"Fever," Canary muttered. "Of *course* she had to get a fever. Of *course* that gash on her head had to get infected. Of *course* it did, because things aren't bad enough around here."
A gentle hand on her shoulder calmed her down a little. "It'll get better, Canary. It has to."
"Only because it can't get any worse, Rainbow!" Canary snapped. Then, as her words sank in, she gasped and tried to murmer an apology, only to find that the words refused to leave her mouth.
Rainbow looked at her, worry in her violet eyes. "What's come over you, Canary? You used to be so happy and sure of the goodness in the world that I couldn't help but smile when I looked at you. And now--"
"And now I've turned into a miserable old bat who can't do anything but complain and bring everyone farther down than they already are. I'm sorry." Suddenly Canary felt like crying.
"You don't have anything to be sorry for. You can't help it. It's not your fault that I can't get to Earth, and that the Color Crystals aren't working, and that Krys and Orin hardly ever visit, and--" Rainbow's voice broke, and she started crying.
Canary was shocked. Never, in her wildest dreams, had she thought Rainbow was even capable of crying, and yet here she was, sobbing like a child. Rainbow had always been the strongest, the one that held them-- and the universe-- together. She always put on a smile for them, no matter how worried she may have been underneath. Canary couldn't bear to see her like this. She looked down at the floor.
*Rainbow *can't* cry, Canary thought. *She's too strong to cry. She even managed to taunt Murky when he kidnapped her.* A horrible thought, even worse than the unthinkable image in front of her, came into her mind; *Rainbow's life is bringing color to Earth, and she can't do that anymore. If she can't do what she loves more than life itself, then would she--* She wiped the thought from her head before it was finished. Never, never would Rainbow bring herself that low--or would she?
*If it's bad enough to make Rainbow cry,* Canary mused, *then nothing can fix it. Nothing short of a miracle.* She looked up when she heard foot steps, and saw Rainbow walking away as a sprite called her, that brilliant, shining smile back on her face. *I doubt Rainbow wants anyone to know about that. So I won't tell them.* She picked up her tray and walked back into Sel's room. The green-eyed girl was still feverish. As Canary put a fresh cloth on her forehead, she looked at her patient's face, and murmered, "Whoever you are, little girl, it would be good if you could become a miracle for me."
~~~~~~~~~~~~
She was floating in oblivion. It was cool and dark, with no night haunts to bother her. She had no qualms with this place. In fact, it was very nice, after months of finding no respite for torment under the sun or the moon. *Like Leto.* An odd thought to pop into her head at a time like this. *Hera was jealous that she was pregnant with Zeus's child, so she sent a dragon to chase after her and give her no rest until the child was born; but she could have the baby anywhere the sun shone, either. So she had to wander until her she found an island just under the surface of the ocean, where the sun didn't reach. And then came Artemis and Apollo.
*Maybe this could be my island.*
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Brian, *no.* You're not strong enough," Rainbow protested.
"Rainbow, I have to see her. It's my fault she's like this!" Brian exclaimed, frustrated at not being allowed to see Sel. Canary had told him that she had a fever and was getting worse, and it was all because of him (Canary hadn't told him that; he figured it out himself, what other reasonable conclusion was there?). She had pushed him out of the way, and he had been the one who had wanted to walk home with her in the first place, if it hadn't been for him she probably would be safe and sound right now.
"For the last time, it's not your fault!"
"It is! I wanted to go home with her, and--"
"Brian, stop it. What's wrong with you? I've never seen you this worked up!" the wearer of the Color Belt asked, a little jealous of Brian's attention for the girl.
Brian looked at her and smiled, trying not to laugh. "It's not what you're thinking, Rainbow. Not like that," he assured her. "It's just that....I sort of feel responsible for what happened to her. If not for her, I might be dead. I owe her, big time."
Rainbow smiled a bit, the first time Brian had seen her smile in a long time. "I'm sorry, Brian. I know I'm being difficult--"
Brian had to laugh at that. Rainbow, being difficult? He had never heard her say a harsh word to anyone but Murky. And the Princess and Count Blogg, he supposed, but she was so good, through and through, that it was hard to imagine even that. "You are *not* being difficult, Rainbow. You're never difficult." Was it Brian's imagination, or did Rainbow sit a little taller on the edge of the bed after he reassured her? Certainly she smiled more.
