A/N: Hello, my fellow nerds who are stuck inside and need something to read! This story is going to be very changed up from the original plot, but Idgaf. This story is edited by a friend of mine irl, who I will refer to as J, and my sister, who will be K. Not creative? True, but whatever. If they give me a code name, I'll use it, but till then, they're J and K. Anyway, let's get this show on the road!

Chapter 1

It was official. I, Lyra Argetlam, hated school. The class went on a field trip to a museum, and our teacher was a grade-A jackass to my best (and only) friend, Sophie.

"Miss Foster! Have you decided that you're too smart to pay attention to this information?" Mr. Sweeny, who I was convinced was actually Sweeny Todd, yelled at Sophie yet again. She was listening to music during his lecture on the Lambeosaurus.

"No, sir." She muttered. I subtly flipped off the teacher. I had perfected the art of giving someone the finger without anyone noticing. Mr. Sweeny told Sophie to give the lecture herself, clearly having forgotten that she had perfect photographic memory. I snickered at his expression as she recited the facts word for word. The teacher glared at me.

"Miss Argetlam, I am legitimately surprised you are allowed at school at all, with your reputation. Besides, your friend is the only one doing anything, so keep your satisfaction to yourself." I glared right back. Everyone thought Sophie and I were freaks, for being twelve-year old high school seniors. But people hated me a bit more than her, because of an accident when I was five. My house had caught fire, but the fire was nearly identical to the fires that were currently ravaging San Diego, being white-hot and strange smelling. People thought that I had started the fire. I had, but only because my damn power had suddenly appeared. I was pyrokinetic, meaning I had the ability to create and control fire. I honestly loved my power, even if it was dangerous and unpredictable. But it did mean that people thought I was the arsonist who was starting the fires. Which I wasn't.

Sophie finished her lecture. As the class walked past, a boy named Garwin Chang elbowed and insulted her. I, of course, stuck out a leg and tripped him as he walked past me. Sophie remained in the room we were currently in. I sent her a look that said "You alright?" She nodded, and I gave her a smile and walked into the next room, leaning against the doorway, waiting for her. But she didn't come in.

I walked back into the room where the model dinosaurs were. Sophie was standing in the corner, talking to… some guy. What? I walked around to the albertosaurus, hiding behind it. Was Sophie flirting? The guy looked like a movie star, which was weird.

"-can't believe it!" He was saying. Sophie looked panicked. There goes the flirting idea.

"It's okay. My name is Fitz." The boy said. I almost intervened, but some instinct told me not to. I always trust my gut, so I continued eavesdropping.

"I'm not joking." The boy, Fitz(weird name for a weird guy) said, probably guessing what Sophie was thinking. She was an open book, but not usually to strangers. Sophie wobbled, and he grabbed her arm to steady her.

"It's okay, Sophie. I'm here to help you. We've been looking for you for twelve years." What the fuck? Was Sophie some genetic experiment that was placed in her mother for secrecy? Yeah right. Sophie wobbled again, then ran out the door of the museum. Damn. Fitz ran after her, yelling "Sophie, come back!" She ran into the road, ignoring the boy's shout of "Wait! You don't have to be afraid!"

"Hey! Soph!" I called, and she stopped halfway across the street. A car swerved away from her, hitting a gigantic light post. The light post jumped, shook, wobbled, and fell. Directly towards my friend.

The next few moments seemed to pass in slow motion. The light post fell toward Sophie, starting it's fall slowly and picking up speed. I ran towards her, trying to keep her from being crushed. And then, something insane happened. Sophie threw up her hands, as if to catch the light post. And the thing stopped. Like she was holding it in the air. The only time I'd ever seen anything like it was when… Was Sophie like me? Did she have a power too? I was snapped out of my thoughts by none other than Fitz, who, with his obnoxious looks and irritating perfection, I had decided to refer to as Mr. Perfect.

"Put it down." He ordered Sophie. Startled, she lost her focus and the pole came crashing down. I was nearly there when she caught it, so I dove and yanked her out of the way.

