Chapter 1

Nora Parker’s throat burned as she took in a large gulp of seawater.  Waves crashed around her and all of her senses were burning as she shielded herself from the onslaught of attacks being fired her way.

Every onslaught knocked her under the water.

But still, she didn’t fight back.

There were civilians nearby and she couldn’t allow anyone to be hurt in a battle that was hers.

She could see the man's growing frustration. He’d come to her with an ultimatum, and he expected a fight.

He relished the fight.

Nora knew that he was just toying with her until she grew desperate enough for air that she would retaliate.

“I’ll go with you!”, Nora gasped to him. Looking up him floating above her, a dark red energy ball aimed at her face.
“I’ll go with you, so please, let’s just leave here!”.

The man sneered, ignoring her plea.

A flash of red was the last thing Nora saw before she went under the water one last time, and fired a blast of energy so powerful that the water surrounding her turned to steam.

The man screamed as the steam calded his skin and the attack pierced his shoulder.

Nora knew it wasn’t enough to defeat him, but at least she’d injured him.

‘Goodbye everyone.’, she thought to herself as the man furiously lifted her into the air by her hair.

A large portal appeared in the sky and both the girl and man disappeared.

MISSING GIRL -
17 YEARS OF AGE -
SHOULDER LENGTH WAVY BLONDE HAIR -
AMBER EYES -
PICTURE PROVIDED BELOW -

PLEASE CONTACT LOCAL AUTHORITIES IF YOU HAVE ANY INFORMATION

Seventeen year old Noah Parker watched miserably as missing person posters were plastered around the small town where he lived.

Picking one up off the ground, Noah stared at the picture of his twin sister.

Apart from the wavy blonde hair and amber eyes, Noah Parker was the polar opposite of his twin sister.
He hadn’t yet grown into his height, and still had the pre-pubescent lankiness that made his skinny torso seem overgrown.

Nora, on the other hand, was a bronzed beauty who had filled out early in her teens and always seemed to be laughing. She was the sweetheart of the town, her fiery amber eyes wreaking havoc with the local boys.

There was nothing fiery about Noah’s amber eyes… Lost, is how most people would describe Noah eyes.

He was always envious of how easy Nora seemed to have it. How easily she made friends, how she was incredibly smart, and how she would often tease Noah about his lack of enthusiasm for anything that didn’t involve a patch of dirt, some seeds and a watering can.

For whatever Noah lacked in charm and smarts, he could make up for with his green thumb. Noah had a way with plants that surprised even him from time to time.

Nora’s most prized possession were a patch of Christmas Bells that Noah had grown for her.

They were a flower native to Australian that Noah had surprised her with for their fourteenth birthday.

Every summer when those beautiful flowers bloomed, Nora would come out into the garden with Noah and pick a bouquet for the kitchen table.

Noah remembered feeling so proud when the flowers bloomed for the first time. He was more interested in growing fruits and vegetable, but had wanted to surprise Nora with something different than the basket of fruits he normally produced.

A small, cold hand placed itself at the crook of Noah’s arm, which shook him out of his reverie, and led him down the path to a cosy looking house in the middle of a street.

Jen Parker was shorter than Nora, but it was obvious that both twins had taken after her with her untamed shoulder length dirty blonde hair that was trying to free itself from the tight bun on top of her head.

Paul Parker, the twins father, on the other hand looked nothing like the rest of the family with his jet black hair. Except for the vibrant amber eyes, which usually pierced through you, today dulled with a crippling sadness over the loss of his baby girl.

Jen opened her mouth to speak, but she had no words. So she closed it, keeping her hand on the crook of Noah’s arm.

It had been a week since Nora’s disappearance.

Both Jen and Paul had done everything within their power to find her.
Personally driving to each police station within five hours of their little town to see if anyone had seen or heard anything about their daughter, and to hand out the missing person flyers so that they would know immediately if any news were to arise.

Paul, who had prided himself on being the man of the family, was leaning on his wife for support. It was as if he now carried the weight of the world on his shoulders and needed her to help guide him home.

Jen, the silent rock of the family, had always let Paul take charge when he felt the need, but accepted his need for support right now and let him share the burden he was carrying with her.

Noah reached the house first, followed by his mother, who then lead his father into the living room and poured him a glass of scotch.

Saying nothing, Noah left to his bedroom and flung himself on top of the covers. Tears streaming down his face, he fell asleep.

*

Weeks, even months could have passed, and Noah wouldn’t have batted an eyelid.

His home that used to be full of life and laughter, was now dull. A layer of dust had settled over the floor and furniture, and the contents of the fridge had started to smell.

If it wasn’t for concerned friends and neighbours who let themselves into the house once a week, the Parkers would have been living in filth.

For apart from their bedrooms, living room and bathroom, nothing else in the house was utilised!

Then, a few weeks after Nora’s disappearance, there came a loud knock on the door.

Jen and Paul, who had been sitting in their favourite armchairs staring at nothing as they had done for weeks, blinked and looked at each other.

“Who could that be?”, rasped Paul. His voice rough from disuse.

