His eyes scanned her body, staring at her like a hunter stares at his prey before a kill. Yadiel walked closer to the girl's face, with an expression that seemed to prevail confusion and fear with a hint of hatred. His gray eyes stared so deeply into hers that it made her want to run and find some hole to hide in where no one in the world could ever look at her like that again.

His eyes were glued to her face, trying to read what was going on in her mind. He stood there for what felt like an eternity, just staring at the girl as if she were a book in some foreign language, he was unable to read.

The seconds felt like years as he stood there—a whole foot above her— staring down at her face. She would have liked to have said she was scared at that point in time, but that same kindled fire burned inside her once more. It was that same flame that possessed her soul, the flame that made her want to fight against whatever the boy had against her.

"So... Neha," he spat, "I think I have someone you need to see. Immediately." His voice was barely over a whisper, yet it still found a way to sound spiteful as he hissed at her.

Fear now began coursing through her blood as her breaths began to become shallower and quicker. Her eyes grew wide and she wanted to hide from the death glare he was giving her, but the fire burned brighter than the fear ever could.

"And who is this person?" she spat back, smiling as she stared him dead in the eyes, attempting to be the stronger.

He finally lightened up as she spoke. His eyes softened and he averted his gaze from searching her soul for lies.

"Well, it's kind of complicated, but long story short she is our queen. The name's Asaliah. Don't let her scare you, though, it's not like she's been waiting for you for fifteen years or anything." He laughed lightly, winking at Neha in a way that made her want to gag.

By this point, she wanted to strangle the boy with his stupid jokes and odd reactions. She did not understand why he seemed to be afraid of her and hate her at times, and why at others he would call her darlin' and beautiful! What a jerk!

Because she could barely remember a thing, she consequently did not remember what boys at home were like—if there were any at all—but she could piece one thing out by herself, they did not talk to her like this and that was a certain fact.

"Well, come along, beautiful. It's about time I showed you the way this old rust bucket works," he laughed, gesturing for her to follow him.

Crossing her arms and squinting her eyes, she reluctantly followed the boy out of the large gazebo where her feet had her planted.

Still crossing her arms, she followed the boy across the concrete of the gazebo and down a few steps onto the grassy area surrounding the white structure. This was the first time she had truly looked around her.

After allowing her eyes to drift over the landscape, Neha raised both hands to her mouth as she gasped. Her eyes were huge as her knees felt like jelly. Yadiel quickly walked over to steady her, grabbing her shoulders to keep her from stumbling over. With her mouth hanging open and eyes wider than marbles, she began to stutter.

"Where... are we?" she gasped, barely being able to breathe. "What... is this place?"

"Don't pass out on me, darlin'. This is what we Kellestri call 'Merveille,' it's our home."

Neha's eyes gazed out over the gravel roads that twisted and turned in between tall, rickety, cobblestone houses with vines carrying flowers of every possible color. There were sparkling pools of diamond-blue water with white silky flowers outlining them. The forests were lush in deep-green life, tangled with vines that held more rainbows of flowers.

At the edges of this lush, lifeful town, there were stone walls which stretched higher into the sky than eyes could see. On these walls were colorful drawings of fairy-like creatures, flowers, designs, trees, snow, and anything beautiful the mind could think up.

The view off the hill with the gazebo where she was standing was so stunning that Neha struggled to move. It was something straight from a dream with its sparkling colors and natural beauty.

In the center of the small cottages and gardens with their streams, lakes, and forests, was something so spectacular that she could not tear her eyes away from it. It shone like a beacon of white fire into the sky. It glowed with such intensity and beauty that all she wanted was to touch it. Out of it flew sparks of white light, like sparks from a flame, only each of them was just as bright and stunning as the beacon itself.

"What... is that?" she whispered, not even daring to tear her eyes away from it as she pointed.

"Ahh, it's the first thing they all see. That, my lady, is the Nostro Lumine. We don't know much about it, how it got here, or how it keeps burning, but we do know some things: It's been here forever, and it is what took us all here and will take us to our missions."

"Missions? What missions?" Neha said, her brow creasing as she snapped her head away from the beacon, finally awakening from her trance.

