• Chapter 1. (The Beginning[this is just my title 4 now])


    Silm was sitting by the fire and staring, hardly noticing the small Fire Fairies that were leaping up about her. It was one of those chilly days where Silm completely forgot why she even existed; one of those days when she was entirely lost in her paradox of dreams. It was quiet out and everyone else had not yet awaken, but Silm, being an Elf, knew just when to awake to see the perfection of the creation of Socoan. Sometimes she wished her people could have created it, but no, they knew too much. It would have been far too complex for other life forms save themselves.
    What are you thinking Silm? She asked herself. This world is just right…or was just right…oh, why do things have to change?
    She was right of course, but she liked to pretend she wasn’t.
    “Up before dawn again, eh?” Lex asked, awakening and sitting across from Silm. He brushed Fire Fairies off his own skin. “Yah, well I don’t see how you can do that.” He yawned and stretched out his arms toward the Sun.
    Silm looked up at him for barely a moment. He was nice-looking, but she didn’t exactly see how Siri thought he was handsome.
    Maybe it’s just me. Silm looked right in his eyes, I don’t see guys the way most girls do.
    “You’re half-Elf though.” Silm responded clearly, “You should feel the same; or at least half the same. I don’t see why your parents would…er…have you. That is, if they knew you were going to be a traitor.” Silm saw his face flush and his eyes try to hold back anger.
    “Oh, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean…”Silm hurriedly apologized.
    “No!” Lex cut her off, “I mean,” His voice softened a little, “There’s nothing we can do about it now. I don’t see any point in bringing it up.” He stood up and walked of, trying not to let Silm see his anger.
    Why is it always me? He grumbled in his mind, My family just happened to be the one who did this to me. My family…no, stop yourself, Lex. Like you said, there’s nothing you can do about it anymore. Nothing.
    Suddenly he saw someone walking towards him.
    “Crimson.” He mumbled. “So she’s not asleep either. Just my luck.”
    Crimson walked over next to Lex, and despite the fact she knew he hated her, she walked along beside him.
    “What happened, Lex?” Crimson asked, pretending to be oblivious to Lex’s sullen look, “I could hear you yelling from across the rainbow.” She paused; then becoming more serious, asked again. “It’s Silm, is it? I know how she is; kinda loud and…”
    “No, it’s not Silm.” Lex didn’t change the anger that was on his face. “It’s not Silm at all…” His voice trailed off into the blue sky, and ran away with the Air Fairies that were now all around them as they approached their camp.
    “It’s your family then isn’t it?” Crimson guessed correctly. When he didn’t respond, she went on. “Lex, you need to get over the fact that your family did this to you. We all have our battles.” Here she sighed, and thought about her life before she became a traitor. Maybe if Lex knew? No, it would be best to keep it secret. “It’s about time for you...for everyone to move on. I’ve been through some pretty hard times too, and Fo, and Siri...and even Silm, although you couldn’t tell by the way she acts. She’s probably been through the hardest times of anyone. She’s not even respected by the Elves anymore. Imagine that. Your own race, the one you love so much, hates you. At least you still have the right to go back and talk to the Elves...and humans. Now forget about it, and stop looking so glum...I mean it. You’re going to give everyone else around here a breakdown.”
    Lex moaned but listened, trying to look a little happier as they entered the camp.
    “Crimson!” Ming shouted over at her just as Lex walked away. “I thought something had happened. You’ve been gone all morning.”
    “Yah he’s been worried sick about you.” Siri spoke up. “Hmm, I think it’s called...l-o-v-e.”
    Silm elbowed her in the ribs.
    “Come on.” She pretended to sound serious. “You don’t have to make it any more obvious. Ming’s pretty good at that.”
    Siri giggled but Silm didn’t laugh at her own joke. Looking behind her, she saw Lex walk towards them.
    “Start smoothing your hair.” She joked with Siri, and then walked over to stand next to Fo, who was looking pretty lonely sitting by the stove to keep warm.
    Siri did smooth her hair and then smiled as Lex came and stood next to her, barely noticing her extra efforts to look nice. He was looking back at Silm, but shrugged the thought of her off as Ming grabbed his shoulders, standing between him and Siri.
