TARA AND THE EARTH GIRL

By Lorraine Castro

Tara is happily delivering heart-wish messages from Segwin, the head sorcerer of the Faerie Realm, when she learns about the evil that awaits her and her team of helpers--the faeries, elementals, and elves. The Insorrents, an enchanted group of boars that appear as dogs, swoop in and capture or kill their prey. Segwin has seen their plans through his magic mirror.

Now the carefree days have changed into fear and dread. At fifteen, Tara had been sent to the Faerie Realm, just like other girls before her. She would remain there being of service for one hundred years. Luckily, when she returns to Mu, her home, she and everyone else would only be one year older.

After doing this rewarding work for five years, Tara is overjoyed when suddenly a girl appears exiled from earth, and their relationship grows just as the danger becomes all too present. Some malevolent energy haunts Tara as she walks in the dark forest, delivering her messages. Finding out that the presence is Monomer, the wicked wizard who is responsible for creating the Insorrents and possibly other evil entities, is too much to bear. Tara is faced with challenges beyond her imagination. Would the Insorrents capture the team, putting an end to the heart-wish service? Does Tara have the strength and creativity it will take to continue this work, or will she succumb to her fears?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Fulton Books, Inc.
• Release date: Apr 30, 2024
• ISBN: 9798892212328

Book preview

Table of Contents

Title

Copyright

Chapter 1: Landing

Chapter 2: The Decree

Chapter 3: Into the Woods We Go

Chapter 4: The Assignment

Chapter 5: What Next?

Chapter 6: Off to See the Wizard

Chapter 7: Innocence Is Bliss

Chapter 8: Scary News Arrives

Chapter 9: Monomer

Chapter 10: Life Goes On

Chapter 11: Time to Share the Bad News

Chapter 12: Can't Anybody Help?

Chapter 13: A Handy Talent

Chapter 14: Heart-Wish Team to the Rescue

Chapter 15: Here We Go Again

Chapter 16: Safely Home Again

Chapter 17: Playing with Fire

Chapter 18: What to Do Next?

Chapter 19: Visitors in the Night

Chapter 20: Poor Astrid

Chapter 21: Troubleshooting

Chapter 22: Worlds of Wonder

Chapter 23: That Tree Is Alive!

Chapter 24: The Mysterious Maribai

Chapter 25: But What Shall I Do?

Chapter 26: Tara Comes to Visit

Chapter 27: Jillian's World

Chapter 28: You Never Know What's Going to Happen

Chapter 29: Can't a Girl Catch a Break?

Chapter 30: Past Lives

Chapter 31: We Deserve a Day Off

Chapter 32: What's Next?

Chapter 33: Nice to Ride for a Change

Chapter 34: Not Another Scary Guy!

Chapter 35: One Monster Too Many

Chapter 36: Somebody's Watching Me

Chapter 37: Segwin Explains

Chapter 38: Tara's Freaked, and Everyone Is Noticing

Chapter 39: I Can't Go On like This

Chapter 40: Happily Ever After?

About the Author

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TARA AND THE EARTH GIRL

Lorraine Castro

Copyright © 2024 Lorraine Castro

All rights reserved

First Edition

Fulton Books

Meadville, PA

Published by Fulton Books 2024

ISBN 979-8-89221-231-1 (paperback)

ISBN 979-8-89221-232-8 (digital)

Printed in the United States of America

Chapter 1

Landing

It was a peculiar day in the dark forest. The morning sun shone down warmly on all the creatures and living things. Birds were swooping about, outtweeting one another in a cacophony of birdsongs. Things were going as usual, at least as usual as it ever got in the Faerie Realm. One minute the atmosphere was bright with a nice, gentle breeze. Now an ominous wind blew through the giant trees, making them clatter together as millions of leaves clashed. Swirling licks of wind sent small creatures scurrying for shelter. Pieces of greenery and flowers flew up with the whirling wind and scattered everywhere.

