Top Books of 2019

I'm back! Sorry, I've been doing a lot of stuff lately, like reading, writing, and buying more books.

But one post I knew I needed to bang out was my top books of the last year! I did my top everything else, TV shows, movies, games, and even a link to my music. You can check out that post HERE in case you missed it!

But even though I made my top books of 2019 like New Years day or something, I haven't posted it! I've had the list sent up this whole month! Again, I also don't have my own computer, since my current one doesn't really work beyond turning it on... (New one coming soon, I hope!) So I have to post while elsewhere, making it much harder (I can't do it on my phone, trust me, and my tablet is worse than my phone).


But I'm here now, and here is the books I loved the most!


Okay, so first of all STATS.


READING STATS

According to Goodreads:

Pages Read - 41421
Books Read - 180
DNF'd - 9
Rereads - 24
Longest Book - A Storm of Swords by George RR Martin
Shortest Book - Working is a Lousy Way to Earn a Living
Most Popular - Sorcerer's Stone by JK Rowling
Least Popular - Dare to Be Happy by Helen Lowrie Marshall (I added it and am the only one to read it so far)
Average Rating - 4.4 stars

And yes, I track through Goodreads, because it's the easiest to use, and is the most accurate out of the few reading apps and websites that I've tried. I've used it since 2012, and until something much better comes along, I'm not changing.


Now, onto the books!

HONORABLE MENTIONS
To start things off, let's start with the books that didn't make my top ten this year.

The Death of the Mighty Thor

by Jason Aaron, Russell Dauterman, G Willow Wilson

I read the last graphic novel is this miniseries within the Thor Marvel universe where Thor son of Odin is no longer Thor, and a mysterious woman is the new Thor. And it's awesome. This series is heart-breaking, empowering, fun, sad, and hilarious. I absolutely loved it. Each installment had me begging for more. I honestly want Thor to be retired forever and this female Thor to stay in power. She was so brilliant and I just adore her.

Because there is only the five volumes and the ending is only alright to me, and we won't be getting more female Thor it's only an honorable mention.

The Valiant

by Lesley Livingston

This is book one of a trilogy about a female gladiator. And yes, they were real, we have proof, they were just rare.

I loved the main character. Fallon is so independent, and so damn strong. I just loved her and was so excited to see what would happen.

However book 2, The Defiant, I hated like right away. Sadly there's no way I will continue this series, and as a stand alone this book isn't strong enough to make the top 10.

Thrawn: Treason

by Timothy Zahn

This book was originally on my top ten list, but it just missed the mark, which is why it's technically in the number 11 spot here. I love Thrawn. I love this character, and I love this book series. I can't wait to read the original two series by Timothy Zahn about this character he created back during Legends. I trust that I'll enjoy it. I loved every one of these books in this trilogy so far, and I honestly hope we get more books about Thrawn, especially after the amazing Rebels Finale.






10







The Mermaid's Voice Returns in This One
by Amanda Lovelace


The final of Lovelace's poetry collection trilogy, Women are Some Kind of Magic, did not disappoint. I adored this book, and these poems, although out of the three it was the one I least liked, which is why it's in the number 10 spot, instead of higher up like the last two were in the years I read them. But it's still one of the best books I read out of all 180 from last year.


This book focuses on healing after a bad relationship, rather than the broad one from the first book, or female rage like the last one. But it's still quite good and powerful. I really liked it, and will continue to compare all poetry to this amazing poet!






10









Your Name, volumes 1, 2, 3
by Makoto Shinkai, and Ranmaru Kotone


Tying with Mermaid's Voice is Your Name. I first heard about this story when the movie was released in theatres here in the US. I eventually got curious and rented the movie, but the beginning confused the hell out of me. So I looked to see if this was a manga, and it was! So I rented that instead, and BOY, am I glad I did!


This follows first a girl, and then a boy who are missing days, and then realize they're switching bodies and living a day in the body of the other person, on the other side of Japan. There's humor, and it looks cute, until the end of volume one, when suddenly they've stopped switching and the boy had to find out why.


This is a beautiful story about how these two people who have never met, ever, become friends and fall in love, just by leaving little notes for each other at the end of each day.


It's really unique, and really sweet. I love it, and wish there was more than just the three volumes! I have to know what happened after that end!






9









The Kane Chronicles
The Red Pyramid, The Throne of Fire, The Serpent's Shadow
by Rick Riordan


This was the one Rick Riordan series he personally wrote that I had never picked up. I had started last year by rereading both Percy Jackson series and the Heroes of Olympus series, and it felt natural to move onto The Kane Chronicles.


And I loved them! They are so funny and well written! I'm so sad we only have these 3 books (plus the three short stories) with Carter and Sadie! They're so funny and fun! I just want more of them!!!


Now to reread and finish the Magnus Chase trilogy and reread the Trials of Apollo.






8


  


Tea Dragon Society, Tea Dragon Festival, and Aquicorn Cove
by Katie O'Neill




I tried to decide which one of these is better than the others, but I couldn't. They're all too good!


The two Tea Dragon graphic novels are so cute and sweet and fun. Others have compared the little dragons to pokemon, and I totally agree! I want all the plushies! There is so much diversity, and the stories are just cute!


And Aquicorn Cove is just as beautiful and cute as the Tea Dragon books, but is about the ocean, and how it's being polluted. Over half of the oceans trash is from fishing, in particular the plastic nets that small time fisherman and the big huge ships use. When they break, they don't break down in the ocean like organic nets do. This is killing the ocean, more than anything else, save perhaps global warming. Changing from plastic straws is not going to do anything to help the environment. And this graphic novel was written to try to bring this knowledge to light. But it wasn't as cute as the Tea Dragons.


