It is now 4pm, and while the fair is by no means seeing less interest, Luana could tell less people were around just by how much easier it was to walk around. Making her way to the front is a breeze, and the cable car stop isn’t as horrid as it was when she arrived. Waiting for the cable car, she sits down at a bench and looks through her papers in glee. “Luana Hoapili. Age. Nineteen. Race. Human. Ethnicity. Keonian and Dantalian. Blood Type. X. Wow. There’s not a single thing they don’t know, huh?,” she whispers under her breath. “I paid for express mailing, so it should be here super fast…let’s see if that Toverian mail is as speedy as he made it out to be…” “They don’t know everything, though…and that’s a good thing.” The cable car pulls up, the gripman this time being a woman, her long hair tied back, her body clad in coral blue uniform. Seeing the car, Luana rolls her papers into a scroll shape, takes her blue ribbon out of her hair, and wraps it around the papers. She covers her ears with her thick hair. Knowing her place, she once again gets on the side platform of the car, but to her surprise, there is actually space within the car for her to occupy this time. Seeing this, she walks back in line, cautious as to not uncover her ears, and takes a seat on the second row. She sits by the window and stares out of it to scan the bustling streets. After everyone is in and safe, the car takes off. The car stops often, as traffic has increased over the hours. Not minding the slow ride home, Luana stares out the window. The more she observes the streets around her, the more shocked she is at just how far out the fair went from the fair’s heart. Though she didn’t notice it before thanks to thinking about the boy, the streets leading to and from the plaza are also lined with stalls. Though these were more entertainment oriented, companies from around the world could still be seen every now and then between the fun and games. It made Luana wonder why it didn’t go all the way to the dorms and beyond, though when she thought this, she immediately recalled the whole hour it took to even get to the tips of the city’s heart. And when she began to think about the distance from the dorm to the city’s heart, the weight of the morning bickering, the cost of asking the wind spirits to help her, the process of her interview and applying for her visa and passport, she began to feel somewhat depleted. “Ah. The dorm is a decent ride away, and today has been kinda long. I…could use some rest. I’m so tired…I hope that…the boy got his fliers…whatever…I’ll worry about that once I’m home.” Luana lays down and curls herself into a ball on the long seat. She lays down on the long, wooden seat, wraps her hair around her head to block out the light of the sun, and is gradually lulled into a nap by the quiet chatter of the people in the car and the sounds of the city. _________ Luana opens her eyes. She finds herself on a beach, the sky and clouds donning an orange and purple hue. The waves gently ebb and flow against the shore, leaving behind shells and these small, hard to define creatures. Woozy, she observes the creatures that march their way onto the shore. The creatures look something like zooplankton and phytoplankton mixed into a new type of being-though they were about the size of a hermit crab. Each moved forward in their own unique way, trying their best to escape the waves despite their odd shapes and sizes. Some flop along the sand like seals, as their legs were too small for use. Others were circular, unicellular looking beings, which roll using their seemingly infinite legs lining their bodies. Some boast very long, cellar spider-like legs, and walk on the shore like any other animal though very wobbly, and a few others look like blobs that trudged along the sandy ground like snails, unable to escape the waves for long. Though she, a large being, is in their way, they simply crawled past her feet and to the sands beyond her. Not seeing anyone to speak to, or having much else to do, Luana sits down, wraps her arms around her legs, and rests her head on her knees as she watches them crawl around her in droves. To Luana’s shock, her arms and hands look much smaller than her current age. It was hard for her to tell what age she is, but she could tell she is a child, as her hands and arms are now chubbier than usual. The rolls of her arm remind her of dough. She jolts to her feet and looks down at her outfit. On her