At the end of the dark forest lay a long barren road that led to the village of Thornberry. Although the winds had begun storming away in the forest, it started to roar out toward the village, about to disrupt the town. The wind sent the dry, dusty dirt rioting up into swirling circles, going crazy as furrows of it filled the landscape. The village was a scene of chaos erupted as folks tried to gather up their belongings and scurry indoors. Children squealed with delight at the sudden wind interrupted their game of hop scotch, sending their placeholders off in the wind. Hey, that was my best marble, demanded a boy.

A woman ran madly after the clothes that had escaped from her wildly snaking clothesline. They were being carried off faster than she could run. One man was chasing wildly flapping chickens indoors, feathers flying everywhere.

Git yer skinny bee-hind inside, Hiram! yelled a tall, lanky man with wild flying hair to his young son.

Yes, Pa! Hiram shouted back as the strong current of air attempted to drag the small boy off into the wildly twisting wind.

Oddly enough, this day had started off splendidly in the village of Thornberry. All morning the sky had sparkled in the bright yellow sunshine. Everyone was outside enjoying the warm weather and saying How de do? to their neighbors. Folks were talking together, while the children chased around.

Tag! You're it! came the shouts.

With the wild gusts of wind came a strange sense of anticipation of something out of the ordinary happening. A loud crack came from the sky. Not that anyone noticed. Nary a soul was left outdoors by now. The roaring twirls of wind had sent all the villagers running for refuge indoors.

Back in the darkening field, a sharp crack ripped through the air. Though it was quite loud, no one was around to hear the thunder crackle and clap or feel the field shake ever so slightly. Billows of opaque cobalt-blue waves shimmered and twirled down from the heavens, settling over the field. The clouds of blue billowed out, masking the landscape awash in azure. Branches of trees and flower parts twirled and whirled in the frantic wind.

Slowly, the field began clearing and the wind dying down when suddenly, whomp, Jillian landed feetfirst. The impact of the landing sent up a fresh haze of flaky earth all around her. She tripped, almost falling over. Ugh! Stomping dirt from her high boots, she almost fell again. Her legs were weak, still vibrating from the sonic blast that had transported her here. She coughed dryly and, looking down, saw she was completely covered in the flaky dirt. Oh yuck!

She felt a weird sense of jet lag or time out of time, like otherworldliness. Looking around, she tried to get herself oriented. This really sucks! I don't know what to expect, and I didn't have time to plan. This is hell! All the emotions rolling around inside felt overpowering. Jillian wanted to scream or maybe cry. Instead, she stomped both her boots again hard and watched as the dust settled around her. The last of the cobalt waves were disappearing. The wind was settling down to a light, slightly warmish breeze. The sun broke through as the clouds moved on. The nice day seemed to be returning.

"Why was I so stupid? I can't believe I got caught. Achoo!" She wiped the grit out of her nose and eyes with the sleeve of her T-shirt. This stuff got everywhere. She shook out her long black hair, the light reflecting on the blonde streaks. She fluffed the dust out of her bangs, trying to shake as much off as possible. Jillian expelled a long, drawn-out phew. Looking around, she took stock. She saw she was close to the edge of a forest when she looked to the left. On her right, a large, almost empty field, except for some discarded trash. There was a rusty old paint can hanging from a withered tree stump. Shading her eyes against the sudden sunny glare, she could just make out a few tiny buildings in the distance.

So this was it. This was where she'd been exiled for the next miserable ten years. She couldn't see any signs of electricity or light posts. This must be a really primitive planet. No street lights, obviously no power sources. Wow, it's practically the Dark Ages. Whatever this place is, I hope it beats Steggan Island. That place sucks big time. No way was I going back there again.

Jillian scowled. She knew the Mercy Council had pleaded her case at the tribunal court. They had mercifully got the council to order this alternative exile to the village of Thornberry. Everyone knew what they did to kids that were sent to Steggan Island. You heard the stories of kids disappearing, being sold as slaves, trafficked into lives of misery.

Thank goodness there were still people on earth who gave a damn about kids. She really should count her blessing and quit feeling sorry for herself. Except it just felt like she was on zero. I'm on a different planet, and I have to figure fricking everything out really quickly by myself. Bummer. This really blows!

