Spellbinder Notes (Day 11)

Species (according to Ursa):

11) Nymphs

- Nature spirits

- Greeks and Romans accounts were pretty accurate

- Souls exist in physical creatures (trees, flowers, and so on)

- Variety of nymphs

o Plant

o Water

o Earth

o Flower

o tree

o rock

o wind

o sun (?)

o animal

§ ? – how are animal nymphs different than animal spirits?

- Ursa says they aren't necessarily "beautiful," but they do inspire awe because they are manifestations of nature, which is a manifestation of Luoja's sublime power

o ? – this is kinda confusing but think means that people are attracted to them because they make people feel closer to God?

- Personalities are similar to the physical creature their souls live in

o Ex: oak nymphs are sturdy and rooted in their ways

o Ex: wind nymphs are flighty with strong moods

Despite Ursa's objections, Chenoa took a week off from training. Cor stood beside Chenoa, supporting her decision, claiming that Chenoa was a teenager and needed to have fun. Ursa found Cor's blatant laissez faire attitude frustrating since they had agreed that Chenoa needed as much training as fast as possible. However, she did not dare argue with him.

So, Chenoa spent her week off trying to make up with Gabby. Every day she went to Gabby's house and did her homework. She made sure not to bring her phone or anything that could distract her from Gabby. At first Gabby was skeptical but, by the end of the week, Gabby finally acted as she had before. Their friendship had been salvaged for the moment.

When Chenoa was not fixing her relationship with Gabby, she worked on her relationship with her father. That was much rougher, but soon they were able to talk and even laugh a bit. Chenoa convinced herself that she was doing this because it was right, but, after the incident at the mall and her conversation with Ursa, Chenoa feared she might not be around for too much longer. If someone did come for her, Chenoa wanted to make sure that those she loved knew how she felt.

She appreciated that Cor sided with her, but it also added to his mystery. He rarely answered her questions and always seemed to appear when she was questioning herself and her choices. Cor listened to her problems and offered kind advice to accompany his sympathetic ear. Yet Cor never shared anything about himself. Ursa talked in great lengths about the Land of the Dragons with passion and love, but Cor never talked about anything personal. It frustrated Chenoa to no end and it made her only that much more curious about him. It also made her wonder what he was hiding, because Chenoa knew there was more to the tale. Often, she contemplated it, wondering if it had to do with the person who was seeking her out.

Such thoughts did nothing to help her though. Instead Chenoa tried to focus on what she did know and could do. As the week passed, Chenoa almost forgot she was a Spellbinder. Life felt so much simpler without spell lessons and having to deal with keeping secrets. It amazed Chenoa how before all this she had longed to be different, but now she just wanted to be norm­al. People were never happy with what they had, she guessed.

The last day of her free week, a Sunday, Chenoa spent the night at Gabby's house. Papa Bear had to go out of town for the night to drop off some finished furniture, so he thought it best for Chenoa to stay at Gabby's. Since the incident with Tristan, Papa Bear didn't like Chenoa home alone. It didn't bother Chenoa because it had been forever since she had spent the night over anywhere.

Despite it being a school night, Chenoa and Gabby stayed up late talking. The night was unusually chilly, so they sat out in the backyard with a fire in the fire pit. They talked about their futures a lot. Their freshman years were coming to an end and that meant three more years until college.

"I want to have the whole college experience," Gabby smiled as she leaned back in the cushy lawn chair. "The beautiful buildings with green lawns and big sports games and all that."

"Really?" Chenoa laughed, imagining Gabby as preppy girl in some big university, rooting for the football team.

"Yeah, it just feels right, ya know? Like how it's supposed to be."

"I guess. I think I want to go for something small and private."

"Why? You won't meet as many new people or guys."

"I know, but I feel like in those big schools you could get lost. Plus, with so many people, classes will be huge and stuff."

"True, but that's part of the experience. And all the college parties."

"Those parties only happen in the movies."

"Maybe. I have heard of some great parties from friends of the family who are in school."

"There could be, but those parties seem like trouble to me."

"You are just being no fun, Chenoa."

Gabby laughed loudly and Chenoa couldn't help but join in. Sometimes they were such opposites. Standing Gabby stretched. Looking around, she picked up her empty glass and shook it.

"I need some more water. Do you want anymore?"

"Sure."

