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Description
Chapter One

The warm summer breeze gently sailed over the sparkling, undisturbed water of the Crosvan Park pond. All was quiet and peaceful; the maple leaves barely rustled when the wind hit them. Suddenly the silence was broken. A crowd of children, all wearing swimsuits, were racing to the edge of the pond. Behind the laughing children came the adults, who were talking together. With them was thirteen-year-old April Moonstone.
April was a wave creator, a mover of the water. She had this power for as long as she could remember, but she was never told where her mom first got it. In fact, April's mom never told her much of anything about either of their pasts.
April waded into the cool water up to her waist. She was careful not to go too far out, as she was only six inches tall. Crosvanians grew from two to around eight inches tall, though they resembled humans in every other way.
Everyone made swift movements with their arms and legs, and spheres made of water hovered in the air. The spheres trembled for a moment, then magically started forming into different shapes.
April was with the experts learning how to turn the water into a solid. She was only a beginner at this technique, but she was very confident that she would complete it. She positioned her arms and locked her gaze on the clearish orb. A thin white line appeared at the top and slowly started to spread, hardening the ball. Seconds later, it was one-fourth of the way finished. It fell into the pond with a big splash. Water droplets landed in April's straight ebony-black hair.
She sighed. How humiliating! Everything was going along great; she actually thought she would become the first teenager to accomplish something that would take years of practice. Learning always came easy to her, so April had expected to perfect that move fairly quickly. At least she managed to harden part of the sphere.
Taking a deep breath, she held her hands over the water. Raising them, she made a tiny dome appeared, but it sank beneath the surface a few seconds later. April was shocked. She tried to make a wave, but nothing happened. Frustrated, she then decided to make the dew on the grass float in midair. When this failed to work, April realized the horrible truth. She had lost her power to control the water!
With tears in her eyes, April ran towards the village. She needed to be alone. When she had gone a few feet away from the Crosvan pond she heard the patter of feet behind her. It was her friend Marinda. April quickly spun around.
"Marinda! What are you doing here?"
"You ran away; it's not like you to leave right in the middle of wave creating lessons."
"If this is about your bracelet, I don't have it." This wasn't entirely true though, because April had buried it close to the nearby forest.
"Well, I think you do. Anyway, I wanted to see what was wrong,"
"I'm perfectly fine. Now just go away and leave me alone."
April, confused and scared, ran inside her well-furnished hut and threw herself on her bed. Her mom appeared in the bedroom doorway a few minuets later. April jerked upright, her face red from crying.
"I know there's something wrong."
"How did you know?" the girl asked. Her mom sat on the soft mattress and caressed her daughter's long hair.
"Marinda told me. Would you like to inform me of what's going on?"
Taking a deep breath, April blurted out, "I've lost my wave creating, and I need to know how I can get it back."
Mrs.Moonstone thought for a moment, then said, "Meet me in the kitchen once your dressed, and I'll tell you what I know. There will be breakfast waiting for you once you're done."
April smiled. She thought her mom would have a solution to her problem. She quickly slipped on a white t-shirt and lavender shorts, and ran into the kitchen. Her mom placed her breakfast on the table, which consisted of a hummingbird's egg and a few freshly picked blueberries. The two sat down, and Mrs.Moonstone began to explain how April could redeem her wave creating ability.
"It is said that if a wave creator ever loses her powers, she should pick a yellow lily. Then, she should take it, dip it in water, and have a human hold it. The magic would then do it's work instantly. Just because you are the first of the Crosvanians to lose your power, this doesn't mean that the magic of the yellow lily won't work."
"Can I go to the park garden and see if I can find the flower?" asked April.
"Okay, just watch out for the humans, and don't try to get your wave creating back."
April nodded. She knew the danger of being discovered by humans, especially children. Not long ago, when she was almost thirteen, a seven-year-old Crosvanian went missing. The young child, who was wandering near the large playground, was grabbed by a five-year-old human, and was never seen again.
