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Wednesday Word: The Wishing Star, Part One

11/29/2017

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Sooo... I thought I was done with short stories for a while, but I saw this contest for a Christmas-related short story. Immediately, a Christmas-y children's fairytale formed in my head, and I thought, "Yes! This'll be perfect!" The only problem was, the story had to be very short: 1000 words of less. The story in my brain was already too complicated to be so short, so I decided not to participate in that particular contest. However, the story still had to be written. So, for every Wednesday leading up to Christmas, please enjoy this silly little children's fairytale Christmas short story: The Wishing Star.
​

​            Every year, grown-ups try to pound the same lessons into kids’ heads: Christmas is about more than presents, family and love are more precious than anything you’ll ever get in a box. Janet had to roll her eyes. Like she didn’t know that already. Of course you can’t pack up the most important things in life in a box. Not just things like family and love, but… whatever the word was for what stories did to her. Mom read to her every night, and every night she dreamed about being a hero like the characters in those stories. Going on adventures.
            Just because the presents weren’t the most important part of Christmas, that didn’t mean they weren’t important at all. Janet still dreamed of piles of presents, under a tree decked out in sparkling, fancy ornaments. Maybe someday.
            Her parents only let her pick out on special ornament a year. So every year, she tried to find the biggest and brightest. One day, she imagined she’d collect enough of them to decorate an entire tree.
            But this year was different. Standing in the aisle surrounded by dazzling ornaments, something else caught Janet’s eye. Something she didn’t understand why she couldn’t stop staring at. A plain, painted star. Not the kind you put on top of your tree, just a small one to hang with the other ornaments. Made of wood, and painted yellow. Mom laughed at her selection, at first thinking she was kidding. But Janet insisted. Something about that little star had her captivated.
            Mom flagged down an employee and asked about the price, as there was no tag or barcode. Janet only remember one thing he said, “Ah, the wishing star…”
            He talked to Mom for a minute, wished them merry Christmas, and was on his way. But he caught Janet’s eye before he left, and winked.
 
            It was Christmas Eve, and Janet couldn’t sleep. Well, it wasn’t so much that she couldn’t sleep, but she was resisting going to bed. She kept looking out the window, listening for sleigh bells, and turning her little “wishing star” over in her hands.
            For some reason she hadn’t been able to put this new ornament on the tree. She couldn’t stop staring at it. Make a wish, she thought, just try it! Maybe it was a silly idea, but if the wishing star worked at all, it had to work on Christmas Eve.
            “I wish I could go on an adventure, and be a real hero like the people in my books,” she whispered. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, but when she opened them again nothing had changed. She shrugged, and put the star down on her bedside table, deciding it was time to settle down at last. Tomorrow morning, she’d wake to the smells of pancakes and bacon, with Christmas music playing softly, a full stoking and presents to open…
 