"Brian, it's so good to see you again. I've missed you more than you can imagine."
"Actually I can, because I probably missed you at least the same you missed me." Brian paused, not wanting to ask the question he had been dreading to ask. "Rainbow, why didn't you come see me if you missed me so much? Were you mad at me, or--"
"Brian, of course not!" *Not mad at you,* she thought, *never you. Oh, I was hoping to wait a little before I had to start explaining to you, but....I guess it's now or never.* She took a deep breath. "Brian, the reason I didn't visit you was because I couldn't get to Earth," she blurted quickly. *There now,* she asked herself, *was that so hard?*
"WHAT?!"
*I guess it was.* She couldn't look him in the face. "Just what I said. I couldn't get to Earth. Something, I don't know what, was blocking me. I don't think it's Murky, it feels a lot stronger than that. Not the Princess, either, though I know that she's disappeared and even Orin doesn't know where she is. And there's so much else, too, and I haven't been able to tell anyone here, I can't let on how bad it is, they wouldn't trust me at a--" She broke off when she felt Brian's arms around her.
"You know what your only fault is?" he asked her quietly. "You're too hard on yourself. You blame yourself for things that can't be helped, and then you don't let anyone help you."
Rainbow leaned back against him, glad for someone she could talk to, finally, after all these months of silence. For the last year, as things had grown worse and worse, she had grown quieter and quieter, the only showing of her fears and doubt when she cried herself to sleep, where only the walls could see her weakness. And her nagging mind wouldn't let her rest until she had turned everything she had ever done wrong over in her mind. Once in the middle of the day, she had locked herself in her room for hours; she couldn't remember why she had started crying at first, but knew she kept crying because no one came to see if she was all right, and she had felt totally, utterly alone.
"Brian," she said, again close to tears, "thank you." And then she broke down in sobs of relief.
He let her cry herself out, holding her and telling her it was all right. It was a long time before she could get herself together. She wiped the tears from her eyes and smiled. "Thank you. I think I needed that." She stood up to leave.
"Rainbow? Brian called. She turned around. "If something's wrong, or you need someone to talk to--" he shrugged-- "I'm here."
Rainbow nodded. She was halfway to the door when Brian said, "And, Rainbow?"
"What is it, Brian?" She looked at the serious expression on his face, and wondered, *What now?*
"Sel. She knew."
"What?"
"She knew, somehow, that you weren't getting to Earth. I mean, she didn't know about you, but she knew that something was wrong. No one else I'd ever talked to noticed it. She did."
Rainbow's mouth dropped. Sel? But she seemed so....ordinary. How in the name of the Great Ones could she notice that? Most humans had no idea that she and Rainbowland existed, even on a subconscious level.
Rainbow nodded. She would take this in stride, just as she did every other problem that came up. "Thanks, Brian. I'll keep that in mind." She turned around again.
"What does it mean?"
Rainbow shrugged. "It means that she's more than we thought she was."
"But what?"
"Who knows? She could just be extremely perceptive, or--"
"Or?"
"Or she could be the savior we've been waiting for."
~~~~~~~~~~~
It was a nice place, she had decided. Very peaceful. Now she laid back and lost herself in the corners of the calm, serene darkness.
"Melglirael." It was a voice she knew well, low, soothing, rich, but urgent and fearful. *Not now,* she begged. *Please, not now. Just a little longer to rest. Maybe if I ignore it....*
"Melglirael. Melglirael, answer me."
Sel opened her eyes reluctantly. "I'm here," she whispered, looking at the gray nothing-place where she always met this woman. The same sight greeted her as always: the vague shape of a woman, wreathed with soft golden light, her face hidden in the sea of glowing rays. "I'm listening."
"You must go back," the woman said simply. "Here you float between Life and Death. You must choose one way or the other, and you must choose life."
Sel choked. She couldn't go back. To face the pain and heartache that she felt every day there, when she was just now free of it....the thought was too much to bear. "Why?" she asked angrily. "Why can't I just stay here?"
"You have a purpose there. You must go back and fufill it. Then you may rest."
"But I'm tired now!" Sel was on the verge of tears. She had just found her rest. Why did she have to leave so soon? "And how can I go back there? I'm not supposed to be there, I'm supposed to be on Earth!"
