Chapter 1- The Protectors And The Protectives

I woke up in the woods, between high-achieving trees. The wet grass touched my arms and legs with a cold shiver. I didn't know what had happened to me, and I didn't know why I was shaking- scared, terrified. My eyed had burned and my head had very much hurt, and I thought I heard steps behind me.
"Thank god, what a miracle" a ten-skinned and grey-eyed woman said to me. Her grey eyes were a bit transparent and inside them I could see my own reflection. She was accompanied by a boy who looked around my age- his deep blue eyes made his glare at me look comforting. I didn't know who they were, but they looked familiar.
"What happened?" I asked quickly.
"Don't you remember?" she said in a suspicious voice. I shook my head.
"Do I know you?" I asked politely.
"This is a joke right?" the boy asked, "Just come, Elaine. They're waiting for you". Right, my name's Elaine, how could I forget? I followed them.
We arrived at a dirt-track that cross the forest and allows cars to pass through. A white car parked there, and from it Erin came out, my big sister. Erin was a curled dark-haired girl with green eyes, little nose and new nail-polish every day.
"Come, we're going home" she said, and so it was.

I got home, dirty and full of colorful forest-leaves. I entered the shower and freshened up thinking of what could've happened to me, why I woke up at the forest and why does everyone say I've gone missing for a couple of days.
I wore my green nightgown and exit the shower with towel covering my wet hair.
Erin sat on the couch in the living-room, switching channels with anger in her eyes.
"You don't remember a thing, do you?" she asked seriously.
"No, should I remember?" I wondered, wrestling the headache.
"Forget it" she turned the TV off and went towards her bedroom. "Going to bed".
I got suspicious- but I didn't say a word. I lied on my bed, covering myself with a warm blanket and falling asleep. A sudden picture popped into my head, a weird dream. I watched myself pacing across the tall forest trees, looking for something… or someone?.
My eyes widened and my smile was gone, I saw something, what could that be?.
My necklace fell between the leaves that covered the ground, my eye-color changed into an orange-redish shake for a moment and I fell down to the ground, unconscious. The "dream" was over- leaving after it only fears and hesitation.

I woke up the day after in almost-noon and rubbed my eyes- a new day. Brushing my teeth and wearing a pink shirt and dark-short jeans. I went into the kitchen when I noticed a small note on the dining-table:" don't go to school today, I arranged a couple of vacation-days for you". That was Erin's hand-writing, pretty little hand-writing.
Suddenly a strange picture jumped into my mind, I saw myself dropping my necklace, without noticing- and all of the sudden everything went black.

And a moment later, I'm opening my eyes and seeing a hand taking my locket away and by now I became finally unconscious.
How can I not think of what happened? What I was looking for out there in the woods, and why was I there in the first place? I ate a nice little breakfast and sat on the couch, constantly changing channels. Everything seemed normal- even me, but the feeling was different.
I heard footsteps, it must be Erin waking up and dressing herself. A screeching door, a minor rustling from Erin's bedroom direction. I started to hesitate; I got up, turn off the TV and said:" Erin? Is that you?". In small steps I walked, feeling my heartbeat getting faster. I went quietly to the kitchen, taking a little knife from the top drawer as a precaution and pacing towards the noise.
"Erin?" I asked again, trying to think positive thoughts. Just an absolute silence.
I entered her room, glaring in fear around me: everything was organized like it should be, but her window was broken to pieces and a little blue sack- standing on the broken glass that rested upon the floor, and Erin wasn't in her bed. I looked out of the window- the yard looked as usual and the street seemed more silent than ever. The phone rang.
"Hello?" I said.
"I know what happened to her, and you" said a very feminine voice.
"Who is this?'.
"Meet me in your yard in 5 minutes" said that voice and hung up the call.
5 minutes passed more or less and I went out to my house-yard, holding the knife I took and in my jeans' pocket was my cell phone. The woman from the woods and the boy who accompanied her earlier were standing there- nervous-like, and looked out of patience.
"Did you call me?" I asked.
"Follow us" said the lady, looking in every direction and signaling me to come after her. I followed their footsteps ’til we reached a big, beautiful house, made out of gypsum with a grey roof, a deck-porch and huge windows. The strange lady opened the door and let me and the teenage boy quickly inside.
"Wait a second, who are you people? I'm not staying with you ’til I know you guys are" I said and walked straight to the door.
"I'm Mirror, Mirror Grey, and this is Toby" she held my arm, "and we're your protectors".
"Protectors? Well what are you protecting me from?" I hesitated for a minute, thought they're crazy.
"Want a calming tea, Toby?" Mirror addressed him, trying to change the subject, "Elainne, do you want some tea? We'll explain everything to you when we'll drink".
"Yes, thank you" we both said together, me and Toby.
"2 teaspoons of sugar please" I said, embarrassed.