            Early in the morning, Janet opened her eyes. “Merry Christmas!” she whispered, getting out of bed. Then, louder, “Merry Christmas!”
            She opened her bedroom door to… Silence. “Mom?” she called, “Dad?” No voice answered. There was no music playing, no smell of anything.
            She knocked on her parent’s bedroom door before pushing it slowly open. The bed was empty. “Hello?”
            Out in the living room, there were no presents under the tree, and the stockings were still empty. Yet it was fully daylight, and the calendar on the wall still read “December.”
            After searching the house for her parents, Janet went out into the backyard. “Mom? Dad?” She ran toward the garden, thinking she heard a voice. Nothing. She turned, thinking to go back to the house, and gasped at the sight behind her.
            The house was gone. In its place was a forest, a real, enchanted forest, she thought. Yet she had very little desire to go exploring. She realized she still held the wishing star in her hand.
            “I wish to go home now,” she said. “I wish it was Christmas morning, and I was home with Mom and Dad.”
            Nothing happened. Maybe, she thought, I have to lie down and sleep for the magic to work. That wasn’t such a terrible thought. But where could she sleep, out here?
            Or maybe she had to fulfill her first wish, see it through in it’s entirety, in order to be granted a second one. That wasn’t a bad price to pay either, though it would be a great deal more difficult than simply lying down in the grass and trying to fall asleep…
            Or maybe… Maybe the wishing star only had one wish inside it, and she’d used its magic all up. That was a scary thought. Even if it was only one wish every Christmas, when did Christmas come in this world?
            Before she could ponder any further, she thought she heard a small voice. Well, we’ll see where adventure takes us, she thought, and set off toward the sound, into the forest.
            The forest was thick, but not scary. All the trees were enchanting and beautiful, and seemed to beckon her forward, welcoming her. There were bright little toadstools along the narrow path, and the sound of a creek not far away. It felt like a fairyland.
            “Help me!” cried a small voice, much closer this time. A tiny figure was tangled up in a vine. Janet hurried to free the creature, letting out a small yelp when she realized what it was.
            A fairy! A real, live, tiny girl with wings was trapped. Janet stared in wonder.
            “Are you going to help or just look?” the fairy shouted.
          “Oh! Sorry, I’ve never seen a fairy before,” Janet said, and hurried to untangle the vine, letting the girl free.
            “Thank you,” she sighed. Janet opened her hand, and the fairly settled there. She had large eyes, green hair, and beautiful gossamer wings. She was young, too. Older than Janet, certainly, but still a child. “What’s your name, human?” she asked.
            “I’m Janet. You?”
           “Carla,” said the fairy. “I got lost out here. Do you think you could help me get home?”
            “I’m new to this forest,” Janet said. “But of course I’ll try. Which way is your home?”
            “Just follow the sound of the creek.”
           “Okay.” Janet followed the path toward the sound of water. “Um, Carla? Where are we?”
            “In the Mushroom Forest, of course! My family lives in the Water Circle. You must be from the Human Village.”
            “No, I haven’t heard of any of that. I’m from… somewhere else.”
            “Across the portal? Did you wish on a star?”
            “Yes! How did you know?”
            “Sierra!”
            “Who?”
            “The last little girl who came here!” Carla said. “She’d never seen a fairy either! Said she wished upon a star and… Oh, Janet, you must be careful. Sierra was murdered by an evil witch!”
            Janet sighed. Of course she was. Of course the stupid wishing star couldn’t give her an adventure without someone evil to defeat.
            “Where does this evil witch live?”
            “On top of the mountain, past the Human Village. Hm… I think it’s too dangerous for you to go near her. You’ll just have to stay with us in the Water Circle!”
            “But I have to get back home!”
            Carla flew up to her shoulder, patting her cheek. “No, no, dear. Sierra tried getting home and look what happened to her! You’ll just have to stay with us! Look, we’re almost there!”
            They had reached the creek, and a little ways up, Janet could see where it broke around an island before continuing straight ahead. A large circle of land, and fairies all about. A group of them buzzed toward Janet and Carla.
            “Carla! Oh, Carla, dear, we’ve been so worried!”
            Carla leapt gleefully off Janet’s shoulder and greeted her family. Janet tried not to picture a similar reunion with her own parents, who felt further away than ever.
            “This is Janet! She rescued me!” Carla said, and before she knew it, Janet was receiving a hundred tiny hugs as the fairies thanked her.
            “She came here like Sierra,” Carla explained. “I think she should just stay here with us! It’s too dangerous, right?”
            “Well, I think that’s up to Janet to decide,” one of the older fairies said.
            “What do you mean?” Janet asked. “What’s too dangerous?”
            “We’ve been working on portal magic since Sierra’s time,” she said. “Here, look. A portal stone!”
            She pointed at a perfectly round, black rock twice the size of any fairy, resting on the ground. Janet picked it up. “How does it work?”
            “Oh, I’m afraid it’s incomplete as of now,” she said. “In order to make it work, you’ll need something to tie it to your own kind. We gave it our magic, but it would need a human element to connect back to your world. Water from the Human Village should work.”
            “But the witch!” Carla said.
            “I don’t care,” Janet said. “I have to get home! I can hide from the witch if I need to, I’ll be fine!”
            “Ah, but the water alone won’t be enough,” said the older fairy, “It will need an enchanted flame to activate, and only the witch possesses such magic. But once activated, the portal stone can get you back home, to the exact time of your choosing. You’ll even be back to the same age as the day you left, no matter how long you spend here.”
            “So you could stay for years, if you want?” Carla said.
            “Hm…” Janet paused to think. It would be fun to stay in a fairyland for a while. “When is Christmas, here?”
            “What’s Christmas?” Carla asked.
            “Yeah, I think I want to go home.”
            “Carla can guide you as far as the Human Village, and they’ll help you the rest of the way. But it will be dangerous. Take the stone, and take this, too.”
            Several fairies flew around her head, lowering a necklace with a tiny vile around her neck. She carefully picked it up. It was full of something dazzling, and Janet could only stare.
            “Fairy dust!” Carla said.
            “Wow,” Janet whispered. “I didn’t know this was real… Any of it.”
           “Well, you learn something new every day,” Carla said. “Keep it close. You’ll know when to use it.”
​
To be continued, next Wednesday!
​

