I ran to the gathering that had formed in the clearing near the hole in the wall. Skidding to a halt, a few feet from the opening, I peered out at the mortal realm. It had suffered the same damage as the garden, but there was a different feeling to it.

Someone grabbed my arm and shoved me back into the crowd. The people around me quickly scooted to the sides, scrunching up their noses.

Fern put her hands on her hips. "It's just an earthquake. It's happened before."

"Never one that bad," said an older shifter.

Fern eyed him. "The goddess will return in another week and repair the wall. Until then, gather up all the broken trees and make a barricade to keep anything from the mortal realm out. Understood?"

We nodded and voiced our agreement.

"But right now, all group leaders need to account for all of their members. Make sure everyone is safe. If someone is hurt, take them to the palace. I'll be there to give them medical attention. Alright?" She watched us closely. "Good, as soon as your group is accounted for help, with the barricade."

Fern marched through the crowd, headed for the palace. Everyone else hurried off to do as they were told. I stood in the clearing alone and just stared. The world was so similar to ours but foreign as well. Beyond birds, a few fish and amphibians, nothing lived in the garden but shifters. I inched closer. Mortals were out there. I had never seen one before. Weaving through the stones, I poked my head around the corner. It was so quiet.

"Terrin!"

I jumped and spun around.

Fern folded her arms. "What are you doing?"

"I-I just wanted to look. Sorry." I hurried back toward her and kept on going straight into the bushes. I ducked behind a large boulder and sat down.

She passed with a few others soon after. I listened to their voices fade and once again all was still. I swallowed hard, glancing in the direction of the wall. This would be my only chance to get to see the outside world.

Maybe, it would help me feel better about my place in the garden. The stories were thrilling and scary, but I wanted to see it for myself. Rising to my feet, I checked around me. Everyone was gone, but they'd be back soon. Sucking in my lips, I scrunched my toes into the dirt.

Nodding, I came to my decision. I was going to do it.

I jogged out of the trees, careful not to draw anyone's attention to myself. Peering around the clearing, I made sure no one was around before darting across the grass and leaping over the rocks. Closing my eyes, I ran out into the mortal realm and kept going until I was well within in the trees.

My heart was pounding, but it was thrilling. I did it. I was actually in the mortal world. A smile spread across my face as deep voices came from the garden. I dropped behind a bush and slowly peeled back the branches. The tree talents were starting to haul in broken branches. Three of them lined up along the hole and knelt down. They pressed their hands to the ground, and a tree emerged. Everyone moved back as they grew and their trunks expanded to fill nearly all of the space. I forced down the lump in my throat, while watching them fill in the gaps. Bushes and vines twisted and turned around the trunks. I couldn't go back now, not that I wanted to.

Staying low, I hurried through the forest, making sure I could still see the wall. I turned a bend before I was brave enough to leave the trees. I was far enough away that no one would hear or see me.

I wiggled my toes in the grass. The dirt wasn't too bad. Lacking enough nutrients, but it was okay soil. Running my hand along the wall, I walked along it, taking in the world. It really was just like the garden, but my nerves were keeping me from wandering too far into this new realm.

I kept going for a few miles, until I noticed on the northern side of the garden the ground had started to change. The trees began to thin. I stopped and gazed through the spaces between the trunks at the clearing on the other side. My heart felt like it might break my ribs it was beating so hard, but I wanted to see.

Hesitantly, I pulled my hand away from the wall and took a step forward. Another followed, then another. My confidence started to build, and with a deep breath, I continued on.

Reaching the meadow, I ran my hands through the long grass. It was what those in charge of the flowers called a weed. Plucking a blade, I held it to my nose. It smelt okay. I went to the center of the meadow and spun in a circle. I stopped and started at the path where I had just passed. The grass had turned from a yellow-green to a lush deep green. Lifting up my arms, I glanced around me to see the same thing happening. That was new.

Running my fingertips across the top, I watched them turn green. Smiling, I raced through the meadow, creating a zigzag of green trails. I knew they was more to me than just dirt. I could do incredible things too.

The goddess would never give me the chance, so I took it for myself.

***

The day had settled into night. My feet hurt from walking so much. I was used to doing manual labor more, so than the other shifters, but the ground was harder in this world and climbing a mountain had taken it out of me. I sat down on a rock looking out over a peak. Way off in the distance was a patch of blue.

The sea.

From what the other shifters said, water elements lived there. According to them, there was an entire world that lived under the waves. Humans that were fused with fish. Ones that grew a hundred time the size of the little goldfish in the pond. My head fell onto my shoulder.

I wanted to touch it. To feel for myself what the earth of the sea was like, and tomorrow I would.

***

My legs were sore and my feet ached, but after two days of hiking, I made it. I hurried down the embankment and stumbled into the sand. I hadn't expected it to be this far away when I first spotted it from the mountain top. Falling to my knees, I ran my hand through it. It was so different from the sandy soil we had in the garden. It was dry, scorched. Nothing would ever grow from this.

Wiping my forehead with the back of my arm, I stood and went to the water's edge. This was what I had walked all those miles to see, and it was beautiful. I stopped a few inches before the water touched me. Sucking in my lips, I just watched it. The way it moved, far grander than the largest stream in the garden.

It was worth it. Every pained and haggard step down rocky cliffs and crunchy dead grass. I moved my right foot forward. The water washed over my toes.

It stopped the burning. I shuffled forward until both feet were in the water. It was nice. I waded to a rock and sat down.

The ground started to shake. I pulled my knees to my chest and waited for it to stop. Rocks tumbled down from the surrounding cliffs, but soon all was quiet once again. Small aftershocks had followed me all the way here. I slipped my feet back into the waves and laid back, putting my arm over my eyes.

The human world wasn't that bad. I had even seen a couple of new creatures. I had no idea what they were, but they looked friendly enough. Something twisted around my feet. I sat up to find, green weeds wrapped between my toes. I pulled one out of the water and smelled it. Jerking back, I tossed it back into the sea. I had smelled fish before, but never anything that potent.

After relaxing and examining the little plant life that grew by the water for awhile, I started up the coast. I jumped from one rock to the next. It felt better on my feet than the burning sand.

I leaped onto a rock and felt a striking pain shoot up my leg. I fell off and landed on my back. Breathing heavily, I stared at the porous boulder. Shifting to my knees, I pressed my hand against it. The same pain shot up my arm. I jerked my arm away. This came from a place where all life was dead. Standing, I looked around and saw more rocks similar to this one. I walked along the edge of them until I arrived at a large cut through the earth. A small stream was running through the center. I quickly touched a couple of the other stones. It was a dull ache, but nothing I hadn't felt before. Something was very sick at the end of the ravine.

Climbing over them, I tried to see if the end was in view, but it seemed to go on forever. Picking the dirt out of my nails, I thought about where to go next.

Herminia would be returning to the garden soon. She'd find out I was missing, and my little adventure would end. But maybe, if I could fix this land and restore life to it she'd realize I could be of use outside the garden as well. Sucking in my lips, I wiggled my feet in the dirt. It didn't feel too bad. The acidity need to be adjusted and some good fertilizer sprinkled around, but it could easily be fixed.

Taking a deep breath, I started down the ravine. With every step, the walls grew higher and the blue of the sea began to shrink. Wherever this trail took me, I just hoped it had nothing to do with fire.