"What do I need protection from?" I wondered out loud after a long warm sip of my tea, looking through the window at the sun about to set. Mirror let her cup down at the table beside us as we sat. She put her soft hand on my cheek, sighed and told me:"Elainne my dear. You may not remember what happened in the woods, neither do we, but when we came there later on and we found you there- me and Toby knew why you fainted right away".
In opened-wide eyes I said:" what do you mean?".
"When we got to you and you woke up, we saw your eyes changing its colors- from their natural color to redish-orangy shade, and we understood that what has happened to you in that forest has changed you forever" she told me in a serious voice.
"Changed me? Changed me into what… Wait, so what happened to Erin? Is she okay?" I asked.
Mirror looked at Toby, who was ease dropping to our conversation in an interested look, and said:" Toby, could you be nice and arrange Elainne here her room so she could sleep?", she looked back at me, "That's enough for one day, you want to get a shower now?".
"Yeah, but that's not what I asked. What happened to Erin?" I said as I almost cried.
"She'll be fine" said Toby, carrying some sheets and pillows up.
"Come, I'll show you where the bathroom and your room are" Mirror smiled.
We got up the stairs and reached the second floor. Third door to the right- a big spaced room with a big wide window. It was stretching all over the wall which was also a door to a beautiful personal porch.
"The guest-room, it's all yours" Mirror leaned on the doorway- putting the hands together.
"Your guests are celebrities by any chance?" I said, giggling.
"I'm glad you like it" Mirror said.
"Like it? This place is amazing! I can't believe it's mine" I lied on the bed.
"I just made that!" Toby booed.
"Sorry Toby" I whispered, embarrassed.
"Yeah, yeah sure" I heard him mumbling to himself.
"I'll leave you to fight alone while I'm getting Elainne some clothes" Mirror went out of the room in a suspicious smile.
"So how are you related to Mirror? Are you some junior-protector, or an intern?"I said, sitting on my bed.
"I'm her son" he leaned on the wall.
"So, how is it possible if you don't even look alike?".
Toby sat on my bed, traveling in his thoughts:" I'm not her biological son; she adopted me when I had nowhere to turn to. Never mind, you get the picture".
"Yeah, I got it. I have to shower, I smell like something's rotten" I said, rushing to get out of the room.
"You smell good though, in a weird way" he said, and left the room- embarrassed. I smiled and went out into the hall.
"Mirror? Where's the shower?" I shouted, hoping for an answer.
"Straight up. Fifth door to the left" Toby opened his bedroom door; apparently his room is in front of mine.
"Toby, get into your room" Mirror came with a black-laced nightgown.
"Okay then" He roared gently and closed his door after he smiled suspiciously at me.
I went in the shower; the refreshing water washed my face. I thought about the crazy day I just had, and Erin, how much I worry for her- more than I led on. While washing my hair I thoughts of Toby and what happened, Toby Is a real handsome boy. I Might be starting to fall for him, I think Mirror would like the idea. Steps were heard outside the bath-curtain and suddenly Toby's voice said:" Sorry Elainne, but Mirror asked if you would prefer a cake for desert, or would you rather have a pie?".
I picked my head out the curtain- as I see Toby picking his head out the door and into the room, I answered:" you can do both, thank you".
"You're welcome" he smiled at me, and rushed out through the door.

Dinner was completely quiet. Mirror cooked us meat, salads, soups, pies and cakes of all kinds possible. The table was full of food and casseroles and looked, by the settings of it, like the president is paying a visit.
"I didn't know what you like" she said while fighting to get as much food as she can to put on the perfectly-set table.
"Mirror, you really overdid it this time" Toby said, "I'm sure we don't eat that much".
"When did you have time to cook all of this?" I asked in amazement.
"Don't worry about it, half of it is been pulled out of the freezer, just need to heat it" Mirror sighed while me and Toby were looking at her, speechless, "Why are you looking at me like that? Eat" she rushed us.
"Bon Appetite to you too" I said, smiling shyly and eating quietly with everyone, in complete silence.
When we finished eating, while Toby and Mirror were washing the dishes, I went up to the 2nd floor of the house, the rooms' direction in the hope for a beauty sleep, when all of the sudden I noticed Toby's door, right in front of my room. I couldn't resist the temptation of looking in his room and find something they're not telling me. I entered his room quietly and turn on the lights, his room is mostly organized.