April had already finished washing her plate, and was racing out the door. Since her destination was only four yards away from the village, she reached it fairly quickly. The sweet aroma of herbs and flowers greeted her as she walked among the many plants. She paused a moment at the tulips, her favorite type of flowers. The lilies were nearby, placed between the violets and the golden rods. There were the yellow ones, growing next to the orange black-speckled tiger lilies.
"Perfect!" April whispered. When the time was right, she could pick the flower and dip it in the pond. The only problem, though, was finding the right human to hold it.
Before she had time to think of it, she heard the loud ringing of a bell. The bell, centered in the middle of the village, was rung when the very first of the Crosvan Park visitors were sighted. The wave creators at the pond were fleeing towards the village in order to be safe in their homes.
The girl started to become worried about her own safety, but she wasn't going to leave just yet. She wanted to see if the garden had some peppermint. That would surely make the house smell nice. Going to the herbs, she found it in a matter of seconds. April started plucking tiny leaves off the plant. Maybe her mom could grind them up and put them in water for perfume.
She looked over her shoulder, and froze. There, behind her, was a human. The human was about twelve, and wore a pair of lime green shorts with an identically colored tank top. The girl grabbed April, and threw her into a light brown leather purse.
"Deborah! Gail! Stacy!" called a distant voice. "Get in the car; I'll be there in a minute." Deborah, the one who grabbed April, sprinted to the silver vehicle. "Guy's, come see what I found," she said, locking all the doors except the one next to the driver's seat. "What is it, Deborah?" the other two sisters asked.
The human reached down into the purse, and pulled out April. The Crosvanian's throat was dry, so she couldn't scream. Looking up, she saw three faces, all with the same emerald eyes and short brown hair. The girls were triplets! Besides the colors, even the clothes matched. Deborah wore lime green, Stacy had on bright red, and Gail was dressed in sky blue.
"What is that thing?" Gail pondered. "It just couldn't be a fairy; the wings are missing."
Stacy said, "Then I guess it's an elf, seeing how the ears are pointy."
"No, elves live at the north pole."
"Not all of them. Some live in woods."
"Well whatever it is, I think that it's best that we keep it secret from everyone," stated Deborah.
One of the car doors opened, and the triplet's mom got into the driver's seat. April was put back inside the purse as the car drove away from the Crosvan Park; away from her home.
The car pulled into the driveway of a white three-story house. The triplets jumped out, and asked for the house keys. After unlocking the front door, they ran up the stairs, down the hall, and into their room.
"Lock the door," Deborah told Gail. "We don't want our little elf to escape." She took April out of the purse and placed her gently on a soft tiny mattress while Gail went to shut the bedroom door, completely ignoring the fact that their specimen just might be thin enough to slide under on her back.
April curled herself into a ball, hiding her face with her knees. This had to be a bad dream; it just couldn't be real. Her mom would be waking her momentarily, and the rest of April's day would be like it normally was. But the cold but light touch of a huge finger to her leg confirmed that she was indeed conscious. The frightened girl cautiously raised her eyes to look at the three humans that had huddled around her a second ago. They were still there.
"We won't hurt you," Gail said with a reassuring smile.
"Yea, right," April muttered.
"Well, it's true. What would make you not trust us."
"Hmm, let's see. You guys are human, for starters. I was taught to never trust you creatures. I was thrown in an unorganized, stuffy bag that stank of that stuff humans put on their lips; you made it so I'll never go back home; and are now probably going to preform experiments on me or keep me as a pet. Why would I put my confidence in ruthless kidnappers?"
"Yes, we are going to keep you as a pet, but we wouldn't hurt a fly. You are going to be safe with us; perhaps even more safe than you were back at the park.
The Crosvanian just crossed her arms and scowled.
"This is where you'll be staying," Stacy said, changing the subject.