waist is a dark blue skirt that reached her knees with a floral print, and over her upper body is white, tucked in tank top. On her feet are a pair of simple leather sandals. On her ears, she feels something soft yet firm tickle the tips. She eventually deduced they were plants, made into accessories for the side of her head. Not wanting to destroy it, she leaves it be. Unbeknownst to her, the plants are pairs of four leaf clovers, hibiscus, and flame lilies, a splash of color in the midst of her thick, loose hair. Feeling beautiful, she twirls a few times. The plankton creatures scuttle, roll, flop, and drag themselves away from her feet while making ineligible, high pitched exclamations. As she walks down the beachside, staring out at the ocean to her left, the barren beach forms structures out of what looked like pink clouds to her right. First, it manifested a pier. Then, a mere moment later, a crowd of people clad in swimsuits jumped out of the pink clouds and onto the wooden planks. The masses come down to the beach with floaties, towels, and surfboards. Luana noticed that many of the people are pale in complexion, with only a few of the people amidst the beachgoers being tan or dark skinned. As she watches the families come to the beach, and is slightly annoyed by the sudden noise, she notices the pink clouds now clumped together and dispersed outward beyond the pier to form a town beyond the pier. Near the pier is a bustling part of the town, which felt more like a small city. The street is full of restaurants, clothing stores, and trinket shops that sell little figurines of hula dancers, postcards, and textiles, which she saw through the front windows upon squinting her eyes. Their exteriors are vibrant in color, the awnings and signs were in various languages Luana couldn’t read or speak, and not a speck of dirt could be seen on the exteriors. Luana powers past the beachgoers on the pier to look at the street in more detail from the sidewalk. Between each square there are no weeds upheaving the sidewalk. The road looks freshly paved and painted. Cars drove through with little problem, and many people in bathing suits walked to and fro on the sidewalk. The people As the town went up in elevation, the town went from entertainment to a myriad of houses, small cars, and much smaller businesses, all interwoven between pockets of forest. The houses and grocers both are small in size and pastel in color from age. “...No…am I…where I think I am? Did I go back in time!? Hold on...” More pink clouds form to the west of the town. They clump together in the sky over a forest road that the street road leads into. Luana turns around to watch the clouds. The clouds form a roof, one of four colors, green, blue, red, and a light grey. The manse’s roof was the only thing that could be seen from where she stood thanks to the forest’s trees. Despite this, however, Luana deducts exactly where she is, and is stricken with a sudden fear. “...I’m in Keokeo again. But how?” Luana’s body shakes, and her heart begins to beat fast. “...No. No! I’m back!? I can’t be! This is a dream. This is a dream. It has to be. I can’t time travel, can I!? Oh no…what if I just dreamed of living to nineteen, and I’m still…a child!? Oh god…oh gods, I don’t want to be back here. …I have to run-I must’ve run away again. They’re probably trying to find me! But where? I can’t go home, but where else do I go!?” Now desperate to escape, Luana looks around frantically for a destination. “Ah! To the west is the Toverian mansion…it has a lot of space to hide, especially in the forest, but I’ll still be in town, and if they find me they’ll turn me in! …But…to the east…oh, I remember! There’s tons of fields…I can keep running until I find a hiding spot.” And so Luana starts running to the east, pushing through the frolicing people she shares the sidewalk with. The street’s beauty continues to surprise her as she now reaches a part of it that hosts the most gorgeous apartments she’s ever seen. They are built near large grocery stores, gorgeous restaurants, spas, and large hotels, which she couldn’t help but look up at as she ran. Though she quickly begins to feel out of breath, she ignores her chest pain, keeping her eyes on the sidewalk and road ahead. Eventually, she makes it to the end of the road, which leads into what looks like countryside. Beyond the road, large manses and farms lie upon fields of grass and crops far from the beach’s shore, which