Chapter 1

Emlyn, a young child sick of her lonely misunderstood life retreats to the sanctuary of her fantasy land everyone believes is a hallucination

Chapter 1

 

I stared at the clock wondering when school would be over. It's boring for me; I find learning new things are easy. School is too easy... yet my teachers and my parents disagree. I don't participate much and I just keep to myself. I'm a quiet kid not like the other kids who are hyper active and like running around and stuff.

My parents don't know how to explain the fact they're too busy to share any bonding moments with me to the school. They don't know how to explain my dad's growing drinking problem or my mother's mysterious men she sneaks in when dad's not around. They also don't know how to explain the fact that our home life is falling apart and I've been forgotten about for nearly three years now.

After this I go to the one place I am cared about, my therapist Dr. Candara. He's a specialist for children like me, recommended to my parents by the school because they thought something was wrong with me. He gave them a full report after a week of visits clearing me of any issues developmentally, also stating that I am just a quiet child, I'll grow out of it as I get older. He tried to tell them I didn't really need therapy of any kind just some friends to hang out with, but the school said I had to go or they'd put me in special class I think they made up off the top of their heads to keep the state or whoever happy.

 

“Emlyn, you're zoning out on us again.” My teacher said waving her hand in front of my face trying to get my attention.

“Sorry...” I apologized but didn't really mean it.

“I know you find it boring but for the last twenty minutes of class please try to pay attention.” She asked returning back to the multiplication lesson.

 

I continued zoning out, mainly to my own little world that I go to when I'm at home to keep myself occupied. Its part of the reason why they think there is something wrong with me because I'm so withdrawn from the real world and I put myself into this fantasy land that I've convinced myself has to be somewhat real. Who else would I be hanging out with if it was all in my head, you can't keep yourself entertained for that long if it's not really there.

 

My best friend is a Water elf I named Aqua because I couldn't think of any other name and I was only six years old learning Spanish for the first time in my life. His real name is Rincavornon and he's taught me a lot about the waters his clan lived, well where all the water elves live, I have friends in all tribes of elves, moon, sun, forest, dark, and light. Everyone in my magic world is friends with me, even if they don't get along with another species, when I'm around they stop fighting. I hear enough of it around my parents I don't need anymore.

 

This is the one thing my school is holding against me and I wish they would just drop it. I am perfectly normal I just am anti social and keep my self occupied with a world different from everyone else's view of the world. It's perfectly normal to fantasize there's nothing wrong with me or my imagination; I just believe it more than any other person would...

      

Emlyn, pay attention, the teacher's going on about something and I think she notices you're zoned out again. I heard Aqua's voice in my head and I came back to earth.

“And it turns into what Emlyn?” She asked and I looked up at the board.

“Thirty over six which equals five Mrs. David, I told you I know what I am doing.” I sighed and went back to my zoned out state or tried to.

“I want you to stay after for a few minutes so we can talk about your attention problem.”

“I don't have a problem, I just choose to not pay attention.”

“We'll discuss it later Emlyn.” she said and went back to teaching. I rolled my eyes and went to my world. The one that I don't need school, teachers, therapists, and I don't have a falling apart family life, I am loved, I'm like the princess, I found it and helped it get to where it is now. I'm all powerful there and in the vast lands around it, well maybe not in all of them, but they know and respect me in the bordering lands.

 

School took forever to finish and my teacher sent the class out early so she could talk to me and make sure I wasn't late for my parents picking me up, with their 'busy schedule,' I can't be late or else I up their timing and they have to reorganize their schedule.
“Is there anything I could do to make class more interesting for you?” She asked washing down the chalkboard.

“Not really.” I said shrugging my shoulders. I really didn't care much about anything at the moment and they can't fix it at all.

“There has to be something I can do to keep your attention. I know you're ten, and your mind will wonder, but I can keep most of the class' attention. You're the only one who seems to be off in another world all the time.”

“I am in another world, a much better one than this one. I like it and am more comfortable there so that's where I stay.”

“That's not healthy Em; you have to come back to reality at some point in time.”

“No I don't, there's nothing good for me here.”        

“You need school though.”

“Once again I know what I'm doing; I'm smarter than a lot of kids here.”

“Do you need more of a challenge, if you’re thinking more will it help you pay attention?”

“It's not the work. I am fine with the work; I am fine with how you teach us I just keep to myself in the comfort of my mind. You can't change that and no one can.” I said and stood up from my desk. I put on my purple coat and star printed backpack thinking I could just walk out of there without another word, but I was mistaken.

