Chapter Four
Earth
Älskar was woken by rough hands grabbing him by his shirt and shaking him. The man dressed in white pulled him to the door of the ship then threw him out. He was more gentle with Tyst and Hund, more ushering them. Älskar thankfully landed on an old, stained mattress. He looked at his surroundings. The sun was going down. The sky was painted with amazing, beautiful shades and blends of orange, blue, purple, and red. American brand items, all garbage now. They were in America for sure, most of the items weren’t sold in Great Britain. The ship soon left, leaving the three of them in the putrid smelling dump. Älskar stood, looking around. No buildings. Skeletons, which made Tyst whimper and hide behind Älskar. No hope. In the distance, a thick forest with tall trees rose above the garbage. Älskar was taken aback. A…… Forest? How did it grow in all this garbage? He pondered. Tyst pointed at it, telling Älskar he wanted to go there. Älskar nodded and sighed, “Good that. At least there we have a chance, right?” Tyst nodded, beginning to trudge towards it, Hund at his heels. There was a strong chill in the air.
As they continued along, Älskar stopped. His ears picked up the sound of behind a taller pile of garbage to his left. He turned his head in time to see a flash of orangish-red. Älskar stopped, looking at the pile. “Wh-” he began, but the air was forced out of his lungs as something slammed into him. Älskar tried frantically to escape, or see what it was, but he soon stopped stiff when he felt a blade on his throat. But what surprised Älskar was the female voice, thick with an Australian accent. “Ä-Älskar….? Oh, it’s bonzer to see you!”
I know that voice. Oh, I thought she was dead! Älskar celebrated mentally. It was Lasair. The excited Australian girl sheathed her dagger and pulled Älskar up. She had a bright green T-shirt that matched her eyes and old worn jeans, and her orangish-red hair was as usual curly, reaching the bottom of her shoulderblades. “Oh, Älly boy, you amazing Britt, you’ve got ‘em too!” She exclaimed, hugging him. Älskar chuckled slightly. “Of course, Fire Girl. I always knew I was something special,” he joked. He remembered when they learned each other’s names. “My name is Älskar!” He chuckled. Lasair cocked her head. “What does it mean?” She asked curiously. “It means ‘love.’” “Aw, that’s sweet! Mine is Lasair, it means ‘Flame.’” Älskar tilted his head. “That sounds like a boy’s name!” He exclaimed, and Lasair looked mad, so he continued with, “How about I call you things to do with fire instead?” Lasair nodded. “Sounds good, Britt!”
Älskar smiled. “Remember my um…….. anger issues?” He asked with a tilt of his head. Lasair nodded. Älskar chuckled uneasily, “I kinda….. became a wolf the size of a bear and mauled Claude….” “Oh! Remember when I burnt Amos’ pants? That’s how I learned I was awesome!” Lasair laughed. Älskar laughed and nodded.
A small, hoarse voice cut in. “Are we going to the forest….?” It asked. Älskar turned to see that it had come from Tyst. “T-Tyst! You just spoke! That’s ace!” Älskar exclaimed, running over and hugging his little brother. Tyst nodded gently. “Yeah.” He murmured, his voice hoarse from not being used. Lasair kneeled down in front of Tyst. “Hey little ankle bitter. Bet you don’t remember me, eh? I was sent here when you were six!” She chuckled. Tyst looked up slightly in thought. “I remember your warm glow….. I think…,” he murmured. Lasair smiled, standing up straight and backing away. “Maybe this is why…,” she murmured with a mischievous glint in her brightly colored grass-green eyes. The redheaded Aussie held up her hand, as if holding a cup. A small flame suddenly appeared in her palm, growing taller. She then turned and threw the flame, like a ball, at the pile of garbage she had hidden behind.
Älskar and Tyst both gasped in amazement. “That’s so ironic! Your name means flame… and you have flame powers!” Tyst chuckled quietly.
