Syreena

“BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!” The alarm clock blasted out its wake up call signaling the start of what was sure to be another stupendous day. A slender hand with bright pink fingernails snaked out from under the mound of twisted sheets and blankets to put an end to the electronic war cry with a smash. Syreena squeezed her eyes together and sighed loudly.

“I don’t suppose there’s any chance that the stupid alarm has malfunctioned and I can go back to sleep for another hour or two?”, she muttered to herself as she flung the blankets off the bed and sat up grouchily. Rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, she squinted at the angry red numbers on the clock and answered her own question with a growled “Nope.” Expunging another dramatic sigh, expressing her displeasure about having to start her day well before she was ready to do so, Syreena stomped over to her closet to choose her ensemble for yet another fun-filled day at school.

“Syreena”, shouted her mother from downstairs, “Breakfast is almost ready. Put a hustle on it girl, or you are going to be late. AGAIN.”

“I know MOTHER.” said Syreena, with a little more emphasis on the last word than was necessary, just to make sure her mood was adequately conveyed to the downstairs. She started the shower and hopped in, rolling her eyes to the sound of her mother starting a sentence with her two favorite words, “That girl…”

She leaned her head into the hot spray of water coming out of the shower head and let it run down her face while mentally preparing herself for the day ahead. Today was the last day of school for this week at least. “TGIF” she thought sarcastically to herself. Weekends for Syreena were not a reprieve from the work filled week like they were for other 17 year olds. Her weekends were filled with babysitting and chores. The oldest in a family of 6 people, including the “parental units” as she called them, Syreena was left in charge of her younger siblings on Saturdays and Sundays. Those were the days that the parental units set aside to run off and do god knows what. Whatever it was they were doing on the weekends, it sure wasn’t family oriented. It had been this way ever since her parents decided they wanted another baby and got three instead. James, Jack, and Justin were adorable, as far as little brothers went, and they really weren’t that hard to watch. The boys were almost 4 years old with reddish brown hair and big round cinnamon colored eyes. All three loved watching the weekend cartoons and she could usually plant them in front of the TV without worry for most of the morning and afternoon. Syreena just felt a little worn out on babysitting and longed to be able to go to the movies and go shopping with her girlfriends like other kids in her neighborhood.

Syreena shut the water off and stepped out of the shower, wrapping herself in a fuzzy pink towel. She wiped the steam off of the mirror and pondered at her reflection. Almond shaped, bright turquoise eyes stared back at her from under a wet mass of long blonde hair. Her skin did not share the same pale tone as her mother, father, and brothers. Her flesh was a deep bronze color. It looked like she had a perpetual tan year round, not that she was complaining about this. Syreena was convinced she was adopted despite the parental units’ unfaltering conviction she was borne of their loins…. Or whatever it was they said. Either way, she always had an underlying feeling that she didn’t fit… like a puzzle piece that was all wrong. She brushed her hair and got the hairdryer out from under the bathroom sink. Plugging it in to dry her hair, she rolled her eyes again as she heard her mother yell, “Time, Syreena… MOVE IT!”

“Yea yea yea”, she muttered, turning on the hairdryer and effectively drowning out her mother’s voice.

15 minutes later a dry, clean and dressed Syreena emerged from the bathroom. She checked her clock. 7:45... “Great, breakfast on the run again.” she said. One of these days she would manage to get the timing right and have time to eat sitting down at the table. Although, this was her last year of high school, so timing wasn’t really all that high on her list. Throwing her backpack on her shoulders she raced down the stairs, into the kitchen, and almost plowed right into her mother who was standing in the doorway with her hands on her hips and a frown on her face. “I swear, Syreena, would it kill you to get up a little earlier so you don’t have to rush like this EVERY morning?”

“Yep, it sure would.” Syreena said with a grin while stepping around her mother and grabbing a couple pancakes from the stack on the table. She kissed her brothers on the head and said “Bye”, and then ran out the door just as her best friend, Nikki, pulled into the driveway to pick her up for school.

“Morning bitch!” sang Nikki as she handed an iced latte over to Syreena. She put the car in reverse and cranked up the radio while backing out of Syreena’s driveway. Ozzy’s voice screamed from the speakers and both girls raised their voices to match, as was their ritual every morning before school for the last 4 years.

Nikki was just an inch shorter than Syreena who stood at five feet, six inches tall. She had straight, shoulder length black hair with an array of bright multicolored streaks breaking up what she said was the “monotony” of her head. Nikki’s bright blue eyes seemed out of place when compared to her dark skin tone. Nikki’s mother was a full blooded Cherokee while her father was a roly poly Irishman with bright red hair and blue eyes. Nikki was thankful that her eyes were the only trait that hailed from her dad.