Handing her own empty glass to Gabby, Chenoa watched her friend walk away for bit. Once Gabby had disappeared, Chenoa gazed into the fire. It crackled and hissed as it consumed the wood, causing the bark to curl then break and crumble. Flickering, the flames seemed to dance in front of Chenoa's eyes. Somehow it was mesmerizing and relaxing. The flames shot up blue for a second then returned to red, then, again, a streak of blue. Cocking her head to the side, Chenoa leaned forward watching more intently. Continuing to flicker, the fire seemed like a TV trying to get a signal as it spurted blue then red flames. After a minute it blazed blue with hot white tips. Chenoa could have sworn she saw a face in the flames staring out at her.

"Chenoa," a soft sweet voice echoed. "Chenoa…"

Unable to respond, Chenoa leaned even farther forward. The flame grew larger, blinding the area around it with light. Chenoa could not look away as it enticed her closer.

"Chenoa, please," the voice seemed to beg. "Come to me. I need you…"

"Need me?" Chenoa whispered, her mind foggy for some reason. She couldn't think straight. She couldn't really think at all.

"Yes, Chenoa. I need you. Where are you?"

"I'm here…"

"Come to me…come to me…"

Twisting, the fire seemed move towards Chenoa. A hand seemed to appear from it, held out to Chenoa. It was the oddest thing because Chenoa felt like she knew the hand. Like she had known it for a long time and that it belonged to someone important to her. Timidly Chenoa reached her own hand out to it slowly. She wanted to take the hand, but she wasn't sure.

"Please, Chenoa, please…"

"Chenoa?" another voice broke in.

Turning sharply, Chenoa saw Gabby watching in deep confusion and fear. There was a hard-cracking sound and the fire flared up then went out. The embers emitted an odd blue smoke that rose up into the air and dissipated. Chenoa's brain still felt foggy and she couldn't comprehend why Gabby was looking at her with such concern.

"What happened to the fire?" Chenoa asked, her voice sluggish and sleepy.

"Chenoa, what was that?" Gabby said quickly.

"What was what?"

"The big blue fire with what looked like a hand coming out of it!"

"What?"

"Chenoa, I'm serious!"

Chenoa blinked at Gabby, still unable to understand what was going on. Gabby saw her friend's eyes were blank and dull as if she wasn't even Chenoa. Scared, Gabby approached Chenoa in a few fast steps and shook her. Groaning and gabbling like a child, Chenoa tried to pull away.

"Chenoa! What is wrong with you?" Gabby said, truly afraid for her friend.

"I may be of assistance," a calm voice replied for Chenoa.

Startled, Gabby jumped back as she saw Cor standing very close. He had appeared without warning or any sound. Gabby stared open mouthed at him as he squatted next to Chenoa, his eyes full of anxiety. He cupped Chenoa's cheek in his right hand as he studied her face.

"Can't you ever stay out of trouble?" he asked rhetorically.

"Who are you?" Gabby managed to ask.

"I am a friend of Chenoa's."

"How come I have never met you?"

"I don't go out much."

Gabby opened her mouth to ask another question, but Chenoa reached up gently and touched Cor's nose with her fingertips. Chenoa smiled dumbly as he softly grabbed her hand.

"What is wrong with her?" Gabby changed topics.

"Her mind has been fogged. She will be fine."

"Fogged? How and why?"

"The fire. Its smoke is what did it. It was to make her easily manipulated. A cheap trick, but very affective."

"Why would that happen? How did it happen?"

"You already know how, Gabby, you just don't want to say it out loud."

"How do you know my name?"

Cor stood and looked at Gabby seriously. Gabby was taken by how exotic he was. At the moment he stood in just some kind of animal pants. The tattoos on his body glowed steadily, leading Gabby's eyes to study his well-defined chest. He couldn't be human was all Gabby thought as he stood there.

"Chenoa has told me all about you. You are her best friend," Cor finally decided to answer.

"Oh…that makes sense."

And it did. Feeling suddenly awkward, Gabby refocused on Chenoa. Chenoa stared at Cor too with wide stupefied eyes.

"How are you going to help her? How do you uh de-fog her brain?"

"With wind, of course."

Smiling broadly, Cor glowed brightly and a wind whipped up around them. It smelled of all the seasons and Chenoa closed her eyes sighing. Leaning down, Cor placed his lips against Chenoa's and a sharp wind struck them, pushing Cor closer to Chenoa. His electric blue glow seemed to infuse into the wind so that it became visible as it wrapped around them in a billowing fashion. Stunned Gabby could only watch.

"Awake, Chenoa," Cor whispered intimately to Chenoa as a final gust of wind struck Chenoa full in the face.