Jen shrugged and walked towards the door, passing Noah who had shuffled from his bedroom and down the stairs, curious as to who had knocked.

No one had bothered to knock for weeks. They had just let themselves in and allowed the family to wallow in their grief, not wanting to overstep their boundaries.

Jen reached the solid timber door, hesitated for a second, and turned the handle.

The door swung open, with a slight nudge from the occupant on the front porch.

Almost vampire-esque, the Parkers shielded their eyes from the sunlight outside with their hands.

The guest waited patiently for the family to adjust to the new stream of light, and allowed them to take their time in greeting them.

Noah’s eyes readjusted first, and he looked at the figure standing in the doorway.

“Ms Johannson?”, he asked, with what would have been shock had be been able to feel emotions anymore, at the sight of his favourite teacher.

The portly woman at the door smiled, her straight teeth and warm brown eyes visible from even where Noah was standing.
“Noah Parker. I have missed you in my class!”, she said. “It’s been quite a while.”.

Jen and Paul’s burning eyes had adjusted enough to the light in their doorway to be able to make out a woman with dark red hair, that reached just above her shoulders.

“Simone!” Jen exclaimed, “What… What are you doing here?”.

And for the first time in weeks Jen Parker saw what her house had become and, horrified, indiscreetly started brushing the dust off the vase closest to her onto the layer of dust on the shaggy carpet.

Noah became vastly aware that his whole family were wearing dressing gowns and slippers.

Paul was also at the doorway now, he had managed to pull one slipper on, while the other one sat forgotten at the foot of his favourite lounge chair. His grey streaked hair was sticking up in the back where his head had been resting.

It was a token to the type of person Simone Johannson was that she didn’t mention any of this, but smiled brightly at the three of them and answered Jen with a tone that was extremely kind, but didn’t allow any disagreement.
“I’ve come to speak to you all. I’ve missed seeing Noah in my class, and I also wanted to introduce you all to my niece, Layla Forrest.”.

Noah wasn’t aware that Ms Johannson had a niece, and opened his mouth to exclaim this, when a small face surrounded by a lot of wild, bright red hair appeared from behind Ms Johannson.

“Yes, of course!”, Jen exclaimed. “We - come in! We’re so sorry we didn’t contact you sooner. Tea? Yes. Come in - of course!”.
And in a flurry Jen started looking for teacups in the living room, and seemed confused when she wasn’t able to find them.

Ms Johannson held up her hand, her kind smile still upon her lips, “That is no worry at all. The loss of a child and sister is a great tragedy, upon any family. We were hoping to catch up with Noah at school to see how he had been coping, but he never returned. And I think in times like this we need to stick together. Do you agree?”.

Still searching for the teacups, Jen nodded furiously. Paul was still standing in the same place in the living room, his bare foot now tapping forward and back as if he was contemplating walking forwards, but not able to comprehend how to do it.

Noah was staring at the wild girl behind Ms Johannson, wondering furiously if he’d seen her before.

Ms Johannson spoke again, “May we sit down? And as we are going to become a much closer group in the near future, I must insist that you call me Simmy.” Catching Noah’s eye, she nodded at him. “You as well Noah, unless of course we are in class where Ms Johannson will suffice.”.

By this stage Paul had managed to find the willpower to move his feet and had reached Jen. He put a hand on her shoulder to stop her search for the teacups that were currently not residing in the living room, but in a cabinet in the kitchen where they always were. He held out his other hand to Simmy, “We are so sorry we haven’t been in contact.”, he said, nodding his head at the red mop of hair standing beside Simmy in acknowledgement.

Simmy moved forwards into the house and clasped her warm hands around the one Paul had extended her, “Sometimes, we need help to bring ourselves back to the land of the living.”, she said looking at the Parkers with an expression of such love on her face that they were almost brought to tears.

“We realise that you must be struggling through the suddenness of it all.”, Simmy said, “If only there was a way for us to predict things such as this, and maybe prevent them from happening. But, such is life I’m afraid.”.
With that final comment, Simmy led Layla into the house, and they both sat down on the three seater leather sofa near the fireplace.

Paul and Jen almost sprinted into the kitchen to organise tea for everyone. There was a crash as one of them collided with the wall, a soft tinkle of breaking china and and choice swear word that followed and then the sound of a kettle boiling and five cups being placed upon saucers.

Noah, who had still been standing at the staircase while all of this was happening, made his way to the living room, silently thanking all the people who had provided them with baked goods over the past few weeks so they could offer Simmy and Layla something other than dusty tea and awkward company.

“Come and sit down, Noah.” Simmy said to him, leaning over and patting the cushion next to Layla.

Noah took his time sliding over to the three seater couch and half sat on the cushion, half slid down the armrest, leaving a good few inches gap between himself and Layla.
Which was quite a feat as the couch cushion was not very big.

Layla’s slightly too far apart, green eyes stared at Noah, and for a second Noah could have sworn he saw a look of recognition on Layla’s face, but he blinked and it was gone.

Jen and Paul reappeared in the living room. Jen carrying the cups and saucers, while Paul carried the kettle and a delicious looking lemon and coconut slice that Noah had no idea who had baked for them.

