"No!" I sat up in bed clutching my chest, rejection filling my body with bitterness. Closing my eyes, I shuddered and took several deep breaths. Images of the dream floated through my mind; copper and cream arms holding me, flames healing my body, and soft glowing gold fur—from a lion? I shoved the images and feelings down. And the words from my mother's letter, written in weird shapes, came rushing back.
How the hell did I go from having no family to an ancient, magical one? Clamping my hands over my mouth, I stifled the hysterical laughter and panicked sobs that bubbled inside of me. Looking over at the bunk beds, I made sure Shante and Crystal were still asleep.
This can't be true! How could it be true? What should I do? I moved, and one of the felt packages fell to the floor. Carefully, I picked it up. Was there jewelry in here? Jewelry an ancient king had given to his family?
With a shaky breath, I opened the smaller package. Inside I found a silver chain that looked solid, but flowed over my hand like water. A pendant a little larger than a quarter hung from the chain. The silver base was ornamented with gold designs along the edge. In the center of the pendant glowed a flame of green, blue, and purple. Red, orange and yellow flames surrounded it. I couldn't tell what the translucent colors were made of, they looked painted on, but felt like stone, as if someone melted down gemstones and painted with them. I'd never seen anything so beautiful.
As I held the pendant, it became warm. I felt a gentle, tingly energy flow into me. It reminded me of the dreams I'd been having. It felt odd to feel connected to that fairy tale world while still in this one. Closing my eyes, I let the feeling wash over me. With each breath I could feel Phoenix power flowing through me. It pulsed and sparked as it moved through my body. I placed the necklace back into the white felt, ignoring the cold loneliness that settled in my heart as the connection faded.
Opening the second package, I gasped as six bangles fell out. They rang softly as they hit each other. Pulling back the felt, I found a ring. It took my breath away: a silver band with a ribbon of deep blue running through the center. Within the blue ribbon were a hundred small stars, as if a piece of the evening sky was set in silver. I longed to try it on, to see how it would look on my hand, but if the ring also connected to Akasha, and my body filled with the warmth of home again, I wasn't sure I would be able to take the ring off. How could I possibly explain this jewelry to Melanie?
Turning my attention to the pile of bangle bracelets, I picked them up one at a time. Each bracelet was a different shade of silver or gold. They were about a quarter of an inch wide, with small perfectly carved silhouettes of magical creatures covering each one. There were at least a dozen creatures on each bracelet. A few I recognized, but most were unfamiliar to me.
I wrapped the jewelry up, and tucked it and the letter into my backpack. Now what? I asked myself as I set the bag on the floor. What I wanted to do was go back to bed and hide under my covers. Instead, I took a deep breath and placed my feet on the floor. My mom's advice whispered in my mind.
"There will be times in your life when it feels like nothing is in your control, and all you want to do is curl up in bed and hide. I understand. Everyone has times like this in their lives, but hiding doesn't help at all. Get up, put one foot in front of the other and do something: shower, walk, do the dishes, write, draw, or read. There must be something, even if it is small, that you can do that will make things a little better. There are times when all we can control are our actions and how we respond to the chaos around us. Always find a positive action to take, and you'll feel better and a little more in control."