CHAPTER ONE

"Hey Mist come here." Twelve year old Ronan hollered calling for one of his two best-friends. Mystique or Mist as Ronan had called her came jumping down from the top of one of the many oak trees in the forest. "What's up Ronan?" Mist said as she landed on the ground crouched so she didn't hurt her legs. "Some of the guys were wondering if you were up for a race tonight. Every racer's putting something new of theirs into a big pile and whoever wins the race gets the pile." Ronan said, shifting from one foot to the other, he knew that Mist couldn't refuse a race especially when it went against the rule of not flying to fly at night. "Of course I'm in!" Mist replied with finality. "Just tell the guys to make sure their ready to lose. And if I already have one of what they put in they can have it back." Mist said with a smile. Ronan smiled back and nodded, "Will do. So tonight at the dead oak in the old nest is where it will start, make sure you're not late." He said with a knowing grin, Mist gave him a sheepish grin one of her downfalls was being late. "I'll be there as soon as the moon is the only bright light in the sky." Mist said. "Ok see you then." Ronan said as he turned and jumped onto his hummingbird and flew away.

Mist smiled as she watched Ronan fly away on his recently acquired hummingbird. "I wouldn't miss a chance to see you again." Mist said softly. Then Mist looked around and listened, there was no-one close to her, Mist checked the sky, no birds, then Mist held out a hand and a vine came towards her growing rapidly as it stretched and wrapped itself around her waist lifting her up away from the ground. Mist guided the vine with motions of her hands till it wrapped around a dying tree holding the tree together and placing Mist at the top of the dying tree. Then the vine unwrapped itself from Mist and Mist walked into the center of the top of the dying tree. Mist took a deep breath threw her nose, and slowly let it out of her mouth, before reaching down and placing both of her hands palms down on the dying tree. Slowly Mist began to put life back into the dying tree, pulling it out from her-self and all the living things around the tree.

[THREE YEARS LATER]

"Hurry up Mist it's almost time for Queen Elizabeth to choose a pod!" Tara hollered exasperatedly at one of her best friends. "I'm hurrying but this stupid dress... why do I have to wear it again?" Mist complained as she came out of her house tugging at her dress a look of disgust on her face. Tara's eyes widened when she saw her friend for the first time since she had coaxed, threatened and begged Mist to wear the dress Tara had brought for her to wear. Mist had agreed only after Tara agreed to let Mist wear pants underneath.

The dress itself was black with swirls of crimson, the neckline was scooped not too much but enough to show Mist' collar-bones. The dress draped over Mist's golden tan shoulders and fell just below her knees. Mist's long black hair was left falling free for the first time ever and it fell in big curls over Mist's shoulder and dress. Mist was barefoot as always refusing to wear the shoes Tara had brought over with the dress but she had pinned the crimson flower into her black hair. "Wow. Mist you look amazing!" Tara said. Mist raised an eyebrow in disbelief, "Yeah and stompers are quiet!" Mist said with sarcasm. "You on the other hand look beautiful Tara, you're going to have guys falling over you left and right… Oh wait. That already happens. In this case I should take a shovel in order to clear our path from all the fainted boys." Mist said with a smile as Tara blushed. "Okay enough teasing me let's go I told Ronan that we would catch a ride from someone and meet him there. Now hurry we've got to go before all the rides are filled." Tara said. "Ok, ok I'm hurrying. Shesh!" Mist replied tugging at her dress one last time, after checking to see if Tara was watching, she wasn't, Mist hurried and grabbed several daggers and stuck them in the pants pockets she had on underneath the dress before running after her friend.

"Do you see Ronan?" Tara asked Mist who was several inches taller. "Not yet…oh wait there he is. Come on Tara this way." Mist said as she grabbed her friends hand and began to weave her way through the crowds of people. Tara held on tightly to Mist's hand so she didn't get lost, then Tara tripped and without thinking let go of Mist's hand to catch her-self before she fell face first. When Tara stood up again she was lost trapped in a crowd of people that were steadily growing louder and more people were coming from everywhere. "Mist!..Mist!" Tara hollered trying to clear her way through the crowd in the direction Mist had been taking them.
As Tara moved through the crowd she accidentally bumped into a mean looking male moth. "Hey watch it girly!" The moth grumbled shoving Tara backwards where she hit another mean looking male moth. "Hey!" The moth grumbled shoving Tara back towards the first moth. The moths recognized each other and immediately begin to grumble about 'that pesky girl' as they called Tara. Tara tried to silently back away only to bump into something hard and prickly, instantly Tara jumped forward and spun around to look at what she had bumped into, it was the biggest and ugliest female moth Tara had ever seen and it was even meaner then the first two. "Hey boys look what stumbled into me." The ugly female moth said using its hairy legs to shove Tara back towards the two moths she had been trying to hide from. "Hey she bumped into me to!" The first moth said, "And me." The second moth said. "Well then it looks like we should teach her a lesson." The big female moth said. It had just raised one of its huge and hairy legs when Mist shoved her way through the male moths and jumped in front of Tara. "Back of Trina." Mist said to the female moth, Mist's tone of voice was extremely cold and the moth visibly backed up a step. "Oh Mist I didn't realize you knew her." The female moth named Trina said, her tone going from angry to slightly fearful. "Let's go boys. Bye Mist." Trina said leading the two male moths away from Mist and Tara.

After the moths faded from view Mist turned around to face her friend, "Are you okay?" Mist asked concern clear in her voice. Tara nodded, "I'm okay a little shaken but I'm good."

"Okay grab onto my back I'm going to have to jump a little in order to get back to where I saw Ronan before the Queen gets here." Mist said turning her back towards her friend. Tara climbed on making sure to tuck her dress in between her legs so it didn't go flying. "Okay I'm ready Mist." Tara said wrapping her arms up under Mist's arms and wrapping her legs around Mist's waist. "Okay here we go." Mist said as she jumped through the crowd quickly and accurately always landing in an empty spot and jumping again before anyone moved into them.
Finally they reached Ronan who was with several of his guy friends. Mist let Tara down and made sure Tara's dress was down where it should be, and straightened Tara's hair up and Tara did the same to Mist before Mist announced their presents to the boys. "Hey after the Queens done choosing a pod who wants to race to the stomper's house and back before the pod blooms tonight?" Mist asked. Ronan and the four other guys turned towards Mist and Tara, their mouths opened to greet Mist when they laid eyes on her.