I tossed and turned in my rose petal bed. It was an early May morning; the oak trees were blowing in the cool breeze. The breeze banged on my window almost making the sound of a cat nails scraping a chalk board. I covered my ears in a sudden panic. Every time I hear that sound I feel like yanking my nails off! I got up from my bed feeling the sun hit my face as I thought ah the light it burns. Just then my mom walked in. She was ever so lean and looked so delicate with straight hair and that elegant and simple garnet like pink dress. As fair and blond as she was at this moment I wish she would not be my mother. She started complaining about how I needed to start getting my grades up. She talked all like, Stella! Blah blah blah ...... After a while I just tune her out. It took years to make it happen, but it started to become all worth it. I do not even know why she is my mother she has blue eyes and is five eight. I look nothing like her! I have dark brown eyes, my ringlet brown hair with sky blue highlights had much too much volume to be like my mothers, I am well built like a biker, and to top it off I look already five nine. She thinks that I just over react and that some time a child turns out nothing like their parents. Yep, it is always the easy way out and the only explanation that I ever get. Either way I try to find more information on that topic, but all I get is nothing.

"Stella sweetie, you even listening to what I try to say to you." She snapped her fingers right in my face.

"Mom!" I said as I quickly got up and stood in front of her by the book stand in the left corner of my room. She kept on yammering on and on about she and my dad try to help me and raise me to be a proper Belsom and that it is okay to goof off but I need to think twice before-

"Stella! She screamed in my ear this time, so I tell her that I have to go and leave. But, before I leave I grab my heart shaped rose quart pink and brown locket off my wooden desk by the door. I slammed the door as I went down the hall way and marched right out of that wooden door. I walked a few block down to my friend’s house. The sky got to a grim gray and the sun was almost completely blocked by the dark clouds. My brown wavy hair hit slapped my face as the wind increased. It was like this was fate. I walked to the porch and sat on the stone railing after I knocked on the door.

"Stella," My best friend Terrence said as he opened the door. He was American mix with Hawaiian. His Brown hair was brown though too short to tell if it was straight or curly. His eyes looked dark brown, almost black even. Though we all know that could not be possible. I asked him if I could come in.

"Yes, of course," he replied.
Then he asked me if I would be okay. We sat down on his blue plush chairs. I explained how my mom bugged me and I just needed a few hours away from home. Then out of the blue my locket started glowing this ocean blue. I looked at it and it stated pulling me towards the door. I wanted to follow it so I ran out.

"Stella wait!" Terrance followed. We ran up their grassy and green drive way but right as we rang the door bell a girl like five foot eight, with Latino looking skin like mine, blackish brown eyes, and brown ringlets one shade darker than mine with red highlights, ran out the magenta tiled door and slammed into me.

"Ow!" I apologized and backed away. Instead of moving backwards though our lockers pulled us together. "I flew for a few seconds!" Then I saw my half a heart charm about to touch hers. How could she have the other half? I grabbed my locket right before they could touch. A second later she asked me the same question. We both went inside her house. A chandelier hung from her ceiling. It looked like crystal.

"Talk about fancy." No distractions I kept on mouthing to myself. She sat at her dining table. We kept on discussing why and how we have the same locket. Then at the same moment we both said, "I thought my real mom had it."

We felt amazed. We opened the lockets wondering if we could actually be sisters. We explained our situations to each other and they were almost the same. We put out lockets next to each other there was letters written and when we layer them down they spelt out.

"L-A-L-A-N-I. Lalani? What is that or who is that? Is it my- I mean our mom?" We both hugged in all the drama I finally felt at peace. "Finally, someone who gets me!"

I squealed out in all the excitement. Terrance stormed out of the room. I ran after him! I din not even say bye.

" Wait, what's your name." I yelled to her.
She replied saying "Aria. Aria Carson."

I apologized to Terrance I explained how I felt excited that I found my sister. He felt furious and walked into his house slamming the door behind him. He said that we had known each other for twelve years and that it hurts. He cut off. I tried to explain that I was not replacing him. Anyways, I will try again later. For now I need to find me a mother.

"Gosh, that sounds weird." I thought as I ran straight home. I entered through my window so my mom suspected that I had come back a while ago. I grabbed my totally purple laptop and sat down on my bed. I searched up Lalani. Turns out it is a mythical kingdom. I scrolled the page down and saw a picture of our lockets.

"OMG!" I screamed at the top of my lungs. It says that if we combine the lockets that it will open a portal there. I know it sounds totally dumb, but I got to try. No one understands! I have lost almost sixteen years with my real parents. I am not spending anymore time just waiting. I got to know now. It says where I should go for the to work. The Cryrilian hotel.

