Welcome to Gaia! ::

Anen dug at the weeds in the front garden. It had occurred to him a few hours ago that weeding was something else he could do to keep busy. The flowerbeds in the back garden hadn't been quite so well-kept in weeks. Now he was working on the front, mumbling in Greek at the weeds and looking rather thoroughly dirty.


Well into her dream about riding a grey dappeled pony through a lush meadow, with flowers in her hair and little puffballs floating around, Aurora was blissfully unaware of dreaming as was normal for most people. She dismounted, and ran through the grass, hands out to brush the soft seedng tops...

And then fell straight into a garden, the flowers in her hair vanishing. Aurora blinked, and wriggled around as she tried to find her feet again.

Now she was aware of the dream, when Aurora saw Anen very close by weeding, she wasn't too surprised. He probably wouldn't even see her.

"You won't see me, like everyone else." Aurora told Anen, and stood up as she brushed dirt off herself. "Who dreams about weeding, anyway?"

Anen looked up. "Aurora? Is that you?" he asked, blinking and sitting back on his heels. At her words, he nodded. "Oh, I see," he said. "You are dreaming, but I'm not." He shoved a stray strand of hair out of his face, suddenly aware that he was dirty.

Aurora fell over again, and got up as she stared at him, plucking bits of dirt off her hair. Again. "You can see me?"

She scrambled out of the garden, and shook herself. Aurora wandered over to Anen, to very warely poke at him. He felt pretty real... more real than usual. "You have to be dreaming, because this is a dream."

"This is Dream," Anen corrected. "I live here. Well. This particular bit of Dream has a bit of Gaia in it. But you must have come here through your own dream." He poked back solemnly.

"You live in... dream? What ... is dream where the dreams are? But it has Gaia in it too?" Aurora tried to turn this info in her head over, but it wasn't working so well. It seemed confusing. "But... that... This is a dream for me but not for you?"

She peered around then curiously, as if half expecting to see dinosawrs or something just as amazing wandering around.

"Well, I don't know if you're still asleep," Anen said thoughtfully. "You might have actually come here by dreaming. I guess we'll find out if you have to wake up." He was obviously used to this particular kind of weirdness.

"If I wake up, I won't think this was real." Aurora answered, and then leaned up to poke Anen's nose. She grinned. "But you feel real! ...Hi!"

And then she hugged him around the middle. Aurora stood back, taking one of his hands in hers again as she wandered a few steps towards the garden to peer at it. "Does this happen lots for you? People dreaming their way over?"

: "I'm real," Anen said solemnly, standing and brushing off his knees. "You're going to get your hands dirty if you hang onto me," he warned her. "I've been weeding."

"Sometimes. Usually people visit just by coming over, but sometimes people fall through when they don't mean to. Some dreamers come through the Forest," he explained absently.

"If I'm dreaming, then it won't matter." Aurora answered, but she did let go of his hand none the less. "Do other things come too? Like ponies, and monsters, and ... things?"

"Once in a while," Anen nodded. He tried to brush the dirt off his hands. It wasn't working very well. "Dad's got stuff set up so the dangerous stuff has trouble getting too near the house."

Aurora wandered away from Anen, gently touching plants and flowers as if she was half expecting them to do something if she did. She glanced back at Anen and asked, "Why did you know what the words were I said, Anen? Kia didn't know those words. And what is it like living in dream?"

A few of the flowers did respond to Aurora's touch, rubbing up against her hand or pulling away. One red blossom seemed to purr.

"It's because I was Greek once," Anen answered. He sat down on the lawn and watched Aurora playing with the flowers. "Kia was Egyptian, so she wouldn't have spoken the same language." He stretched slightly and thought about the last question. "It's like living anywhere else, I guess. But with some extra dream-stuff involved." Some of the tension in him was easing slowly as he answered Aurora's innocent questions.

Aurora squealed in surprise, and giggled, paying a little more attention to the responding flowers, esspecially the purring one. She played for afew more seconds, leaning foward to whisper secret words to them before wandering back over to sit next to Anen on the lawn. While being careful to not squash any flowers...

"It's nice here." Aurora told Anen, and added, "So we would be greek? Or maybe I just know it anyway."