Mansion's Twins
Mansion's Family
Dawn's Acapella
Acapella Angels
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Tuesday Tips: "Writing is Easy!"

11/28/2017

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Ever come across one of those obnoxious people who thinks "writing is easy"? This post won't really be helpful tips, but something you can show those horrible people who should really just try writing themselves, but of course, won't. This is the list I came up with just this morning, so I'm sure given a few more days, it'd be three times as long, but I think it's long enough.

All you have to do is...
​

​Make sure your writing uses proper grammar and spelling. Don’t use the same words to start sentences or paragraphs, and don’t repeat the same words too often, ever.
 
Don’t just be technical, make it beautiful. Make sure your writing flows with ease, varying your sentence length, make metaphors, use symbolism, etc…
 
But don’t overdo it, don’t be cliché. Be unique. Stick to the genre you chose, but be surprising within it.
 
Have a unique and special setting, but make sure your world makes sense. Stay away from things that have already been done.
 
Make sure your character is realistic and well developed. Don’t make them too beautiful or too perfect, everyone needs relatable flaws, but make sure they’re still likeable. While making them relatable, make sure they’re also unique.
 
Now fill out their relationships with other characters, who better be just as developed as they are. Well, make sure you develop them, but don’t spend too much time with them or people might get confused. Don’t have too many or too few supporting characters either.
 
In dialogue, make sure everyone speaks with different voices, don’t let two characters sound the same.
 
Give your characters good names. Don’t let them all be similar—remember, you didn’t name all of your characters, their parents named them.
 
Make sure the characters are realistic. It’s easy to write everyone or most people as beautiful, but everyone has flaws, and a realistic world takes all kinds.
 
Know your character in depth. To do so, you’ll probably write a detailed backstory for them. Then you’ll have to decide how much to reveal, when, and how. Avoid info dumps.
 
Avoid info dumps in world building too. Even if you have a complicated fantasy land, make sure you don’t slow down your plot with pages of description. Tell—I mean show—just enough.
 
Make sure your romance is adorable and sweet but not at all cheesy or cliché.
 
Have the perfect villain, and make sure everything he does makes perfect sense from his perspective, despite coming off evil and heartless to others. Humanize him just enough.
 
Describe your characters, and do so beautifully, but don’t over or under do it. Don’t use easy-outs like putting your character in front of a mirror or have them look at pictures of themselves.
 
Give your story exciting twists and turns. Make it unpredictable (but realistically so, don’t jump outside your genre). Give plenty of conflict and suspense, and don’t resolve things until the perfect moment, in the perfect way.
 
Make sure your writing flows throughout scenes, and from one scene to the next. You can decide how much time passes and how quickly, but make sure it all makes sense and doesn’t feel choppy, and transitions aren’t too sudden. Also, make sure no scenes drag on.
 
Know your genre and make sure your content is appropriate for it, for example, no graphic sex scenes for a YA novel.
 
Do your research if your writing about a subject you’re not an expert on. Spend plenty of time reading and asking questions. Also, look up writing tips online, but don’t spend too much time doing so. Many writing tips are contradictory as well, for example, lists of alternative words for “said,” when “said” is actually just fine.
 
Think of the perfect title for your book. It should be simple, but unique and catchy. Look up your ideas to make sure you’re coming up with something new.
 
People do judge a book by it’s cover, so get yourself a beautiful cover.
 
Develop your own voice and style as a writer. Sure, you can be inspired by others, but you don’t really want to sound like anyone else.
 
End your book in the perfect way—although, “the perfect ending” is debatable. Actually, all of this is debatable, and no matter how you write, some people are still going to hate your book. Others will still love it. But I think the only thing we can all agree on is that writing a book is in no way at all “easy.”
Mansion's Twins
Mansion's Family
Dawn's Acapella
Acapella Angels
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Monday Music: Bea Miller - Young Blood

11/27/2017

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One of the few songs out there that works for the Senka twins.
Mansion's Twins
Mansion's Family
Dawn's Acapella
Acapella Angels
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Wednesday Word: Happy Thanksgiving!

