Katherine: Pt 1, 2, & 3 combined

"Ach-OO!"
"Hush!" Lenwe whispered violently. "Do you want her to hear us?"
"Sorry," whispered Lithelle, blushing.

They were in a wood, these two elves. Not just any wood, either; a human wood. They were crouching soundlessly behind a large log, watching, waiting. For the moment that they would get some sign and know that their time here was not wasted, in this position so uncomfortable.

This girl... Lenwe thought to himself, is undoubtedly different. She moves precisely and talks with an accent of a place unknown to her when she doesn't correct herself. She spends much time pursuing arts, sciences, and logistical challenges, a very rare combination in humans. Not only that, but she does so in the woods. Strange, indeed, for a human.

"Lenwe...are you sure of this?" Lithelle asked. He looked at her sidelong.
"Would I have dragged you here if I was not? Look, Lith, this girl--"
"Katherine." Lithelle chimed in, ever irrepressible. He glared.
"Katherine is not what she thinks.... She can't be. No human is like this, so...connected. She seems to feel the forest."
"Yes, but if you bring her back and it turns out to not to be...what you think, what will you do? You can't erase her memory."
"I'd rather let a human have a life in a different world than her rot here. Besides, she likes our sort of world, by the novels she reads, based on ancient times, and I say we do it. Tonight."
Lithelle sighed, then became peppy again. "Oooo, may I do the singing?"
"Sure." Said Lenwe tiredly, rubbing his forehead.
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Kat was stumped. Over the past few days, she'd heard little snippets of whispers, almost like the slight sneeze of wind unless you listened closely. She'd never caught any actual words, although she'd thought she'd heard a "hush!" a few minutes ago. These seemed to come from nowhere, and always stopped the second she showed signs of hearing it.

"Katherine!" Her mother snapped from the patio. "Get in here, already! I will not pay medical bills if you get hypothermia!"
That's Mom. Thought Kat dully. Hates bills, cats, and most of all, me. Katherine's dad had passed away when she was 12, and her mother had never liked her. She kept Katherine only because she cared about what her suburban neighbors would think if she shipped her off. Kat had one friend in the world, and that was nature. No one seemed to like her, but she didn't mind. Nature was more loving than any human could ever be. She sometimes just wished...that someone would come for her and take her away. She had never felt at home anywhere with humans, corrupt as they had become. She wanted a home.
She flopped in bed, smooth white hair spreading like paintbrush bristles on her pillow as she lowered her head. The doctors called it a defect, but she liked the straight, white look, because she could have her hair short and unkempt without looking too strange. That's the way she liked it: practical and pretty.
Lids became heavy, and fell over Kat's eyes for a sleep. She thought she heard singing....
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She dreamed.
She was a bird, flying through clouds. They felt so nice. But now she settled in her nest and rested. She wanted to fly again. She lifted her wings, felt the upwards jolt that meant she was airborne--

Kat was awake. What a strange room.