Music still blaring, Nikki maneuvered her bright yellow Audi into a parking spot just as the first bell rang to let students know they had 5 minutes to get to class. She turned off the car and gave Syreena a thumbs up.

“Ready?”, she said.

“As ready as I’m going to be”, replied Syreena while opening the door to get out.

“Oh come on Syreena, you could be a little more enthusiastic. Today is the last day of actual class. Next week is finals and then we graduate! High school is finally over! Time to really live our lives!” shouted Nikki while twirling around with her hands in the air. Syreena couldn’t help but crack a smile at her friend’s enthusiasm.

“Yea, I guess you’re right Nik”, she said. Taking a deep breath and plastering a “pretty girl smile” on her face, she joined her friend on the pathway into the big looming school building that commanded her days for the last four years. She looked over at Nikki and said silent thanks for such a good friend that helped her not go crazy through high school.

Syreena and Nikki met when Nikki’s family moved into the town almost exactly four years ago. Nikki almost ran Syreena over in her effort to vent via vehicle, her aggravation at having moved right at the beginning of her high school career. Syreena had been stomping down the street venting her frustration at her new weekend babysitting schedule. After a brief yelling match, the two girls became inseparable; Best Friends Forever, or BFFs, as they put it. They believed their friendship was meant to be, because every year, they miraculously had the exact same schedule, right down to lunch period. “It's FATE”, Nikki liked to say.

They made it through the first two periods, Math and Science, (an AWFUL way to start the day they agreed), without incidence, and strolled into their 3rd period study hall to make plans for Syreena’s upcoming eighteenth birthday. Ten minutes into the study hall they had quite an extensive list of guests and music for the big day. By the end of the period they had come to an agreement on where they should throw an all-out birthday extravaganza. Syreena had never had a birthday celebration outside of her family, and this year the parental units had finally given their consent to allow her to plan her own party, (not that they had a choice in the matter, she was after all going to be 18, an ADULT). Nikki’s birthday present to Syreena was to fund this birthday blast as the triplets had taken every last extra cent Syreena’s parents could possibly have saved for such an event. Monetary troubles were something Nikki didn’t have to worry about. Her mother was a scientist at an important cancer research facility, and her father was a world-renowned author.

Come the end of the school day, the two girls had every last little detail all planned out and written down. The last bell rang, signaling their freedom from the educational institution, and the BFFs raced each other to Nikki’s car. Laughing they tossed their book bags into the backseat and sped out of the parking lot to their favorite after school hamburger joint for a quick milkshake and fries with the rest of the local teenagers. Syreena had just slurped the last drops of milkshake through the straw when her cell phone rang; blaring out a song that indicated it was the parental units calling. Exchanging an eye roll with Nikki, she hit the red button that sends the call to voicemail.

“They are going to be pissed Ryn.” said Nikki, using her nickname for Syreena.

“Oh well” said Syreena, “It’s not like I don’t know what they want” “Syreena sweetie this is mom,” she whined in a breathy imitation of her mom’s voice, “It’s Friday and I need you to pick up some things for the triplets on your way home. Call me back please.”

Sighing loudly Syreena picked up a french fry, dipped it in ketchup then popped it in her mouth. Nikki looked over her cup at Syreena and giggled, “It could be worse Ryn, and at least you don’t have to rush to the cancer center to clean out monkey cages.” That was the one constant chore assigned to Nikki on Fridays, and she looked forward to not doing it anymore once she went away, far FAR away, for college.

Syreena snickered and nodded her head in agreement. The girls finished the last few fries and left the burger joint while Syreena called her mother back to find out what she needed to get on her way home.

30 minutes, two stores, and three grocery bags later a grumpy Syreena burst through the front door of her house. Dropping the grocery bags at her mom’s feet, she grumbled, “I don’t know why you can’t get this stuff while I am at school instead of making me do all the running for you.”

Her mother shook her head and sighed. “Syreena, do we have to do this every week? You know it’s just easier than me trying to take all 3 boys shopping. I can’t handle hide and seek in the market. The last time I went, I spent 2 hours chasing them through the store.”

“Whatever you say, MOTHER. I’m going to study a little bit for finals next week. Call me when dinner is ready.” Syreena said as she made her escape to her bedroom.

She pulled her mp3 player out of her book bag and pushed the ear buds into her ears. Syreena turned the music up just loud enough to block out her brothers squeals from the playroom next to her bedroom and immersed herself in her study guides. About an hour later, she closed the last page of the last guide and pulled the headphones out of her ears just in time to hear her mother yell, “DINNER!”

