In My Own Little World...

"Two years ago, I would've never expected any of this to happen. I was seriously normal, with a normal family and a normal life. Normal friends and acquaintances, I even had a normal room. Nothing about me was weird. I was your average teenager who wanted to try to fit in and be popular and get good grades and freaked when I had a zit on my nose or a bad hair day. But now I'm here, and it's changed greatly." I stopped and looked around at the nymphs, fairies, and fantasy creatures gathering around me.
	"I mean, no offense, but back then, if someone asked me what a nymph was, I probably would've thought it was some sort of skin cancer." A few of the nymphs giggled. 
"That's how normal I was," I continued. "I liked it that way back then. But then I changed. It must've started with my little sister. She was two years younger then me, but as she got older, she became more of a brat to me. I began imagining of a life without her and my family that just bugged me constantly. I imagined a better place where I was understood.
"Slowly I began losing some of my friends. Not the real close ones, just the acquaintances. I didn't mind that. I figured I didn't need them; they were just crowding up my life. It gave me more time to be alone and stay in my fantasy world. I then suddenly found the crowd that was into Goth and fantasy galore. You know, crystal worshipping, 'goddess' worshipping, dragons, wizards, medieval, Dungeons and Dragons, all that stuff. I hung around with them a lot more, and learned quite a bit about the fantasy worlds. That's when I decided that my own little world needed pep. And that's where you all come in."
I paused again as they all smiled. I carefully studied them and realized that somewhere in their personalities had a bit of me lingering. That's why I liked it here. I had created them.
I realized that I was out of story to tell. I had basically summed up my life, so what was there to say?
"You can tell us about your family... That is, if it isn't too painful." I looked up to the beautiful oracle named Nava. I forgot she could read minds.
"It's not painful," I replied in a calm tone. "Just stupid. My little sister was always a brat, and I'm sure you all know how that one goes... unless you're the little sister." I grinned and continued. "And my parents just set way too many limitations on me. When I was fifteen, there were PG-13 movies that I still couldn't see. I couldn't even get my license when I turned sixteen because my parents wouldn't go driving with me when I had my permit. They thought I should completely wait until I'm sixteen to even sit on the driver's side." I thought really hard about why they had done all that. I looked at Nava. 
"And I don't have any explanation for all that. Check my mind as much as you want, Nava, you'll see I'm completely flabbergasted." She nodded, believing me.
I stood up and stretched. The day had been long and night never lasted long around here. My creaturely friends began complaining, but I told them we should all get some rest because sleep was very important. They reluctantly agreed, and retreated back to their houses for the night.
One little girl was still sitting on a boulder after everyone had cleared away. I recognized her as an Amazon from a village close by. I guess she really wasn't that little, but she seemed that way. She still sat with her knees up to her chest, staring at the fire. I decided to see what was up.
"Hey," I said gently as I walked up to her. I kneeled down in front of her. "Are you all right? The story is over. Everyone went to bed." I paused as she began rocking back and forth, staring at the ground. "That's where you should be too." She finally looked up at me.
"You don't have to treat me like a little kid," She spoke in a quiet voice. "I'm not a baby, you know."
"Well, you look so small..."
"I know, and it sucks. No one takes me seriously. No one's afraid of me or anything, and I'm supposed to be an Amazon."
"How old are-" I began.
"I'm fifteen," She sighed. 
I looked at her in awe, trying to find a trace of adolescence in her. She sighed again and glared annoyed.
"So, um, why aren't you at your village?" I was extremely confused as to why she was sitting here, because most of the time, the Amazons like to stay as far away from other humans as possible.
"I just decided to stay here for a while, that's all..." There was a bit of uncertainty in her voice. "Is that a problem?" She growled.
I stood up. "No, no, it's fine. I don't mind."
"Oh yeah, that's right. You run this place, don't you?" She said darkly.
I began to walk away. "That's right," I yelled back. Now she was just moody. 
"Hey, Lara," She called back. I turned. "If this is your made up world in your mind, what's in your head now?" She sounded so sincere that it astounded me. I stopped and walked a little closer to her.
"I don't know... I guess I have more than one mind."