"It's not your choice, Meglirael. Even Artemis had to leave her mother's island when she came of age. And you, little one, are of age."
"I'm not ready! Can't I have just a little longer?"
"The universe is in danger *now,* Melglirael. And you are the only one who can save it." The woman reached forward and touched Sel's cheek, and Sel felt the soft, gentle warmth that the woman brought with her fill her to her bones. "The road will be hard, very hard. But you will survive it because you are the daughter of Melayel, and a sorceress of the line of Amira. And you will be strong. Now go. And take your mother's love with you." She vanished.
Sel sighed and wiped away the tears on her face. Then she shut her eyes, and came back.
~~~~~~~~~
It was darkness around him, not the dark of night, which never scared him, but hard, pressing, cold darkness that wasn't of this world or any other. It felt *wrong.* He hadn't been this scared since--never. Weapons and the chance of dying didn't scare him. It wasn't in his nature to be scared of living things. But this harsh, chilling feeling wasn't alive, and it wasn't dead, either, and it held a great bitterness against everything alive or dead for being either. It choked him, yanked the life-giving air from his lungs, and the warmth from his body, leaving him alone and cold. His body, mind, and soul were numb, leaving him with nothing. And the numbness was so much worse than pain, than torment, than death even--
And blessed light flooded his senses as he opened his eyes. His pillow was a few feet away, and the blanket was wrapped around his feet. The floor hurt his back, but at least he could feel it.
Krys sat up and rolled his neck to get the stiffness out. Sleeping on the floor for five nights straight didn't do anyone any good, and though he would never admit it, it really killed that place where he had been knocked into a wall several times when he and Rainbow had fought the Princess, and a few times since then.
But because of guilt, he offered to sleep on the floor in that *girl's* room to make sure she didn't die in the night or do something completely female like that. And so he dealt with the pain, just because he felt bad. *Human emotions are insane. The girl gets a fever and I figure it's my fault for chewing her out. There is no way her body's functions are related to anything that comes out of my mouth. And I *still* think it's my fault.*
He stood up and went to check on Sel. And blinked. And shook his head. And still wasn't sure he was seeing what he was seeing.
Sel was, for the first time in over two weeks, sleeping calmly, her face peaceful, though a hint of sadness played at the corners of her mouth. He put his hand on her forehead. It was cool. "What the--" he muttered, completely perplexed. For two weeks straight she kicked and screamed silently in her sleep, looking as though she were enduring more pain than a human should have to take. And then with the fever came the impossibly serene look of one lying in Death's arms, though Canary assured him the fever wasn't enough to kill her, and that worried him more than the silent pain. And now, suddenly, she was fine. Pale, but fine.
*Unnatural,* he thought. *That's all it is, completely impossible.* And if anything scared him, it was the unnatural and impossible and strange.
He stared for a few more seconds, then went to tell Rainbow.
~~~~~~~~~
The light hurt her eyes. She squinted against the bright, and touched her hand to the back of her head. It didn't hurt. That was odd. She had remembered it hurting from her dreams--
*You must go back.*
*You have a purpose there. You must go back and fufill it.*
*Even Artemis had to leave her mother's island when she came of age.*
*The universe is in danger *now,* Melglirael. And you are the only one who can save it.*
And then her own thought, that hurt worst of all--- *This is where I'm supposed to be. I'm not going home.*
She started to cry, but then she heard the lady's voice in her head, clear as the sunlight on her face: "The road will be hard, very hard. But you will survive it because you are the daughter of Melayel, and a sorceress of the line of Amira. And you will be strong."
*Sorceress.*
~~~~~~~~~~~
Canary came to see her later that day, when Sel was still deep in thought. And she seemed even more cheery than usual, for some reason, and expressed this surplus emotion by chattering constantly. Sel only caught a bit of what she was saying, until one name caught her attention.
"--and Krys was so worried about you, I've never seen him that irritable before--"
"*What?!*"
Canary looked at her. "I know, it was a surprise to the rest of us too, we didn't think you got on very well, but he stayed in here almost all the time, and he volunteered to sleep on the floor in here for almost the whole time you had the fever. It was kind of a shock, actually."
"But--I thought he didn't like me--"
"Apparently, not."
