RAYNE (Xiao Hong Song)
Rayne’s sister didn’t let up, swinging water at every flame she could muster. It was grueling, hours of being battered around the training area magically by her sister. Finally, Ming-Yue stopped once she collapsed on the floor, soaked through with water.
“This will be enough for now,” Ming-Yue dusted off her hands on her long blue pants. She offered an outstretched hand to her twin. “Get dried off and join us for dinner.”
Rayne pushed herself up without help, tossing her hair away from her eyes. “That was brutal,” she spit out some of the excess water.
“That was basic, and you know it. You are incredibly out of shape,” Ming-Yue replied. She glided towards the door effortlessly, not sweating or out of breath. “Don’t dally in here. You’ll get cold.”
“Don’t mother me, we had one, and I don’t need another one,” Rayne explained. She shook off the water, followed her sister, and wrung out water from her tank top. She muttered under her breath about the conditions but followed her sister out of the training room.
Ming-Yue held the door open, watching her sulk past. “You should be able to dry yourself with ease, a bit of heated air,” she started to give a magical lecture, being cut off yet again.
“For the love of all the gods and goddesses, shut up,” Rayne exclaimed. She slammed her fist against one of the wood walls. “If all you are going to do is lecture me like you are our mother, that will get us right back to where we left off. Once she died, it didn’t make you her replacement. Stop acting like it, act like a sister or something, anything but acting like our mother did.”
Ming-Yue stopped her wandering down the hallway to turn to glance at her with some disdain crossing her eyes. “I am acting as I was trained to do. I ascended to the top position of the circle. Mother is gone. You left, leaving it up to me to be the only choice. I act as she did. I can’t help it reminds you of her. She learned from her grandmother and great-grandmother. I shall not break from this path for your comfort.”
“Gods, you are so sanctimonious sometimes,” Rayne said, walking past her towards the dining hall. “I’m eating and going to bed.”
“That is wise, and tomorrow we are doing this again. I need to see what spells you remember,” Ming-Yue replied, following her toward the dining area.
“Enough to survive, gods. This is a nightmare. You’re sending me back to school,” Rayne said.
“Cram school, it appears. The things loose in our world don’t care that you gave up your magical studies. People are in danger; your incessant whining about it won’t help them. I can’t believe your selfishness might endanger the whole world for your need to get away from us, have a life, and all of whatever this rebellion has been about,” Ming-Yue said, pausing only to open the doors needed to get into the main central area. She pointed towards the dining hall. “Go to dinner, enjoy the hospitality. I have work to do.”
“What? No continuing to lecture me about my responsibility and behaviors,” Rayne said.
“I have explained enough, and we shall see if you have listened or enjoyed ignoring all words of wisdom. I have to research, too. We must see what chaos has occurred in order to plan an effective strategy. Go be with the others,” Ming-Yue finished, turned to head up the stairs to the old study of their mother’s. Now hers, Rayne assumed as she continued towards the dining hall, hearing the soft rumble of chattering and eating.
Entering the familiar scents of spicy vegetables, steamed fish, dumplings, varieties of chicken, and other steamed spring rolls. Rayne grabbed a plate to load up on similar foods she avoided in New York. She didn’t want to be reminded of home. One of the good parts of the circle was always the food, one of the reasons she had no problem working in the food industry.
Several others waved greetings to her, welcoming her as if she hadn’t been gone for years. Rayne returned several waves and sat at the least crowded table until several moved to join her.
“Xiao Hong, welcome,” a woman sat across from her that she hadn’t seen in ages spoke.
“Da-Xia,” Rayne replied with a smile. She couldn’t help it. She and Da-Xia had always gotten along well. They are some of the few proficient in fire and air within the circle and often trained together.
“It has been too long. It has been suggested I could help you, but” she paused with a lopsided grin. “Only if you want. You look like you have already gone several rounds with a lake and lost.”
“My twin has enjoyed reminded me how much I suck.”
“Oh, she has grown in power since you have been away. It is no surprise she is grossly overpowering you,” her friend replied. She ate alongside Rayne, speaking about the things she had missed and learning about the outside world. Rayne couldn’t help but feel a twinge of guilt in her chest as they ate. She had left this all behind for life. A life where she didn’t have to constantly live up to impossible expectations of being the leader’s daughter, being the best, one of the circle members. But now, facing the reality of what was happening in the magical world, she knew her actions were selfish and ignorant. She had to meet her responsibilities and help however she could.
Rayne finished dinner and returned to her room, feeling beyond exhausted from the grueling training session from earlier. She collapsed onto the bed and stared up at the ceiling. Memories of her childhood flooded back to her. Her mother’s lily perfume, strict teaching, and long walks taught her the ways of the elements and the importance of magic. Her sister’s bright determination to learn everything, her cleverness to find and explore every nook and cranny of the manor before they hit their preteen years, the secret meetings deep in the garden to share their language that made unusual magic only they seemed to control. Then, when they learned how opposite their magic was, they were pulled apart in separate lessons and had to be trained to fight one another, given their opposing powers. The constant lecturing from teachers, their mother, and then from her sister to be better, stronger, to become the best. Rayne began to withdraw into herself, feeling cut off from everyone being one with fire. Only a few in the circle had such power. Her sense of belonging tore away until she left.
Despite all the drama her past had brought her, she knew what the monster being unleashed meant to the world, and this place was important. She did love it, even some of the people within it. She had abandoned it, along with her magical studies. She almost missed this place, but now that her sister ran everything, she would leave again. But she wouldn’t let it fall.
Rayne rolled into the bed and snuggled deep into the covers. She searched for sleep, so exhausted it was hard to find.