CHAPTER 1
A Burgeoning Light
THE FIRST RAYS OF light spilled through the glass doors,splashed across the pristine fluffy white carpet, and reachedacross the white comforter that covered the small wood-framebed, barely missing the pastel face of a small fifteen-year-old girl whoslept there. As the old birch door of the room opened, a young womansashayed through importantly, her bright red hair swaying in a tightponytail as her white, silver-trimmed apron swished madly about.She stopped at the foot of the bed with a slight look of irritation onher freckled pale face. She strode over to the curtains and pulledthem open with one quick motion, filling the room with the brightrays of morning sun. The sleeping figure on the bed grunted indisapproval.
"Now, now, it's time to get up, Princess Lily," the servant statedmatter-of-factly in a slightly Irish accent, her jade-green eyes focusedon the lump in the bed as she sat down next to it.
Lily peeked from underneath the covers with unfocused lightbrown eyes tinged with green and gold. "Just a minute more? Please,Hannah?" she asked. Her tiny voice was garbled and thick with sleep.She was still very tired after staying up so late the night before.
"Wish I could oblige, Princess, but Karyn wishes to see you inthe garden for breakfast. How did you sleep?" Her Irish accent gotthicker as she spoke. She had told Lily stories of Earth many times bythe fire and had explained how people from Earth have accents fromtheir regions of it. However this had always confused Lily; geographyshould matter very little in language, but she had learned over timeto simply accept it.
"I had a nightmare last night about Star," said Lily, rubbing thesleep out of her eyes and sitting up in bed as the images that hadplagued her all night came back to her. It had begun with the daythat Star took her to the amusement park. They were laughing andriding rides, eating cotton candy, and playing games. She was holdingStar's hand as they walked through the crowd, happily talking aboutwhat to do next, when suddenly her hand slipped out of Star's. Shegrabbed for her companion's hand, feeling anxious as Star was pushedaway from her by the crowd. As her heart beat loudly in her ears, Lilypushed her way through the throng of people searching desperately forStar. She caught a glimpse of Star passing through the wacky mirrorhouse door and ran toward it, terrified. As she passed through thedoor, she found herself standing in between two tall brick buildings.Disoriented and confused, she looked around. Star lay on a strangesection of flat gray stone, all of the sections snug together in a lineuntil the path ended in a wall. Two dead bodies lay close by, makinglarge puddles of blood. Lily saw a man with long sun-kissed hair anda large bloody sword in his hand bend down to talk with Star, and shechoked out her last words in his ear. Lily didn't hear what Star said,but she knew it was important. Blood rushed out of Star's mouth asher lips parted, and she gripped the man's shoulder tightly. As theblood stopped, Star fell back letting go of the man beside her and thelight disappeared from her eyes. Tears streamed down Lily's face; shewas unable to stem the flow as she screamed in her own mind.
Hannah interrupted Lily's silent replaying of the dream. "Whatwas it about?" she asked, sounding slightly interested.
"At first, it was a happy dream, but then I ... watched Star die ... Ifelt helpless to save her," said Lily, beginning to cry as she again sawStar's last moments replaying in her mind.
Hannah pulled her over and hugged her as she said softly, "It'snot your fault that Star died. We talked about this last night."
"I know, but ..." Lily paused as she sniffled pathetically, gettinga whiff of the strange mix of lavender from Hannah's hair and thesmell of strawberry perfume she always wore. "I felt like I should havedone something, but I just couldn't no matter how hard I tried!" shecried, sniffling loudly. Hannah stood up and walked over the plainset of white dressers, picked up a box of tissues, and gave one to Lilyas she sat back down next to her on the bed. Lily took it gratefullyand gave a loud blow.
"Feel better?" asked Hannah hopefully.
"Not really." Lily sighed then sniffed, feeling her nose beginningto get stuffy again.
"I know you and Star were close, but she is gone now. She wouldwant you to keep your head up and smile." Hannah lightly rubbedher back.
"I'm sure you're right Hannah; you usually are." Lily looked atHannah sincerely, smiling with gratitude, grateful to have such agood friend.
Hannah gave her a reassuring grin. "We must get you dressedfor breakfast with Elder Karyn. The gossip in the servants' quartersis that she has something to tell you! This might be it!" she saidexcitedly.
Lily instantly brightened, hoping against hope that her motherhad finally agreed to allow her to go to Earth for study. They hadbeen arguing about it for years, and Lily had tried everything toconvince her mother of the importance of going. "Well, what are wewaiting for?" she said happily and jumped out of bed with a spring inher step. In the back of her mind, she knew that she was not goingto talk to her mother today about leaving to study. They were to talkabout Star and perhaps about funeral arrangements. She pushed thethought far from her mind as she tried to keep the happy feeling alivewithin her, when all that she wished to do was lie on her bed and cryuntil she couldn't any longer.