April looked around the small bedroom of the large dollhouse. The wooden four-post bed was between two windows, both of which had tan silk curtains. A lavender velvet blanket was neatly spread over the bed. Next to it, was a matching chocolate brown nightstand with a pull out drawer. A short dresser with a hand mirror that really worked was against another white wall. The rose pink drawers had swirls carved into them. There was even a trunk to hold things like special collectables. April was fascinated with everything. The sisters smiled, completely amused at watching the tiny stranger.
"Can you tell us a little about yourself?" Deborah queried.
"Only if you guys tell me about yourselves first."
"Okay. I'm Deborah Lancor, and these are my sisters Stacy and Gail. We live here, at 1875 Sky Drive, and we like to sing and draw and do other things like that. Nothing really that fancy. Now it's your turn."
She positioned herself on the bed and began her story. "My name is April Moonraiser and I'm thirteen. I live with my mom in the Crosvan Park, and I used to be able to control water. I kind of lost that power earlier this morning, and I need you guys to help me get it back. Does anyone have any questions?"
"How can we help you?" asked Gail.
"I need water and I need you guys to hold a yellow lily. Are their any around here?"
"There are white ones directly below us. Is that good enough?"
"I think. Mom never said that it only had to be yellow, but I have to pick it and put it in the water myself."
After going to the closet and taking out a jump rope, Deborah drew her sisters away from the dollhouse.
"We can lower her down with this, but how can we trust her?"
"What do you mean?" Stacy asked, confused. "If you think April's going to run off, then why don't you just have her prove to us that she won't?"
The girl merely shrugged her shoulders and walked back over to the girl in question. April was studying the electric lamp on the nightstand; turning it on and off.
"April, we're going to lower you with this jump rope, but how do we know that you are trustworthy enough to not run away?"
April looked up. "I need a human to hold the lily. Besides, you'll be holding the other end of the rope."
Nodding, Deborah securely tied it around her waist. The Crosvanian dove out the open window. But when she reached the ground, she made no motion to pick the flower. Instead, she stood still, as though she was seeing something that enchanted her. April was brought back to consciousness a few minuets later at the sound of one of the girls calling her name. She pulled the lily out by it's roots, and was brought back into the triplets bedroom. Gail walked into the room with a cup of water, saying, "I managed to bribe mom into letting me bring this upstairs." She carefully placed it on her own nightstand.
April wet the petals and held the plant out to the triplets. Each grabbing on to a part of the long stem, they held the flower upright. A clear glittery light surrounded the triplets, and weird things started happening to them. Deborah threw her voice across the room, Stacy became invisible, and Gail could see through the wall! As soon as the light had come, it was gone.
"What just happened?" they asked simultaneously.
April was just as confused. "I don't know, but what ever that was, it didn't affect me at all."
She picked up the lily and looked closely at it. Then, closing her eyes, she tried to recall what her mom had taught her when it came to the white lilies and their power. At the thought of her mother, a large tear trickled down her cheek and onto her lips. The saltiness of it surprised her, and April opened her eyes.
"What's the matter, April?" Deborah asked, noticing the tear.
"It's my mom. I miss her more than you could ever know."
"You want to go back?" the human said silently.
"You all are great, and I am very gratefully for your kindness towards me, but mom must be worried sick about me, and besides, she needs my help."
"Don't you have a father?"
"I'm pretty sure I do, but I don't know anything about him. Mom never told me anything much about her past. Surprisingly, all the families in my tribe are missing a parent."
"Oh. I'm sorry to hear that. I really shouldn't have brought you home with me."
Deborah glanced at Stacy and Gail, who were looking at doll clothes that seemed like they would fit April. Erasing the look of guilt on her face, she bent down and whispered to April, "Stay here for just a few months. I don't want my sisters to get upset.
The Crosvanian notice the white lily still in her hand, so she called Gail and Stacy. "Okay, here's what I think happened. The lily is the most powerful of all the flowers in the entire world. The yellow lily strengthens powers or restores them if they have been lost. The tiger lily takes away powers. I think that one was used on me. The white lily gives powers to those who haven't received any. The way to activate your powers is to hold your hands in front of you and to move them up and down."
