To the Afterlife and Back (Lit)

((@movie: Oh! I see. =] kk, I'll wait until you post to add Setako's own if you don't mind. ^^

I take too long to post... =\ Oh well. ^^; ))

Completely taken aback, and completely intrigued Entomas edged forward. He tilted his head to the side and made a soft clicking sound before coming up behind Eliza. Hesitating, he intended to place a hand on her shoulder and ask her some question when she took off, only to fall painfully. Entomas stood stunned. He was astonished to find himself concerned for her being and he wasn’t sure he liked how she effected him.

Still, he tried to approach her a second time, his hands wide and his eyes eerily focused on her. She rolled over, and seemed delighted at his appearance. He almost blushed, and a nervous smile crept across his face when he realized she was attending to the strange blue bird that had fluttered down. He dropped his hands, and was trying to puzzle out the strange girl as she laughed and glared at the chirping avian.

Catching on slowly, he began to suspect that she might have a similar gift to his. Hurriedly he closed his eyes and tried to concentrate. Send out a call of some sort! He urged himself. It was always a struggle to change the way he thought as a human to thinking like an insect. He had gotten much better at it recently, but he would probably never be very good at it. Small antennae poked through his short golden hair and he managed to call six butterflies of different colors to the air around him.

They zigzagged, confused at his rushed and contradictory message but tried their best to follow his commands. He opened his eyes and tried to get them to understand that he wanted them to land on his shoulder in an imitation of the girl’s bird companion. He was so absorbed in it that he scarcely noticed what she had done in reaction to the sudden appearance of his tiny insect followers.

ooc: Holdyn's intro in a sec...only have so much in me for one at a time right now XD

Aldalia was sitting on a glass chair in small metal-like deck. She glanced around quietly at Shangri and smiled; for whatever reason the new-age appearance and technology appealed to her. She had no idea why she would think of this either, it was all she could remember.

She shook her head quietly while glancing at an large drawing pad and a set of paints by her side. She kept them with her while she was at home at all times. She preferred painting the future instead of drawing it, although it was not like she could tell anyone.

If she had remembered correctly, it was three months ago she had discovered her power. It had also been the day she lost her memory; she had been told by the doctor that most people that turned up with abilities seemed to have lost their memories right before. She had also been told that not many people had abilities like she did, so she wasn't to tell anyone other than her doctor if anything came up concerning it.

She pushed the past out of her thoughts while glancing down at herself. Her clothes were much different than those most of her friends wore, she, for whatever reason, was drawn to old-fashioned clothes rather than the shiny new ones. Her train of thought then went black as he eyes glazed over. A few minutes later she blinked a few times and sighed.

She had had a vision. She actually hated it when things like that happened; she never knew when she would just drop everything and begin to foresee things. She glanced down at the large drawing pad and set down the paints which were now in her hands. She looked at the painting closely; it was a girl. The girl was a couple years younger than her and in the rain. After a few moments she noticed that she too was in the background of the picture, opening a doorway to what looked like a roof. She turned her head slightly wondering where it was before standing up slowly. She had recognized that roof, it was the top of the building she was in currently. She stood up and briskly walked through her appartment and out the door beginning to wonder who this girl was.

Holdyn was sitting at a coffee shop in the middle of a gleaming city. He laughed at himself momentarily before muttering, "Of course I'm in Shangri." He had had a memory lapse when transfering over, but this place was unmistakable. He had always seemed to forget where he was going while he was going there, rather than the opposite for what he knew. He had figured out by now that everyone would forget when they died; that's what had happened to Aldalia.

The two of them had been best friends, and he was being his ecocentric self when everything went downhill from there. He had stolen a very fast moving car from a man, and wanted to take it out for a joyride. His mistake was inviting Aldalia to go. The two of them were driving around too quickly for everything and against traffic; well not the two of them, just he was driving and she was laughing. He had lost control in the middle of a large area and crashed into a building.