sparkled in the distance downhill due to the sun setting over it. Luana stops for a minute or two to catch her breath and stare at the scenery. She feels her heart calm little by little as she does so, and for a moment, a smile creeps upon her face. “What a view…I don’t remember Keokeo being this pretty…but…whatever, I need to keep running, or-.” “Hey! Little girl!” “H-huh!?” Down the street, coming Luana’s direction is a man clad in a coral blue cape, a blue and white nautilus shaped helm, and black boots. At his side, a spear of metal floats and follows every step he takes her way. The people of the sidewalk step aside to make a clear path for him. “Oh god, no. The Kapua Association!” Seeing him, she shakes her head and continues her run, frantically looking for a place to hide beyond the road. To her dismay, the fields have very few shrubs to hide in, and even if she had run into the crops and shrubs she did see, the policeman could easily track where she was going. “Hey, wait-come back! Your mother is worried sick! C’mon, don’t be so difficult…just come on home, and everything will be alright,” the policeman says, his voice increasing in volume as he closes in on Luana from behind. She could hear his cape flapping in the wind at a high speed behind her. Tears well up in her eyes as she realizes her efforts are futile. “Please…listen…I can’t…if I go…back…my mom…my dad…they…will…” “Do I not have my powers!? I can’t plane hop like then!? …Oh god, I’m really in for it now. My chest and feet hurt so badly-if this keeps on…” “ACK!” The policeman had caught up with her in mere seconds. He grabs her hair a little, though she leaps forward to avoid being pulled into his arms. She fell hard on her knees and hands. The pain of doing so made her keel over completely. Her knees are practically screaming in the only way they can, sending an unending, pulsing pain throughout the knee. Her hands feel tender from slapping the concrete, a similar pulse of agony rippling in her palms as well. Gentle footsteps approach, and slowly, the shadow of a man eclipses the sun. Tears flow from her face as the mage scoops her up. As soon as he lays a hand on her, Luana kicks and screams, though her acting out falls on deaf ears. “No! Put me down, dammit! I don’t want to go home! You don’t understand-they don’t like me! They stopped liking me years ago! Please, take me to a safer place…I promise I’ll never get in trouble again if you do.” “Oh god. I don’t want to go home! I can’t face them ever again!” “...Sorry, kid…I have a duty to the people, and I want to keep my job-pays well in these times, see...look, your mommy and daddy really miss you…whatever argument you guys had, it’s all temporary. Y’know, I used to do the same as a kid…” The policeman attempts to comfort Luana as he walks back towards the town, undoing the scant progress Luana had made. His strong arms resisted every kick, bite, and scratch she inflicted upon him, his coral blue uniform under his cape protecting his arms and hands. Too tired to fight back, she goes limp. Her small, tired, injured body, her failed escape, and the stress of being in Keokeo finally send a wave of grief through her body, and she begins to wail loudly into the policeman's shoulder. “Hey now, let’s not cry…look, how about we go to the station up the hill, and we get you a lolly? And then you can go home and everything will be okay…” The policeman’s comfort falls on deaf ears as she sobs harder and is overwhelmed with grief. “I just don’t want to be back here. Please, someone, take me away from here…! I really really hope this is a dream. Here in Keokeo, I have nothing! If I stay, they’ll keep hurting me!” She tries to cycle through various plans, but can think of nothing else she can do. She closes her eyes, and sobs continue on and on. The policeman pats her back and rambles to her, though it all sounded like jargon to her in her misery. Resigning herself to her fate, she keeps her eyes closed, waiting for the moment he puts her down in a chair at the station. It was at this moment of accepting what is that she notices that the officer is no longer patting her back or speaking, and is instead standing still, shaking in his boots. “W…wo…wolf! A wolf pup! A glowing one at that!” “A wolf?” She opens her eyes, and sure enough, a glowing white wolf pup stands at the end of the east part of the road, staring at the pair, who had only made it as far as the apartments. People scream