The shadows reversed, swirling off them like smoke. Shad finally released her wrist, smacked his cape, and harshly swung his large hood over his hair. Ally squeaked. They were in an entirely different forest--which looked oddly like the one she first arrived in. 

"What the flip just happened?" Ally screamed at him.

"Uh . . ." He looked around wildly. "I don't know . . . ?"

"Uh huh," Ally crossed her arms. "This"--she waved her hands around--"I get to know about. What. Happened?" She repeated through gritted teeth.

"I, uh, well, you see," Shad rambled. Ally glared at him. "Ugh, fine. I lept."

She raised an eyebrow. "And . . . ?"

"I used the, um, s-shadows to . . ." He circled his hands around, and put them into a ball. He moved his hands to the side, and quickly separated them, making an explosion sound. Then he gave her cheesy smile. She felt about ready to strangle him.

"So . . . you teleported us?" She clarified.

"Y-yeah, you could call it that."

"Okay then," she gave an exasperated sigh, "where are we?"

"A forest," Shad said, returning to his sarcastic side, walking off. Ally followed, irritated.

"No, as in what forest. Like, who lives here, or something."

"Things."

She growled, stomping up to him. She grabbed his black cloak, pulling him toward her. Shad spun around, his eyes wide. He squinted at her, his face coming ominously close. He then blurted, "your eyes are purple."

Ally shoved him back, but still held his cape. "You got a problem with that?" Although, she kind of did, too. 

"No," he mumbled, spinning back around. He tried to walk forward, but she wouldn't budge.

"You diffidently do not make rainbows," she snarled, changing the subject, angry that he was so sarcastic and secretive. 

Shad hesitated and sighed. "No. I don't."

"Then what do you do? And don't lie, I saw what you did." Ally was surprised that this whole time she'd spoken with ease, loud and clear.

"I can make shadows do my bidding, like what I just did. That was what is a 'leap.' If I happen to be in a full shadow, I can easily leap, but with that I had to bring it in on us."

"So, can everyone do that?"

He hung his head. "No. It's one the most rare abilities, that's why those guys went after us." Shad said in quiet voice, "the queen likes to steal the gifts from people with great power."

"But, if you're using your power for good, would she take it?" Ally asked, wondering  if she had an ability. 

"Sadly, yes. Sugarblood doesn't care for others, only revenge and power can please her."

"Well she is a very bad queen," she hid her unease with a joke. If she had an ability, and maybe even a powerful one, that might explain why she was wanted. So asked him, "how do you know if you have a power?"

"Well, it can be hard to tell," Shad told her, "but usually you know when you accidentally cause a disaster." He said it so causally, as though disasters were nothing to worry about.

"There's got to be another way to find your powers. Like, can you tell by appearance? Or personality?"

"Technically, yes. But it's harder that way."

"So, just by looking at me, what might I have as a magical power?" The idea was absurd. Her logic told her it was impossible, but the little kid in her couldn't help but be excited. 

"It could be anything. You could be an Elemental, a Changer, a Telepath, a Sorcerer, the possibilities are almost endless."

Ally let out a sharp breath. "Well, let's say I'm an Elemental. Then what would I do?"

"I guess that'd be reasonable. Elemental Sorcerers are the most common of any magic here. For instance, I'm a Shadow Sorcerer. And you, well, I'd say probably . . ." His voice trailed off.

She looked at him, her eyes pleading. "What? Tell me, I can take it."

He sighed so loud she swore he scared some birds away. "Either a Light or Magic Sorcerer."

"Are those powerful?" She asked, almost afraid of the answer.

"Yeah," he said quietly.

She didn't know what to do. Pump her fist into the air or curl up in a ball. But he quickly added, "but that's a very unlikely."

Her hand slowly released the dark fabric, letting it fall back into place. For a moment she wondered if he was going to dash off, or leap. Instead he stood there. Though, she still expected him disappear. Ally let her head go limp, hiding her face behind her hair. She stepped back, wanting some breathing room. She stood there for a while, and the whole time Shad stood in silence. Ally looked up a bit, to see if he'd gone. Which he hadn't. 

