My name is Eleisya. I live a pretty mundane life; I'm of low nobility status on my mother's side. You would think that because of my social standing that I would be surrounded by people and never have to even think about boredom. But, that couldn't be further from reality. We aren't at a high enough status to really have any say or recognizable importance to have people flocking just to please me. Those higher than us won't have anything to do with us, and it's unacceptable to be seen with those lower than us. It's stupid, really... So we only have those at the same level as us to interact with, but they are all old and stuffy who never had any children. I live a quite lonely life and see no exciting, pleasing future in sight.
I was walking through the street market, contemplating my future (or lack-thereof), and looking for anything that might catch my eye. I really wanted a new pair of nice, gold sandals. I found a stand that had decent assortment and was casually browsing when I had the distinct, uneasy feeling of being watched. I looked around but I didn't see anyone. I moved down to a jewelry stand, but the feeling remained. I nonchalantly looked over my shoulder, so as not to alert my watcher, and saw a man intensely staring at me. He had longer, messy, dusty-colored brown hair and wore a leather cloak. I turned back to the jewelry and took a few deep breaths to ease my fearful nerves before glancing towards him again, but he was no longer there or anywhere in sight.
How could he have just disappeared?
I continued walking down the street at a faster pace with my heart beating hard and fast in my chest. I looked about, keeping an eye out for the intimidating figure and unfortunately didn't see the horse galloping towards me.
"HEY! Get out of the way!" The rider shouted at me. I was paralyzed with shock and fear. I couldn't move!
Suddenly, I was tugged violently out of the way and found myself on the ground in an alleyway looking out at the rising dust in the street where I was just standing.
I looked up to my savior, "Thank you so mu-" I gasped and jolted back against the wall at the sight of the man who had been previously following me. His mouth tilted into a smirk as he held out a hand. I tentatively placed my small, delicate hand in his large, calloused one. I carefully watched his eyes that matched the color of his hair, searching if he had any intent of harm.
"Who are you?" I inquired as he helped me to my feet. He didn't answer me. As soon as I was upright, he abruptly yanked me against his torso and wrapped his arms around me. I let out an involuntary gasp from the air that rushed out of me from the impact and my eyes instinctively shut tight. I pushed against him to separate us and opened my mouth to scream. But no sound followed when I opened my eyes to see we were no longer in the marketplace. I looked around to see that we were now in a beautiful, green wooded area.
I looked at him in surprise and disbelief and stuttered breathlessly, "How- w-why- where... -HOW!?"
He looked at me again with that arrogant smirk, "We teleported."
"We WHAT!"
"Teleported."
I rolled my eyes at him, "I heard you the first time, but how, where... and, I repeat, WHO are you!"
He turned around and started walking down a path away from me. He motioned for me to follow. I don't know if I trust him, but I had no idea where we were, so I decided to follow. After a few paces he finally started to talk.
"I have the unique ability of teleportation. I can make myself and another, if I'm touching them, disappear and appear in another location as far as I can imagine in a matter of less time than it takes to blink."
I was stunned into silence. He glanced at me to make sure I was listening then looked forward again to continue.
"I brought you to our isolated dwelling, deep in this forest, far away from where I found you."
"Our?"
"There are others here." He answered matter-of-factly. We came to a clearing where there was a large, but not monumental, cottage.
"Why did you bring me here?"
He didn't look at me as he answered, "That will be revealed in due time, Eleisya."
I stopped dead in my tracks, "How do you know my name?"
He turned towards me, "I've been watching you for a while, now" he replied as if it was the most normal, acceptable thing in the world. He turned around and continued walking towards the house.
I began to get frustrated. I ran around in front of him, blocking him from moving.
"Who are you!" I demanded.
His irritating smirk returned and he replied with a mischievous glint in his eyes, "The name's John, love." He maneuvered around me and we reached the cottage.
"I'll leave you here, for now." he said motioning towards the door.
"Wait! Wh-" He disappeared into thin air. I faced the door, took a deep breath, opened it up and stepped inside. In front of me was a long wooden table surrounded by ten chairs, four on each side and one at the head and foot. I walked along it, into the house. I looked to my right, and there was a rectangular cutout in the wall, adjacent to the table, that peered into a quaint kitchen. At the other end of the room there was a staircase that went up to a second floor. I walked deeper into the house and I heard laughing, one high-pitched and the other low. I walked around the corner to see a living room set up with a sofa, two chairs, a coffee table, and bookcase. I couldn't help the smile that appeared as I witnessed the scene in front of me. There was a grown man and a young girl, no older than 5, chasing each other, jumping from furniture to furniture, both laughing and having the time of their lives.
"Ya can't catch me, Ringsy!" The child shouted with a fit of giggles. She had short, light pink hair and eyes to match. If that didn't surprise me enough, when she turned around to show her back, I saw that she had small, teal wings between her shoulders. Her wings fluttered like a hummingbird's as she flew to the chair opposite her.
A fairy!
My gasp alerted the two of my presence. The both halted their chase and looked at me.
"Hiya! I'm Mona! Who are you?" The girl said with a huge smile as she approached me.