It's not like she hadn't known better. Everybody knew the rules. Kids were banished to the hellish island if they got caught doing anything the State outlawed, which was practically everything. She couldn't help it if she came from a family of healers. They were called the gifteds. You couldn't choose who you were and what you were born as. We have no choice; it comes with the DNA. So what can you do? You have to be who you are. You'd think the State would be happy to have people with special talents. But no, that's nonconforming behavior. Punishable by anything from imprisonment to exile. And here I am in freaking exile.

Back in 2201, Jillian was sent to the hated island at age nine for using her gifts and talents. At school, her friend Lana had fallen on uneven pavement and broken her ankle. Lana was screaming in pain, the bone sticking out of her ankle. Jillian was trying hard not to cry herself. Of course, she didn't hesitate to help her friend. She ran to Lana, held one hand over the injury, and put the bone back in place with no evidence of injury left, except the blood. Lana was gratefully wiping up the blood, feeling no pain. A teacher saw Jillian and reported the healing, like the good informer she was.

The two months' exile on Steggan Island felt like forever. At least she knew then she could go home to her family afterward. But it was a scary, horrible place. The island was always hot and steamy. You had to constantly wipe off your face from sweat dripped into your eyes. Your clothes stayed sweaty. And someone always watched you. You never felt safe. The guards were big brutes who couldn't wait to catch one of the kids using their abilities. They'd haul you off, and no one ever saw you again. I mean never. Remember that when you feel sorry for yourself.

She thought about how they made the girls sleep in long dorms with ten beds on one side and ten more across from them. But you could never sleep. Someone was always crying or having a nightmare or if they were lucky, snoring. The bed checks were made by a series of nasty, sour-faced women. They hated kids because they had to keep moving and couldn't just sit and fall asleep all night, their heavy keychains clanging with each step as they walked between the rows of beds back and forth. Even the short time she spent there felt like it was permanently etched in her brain.

These memories were so real, so deep in her gut, sometimes she would feel spooked for days. Other times the dreams haunted her, making her bolt straight up in bed at night, the old feelings creeping into her fears and squeezing her heart. She would hold her breath, her heart pounding until she remembered once again that she was safe. Well, as safe as possible, considering.

This time, there was no one to go back to if she ever got back to earth at all. Her parents were taken away by the State two years ago. They didn't have a chance to tell Jillian beforehand. She just came home from school one day to the reality of an empty house. At first, she kept thinking they would get hold of her somehow. After two weeks, the State had shown up to inform Jillian that since she was a minor, they would be claiming the house. With only days to tie up her life and take only what she could carry, Jillian was feeling lost and scared.

Her parents had spoken of the possibilities since she was little. Dad always said I should consider them taken if they disappear. I wish I knew if they were okay. I feel like an orphan at sixteen. I know that happens to lots of kids, but it sucks so bad!

Jillian felt no one cared for her back now. She'd gathered her few things and hit the street with all her possessions on her back. She had some credits, but not much. Dad had hidden some resources in the house in case this happened. She could eat and maybe pass herself off as normal for a couple of weeks. But how could she live like that?

Reality made her grow up quickly. Being homeless was very dangerous. Everyone was supposed to belong somewhere and better be there. There were roving patrols all night, checking for people who didn't belong. The daytime was easier for Jillian to blend in but later got really sketchy with the Robocop's patrolling. She was getting practically no sleep, having to look out for everything.

Jillian ran into a girl friend who told her stories she heard about a secret society that was living in the sewers underground. Thankfully, the underground welcomed her before she got caught and saved her fanny. Jillian and other gifteds along with the other castoffs in her world had to stay hidden. Life was always a crapshoot when you lived in the bowels of the city. But living in the sewer lines had its perks. You could be yourself, and everyone respected you if you were straight up with them. The rats weren't even a problem anymore. Not since the cats kept them under control. Earth isn't easy, but I'll take it over Steggan Island any day.

Jillian could've handled herself better if she had to do her time on Steggan. She was tougher now. She wasn't that afraid, but the idea of ten years exile on Steggen, ugh. Jillian felt her stomach grinding. Ten years of being on guard all the time, careful what you say and do, scared all the time. I couldn't do it! The tribunal always gives out longer sentences when anyone gets caught a second time. It's my own dumb fault I got caught. Damn it. But what am I doing standing here, thinking about things that don't help now? What have I got myself into this time?