Sel was shocked. She wasn't used to people doing nice things for her, especially ones she had fought with the first--and only--time she spoke with them, let alone caring for her while she hovered betwixt life and death. "But, why--"
"None of us know, Sel, but it might just be that he likes you." She shrugged.
Somehow, Sel didn't think that was the case.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Within a few days she was walking around the Color Castle, as she learned it was called. She knew where just about every room was, and she had learned the names of all of its inhabitats. She got along with all of them well enough, but for some reason, she and the purple-haired girl Stormy tended to seek each other out. Sel found her explosive personality-- so passionate in everything!-- intriguing, and Stormy saw something in her that Sel couldn't quite figure out.
She also got on very well with quiet, pretty Moonglo. Moonglo was very curious about Earth, and though she was only available in the early morning or the hours before dusk, they had several very good conversations in which Sel attempted to explain the American government, without much sucess.
"Checks and balances? I'm sorry, Sel, but I still don't understand."
"That's how each of the branches of the government hold power over the others, the checks, and how the other branches of government hold power over each branch, to keep one branch from getting to powerful, the balances."
"But why are they called branches?"
Pause. "That's a good question, and I really don't know."
She and Brian saw each other often, having interesting conversations where laughs were frequent and quiet moments few and far between. He was very helpful in explaining what everyone in the color castle did, and what everything was for.
"What's this?"
"The color console, the Color Kids use it to moniter the color in the world--"
"And these?"
"Star Sprinkles, Rainbow uses them to put color into things."
"And what's that gray place out the window?"
"The Pits."
"What're those?"
"Where Murky and Lurky live, all dark and gray and depressing, the Color Belt doesn't work there."
"Who're Murky and Lurky?"
"They're sort of Rainbow's arch enemies, they're always trying to take the color out of everything."
Sel paused. "Are they why the world's been--"
"No." Brian shook his head. "Rainbow says it feels a lot stronger than them. They're kind of bumbling idiots."
"How so?"
"They never manage to do anything right, usually take a few steps backwards, actually."
"Why does that make them idiots? Maybe Rainbow's just a lot stronger than them."
"She is, but that doesn't mean they're smart."
"I'm not saying they're smart, I'm just saying they might not be idiots."
Brian rolled his eyes. "What ever you say, Sel."
~~~~~~~~~
After a week of wandering or so, Sel was walking to her room--in a bad mood, incidently, having had nothing to do since she woke up (her offers to help with cooking, cleaning, and pet care were shrugged off)-- when she noticed a door room that she hadn't been in. She peaked in, and saw--books. Hundreds of them, at least. They were stacked haphazardly in piles on the floor, on the shelves, on any available space. Papers were strewn everywhere. Sel was appaulled. She was one of those "crazy girls" who couldn't stand to see books mistreated. She walked all the way in and called, "Hello?" When no reply came, she inspected the room further. It was one of the largest rooms she had seen in the castle, with a high, vaulted ceiling, shelves at least 15 feet tall (complete with moving ladders), and several tables and comfy looking armchairs. She supposed it was meant to be a library, but looked as though it had been out of use for quite some time. She picked up a book off a pile-- "The History of the Great Ones and the Universe"-- "Fowl or Foul? A Study of Hippogriff Brutality"-- "The Moste Noble Study of The Human Bodie and Its Workings," which looked like it was a good eight hundred years old. She looked around the the room. With a little work, some sorting, dusting--she thought as she sneezed-- maybe some painting--this would be a nice room. Something for her to do, and she was sure that once cleaned up, this library could rival any in the universe. She smiled, pulled her hair back, and set to work.
Author's Note: Sorry it took so long, again. I hope some of you caught the Harry Potter reference in the last paragraph. I couldn't resist. I've decided to combine some chapters, to make it easier for me. So from now on, each chapter will seem more like two shorter ones combined, and I'll probably update about half a full chapter at a time, so look for the DATE of update, not how many chapters, from now on. And things will get a bit more exciting from here on out, thanks for sticking with me. Rainbow, Stormy, Brian, Krys, and of course Sel will probably be the most important characters from here on out, plus a few characters of my own.
A little bit of a side note: School started yesterday for us Iowans, and for the first semester I have 8 classes every day, no study hall, and possibly another class independently (I CAN'T BELIEVE THEY'RE NOT EVEN OFFERING ANTHROPOLOGY!!!!!!!!!!!). Needless to say, I'm not gonna have a lot of free time. Sorry.
