to commence.

"And where the hell are you, Pugly?" whispered Emily to the air particles, angrily. "Always deserting me when I need you most."

Emily knew she could do nothing until whatever was going to happen. She wrapped her wand up and tucked it under her pillow so it was a little easier to get to in case she needed it quickly.

She picked up her mug and went back to the fire, to the comfort of her friends.

Supper eaten and bellies full, some of the girls started wondering off into their tents as the night descended on the camp.

Emily's group and a few others remained, sitting in clumps, lost in their own little worlds, whispering among themselves to ward off the spirits of otherworldly ghosts. "Em, what's going on?" asked Sam, touching her friend's arm to get her attention, "I can feel you're not happy. You're struggling with something and not sharing. What's wrong?" her friend repeated, as Emily, still jumpy, let her eyes roam around the camp site.

"I don't know Sam, wish I did. Just be ready, okay?"

"Ready for what?" whispered Morgan, overhearing, from the other side of Sam. "I don't know," said Emily, her gaze crossing multitudes of paths and worlds in shuddering silence.

A rat scampered towards the fire pit, dodging washed-up utensils, pits and potholes. Hiding under a chair, it waited.

On the stones near the fire, hot water boiled in a pot for those last few cups of hot chocolate. It suddenly erupted, as if something had pushed it into the flames. The pot clanged as it landed on another stone, steam hissed in the middle of the fire pit, dampening the firelight for a moment. Then the flames roared high in disgusted response.

Girls screamed in the firelight, as a rat grew in shadow and size and became a man. His arms opened towards Emily lovingly. "Come to me," he said. "Emily, come to me." Emily, entranced, wrapped in twilight, stood up, moving unconsciously towards the vision.

Sarah mouthed a silent 'No', as Morgan and Sam lunged to grab Emily's back, trying to stop her from walking into the fire and the open arms. Their fingers slipped off, not finding material to grip on to.

Emily lifted her knee up, like a soldier marching off to war, not out of choice but out of compulsion, stepping over the surrounding low wall of the fire pit.

Josh hid behind the bus, watching silently as the fire leapt, scurried left and right, flowed, died in a hiss and plunged high into the night. His cue had come.

Josh had stowed away on the bus, in the luggage compartments, for a very uncomfortable journey all the way from Kingstown.

Sneaking around the camp, he had kept his beady eye on Emily as much as he could. Once or twice he thought he'd been spotted but luckily the girls' reason had overridden their eyes and imagination.

Josh worried about being caught. If he was, he wouldn't be able to keep a lookout for Emily. He feared being sent away, feared leaving her alone out in this desert.

Emily had many ways of receiving warnings but still wasn't tuned in enough to understand what potentials existed. Last time she'd returned from Aurana, having shown Sam the wonders of that world, she'd written a letter to him, sent via his street-human network which she used when she wanted to give him something concrete or physical. He'd read the letter with disbelieving eyes and a fearful heart.

She had opened up a little, allowing him to grow a little closer; it had been nice to spend time with her at the seaside, getting to know her family, but she still had no real clue about how he felt. He knew that Emily was better at communicating with words and so had hoped this letter would let him know that he was seen, wanted, maybe even loved. Except that the love she'd spoken about wasn't aimed at him. He often wished that Emily would hurry up, leave the past in the past, look and see him for what he was and what he felt for her. But the letter told him that she still wasn't ready.

Though the letter had talked about love, it was the love that she'd felt when she'd been visited by a rat, of all things, in Aurana. Not a word about him.

As far as he was concerned, he'd smelled a rat. Emily had told him how she always felt safe in Aurana, even though she'd been warned about the darker side. After getting her strange letter and then receiving his instructions in the Void, he'd found a way to sneak into the bus and follow her into the desert.

It had been more difficult when the bus had been left behind and they'd gone on those long walks, but Xu! had found him and taught him the ways of the desert. With !Xu, he learned how to track and stalk silently, invisibly. Though the desert had stretched for miles in every direction, he'd been able to keep close enough. He also had a barking gecko as company, who had led him to beetles with water running off their backs. So he hadn't had to sneak into the camp too often to keep himself alive.

When Emily had unconsciously sleepwalked into the desert, he'd managed to stay closer since it was dusk, but that barking gecko had almost given him away when he'd pointed Emily to the camp after their discussion.

Watching the spectre rise in the firelight, Josh got angry like he had each time the bus had jolted over another pothole. Josh had cursed her more than once in this dry, dusty desert, but more than his discomfort, he feared for her safety. On occasion, he wondered why he loved her so much since she was infuriatingly blind to it.

When the fire flamed and the arms reached out, all Emily had seen, felt and heard was the love of the rat she'd told him about, even though !Xu had tried to warn her. As Josh leaped out of his hiding place, feeling a little miffed at the rejection he'd had to put up with, he thought, her problem is she can't see what I see and sure doesn't feel what I feel.

A flash moved past Emily on her right, unseen but known, leaping in one motion over the small fire-pit wall towards the specter that held out its loving arms. Screams filled the air, rising in a crescendo. The fire spat in loud cymbals, popped in drum rolls and clashed in a nightmare, an opera without a conductor. Two figures tussled in the middle of the flames, one roaring like a trapped lion, the other screaming in anger.

Emily reached out to both of them. Gift snapped her out of it, rising between her and them like the warrior woman she was.

Emily couldn't process logically, but intuitively in the split second realising that Josh had leapt past her. She looked in terror at the flames that licked at her toes.

"Josh?" she asked, eyes moving sharply to her friends looking for questioning support and back, "Josh?"

Screams continued within and from the far side of the flames, as Emily moved to grab hold of the form in front of her. Screaming as loud as the others now, Emily's heart shattered as the two figures disappeared completely from view.

Disregarding her own safety, Emily jerked towards the fire. Gift grabbed her, whispering, "Emily. Stop. There is nothing you can do now."

"It is a part of what must happen. I don't understand it but I know it to be so," continued Gift, dragging Emily's sobbing form away from the licking flames towards their stunned friends.

The screams died down. Sobbing girls gulped air into their searing lungs and started jabbering at each other, looking for confirmation of what they had seen. Did a boy-man leap into the fire?

Emily allowed herself to be carried out of the fire by Gift, and collapsed into Sam's open arms. "I wasn't ready. Oh God, Sam, I wasn't ready. What happened? I wanted to go to him so badly. I wanted to be with him. I felt loved!What happened?"

Jumbling her words and jumping in strange connections, Emily devastated, repeated, "I wasn't ready!"

Looking into Sam's eyes, sobs shuddering, she asked, "Was that real? Was it Josh?" knowing in her heart that it had been him.

"Did you guys see him too?" she queried, as one by one her friends all nodded their heads in a Yes.

"So it was real?" said Emily to no one in particular, staying in Sam's arms but turning around to face the fire, feeling a little safer and braver, "but how? How did Josh get here?And why did he leap into fire? Doesn't he know he'll get burned?"

"And where's he now?" she asked, looking back at the flames as Ms Farmer, Mr Green and the other guides tried to calm the shattered audience.

"Gift, where is he?" she asked.

Gift was not looking at her. Across the fire, a girl was pointing straight at her.

"It was her. She's the one that started this, she's the one to blame," said a grungy voice. Emily realised that the voice and finger weren't directed at her, but at Gift.

"Oh dear," hiccupped Emily, rising off Sam's lap, "looks like we're in more trouble than usual. Gift, please just tell me that Josh is alive. You said everything is alive, somewhere. Say yes and then I can deal with them." she said pointing back in the crowd's direction. Gift stared straight back at the pointed finger, not flinching, "Of course he is. Everything is alive. But I don't knowwhere he is."

"Okay, for now that will have to do," said Emily, bubbles popping up next to her head, her self-talk telling her to stay in reality and deal with one thing at a time while she felt her heart breaking at the events of the last few moments.

"Looks like you're going to get your fight after all, Sam. You got your knuckles ready?"

"You betcha," said Sam, putting up her dukes like a seasoned boxer as Morgan hurrahed, Sarah fled and Gift grinned, mouthing, "Let's get 'em. Stupid ignoramuses. I'll teach them it's not good to point fingers at me."

.

CHAPTER TWENTY SEVEN

The girls awoke in their tents to another cold but glorious desert morning. The sun was starting to warm up the sand as the trumpet announced breakfast.

It was the last day of the camping trip. Moans and groans were heard from the boarders as they realised that the wonderful food they'd eaten over the last week or so would soon be replaced by Cook's bland, tasteless food.

Emily stuck her head out of her blankets but was in no mood to get dressed, eat or join in the chatter. Gift, Sam and Morgan, bruised and scratched, were showing off last night's war wounds to each other, mumbling proudly about, "Getting them good."

"Savages," thought Emily, as she caught Sarah looking at her like a mouse coming out of its hole. "Savages!" she shouted, getting the attention of the three boasting girls who had overpowered the five grungy and now hurting group of mud-slingers.

Ms Farmer had fainted during the fight. Mr Green had to separate the girls in the chaos.

"Savages, that's what you all are," she said emotionally, "Fighting. Don't you know it doesn't solve anything? Look what it got Josh, and now he's gone, nowhere."

'Um, that's protector savage to you, and I think Josh was trying to save you, you nincompoop," replied Sam.

Emily stuck her head back down into her blankets, covering her white face and eyes as she started sobbing. She'd tried to figure out what had happened last night but all logic had deserted her. What was Josh doinghere? Was it really him or just her wild imagination? The others had seen him too so it couldn't have been her imagination. Could it? Could friends, a group, share a vision?

Emily continued sobbing as she heart-felt that Josh, in his physical being, was gone from this world. But then where had he gone? Had that man killed him? Why? He'd felt so loving, hadn't he? This rat that had morphed into a man had felt like the one that had come to sit on her stomach in Aurana.

Only at the last minute did she feel any danger, but even then she wanted to be one with him. She remembered seeing two rats fighting, was one loving and the other not? Were the two one and the same? At least she'd resolved the one question. Remember the form before the form. !Xu had obviously meant the rat and/or Josh, not her parents.

As Emily carried on sobbing, all she knew was that Josh was gone and that the Man had taken him. That split second before the fire had died and they'd disappeared, His form had leered at her in delight. With everything she knew, and even her Eight warning her, how could she have been so stupid to want to go to Him? She hadn't been ready, emotionally, or physically with her wand, so Josh had had to save her from herself.

How was she supposed to know one rat from another? How was she supposed to know Josh would follow her and decide he needed to be her hero? Stupid boy!

Emily's sobbing turned to gulps as she felt her friends surround her bed and her mind start processing thoughts. How could the Man have come into the world, her world? Surely he could only reach her in the Void, at Edwina's?

Hands stroked the blankets above her, as voices soothed her ears, "Em, it's okay. It's going to be okay. Please, you know that all is not as it seems." Emily put her arms next to her chest and struggled upwards towards her pillow, finding an uncomfortable sitting position, but looking her friends in the eye.

"Platitudes. That's all you're giving me. You don't know."

"What she on about? Height?" asked Morgan.

"No stupid, that's altitude," said Sarah, wanting to hug Emily but worried about getting too close to her since she seemed about to explode.

"It means what you said is meaningless," shouted Emily, "Nothing makes sense anymore. How am I supposed to live with this now? More death."

"It's a good thing no one else can hear you ranting on about death, Em. It's enough we had to supplicate Mr Green and tell him you were sleep walking, not plain stupid to walk into the fire," said Morgan.

"Josh is dead! What do want me to say, you, you...?" erupted Emily, leaping towards Morgan, her hands held up in a stranglehold.

"Em, calm down!" said Sam. "Stop it. You're being silly, emotional, whatever, so just stop, okay? Come down to earth, here, now with us. Okay? You can't hope to unscramble all of what's happened in a minute or even one night. Let's just do this one step at a time, okay?" Sam continued. Emily wiped her streaming nose on her long sleeve and stared into her friends eyes. Knowing she was being irrational didn't help her feel any better but she nodded her head. Coughing, trying to breathe through her blocked nose Emily said, "Okay, but …"

"No buts, Em. No big butts, um bums. Speaking of butts and bums, you seems to have lost some of yours," smiled Sam in an attempt to lighten the moment. Emily smiled sarcastically at Sam but appreciated her effort in trying to right her world.

"I'm never going to trust anyone again. Never," she said, sniffing heartily, turning her eyes on Gift as she had done the previous night. "Where's Josh, Gift? Do you know?"

"I can feel that he's not here anymore. With us …"

"Well any doofus knows that," said Morgan, as Sarah shoved her sideways and speared her with a warning glance.

"Well, we did all see him disappear, didn't we?" said Morgan, shoving back. "Hell of a spark, though," she continued, excitedly.

"No, I mean … oh what's the use," said Emily, sagging.

"Emily. Emily May. Sam is right. Stop feeling so sorry for yourself and maybe you'd be able to see what's in front of your eyes. Besides, what do you think we can do about any of this out here in the desert? Ms Farmer thinks we've all gone mad and Mr Green and his team have put it down to our imaginations after having been at the trance dance the night before. You go tell them it wasn't our imaginations and that they need to do something."

"And ya gonna have to learn to trust someone, sometime, or ya gonna be one sad, lonely girl," said Gift, sounding exactly like Edwina.

"What? Oh stop your rubbish talk. You and your supposed wisdom. Where did it get us last night, huh?" said Emily, angrily.

"Now that's better," said Gift, obviously returning to her strange self, "A little anger never hurt anyone – but self-pity, now that's the killer. Bad for you and for everyone around you and besides, you aren't the only one that lost something last night."

"What are you talking about Gift, you're so frustrating sometimes. You won the fight so what's your problem?" asked Emily through gritted teeth.