They walked to the closet at the opposite end of the room andstepped in. It was a strangely spacious closet despite the smallnessof the actual room outside, with a step stool in the center and tworacks of clothes on either side with shoes underneath in neat rows.Everything in the closet was white, silver, or light purple, making thespace seem brighter than it actually was. Even her shoes were one ofthe three colors. Lily didn't mind this, though; she loved these colors,and as she walked to the stool, she reached out a hand and felt thefabrics brush through her fingers, reveling in the soft feeling.
For a while, Lily and Hannah said nothing as they went abouttheir normal daily routine. Hannah undressed her charge while Lilystood there trying not to think of Star, but instead about how shemight thank her mother for finally allowing her to go study. Hannahwalked over to the rack full of Lily's best clothes and picked up abeautiful white dress with light purple trim. It was a plain thing by allaccounts—no frills, bows, or flowers—but the pleats of the skirt weresown to accent her hips only slightly, and the long sleeves widened atthe bottom, giving it an old-fashioned feel. Lily liked history and hadread many books on the Renaissance era and fashion. She felt thesekinds of clothes were the most beautiful out of all the clothes she hadread about. Star had it made for her just a year ago and given it to heras a birthday present. At the sight of the dress, Lily saw Star's rosyface again, spluttering blood, as she clung onto the strange man.
Lily covered her mouth and burst into tears as Hannah, realizingwhat she had done, sighed in worry. "I'm sorry, Princess. I didn'tthink ..." She dropped the dress and hugged her. "You'll be fine—justtake it one day at a time," she said softly as she patted Lily's quiveringback and stroked her messy long auburn hair.
Lily turned around and begged with insistent hazel eyes, "Don'tbecome the Light Element! Please, I don't know what I would doif you were to die too!" Lily couldn't hold in her emotions anymoreand cried loudly.
Hannah looked both surprised and flattered. "Why not?" sheasked with a confused tone.
"I'm worried the same thing will happen to you if you do," shesaid into Hannah's white dress.
A dreamy look came over Hannah. "There are lots of candidatesfor the job, and though I would love to do the job since it's everyWhite Witch's dream, it's not up to me, Lil." She gave Lily a sadexpression.
When Lily gave her a dejected look in response, Hannah retorted,"You shouldn't worry. I can take care of myself and I've trained withWhite Witches who learned from Charlie. You have nothing tofear." Hannah had told Lily many times of Charlie, an Element oflegend. She had grown up on such stories as the fall of the Olympiansand those events that highlighted his fighting styles. There was noElement more feared than Charlie—in the legends he was called theElders' Glorious Fireblade—yet Hannah's training didn't make Lilyfeel any better. They both said nothing. Hannah ignored Lily's pitifulexpression as she brushed her hair. When her hair was brushed to abright sheen, Lily washed her face with cold water from the basin inthe bathroom and exited the room behind Hannah.
As she strolled down the wide corridor with silver-streaked whitemarble floors, high buttresses decorating the ceiling, and stark whitewalls, she felt a sense of something new; like a kind of excitement.She thought hard about what the surprise might be. They passedthe lobby of the Elders' wing, a simple yet elegant place, with afew vases, flowers, and other such decorations sparsely surroundingsilver-trimmed white chairs and couches. Her hands shook while herinsides vibrated like violin strings. She was so nervous that she felt asif she could soar through the skies if she grew wings right now. Hermind darted from Star to Charlie to Earth and back again.
So absorbed in her thoughts, Lily hadn't realized that they hadwalked so far and they now were outside the doors that led intothe immense garden. The giddy feeling intensified, and it felt asif her heart had jumped into her chest, making it hard to breathe.Her mouth was strangely dry; she tried to swallow, but nothinghappened.
Hannah opened the doors, and Lily followed after her. Her stepswere shaky, but she lifted her chin and gritted her teeth. She had toget a hold of herself. Her mother didn't much care for dealing withoverly emotional people. Lily followed Hannah out to the patiounder the large, ornate white gazebo surrounded by bushes andwhite flowers. The rest of the garden was like a sea of colors withstreams and small ponds artistically placed. It was a place of wonderfor Lily and she instantly felt better as she looked around and tooka deep breath of the fresh air that blew lightly. The now fully risensun beat down on her, warming her skin. The garden itself was soexpansive that when Lily was seven, she had gotten lost in the manytall rows.