"My name's Eleisya." I said with a chuckle at the adorable, two-foot child hovering in front of me.
She flew around me and landed on my head, leaning over to look in my eyes.
"Nice to meet ya, Elea- elii," her brows furrowed as she tried to pronounce my name.
I broke it down for her, "Ell-ee-see-ah..." She tried once more and failed. She flew back down in front of me.
"I'll just call you Isa, if that's okay," She said with the widest, innocent eyes that I couldn't imagine ever saying no to.
"That's fine." I then looked over to the man, who hadn't yet introduced himself.
Seeing that Mona was done in the spotlight, he came up to me and held out his hand to shake, "Hello, I'm Ringo." He had brown hair like John's but his was a bit richer in color. He also had some of the brightest, clearest blue eyes I had ever seen.
"Nice to meet you."
He gestured towards the couch, "Care to sit down?"
"Sure." I went to sit down and Ringo sat down in the chair next to me. Mona flew down and sat right up against me, looking up with sparkling eyes. I chuckled at just how cute she was.
"So, what brings you here, Eleisya?" Ringo asked.
"I was brought by a man named John."
Mona tugged on my sleeve and spoke with excitement, "Didja tellyport! Didja tellyport!"
"Umm- yeah, I guess..."
"Wait, did John not talk to you and explain himself before he brought you here?" Ringo asked with a concerned tone in his voice.
"No... he just grabbed me and before I knew it, I was here."
He let out an exasperated sigh, "Well, I'm sure he'll clue you in soon... You're very welcome here though, and we hope you will stay."
Mona jumped in, "Yeah! We like you!"
"Alright then." How could I say no to her...
"Yay!" She gave me a tight hug and I smiled down at her.
I looked back at Ringo, "So, uh- can all of you teleport, or only John?"
"Only John can teleport, but the rest of us each have a unique power of our own."
"Really? What's yours?" I replied, genuinely interested.
He didn't answer as he continued to smile at me. Suddenly, I felt myself smile and I felt the happiest I think I've ever felt in my life. I began to laugh with utter joy and couldn't think of a reason why. Then as suddenly as the feeling came, it disappeared. I looked questioningly at Ringo, confused at what had just happened.
"I have the ability to impose joy and laughter on others and take away negative emotions." He explained, and everything made sense.
"Oh."
"Some say it's not that useful, but I think it a hoot to debilitate others into a laughing puddle in the midst of a fight... or just anytime." He said with a twinkle in his eyes.
"Yeah, and it's NOT fair!" Mona said with a dramatic pout. Ringo and I laughed at her outburst.
I ruffled her hair, "And I'm guessing that you're an all-powerful fairy?"
She looked up at me proudly and nodded her head enthusiastically.
"What can you do?" I asked her sweetly.
"I can- well, I- uh..." She looked over at Ringo for help with a lost expression.
"So far, all we know that she can do is fly... and make it impossible to say no to her," Ringo supplied, the last part obviously a joke. Mona looked a bit discouraged, wishing that she also had some outstanding ability.
"Hey," I said getting her attention, "I always dreamed of flying, so you're one step ahead of me!" Her mood seemed to brighten at my words.
I looked over to Ringo, "So is Mona your sister, or something?"
"Or something," He answered, "She wandered into our clearing one day a few years back, lost and without a family. So we took her in." He looked at Mona with such care, that my heart nearly melted.
"That's sweet..."
I heard a faint melody coming from upstairs; it sounded like a piano.
"Oh, is someone upstairs?" I asked.
"That's Paulie!" Mona informed me, "He does music real good!"
Ringo laughed and shook his head, "I don't even know where to begin in correcting your grammar, young lady." She smiled innocently up at him.
He faced me, "Why don't you go up and introduce yourself."
"Ringsy! Can we go pick flowers now like you promised?" Mona whined, flying around Ringo's head, "Please, please, please, please, pleeeasse!"
"Alright," He replied standing up.
"You'll be okay?" He directed at me.
"Yeah, go ahead."
"Sees ya later, Isa!" Mona shouted before she zoomed around the corner and out the door with Ringo following. I started up the stairs quietly, listening to the masterful piano playing. I reached the next floor and peered into the room.
Against the wall to my left, between two doors, was a piano. A man sat playing it, still unknown of my presence. He was of slim build and had neat and very dark brown hair. There were two doors on the wall next to me on my right, and on the wall opposite me there were three more doors. In the center of the room was a spiral staircase leading up to another floor.
I walked towards the man and stood a few feet behind him, watching his fingers dance across the keys. I cleared my throat and he looked over his shoulder at me, stopping his playing. His face was beautiful and delicate with large hazel eyes, a small mouth, and an upturned nose.
"I- uh, didn't mean to interrupt," I said nervously and a bit embarrassed, "It was really quite lovely."
"It's fine," He reassured me, "I'm Paul by the way." He oozed of charm and charisma.
"I'm Eleisya."
He got up and walked over to me, "So, I'm assuming you're another one of John's gals... "
I was confused, "Yeah, he brought me here... What do you mean by another one of his gals?"
"Oh, nothing. Don't think anything of it, just making conversation."