"Got it!" I closed my laptop and went to go find my mom. This is going to be hard. Anyone know how to tell your mom that you found your biological mother? Well, I guess not yet. I mean will I? Huh...

"One step at a time I guess," Who can possibly know what I'm thinking. Then Aria peeped around the door. I freaked out. I jumped up and on top of my bed. I asked her what she told my mom. Like whom she is. Few! She told my mom that were friends because of Terrance. Good she did not tell her. Then, Aria explained to me how she was thinking the same thing. She sat down on my bed and we discussed what we had to do.

"Here's the plan we go to ask our moms is we have been friends for a while and we want to have our sweet sixteen together. I mean we have the same birthday. It's pretty cool! Also, if we have any luck we might as well try something. Hopefully I act like not a horrible person for making my mom pay for something totally expensive for no reason whatsoever." I said to Aria, who smiled and left. This better work I thought with a more serious attitude.

"Yay!" Time to go ask mom. If I know her well enough she will start going on and on about how she does not know this kid. Then I would say that we are not kids anymore and at I trust her. Then she will say what- My mom walked straight in and as soon as she saw my face she knew I had to ask her something so she sat down on my desk chair, to the left of my bed. So, I went straight in to it. I asked her and braced for impact.

After a second or two she said, "Yes."

Surprised, I took the pillows off my ears and asked her what she said. She said yes! This is awesome.

"Honey, you okay do you need o get a hearing check?" She asked with her back turned to me.

I told her I was fine, we hugged and I went to sleep. That morning I met with Aria and told her how it went. She looked so upset.

"What is going on," I asked. You see, usually her mom say yes but she got in trouble for going outside while she was grounded, so this time her mom said no. I have got to get her mom to say yes, but for now this felt like enough. I waved goodbye and we parted. It became ten in the night after a long day of, well mostly studying and it looked time to go to bed. I walked in my room, turned off the lights, and lay down sound asleep in like two seconds. I had just woken up when my mom burst thought the door screaming something. I felt barley awake, but I sat up anyway trying to hear what she was saying.

"Happy birthday pumpkin!" She said. I guess she was insane. Today isn't my birthday. I ran over to my calendar and checked.

"Thanks mama!" I hugged her for a short second grabbed my towel and took a shower. After that I dressed up in a black lace short dress with a leather jacket and black studded boots with heels. To top it off sun glasses, make up, mail polish, lace gloves, and the best a brand new car! I ran to the table. I ate cereal and quickly drove to my new job. Sadly, my mom had to drive because I'm not old enough yet. The car was ocean blue with flames on it, so loved the ride anyway.

I became a fashion intern. I love sketching cute clothes, but sadly I cannot sow I waved to random people as I walked in the room smelling coffee and hearing Sugar Highz new hit "My World." I love her music. This looked like the place for me I looked around grinning. My mom left an I went to find my boss. I peeped around the corner hearing yelling.

"You think this is coffee!" A lady in a suit said as she slammed the mug on the table of course causing it to break the mug.

"Sorry mam," a young girl said running to get her boss more coffee. She ran around the corner crashing into me and spilling the code on my shoes. "I feel so sorry! Don't hurt me!"

"Dude, chill! I'm fine, you okay? I feel so sorry for making you spill your bosses coffee. Do you need help?"

She looked p at me and hugged me. "Thank you." She said.

"Umm.... Okay, bye!" I replied trying t figure out what happened. This place must really be tough. I have got to be more careful. I went o the girls bathroom which according to the shirtless dude was down the hallway to the left and by shirtless I mean hairy back and chest. It haunts me and it always will. I moved on and went to the bathroom I washed my shoes and dried them. Then that mean lady, I mean boss came in gossiping about what she thinks is in Claira's brain. Wait, Claira? Oh, the nice girl.

"Hey!" I said after working up the courage. "Don't you dare talk about her again!"

"Oh, and who's going to stop me?" She smirked.

“You’re nothing but a big bully!" I screamed.

"That's it!" She rammed into me making me fall and crash to the ground. Mr nose felt broken. Luckily it did not bleed or my mom would have questions. I stormed out of the building and called to see if Terrance could pick me up. He was eighteen so he could drive. I waited on the curb and his golden BMW pulled up. He saw my bruised like everything!

"You okay?" He said grabbing me worriedly. "We got to get you checked out at the hospital."

"No!" I sapped at him. Then with a less tense tone told him, " I just got in a little fight."

"That's not like the Stella I know." He said feeling the spot where I slapped him.

