I looked around apprehensively as we stood outside the tall, red brick building. There was a winding black staircase zig-zagging up it. "Is this...TriBeCa?" I asked, trying to remember the name of the area. Lay nodded.

"Are you ready to go inside?" he asked. I inhaled deeply and nodded, and Lay led me inside. We took an old, rickety elevator up a few floors and got to a door. It looked exactly like any other apartment, so I was puzzled that this would be where the Oracle resides. Lay rapped on the door and a few seconds later the door opened to reveal a middle aged, delicate looking woman. She held herself elegantly, and she had warm brown eyes and curly black hair that tumbled down her back. She was wearing a headscarf and a traditional Aurian dress. "Ahh, Lay! Welcome back. And you must be Violet?" she smiled warmly at me. I nodded and she motioned for us to come in. Her living room was just like ours, but she led us straight through it to a small room at the back of the apartment. "Shoes off before you enter, please," she said. I slipped my shoes off and waited anxiously as she opened the door.

 

 

There was a blind down over the window, blocking out any natural light. There were tall candelabras in the corner, and the candles burning softly added a bit of light to the room. There were large colourful cushions on the floor, around a small, low table. It reminded me of the old temples on Aurora. She motioned for us to sit on the cushions. "So, what would you like my help with today?" she asked. Lay gave me a small smile.

"Well...I'm new to Earth, so I'd like to know how everything works. Like...what happens with powers?" I replied. The Oracle smiled.

"Well, nobody on Earth has them, but they can be used here. However, you should be careful when using them here because if someone sees then you'll probably get into trouble," she warned. "What is your power?"

"Lightning control."

"See, sometimes an Aurian's power will manifest differently on Earth. You may well find that you can also control electricity - switching lights on and off with your mind, causing temperature changes and power surges...anything really. So just be aware of that," she smiled warmly and I nodded.

 

 

I considered what the Oracle was telling me. It all made sense to me and I glanced across at Lay, who smiled. "What else would you like to know?" the Oracle asked.

"How long do you think it will be before I...feel settled here?" I asked, already nervous forth answer.

"Well, it's hard to say. Obviously it was never going to be easy to be wrenched from your home and put on another planet, but you seem to be quite strong minded and determined so you should feel at home soon. And besides, Lay's a good boy, I'm sure he'll look after you," she smiled. I looked at Lay, who was rubbing the back of his neck self-consciously. I smirked at how cute he was when he was embarrassed and turned back to the Oracle. "Is it possible to see what's going on back home?" I asked.

 

 

The Oracle closed her eyes and I watched as she went into a trance-like state. A few moments later she opened her eyes and looked at me. "The Metropia is safe, but there's still some fighting going on out in the suburbs though. Would you like to see?" she asked, casting her eyes over Lay and I. We glanced at each other and nodded. She took our hands and motioned for us to link hands. I smiled slightly as I slipped my hand into Lay's and closed my eyes. "Just clear your mind," she said. Soon enough, images began forming in my mind. I saw the Metropia first, slightly damaged but safe. Then I saw various areas of the suburbs, and most of them were damaged or besieged. I could see fighting and I felt a horrible not of dread in my stomach as I saw an area that I used to play in as a child had been completely burned and savaged. The images went fuzzy and murky as I began to become upset by what I was seeing. "Let's stop there," the Oracle said. Lay squeezed my hand reassuringly as I opened my eyes. "Don't worry about it, Violet. If anything really terrible happens then you'll know," she said. I tilted my head at her.

"What do you mean?" I asked. She smiled.

"Don't worry about it," she said. I looked at Lay and he motioned to the door. "Thank you for your help," he said as he stood up. I did the same.

"It's a pleasure. You can come back and see me whenever you need anything," she smiled warmly. I smiled back.

 

 

"Did that help?" Lay asked as we walked down the street. I nodded.

"I like her, she's nice. I just wish I could go back and help at home," I sighed, watching my breath turn into a stream of condensation. "I know...it's hard. Sometimes I go and see her when I miss home," he admitted. I looked up at him.

"So you see Aurora as your home?" I asked.

"Yeah. I mean, I love living in New York City, but I grew up on Aurora so nothing compares to it. I'd love to go back," he replied. I nodded and looked up at the towering buildings above me. It was cold, but there was no wind so it wasn't all that unpleasant. I didn't feel like going back to the apartment, I wanted to distract myself from worrying about Aurora. "Lay? Can we something before we go back?" I asked. Lay smiled.

"I'm glad you asked me that," he replied, "I know exactly where we can go."