So here are all 3, and you should read them! They're lovely!!!






7









My Hero Academia
by Kohei Horikoshi




I had heard about this manga/anime, but was told the worst description of it I've ever heard. So I avoided it for years, until I saw just how big it was, and decided to try it.


So let me give you a proper description.


This world it's common for people to have powers, called quirks. A few become villains, using their quirks for whatever they want, while others become heroes. Deku wants to become a hero, but is one of the 1% of the population without a quirk. And then the number one hero of Japan, All-Might, is impressed when he tries to save a bully from school and offers him a chance: his power, One For All.


It's a heart warming story, and I just adore this manga so much! It's very inventive and fun, although the perverted characters piss me off and are antiquated humor that shouldn't have been written in. But the rest of the story is so good I can ignore that and just enjoy the rest of the manga.






6









A Storm of Swords
by George RR Martin


One of the biggest things to happen last year was the ending of the Game of Thrones TV Show. Which sucked. HOWEVER I read 3 of the 5 books last year before the series went down the toilet, and then because it did so. (Although I'm hating Feast for Crows so I kinda DNF'd it and want to pick it up again this year).


Out of all the books, this one is the best by far. It is just so well done, and the writing is at it's best. Also not having Theon really helped, I hate his chapters. Dany and Jon's stories were at their best, and Sansa's was just so intriguing. I couldn't help but put it so high because this series means so much to me and this book was just so well done.






4









A Blade So Black
by L.L. McKinney


I was interested in this book when I first heard about it, and then I heard that people were hating on the author over something stupid, and decided to just buy it Black Friday 2018. And BOY am I glad I did! I LOVED this book! And I got to meet the author, who is amazing!!!


This is an Alice in Wonderland retelling, with a black Alice who kicks ass and kills monsters. I absolutely love her! The world was so unique, and all the anime references really got me excited. I just loved it!!


If you haven't picked this book up, what are you doing with your life?






3

Fangirl
by Rainbow Rowell


What's this? A contemporary? On MY TOP TEN LIST? EGADS!!!


Yeah, yeah, I read a contemporary I actually liked last year. When has that happened? Oh, like NEVER. I hate how most have this over blown drama, where people refuse to say something that for no good reason, or they don't believe each other. They show symptoms of mental illness, and no one does anything about it.


This book does NONE of these things! There is mental illness rep that is accurate and brilliant, people grow apart and mess up, and become closer than ever. Plus a mega fangirl who writes fanfiction, who has anxiety, and relies a little too much on a sister who wants to grow in a different way? YES PLEASE!!!


I loved this book so much! I need to get all the special editions now, and have already bought the two fantasy spin offs about Cath's fanfiction! :)






2









Orange, complete volumes 1 and 2, and Orange Future
by Ichigo Takano




This manga has become popular with a bunch of book people online who don't like manga. That means I *had* to read this. And boy oh boy, it deserves all the buzz and hype it's gotten.


This follows Naho, who receives a letter from her future self telling her that she needs to be careful, because one of her friends is going to commit suicide, and she needs to stop it. It's powerful, moving, and dives deep into reasons behind suicide, as well as how to help someone who is suicidal. It's powerful, and, not to be cheesy, but it really shows the power of friendship, and how it can save lives.


But, of course, trigger warning for suicide, because we see both the current time, and the future where the friend did kill himself. It doesn't show it, not really, but it shows just how heartbreaking suicide is on those who are left behind.






Now, are you ready for the ones? I have not one, not two, but THREE. Because all of these are some of the best books I have EVER READ!!! And the one is tied as the best I've read of ALL time! But it's part of a series so it ties with the other two.






1C









The Folk of the Air Series
The Cruel Prince, The Wicked King, The Queen of Nothing, and The Lost Sisters
by Holly Black


Technically I read Queen of Nothing this year, but I have to add it on, because the series as a whole has been on my mind all year, and is still on my mind. This is one of the best series of all time, for sure, and I absolutely love it!


Jude's father and mother were murdered, and their murderer kidnapped her and took her to Faerie, a place of cruel immortals who enjoy tormenting her and her twin sister. Her number one tormentor is none other than the youngest prince, Cardan. Jude ends up in the middle of politics just as everything goes to hell in Faerie, and the only way for her to survive is to team up with Cardan.


I can't express how much I love this series. The whole time you're wondering what is going to happen next, who will die, who will betray, and who will win the fight for the throne. I mean, seriously, it's like Game of Thrones, but much, MUCH better, and with the BEST ending you can hope for!






1B









The Infernal Devices
Clockwork Angel, Clockwork Prince, Clockwork Princess
by Cassandra Clare


This was also the year where I fell in love with Cassandra Clare again. I got a little burnt out when Clockwork Prince was released back in 2011. That was almost a decade ago!!! Then the movie came out, which was mediocre at best, and then the TV show, which I love. I know, I know, the purists hate it but I'm not that! I didn't even like her stuff anymore when I first saw it and had gotten rid of it all.


But then I got all of her books thanks to the show, and this year really tried to continue where I left off. The second trilogy in The Mortal Instruments are meh, like the movie. Seriously, I'm not a fan of it. It will never make my top anything.


But that is NOT true for Infernal Devices. Seriously, this is ALSO one of the BEST SERIES OF ALL TIME. THE BEST LOVE TRIANGLE FOR SURE!!! Princess is right up there with ACOMAF, which is my undisputed favorite book I've ever read. NOW I HAVE TWO!!!