"Soph, what's going on? You know what, tell me later." I said, then got up, pulled her up, and ran back into the museum before Mr. Perfect got to us. As I left, I heard him ask her who I was, and why he couldn't hear me. Whatever that meant.

"My best friend. I've never been able to hear her either, but she's a protector for anyone who needs it. We don't need to hear her." Was her response. I smiled bitterly. If only she knew.

I walked back into the museum, slipping into the back of the crowd of seniors. The teacher saw me, and asked the last thing I would expect.

"Miss Argetlam, why are you still standing there? Find a partner." He hadn't even noticed that me and Sophie had been missing.

I walked home from school, like always. My house was about two miles away on the conventional road, but I took a shortcut. My house was in a town where buildings were close together, maybe five feet between them. But they were in massive clusters, so the roads were really twisty. So, I took the high road. I climbed up the trellis at the start of the neighborhood and jumped from roof to roof, like I always did. When I reached my own skylight, I dropped inside. My roof(and house) looked kind of desert-y, with sandy colored walls and a flat roof. I decided against going down to see my uncle. He was probably exhausted or beat up again, as he patrolled in areas where cops were disliked. I didn't like dealing with him when he was in a mood, and he didn't like dealing with me when he was in a mood. I reminded him too much of my mom, who had died in the fire when my power first appeared. I collapsed onto my bed, picking up a random book and throwing my pencil case at my speaker. The case hit the play button and my usual alt rock started blaring loudly. A remix of The Hand That Feeds by NIN was playing, and I quietly sung along. My homework had been finished by the end of the school day, so I read the random book I'd picked up until my uncle came upstairs.

"The Foster's kid is missing. Care to explain?" He asked.

"Sophie had a headache, so she stayed back in a room to catch her breath. When I went to look for her, she was gone. I thought she went home." I lied easily. My uncle tossed me a letter, and went downstairs. The envelope was blank except for my name in handwriting much neater than my own. Confused, I opened it, and read the riddle inside. Sophie shows powers, and I get a mysterious letter. What was happening? This has to be connected, somehow.

The dragon and the moonlark fought together for the crown.

The dragon and the moonlark won all throughout the town,

Some gave them a smile, and some gave them a frown,

And some tried to stop the moonlark till the dragon brought them down.

"Shit." I said. This was going to be a bit of a problem.

After about an hour of pacing and puzzling, my uncle came upstairs again. I was randomly struck by the resemblance between him and my mother, his sister, who I looked exactly like. She'd had red hair, pale skin, and green eyes. The only difference between myself and my mother was that my hair was spiky instead of curly and my eyes were an orange-gold color that freaks people out quite often.

"The Fosters called again. They said to call off the search party and that their kid was home." He said. I smiled and nodded. My uncle, whose name was Seamus, ruffled my hair, to my indignation, and went down the hall to his own room. I shut my door, turned off my music, and climbed out the skylight. Time to pay a friend a visit.

I hung down from the gutter in front of Sophie's window. I lifted the window with one hand, using the other to hold myself up. On hearing quiet sobs, I swung in through the window and sat down next to my best friend, who was crying on her bed.

"Soph? Are you going to tell me?" I asked after a while, my humor a way to cheer my friend up. Sophie sat up, not looking at me.

"You can't tell anyone, alright?" She said. I crossed my heart, holding up my right hand. She smiled at my silliness.

"I should probably explain something to you first. When I was five, something triggered an ability for me. I can hear people's thoughts. And before you start, I've never been able to hear yours. Fitz, the boy you saw, can too. And he can't hear you either. He said, well, don't laugh, but he said the reason why is that I'm an elf." I immediately burst out laughing. Sophie glared.

"Lyra, focus. Fitz used this teleporter thing, he called it a pathfinder, to take me to a city called Eternalia. Apparently, it's Shangri-la. He wants to take me to meet his father, to explain more things." Sophie told me. I was deep in thought. Sophie was a Telepath. Me being the nerd that I was, I knew the word. I decided to risk it and tell her my own story.

"I believe you. It would be hard, but you aren't the only one with a power." I said, then lifted my hand, and set it ablaze. Sophie stifled a scream and jumped back. I extinguished my fire and looked away. She reached over to hug me. I was surprised. I scare the hell out of her, and she hugs me?