-Brad
A gentle hand on her shoulder calmed her down a little. "It'll get better, Canary. It has to."
"Only because it can't get any worse, Rainbow!" Canary snapped. Then, as her words sank in, she gasped and tried to murmer an apology, only to find that the words refused to leave her mouth.
Rainbow looked at her, worry in her violet eyes. "What's come over you, Canary? You used to be so happy and sure of the goodness in the world that I couldn't help but smile when I looked at you. And now--"
"And now I've turned into a miserable old bat who can't do anything but complain and bring everyone farther down than they already are. I'm sorry." Suddenly Canary felt like crying.
"You don't have anything to be sorry for. You can't help it. It's not your fault that I can't get to Earth, and that the Color Crystals aren't working, and that Krys and Orin hardly ever visit, and--" Rainbow's voice broke, and she started crying.
Canary was shocked. Never, in her wildest dreams, had she thought Rainbow was even capable of crying, and yet here she was, sobbing like a child. Rainbow had always been the strongest, the one that held them-- and the universe-- together. She always put on a smile for them, no matter how worried she may have been underneath. Canary couldn't bear to see her like this. She looked down at the floor.
*Rainbow *can't* cry, Canary thought. *She's too strong to cry. She even managed to taunt Murky when he kidnapped her.* A horrible thought, even worse than the unthinkable image in front of her, came into her mind; *Rainbow's life is bringing color to Earth, and she can't do that anymore. If she can't do what she loves more than life itself, then would she--* She wiped the thought from her head before it was finished. Never, never would Rainbow bring herself that low--or would she?
*If it's bad enough to make Rainbow cry,* Canary mused, *then nothing can fix it. Nothing short of a miracle.* She looked up when she heard foot steps, and saw Rainbow walking away as a sprite called her, that brilliant, shining smile back on her face. *I doubt Rainbow wants anyone to know about that. So I won't tell them.* She picked up her tray and walked back into Sel's room. The green-eyed girl was still feverish. As Canary put a fresh cloth on her forehead, she looked at her patient's face, and murmered, "Whoever you are, little girl, it would be good if you could become a miracle for me."
~~~~~~~~~~~~
She was floating in oblivion. It was cool and dark, with no night haunts to bother her. She had no qualms with this place. In fact, it was very nice, after months of finding no respite for torment under the sun or the moon. *Like Leto.* An odd thought to pop into her head at a time like this. *Hera was jealous that she was pregnant with Zeus's child, so she sent a dragon to chase after her and give her no rest until the child was born; but she could have the baby anywhere the sun shone, either. So she had to wander until her she found an island just under the surface of the ocean, where the sun didn't reach. And then came Artemis and Apollo.
*Maybe this could be my island.*
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Brian, *no.* You're not strong enough," Rainbow protested.
"Rainbow, I have to see her. It's my fault she's like this!" Brian exclaimed, frustrated at not being allowed to see Sel. Canary had told him that she had a fever and was getting worse, and it was all because of him (Canary hadn't told him that; he figured it out himself, what other reasonable conclusion was there?). She had pushed him out of the way, and he had been the one who had wanted to walk home with her in the first place, if it hadn't been for him she probably would be safe and sound right now.
"For the last time, it's not your fault!"
"It is! I wanted to go home with her, and--"
"Brian, stop it. What's wrong with you? I've never seen you this worked up!" the wearer of the Color Belt asked, a little jealous of Brian's attention for the girl.
Brian looked at her and smiled, trying not to laugh. "It's not what you're thinking, Rainbow. Not like that," he assured her. "It's just that....I sort of feel responsible for what happened to her. If not for her, I might be dead. I owe her, big time."
Rainbow smiled a bit, the first time Brian had seen her smile in a long time. "I'm sorry, Brian. I know I'm being difficult--"
Brian had to laugh at that. Rainbow, being difficult? He had never heard her say a harsh word to anyone but Murky. And the Princess and Count Blogg, he supposed, but she was so good, through and through, that it was hard to imagine even that. "You are *not* being difficult, Rainbow. You're never difficult." Was it Brian's imagination, or did Rainbow sit a little taller on the edge of the bed after he reassured her? Certainly she smiled more.
"Brian, it's so good to see you again. I've missed you more than you can imagine."