Aldalia was dead within seconds of the impact; luckily it hadn't been painful. He on the other hand had discovered his power that day. As soon as the car crashed, he had just seemed to move through all of the solid objects without any harm. He remembered closing his eyes when he saw the wall, and the next thing he knew he was lying on the ground infront of where the crash had been; that was why they never found the driver.

He opened his eyes quickly and stood up angrily. He hated going back to that memory; it was the only one he couldn't seem to push out of his head. It had been his fault his best friend had died, and now he could never talk to her again. He knew she was still alive somewhere now, but she probably wasn't herself anymore. He sighed shaking the feeling off while putting his hands in his pockets. He needed to get somewhere to blow off all of his troubles tonight.

Eliza ran a finger down Lilian's neck, smiling as her feathers ruffled and straightened in pleasure. 'You're a rather strange bird...' she thought 'And you a strange human' the bird responded. This took her by surprise. What was normal? She realized she had no idea, her head tilted to the side and she scratched it confused, the thought hadn't occurred to her, she had been too focused on staying with Lilian and surviving in this strange world.

Shrugging, Eliza turned around to find a flutter of wings. These wings were smaller than Lilian's, and had no feathers at all. She tilted her head to the other side, watching as the light wings flitted through the air, the different colors dancing around the sky.

Her eyes went wide, and she looked at the man who had seemed to have started it "How'd you do that?" she asked, astonished, she looked up at Lilian for advice, but the bird only shrugged it's feathers, chirping in her ear. 'Ow! Watch were you squawk!' but the avian's only response was another series of short chirps.

She sighed, and shook her head, shooing the bird off of her shoulder, only to have it land atop her head. Luckily, Lilian didn't use her claws to keep balance, so it didn't hurt as badly as it normally would have. She smiled at that, still uncomfortable with the position the bird had decided to take. 'It seems like you're trying to annoy me' but Lilian only squawked back at her. 'Fine then, don't respond'



Terra looked around herself, the man at the sleek silver desk eyed her warily and asked "Can I help you?" she shook her head "Just waiting for someone" and sat down in a set of clear zigzag chairs. She hoped that the man didn't watch her to see if she was lying or not, because she was.

It was now thundering outside, and Terra flinched each time the sky growled at her, it's eyes flashing in the pouring rain. She smirked, scoffing, she was surprised that the city didn't shut down each time a storm came along. But it did. Just another advancement in technology.

She sighed, technology... was it really that great of a thing? Her thoughts flashed back to Mondo, 'They have a fine city and the only technology is the wheel!' Of course her thoughts were a bit exaggerated, but she got her point across to the invisible audience before her.

She shook her head, and placed her cheeks in her hands, resting her elbows on the clear table before her. Her thoughts had drowned out the continuous rumbling of thunder and pitter-patter of the rain. Now that she wasn't engaged in thought, she could hear it very well, and rubbed her temples to keep it out of her mind.

Still holding the jacket sleeves dangling from the top of her head, Setako turned around and ran to the other side of the building. There she gazed over the web of city lights for a second time before running to the third side, gulping in the view greedily.

Suddenly a giant hologram lit up, the bright lights dimmed the stars for a moment. It showed a beautiful model, dressed in the latest clothes promoting some sort of cosmetic product. Setako was dazzled and instantly wanted to be where the rainbow of lights was floating in the air. She watched intently as it continued its attractive display, but moments later the advertisement evaporated into the night air.

She waited a moment, hoping the vision would return, but it remained dark. She scanned the roads below, as rain began to fall. She espied a dark figure make a dash to the entrance of the building she was atop as the doors opened releasing a flood of light. She considered running down the many floors to meet the lone figure, but let the fantasy fade from her mind. With a thrilled laugh she turned away and danced to the center of the roof. She twirled ridiculously, not noticing as the patter of rain about her increased until it was coming in a torrent.