At dinner Syreena focused on her plate and shoveled the food into her mouth to avoid conversation with the parents. “They can’t argue with me if I am not speaking” she thought to herself with a smirk. They asked if she had made any plans for her upcoming birthday. Syreena nodded and took another mouthful of food, effectively ending that topic of discussion. She wasn’t going to give them any information about her birthday party, it was HER day, and she wasn’t going to let them ruin her plans. After dinner Syreena helped her mother get the boys ready and in bed, then retired to her room for the evening. She fell asleep with a smile on her face, thinking about the plans she and Nik made for her birthday.

She was dressed in a thin long white gown that flowed like the air with each step she took. Syreena was barefoot in a lush green forest. Sunlight filtered down through the thick tree canopy overhead and birds performed a musical concerto in harmony. It stole her breath away as she looked around. Flowers of pink and purple and blue in bright hues she has never seen before seem to bow to her as she glides by. To her left a crystal clear stream bubbled musically through the forest winding this way and that around the thick trees shooting up as high as she could see. She doesn’t know how she got here and is pretty sure she is dreaming. Syreena’s feet keep moving her deeper into the seemingly magical forest. She isn’t sure where she is going but gets a funny feeling of déjà vu when she rounds a bend and comes to an old looking stone gate. There is a big wooden door with a brass knocker in the shape of a flower unlike any she has seen before right in the middle of the stone gate. Her feet pad to a stop right in front of the door and it swings open as her fingers reach out and barely touch the brass flower. A sweet, intoxicating aroma drifts out of the space that the now open door has revealed. As she steps through the doorway, torches to her left and right burst into flame to illuminate a stairway in front of her, carved into the very earth. Syreena can feel the moist dirt against the cushion of her feet. She inhales and is able to smell the earth that surrounds her... A sense of peace washes over her. She feels like she belongs here in this place. With each descending step, this feeling grows stronger. When she reaches the last step there is another door similar to the first one she came through, except the door knocker is in the shape of a unicorn, reared up on its hind legs with its magnificent horn held to the sky. Syreena reaches towards the door to trace her fingers over the metal beast and as she does the door swings open with a sigh that made her feel like it had been waiting for her all along. She steps through the doorway and is in what looks like a forest clearing. In the middle of this clearing is a bubbling pool of water that shimmers and dances like the stream from above. “This must be where the stream ends” she muses quietly.

“It is.” Syreena jumps at the words that seem to come from the trees themselves. “Who’s there?” She asks as she looks around nervously. A hearty laugh vibrates through the air.

“There is no need for you to jump so, my dear Syreena, do not be afraid” The owner of the voice seems to materialize between the trees right before her eyes. Syreena gasps as a woman who looks just like her, down to the turquoise colored eyes, finally appears. The woman smiles a bright smile and opens her hands in a welcoming gesture. “My name is Aneeya. Welcome home.”

“Ummm. Ok. Hi. How do you know my name and what do you mean, ‘HOME’? Last I checked I was dreaming.” Syreena asks with a confused expression. Aneeya laughed again and her eyes twinkled. She said, “Perhaps you should sit with me by the pool and I will answer all your questions as best I can.”

Syreena let herself be led to the edge of the pool as the soft green forest floor itself transformed into two lush chairs for them to sit on. She sat down hesitantly at first and then sank comfortably into the seat that seemed to form itself around the contours of her body. “So amazing” She breathed in wonder. Aneeya settled herself across from Syreena and began to speak.

“As I said, my name is Aneeya; I am your guardian and trainer.”

Syreena opened her mouth to ask, “For what”, but Aneeya held up her finger and continued. “You are not a normal human being. You come from a world that overlaps the human plane of existence. This place,” she motions to the forest surrounding them, “is real although right now you can only come here through your dreams.” Syreena looks more confused and Aneeya laughs again, a musical sound that seems to float and hover in the aromatic forest air. “You, Syreena, are a being much like me.”

While she is speaking, Syreena begins to see a glow appearing behind Aneeya, getting brighter with each word.

“We are guardians of the light.” With these words the glow intensifies and forms into a pair of stunning wings so bright Syreena has to shield her eyes and blink for a moment. Syreena’s mouth drops open in awe.

“So does that mean I get those?” she asks while pointing at Aneeya’s wings.

“Yes Syreena, but not until you come of age”

“Which is when exactly?” Syreena questions with one eyebrow raised. She thinks to herself, ‘Watch it be something asinine like when I’m 100.’