"I lost my innocence," giggled Gift.

"What?" said the group in unison.

"Well, perhaps not quite lost my innocence. Perhaps I lost my disguise? Now everyone knows I'm a witch since I can walk through fire." said Gift, falling about laughing.

It took a while for Emily and the rest of the group to realise that Gift was being facetious and they were being had. Harrumphing out of bed, as the others giggled their way towards their half-packed suitcases, Emily stared at Gift.

"Not funny," said Emily.

"Is funny," responded Gift.

"Not. Look what trouble you got into last night because you just couldn't keep your tongue in your mouth or your hands to yourself on the bus."

"The one had nothing to do with the other. They were looking for it again, telling stories about me walking through fire. I mean, did they really think Mr Green would think I could?" asked Gift, "And at least I know who I am and I'm happy with it, unlike someone I know who tries to slip by quietly. When are you going to stand up and be proud of you?"

"When people stop pointing fingers!" shouted Emily, willing the end of the conversation.

As the quiet descended, Emily dressed. Her thoughts bubbled up next to her as question after question reared up in defiance of logic.

Her hands automatically shoved her clothes, toiletries and other odds into her suitcase. The tent had gone silent, deathly silent. Then a voice shattered the quiet, clickety-clacking its way into her consciousness. "Don't forget your stick, under your pillow, you going to need it still girl."

Emily turned sharply towards the intruder. Sam, Morgan and Sarah sat slack-jawed on the one bed. Gift bowed in reverence, her smile beaming across her face as she joined them.

"!Xu!" exclaimed Emily. Her friends followed with something similar, or at least a form of it, as they tried to imitate Emily's guttural grunt, then remained still, watching the drama unfold in front of them.

"How? What? Oh what the hell, I don't know what to ask first and you're probably not going to give me any proper answers anyway." said Emily, giving up on all her questions needing relevant answers or her world making sense since !Xu was supposed to be hours away. He reached under Emily's camp pillow and pulled out her wrapped wand.

"This, your stick, you will be still using it girl," said !Xu clicking and clacking, his misshapen teeth grinning at Emily.

"My wand. Fat good that did last night," said Emily, continuing her packing and doing her best to ignore the little fellow.

"Would be good if you use it, but can't be good if you don't," giggled !Xu.

Exasperated, Emily turned towards !Xu. "I know I failed. I messed up. Okay? Point taken."

"No not fail child. Miss chance, miss opportunity, that all," said !Xu, squirming like a larger grinning Elvis on the spot, "another one coming soon."

"What, when?" rushed out of all five girl's mouths.

"Oh please don't let that thing come again," said Sarah as Morgan, Gift and Sam smiled, putting up their hands in boxing stance, grinning at each other.

"Oh yay. Thanks, that's all I need," said Emily, flatly, "Another chance. How excited would you like me to get about seeing rats and animals and yhe Man, and people I love burning? Sounds like great fun. Thanks."

Emily sunk down on her bed, her bum scrunching up the blankets, arms limply at her side as she looked !Xu in the eyes. "I'll pass, okay? No more for me. No more."

Xu!, staying excited, said, "No, you have choice but rather continue, gecko waiting for you in the desert. Quickly before you go on the bus, you must speak to him."

"Why must I speak to him if you can't tell me what's going on?"

"Because you must, trust me," said !Xu.

Emily harrumphed for the last time of the day, "Trust. Trust? I think you have me confused with someone else. All you've done is scare me over the last few days. Why would I trust you, you stupid shapeshifter?"

"No nice Em but I accept. Now your turn. Go to desert and look for gecko quickly. He have message from your Josh."

Emily's heartbeat perked up, then died for a beat or two, then continued its normal rhythm. "From Josh? Really, you know Josh?"

"How you think he survive out here? He no desert man, he a street fighter," giggled !Xu

"Come on Em. Go, we'll cover for you," said Sam.

"Everything is alive, remember," said Gift, "Told you so, now go."

"Be careful," murmured Sarah, as Morgan punched Sam, wanting to start a mock-fight, her excitement getting the better of her.

Emily sighed as a small chocolate hand slipped into hers. "I come with you. Then you not be so scared. No worries."

No worries. No worries. Who's kidding who? she thought, as the two humans, one small and wrinkled, one taller but bent, slipped out of the tent, around the corner and into the desert sands which were swirling up at intervals, disturbed by pockets of tumbled air.

Every time the wind swirled near her, as if starting a mini-tornado, Emily wanted to run back to the safety of the campsite and reality, but !Xu held firmly onto her hand.

Reaching an unknown but obviously predestined spot, they stopped and sat down to wait. It didn't take long before Emily saw the sand in front of her start heaping into a tunnel that screamed towards her. Tensing up, she felt !Xu squeeze her hand in comfort.

Suddenly the sand spat and her barking gecko appeared. "Emily May, Emily May, so glad you came out here to play," it said. "Just say what you need to say, barker. I've about had enough fooling around" snapped Emily.

"Emily May, Emily May, listen now to what she says."

The wind swirled into a vortex next to Emily. She moved, wanting to stand up. She didn't have her wand, but calmed as a familiar warmth surrounded her.

She, not He? Her mind wandered as !Xu held on.

The sand motes swirled into a pattern. Soon, they looked to be taking on the form of an angel. Emily wiped her eyes with her one hand. Must be making this up? Must be seeing things? So what's new? Her thoughts continued jumping from one branch to another.

Limbo is where you must go

When you are not in the know

Far from something, in between

Wanting for things not all seen.

Time is what we'll give to you

When you wish for something new

Careful now, think what you want

For your wish, to you, we'll grant

The sense of sweet presence disappeared. Had she heard these words before? Emily got a picture of a skin-on-the-outside bony monkey. Strange image, she thought, was that Elgeba? Now what would he have to do with this? And what or where was Limbo?And how was she supposed to go there?

Emily focused in front of her as the sand motes swirled away, watching the barking gecko bobbing its head up and down, like a toy dog in the back window of a car.

Turning to !Xu, she asked a question with her eyes.

"For me to know, for you to find out," said !Xu childishly happy, pulling Emily up from the sand with surprising strength and agility.

"Now go, back to town, find answer there," He said, pointing Emily in the direction of the campsite. He loped off in the opposite direction into the great desert.

Emily's feet moved her towards the campsite, while her mind sank into oblivion. She was struggling to process everything that had happened. Bubbles, pictures and sensing shut down as her heart broke into little pieces. How could she just return to town as if nothing had happened to Josh? Shouldn't she stay out here and try to find him, save him, something?

But !Xu, clacking crazy as he was, along with her gecko, had said to go back to town. Was that where Limbo was? In town? A tiny bubble appeared next to Emily's head, showing pictures of Edwina's bookstore. Would it be there? At least she knew where to start on her return. If anyone knew where Josh was, she would.

Emily's eyes found her friend Sam creating havoc in the heated pool. Ms Farmer ran around in circles, shouting sternly at Sam to get out because it was time to go.

Sam spotted Emily returning, gave her a wink in acknowledgement and then grudgingly turned towards Ms Farmer, whose back was facing Emily, said, "Come on, ma'am. I just wanted one last swim before that ever so long bus trip home. I mean no harm."

Ms Farmer jerked sideways as Emily appeared behind her, let out a shriek as her hands fluttered to her chest and fainted dead away for the second time in as many days.

CHAPTER TWENTY EIGHT

Emily woke to a cold morning.

The sun stayed in the desert, warming up the creatures there rather than joining them in town. She looked around her cubicle, still heartsore and weary after the long bus trip back and the waiting for their one and only Saturday morning hostel 'out-day' this term.

The questions that swirled around her head continuously led nowhere. And though she'd seen the hundreds of yellow and orange butterflies that flew through the dry, dusty lands after they'd passed back over the mountains, she still hadn't had any contact from Pugly or Elvis or anyone remotely other-worldly.

She closed her eyes, willing Pugly or Elvis towards her. She had many, many questions, not the least of which was, where was Limbo?Still, no one contacted her, no voices appeared in her head, only her shattered thoughts and screaming out-of-control emotions. Had they all deserted her? Why? Impatiently, she realised she would have to do this the normal way. She'd have to wait for their first Saturday off and go to Edwina.

Emily was tempted to bunk school during the day or run away every night, wanting desperately to go to Edwina's. But felt she couldn't trust her emotions and was scared that the Lost Ones would come after her again. She was in no state to go anywhere alone, and with Josh gone, she didn't even have someone to hold her hand and guide her there. She really missed Josh. She hadn't expected to miss him so much, but now that he wasn't there, she felt it keenly.

Must be in love with him, said a voice in her head. Emily batted it away, knowing that she couldn't deal with that emotion with everything else going on.

The wake-up bell clanged into the silence, the voices of her friends started, calling and moaning at each other as they did most mornings. Emily did her best to put away the part of her that was confused, lonely and scared. There was nothing she could do. Besides, her friends had had enough of her questions, moaning and general unhappiness on the bus and for each of the days afterwards.

School passed in a blur of books, lessons and tests, most of which Emily failed outright. Her teachers were starting to get concerned about her, wafting in and out of her strange space, trying to get her to talk about what was going on, since she was usually a reasonable student.

Emily deflected them by saying Sarah needed more help than she did, wondering how the teachers had missed the signs of Sarah's unhappiness and closed-off demeanor.

Four more days and then she could go to Edwina. Four more days.

Finally, Friday arrived. One more sleep to go. Emily's spirits started lifting as she became more animated and excited. Gift's aside sounded just like her gran: "Hey, look who's been raised from the dead."

Emily shot a sarcastic grin at Gift, passing her on the way to her cubicle, too introverted to care.

Where were Pugly and Elvis? She'd seen Sam mumbling at the space around her head, presumably talking to Wiz, so they must be hanging around somewhere. Still, that night, no one appeared at Emily's side, as Aurana drifted in and out of her focus. She tried to reach out to the tall, gangly ant-animated looking character that walked past her on the way back to the hostel one day, but it got such a fright at seeing her that it ran away at break-neck speed before she'd been able to ask him to send a message to Pugly.

Something was out of kilter and it wasn't just that Josh had gone missing. The only other time Pugly and Elvis hadn't responded to her was when the battle was going on.

A thought struck her. The soft white-haired monkey had said something about Limbo when they'd been in Aurana. After she and Sam had accepted him being there, Pugly and Elvis had chatted about Elgeba's adventures with him. Pugly and Elvis had laughed with Elgeba, as if the knew where Limbo was and what happened to someone who'd been there. Were they there in Limbo, with Josh?

That night, she pulled on her pajamas and got into bed, feeling a little lighter, hoping it was true because then Josh wouldn't be so alone. She looked out the window at the starry night then yelped when she saw small round red eyes staring back.

"What's it?" asked Sam skidding into Emily's cubicle, having been on full but silent alert all week. Gift ran in soon afterwards, with Morgan following while Sarah squeaked, white faced, hanging onto the edge of the cubicle curtain.

"Red eyes," said Emily, pointing out the window. Sam barged over Emily's bed-ridden form and whipped up the window.

"Nothing here, scary girl," said Sam, sticking her head far out into the night as Emily grab her arm to shove her back into the light of the dorm room.

"Don't do that, Sam. What if something wasthere? I wish you'd be more careful. What if it had taken you away too?" cried Emily, who had been overprotective about her friends since their return.

Pulling her head back into the cubicle, Sam laughed, "I'm not going anywhere kiddo. Don't you worry, I'm much too sane to jump into fires. Besides, I thought you wanted to get rid of me?"

"Not that again. Okay, Sam you were getting on my nerves hanging around me so much before, but please don't go anywhere now. I know I'm being silly but I've realised it's much nicer having people around me than not."

Emily grimaced as Sam closed the window with a bang and leapfrogged onto her, grabbing her in a great big bear hug, saying "Oh weird one, fraidy cat. I'll always be here to squeeze you, hug you and give you some lovin'. Until Josh takes my place, of course."

"Oh stop it," said Emily blushing, embarrassed at all the attention and the mention of Josh's love. "Go away. All of you." Shooing Sam away like an irritating fly, and swatting her hand at the others, Emily said, "Go now, and stop laughing at me."

As they crept away, Emily reminded them, "Are we all going to Edwina's tomorrow? I take it you are all going with me?" and got a chorus of, "Yes, of course we are," with one squeaky, "Yip" from Sarah.

Emily closed her curtain, not wanting to know if any more eyes were out there even if Sam had checked. She pulled her duvet up to her chin, wondering about Sarah's 'yip'. Sarah was getting weirder than she was, mused Emily, drifting off lightly.

She knew her friends would be there if she needed them, regardless of their own fears.

Running and jumping through the streets of Kingstown, the girls ignored the stares, shaking of heads and comments of the adults they passed. They were all excited as they headed towards the Old Quarter. It had been a while since they'd managed to go to Edwina's, because of the field trip and because it was a short term. They were almost on holiday so wouldn't have a chance to come again until afterwards.

Emily was out in front, as they ran past the beautiful, floating, colourful materials, past the music wafting over the airwaves and barged through the bright red door, into the white, lightened interior of the bookstore.

"I'm back 'ere lovies," came the knowing call from the back. "Ow lovely to sees ya all."

"And 'specially ya Em, since I been waiting for ya. !Xu tol' me what 'appened out 'ere in the desert. I bet ya got all sorts o' questions…" said Edwina enveloping them one by one in her voluptuous form, leaving the best and last hug for Emily.

"So, what can we do's for ya?" said Edwina, holding Emily at arm's length, taking a good look, carrying on talking, before Emily could get a word in, "Looks like ya ain't been 'aving much rest girl. Aah never ya mind. Never ya mind. There's time for everything. Sit down now, ya all. Tea comings up."

