Excerpt: ALL YOU ARE

Title: ALL YOU ARE - The Children of Trinity
World Template by Jodi Rapson
Trinity Concept by Leanne Chin Williams
Created and Written by Andrea Collet Fornero

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“Child of Light
Born from Flame
Kindled by the Light
Marked by the Gods
Alone, she will face the Chaos
The Light flowing through her
She will end the Age.”

--The Chaos Chronicles
Prophet of the Ancients
Year unknown

Rays of sunlight touched down on the sunshine yellow tower that stood facing the Adena Seas. Adena, South, all such things were different here. Here is where dreams are created, discipline is learned and the value of friendship forged. Here and along with all her Sisters, the Topaz Tower was but one of 5 places of Legend created to signify the value of 5. True, there are more to the world than simply 5. As was once said by the High Priestess of the Sapphire Sanctuary, ‘each world has it’s 3’s, 5’s and 7’s’ and even yet still the world creates these as surely as the sun rose and set in the sky.

“The world is ending.”

“Well, go on.”

The voice quipped from the corner of the room next to the bookcase she stood by. Vanecia tightened her small lips in frustration at the voice, how she disliked being interrupted. Looking to see who spoke, she found herself glaring darkly at the figure lounging in the chair facing her from the corner. A table round barely covered in books it was a wonder the other ever passes any of his courses. Sniffing, Vanecia turned up her nose.

“I don’t think that I shall be finishing this in front of you, Fiske.” Instant distaste weighed the name.

“Come now, Cia. We’re both taking the same class and we both know you study better when reading aloud. It doesn’t hurt you to continue.”

“No, but it hurts you if I do.” The boy laughed.

“Such hatred.”

“Hatred is such a strong word. Loath seems far more of an appropriate description.”

Fiske t’sked at her. “That hurts Cia.”

“Good.”

He narrowed his eyes at her, taking in the dark almond shaped eyes that was framed with strands of black hair falling around her small face. “I was being sarcastic.”

“Pity.” She turned without so much as a good bye and left him debating about chasing after her or leaving her with the last word. She always needed to get the last word in. He did too, but it was more to rile her than to win an argument. It kept him entertained in this place. How boring these classes were! At least what she was reading seemed interesting. ‘The world is ending.’ How ominous!

The chair beside him was pulled away as another girl, blonde, petite and far less fun took the seat. “Why must you antagonize her so?”

Fiske gave a gallic shrug, “I’m bored.”

“That was your excuse yesterday.” She smiled which he easily returned. Ellianora had that kind of effect on him, pity she was his identical twin.

“How about because she took my book?”

“She pulled it from the shelf. It wasn’t your book.” She chuckled.

“Oh, I know then. She was this princess from a foreign land that had come across my company and I found that here mere hair colour an insult to our culture and that I had to ensure that she would at least like me enough to take a knife and cut it all of?” He finished with an impish grin. His sister was well laughing at her brother and shook her head. A hand moving to pull a tear from her blue eyes. She looked at her with the same eyes.

“You are horrible, Fiske.”

“I know.” The statement was purely relative and fact and he knew it. “So, do you have your homework done so I can copy it?”

She scowled at him. Why do girls always scowl the same? “We don’t even have the same classes. We don’t even have the same Element. There really isn’t anything of mine you can copy. And why are you copying? Are you going to cheat on your tests again?”

“Gee, Nora. I only did that once. Just once. Do you always have to bring that up?” Fiske slouched in his chair, crossing his arms across his chest. “Besides, I’m actually done my homework -thank you so very much for asking. You make a horrible twin!”

“I? I make the horrible twin?” Aghast she leaned over and just slugged him in the arm. “That was for calling me horrible. No good brother.”

“You know, if we weren’t siblings people would think we were a couple.” He stuck out his tongue at her, and she reciprocated.

Their conversations often found their way to bickering and then to the councillors. Maybe it was the age or the hormones or whatever the councillors called it. It was a simple common place yet they still sought out each others company in the vast expanse of the Topaz Tower; a school for Casters with elemental affinity. They had not always thought that they would find themselves in such a place. Children of many generation weavers it came as quite a surprise to them both that they had the affinity to be casters - and two completely different elements no less. It took time for them to adjust to their new life and even more so for their Element. In the process it was slowly revealed to them that maybe, perhaps maybe they were not all that similar after all.

A moment of silence passed between them, “Did you really get it done?”

“No.” The word was heavy with disappointment and the lack of enthusiasm.

“Do you need help?”

Fiske shrugged and pushed over the book on the table towards his sister without a word. Ellianora turned it so that the cover was right side up to make it easier to read. “‘Fundamentals of Earth Gardening’ sounds interesting. What’s so difficult about it?”

“I’m allergic to half the projects we’re assigned?”

“For an Earth Caster, you reall-”

“Don’t say it, Nora. Really, i don’t need any more confirmation of how much of a failure I am.”

“You aren’t a failure. You have have a few. . . obstacles.”

It was Fiske’s turn to snort. Wiping his nose with his sleeve, he stood up and grapped the book from the table. Ellianora glanced up at her brother with concerned eyes. “You can do it, really. I’m sure there is a way to work around the problems.”

“Well, when you figure a way, let me know? Because I now get to go to class and then spend the next six hours in the infirmary with them figuring out why I keep sneezing.”

The boy stalked off without a good bye, leaving his sister in basically the same state as Vanecia did to him. Not that he cared too much about Vanecia but his problems couldn’t be solved by his sister. She had her own problems. Water Caster and she nearly drowned as a baby; she was terrified of water. This Tower seemed to collect misfits like his sister and him only it seems like they were the only two that weren’t exactly what the Tower were recruiting. Pity they couldn’t have been dreamers or be Air Casters. At least then he’s get the chance to use a sword. But that meant he’s have to go outside and that would suck. Even still, Fiske wasn’t entirely sure which sucked more; Becoming a Caster or not being able to Cast at all.

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