Twisted Returns

"Where is she?" Marigold says, drumming her fingers against the arm of her chair. "It's been nearly three hours."

We're all sitting in the Great Hall, a huge room used for, well, everything. A table has been set up. A long table, with everyone sitting side by side. Marigold and Alina are the only ones sitting on the other side, facing us.

We are waiting for Amber. She is the one who has the ability to transform us into our old selves again. She used to be my guardian, but I can't really remember who she was. All that comes to mind is the warmth of sunshine.

"I think we should take pictures," Elise says from the other end of the table. "To remember our human selves. We can't lose who we used to be."

"Well, at least that's something to do while we're waiting," Marigold says. "Pose, smile, get ready."

She walks down the table, starting at my end. She stands in front of each person and snaps her fingers, all the way down to Elise. She finishes and makes her way back to her seat in the center. She holds her hands in the air, palms facing us.

"Snapshot," she says. Each of our photos appear in front of us.

I pick mine up and examine it. Still beautiful, still bringing me pleasure every time I see my face. It's what I always wanted.

But there's still a cold look in the dark blue eyes. Which isn't too bad, I suppose, for an ice-based planet. But it's not the same thing. The look is haunted.

Glancing down the table, I see that nobody looks very happy. Maybe it's not just me. Though I have more reason, I suppose...

"Alina, Marigold!" a high pitched voice calls from the Hall's left entrance. Suddenly the room feels warmer, brighter. Everyone turns their head to see what it is.

"Amber!" Marigold says, getting up to greet her.

Amber... I remember her. The guardian of light and my protector, she was like the light itself. With a smile that lit up the whole room (literally), she was great fun, beautiful, and overall breathtaking.

But today, she is not as bright as I remember. Maybe it's the duller human sense. I don't think so, though.

Her strawberry blonde hair is messed up, the orange headband that she always wears at an awkward position on her head. Her face is not in the bright expression that I'm used to.

"Are you okay?" Alina asks. "You're late."

"Yeah, and I'm sorry," Amber replies. "I had to take a little detour. I thought you would have foreseen it."

"No," Alina says, miffed. "I had other things to focus on."

"Well, sorry. I don't come with good news though... When I arrived, I was at Capora Mountain. So obviously, I had to go down through Sarin Forest."

"Sounds like a rather scenic journey, then."

"Well, you see..." Amber bites her lip. "I don't know what they were, but there were these... things. They were devouring the trees, animals, everything."

"What?" Marigold exclaims. "Do I need to send in people?"

"No, I got rid of them, though it took a while. They perished from too much light... But light only got through when the trees were gone."

"The whole forest is gone?" Alina asks.

"No, I managed to save a few young trees on the east side. But the old trees and the mother tree... all gone."

Everyone listens, interested, even though we don't know where these places are. But we had seen the Sarin Forest in the training center, and now it's gone. We never got to see it in person.

"Well, there's nothing to do but replant," Marigold says. " For now, I suggest we go on with the transformation."

"Right, right," Amber says. Her hands go to her neck and pinch her sunburst necklace. It glows yellow, matching the color of her dress.

"Is it complete?" Marigold asks.

"Of course... Now for the soul matching. She unfolds her arms gracefully and a row of colored spheres appear in front of her. "We will start with Diana's. Stand up, please."

I stand. Amber comes in front of me, her hands cupping a light blue sphere. It glows brighter than the others and the others fade away. She whispers a long chain of words that I barely hear, as I focus on the glowing instead.

It flies closer and closer. It heads straight for my eyes, closer until all I see is blue. But then it all fades to nothing. Total darkness.

Seconds later, the world fades back into view, but it's so much different. Everything is so clear, so familiar.

Then I become aware that everyone is staring in awe. So it worked.

Of course. Everything looks a few inches lower, due to my new height. I look down at my hands. The skin is smooth and flawless, free of the scars and imperfections from my human life.

Even breathing feels different. It doesn't feel like I need to breathe as much, and so my breaths are slower.

"Are you okay?" Amber asks. "Did it completely work?"

"Yes," I say, my voice having a melodic quality about it. "I feel... perfect."

I sit down again. Amber nods and goes on. "Charles?" She says, holding a darker blue orb. Dean stands. She repeats the process, and a few moments later, Prince Charles stands in Dean's place.

My heart jumps and butterflies flit around in my stomach. Just leftover feelings, I tell myself. But it takes force to look away...

"I don't know the rest of these," Amber says. "So we'll have to test it out. I will pick one and come in front of you to find a match.

She picks a lilac one. She walks down the line until it glows brighter, indication a match. It's Cody.

"That one's mine?" He stands anyway, and the transformation happens. Watching, we can see him shooting up in height. Johnny Baker, my brain tells me. He sits down.

Next, a bubble gum pink orb. It matches to Lorraine. She stands up.

"Just telling you," Amber says, "your body will revert to its old state, without the child. But I guess we all have to make the sacrifices."

She begins reciting the spell. Suddenly, Lorraine jerks herself away from the pink ball.

"No!" she yells, hugging herself. "I can't do this."