11/22/2017

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We're gonna take a wee little blogging break today. I hope you all have a happy Thanksgiving!
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Tuesday Tips: Quick Tips Review

11/21/2017

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Character Building: In your mind, put your main character in different dangerous situations, and see what qualities emerge.
 
Appreciate the people who support you. They believe in you for a reason, and not just because they “have to” love you. No one “has to” do anything.
 
Pull inspiration from other genres to take your readers by surprise. Don’t step too far outside your own genre or your story will no longer make sense, but don’t be afraid to dabble in something new while staying true to your world.
 
Take notice of your own personal reading pet peeves, and make sure to avoid them in your own writing. I know this seems obvious, but often times, whether we’re aware of it or not, we can think, “Oh, this author got away with it, so it must be okay.” It’s not. Here are a few examples of my own: Over the top praise of the main character, ancient supernatural beings who act like whiny teenagers, and self-destructive villains.
 
As you grow and improve as a writer, try to maintain the mindset of a beginner. Keep up your excitement to learn, your willingness to take risks, to fail, and to try again.
 
Never forget your three golden rules! Keep reading, keep writing, and stay persistent!

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Monday Music: Shut Up and Dance, Walk the Moon

11/20/2017

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This is Eva and Jordan's theme song. When someone finishes "The Mansion's Family," I tell them to go listen to this song, because it brings a brighter perspective to the whole thing. When book two ends, Eva and Jordan's story begins. In fact, if The Mansion's Family were ever made into a movie, this is the first song that would play at the end credits.
Mansion's Twins
Mansion's Family
Dawn's Acapella
Acapella Angels
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Wednesday Word: All We Had To Do

11/15/2017

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Well, that was fun, sharing a short story each Wednesday, and we might do that again sometime soon. But for now, lets get back to the fun and random world of traditional Wednesday Words!

​I was remembering something my mom once said to me, and it got me thinking about a strange idea:
 
What’s easier? Being an adult, or being a kid?
 
All the adults reading go “being a kid, duh.” But ask anyone if they would go back again. Everyone will say no.
 
Why? Because as an adult, your life is already pretty settled. You’ve got your long term job, your home, your family, and day to day, things are pretty steady.
 
Once, my mom said, “It was so easy being a kid, all we had to do was go to school.”
 
Of course it’s not easy being an adult: to work, pay all your bills, run errands, plan everything on your own, deal with real-world problems when they arise, maybe raise your own kids, etc. Then you remember that as a kid, you know, all you had to do was go to school.

And extra curricular activities, and figure out friendships and social standings, and figure our your relationships, and plan for the future. What are you going to do with your life? Where will you live, and with who? What do you want later on, and how are you going to get it?
 
Yeah. All kids have to do is go to school. And, you know, figure out everything about who they are and their place in the world. School by itself isn't all that easy either. I remember when I first got my job, and realized that when I came home from work, that was it. My day was done. I no longer had the persistent worries of homework, studying, and watching the rest of the day vanish under a pile of stress.
 
Yet sometimes, yeah, I get what adults meant. I do often miss the carefree days of early childhood. If I could go back for a day, I would. If I could go back and live it all again? I’m not sure. Maybe. Maybe just because of my constant fear of running out of time, and in a way, that would make my life longer.

But there's also the frustration that comes with having so little control over your life as a child. I was lucky enough to have a good living situation, but many kids don't, and they're helpless to change it. The bright sides of childhood vs adulthood are kind of like traditional vs self publishing. When you're an adult you both have to and get to do everything by yourself, same as if you choose to self publish your book.
 
The pressure of “The Future” is huge as kids. Yet no one asks me anymore what I want to be when I grow up. The pressure isn’t as strong anymore. I do still feel it every now and then, but it’s not constant like it was in high school.
 
“The Future,” with all the pressure that statement holds, doesn’t come all at once. Our troubles grow bigger as we do, so really, I don’t think we can say that either is easier. I just don’t think we should say “kids have it easy,” and brush off all their troubles that seem small to us. Of course their problems are small. The kids themselves are small. I don’t necessarily believe in the “God doesn’t give us more than we can handle” quote, but life’s general problems tend to match age groups. I couldn’t handle as a teenager what I can handle now. Future me is sure to be able to take on much more than I can today.