"And where's the real you?" She wasn't trying to torment me, I knew she was very interested in this, for some odd reason.
"Well, I'm here. And I'm real. Touch me, I'm real."  She jabbed me in the shoulder. "Ow." I replied. She laughed.
"Listen, if you don't want to go to the Amazon for the night, you can stay with me. 'Cause, you know, I'm really real so I really sleep." I smiled as she did.
"I would like that," She said after a pause.
"Well, good. Let's go." We walked off to my hut for the night.
*~*~*
The next morning I awoke to beautiful, lively flute music. The chords were uplifting and yet slightly dark and mysterious at the same time. It seemed very complex, and I couldn't figure out who was doing it. As my mind focused, I realized that the flute music was coming from the girl who had spent the night at my house. I looked up at her curiously.
"Where did you get that flute?" I wondered. She looked up surprised.
"Oh, you're finally awake. I was wondering when you were going to get up." She sat down on her bed. "I found this in the woods between the Amazon and Willow."
"And you just picked it up and kept it for yourself?" I didn't think anyone would take a flute that had been lost and use it as their own around here, but I guess you never know.
"No, no. It was a piece of wood this morning when I found it." She rolled her eyes. "I carved it into this."
"Wow." I sat up. "That takes a lot of skill. And that song you were playing, what was it?" I reached out for the flute. She handed it to me.
"I don't know... Just something I made up. I've been trying to figure out what to call it."
"Well, it's extremely beautiful," I said, marveling the flute.
"Which one?"
"Both." I smiled and handed it back.
There was a silence as I tried to wake myself up and she looked over her flute. I then realized that I didn't know this girl's name. 
"Hey, what's your name? You know mine, but I have no idea who you are."
She smiled slightly. "My name is Talia." She answered, a bit proud of herself.
"It sounds like an Amazon name." I replied smiling. It was pretty, and at the same time, had a sort of fierceness about it. That's what made the Amazons so amazing. She looked down a bit ashamed. "What?" I asked her, wondering if I had said something wrong.
"Nothing... It's just that I'm not really sure I should call myself an Amazon. That's all."
I sat forward, very curious as to why this was. She avoided all eye contact. "Well, why? You seem like an Amazon..." I trailed off. As she looked away, I could see a tear in her eye. I decided to shut up.
She turned back. "It's nonsense," She replied. "Just some stupid situation with family. Kind of like yours." 
I nodded and stood up. I had no idea what she was talking about, but I wasn't going to push her. That had happened a few too many times with me and I had lost quite a few good friends. Stretching, I asked, "So, what do you want to do today? Stay here? It's really fun in Willow."
"I could stay?" She sounded very unsure.
"Well of course. The people around here are nice and respect Amazons."
"Stop calling me an Amazon!" Her voice was harsh and direct.
I jumped clear to the ceiling and landed on my bed. "I- I'm sorry." I stammered. "It just slipped- I was trying to make a point that's all." Her eyes turned cold. "I just meant that the people of Willow are good people and accept others that aren't from the village. That's all." 
Her eyes glared down on me hard, and I began to cringe. How could this little girl be so temper mental? It must've been something I said. Again. 
I stood up out of the way. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean anything." I took one step towards her. "But I'd really like it if you stayed," I said, trying to change the subject the best I could.
Her face softened a bit. "Really?" Her voice didn't sound as harsh. I smiled relieved.
"Yeah."
Her face softened, but she had an uptight stature. "I guess I'd like that," she said, in a normal voice now. I sighed.
"Well, then, what would you like to do? There's quite a bit of stuff to do around here."
She sighed thoughtfully. "Can I just sit and relax somewhere?" She asked, a dreamy smile on her face. "In the village, we don't often get the chance to."
I nodded understandingly. "I know just the place to. I hope your not afraid of heights," I said, grinning mischievously. 
*~*~*
A little while later, after climbing a small mountain that I had claimed as my sanctuary, we sat atop a grassy plateau that overlooked the land in silence, taking in all the beauty. I leaned back and lay out on the grass, a smile on my face. Putting my hands behind my head I sighed happily. It always felt good to come up here. It was so calming and exhilarating at the same time. It made me feel like I could touch the clouds. I loved that feeling.