I discovered a surprising and unexplained attraction to a thick green book, with hard-binding and interesting ornaments, which was put on his bed, opened.
I sat on Toby's bed, glaring at the open pages that were marked.
"I'm going to bed. Go to sleep as well, tomorrow's a special day for Elainne" Mirror's pleasant voice played downstairs.
"Okay" Toby answered her.
I quickly returned everything to its place, except for the book of course. My curiosity expanded every passing-minute.
I ran all the way across the hall to my bed, closing the door in silence.
I opened the book again, yet I heard my door open. I hid the book under my bed right away.
"Hey, did you see a thick book on my bed?" Toby opened the squeaking door, "I'm sure I left it in my room".
"No, I never was in your room" I said.
"If you find it then, tell me all right?".
"No problem Toby" I smiled.
"What's the book about? Good story?" I asked. "So if I would find it I would know".
"About many things" Toby said in a hoarse voice. He went out and I pulled out the book again. This time I read it with a serious interest.

The pages were yellow, as if they were written hundreds of years earlier. The script was big and golden, formal letters and the book were divided into chapters: Mythical creatures, spells, potions, Tales, powers-symptoms and more subjects. I opened the page Toby marked. It had pictures of eyes, red-orange colored like I had in my day-dream. 'Maybe he tried to figure out what happened to me' I thought to myself. I turned a couple of pages; there were a lot of fascinating stuff. I got to a page that triggered thoughts and interest more than them all. With a title that caught my attention- 'The Protectors'.
The subject was written in more than 6 pages- said how a protector finds his protégés and how he or she protects them properly, how a protector discovers his\ her powers and the way to use them. I was shocked. Mirror was serious about this.
I returned to the marked page and started reading, with purpose of finding what happened to me in the woods. If there's a connection. I read the written words: 'Red and\ orange eyes symbolize a receiving of powers all at once, in a way that the body can't take control of- in which it takes an immediate shock…'. After those words I must've fallen asleep, because of the fact that I don't remember much.
I had a dream, a strange one. Personally, I had enough of those dreams, but I can't control it.

I saw Erin, crying and crying more. Begging in front of a tall man with a mask on his face and a brown cowl which covered his body, and covered his face. Erin stood on her knees, crying and begging again to let her go, to free her, that she won't tell me a thing.
"She knows everything" a weakened low voice whispered in my head again and again. Suddenly the cowled-figure landed his hand towards Erin and disappeared; leaving after it a trail of grey smoke that floated in her body's direction and possessed it, sucked by her mouth. Her eye pupils' turned yellow and a smile poured on her face.
"No, let her go" I screamed.
"Elainne! Elainne wake up!" I heard Mirror's voice reaching out to me.
I woke up in Mirror's guest-room, screaming and sweating. My eyes were open, looking at worried Mirror, but my brain was still deep in the nightmare.
"Shh, it's okay. It was just a dream" Mirror tried to calm me down. She appointed her hand on my forehead and green-orange sparks floated around us. Her eyes glittered to the light of the sparks and smiled gently.
"What are you doing?" I asked, catching my breathe.
"Calming your body" she answered and mumbled a couple of weird words. I felt at peace, like the dream didn't happen, I felt relieved.

"Whatever you did, Mirror, Thanks" I replied, pulling my cell-phone and the little knife that were on the table.
"What are you doing?" asked Mirror.
"Going to look for my sister" I said, opening the window widely and getting out.
"It's too risky" Mirror said.
"What were all the screaming and the noise?" Toby barged in, noticing me outside the window, "What are you think you're doing?".
"I'm not letting anything ruin my relationship with my sister; I'm going to look for her" I answered.
"Not alone you're not" he said, "Mirror".
"Go; call me if you need help" she said to Toby. "But be careful, and take this with you" she smiled and took the book from under my bed.
"How did you know?" I asked.
"We both knew" Toby said, smiling and laughing. How I love to see his smile, a childish sweet smile that made me smile back instantly when I see it.
"Even I go through Toby's stuff once in a while, Elainne, but next time just be careful" Mirror smiled.
"Wait, what do you mean by that?" His smile was erased. "Are you going through my stuff? What?". Mirror and I laughed.
"Go on already, so you could finish it and come back safely" she rushed us.
Toby took the book from her hands, got out through the window and held my hand. I hesitated for a moment but I thought about the cause. We jumped together from the windowsill while still holding hands and we vanished. Toby's power sucked us away from there and under a bridge on such a rainy night.