The door to my room opened, and Maayan, the lunar fairy, bounded inside. They were dressed in their school uniform, a simple gray pleated skirt, striped tie, and a white button-up shirt with a deep navy cardigan over it. Maya jumped onto my bed, tackling me in a hug, their strawberry blond hair tickling my nose and cheeks.

"Careful of my stitches," I reminded, raising my left arm out of the way of Maayan's affection.

The lunar fairy jerked back, their blue eyes full of concern. "Oh no, did I hit it?"

"No, you're safe," I assured them with a smile.

"Diana!" they called out, grinning happily. "You're back!"

"I'm back."

Maayan was always smiling when I saw them, looking simply adorable with their round cheeks and smattering of freckles. Like my grandfather, this was not Maayan's true form. Without the power of the talisman, they appeared as a beautiful elven creature whose skin actually glowed. In their true body, Maayan's freckles sparkled like rhinestones, and their long, fluffy, strawberry blond hair turned bright gold. Maayan was slender and could easily pass as either a boy or a girl, depending on how they dressed. At school, they presented as female, mostly due to their long hair, which went down to their knees.

"Welcome back," Azar chuckled from the doorway.

I looked over Maayan's shoulder to see the fier elemental, Azar, lingering in the hall. On Terra, he told me he was called a Fum'ouk, which translates to fire born, but since my Terrarish pronunciation was lacking, I was told to just say elemental. The impossibly handsome Terrarin was watching me coolly from his spot, his favorite snack hanging from his mouth. Although it looked like a cigarette, it was some strange sort of snack food called an okashi. It was made only for fier elementals, as they could consume smoke as energy. It came in all sorts of flavors and once lit would fill the room with the appetizing scent of different foods.

Azar himself was another tall person, easily 6'2", even though he tended to slump. He had a long face, a sharp nose, and a tight jawline. His skin was naturally tan, and his hair a deep burgundy, which most assumed was dyed. I had never seen Azar without his talisman on so I could only assume it was his natural color. He was wearing his school uniform as well, a pair of gray slacks and a white dress shirt, complete with a navy sweater vest. Although upon closer inspection, I noticed that his shirt was untucked and the striped blue tie was dangling loosely around his neck. The fier elemental didn't seem to be a fan of formal wear. Azar's hazel eyes watched me carefully, his familiar smirk on his face.

"You can come in, Azar," I said, sitting up carefully. Maayan wrapped their arms around my right arm, leaning against my shoulder lovingly. Azar wandered inside my room, glancing around curiously. I realized then that he had never really set foot inside my bedroom before. He settled into the armchair near my balcony, staring longingly outside. I was sure he wanted to go smoke. I told him he could light his okashi, and he did, producing flames from his fingertips in a soft snap. It was amazing every time I saw him use magic. Although not nearly as amazing when he went full out, his body was awash with flames that never seemed to burn him. The smell that filled the room was similar to sugar cookies, and it made me smile.

"No Casimir?" I asked, glancing at the door.

"He took the train," Maayan answered simply.

I nodded because Casimir had to keep up appearances, traveling back and forth on the train that led from the city to our mountain town. Azar and Maya would take the short train or shuttle bus ride to the school dorms each day, then summon a magic portal to the farm. Maayan was the master of these magical portals, using them to help their comrades move quickly from place to place when needed. This, along with their skills with a bow and water magic, made the deceptively cute Maya a formidable fighter.

I already felt better with the pair of bodyguards at my side; something about their presence filled me with peace.

"So, how was school?" I asked, somewhat curious.

"Boring, as always," Azar spat out, waving his hand lazily.

"Sometimes I worry about you," I muttered, shaking my head at him. "I know you're not there to learn, but you could at least attempt to enjoy some of it."

"Meh," he replied.

"I had fun!" Maayan chirped, pulling at the end of my braid.

"Any good gossip?" I pressed, hoping for some ideas of what I would be facing tomorrow at school.

"Nothing new," Azar admitted.

"Zola and Sunita miss you!" Maayan blurted out, and I chuckled.

"Are you guys staying all night?"

"I might," Azar said, taking in a drag of his okashi. "My roommate never really notices when I am gone."

"Joel is always locked up in his room on that computer," Maayan confirmed. "Did you want to do anything fun tonight?"

"A magic show!" I joked. The pair looked at me quizzically, and I shook my head. "I'm just kidding, well kinda. I did want to see more of your powers in action."

