Changes and Strangers

            She stood in front of the mirror, looking up and down at her disheveled state.  Her long curly brown hair fell just below her shoulder.  It looked funny sticking out in odd directions from sleeping on it.  Her big black eyes, traditionally colored for the average witch, looked disapprovingly over her image, the glass her looked back with that same  “ I can’t believe this is it,” kind of stair.  It was early morning; the sun was shining brightly through the clearing that was her small village.  Though the sun was brilliant in it’s light, the air was filled with the chill, still clinging on from the previous, cloudless, night.

             With a sigh she gave herself one last look over in the glass, closed her eyes and thought of how she really wanted to look like the elves.  She had always admired the elegant beauty of the Elves she had seen in her history books though she had never actually met one.  The fact that they lived across the Endrami River didn’t help either.  It was a sad fact that witches cant swim.

            When Alia opened her eyes they were no longer the charcoal black, but big and blue, piercing like the sea after a storm.  Her hair reached past her elbows now and in a cascade of golden blonde.  Her body shape had changed from curvy to slender. She had also added a few inches to her height.  She looked odd now in the shorter black nightdress that she had worn to bed.  She quickly changed the nightdress into a slender flowing white-gold dress that reached to her knees and ended in a silk transparent flow of fabric to her feet.  She looked at her self one last time and added hints of green to the top.

            She was looking through her chestnut armoire when the door to her room burst open.  Startled she looked towards the opening to her sanctuary.  As she did so the smell of hay permeated her senses and she turned round as fast as she could to find the stable boy just about to tap her shoulder. “ Hey Landon.” She said blandly.

            “ You gotta’ admit, tha’ was pretty well don.” He said smiling at his defeat. “ I almos’ got ‘cha tha’ time.” He was right, he had outdone himself with the decoy, thought Alia.  If he didn’t constantly smell of fresh hay, he would have gotten her.

            “ Yeah, you would have gotten me if you had taken a bath first.  It’s the fact that you smell of fresh hay all the time.” As she said this, she took in his “ romp in the dirt” look, and added. “ Of course a bath wouldn’t hurt the look either.” She laughed he looked appraisingly down at himself with a smirk.  Then, noticing his friends changed appearance really for the first time he added.

            “ I like you’re look t’day,” his smirk turned into a broad teeth-showing smile.  Alia noticed his teeth were very much whiter than usual. “What’s the diff’rence between my protective layer o’ dirt and your protective layer o’ beauty, huh?”

            He had a point and it made Alia scowl.

“ I like the ears too, so I guess you’re goin’ for tha’ Elf look again then.” His smile got bigger, if that was even possible. “ Look, you’re almos’ as tall as me like this.”

            This made Alia scowl again, then she turned and headed towards the door.  When she reached it she spun on her bare heels and looked at him quizzically. “ Well, aren’t you coming?” she asked

            “ Ugh, where’re you gonna drag me t’day then?” his voice and face gave a good impression of someone trying to stop themselves from being forced to do their chores. It was screwed up in an expression worthy of the brattiest little spoiled girl.  Alia walked pointedly back into her messy room and grabbed his hand, ruff from working in the stables, and pulled him out.

            The sun shone through the tree’s causing the velvet looking green leaves of spring to turn to gold.  She sat there under the trees watching the day go by.  The song of the woods surrounded her.  She felt the grass beneath her legs, perfectly green.  A little ways off, her swift companion was half way up a tree.  He was laying lazily over one of the larger braches on his stomach, like a cat. 

            “ I should be heading back soon.” He announced with a sigh, but made no effort to give up his perch on the branch. “ What time is it do ya’ think.”  He moved to lie on his side now instead of his stomach.  Alia looked up from her thoughts and towards the sky.  “ Um, I think it’s about noon.  Why, isn’t today your day off?”  She asked sleepily, her voice sounded small compared to the many voices of the forest.  She stood and let it sink in.

            She let the beat of life sink into her soul, elongating her arms out into the scattered rays of golden sunlight.  The warmth from the waves of light gliding over her bare arms as she swayed, letting her bare feet slip over the soft spring foliage.   Her arms wrapped themselves around the trunk of the tree she had been leaning on, spinning herself around it, she caught the eye of her friend.  She danced away across the forest floor, leading him to the waterfall, that cascade of crystal blue water.  She wanted to jump, to feel that exhilarating feeling of falling.  Though, she wouldn’t be alone.  She wanted to share the sensation with her best friend in the world.  Alia turned around another tree trunk to make sure he was fallowing her, she caught his eye again, and waited for him by the tree, looking at him through her eyelashes.  He caught up to her, wouldn’t look away from her see-through blue eyes, and took her hand in his.  So she led him away towards the edge of the forest.