The cold wind finally flung it at her with such force that, she stopped dancing to gape at the sky whence this new miracle came. It was icy and was soaking in, but she was determined not to let it bother her. She continued to dance, enjoying the splashes and glitter as it fell from the dark night sky. The moon was three quarters full, and she imagined herself a fairy as she continued to jump around in her personal display.


~~~~~~~


A few moments after Eliza spoke, Entomas realized she had addressed him. He was pleased at the interest in her eyes for the butterfly troop, and was sufficiently encouraged to speak, “I can call them… and many other… insects… you see, its something I can do... I mean ask them to come.” He ended, a little put out and distracted by how involved she was with the bird before her. But he was also curious at how the pair interacted. First the bird was perched atop her shoulder, then it darted to her head, all the while chirping and chattering in some form of conversation.

By now the butterfly flock had left, called by the scent of flowers and dispelled by the presence of her bird. Entomas glanced about at the strangers who had either stopped to stare or were hurriedly departing the scene. He didn’t like the looks they showed. Of course, even interested faces would have deterred him. He stood there awkwardly, unsure of what to say or do, and fidgeted. His thoughts were more and more on the eyes that watched, even though there were only a couple who were doing so, not an unusual amount.

Adlalia began he climb up countless flights of stairs. As she moved closer to the top she began to hear thunder, indicating that rain had begun to fall. So her vision was of the near future. Usually it didn't involve things with her, that was why she was so interested to find out what would happen. She was just hoping it would be for her better, not worse.

She sighed going as fast as she could, and after what felt like hours she was up at the top of the stairs. Out of breath she stood still holding onto a railing and pushing loose chocolate brown hairs away from her face. She blinked and waited until she was breathing normally before she moved once again. She stepped up to the door way and opened it quietly.

Looking out into the damp night she took a few steps forward. She felt the rain pattering onto her body and slowly drenching her. She looked around the roof to spot the girl, dancing. In her opinion it would be a positive future, not that she could ever tell, but it looked like it. She smiled watching the girl before asking, "Do you need any help?" She wasn't sure of what else to say really to a girl dancing around on a wet roof.

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Holdyn walked around the city watching advertisements and people walk by emotionless. He soon heard thunder and felt rain begin to poor on his body. He muttered something angrily to himself before ducking into a building. Drenched, he looked around to notice it was a lobby to an appartment building. One that he recognized too familiarly.

"What are the odds," he said to himself sarcasticly before plopping down onto a couch. It was the building he had crashed into not two years ago. He glanced around noting the girl on the other side of the lobby and the man at the front desk. He didn't even bother to talk to the man, he seemed in a bad mood, and he wasn't in the mood to have his spirits brought down anymore.

Spinning with a euphoric grin on her face, it took a few minute before she noticed her observer. She smiled at the newcomer, pleasant surprise her expression. "I'm Setako, pleased to meet you!" She chimed before running over to Aldalia. She stopped a few feet away, not sure how to greet the other.

It was only then that she realized how cold she had become. Her face fell as she hugged herself, shivering until her whole body was shaking with the chills. She was troubled by the fact that she had no place to go, and instinctively looked to the girl who had found her for help. "I'm... I'm wet." She announced unnecessarily. She tried to laugh but found that she was crying. Almost before she had time to think she was pouring out a her jumbled story, the entire half hour of it. "I don't know where I am or how I got here, but there were all these lights and I ran and it was amazing and I passed this one person and then I was in this building and I saw the city and it started to rain and I wanted to dance and now I'm so cold." Her eyes pleaded for understanding, but she didn't dare move from where she stood on the roof in the rain.