I cried so much reading this series. Will's story broke my heart, and the love the three of them have for each other and you just want them all to be happy! I even cried happy tears at the end! I'VE NEVER DONE THAT BEFORE FOR ANY STORY EVER!!!!


If you don't pick up any book on this list, PLEASE READ THIS SERIES.






1A









Sorcery of Thorns
by Margaret Rogerson


The last one that ties with those two series is a stand alone, Sorcery of Thorns. Set in the same world as An Enchantment of Ravens, yet in a completely different country, this follows a girl raised in a library, filled with grimoires, spell books of sorcerers. The world was so interesting, and so well done, and the CHARACTERS! OMG I loved them all! At least our main trio. And our girl Elisabeth is NEVER powerless. She's put into a situation where you think she can't get out, and SHE DOES!!! SHE'S SO BADASS!!! GAH!!! And Thorn is so cool and cute and funny. And SILAS!!! OMG I LOVE HIM SO SO SO MUCH!!!


I cannot rate this book highly enough! I loved the ending so much I screamed (and then my dad came in wondering if I was okay cuz I didn't realize with the middle of the damn night)










So those are the top books I read in 2019. I hope you guys had a great reading year as well and I hope this year will be just as good (though I wonder if anything can top me number ones.)


<3 p="">

Hero - Prologue

Hey guys!

So I'm taking a break from Warrior. I started flipping out because I wrote it in the wrong voice--yes, I really did. YA novels are written differently from any other genre, and I normally read middle grade or adult novels. I only got into YA recently, and really the genre wasn't really alive until Twilight. So yes, you can thank Twilight for Rick Roirdan's Heroes of Olympus, The Hunger Games, and so many more series. It changes writing for the better, even if the plot is...questionable. ;) Yes, I am a fan. And critic.

Anywho, so we I realized just how much editing had to be done, I freaked out. Then I found out most novelist write the novel, and wait for a month or more before they begin editing. Since I want to have Warrior completely done before I move onto book 2, I've been writing randomly little scenes here and there for books 5, 6, 7 or even further down. And yes, I have about 10 novels planned so far. There may be even more, if I can get this thing off the ground! :)

So here's the prologue for book 6!

Now, for what this is about. I'm not sure I've talked about who my audience is with Star Warriors. Sure, I want anyone who wants to read it. But I write for those who've had a really tough life, like Kana, Eirren, or Mabyn. Yes, characters who have that type of life are the most interesting to read, but lots of the dark experiences I write in are based on real, horrible events that I or, more often, someone I love and care about has experienced. The epilogue of Warrior was based almost entirely on things one of my best friend was told by her own mother and family, just like in that chapter.

This prologue is based on the true, horrible story behind the name of Love146. Love146 is a profit free organization that helps victims of human trafficking. If you want to know more about them, watch this vid by Michelle Phan and check out their website.

http://love146.org/

To honor the girl, I wrote this story. I had planned on writing this, but this really developed after watching this video, and reading the story. Remember The Girl.

Prologue One

Sixteen Years Ago

He didn’t know how long he’d been there. An eternity, maybe. Chained to the chair, put on display. The girls lined up beside him wore beautiful, short dresses. He, being the only boy, was wearing simple, dress shorts, a button-up shirt, and a blazer.

The girls’ were broken, their faces echoing their misery, staring down, defeated. He stared down too, but not because of fear, though he was afraid. No, he was looking down because his eyes reflected his anger. Showing it meant even more pain and hurt than he already suffered.

He glanced at the number pinned to his blazer. It was his new identity. That number and his body was all that mattered to them. All that he was. He was 349. Beside him was 287 and then 435. That’s all they were. Numbers. Products. Customers eyed them, then gave the number they wanted to the owner. Then it was upstairs and…

Sure enough, a worker called, “349.”

Without looking up, 349 held up his right arm, which was cuffed down. After all, he’d attempted to escaped so many times they just chained him to everything, including the bar by the toilet. The worker tsked and unchained him. Leading him out like a dog, he was pulled upstairs and into room number 6. His number was removed from his shirt and hung from the door, letting the customer know where his prize was. Then the worker chained him again to the bed.

When the worker left, 349 stared at the wall, trying to keep his mind blank, hoping he’d be numb to everything. He never really was.

The customer entered. Petting his face, whispering horrors to him before…

Screams, roars, gunshots. The customer straightened up and 349 dared to feel a tiny flicker of hope. Maybe he wouldn’t…maybe.

The door exploded. 349’s jaw dropped as his hero, The Scorpion, stepped through. The man pulled out a gun from his dropped trousers and attempted to shot him. Of course, The dodged. He moved like shadow, just as the drug kids from the street a lifetime ago had claimed. But 349 realized that he wasn’t shadow, or a demon, or anything like everyone else had claimed. He was fast, like lightning. All it took was a second before the customer was down, and then he was standing over 349. The handcuffs fell away, then the ones on his feet were gone too. Still shocked, 349 rose, eyeing his hero with apprehension. He protected people, but supposedly so did the cops that came and used the girls, or the judge and city councilor member that’d taken a liking to him.

“Come on,” his rough, deep voice called. It should’ve scared 349, but it didn’t. There was a gentleness, and deep sorrow that comforted the boy. “You’re getting out of here.”

“There’s another one,” the boy said as he put his fancy clothes back on. “Another…place like this.”

“Where?” Scorpion asked, his dark eyes studying him.