Hannah marched up the steps of the gazebo, and Lily followedclosely behind her, trying to stay calm by taking in the sight ofthe stunning garden. With a bright smile, Hannah curtsied lowto Karyn, who sat at the crystal-like table in a white luxuriouslycushioned metal chair. Karyns' straight, almost white hair cascadeddown to the floor and curled in a pile on a rug set there for just thatpurpose. There was a regal air about Karyn even though she wasn'twearing her crown. The relaxed expression she gave them from overthe rim of her delicate white-and-silver teacup clashed with herformal posture. She smiled as she looked with her bright white, silver-tinged eyes at Lily's dress, then face and said, "Sit down, daughter,and partake of the repast."
"Thank you, Mother," Lily replied with a slight grin and sat downin the chair opposite her. Picking up a silver fork, she began to eatdaintily from the large meal before her, trying not to feel anythingbut peace as she looked out at the garden. Hannah went quickly fromthe gazebo with a smile on her face.
Her mother sipped at her tea leisurely with a grin on her colorlessface. "How are you doing lately?"
Lily, who had barely been able to keep the sadness away before,now felt it welling up inside her as she tried to think of a way toanswer. "Not so well, Mother," she said almost under her breath.
"Yesterday was hard, but we must move forward as quickly aspossible, which is why we will be discussing who the new Light willbe," her mother replied evenly before taking a bite of fruit.
The fork dropped from her hand and clanged on the plate loudly;the implication behind her words left Lily aghast. Star had died justyesterday, and now—now—she was going to choose another LightElement? Today? Anger burst forth inside her; she just wasn't surewhy. Too many reasons flitted about in her head, all vying to be thenumber one reason. But it seemed that her sadness over losing Starwas being replaced with indignation at her being so quickly replacedwith a new Light. She well understood how necessary it was that theoffice not be left open too long, but this didn't stop her from feelingthat it was somehow too soon and not right. "Mother, what aboutStar's funeral?" Lily asked as a tear streaked down her face.
Her mother surveyed her for a moment and then sighed."Unfortunately, it will have to wait until the next Light Element hasbeen placed. There needs to be a new Light as soon as possible and Ithink I have just the person to fill the role."
Unable to bear the thought of Hannah becoming the LightElement, Lily jumped up and blurted, "Mother, I won't let Hannahbe the Light Element!"
"Remember your manners!" Karyn admonished. "Now sit downand we'll talk."
Lily unwillingly complied and sat back down, but her heart beatfast in her chest; afraid of what her mother might say next.
"Though there were a lot of qualified candidates to choose fromthis time, I have made a final decision..."
Lily held her breath, wishing for anyone other than Hannah tobe the new Light, as her stomach tried to twist itself into knots.
"Lily, you will be the new Light Element," Karyn finally said andthen calmly sipped her tea.
Thoughts refused to go through the mire of her mind as Lily,flabbergasted, sat staring openmouthed at her mother. The smell ofapricot tea wafted lightly on the breeze past her nose. The sweat onher palms caused her white-knuckled grip to slide on the arms ofher chair.
Karyn took Lily's wide-eyed silence as assent. "Your new duty,first and foremost, is to survive. Aside from that, you are expected tobe a role model for the other Elements, especially those getting a littlerowdy. Set an example for others, and use your range of knowledge tospread enlightenment to other Elements and those connected to ourworld. Last, and the most important, you are to protect humankind."She frowned slightly and glanced down at her tea as if it was bitter. "Ihave come to accept that being an Element will require you to fight.So you will undergo training at Mount St. Helens with Charles," shesaid and quickly sipped her tea.
It was quiet in the gazebo. Karyn daintily ate a tea cake, whileLily sat stunned and just watched her. Finally, it sank in for Lily thatshe was going to be the new Light if she didn't speak up. She jumpedout of her chair, knocking it to the whitewashed wood flooring."Have you lost your wits? I am completely unqualified! I have hadno training and little to no contact with the mortal realm, and notto mention, I am only fifteen!"
"Those are things that you can learn and gain from experience,and you have what is most important for a Light Element: purity,loyalty, and strength of character," said Karyn patiently.
Taken aback by her mother's words, Lily righted her chair andsat down.
"Have faith in yourself and everything will turn out just fine,"Karyn said with a small smile. "Rayne!" she called out before Lilycould argue more.
An exotic-looking woman with deep ocean-blue roots in her shinymidnight hair, which fell all the way to her midsection, appeared ina rushing tide of water. Nothing in the gazebo was the slightest bitwet. After smoothing her silky silver shirt, her hands moved to restin front of her dark blue pants. The smile tingeing her plump lips onher pale oval face seemed forced. "You called, Elder?" Rayne asked,with a slight irritation flashing from her piercing almond-shaped eyesas she bowed. Her eyes fascinated Lily; the irises were dark brownsurrounded by a deep blue outer ring.
"Your new task is to teach Lily how to be an Element. Covereverything that a new Element should learn, with emphasis on therules," Karyn ordered.