Deborah, eager to be first, moved her hands and stared at a silver comb lying on the floor next to her foot. "Why isn't anything happening?" she queried. Her voice sounded like it came from the comb itself! Stacy disappeared when she tried it, and Gail could see through the door she was concentrating on.
"Girls, get your swimsuits on," Mrs. Lancor called from downstairs. "You three have swimming lessons at two. Today's the last day, so we don't want to be late. The mentioned humans looked at the alarm clock. One-thirty already? Boy, time did fly by fast!
"Coming mom," they yelled. The triplets slipped on their tankinis and put flip-flops on their feet. Stacy walked over to April.
"Are you coming?" she asked.
"Yes," was the quick reply.
April jumped into Stacy's purse as the sisters rushed out the door. The park was only about ten minuets away, so they reached it fairly quickly.
They were walking to the sports center when April decided to go to the village and tell her mom that she was safe. She popped her head out of the purse, her eyes growing big and round instantly. There, in the front of the garden, were six large sunflowers. Their faces were pointed up at the bright sun. The Crosvanian smiled as a mischievous thought came to mind.
"Can you put me down?" she asked Stacy innocently.
Stacy stared at her with an apprehensive look on her face. "Are you sure you're going to be alright?"
"Yes, I'll be fine."
"Promise me you won't run away."
"Okay, I promise."
Stacy gently lifted April and placed her on the ground. Then she ran to catch up with her two sisters. As the trio walked into the lobby, a blonde haired woman at the front desk looked up from a book she was reading. Marking her spot with an old wrinkled grocery receipt, she set the book down on the desk.
"You guys must be in for swimming lessons correct?" The lady grinned, showing off a set of pearly white teeth. She lifted one of the pages on a clipboard and scanned it. "Let's see...I have Deborah Stacy and Gail Lancor in Mr. Silvers' class. Good luck on the swim test."
"Thanks," the girls chorused, as they headed down the hall. Gail suddenly turned around and dashed back to the front desk.
"I'd like to know if Nancy Runnings is here."
"Yes, she's in the same class as you."
Gail returned back to the swimming room. Upon seeing the water, she remembered April. After notifying Mr. Silvers that she was present, she climbed into the shallow end and waded over to Deborah.
"Where's April?"
"Stacy said she dropped her off at the pond."
"She did what?"
Fuming, Gail dove underwater and swam over to Stacy, who was preparing to quickly review what she had learned over the summer before the test began. She popped her head up right in front of her. Stacy fell backwards, and came back up a few seconds later coughing and sputtering. She tightly gripped the top of the pool wall so she wouldn't sink.
"What's wrong with you? I almost drowned!"
"Well you know how to regain your balance, so you're fine. And instead of asking what's wrong with me, I should be asking what's wrong with you."
"What do you mean?" Stacy said, worried.
"You released April," her sister responded with clenched teeth.
Stacy rolled her eyes. "I made her promise that she wouldn't run away. Now if you're so concerned for the girl, go look for her yourself."
Gail went over to the ladder and hooked her legs around it. Turnning on her x-ray vision, she stared through the walls of the room. Though she was in the right place, the Crosvan Park pond, all she could see was a smashed tiger lily lying on the shore. Then she notice a sunflower swaying as though a violent storm was bending it. There was April.
She was struggling to uproot the enormous plant. With a final tug, it came out. Holding the sunflower in one hand, she picked up a yellow lily with the other. The Crosvanian then walked to an ignored part of the park and went under a bush.
What Gail saw enthralled her. It was a village made up of many small huts situated so that they formed a large circle. The wave creator was looking around the silent village, and, without warning, dropped the flowers and ran inside one of the huts. Upon finding it empty, her face turned white and she fainted, hitting her head on the hard dirt floor.