“I…” 349 racked his brain, trying to think. A bag had been over his head both when he’d arrived and left. “I don’t know,” he admitted. He hunched his shoulders. They’d beaten him for the smallest slight, real or imagined.

Instead of bashing his head, Scorpion’s large, gloved hand came down on his shoulder, squeezing it gently. “Try to remember. Give yourself time. Now, you’re getting out of here. They’ll take care of you.”

For the first time in years, 349 looked him in the eye. “I want to go with you. I want to help you.”

“You need to go with the workers. They can help you.”

“I want to help you,” he repeated.

Scorpion studied him. “What’s your name?”

349 blinked. He hadn’t been called by a name other than disgusting pet names in years. He’d been a number. First 145, then 349. But his real name, the one his mother had called him before she died…

“Jacob. Jacob Conner.”

“Okay, Jacob. I want you to go with them now. I know, you want to help, but protect the girls. They’ve been hurt worse than you. You need to help them. Then, when you think you’re ready, I’ll come for you.”

“How do I tell you when I’m ready?”

Scorpion had been headed towards the door, but stopped and looked back. “I’ll know. Then I’ll come find you.”

Jacob helped the girls who were too scared to come to the workers. He helped the smaller ones out to the trucks that took them away from that hell hole. And a few months later, when he wasn’t so scared anymore, Scorpion found him and kept his promise.

W.i.t.c.h. The Full Story: Part II Chapter 3 - Yan Lin

Hey guys!

Sorry for not uploading last week, this is the first time in over a week that I've felt healthy enough to work at ALL. I've been battling the flu, or a super cold, but it tastes like the flu. Ugh! *shudders* Anyway, I've gotten better a tiny bit each day, and today I've felt my best yet! Barely coughed at all!

So tonight, I decided to just work a little. I managed to get a chap of this done, although I'm stuck on Warrior (go figure). It's a short chapter, but I think it's good! Let me know what you think!!!

Chapter 3

Yan Lin

Earth

 

Yan Lin’s heart nearly jumped out of her chest when she felt the pull. She’d been describing their house lo mein to an elderly couple from out of town when she’d felt a tug on her heart, and a soft voice whispering over and over to come up the stairs. Recognizing it as the Heart, Yan flagged a waiter over to finish taking their orders, and then headed upstairs again. After tossing out some underwear and ancient clothes that’d hid the glowing jewel from her family, she gently removed the tiny, pink gem from the elegant box that kept it safe. Just before the whispering stopped and the vision began, she laid on her bed. Then darkness came and took her away.

 

           The last time she’d seen the young man, he was daring an angry customer to continue to push him. But he was daring no more. Slumped in the dark, full of too much pain to move, he watched the outline of the Passling as it sniffed here and there, wondering if there was anything to eat, rotten or not. Through the power of the Heart, she was able to see the terrible marks that covered him, and the farseeing stare that revealed he’d been tortured, and tortured extensively. He cradled his right arm carefully against his chest. Yan saw that it was a compound fracture, with part of the bone sticking out. If that wound remained untreated, he’d be disfigured for life.

This is a Bringer of Light.

The voice boomed from the center of the vision, deep in Yan’s mind. She knew that voice. She trusted it.

His world will fade and die in Darkness without him. They cannot help him. They cannot win without him.

She knew the rest before it even began. The new Guardians could never be convinced of their powers, their duty, in time. He’d die from thirst long before the girls would be strong enough to dive into the palace dungeons and get him.

But you can. You have powers still, and will until the new generation is ready. He must be saved.

He slipped into unconsciousness, hoping to never wake again.

 

Yan woke up feeling sick to her stomach. When she sat up, a drop of water on her hand startled her. That’s when she realized she was crying, had since she’d seen him in the dungeon. She knew that place. Knew it, and hated it. Too many close friends and good people had died there in the dark beneath Phobos’s palace.

Feeling emotionally drained, Yan got to her feet. She headed to the bathroom to wash the tears from her face, then almost jumped when she saw her reflection. The moment the Heart had called to her, she thought she was only nineteen again, since it hadn’t spoken to her in over fifty years. But her young face had lost its elasticity; her silky black hair had become wispy and gray. The Guardian of Air was nineteen no longer—she was seventy-four.

Unbeknownst to her, the Heart had placed itself around her neck. She stared at it for a second, and then whispered aloud.

“How can I do this?” Her Mandarin came out harsh, no longer the musical song it used to be. “I am not young. I have no strength. I can’t do this.”

The Heart simply glowed. The light and warmth that poured from the jewel into her chest comforted her in a way that nothing else could have. Yan gripped it tightly. Suddenly the warmth covered all of her body, and a purple light filled her vision. The aches from old wounds and living for far too long faded away, and the strength of youth swelled up from a long-forgotten life. Her crooked back straightened, her hair thickened, the arthritis dissipated, the ignored pains of old healed.

And then it was gone. The warmth had completely evaporated.

But Yan still felt incredibly strong. She’d clamped her eyes tightly shut to save her eyesight. Now, panting, feeling a deep fear, and an even deeper hope, the former Guardian opened her eyes.

It’d been a shock to see herself as an old woman. And yet it seemed only natural for her to look in the mirror and see herself as she had appeared so many years ago. She wore the purple and blue of the Guardians of Meridian in the style of a male changshan. Her high-necked, purple top had long, flowing sleeves and the blue, cropped pants had billowy, wide legs. The snow-white hair was no longer down to her knees; it was cut short and was now the same blue-black that Hay Lin had inherited. And on her back was a pair of glittering, green wings.

