The dreams — ahh, the flow of them! The vivid colors! The voices gathering in the middle of the unknown. The emotions. Since the day Calina had broken the treaty that ended the war between the communities in the sky and the humans, the clouds had floated around in a circle, chanting a prayer that would allow dreams to be answered. Joy radiated around, and the chanting grew louder and louder, until a girl with black hair, cherry-red lips, and a horrible grin appeared. The chanting subsided.
“My dear clouds,” the girl murmured in a taunting voice, as she pushed her way to the front of where the clouds had gathered. “I’m back from visiting Earth. Did you miss me?”
The clouds shuddered from the roughness of the girl’s voice, then shook their heads. The girl frowned. Her hand reached out to one of the clouds who was floating up and down with joy, and pushed it to the middle of the circle.
“Calina,” the cloud pleaded with desperation. “Don’t send me to the underworld! I have done nothing but follow your orders! I’ll join you and your menacing group, trying to destroy planet Earth!”
The other clouds kept quiet, not knowing what to do, and kept glancing at Calina. Calina, who had been one of the girls who saved them from destruction during the human war. Calina, who had recruited them to see the dreams and to vanquish the bad dreams. Calina had sacrificed so much for them, amid the pain that the clouds felt every day from being evil. People below the sky had heard all the moaning and noise, and Earth-dwellers had scrambled to find out what was going on, as Calina helped the clouds survive in the sky.
Calina looked around at the clouds, glared once, and finally gave a subtle grin to the cloud who had spoken. After a few minutes, Calina refused eye contact with any of the clouds.
“Clou —,” Calina started, interrupted by a voice from behind the rocks that encircled the area.
“Ah,” the voice said, “is this —?”
Calina yelped and vanished from sight. With barely any sound, the clouds faded into thin air.
“Is this where Calina works?” the voice asked, patient but firm. “I would like to speak to Calina. That girl and her band of clouds who should be able to help me raise the witch who died in Rome. Calina! Come out.”
Calina slowly appeared from the mist. Frowning at first, but eventually smiling, she looked around, then started running toward the voice.
“Luke!” Calina yelled with joy, a big, true smile on her face. “I’m glad to see you. Let’s talk in private.”
She reached for Luke, who had short blond hair, sky-blue eyes, and, like Calina, a menacing grin and the ability to disappear into thin air.
After a few minutes, voices came again from beyond the circle. Calina entered the circle once more, with Luke behind her. She raised her hand and stones appeared. She grinned freely, with nothing to weigh her down. Radiating the joy of the clouds and the arrival of her brother, she moved the stones into a circle, and started speaking with a grace that the clouds hadn’t heard in a long time — not since the day her family had died after the five-year war between the clouds and the humans, and Calina had sworn vengeance on the humans who had killed her family and moved upward in the process to join the clouds.
“Clouds,” Calina said, “as you all know, Luke and I had a talk about what was happening above and below the clouds. I have learned that Earth-dwellers have been suffering since we stopped answering dreams. I have learned that other bands of clouds have been sacrificing their lives to keep us from falling into the human world. As it appears, I’m willing to be a better person and help the humans maintain the peace. I know it’s hard to accept, but I’ll try. I’m going to try to be a better person.”
The laughter from the clouds got slowly louder and louder, until the clouds and Calina vanished. And then it was silent.
“My dear clouds,” the girl murmured in a taunting voice, as she pushed her way to the front of where the clouds had gathered. “I’m back from visiting Earth. Did you miss me?”
The clouds shuddered from the roughness of the girl’s voice, then shook their heads. The girl frowned. Her hand reached out to one of the clouds who was floating up and down with joy, and pushed it to the middle of the circle.
“Calina,” the cloud pleaded with desperation. “Don’t send me to the underworld! I have done nothing but follow your orders! I’ll join you and your menacing group, trying to destroy planet Earth!”
The other clouds kept quiet, not knowing what to do, and kept glancing at Calina. Calina, who had been one of the girls who saved them from destruction during the human war. Calina, who had recruited them to see the dreams and to vanquish the bad dreams. Calina had sacrificed so much for them, amid the pain that the clouds felt every day from being evil. People below the sky had heard all the moaning and noise, and Earth-dwellers had scrambled to find out what was going on, as Calina helped the clouds survive in the sky.
Calina looked around at the clouds, glared once, and finally gave a subtle grin to the cloud who had spoken. After a few minutes, Calina refused eye contact with any of the clouds.
“Clou —,” Calina started, interrupted by a voice from behind the rocks that encircled the area.
“Ah,” the voice said, “is this —?”
Calina yelped and vanished from sight. With barely any sound, the clouds faded into thin air.
“Is this where Calina works?” the voice asked, patient but firm. “I would like to speak to Calina. That girl and her band of clouds who should be able to help me raise the witch who died in Rome. Calina! Come out.”
Calina slowly appeared from the mist. Frowning at first, but eventually smiling, she looked around, then started running toward the voice.
“Luke!” Calina yelled with joy, a big, true smile on her face. “I’m glad to see you. Let’s talk in private.”
She reached for Luke, who had short blond hair, sky-blue eyes, and, like Calina, a menacing grin and the ability to disappear into thin air.
After a few minutes, voices came again from beyond the circle. Calina entered the circle once more, with Luke behind her. She raised her hand and stones appeared. She grinned freely, with nothing to weigh her down. Radiating the joy of the clouds and the arrival of her brother, she moved the stones into a circle, and started speaking with a grace that the clouds hadn’t heard in a long time — not since the day her family had died after the five-year war between the clouds and the humans, and Calina had sworn vengeance on the humans who had killed her family and moved upward in the process to join the clouds.
“Clouds,” Calina said, “as you all know, Luke and I had a talk about what was happening above and below the clouds. I have learned that Earth-dwellers have been suffering since we stopped answering dreams. I have learned that other bands of clouds have been sacrificing their lives to keep us from falling into the human world. As it appears, I’m willing to be a better person and help the humans maintain the peace. I know it’s hard to accept, but I’ll try. I’m going to try to be a better person.”
The laughter from the clouds got slowly louder and louder, until the clouds and Calina vanished. And then it was silent.