"Actually I can, because I probably missed you at least the same you missed me." Brian paused, not wanting to ask the question he had been dreading to ask. "Rainbow, why didn't you come see me if you missed me so much? Were you mad at me, or--"
"Brian, of course not!" *Not mad at you,* she thought, *never you. Oh, I was hoping to wait a little before I had to start explaining to you, but....I guess it's now or never.* She took a deep breath. "Brian, the reason I didn't visit you was because I couldn't get to Earth," she blurted quickly. *There now,* she asked herself, *was that so hard?*
"WHAT?!"
*I guess it was.* She couldn't look him in the face. "Just what I said. I couldn't get to Earth. Something, I don't know what, was blocking me. I don't think it's Murky, it feels a lot stronger than that. Not the Princess, either, though I know that she's disappeared and even Orin doesn't know where she is. And there's so much else, too, and I haven't been able to tell anyone here, I can't let on how bad it is, they wouldn't trust me at a--" She broke off when she felt Brian's arms around her.
"You know what your only fault is?" he asked her quietly. "You're too hard on yourself. You blame yourself for things that can't be helped, and then you don't let anyone help you."
Rainbow leaned back against him, glad for someone she could talk to, finally, after all these months of silence. For the last year, as things had grown worse and worse, she had grown quieter and quieter, the only showing of her fears and doubt when she cried herself to sleep, where only the walls could see her weakness. And her nagging mind wouldn't let her rest until she had turned everything she had ever done wrong over in her mind. Once in the middle of the day, she had locked herself in her room for hours; she couldn't remember why she had started crying at first, but knew she kept crying because no one came to see if she was all right, and she had felt totally, utterly alone.
"Brian," she said, again close to tears, "thank you." And then she broke down in sobs of relief.
He let her cry herself out, holding her and telling her it was all right. It was a long time before she could get herself together. She wiped the tears from her eyes and smiled. "Thank you. I think I needed that." She stood up to leave.
"Rainbow? Brian called. She turned around. "If something's wrong, or you need someone to talk to--" he shrugged-- "I'm here."
Rainbow nodded. She was halfway to the door when Brian said, "And, Rainbow?"
"What is it, Brian?" She looked at the serious expression on his face, and wondered, *What now?*
"Sel. She knew."
"What?"
"She knew, somehow, that you weren't getting to Earth. I mean, she didn't know about you, but she knew that something was wrong. No one else I'd ever talked to noticed it. She did."
Rainbow's mouth dropped. Sel? But she seemed so....ordinary. How in the name of the Great Ones could she notice that? Most humans had no idea that she and Rainbowland existed, even on a subconscious level.
Rainbow nodded. She would take this in stride, just as she did every other problem that came up. "Thanks, Brian. I'll keep that in mind." She turned around again.
"What does it mean?"
Rainbow shrugged. "It means that she's more than we thought she was."
"But what?"
"Who knows? She could just be extremely perceptive, or--"
"Or?"
"Or she could be the savior we've been waiting for."
~~~~~~~~~~~
It was a nice place, she had decided. Very peaceful. Now she laid back and lost herself in the corners of the calm, serene darkness.
"Melglirael." It was a voice she knew well, low, soothing, rich, but urgent and fearful. *Not now,* she begged. *Please, not now. Just a little longer to rest. Maybe if I ignore it....*
"Melglirael. Melglirael, answer me."
Sel opened her eyes reluctantly. "I'm here," she whispered, looking at the gray nothing-place where she always met this woman. The same sight greeted her as always: the vague shape of a woman, wreathed with soft golden light, her face hidden in the sea of glowing rays. "I'm listening."
"You must go back," the woman said simply. "Here you float between Life and Death. You must choose one way or the other, and you must choose life."
Sel choked. She couldn't go back. To face the pain and heartache that she felt every day there, when she was just now free of it....the thought was too much to bear. "Why?" she asked angrily. "Why can't I just stay here?"
"You have a purpose there. You must go back and fufill it. Then you may rest."
"But I'm tired now!" Sel was on the verge of tears. She had just found her rest. Why did she have to leave so soon? "And how can I go back there? I'm not supposed to be there, I'm supposed to be on Earth!"
"It's not your choice, Meglirael. Even Artemis had to leave her mother's island when she came of age. And you, little one, are of age."