“Emlyn, please we need to figure something out I can't just have you stare off into space all day.”

“Oh well then...” I sighed and walked away without another word.

 

My parents were waiting for me in the parking lot. They looked annoyed with each other, another argument about something meaningless.

“Hurry up Emlyn we're going to be late, where were you, you know that we have a tight schedule!” My mom yelled at me.

“My day was fine, thanks for asking mom. How was your day? My day was normal mom, thanks for asking. Just a normal day, nothing exciting or interesting happened? No its just school how exciting could it be? Oh okay sweetie. Conversation over…” I sighed buckling the seat belt.

“So you're going to ignore me now?” My mom asked annoyed with my attempt to skip over the short routine conversation we have every time I get in the car after school.

“We go through this every day; I'm not answering the same questions over and over again.”

“Then no TV for a week.” she said as we pulled out of the parking lot.

“Okay, I don't care...” I said unfazed by her threats.

 

We arrived at the doctor's office a short time later, in the middle of the maze of buildings that make up the hospital and its various medicinal practices are the children's mental health building and near it are the psych ward where I've been threatened a lengthy stay there if I don't straighten up.

My dad told me to sit in the waiting room chair while he signed in with the front desk lady. She’s one of the people in my life that doesn't understand why I'm here, she thinks I'm the most normal kid she's seen walk through here. I told her I am normal, I just prefer to live in my own world instead of the real one sometime and she said she wished she could live in her own world sometimes too. I am not crazy.

We took the elevator up to floor 5, Dr. Candara's floor. My dad let me push the button. I didn't care if I did or didn't get to, he just told me to push the button because ‘that's what most normal kids do.’ I pushed the button and stood near one of the corners of the elevator. I looked across at the reflective surface of the wall and there was Aqua. Standing at six foot tall, he was using the glazed rock in the middle of his home near the shores of Coral Reef Lake. I smiled to myself seeing him stand there and he waved one of his webbed hands. I waved back forgetting my father was there who happened to see me waving to a mirror reflecting only my image and not Aqua.

“Who are you waving at?” He asked in a sharp tone.

“Nobody, I was just daydreaming.”

“Why can't you live in reality Emlyn?” He yelled at me and thankfully the door opened and I hurried out of the elevator into Dr. Candara's office. My dad hurried in a few seconds behind me but by then I'd ducked behind his desk. I had a feeling he was a bit drunk, he gets scary when he's got alcohol in him or he could just be really angry out of nowhere... between work and dealing with school hounding my family about my 'problem's' life seems to have really stressed him out.

“I don't have time for your games Emlyn.” He said now completely mad at me.

“Just go away I don't want you here anymore!” I cried burying my head in my arms and he sighed, mumbled something like he'd deal with me at home, and walked out.

He won't hurt you, I'll protect you. Aqua said putting a hand on my shoulder. I wanted to go see him, but I have to be home to get to his world. The Portal is located in my room but they can see me when I need them to, we can talk and interact on a limited basis but I really needed him and his can the Gallagher's. They are very welcome of foreigners despite the water elves natural hospitality towards others.

“Hello Mr. Tamási.” Dr. Candara said to my dad in normal tone.

“You need to fix her head and fix it fast; I've about had it with her games!” He yelled and stormed out of the room.

“It's safe to come out now Emlyn.” He said looking down at me.

“I don't know what I did, one minute he was perfectly fine well grumpy as usual the next I zone out and he's yelling at me...”

“You visited your friends again didn't you?”

“He visits me! Blame Aqua, I tell him to behave and not use the Mirror but he does!”

“He communicates though a Mirror?” He asked.

“Yes I've told you this before! Remember the giant glazed rock that's in the middle of his city in Coral Reef Lake?”

“Oh that mirror, I'm sorry it slipped my mind.”

“Its okay it took me a while to comprehend once he showed me how it worked.”

“So when he uses this mirror of his, where does he show up?”

“On reflective surfaces, I'm too far from his home land so he can't show up like I'd be seeing you. He's just a reflection but functions like a normal water elf.”

“So let's say he wanted to see you now, where would he show up?”

“He was here before, when I hid by your desk. That silver part of it he sat next to me and told me he'd protect me. He could also show up there.” I said getting up and pointing to the window and other places he could also show up.

“If I got a tank and filled it with water, would he be able to go there?”