Description
Chapter One

The warm summer breeze gently sailed over the sparkling, undisturbed water of the Crosvan Park pond. All was quiet and peaceful; the maple leaves barely rustled when the wind hit them. Suddenly the silence was broken. A crowd of children, all wearing swimsuits, were racing to the edge of the pond. Behind the laughing children came the adults, who were talking together. With them was thirteen-year-old April Moonstone.
April was a wave creator, a mover of the water. She had this power for as long as she could remember, but she was never told where her mom first got it. In fact, April's mom never told her much of anything about either of their pasts.
April waded into the cool water up to her waist. She was careful not to go too far out, as she was only six inches tall. Crosvanians grew from two to around eight inches tall, though they resembled humans in every other way.
Everyone made swift movements with their arms and legs, and spheres made of water hovered in the air. The spheres trembled for a moment, then magically started forming into different shapes.
April was with the experts learning how to turn the water into a solid. She was only a beginner at this technique, but she was very confident that she would complete it. She positioned her arms and locked her gaze on the clearish orb. A thin white line appeared at the top and slowly started to spread, hardening the ball. Seconds later, it was one-fourth of the way finished. It fell into the pond with a big splash. Water droplets landed in April's straight ebony-black hair.
She sighed. How humiliating! Everything was going along great; she actually thought she would become the first teenager to accomplish something that would take years of practice. Learning always came easy to her, so April had expected to perfect that move fairly quickly. At least she managed to harden part of the sphere.
Taking a deep breath, she held her hands over the water. Raising them, she made a tiny dome appeared, but it sank beneath the surface a few seconds later. April was shocked. She tried to make a wave, but nothing happened. Frustrated, she then decided to make the dew on the grass float in midair. When this failed to work, April realized the horrible truth. She had lost her power to control the water!
With tears in her eyes, April ran towards the village. She needed to be alone. When she had gone a few feet away from the Crosvan pond she heard the patter of feet behind her. It was her friend Marinda. April quickly spun around.
"Marinda! What are you doing here?"
"You ran away; it's not like you to leave right in the middle of wave creating lessons."
"If this is about your bracelet, I don't have it." This wasn't entirely true though, because April had buried it close to the nearby forest.
"Well, I think you do. Anyway, I wanted to see what was wrong,"
"I'm perfectly fine. Now just go away and leave me alone."
April, confused and scared, ran inside her well-furnished hut and threw herself on her bed. Her mom appeared in the bedroom doorway a few minuets later. April jerked upright, her face red from crying.
"I know there's something wrong."
"How did you know?" the girl asked. Her mom sat on the soft mattress and caressed her daughter's long hair.
"Marinda told me. Would you like to inform me of what's going on?"
Taking a deep breath, April blurted out, "I've lost my wave creating, and I need to know how I can get it back."
Mrs.Moonstone thought for a moment, then said, "Meet me in the kitchen once your dressed, and I'll tell you what I know. There will be breakfast waiting for you once you're done."
April smiled. She thought her mom would have a solution to her problem. She quickly slipped on a white t-shirt and lavender shorts, and ran into the kitchen. Her mom placed her breakfast on the table, which consisted of a hummingbird's egg and a few freshly picked blueberries. The two sat down, and Mrs.Moonstone began to explain how April could redeem her wave creating ability.
"It is said that if a wave creator ever loses her powers, she should pick a yellow lily. Then, she should take it, dip it in water, and have a human hold it. The magic would then do it's work instantly. Just because you are the first of the Crosvanians to lose your power, this doesn't mean that the magic of the yellow lily won't work."
"Can I go to the park garden and see if I can find the flower?" asked April.
"Okay, just watch out for the humans, and don't try to get your wave creating back."
April nodded. She knew the danger of being discovered by humans, especially children. Not long ago, when she was almost thirteen, a seven-year-old Crosvanian went missing. The young child, who was wandering near the large playground, was grabbed by a five-year-old human, and was never seen again.