Shaking her head so that raindrops scattered around her, she resumed her cheerful attitude, although it was very diminished by now. "I'm sorry, its just I'm very confused and I don't know hardly anything." She was still hugging herself, and gave a sad smile. "Could you tell me where I could get something to dry off with, and maybe a hot drink. I promise I won't trouble you any more." Confidence returned to her as she realized that she had some direction.

{{@_@ I'm finally caught up so here's my intro.}}

The grass was cool as it brushed against her tan and warm skin. The sun was out but she seemed to be somewhere shaded from it. Opening her amber colored eyes, the young teen blinked back the darkness to look around. Now she felt confused. She was in a vast clearing; nothing but grass for miles. She looked to the east, there was a forest, of which she was on the edge of. Her back was to a grand oak tree.

Looking up at the tree, Mina smiled; it was beautiful. Never before had she seen such an enormous tree. A frown soon came to her face. Or had she? She couldn't remember...Mina ran a hand over her torso tentivly. She was still wearing a tanish brown tank top, her favorite suede skirt that extended to her knees and redish suede boots.

These things she rememberd; it was her favorite outfit. She almost looked like an indian. Mina turned to look at the forest. How did she get here? Had she fallen asleep? How long had she been out of it? She couldn't answer any of those questions. Standing up, Mina placed a hand on the grand oak tree.

Flashes of memories came to her, but they weren't her memories. She saw a great battle, arrows soaring and swords clanking; she saw terrible storms that threathened to blow over the grand oak; she saw a couple rested in the shade during a hot day. The she realized these memories were that of the trees! Everything the tree had seen and gone through, so did Mina for the small time she touched it.

Mina quickly snatched her hand away, holding it as if she were burned. Breathing heavily, Mina stared at the tree in a new light. It was so close to a living person....it had memories...and feelings...Mina soon found herself smiling. She looked around the forest, wondering what these other trees had to offer; wondering what they had seen in their lifetime.

Walking through the grove, Mina soon found civilization. She stood hidden behind the trees for a moment, watching the marketplace. At least that's what it looked like to her. There were tents picthed everywhere and people were walking about. People dressed almost in the same style as her. Had she lived here all her life and suddenly forgotten? Mina looked up the large redwood she now
stood by. It was pretty...

She placed her hand on it gently, taking a deep breath. The memories flashed before her too quick for her to really see anything. Only one froze before her so she may watch, almost like the tree knew what she was asking for. She saw herself, running around with a younger child and a young pup in the marketplace. Her dark brown hair was long and braided, and she wore a long flowing dress that seemed to be made out of some skin.

Mina pulled her hand away slowly; the tree had withdrawn it's memories first. She frowned. She had been here before? Painfully, Mina tried to rack her brain for any sort of memory. She ended up giving herself a headache. Now she needed to sit down...her breathing was coming short. Pratically falling, Mina sat with her back against the redwood tree. This was too much...she had to find out where she was, and how she got here.

Resting for a few moments, Mina took a deep breath and stood back up. Maybe someone in the marketplace could help her. Looking at the bustle of the market, Mina suddenly felt nervous. She swallowed down her anxeity and half galloped down the slope towards the market.

Eliza considered his statement for a moment. "Hm..." she said and to Lilian 'what do you think?' the bird cocked it's head at her 'I think you should make conversation' Eliza rolled her eyes 'You're no help' she looked back at Entomas, the butterflies were gone, and it made her wonder where they'd gone off too. It was a strange thing, this world. A thought found it's way into her confusion 'He's like you!' it wasn't Lilian, but her own conscious. She tilted her head, narrowing her eyes. Satisfied, she consulted Lilian 'So he can talk to animals like me?' she paused 'Oh if only I could control them' Lilian gave a scared squawk at Eliza's mischievous expression responding 'I think you are...' this time her light tone seemed a bit deeper, but Eliza only shrugged it off.

Eliza looked at Entomas, suddenly smiling brightly. She shot out her hand and piped "I'm Eliza! What's your name?" Eliza. That sounded right to her, and she smiled. A quick look around proved the strange looks that they were attracting. Not taking her eyes from were they were she asked Lilian 'Why are these people looking at us like that?' Lilian's feathers ruffled, and she took a moment to smooth them out
