Part Four; Chapter One

The Woman, Man, and young daughter turned to face her. The Young one scammpered behind her Mother's skirt. The man stepped forward. Kera took note of his slightly thinning hair and thin build, she assumed he was "the Father".

      "Welcome," He said, a warm smile lighting his face. " to Saturn. Are you tired from your trip?"

        "Not really. But thank you. I'm Kera."

        " Geoffrey. Geoffrey McDawn."

          " McDawn. That's a cool name."  Geoffrey looked slightly confussed at Kera's choice of words, but from her tone, he took it to be a good thing.

          "Yes. This, " He gestured to the woman, " is Martha, my wife. And this, " He gestured at the hiding Child, " Is Jessinia." Then Jessinia chose to speak up, peeking from around her mothers skirt, she said boldly;

        "Call me Jessi."

Kera nodded at both of them, then turned to Geoffrey.

      "Now that introductions are out of the way, what next?"

        " We should see about getting you some better clothes." Martha commented.
Baffled, Kera asked, "What's wrong with these?" Her clothes didn't look so different from the ones Geoffrey and Martha were wearing.

        "Yours have giant holes on the back." Martha commented.
Kera craned her neck to take a look at the holes. The almost met between her shoulders and traveled down her back almost a foot.

          "They are a little noticable, aren't they?"

Martha nodded. "Geoffrey, Will you take Jessinia back to the house? Kera and I must peruse the market place."

Geoffrey nodded and took Jessinia's hand, while Kera fluttered her wings in delite, saying, "Shopping! Allright!"

Martha guided Kera to the market, where pedelers called out names of every item Kera could imagine, and even some that she couldn't.

Martha expertly weaved and swerved through the crowd while Kera fluttered along a few feet above the crowd.

        "This is more fun than I expected!" Kera murrmered to herself. Martha stopped in front of a tall Woman, a sword glimmered in the late afternoon sun and dozons of garments, dresses, skirts and cloaks lined the walls of her shop.

    "Oooh!" Kera sighed in awe of the stunning fabrics and brilliant colors. Martha was talking to the Woman.

        " Tabitha, This is my 'new' Daughter Kera, she was brought here by Galatic. We are looking for some nice clothes for her.

Tabitha nodded without speaking, then, glancing a Kera's clothes said in a surprisingly low voice, "Looks like she could use some.In exchange for some of your delicious bread, Martha, I'll let you buy at half price."

      "You are so kind, Tabitha." Martha said warmly. "Come by day after tomorrow, and I'll have the bread ready for you."

Tabitha nodded and turned back to the street. Kera went back to the walls of clothing. The clothes were arranged by color.

"Clever idea." Kera thought as the warm purples caugh her attention. picking up one item and putitng it back, Kera compared color schemes, and styles. She especially loved a light blue skirt that was a bit short for Martha's liking, but Kera appeased her by combining it with comfy looking leggings in a lavander purple. For a top, Kera chose a purple shirt that matched the leggings, whose sleeves flowed off her shoulders, and had plenty of room on the back for her wings to move freely. Martha watched over Kera's sellections and taking note of the prices, while Kera moved to the next outfit. Kera thought of all sorts of occasions. From social partys to traveling the wilderness.

    "where ever I go, and do, I might as well look good doing it." Kera thought as she glanced through the green and pink sections. Kera paused as she entered the black section.

    "Hmm. Dark, mysterious....I like it." Kera murmered to herself as she saw a beautiful black and silver dress, the hem would go to a few inches above the floor and had a lovely silver bow tieing it where ever suited the wearer in the back. As Kera picked up the dress, she felt the fine, soft fabric glide between her fingers. Kera looked for some shoes that might go with it, and saw the most perfect pair of dark leather slips she could imagine. They tied around her legs, giving them an almost Greek apperance. The laces glinted silver and the almost black coloring gave just enough contrast to the outfit to avoid looking like a dark mage. Kera added these to the pile.

Two hours later, Kera walked away from the Market with eight outfits, survival gear and, as Kera had said, "An absolutly, perfectly adorable" brush that was enchanted to brush out any knots painlessly and without aid of the person. Throughout this escapade, Kera had restained herself and had only bought three pairs of shoes. The black and silver pair, a tan leather pair of the same make, and some light blue shoes, surorisingly, of the same make. Martha had questioned the similarity of the shoes. Kera had answered;

        "I don't want to have to adjust to a different type of weight on my legs when I change shoes. Plus, They look REALLY cool!"

When Kera and Martha entered the simple but cozy house, Geoffrey had called from the kitchen;

        "Did you have fun amonst the haggelers?"

        "Yes." Martha called back soflty, hanging her cloak on the hooks in the hall. Kera followed suit with her own, brand new cloak. Tabitha had showed her it's own special qualities. Simple in make, but it was reversable, on one side it was as black as night. The other, was enchanted so that with the sound of a simple word, it would change color to blend in with it's suroundings. Kera was still giddy with the new purchases when she followed Martha into the kitchen to help with dinner.