Gasping Chenoa opened her eyes up wide and whispered, "Cor, he was here…" Collapsing into Cor's arms, Chenoa was instantly asleep, her mind clear of the fog and at peace. Gabby ran over to Chenoa and felt for her pulse and temperature. Cor held Chenoa tenderly.

"Is she okay?" Gabby asked.

"She is fine. She just needs to rest."

"Will you tell me what is going on?"

"It's not my place."

"Well, someone better tell me because this isn't normal and there is no way you are human!"

"Don't worry about it. I'll take her home."

"No! I will worry about it! Chenoa is my best friend! This is my business!"

Stamping her foot on the ground, Gabby felt her face flush. He was not going to brush her off like that. He was not going to just take her friend from her. Trying not to smile, Cor analyzed Gabby. He could tell she had a strong soul, but would that be enough? There was something oddly familiar about her soul too…Cor wondered if she was….

"Do you really want to know the truth? Can you really handle it?" he inquired honestly.

"Y…yes."

"You need to be sure because Chenoa could use a real friend during all of this. She hates the secrets. It eats at her every day."

"Yes. I can handle it."

Cor picked up Chenoa, cradling her in his arms. Taking a seat in one of the lawn chairs, Cor sighed as he brushed hair out of Chenoa's eyes. Gabby took the seat across from him. She stared intently at Cor as he thought for a moment.

"Chenoa Rose is a very special person," he began, his eyes still on Chenoa. "She is the most special person ever created."

"What do you mean?" Gabby said slowly.

"Chenoa is the last of her species."

"Species? You mean she isn't human?"

"At the moment she is."

"What does that mean?"

"It means that it is complicated. So complicated that not even Chenoa knows all of it."

"Why is it so complicated?"

"Mistakes were made in the past and it has resulted in these complications."

"What mistakes?"

"That is not pertinent at the moment. What is pertinent is that Chenoa has just learned of her uniqueness. She is trying very hard to live up to her heritage, but she struggles. She doesn't truly want to accept her powers and it

makes her vulnerable as you saw tonight."

"What was that tonight?"

"There is someone out there who wants to take away Chenoa's specialness."

"You mean her powers?"

"Sort of. Anyways they were trying to lure her into the fire as a portal. That's why they fogged her mind. Normally she would be too difficult to control. You know how stubborn she is."

Gabby actually laughed at this. Chenoa was one of the stubbornest people she knew. Cor still didn't look up from Chenoa's face.

"Anyways, they used the fire to fog her mind and try to take her. It was a half-baked attempt, but it may have worked if you hadn't shown up. I am grateful."

"You are grateful?"

"We are both good friends of Chenoa and we care about her. If you hadn't shown up, she would have ended in the hands of someone who is not in his rational mind."

"I am glad I could help then. I don't understand all of this though."

"It is a lot to take in. Don't worry. With time you will come to understand it all."

Both looked at Chenoa as she slept soundly. Both worried about Chenoa. Gabby worried about how her friend was supposed to handle all this and how scared she must have been finding this out and not having anyone to turn to. Cor once again worried about how long her human body could last. Could she handle the whole truth?

"What exactly is Chenoa?"

"The specifics don't matter."

"You keep saying that but to me it seems those specifics are important."

Cor smiled coyly as he adjusted Chenoa in his arms. The tenderness with which he handled Chenoa did not escape Gabby. She observed him with interest. No matter how she looked at it, Cor was not human but she could not think of what he truly was. Nothing she had ever read about matched him.

"Is she the same as you?" Gabby finally asked to break the odd silence.

"No. We are very different creatures," Cor said his voice hinting at sadness.

"You said that the person was after her for her specialness. Can't you protect her?"

"No…"

"Why not? You seem to be powerful."

"What makes you say that?"

"I can just feel it. You are something grander than us."

Kindly smiling at Gabby, Cor looked at her for a long moment in which Gabby was entranced by his penetrating eyes. She felt like he was trying to tell her something.

"Whether I have great power as you say it does not matter. I cannot protect her. She can only protect herself."

"I don't get it. If you care about her and have the power, why can't you protect her?"

"What happens when I cannot be around or can no longer protect her? It does her no good if I coddle her."

Shaking heard, Gabby didn't understand, but she wasn't going to question him. This was something she knew nothing about and he obviously knew a great deal. Standing Cor placed Chenoa down gently in the chair. Bending over, he kissed her forehead tenderly. Turning to Gabby, he approached her and to her surprise he bent over and kissed her forehead as well. Gasping Gabby felt her whole body fill with light and then it was gone. He was gone.