"So that's why I can't read your mind. You're an elf too." She said. As I opened my mouth to make a lord of the rings reference, she cut me off.

"No references. Lyra, is it okay if I try to read your mind? I have a theory I want to test out." Sophie asked. I nodded. She was my best friend, and I trusted her. Sophie closed her eyes, a look of intense concentration coming over her face. After a moment, she nearly fell over, clutching her head.

"Soph! Are you okay?" I demanded. She nodded.

"Even your mind is full of fire. It hurt." Sophie said. I glared at nothing.

"Yeah. It doesn't hurt me-actually, I can't be burnt, but… it's kind of intoxicating.

Shadowy whispers on the edge of my mind, never quiet, always urging me to let the fire out, let the world burn and burn…" I trailed off. My mind snapped back to the few times I'd lost control. They were… I hated remembering them. Sophie was staring in concern

"Oh shit, I made myself sound like a serial killer! I've got to go, but I'll see you round, Galadriel!" I laughed, and so did Sophie. I stood up. As I walked to the window, Sophie called after me.

"Can you come with me tomorrow? To meet the elf council?" She asked. I nodded.

I woke up to my idiotic and ridiculous alarm. The Game of Thrones theme song was blasting from my speaker at maximum volume. I loved that song. My sheets were over my head, and I felt like I should be excited and/or worried about something. Then I remembered yesterday. Sophie, elves, powers, Mr. Perfect. I rolled off my bed, excited to get to school for the first time in, well, the first time ever.

Half-assing an attempt to force my shoulder-length hair into some semblance of order, I followed my usual morning routine, albeit rushing a bit. Throw on jeans and t-shirt, eat apple, consume ridiculous amount of coffee, grab backpack, hide pocketknife in boot, and run out the door because even rushing I was late. I called out a goodbye to my uncle, who stumbled slightly at the sight of me up early.

I reached Sophie's house as she was talking to her neighbor Mr. Forkle. She was wearing a brown and yellow shirt that was so different from her normal grey and black attire that I took a double take. She scowled at me.

"What?" She asked. I gave her an incredulous look as we started walking toward kid prison, inaccurately deemed "school."

"You're dressed up, for you anyway. You put your hair back. Is this because of Mr. Perfect? You like him, don't you?" I said. Sophie blushed and looked away.

"Ha! I freaking knew it! I'm gonna lord this over you forever, you know." I crowed with glee. Sophie shook her head.

"You will never change, will you?" She said. I shook my head, grinning sardonically. Sophie smiled, and then a little dog came running toward us. A blond man came jogging up, and shouted at us to try and catch her. Sophie managed it.

"Thanks. She's my sister's dog. She hates me. Not my sister, the dog." He said, showing a few bites on his hand. I scowled. I didn't like the guy, he gave off a major "I'm a creep" vibe. My dislike was solidified when he asked Sophie to carry the dog to his sister's house for him, and continued pestering her when she said no. I stepped in, always ready to defend my friend.

"Look, she caught the dog for you, something she didn't have to do. Why don't you take your dog and be on your way, before I call the cops because you're harassing her?" I said, in the mildly killer-esque voice that I had, perfect for scaring people. It clearly worked, because the guy backed off. I turned to Sophie, and she looked terrified.

"Soph, you okay?" I asked. She was shaking, but gestured for me to follow her. I did as she wished, and once we were around the corner, grabbed her arm and made her look at me. She was on the edge of a panic attack.

"I couldn't hear his thoughts. What if he was another elf?" She whispered.

"We should tell Mr. Perfect. What was his real name, Fitz? Yeah, we should tell Fitz. And if the guy comes back, I'll whoop his ass into next Tuesday. Sound good?" I told her, and she gave a shaky smile. We walked to school in a wary silence.

Mr. Perfect didn't show on the walk to school. Sophie and I were headed to class, when someone reached out from between buildings and pulled her into the shadows. I saw said someone before he grabbed her, and no surprise, it was Fitz. Sophie, painfully unaware as ever, didn't, and stifled a scream. I followed her into the alley and leaned against the wall, scowling as usual. Sophie did the talking, I defended her. It was how our friendship had always worked. Sophie was angrily demanding answers and telling Mr. Perfect about the creeper.