"Maybe," Azar said simply.

"That sounds like fun!" Maayan chirped. "Azar, you should show her your firebird."

"Firebird?"

"It's a magical animal I can summon," he said with a lazy shrug.

My jaw dropped open as I stared at him. "What? That sounds so cool!"

"Master Enki can also summon," Maya whispered, giggling.

"That does it, I officially want a magic show," I demanded, my face full of determination. The idea of seeing elemental magic animals was just too good to pass up.

"Ask Gramps first," Azar snickered. "Or your boyfriend Casimir, he's the real rule stickler."

My face grew hot at the fier elemental's words. "Casimir is not my boyfriend."

"What?" Azar queried, his expression puzzled.

"You used the word wrong, Az," Maayan explained, pointing their finger at the fier elemental. "Boyfriend is like a lover. Casimir is just a friend who is male."

"That seems dumb," he spat out.

Maayan went on to explain, speaking in Terrarish, the largest language spoken on their home planet. Azar nodded his head, seeming to understand. He replied with something else, causing Maayan to giggle loudly and then look over at me.

I made a face. "Are you talking about me again?"

"Sorry, Dai-dai," Maayan whispered.

"All good things, we promise," Azar snickered.

Somehow, I didn't think that was true.

"Hello, I'm home," a voice called out.

"Casimir!" Maayan shouted. "We're back here!"

The young warrior named Casimir walked into view, smiling softly when he saw all of us. He looked the same as always in his neat and tidy school uniform. Casimir was cute, but you would never hear me say that out loud, at least to him. He was somewhat tall and fit, with lean muscles, usually hidden by his clothing. His reddish-brown hair was longer than most boys on Earth, tucked back into a fluffy ponytail. But it was the front of his bangs that stood out, as they were bleach-blond in color, causing him much strife with the teachers. Casimir appeared young for his age, although slightly too old to be in high school if you asked me. I knew for a fact that he was pushing 219 years old, which seemed to be equivalent to about 21 here on Earth. The young warrior pushed his gold-rimmed glasses farther up his nose as he surveyed my room. I wondered what he was feeling, so I reached out, forgetting once again that Casimir was one of the few people who was always silent to me. The only time I managed to get a read on his emotions was when we touched. The first time we shook hands, the emotional overload I felt caused me to pass out, and it took me a few more times to realize it was Casimir who was the culprit. Eventually, this wore off, and so far, all future skin contact had resulted in a big fat nothing.

I wonder why?

Casimir's warm brown eyes glanced at me nervously, and he scratched the back of his head as he spoke. "What's going on in here?"

"We're hanging out," I replied. "Although I might try to dye my hair really fast."

"Oh no, why?" Maayan asked sadly.

"Say goodbye to the silver streak!" I announced, reaching across my bed to grab my drugstore bag. I produced my box of black hair dye triumphantly, smiling as I did.

The group all grumbled slightly, apparently not happy to see it go.

"Aw, come on," I reasoned. "This is not Terra, and no one at school is going to believe that this just suddenly showed up for no reason. I'm trying not to get expelled here."

"Eh, what do you need school for?" Azar chuckled.

"Ha-ha, unlike you, I have no magical skills, so I need my education to find a job someday."

"But you do have magical powers!" Maayan insisted, reaching out to touch my arm and stopping suddenly when they remembered it was still stitched.

Azar shook his head as he watched us. "Diana, why don't you just let us heal that cut?"

I stood up, taking my box of hair dye with me as I rose. "Because that wouldn't be super suspicious? The cut Zachary landed on my arm magically disappeared. I'm sure his lawyers would love that."

"Diana is right," Casimir agreed, leaning on the doorframe, his arms crossed. "It's best to let it heal naturally."

I nodded, my thoughts stuck on Maya's comment about my magical powers. So far, it seemed like the only thing magical about me was the beautiful white light that destroyed wraiths and my blood that attracted them to me in the first place. If I could get a handle on these skills, I could be a one-woman wraith-killing machine, but not if I passed out for a week every time I used my powers.

I went to leave my room, glancing up at Casimir as he moved to step out of my way. He bowed slightly, a holdover move from his time with Princess Taya, I was sure. It bothered me that he acted so formal at times, yet I couldn't help but smile as I passed.

"See you all in a few!" I said as I gave my bodyguards a quick wave, disappearing into the bathroom for the foreseeable future