“Oh! You two HAVE to fight! Um… Three,” Lasair giggled, talking about Hund as well. “We are building an army, and we’re cleaning up the Earth. We’re gonna rebel against the Government Of New Hope and bring everyone back home!” She exclaimed proudly. “W-we can’t do it with just the four of us! We can’t fight Earth’s strongest countries’ governments with just four people!” Älskar exclaimed. Lasair walked over to him, leaning her face close to his. Älskar leaned back slightly, able to feel and, oddly, smell her sweet, warm breath. “We’re not alone, Älskar.” She whispered. Then, Lasair back away a bit. Älskar sighed. “What, do we have a whole army on our side?” He asked sarcastically, but it came out harsher than he wanted it to. He wish he could take back his words the second they came out. Lasair glared for a moment, her usually calm or mischievous brightly colored grass green eyes blazing with an unreadable emotion. “Yes, we do,” she murmured, closing her eyes. When she opened them again to look at Älskar, they were kind again. “We have rebuilt a society with people they sent here to die. Come, you're old enough to go to the school.”
The forest, as Lasair had explained, was trees and other plants that had been buried under the garbage. Apparently, the garbage made great compost and the plants had grown above the garbage. As they walked through it, Älskar caught himself looking at Lasair often. “They have the technical resources to clean Earth, you know,” she sighed, turning her head to make eye contact with Älskar. His yellow eyes widened in amazement. “Th-The Government Of New Hope?” Lasair nodded. “They just stay on the moon so they have less area to have total control over. We are fixing the Earth. It will take a while, but…. We’re burning the garbage and planting plants and rebuilding buildings, the way Earth used to be. We may not have much, but the scientists are rebuilding Earth with what was left. Better inventions, even.” Lasair explained with great pride. They walked through it, Älskar amazed to find it was just trees sticking out of the garbage….. No wildlife.
They reached a slope in the garbage. It sloped downwards until it met the grass, vanishing from there. There were trucks and cars and vans loading the garbage and driving away with it, over to what seemed like a very large bonfire, dumping it in then driving back to get more. From there, it was a valley of green grass as far as the eye could see. They carefully climbed down the slope, and when they reached the bottom, Älskar gasped. Iris was there, waiting in an old blue truck.
“Älskar! Tyst!” The brunette exclaimed, running over and hugging the two brothers. Tyst hugged her tightly. “You’re not dead….” He murmured. Iris let go and looked at the two. “You spoke! Oh, how you’ve both grown!” She laughed, twirling in her golden and tan dress. She wasn’t wearing shoes, just her bare feet on the green grass. “C'mon, we’ve got to take you three to your new home!” Th-This is all happening so fast…. First, my life comes crashing down….. Then, it comes back together….? This must all be a dream. A good one, at that, Älskar thought.
They got in the old blue truck and began driving towards the horizon. It was now dark, and the air was very cold. Soon, what seemed like a small town came into view. It seemed brand new, small and cozy. As Älskar rode in the back of the truck with Hund, he noticed something odd about the town. The stores were more of places where people grabbed supplies, no one was giving money for what they grabbed. They would go to the counter, talk a bit, hand the person at the counter the objects, the person who worked behind the counter would give them a slip and their stuff, then the person would be on their way. And, oddly enough….. there were people doing miraculous things. Younger children, no older than ten, playing tag…… One boy had what seemed like super speed, zipping around. Another girl multiplied into several versions of himself. There was a girl who shot ice out of his hand and froze the other kids in ice, presumably being it, and tagging them this way. There was another child, a boy, about twelve like the girl, who breathed what seemed like orange mist that thawed the children the girl had tagged. Freeze tag. Älskar, seeing as the two children looked very much alike; dark brown hair, dark brown eyes, and they were the same age, assumed they were twins. They were playing at a fenced off area with grass, a few scattered trees, a path, a few benches. A park. The truck stopped at a rather large building that looked a lot like Älskar’s school, only smaller; having three buildings. It was made of light grey bricks. “This’ll be the school you two will go to. It helps you learn how to use your powers, unlock more potential, and fight,” Iris explained, leaning out the window. She was driving.
They kept driving down the road until they reached a street that was lined with houses, each two story. There was a four story one at the end of the very long street, and it seemed that the house was where they were heading. Älskar hopped out of the trunk after Iris pulled into it’s driveway and shut off the truck. He picked Hund up, lifted him out of the trunk and set him on the pavement. Hund immediately ran to the grassy lawn and began rolling in it. Älskar laughed, feeling the urge to do it himself. He instead just walked over to Hund and chuckled, sitting by him. Lasair sat by him as Iris and Tyst went inside. “Wish you could roll too, Wolfie?” she teased. Älskar gave her a playful shove. “Not if you burn my pants off first, Fire Girl.” The two laid in the grass together, catching up. Hund soon stopped rolling and laid down on Älskar’s stomach. Irish came out to call them in, and Älskar had to push Hund off.
