Ok.  So here’s the thing with traveling between worlds.  Time runs differently in each world.  Seconds can pass in one, while years go by in another.  So when you travel from one world to another, you have no idea how much time has passed.  Right now, this was exactly what my friends and I were experiencing.  True, it was dark outside, but was it the same night we had left the Bellow, or was it a night several years later?  I didn’t see any flying cars or stuff like that, so there was no reason to go into panic mode right away.  However, I don’t think Holly thought that much out.  Because, as soon as we stepped out into the Bellow, she began to freak.  “What if everyone we know is dead?!”  The girl clasped her arms close to her chest, which heaved with shallow breaths.  “What if this is thousands of years later?  What are we going to do if we don’t have the right papers, or the right vaccine for future diseases?  What if…”  Holly froze, and began to hyperventilate.  Her eyes dilated, and hands shook.  The rest of us just looked at her, not saying a word.  Given past events, she would calm down in a few moments.  That’s just who Holly was.  In the mean time, we had things to do.  Beside me, Antigone pulled her overcoat closer to her skin, as a bitter wind nearly swept her off her feet.  The hem of the coat fluttered in the breeze, exposing the tip of her tail.  “Jeez, is it cold here.  Nope, nothing’s really changed.”  She brushed out the wrinkles in the coat’s fabric.  Jada adjusted her hood.  “You’re right.  Nothing much.”  She exclaimed.  I did have to agree with my friends.  The nights were still harsh, the winds cold, and the streets empty.  In the distance, sirens sounded and dogs barked.  The street lamps that sprouted every hundred feet or so flickered in the dense darkness of the night.  Off to the right somewhere, water from a nearby river sloshed the shores.  I could feel the chilled wind coming off the water.  “Things could be worse.”  Quinton ventured.  He, at least, had gloves, though only to cover his gift.  Without the gloves, he would shred anyone whom tried to give him a hug.  “I mean, there could be lots of people around.”  He continued, and all of us saw his point.  With practically no people milling about, our secret was safer.  No one was bound to notice the particular bulges in mine and Sages backpacks, or the way Jada wore her hood so low, or even how Antigone’s coat fell in a strange pattern around her legs.  Without all the people inspecting us, we could actually pass for typical teenagers.  Just then, an especially harsh gust blew off the river.  It chilled me to the bone.  Carefully, I held my hands up to my face, and snapped my fingers.  A small flame erupted over my them, and began to dance.  Warm light engulfed my friends faces, as they drew nearer to the live flame.  “At least our gifts still work.”  I whispered.  They were the only things that linked us to Safehaven.  Opposite of me, Holly grinned, her face wreathed by the light of the fire.  She had calmed, for the time being.  “I guess.”  She agreed.  I don’t know how long my friends and I stood around that single flame, but it felt like an eternity.  Eventually, the sound of approaching cars drew us from the dreamlike trance.  Quickly, I extinguished the fire, and shifted my backpack.  I didn’t know what would attract more attention.  A girl with wings, or a girl with her hands on fire.  Either way, it was bad.  To not look suspicious, my little group of friends began to walk down the streets.  We had no idea where we were supposed to start, finding Lendeor and all, but we did have to start somewhere.  So, casually as we could, everyone started to explore.  Alleys and dead ends became doorways of opportunity.  However, none of them seemed “magical”, like a path to another world should.  Eventually, the sun cast the first light of day upon the deathly silent city, and it awoke.  People started their cars, businesses opened, and people started to stroll down the roads.  In other words, my friends and I were in deep trouble.  With all these “humans” walking around, we were undoubtedly at risk of being single out.  From that point on, we had to be careful about how we walked through the crowd.  One wrong move, and we were toast.  “Maybe we should stop somewhere for the day, and wait till things quiet down.”  Sage whispered in my ear, as we motored down an especially busy street.  I agreed, and everyone turned towards a nearby shop.  I didn’t get to read the name before I stepped into the threshold, but the intense smell of cinnamon assaulted my nose immediately.  It was so strong, my eyes began to water.  And, seeing my friends faces around me, they must have been going through the same thing.  After my tears were washed away, I could actually see the shop’s interior.  It was, different from many of the other shop I had seen in my life.  Because, the only things I saw in the store were wind chimes and fountains.  Was this a store that sold garden trinkets?  So then where did the smell of cinnamon come from?  Chimes of all sizes were strewn across the shop’s interior, and fountains bubbled at random places.  Only a small section of the floor was dedicated to a walkway like thing.  There were no shelves on the walls, and on either side of the small path, the ground was completely covered with stone basins and poles on which wind chimes rattled.  The sweet sounds of running water and the tingling of the chimes filled the air.  But, the thing sitting in the back of the shop took the prize.  On the only other bare space on the floor, and makeshift desk had been constructed.  It was a foldable table, which had been covered in a tablecloth constructed of about a hundred different kinds and colors of fabrics.  And sitting on a swivel stool behind the desk, was a girl.  But when I say girl, I don’t mean the cute little blond chick with pig tails and a sun dress.  No, this girl had a proud aura, and confident expression.  She wore a red dress that reached her ankles and a purple and gold sash tied around her waist.  A tattered shawl hung loosely around her shoulders.  Also, she wore a shimmering scarf that was tied around her head like a headband, keeping at bay a mane of auburn hair that reached her waist.  Last of all, sparkling blue eyes shone like beacons on her face.  They were clear and bright, yet full of knowledge and grief.  Her expression was that of peace, but her eyes burned with intensity.  “Greetings.”  The girl called to my friends and I from across the room.  “My name is Hachi.  And, as of right now, you are in mortal danger."