'Because you're weird.'
'Hey!'
'Well it's true'
'You don't have to put it like that!'
'But it's the truth...'
'Fine then'

Annoyed at the bird, but still not showing it for her excitement of meeting someone else in this place. It was like a new present each time. Both when she found Lilian, and now that she had met someone new. Mischief flashed in her eyes, but it was covered up by her excitement at this meeting. Her stomach growled but she ignored it, not realizing what it meant. Lilian squawked at that 'You're hungry...' she chimed, but Eliza only rolled her eyes 'I am not'


____________


Terra sat up straight, having heard someone else come in. She decided to wait a minute, turning her head only slightly to get a view of their face 'No one I know...' she rolled her eyes mentally 'Not that that says much' she hardly knew anyone. She used to, in her first life, but she had never had any good friends. In her other lives, she had had no friends at all. She just found them a nuisance. But that didn't mean she didn't get to know others. Although, it was usually because they had something that would benefit her. Whether knowledge, or power, or an object.

She sighed, twisting in her chair to face the boy. If she pretended to know him, the clerk would stop watching her with his evil eyes. Silently, she rehearsed what she would do, before standing up and putting on a fake smile. She walked over to Holdyn "Hello" she said. That was all she would have to say, the conversation would start once she did.

People were like that, they always wanted to talk, whether it was about themselves or not. You just had to give them the opportunity to. And who knew? This guy could be more than a way to get out of trouble with the doorman.

Aldalia watched the girl as she began to break down. She sighed with sympathetic eyes as the girl poured out her problems. She nodded and smiled as she talked so that she would know she was listening.

However, she had stopped once the girl began saying she couldn't remember anything. She had remembered what the doctor had said about forgetting before a power appears. Maybe this girl would have one as well.

Once she was done, Aldalia smiled. She then warmly stated, "Well it's very nice to meet you Setako. I'm Aldalia, and you're welcome to come inside to my appartment to warm up for a while. I live just a few floors down." She then began to turn around and said, "Come on if you want to dry off quickly." She smiled and walked over to the doorway once again where it was dry.

She also began wondering if maybe she could ask the girl a few questions once they got to the appartment; she thought it would be interesting if Setako did end up having an ability.

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Holdyn was glancing over at the angry man at the front desk before another voice appeared. He turned his attention to a girl standing by him and she had just stated hello.

He too put on a smile and said, "Hey." He then paused curiously before asking, "Do you need anything?" He had put it in a nice way, but he wasn't sure how it came across to her. He hadn't talked to someone in a long time because he didn't want to be known between the two worlds.

He then stood up and said, "Nevermind. I'm Holdyn." He didn't want to come across as mean, so he decided to push his curiousity out of the way. He then put his hand up for her to shake.

((@mystik: No rush, but are you planning to join as a second Mondo? Also, I love Mina's gift! Your posts are always nice and lengthy and they never get bogged down in meaningless details. <3

@elastic: Holy cow, all your posts have been so long! =D And they are such a delight to read. ^^ You mange to pull off two characters with very different personalities, and very well!

@Movie: Your character's pasts are fascinating, I'm really looking forward to finding out what happens between them. Oh yes, and thanks for taking care of Setako. x] ))

BiC:

Eternally grateful, Setako dashed forward and back into the building. Once inside she tried to shake off the water that was running all over her clothes and jumped up and down a few times as well.

Eventually satisfied she turned to follow her new found companion, thoughtfully repeating the name. "Aldalia......" She gazed reverently at the relatively tall girl and decided she was very beautiful. "Thank you very much." She said somberly at the kindly offer to take her in and warm her up.

Starting down the stairs, she went two full flights in a playful half-skip before stopping to wait at the door marked "exit." She wanted to know what she could do for Aldalia in return but couldn't think of anything. Still, they would be together for a little while longer so perhaps she would find something soon.