As they entered the house, Älskar found himself impressed. Did they really build all of this with what they found…? He wondered. It was a traditional style home. It was painted white with rough light brown roofing. The interior was all white carpet, except for the kitchen and bathrooms, and the furniture was either white or a very light shade of other colors. Iris was sitting with Tyst on the carpet floor of a large living room to the right of the front door, playing the wooden music box the two brothers valued so. Tyst seemed tired and about to nod off to sleep, lying on the carpet as Iris hummed along to the lullaby, and, to Älskar’s surprise, sounded very much like Felicia. The only difference was that Edmund’s voice wasn’t there to hum along as well. Hund padded into the living room, laying by the now sleeping Tyst. The melody ended, and Iris stopped humming. She lifted her soft pale blue eyes to look at Älskar and Lasair. “I’ll put him to bed,” she whispered so she didn’t wake Tyst. Älskar began to walk over so he could carry him for her, but she shook her head. “I got it.” Iris gently picked Tyst up and carried him up the stairs, quiet as a mouse.
Lasair looked at Älskar, and Älskar turned to face her. Her brightly colored grass green eyes met Älskar’s bright yellow eyes. “You know we never broke up in a fair dinkum way?” She stated. Älskar, slightly shocked, stood there in silence, not taking his gaze away from her eyes. He swallowed in hope to get rid of a dryness that had crept into his throat, but to no avail. Lasair was looking at him expectantly. “What do you-” She began, but stopped herself when Älskar took a step forward. “And I’m glad we bloody didn’t, aren’t you?” He asked. This is the boldest I’ve ever bleeding been!
“Yes.” Lasair said with a smile, heading upstairs, Hund following her.
As Älskar followed Lasair up the stairs, he realized how tired he felt. He sort-of dragged his feet as they walked down the hall of the second floor. Lasair opened a door for him, leading to a large bedroom. It was big enough to hold thirty people without the bathroom. Unlike the rest of the house, it was pale grey. The carpet was still white, but the walls were titanium grey. The bed, queen sized, had pale grey striped sheets, every other stripe a darker shade. The curtains were also pale grey, striped like the bed, but in a zigzag pattern. Älskar was too tired to react immediately as Lasair pecked his cheek and said, “Good night, Wolf Boy.” Lasair walked out of the room, shutting the door. Hund hopped onto the bed, circled three times then laid down with a yawn. Älskar flinched, as the sound had for some reason hurt his ears. “That’s your little sonic bark trick I’m guessing?” He chuckled, laying on the bed by Hund. Before he knew it, he had drifted off to sleep.
Älskar awoke. He was in a forest, calming as the peaceful sounds of birds chirping and bugs buzzing filled Älskar’s now amazing ears. He realized his hands were on the ground. No, they weren’t hands. They were paws. He looked down at himself, realizing he was the wolf he became in the video. ‘This is….. Amazing!’ he wanted to exclaim, but it came out as a bark he still understood. Älskar began running around the forest, quickly learning to enjoy being a wolf. The wind in his blond fur. The amazing warm smells of the forest. Suddenly, the forest vanished. It all faded away; the warm smells, the light, the wonderful sounds. Then Älskar began falling into the inky blackness. Falling…. Falling…. Falling… No matter how much he tried, he couldn’t even whimper. He looked below him to see he was falling into a black hole.
Älskar gasped awake after landing on the floor. He quickly stood up, looking around. He had been dreaming. “But it felt so real…,” He murmured as he sat on the bed. The now awake Hund opened his chocolate brown eyes and cocked his head slightly, licking his owner’s hand. Älskar looked over his shoulder at one of the windows. It was morning, but very early. Faint light shone through the window, telling Älskar the sun was just rising. Älskar wished he could sleep more, but the horror of falling into darkness, the pain from falling off his bed, and the light of the sun shining through the windows, the curtains of which he regretted not closing kept him awake. He decided to get dressed. Älskar trudged over to a black dresser that stood near the door, wondering if it had anything is size in it. To his dismay, the drawers were all empty. He whistled for Hund, who hoped off the bed and followed him as he walked into the hallway. It was very quiet, Älskar noticed, but he felt a rush of relief as he began to hear quiet, calm breathing and the occasional snore.
