1 Chapter One

A long time ago, when Earth was young, Mother Nature and Father Time came together with great power and hope. They created a thorn bush, but this bush only had one thorn. Ironically, but the bush only lasts one night every hundred years. Yet what makes this even stranger that it will grow in a different part of the world every time. And once one touches the torn, if chosen, their whole world will change.

I believe I am starting to gain my consciousness. Everything is getting brighter around me. I see pink and whites, as I hover within this strange room. Gently, I fall to the floor. The air feels fresh in my nose. The air buzzes around me. What's happening?

The pink and white walls fall slowly. Opening to the world around it. It's so bright. Why? I look up. There are people standing there. Smiling. They are... happy. Why?

There is a lady. She wears colorful clothing. Her hair bright the sun high above me. Her eyes the blue of the sky near. Her lips the color of a flower I don't know yet. The man next to her has one arm around her. He wears plainer clothes. His hair the color of the dirt patches here and there. Eyes the color of the untamed grass. Growing in the everlasting forest. There is also a young boy. He looks like the man, but younger. He also had eyes of violets. Could they be related?

The lady steps closer. I am not frightened by her. She had a... comforting presence to her. I like already. Who are they?

"Hello, Hibiscus," the lady says, kneeling before me. She smells of spring. I don't know how to react to her.

I finger my hair. It's the same color as the lady in front of me. But the tips are jet black. Her skin the color as mine, but what we wear are entirely different. My dress is white and soft. The fibers flow in a line pattern. As if it is made of the fuzzy white of dandelions. I frown at the thought.

The lady smiles at my frown. Did she think I was funny? She lifts me from my seated position on my knees. She holds me secure, with my legs around her left side, and her arms holding me in place. The lady turned around. Her smile turned to the man she was near before.

"Hubris, this your father, Noah." Father? What is a father? And why did she change my name? "I'm your mother. My name is Tulip." Tulip? Explains the familiar connection I felt with my chamber. She then turned to the young boy, who stood close to Tulip. "This is your brother, Hubris. His name is Kovo. However it's spelled differently than it sounds. It's supposed to be K-O-V-U, but I had it K-O-V-O."

"Hi," Kovo says shyly. Our eyes lock. His violet against my... I don't know my eye color. Well, as our gazes locked into place I feel the fire and the electricity of our relationship light up. It burns through me, and maybe it burns through him. I don't know. He covered his eyes saying, "Ow! What was that!"

"I'm sorry!" I say trying to reach out to him. Wait. Did I just speak?

"You spoke!" Kovo says looking back at me. Our gazes lock but nothing happens. Maybe once the connection is lit it can't be done again.

"I did? I did!" I smile. My voiced flowed as Tulip's, Mother's, had when she said my name. Kovo smiles too. He seems fonder of me now than a few seconds ago.

Mother puts me down. Yet, she still holds me. I wobble a little while trying to get my balance. How do I even know these words?

Tulip, mother, releases me slowly. I stumble and fall. But I don't cry. I get up from my knees and try again. I stand a little bit easier this time. The soil feels squishy and cool beneath my toes. The grass soft under my souls.

Father knees down. He is huge compared to me,but he is only a little bit taller than mother. Kovo steps next to him. He is a little taller than I am.

"Hey Hubris," Father says, "ready to go home?" Home? This place isn't home? The waterfall let off a rainbow. The grass is soft beneath my toes. The sky showed no sign of rain. It is perfect, but not home?

Father stretches out his hand some. He wants me to take it. So I reach out and placed my hand upon his. He smiles kindly. Father stands and looks at Mother. They share a kindred smile. We start to walk toward the river, on our way home I guess.

"So did you feel that back there?" Kovo asks me.

"What?"

"You know. When our eyes met that weird feeling."

"You mean the light of our connection?"

"Wait you knew what it was?"

"Yeah. Why didn't you?"

Mother had pushed Kovo aside. "Hey, Kovo stop staring at you sister."

"I wasn't staring I was talking to her."

"I didn't hear anything," Father says.

"It was telepathic," I say.

"How do you know that word? And how did you that? I swear I saw you talking!" Kovo starts losing his mind.

"And I you, but it was a trick on the mind."

"How are you so smart! You were just born!"

"Born?"

"Yeah, we waited four years after I bloomed for you."

"Where did you bloom?"

"That same flower."

"Really!" He was in my flower? Four years ago? Huh. I wonder what had happened before I had bloomed.

I squirm out of Father's grasp and run over to the edge of the river. I look years younger than mother. Is this how she looked when she bloomed?

"You look like me if I was four," Mother says crouching next to me. "If you're wondering, I wasn't born from a flower like you and Kovo. I was born from a person."

"Who?"

"I don't know. I lost all my memories of who I used to be. And now this is who I am. The people I call parents are Mother Nature and Father Time. They had basically created me from my human self."

"Oh. So you aren't entirely like me."

"Of course not. You're more than me!"

"What does that mean?"

"It means you are the next generation. Stronger, faster, everything I am but more!"

"Cool, but what can you do?"

"I'll show you when we get home."

.. .----. -- .... .- .--. .--. -.-- - --- -.... . .- .-.. .. ...- . .-.-.-