    “He,” Ming said jokingly, “is the only reason I am worried about my position in my army. He’s getting a little too good for my tastes.”
    “Yah, well then why...” Lex was about to make a sarcastic comment (probably a good one too) but Crimson cut him off.
    “Well then why are we standing here not doing anything? If you ask me, I could be practicing my summoning or something useful.” She looked at Lex with a cutting look in her eyes, and Lex shut up.
    Meanwhile, Silm was having her own trials trying to figure out what was wrong with Fo today. She didn’t seem quite herself.
    “Nothing bad happened that I don’t know of, huh?” Silm was asking Fo. “Come on, you can tell me. I’ve only known you for years. What’s wrong?”
    Fo reached down and touched her own heart. “My heart.” she said.
    “What about your heart?” Silm asked her quietly.
    “It broke.”
    “How did your heart break? I mean, what made it break, Fo? Hearts don’t just break.” Silm saw that Fo was beginning to cry so she changed the subject. “So what do you think of Lex? Siri seems to like him. Have you noticed?”
    “How could I not?” Fo looked up, wiping her eyes. “She really likes him, but I don’t think he likes her very much.”
    “You don’t?” Silm looked interested. “Why not?”
    “Because I think he likes you.” Fo got up and walked away, leaving Silm to her thoughts, as she liked to do to people.
    Silm thought about it for a while, but then stood up and shook her head, Things just weren’t that way. Lex would never like her, like that anyways. They were just friends. Why couldn’t you be friends with boys without everyone thinking you liked them? There were so many things Silm would have changed if she had created Mindiriath. But she didn’t, so she had best forget about it.
    Silm turned to see the rest of the group walking towards her.
    Dinnertime I guess. Silm thought, and stood up for the moment.
    “Oh, you’re cooking, Silm?” Siri looked skeptical.
    “No, thank God.” Siri laughed aloud. Sometimes she wondered if all that studying Siri did ever did her any good. “You know I couldn’t cook a flea, even if I wanted to.”
    Siri looked up and noticed Lex looking at Silm.
    “Well, let’s eat then.” She grabbed Lex by the arm and put him down at their makeshift table, which was nothing more than a few stumps on the ground. “As long as Silm’s not cooking I’m good. I’m starving anyways.” She opened her dish to see tuna. “How would you like some ‘extra’ tuna casserole?” she asked Lex, but he just smiled and said the last time he ate tuna he barfed on the person sitting next to him. Siri instinctively scooted over slightly.
    At the end of the table, Ming and Crimson were sitting down. Crimson looked happy. It was Ming who made her happy. He would always tell her jokes and things to make her happy.
    Ming finished eating and leaned over the table as if to say something, but he never even opened his mouth.
    I am going to figure out about her. He thought, looking over at Crimson. One of these days I will figure out all about her past and find a way to fix it for her. He glanced over at Silm now. And her too; there is something “different” about her. I want to figure them all out. He sighed. I will, someday...
    His thoughts were interrupted by Siri’s voice.
    “Where did Silm go?” She asked in a mocking voice. “Maybe she doesn’t like us and just wanted to be alone. *sigh* Well, I suppose will just have to do without her for a while.”
    Crimson shot her a cutting glance.
    “I’ll go get her,” Ming said, standing up off his ‘chair’. “And I’ll see if I can rustle up Fo as well.”
    Siri groaned to herself, but Lex heard it and left the table to follow Ming.
    “And I’ll join you.” He stood up and followed Ming glancing back once at Siri disapprovingly.
    Crimson looked at Siri again.
    “What is going on?” She leaned forward and looked Siri in the eye. “You’re not usually this...well, annoying. Is there something going on?”
    Siri didn’t answer, but just got up and left the table,
    Meanwhile, Ming and Lex had found Silm, sitting down under some tree with large spread out branches to shelter her from the rain which was beginning to fall. She looked deep in thought, as if she knew something the rest of the world didn’t, and she was pondering over it.
    “What’s wrong Silm?” Ming asked, as if he could tell there was something wrong with her.
    “Nothing much.” she said, but then became excited. “There’s just something I think we’re supposed to be doing.” She looked up at them, with her green eyes. “And don’t try to tell me otherwise.” There was something strange about her voice. It sounded strong, almost powerful, and Lex was amazed.