When Älskar reached the bottom of the stairs, any sleepiness left in him was surprised out of him when Lasair came from his right and pecked his cheek. When he jumped she laughed a bit, taking his hand and pulling him to the white colored kitchen. “I made you some breakfast Mr. Wolf!” She teased. She was wearing a beautiful, long green frilly dress that went to her calves, a flower crown made out of white fabric roses, and had bare feet. The kitchen had an island, which was all just counter and drawers and cupboards. There was everything you would need for a kitchen, all made of what seemed like mixed metals. The granite counters were a mixture of black and white, but mostly white. The tile floor was smooth, also white. Älskar felt a rush of strong hunger when the smell of bacon wafted into his nose. There were other smells, too, like scrambled eggs and fire from a stove, but the bacon overwhelmed his senses. He sat at the pale wooden table in a small open area next to the kitchen with the same tile floor. He sat at one of the four side chairs, Lasair sitting by him and putting a plate on the table in front of him and herself.
As Älskar and Lasair ate, more teens, children, and young adults came downstairs and took plates. There were enough were there would have to be at least five sleeping in each room with no space. Älskar estimated there were about ten rooms. He then noticed how much food Lasair cooked; which was just enough to feed them all. They filled the rest of the table, sat on the couch of the living room, the floor of the living room, the floor of the kitchen, and the kitchen counters. They began joking and shouting, and Älskar noticed with surprise they had a large working TV on the wall, around seventy-five inch flatscreen. One boy, Älskar’s age, shirtless and having a piece of bacon in his mouth, put in a disk that said SpongeBob SquarePants: The Ultimate Collection. The boy sat down and over half of the sleepy young people eating breakfast cheered as the TV began playing every SpongeBob episode and movie ever, starting from the first episode. Älskar smiled and laughed quietly, remembering how much he loved the show as a child and, secretly, still. Most of them had noticed Hund, at least five people whistling for him at once. Hund stayed busy, padding from person to person.
After two episodes most of them had finished their food and put the plates in the dishwasher, quite a few of them, including Lasair and Älskar, getting some orange juice in tall glass cups. Hund stopped walking around, much to everyone’s dismay, as Tyst came down. Tyst ate what was left, grabbed some orange juice and sat on the living room floor, watching SpongeBob with wonder. Älskar suddenly remembered that Tyst was only two when they moved to New Hope and probably hasn’t seen SpongeBob, though there was indeed TV on New Hope. Älskar turned to Lasair and asked, “Who are they all, then?” Lasair turned her head to look Älskar in the eye. “Just kids who decided they wanted to live with lots of other people, or didn’t come with adults they knew to live with,” she explained. Älskar nodded slowly. Iris came downstairs, her long brunette hair brushed and neat, and she was wearing a white sweater and bootcut jeans. “Alright, everyone upstairs! Go get ready! Don’t take too long in the restrooms or changing!” She exclaimed, pausing the show and turning the TV off, and everyone started filing upstairs, except for Älskar, Tyst, Hund, Lasair, and Iris. Iris began cleaning up the orange juice glasses. Älskar turned to Lasair. “What are they all getting ready for?” He asked, cocking his head. Lasair glanced at Älskar. “Getting ready for school. C’mon, you too!” She said with a smile before turning and walking over to the stairs, going up them. Tyst looked up at Älskar. “Ok. That means us too, I guess.” He murmured, walking over to Iris, who gave him the music box, which he had left downstairs. Älskar looked down at Hund, who was padding up to Älskar and wagging his tail, looking up at him. “You heard ‘em! Let’s chivvy along!” Älskar said, walking to the stairs then going up them. Hund and Tyst followed, Tyst heading up to the third floor.
Lasair was in Älskar’s room, putting clothes in his drawers. “Hope they fit, eh?” She said with a smile, heading out. Hund jumped onto Älskar’s bed and laid down, and Älskar began to look through the drawer. He decided to wear a sky blue T-shirt and what seemed like brand new blue jeans. He went to the bathroom, which had a black granite floor, shower floor and wall, and counters. The wood under the counter of the sink was very dark brown, and the whole bathroom was very modern. There was everything he needed to get ready in there, and when he finished he put on his black tennis shoes and some white socks. “Ok…. I guess I’m ready for school, are you?” He playfully asked Hund, who barked in answer and follower Älskar as he headed for the door.