            His much larger hand felt warm and comfortable in hers.  It was callused from working the stables, but it didn’t bother her.  She turned to look into his surprisingly green eyes.  She had never really noticed what his eyes were colored.  The look she got in return for her playful appearance was not one she had never seen on his surprisingly handsome face.  The horrible realization of what she was doing washed over her now like a tidal wave.  She had not thought about the fact that she was still just a novice witch, and had unknowingly been secreting magic from every pore on her body.  She let go of his hand, but it made no difference in his transive state.  He was so close to her now she could feel his breath on her face.  It was warm and muffled her attempts to stop what she hadn’t meant to happen.  She took his hand again.

            Quickly, and with the help of gravity, reality was blasted back into the air as she fell flat on her back.  Then, since she was still holding his hand in hers, he fell too with the sharp understanding of what he had been thinking striking his features.  He turned to his friend and hurriedly dropped her hand.   Sharply getting up, he looked into her apologetic eyes, this time his appearance was that of confusion and hurt.  It was painful to see him look at her like that.  She knew he wanted answers but when she opened her mouth to give them, she found she couldn’t speak from embarrassment.  He shook his head solemnly, eyes downcast, turned around and walked away.  Leaving Alia lying on the ground tears starting to sting the rims of her eyes, and she knew that it wasn’t just from the fall.

            If it had been the first time this had happened to them, they would have laughed about it and how silly they both looked under the heavy, confusing spell.  But it was the third time it had happened.  She had tried to figure out why it kept happening, but, having been under the intoxicating feelings of the spell, had had a hard time remembering exactly what had occurred.  The first time they had laughed, the second time she had promised that it wouldn’t happen again.  Alia didn’t know what she was going to say now.  She had noticed that since the second time, Landon had been spending less time around her.  ‘Probably afraid that we won’t catch it, then it’ll put our friendship on the fritz’.  Alia thought to herself gloomily.  Then, resolving to ask the elders about her problem, she sat up and quit the enthralling, calming effect of the forest. 

            Slowly she made her way back to the little village, contemplating how she was going to ask what to do without getting Landon in trouble for staying out and playing around instead of working.  Of course she would just have to lie

            Alia, though determined to fix this unpleasant development, lawled in her walking to the center of her village, and strayed a little from the path.  She knew he was mad at her, but she didn’t know why, she had stopped them before they….  Alia didn’t even want to think how mad he’d be if she hadn’t.  'Landon is so mad,' she thought gloomily,' does this mean we aren’t going to be friends anymore. ' I hope we will still be able to… her thoughts were cut off by an unpleasant dread that crept through her body.  It flowed through her veins, pumping dread from her heart to her extremities.  It froze her in mid step.  Did she hear it again?  That same twang of a bow being drawn.  She turned in a circle but couldn’t see anything, or anyone.  She resolved to let it go, and as she took her first step, it hit her. 

            “ Ung,” she let out a gasp of air as the arrow pierced her shoulder.  It was sticking out from her back, and she could feel the warm sticky drops of blood start to make their way down her shoulder.  She hit the ground and blacked out. 

            She could barely lift her lids, and when she did all she saw were shapes and lights.  It didn’t hit her until the smell did.  Sweet, welcoming, fresh hay.  She knew exactly where she was, but not how she got there.  Finally admitting defeat, she let her eyes close, and focused on the sounds around her.

            Alia felt the footsteps before she heard them.  They were even but heaving; tired maybe.  She knew who she wanted it to be, but still wasn’t sure which barn she had come to lay in.  She was lying on her back, so the arrow was removed, but she couldn’t feel or move that shoulder.  She realized it was because there was a warm, callused hand healing it with what magic Landon possessed.  She couldn’t help letting a tear escape her eye.  It rolled, warm and salty down her cheek, until it was wiped away by his other hand.

            “ I’m  sorry Landon. I’m sorry.” She whispered, it was all she could get out.  The healing stopped and he finally spoke.

            “ It doesn’t matter Alia.” His voice was gruff and only slightly louder than her own.

            “ I thought I was dead.  I thought I was never going to get to say it.  I couldn’t think, I didn’t even run.” She was really crying now, full out.