It was not an everyday thing where kids get snatched by white beams of light to a forest where kids learn to pursue their passion. But it happened—and there is no going back now.
Slowly, the students woke. Some flabbergasted, some petrified, and some thrilled. But to Elora, she was feeling it all. On one hand, she’s worried about her parents; Are they worried? When will I see them again?
But on the other hand… The Passion Forest. She could learn, she could learn it all. How to become the best-selling, nobel-prize winning, and above all, admired and valued author of her dreams. She could make friends, even. And from what she could tell, it wasn’t just any normal school, but a school in the forest instead, a school where teachers are wise, a school for kids to do their favorite thing everyday, a school supported by, what Elora had seen, magic.
She looked around at the bushy green leaves hanging high on their branches, the blue sky with puffy white clouds that looked like dragons, the air was the smell of sunlight, as Elora listened to the sound of leaves rustling against the wind. Suddenly, leaves blew past the students, Elora and the students looked in the direction the leaves were blowing towards, as the leaves gathered. Students gasped and watched with open-mouth as the leaves magically formed a woman—she stood tall with sparkling emerald-green eyes, graying hair flowing over her shoulder, smiling so brightly the students felt soothed and at peace. Then, different colored lights danced in the air as they turned into teachers, standing behind the smiling woman, each looking thrilled as they surveyed the myriads of students. For a moment, the forest was hushed.
“Welcome, seedlings, to the Passion Forest.” the woman at the front, most likely the legendary gardener, spoke. Her voice was calm and steady, yet so wise that Elora felt astonishingly familiar.
“I believe all, if not most of you have heard of the tale of the Passion Forest,” the gardener observed. “About a girl, who, like all of you, had a dream, a passion. And as many of you would have guessed, Margaery who pursued her dreams and followed her heart stands here before you.”
Margaery. That’s her name, Elora mused.
“For three decades, I’ve taught youngsters like you, whom I call seedlings. Every four years, unique students with a heart itching to bring value to our world gather in this very forest. In four years time, me and my crew will train you to the best of our abilities to make your dreams come true.” The headmistress looked around at the students, eyes sparkling with hope.
“Through your journey at the Passion Forest, we will show you ways to focus on your passion, pursue your dreams, and after you graduate and leave for the outside world, we make sure you bring value to the world, to make a differences, to make people's lives easier, more enjoyable, and to make a better future, all through unique, but valuable lessons. But of course it’s not completely up to us—each of you needs to work hard for your passion, and to follow your heart, every one of you needs to focus on your passion, and take our advice to the real world, where we will not be able to guide you along.” Elora felt scared, what if she doesn’t learn it all? But what if she does, who will she become? What will she learn?
“It's never too late to follow your heart, for everyone just needs to discover where their enthusiasm and talent lies. Unfortunately, there are many who don’t, even to an old age. But all of you are here for a reason, a passion is a rare thing to find; and those who have passions are extremely lucky, especially at such a young age. And we, as your mentors will support you along the way, and make you the person you want to be. From a seedling, to a sapling, a young tree, and finally a grown tree, your passion is ready for the world.” Elora’s heart thumped against her ears, what if she could make a difference in the world? Then she would matter to the whole world! That’s something even she couldn’t quite imagine.
“Each of you will be sorted into your own passion group, which we call your Passion Patch, where one teacher will guide you and other seedlings along with your passion. Then, each of you will get your own leaf, acting as a keycard to your treehouses, where you will sleep with your two other roommates. Breakfast and special occasions will be served in the Flower Grove, lunch and dinner in Shrubshome.” Headmistress Margaery finished.
“Any questions?” Headmistress Margaery probed, as a boy with red-brown hair and big gray eyes raised his hands high.
“Why is my cooking stuff here?” he asked with a German accent, looking down at his feet.
“Oh! Great question—each of you has your own item that will support your passion, which you will carry to your rooms later when questions are answered.”
Everyone looked at their feet—mirroring the red-haired boy—stunned.
A girl with round glasses asked, hand raised “I’m not good at English. Can you help?”
“Another crucial question, it seems like. Some passions find this less of a challenge, while others the opposite. There are lots of seedlings, and I’m sure some of them have a passion in translating, or know of languages you speak of. We will learn how to work with others in our years, and you can improve your language skills, which will serve you well after graduating. Any others?”
Without thinking, Elora raised her hand, slightly trembling from all that's happened.
“Yes?” Headmistress Margaery smiled.
“Will we be able to visit our parents? Do our roommates have the same passion as we? When will the classes start?”
“Well, those are some excellent questions,” the Headmistress chuckled. “Yes, you will be able to visit your parents during vacation every summer for one week. No, roommates are random, but I trust you will become good friends despite your differences. The classes start tomorrow, after you all have some rest.” Headmistress Margaery paused, waiting for questions. “Now, each of you will be given a leaf; be sure to be careful with it, and don’t lose it.”