Earth
Älskar was woken by rough hands grabbing him by his shirt and shaking him. The man dressed in white pulled him to the door of the ship then threw him out. He was more gentle with Tyst and Hund, more ushering them. Älskar thankfully landed on an old, stained mattress. He looked at his surroundings. The sun was going down. The sky was painted with amazing, beautiful shades and blends of orange, blue, purple, and red. American brand items, all garbage now. They were in America for sure, most of the items weren’t sold in Great Britain. The ship soon left, leaving the three of them in the putrid smelling dump. Älskar stood, looking around. No buildings. Skeletons, which made Tyst whimper and hide behind Älskar. No hope. In the distance, a thick forest with tall trees rose above the garbage. Älskar was taken aback. A…… Forest? How did it grow in all this garbage? He pondered. Tyst pointed at it, telling Älskar he wanted to go there. Älskar nodded and sighed, “Good that. At least there we have a chance, right?” Tyst nodded, beginning to trudge towards it, Hund at his heels. There was a strong chill in the air.
As they continued along, Älskar stopped. His ears picked up the sound of behind a taller pile of garbage to his left. He turned his head in time to see a flash of orangish-red. Älskar stopped, looking at the pile. “Wh-” he began, but the air was forced out of his lungs as something slammed into him. Älskar tried frantically to escape, or see what it was, but he soon stopped stiff when he felt a blade on his throat. But what surprised Älskar was the female voice, thick with an Australian accent. “Ä-Älskar….? Oh, it’s bonzer to see you!”
I know that voice. Oh, I thought she was dead! Älskar celebrated mentally. It was Lasair. The excited Australian girl sheathed her dagger and pulled Älskar up. She had a bright green T-shirt that matched her eyes and old worn jeans, and her orangish-red hair was as usual curly, reaching the bottom of her shoulderblades. “Oh, Älly boy, you amazing Britt, you’ve got ‘em too!” She exclaimed, hugging him. Älskar chuckled slightly. “Of course, Fire Girl. I always knew I was something special,” he joked. He remembered when they learned each other’s names. “My name is Älskar!” He chuckled. Lasair cocked her head. “What does it mean?” She asked curiously. “It means ‘love.’” “Aw, that’s sweet! Mine is Lasair, it means ‘Flame.’” Älskar tilted his head. “That sounds like a boy’s name!” He exclaimed, and Lasair looked mad, so he continued with, “How about I call you things to do with fire instead?” Lasair nodded. “Sounds good, Britt!”
Älskar smiled. “Remember my um…….. anger issues?” He asked with a tilt of his head. Lasair nodded. Älskar chuckled uneasily, “I kinda….. became a wolf the size of a bear and mauled Claude….” “Oh! Remember when I burnt Amos’ pants? That’s how I learned I was awesome!” Lasair laughed. Älskar laughed and nodded.
A small, hoarse voice cut in. “Are we going to the forest….?” It asked. Älskar turned to see that it had come from Tyst. “T-Tyst! You just spoke! That’s ace!” Älskar exclaimed, running over and hugging his little brother. Tyst nodded gently. “Yeah.” He murmured, his voice hoarse from not being used. Lasair kneeled down in front of Tyst. “Hey little ankle bitter. Bet you don’t remember me, eh? I was sent here when you were six!” She chuckled. Tyst looked up slightly in thought. “I remember your warm glow….. I think…,” he murmured. Lasair smiled, standing up straight and backing away. “Maybe this is why…,” she murmured with a mischievous glint in her brightly colored grass-green eyes. The redheaded Aussie held up her hand, as if holding a cup. A small flame suddenly appeared in her palm, growing taller. She then turned and threw the flame, like a ball, at the pile of garbage she had hidden behind.
Älskar and Tyst both gasped in amazement. “That’s so ironic! Your name means flame… and you have flame powers!” Tyst chuckled quietly.
