Luke Pane and his Anomaly Sister

“Their blood, flesh, mind, and soul, is chaos in its truest form; from the time they were made, henceforth, the wheel of the world had shifted on its axis, and since then, nothing has ever been the same. Humans, they are called... and are the perfect specimen; they are the very creatures that continue to make this world a little more interesting. Now, should they ever perish, it would be the death of every living thing as we know it. Dryads and other spirits of nature and death have observed and recorded them since the spirits of life, nature and reasoning created them. A few thousand years after their birth, beings of different species’- Elves, Fairies, Mermaids and even the Dryads began to procreate with humans, creating more diverse and enhanced human hybrids with special abilities. For hundreds of years, these hybrids organized and stretched across the world, conquering many civilizations and causing the Three Centuries World War altering the natural order of things; nearly every sentient being that kept the world alive and thriving, was dying. Before all hope was lost, The Gods, we call The Herec, intervened. Legend has it, in just minutes, a thick fog spread across the globe and the world was silenced. For four days, black spears rained down, finding every human hybrid on the planet, obliterating them. On the fifth day, the fog cleared and the peoples of every land awoke to a new world-a quieter, more peaceful place-a place to rebuild and start anew. Now... thousands of years later, the hybrid gene is still carried in some humans-but it is dormant. However, once every other century or so, humans with this gene activate it when they first experience puberty. These particular humans are called anomalies.” The tree spirit, a Dryad, explained to her imp son-Joby; a little yellow humanoid creature with horns and a tail. Beady, shiny black eyes too.

“I have witnessed anomalies many times in my long existence. But this time is different. There is still one living, and another has recently been born. A baby girl... She has a twin brother; he is a normal human.”

“Oh my... goodness! Oh, exciting! Is... is she among us now mother?” Joby asked. She peered down at his innocent face from her throne in her oak tree. The twinkle in his eyes always melted her heart. He was over five hundred years old, yet still had somewhat the mind of a child. He will never change.

She said, “Why yes, yes they are. I have never had the opportunity to meet one until now.”

“Maybe I can help you meet them.”

Amused, she reached her hand out to him, “Come to me, Joby.” He smiled and walked closer. She leaned forward, “Yes, I would love it if you helped me. There is something else I would like to do as well... For that though, we will have to wait a few more years for the twins to mature.”

“What is that you speak of?” he asked.

“There was a rule created for all spirits and other beings actually indigenous to this world; do not influence any anomalies, for that may cause another war like before. I have seen, by the time they grow old, they have only mastered a small portion of their abilities. They don’t understand who they are. I want to teach this girl what, and who she is... so she can become a legend.”

“That is against the rules though... And she might start a rebellion!”

“Joby, remember what I told you about the history of anomalies. Now... there will always be that one soul daring enough to ask the question ‘what if?’, and take the extra step. If I am punished, then I will be punished, but I will not go down as just another Dryad.”

He looked down at his hands and twiddled his thumbs, “How will you make her a legend?”

She sat back in her throne, smiling again, “We will create a situation. Don’t worry... I will explain when the time comes. As for now, we will watch the children grow and you will become best of friends with them. Particularly the boy-We will focus on him first.”

“Why?”

“Well... he is the key to making my plan work. Be patient Joby.”

“Yes mother...”

She lifted his chin with her finger, “This will be exciting. You will see.” He blinked at her soft, kind and warm eyes.

Again, he began to smile.