April had already finished washing her plate, and was racing out the door. Since her destination was only four yards away from the village, she reached it fairly quickly. The sweet aroma of herbs and flowers greeted her as she walked among the many plants. She paused a moment at the tulips, her favorite type of flowers. The lilies were nearby, placed between the violets and the golden rods. There were the yellow ones, growing next to the orange black-speckled tiger lilies.
"Perfect!" April whispered. When the time was right, she could pick the flower and dip it in the pond. The only problem, though, was finding the right human to hold it.
Before she had time to think of it, she heard the loud ringing of a bell. The bell, centered in the middle of the village, was rung when the very first of the Crosvan Park visitors were sighted. The wave creators at the pond were fleeing towards the village in order to be safe in their homes.
The girl started to become worried about her own safety, but she wasn't going to leave just yet. She wanted to see if the garden had some peppermint. That would surely make the house smell nice. Going to the herbs, she found it in a matter of seconds. April started plucking tiny leaves off the plant. Maybe her mom could grind them up and put them in water for perfume.
She looked over her shoulder, and froze. There, behind her, was a human. The human was about twelve, and wore a pair of lime green shorts with an identically colored tank top. The girl grabbed April, and threw her into a light brown leather purse.
"Deborah! Gail! Stacy!" called a distant voice. "Get in the car; I'll be there in a minute." Deborah, the one who grabbed April, sprinted to the silver vehicle. "Guy's, come see what I found," she said, locking all the doors except the one next to the driver's seat. "What is it, Deborah?" the other two sisters asked.
The human reached down into the purse, and pulled out April. The Crosvanian's throat was dry, so she couldn't scream. Looking up, she saw three faces, all with the same emerald eyes and short brown hair. The girls were triplets! Besides the colors, even the clothes matched. Deborah wore lime green, Stacy had on bright red, and Gail was dressed in sky blue.
"What is that thing?" Gail pondered. "It just couldn't be a fairy; the wings are missing."
Stacy said, "Then I guess it's an elf, seeing how the ears are pointy."
"No, elves live at the north pole."
"Not all of them. Some live in woods."
"Well whatever it is, I think that it's best that we keep it secret from everyone," stated Deborah.
One of the car doors opened, and the triplet's mom got into the driver's seat. April was put back inside the purse as the car drove away from the Crosvan Park; away from her home.
The car pulled into the driveway of a white three-story house. The triplets jumped out, and asked for the house keys. After unlocking the front door, they ran up the stairs, down the hall, and into their room.
"Lock the door," Deborah told Gail. "We don't want our little elf to escape." She took April out of the purse and placed her gently on a soft tiny mattress while Gail went to shut the bedroom door, completely ignoring the fact that their specimen just might be thin enough to slide under on her back.
April curled herself into a ball, hiding her face with her knees. This had to be a bad dream; it just couldn't be real. Her mom would be waking her momentarily, and the rest of April's day would be like it normally was. But the cold but light touch of a huge finger to her leg confirmed that she was indeed conscious. The frightened girl cautiously raised her eyes to look at the three humans that had huddled around her a second ago. They were still there.
"We won't hurt you," Gail said with a reassuring smile.
"Yea, right," April muttered.
"Well, it's true. What would make you not trust us."
"Hmm, let's see. You guys are human, for starters. I was taught to never trust you creatures. I was thrown in an unorganized, stuffy bag that stank of that stuff humans put on their lips; you made it so I'll never go back home; and are now probably going to preform experiments on me or keep me as a pet. Why would I put my confidence in ruthless kidnappers?"
"Yes, we are going to keep you as a pet, but we wouldn't hurt a fly. You are going to be safe with us; perhaps even more safe than you were back at the park.
The Crosvanian just crossed her arms and scowled.
"This is where you'll be staying," Stacy said, changing the subject.
