NoWhere

"MOTHER" yelled a young Kaia. Her mother Doris looked agitated. With a look that could make anyone quiet Doris quickly said "Have you no manners? You're not even dressed and the party starts in thirty minutes!", Kaia was only sixteen and didn't know much about clothing, parties, or hair. "But mother what do I wear, and who will do my hair? ", Doris sighed trying to think of an excuse, but couldn't find one. She dragged Kaia to her room and picked out a short yet sweet purple almost lavender dress with white shoes and a matching white bow. "Now I'll help you but you better not get dirty later and ruin this dress" Doris snapped. Kaia nodded and smiled, she was in love with the dress. She felt like a princess. They went to the dressing room and straightened Kaia's long black hair. She always wondered why she looked different from her siblings, while they had eyes like angry storms over the nomadic ocean while she had ones like the pearls that lied beneath. Her brothers and sisters had hair like a raging fire while hers was like the night sky and the falling ash. Her skin was a sunset while the others were as clouds are in the morning air. Her mother always told her she "was the odd one out" or "the special one", but it never bothered her because she liked being different. she called herself "unique". Time was up and it was time to go to the party. It was for all the woman to find husbands. This was the normal. Annual parties every year for the whole town, yet of course the woman would still go out and date but the event was their choosing time. This thing never bothered Kaia because it seemed normal. As they arrived Kaia jumped out and ran to her best friend Monique, who all the adults didn't like their children playing with. Monique was the same age and worked at Kaia's house sometimes and that's when they played. Kaia's siblings always bullied Monique but they were afraid of Kaia so they never did it when she was around. Monique had beautiful brown skin like cattails that swayed in the river and eyes that were gold like the silk sheets on the bed an angel sleeps on and hair like the pure earth. Kaia met Monique when she was five, Monique was working in the garden and Kaia immediately knew they would be friends. They've been going to their hide out yearly to decorate it. They have dolls, paintings, flowers, and even dresses in there. When they were there it felt like a silent film. There was something special about that spot that couldn't compare to any other places. Monique and Kaia had a special relationship, though they were only ten, they felt like they could run the world together. Monique would describe Kaia to her sisters as the best person who she had ever met, as though Kaia was a warrior goddess who could protect a city with her words. Kaia on the other hand would describe Monique like a butterfly, sensitive and beautiful. When Kaia and Monique found eachother at the party, they talked for a while about what's happened at the town and the old times between them. "Kaia! Get over here! Now please!", Doris called. Kaia looked at Monique with a grin, "I'll be right back". Kaia ran over to find her mother with a young boy, probably around the same age as her. Doris looked at Kaia and said "I'd like you to meet Darren, he is a very rich and handsome young man, isn't he?". Kaia looked him up and down, observing him closely. He had hair short and brown like the bark on a hanging tree, and eyes dark green like poison ivy. His skin was white, just like every one else's. Kaia wasn't impressed. Kaia nodded to her mother. Darren scoffs, "I knew she was weird". he walked away without hesitation. Doris just looked at Kaia, with an emotionless look. "You ruin everything", she said without even thinking and walked away. Some boys, including Darren, circled around her. They started asking her questions. "Why do you have a white streak in your hair?" , " Are you a witch?" , "Why do your eyes look like that" , "she's hideous", they didn't stop either. Kaia told them to stop, others began to stare but they didn't really care. The boys picked up rocks and began stoning her. Kaia screamed in pain but nobody else minded. Monique wanted to help but she knew if she did she would get hanged. The boys chanted, "Witch"! Kaia felt like a fox in a wolves cage. The stones felt like she was being struck by lightning. "Stop It" she screamed. One woman who witnessed it all came up to the boys and yelled at them to stop. Nobody had ever seen her before. She was new maybe? Nobody knew. Silence was all you could hear. Then it broke into whispers. The boys stopped at the mysterious woman. Kaia got up, though she was bleeding and had bruises. The woman looked at Kaia. Her hair was the kind of white to make new snow look grey. Her skin was pink yet gold like the flesh of a skinned peach. She wore a knee length purple gown that resembled the grapes only God's and Goddesses ate. Although her eyes were the most interesting, silver just like Kaia's, just like the full moon. She spoke loudly, "My name is Carman, I am Queen of No where". The people started laughing but she kept her cool. "I know what your thinking, but No where is indeed a kingdom". Everyone went quiet, as though confused by the absurdity. Kaia looked at her. she got this feeling of sunshine and the night wind at the same time. The feeling of warmth yet she could also feel the joyous feeling of snow. Carman knelt down to Kaia and tucked her hair behind her ear. Kaia looked into her eyes and thanked her for stopping the boys. Carman nodded and wiped Kaia's tears. Carman saw the raging ash, the violent waves, and the abyss in her eyes. Kaia looked at her mother angrily for not helping her. She was angry at everyone. she ran into the woods. Monique ran after her, until she found her in their hide out. She found Kaia staring out the cold window. Monique looked at her and said, "You know you can talk to me about anything, I'm still here". Kaia turned around and stared at the bench. They both sat down and looked at each other. Monique looked down at the soft yet crunchy woodland floors, "Do you remember when we first met?", Kaia looked at her. "I was working in the garden and you came out to tell me I looked pretty in my dress that looked like old cloth, do you still remember, because I do", Monique said while putting her hand on Kaia's wet cheek. Kaia looked her in her eyes and nodded. Their eyes we're full of emotion. While Monique saw the ash of an undying fire, Kaia saw the core of the flames.