She returned to her agitated form, breathing in the forest air. Ally opened her mouth to ask him another question, but Shad stepped back, into the shadow of a tree and vanished. She growled. He always did the expected, and she'd only known him a few minutes. In all her rage and confusion, Ally lifted her head to the sky and screamed at the top of her lungs, as long as she could. Her eyes watered, and as her roar halter end to a slow, quiet stop, her knees buckled. She planted them into the soft grass, squeezing her eyes close. But that didn't stop the tears from getting out and silently falling to the lush ground. Ally sat there, letting her sobs, snot, cries of anger and sorrow, out. She cried for what felt like eternity, until she was all out of tears. She sniffled, rubbing her arm under her nose and the backs of her hands on her puffy eyes. She continued to sit there, worrying about her family and friends. 

Eventually she stumbled to her feet, tingles spreading across her asleep legs. Pressing her hand against a tree to balance herself, Ally let the time she'd spent here so far come rushing back to her. She looked down, her eyes resting on the small brown satchel. She grabbed it, pulling up the flap. Inside were two small pouches, and a little book with a green binding and gold decals. She sat back down her back against the tree. She lifted out the book, which was titled, "Herbs and Remedies," in fancy printing. Inside it showed herbs and what they were used for, then how to make different balms or potions with them. She placed it back in the satchel, pulling out the pouches. One was brown with thick gold coins inside, the other black with jewels in it, each a different color and shape. She put all of it back in, and closed the satchel. Ally stood up, dusting the grass and dirt off her skirt. 

An idea clicked without her even thinking about it. If this was the forest she first arrived in, and Shad leaped them here, maybe he lived here. And if she could him again, she asked him more questions and see if he could help her. But . . . he'd gotten her into danger. Although, he did get them out of it. And when she saw the streak in the sky, which she guessed was him, it looked as though it was heading for the titanic tree. She slightly remembered some furniture and maybe a hole in the floor, but in all the panic she'd barely noticed them. Ally looked around, to see if anything here looked familiar. Her eyes came to rest on weird flower, that was quite large with blue, spiky petals and a shimmery finish. She spun around, for the first time seeing a messy path, and began to walk down it. She was beginning to wonder of she was going the wrong direction when she saw a huge root. Ally ran toward it, coming up to the enormous tree. She tilted her head up, craning to see the top. A distinct hole erupted out the wall, large splinters poked from around it. Below was a small pile of wood; some looked crushed. This was diffidently it. Ally cautiously walked around the tree, relieved when she found a large area with thick vines hanging over the bark. But when she pulled them out of the way, there was no bark. Instead a large, neatly cut hole greeted her. She could see the tree was hollow, but from the hole she saw it was still quite strong. 

Ally lifted her leg over the bit of wall at the bottom, swinging the other in. The vines dropped back into place, swishing softly. She stepped forward, her heart bearing a bit faster than normal. A large, weaved mat sat to one side, though it was more likely a cot. Light poured in from above, and her eyes met an area where the ceiling had been removed. Through it she could see leaves and branches. A vine ladder cascaded from one side of it, touching the floor. Ally could hear an accented voice murmuring from above. She tentatively gripped the sides of the ladder, afraid the slightest movement might cause it to fall. She carefully tugged on it, and confirmed it was safe. Reaching her arms higher, she placed her foot on the first step. Anxious to get to the top, she made each move silently. A bit before she reached the ceiling, Ally peered up, checking the perimeter. Stepping up some more, she saw a dark, cloaked figure, facing the hole in the wall. Using nimble hands, it tried to put the wood back together. It's hood lay upon their shoulders like a deflated beanbag, swishing some shadows to them and hardening them on the spot where there was no wood. 

"Boo!" Ally yelled, smiling. Shad shrieked and jumped so hard he hit his head on a branch. She swore she saw his fluffy, disheveled hair poof out like a cat. He turned toward her in a fluid motion, his teal eyes wide as moons. 

"DON'T DO THAT!" He screamed, his face red. Ally just laughed and pulled herself up. 

When his flare settled down he asked in a wondering tone, "how did you find me?"

"I told you--I'm over average," she smirked. He growled, turning around to inspect his repair on the wall. Ally looked around. The ceiling was made entirely out of branches and leaves. Glass orbs of every color hung from the intertwining branches, spreading colored light in the room. A silver toned chest with stunning patterns carved into it laid off to the right, and a few trinkets splattered the ground around it. A basket filled with food sat next to it. To the left was neatly weaved cot, finished with soft cotton and large leaves. She stood there, not knowing what to do or say. He broke the silence, though.

"No questions?" He asked, still putting some finishing details on the wall.

"Actually, no," she snapped into attention, and said quietly, "c-can you help me?"

