West 4

The room seemed really still, as if no one was even in the room anymore. Kaylee held her breath as the thought of her Gran having passed away into the next world without giving her the chance to say good bye or tell her gran how much she really did enjoy being a part of her world. She pushed through the curtain, almost as if it were another sacred veil that she had to walk through to attain another goal. The room felt warm and dry on her skin. All the candles were lit and their light flickered in the waxy base. Kalyee looked around the room and saw more vibrant colors than she ever expected.

West 3

When she opened her eyes again she felt as if she was a completely new person. She inhaled deeply and let the waves of knowledge flow over her as she recalled what the colors of the auras surrounding all living things meant. “Red is the color of passion and fire,” her mind repeated to herself, “Green is the color of life and giving.”

West 2

Kaylee spun on her heels and went to go put the mask down before she threw it against one of the walls and smashed it to bits. She was so very angry, and feeling betrayed, although she was not sure why and where the feeling came from. “Was I just a pawn? And if so, who has been working on playing me?” she thought as her hand shook as she gently set down the mask on the shelf where she had uncovered it from a pile of pelts.

West 1

The skeleton bone mask felt warm and buzzy in her tanned and warm hands. It reminded her of how the air felt during an electrical storm where it was all charged with ozone and staticky. However there was no ozone smell and the static feeling was being conducted through the skull and going into her own body.

She gently hefted the mask up and held it way over her head. She took a deep breath and pushed the air deep down into the center of her entire being. Past her heart and down near her stomach, into her diaphragm where the air filled her entire body and stablized it for the ritual. She carefully lowered the mask so it fit onto her head and was amazed at how solid and form fitting it felt on top of her head. She breathed deeply and heard the sound of air being inhaled bounce off the innards of the skull and into her ears. She turned to look at the circular creation laying on the floor and smiled.

East 6

It rained all night long, with the wind howling at the cottage, threaten to bowl the whole place over and topple the world she carefully was beginning to know. Kaylee tossed and turned in her bed and did not seem to be able to calm her body to the point that sleep came easy to her.

She thrashed and tosseled in the sheets and soon they were all tied up around her in knots. Her body grew warm and hot to the touch and it felt as if she was getting a fever. Her forehead broke out into a light sweat and her eyes darted behind her eyelids.

East 5

Kaylee paced and attempted to get comfortable in her home. But the wind and the nagging doubt seeded in her by Bobcat would not let her feel secure. She turned the Sphene over in her hand and looked at it closely with the light of the fireplace. It was indeed a pretty stone. She set it down in front of her and focused her attention on the stone. The room felt warm against her skin and she closed her eyes and yawned.

East 4

On the third day, Kaylee woke up earlier. No sun met her rising. Instead she awoke to the howling snarl of a blustery windstorm smashing up against her cottage. It was loud and she wondered whether or not it was going to send the small sphere cottage spiraling down the slightly sloping gassy landscape that it was on. The wind rattled against the door and knocked at the windows and Kaylee knew she was going to be in for a rough day.

She slowly crawled out of bed and shivered. Large and foreboding clouds loomed low in the sky, blocking any chance for a decent glimpse of the sun. The fireplace was dark and black and occasionally small plumes of smoke and ash rose and hovered when small pufts of wind gust their way down the chimmney of the domicle. Kaylee frowned and wished that there had been a nice warming fire to help shake away some of the wind that she knew she was going to have to deal with that day.

East 3

Once again, when the sun rose and met the small round window in Kaylee’s cottage, it warmed the room up so much that she could no longer sleep. She sat up in bed and wondered exactly how long she was resting and what time it really was. Of course, she did not have a watch with her, only the weather and the sun and the sky to tell her in approximate values. She rubbed the sands of sleep from her eyes and stretched out long. Her legs were a bit sore from all the hiking and climbing that she did yesterday.

East 2

The air was cool and warm when she stepped outside. The sun was out and Kaylee shielded her eyes, eager to find its location from high up in the clouds. She could not determine which way was North by herself. Therefore she thought that the best way to uncover which direction she needed to go in was to first watch the sun. She decided to stay in the same spot for about fifteen to twenty minutes and watch how the sun cast shadows on the ground. She knew that the sun rose in the east and set in the west. Therefore it stood to reason that when the sun moved and cast shadows she would be able to pinpoint which ways were West and East. And from there, she could extrapolate North and South. In order to determine which way North was, she first needed to see the sun move a bit. And sure enough, after about twenty minutes of standing motionless, the sun moved. Because of this, Kaylee was able to determine that her hut was located in the center of it all and that the North, was behind the cottage.

East 1

She slumped against the heavy wooden door. It felt cold on her back and Kaylee could feel the tears welling up stronger and stronger in her eyes. They too made her eyes and face feel cool and wet. “Damnit,” she said under her breath. “Now what am I going to do? This sucks.”

She swang her right arm and it hit the door with a loud thunk, and then a light clicking sound appeared. Kaylee turned around and thought, “Doors do not click unless they are unlocked.”