The whirlwind of images was still going in my mind dragging the strange image from my mind.

  The girl with gray-green eyes, the blonde woman with green eyes, and a man with blonde hair and gray eyes. He was prominent in most dreams. It seemed he had been important somehow. The black night replayed over and over as well. I couldn’t sleep so I just laid there hearing Myra snore.

  She had the cutest snore between a snort and a whistle. For a fat girl, she was really light. Maybe that had to do because I was this Kin thing and I was stronger than a normal human? I always had been stronger than normal but it never crossed my mind, that I was from a different planet or wherever this was!

  I summoned some wind to me, like in my dreams, but it didn’t come as easily. Actually, it was a damn hard thing to do! I tried to call a gust of wind and got a gall. Myra’s hair blew in my face and I choked it out. Breathing in and out lessened it to a manageable gust and I managed to reign it in. Was this going to happen every time I tried to call the blasted element to me? I practiced for a bit. It was like a rubber band. The more you pulled the more it stretched the muscle or whatever was used to call the element. After some time practicing, I let the wind go.

  Well, that solved my dreams.

  They were my missing memories. They had yet to settle though, spinning in my mind still. I had to wait for them to settle before I relived them. Joy. Myra snuggled closer. She wasn’t so bad asleep. She reminded me of an innocent little kid and I wanted to shake her but I promised no antagonizing and she needed the sleep. So I lay there listening to the camp. Was it me or was my hearing better than usual? I could distinguish people by the intonations in their laughter.

  The booming one that sounded closer to thunder was Ruckus and I could see where he got his name. He was loud! The feminine laughter came from two sources, the princess and Niran. A lower huskier tone came from Atesh. Pallas sounded like a hyena, and Ilias sounded like nails on a chalkboard. Nero the only quiet one didn’t laugh or talk for that matter. I learned their names by listening to them talking and could distinguish each one with their voices. They had all been here with the princess but I didn’t know who was who.

  I hadn’t been paying much attention. Smiley was the most dangerous at the moment and as she was the princess, well power got to one’s head I should know. I glanced at Myra who’s snoring had deepened. She had passed into deep sleep now.

  I wondered what cockamamy fate had pulled us together.

  We were the unluckiest people to ever get along yet somehow we would have to, especially me. Still, she had set our animosity aside and tended to me when I needed it, now I had to do the same and protect her from being a slave here. She had bite, but she didn’t have the strength to fight these Kin.

  I did. I was one of them, notwithstanding that I was from Earth, and something in me told me I didn’t want to meet that man in my memories.

  Myra moved against me and I blushed. Maybe having a girl on top wasn’t such a great idea? I was a guy and no matter what she was female. She stopped moving. Good. How did I get myself into these messes? Oh, right I didn’t think! My stomach growled Practicing had made me hungry. I’d have to place Myra beside me as gently as I could. She was deeply asleep. I doubt she’d feel me moving her.

  I scooped her form in my arms and laid her beside my sleeping bag. I gave her the pillow and she snuggled in looking for my body heat. I ran a hand down her frizzy hair. Despite its state, it was pretty soft. I stood and headed out of the tent. I stepped into the evening. No wonder I was hungry. It was dinner time. The princess spotted me first. Great. I had to deal with Smiley again.

  “Oh, you left the human. Are you hungry? We have food,” she said showing a roasted whatever it was by the fire. It kind of looked like a cross between a chicken and a rabbit. I hoped it tasted like one of those.

  I didn’t feel like accustoming myself to foreign food. I smiled and nodded. She got a ceramic bowl and loaded it with the animal. I smirked and took it sitting beside the quiet one. So he was Nero.

  “So, how was living on Earth like?” asked nails on a chalkboard. His voice grated on my ears. Beside me, Nero winced. He was Ilias.

  “Good. I didn’t have this on Earth,” I said calling a small bit of wind to my hand and swirling it.

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  “You have a lot of control for someone new to elemental magic,” Ilias said doing the same. I noticed he wore a silver belt of cloth with a symbol on it. Did it mark him as something? I asked.

  “All of us come from Brigades. Pallas and Nero come from the Ether Brigade and are brothers. Niran and Atesh come from the Fire Brigade and are another pair of brothers. Ruckus and Boulder come from the Earth Brigade and are first cousins. Arriana comes from the Water Brigade and I come from the Wind Brigade,” he said. I chewed on the meat which tasted like steak. Go figure.

  “These Brigades are like your army?” I fished wanting more information on the world Myra and I had stumbled into.

  The princess nodded proudly. So I had to watch my back against warriors then? Alright. Not great odds but at least I wasn’t defenseless.