"okay..." I replied still a bit wary.
I decided to change the subject, "I've heard that everyone here has a... special power. Do you mind me asking what yours is?"
"Not at all," He said with a charming grin, "I have the ability to adapt to almost any situation or skill. Anything I do or try, I can execute with finesse and can master with limited attempts. I'm also keen on observing people and my surroundings and adjusting to fit."
"Could you demonstrate?"
He stepped closer to me, "Well, they say that it takes a few tries and time getting to know someone to get that perfect kiss..." I lost myself in his eyes as he leaned his face down towards mine. Suddenly, I felt a rush of air behind me, and I saw Paul's gaze look over my shoulder.
"Back off, Macca..." said a hostile voice behind me.
Paul straightened up calmly and slowly took a step away from me, "It's all just fun, Johnny-boy. No harm done..." He spoke smoothly.
I turned around to see John had just teleported into the room and was now glaring at Paul, his mouth set in a thin, grim line.
"We were just talking and introducing ourselves," I said in defense of Paul and myself. Then I thought, why do I need to defend myself, John has no claim on me. I looked between the intense stares of the two men, getting more uneasy each second.
Paul finally, thankfully, looked away and walked past John towards the stairs.
"I think I'll go get something to eat," He eyes found mine, "Nice meeting you, Eleisya." I nodded towards him and he headed downstairs.
I looked over at John and saw that his expression had relaxed. He seemed deep in thought. Then he abruptly looked up at me.
"Follow me." He started up the spiral staircase and I followed as he asked. I didn't have anywhere else to be, I guess...
The stairs led up to another parlor-like room with two doors on the wall opposite us. He walked into the room and stood facing away from me, still not talking. I was beginning to get quite frustrated with him. He abducted me from my home without a word of explanation and dropped me off somewhere in a forest and disappeared. Then he reappears to reaffirm some sort of claim on me, and I am still in the dark of what is happening!
I began rapidly tapping my foot, my annoyance towards him building up.
"Would you stop that," John said without even a glance in my direction, "I'm trying to think..."
I exploded.
"Would I stop that? Would I stop that!? No! YOU stop it!" He turned around and looked at me with a confused expression.
"Finally! You at least acknowledge that I'm here!"
I walked up to him and proceeded to shout, "Now, talk. Explain to me why I'm here, otherwise I'm just going to walk right out of here into that forest and wander around until I can find some way to get back home!"
"You can't leave." He replied calmly in contrast to my exasperation.
"I can't? Why not!? Give me some reason, some explanation. I still have no idea what is going on!"
I paused, waiting for him to answer, but he remained silent.
"Oh! And another thing... Paul referred to me as another one of your gals? Would you care to explain that one to me!?"
This time I didn't even give him time to answer as I continued.
"Because I'll have you know, that I don't belong to anyone! And if this is some thing you do, abduct helpless women to have for yourself, then you're sick, and I want nothing to do with you and demand that you take me back home!"
He stepped closer until we were mere inches apart.
His eyes were dark, and he spoke through clenched teeth, "You have been informed wrong."
"Is that all you have to say to me? Well then, INFORM me correctly, by all means, please do!"
He opened his mouth to talk, but I cut him off, "You know what? No. Don't say anything. I don't want to hear it! I don't want to have anything to do with you! EVER! I demand that you take me back home, this instant!"
The anger that flashed in his eyes and his fists clenched at his sides were the last thing I saw as he disappeared again without warning.
I stomped my foot and shouted at the ceiling, "Stop doing that! You immature COWARD!"
I sunk down to the floor, drawing my knees to my chest and wrapping my arms around them. I couldn't even pick out a thought in my head as everything in my mind was moving around so fast and blurring together. I closed my eyes and breathed deeply.
I heard footsteps coming up the stairs. I stood up and braced myself for another interaction with John, but then again, he would've just teleported back in here...
A woman came into view with long, dark hair and red eyes. But her eyes were soft and not at all menacing. She also had elongated pointy ears, so I came to the conclusion that she must be an elf of some sort. She came up to me and introduced herself.
"Hello, I'm Aria. You must be Eleisya."
I nodded at her in greeting, being too overwhelmed by everything that's been occurring to do much more. She gently led me to the room on the right and ushered me in. Inside there was a circular shaped bed in the far left corner. Along the wall on our right was a desk and a sitting chair, and in the immediate right corner was an armoire and dividing screen.
She caught my attention again, "So, this is now your room, and if you need anything, you can come to me. I'm guessing that you're probably quite overwhelmed with everything, so I'm here to help."
At her words of help, I just cracked. I threw myself onto the bed and let all of my worries, frustration, and confusion come out in crying hysterics. All of the questions running through my mind I poured out to her in rapid succession, and I barely allowed myself to breath and my tears dampened the bed spread.
Aria came up and sat on the bed next to me. She didn't speak as she just petted my hair and rubbed my back, humming softly to soothe me. I felt myself gradually relax. My words and sobs turned to whimpers, my breathing slowed, and my mind slowly shut itself down. Everything around me dissolved as my eyelids grew heavy and drooped...lower...and...lower...