"But, but…" said Emily, as Edwina moved quickly away.

Then she spotted Rupert.

"What are you doing here?" said Emily to Rupert, not wanting him there, especially not after what happened to Josh. Edwina bustled back. "Now Em. We know ya had a rough time of it lately, but tha's no excuse for treating another 'uman being like 'at. Rupert's 'ere because I want 'im 'ere and ya gotta respect my 'ouse and kind."

Emily looked beseechingly at Edwina, willing her to make Rupert disappear, but Edwina wouldn't budge. "E's got somefink for ya lovey. Seems like ya all but forgotten 'bout this 'ere book of yours. It's a good fing Rupert is keeping a lookout for its goings on."

Emily looked at Rupert and saw her book in front of him. Snatching it, she said, "You can't read what's in it. So why's it so important to you?" Rupert tried to respond but Emily interrupted him. "Can you? Read it, I mean?"

Rupert waited for Emily to continue, but when she didn't, he calmly replied, "I can read what's meant for me, like your friends can, but not what's meant for you alone, Emily."

Emily hugged her book to her chest, wanting to claim it outright, feeling like it was her only link to Josh and now Pugly and Elvis, as Edwina turned around to finish the tea.

Rupert stared at Emily. "I know you're missing Josh, Emily. It's okay. The book will help you, you know?"

"Why is everyone saying it's okay all the time? It's not! And what do you know about Josh?" said Emily, her voice rising in anger and confusion. Her friends sat quietly as the storm started raging.

"Just that he's gone from this plane," said Rupert.

"Gone on a plane? I thought he jumped into the fire?" whispered Morgan who was shushed by Sarah.

"Gone where? What plane?" said Emily, as Morgan pushed Sarah back, interrupting with, "My thoughts exactly, what plane?"

Emily turned to her friend, looking like she was about to murder someone, "Not flying plane stupid, plane, as in different dimension, yes?" as she turned to Rupert questioning her response. "Yes, like that. Like when Jess disappeared," said Rupert, who was interrupted by all their voices.

"But Jess is dead," shouted Emily, frantically.

"Disappeared?" asked Sam, having listened to the words.

"She is dead, isn't she? We all saw you carry her off," said Morgan, looking around the room, questioning her sanity and those that had been at the battle.

"Dead," said Emily, sagging into her seat, losing hope, "but I thought he'd… Josh had gone to Limbo?"

"Now, now lovies. Ya all calm down now," said Edwina, slapping the tea tray on the table, waving her bulbous arms around like she was directing a hovercraft in to land. "Rupert, lets no' get into specifics now, shall we? These girls still gots a long ways ta go before we can speaks about those fings."

"What things?" said Sam, curiously wanting more, as Sarah sat quietly slack-jawed, Morgan looked around as if lost in translation and Emily was in her own thoughts.

Gift smiled as Edwina winked at her. Sam, catching the wink, said, "Hey. No secrets. Out with it you two or three." Edwina giggled at Sam, saying, "For us to know an' ya ta find out," getting in on the childish saying that had been doing the rounds lately. Emily's head came up at that statement. !Xu' had said the same. She looked around her at the crowd, still hugging her book to her chest, the banter getting too much for her.

"Ed. Edwina!" she shouted, "Please tell me what is going on."

The table fell silent as Edwina lifted her teacup to her lush lips, took a slow sip and put it back in its saucer.

"Emily, child, there is still so much for ya to learn. So much out there and ya 'ave only touched the iceberg so ta say. Ya are also all over the place at the moment. Ya thoughts are jumbled, running away from 'emselves, ya emotions are blasting out and ya canna focus. Ya need to get yaself towards yaself before ya can 'elp. Ya gotta come back into the here, now, Em, understand?"

Edwina held her hand face up, stopping Emily from responding, continuing, "Em. I know its been 'ard. And fings are really confusing, but ya gotta trust somefink. I know ya canna trust Rupert yet, I guess ya struggling to trust me but if ya canna trust anyone then trust yaself or that books of ya's, as I can see ya canna trust yaself just now neither."

"An' don't ya worry none 'bout anything else but what that book says to ya. Okay? Ya go read that book of ya's again and make peace with what's goings on an' then we'll talk later."

Sam reached out for the book but Emily held it closer to her heart, not wanting to open it in company or give it to anyone, asking "Does it talk about Limbo, Ed? Where Josh is?"

"Don't rightly know, lovey. Don't rightly know but off ya go now, go find a comfy spot in 'ere and find ya way back to us when ya ready," said Edwina, shooing Emily away like she'd done to her friends the night before.

Emily didn't need a second excuse to go. Sam got up, trying to follow, but Edwina pulled her back into her chair. "Leave 'er alone, love, she'll be safe. She'll come back when she's ready ta tell us somefink."

Emily swished the beaded curtain aside and almost ran into the bookstore. She wanted a quiet comfortable corner to sit in, but it almost seemed too light and bright now and the chairs were all stiff-backed and sparkly.

Her mood, dark, depressed but expectant, almost willed the old bookstore, with its nooks and crannies filled with all sorts of weird and wonderful animals, goblins, artifacts and fairies, back. She heard Edwina shout from behind the curtain, "Go tawards the back lovie, ya'll find a comfy hidey hole for ya there."

Emily wondered why Edwina didn't just tell her what was going on since she seemed to know what she was thinking. She'd become used to Edwina's ways, and Edwina didn't say anything until the time was right. She moved past the numerous bookshelves, the colours of the book covers leaping out at her, words wrapping themselves around the straight, strict spines. As she moved further into the dim light at the back, she realised that one of the battered couches that had been in the 'old' store still sat against the brick-faced wall. Emily wondered if this was the same couch that she'd collapsed into when she'd first found her book.

Emily sat down on the cool cushion, sinking in further as her weight shifted. She tucked her feet in under her and held her book in her arms. The title faded in and out, she could still easily read her name, Emily, but there was no Battle of the Veil as it had done the first time. She kept expecting it to become clear over the last year, as things had changed, progressed and now become crazy, but there were no clues on the cover.

She wished it would tell her. Emily and what? Emily and the Sprites? Emily and the Tale of the missing boyfriend? She wondered, and wanted something, anything, to make itself known – at least last time she'd been made aware she was going into a battle. But perhaps it was a good thing, since she'd have run a mile if she'd known what was going to happen.

Emily flipped the book open onto the first page. She'd often wondered why the book had so many pages, since they were almost always blank, and what needed to be said was often printed on the first few pages, overlaying the previous messages that had disappeared as things had happened.

Crazy, stupid book, thought Emily, willing the words to appear to the hundreds of questions that flipped through her mind. Nothing happened.

Emily closed the book, frustrated, about to go back to Edwina, when she heard a shout, "Now calm yaself down lovie. Ain't nofink gonna happen when ya all over the place. Just breathe in and out, like ya done learned to do."

Giggles erupted from Edwina's direction, along with Morgan's voice saying, "That'll teach her to take some of her own lessons, let's see how much she enjoys it. Ow."

Emily sank further into the couch. Edwina was right.

Emily closed her eyes, tried to check her ragged breathing into some kind of a rhythm, and slowly relaxed. She was safe here, all she wanted to do was read the book, not touch any strange dimensions, just read the book. Emily heart-felt around her for the first time in ages, feeling peaceful but looking for Pugly and Elvis since they always made her feel better and less alone, too. She felt the presence of many others, like !Xu, the barking gecko, a wafting, slip of a thing with a sweet, sugary essence but not Pugly or Elvis. She sent them a thought, asking them to send her love to Josh. She felt a little odd as her heart skipped a beat but realised that loving was a big part of this strange thing called life.

As her thoughts focused on love, on Josh, she opened her eyes in slits, lovingly stroked her book and said a little prayer, asking, willing it to display its wisdom.

Emily opened the book and stared at the first page as the words started to appear.

Be Forewarned! You have been made aware

that the following of this path can be a scare.

Once the process begins, it can never be stopped

As the formless comes, the gate will be unlocked.

You spirit will undergo drastic changes

As all is revealed, in the formless danger

For everything happens, happens as it should

On this path of rightness, this path of good

You'll separate yourself from the world as known

And you'll travel deep into the perilous unknown

Acceptance of this path, you have already given

Journey safely, mage, towards the heavens.

These were the same words she'd seen before, but she read them regardless, as more appeared.

In the Map of the Mind's Eye, where you pray

You must discern and make your own way

There are no signs or symbols, let's be clear

That you will need to be focused over here

To find your direction, follow your nose

Love and light are your guides, but this you know

Focus your thoughts, and every feeling too

As one step at a time, you find your way through.

Emily wanted to cry she was so frustrated. She'd read these already. The words started fading as her impatience, anger and restlessness started taking over. Slowly, she brought her thoughts and breathing under control, and even though her emotions still bumped up and down she tried to blanket everything in softness. The initial words reappeared quickly, and were followed with new ones. Finally.

On the page, the whispers of words appeared:

There are four things that you must do

On this journey, deep into you

A need for Balance is everywhere

Of this you must become aware

Being alive, you are a part of the All

Your need it created it, however small

Your responsibility large so aware you must be

Of the role you have played in creating this need

Restoring balance is an extraordinary feat

Special skills you will need, to dance to this beat.

These skills you must learn, all by yourself

And action must come, if you want to be helped.

The hair on the back of Emily's neck stood up. Her Eight however remained cold.

She knew she'd asked some questions about who she was, and why she was here on this earth, that's how she'd found Aurana in the first place. She knew that she was part of some shift in the Balance there, somehow, but wasn't quite sure what she'd begun. She didn't realise that by getting involved she was somehow responsible for what was happening.

Emily re-read the words. She was more aware than most other people around her, she knew that, but what skills was she supposed to get: sword-fighting, wand waving? This didn't seem right. Again, she read the words. Her hair remained on edge and her body began to shudder. Balance, balance, balance, it was all about bloody balance! But what skills was she supposed to get, and as for acting, she had been, hadn't she? In fact, she'd been too involved in all of it.

And how did any of these words help with getting to Limbo and Josh? Emily slammed the book closed roughly and marched back towards the kitchen. Edwina had some explaining to do.

As Emily entered the kitchen, she threw the book towards Sam. "There, read it if you like. I'm sure you'll see my words since they don't seem to be meant for me. I don't know what they have to do with anything Edwina."

She plopped herself down in the chair opposite Edwina, Rupert and Sam, next to Sarah whose eyes were bulging out.

Edwina smiled softly, "Child, ya needs ta remember that wisdom don't spells it out for ya. That's part of ya path, ya gotta figures it out for yaself."

"So how does this stupid book of mine help then, Ed, where's Josh, how do I get to him? How do I find Limbo?' yelled Emily, trying to keep her emotions under control but failing.

"That's the point, chil'. It's different for all of us, this limbo-thingie ya keep goings on about. It's personal-like."

Pointing towards the Great Hall, Edwina continued, "But I can tell's ya that going inta that Void, in that there hall, 'elps. And ya canna worry 'bout Joshie, ya don't need ta. He's in a fine place for now. Ja just gotta realise somefings for ya self that's all."

"At last, a clue I can understand," said Emily, jumping up, wanting to head towards the Void, but hanging back when her thoughts switched on to the fact that the Man could also be there. "Anyone want to come with me?" said Emily, looking hopefully at her friends.

"Sit down, Em. Stop rushing. Let me finish reading these words," said Sam, continuing, "Jeez, Louise, I don't know what words you saw Em, but these sound like they're directed at me."

"Let me see, let me…" said Morgan, grabbing the book away from Sam. Morgan's eyes trailed down the page, as everyone watched her light up, "I can see them. Finally, I can see something that you guys can. But what's all this stuff about balance and responsibility and action mean?" she trailed off, looking from Emily to Edwina, to Sam, to Rupert.

"Banged if I know," said Emily, "You coming or staying?"

Emily felt a tugging on her arm, pulling her back down to her chair, "Sit, Emily, sit. Please just wait," said the mouse-like voice next to her, "You don't know what's going to happen."

Emily shrugged Sarah off. Rupert spoke up. "Emily, you may need something else in there apart from friends. Perhaps your wand?" She looked down at her empty hands. In her haste to get to Edwina's today, it had been the last thing she'd thought of. What was happening to her these days? She kept forgetting the smallest things, or biggest things?

"Do I really needit, Ed?" she asked, pleadingly.

"That's for ya to know and me ta find out!" laughed Edwina, twisting the earlier statement.

"Ugh," said Emily, "Why can't you tell me?"

"Dear chil', I don't have no answers ya want to hear anyways. That there book just told ya, ya have to takes responsibility. Ya decide then what ya need."

Gift looked at the thoughts and emotions whirling within Emily, each seeking domination, right fighting wrong, wars over love and hate starting within her.

"Em. Friend. Let's do this slowly, we got time, Edwina told you Josh was fine. He is, isn't he Edwina?" Edwina nodded and smiled, "So, let's you and me, and whoever, spend some time figuring this out. Sam, you said something about skills being written there?" Sam nodded. "Well, I got some clue about what those are, okay Em?"

"You know what skills we need? I'm in, sister," said Sam, excited, taking up a stance next to Gift, mimicking a warrior woman about to throw a spear. "Yoo hoo! Me too," said Morgan, running around the table to do the same.

Emily felt a tug at her sleeve again. "Um Em, can I come and stay with you this holiday at the beach?" Emily, Sam and Morgan stood speechless. Gift smiled. "What?" said Emily, "What are you on about, Sarah? I mean, you're welcome but …"

"Um," said Sarah, her voice getting quieter if that was possible "Um, I just meant if you're going to, um, practice some things, um, this holiday, maybe I can come stay with you there?"