~~~~~~

Finding that not only stranger's eyes were studying him, Entomas gave a surprised look at Eliza's narrowed eyes. He became even more nervous, and regretted his decision to try and learn about her. The bird's squawk startled him so much that he jumped and tensed up. Embarrassed over his behavior he mumbled an apology and decided that a hasty exit would be the best decision.

"I'm Eliza! What's your name?" Distracted, he tried to think of a suitable reply that would permit his leaving, but one refused to come to him. A little frustrated at his inadequacy he answered, "I'm Entomas."

Still occupied with the protocol for leaving, his thoughts were interrupted again by her growling stomach. "I think," he started, hesitated over how to phrase it, then continued, "I think that you might want consumables." He realized that wasn't the right word and shook his head, "I mean food. Why don't you find some vendor selling food and buy a meal. The food here is very good." There, now she would leave him and he could escape back to the comfort of his usual routine. He even started to walk the other direction toward the end of the winding road and into the forest.

He was disturbed to see another young girl heading his direction at a gallop. He swerved so that he was out of the way of her path, and watched her for a moment. He tried to dismiss her, convinced that he had had enough of human contact for the rest of the day, and continued forward with his head down.

((-blushes- aw shucks...
You're characters are quite marvelous too. You portray them very well ))


Eliza thought for a moment 'A vendor?' Lilian laughed again, her chirps even sharper this time 'Something you go to to get food' this puzzled her
'But how do you get food?'
'I usually just take it'
'Sounds like a plan!'
Lilian laughed again and Eliza's excited expression grew. She looked around for a meat vendor, finding one in the direction Entomas had gone. She ran past him, watching the vendor out of the corner of her eye.

'Alright, when I say, go and flap your wings in front of him' Lilian squawked her response and Eliza smiled. The meat vendor was around a corner, so that gave her the wall to hide behind. She waited for a moment, peering over the side once to make sure no one was buying anything at the moment and grinned up at Lilian. She got the message and shot out at him.

Her dazzling wings flapped and the man, first confused and then enraged swung at her. Eliza darted out, grabbing a sausage link as she went. She kept running until she had found a good place to sit and eat. The distant calls of "Stupid bird!" reached her ears and she chuckled, 'On the contrary' she thought mischievously.

When Lilian came back to her, Eliza jumped up and practically yelled "Yeah!' Lilian landed on her shoulder, refusing the bits of meat that were offered to her for her services. Explaining that she wasn't hungry. Eliza laughed, eating ravenously until there was nothing left as she wouldn't be able to carry it.

She tilted her head somberly. Since Entomas had left, she was down to being friends with Lilian. The thought troubled her, she liked her avian friend, but talking with another human had been nice. And she found the fact that he could communicate with insects intriguing. Especially since she herself could talk with animals.


__________


Terra grinned. Holdyn, Holdyn was his name. With a name, she would never lose this new contact. She kept her smile, "Well actually I do need something" she paused looking around "I told the desk man over that I was waiting for someone in order to get away form the rain" she jerked her thumb at the man behind the desk.

Carefully, she scanned him, looking for any signs that he would help her. Not finding anything too obvious. She smiled, still, someone to help her get out of trouble would be good. Without realizing it, she resumed the conversation "I'd appreciate it if you'd act as that person so he doesn't throw me out" she paused "I'm Terra by the way" and extended a hand, smiling sweetly at him.

'Why do we always have to smile? It hurts my jaw. I don't see why everyone has to be aware of my happiness' She suppressed the thought. It seemed, to her, that there were many strange quirks in this world, and she made a point of finding all of them.