Someday I'm sure I'll look back on right now and think, "My life was so easy back then!" So, I think my point is to just enjoy wherever you're at. You'll miss today, someday.


Mansion's Twins
Mansion's Family
Dawn's Acapella
Acapella Angels
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Tuesday Tips: What's Your Main Character Made Of?

11/14/2017

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Sometimes it can be challenging to figure out who your main character really is, especially if your story doesn't immediately throw her into life or death situations. For example, if your main character is in high school, sometimes it can be a challenge to keep her out of the "just an ordinary teen" box.

Ordinary surroundings can trick you into thinking your character is ordinary, because our surrounding shape much of who we are. We don't know what we're really made of until we're faced with something bigger. But what if you don't have life or death situations, or a sense of imminent danger? That doesn't mean the stakes aren't high. Perhaps your genre is  young adult romance, and throwing in "danger" would feel unnatural, bordering on genre-hopping. That doesn't mean your characters should be generic.

Try this writing exercise (or just thought-exercise). Place your main character into the dangerous scenes of your favorite books. What's your main character's Hogwarts house? How would she do in the Hunger Games? What would her gift be in Crossworlds? When faced with danger, does she rely on physical strength, her brain, or her social skills? Does she run toward danger or away from it? Is she impulsive, or a planner?

This is a fun way to determine your characters strengths and weaknesses. Then, you can apply this to a real-world story, and often times, you'll get more than traits for your character. Perhaps your character is better with physical strength, and a bit impulsive. She's more likely to get into fights in school than the character who thinks through decisions and relies on intellect.

You're character doesn't have to be one thing or another, as it's not completely unrealistic for one person to be both physically strong and intelligent, but avoid too many good qualities--you don't want a Mary Sue. However, this exercise can determine which qualities are the strongest in your character. Ask yourself, in this dangerous situation, what is her first impulse? 

Happy writing!

Mansion's Twins
Mansion's Family
Dawn's Acapella
Acapella Angels
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Monday Music: Owl City - Up All Night

11/13/2017

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I would love a female cover of this song, or better yet, a male/female duet. This song makes me think of "The Mansion's Family," and of Hannah and August.
Mansion's Twins
Mansion's Family
Dawn's Acapella
Acapella Angels
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Wednesday Word: The Lost Wanderers Part Four--Last Songs

11/8/2017

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Read part one here, part two here, and part three here!
​

​        The rocks were the hardest part of the journey, and slowed their progress greatly. It was hard to find spots for six people to settle down in a tent to sleep. They traveled for longer periods of time, trying to find a campsite.
        After almost two straight days of travel, they found a clearing at last, and set up their tent. Tally was grateful to finally get some sleep. They were all in need of a restful night.
        They wouldn't receive one.
     Dark clouds gathered that night. The girls woke to thunder. Rain fell in a massive downpour, soaking the ground. It wasn't long before the sisters were soaked as well, even inside the tent. Lightning cut the sky, and gusts of wind shook the trees.
        "Outside!" Tess cried, "Find a cave!"
        They abandoned their torn, drenched tent, and hurried for shelter. No caves in sight. Not even a canopy of thick trees. The trees weren't safe to be near, for the wind was so strong it knocked several down.
        The rain fell so hard Tally could barely keep track of her sisters. They were nothing more than shadowy figures around her. But a shriek behind her made her snap alert.
        "Olivia!"
        Boulders were falling from above them, and Olivia was on the ground, struggling to rise to her feet. Tally whirled around to help her, but Lulu grabbed her hand, pulling her away. There was no time. Olivia stumbled down the slope, but she wasn't fast enough. The other sisters ran, out of the way of falling rubble, slipping into a quickly-filling stream. Tally only glanced backward for long enough to see a boulder rolling over Olivia's body. She didn't even have the chance to scream.
        The trees around them creeked, and the one above them toppled, sending them running in all directions to avoid it. Tally cried as she ran, tears blurring her vision even more, until the world was nothing more than a blur.
        She collapsed to the ground, sobbing, until the voices of her sisters not too far from her brought her back to herself. "I'm here!" she shouted, "I'm here, where are you?"
        Lulu's voice broke through the storm, "Here, Tally! Come here, Eloise's hurt!"
        Lulu shouted until Tally found them. Eloise had broken her leg in a fall, and had a deep gash down her arm. Tally slipped into the meditative healing trave to mend the wounds enough to give Eloise the strength to walk again.
        "Where are the others?"
        "I don't know," Lulu said.
        They huddled together in the bushes as the storm went on, sometimes crying out for the others. No response. Tally gave in to her tears as the storm went on, and her sisters held her and cried with her. "Poor Olivia," Tally whispered, "Oh, I'm so sorry I brought you all out here, this is all my fault..."
        "No Tally," Lulu said, "No, we did this as a family. We all came because we wanted to."
        The storm slowly died down, until only the rain continued. Cautiously, the girls emerged from their hiding place.
        "Stella? Tess?" They called out for their sisters, until at last, a voice answered.
        "Tally? Is that you?"
        Tess came into view, and her face was red from crying.
        "Where's Stella?" Tally asked.
        Tess shook her head and pointed down the stream, where a body lay on the shore. "She fell in and hit her head," Tess whispered, "Drowned."
        The sisters embraced, wiping each others tears, sharing words of condolences. Tally healed their superficial injuries, but there was no cure for the pain in their hearts.
        At last, when they had gathered their strength, they went to Stella's body, to bury her.