  Myra was and we were both going to this High Council blind. I wanted Myra here for the history lesson. History was her thing. It would just bore me. I finished eating and watched as the princess rinsed the bowl with water from the air. It didn’t beat a washing machine in my opinion but it was useful. Could water be used to attack? It must be if you had an army for it. I was thinking of something like the Navy or Marines for them.

  Did these Kin even use guns? Not considering their archaic weapons and armor.

  Yeah, Earth was better.

  I stood and entered the tent to find Myra clutching the pillow. Her hair was in her face and she was snoring that cute snore again. She was stirring and her dark brown eyes were slowly sliding open. She blinked and sat up yawning.

  “Has it been twenty-four hours yet?” she asked.

  “It’s dinner time,” I replied shrugging.

  “Oh, good. I’m hungry,” she said standing up and looking at me with shuttered eyes.

  She was still tired and it was apparent in her every move. Sluggish, like a bear out of hibernation.

  I smirked and let some wind make a noose around her body and tugged her to me.

  “Woah,” she cried as she floated towards me and was set on her feet.

  “That’s much better,” I said smirking.

  She glared at me confused. “When did you learn to control the wind, Jonah?”

  I grinned. “While you were sleeping. I’m a fast learner and it seems it's like riding a bike. I never forgot how to use it I only needed control which I’m still shit at sometimes.”

  She cocked her hips and scowled pointing at me. “So you could have dropped me?”

  “So, the slave is up? Good! Get to cleaning,” Arriana commanded while pointing at a large pile of dirty armor on the ground and Myra glared. The princess had interrupted her scolding of me. Thank you, Arianna!

  “What about food? Humans can’t work unless they are fed,” Myra said crossing her arms.

  “You’ll eat table scraps when you’re finished cleaning my armor,” Arriana said.

  Myra’s stomach grumbled and I knew she wasn’t going to clean her armor without eating. I got ready to defend her with whatever she was going to pull.

  Sure enough, she walked to the animal, peeled a piece away, and ate it. Then another and another until she had eaten a small chunk of it.

  “Hey! What are you doing?” Arianna screamed.

  “Eating,” Myra said as she took another strip from the animal and popped it into her mouth.

  “You can’t do that! I told you to clean!”

  Myra tore a leg off of the thing and bit in ignoring Arriana. Arriana growled and sent a whip of water at Myra. I shielded her but a separate sheet of wind emerged and wrapped around the whip tugging Arriana off her feet. I stared at Myra who was still munching on the leg of the animal apparently unaware of what was happening.

  I didn’t know what to think. The shield was mine. The wind opposing the princess was not. Myra was staring at Arriana intently and the gust picked up slightly. It could only come from one person. Myra. Was she not human too? The string of wind vanished as suddenly as it came and Myra and I stood there.

  “I’ve eaten enough to work now,” she said, turning to the armor. She collected a few plates and dragged them to the river with me following.

  She kneeled and dunked the rag into the water before quickly passing it over the armor.

  “That was ballsy,” I said smirking. Why have you never shown me that side of yourself?” I asked passing her another piece of armor.

  “She brings it out of me and I’m not quite sure where it comes from but ever since we came here I’ve...changed slightly,” she said looking at me in the eyes.

  I nodded. She had become more rebellious no longer a mouse but why had she become like that? Arriana? But she showed courage when she fought the bird, and she decided to stay instead of run up the tree to hide from the bird, and she even yelled at me when we first landed in this place…

  “After this, her Highness can screw herself. I’m going back to sleep after I use the bathroom. I’m assuming the woods is my best friend?” she joked. I looked at her and had to hold my breath. Her eyes were sparkling like fireworks. She had amazing eyes and my staring was making her uncomfortable. I cleared my throat.

  “Your eyes were…” I began.

  “Yeah, they freak people out I’m told.”

  I gave a confused stare.

  “What do you mean?”

  “I’m told they’re so lifeless they freak people out.”

  “Lifeless? They light up like fireworks when you smile! I think someone was jealous,” I said grinning.

  “Really?”

  “Yeah, I don’t lie.”

  She smirked. “What about tricking me on the boat? You acted concerned.”

  “I...well damn. There goes the one virtue I had,” I muttered, blushing.

  She laughed and her eyes lit up with those fireworks again. She stood and handed me the armor.

  “Come on. If I present this armor to Her Highness, I swear she’s going to be wearing all of it,” she said walking back towards camp.

  I smirked and followed closely. Myra presented the clean armor and when Arriana said she missed a spot, she scoffed gave the princess the universal finger sign, and stalked to the woods where she used the bathroom. Then she stalked back to the tent, ignoring Arianna’s screams, and flopped down to sleep. Soon she was deep asleep again. I chuckled and lay beside her closing my eyes.