If I Could Share My Heartbeat

Azuka grunted as she used her mind to give life to a flower. It was incredibly tiring, but Rosi, the Goddess Of Nature, had made her do this. Rosi was a goddess in her culture, at least. Willowi, that's where she was and where she always has been.

     She's one of the most powerful Planters in the Reji. Reji means 'pretty and smart' and that was what most of the Planters were- pretty, and smart. But not her- she was much more intelligent than most Planters, but not quite as pretty.

    But maybe that was because she was less wealthy- she knew that Rosi would gift the most rich of the Planters beauty, and Azuka was in no way rich. Quite the opposite, actually. Her father was a lowly Weeder, usually only hired for a few Cions. In Human culture, a Cion might be worth around $50- but that was in human culture- not Planter.

    The humans had lived at peace with the Planters for millions of years- that is, after the Planters saved earth a few dozen times.

Before her mother was killed, she would tell Azuka all kinds of stories- like Bear, one of the many heroes of Willowi. He found a cure for a sickness the humans had brought (upon themselves, Azuka knew), and saved the human race.

 But her mother was dead.

Azuka pushed the retched Shadow Thoughts out of her head. Shadow Thoughts could kill your tree, and if her tree died, she did too.   Somebody's tree sprouted when they were born, and it carried a 

resemblance to your personality. Say, if, a very rude person was born, the tree would be ugly. But if you did good deeds, (and not for the sake of a pretty tree, I  might add), than you would have a glorious tree with lushes leaves and branches. Each day on your birthday, a leaf fell off. The leaves on your tree were always the size of your hand. If your tree dies, or runs out of leaves, you will die soon, too.

That is how Azuka's mother died. Someone- Rosi refuses to show Azuka who- poisoned her tree. Azuka fought back tears as the memory of her and her father watching the last leaf on her mother's tree fall, as graceful as her mother, to the ground. A mist hovered around the tree, and slowly the roots formed a face- her mother's face- into the ground. The dark, fragile tree was now enclosed in a glass dome her father had made. Azuka had helped paint on her Mother's name in gold.

Her mother, how Azuka wanted to hug her tight.

Technically, her great-great-great-great-great-great- (Ok, you get it), Grandmother was none other than the Plant Goddess herself. And Azuka was the last living heiress, the last Goddess. And The Great Tree - Rosi's tree- was loosing leaves fast.

And nobody could do anything to stop it or help Azuka.

It was worse that the power Rosi had granted her was never seen before, rather untamable, and not natural at all.

The power, you might ask?

Life and death of all nature.

That was what Azuka was working on, straining so hard to accomplish. There was a dead rose; she was trying to give it life in the form of a bee. And so far her success rate was... Drumroll please... Nothing! The most she had been able to do was save a nearly dead spider from perishing; only for it to die five minutes later.

She tried, so hard, to please Rosi. She hoped that one day, she would be powerful enough to bring her mother back, without dying herself. Her power was unpredictable, it was untamable. She was bullied often at the Academy Of Heroes. This was because she had to hide her gift- if anyone knew, they would capture her- to keep her and the others safe.

Azuka scoffed, finally managing to turn the rose black and yellow. She sighed, looking at her flower. Her father came out of the house, and into the back garden where she was working.

"Az, you have some friends here to see you."

Azuka's eyes shut as she sighed. "I don't have friends. Either they're here for you, or they're here to make fun of me and my Not-Power." That's what they called her power- The Not-Power. Because as far as anyone else was concerned, she had no powers.

Her father's eyes flashed green- a sign of annoyance among Planters. "Fine. Guess I'll have to take away your phone."

Azuka's eyes widened. "Never mind! I'll go hang out with them!" Her phone was not used for fun- but for reading. It was almost the only way to calm herself.

Azuka stood, racing towards the door before her father could change his mind. When she opened the garden's gate, non other than her bully was there. Azuka sighed- again. "What do you want Merissa?"

Merissa scoffed. "I want you to tell me what your Not-Power is, and why your tree was glowing!"

Azuka clenched her fist by her sides. "Why. Were. YOU. At. My. Tree?"

Merissa legitimately looked terrified. Azuka may not be have a power to her, but she can punch the crap out of something if she was angry. Merissa looked for an excuse. "U-uh... I was... visiting the gardens?" Azuka looked once at her, and her eyes flashed green.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Merissa was usually not one to get scared, but today she was a bit sad. So she, for whatever reason, went to pick on Azuka about having no power. Merissa herself had only one gift; it was a common one, but it was a fine one. She could control water.

Now, Merissa was terrified. She ran from Azuka, who's eyes were glowing, like her tree she saw earlier. She had been at the tree to try and rip a leaf off, but it hadn't budged. She hadn't thought that she wouldn't be able to. She was frustrated, tired, and angry.

And so, so confused. Somebody's tree only glows if they were a blood relative of a god or goddess. Had she been taunting a goddess the entire time? And what was this Not-Power? Merissa ran. And ran. And ran. She found herself in The House Of Heroes. She saw statues of all the heroes of Willowi.

She saw Bear. She saw Vines. And she saw her father, who died saving Azuka. Azuka may not know it, but she owes her life to Merissa's father.