"Sophie, wait, why is she here?" Mr. Perfect asked. I scoffed, my dislike for his clear stickler-for-rules aura showing.

"Because I can do this." I said, holding up a finger gun and shooting a tiny fireball at him. Show-offy? Yes, but who cares? Anyway, his jump was totally worth it. (A/N: Sorry if you like Fitz. I don't, he annoys me. But that's probably because I believe rules were made to have their breaking flaunted in authority's face.)

"You- you're- you're a-" Mr. Perfect stuttered, dodging my flame. I gave a slight smirk.

"Pyrokinetic? Yup." I said. Noticing Sophie's glare, I rolled my eyes.

"Fine. Sorry about the fire, I don't trust you because my first impression of you was you scaring the hell out of my friend. I'll try to be polite, but if you do anything shitty to Soph, I won't hesitate to protect her." I said. Fitz looked slightly nervous, but nodded.

"That's good. Sophie will need someone to protect her in our world. My name is Fitz. You must be Lyra. Sophie told me a lot about you. She said you were hostile unless someone has your loyalty. But don't insult elven authorities, they'll send you to Exillium, and you do not want to go there." He said, but it was clearly for Sophie's sake. I nodded, and went back to semi-listening in. It turns out that reading someone's mind without permission is illegal in the elf cities, called the Lost Cities. Also, we had a test coming up. Yay. When Fitz asked Sophie to come with him, she demanded that I come as well. He agreed. I was about to make a smartassed remark, but I noticed a man who looked exactly like the guy who tried to snatch Soph. I grabbed Fitz and Sophie's arms.

"We've gotta go. I just saw creeper." I said, and Fitz looked to Sophie for translation, which made me huff in annoyance and translate myself.

"I saw the guy who tried to snatch her." I said. Sophie paled.

"We should go, then." Fitz said. I nodded.

I held onto Sophie as she held onto Fitz. He took out a little stick thing, which must have been the pathfinder.

"No, it's not a wand, it's a-" Fitz started, but I cut him off.

"Pathfinder. Sophie told me." I said, then squeezed my eyes shut as I melted into light. I hated the feeling.

"Lyra, you can open your eyes now." Sophie said with a hint of amusement. I did as she said, and scowled at the smiles on her and Fitz's face. I then took in our surroundings, and completely forgot about my indignation.

I was at the front gate of a glittery castle. I turned back to the others, one eyebrow raised. Sophie was mirroring my expression and Fitz looked confused by our shock, but shrugged it off and led us inside.

"Welcome to Everglen. What do you think?" He said.

"All I see is glitter." I said, and he chuckled.

"Yeah, elves use light as our primary power source. The gate absorbs all the light, so no one can leap directly inside. My dad works for the council, so he likes his privacy at home." Mr. Perfect said. Great. Was this a typical elf? Lives in a glittering castle, can teleport via light, and has perfect hair, completely clear skin, and weirdly colored eyes. I didn't give a damn about my appearance, but I was going to look like a frog if everyone was that flawless. Sophie, on the other hand, would fit in perfectly. She was gorgeous, but unaware, which would only increase her appeal. Everyone here was also nice and rule-following. Yup, I was gonna be the biggest outlier in history if I stayed.

We saw a small grassy clearing surrounded by gigantic trees directly inside the gate. A man wearing a long cape that I had to stifle a laugh at the sight of was standing there, waiting for us. He was clearly related to Mr. Perfect, because he looked like an older version of him.

"Sophie, Lyra, this is my father, Alden." Fitz said. I knew I probably should have done something, curtsy or shake hands or even wave like Sophie, but I, as always, just stood there. He looked a bit startled.

"I thought there was only one. You told me about Sophie, but you didn't mention Lyra here." Alden said.

"That's cuz he didn't know I'm-apparently-an elf, until I followed him and Sophie

and showed him that I could do this." I said, holding up a small fireball. Alden looked worried.

