It was early in the morning. The adults and the boys were eating breakfast. I was slowly being introduced to mushy baby food, but had been fed by Dalla this morning. She then put me back in the crib, so I could sleep more. I was half asleep, chatter from the kitchen drifting into the bedroom. At about seven months, I was still sleeping in a crib in the adults room. Would I get my own room when I was bigger? Was there another room for me? Would I share with the boys?  My thoughts were interrupted by a series of excited yells and the stomping of little feet. The boys burst into the bedroom. "Pie! Pie! Guess what!" Marden yelled, rushing up to me, his brothers right behind him. "Mama and Papa are taking us to the ocean today! Do you know about the ocean, Pie? It's like the bathtub but way, way bigger!" He stretched out his arms. "And it's salty! So you can't drink the water, okay?" Deren added. Callan nodded. "It's super amazing!" He said. "You'll love it!" Dalla entered, smiling. "Go and get ready, boys. I need to dress your sister." Marden, Deren, and Callan scamper out of the room, chattering excitedly. Terron comes in after them, pulls out a bag, and begins packing up various items. Meanwhile, Dalla puts me in a little yellow dress and white bonnet. I had already adjusted to many of the embarrassing things that came with being an infant. At first, having someone feed and change me was terribly embarrassing. But, as the months passed, I adjusted. My lack of movement and speech continued to be what frustrated me the most. I looked on with jealousy as the adults walked freely into the main room, where the triplets were already waiting. Upon seeing us, they sprung for the door and dashed out. Dalla and Terron followed at a more leisurely pace, with me in Dalla's arms. Our little group cut through the boutique, and headed to the town square. Terron caught the attention of a woman driving a cart. He secured us passage, and we hopped in her cart and headed off. 

I looked at the scenery from the back of the cart, as we headed down unfamiliar roads. The town I now lived in reminded me of a traditional Greek town. The houses we passed were all white and boxy. But unlike Greece, the houses came accented with numerous colors beyond blue. Of course, my new home was accented with blue, as the boutique on the ground level was called Bluebird. But other homes were trimmed in bright shades of green, yellow, orange, red, purple, and pink.  Many homes had flowers out front and in window boxes. There was also an array of trees with blue leaves and large pink bushes. Golden butterflies and purple birds darted through the air. This truly was a beautiful  town. I can't believe I get to live here. Is the rest of this world just as spectacular? 

We came up on the beach. It was also a gorgeous sight to see. The sand was golden brown, and the sea was crystal clear. The water seemed to streach on towards infinity. The boys striped down to plain linen shorts and ran for the water. Terron wore similar shorts beneath his clothing, and Dalla peeled off her dress to reveal a cotton shift. I was then changed into a plain jumpsuit. It was my first time wearing pants in this life. I had exclusively worn simple dresses before today. It seemed all babies wore dresses, from what I had seen. The fashions and technology of this world seemed somewhat similar to Earth in the 1800s, but the attitudes of the people were different. They were much less prudish and societal roles did not appear to be gendered. I had seen women working in pants and men caring for children. Additionally, I had seen what looked like same-sex couples around town. But based on my memories of Princess Ariyana, Protector of Acandar things were different for royalty and nobles. There were stricter roles for men and women, and heterosexual couples were needed to secure heirs. I don't think the daily lives of commoners was discussed in the book, so the details of life were mostly new information to me. I suppose it was best that I wasn't born a noble, as I had always prefered pants. The uniform at Grace Academy consisted of a long skirt, blouse, and blazer. We were permitted to be out of uniform after class and on weekends, but we were still supposed to look "lady-like." So I had little opportunity to wear pants. I look forward to doing so in the future. I hoped I could wear this jumpsuit more often. It was very light and comfortable. 

Once we were both changed, Terron scooped me up. "Shall we take a dip, my dear? You're always so good during bath time, but the ocean is much stronger and full of salt. If you don't like it, you can join your mother on the sand." Terron said to me, nodding to Dalla. Dalla was making herself comfortable on a blanket, under the shade of a parasol. I did my best to nod. I had always liked swimming, but had never had the chance to go to the beach. I was excited. Terron smiled. "Excellent. Let's go." 

The creatures in the sea were like none I had seen before. The animals I had seen so far bared some resemblance to the ones back on earth. A few had been described in Ariyana, but seeing them in person was a totally different experience. I had seen the bird for which the boutique was named after. It was somewhat larger than the blue birds I was accustomed to. They had long feathered tails, a crest on their heads, and bright orange eyes. I had also seen rodents scampering down alleyways. They resembled hamsters with large ears and tails like chipmunks. The carts were pulled by creatures that looked like a cross between a pig and a goat.  But these sea creatures were completely alien to me. I started in fascination as a multi-colored blob floated past me. It looked like some cotton candy that had come to life. Further out I could see some things that looked like green beetles with fins. I was awestruck. Terron was slowly lowering me into the water as I looked around. "Do you like it, my dear little Pie?" Terron asked. He and Dalla had also started calling me by that nickname, but I was too excited today to mind. I flapped my arms and babbled, trying to express my feelings. Terron chuckled. Suddenly, something shiny and yellow swam over. The gleam caught my eye, and I stretched my arm out to the cylindrical creature. But as soon as my fingers grazed its back, I was met with a terrible burning sensation. I jerked my arm away, tears leaking from my eyes. I started to bawl. "What's wrong?" Asked Terron, who has been looking at the boys. He spun me around to face him, and I stuck out my fingers. "Does your hand hurt? What-" He halted when he saw the yellow, fishy creature float by. He yelped. "Oh no, don't tell me you touched that!" He glanced at my fingers, which were turning red. "Ashkall!" He muttered an unfamiliar word, rushing back to shore. "Dalla!" He shouted "Pyra touched a kencap!" Concern came over her face. "It's all my fault, I wasn't watching her! I should never have brought her into the water!" Terron babbled frantically. "She needs kosalt ointment! Ashkall! I didn't bring any! Why didn't I bring any!?" His voice was rising with each word.  "Breathe, my love. Don't curse in front of the children. Let's head into town. I'm certain there will be an apothecary nearby, or an individual with kosalt." Dalla replied, placing a hand on her husband's arm. Terron took a deep breath. "Right. Let's go." I too tried to take a deep breath, but I couldn't. The pain was too much for my little body. I couldn't stop my tears. Dalla patted me on the head. "Don't worry my love. You're going to be alright." She said soothingly. Dallas then turned to the water and shouted for the boys, who had been making too much noise to hear me wailing. They hurried out of the water, and we all rushed off the beach.