Swiftly, leaves fell from the sky, one in each seedling's hand and floated again, guiding the seedlings to their new treehouses.259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqeomyGcYih
***
Elora tried to focus on her breathing even, rather than how she was dragged out of a tent to a magical forest. Following the leaf, with a baby-pink light following her, her face lit up with awe as she walked through Passion Forest. There are trees, each a different size and shape, some with juicy fruits, some with blooming flowers. Elora studied the treehouses she passed; each was built on a large tree, eight times Elora’s height. The windows were clean and clear, small block-shaped houses set on the tree branches. Wooden staircase twisted the way up. Each treehouse has three rooms, meaning nine seedlings in each tree. Who’s going to be my roommate? Elora wondered. Are we going to be friends? Is there a way that I can talk to my parents from here?
Abruptly, the leaf paused in front of a treehouse; just enough time for Elora to carefully inspect it. Now she had realized, each house was carved with a number and three names. Everything looks made out of wood, and the treehouse looks like it fell straight out of a fairytale. Somehow the tree sends a wave of relief and excitement at once down Elora’s body. Elora carefully grabbed the leaf and held it in her warm hands and walked on the spiral stairs, her light still following her. Elora walked to the top, where three names were carved on the door.
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Tree 15 - House 3
Elora Axa
Starla Kiera Loppie
Bumble Beam
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Elora took a deep breath, and plugged the leaf into the hole besides her and her roommate’s names. “Woah…” Elora breathed as she entered her room. Light shone in the room, the sun directly in view. The room gleamed with radiance, casting a glow on the bunk beds for three. Three bean bags sat next to the bed with a small table. There were two doors, Elora opened the first one to see a bathroom decorated with yellow and blue, a toilet, a shower, and a bathtub, pink, purple, and yellow towels hung on three glass towel-ramps. Elora noticed pink, purple, and yellow objects filled the room; shelves, toothbrushes, and bean bags. Elora opened the other door, only to find pink, purple, and yellow desks. Suddenly, the light behind Elora—one she forgot about—flew onto the pink table; computer opened, books stacked, finally Elora understood. The colors represents the different people in the room, and the room is for storing their objects to support their passion, and maybe even work on their pa—
Elora heard the door open. Slowly Elora opened the half closed door standing before her, she peered into the room, as it came into view, she blinked. She watched a girl with long brown hair enter. Her wavy hair was tied in a ponytail, her blue eyes looked kind and inviting, moving around to inspect the room. She stopped when she noticed Elora, her body hidden by the door, her head sticking out. Nothing happened for a second.
“Hi!” she waved warmly. Elora waved back, she could feel her face turning hot with embarrassment and nervousness, but the girl just stood relaxed, letting her eyes wander to the window for just a second.
“So… My name is Starla, and I’m guessing your Elora?” Starla assumed with a smile, her voice fresh and steady, like everything that happened didn’t happen at all.
Elora nodded her head, then felt stupid for not talking, but everything in her head was already a mess. She curled her toes in her shoes, then smiled slyly. She walked closer to Starla, who was admiring the view. Elora worked up her courage to speak as she looked at the door, as she opened her mouth to speak, the door opened deliberately. Another roommate was coming, and this time, she wanted to make sure it wasn’t going to be awkward.
A girl with strawberry blonde hair stepped in, and turned a brighter shade of pink than Elora. Elora remembered her from earlier, asleep in her yellow swarm of light. She must be Bumble, then, Elora considered, watching Bumble stare at her feet.
Starla turned. “Hi! I’m Starla. Nice to meet you.”
“H-h-hi,” Bumble staggered and bit her nails, her eyes blinking so rapidly Elora wondered if it hurt.
“I’m Elora,” Elora swallowed, her mind desperately trying to come up with something intriguing, but as words slipped out of her mouth, she realized she failed. “By the way, what lesson do you guys think we’re going to learn?”
Author's note:259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoyNN7OfQ22
Hi everyone! If you made it so far---thank you so much! I can't to words how much I appreciate you all taking your time to read my work. A friendly reminder that it's still in editing process, so if at any point the story seems undeveloped, unclear, or boring, please don't hesitate to tell me. If you're here to read: I really hope you liked it! If you're here to maybe review/give feedback, remember to be very honest! :)259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSvf7EeBmqG
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Questions to consider answering: At what point did you fell engaged and connected to the story? What did you think of the story as a whole? What was your favorite part of the story and why? When did you find yourself skimming? Were there any scene you couldn't visualize?259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRy7dC6j83s
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Target audience: Teens who enjoy YA/MG Fantasy, with themes of Passion and Friendship (14-15k words total in my novelette so far)! :)259Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl7ZOIUzyVX