"Good idea Sartjie," said Morgan slapping her friend on the back. Sam looked at Emily's confusion, at the rapid change of subject, and feeling the chaos erupting around her, shrugged her shoulders at her friend in a gesture of, "Why not?"

"But what about Josh? And what skills are we supposed to practice, Ed?" keened Emily.

"Joshie's fine girl. Ya go do what ya gotta go do. I gots him in my loving sight. And perhaps ya'll should go read that book ya found there in ya library by the sea again. That one 'bout the imagination?" said Edwina.

Emily shook her head at Edwina's knowing, feeling like a rat deserting a ship. At the thought, she shivered like someone had stepped on her grave. She had to admit that she wasn't ready to face anything in the Void, not even for Josh, whom she realised she was starting to love, a little. Besides, Edwina kept on reassuring her that Josh was fine. A week's holiday, with Mamasita and Gran, with all her friends around her, sounded like the best idea she'd heard in a long time.

Emily heard a sweet, chocolate, voice chime, "In time and on time little one, all is not as it seems, rest peacefully with your kind, everything is alive, little one."

CHAPTER TWENTY NINE

Emily's nose twitched, feeling a feather-like touch on the sensitive skin just under her nostrils. Dreaming, she imagined that Cook's damn cat had managed to get into her cubicle and was rubbing its purring body up against her neck and over into her mouth. Emily spat at the hair, swatted at the nuisance away and moaned in her twilight sleep.

Suddenly, something pinched her nose, stopping the flow of her breath. A long, sloppy, rough tongue licked her chin. Spluttering wide awake, Emily looked at the antagonist. Pugly and Elvis were at the end of her bed, rolling around in mirth. Pugly roared in laughter, his belly wobbling as tears streamed out his bulging eyes. Elvis, excited, wiggled like a puppet on mad strings.

"Tee hee, wee, see, got you to wake up, luck, stuck," said Elvis, as Emily shook herself, whispers of spiderlike silk threads crawling over her back.

"Not funny Elvis. You could have killed me, stopping my breathing like that," said Emily

"Oh stop being so melodramatic Emily May. We've been waiting for ages for you to sense us and wake up, but it seems like you'd rather have stayed in your deep sleep. We had to do something," said Pugly, broadcasting a smile, "Aren't you glad to see us?"

"Not really," said Emily sinking back down under the covers, the watered salty smell of the sea filling her nostrils now that she could breathe again.

"Oh come, slum, glum, we missed, hissed, kissed you," said Elvis running up the blankets full throttle towards Emily's face. She put her hands out as if to stop Elvis but he dived at her, expecting her to catch him, which she barely managed to do. "I did miss you Elvis. It's that one," said Emily, pointing at Pugly, "that I'm not partial to speaking to at the moment. Deserter. And I don't mean pudding. You schmucks, how could you leave me alone in that desert? Do you know what happened to Josh? He got burned up in a fire!"

"Here we go again. Haven't you heard anything that !Xu and Edwina, let alone Gift, have been saying to you? Drama queen, everything is alive," said Pugly, shaking his head at his student while managing to smile beautifully at the same time.

"Talking about friends, don't you think it's time to join that mob outside?" said Pugly, pointing through Emily's bedroom wall at the outside patio.

Emily had forgotten for a moment that they had a full house. After the day at Edwina's, she'd quickly phoned her Gran to see if she could bring all her friends to the beach with her, since it was only a week's break. Sarah, Morgan and Sam had camped out with her since then; only Gift had decided not to join them. She'd said something about having to 'prepare' for next year and no matter how much they begged and pleaded with her, she'd refused to come.

The noise level escalated as Emily heard the chink of coffee cups unceremoniously dumped on the table, with Mamasita yelling over them all saying, "Now don' you go callings all those tokoloshies in your speaks of those strange things you been telling each others. I can feels them wanting to peek their heads out of thems hideyholes."

Emily heard Sam make whoo-whoo sounds, smiled and got out of bed. As her feet hit the floor, she turned towards Pugly who was still metres up on her high bed about to snuggle in, "Don't you think you're going to go back to sleep. You aren't off the hook at all. You are going to come and explain everything to all of us now."

"Oh goody, should he, could he," said Elvis, for once almost making sense, as he wriggled down onto the floor, using Emily's sheets as a slippery ladder like he was escaping from a tower. Elvis ran towards Emily as she slithered her feet into her slip-slops. He grabbed onto her pajama bottoms and tugged and heaved his way up towards her shoulder like a seasoned mountain climber.

"You're not exactly out of the woods yourself, oh jiggly one. You disappeared too, remember?" said Emily, mock charging her own shoulder as Elvis hung on for dear life, his eyes expanding, taking over his whole face. "Oh no, glow, whoa, I go with the flow, him, win, grin," said Elvis, pointing at a now disgruntled Pugly who'd jumped off the high bed and walked, head held high, out the door like an earthling. Emily wondered why he didn't just walk through the wall like most Auranians who ignored, or couldn't see, physical structures.

"Well come on then slow poke, big bum, clickety-clacker, or whatever they call you now…" said Pugly to Emily, pointing at the gaggle of girls on the patio.

"Clickety-clacker, where on earth did you get that one from?" asked Emily, pretending she'd never heard the word before.

The desert walks, fresh air and good healthy food had certainly slimmed her down. She couldn't be called big bum anymore but Emily wondered if that wasn't better than clickety-clacker. She walked out onto the patio as the gulls, swooping, pooping and swirling, put on a show for her friends. Sam was the first to notice her, saying, "I see your friends are back, how nice. Hello Pugs."

Morgan turned around immediately, "What do you mean back, we've been here the whole time, stupid," while Sarah smiled at Emily, her fingers curling in to a small wave.

Emily took a good long look at Sarah. She'd come out of her shell since being at the beach; it seemed the fresh, salty air had done herthe world of good.

"Can you see them Sarah? You can, can't you? I didn't think that little wave was for me," asked Emily, beginning to connect the dots.

"Yip," said Sarah, shyly, "they do still kind of fade in and out but mostly, when I'm happy, I can see them."

"See what?" shouted Morgan at Sarah. "Oh I hate you all. How come I'm the only one that doesn't see nothing?"

"Nice language, Morgs," said Sam laughing, pulling Morgan's chain, "Perhaps you need to learn to speak English first before you'll get what's going on."

"Shudup," said Morgan, boxing Sam hard on the arm. Sam retaliated and fists started flying in a mock fight, as Emily sat down next to Sarah, looking at her questioningly.

"So, are you going to tell us what's going on at home?" said Emily quietly, as the two others continued to batter each other. "No," said Sarah simply as Sam and Morgan stopped snorting and growling at each other, collapsing into giggles.

"Just no?" said Emily, wanting more.

"Just no," said Sarah.

"Want to tell me how you've managed to come so far all by yourself, seeing things and all?" said Emily.

"No."

As Sarah hugged herself and started retreating into her shell, Emily put her hand on her arm, "It's okay. When you're ready. No pressure. I like how you've blossomed down here with us. Try to remember your time here when you're back if that will help." said Emily, trying to counsel her friend.

"Why don't you ask them what's going on, rather than focusing on me all the time?" said Sarah, aggressively.

"Whoa," said Emily, completely stumped at Sarah's swinging moods. Sarah had come into her own at the beach but it had been difficult to understand what was going on with her. One moment she'd be her usually withdrawn self, then fine for ages, like she had been the past day or two, now suddenly she was really angry.

"Sorry Em. I don't mean to snap but just leave me alone for now. Okay?" said Sarah, straining to maintain control.

"Okay," said Emily, turning to Sam and Morgan, who were listening, wide-eyed, saying nothing.

"So what you got to say for yourself then?" said Sam, speaking to Pugly, looking at the empty table top, trying to ease the sudden tension.

"You talking to your freaky friend now Sam?" asked Morgan, wondering which friend, real or imagined.

"Yup. You're going to have to get with the programme or be left behind, Smorgasboard."

Sam continued looking at Pugly, expecting an answer to her initial question.

Pugly opened his mouth as if to say something, stopped, started again. "You might want to speak for me clickety-clack, since at least one of your friends doesn't want to see me, or hear me, yet and the other one is somewhat emotional so bouncing around like a jack-rabbit."

"Oh yay, an explanation. How wonderful for you to grace us with that." said Emily.

"What explanation, gracing you how?" said Morgan, getting ruffled for the thousandth time.

"Did he call me a jack-rabbit?" asked Sarah, softening.

"My, what can I call you Pugs, oh, my teacher, Auranian teacher that is, says I better talk for him, so that you can also know what's going on, Morgs." said Emily, ignoring Sarah.

"Hallelujah," said Morgan flopping back in her chair, like a child reborn.

Pugly spoke and Emily translated as best she could, peppering the one way conversation with so many questions that Morgan "Ughed" and threw up her hands in disgust, not understanding who was talking when or translating what.

Emily asked where Josh was and got the same response as she'd received from others, simply that everything is alive, so didn't get any further with this mystery. "He sends his love, though," said Pugly, cheeks reddening even as he teased Emily, "Lots of it."

"You can talk to him?" asked Emily, "Then tell him…." She didn't actually know what to say to Josh. Thank you didn't seem enough, hello didn't seem appropriate and where the frig are you, why did you doit and the hundred other burst of questions, she was still too raw and angry to process. Pugly allayed Emily's fears, saying only that things were not as they seemed. Like I haven't heard that one before either, thanks Pugs, thought Emily.

Pugly tried to refocus Emily on her next task.

"So if I can't ask you about Josh, what about the book and the skills I'm supposed to learn? What are they? Hey?" asked Emily nervously.

Pugly shrugged. "You're a long way away from understanding those things Em. A long way."

"Thanks squat-pants, you sound like Edwina. All wise and full of hot air, telling me I'm a long way from ready," said Emily, flopping back into her chair like Morgan.

Frustrated, and wanting to know more, Emily sat upright again, shoving her face towards Pugly, asking, "So what is it about this Balance that I have to learn? And how am I responsible for it? I think you Auranians have lost it, so you should find it. I've about had it with you lot."

"You sound like my mother," mumbled Pugly, letting Emily rant on regardless.

"And as for acting on it, I have been. It's you that's been missing, or not doing things, so I've had to help you, not the other way around. I have acted." shouted Emily.

"You can say that again. Act, actor, you sure are acting out," said Pugly softly.

"I've been in a sword fight with a snake. I've nearly been caught by the Man and I was about to walk through fire for you, right into his arms."

"Hardly for us and who said walking into fire was a dumb thing?" said Pugly quietly.

Emily held up her hand, her thumb and finger millimeters from each other, ignoring Pugly. "I'm about this close to throwing the switch on you guys again. The only reason I'm not is because of Josh. I don't need or want you in my life."

"Now you sound like me," said Pugly under his breath, "who needs you?"

"Oh calm down Em," said Sam, "let the poor creature speak."

"Thank you Sam," said Pugly, respectfully acknowledging her interruption.

"Oh what's the use?" said Emily flopping backwards again, "All you keep giving me is more mumbo-jumbo. No answers."

"Perhaps if you keep your mouth shut, you'll get some?" offered Pugly. "You think?" said Emily as Sam laughed outrageously. "I think, I think, now what was it I was going to say?" said Pugly, his eyes going sideways, trying to remember what his train of thought had been before Emily sprouted off. She rolled her eyes. Sam laughed even harder.

"Oh yes, I think you need to practice a little with that wand of yours. You did bring it with you, didn't you?" said Pugly, sarcastically.

"My wand. What's that stupid wand go to do with anything? It hasn't helped a bit."

"Well, if you use it, it might," said Pugly, biting back.

"Freakazoid," said Emily.

"Clickety-clacker."

Sam hugged her stomach muscles, groaning, as the two sparring partners jabbed at each other.

"Bum-faced poodle," said Emily.

"Enough," screamed Pugly, "No need to get personal Em. That last one was just plain nasty. I'm not a poodle."

Emily shrugged, but kept quiet.

Pugly sat down, miffed. "Enough. Truce, okay? You have some work to do and as always, oh diva, your friends need to help you. The wand will help you with controlling, um, I guess, the elements, at least until…"

"Yeah right," said Emily, "you just told me I'm out of control so what's makes you think the wand will be able to help?"

"All the more reason for having it then," suggested Pugly quietly.

"And why do I need to control these elemental things as you say?"

"Because you need to go back into the Void. If you want to reach Josh and find Limbo, you're going to need to focus on making things happen the way you want them to. I assume you read your book and were told that it's your responsibility."said Pugly, smugly. "Only if that's what you really want though. Who am I to force you to do anything?" said Pugly, smiling sarcastically.

"I don't, I do, I don't know what I want," said Emily, pushing her chair away from the table in a huff and stomping off back to her bedroom.

"Well that settles it then, neither do I," said Pugly to Emily's back. Pugly turned to Sam, who'd stopped laughing enough to look at the faces around her.

"Sam. Sam. Focus," said Pugly, his two fingers in a V-shape moving from her eyes to his, like Gift had done on the bus to her nemesis.

"Sam. Get her to do it please. It needs to be done. Help her practice with the sparks or rather sprites as they dance out of the end of the wand, like they did at the hostel that first time. You all saw it, didn't you?" asked Pugly looking around at Emily's friends.

Morgan yawned, watching the gulls. Sarah nodded, as Sam responded, "Okay. But why? What's going to happen?"

"The Void will open up when she tries to reach Limbo and many, um, strange beings will come pouring towards her in the gap. She will need to be ready to direct the sprites, to give them enough form to help. Am I making any sense?"

