The Adventures of Rin and Aya

Rin and Aya looked at all the different sorts of food that were around them. They had followed Chase and Luka into a store that reminded them a lot of a grocery store. Raf told Chase that he needed to go the weaponry shop to pick up more arrows and he also offered to pick up some more throwing knives and stars to replace the ones that Chase and Luka had lost. Usually they would collect the ones that they threw but there was always a chance that if you threw at a moving, or living, target that they would get away and take the weapons with them. The group had managed to loose Ra’ Shari and Micah, and Sin had said something about needing new socks before he slunk off by himself.

“Sooooo,” Aya said as she picked up a blue fruit the size of an apple. “When do we get our questions answered?”

Chase looked at her and then smiled. “How about right now? Luka and I can try and answer some of your questions.”

“What’s with the wings?” Rin asked quickly.

“Well,” Said Luka as he practically popped up from out of no where. “We aren’t angels or anything like that. We’re just like you….except for the wings of course. Generally we don’t have our wings but if we need them we can make them appear. The catch is that it’s hard work to keep them ‘out’ and eventually it gets to the point where we’re too tired and then they just…disappear.”

The two girls nodded their heads in understanding. “Alright, well what’s this Lumineras and Nocturia business?”

“The Middle Town is at the bottom of a canyon like structure. There are two plateaus, one to the west of us and one to the east of us, and on the top of each of them is a city. Nocturia is to our west and Lumineras is to our east. In Lumineras they only have a sun that orbits around their city and in Nocturia they only have a moon so it’s either dark or light out all the time depending on where you are.”

“Wait, does that mean that The Middle Town has their own sun and moon?”

Luka shook his head almost violently. “No, both Lumineras’s sun and Nocturia’s moon orbit around their own city, but they are opposites. When the sun is at the edge of the East Plateau then the moon is at the far side of the West Plateau. That means that whatever astrological body is at the edge of the plateau it determines what time of day it is for us. If the moon is at the edge than it’s night, but if the sun is at the edge than it’s day.”

“Is this making sense to you girls?” Chase asked. Once again they both nodded.

“So what is beyond the plateaus?”

“This world is somewhat round, kind of like your planet Earth, so all that’s between the two plateaus is a sea. And then to our south is the forest, and in the north there is a never ending desert. It keeps going on for thousands of miles and no matter how long you travel you’ll never find an end. Most people believe that the forest is the same way, but there are a few legends and myths that say the two plateaus meet to form a giant wall that cuts off the forest. What’s over the wall? No one knows.”

Aya scratched her chin, trying to take all of this information in and digest it. “Wow, I follow what your saying but it’s really complicated.”

Chase chuckled lightly. “Yeah, Ra’ Shari felt the same way when she first came here from Earth.” Both of the girls looked at him with wide eyes and Aya dropped the piece of fruit she had been holding onto.

“Ra’ Shari was from Earth?!” They practically shouted in unison.

“Yes, I was,” Came a voice from behind them. Everyone turned to find Ra’ Shari standing with her hands on her hips. “I was kind of hoping to tell you that myself, but I suppose I got here a few seconds too late.” Chase mumbled an apology but the woman brushed it off.

“I came here two years ago when I was 18. When I was at my house back on Earth I had to take Cade, who was two at the time, and hide in the woods. We both fell asleep and when we woke up we were in the forest just like you two.”

Rin’s brow furrowed. “Hide in the woods? Why?” Ra’ Shari bit the inside of her cheek and looked down at her feet.

“Certain people were…looking for us.” Rin and Aya knew that there was more behind her explanation but neither of them wanted to push the woman too far by asking her about it. The blonde woman looked at Chase. “Did you find all the food?”

“Yeah,” He said after he checked over the list one more time. “I’ll go pay for these. Why don’t you take Rin and Aya and go find the others?” Ra’ Shari nodded her head and the two girls walked behind her as she made her way to the door.

She pulled the door open and took a few steps outside but she quickly stopped when she saw the people running down the street, coming at her with great speed. Her eyes widened, realizing that she couldn’t get out of the way in time, and just as the first man in awfully ragged clothing came within a few feet of her she tried to take a step back.

Rin and Aya were right behind her, still safe in the building, but they could see all that was going on. Just when they thought that the man was going to barrel right into Ra’ Shari a bright blue light exploded between the two and they were forced to close their eyes. Even through their eyelids they could see the light quickly die down and their eyes cracked open. Standing in front of Ra’ Shari was a tall, black haired woman. Her hands were pressed together in front of her chest, almost as if she was praying, and a clear wall of swirling, light blue energy separated her and Ra’ Shari from the man who was now laying crumpled on the ground. The woman dropped her hands to her side and when she did the wall disappeared.

The two men that had been chasing after the man slid to a stop and bent down to pick him up. “Thanks,” One of them said while they nodded to the woman before walking off. Rin and Aya guessed they were police men, or something like it, judging by the neat uniform that they were both wearing. The woman held a hard gaze as she watched them walk away, but then she turned around to face Ra’ Shari, Rin, and Aya.

Ra’ Shari smiled as she dramatically put a hand over her heart. “Thanks for that! I don’t know how I would survive without you.” The blonde woman turned to Rin and Aya. “This is Jonan.” Both of the girls croaked out a small hello, slightly intimidated by her.

“Nice to meet you,” Jonan said in a voice sounding almost bored. “I have important things to do so I’ll see you later.” Ra’ Shari nodded and Jonan closed her eyes before disappearing. Rin and Aya looked at Ra’ Shari with large eyes waiting for an explanation.

“Jonan is kind of like my guardian,” She started off. The two girls started following behind her as she turned left and made her way down the street. “She’s been with me all my life, but I didn’t know she was there until I was eight. I was just sitting out in my woods one day and I heard a voice, and of course it was Jonan’s, but I thought it was someone in the woods with me. Soon I realized that she was really in my mind. Ever since then she would talk to me, and I was the only one that could hear her. Soon though, our connection grew stronger and she was actually able to appear in human form outside of my body.”

“Why do you need a guardian?” Aya asked.

Ra’ Shari shrugged. “I don’t really know. I’ve always felt that Jonan knew the answer to that question but she won’t tell me.”

Up ahead of them a little ways Raf and Soren walked out of a shop carrying all sorts of weapons. “Hey!” They called to the girls.

“Get anything interesting?” Ra’ Shari asked as they walked up to them. Raf shrugged.

“Just the usual. We’re just going to go bring these things back to the house. Are you gonna give them a quick tour of the town or did you already do that?”

“I was actually going to do that right now. You girls still up for that?” Ra’ Shari asked as she looked behind her.

“Yeah,” They both said enthusiastically.

“Okay, we’ll meet you later.” Raf and Soren headed in the opposite direction as Ra’ Shari took the girls down the street and they jabbered on happily as she gave them the tour.