“Oh! You two HAVE to fight! Um… Three,” Lasair giggled, talking about Hund as well. “We are building an army, and we’re cleaning up the Earth. We’re gonna rebel against the Government Of New Hope and bring everyone back home!” She exclaimed proudly. “W-we can’t do it with just the four of us! We can’t fight Earth’s strongest countries’ governments with just four people!” Älskar exclaimed. Lasair walked over to him, leaning her face close to his. Älskar leaned back slightly, able to feel and, oddly, smell her sweet, warm breath. “We’re not alone, Älskar.” She whispered. Then, Lasair back away a bit. Älskar sighed. “What, do we have a whole army on our side?” He asked sarcastically, but it came out harsher than he wanted it to. He wish he could take back his words the second they came out. Lasair glared for a moment, her usually calm or mischievous brightly colored grass green eyes blazing with an unreadable emotion. “Yes, we do,” she murmured, closing her eyes. When she opened them again to look at Älskar, they were kind again. “We have rebuilt a society with people they sent here to die. Come, you're old enough to go to the school.”
The forest, as Lasair had explained, was trees and other plants that had been buried under the garbage. Apparently, the garbage made great compost and the plants had grown above the garbage. As they walked through it, Älskar caught himself looking at Lasair often. “They have the technical resources to clean Earth, you know,” she sighed, turning her head to make eye contact with Älskar. His yellow eyes widened in amazement. “Th-The Government Of New Hope?” Lasair nodded. “They just stay on the moon so they have less area to have total control over. We are fixing the Earth. It will take a while, but…. We’re burning the garbage and planting plants and rebuilding buildings, the way Earth used to be. We may not have much, but the scientists are rebuilding Earth with what was left. Better inventions, even.” Lasair explained with great pride. They walked through it, Älskar amazed to find it was just trees sticking out of the garbage….. No wildlife.
They reached a slope in the garbage. It sloped downwards until it met the grass, vanishing from there. There were trucks and cars and vans loading the garbage and driving away with it, over to what seemed like a very large bonfire, dumping it in then driving back to get more. From there, it was a valley of green grass as far as the eye could see. They carefully climbed down the slope, and when they reached the bottom, Älskar gasped. Iris was there, waiting in an old blue truck.
“Älskar! Tyst!” The brunette exclaimed, running over and hugging the two brothers. Tyst hugged her tightly. “You’re not dead….” He murmured. Iris let go and looked at the two. “You spoke! Oh, how you’ve both grown!” She laughed, twirling in her golden and tan dress. She wasn’t wearing shoes, just her bare feet on the green grass. “C'mon, we’ve got to take you three to your new home!” Th-This is all happening so fast…. First, my life comes crashing down….. Then, it comes back together….? This must all be a dream. A good one, at that, Älskar thought.
They got in the old blue truck and began driving towards the horizon. It was now dark, and the air was very cold. Soon, what seemed like a small town came into view. It seemed brand new, small and cozy. As Älskar rode in the back of the truck with Hund, he noticed something odd about the town. The stores were more of places where people grabbed supplies, no one was giving money for what they grabbed. They would go to the counter, talk a bit, hand the person at the counter the objects, the person who worked behind the counter would give them a slip and their stuff, then the person would be on their way. And, oddly enough….. there were people doing miraculous things. Younger children, no older than ten, playing tag…… One boy had what seemed like super speed, zipping around. Another girl multiplied into several versions of himself. There was a girl who shot ice out of his hand and froze the other kids in ice, presumably being it, and tagging them this way. There was another child, a boy, about twelve like the girl, who breathed what seemed like orange mist that thawed the children the girl had tagged. Freeze tag. Älskar, seeing as the two children looked very much alike; dark brown hair, dark brown eyes, and they were the same age, assumed they were twins. They were playing at a fenced off area with grass, a few scattered trees, a path, a few benches. A park. The truck stopped at a rather large building that looked a lot like Älskar’s school, only smaller; having three buildings. It was made of light grey bricks. “This’ll be the school you two will go to. It helps you learn how to use your powers, unlock more potential, and fight,” Iris explained, leaning out the window. She was driving.
They kept driving down the road until they reached a street that was lined with houses, each two story. There was a four story one at the end of the very long street, and it seemed that the house was where they were heading. Älskar hopped out of the trunk after Iris pulled into it’s driveway and shut off the truck. He picked Hund up, lifted him out of the trunk and set him on the pavement. Hund immediately ran to the grassy lawn and began rolling in it. Älskar laughed, feeling the urge to do it himself. He instead just walked over to Hund and chuckled, sitting by him. Lasair sat by him as Iris and Tyst went inside. “Wish you could roll too, Wolfie?” she teased. Älskar gave her a playful shove. “Not if you burn my pants off first, Fire Girl.” The two laid in the grass together, catching up. Hund soon stopped rolling and laid down on Älskar’s stomach. Irish came out to call them in, and Älskar had to push Hund off.