The red flower that had purred at Aurora stretched after her for a few moments after she withdrew, then settled back into the vegetation around it.

"I like it," Anen said. He lay back on the grass. "I know I'm Greek; I have memories of who I used to be... Do you have any odd memories, or dreams? What did you come from, do you know?" He turned his head to look over at her, curious.

"I know... I know that I fall into dreams." Aurora answered, laying back as well. She watched the sky for a few moments, not sure if she should add the next part. It sounded silly, after all! But she liked Anen, he probably wouldn't make fun of her.

"And I know you, because I knew you when I saw you in HQ. But I don't know how. Maybe I just knew you were a nice person? That is probably it... I knew Kia was a nice person too." Aurora didn't look at him, half expecting to be made fun of. She quickly added, "What did you used to be?"

"Thank you," Anen said. "I hope I'm a nice person, anyway. ... I was the Moirae, last time I was alive. And something else, I think, but I'm not entirely certain about the something else."

"Moirae?" Aurora asked. "But who spins threads now?"

Then she blinked a few times, confusion clouding her eyes. "Um. I mean. What are Moirae?"

She glanced away, a bit embarrassed. Why had she said that? Because he was a spider fa'e? Spiders spun webs? Aurora hoped Anen wouldn't get angry at her.

"That is something I need to find out," Anen replied, frowning. "The Moirae are - were - what we'd call Fates when we're talking in English." He sat up. "Some part of you knows that, I think."

"Then you will find out." Aurora answered in an attempt to reassure him without thinking, and added when she realized she'd blurted out something again, "Sorry, Kia always said I needed to think before I spoke...Oh. They make our fate then? You made fates for everyone? It sounds like a sad job... deciding who dies and who lives and who is sick and who is well."

"I did, once. We did. It's ... confusing." Anen sighed. "I can't do all that much, now. I can look at your memories or a little way ahead, but that's all right now. Maybe, when I get older... " His voice trailed off.

Aurora leaned over to pat Anen's hair, and shrugged. "I bet you could find out about everything when you're older. And it won't be confusing. When we're adults, we'll know everything."

She sighed and tried, "Maybe I liked you in my past life, because you gave me a nice life?" It didn't feel like that... but Aurora couldn't figure out a way to explain it.

"I'm not so sure adults know everything," Anen muttered. Then, louder, "It'll probably be a little less confusing, anyway."

He gave her a long, considering look. "Maybe. Maybe we'll find that out, too." He reached over and ruffled her hair.

"We'll know lots at least." Aurora answered, and sat up as she picked a bug off her tummy. As she set it down carefully on the grass, she heard something... Kia.

SO she was dreaming. And she was going to wake up.

Aurora leaned down to give Anen a hug and told him, "Kia wants me to wake up now, but will you come visit or can I see you soon? So I know this was all real?"

"Certainly." Anen hugged Aurora. "Thanks for visiting me," he told her. "I needed some company. I hope you slept well."

Auora went to ask about the company thing, but she had already faded away and woken up in her own bed. The question was mumbled at Kia instead, and Kia just blinked and shook her head.

"Get up, silly."

A woman wonders to your front door and leaves something on your doorstep. You open the door to see what it is and discover a black box wrapped with a red bow. You pick it up and bring it inside, a bit weary of what may lay inside... You open the box and see purple wrapping tissue paper, a sheet of crimson stationary laying ontop of it all.

"More presents! KIA! MORE PRESENTS!"

Aurora squealed, and clung to the two dolls happily. She plonked down on the floor with both dolls, and started to play with them and some of her other toys.

Or at least, she tried to. Everytime Aurora lifted a doll, she got a strange feeling of confusion. Finally, she dropped the toys on the floor and stood up. Aurora glanced at Kia and quietly told her, "Kia, I'm going to go lie down."

"Rora?" Kia blinked, as she watched the usually hyper girl leave the room to her bedroom. At 5pm.

Dinner time came, and Aurora didnt' answer Kia's calls. Kia was a little worried now, and picked up the toys so that she could have an excuse for going into Aurora's room. She went inside, sitting the dolls on the shelf as she cheerfully told Aurora's bed, "Just putting toys in here, ig... Rora?"