April looked around the small bedroom of the large dollhouse. The wooden four-post bed was between two windows, both of which had tan silk curtains. A lavender velvet blanket was neatly spread over the bed. Next to it, was a matching chocolate brown nightstand with a pull out drawer. A short dresser with a hand mirror that really worked was against another white wall. The rose pink drawers had swirls carved into them. There was even a trunk to hold things like special collectables. April was fascinated with everything. The sisters smiled, completely amused at watching the tiny stranger.
"Can you tell us a little about yourself?" Deborah queried.
"Only if you guys tell me about yourselves first."
"Okay. I'm Deborah Lancor, and these are my sisters Stacy and Gail. We live here, at 1875 Sky Drive, and we like to sing and draw and do other things like that. Nothing really that fancy. Now it's your turn."
She positioned herself on the bed and began her story. "My name is April Moonraiser and I'm thirteen. I live with my mom in the Crosvan Park, and I used to be able to control water. I kind of lost that power earlier this morning, and I need you guys to help me get it back. Does anyone have any questions?"
"How can we help you?" asked Gail.
"I need water and I need you guys to hold a yellow lily. Are their any around here?"
"There are white ones directly below us. Is that good enough?"
"I think. Mom never said that it only had to be yellow, but I have to pick it and put it in the water myself."
After going to the closet and taking out a jump rope, Deborah drew her sisters away from the dollhouse.
"We can lower her down with this, but how can we trust her?"
"What do you mean?" Stacy asked, confused. "If you think April's going to run off, then why don't you just have her prove to us that she won't?"
The girl merely shrugged her shoulders and walked back over to the girl in question. April was studying the electric lamp on the nightstand; turning it on and off.
"April, we're going to lower you with this jump rope, but how do we know that you are trustworthy enough to not run away?"
April looked up. "I need a human to hold the lily. Besides, you'll be holding the other end of the rope."
Nodding, Deborah securely tied it around her waist. The Crosvanian dove out the open window. But when she reached the ground, she made no motion to pick the flower. Instead, she stood still, as though she was seeing something that enchanted her. April was brought back to consciousness a few minuets later at the sound of one of the girls calling her name. She pulled the lily out by it's roots, and was brought back into the triplets bedroom. Gail walked into the room with a cup of water, saying, "I managed to bribe mom into letting me bring this upstairs." She carefully placed it on her own nightstand.
April wet the petals and held the plant out to the triplets. Each grabbing on to a part of the long stem, they held the flower upright. A clear glittery light surrounded the triplets, and weird things started happening to them. Deborah threw her voice across the room, Stacy became invisible, and Gail could see through the wall! As soon as the light had come, it was gone.
"What just happened?" they asked simultaneously.
April was just as confused. "I don't know, but what ever that was, it didn't affect me at all."
She picked up the lily and looked closely at it. Then, closing her eyes, she tried to recall what her mom had taught her when it came to the white lilies and their power. At the thought of her mother, a large tear trickled down her cheek and onto her lips. The saltiness of it surprised her, and April opened her eyes.
"What's the matter, April?" Deborah asked, noticing the tear.
"It's my mom. I miss her more than you could ever know."
"You want to go back?" the human said silently.
"You all are great, and I am very gratefully for your kindness towards me, but mom must be worried sick about me, and besides, she needs my help."
"Don't you have a father?"
"I'm pretty sure I do, but I don't know anything about him. Mom never told me anything much about her past. Surprisingly, all the families in my tribe are missing a parent."
"Oh. I'm sorry to hear that. I really shouldn't have brought you home with me."
Deborah glanced at Stacy and Gail, who were looking at doll clothes that seemed like they would fit April. Erasing the look of guilt on her face, she bent down and whispered to April, "Stay here for just a few months. I don't want my sisters to get upset.
The Crosvanian notice the white lily still in her hand, so she called Gail and Stacy. "Okay, here's what I think happened. The lily is the most powerful of all the flowers in the entire world. The yellow lily strengthens powers or restores them if they have been lost. The tiger lily takes away powers. I think that one was used on me. The white lily gives powers to those who haven't received any. The way to activate your powers is to hold your hands in front of you and to move them up and down."