Besides the bed she was on, which was incredibly soft, the room was mostly brown and white; the brown-red of mahogany, or something similar, and some white wood that made up the walls. Her bedcover was a soft, rich blue, with a silky texture and white fluffy pillows.
The wardrobe was made of the mahogany-like wood. It was carved with the finest detail and formed charming shapes and patterns of flowers or water. Also of that wood was the door frame, without a door, and the window frames. For there were three large frames that formed half of a hexagon, but this was strange: there were no windows, only transparent veils that blew lightly in the breeze. Outside the windows, there were beautiful gray trunks of trees, smooth and straight with soft-looking bark; their leaves were golden and deep red, yet showed no signs of falling. In fact, the thrice-pointed, fat leaves looked positively full with life.
There was a small room branching off with a stone, cup-like item, with a silver basin of steaming water beside it; she realized the stone-thing was a drain, with fluffy cloth beside it. There was another stone item resembling a toilet a bit farther away. It was a bathroom.
Am I in a heaven? Katherine thought. She didn't remember dying, but maybe she had been shot in the back or something. It was possible.
She sat up and inhaled deeply; the air was warm and crisp, with a pleasant buzz to it that she couldn't identify. It gave her energy. Looking down, she saw she wore a very light, green pajama-dress.
Kat located clothes lying on the vanity, connected to and carved as beautifully as the wardrobe. These were, once again, strange but pleasant. It was a white embroidered tunic and maroon breeches. Maybe it was a heaven, because the entire place seemed to suit her strange preferences perfectly.
She cautiously walked out of her room, only to find herself in a living room, just a beautiful as the last room. She quietly admired the room, until she heard a strange rustle. She looked over, and saw the back of a black-haired head peeping out from behind the chair's back.
She was terrified; she screamed shrilly and madly scrambled back to her room, trying to lock the person out, only to remember there was no door. Panicking, she ran to the windows, and threw herself towards the nearest tree. She heard the man calling; calling her name. Swinging herself on top of the tree-branch she'd caught, she crouched among the leaves, trying to take the shape of the shadows.
The man approached the window. He was handsome, to Kat at least. His hair was wavy and in a low ponytail, his eyes bright hazel, and his face long and square-jawed. He looked directly at her hiding place and laughed. He laughed and laughed and laughed while Katherine grew slowly angrier.
"Katherine," he managed after he calmed. "Katherine, come down. As, er, clever as it was to hide in the trees, I can see you and want to explain to you why you're here."
She pretended he didn't exist, and continued to hold still.
"Please?" He asked."I've done nothing to you, except bring you here, but you belong here. Surely you must feel the kindness in the air and the buzz of what you would call 'magic', I believe? I am Lenwe son of Druwe, if that helps."
She slowly descended, and jumped onto the window frame, cat-like.
She quietly asked, "Yes?"
He stared at her a few moments, as if considering something, then said, "Well, to start I will ask you the questions. I think the shock may be easier if you come to realize it yourself." When she continued to scrutinize him silently on the windowsill, he laughed again.
"I won't bite you, now come to the..." He paused, remembering the word. "living room, and we can begin." He lightly padded off down the hall. Kat was still utterly spooked; everything just had happened so fast, and she still knew nothing of this strange man except his name and seeming foreigness. Still, she decided she might as well follow, seeing as there was nowhere else to go.
"Katherine, please sit." Said Lenwe eloquently, pulling out a chair. She sat tensely, right on the edge of the very chair Lenwe had been perched on upon her discovery of him. He sat across from her, on a round, basket-like chair.
"Now," he said, looking completely calm, "I would like to know, quite seriously, what you think you are." Kat was dumbfounded; how could this strange man know the one question she asked herself more than any other?
"I-I don't know." She was shaky."I do not feel like a human, if that's what you're asking. But I don't know what else I could be." Did I just say that? She had meant to not tell this stranger anything, yet it popped out. She had a strong feeling that this man was trustworthy; perhaps he wasn't so bad after all.
"Go on."
"Well...I don't know. I feel more perceptive and connected than others, to nature I mean. I am especially good with animals, and...life is so fast. I like to contemplate things, yet the very speed of the world does not allow it. I..." She paused, then decided it wouldn't matter if he thought her insane. "I may be...an elf."
"Quite right." Beamed Lenwe. "You're an elf, which is precisely why you're now Here and not There. I recognized your characteristics and knew you would age along with humans unless you were brought to your true home. Now, if I may, I will speak to you in Elven, which you will know by intuition if you are, in fact, an elf." At this point, Kat had to think this man also insane. What on earth was going on?
"Can you understand me?" She gasped. The language was entirely different from any she had ever heard, yet she knew it perfectly and the tones exactly matched her slight accent on English words. It sounded like leaves brushing trees and foxes slipping through undergrowth. It was smooth and sleek, yet bracing. She struggled to answer in the language, then managed: "Yes." Encouraged, she continued. "Where am I? Why should I believe you? And how do I know this language?"
Lenwe chuckled. "Ah, you ask deep questions, little sun. You're in the world Regga, which parallels your own. Of the two continents, Reggana and Reggabe, we're on the former, 'Land of the East'. Our elf house is called 'Goldshade' after the golden leaves of the trees. You know this language because you are an elf, and all recognize it from birth. And you don't have to believe me; look in yourself, you'll find you belong here." He was right. Katherine knew she did, yet she didn't want to believe it. She bowed her head and asked: "Then what must I do to become part of your house?" Lenwe looked positively gleeful.
"Excellent! You've accepted your fate! Well, I suppose you would need to be presented to my father Druwe, who's currently the head. We'll see what he thinks. First, though, you must rest and wash. Off with you." He motioned towards her room, still cheerful.
She got up and, glancing back, trotted off. She was exhausted. Plopping onto that soft feather bed, she thought, What have I gotten myself into? and then promptly fell asleep.

She woke to a bright light. It was dazzling yet soft. She realized it was morning, around nine o'clock, according to the sun. She now had no fear of this place; it was far too perfect, too comforting. She had almost forgotten about her mother. Despite the fact that she had left her previous world, the only things she missed were her drawing pad and books. She had been allowed no pets, she had had no friends, even her own mother didn't like her. Kat blatantly felt no regret in losing all she had known.
She got up and stretched. The day was new, and she was ready. She wanted to learn of this world and have adventures. She wanted to swing from tree to tree and fall into the sky. Most of all, she wanted to learn magic, which apparently existed in this world.
Walking out to the living room, she spotted a new person.
------to be continued.