That night the moon shined brightly and the air swayed invitingly on Lily, urging her leave the camp and explore. After a quick glance at her companions Lily deduced they were all asleep so she let the wind carry her from the group.
Prancing through the forest in a dreamlike atmosphere, Lily unknowingly morphed from her shape into the essence of her domain.
I could do this forever, Lily thought to herself. But painful flashes of all the friends she would have to leave behind brought her down quickly. Maybe I couldn't, but I can do it now. It's so peaceful here.
"Of course it is," Acorn said from the trees. "This is where you belong. This is your home."
Lily was startled into her own form, "How do you find me - how did you know what I was thinking?!"
"The whole forest can hear what you're thinking. You have absolutely no control," Pine said, kindly criticizing.
"I know, but I haven't exactly had time to work on that," Lily said meekly.
"Let's work on it now. The first thing that you need to do is to build a divider between your personal aura and your elemental self," Pear instructed, hovering a few feet from the ground cross-legged.
"How do I do that?" Lily asked helplessly.
"It's a conscious effort of will," Acorn replied. "If you want it badly enough it will be so."
"If you are afraid or hesitant this is not going to work," Pine added. "If you have any questions, just ask us."
"Are there going to be any bad side effects? What changes will this make exactly?" Lily asked.
"There are no bad side effects. This will just make you more able to get a grip on your powers. Right now they are flooding out of you. After this is done, you will be able to control your eyes, mostly, you're thoughts won't seep out, you will be able to maintain your own shape, the weather may stop changing erratically, and the thrall will be slightly hampered. Those you have already affected will remain prone, but new acquaintances will not chase after you," Pear explained.
"That's a relief," Lily murmured. "So let's get to this."
Closing her eyes she imagined her powers as the vines of ivy growing erratically and pushed them back into her magical core. Seeing that they were only temporarily subdued, she thought of a great sheet of ice, unbreakable, unmeltable, impenetrable and built it around her core. Radiating, the core was contained and for the first time in what seemed to be forever, Lily felt in control.
"Wonderfully done, my lady," Acorn praised.
"Is that all I have to do?" Lily asked surprised.
"Yes, it will do more than you can possibly imagine. You needn't ever take the barrier down, you're power can pass through as you wish it to," Pear told her.
"Be wary," Pine said ominously. "The barrier will not hold forever if your moods continue to change so often and fiercely. It may burst, and I caution you this is dangerous. Should it happen at this school, you will be revealed to all who seek."
That scared Lily, "If I meet someone who would be looking for me, with the barrier, would they know me for what I am?"
The nymphs giggled, "You could be under their noses and they would not know."
"Heh," Lily said amusedly, but her laughter died in her throat as she felt the sun approach on the horizon. "They'll be awake soon!! We need to get back."
"We shall return swiftly," Acorn promised and disappeared, followed by the other two nymphs.
There is no way I could get their in time, and I don't want them to be suspicious, Lily thought. Suddenly a wind brushed by her and she had an idea. Abandoning her human form entirely, she let her essence become one with the wind and carry her back to the camp. Once there she reassembled her body and laid down quickly as the others began to wake. Using again her talent of deception, she pretended to be asleep.