The following day, Kera told Martha and Geoffrey that she wanted to go and find her own place. Where she could practice her new magic in peace and not worry about setting a neighbor's house on fire. Geoffrey agreed that this was a wise choice, as many people were uneasy about new Magics. Martha was uneasy about Kera going off to be alone, and suggested that she at least wait untill the Autum Social to leave. Kera agreed, because she wanted to see how people here celebrated. So, for the two weeks before the social, Kera worked with Geoffrey with the Mill and Martha in the kitchen, learning skills that would be very useful on her own. Geoffrey took her into the forest to show her how to find the tastiest plants and fruits to eat, to heal and to harm. Martha showed Kera how to cook using both Market bought items and things that anyone could find in a five mile strech of forest. After dinner each night Kera read in her spell book and memorized gestures and spells. For the harder spells and the most useful ones, Kera bookmarked the pages with small wildflowers. With this the weeks pasted quickly and soon Kera realized how fast the Autum Social was aproaching. Soon It was the night before and Kera was planning her outfit. She had decided on the black and silver outfit. Martha had told her that the Autum Social was goig to be in the evening, so that the work day would not interfere with the Social. Kera went to sleep anticipating the coming excitement.
When Kera woke, it was to Jessi sitting on her bed. It had become Kera's habit to sleep with her wings enveloping her. Their soft down proving much comfier than any bed Kera had slept on. When The sunlight started to shine through the space left by her wings, Kera stirred. Then Jessi had poked at Kera with a small stick.


      "Wake up, sleepyhead!" giggled Jessi, "Today's the Autum Social!"

That stirred something in Kera's mind. The Social, after this she would go to practice her magic!

      "Ok, I'm getting up." Kera yawned as she sat up, folding her wings behind her for the days work. Geoffrey had some touch up lessons to do, and Martha gave Kera a hand written copy of all the recipies that would be usefull to her. Kera thanked them both for all they had done for her. Martha had helped pay for Kera's shopping spree and Geoffrey had gone back to get other survival gear that Kera had not thought about. Soon it was time to get ready for the Social. Jessi was going to go with Martha and Geoffrey, Kera would follow when she was done packing. About an hour after Martha, Geoffrey and Jessi had left, Kera fassened her cloak around her and started off towards the square. Lights were already lit abd music could be heard wafting toward Kera as she flew towards it. Though the McDawns lived over five miles away, Kera reached the square in a very short time. She stopped a few yards away, so as to not knock anyting over with her wings. She had found that quite a problem in closed spaces. Kera hung her cloak on the hooks on the side of a building and stepped into the lights and sounds of the party. Though Kera was used to partys on Earth, she was surprised to see so many people. She spotted Jessi playing with others her age, and Martha talking with Tabitha and other woman from the market. Geoffrey was by the refreshments. Feeling a little thristy, Kera started making her way over to the table, mounted high with food and drink. her wings caused a few stares from all but those who had been around her for the past two weeks. Kera took no notice, even though some were pointing obviously.There were mutters of;
  "Check out the fairy!" From the youth and "Is that a fairy? It's like non I've seen" from the elders.Kera had now reached the food table and was reaching for a glass to pour herself some water, when a hand reached for the same glass. The hand snatched it out of her hand.

      "Hey!" Kera snapped. Her wings fluttered angerily. She looked up into a pair of soft brown eyes, very different to her own cool blue eyes. A flush came to her cheeks as the stranger said;

"Hi! I'm sorry, was this yours?"

"Yes, it was."

"Note, was. sorry!"

Kera gasped, How rude! She turned away and picked up another glass, filled it with water, and delibritly walked away. She heard footsteps following her and didn't need to look around to know it was the guy.He fell ino pace with her.

"I'm sorry. Did I offend you?"

"In a matter of speaking, yes." Kera said coldly.

"Well, I apologise for that, now could you answer me just one question?"

Kera turned and looked expectantly at him.

"What are you?"

Kera's eyes flashed, "What?"

"What are you? A bird? or a Fairy?"

"I'm a Fairy. What's it to you?"

"It's just that Fairys don't usually have feathers."

Kera glanced back at her wings. "So?"

"So, that means you're different."

"No, really? That's great that you figured that one out, Sherlock. Every one is different. That is what makes us PEOPLE and not ROBOTS."

The stranger sighed and shook his head.

"I should want to continue this conversation later."

"I shouldn't, thanks." and Kera went off to talk to some friends that she had made in the market place.

"Anninia! Jennedith!" Kera called above the music. The two young girls turned at the sound of their names and waved. Kera, tired of the crowd flew over their heads to land next to them.

    "What's up?" Kera asked, they of all the people she had met adjusted to her Earth slang the best.

    "You, apperently. Jeez, you were so fast I could hardly see you!" Jennedith exclaimed.

      "Was that Cederic that you were running away from?" Anninia asked slyly.

        "Who? Oh, you mean the Creepy guy? Yeah, I was getting away from him!"

      "Umm. He's, like, the handsomest guy in the town!" Jennedith squealed. "Are you telling us that you didn't notice?"

      "I guess I didn't." Kera said. Baffled by what her friends were talking about. Even if he WAS good-looking, He was still a creep.Kera turned back to her friends to direct the conversation to something more barable; clothes.

      "Hey, what do you guys think of my outfit?" Kera interupted.

Jennedith, instantly distracted started gushing about how mysterious she looked. Anninia just stared at Kera with her half blind eyes,

    "You don't want to talk about Cedric?" She said in a voice only Kera could hear. Kera shook her head slightly so that Jennedith wouldn't notice. Kera then jumped back into the conversation giving her comments on Anninia and Jennedith's outfits. When they had talked for about an hour and a half, about this and that, Kera had to say that she had to go home and get some rest before her traveling.

    "Promise me that you'll come and visit me, ok?"

    "Of course!" Jennedith cried, "I can't wait to see your place! This is going to be SO cool!"

Anninia nodded her agreement. Kera hugged her friends and left for her bed at the Mcdawns. After changing into her nightware, Kera settled into her bed, her wings wrapped around her for a good sleep. And when the light woke her again, she would set out for the patch of woods that Geoffrey had helped her find. She was a little suspicious though, Geoffrey had been hinting for the past few weeks that she should be settleing down, not setting out. However, Kera had him convinced that she would "settle down" when she met the right person,and the time was right.He had grumbled, but let the subject drop. Kera dropped off into sleep with thoughts of travel and indipendence.