After studying her reflection for a few moments, the current Guardian of Air took a deep breath.

“You better still be alive, boy,” Yan sang out in her native tongue, gripping the Heart again.

Then she did something she hadn’t in a very long time. She flew.

W.i.t.c.h. The Full Story Part II Chapter 2 - Cornelia

WOW! I've written 3, yes, 3 poems today, AND a chapter!

BOOYAH!

And my hand isn't bugging me at ALL! YAY!

My right foot is, but that's because I twisted it while working out. But that's another story.

ONTO MY CHAPTER!

It's much shorter than the first one, that one was kinda huge. Oh well. This one has more plot development :)

Oh, and one more thing! The reason Part II is called The War Resumes is because episode 2 of the show is "It Resumes". And episode 1? "It Begins". The first book is called "The Power of Five". So going after the "Begins, Resumes" ideas, I called Part 1 It Begins, and Part 2 The War Resumes. :)

So, here it is! Enjoy!!!

Chapter 2

Cornelia

Heatherfield

Wednesday, Cornelia told the girls to meet at her place to plan their costumes for the dance Friday. She was determined to outlook the Grumper Sisters no matter what. Come Friday, Bess and Courtney wouldn’t know what hit them!

Taranee and Will seemed impressed with Cornelia’s house. It wasn’t a mansion—okay, it was. Cornelia’s dad owned a local Credit Union that had seriously expanded during the recession. She didn’t think it was all that impressive, not compared to the Grumper Sisters’s manor on the outskirts of town, anyway.

"So, Cornelia," Will said as she followed the blonde up a beautiful staircase. "Why the need to beat the Grumper Sisters, anyway?"

"Because she has to be first in the world," Irma answered for her. "At everything."

"Those two have had it coming for a long time," Cornelia told Will, ignoring Irma.

"Yeah, because they wore the same shirt in kindergarten," Hay Lin laughed.

"It’s pathetic, really."

Cornelia froze, trying not to grind her teeth.

Her baby sister, Lillian was standing there, her arms folded. She was eight years old, with her blonde cut in a bob, and wearing her favorite color, pink, as usual. Her favorite thing to do was follow Cornelia around and bug her. Or play pranks on her. Cornelia couldn’t stand her, and it looked like the little brat was going to try to follow them.

"Go away, Lillian," Cornelia said coldly.

"Who’re they?" She was pointing to Will and Taranee. They opened their mouths, probably to introduce themselves, but Cornelia quickly said, "None of your business, so buzz off!"

She grabbed her sisters arm and pushed her away.

"Fine! I’m telling mom you’re failing math!"

As she rush down the stairs Cornelia called, "She’s not here, so NEH!" She stuck her tongue out at her.

Hay Lin and Elyon cracked up.

"Very mature, Cornelia," Elyon giggled. "Sticking your tongue out and all."

"You really showed her who’s boss," Irma said, rolling her eyes.

"You don’t have to live with her," Cornelia muttered, trying to hide her blush.

"Geez, Cornelia!" Will exclaimed with they entered her room.

"You know, I think you should go shopping again," Irma told her.

"Why?" Cornelia turned to her walk in closet that her father had built for her custom last summer. It was larger than anyone else’s at school, even the Grumper Sisters. Well, at least one of the Grumper Sisters. Cornelia had made sure of it. She had to drop fifty bucks of her own to find out, but it was worth it.

 

Too bad Mrs. Grumper’s a model, she thought. That’s the only reason they have more designer things than I do.

 

"Yeah, doesn’t she have enough?" Taranee squeaked.

"I think there’s at least one top in the city that Cornelia doesn’t own," Irma said. She threw her arm over her forehead and pretended to choke out, "What a tragedy!"

Everyone laughed again. Cornelia even grinned, especially when the pillow she threw knocked Irma off her bed. After an impromptu pillow fight, they changed out of their uniforms and into some clothes. Will and Taranee had, once again, forgotten to bring street clothes, but Cornelia had more than enough for them to borrow.

"So, what should we wear to the dance Friday?" Will asked. "And PLEASE don’t say dresses. I…just…no."

"OOH!" Elyon cried, clapping her hands. "We should go as fairies!"

Everyone in the room froze at the word "fairies", as if she’d yelled a curse word. Elyon looked around, confused by her friends’ reaction. "What?"

"I dreamed I was a fairy," Taranee said. "The same dream, for the past couple of nights."

"Really? Me, too!" Hay Lin said. "I could fly, and I wasn’t small or anything, but I could control the air."

"No way, I could control fire!" Taranee said.

The hair on the back of Cornelia’s neck stood up. Before she could say anything, though, Irma said, "I could control water. And fly. But I could make water fly too. It was so cool!"

"I could control earth," Cornelia made herself say. "Every dream. Lillian woke me up both nights, and every time I fell asleep, I dreamed the same thing. I was an earth fairy, except—"

"You were older?" Will asked.

"No way, you had these dreams too?" Elyon gasped. When Will nodded, she frowned. "Why haven’t I?"

"I have no idea, but it wasn’t all magical," Will told her. "In every dream, there was this necklace that was guiding me, and there were monsters chasing me."

"Me, too!" Hay Lin said.

"So the five of us all had the same dream?" Cornelia clarified. She slid down the wall and sat on the floor.

"Yup."

"Sounds like it."

"Pretty much."

"Except for me!" Elyon cried. "I wish I dreamed about being a fairy! I’ve always wanted to fly."

"So, I guess being fairies are out?" Taranee asked.

"No kidding," Irma replied. "We’re fairies way too much already."