Deborah, eager to be first, moved her hands and stared at a silver comb lying on the floor next to her foot. "Why isn't anything happening?" she queried. Her voice sounded like it came from the comb itself! Stacy disappeared when she tried it, and Gail could see through the door she was concentrating on.
"Girls, get your swimsuits on," Mrs. Lancor called from downstairs. "You three have swimming lessons at two. Today's the last day, so we don't want to be late. The mentioned humans looked at the alarm clock. One-thirty already? Boy, time did fly by fast!
"Coming mom," they yelled. The triplets slipped on their tankinis and put flip-flops on their feet. Stacy walked over to April.
"Are you coming?" she asked.
"Yes," was the quick reply.
April jumped into Stacy's purse as the sisters rushed out the door. The park was only about ten minuets away, so they reached it fairly quickly.
They were walking to the sports center when April decided to go to the village and tell her mom that she was safe. She popped her head out of the purse, her eyes growing big and round instantly. There, in the front of the garden, were six large sunflowers. Their faces were pointed up at the bright sun. The Crosvanian smiled as a mischievous thought came to mind.
"Can you put me down?" she asked Stacy innocently.
Stacy stared at her with an apprehensive look on her face. "Are you sure you're going to be alright?"
"Yes, I'll be fine."
"Promise me you won't run away."
"Okay, I promise."
Stacy gently lifted April and placed her on the ground. Then she ran to catch up with her two sisters. As the trio walked into the lobby, a blonde haired woman at the front desk looked up from a book she was reading. Marking her spot with an old wrinkled grocery receipt, she set the book down on the desk.
"You guys must be in for swimming lessons correct?" The lady grinned, showing off a set of pearly white teeth. She lifted one of the pages on a clipboard and scanned it. "Let's see...I have Deborah Stacy and Gail Lancor in Mr. Silvers' class. Good luck on the swim test."
"Thanks," the girls chorused, as they headed down the hall. Gail suddenly turned around and dashed back to the front desk.
"I'd like to know if Nancy Runnings is here."
"Yes, she's in the same class as you."
Gail returned back to the swimming room. Upon seeing the water, she remembered April. After notifying Mr. Silvers that she was present, she climbed into the shallow end and waded over to Deborah.
"Where's April?"
"Stacy said she dropped her off at the pond."
"She did what?"
Fuming, Gail dove underwater and swam over to Stacy, who was preparing to quickly review what she had learned over the summer before the test began. She popped her head up right in front of her. Stacy fell backwards, and came back up a few seconds later coughing and sputtering. She tightly gripped the top of the pool wall so she wouldn't sink.
"What's wrong with you? I almost drowned!"
"Well you know how to regain your balance, so you're fine. And instead of asking what's wrong with me, I should be asking what's wrong with you."
"What do you mean?" Stacy said, worried.
"You released April," her sister responded with clenched teeth.
Stacy rolled her eyes. "I made her promise that she wouldn't run away. Now if you're so concerned for the girl, go look for her yourself."
Gail went over to the ladder and hooked her legs around it. Turnning on her x-ray vision, she stared through the walls of the room. Though she was in the right place, the Crosvan Park pond, all she could see was a smashed tiger lily lying on the shore. Then she notice a sunflower swaying as though a violent storm was bending it. There was April.
She was struggling to uproot the enormous plant. With a final tug, it came out. Holding the sunflower in one hand, she picked up a yellow lily with the other. The Crosvanian then walked to an ignored part of the park and went under a bush.
What Gail saw enthralled her. It was a village made up of many small huts situated so that they formed a large circle. The wave creator was looking around the silent village, and, without warning, dropped the flowers and ran inside one of the huts. Upon finding it empty, her face turned white and she fainted, hitting her head on the hard dirt floor.