and run around frantically when they hear the policeman scream the animal’s name out loud. In the search for shelter, people flooded local stores and restaurants for the sake of their lives. One woman, pale in complexion, clad in a swimsuit, clutching a child as she ran yelled, “You useless copper! Don’t just stand there, kill the damned thing!” “R-right. O-okay, kid. Listen closely. I’m gonna…t-take down this thing. You…stay by my side, okay?” “...Okay.” The officer places her on the ground. Luana immediately smiles from ear to ear and runs over to the wolf, unafraid. Once she reaches its side, tears well up in her eyes, and she hugs it tightly around the neck with her chubby arms. She then nudges her face into its scruffy mane, and in turn, it licks her forehead and cheeks, which makes her giggle. “Wolfy! It’s you! Oh, I’m so happy…!” “Kid, c-come back! Are you fucking nuts!?” “Oh, I sound so childish. But I’m just so happy to see a friendly face…my one and only friend, Wolfy. I’m so glad I get to see you again, even if it's only a dream...” The policeman shakes in his boots as he watches the scene, now confused. The few people outside stared at the scene, some people appalled, some watching in interest, and some people not sure what to make of what’s happening. “I need to get away from town. Can you help me get away?” The wolf licks her face once more. Luana giggles. “Then let’s go and-” A gunshot rings out from afar, hitting the ground right in front of the wolf. It growls in the direction of the shot, which came from the policeman’s way. He held a small handgun, which was aimed at the wolf. Knowing there was little time to celebrate their reunion, Luana jumps on the wolf’s back. “You can’t fight him. He has a gun. Iron is bad for you. Let’s just run, Wolfy.” With that, the wolf pup takes to the east. “Hey! Kid! Come back! By Keona and the stars, how is this happening!?” The policeman runs after them and then jumps in the air, grabs his spear, places it between his legs, and rides it in the air, the ribbon on the end leaving a trail behind him. “...I can feel it. My powers…Wolfy must be helping them stir up.” Bullets ring out from the sky above, but the wolf pup dodges each with little issue, despite not seeing where they came from. “Oh no…he’s after us. Crap. I guess I should’ve seen that coming…” The pair covered a decent amount of ground into the countryside, much further than Luana could on two legs. However, no matter how fast the wolf pup goes, the policeman stays on their heels from above, shooting bullets in an attempt to slow the pup down. The pup never lets up despite whining and panting now. Hearing this, Luana hangs on tightly to the wolf’s fur, leans forward, and kisses its neck. “I know...this is a lot. But…I have an idea. Wolfy…borrow some of my power…and let’s plane jump. Don’t worry. Just keep running, and…I can cast the spell. I’ll ask for help, since it’s a big one.” The gunshots continue as Luana explains this, and the wolf dodges as usual-though each dodge was sloppier than the last. “Hang in there, I’m asking for help now!” “Spirits of the land, earth, sea, and sky…you know my name, as it has been forfeit long ago-I, as well as the wolf of the silver pelt, wish to breach the veil and seek asylum. For taking us to the land of the faerie, I will pay any price, for this request is grand in nature.” Luana’s hair, fingers, lower legs, and eyes all change, her body and hair glowing pale blue and the beast-like pupils. The wolf pup glows brighter, its light almost blinding thanks to its already pale pelt. The policeman watches in horror as the pair begin to glow below him. “S-spirits!? Did that woman give birth to a spirit girl!?” At the wolf’s feet, plants break the concrete. Waves of vines, flowers, and petals shoot from the road and twist and turn around the pair, forming a tunnel of plants. Ahead, two translucent trees sprang from the road’s side, and arched their canopies together to form a gate. Inside of the tree’s arches, an illusory forest wobbled like a heat haze on a hot summer day as the road and forest mixed in imagery. “Go towards the wobbly forest, Wolfy! That’s where home is.” Finding a newfound vigor, the wolf bounds into the gate, leaving a trail of plants in its wake. It ran and ran until a sea of greens, light greens, and blue-greens assaulted its senses, no farms, villas, or cityscapes in sight. The only thing surrounding the pair were trees as tall, if not taller