Chapter 2

The Decree

With the late-afternoon sun shooting reflection beams off Jillian's wide titanium belt, she pulled the folded paperwork out of her back pocket, slid out the notice, and read it again:

Jillian Theron, you have been exiled to the planet Orion. You will land and enter the village of Thornberry. You are ordered to report to the residence at 1111 Marbury Court, where you will remain for the next ten years. At the termination of your exile, you may be jettisoned back to earth from the same place on the planet's grid where you first arrived. Failure to do exactly that which is requested of you will result in your permanent exile to this planet. Be certain to appear at the appropriate place and stated date, or relinquish your freedom to return to earth for the rest of your natural life.

—The Tribunal, May 3, 2207

Shitty people. She felt her shoulders droop as she started thinking about what she was getting into. It's not like she'd had time to think. The Robocop grabbed her, took her to lockup for the night, and she was charged the next morning. Suddenly her stomach gripped. It felt like a war was happening inside. Jillian grimaced, that pit of the stomach rock grinding away. It was a feeling she knew only too well. Just staying alive on earth was a challenge every time she went aboveground, especially if you were stupid enough to spend a lot of time out there. What with the curfews and patrols, it was always chancy.

Jillian had done it one too many times, staying just long enough to get caught. Her friends had reminded her to watch her back when she left. Yeah, yeah, I will, she remembered saying. But she needed to be free. She needed a fix of nature bad. It seemed like forever since the last time she felt the wind against her skin. She was going crazy living in the underground world. She missed the open world and nature. She was sick of the dark underground and the endless tunnels.

Jillian remembered her mom talking about wishing on a star, but the sky was always blanketed by haze night and day. Even before her parents disappeared and she could play outside, the sky was never clear. None of her friends had ever seen a star. She imagined the cloud formations she remembered from her mom's stories when she was a little girl. The sky just looked gray now. But still, just being able to move freely above ground was amazing.

That horrible day Jillian got caught (was that only yesterday?), she stayed later than she'd planned. The sun had already set, and the darkness was taking over. She was slinking along nicely in the shadows when a motorcycle came whipping around a corner. The bike was so loud she squinted at the insult to her ears. Unfortunately, a baby possum was directly in the path of the motorcycle. The little thing cried out from the street, where he lay bleeding and crying.

Poor baby! I bet he's scared. If Jillian wanted to help, she had to go out into the lit intersection and swoop up the tiny possum. She considered not moving for a moment, hunkered down in the shadows. Then she ran out, picked up the critter, and darted back into the shadows. She knelt down with the tiny animal. You poor baby. I'm not going to hurt you. Mainly, the little guy seemed unharmed except for his left rear leg that hung by a small flap of skin. She put the leg back in place and held it and began steaming divine light out the other hand. She said a prayer over the bleeding injury, then healed the wound. The small possum got on his tiny healed legs and ran off.

Unfortunately, one of the creepy Robocops saw her. Jillian knew it was a violation of the State to be a gifted. She got caught red-handed. The stupid Robocop told her not to move and put her in handcuffs. She was mad at herself for getting caught as tears rolled down her cheeks. But how could she leave the possum to die? Didn't she have a responsibility to use her God-given talents for the good? Caught using her abilities to heal again, it was the tribunal she faced and immediate exile. I knew the dangers and did it anyway. They can't outlaw a person's conscience or kindness and decency!

The State was cruel and rotten. When you were taken to the tribunal, you had no rights. Jillian couldn't contact anyone. She was just going to disappear. When I never make it back, I hope they don't think I'm dead. And why was I so stupid that I got myself into this anyway! I'm stuck in this place, where I don't know what to expect.