　

Everyone grabbed a bite to eat, then headed home via the bus. After waiting with them for a bit, Cornelia headed home, but didn’t go inside. When she wanted think there was only one place for her to go, her garden.

It really was a small garden just off of the huge one that surrounded her house a landscaping company took care off for her parents. But this little corner was entirely her own; the company wasn’t allowed to do more than water and weed there. All plants were her choice, and she handled her own pruning and trimming. As she wandered among her babies, as she privately called them, she noticed a weed here, and random shoot there. She tidied some things up, and while she checked on one that caterpillars had been eating up over the past month, she thought about what she hadn’t told her friends.

There were more than just dreams.

Cornelia had powers.

She couldn’t fly, and didn’t have wings, and certainly wasn’t older. But as she studied the plant, the chewed up stems healed, its color brightened, and the entire thing started growing. Same with the flowers she checked on next, and the little bonsai tree she’d begged her parents to buy off a salesmen on the side of the road a couple years back. She really did have the powers of her dreams, making plants grow. Perhaps she really could summon giant vines or move the earth like she had in her dreams. Whenever a monster had gotten too close to her, BOOM! The ground split and down they went. The ones that survived had been tangled in monster plants that smothered them or held them prisoner.

Cornelia frowned at the gravel beneath her feet and will it to move, shift, something! But nothing happened. Then her cell was going off, and it was time to go back to the real world, where plants didn’t grow twice their size in a few seconds, and the ground stand where it belonged.

It was Irma. Cornelia wondered what Irma was going to make fun of her for this time, but she still answered.

"Hey, Cornelia?"

"What’s up?"

"Um…Remember when I told you I could make water fly? I-in my dreams?"

Cornelia frowned. "Yeah?"

"Well, I’m doing it. Right now."

W.i.t.c.h. The Full Story: Part I Chapter 7 - Taranee

WHOOPS!

Forgot to post this on here. Oopsie!

Chapter 7

Taranee - Earth

 

When they reached the Lins’ Restaurant, Hay Lin led them to a small, side door that led up to her family’s apartment above. Taranee couldn’t wait to get something to eat. Her growling stomach continued to remind her that lunch had ended several hours before. When they finally reached the quaint apartment, no one really wanted tea, so they settled for dragon fruit juice with their cookies. Taranee relaxed as they talked about which boys were cute and which teachers let late homework slide a little.

When half the almond cookies Hay Lin found and most of Will’s chocolate chip cookies were gone, a tiny, old woman came in and greeted Hay Lin, Cornelia and Irma warmly. It was Yan Lin, Hay Lin’s grandmother.

“And who are these two beauties?” She asked Hay Lin.

Both Taranee and Will blushed and gave their names.

“Welcome to our apartment,” the tiny woman said, taking the sixth chair. “You know, a few days ago I had the strangest dream that reminded me of a story I heard when I was your age.”

“Oh, Grandma, not a story,” Hay Lin said, turning pink.

“Hush, xaio Hay,” Yan Lin said to her granddaughter. “I think you will all find this tale more than entertaining.

“In the universe, there are many worlds,” she began. “Some are evil, some are good, and some, like our own, are a mix. One world that is mixed is Kandrokar, home to Meridian. Long ago, the king and queen of Meridian were evil, while most of their people and their youngest child were not.

“Seeing the people’s suffering, the youngest prince prayed that someone with heart and courage would come to end the people’s suffering and put a stop to his parents’ evil. His prayer was heard, and here on Earth five young girls were chosen to become Guardians of Light and protectors of the innocent.

“Together, the prince and the Guardians managed to defeat the evil king and queen, but when they did, the prince had changed. Prince Phobos used evil magic to make himself immortal, and a powerful sorcerer, one too strong for the Guardians to defeat. So they placed a powerful veil over the world, a shield to keep his darkness from spreading to other worlds, including our own.

“But the shield did nothing more than buy the Guardians time. Eventually they passed away, and new Guardians took their place. All the while, Phobos was waiting, biding his time and building his strength. And there he remains still, waiting for the veil to weaken enough to come to our world, and bring it into his thrall.”

While Yan had talked, Taranee had seen everything in her mind, almost like a movie. She’d seen the different worlds, and the sorrow of the people trapped on Meridian. Prince Phobos looked very handsome to her, but somehow that only made him scarier. And she imagined the Guardians, fighting for the people, pouring every ounce of their strength into the veil that protected their world.

What’s wrong with me? Taranee chided herself. It’s just a story! There’s no such thing as Meridian or Guardians. Right?

“What sort of powers did the Guardians have, Grandma?” Hay Lin asked. “I bet their outfits were like super cool and stuff!”

“I bet they were beautiful!” Cornelia said.

“Yeah, ‘cause that’s important when you’re beating the crap out of crazy monsters,” Irma said dryly.

“Their outfits were super cool,” Yan assured them. “And they were quite beautiful, even during battle. As for their powers, one controlled air,” she said, looking at Hay Lin, then Taranee, “and another fire. A third had earth, the fourth used water.” She’d been looking at Cornelia, then Irma. She turned her ancient eyes to Will, who hadn’t moved during the story. “The fifth and leader had the power of Quintessence.”

“Quinn-what?” Taranee asked.

“Quintessence,” Yan Lin repeated. “The power to use the Heart of Kandrokar, the source of the Guardians’ power. Only the leader could use it.”

After a long moment, Yan rose again. “Well, didn’t I tell you it would be entertaining?”

“Thanks for the story Mrs. Lin,” Will said, placing her half-eaten cookie back on her plate. “It was…different.”