((@Grove-actually yes lol. I hadn't time to post another intro and since I'm using my aunts iPhone I probably won't be able to post until I get home later. xD))

((@mystik: Good! =D I think I will wait to post more for Entomas since I don’t have a clear idea of what I want him to do, plus then you’ll have a chance to add something when you get to your comp if you chose to. (Also I’m lazy and don’t want to write another post right now. 9w9

@everyone:By the way, I changed the thread to lit since everyone seems to be far above it. x] Unless anyone objects I’ll leave it that way. ))

{{Quick question before I post again. Are there any open Transervse spots?}}

(( Yup. ^^ ))

{{Now...do tranverse have gifts or being able to move through words is there gift?}}

((Transverse can have have a gift as well.))

{{May my second character be a tranverse then?}}

(( Of course! =] ))

ooc: sorry if I don't get to post in a while...my internet has shut down completely (i'm at a friends house) and comcast is coming over tomorrow to figure things out, but I'm not sure how long it'll be. Hopefully I can post something up now but I'm supposed to be doing homework lol XD

and @mana - thanks! ^^ I try to kinda focus on past because usually that's how the present is the way it is in stories...but your posts are great too; much more mysterious than mine. I'm kinda a blunt person so my posts come out that way lol =P

((@Moive: Oh no! I hope you internet comes back soon! -- Thanks for letting us know what happened. =]

Characters are much more interesting when they have a past, that is for sure. -- What an ironic thing to say when this rp has so many amnesia-stricken characters. 9-9

My posts are mysterious? *blinks* I wasn't aware of that. x] How so?

Oh, and do you have a nickname I can use? It feels weird calling you Movie all the time. ^^; ))

ooc: haha yah
and it's cause your characters are always so curious, and I think it's totally cool, but for whatever reason in my head it just gives off as mysterious XD Not really sure how well I can explain it lol

and yah you can call me Emma lol, it's a whole letter shorter! =P

{{@Grove- awesomeness}}

Mina didn’t look up in enough time to see Entomas walk right past her. When she did notice it, she turned around to reach for his shoulder. She froze, realizing the gift she carried would most likely work on other people as well, and drew her hand back. She let him walk on and turned her attention to the market place. Maybe someone there could tell her where she was.

It wasn’t long before Mina was swept away by the mere atmosphere of the market. Every where she turned there were people who were selling, people who were buying; there was everything from trinkets to clothes, food and more. She was absolutely amazed. The sound of a woodwind caught her ear and she turned slowly to a tent that was selling instruments.

She felt like she was in a dream as she walked closer to the tent. On a table there were many wooden, hand carved flutes and drums. However Mina’s eyes were on the boy playing a wooden flute behind the table. He sat cross-legged, eyes closed as he blew into the instrument and his fingers moved to open and close the different holes for notes.

Mina let out the breath she’d been holding in awe. The music was beautiful and she soon found herself swaying with the soft beat. Once the song was over, the teen looked up at her with calm and focused brown eyes. His skin was dark, as was his hair that was pulled back behind him. When he stood, Mina’s eyes wandered over his frame. He was much taller than her, and wore the same style as her. A thick vest over his bare chest, and long pants; his feet were bare which Mina tried not to laugh at the idea.

As he looked at her, a frown came upon his face. “You are joyous, for one so confused…” he said quietly. Mina blinked, her expression blank as she looked at him. His comment didn’t quite make sense to her.

“I’m sorry?”

“Do you know where you are?” He asked, placing the flute down on the table. Mina’s eyes followed the carved wood. A longing grew in her to pick the instrument up and play, though she didn’t know why. Could she even play?

The boy chuckled and handed her a flute that was at the end of the table. “Try.” He said. Mina took the flute gently, as if it would break at her touch. The instrument was not new. Mina closed her eyes as the memory came to her; she could hear the song.

With a deep breath, Mina raised the top to her lips and blew into it gently. She mirrored the memory, playing the notes at the right times with the up-beat melody. As the song ended, Mina opened her eyes to find the boy near to tears. He had been watching her the whole time. Mina felt her face go red and she quickly put the flute down. “I-I’m sorry...” she said quietly her eyes falling to the floor.