"No, not really, but okay, I'll do my best to help her make forms, or whatever. Oh, do you mean like making pictures, like in our imagination?' said Sam cottoning on, "And what kind of strange beings exactly? Oh frig, let's not tell her about that just yet, okay Sarah?"

"Don't tell who about what?" said Morgan, her ears pricking up after having left the conversation long ago.

Pugly nodded, saying, "Probably a good idea since she's in such a mood these days. I'm sure she'll know what to do when she has to, if we can get her hormones under control," smirked Pugly

"I know I mouth off at her Sam, but she's really great. I think I learnt that from my mom, anyway, I'm actually really proud of her."

"She's The One, you know," said Pugly remembering, then sadly, "If only she'd realise it."

"I know. I know. She's the one, blah, blah, blah."

"Now Sam, you've only just started accepting life beyond what you can see, and you've only felt Elvis nip you. Can you imagine what it must feel like to be in the presence of Admonai of Old, the Man?" said Pugly, a shiver starting at the base of his spine and running riot all the way down his back.

"Ad who?" asked Sam, "Oh, who cares. There are so many of you how am I supposed to figure out who's who in your zoo."

"We are not a zoo!" said Pugly, remaining dignified as Elvis jumped onto Sam and bit down hard on her ear.

"Ouch. Elvis, okay already, I'm sorry, I was just kidding. Can't you take a joke?"

No one realised that Pugly had carefully steered the conversation towards wand practice, and away from the skills Emily would need if she was to see her future.

CHAPTER THIRTY

Emily felt disgruntled, her mood not having improved through the last few days of the holidays, especially as Sam had pushed and prodded her to perform. They'd all gone down to the beach each sundown and sat in the half-moon dune where she'd first taught Sam how to heart-feel.

Emily had brought out her wand, as the others had taken up compass positions; Sam in the east, Sarah in the North and Morgan in the West which left Emily to create magic in the South. The first few times she whisked her wand around in a circle nothing had happened, and after more than an hour of trying, she'd given up.

But Sam was persistent, so the next night they'd gone to the beach again and this time they had all witnessed the sprites. By the time the last night had come, Emily, with her friends shouting multitudes of directions and encouragement, had been able to direct the sprites to form in the shape of something that looked like a human body, albeit a transparent one.

The difficult part had been trying to imagine and direct the sprites into such a complex design all at the same time, since there were thousands of the little critters. Just when she thought she had it, some sprites would detach and go their own way. But at least she had practiced and she had some idea of how to use her imagination to create a form.

During the practice times, in deep concentration, Emily had picked up a sense of fear that pervaded the circle, but managed to bat it aside using her wand like a fly-swatter, assuming it was because they were all new at this. Thoughts of re-entering the Void were, however, not far out of her own consciousness and she couldn't use the wand behind her to strip her sense of the spidery crawl that would run up and down her spine.

When they'd arrived back at hostel, with Pugly, Elvis and even Wiz in tow, Emily had some time to think about what had happened. When she'd used the wand, she'd felt incredibly light, and saw streams of what she could only think was their own energy or sprite-like bits coming out of her friends to join in with the wand-created form. Morgan's had formed a steady, if slim trickle, while Sarah's had come in spectacular bursts, but Sam's had looked like a flowing river, thick and fast. At least she knew that her friends had been trying as hard as she had and why Sam was more exhausted than the rest of them.

Now, back at hostel, her wand tucked back in its space under the floor boards under her bed, Emily, on Pugly's insistence, decided it was time to go back into Aurana, before going to Edwina's. She was glad to put off going into the Void, for any reason.

She still felt Josh keenly, wanting to be with him but even though she sent her thoughts and heart out to connect with him, she couldn't find his presence. There were still too many questions that hadn't been answered. She hoped she might get some help from her friends on the other side of the Veil.

Everything is alive, thought Emily, as the mantra sang through her thoughts, like it had every moment since Josh had disappeared, giving her hope. She shivered as she remembered the rat appearing and sitting on her chest, her Eight warming up slightly in warning.

She'd go into Aurana even though she heart-felt that the visit wasn't going to be a good one and so set her alarm clock for the designated eleven p.m.

Surprisingly, Sarah had asked to come with her, but Pugly had insisted that the time wasn't right for her, so Emily had had to make some excuse about only those already having entered being allowed to do so tonight. Sarah had accepted it but Emily could see Sarah was deeply disappointed, and her thoughts of self-criticism bubbled up next to her. Sarah's bubbles showed pictures of her scratching and cutting herself, and her thoughts told her that she wasn't good enough to come into Aurana. She hoped Sarah wasn't actually doing that to herself, but in case she was, she begged Pugly to change his mind. He wouldn't budge, so she sent a prayer into the ethers and asked whomever to look after Sarah.

Thank goodness Sam was coming with her. Just before they'd gotten into their respective beds tonight, Sam had said, "Don't you worry, clickety-clack, I'll head that rat off at the pass. Just make sure you wake me up for the journey." Sometimes, Sam was a little too adventurous and gung-ho.

The alarm whispered into the silent, dark night. Emily and Sam stepped into the hatch, the mist surrounding and wrapping them in warmth, this time shifting in colours, as the scroll appeared before them:

First, to start, you must know thought

Then take care to not get caught;

Seeing world's most times concealed

Desire creates what is revealed

Restored, slowly, in plain sight

Imagination then takes flight

Linked to feeling; heed this clue

As once discovered, all comes true

The only limit's in the mind

Forgotten secret depths you'll find

Go with the flow, in and out

Leave behind you every doubt

Then, with time, the Dead will out

Healing, healing all will shout

Resurrected, an old prayer

From the earth's intent to care

Time, once slow, will run much faster

As you learn to be a Master

With fire burning in the night

So Creation comes to light

Within your faith you'll twist and turn

Your sense of place being where you'll learn

Within yourself is so much more

Relative to all that's been before

Once, together, we'll become

All you've searched for, not just one

Creating magic with each leap

All is shown for you to keep

"Why's the mist changing, Em? It's always been red before, do you know what's going on?" asked Sam.

"I'm not a soothsayer. If I can't even figure out what's going on in my little world, so how am I supposed to know anything about these kinds of things?" grumbled Emily.

"Okay, prickly pear, just chill, I'm sure it's not that important," said Sam, dancing around her bug-eyed, flying companion and out into the cave, "Come on Em. Come on, let's go. I want to see if I can meet the Elder this time. Can I Wiz? Huh? Huh, can I?"

Wiz, a smile taking over his face, said, "For me to know and you to find out."

Sam clipped him on one of his wings and he went spiraling out of control, like a helicopter with a damaged rotor. Landing hastily on the ground, Wiz fluttered his wings about checking for any damage, shouting, "Now the answer's a definite no."

"Oh Wiz, I'm sorry, I meant to pat you on the back. I forgot how small you are, but you should know better than to say things like that to me," said Sam, not at all sorry.

"Now you know how I feel," said Emily, walking forward to the cave's entrance. "For me to know and you to find out, that's all we get from these silly creatures."

Emily made a mock kick towards Pugly, who quickly scampered out the way, shouting, "Hey. If you two continue to act this way, we won't invite you back at all. Don't you know you're only allowed in here because we allow you to join us?"

"Then why can you cross boundaries into our world, like that rat, without our permission?" said Emily, angrily.

"Who says he crossed without permission?" replied Pugly quietly. "But we're off on the wrong foot today – isn't that how you put it – wrong foot, strange… anyway, let's go, we've got some more training to do before you must get back."

Sam looked around her at the cave, the water lapping over the jagged rocks, and realised she was able to keep her equilibrium more easily this time. Entering into a world that was many times the speed of your own had some downsides, but Sam was glad she was now starting to enjoy the upsides.

"Wish you could fly already," said Pugly to himself, "I hate the long walk," as Emily asked, "So where are we going this time?"

"Same place as last time," replied Pugly.

"You mean we don't get to explore? What's the point of coming over here if we can't have some fun?" asked Sam, sounding like a spoilt child, looking at the bug-a-lugs rushing around her feet as she stepped onto the desert sands.

Emily closed her eyes, a calm descending on her as it always did when she was in Aurana. There is something special about the air or energy of this place, she thought. Her Eight sparked. She opened her eyes quickly and looked questioningly at Pugly, saying, "Something's going to happen, isn't it?"

"Well, it is and it isn't, that's part of the teaching today. Now if you'll put your running feet on, we can get it done sooner."

"Thanks Pugs, great help as always," said Emily sarcastically, as she nonetheless started up the path towards Avignail, Pugly's home in the forest. Pugly, bored, ran a little way then took off into the air in front of them.

"How does he do that?" asked Sam in awe, leaping up into the air trying to imitate him. "Wiz, a little help?"

"No way. You aren't coming near my wings," said Wiz, still miffed at his earlier disrespectful treatment, "You are going to have to learn things the hard way."

"No kidding," said Sam, leaping forward, arms flapping.

Emily simply ran on, one foot in front of the other, ignoring those around her, trying to figure out what training was going to happen, since she didn't have her wand. Would the Elder be there, would she be giving them the training? Emily hoped so.

After some time the group reached the forests of Avignail, less awed at all the tall and short, round and slim, crinkly and creative creatures that had followed them in bursts at one time or another.

After the night's rest, where Emily and Sam stayed outside under the trees, resting on moss-covered mounds, they woke refreshed the next morning. Elvis wiggled, bouncing up and down on Pugly's protruding stomach, while Emily smiled at his antics, feeling better than she had in days.

"Flow, go, mow, Emily May, today, say, hey, is a better day, play, stay?" said Elvis, lifting his legs up in his last leap and landing square on his bottom on the side of Pugly's stomach as he was trying to roll out of the way.

"Stop that you pip-squeak," shouted Pugly, standing on all fours now, glaring at his helper.

"Ugly, Pugly, mugly, that's no way, pray, say, to speak to me, thee, free," said Elvis, his hair flying in all directions as he stomped off, "Going to, shoe, loo, hue, tell your Mom on you, sue, poo."

"Oh boy. Now I'm in trouble," said Pugly, becoming the young boy he was, as he ran after Elvis. Turning towards them, he said more commandingly, "Get your stuff together, we leave in a minute."

"Stuff, what stuff? How much does he think we can bring in here?" asked Sam, looking around her, "He's losing it, Em."

Emily shrugged, whispering, "You think?" giggling as she watched Pugly's mother berating him. She felt a little sorry for him, and remembered that he was as young as they were, even though he sometimes didn't act like it.

Her Eight was still warm, sparking every now and then, but she'd grown used to the strangeness of what was happening.

She would be on guard today, even though she felt she wasn't in any great danger.

The group set off towards the cleared river area they'd gone to last time. Elvis rode on Pugly's back, holding his ears back like riding reins, digging him in the ribs, and with each Yahoo, Pugly muttered, "I must remember to treat everyone with dignity. I must remember to treat everyone with dignity."

Arriving at the river, Sam stripped down to her bra and panties and dived in like last time. Emily decided to join her this time and the two girls whooped loudly and scooped water at each other like old playmates.

Getting out, they dripped and dropped on the grass, pulling their T-shirts over their wet bodies so that their undergarments showed through in wet patches. Elvis giggled at his friend's delighted look, as Pugly quickly looked away, repeating, "I must remember to treat everyone with dignity. I must remember to treat everyone with dignity."

"So, what now, Pugs? We wait again?" asked Sam, "What is it with you dudes? How come we come to visit you and we always have to wait?"

"Oh take a breast, I mean rest, already Sam," said Pugly, hiding his face under his front paws, his cheeks blushing scarlet as he tried to pretend he was resting.

Emily looked around her at the trees with their full, flowering leaves, fruits and buds. She heart-felt around her but felt no threat. She rolled Pugly over onto his side, wanting to use his stomach as a cushion.

Pugly kept his padded feet in front of his eyes, pretending that it was the most normal position for them to be in. Soon, however, he also relaxed, as Sam's deep snores came from not far away, and he allowed his legs to stretch.

Emily awoke not long afterwards with a jiggling, cart-wheeling, Elvis bouncing up and down on her stomach. He didn't make the slightest sound, but his excited tickling movements got her looking in the direction he was pointing.

There, up among the lush leaves, sat the beautiful white-haired monkey. Emily sat up quickly, as Elgeba scampered slowly down the tree trunk, pointing to a place on the grass next to her. She heard a voice in her head saying, "May I join you, Emily May? Please do not fear me, today."

Emily looked around at her journey companions. Apart from Elvis, the rest were all fast asleep, the warmth of the sun having touched them lightly and sent them into blissful sleep. Great help, guys, thanks, thought Emily, but her Eight was cool, she still felt safe and so she nodded a yes.

Elgeba, on all fours, head hanging low in supplication to ensure Emily felt no threat, moved towards her. "I'm here to teach you, Emily May. Your choice to say yay or nay," said Elgeba, his soft round eyes mischievously looking over her companions. "There is no need to wake them. The teaching is for you, and once learnt, you can always pass it on."

Emily shifted, crossing her legs and arms in defence. She put Elvis on her knee. She wanted Elvis to be her shield, but he kept sliding up and down her thigh, then running between the two of them.

Emily kept her eyes trained on Elgeba, ignoring her supposed knight in shining armor called Elvis. Scampering closer, Elgeba sat about half a meter from her on the soft, green grass.

"Emily. It is good to finally speak with you and I'm sorry I scared you that first time at the library, but at the time I knew not what I was doing."

Emily said nothing, staring at Elgeba, waiting for more.

"Emily, do you know the word discernment?" asked Elgeba, shifting his position, sitting almost like Emily but with one foot on the ground, knee in the air.

