Objects and images swirled around me.Voices were everywhere, bits and pieces of conversations I couldn’t put together. Faces I didn’t recognize, terms I’ve never heard. It all made no sense. But then I realized something.

I was falling down.

Straight down.

The sensation of falling took me by surprise. I felt like Alice in the rabbit hole. Was I going to a place just as mysterious and fantastical as Wonderland? Everything was a blur.

A dream, I thought. This is all a dream.

I pinched myself, but nothing changed. This wasn’t a dream. In dreams, you have some control over what happens, even if it is only through your sub-conscience. You can predict the sequence of events. No, this was no dream, not even a nightmare. This was real.

Then everything went quiet. The only thing I could hear was the wind rushing through my ears. It got faster, and more high pitched. Like a tea kettle whistling on a stovetop. Seconds turned into minutes. My watch wasn’t working, but my sense of time was still pretty good.

After what seemed like forever, everything went pitch black. I fell into a deep, deep slumber.

I awoke. My mind was blank. I felt awkward. Once my eyes adjusted to the light, I realized I was in a room. I was on top of a fluffy white bed. Everything in the room was white: the floor, furniture, ceiling, everything. I sat up and surveyed my surroundings. I felt like I had just awoken from a coma, because I was as confused as heck. I glanced over at the night stand, a saw a note card. I picked it up and read it.

Dear MacKenzie, I understand you are horribly confused right now. And you must be terrified. But darling, there is no reason to be scared. Trust me. You are in a safe place, with safe people who only want to welcome you. So, please follow the directions printed on the back and guide yourself to our grand hall, where we’d all like to say “Welcome”. And I can assure you, you will have the answers you are looking for. Oh, and congratulations! Sincerely, MN.

Who was MN? Where was I? These questions and similar ones raced about my mind, all with no clear answer. I turned the card over and studied the directions. Hopping off the bed and turning the doorknob, I cautiously roamed the halls of this mysterious building. The walls were made of white stone and the floors shined of beautiful white marble. I made my way through twists and turns until I finally came to a large door marked ‘Grand Hall’. I pressed my ear to the door, but the room was silent, maybe soundproof. I took a deep breath and opened the door. I braced myself for swords and guns and monsters awaiting me on the other side. I squeezed my eyes shut and walked in. Instead of the sound of a gunshot or the roar of a dragon, the room erupted into thunderous applause. I slowly opened my eyes and saw children of all ages standing and clapping. The only ones not clapping were three girls standing in the front of the crowd. Like me, they all looked confused and scared. I looked them over.

The first girl was super thin and tall. Her nose was pointy and she had long blonde hair. Her eyes were dark brown, which was an unusual sight given her light blonde hair. The second girl was short and a little chubby. She had bangs and a few freckles. Her brown hair was as straight as a board. The last girl was about the same height as the freckle-faced girl. She was very pale and had black curly hair. I stood frozen in front of a crowd of people I did not know, clapping for reasons I did not understand.

A hand then rested on my shoulder. This is it, I thought. This is where I die. I recognize that voice. It was the voice I had heard in the dark tunnel. It was a woman’s voice. It was gentle. Warm. Welcoming. I turned around and found myself face to face with a tall, dark skinned woman. her hair was the color of midnight and fell around her shoulders in soft waves. Her eyes were green, no gold, no green……..it was hard to tell. But her eyes were friendly and kind. She looked at me as if she had known me her whole life and when she smiled, I couldn’t help but think she was one of the most beautiful persons I had ever seen. Her outfit, was another story. She was dressed in the oddest outfit I’ve ever seen. She had a long, green gown and a tiara of…what was that…tree branches? She was wearing tree branches in her hair?

A man, an very old man, stood next to her. He had a white beard and was wearing a robe with small numbers scattered across it. His face was creased, and his skin was fair. Like the woman, his eyes were kind, but they were a beautiful, soothing color of blue. As he looked me over, it was as if his eyes were laughing, though his face showed no indication of amusement.

I’ve fallen into looney town, I thought to myself.

“Welcome, MacKenzie,” she spoke.

