We popped out of the portal in the middle of woods somewhere. I looked off into the distance. "So where is this place-"
"Turn around," I heard Gorbin tell me. I did. Whoa. It was the most beautiful building I ever saw. It looked kind of like this toy castle I had when I was little. But the bricks... It looked like the bricks were made out of solid pearl. It was the most beautiful color I had ever seen. I closed my eyes and just listened. I could almost hear the beauty of the building playing a song for me.
"Talia," a voice to my right said. "Talia, we have to go." I opened my eyes and looked to my right. I let out a little shreik. I was still wasn't eye to eye with Gorbin, but now he was taller than me! "Now, Talia-"
"Why are you taller than me?" I demanded.
His green face seemed to shrivel up even more in hesitation. "Talia..." He took my arm by the wrist and put my hand in front of my face so I could see it. I screamed
"What the hell is going on here!?" My hand was green. "Why is my hand green?!"
"Lower your voice.... and it's not just your hand. You've turned into one of us."
"Wait a second..." I said, only it didn't come out that clear. I was so freaked out, all my words must have sounded like they went through the blender. "G-Gorbin... one of you?"
"Yes, as in: everyone else who lives in this realm."
"Oh... don't do this to me. I can't handle this. I'm too young to turn green!"
"Talia," Gorbin smiled down at me. It wasn't an ugly smile as you think would be on such a creature, but his smile was actually very human. I felt a tingly shiver go up my spine. "Let's go."
I nodded, feeling stupid and small.

We started walking out of the woods towards a small village in front of the castle. "Your hair is still yellow," Gorbin informed me.
"Is it?" I took my hair down from the ponytail and looked at it. "It is! Well that makes me feel better. Are my eyes still brown?" I looked up at Gorbin and he looked into my eyes. I immedeatley regreted it. I felt my knees go weak and my mouth slowly slid down in amazement, then rose back up into a smile. "Your eyes are so blue," I told him. "I didn't think you had blue eyes."
"You still have brown eyes," he said, but that voice I loved was absent and he sounded so plain. He broke eye contact and looked straight ahead to the village. "Let's go, Talia." It made me sad to hear him talk so solemnly. I wanted to ask what was wrong, but I decided aginst it. "Now, when we get to the palace, you can't meet the king while wearing that."
"What's wrong with what I'm wearing?"
"It's pants. Women here aren't supposed to wear pants. Plus, they have mud on them."
"Oh no!" I looked down to see. Since I was shorter, the jeans were dragging in the mud more. "These are brand new jeans!"
"There you go again, being shallow."
"I'm not being shallow. Its just that these are new and I saved my money for a month to get them."
"You know, around here, you'd never save up for a month to get pants. It'd be for something important. Like a new roof, or new farm equipment."
"And that's why I don't live on a farm." I crossed my little arms and put more force into my steps. Gorbin didn't say anything, but I knew he was thinking, 'poor little rich girl.' or something like that.

When we entered the village, a large group of people-- er, of whatever Gorbin was, ran up to us. "Gorbin!" a shrill female voice shouted out above the murmur of the crowd. The crowd split and a girl looking about a year or two older than me ran up and wrapped her arms around Gorbin. "I missed you so! I thought maybe you wouldn't make it back!" Her voice was so piercing, it made me shudder.
"Hey, Leesa. You didn't have to worry."
I felt something twinge in my chest.
"And who is this?" The girl, apparently Leesa, asked, waving her hand at me as if I was a bug to be shooed away.
"This is Talia. She's the girl I'm supposed to bring to the king."
"Oh... I thought you got a new girlfriend when you went away!"
Gorbin laughed fakely, and the twinge felt more painful.

Gorbin had to explain several times to some guards why he was coming though the palace. And we eventually came to the heavy doors which were triple guarded. "I guess this is where I have to say goodbye. I assume that once we get inside I won't get a chance to."
"I don't want to go," I cried and collapsed onto Gorbin. He held me up.
"Talia..."
"But I won't have you killed, either," I said. My heart ached. Why? Was I..? No. I couldn't be... in love? What other emotion was there!? I was. I had finally fallen in love. The doors started to open. My heart beat faster and faster every minute. "Gorbin-"
We started to walk in. "Yes?" he asked
"I-- I," We were now in the giant room. "Gorbin, I- I... where am I?" I felt like I got hit in the head with a baseball bat. "Wowww..." I was standing in a long hall, with ivory white columns lining the way. I was standing on a red carpet. And at the end of the carpet, were a few stairs. And sitting on top of those stairs, someone was watching me. I walked closer and closer until I got close enough to see who it was. And sitting atop the throne, with a crown on his head, was the most perfect, gorgeous guy anyone had ever lay eyes on.
"Who-" he demanded, "are you?!"
"My name is Talia..." I was simply in a daze, staring at all the perfect features of his face.
"This is who you sent me after, your majesty," came a voice from behind me. It was a nice voice, so I turned around to see who it belonged to.
"Eeew!" I shreiked upon seeing. It was a green person. I backed away.
"Gorbin, what the hell are you trying to pull?! This obviously isn't the Talia I sent you after." The perfection had stood up, and I saw that he was much taller than I was. "She's one of you critters!"
"No, she's not!" The pitiful green thing sounded so desprate to have me accepted.
"Oh, then who is she?"
"No, this is Talia, but when she got into this world, she changed."
"I changed?" I wondered aloud.
"Talia, what's wrong with you?!" The green thing demanded of me.
"Nothing! What is wrong with you? Why are you green?"
"SILENCE! Both of you! Talia, come here."
I walked towards the king who called me. Then, out of the corner of my eye, I saw my arm. I stopped in my tracks and lifted my hands up in front of my face. They... They were GREEN! I screamed, and... I guess I fainted
The next thing I know, I was on a bed somewhere with some green people standing around. "What did you do? Why does she look like this?" It was that perfect man.
"I'm sorry, I- I don't know. I've been trying to figure this out," a pitiful little voice I had never heard before said.
I sat up.
"Talia, you're awake. Are you ok?" It was that same annoying green person who was there earlier.
"Yes," I grumbled. "Get away. Why am I like this?"
The gorgeous guy came along and shoved the green thing away from me. "You're Talia?"
"Yes," I smiled.
"Why do you look like that?"
My smile slid away. "I don't like it. Make it go away."
"You're Talia; same blond hair and brown eyes. So why are you ugly now?"
"I'm sorry."
"It's not your fault. It's these two idiots. Some magician... can't even bring a human to this lousy place. And you Gorbin, you're lucky I don't have you killed!"
"Can you make me pretty again?"
"Well, I'll try. Oh, and, Talia, you can call me Aevin."
"Aevin..."

~~~~~
reviews make me happy :-)
please don't make me sad :-(