Aneeya tilts her head to the side as if listening to Syreena’s thoughts. She smiles again and says, “I can hear your thoughts by the way, we are connected.”

Syreena blushes slightly. Aneeya carries on, “Your wings will come to you on the eve of your eighteenth birthday. With them also comes your ability to come here in your waking hours.”

“That’s just 5 days away!” Syreena rubs her hands together with an excited smile.

“Yes Syreena. It is. That’s why we must lay down some basic training for your powers. It is almost time for you to wake up so we don’t have time to begin now. When you lay down to sleep again I want you to visualize the forest as it was when you first entered it this evening. Take your time walking through it until you come to the doors that lead to this clearing. Once you go through the second door, you will be ready to begin your training.”

“It’s that easy for me to get here huh?” asks Syreena. “All I have to do is imagine it and magically I’m there?”

Aneeya nods and says, “Yes my dear it really is that easy for one such as you. I must go, we are out of time. I will see you at the end of this new day, and Syreena… Your human friends and family cannot know of this world nor is it within their comprehensive power to understand such things. To tell them will only draw unwanted and dangerous attention to both them and yourself. Do you understand? ”

Syreena nods solemnly as Aneeya smiles and fades back into the forest. Once she is gone Syreena leans her head back, closes her eyes and ponders all of this new exciting information. She takes a deep breath and blows the air out in a slow steady stream. When she opens her eyes it is not the forest she sees but the pink and black décor of her bedroom. She looks over at the clock on her nightstand just as the alarm goes off to start her day of babysitting. “Great,” she says to herself, “I wonder if I’m going to feel like I got no sleep at all.”

Syreena stretched and realized not only did she feel fully rested but there was an unusual twinge of energy that felt like it was coursing through her body. She jumped out of bed at the sound of her mother yelling, “Come on sleepyhead, time to get up. You have twenty minutes to shower and present yourself downstairs for duty so we can leave.”

“Yes mother, I’m on it.” she replied while picking out her clothes for the day.

15 minutes later she was showered and dressed and bounding down the stairs, taking them two at a time. “Just in time.” her mother said as she entered the kitchen. “I’ve got everything set out for breakfast for you and the boys. I told them after they eat you would let them play in the backyard for a little while, but not more than an hour okay? It is awfully hot out today and we don’t have any sunscreen left for them. Your father is waiting for me in the car so I have to go now. We should be home right around dinnertime so you won’t have to put them to bed tonight.”

Syreena nodded her head and smiled, saying, “Go mom. I’ve got this.” After the door shut Syreena turned to the boys, who were all looking at her from their chairs at the table, and asked, “Who’s hungry? It looks like pancakes are on the menu this morning.” All three boys squealed happily in unison and clapped their hands. Pancakes were their favorite breakfast meal. After cooking, feeding, and then consequently cleaning three pairs of very sticky hands, she took the boys outside to play in the backyard. Once an hour of running and shrieking was over Syreena brought them back inside and cleaned them up. By this time the boys were pretty tired from all the backyard excitement and she decided they needed a nap when they all collapsed on each other right in the middle of the living room floor. Syreena put the boys in their respective beds and closed the bedroom door quietly. She went back downstairs and looked at the clock above the stove in the kitchen. It was 2 o clock. “Hmmm.” she said to herself, “What am I going to do with this free time?” She looked in the freezer and decided that she was going to pull out a roast to thaw, and get dinner started for her parents. By the time the boys woke up at four, Syreena had the big chunk of frozen meat defrosted, seasoned and in the oven with potatoes and carrots. When her parents got home an hour later to the aroma of what promised to be a tasty slow roasted meal, and rested, happy triplets, they were so impressed that they decided to allow Syreena the next day off so she could go see a movie with Nikki. Syreena was thrilled at this news. After dinner she called Nikki and they discussed what movies were playing and which one they should go see the next day. She wanted so much to tell Nikki of the events that transpired the previous night but Aneeya’s warning rang loudly in her ears so instead she suggested a time for the movie. Nikki said that would be fine. The girls said goodnight and hung up the phone. Syreena went and found her parents, who were in the living room watching TV after putting the triplets to bed. She disclosed her and Nikki’s plans for the next day. After getting a confirmation that everything was ok with them, she hugged and kissed them goodnight and retired to her bedroom. Syreena had been silently worrying more and more as the day passed that what happened the previous night really was a dream or figment of her apparently overactive imagination. By the time she got ready and hopped into bed she had gone back and forth with herself so much she was exasperated. She flopped back onto her fluffy pillow and looked up at her ceiling. “Ok,” she said to herself, “Here goes nothing.” Syreena took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, closing her eyes. She imagined the forest just as she had seen it the night before, and envisioned herself walking through it. She reached her arms out to lightly touch some leaves on the trees surrounding her. She was amazed she could almost really feel their smooth surfaces sliding through her outstretched fingers. She then noticed that with every step she took deeper through the magical forest, the soft green moss became more real feeling. It cushioned her feet and she could feel the moisture from the plant life on her toes. Syreena soon heard the birds singing and tilted her head to the side to listen as their song seemed to reverberate off the thick tree trunks and bounce back to play in her ears a whimsical melody. She followed the natural path through the trees until she once again was greeted by the bubbling stream. Stopping for a moment to admire the whirling, twisting, yet calming water she was startled by a movement off to her left. Syreena turned her head to see a very large, pure white unicorn staring at her from between the trees. As she gasped in surprise and blinked, it whirled around and disappeared into the forest. “No way!” she exclaimed. Shaking her head in disbelief she returned to following the path that led her back to the stone gate and set of doors which would give her access to the clearing in which she was now undoubtedly sure Aneeya was waiting for her. This time, she didn’t even have a chance to raise her hand towards the first door before it swung open to allow her into the instantly lighted stairway. Syreena descended the earthen stairs without any hesitation and as she reached the bottom step the 2nd door, like the first, swung open immediately. She burst through the opening and was instantly enveloped in a huge hug from Aneeya, who had been waiting as if on pins and needles. “I wasn’t sure if you would come back but I am so happy you did!” Aneeya said as she led Syreena over to the side of the shimmering pool and the two living chairs that once again sprang up from the forest floor. Syreena giggled at the other woman’s enthusiasm as they both sat down. Syreena sank into her chair and felt swallowed by the comfort that it offered. “Can I have one of these for my room?” she asks with a smile. “It’s SO comfortable!”