“Do you not remember me Mina?” He asked quietly.

Mina’s eyes looked up at him instantly. “How do you…?” He chuckled, rubbing his face.

“I have been searching for you for many months now.” He said quietly, walking around the table to hug her tightly. The contact brought back the memory he must have been thinking of. Two children ran around in circles, one trying to catch the other. The boy was faster of course, and soon tagged the girl, tackling her to the ground nearly. Mina soon realized who the teen hugging her was. When he pulled away from her, she stepped back in shock.

“Carlos?” she asked, the name coming to her as suddenly as the memories.

The boy nodded happily. “I searched through Shangri as best as I could. Never could I find you.” Carlos said, looking the girl over. She was still frowning.

“You still have your gift then?” he asked. Mina nodded, holding her head. Carlos gave her hand a warm squeeze. “You are home sister.”

Glad to have escaped, he hurried onward and past the girl he didn’t recognize into the wilderness. His constant agitation that he suffered in the city quickly dissipated once he felt alone. Out here he could be what he chose and not worry about other’s opinions. His antennae grew and flowered out into delicate feathers, sprouting from his spiky blond hair. Now that he could detect much further, an enigmatic smile stretched across his tanned face as he tuned in to the tiny blips of messages that were all around him.

Of course, it had not always been this way. Once he had been much more comfortable with humans, No, my own kind. he made a weak attempt to correct himself. He had been part of a clan, and they had traveled together, exploring the land. Sometimes it was dangerous, and they had met all sorts of people, but the ragtag band had been closer than family.

He tried to steer his thoughts away clenching his eyes shut and thinking as hard as he could about something else, anything else! But it was too late. They were already bringing it all back. The best he could do was think about it in half-insect, half-human terms, making the painful details more distant as if they occurred much longer ago than they really had.

He had gotten separated, exploited, passed out, escaped, and wandered for days. He had finally been rescued practically delirious by two passing traveler. The recovery in this city had been almost unbearable. Everyone knew how he had been brought there, how sick and damaged he had been when he arrived. But that wasn't even the worst. That fateful disease had struck the entire village, carried by mosquitoes. He had been threatened to be lynched by a quarter of the city at one point; accused of murdering family members after being rescued. Thankfully it never got any further than that. Still, going from losing his only family, to his near death experience, and then being the subject of a panicked uprising… he wasn’t sure he could ever go back to considering himself completely human. Not when humans had such a barbaric side.

After the tempers had cooled, almost everyone had tried to make amends. He still sometimes found gifts and apologetic smiles being sent his direction four years after the incident. No one had really tried to make friends, which was fine by him. He much preferred being alone with his kind. No, I mean insects. he corrected himself. Now the people all kept a respectful distance and warily tolerated his quirks. He didn’t fit in here, but he didn’t belong anywhere else either. In vain he had tried to discover where his tribe had gone. For all he knew they had all passed on, though his heart wouldn’t let him believe that could have happened.

After meditating so long on the past, he opened his eyes to the fading sunlight. The sounds of the forest came back into his perception and he noticed with a warm smile that the ants had tried to comfort him the only way they knew how: by building anthills. They had made seven in a crude circle around him. Once they detected his calm returning, they began to stop their work and try to find out what he wanted from them.

This time it was almost comfortable to slide into thinking like an insect as he was already halfway there with nothing to distract him. “Much good. Enough. Food.” Was the rough translation of what he communicated to them. He retrieved a corner of a sandwich and broke it into three pieces to place on each of the ants’ mounds.

Standing up, he considered what to do next. He remembered that he had been asked to find some cress leaves. He sent out a signal asking as best he could if any had seen cress nearby and got sketchy directions in reply. Settomg off through the brush, he was soon walking through waist high grass. Sighing, he drew his machete, warned the insects to leave the vicinity, then started to cut a path to the shallow pond that lay ahead.