Yan smiled at them all. “Will any of you be joining us for dinner?”

They all said they had made other plans, which wasn’t true. Taranee hadn’t, and the others had talked about staying. But Taranee couldn’t get the story out of her mind, couldn’t stop imagining a tall guardian with long, braided, blue hair, wielding the power of fire like it was nothing.

No, she wasn’t staying for dinner.

Stop it, she told herself as she boarded the bus. There’s no such thing as a Guardian of Light.

But while her mind kept telling her that, her heart longed to have the power of fire. She wanted to be a Guardian. Whether it was real or not, she really did.

W.i.t.c.h. The Full Story: Part II The War Resumes Chapter 1 - Kaleb

WOW! That took FOREVER! I had to do quite a few background things, and lots of things have been getting in the way (like no internet). But I'M BACK with a NEW chap!!!

And it's not super short (currently working with LA Knight to get part 1 chapter 7 a little bit longer) so ENJOY!!!

Part II

The War Resumes

Chapter 1

Kaleb

Meridian

 

While most of Kaleb’s pain from the fall into the oubliette faded as he fell asleep, the pain in his right arm only intensified, pulling him back to the dark world that he’d spend the rest of his life in. The hole really was dark, but it wasn’t pitch black as he’d originally thought. In the dungeon above there were torches, though none were at the oubliette’s maw. The faint glow bounced off the opening above him, just enough so Kaleb could tell the floor from the wall, and a rock from the floor.

And he could also tell that something short and smelly was standing right next to him. As whatever it was realized Kaleb could see it, it ran at him and grabbed at his clothes. Kaleb attempted to throw it back with his right arm, and ended up dizzy as stars exploded across his vision. The creature squalled and tried to run off, but Kaleb managed to grasp it before it could escape.

“AH! MERCY! MERCY!!” Whatever he held shook in fear

“What the—?”

“Please, Blunk not steal! Blunk trade! Rat for bread! Good deal, yes?”

Kaleb tossed Blunk away from him. “Ugh, you’re that smuggler!”

“Businessman!” Blunk corrected. Blunk was a Passling, short, green, toad-like creatures who managed to find the tiniest holes in the Veil that shielded Kandrokar from the rest of the universe. While only the Guardians could pass through the Veil at will, Passlings could smell the tiny holes that appeared every once in a while that they’d squeeze through. The rebels could really use that skill, if the Passlings managed to bring anything back other than the trash and junk they tried to trade or sell. Blunk must’ve gotten on the wrong side of Phobos himself to end up in the oubliette.

Kaleb glared at the little ball of black that moved around easily over the broken ground. He knew where…Blunk, was, mostly from the smell. How something could stink so much and still be alive was beyond him.

“I don’t have any bread,” Kaleb told him.

“Lies! I smell. Yummy, yummy bread! But traded for rat; good deal!”

Blunk began eating the bread he’d found in Kaleb’s jacket. Kaleb shook his head.

“Go ahead,” Kaleb said. “I’ve worked too hard for freedom to perish in a hole with a talking pickle!”

“Pickle, heh heh—HEY!”

“I’m getting out of here,” Kaleb said to himself, ignoring Blunk’s muttering.

“Too high, never make it.”

Kaleb scoffed and began climbing. “Have you ever even tri—”

His right foot slipped and he tumbled down to the floor, right on top of a skeleton. Horrified and embarrassed, Kaleb scrambled back, trying not to groan at his arm’s pain.

“Thirty-seven-hundred times,” Blunk replied, then spat something out. “Ow! Nasty, hard bread!”

Kaleb froze, staring in the dim light at what Blunk had spat onto the ground. It was a key. Kaleb had been chained to the walls of the oubliette before being dropped down. The man Kaleb had landed on still wore his chains, but perhaps with free hands…

He tried over and over, each fall making the ache in his arm worse and worse. The fifth or so time, Kaleb landed on it. An electric shock of pain raced through him, pulling him down into the black abyss of unconsciousness.

 

 

He could hear the screaming, smell the smoke.

“Run, Kaleb!” His father roared at him while his older brother Karn used his scythe to block a Quelthar guardsman. “Run to the forest, quick now!”

Kaleb ran. At nine, he could barely shoot a bow, least of all fight the fifty or so guards raiding his family’s small farm. They’d barely survived on their own food, selling just enough to buy what they couldn’t grow or hunt. Why the guards were there, Kaleb didn’t know. So he ran deep into the woods, crouching among an old tree’s roots until the noises in the distance stopped. But he was too frightened, too afraid of the silence to venture back out into the night, so he spent the night in that hole with the spiders and worms until dawn’s light awakened him.

He crept out of his hiding spot that always served him when he played hide-and-seek with his older brother during a lazy spring day. Half crawling across the cool ground, Kaleb hesitated when he reached open ground. Steeling himself to run again, Kaleb sprinting into the fields across from his house. At first he wasn’t sure what he was seeing, but as he drew closer, he saw, and he froze.

His house was gone. Gone. Only blackened boards stood, leaning against the remnants of his life. And there, on the tree beside their home, hanging beside the very swing his father had crafted for him and his brother and his baby sister, were the bodies of his mother and brother.

Kaleb fell to the ground and screamed.

 

 

He was ten now, and months in the woods had hardened him. Now he’d reached a village he didn’t know, one very different from the mostly human one his father had often visited. This village was smaller, with walls about it guarded by eagle-eyed Quelthar, Guldons, Humans, and even a Lurden. The only way Kaleb had managed to get in was by sliding inside a covered wagon full of potatoes and other, thin, lank vegetables.