"Sorry," I said. "It’s just, it's my......and I'm bruised... And,"

He looked at me in a dress with an almost broken face. "Oh! Happy birthday..." His voice trailed off as he looked down.

"Thanks," I said sniffling.

"Close your eyes," He whispered in my ear.

Nothing worse could happen now, so I closed my eyes and waited. He tied his jacket around my head so all i could see was darkness. Then, he drove me to an area and told me to step. We walked until I crashed into what I think feel like.... balloons? What? I took off my blind fold curious to see where he had taken me. I looked around. We were right outside the Cyrylian hotel.

"But why?" I asked confused. My party wasn't until Saturday and it was Friday.
"Surprise!" Everyone jumped out and yelled. With shock, I just laughed.
"Pumpkin! What happened," My mom ran to me and touched my bruises worriedly.

"I'm fine, thank you. I just had to quit work and I slipped on the way out." I feel so bad lying to her but otherwise she would take me home and that would ruin the whole thing. I wonder where Aria is. Just then Aria dashed into me.

"Stella! LMHO dude! This is like the second time we did that," Aria said gathering her presents and standing up.

"Can you believe that our parents set this up for us?" I asked also standing up and hugging her.

"Well, you said we have to come here for this to work. But, you never said what we had to do. So what?" I looked at her worried that if I don't lie I'm going to break her heart.

"I don't know, it never said" I said looking at the ground in a quiet voice.

"Stella......" She said with a angrier than sad tone.

”Look we’ll just have to figure it out for ourselves." I said patting her on the back. She look even more disappointed. "Just go have fun. I promise it will happen."

"Let's go have some fun!" She exclaimed brightening the mood. We ran off to the games. It was like a carnival here. There stood food shacks to the left and rides to the right. The only thing missing was the-

"Rides!" Aria screamed as ran straight ahead and I followed. Soon after, we had completed all the rides games and even got mango on a stick. Some people are just creative! Now I know she is my sister. We had a blast and bonded. We went inside past the hall and sat down behind the shacks.

"Hey, Stella," Aria said and continued, "Want to play truth or dare with Terrance."

"Um, okay!" I said running to Terrance, who was sitting in the shack next to us, and asking him. He said yes so I brought him to Aria and we sat down."
"So, Aria truth or dare?" Terrance said, and after a really long time of considering Aria said dare. "Okay, so who you crushing on right now?"
"Well, I really like this guy named Tristan in my school. He has soft brown eyes, hair ask black as night, and cream colored skin." Aria said looking at Terrance. "So who is your crush Terrance?"

She looked at Terrance like she was sure of something. Sure it was.... me?

"Uh, well I forgot her name, but I remember that she is warm hearted, daring, and has stood by my side as I will be there with her." Right after Terrance said that he asked me the same dreaded question. "How about you Stella?"

"Oh, me... No one!" I said half laughing trying to get him to not ask again.

"Stella, I know you have a crush. We told you ours! Spill it or I will," Aria said waiting. I waited for a while and then went straight into it. It's better me then Aria saying it. "Ter...ran...ce"

"What? Who?" Terrance asked.

"You, dummy!" Aria said having that expression on her face again, but I doubt it. I closed my eyes waiting for him to freak out but then I felt a warm hand on my face and his lips on mine. Then he let go and I opened my eyes to find him not there. I looked around and found Aria sitting further away from me. The she came up closer.

"Ooooooooooo!" She said trying to fist bump me, but I wouldn't.
"He likes you!"

What? But, why did he... What? He likes me?

"Sorry, he ran away after he kissed you and I couldn't stop him. Go find him!" She said pushing me towards the entrance.

"Do you know how old he is compared to me?" I asked her getting more serious. I stopped blushing. "Three years! Three Aria, three!"

"Oooooo..." She said in a worse way. What's my mom going to do if she finds out? What? But, I can't tell her I didn't.

"Sorry Aria! I have to find him and talk things through." I ran towards the direction she pointed he went him. He was right outside the building sitting on a wooden bench. I tapped his shoulder and he turned around.
"I'm sorry! I don't know why I would. I'm sorry!" He said begging me to forgive him. I just couldn't stay mad. I hugged him and asked him what we had to do. He said that we were going to have out figure it out. He let go of me and my mom stood right there. She had dropped her spoon. As soon as I let go of him she slapped him.

"Mom!" I screamed.

"Why were you hugging her?"

"Mom, he just forgot to wish me and now he did so I hugged him." I said. I can't keep lying to her face, but right now the truth would hurt more.