With all the love in the world, child
I'll kiss you goodnight
With all the love in the world,
I'll say this brief goodbye
It'll never be for long, for my love it is so strong
To break the barriers that may divide
So sleep well, sweetheart, sleep in peace
And know with every heartbeat
It is with all the love in the world I sing
This may be goodbye,
But never for long,
I do believe my love is so strong
To break any barriers that divide

        Only four of them left when they once were seven, the sisters didn't know what to do. The maps were lost in the storm, and they had no idea where the safest path to the summit was, or the safest path back home. They were hopelessly lost.
        Tally led them back to the campsite, where they salvaged their remaining supplies. There was little left. "Let's rest," Tally said, "Perhaps we'll think of a plan after we've slept..."
        They settled themselves again, and Tally fell into a fitful sleep. She woke in tears. No, sleep would do her no good. She rose to her feet, wandering away from her sleeping sisters, but still keeping them in sight.
        "Stella..." She stared up at the sky, still full of dark clouds. The stars flickered in and out of view. "We make the light," she whispered. "We make the light..." Her voice grew louder as she spoke, and slowly, she turned the words into song. Not any known, written song, just whatever words came to her lips.

We make the light
No darkness can break us
Anywhere our travels take us

With my song you'll find me
And I'll never be alone
You're the light that guides me
And leads me home


        Just then, she thought she heard a voice.

I'm never alone
You're always there by my side...

        A familiar song, in familiar voices. "Impossible," she whispered, but she raised her voice all the same to join them:

We could go anywhere I'd pick any choice
I'll be home just as long as I can hear your voice
My home is true right here with you
So please won't you stay by my side

The voices sounded louder:

Sweet little lost girl of mine...

        The voices had woken her sisters, and they rose to their feet and joined her, listening.
        "Another!" Tally cried, and Lulu picked it up:

We've been through, such crazy times
And I can see you're scared for me, but I will be just fine
But I've never felt so strange before
Feels like my world's turned upside down and I can't take no more
All these memories coming back and haunting me
But in front of me, lover you are all I see
Love I need you now, and I know you'll stay with me
Always, always

        All the girls joined in, and the boy's voices answered in return:

Neither of us thought I would ever go
And I thought I was strong but now it's hard to hold on
What do I know?
I've dreamed of a life for us since so long ago
And I thought I could stay but now I'm fading away,
What do I know?
All these memories coming back and haunting me
I can hear your voice, saying 'love please stay with me'
I will be with you, we will meet again someday
I will be with you, always

        There they were, the nine brothers. Tally couldn't believe her eyes. When she'd thought nothing could have been a more beautiful sight than the glowing fireball of magic, she'd been wrong, so very wrong. Walter had to be with them, he had to be.
        But she could only count eight brothers, and one of them was gravely wounded.
        "Walter!"
        Two of his brother supported him, and lowered him into Tally's arms. She connected her magic to his body, fighting to heal him.
        "Boulder rolled over him," one of the brothers said. "We tried to hold him together, but his chest is crushed, and we couldn't..."
        "I'll do what I can," Tally said. The sound of their spoken words clashed against the song. She didn't need an explanation of Walter's injuries. Her gift located them all. She zoned in, letting the song of her sisters give her strength.