"Um, no," said Emily, her arms uncrossing, her hands moving to grab Elvis who was running around in exhausting circles, distractingly.

"Discernment means, um, I guess choosing, or figuring out what comes from where, and whether things are good or bad for you?"

"What's all that got to do with me?" said Emily, angrily, "I've hardly been in control of what's been going on, so how can I choose?"

"Emily, you will be tested, soon. You have been tested already, have you not? The fire, the rat, you did not discern then, did you?"

"Oh," said Emily, shivers going up her spine. "But … but … when I saw it here it was loving and I felt no threat that last time, but then it turned into the Man. Your Man."

"I am no longer what I was. He ruined me, but I allowed him to do so. He may be fierce, powerful, but he is not yet immortal, Emily. There are things I know about him that no one else does and that is why I am here, now, to help you. Or at least I think that's why I'm the one that's been sent to teach you. Discernment is a lesson even I am still learning!" laughed Elgeba.

A shadow moved behind Emily, the leaves whispering. Emily turned sharply to look behind her, but couldn't see or hear anything except for Sam's snoring. "You must decide, discern, between things that look the same but are not, between things that look different but are not," said Elgeba mysteriously. "Say what?" said Emily, her senses reaching around her, trying to find out what was making the hairs on the back of her neck stand up.

"Like him. Is he good or bad?" said Elgeba, pointing behind her.

Sitting in front of a tree trunk, hands scratching the air, red eyes weeping, sat a rat. Emily sprung up, shouting, her body going rigid as she woke her fellow travelers. "Go away. Chase it away," she said, screaming at Pugly, pointing at the rat.

"Oh boy, this is going to take longer than I thought," mumbled Elgeba, his eyes beseeching the sky. "Emily May, your fear is taking over, you are not yet discerning," said Elgeba quietly at her side, as he took her hand in his rounded, plump fingers to get her attention. "Your experiences will help you but you must not assume that what you see is what it is. Look at me. I am not what you assume me to be. At least, not any more."

Elgeba pointed at the shivering rat that had remained at the tree stump, no matter how many threatening gestures Sam had sent his way. "He too is not what he seems. May he come to you now?"

"Ugh. No," shouted Emily, her feet walking her further backwards. Tripping over Pugly, Emily landed on her bum.

"Pugly! Move, damnit!"

"Emily. Listen to the monkey. Heart-feel towards the rat. Let your thoughts subside, your emotions … boy do we need to get those under control ... just suspend your judgment for a second and feel."

Emily's eyes bounced between the two teachers and surrounding threats, "I thought I had to judge or choose or make a decision. Isn't that what discernment is? Now you're telling me I mustn't?"

"Oh Em. You have got a long way to go. Don't look through your eyes, look with your inside. Use your imagination, sure, but feel with your spirit. It's about knowing before all that other stuff comes in to cloud your vision."

"Oh, right…" said Emily, not knowing.

"Emily, do you trust Pugly?" asked Elgeba.

"Mostly, sort of, yes, I guess," replied Emily.

"Wow, thanks," mumbled Pugly sarcastically, "After everything we've been through …"

"Then let him help you, here, now. If he says that rat is what it is, not what you think it is, will you listen?"

"Maybe, sort of, yes, I guess," repeated Emily, her defenses dropping.

A war started in her thoughts. Would Pugly put her in danger? No. Why then hadn't he been in the desert when she needed him? And why was this rat standing there waiting? Not luring her in? She looked at Pugly, who pointed to a patch of grass in front of her. She sat down cross legged on the grass trying to be a good student. Sam came to sit at her side, silently, as Wiz perched on Sam's head. Elvis, who she'd let go of when she'd jumped up in fright, was running back and forwards like a ping pong ball between her and the rat.

As Elvis reached Emily, Pugly shot out and grabbed him between his teeth, saying, "Elvfish, genough." Emily closed her eyes, trying to calm her thoughts, knowing her friends surrounded her. The rat hadn't attacked so she had to assume it wouldn't. Was this the same rat that had come to her here the first time? But then who was the one in the desert? Were they two different rats?

She breathed in and out, regulating her heartbeat, allowing her thoughts to whip past. She opened her hands in a cup-like form, sensing her way towards the rat.

She opened her eyes and saw the sprites dancing between her and the rat, surprised at the amount of flow coming from such a small animal. The rat seemed to be sending her a steady, thick flow, like Sam had done.

The rat sniffed the air, took a tentative step forward and then scampered into her hands. Emily didn't like the feel of those tiny feet in her hands, but breathed in deeply, and heard:

Oh child of life, how you have grown

The winds of time have this way blown

When the two worlds become one

Together We'll be, and I'll have won.

Emily wanted to cry she felt so relieved, as feelings of doubt, trust, love and hate rolled through her all together.

"Feel the difference, know the difference between this, here and the last time at the fire, Emily May. Discernment is hard, but it will come to you," whispered Elgeba into her ear. Moving away, he mumbled quietly enough so no one heard him, "You're sure going to need it."

Emily sat with the rat in her hands for a long time, soaking up the knowing of it so that next time she'd be able to figure out the difference. Sam, Wiz, Pugly and even Elvis sat quietly at her side as the tears rolled down Emily's face, unexpectedly.

After some time, Elgeba scampered back into the thick forest, shaking his head as he went, saying, "Something had better help her. Do you hear me, something? She's not ready at all. Elder, Angel, are you sure you guys know what you are doing? I sure hope so, otherwise she's going to be a flat splat."

Pugly wrinkled his nose at the rat, sniffing its bum in a friendly way. The rat scratched his nose and Pugly yelped backwards, saying, "I was just trying to get a feel for you, you know." The rat gave Pugly a warning look. Its mouth curved upwards in a smile. The rat gave Emily's finger a little hug then scampered back the way it had come. Pugly nudged Emily out of her trance-like state.

Rubbing her eyes, feeling blind, Emily asked, "What happened?"

"Oh boy. Like the monkey said, we are in trouble," said Pugly, "Anyway, what's done is done. We got to get you home now."

"Already? Oh please Pugs, can't we explore just a little?" begged Sam, chasing Wiz around, not expecting an answer. Straight afterwards, without skipping a beat, Sam said, exaggerating, "You are off the scale, Em. Do you knowthat you've been sitting with a rat in your hands for the past hour? Or at least it felt like an hour. Yuck, you've lost your marbles, clickety-clack."

"What?" asked Emily lightheaded, feeling like her memory had been gouged, wrung out and her head emptied.

Her Eight sparked and her spine shivered, as if someone had walked over her grave.

CHAPTER THIRTY ONE

Marakis wove and spun his dark form around Melanie as she walked through the dark streets of Kingstown. He had followed her to Rupert's door, where he'd felt her wavering between the dark and the light. He'd become very frustrated when he hadn't been able to go into Rupert's room, like he had before, so he understood his only hope now was to follow her.

He loved the feeling of the Lost Ones, so depressed, deeply troubled and malleable to his ministering. Since the fiasco in the desert, he'd lost respect for Admonai but still didn't have the dark strength to go out on his own just yet. It wasn't going to be long, though, before he could leave Admonai's protection and make his own brand of chaos in the world again.

Admonai had made a fatal error by trying to breach the Veil, believed Marakis. Admonai was still the Heathens' pet, once more restricted to Attica and the Void, after his failed attempt to get at Emily in the desert.

Marakis decided to continue his quest in the world regardless of Admonai's failings and the Heathens' warning. He was gathering the dark energy that was needed for him to interfere directly in the girl's path, slowly, from the Lost Ones. Now he knew how he could get close to herwithout any help from Admonai.

He loved spending time with Melanie. The more time he spent infiltrating her emotions, the darker her psyche became. She'd been on the edge of the precipice for a long time, convincing herself that there was hope no matter how bad her life seemed to get. She had almost escaped his clutches last time by banging on Rupert's door.

Marakis knew he'd have to be more careful with Melanie and that he'd need to spend more time with her, or she would ruin everything.

Melanie woke up feeling down. Most mornings she'd been able to pick herself up but it was becoming harder and harder to do so. She realised if she didn't find some kind of a safe haven soon, that she would be lost all together.

A few weeks ago she'd left her street gang, her slimmest protection on these dark streets, and was now totally alone in this world. She could no longer handle the 'payment' her gang had expected from her, to perform night after night, at their slightest whim, in the most perverse way. She'd managed to switch off during these sessions of debasement but found she couldn't seem to box them and put them away in the deepest recesses of her mind anymore.

Thoughts of what she'd done simply to stay alive were now eating at her inside and out. She had to find a way out. She had to find some help.

Melanie shook the melancholy off, squared her shoulders and moved towards The Lennox. She'd felt the goodness roll off of Rupert last time she'd been there. She knew he'd be willing to help her, but wasn't sure she wanted to owe any man anything and so kept out of sight.

On a few occasions, she'd followed him into the Old Quarter. She didn't know at the time what it was called, had never seen it before or even known it existed. Now she crept silently into the Old Quarter whenever she was feeling really down.

For some reason, the weight lifted off her shoulders a little and she felt lighter and lighter the longer she stayed there. But she couldn't get herself to find refuge there; something seemed to clang and clash furiously within her, the longer she stayed. The dark within, unknowingly, still called her back to the darker side of Kingstown, so she spent her days hiding out in the Old Quarter and the nights in the dirtiest, dankest, deepest hell.

Melanie squashed herself into a corner, becoming the smallest possible shadow, further down from Al's General Dealer and opposite the bright red door of what seemed to be some kind of bookstore. She'd seen Rupert go in and out a few times, but was too scared to approach it herself. She'd spent that last few weeks watching and waiting.

Many times as she'd been about to cross the road and look in the window, the strangest looking woman would open the door and look directly at her. Melanie knew the woman couldn't possibly see her in the shadows, but it felt like the woman's eyes, sitting above the longest nose she'd ever seen, gazed directly at her. When that happened, she found herself retreating further, trying to become part of the brick background, as her internal war escalated.

The door would close and she would find some relief in anonymity again.

Today, she simply watched and waited again. It wasn't long before she saw a young girl, probably the same age as her, come running down the road, like she had the dogs of hell on her own heels. Brown, stringy hair flew out behind the girl, as she kept glancing backwards, and Melanie realised the girl wasn't just another street girl. Her clothes were too neat and new for her not to have a home or someone that loved and looked after her.

It was strange to see someone so well dressed on the streets today, since most girls their age were supposed to be in school. The girl, her eyes watery as she looked around once more, quickly opened the red door and Melanie heard her yell, "Edwina", before it shut quickly behind her.

Now at least she knew the name of the strange-looking store owner. Edwina. It had a nice ring to it. Melanie felt herself stand up, almost as if her body now had control over her. Her feet put themselves one in front of the other, moving towards the red door. Melanie felt her thoughts scream at her, telling her to beware, telling her that there was danger ahead. Wasn't that what red was supposed to mean? Red, a red door, wasn't red a danger sign? Melanie's feet kept on walking forward, as her mind exploded into a multitude of jumbled, crazy thoughts.

Sarah yelled, "Edwina," and slammed the door shut behind her. She knew she was supposed to be in school but had managed to fake a sore tummy and had been told to stay in bed at hostel. With all the hostel teachers at school, she only had Cook and her mangy cat to contend with, so she'd managed to escape without being seen. She'd been nervous at the idea, had become more scared as she'd run through Kingstown alone, She'd almost turned around, but Sarah knewthat she needed to be at Edwina's.

Logically, she knew she was taking a huge risk, but the urge to be at Edwina's bookstore was greater than her fear of being caught.

Sarah moved toward the beaded curtain where she was sure to find Edwina, then suddenly stopped dead in the middle of the aisle with the thousands of books on her right.

Turning around, she moved back towards the red door. She wasn't entirely sure why she needed to be here, wasn't ready to tell anyone about what was going on at home, let alone what was going on inside of her, her emotions running riot, as they had over the last year.

Sarah felt like she was being driven by something other than herself. What was going on with her?she questioned, shuddering as she followed her feet back the way she'd come. Sarah put her hand on the door, waiting, jumping backwards in surprise when it started opening, pushed from the outside.

Sarah was about to yell for Edwina again, but her mouth felt like it had been strapped shut with a thick piece of tape. The door moved slowly, the sunlight tentatively sneaking across the floor and shelves as it opened wider.

A thin, pixie face poked through, looking around. As the girl saw Sarah standing there, her mouth yelped involuntarily and her body shot backwards out the door and into the street.

Sarah listened to the urge that had made her come to Edwina in the first place, and followed quickly, grabbing the girl's short scruffy jersey with one hand, while her other had grabbed the back of her short skirt.

"Stop. Stop," shouted Sarah, as she was dragged out of Edwina's bookstore and into the street.

"Get off. Let me go," yelled Melanie, twisting and turning, trying to loosen Sarah's grip.

"Wait. Stop. Who are you?" asked Sarah, not letting go for a second, "This is going to sound crazy but I think I'm supposed to meet you?"

"Let me go," said Melanie menacingly, her fright calming as her street self-preservation and anger took over.

Sarah ducked, as the girl's fist swung at her awkwardly at an angle, shouting, "Please don't hurt me. I promise I'll let you go if you just tell me why you're here? Please, I'm not strong, I can't hold you for long but I know we're supposed to meet up."

Melanie stopped fighting, her body relaxing slowly as she saw the terror in Sarah's eyes mirroring her own. "Just let go, okay? I don't know why I'm here, I've just been watching that door," replied Melanie, pointing backwards at Edwina's closed red door.

"What do you mean that we are supposed to meet? That's crazy talk. I don't know you."

Sarah let go, becoming smaller as Melanie puffed up in front of her. "And aren't you supposed to be in school anyway?"

