Search for a Lost Heritage Chapter 1

When humans think of two year old children they think small, barely able to walk or talk very well. For the People two years old almost means adolescence. In some families, especially in the noble classes, two years old was puberty. This was very true for us. Almost two years old and we look the human equivalent of fourteen. This makes it dangerous coming to Earth. Humans have no knowledge of those that live among them, less than 5% of the population are ‘pure’ human, which means more than twenty generations with no non-human blood being brought into the mix. The average human at the end of the twentieth century had non-human blood within the last nine generations of their family. The real danger however is…
“What are you writing Lana?”
“Nothing, just my diary,” Amelana replied closing her book and looking up at her sister Mirishkara.
“Since when did a diary entry read like a novel?”
“I just thought it might be fun to document our lives.”
“As boring as it is. Come on your brother needs a hand putting the beds together.”
“He is your brother as well Miri,” Amelana started as she stuffed her book into her backpack, “we are quads remember.”
“Yes quads we may be but immediate twin to you is he,” she said with a smile as she walked backwards towards the stairs. Dnellian’s frustrations could be heard both audibly and mentally from upstairs. The girls went up the stairs and into the far bedroom to find Dnellian gathering up a packet of screws and bolts he had dropped. He looked up, his shoulder length blonde hair falling in his eyes.
“Need a hand brother?” Miri asked sweetly surveying the scene and ignoring the look of exasperation Amelana gave her.
“Please. I can’t figure this thing out. I keep putting the wrong screws in the wrong holes.”
Miri looked briefly at the instructions before picking up two sections of the bed base and holding them telekinetically. Dnellian handed her the screwdriver as she looked at the mess of screws. Amelana walked over to the window that looked out into the ‘backyard’, from the second story you could see out to the trees of the back paddock. Their new home consisted of the house, ten acres of paddocks another four of bush, one chicken coup, three sheds and a silo. It was the end of the Australian summer and the grass turned the view into a sea of brown, the trees being a grey green instead of the deep emerald and frost blue of their last home.
“Lana can you help me in the kitchen, if the two terrors are fine without supervision that is?” Telaena sent from downstairs.
“Still scrapping grime?” Lana asked leaving D and Miri bickering over which way the slates went in.
“I have most of the grim off the bench and stove tops. I nee help with the cupboards.” There was a hint of disgust in her voice. The house hadn’t been lived in almost ten years, and it was noticeable. The kitchen alone had a good two centimeter layer of muck over everything. It was doubtful the oven and stove even worked. Amelana almost laughed when she entered the large kitchen. The only part of Telaena that was visible was her feet poking past the cupboard door. She pulled herself out holding four mice in her hand.
“Friends of yours little bird?” Telaena asked with a raised eyebrow, using Cal’s pet name for Amelana, “I know you love animals and I’m not allowed to kill them out of hand, but if I find anymore in my kitchen or garden they die.”
“Very well Telaena, I’ll tell them to stay away from the kitchen,” she took the mice from her sister and cooed to them as she walked out the back and placed them under one of the bushes. She sent a gentle thought to them telling them to stay away from the house and what would eventually be the vegetable garden. She then pulled out a piece of ever present bread and gave each mouse a portion. They squeaked their thanks before running off. Amelana then sent her mind over the house asking all mice, rats and even the spiders to vacate the house. Although you never knew if a spider would listen. There were even three possums in the roof, she promised to build them a new home soon and they thanked her as they blinked at the morning brightness. That job done Amelana walked back into the kitchen to help her sister get the kitchen cleaned up.

Telaena almost threw up as she opened the fridge door. I knew I should have checked this first she thought to herself as she slammed the door shut. She looked down at Amelana, who was sitting in front of an open cupboard, they both cringed, Amelana sneezing as the smell hit her. This new home of theirs needed serious work. Telaena still didn’t see why they had to leave their old home, it was a nice cabin in the middle of a huge forest. What they didn’t grow or hunt themselves, which was very little, was easily obtained at the nearest village of Hentbarn. With a sigh Telaena yelled out to Cal.
“Cal! The refrigerator is a graveyard of once edible food and I seriously doubt the stove or oven work, we need new stuff.”
“I know,” he said coming to stand in the doorway, his shoulder length blonde hair stood up in wisps and was covered with dust making the elf looking almost comical.
“I have some friends coming tomorrow with supplies. We are going to build a cool room in behind the pantry and replace the oven and stove. I’ll get take out for dinner tonight.”
“So you are turning my kitchen into a construction zone, I just finished cleaning the floor and your going to dirty it all up again.” She paused for a moment a cloth held menacingly under Cal’s nose, “What is take out?” she asked in one of her shift of moods.
“Take away stores prepare food and we either go in and collect it or they deliver. It is a useful thing when you don’t want to cook. However the food is usually unhealthy and shouldn’t be eaten regularly or in large amounts.”
Telaena snorted at the idea as she turned back to overhead cupboard.
“Food should be cooked at home with care, and it isn’t hard to make food taste good and still make it nutritious. Human’s are lazy.”
Cal shook his head and raised his hands in entreaty to the gods, making Amelana giggle. Telaena turned on him with a scowl.
“Go make yourself useful Cal, we have work to do.” Cal laughed to himself as he walked back down the hall to the back of the house, infuriating Telaena even more, she hated it when he laughed at her.
A pale hand rested on her shoulder.
“Why it annoys you so much I will never know. You are just as quick to laugh at him.” He sister said gently.
“There is nothing rational about my annoyance little bird.”
“Try not to let it get to you little flower.” Amelana said with a gentle voice. Telaena loved her sister dearly, Amelana was the gentlest soul in the world and the most understanding of Telaena, who sudden shifts in moods often made her other two siblings ignore her for long periods of time.
“Why don’t we pull the fridge out and throw it behind the shed. That way it is out of here and we can clean were it is sitting.”
“Why I think that is an excellent idea my lady feather duster.” Telaena said with a smile using her own version of Cal’s pet name.
“That is why I suggested my lady weed.” Amelana retorted with a grin as they each grabbed a side of the fridge and easily lifted it. With a bit of maneuvering they managed to get it out the back kitchen door and threw it with a crash onto the ground.
“What’s all the noise out there you two?” Dnellian yelled from one of the bedroom windows above them, “Oh and by the way it’s one thirty, where is my lunch!” Dnellian quickly retracted his head with a grin as both girls threw rocks at the window. Telaena grabbed them telekinetically and redirected them under the window, hitting Dnellian on the butt.