I'm still here, watching you
I've seen it all from the start, and it breaks my heart
Knowing all you've been through
And I can't believe what's been done
I could see it happening to me
But you're life had only begun

        He gasped, squeezing her hands. "Tally..."
        "Hang on Walter, I've got you."

All the memories, finally let them fade away
I am with you now, open up your eyes and see
It's all over now, lover you are safe with me,
And I will be with you always
​

        "I will," he whispered. His body trembled, and his eyes fell closed.
        "Walter... No..." She drew him close, wrapping her arms around his body. Her tears came quickly, sobs shaking her hard. Pain began to course through her, grief, and pain of a different sort. Physical aches shooting through her limbs, confusion gripping her thoughts until she finally realized what was happening to her.
        She had failed, failed at what she was born to do at the moment it mattered most, and now her magic was turning against her, attacking her from within. Her power was turning, a rare and terrible fate, something most believed to be only a story from a nightmare.
        As the pain grew worse, she wondered if she should give in to it. As rare as turning power was, surviving it was rarer still. It was barely more than a myth, that one could grasp control of her turning power, pull it back and make it stop. Tally didn't believe it was possible, she never had. This agony would grow worse, far worse before she died, but then she'd be with Walter, and her lost sisters. She would never suffer again...
        "Tally! We need you!"
        "Pull it back, Tally, fight!"
        "We're all here for you!"
        The voices of her sisters. Then more voices:
        "He wants you to live, Tally!"
        "We need you too!"
        "Fight it, Tally, we believe in you!"
        There were hands upon her now, magic connecting with hers. The pain was strong, but all of those hands, all the love and faith, was stronger still. She fought to grip a handhold, to pull herself out of the pain. The voices of her sisters, and of Walter's brothers, gave her the strength she needed. With great effort, she shut her magic down.
        She lay motionless on the ground, safe. Her sisters embraced her. She cried, tears of pain and gratitude, for she was lost, but she was not alone.
        The wandering brothers told their side of the tale. They had supplies as well, and maps. Though their store was limited, together, the sisters and the brothers had enough to reach the top of the mountain.
        The healing garden was beyond what Tally had expected, even with grief blinding her vision. The magic here was different from the rest of the Mountain: kind, peaceful, and full of hope. Silver streams flowed around golden stones, and the plants and flowers blossomed in a lush, magical garden. Healing energy poured from every leaf, every flower, and even flowed into the singers' lungs with the breeze. The singers united there, bonding on a level too deep to ever break.
        "Promise me this," Tally said, "All of us will sing together for the rest of our days, and our children will carry on the tradition after we're gone. I need you all more than ever now."
        "Hold us to it, Tally, and we'll hold you together," Andrew said.
        "Outside this garden," Tally shook her head, "I don't know that even you can. I'm... I am lost."
        "We all are, Tally, and proudly so," Lulu said. "We made it. You made it."
        "We did," she nodded. "But not all of us."
        "They're all still with us. I can feel it."
        "Proudly lost in darkness," Tally whispered, "I'm still standing now, so... I suppose I can continue."
        "Proud Lost Wanderers forever," Lulu said, "Swear it, Tally."
        "Proud Lost Wanderers forever," she said, "I swear."
        Tally kept her promise. Once they were home, some of them feared they would go their separate ways, and the adventure would be forgotten. But Tally held them together. She needed them, and they needed her. They sang. And over time, their songs were able to mend their broken hearts. Tally became a symbol of strength to the others. The Legendary Lost Girl. She kept them all together, united in one wonderful acapella group that still sings today.
        The singers had children, most of them girls. They told them all the tale of the Emerald Mountain, and how the strength of family and song had saved them. The children grew up to join the choir, the Lost Wanderers. They learned from their parents to be proud of their struggles, to make the light, and to sing, to always trust their voices.
        No one knows where the Legend is now, but even if she died, she lives on in the Lost Girl's songs. And she keeps all little lost wanderers strong, even in their darkest times.

The End
Mansion's Twins
Mansion's Family
Dawn's Acapella
Acapella Angels
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