As they entered the house, Älskar found himself impressed. Did they really build all of this with what they found…? He wondered. It was a traditional style home. It was painted white with rough light brown roofing. The interior was all white carpet, except for the kitchen and bathrooms, and the furniture was either white or a very light shade of other colors. Iris was sitting with Tyst on the carpet floor of a large living room to the right of the front door, playing the wooden music box the two brothers valued so. Tyst seemed tired and about to nod off to sleep, lying on the carpet as Iris hummed along to the lullaby, and, to Älskar’s surprise, sounded very much like Felicia. The only difference was that Edmund’s voice wasn’t there to hum along as well. Hund padded into the living room, laying by the now sleeping Tyst. The melody ended, and Iris stopped humming. She lifted her soft pale blue eyes to look at Älskar and Lasair. “I’ll put him to bed,” she whispered so she didn’t wake Tyst. Älskar began to walk over so he could carry him for her, but she shook her head. “I got it.” Iris gently picked Tyst up and carried him up the stairs, quiet as a mouse.
Lasair looked at Älskar, and Älskar turned to face her. Her brightly colored grass green eyes met Älskar’s bright yellow eyes. “You know we never broke up in a fair dinkum way?” She stated. Älskar, slightly shocked, stood there in silence, not taking his gaze away from her eyes. He swallowed in hope to get rid of a dryness that had crept into his throat, but to no avail. Lasair was looking at him expectantly. “What do you-” She began, but stopped herself when Älskar took a step forward. “And I’m glad we bloody didn’t, aren’t you?” He asked. This is the boldest I’ve ever bleeding been!
“Yes.” Lasair said with a smile, heading upstairs, Hund following her.
As Älskar followed Lasair up the stairs, he realized how tired he felt. He sort-of dragged his feet as they walked down the hall of the second floor. Lasair opened a door for him, leading to a large bedroom. It was big enough to hold thirty people without the bathroom. Unlike the rest of the house, it was pale grey. The carpet was still white, but the walls were titanium grey. The bed, queen sized, had pale grey striped sheets, every other stripe a darker shade. The curtains were also pale grey, striped like the bed, but in a zigzag pattern. Älskar was too tired to react immediately as Lasair pecked his cheek and said, “Good night, Wolf Boy.” Lasair walked out of the room, shutting the door. Hund hopped onto the bed, circled three times then laid down with a yawn. Älskar flinched, as the sound had for some reason hurt his ears. “That’s your little sonic bark trick I’m guessing?” He chuckled, laying on the bed by Hund. Before he knew it, he had drifted off to sleep.
Älskar awoke. He was in a forest, calming as the peaceful sounds of birds chirping and bugs buzzing filled Älskar’s now amazing ears. He realized his hands were on the ground. No, they weren’t hands. They were paws. He looked down at himself, realizing he was the wolf he became in the video. ‘This is….. Amazing!’ he wanted to exclaim, but it came out as a bark he still understood. Älskar began running around the forest, quickly learning to enjoy being a wolf. The wind in his blond fur. The amazing warm smells of the forest. Suddenly, the forest vanished. It all faded away; the warm smells, the light, the wonderful sounds. Then Älskar began falling into the inky blackness. Falling…. Falling…. Falling… No matter how much he tried, he couldn’t even whimper. He looked below him to see he was falling into a black hole.
Älskar gasped awake after landing on the floor. He quickly stood up, looking around. He had been dreaming. “But it felt so real…,” He murmured as he sat on the bed. The now awake Hund opened his chocolate brown eyes and cocked his head slightly, licking his owner’s hand. Älskar looked over his shoulder at one of the windows. It was morning, but very early. Faint light shone through the window, telling Älskar the sun was just rising. Älskar wished he could sleep more, but the horror of falling into darkness, the pain from falling off his bed, and the light of the sun shining through the windows, the curtains of which he regretted not closing kept him awake. He decided to get dressed. Älskar trudged over to a black dresser that stood near the door, wondering if it had anything is size in it. To his dismay, the drawers were all empty. He whistled for Hund, who hoped off the bed and followed him as he walked into the hallway. It was very quiet, Älskar noticed, but he felt a rush of relief as he began to hear quiet, calm breathing and the occasional snore.