than the skyscrapers of the great cities, plants of many odd shapes and colors, and the sound of birds, insects, and the wind. The wolf pup collapses when it sees the greenery around it. Luana gets off of its back, sits next to it, and pets it. “We made it…but we’re both tired…I know! We should find…oh…” Luana’s body is hit with a wave of fatigue, the severity akin to a wrecking ball. She falls to her knees and hands yet again, though this time the grassy ground of the forest spares her the pain the concrete gave her. Her previous wounds pulsate slightly when she falls, but only as a reminder that she is still in need of rest. “Ah…I said we could find a stream…but maybe…we both just need a nap…I-I think…the cost of jumping here…ugh…” A coughing fit interrupts her. The wolf barks with a little whine mixed in in response. Once it was over, she spits out some mucus on the forest floor. “Hahaha…I’m okay, Wolfy…I’ve always been…kinda sick. They don’t call me granny for no reason, after all. I-I think…we should…” The wolf barks at her and wags its tail. It pops right back up and nudges her cheek. Then, it walks ahead a bit before looking at her. “...Wolfy? You…want to…find a stream?” The pup comes back to her side, bites her hand lightly, and walks forward a bit before letting go, walking ahead and staring at her from afar. “...Okay. I can make it.” Luana joins her friend’s side, and to her surprise, it nudges its snout between her legs, toppling her over and onto its back-instinctively, she clings on to its fur. As soon as she gets into position, the pup dashes deeper into the forest, where the light doesn’t shine on the forest’s bottom. Slowly, the forest’s plants began to grow, and the rocks’s various patterns glowed a minty green in the darkness. “Wolfy!? Where are we-oh…I hear it too now…running water.” Deep in the darker parts of the wood, a small stream flowed through. Immediately, the pair made their way to it to drink and tend to Luana’s wounds. Luana cusps water into her hands, and drinks a few scoops. After hydrating herself, she takes a few more scoops and splashes water on her knees. The pup, meanwhile, drinks and bathes , happily splashing water into the air and rolling around in the shallow waters. “I would join you, Wolfy, but…I’m still so tired. Sorry…after this…we can find a town…and…live…” “Wait...this is a dream, isn’t it? My friend and I have never run away from home together, or have been chased by a policeman. But it all feels so real. Now, I wish it was…if I had run away with my friend long ago…” Luana could only sigh at the thought, as she felt like an old woman in her small body. Feeling a pang in her chest that she can’t quite identify, she sits criss-cross applesauce on the stream’s bank, and yawns. Seeing this, the wolf stops playing and comes over to lick her cheek, though it backs away in surprise after doing so. Luana tilts her head at it, wondering what it was reacting to, until she looked at her body, and realized she was back in her older form. She looks back at the wolf. Its head is tilted at her too. The two exchange a stare for a few seconds. Eventually, the wolf comes to her side and curls up, huffing once he was in a croissant shape. Luana lays her head and shoulders on its back, and closes her eyes. She couldn’t help but smile, pet it, and nuzzle her face into its still wet fur. “...Thank you, my friend…for all you’ve done in my dreams, and in real life. I hope…we can meet again. On the mortal plane, instead of childish dreams. I have money now. I can thank you, and repay my debt to you before I leave Keona…so please come before I go to Tovera. We can do one last forest run…I can buy you a steak…I can…brush your fur…I can…do…anything…you…” The wolf gives her a lick, and nudges her forehead with its nose. Luana could no longer reply, as she felt each part of her body, one by one, surrender to comfort, and then into sleep. In the black void that is her eyelids, she could see a light in the distance, almost like the end of a tunnel. A flurry of white, circular lights came rushing from the distant light, and before she knew it, she was awake, still in the cable car. Still in shock at how vivid the dream was, she couldn’t stop looking at the ceiling, despite hearing the chattering passengers and feeling the cable car’s movement. A lone tear falls from one of her eyes as she stared upward, the longing for a time and friend that will never come back tugging at her heart.