"I'm sorry. It's just that you guys… you know… three years apart and sometimes I forget that your just fiends." My mom said hugging me and bringing me to the dance floor inside the hall. Did you know that when you turn sixteen you have to dance with your father at your party or at least in some cultures. At least my dad is good dancer. Otherwise this would be so embarrassing. My father offered me his hand so I took it and we danced to One More Day by Ravea. The disco so balls shined blue and green and the candles sparked. For a second there seemed to be no problems or worries. Then, Terrance walked up to me. I said a second! Hugged my father and ran.

"Stella! Honey?" My dad called after me, but I kept on running. I saw it. There was a purple twinkle in the sky. Home... And I figured out just the way to get there.
"Aria, Aria! You there?" I yelled out to behind the shacks. It was almost dark and I could barely see. Then Aria came running out. She grabbed me and in sync we both said "I saw Lalani! It's the purple glow in the sky,"

"I know how to get there," I said with a determined look.

"Me too," she replied. As soon as the moon came above us we held our lockets up. The lockets glowed the same blue we had seen the other day when they acted like a magnet and we had found out that we were sisters. Then, when the light touched them just about right we put them together and waited to see. Nothing happened. We saw nothing happen. The whole thing seemed just in our heads. Then h sky cleared up and we went to o sit.

"Why didn't it work?" I asked puzzled. We sat there wondering as the minutes passed by we sat and stared at the stars. Wait a second, where was Lalani. Our lockets started shimmering purple and we opened them. There it was a portal to Lalani. Tiny mass of swirling wind, and it looked like a tiny purple twister. My mom came running along with my dad and Arias mom.
"We'll be back for dinner!" I yelled as I held hands with aria and we allowed it to suck us in. Our moms just cried and sadly it still felt worth it.

We floated inside the portal everything, even time froze around us. Then we saw a light, one brighter than all the others, Lalani. It looked like beautiful kingdom with fortresses, dragons, and the usual. I could already here the folk music as we came out. Thud!

"Ow! Get your butt out of my face!" Aria called.

"Get your face out of my butt!" I smirked.

Okay, we're here. What is next in my plan? Let’s see. I took out a binder paper I took from school and I checked next to make it to Lalani. Next on the chart seemed to be meeting our parents. I turned around, but she wasn’t there.

“C’mon!” She was about ten feet away about to climb on a horse.

“You can’t just take someone’s horse!” I screamed after here.

“Hey!” A knight came out of the caste and took his bow out. I jumped on the horse with Aria.

“Go go!” I yelled at Aria. My face turned red as blood with fear. She saw the knight and we rode the horse. The knight was catching up to us and his arrows just barely missed. Then he stopped. He took off his helmet! Wait he is a she? He black hair rode the breeze like we did the horse.

“Aria? Stella?” She called faintly. As soon as Aria and I heard that we stopped the horse. It threw us off its back and we landed flat on the ground. Aww! I regret that. Who was she? How does she know us? Does she know our mom? With all the happiness I ran to her and hugged her. She pointed her pointy sword at me like I would think she was going to do if I had thought before running to her.

“Sorry…” I let go of her. “How do you know us? Do you know where our mom is?”

She now almost looked sad, frightened. She led us inside the castle. Walls of crystal, but it didn’t make me feel happy if my mom died. After all we did to see her she is dead. But, it couldn’t be her fault. The why am I so mad? I threw my fist at the wall. Right before the two surfaces met, a tall guy came out of the room. He had brown eyes like ours, brownish blackish hair, and he looked about our age or at least he looked that way.

“Who are these people?” He demanded.

“Your sisters, David” The knight knelt down in front of him. Then he started crying. He came towards us and hugged us. Some family is always better than no family, so we hugged him back. Then, he let go quickly and fell to the ground. He touched hid had to his heart. We looked down at the broken glass. Someone had poisoned him.

“David!” Aria screamed. I picked up the glass and she realized what had happened.

“Run! Tell the villagers to run! Tell them that Raven sent you.” She looked at us then rushed David to the medical room. So, we took off we slammed the ruby doors behind us and looked at the carpet that David was killed on.
“I will avenge you….” I whispered to myself. Then Aria dragged me down the white marble steps and we went off to the village. We screamed foe everyone to run and they did. The village looked almost massacred. There was glass and fire everywhere. The hay from the houses had become ashes and the trees knocked down with panic. Someone at that vey moment tapped on my shoulder. We turned around and there Raven was.

“Come with me. We have a lot to catch up on.” She said with a tear of fear rolling of the side of her cheek. We sat down on the couch while she cleaned up the glass. Then, she sat down on the black leather couch next to us.