The village may have been small, but it was packed with all the races of Kandrokar, some from far across the seas away from Meridian. Kaleb saw a few he didn’t recognize at all. But he did his best not to stare, and focused on chewing the yellow celery and tiny purple carrots he’d taken. He’d lived off roots, berries and mushrooms in the forest, as well as a few animals he’d managed to trap. What he really missed, though, was a full meal; soup with gloriously soft bread and a cup of milk with a fresh pie for dessert. He could see his mother smiling at him as he attempted to eat as much as his father and brother…

Stop it! He snapped as himself, refusing to acknowledge the tears in his eyes. Enough. They’re gone, thanks to the King’s guardsmen…

Then Kaleb looked up and saw an old Quelthar woman slowly walking the market on her cane, a basket on her arm with fresh bread in it. His father and mother had taught him to never steal, that it was wrong, but his father was gone and his mother was dead. So he shoved their voices from his mind, started to run and grabbed the bread as he raced by. He ignored his guilt, his fear, and the woman’s cries as he sped through the busy market and headed down first one alley, then another. Eventually he came to an older, abandoned building. The door was locked, but it was nothing for him to climb up the wall and through a window with broken shutters. It was only a small gap, but Kaleb had become so skinny that it was easy.

The outside may have appeared to be a closed, broken-down building, but the inside was stacked with crates and barrels. Kaleb wandered a bit, looking for a good spot to sit down and enjoy his bread…

He turned a corner and froze, completely shocked. There, against the wall were dozens of spears, staves, halberds and pikes. Weapons were illegal, everyone knew that. No serf or commoner could bear them without express permission from the king. Sure, guardsmen could bear a bow or sword, but there were only about a dozen or so per village. But this, this was an armory. This was dangerous.

I’ve got to get out of here!

Kaleb spun to head for his window—

And smacked into a tall, male Quelthar’s chest.

He tried to run away, but the man held him fast. Kaleb tried to fight him but a sharp shake put an end to that.

“Well, looks like I found Miss Dorla’s thief, eh, boy?”

Kaleb didn’t fight when they took the bread he hadn’t tasted away, along with his vegetables.

“And Farmer Larlin too?”

He only hung his head as the man’s grip tightened enough to bruise, and didn’t struggle as the man dragged him out to a larger room where the old woman, Miss Dorla, was speaking with several other Quelthar and a few Guldons.

“Is this the boy, Dorla?” The man forced Kaleb to look up at her as she took her bread back.

“Yes, he is,” the woman snapped. She wagged a finger in his face. “You ought to be ashamed of yourself, young man. How dare you steal from me, or anyone else in this village! What would your mother say?”

Kaleb refused to think of the answer to that. If he did, then he’d cry. They were going to beat him anyway, at least the hunters who’d caught him before had beaten him, so he refused to cry at all. Only made the beating worse. His father had taught him to take his punishments like a man—he’d also taught him to never steal, but that was a mute point when you were starving—and that’s what he was going to do.

When Kaleb didn’t appear apologetic, the Quelthar shook him again. “Where’s your mother anyway, boy?”

“Dead.” He didn’t mean to say it, but he did. He stared at the lady’s shoes, refusing to show them the tears that had sprung into his eyes as the image of her body popped into his head again.

“What of your father, then, or siblings?” The woman’s voice had lost its sharpness, but somehow it only made things worse.

“Gone and dead.”

There was an uncomfortable silence that Kaleb couldn’t bear. But he didn’t know what to say, so he didn’t say anything.

The man walked him over to stool and Kaleb’s heart began to drum. Whenever his father had led him to a stool it meant he was going to be on his father’s lap while being whipped. But this time the man pushed him onto it instead of taking it. Kaleb couldn’t help staring as the man knelt before him.

“Son, what’s your name?”

“Kaleb, son of Lei.” He was stunned. He wasn’t getting a beating. But they always beat him when they caught him, with either a strap or switch, every time.

“Lei of Gordahn?” The man asked, looking surprised.

“I think so…yes, that’s the town we sold our stuff at.”

Everyone in the room moved, and began muttering.

“Lei’s dead, though,” Miss Dorla said, her tone sharp again.

Kaleb looked at the ground, and this time a tear escaped. A warm hand rubbed his head.

“You’re his second boy, aren’t you?”

He could only nod. The tears wouldn’t stop. After months and months of cold and hunger and fear, this was too much. He’d rather they whipped him and sent him off. The memories of his father and his love broke down all the walls he’d made in the woods, killing his first rabbits, gathering food to cook, being sick when it didn’t go right. He’d starved and stolen, broken promises to his father and mother and brother over and over again when he’d been so hungry and reached that first village. He’d begged, and instead of receiving any kindness, everything he’d owned, even his boots, had been taken from him. Everything he’d taught became hollow, their voices and memories no longer a comfort, only a constant haunting that brought that last night and morning to his mind over and over.

And now, when he thought he’d be hungry and beaten and broken again, this man placed his hand on Kaleb’s head like his father had done every single day. It was too much.

When Kaleb began to sob, Dorla pulled him into her arms and held him as he cried. She told the Quelthar, Aldurin, that he was not to harm the boy, and instead gave him the bread he’d taken, and few other things besides. After he ate a few bites, Aldurin put his hand on his head again and said softly, “I knew your father, Kaleb. And I’m not letting his son starve or steal again. Tonight, you’re staying with me.”

That man was Aldurin, Aldarn’s father, the current leader of the rebellion.