What am I going to do here? At least at home I knew who the bad guys were. I have no idea who is a possible friend and who could be a deadly foe. No use worrying about that yet…

As she pushed the long, straight dark hair behind her ears, her eyes became slits. I can do this! Determined, she looked around. I wonder what this place is anyway. All they said at the tribunal was that this planet was where I'd stay for my ten-year sentence. Shelter would be provided but no other details. My survival will be left to my wits and resourcefulness. Sort of like me Jane or something. I sure hope not. Having to hunt animals and eat them, ugh!

She felt her heart clutch, joining in with her still churning stomach. Would she have to play hide-and-seek with twenty-foot tall, one-eyed purple beings or have to fight off freaky slime creatures? She imagined some of the ugly, terrifying, monstrous beings she'd watched on her monitor at home. Maybe evil aliens. A shiver snaked down her spine, like a reptile scampering down a wall. She shook it off.

Luckily, before they dragged her away at the tribunal, the Mercy Council had a few minutes to tell Jillian about Thornberry. There were many villages on this planet. Most of them were like this one, which was a poor village with people who looked like her and spoke her language. The Faerie Realm is around here somewhere. Maybe there'll be friendly faeries and small elves. Maybe this is better, but this place might have its own dangers. Am I going to run into evil elves and have to watch out for spell casters and demonic evil doers? Besides no tech toys, no teleporting, no music… No music, how can I do this?

I always count on my music to help me chill. How am I ever going to live without my faves for ten whole years? And besides, I'll be totally out of cool, not knowing what's down at home. That got her bummed for a minute. Then she shrugged. Might as well get over it because there was nothing else she could do about it. She had enough things to worry about just making it through the ten years or maybe the next ten hours.

Now looking ahead at the long, dusty road, she moaned and started walking. It didn't take long until she began seeing the town. Walking along, she passed many cottages in various levels of disrepair and despair. Most of them looked old and shabby. One cottage's window sash was hanging half nailed, making a squeaking sound as it moved in the slight breeze. The yards were weed ridden, and the plants, if any, were scrawny. Discarded toys and a rocking chair with one rocker missing was part of one of the cottages' front yards. Jillian continued walking slowly down the dusty street, looking for the address. The problem was that none of the cottages had numbers on them.

As she continued walking by one cottage after another with no numbers, Jillian started feeling nervous. Now what? How am I going to find this place? Jillian thought about asking one of the few people she could see. She watched three children shriek and scream as they ran about, chasing one another and playing. The kids just seemed to ignore her. You'd think they'd be curious about a stranger. I sure don't look like I'm from around here.

Further down the road, a man chopped wood for kindling, and several women were talking together. They hung wet clothing from a wooden bucket over a thick rope strung across two trees. The hanging clothes looked raggedy and colorless from so much scrubbing and wear. Generally everything looked broken down and neglected. They mind their own business, she thought. No one even glanced at her as she passed by.

Jillian finally arrived at the end of the village, where the forest started up again. She was about to scream out of frustration when at the very end of town, she saw it. A cottage was set back into the surrounding woods far from the other homes. It seemed to be surrounded in a bubble of pale-pink light, like it existed in another world. Unlike the broken-down cottages she passed, this one looked like a magical storybook cottage. Even the forest around the cottage was different. It felt like an enchanted wood. I wouldn't be surprised to see Goldilocks and the three bears walk out the front door. The gable roof had a stone chimney with smoke billowing out. A pretty brick front had ivy climbing the walls. There were loads of yummy-smelling flowers growing everywhere. And sure enough, on the wall near the tall, solid wooden door, there was a large circle made of gold with the number 1111 emblazoned on it.

Walking up to the large wooden door, Jillian knocked three times. Hearing no noise, she put her ear to the door. Again, nothing. She tried knocking again, considerably louder this time. After waiting a polite moment, she tried the ornately carved wooden handle in the form of a dragon and found it was unlocked. She pushed open the door easily and walked inside. The light from the door and the lit fireplace illuminated some of the dark room, but not enough to see everything clearly. Jillian walked to the covered window and pulled back the bright-yellow curtains.

With more light streaming in, Jillian could feel the large room had a welcoming feeling with a really smooth energy. It felt good. It looked good. There were colorful embroidered pillows everywhere. It was a relief to find simple furniture and a small kitchen with the essential basic