“You see, when you two were born you held massive magic energy and power. There stood a man named The Sorcerer. He wanted the power you two had, so he tried to capture you and wit that the whole kingdom was destroyed trying to protect you two. So your parents had no choice but to send you off your mother died that day fighting after she had dropped each of you off near a wonderful family’s home and they took you in and raised you. Now that you are back The Sorcerer has come back to take your power or try to again, but we have to stop them. He has taken the sacred ruby. It holds the power for the city. It is zombie gas and when used for electricity it is harmless. But, when the ruby is open and the zombie gas isn’t converted it will turn the villagers and us into zombies until he sucks it back into the ruby. He won’t suck it back so we need to stop him now, and before it is too late.” She finished and tried to catch her breath.
“Look, you two have to find out where the gem is. Here is some pixie dust. If you inhale it you can see and feel what the gem is going through….please?”
She handed the bag and the bag with pixie dust to my hand. The pixie dust bag had a flower symbol. It had six petals oddly shaped and a big dot in the center. I have to make sure I do not mix the two up or the whole mission will blow up in my face. She ran back to the medical center.
“I can’t do this. I mean they bring us into this world and just expect us to magically know how to fight.” Aria said and threw the gem bag down when I handed it o her.
“I always wanted to be a hero; a princess when I grew up and we can train and learn how to fight…. last hopes matter!” I said looking and talking with a serious tone. It seemed to be all I could smell in the air, failure if we weren’t going to agree. It would just destroy us. There ended up no point if there was no teamwork. I held her hand. It is time to be the bigger sister.
“I know you’re scared. I am too. I’m practically shivering, but we can’t just abandon the people. Our people. We need to at least try. What would mom say if she heard about this? What would our biological mother say? She fought for justice and died saving us. I know we won’t die, but if we do isn’t it worth it to you? It felt like it for me…”

I looked in her eyes. She started to agree. She hugged me and I knew to start saving this realm. We ran down the white marble stairs again and to the porch. Aria inhaled the powder. We ran to the village but in the middle Aria just fell. “Aria! Can you feel the gem, smell where it lay, see it? Aria, hello? You okay?” Then her eyes suddenly opened

“Dara Heights, it lay in the mountains. I also felt something scaly and then a plunge into something mushy. All I could hear after that was strong and loud heart beats and roaring.” She wobbled and lost the motion in her left foot but I ran to her and supported her. “How do we get there?”
“We’ll have to hike,” I said sitting her down on a half bunt bench. “If you find out anymore information you tell me.”

I found some hiking gear and water containers and put them in a backpack. By then Aria was able to stand and we walked past the village into a forest. Crack…crack… We heard the leaves. I looked at Aria and she did the same. Who else was here? Right then a creature that looked like a kangaroo flung itself out of the bushes. It drove a punch at my head but I ducked. Aria ducked when it tried to punch her too. Then she grabbed its tail and flipped it. It landed hard on the ground. There was a river a few feet a head and below us. She threw it into there. Then I wondered how we get across. Maybe…. A rope! It laid there, tied to a wobbly bridge. It was the only way across. We made our way to the far right of the stony river. Then I saw a hand. It was the creature’s hand. We ran across the bridge. It wobbled and cracked. But, luckily it only broke right as we launched ourselves across.
“You okay? I never knew you could fight,” I said helping her up and rubbing the bump on my head.

“Yeah I love fighting, and I’m fine. We should keep going,” She replied and walked ahead. I could see the top of the mountain ten feet away. There forest here too, but not as much. There stood less pine trees and a few bushes. Then I saw the cave on the top It was not too big, but it was big enough to fit three people.
“That must be where the gem stood!” I screamed running to the cave. Aria ran after me. We stood right at the entrance when we heard roaring and a loud heart beat. That was what Aria had heard. There must be a …dragon in the! Gulp, I stepped inside holding Arias arm. Yep! A dragon stood in front of us, piercing brown eyes, turquoise, green, and blue shiny scales, and beaming green diamonds on its body. It roared, fire coming out of its mouth. I could feel the heat. Then I looked closer. The gem, it glowed in the dragon’s heart. The squish that Aria felt! I pointed to it.
“Oh no,” She looked at me like she would do anything but that.


“Oh yeah,” I looked at her like she had to do it, but she wasn’t alone. She had me. I held up the swords that I got from the castle. I gave one to her and we began to fight. She went at its head when The Sorcerer appeared. He used magic too blow our swords to the side and tied us up with invisible rope. If we struggle badges will come out. And we won’t know unless we feel it because the blades look invisible too. We Struggled and struggled, but we couldn’t get out. What were we going to do? In the corner of her eye she saw a shadowy figure a little bigger than her own. Who or what could that be?

To be continued………………