River Baker and the Warriors of Rala

by Mali Baker

  ‘That’s alright for you to say, you weren’t the one being zapped,’ Kit teased. Eleon looked down, ashamed. ‘I’m only joking,’ Kit said stroking his arm.

  ‘I’m so grateful for all you have done for me.’ He looked at them both in turn. ‘I was trapped before, and you set me free.’

  ‘You mean I freed you,’ River joked. Kit playfully nudged her and giggled.

  ‘We’re grateful too,’ Kit said. ‘Without RALA,’ she said looking over at all the Warriors, ‘we’d never have known the truth about our Great-Auntie Violet.’

  ‘We have learnt so much. We should be thanking you,’ River said, her eyes meeting Neith’s.

  ‘It’s been our pleasure, River,’ Neith said. ‘I have a feeling we’ll be seeing each other again soon.’ Neith hugged the girls and then turned promptly on her heels. She shot off up the path, leaving Maolan with River and Kit.

  ‘I’ll give you two a minute,’ Kit said, winking. She left Maolan and River alone while she said goodbye to the others. Maolan giggled.

  ‘Awkward,’ River said, laughing nervously. He leant in and gave her a peck on the cheek. She went bright red.

  ‘I’ll be seeing ya,’ he said, before following his mother back through the gate. ‘Oh, by the way… the Warrior Princess thing suits you – you’re better at it than I thought you would be,’ he called over his shoulder, cheekily.

  River hated to confess it but she thought she might have her first crush!

  No Name had a grin on his face as he watched Maolan leave. ‘Don’t you start,’ she said, trying to cool her cheeks with her hands.

  ‘River,’ No Name said. ‘I hope you know how far you have come.’

  She thought about it for a minute before answering him. ‘I do,’ she said. Despite all the ups and downs, she understood that all of this had happened for a reason. ‘But, tell me this: why me and not Kit?’

  No Name tilted his head. ‘You may be twins but you are very different. You needed to learn different things in RALA. You have both come just as far, but for different reasons your paths were not the same.’ He placed his hand on River’s shoulder and squeezed it. She knew he was saying goodbye; he turned slowly and headed towards the gate. ‘I must get this back to Indigo House.’ Eleon had released the crystal to him. He held it up in the air for River to take one last look; it glistened, and a few sparkles of light flew from it.

  ‘Wait. Not go yet, wait please…’ Boba came zooming towards them, stopping No Name in his tracks. Kit glowed at the sight of him, which confused River slightly. Adora followed gracefully behind him.

  ‘Boba,’ Kit said. ‘I’m so pleased to see you.’ She turned to River. ‘This little guy has been with me for pretty much the whole time,’ she said. ‘He gave me the strength to keep believing.’

  ‘Looks as though we both had a guardian angel with us,’ River said, as Adora landed on the back of her hand.

  ‘I’ll never be far away,’ Adora squeaked. Then she flew off into the clouds above them.

  River followed her with her eyes until she was out of sight. She needed an extra second to take it all in. She took a deep breath of fresh air from the garden – even the air here was different. She never wanted to forget how it felt to be in RALA. She brought her hands up and saluted it by entwining the backs of her hands together. ‘RALA,’ she said. What a place, she thought to herself.

  ‘River,’ No Name said, just before he walked through the gate. ‘A flower only blossoms when the time is right.’

  As with everything he said, it took her a moment to understand. But, once she did, she felt a warm tingle flow through her body from head to toe.

  ‘It was totally worth the wait,’ she said, and smiled her cheeky grin at him. ‘Thank you for everything…’ She stumbled, this time, not knowing what to call him.

  ‘It’s Michael,’ he said. ‘My name is Michael.’

  River thought back to where she had seen the name Michael and pulled the pen from her pocket. ‘You’re Michael, as in this Michael?’ she said, holding the pen out towards him. ‘Michael A. Whitlock?’

  Michael showed a hint of a grin, but nothing too expressive. ‘I am, River.’

  ‘So this is your pen?’

  ‘It was my pen, quite a long time ago, but I’d hold on to it if I were you.’ He winked at her and then slowly walked out of the garden. River hugged the pen to her chest and smiled. For some reason it felt all the more precious now she knew it had once belonged to him, the greatest Warrior in RALA.

  CHAPTER 28

  I Trust and I Believe in Myself

  The girls were expecting the window to be open but it wasn’t. They now knew how they had got to RALA, but they didn’t know how to reopen the window to Violet’s room. River turned to look at Eddie.

  ‘Eddie, how do we get back inside?’

  ‘Writing, my dear, just as you did to get here,’ he said.

  River handed Kit the pen.

  ‘It’s not working, Eddie,’ Kit said, as she put pen to paper. ‘Has the ink run out?’ She was panicking a bit.