"I'm not ready! Can't I have just a little longer?"
"The universe is in danger *now,* Melglirael. And you are the only one who can save it." The woman reached forward and touched Sel's cheek, and Sel felt the soft, gentle warmth that the woman brought with her fill her to her bones. "The road will be hard, very hard. But you will survive it because you are the daughter of Melayel, and a sorceress of the line of Amira. And you will be strong. Now go. And take your mother's love with you." She vanished.
Sel sighed and wiped away the tears on her face. Then she shut her eyes, and came back.
~~~~~~~~~
It was darkness around him, not the dark of night, which never scared him, but hard, pressing, cold darkness that wasn't of this world or any other. It felt *wrong.* He hadn't been this scared since--never. Weapons and the chance of dying didn't scare him. It wasn't in his nature to be scared of living things. But this harsh, chilling feeling wasn't alive, and it wasn't dead, either, and it held a great bitterness against everything alive or dead for being either. It choked him, yanked the life-giving air from his lungs, and the warmth from his body, leaving him alone and cold. His body, mind, and soul were numb, leaving him with nothing. And the numbness was so much worse than pain, than torment, than death even--
And blessed light flooded his senses as he opened his eyes. His pillow was a few feet away, and the blanket was wrapped around his feet. The floor hurt his back, but at least he could feel it.
Krys sat up and rolled his neck to get the stiffness out. Sleeping on the floor for five nights straight didn't do anyone any good, and though he would never admit it, it really killed that place where he had been knocked into a wall several times when he and Rainbow had fought the Princess, and a few times since then.
But because of guilt, he offered to sleep on the floor in that *girl's* room to make sure she didn't die in the night or do something completely female like that. And so he dealt with the pain, just because he felt bad. *Human emotions are insane. The girl gets a fever and I figure it's my fault for chewing her out. There is no way her body's functions are related to anything that comes out of my mouth. And I *still* think it's my fault.*
He stood up and went to check on Sel. And blinked. And shook his head. And still wasn't sure he was seeing what he was seeing.
Sel was, for the first time in over two weeks, sleeping calmly, her face peaceful, though a hint of sadness played at the corners of her mouth. He put his hand on her forehead. It was cool. "What the--" he muttered, completely perplexed. For two weeks straight she kicked and screamed silently in her sleep, looking as though she were enduring more pain than a human should have to take. And then with the fever came the impossibly serene look of one lying in Death's arms, though Canary assured him the fever wasn't enough to kill her, and that worried him more than the silent pain. And now, suddenly, she was fine. Pale, but fine.
*Unnatural,* he thought. *That's all it is, completely impossible.* And if anything scared him, it was the unnatural and impossible and strange.
He stared for a few more seconds, then went to tell Rainbow.
~~~~~~~~~
The light hurt her eyes. She squinted against the bright, and touched her hand to the back of her head. It didn't hurt. That was odd. She had remembered it hurting from her dreams--
*You must go back.*
*You have a purpose there. You must go back and fufill it.*
*Even Artemis had to leave her mother's island when she came of age.*
*The universe is in danger *now,* Melglirael. And you are the only one who can save it.*
And then her own thought, that hurt worst of all--- *This is where I'm supposed to be. I'm not going home.*
She started to cry, but then she heard the lady's voice in her head, clear as the sunlight on her face: "The road will be hard, very hard. But you will survive it because you are the daughter of Melayel, and a sorceress of the line of Amira. And you will be strong."
*Sorceress.*
~~~~~~~~~~~
Canary came to see her later that day, when Sel was still deep in thought. And she seemed even more cheery than usual, for some reason, and expressed this surplus emotion by chattering constantly. Sel only caught a bit of what she was saying, until one name caught her attention.
"--and Krys was so worried about you, I've never seen him that irritable before--"
"*What?!*"
Canary looked at her. "I know, it was a surprise to the rest of us too, we didn't think you got on very well, but he stayed in here almost all the time, and he volunteered to sleep on the floor in here for almost the whole time you had the fever. It was kind of a shock, actually."
"But--I thought he didn't like me--"
"Apparently, not."
Sel was shocked. She wasn't used to people doing nice things for her, especially ones she had fought with the first--and only--time she spoke with them, let alone caring for her while she hovered betwixt life and death. "But, why--"
"None of us know, Sel, but it might just be that he likes you." She shrugged.