Turning around quickly, Gabby searched for him but could not see him. Chenoa moaned slightly, drawing Gabby's attention immediately back to her friend. An electric blue square glowed on her forehead with a swirling spiral on the inside of the square. Sitting up, Chenoa held her head with her left hand. It didn't hurt but she felt as if she had just gotten off a fast rollercoaster or something. Her head felt light and a little dizzy, though her thinking was clearer than ever. Opening her eyes, she looked, stunned, at a worried Gabby.

"What happened? Did I fall asleep or something?" she asked, unable to remember what happened after Gabby left to get water.

"Or something," Gabby responded and Chenoa could tell by the look on Gabby's face that something serious had happened.

"What happened?"

"Why you don't you tell me…"

"What…"

"I met…"

Gabby stopped. Her voice caught. She had wanted to say she had met Cor but her body wouldn't let her. Trying a second time, Gabby still couldn't say it. Taking the hint, Gabby switched tactics.

"I came out and something was coming out of the fire at you. You passed out after it disappeared."

"Something came out of the fire?"

"Yeah, a hand. It tried grabbing you."

"Oh…"

"Yeah…so you are going to finally tell me what is going on because you can't deny something is going on."

"Gabby, I can't…"

"Yes, you can. I am your best friend. I am supposed to be able to help and support you. You don't need to do whatever you are doing on your own."

Biting her lip, Chenoa wasn't sure, but she knew it was too late to lie or try to cover up. Part of Chenoa was scared though. She was afraid that Gabby would reject her or think she was a freak.

"You can trust me, Chenoa," Gabby whispered, seeing the fear in her friend's eyes.

"Okay, Gabby, here is the truth…"

Chenoa began explaining everything since Tristan had come to the house. She told Gabby about Spellbinders, Cor, Ursa, Tristan, her mother and everything she could possibly think of. It took hours and it was nearly four in the morning when she finally stopped talking and Gabby had finally asked all her own questions.

"Okay…" Gabby said at the end, her eyes large as she ran her fingers through her hair. "Okay…so this is kind of big."

"Kind of…I guess. I haven't really had time to think about whether it is big or not. I'm still stuck on if this is real," Chenoa shrugged, feeling relieved and tired.

"This is big, Chenoa. I mean you are a…uh…Spellbinder?"

Nodding her head to confirm Gabby had said it correctly, Chenoa sighed, looking at the distant horizon, which had started to lighten."

"We have school in only a few hours. We really should sleep."

"Yeah…we can talk more after we sleep some. This has been an exhausting night."

Standing, they both headed inside to the safety and comfort of Gabby's bed. Chenoa made sure all the doors and windows were shut tight. She didn't feel like having any visitors this evening. Without another word the two best friends crawled into bed and fell instantly asleep.

Cor hovered outside Gabby's bedroom window, watching Chenoa sleep. His face was tranquil and unreadable as usual. A small fluttering of wings lilted into his ears as gentle claws landed on his shoulder. A miniscule Ursa landed on his shoulder. She too watched the sleeping girls.

"You let her tell the human?" Ursa asked, though it really wasn't a question.

"She was going to anyway. This way she doesn't feel like she has to hide it from us," Cor replied, his eyes never blinking or straying from Chenoa's face.

"Is it wise?"

"Wise or not, it has been done."

"You spoil her, Ventus Cordis."

"Your point?"

"You aren't doing her any favors by spoiling her."

"She will lose so many things in life. I just wanted her friendship to be one thing she could save."

"She has us."

"A thousands of years old dragon and me. While I am a fan of us both, we can hardly relate to her in her current form."

"Then change her form."

"You are the oddest dragon. Most dragons would love to wait and watch, so they could study and learn. You are always in a rush. Where are you rushing to, Ursa? Death? That is the only thing that waits at the end of this journey."

"How would you know?"

Cor narrowed his eyes and sprung his wings from his back. In a quick motion, he beat his wings once, sending a galling wind at Ursa. She flew off into the distance, spiraling and twirling out control, until she was out of sight. Pulling his wings back into himself, Cor stayed where he was, not a hair out of place. As he watched Chenoa, his tattoos glowed bright as the rising sun; they rippled and flowed moving their light around his body like hundreds of electric blue rivers, all flowing to his eyes.

"Sweet dreams, Chenoa," he whispered to deaf ears, his eyes burning and pulsing electric blue as the rivers of his tattoos filled them with light.