Every Story Has A Beginning

A very very long time ago a young girl born of water fell for a Common boy in a nearby village. Like all young people in love her entire world became consumed with this boy. She spent endless hours day dreaming about him, stayed up all night writing poetry for him, and counted the minutes; hours; days until she could see him again.

They would lay on their backs in the field between their villages with their hands intertwined in a field laughing at the funny clouds the shapes made. He told her that in a few months when they finished school they would run away together to get married. All was perfect or so she thought.

It was her own brother that betrayed her. Without her knowledge he made his way into the village of the Commons to speak with her lover's family. He explained that they were mystics and mystics could never be with a Common. This young boy was not good enough for his sister and therefore would only stand in the way of her reaching her full potential as a child of water. The family of the young boy agreed to put an abrupt end to the romance by sending their son away to a distant relative that very night.

When her brother came home to tell her of what he had done she was devastated. She screamed at him that he was prejudiced, unkind, and too old schooled in thought to understand no one can choose who they love because love has it's own ways. As those born of water often do she gave fully into her emotions, but the darkest depths within her.

She cast a binding spell that night with a lock of her brothers hair and a small piece of each elements combined. Each generation that descended from him would fall madly in love with someone from a circle other than their own, but if they were to pursue this romance only disaster would come. This spell was easy to cast as a child born of water's greatest downfall was to give fully into their emotions. Now if a child was born of two different elements it would offset the balance of nature and mean the ultimate destruction of all four. On that child's twenty-first birthday they would hold the power of both elements at a strength no circle would be able to counter.

Word of the prophecy spread to all four element circles although some details became lost in translation. It was not known that this only affected one specific family born of water, so in fear all four elements forbid inter-circle romance. They knew there was safety in mixing with Commons because Commons held no power that could be mingled with one of their own. Most often a mystic that bore a child with a non-mystic would result in a non-mystical child or one with very diluted powers.

As time passed one generation after another nearly fell into temptation for the strong longing of another from a different circle. After a while it had been so long that many questioned if the prophecy was even real or just a myth told to keep the circles pure. Then Athena born of fire and Gavin born of water weren't strong enough to resist the pull that brought them together. The day their twins were born every mystical person felt the world shift. A nearly forgotten fear suddenly became very real.

No one knows for sure what happened to that girl born of water who started it all.

Several Generations Later....

A young girl of water sits crying by a river bank plucking a small flower in her hand. She wonders why love has to be so complicated. The complication is that she loves a boy who does not love her back. In reality he doesn't even like her and made it a point to tell everyone very loudly and very publicly this afternoon.

"You're hurting it."

She looks up to see an olive skinned boy with wavy brown hair and smile lines that dance around his deep brown eyes. He sits down next to her while gesturing towards the flower. He places his hand on top of hers while chanting some words quietly to himself. Then he tilts his head to the side as if questioning what to do next. Abruptly she pulls her hand a way and the flower falls to the ground between them. It's whole again.

He looks right into her turquoise eyes, "It has healed and so will your heart."

"What does a boy born of earth know of a broken heart?"

"Nothing yet, but I have a feeling you will be the one to teach me."



Sarah wakes up from her dream at first unsure of where she is and what is going on. Memories often come to her in her sleep to remind her of the journey she has traveled. There were people she once knew, the girl she once was. And how she too once fell victim to the prophecy. It could have just as easily been her that offset the balance of the world, instead it was her son.

Just as she does every night, she quietly walks down the hall to the boys room to check on them. Adam is in his usual tranquil slumber with that boyish grin on his face. It is easy to forget with everything going on around them that they are still only children. Of course it is Evan who wears heavily on her heart. He tosses and turns violently in his sleep. She wants to run to him, hold him, comfort him although she knows it is best that he fights this battle on his own for in the end it will only make him stronger.

She wonders if either boy will fall into the same trap she nearly did all those years ago. Adam would be the obvious choice since children of water have to constantly fight to not follow their emotions without question, but Evan is impulsive and curious about everything. Act first, think later if at all are the ways with those born of fire. Who would the girl be? There is Calla although Sarah senses the bond of more sibling based. The only other significant girl in their life is Layla, but she's nearly six years their senior.

Sarah shakes her head and leaves the room. She cannot worry about what may or may not happen. Instead she must focus her energies into trying to undo the damage of what has already transpired.