When Älskar reached the bottom of the stairs, any sleepiness left in him was surprised out of him when Lasair came from his right and pecked his cheek. When he jumped she laughed a bit, taking his hand and pulling him to the white colored kitchen. “I made you some breakfast Mr. Wolf!” She teased. She was wearing a beautiful, long green frilly dress that went to her calves, a flower crown made out of white fabric roses, and had bare feet. The kitchen had an island, which was all just counter and drawers and cupboards. There was everything you would need for a kitchen, all made of what seemed like mixed metals. The granite counters were a mixture of black and white, but mostly white. The tile floor was smooth, also white. Älskar felt a rush of strong hunger when the smell of bacon wafted into his nose. There were other smells, too, like scrambled eggs and fire from a stove, but the bacon overwhelmed his senses. He sat at the pale wooden table in a small open area next to the kitchen with the same tile floor. He sat at one of the four side chairs, Lasair sitting by him and putting a plate on the table in front of him and herself.
As Älskar and Lasair ate, more teens, children, and young adults came downstairs and took plates. There were enough were there would have to be at least five sleeping in each room with no space. Älskar estimated there were about ten rooms. He then noticed how much food Lasair cooked; which was just enough to feed them all. They filled the rest of the table, sat on the couch of the living room, the floor of the living room, the floor of the kitchen, and the kitchen counters. They began joking and shouting, and Älskar noticed with surprise they had a large working TV on the wall, around seventy-five inch flatscreen. One boy, Älskar’s age, shirtless and having a piece of bacon in his mouth, put in a disk that said SpongeBob SquarePants: The Ultimate Collection. The boy sat down and over half of the sleepy young people eating breakfast cheered as the TV began playing every SpongeBob episode and movie ever, starting from the first episode. Älskar smiled and laughed quietly, remembering how much he loved the show as a child and, secretly, still. Most of them had noticed Hund, at least five people whistling for him at once. Hund stayed busy, padding from person to person.
After two episodes most of them had finished their food and put the plates in the dishwasher, quite a few of them, including Lasair and Älskar, getting some orange juice in tall glass cups. Hund stopped walking around, much to everyone’s dismay, as Tyst came down. Tyst ate what was left, grabbed some orange juice and sat on the living room floor, watching SpongeBob with wonder. Älskar suddenly remembered that Tyst was only two when they moved to New Hope and probably hasn’t seen SpongeBob, though there was indeed TV on New Hope. Älskar turned to Lasair and asked, “Who are they all, then?” Lasair turned her head to look Älskar in the eye. “Just kids who decided they wanted to live with lots of other people, or didn’t come with adults they knew to live with,” she explained. Älskar nodded slowly. Iris came downstairs, her long brunette hair brushed and neat, and she was wearing a white sweater and bootcut jeans. “Alright, everyone upstairs! Go get ready! Don’t take too long in the restrooms or changing!” She exclaimed, pausing the show and turning the TV off, and everyone started filing upstairs, except for Älskar, Tyst, Hund, Lasair, and Iris. Iris began cleaning up the orange juice glasses. Älskar turned to Lasair. “What are they all getting ready for?” He asked, cocking his head. Lasair glanced at Älskar. “Getting ready for school. C’mon, you too!” She said with a smile before turning and walking over to the stairs, going up them. Tyst looked up at Älskar. “Ok. That means us too, I guess.” He murmured, walking over to Iris, who gave him the music box, which he had left downstairs. Älskar looked down at Hund, who was padding up to Älskar and wagging his tail, looking up at him. “You heard ‘em! Let’s chivvy along!” Älskar said, walking to the stairs then going up them. Hund and Tyst followed, Tyst heading up to the third floor.
Lasair was in Älskar’s room, putting clothes in his drawers. “Hope they fit, eh?” She said with a smile, heading out. Hund jumped onto Älskar’s bed and laid down, and Älskar began to look through the drawer. He decided to wear a sky blue T-shirt and what seemed like brand new blue jeans. He went to the bathroom, which had a black granite floor, shower floor and wall, and counters. The wood under the counter of the sink was very dark brown, and the whole bathroom was very modern. There was everything he needed to get ready in there, and when he finished he put on his black tennis shoes and some white socks. “Ok…. I guess I’m ready for school, are you?” He playfully asked Hund, who barked in answer and follower Älskar as he headed for the door.