"I bunked out. Something told me I had to be here," said Sarah, arms hanging at her sides, "I've never come alone before and I don't know why Edwina might want to see me, so it must be about you, I think, I dunno."

Melanie grabbed Sarah's arm, squashing her thick, downy, sweater up against her bones, dragging her across the street towards the shadows.

"Ow, ouch, not so hard," said Sarah, watching as strained droplets of blood sweated through her top near her elbow, making small round tell-tale dots.

"You're bleeding," said Melanie as she saw what Sarah was complaining about on the outside of the sweater and whipped up Sarah's sleeve before she could react.

"What are those from?" asked Melanie, looking at the cuts on Sarah's arm.

Sarah dragged her sleeve down, embarrassed that someone had seen them, saying shamefully, "Nothing. It's got nothing to do with you. We're off the topic. This is about you, remember. Now who are you?"

"What makes you so sure this is all about me?" asked Melanie, moving Sarah further into the shadows, "Looks like you're in a heap of trouble all on your own."

"Sit. Here," said Melanie, her eyes scampering around her, looking at the road, as she shoved Sarah down next to her.

The red door opened and Edwina put her head out, as she had done a few times in the weeks before, looking across the street, pretending she couldn't see anyone.

Sarah made to get up, saying, "Ed…", then found a hand closed over her mouth, as she was dragged down into the shadows.

Edwina bobbed her head up and down in a yes movement, looked up and down the street as if nothing was bothering her, then closed the door.

"Why are you so skittish?" asked Sarah, taking the dirty hand away from her mouth, "You're from the streets, aren't you? What's got you so scared?"

"You don't know anything," rasped Melanie, hurting in places that Sarah had no idea bout, "And how do you know I'm from the streets anyway? Have you been watching me?"

"Um, no," said Sarah not sure how to approach the subject tactfully, "um… your clothes, I guess?"

"Oh," said Melanie spiraling downwards, looking at her dirty, faded skirt and thin, threadbare top, "'I suppose these would give me away."

Fighting back, trying to turn the conversation away from her as she'd learnt to do so well, Melanie said, "At least I'm notbleeding."

Melanie looked around her quickly again, noticing the long nose appear out the red door and the bluest eyes sparkle in their direction again. She whispered, "Do you know that lady?"

"Yes. Come, she's cool," whispered Sarah back, crouching, wanting to make her way to Edwina.

"Na-uh! Not yet," said Melanie sharply but quietly, as she pulled Sarah back down into a sitting position, "You an' me. We got some talking to do first."

.

CHAPTER THIRTY TWO

"Yay, yay, its Saturday," shouted into the silence.

Emily woke up, her feeling of dread intensifying, her Eight warming up, and her heart pounding in a rhythm that felt Josh, as Sam bounced excitedly into her cubicle.

"Come on slow poke, aren't you excited?" asked Sam, as she leapt onto Emily's bed, ruffled her hair and swept the duvet aside. The warmer summer sunshine had become a welcoming wave as the weeks at school had passed, moving them towards their only official day off this term, since they had exams looming.

Sarah had withdrawn more and more from all of them after being refused her visit to Aurana. More than once, she'd complained of being sick and had stayed behind at hostel as they'd gone off to school. Emily had tried to reach out to her, wanting to help, but had been rebuffed. Even Morgan couldn't seem to get Sarah out of her silence, no matter how hard she tried. Sarah seemed whiter, paler these days and even though the sun came out, she remained in long sleeves saying she was cold. After a while, they got used to Sarah hanging around the edges of their company, hugging herself as she stayed separate from, but still with them.

"Come on, clickety-clack," said Sam, rousing Emily back to the present, "today's the day. You've been so introspective and distant, at least much more than you usually are, if you know what I mean. I can't wait to get you and Joshie together again so things can go back to normal."

"Sam. Enough. We don't know what's going to happen today. And as always, those critters haven't been much help," said Emily, referring to her Auranian helpers who mostly spoke in ridiculous rhyming hymns.

Emily struggled into a sitting position, shoving Sam off her legs toward the bottom of her bed. "I'm scared. What if I can't …" said Emily, thinking about what lay ahead of her.

"Oh come on, warrior. Today you get to wave your wand, calling out to the beyond, and soon your Joshie from above, will fall into your arms, in love!" teased Sam, sounding like the Angel.

Emily swatted at Sam, who was moving faster than light away from her bed, giggling.

"Oh come on, clickety-clack. It won't be that bad, will it? Let's go. If we don't go, we'll never find out and that will be even worse, wont it?" said Sam, leaping onto her own bed, bouncing up and down, before high-jumping off it towards her cupboard and flinging clothes everywhere.

Emily stared ahead at her blank cardboard-thin cubicle wall. She was relatively sure it wasn't going to be a good day, let alone a 'not so bad' one.

Gift had returned from her holiday at home, all smiles and wild hair streaking towards the ceiling. When Sam had laughed and commented on her looking like a mad scientist, Gift had acted along, shrieking, saying, "I will overcome."

Emily had heard Gift and Sam whispering together, late into the night, but, though intensely curious, she felt like she wasn't invited to join in. One night she'd even sneaked down towards them and opened Gift's cubicle curtain to see what was going on. Gift had stopped mid-sentence saying, "You should have seen it Sam. It was amazing. How did the training …."

Emily looked at the bubbles next to their heads. Sam's was blank while Gifts was filled with scenes of warriors with strange makeup on dark faces, holding up shields and threatening with spears. She was amazed to see bubbles next to their heads again. She felt like she'd lost the ability with all the goings-on and realised it had disappeared when she become too entangled in her own out-of-control emotions.

Gift changed the subject completely, to unimportant schoolwork and exams, so Emily got the picture that she wasn't wanted and spent the time cloistered alone in her cubicle, her ears desperately tuned to what was being spoken about.

"Yay, Yay. Let's go play," interrupted Emily's early morning musings again, as Gift, fully dressed, shot into her cubicle, grabbed her by the hand and jerked her out of bed.

"What's with you two?" shouted Emily. "Why don't yougo into the Void if you're so freakin' excited about it."

Sam bustled back into the conversation. "Oh drama queen. It's not half as bad as you think it's going to be. We'll be there and you know it. And aren't you supposed to be thinking positive thoughts?"

Gift giggled, "That might help, you know Em, thinking a little more positively, that is."

"Easy for you to say. But okay, okay, it's not like I can't take my own medicine," said Emily, realising that she was creating her own doom and gloom today by worrying about things she had no control over.

"Now don't forget your wand again," said Gift, leaving Emily's cubicle, missing the sarcastic smile that Emily beamed at her.

Emily heard Gift say, "Hey Morgs, got your fisticuffs ready?" and the two girls collapsing. Emily caught the spirit of adventure and fun that started infecting the air around her, even as her eight warmed up. There was nothing she could do but go to Edwina, and the longer she put it off, the worse she knew it would be. She wanted to help Josh, to find him and be with him. Pugly had made it clear that it was up to her, since they were connected.

She blushed as she thought of Josh's body coming up against hers while they were both squashed into Edwina's. Emily was quite sure that wasn't what Pugly had meant but couldn't get the image out of her head. She only hoped she'd be able to be there for Josh, like he'd been there for her. Whenever she'd needed someone to rely on, his steady presence had been there. She hadn't even realised how much she liked having him around until he was gone. Surrounded by her friends and family, though loving, it hadn't been the same without him. It was like a hole had opened up inside of her and emptiness had flooded in.

Emily pulled on her standard jeans and takkies, a white T-shirt and carelessly brushed out then plaited her long brown hair.

She was not looking forward to going back into the Void but was looking forward to finding Josh. She hoped she (or rather the sprites, since that's why she assumed she'd learned how to direct them) would be able to find Limbo.

All thoughts of Balance, quests, journeys, skills and instructions she'd received in her Book, fell way back into her consciousness as she focused on the task in front of her. Emily believed that if she just rescued Josh, the rest would fall into place, since he'd be there to help her understand and decipher the clues. I miss him, thought Emily, her love swelling and contracting quietly, as she scrambled under her bed to get her wand from its hiding place under the floorboards.

Looking at the multi-coloured outer layer, Emily wondered if she'd be able to leave this silly stick at Edwina's afterwards, like she had with her sword after the last battle.

Thank goodness I don't have a battle on my hands this time, she thought. I must just remember to be on the lookout for Him and anything even vaguely resembling a rat. Emily shivered, crawling out from under her bed.

So help me find you, okay, come to me quickly please Josh, said Emily into the ethers, like she had before she had met him and so many times afterwards when she'd needed him. Shoving the wand into her backpack, Emily hurried after the noise of her friends, who were halfway down the stairs, obviously having forgotten that she was a key element in today's adventure.

"I'm in 'ere, lovies," said Edwina, as she heard the front door opening. "Brewin' tea fer ya all."

Sam, Gift and Morgan rushed towards the beaded curtain. Emily walked in behind them, turning to see if Sarah was still with them. Sarah stood at the entrance looking across the street.

"You coming?" asked Emily, trying to see what Sarah was staring at, surprised that Sarah was even here today with them. Emily had told Sarah that she could stay behind if she wasn't feeling well, but Sarah had insisted she was a part of this. Sarah nodded her head, looked at Emily with big, wide, sad eyes, turned and walked slowly past her towards Edwina. Emily looked across the street towards the shadows, but saw nothing but dark and darker streaks, interrupted slightly with speckles of light as the sunshine caught flecks in the air.

Emily closed the red door, shook the feeling of doom away from her, shaking her hands out in front of her like she was drying nail polish on her nails and focused on the laughter coming from the back of the bookstore.

At least this was nothing like last time, when they had to come running down here in the middle of the night, thought Emily. At least it was daytime and so far nothing ugly had happened during the day. Why did all the scary things only come out at night, either in dreams or near fires or in total darkness?

Emily looked towards the door of the Great Hall, hearing muffled sounds come from behind it and quickly moved towards Edwina and her happy kitchen. "Ed, what's going on in the hall, the Void, whatever?" she said, her eyes still behind her as she walked through the curtain.

"Oh just some of me friends, lovie, like last time, come ta 'elp yas. Ya dinna think we'd leave ya all alones then, did ya?" asked Edwina, rubbing Emily's shoulder in support.

"Oh," said Emily, spying Rupert sitting at the table, surrounded by her gabbing friends. Rupert smiled with his eyes and nodded his head in greeting.

Emily was about to ask if he was going to join them but thought better of it. She had more to worry about than Rupert and since he seemed to be at Edwina's all the time these days, Emily hoped some of Edwina's light had rubbed off on him. Tea finished, Edwina started shushing them all towards the hall, like a shepherd directing her sheep towards good grazing lands.

"Ya got ya wand then lovie? Ya prepared?" asked Edwina, giving Emily an enveloping hug, knowing that Emily didn't know the half of what was going to happen. She nodded, then shook her head. Edwina smiled, unwound her arms from Emily, turned her around and marched her towards the hall, saying, "Ya just gotta have faith, lovie, I know it ain't easy but ya jus' remember and ya keep remembering now, that everything is alive."

Emily walked into the huge hall and saw strangers and friends, like Josh's mother Miriam. She ran towards Miriam, wondering why she hadn't thought to go to her before.

"Miriam, Miriam. You're here. Where's Josh?" said Emily, dropping her head when she realised how stupid her comment was.

"I mean, um, have you heard anything from him?" she asked, knowing that Josh's mother was connected into the Universe, in ways that she was still learning. Without waiting for an answer, Emily's voice raised in questions, "Why did he do it? What's wrong with him? Do you know what's happening to him? Is he alive?" her heart beat accelerating and her body starting to feel panicky.

"Hush girl," said Miriam, taking Emily into her own arms, "All is not as it seems … our Universe is a beautiful place and it always provides. My Josh is safe, I know this. Be aware, now, be aware."

Emily moved out of the circle of Miriam's arms, wondering why those last few words seemed ominous. Be aware or beware? Emily wasn't quite sure which one Miriam meant.

Emily moved back towards the door, where Pugly and Elvis were standing with Edwina, looking like they were having an everyday conversation. Emily felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. She turned to see Sarah, now sitting next to her other friends on the red velvet cushion chairs across the room, staring at her.

Emily made a little finger wave, Sarah half-smiled then turned to look at Gift as she said something. Emily watched as Sarah's back straightened indignantly at what Gift said to her. No time now, you sort out your own stuff, thought Emily, as Sam caught her meaning somehow and gave her two thumbs up. Emily smiled, taking courage from her best friend, as she stopped in front of Edwina.

The hall sounds slowly hushed, chairs stopped squeaking, people sat unmoving, most of them with their hands upturned, eyes closed as music started sweeping into the quiet. Emily put her bag down at the door, feeling incredibly nervous but knowing that this was her chance to help and hopefully, see, Josh. Would she be able to get him out of Limbo?

"You ready then, oh student?" asked Pugly, looking up at her with wide red-rimmed eyes.

"You been smoking something?" said Emily, quietly worried, "Pugs, when am I ever ready for this kind of thing? And what am I supposed to do? I've practiced making forms with the sprites, like you told Sam I was supposed to do," she said, still miffed at getting round about instructions.

"That's all you need to do, Em, direct them so that there's a white space. And be discerning."

"Just a white space?" said Emily, confused, "But I thought… What do you mean be discerning?"

"Oh boy, here we go again. First things first. Create a white space, that's all, okay. A solid white space and then make sure whatever you imagine is what you want to imagine."

Emily waved her wand at him in frustration at all the time and effort she'd spent learning to do complex forms when all she'd needed to do was create a white space and as for using her imagination, no problems with that. Josh had been uppermost in her thoughts for a long, long time.