“How-how do you know my name?” I stumbled, the fear present in my voice. She smiled and guided me over to the wall, where four chairs sat. I took a seat, and so did the other three girls. I looked over at the one with blonde hair, and noticed the intense fear in her eyes. Thoughts swirled about my mind, but they were interrupted when the woman clapped her hands together, and all the children took a seat. Now that everyone was sitting, I could see the decor of the room more clearly. There was a great round table in the center or the room, and each chair that surrounded it was occupied. Two thrones sat in the back of the room, providing the only color in the stark, white room. One had vines covering it and the other was surrounded by a mysterious mist.

What the heck? How do vines grow with no garden or mist come inside a building? I must be in a dream. Some weird, strange, dream. Any minute I will wake up. My attention snapped back to reality when the old man began to speak. “Welcome, everyone. We are gathered in our grand hall to celebrate the arrival of our new members.” He said, gesturing to us. Everyone clapped once more. He tried to continue, but it evolved into a small coughing fit. He took a seat on the misty throne, and the woman spoke instead.

“Everyone, we would like to give a warm welcome to, Morgan,” The Black haired girl rose. “August,” the Brown haired girl rose. “Brooklyn,” the girl next to me rose. “And MacKenzie.” I stood up like the others. I felt my face become hot and my palms began to sweat. The woman nodded and we sat down. Then she began talking again.

“Morgan, August, Brooklyn, MacKenzie. We understand that you must be scared and confused right now. Let me can assure you we will answer most of your questions and you are safe.

“A couple of centuries ago, a young young boy experienced what you are going through right now. But worse. He fell into his own portal and was sent here. Just like you. Except there was no palace. All there was was a field. And another girl. They had never met before. They both came from different countries. Both confused, and scared. They couldn’t find a way out. So they built. They built this whole palace. They both had magnificent powers, just like you. They lived alone, but together for a very very long time. Then someone came. It had been 50 years, and someone joined them. They were just as confused as they had previously been. But they had different powers. Powers to control an element. The boy and girl helped the child learn to control these powers. And then another one came. And another one. And this continued until there were 45 children and the two. But the children grew old, and when they turned 20, no longer a teenager, they lost their powers. But they were given a choice to pass on their power to someone much younger, someone that could be the new face of the ability. And the whole cycle started again. No one knew of this. The pattern continued over the centuries. People have decided not to pass their beautiful power on. And that leaves us with only 15 elements. And here you are today. You are standing in the Great Hall. You are in the open arms of Order of the Elements. An organization made to help children with these such powers. And we welcome you. MacKenzie, you control fire,”

I looked down at my hands in shock.

“Brooklyn, you control water. August, you control lightning. And Morgan, you control Sorcery. “Now, let us introduce ourselves. Girls, please meet your fellow members.” The crowd of 11 stood and made a line.

The first one was a boy. Asian. He had dark hair that covered the tops of his eyes. He wore a white cloak. “My name is Feng. I am 16 years old and I control Air.” He had a Chinese accent. He walked over to the other side of the room and then approached the next girl.

She had super curly hair that was sandy brown. She wore a green cloak. “My name is Flora. I am ten years old and I control Plants.” She followed Feng’s steps. Then approached a girl that looked exactly like the one before her. Except she wore a white cloak.

“My name is Fauna. I am ten years old and I control Animals.” Twins! They were both so adorable with their curly locks and British accents. The line continued.

“My name is Scarlet. I am 11 years old. I control Hue.” She wore a pink cloak. She had a Japanese accent and a friendly smile.

“My name is Caldwell. I am 16 years old and I control Ice.” He wore a blue coat and had a Russian accent.

“My name is Luna. I am 18 years old and I control the Moon.” She wore a purple cloak trimmed in silver. When she spoke, I detected a hint of an accent, though I could not place it.

“My name is Aria. I am 17 years old and I control Music.” She wore a teal cloak. German accent.

“My name is Sol. I am 17 years old and I control the Sun.” He’s cute, I thought. He wore a bright yellow cloak and spoke with a Spanish accent. The last one presented himself.

“My name is Chi. I am 13 years old and I control Rocks.” He wore a white cloak and was African American.

These people really did come from all around the world, I thought. The man spoke and called up each of us one by one. He handed each of the girls something and they stood to the side. I was last, and they called out my name. I made my way to the front, and the woman greeted me with a soft smile.

“Hello MacKenzie. I am Mother Nature and this is Father Time,” she said gesturing to the old man. She handed me a red cloak.

“Welcome to Order of the Elements.”