"Okay, both elves from here have freaked out at my fire. Is something about Pyrokinesis significant?" I asked. Alden gave me a surprised glance, before nodding.

"You're quite perceptive. Yes, there is, but I will explain later. And by the way, your eyes are most unusual. A bit unsettling, but you likely take pride in that. Sophie's too. Quite pretty, but unusual." He said. I nodded, and leaned against the wall by the gate. Sophie took over the conversation, and I was left alone, until she mentioned her attempt to read my mind. Then both Alden and Fitz wanted to try. They'd already tried to read Sophie's mind, but couldn't. I knew I'd likely have to have my mind read at some point, so I agreed. Fitz closed his eyes, and promptly crumpled. I offered him a hand up apologetically. Despite how it may have seemed, I didn't like hurting good people no matter how much I disliked them. Bad people, I'd be fine with harming. Alden put two fingers to my temple, and immediately removed them. His wary expression put me on edge. Pyrokinesis plus an unreadable mind was going to be a dangerous combination. I could see it clearly. Alden looked at Sophie's wrist, then mine, then glared at Fitz. At least, I guessed it was a glare, since it wasn't very intimidating.

"I specifically told you not to let her leap without a nexus, and that should have extended to Lyra as soon as you discovered what she was." He said to his son. Fitz looked apologetic.

"Sorry, I forgot. Lyra thought she saw the guy who tried to snatch Sophie, so we

had to get out of there quick. But we're fine. I had us covered." He said. I guess Mr. Perfect isn't so perfect after all!

"That's not the point." Alden said, holding out his hand. Fitz put a small black cuff into his outstretched palm, and Alden put the bracelet around Sophie's wrist.

"Is that comfortable?" He asked. Sophie nodded.

"Um. What is it?" She asked. I was semi-tuned out, but I got the gist of what Alden was saying. The thing was to keep you from being destroyed when you disintegrated to travel via light. Sophie grabbed my arm to keep me from hitting Fitz when Alden said he was overestimating his skill at concentration and that Sophie and I might fade away, which seemed to surprise the two elves. Fitz, to my surprise, made a sarcastic remark when Alden told him to remember a nexus next time, and we started walking, something about not keeping guests waiting. Alden looked at me.

"I don't have a second nexus on me at the moment, but you'll need one if you qualify for Foxfire." Alden said. I blinked, then asked the question that had to be asked.

"Isn't that a glowing fungus?" I said. Alden cracked up. Fitz looked insulted.

"It's our most prestigious academy." He said, and looked ridiculously, comically dignified, while talking about fungus. I laughed.

"You named your most prestigious academy after fungus?" Sophie asked.

"It represents a bright glow in a darkened world." He said.

"But… the light comes from fungus." Sophie said.

"Also, everything in your world is made of glitter. How is it 'darkened?'" I commented. Sophie and Alden laughed.

"Can we please stop talking about fungus? Only those with the strongest talents qualify for Foxfire, and if you don't get in, you might as well kiss your future goodbye." Mr. Perfect said. I guess it was too undignified for him to talk about fungus. Alden apologized to Sophie and I for Fitz's dignified nonsense, and I zoned out. We came to another clearing, and I subconsciously moved in front of Sophie in a defensive stance. There were tiny brown things everywhere, harvesting things.

"What…" Sophie trailed off.

"I'm guessing this isn't how you pictured gnomes, is it?" Alden asked.

"No. Are they your servants or something?" I said, my eyes hardening at the thought of servants. I had a major issue with the idea, as I valued equality.

"We would never have servants. The gnomes choose to live with us because it's safer in our world. And they help in the gardens because they enjoy it. We're privileged to have them. You'll get your first taste of gnomish produce for lunch, and you're in for quite a treat." Alden said, a hint of relief in his eyes. I wondered if my hostility had made them think I had a superiority complex or something. I nodded to him, and we continued walking into Glitterville Castle.

We walked into a formal room. Three elves in silver cloaks and crowns, two men and a woman, were standing up from their seats. Apparently, the visitors were extremely important. Yippee. This'll go well.