"With what?" He twisted around, plopping onto the chest, crossing his arms and swinging a leg over the other as he fell. His cloak fluttered around him, eventually settling back down. 

"Um, well . . ." she twisted her fingers, looking down. "Well, I don't know . . . how to . . . in the wild."

She expected him to laugh, or throw her out. Instead he sighed for a while, rubbing his temples. "Fine. I'll let you stay here for tonight, but you have to let me look in your satchel."

Ally hesitated a second, then pulled it off her shoulder and tossed it to him. Even though she couldn't throw well, he caught it with ease. Giving her one last look, he flipped it open. Before he could open the pouches she blurted, "but you can't open those unless you tell me why you're wanted." His eyes widened, then his brows creased. "I told you: the queen likes to steal peoples powers, but she always tells the public we're evil." Then he launched into the poaches. Shad gasped when he saw the jewels.

"What?" She asked.

"Whoa, I can't believe you have these. There are only a few packs left in existence!" He looked up, noticing her confused expression. "These are magical, and yes, a lot of things here are magic, it just depends on what they do and how many there are." He picked a red one and squinted at it, "most of the things the things these do are fairly mundane, but still very good to have. Like this one, it can light a fire anywhere, on any surface, and it can be however large you wish it to be."

Ally walked up to him and peered into the bag. She pulled out a brown one. "What does this do?"

He stared at her back, and slapped the crystal out of her hand. "Makes the person who's holding it hair grow, fast." Shad gestured to her own, with now reached her rear. 

"Oh great," she mumbled. She pointed to a blue one. 

He touched it, checking to make sure it didn't have any crazy effects, and pulled it out. "This one . . ." he turned it over, finding a valve. He looked inside it and confirmed you could drink from it, wherever you where. 

"Convienet, now how 'bout that one?" She pointed to a green one. Shad grabbed it, and touched it to the wall, which instantly sprouted some little branches. He pulled out a clear one, holding it to the light. He avoided the large beam, and set the crystal down. "That's a Leaper crystal, which takes you places. Inspired by the leaping system Light Sorcerers use."

As soon as he said that, her mood darkened. "How many Light Sorcerers are there?"

"Right now, none," an almost sad glint wandered in his eyes.

"Why?"

"They're really rare. My talent is really rare. But shadows can be always found, whether it's light or dark. Light is never a promise, so there have been only a few who've been blessed with the power."

"Is there any power that's more rare?"

"Yeah, two, actually. But it's a manner of complexity. They say if a Light and Dark have a child, it'll be a Magic Sorce--"

"You realize how rediculous that sounds. And magic? How is that rare in a magical land?"

"Yeah, yeah, I know," Shad said. "But it's a lot more complex and powerful than you think. And the most impossibly rare one is even harder to get: a Magic and a Magic. I know it sounds like one of those dumb dragon games where you breed the dragons and build habitats--but this is much more serious. This power, the only reason we know it exists is because there's been one, and only one, with it. The power of space."

Ally almost laughed. "The power of space, huh?"

He glared at her, "dude, they can control gravity, and the moon, and the stars, and just about everything in the universe! You don't see how that'd be powerful?"

"Okay, fine, I get your point. Now, what do we do next?"

"Sleep. You go downstairs," he sat up and pulled the chest open, which was packed with stuff. Ally felt like she was looking into Hermione's purse. He handed her a soft green rope and large white cloth. He instructed her to tie the rope around her wrist, because it was a Full Moon. When she asked why, Shad explained that though Earth and this place shared the Moon, here it was a lot more powerful. 

"And even on Earth they used to say if slept under a Full Moon, you'd go crazy. That's where the word 'lunatic' comes from. But here, it's true."

"So, what does the rope have to do with this?" She asked, but a more nagging realization hit her. She wasn't on Earth? Then were was she? It was all so confusing, and everything sounded like a child made it up.

"It's spun from dreamsheep wool. It will keep your mind together, but it won't help with the nightmares," he said ominously.  "So buckle up."

He then sent her downstairs, and she mumbled about how all of this was stupid. She wasn't even sleeping in the open! Though, when she reached the bottom she tied the rope around her wrist, no matter how crazy it was. Ally stumbled into the rickety cot, leaves and twigs poking her. She laid the blanket over herself, and turned over so as to see the rainbow light from upstairs. It took her a while to  close her eyes and sleep, worrying about her parents and siblings. Although puzzled and stressed, Ally eventually drifted to sleep.