Somehow, Sel didn't think that was the case.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Within a few days she was walking around the Color Castle, as she learned it was called. She knew where just about every room was, and she had learned the names of all of its inhabitats. She got along with all of them well enough, but for some reason, she and the purple-haired girl Stormy tended to seek each other out. Sel found her explosive personality-- so passionate in everything!-- intriguing, and Stormy saw something in her that Sel couldn't quite figure out.
She also got on very well with quiet, pretty Moonglo. Moonglo was very curious about Earth, and though she was only available in the early morning or the hours before dusk, they had several very good conversations in which Sel attempted to explain the American government, without much sucess.
"Checks and balances? I'm sorry, Sel, but I still don't understand."
"That's how each of the branches of the government hold power over the others, the checks, and how the other branches of government hold power over each branch, to keep one branch from getting to powerful, the balances."
"But why are they called branches?"
Pause. "That's a good question, and I really don't know."
She and Brian saw each other often, having interesting conversations where laughs were frequent and quiet moments few and far between. He was very helpful in explaining what everyone in the color castle did, and what everything was for.
"What's this?"
"The color console, the Color Kids use it to moniter the color in the world--"
"And these?"
"Star Sprinkles, Rainbow uses them to put color into things."
"And what's that gray place out the window?"
"The Pits."
"What're those?"
"Where Murky and Lurky live, all dark and gray and depressing, the Color Belt doesn't work there."
"Who're Murky and Lurky?"
"They're sort of Rainbow's arch enemies, they're always trying to take the color out of everything."
Sel paused. "Are they why the world's been--"
"No." Brian shook his head. "Rainbow says it feels a lot stronger than them. They're kind of bumbling idiots."
"How so?"
"They never manage to do anything right, usually take a few steps backwards, actually."
"Why does that make them idiots? Maybe Rainbow's just a lot stronger than them."
"She is, but that doesn't mean they're smart."
"I'm not saying they're smart, I'm just saying they might not be idiots."
Brian rolled his eyes. "What ever you say, Sel."
~~~~~~~~~
After a week of wandering or so, Sel was walking to her room--in a bad mood, incidently, having had nothing to do since she woke up (her offers to help with cooking, cleaning, and pet care were shrugged off)-- when she noticed a door room that she hadn't been in. She peaked in, and saw--books. Hundreds of them, at least. They were stacked haphazardly in piles on the floor, on the shelves, on any available space. Papers were strewn everywhere. Sel was appaulled. She was one of those "crazy girls" who couldn't stand to see books mistreated. She walked all the way in and called, "Hello?" When no reply came, she inspected the room further. It was one of the largest rooms she had seen in the castle, with a high, vaulted ceiling, shelves at least 15 feet tall (complete with moving ladders), and several tables and comfy looking armchairs. She supposed it was meant to be a library, but looked as though it had been out of use for quite some time. She picked up a book off a pile-- "The History of the Great Ones and the Universe"-- "Fowl or Foul? A Study of Hippogriff Brutality"-- "The Moste Noble Study of The Human Bodie and Its Workings," which looked like it was a good eight hundred years old. She looked around the the room. With a little work, some sorting, dusting--she thought as she sneezed-- maybe some painting--this would be a nice room. Something for her to do, and she was sure that once cleaned up, this library could rival any in the universe. She smiled, pulled her hair back, and set to work.
Author's Note: Sorry it took so long, again. I hope some of you caught the Harry Potter reference in the last paragraph. I couldn't resist. I've decided to combine some chapters, to make it easier for me. So from now on, each chapter will seem more like two shorter ones combined, and I'll probably update about half a full chapter at a time, so look for the DATE of update, not how many chapters, from now on. And things will get a bit more exciting from here on out, thanks for sticking with me. Rainbow, Stormy, Brian, Krys, and of course Sel will probably be the most important characters from here on out, plus a few characters of my own.
A little bit of a side note: School started yesterday for us Iowans, and for the first semester I have 8 classes every day, no study hall, and possibly another class independently (I CAN'T BELIEVE THEY'RE NOT EVEN OFFERING ANTHROPOLOGY!!!!!!!!!!!). Needless to say, I'm not gonna have a lot of free time. Sorry.
-Brad