Forget Me Not- Prologue!

      “Are you ready Vyra?” Eliyen asked, looking back at her little sister as she paused at the cabin door. Vyra had been playing with Red, the baby griffin she'd sort of adopted, but stopped and nodded in response to the question.
      “Okay, here goes...” Eliyen took a deep breath as she looked around the village again. She wished she had a way to ensure that the image of it never faded from her memory. Usually she was eager to explore the unknown, but this time she found it difficult to be excited about the journey, and not just because of the events of the past weeks. It wasn't that she was leaving the village for a short trip, it was that she was leaving her home, everyone and everything she'd ever known for a place that she knew nothing about. On top of this, it would be her job to keep Vyra safe. There would be no returning home once they left.
      Vyra tugged on her arm to get her attention again, then knocked on the door without waiting for the older girl to respond.
      The door was opened almost immediately by a boy with long dark hair and hazel eyes. He stepped back to let them into the room, his gaze drifted momentarily to Eliyen, but she looked away.
      Before any of them could speak, a woman's voice came from a doorway to the left. “Eliyen, I need to have a word with you before you go. Vyra can wait there.”
      Vyra looked up at Eliyen, looking a little worried. Why can't I come? she signed.
      Eliyen shrugged. “It'll probably be boring anyway. Stay here and play with Red, just don't knock anything over,” she said before walking into the next room. She expected that whatever Ariava wanted to tell her was important, but didn't want to worry her sister. “Um... I'm here.”
     Ariava, the leader of the clan, stood by a window, looking out at the village. Even with the grey streaks in her black hair, Eliyen had never been able to tell how old she was. Perhaps she was imagining it, or perhaps it was just the lighting, but she seemed to look older now. When the woman spoke, there was a hint of sadness to her voice. “Before you leave I must ask you again; what do you know of the New World?”
      “I, uh...” Eliyen hesitated, “I've heard stories that it's very different from this world and that there's no magic... I don't really know anything else about it.”
      Ariava nodded. “I'm afraid no one does. I am sure that it will be difficult for you to get used to. You'll need all the help you can get.”
      Eliyen narrowed her eyes slightly. Where was Ariava going with this?
      “I am sending Akir with you and your sister.”
      “What?!” Eliyen was unable to contain her shock. Yes, she had been wondering why Akir was there when he'd opened the door, but she'd thought that he was probably just hoping he would have a chance to talk with her before they'd left. “I can't just- why?”
      Ariava turned away from the window to face her, her expression difficult to read. “Is he no longer your friend?”
      "Yes- no- I mean, he was, but now- you know what happened,” Eliyen stumbled over her words. It had been nearly three weeks and she still couldn't talk to him. She couldn't imagine traveling with him now. It was still too soon.
      “Do you think it would be better if he stayed here? If he remains with the clan there is a chance that he will eventually contract the plague. He is half human, like your sister.”
      “No! Of course I...” she trailed off. She understood what Ariava was saying. “He would be safe from the plague if he came to the New World.” Her voice was quite, her eyes focused on the ground.
      “Yes. And as I said, I expect you will be glad to have at least one friend in the new world, even if it's a bit difficult at first.” With a sort of sad smile, she put her hand on Eliyen's shoulder. “I understand that what happened to Kova still-”
      “ELIYEN!” Akir burst through the door, his eyes wide and expression panicked. “It's Vyra! I-I just went to get some more arrows, she said she'd stay here with Red but I can't find her! The door to the back room was open but-”
      “That was supposed to be locked!” Ariava exclaimed, her eyes widening as she swiftly moved past the two teens to the open door Akir had mentioned. She froze in the doorway, looking into the room. It was entirely empty.
      “Vyra!” Eliyen called, walking back to the door they had entered through earlier. She wasn't sure why Ariava was so worried about the room, yes, Vyra had probably opened it, but obviously she wasn't there now. She swung the door open and looked at the snow, expecting to see Vyra's shoe prints leading away. Vyra's tracks were there, but they were from when they had arrived. If the younger girl had left, she hadn't used this door.
      “Is there any other way out?” she asked as she closed the door and turned to look at Akir and Ariava again. Both wore similar expressions that she couldn't quite read. Akir wasn't hiding his fear quite as well as Ariava. Neither of them answered her question. “What's wrong? We need to find Vyra.”
      Ariava started, “Eliyen... I told you earlier than I had managed to force a portal open so that you could go to the new world-”
      “I'm sorry, but I don't see what this has to do with finding my sister. She must be around here somewhere.”
      “I said that I didn't know how long it would remain op-”
      Eliyen cut her off just before she could finish. “Yeah I know, we need to hurry!”
      “Eliyen,” Akir finally spoke up, causing the girl to pause. He looked at the door to the empty room, then back to her, struggling to find the words he needed to say. “The portal... in was in that room.”
      Eliyen started to say something, then stopped again as his words finally registered in her mind. “But... That room's empty. There's no portal or anything, it had to be a different room.”
      Ariava spoke again and this time Eliyen didn't interrupt her. “The portal has collapsed... and I am afraid that it looks like your sister and the griffin went through it alone.”