"Hey, watch it! Those things are dangerous," said Pugly, scampering onto the white tiles, the horizon changing quickly from light, blue skies to dark, starlit nights above him, as he cocked his small pawed fingers, beckoning, "Follow me."

Emily took a deep breath, looking around her at the people that filled the great hall creating a wonderful, peaceful hum, and stepped forward into the Void.

She looked down at her feet, as the white tiles shifted slowly, flowing into golden desert sands. Her thoughts jumped to the last time she'd been in the desert, to !Xu, to the barking gecko and then to the fire that had enveloped Josh. She looked up sharply, trying to find Pugly, her sanity depending on him being there. She smiled as she saw him. Next to Pugly, wavering, sitting on his haunches like he was fully at home, was !Xu with the barking gecko on his shoulder.

"Good girl, good girl," he clickety-clacked at her, as the words translated into English in her head. "Good that you here. Everything, it is alive, yes? I am in the desert but not, yes?" said !Xu. The barking gecko at his side said nothing, just bobbed its head up and down. Pugly, with a silly grin on his face, looked exactly like that dog.

"Come in," said !Xu, pointing to a spot in The Void, in front of him. Emily felt the steady breeze on her legs and realised her clothes had changed. She now wore the short, barely concealing leather and hide ensemble that seemed to denote she was in a strange, otherworldly place. Feeling a little naked, she moved the top to cover as much of her chest as was possible.

Emily stopped fidgeting with her clothes as she thought of Josh. She moved towards the spot !Xu was pointing at and raised her wand like she'd practiced so many times. Emily looked at the steady streams of sprites coming from the people around her, starting to fill The Void, hanging like a deep mist that seeps in from the sea.

As she focused and twirled the wand in circles, this way and that, so the sprites moved as she directed them.

She realised that Pugly, !Xu and their respective companions, Elvis and the gecko, were helping her. Her training had involved hard concentration, almost like focusing a form and then, bizarrely, letting it go, while moving on to the next part of the same form, making it denser or lighter, or moving it in just the right way.

This time it was a lot easier, the sprites forming and coagulating all by themselves as they moved slowly into one large, simple, white space. Emily thought it looked like the white board they had at school in the science labs and relaxed.

A black spot appeared in the middle of the board. Emily whisked her wand, moving sprites towards it, trying to fill the hole. The dark fleck became larger.

Emily looked at !Xu and Pugly, as if asking a question, but saw their eyes closed in concentration. She tried again, sending sprites towards the black area in the middle of the board and this time it seemed to close, gaining depth, like a tunnel moving away from her towards some unknown destination.

"Josh, Josh," said Emily quietly searching, her wanting heart going out with the words, as her hands dropped to her sides.

The tunnel expanded, moving further backwards, but seeming to widen to giving her a better view. Emily squinted, searching within the tunnel, as the skies continued to change in the heavens above.

Emily's Eight started throbbing. She ignored it since it wasn't screaming but she acknowledged the warning. "Josh, is that you?" whispered Emily, wishing her way towards him, or him towards her. Words – sweet, chocolate-covered words – rushed out the tunnel at her, sweeping her braid behind her:

Limbo is where you will go

When you are not in the know

Far from something, in between

Wanting for things not all seen.

Time is what we'll give to you

When you wish for something new

Careful now, think what you want

For your wish, to you, we'll grant

Emily was sure she heard the cackling of a monkey as the words washed past her but didn't have time to worry about it, as the dark spot started expanding in the middle of the tunnel again. She raised her arm, sweeping the sprites towards the hole.

At the end of the tunnel, a prickle of clear, white light stood out from the surrounding sprites that were now moving in a vortex towards it.

"Josh, are you there?" asked Emily quietly, straining.

The light got bigger and finally she saw a figure. Lying down on his side, Josh looked contentedly asleep.

"Josh. Josh," yelled Emily, reaching towards him, willing him to wake up. "Josh, it's me. Emily."

She felt a little silly at the last statement but maybe Josh didn't know she was coming. Josh smiled, like a newborn baby connecting back into the world of spirit, dreaming sleepily.

"Josh, wake up," she urged, focused on the form that was starting to break up, as dark appeared in the middle of the vortex of white again.

"Josh, please Josh, I can't do this much longer," screamed Emily, blinking as light and dark shuttered, changing the image. She was sure she saw an arm reach out towards her, changing into another creature with wings.

Emily blinked at the harshness, the change in colours, texture and consistency, light and dark seeming to battle each other. She closed her eyes, swept her wand up and focused all her energy, heart and soul into the sprites, willing them to clear the picture and bring her the form she'd seen, willing Josh closer to her. She felt a rush of hot, dry air forcefully hit her body. Her eyes jerked open, she screamed and ducked just as a dark body, with a massive wing span, red talons and bloody eyes clawed down towards her.

Emily scrambled around in the desert. She scratched blindly, feeling for her wand. She'd dropped it when that monster-like bird had swept towards her. "Find it. Quickly Em," she heard Pugly's command, "You don't need your wand but I know you still believe you do. So find it. You must close the hole. Now!"

Emily's hand slid over the scales of a lizard, wanting to withdraw. Touching a stick-like protrusion, she realised it was her barking gecko. Oh thank you. Thank you, barker, thought Emily, as she grabbed her wand and swirled with all her might, focusing all her effort on directing the sprites towards the hole she could now only see in her imagination, since she was still blinded by the sand sweeping past her like a tsunami.

Sound roared in Emily's ears, her imagination took flight, and she found herself creating good and bad in the space in front of her. Fear and joy heaped together, light and dark sang and warred. "No, no!" she shouted, trying to suppress her fear and bring only the light out.

She heard the sound of a cackling monkey coming towards her but couldn't open her eyes. She smelled its sordid breath. His teeth gnashed as if he wanted to chew at her. Then she suddenly smelled the forests of Avignail and heard the shout: "Discern!"

Without thinking, Emily let go to a place of knowing, a place she'd only been once before when she'd been enveloped by the Elder. Leaving all consciousness, thoughts, concentration, imagination and form behind, Emily sank deeply into a place where everything is nothing and nothing, everything.

Emily floated amongst beauties, beasts, red-eyed winged creatures and soft, white downy monkeys. She touched the green grass and high black mountain peaks lightly but did not linger. She moved, shifted, flowed, dissolved and reunited with everything that had ever, and would ever, exist. She felt, deep within her soul, that this was a good place where Balance became one single thing, as though it was not made of two things, light and dark. Here laws governed life, chaos did not exist, only eternal progression.

The image of Josh, sleeping peacefully like a newborn baby, appeared in front of her. She reached out to touch him. Her hand, not formed but glowing in sprite-like light, soothed him like a long-lost lover, returning after many centuries apart, feeling the pure love that comes from oneness.

Tears of stars shimmered down, joy, disbelief, wonder and love surrounded their vaguely shaped forms before Emily was swept onwards, towards everything and nothing again.

"Emily. Emily!" entered the space of everything and nothing surrounding her, calling to her urgently. "Emily, close the hole!" roared Pugly, linking with Emily on a level only he had been taught to do. She soared downwards from the heavens, feeling like she had to fit her body back into its skin, climbing into it like she was a deep-sea diver fitting on a wetsuit. She opened her eyes. The desert sand swirled around her body, her wand lay next to her. She picked it up as if she was seeing it for the first time.

She focused her thoughts at the end of the wand, twirled it in a circle and willed the light sprites to close the hole. Slowly, the sand stopped flowing, the sprites lifted from her and the white tunnel appeared. She saw Josh, smiling sleepily, reaching out to her as the creatures of the dark and light, swept his image away.

"Nooo!" screamed Emily, reaching towards Josh, "No, Josh, don't go! Please don't go!"

The vortex snapped shut and the simple, flat, white board appeared in front of her. Emily looked up at !Xu and Pugly, screaming, "Open it. Open it! Help me, please help! Josh is still there!"

"Pugly, please!" whimpered Emily, dropping onto her knees.

Pugly shook his head. Emily looked at !Xu, pleading with her shattered heart. "!Xu. Can you …?"!Xu shook his head.

Emily dropped her wand, bent low over her aching heart, stomach and knees, her hands covering her weeping eyes. She was shattered.

The sprites disassembled, moved out and dissolved.

She had failed. She'd disappeared somehow when Josh had needed her most. She felt like she'd been touching Peace but found, back on earth, that she'd been fooled. Her heart and mind wavered between the two opposites, peace and war, love and hate, oneness and separation.

Nothing made sense anymore. She felt like a deep, dense darkness had taken over her body and soul, leaving only her heart free to wander. Wracked by pain and pleasure, lightning bolts of both hitting her simultaneously, she finally, mercifully, passed out.

No one noticed Rupert. Stunned, off to one side, he berated himself for not taking action. He'd been into the Void, and had been told to be ready, but when the harpies had flown into the room, he'd frozen.

"How could you not help her? Why did you fail her again?" he asked himself, as he slipped out the door of the Great Hall, shuffled quickly through the bookstore and out into the darkening afternoon.

Thunder rumbled overhead.

CHAPTER THIRTY THREE

Emily sat, listless.

Sam, Mamasita and Gran chatted away on the drive back to Paradise Beach.

She still remembered waking up in a strange place, where light beings, like special nurses, attended to her.

Sam was there.

She and Sam had chatted a lot about what had happened, in between studying and exams. But Emily had never been able to voice the two opposites that had appeared, disappeared and stabbed at her at the same time. Eventually, she'd given up.

She'd told Sam a million times about what she'd perceived, what her imagination had dredged up, from both heaven and hell, good and bad. She'd explained how Josh had disappeared. What she hadn't been able to tell Sam was how she felt, now.

She'd put on a fake smile, for the first time understanding what Sarah must have been feeling like the whole year, pretending that everything was all right, when nothing was. Every one of her friends, along with Edwina, Rupert, and even Miriam, Josh's mother, had tried to make her feel better by saying 'All is not as it seems' or 'Remember, everything is alive'.

If one more person told her that she'd beat them into a pulp.

No matter how many times she told them she'd failed, that she couldn't do it, that she couldn't possibly be everything they thought she was, they didn't listen. They hugged and smiled at her, stroked and loved her, as if nothing had happened. Her book had told her she was responsible.

Each time she'd sneaked out of boarding school and run back to Edwina to try again, Edwina simply told her that Josh was in good hands.

Aurana was fading around her once more. This time, though, it seemed like Pugly and Elvis would stay with her. They sat next to her in the car. Elvis struggled to stay sitting on Pugly's back. Since Pugly himself was sitting down, Elvis kept sliding towards his backside. "Hey, schmey, way, Pugly stand up, gut, mutt," she heard Elvis saying as he kicked Pugly in the ribs.

"Mphrmp," replied Pugly, staying sitting.

Emily almost smiled, but the war continued inside of her. Dark jabbed at light, hope shattered in the face of logic, passion defeated peace. Each battle silently ate away at her confidence, at her comfort, at her reality. There's nothing special about me, she thought. I just keep failing. Why can't anyone see that? Why don't they all just give up on me? I'm nothing. Nothing. Nothing. Nothing.

She wished she could stop her mind from working. All it did was run around in panicked circles, repeating, returning and running over itself in crazy directions.

She looked out the window as the car turned into the tar road of Paradise Beach, leading towards her home, her beach, her summer holiday.

She missed Josh terribly. Her body ached for him like never before, her mind fighting with her heart over the love and loss of him. Her thoughts bounced forwards and backwards. He was alive, no he wasn't, he was dead, no he wasn't. And so the war continued.

As the car stopped, Emily's body got out of the car, her mind far away fighting on its own. She didn't notice the look Gran gave her or Sam's wave goodbye. She just wanted to be alone.

Questions whirled around her head, too many of them unanswered.

She had afternoon tea with Gran and Mamasita on the outside porch, her now right-sized bum in her usual chair. Then she retreated to her room to read, escaping from her own thoughts.

The rhythm of home started to make some space for her. Suppertime came and went. She prepared for bed. Desperate with longing, Emily pulled down her bed sheet and blankets, thinking about the sleeping, dreaming Josh. Her thoughts turned to her failure. Nothing. You're nothing.

What was she supposed to do now? Would she ever have another chance to get Josh back from Limbo?

She slept. Deep in the night, the Elder kissed Emily gently on the edge of sleep, and whispered:

We understand your need for love,

to live on earth and also above

but do not stay away for long

for we still have need of your song.

let us guide you through the way

as balance must be found each day

now you know everything is alive,

is this not for you the greatest surprise?

"All is not as it seems little one, everything is alive. First, let go, then dream, dream, dream, and remember, there is more to life than could ever be seen. We are here, waiting, when you return to being," the Elder sighed.

Emily felt like she could die.

Still, a thought passed through her powerfully imaginative mind. "I didn't get my surprise. What was my surprise? That everything was alive? No way was that my surprise."

She heart-felt that something more was supposed to be given to her, then gave up in disgust. The dark twisted her dreams into nightmares.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Karen Michelle Brooks has been writing for 10 long years, and has had poems, short stories and flash fiction published in various forms. Always expecting to write a serious self-help book with her psychological background and degree, along with her intense spiritual journey, she was pleasantly surprised when the Emily Series, as it is being called in South Africa, started pouring out onto the page. Innovative marketing – the Emily series being the first books on the mobile platform MXit – created a media storm, with reviews in Oprah Magazine, Fair Lady Afro-Optimists column, local newspapers and online sites ( .za). Along with great reviews (actual feedback from readers) in YOU Magazine, Teen Magazine and Bratz, this all lead up to an interview on the most loved Lifestyle TV programme, Top Billing.

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