Kia spun around, when she realized the bed was still made. The windows were shut, the room was empty. It was then that Kia noticed something strange, teh blue vase that had been in the living room was now sitting on Aurora's desk. The shiny blue surface wasn't shiny anymore, in fact, it was hazy and clouded as it had first been before Aurora came out... And Aurora was missing.

"Rora?" Kia called again, her voice cracking as she stared at the vase. Had Aurora left everyone?

Aurora screamed!

Kia screamed!

Cog ... made a noise!

Raine screamed!

Aurora screamed again, and rolled out of the bed with two loud thumps. One was on her head, and the other her body hitting the wooden floor. She'd miscaculated her body size, natuarlly, and had hit her head on the bedstand. As she tried to get up.

Cog flew over to help Aurora untanble herself, as Kia stared. Kia crossed her arms, glaring at the now teenage Aurora. "You can't be my age! IT NOT FAIR!"

"I am your age! Why am I your age?" Aurora rubbed the bump on her head, as Raine rushed to help her up. "Ow..."

"Come on, we'll go get some ice." Raine shot Kia a look that clearly said 'Calm down', and led the new teenager to the kitchen.

Kia followed, still huffing at Aurora's back. She didn't want to admit it, but she was jealous. Aurora was beautiful! Long golden brown hair, a slender curvy body like she was as delicate as a reed, and already she was getting attention. Whenever Kia fell over, people laughed! She was feeling a tiny bit of pride, but it was being overwhelmed by the shock. Why couldn't Kia have grown that quickly?

Aurora held the icepack to the bump on her head, while she peered down at her new body. It was very strange to be suddenly in this shape, to have odd feelings, and why did she have the sudden urge to scream and yell at Kia for not being happy? Aurora held it in though, her head was still spinning. "I don't feel so good."

Kia sighed and went into mother mode. Without a word she soon had the couch set up for Aurora, and had Aurora lay down while they waited for one of the healers from the nearby Elf camp in the forest.

An hour later, after the healer had come and gone, Aurora and Kia had both gotten over their shock and were watching TV.

As the add break came on, Aurora decided out loud, "I think you're more a big sister, Kia."

Kia grinned, and tugged Aurora over for a hug. "I like that idea better. I too young to be your Mommy..."

"And Taka's my brother. Meaning you and Taka are related!"

"WHAT?" Kia shrieked, Aurora ran off, and they chased each other around the house for a little while. Anger soon turned into amusement, and they ended up tripping up all over the place and laughing at each other.

Finally, both collapsed on the couch laughing and Aurora added, "Ok, not brother? Brother-in-law! ...I know! You are my half-sister and he is my father... but not related to you?"

"What?" Kia giggled at the face she could picture him getting if that was explained to him. "Maybe he not related at all... you just stole his spots."

"Okay, that works best." Aurora nodded, and went quiet when the TV came back on. She was a bit lost now, there were all these odd feelings when a certian actor came onto the TV... "Who's he?"

"Very sexy." Kia answered without thinking, and went bright red.

"What's sex?"

Kia blinked, paled and ran off.

Aurora also blinked, poking at the patch of air Kia had just been in. Had she said something wrong?

"So they're coming to visit?" Aurora asked for the fifth time, glancing at the clock.

"Yes." Kia gritted her teeth, and stabbed into the cheesecake a little harder than normal.

"How do I look?"

"Exactly how looked four minutes ago."

"How looked?" Aurora giggled, and got a piece of cheesecake flung at her. She wailed, holding up the end with the sticky desert, "You got it in my hair!"

"...I was aiming for your face." Kia grumbled, and went back to eating.

Aurora rushed off to the bathroom to clean it out, and Kia cheered up slightly while she could think. It was really hard to think with 'Miss HowWhyWhatWhen?' trying to learn everything at once. Kia had never seen anyone read a textbook so quickly!

Sel walked up the stairs, using Raoul as her eyes. Her senses were heightened, and even the slightest stomp would send her ears and mind into a daze. She shook her head slightly, holding something wrapped delicately in paper in her grip.

When she felt Raoul stop, she knelt down smiling. Feeling the step of the stairs, she set the gift aside the stairs, with a note. She then rose and turned, walking with Raoul off the steps.



When the paper is pulled away, it reveals this.

((My artwork sucks! @___@;;;...))