Aneeya laughed and said, “My dear Syreena, forests in your waking world will bend to your requests. It is just a matter of asking the right way.” Syreenas mouth drops open in shock. After all, she was only trying to joke with Aneeya, who laughs again at Syreenas expression. Syreena wonders what else she will be able to do. Aneeya answers that thought almost as soon as it forms. “That and so much more, but we will discuss it later, I have so much to teach you it would be best to start with the basics. Are you aware that energy is in everything, and I mean EVERYTHING?” Syreena nods, so Aneeya continues. “Ok, well you have an ability to control that energy. Let’s do a little exercise that will help you to better understand this concept. I want you to place your hands together in front of you like this.”

Aneeya puts her hands together in front of her chest as if about to pray.

“Now close your eyes and envision that energy has a bright blue glow. You can see it running through your body. This energy is channeled from the middle of your forehead, from Ajna, the third eye chakra. I want you to focus on bringing that energy to a point in the middle of each palm. Direct it with your mind.”

Syreena takes a deep breath with her eyes closed and concentrates, imagining blue glowing filaments racing from the center of her forehead, down the sides of her neck, over her shoulders, down her arms and right to the middle of each palm. As she is doing this she begins to feel warmth and a pulling sensation where she is directing the energy to. “I’m doing it!” she exclaims quietly

Aneeya says, “That is wonderful Syreena, I had faith that you would catch on quickly! Now keep your focus on the energy in your hands. You may open your eyes if you wish as long as you can maintain your concentration.” Syreena slowly opens her eyes to see Aneeya beaming at her. She smiles back and Aneeya pushes on. “Now that you have brought the energy to your hands, start rolling it around like a marble between your palms in small circles, while you are doing this, keep bringing more energy down, adding it to the ‘ball’ you are creating. Be careful though my dear, for the bigger you make it the stronger it is, and you must always be able to control what you create. I want you to stop adding energy when it is as big as your hands can hold with all fingers still touching.”

“Okay” says Syreena with a big smile while rolling the energy ball between her palms. It takes just a few more seconds for the ball to reach the size of her hands. She stops the flow of energy but continues to cycle the blue glowing sphere around in small circles. “Now what do I do with it?” she asks, looking up at Aneeya.

“There are many things that can be done. The possibilities are just about endless Syreena. You can whisper a message into the ball and release it with a thought of who you wish to receive the message. The energy ball will travel as far as it needs in only a matter of seconds and deliver your message every time. It can also be used to heal, improve mood, distress mood, hypnotize, et cetera. What I will teach you next though, is offense and defense. A little more exciting, don’t you think?” she says with a wink….

To be continued……