Yadiel's eyes widened. "Well... uh... I'm really not supposed to be the one to tell you this but..."

"Yadiel!" A voice yapped from the left of them, "What do ya think ya are doin'? Who is she? Has Asaliah had a look yet?" a woman with a country accent hollered.

Neha stared at the woman who was approaching the two of them. She was rather old and slightly round but had a jolliness about her that made Neha smile. The woman too had wings but Neha was sure they could never lift her plump body for they were undoubtedly too small. She was dressed all in gold and her lush golden hair flowed to the bottom of her feet.

"Oh, hello, child, I am so sorry ya had to meet Yadiel first." The woman smiled, flashing Neha a beautifully fake smile while glaring at Yadiel from the corner of her eyes. Yadiel only shrugged, leaning against a pillar of the gazebo. "Well, anywho, what is done is now completed. My name is Dia. Don't worry, child, we will find yours out soon enough-"

"Her name's Neha, D," Yadiel interrupted, barely even looking at the woman named Dia as he fiddled with some twig he had taken from the grass.

Dia's gold face grew pale pink. "Ya know your name, child? But... how, child?" she asked, reflecting the same terror that Yadiel had shown earlier.

"Uh... I... I don't know, ma'am, it just came to me! Please don't be mad, it's just I felt as if the wind was almost whispering it in my ear! I could be embarrassingly wrong, but it just feels... right," she cried out in fear and confusion. All she wanted was for them to help her understand what was going on.

"She can remember feelings too," Yadiel said once more, still not looking up from the twig he had now twisted into a little doll.

Dia's face lost all color now. "Child, is this true?" she whispered, her lips quivering a little as she spoke.

Neha's gaze fell to her bare feet as she clasped her hands in guilt, "Yes, ma'am."

Dia's eyes shot up from Neha's face to Yadiel's in a second where Yadiel had finally dropped the stick and had a smirk on his face as he crossed his arms looking at Dia.

Then, Dia began speaking to Yadiel in a strange tone and accent that Neha was unsure of. On the contrary, she could somehow understand it anyway. It was like when one watches a movie in a different language and the lips do not quite match up with the words of the audio playing.

"First the hair, Yadiel, the fire-red hair, then the name, then the memory! Yadiel do you think she could really be... her?"

"What do you mean I could be 'her'? I'm so lost, why are you talking like that?" Neha said, concern in her voice as she stomped her foot in frustration.

That was the last straw, both Dia and Yadiel's mouths dropped open, eyes bigger than ever. Their faces were so pale that Neha feared they had transformed into monsters. They were speechless in utter terror. "Child, uh, Neha, we have someone ya need to meet. Immediately," Dia spoke in a tone that was barely over a whisper.

Dia did not dare tear her eyes off Neha as she walked over to the girl as if she were some lion ready to pounce.

Each Kellestri grabbed a wrist of Neha's and they half escorted, half dragged her down the hill. They nearly ran, hiding the girl's body with their wings. Why they ran and did not fly, Neha had no idea.

They did not say a word, nor even bothered to look down at the small Kellestri they were dragging around. Neha kept asking questions in her confusion and fear, but they did not answer, only continued to run.

The two of them pulled her down the hill and across the streets, ignoring her questions. The fear tempted to let her give in once more, but that is when the fire began to burn, only this time it was real.

"Stop it right now!" she shouted, tripping Dia and shoving Yadiel off of her with such a force that he stood there stunned. Her eyes burned red now with the flame, and both Dia and Yadiel looked at her like she was some angry god. Then, she did the unthinkable; something she did not know possible.

Both Dia and Yadiel's mouths dropped open again in terror as Neha spread her wings open, revealing their twelve-foot wingspan of white silk and black designs. But that was not all, she took a deep breath and used all her strength to push the ground away with her strong wings.

Her eyelids closed shut as she felt something come over her. It was a sensation too indescribable for human or Kellestri words. Her feet lifted off the ground and she opened her blazing eyes. A smirk crept across her face as she looked down at the two Kellestri below her. 

She Was Flying