He mentally thanked them as it took Layla’s eyes off him and he turned his head away and attempted to get comfortable.

His mother passed Noah a cup and saucer with a tea bag already inside it and he tried to wait patiently for his father to pour the water so he could do something with his hands.

Finally Paul reached him, and slowly tipped the water into his cup until it was full.

Noah preoccupied himself with dipping his tea bag into his water that he only vaguely heard his mother ask, “So do you and Noah know each other, Layla?”

A huskier voice than Noah had been expecting came from beside him. “We’ve been in the same homeroom class for six years,”, Layla replied, “but we’ve never really had anything to do with each other. I’d only become friends with Nora recently and she never had a chance to introduce us.”.

Noah had been imagining that a child’s voice would come from such a small frame, but Layla sounded like a woman.

Paul who had finished pouring the tea lifted his cup and took a sip. “Well it’s lovely to meet you, Layla.”, he said.

“You’re always welcome around here whenever you like.”, Jen piped up.

“Thank you.”, Layla replied. “Aunt Simmy was fond of Nora as well, so we’re doing everything in our power to find her.”.

“We’re very grateful to you.”,Jen said, her voice thick.

Simmy smiled, clapped her hands once and stood up. She picked up a slice of the lemon and coconut tart and turned to leave.

Noah, Jen and Paul also stood up with Simmy, Jen and Paul’s tea slopping out the sides of their teacups in their haste.

“Well”, said Simmy, “I think we will leave it here today. We have trespassed on your company long enough.”. She rested a hand on Layla’s shoulder indicating that it was time to go.
“If you don’t mind, Noah, would you please show us to the door.”.

Noah nodded, at the same time Jen turned to see the two women out as well.

“You two stay here and have a piece of slice and relax.”, Simmy said to both Jen and Paul. “Noah is a very capable young man, I’m sure he knows where the front door is. Thank you for your hospitality today. It was lovely to see you, and I hope to see you again soon.”.
She smiled at Jen and Paul and followed Noah out of the living room.

“Goodbye, thank you for the tea.” Layla said and she gave Jen and Paul and small wave as she turned to follow Noah and Simmy to the front door.

Simmy turned to Noah, “I want to see you back in my class sometime soon.” she said to him in a stern, but kind voice.

Layla then, unexpectedly, handed a small package to Noah. “This was Nora’s, she gave it to me to hold onto the day that…”, Layla shook her head. “Anyway, she would have wanted you to have it.”.

A burning sensation in Noah’s throat that had nothing to do with the hot tea, stopped him from thanking Layla straight away.

He swallowed deeply and looked her in her bright, green eyes, “Thank you.”, he said to her.
A fresh row of tears started to form, and Noah quickly wiped them away.

Layla put her hand on his forearm in understanding, “Nora’s not gone forever.”, she said. “She’s out there somewhere, and we’re going to find her sooner rather than later!”.

Simmy nodded in agreement behind Layla, and Noah turned to her, “I will come back to school next week. I - I think I’m ready now.”

Simmy smiled, her bright, warm smile at him, and pulled him into a hug. “I’m glad to hear it.”, she said to him. “I will have a full lesson waiting for you upon your return.”.

On that note, Simmy gave one final wave, and she was out the door. Layla followed with one last smile at Noah, and they were gone.

Noah closed the door behind them and walked back into the hallway. He glanced into the living room and saw his parents chatting, almost like they used to, in their favourite lounge chairs. A cup of tea in one hand and a piece of slice in the other.

Not wanting to disturb their moment, Noah walked up the stairs to his bedroom, paused briefly at Nora’s bedroom door, and then walked on past. He wasn’t ready to open it up yet.

‘Today’s been a good day’, Noah thought to himself. It was the first time, in what felt like a lifetime, that he’d forgotten to feel sad.

Smiling to himself Noah looked down at the small package in his hand.

It felt strange to him. It was round, bumpy and Noah was sure that it had grown warmer the longer he held onto it.

Intrigued, he gently folded open the paper with one hand while the other hand, palm outwards, held the package flat for him to see.

Inside was a mandala about the same size as his palm, with stones that looked like tiny suns weaved throughout the centre of it.

It was beautiful. It reminded Noah of sunny days, of blue skies and laughter.

Noah picked the mandala up with his free hand and gasped!

He was no longer in his room, but had been transported to a place he had never been to before!

Looking around at his surroundings, Noah could see there was blue skies, a large warm sun in the centre and the grass beneath his bare feet felt soft and gentle. He sat down on the grass, closed his eyes and took a deep breath in through his nose and out through his mouth.

He wasn’t sure what made him take that breath, it just felt right.

Sitting there, Noah kept his eyes closed and soaked up the warmth that his body desperately needed.

Slowly and easily Noah drifted off to sleep.

As Noah slept, the mandala slipped through his fingers and onto the grass beside him.

As soon as he had stopped touching the mandala, Noah was transported back to his bedroom. He woke up the next morning feeling well rested and refreshed, with the mandala laying innocently next to him on the bed.

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