“I'd have to get one of the rock portals to put in the tank and maybe he'll be able to show up as a normal person would.” I said looking around his room, visualizing a place big enough for the tank.

“I see, and how big would this 'tank' have to be for him?”

“About six feet tall and how ever thick you want it to be.”

“I'm sorry how tall does it have to be?”

“Six feet tall or a little more, Aqua's that tall and some water elves are even bigger but not by much. Their maximum height is 7 feet and weighs one-hundred and twenty five pounds.”

“I thought elves were small.”

“Nope not these types of elves water elves are tall they can be anywhere from five to seven feet tall, and range in weight from ninety-six to one-hundred and thirty six pounds. Just like the coral elves. They usually give Aqua's clan problems, well just the one group that lives near him. They are for some reason overly territorial even though the merfolk won this battle ages ago.”

“And who would they be?”

“The mermaids and mermen, but the politically correct term is merfolk so it's less gender specific.” I explained with a smile on my face. I was happy to share my knowledge of my world that nobody else believes in with someone. It used to bother me that nobody seemed to care about it or the fact it was the only thing I took comfort in. Now I have Dr. Candara on my side and that's good enough for me.

“Emlyn, I'm having a hard time believing the 'you made this up in your head' excuse.”

“I didn't make it up, at first I thought I did because I'd be at home tuning out my parents arguing and I found this magical place one day. I just tell people I made it up in my head until they show interest it in.”

“I know school gives you homework and it must be boring, but I want you to keep this sketch pad and draw everything involving your world. Do you have a name for it at all?”

“Not yet they'll tell me eventually even tough I've been going there for years now.” I said taking the sketch pad from him. He took out a small pouch with a shoulder strap.

“I brought you drawing and coloring materials so you have everything you need to accurately portray this mystical world accurately.”

“Okay, thanks Dr. Candara!” I smiled and hugged him.

“So who is your friend again?”

“Aqua, his real name is Rincavornon.”

“Interesting name…”

“I know I was six when I met him and had no idea how to say it so I told him I would call him Aqua and he was okay with it.” I said smiling opening the sketchpad and opening the box of sketching pencils.

“You said before he can talk to you outside of his world?”

“Yup, he uses the mirror so technically he's not really leaving, he just sees where I am and can appear to me that way.”

“Can other people hear him?”

“I don't talk to other people remember? My parents are too busy to for me, the kids at school think I'm weird, and I'm an only child.” I sighed and began to draw his perfectly round face.

“So only you can hear him?”         

“As far as I know of yeah I'm the only one.”

“Is Aqua the only one you talk to?”

“No, I talk to all the creatures there.”

“Many creatures, do they talk all at once-”

“No, not at once, they usually take turns with the mirror; sometimes he brings a family member or friend.” I didn't look up at him as I worked on visualizing every scaly and fishy detail he possesses on his face and neck. His eyes are amazing, they're big and colorful. His skin itself is a blue-green that when needed they changed to help him blend in with his environment.

His hair is down to his hips and the deepest green I have ever seen in my life. When he hits the surface or is using the mirror it looks like a blue color.

“Who is that you're drawing?” Dr. Candara asked after a long silence of watching me draw.

“That's Aqua.” I smiled finishing the basic outline of his upper torso and moving on to the lower part of his body. “Well it's almost Aqua... just an outline to form the rest of him.” I said finishing his basic outline and moved on to adding details.

 

 

I spent the rest of the session drawing the water elves I've met so far. It took most of the time up and I'd finished his clan by the time he told me I had to leave and my parents would be arriving any minute. My mom came rushing in, her face blushed and she seemed out of breath. Her hair which was done in a bun was falling out a little, only slightly.

“Hurry up Emlyn; mommy has to hurry home so I can fix my hair for the meeting.” She said catching her breath.

“Another meeting you said you had the afternoon off though!” I sighed packing my pencils up.

“I'm sorry but work called and I have to go- where are you going with those?” She asked noticing I planned on leaving with the pouch of drawing materials.

“Dr. Candara gave them to me, he said he wants me to draw all my friends and where they live.”

“What are you talking about?”

“You'll just think I'm crazy.”

“What have you been telling her?” She asked my doctor with a nervous expression.

“Communication through art” He said simply and she didn't seem impressed.

“I want you to go sit in the waiting area; I need to talk to Dr. Candara alone.” She sighed frustrated and I left the room with a reluctant sigh.