Talia turned to me, a small smile forming on her face. "It is really nice up here, Lara. How did you ever find it?"
I turned and faced her. "Well, remember, this is my imagination. I guess once upon a time I had this all planned out when I was still living in reality. When this became reality, I was quite happy and actually really relieved. I guess I started creating Willow, and all the people who inhabit it, along with the surroundings."
She looked down thoughtfully. "So...you made the Amazons?"
"Yes."
"And the nymphs, fairies, elves, trolls, everyone?"
"Yeah, I did. I didn't even try."
"How did you end up here? If you really belong in some strange reality world, how did you get here?"
I looked down as my smile faded. I wasn't really sure I could talk about it yet. It was a bit painful for some odd reason. No one else knew except Nava, but she had read my mind from day one.
"It was...The power of the mind." She looked over, confused yet intrigued. "The mind is the most powerful tool in the world- any world. It's sharper than any blade, thicker then any armor, and more dangerous then any machine gun out there."
She furrowed her brow. "What's a... machine gun?"
I realized what era I was in. "Oh, uh, nothing. It's just a special weapon back in the real world. My point is, the mind is the ultimate weapon."
"So, you prefer brain over brawn?"
"Basically. I mean, you still need to be able to defend yourself and fight, that of course is inevitable, but with the power of the mind, and the knowledge of how to use it well, you can really fight a lot of battles peacefully."
Talia scoffed and I sat up to face her. "Tell that to the Amazons." She mused. "All they can think about is fighting. They teach us at such a young age to fight and kill and-" She paused. "It's really not the best. I don't like it."
I smiled. She was sounding like me. I liked that. I liked it a lot. I could only hope she would stay with me for a while. We could change a few things around here together. This may have been my dream world, but it wasn't perfect. Nothing was perfect, and it would never be. Willow just seemed like a good alternative at the time. And I think it was. 
"What's over there?" Talia asked, referring to the far and dark part of the land. I looked over, a scowl on my face.
"That's the Shadowlands." I said distastefully. She turned to me, a curious look on her face.
"What did you put over there?" She smiled deviously.
"I didn't do anything," I sighed. "That was made not at my will. I think my mind did it." I paused at her confused face. "I'm not completely in control of my mind, you know. I'm pretty close, but not fully. That part is keeping me here, in my fantasyland. If I ever want to leave, I'll fight whatever the Shadowland has to offer. I don't think it'll be easy."
"Ok, let me get this straight; you created and made up the wonderful lands of Willow, and its surroundings, and suddenly ended up here in your creation. But the only way you got here was through your mind, which is inhabiting the Shadowlands that you did not create whatsoever?" I nodded. She nodded thoughtfully. "Then I know where your mind went to. It went to the Shadowlands."
"No, duh."
"No, what I mean is, when I asked you about where your real mind was, you didn't know. But now we do. That's keeping you here. That's why you've never been able to leave. Don't you see?"
I stood up. "I see, I see." I walked over to the edge and took a closer look at the Shadowlands. What Talia was saying made sense, I just couldn't believe I didn't figure it out first. Maybe my mind wasn't so powerful. No, wait, it was, it brought me here. But now it was in the Shadowlands. What was in my head then? I was still thinking in my head, but if my mind was over there...
I turned to Talia. "Listen, I need to go find Nava, the Oracle. I'm confused on a few things. I guess you can come with me, but stay in my hut, ok?" I walked off. She nodded and followed.
*~*~*
The hut of Nava's smelled of sweet musky incense and more natural remedies then you could ever imagine. I sat on a small cot, looking to the ground. I knew I wouldn't have to say anything, she could just read my mind. 
"Lara, I don't want to read your mind right now," the soothing voice startled me. I looked up to a gentle faced young woman. "You look like you really are in need of something. And yes, it would be easier for me to read your mind, but you need to tell me. It helps to talk about your problems, not just think about them."
I blinked slowly and looked up again, a bit of desperation showing through my face. She smiled and sat beside me. A warm glow came off her. I raised my shoulders, soaking in the feeling. Maybe I could do this. I had known all along that she would help me. We had a sort of connection to each other.