The day the world changed had started much like any other.

He'd only been a kid back then, barely even thirteen. He'd been picking his way through the woods, like he did almost every day.

As a child, he never went far from the caves. It wasn't that he wasn't allowed to, but it was sort of frowned upon. Most of the elders didn't see the need to venture out to the surface unless it was necessary; they preferred to stay in the dimly lit warrens underground. At least his parents didn't mind his adventurousness. And the fact that he almost always brought back fresh meat certainly didn't hurt.

Today, he thought he might go to the river, see if he could catch a few fish.

He wormed his way through the trees, eventually leaving the well-worn path to take a shortcut to his favorite spot. He crunched over the leaves, listening to the loud, sharp cries of the birds, and the scurrying of critters along the forest floor. Finally, he heard the sound of the river, and he knew he was only a few minutes away. Off to his right, he saw a flash of violet that seemed to light up the sky. Curious, he left the path, heading over to a small clearing. There was a girl about his own age lying in the leaves. A human girl.

He stood there, stunned. He'd never seen a human before; he'd always been told that they were mythological creatures – stories to scare children. But now that he'd found one, what should he do? He didn't think he wanted to hurt her, even though she was in his forest. Should he talk to her? Or just get rid of her?

Most of the stories he'd heard about humans said they were dangerous. They were always hunting things they didn't need, taking whatever they wanted for the sheer fun of it. Iamin could respect that; his own people weren't much different in that regard. But that didn't mean he'd want her to do that around here. But watching her laying in the leaves, she didn't seem all that dangerous. Actually, she might need his help. How long could she lounge with her face buried like that before it became a problem?

Iamin slid closer, eyes never leaving the girl. Finally, she started to stir.

Now, he had a decision to make. He didn't know anything about humans outside of what he'd read in a few stories, but everything he did know screamed not to let her see his true form. But how should he change? Should he be more human or less?

In general, he looked just less than half human. If he went less, it'd be quicker. He'd also be able to disguise himself completely, and he wouldn't have to worry about walking on strange human legs. He could stalk her, observing. And she'd never even know he was there.

But if he decided to look completely human, he could ask her questions. And when would he get another chance to actually talk to one of these?

He decided his best bet was to look human. He finished changing just as she opened her eyes.

She stared quizzically at him for a second with intense green eyes. Then looking around, she asked, "Where am I?"

She pushed herself back into a sitting position, and Iamin could see her trousers were ripped at the knee. He could practically taste the blood.

"Are you alright?" he asked. He couldn't tell if he hoped the answer was yes or no.

"Uh... yeah." her cheeks flushed. "I think I just tripped. I wasn't really looking and..."

The girl glanced at the ground, twirling something absentmindedly around her thumb. Iamin looked. It was a silver ring with a small amethyst embedded into the band and roses carved into the metal. He was transfixed. He couldn't believe she had something like that. Was it a trick?

"Where did you get that?" he asked.

"This?" the girl looked at him strangely. "It's my grandma's."

"I see..." Iamin said. "And she gave it to you?"

"No..." the girl admitted. "But she lets me borrow it when I visit. It's been in my family for generations."

Iamin nodded. He'd have to ask her more about that later.

"What happened to the sky?" she asked, looking up through the trees. Iamin followed suit.

"Nothing's happened to it." It was right where it always was.

"I just mean... I've never really seen it that color before. So dark... and the purple... Must be a rainstorm coming." she tried to reason.

"Must be." Iamin said vaguely. They had storms quite often here. But rain? He'd thought that was as mythical as humans. Trying to change the subject, he asked, "What's your name?"

"Nora." the girl replied.

"Where are you from? How did you get here?"

"I'm from here – well, Roseville." she said. "But my grandma lives in Granite Bay. I'm visiting for the weekend."

"Are you?" he mused. He'd never heard of either of those places, but he was suddenly filled with visions of rose-covered huts and a crystalline lake. Wherever she was from sounded wonderful.

"You know – the city just over there." she pointed vaguely over her shoulder. Concern started creeping into her face. "Or maybe that way..."

Iamin realized she had no idea where she was. Should he tell her? What would she think if she knew what dangers lurked all around her, just out of sight? Visitors to the Realm of Rage were rare. He wondered how many creatures were already watching from the shadows.

"Would you like to go to the stream with me?" he asked.

"There's no stream around here." she said confidently.

"Of course there is." he insisted. But maybe humans just had terrible hearing. "Don't you hear it?"

The girl thought about it. Then, she grinned. "Yeah – I do. Does it feed into the bay?"

Iamin shrugged. He guessed it did eventually, but there was no bay around here that he'd ever seen. Not that even he would dare venture that far from the relative safety of the cave system.

It turned out, she had no idea how to fish; she didn't even know what kind of bait to use. But he'd shown her what to do – where to put the worm on the hook, how to secure it, how to cast the line. And surprisingly enough, she actually caught the biggest fish of the day. Iamin put it down to his excellent teaching skills.

Finally, it started to get dark. Well, darker. Nora started to get restless, and Iamin wondered what he was supposed to do with her. He couldn't take her back to the village – not without warning everyone else first. Besides, he'd gotten to know her a bit over the past few hours, and he was starting to like her. If she saw anyone in their true form, she'd realize she'd managed to stumble into their realm. At the moment, she was completely clueless. And Iamin was determined to keep it that way. If the elders found out, she could be in real trouble. Would they keep her here? Study her? Or would it be worse? No, it was better to send her back to wherever humans lived. Besides, he'd spent the last two hours forming a plan. He'd take her back to the clearing where she'd appeared; maybe it was a thin place between the realms. And with any luck, he'd be able to figure out how to visit her in the human realm himself.

They walked back to the clearing. It wasn't obvious, but if he looked out of the corner of his eye, he could see a slight shimmer in the middle, looking almost like the ripples in a pond. It was just a small tear, nearly invisible. If Iamin hadn't been looking for it, he probably never would have found it.

"Well... it was nice to meet you..." Iamin said slowly.

"Are you leaving?" Nora's eyes widened. "You can't just leave me in the middle of the forest! I don't even know where I am!"

"Don't worry." Iamin said, trying to sound confident. "Were you that far from home when I found you?"

"No... only a few minutes." she admitted.

"Well then, you'll be fine." he told her. He figured all she'd have to do was walk back through the rift, and she'd be recalled to wherever she'd started. And if it didn't work... well, then he'd think of a new plan.

He walked her directly to the center of the clearing, and she unknowingly stepped straight into the rift. And just like that, she was gone. Iamin was disappointed to see that rift seem to fade along with the strange human girl. So, he'd have to come up with a different plan if he wanted to visit her. But now that he knew humans were real, there was no way he'd give up.

Iamin walked back to the village, a plan forming in his mind. He was going to learn everything he could about her realm. And when he was old enough, he was going to experience it all for himself. And it wasn't just the sense of adventure that was calling to him. It was the ring he'd seen on that girl's finger. She might not have known what it was, but he did; he'd seen those carvings all his life. They were over his front door and on the ring his own mother wore. And they could mean only one thing: he was destined to be with her.

He'd never thought his soulmate would be a human – especially since he hadn't actually believed in them until about six hours ago. But he knew he was fated to the one who's markings matched his own family's crest. And once the elders realized it, they'd have to let him go. But there was no way they'd approve it if he was unprepared. So starting tomorrow, he was going to have to talk to Upala – the crazed hag and only member of the village to claim to have been to the human realm.