  ‘I don’t think that’s possible. Try again.’

  River stood looking at the window. It wasn’t smeared with paint this side, it was more like a mirror. All she could see was her own reflection. She still looked the same on the outside but so much of her had changed. She stared deep into her own eyes. They sparkled brightly. A day ago she would have said her eyes were brown, but now they looked more hazel.

  She smiled at her own observation.

  ‘I trust and I believe in you,’ she said to her reflection. And she meant it: she really did believe in herself. She believed she could achieve anything she wanted after the journey she had been on.

  ‘River, look,’ Kit said. River was overjoyed to see the butterfly pen finally begin to shimmer. It pulsed as the light around them grew bigger and bigger until both girls were forced to their knees, blinded by the light once again. This could only mean one thing. The window was opening.

  The first thing the girls heard, once they were back in Violet’s room, was Nana banging loudly on the door.

  ‘Get out of that room!’ she yelled. ‘I mean it, girls. Out, now.’

  Kit and River looked at each other, both waiting for the other to say something.

  ‘River Baker, OPEN THIS DOOR.’

  ‘Oh, boy!’ River said. ‘I’ve never heard Nana so angry.’

  ‘I mean, I expected something like this from you, River, but, Kit, I am so disappointed in you.’

  River ran to the desk and picked up the key to the room. ‘Open the door,’ she said, handing it to Kit.

  ‘I’m too scared,’ Kit said, shaking her head.

  ‘Do it – I need to find something.’

  River began rummaging through the old pages of notes they had seen on Violet’s desk. She thought back to her dream: before Violet had been forced to leave, she had been writing!

  ‘OPEN THIS DOOR!’ Nana yelled.

  ‘OK, Nana, I’m coming.’ Kit put the butterfly pen back in its place before heading to the door.

  ‘Come on,’ River mumbled as she scanned over every sheet that was there. ‘We need Nana to see the truth, Violet – help us.’

  ‘River, please…’ Nana suddenly broke into tears and River heard her body slump against the door. She felt terrible.

  ‘Girls.’ It was Grandpa. He was a little calmer than Nana. ‘You need to let us in.’

  ‘Yessss,’ River said; she’d found what she was looking for. Kit put the key into the lock and unlocked the door. As soon as Nana heard it turn, she jumped up and pushed the door open, barely giving Kit enough time to move out of the way.

  ‘Nana,’ River said, and, turning to face her, she held a sheet of paper out towards her. Nana ignored it; white as a ghost, she threw herself at Kit and wrapped her arms around her tightly. She stayed
there and sobbed for what felt like ages. Grandpa waddled quickly to River and held her close. River’s bones, already fragile, crunched.

  ‘I thought, I thought…’ Nana blubbered, ‘I thought I’d never see you again.’

  ‘We’re sorry, for scaring you, Nana. We didn’t mean to,’ River said.

  Nana held Kit by her shoulders, inspecting every inch of her. Once she could see she was in one piece she moved her to the side and came further into the room. Everything that had gone on, all those years ago, must have flooded back to Nana. River could see it in her face. Nana looked unstable as she wobbled towards River with her arms stretched out to her.

  ‘Nana, we have something to tell you…’ River said, as she held her close.

  Nana drove like a lunatic. The twins were belted up in the back of the car while Grandpa sat up front in the passenger seat. They were telling Nana every detail of their journey, but Nana only had one thing on her mind: Violet.

  ‘Read it again, River, the poem…’ Nana said.

  It’s a place that only you would know

  A place we called our second home

  Hidden amongst trees so tall

  We used to play when we were small

  Every summer we’d watch the sun go down

  A secret no one ever found

  Find me here when the time is right

  When you see the truth written in the light.

  ‘Slow down dear,’ Grandpa said, as they pulled into a small village, ‘we must be near.’ Nana swerved around a corner, not slowing down much at all. As she continued along a bumpy lane, the girls bounced around, full of excited anticipation. Then Nana slammed on the brakes outside a tiny white house that stood alone amongst the trees.

  ‘Yikes,’ River said, as they all jerked forwards.

  Nana reached into the glove compartment of her car. She fiddled around inside before pulling out a tiny envelope. She held it close to her heart. Both her granddaughters watched her every move. She had barely said a word since they got into the car. She slowly took out a piece of paper.

  ‘Violet left this for me,’ Nana said, her eyes big and blue. ‘I knew about RALA. From the day she could write, that was all she talked about. Our grandparents gave her the pen. They lived not far from here. We spent a lot of time with them when we were young.’ Nana looked down, ashamed. ‘I was scared…of RALA, I ignored it. Ignorance is bliss, as they say.’

  Nana unfolded the piece of paper.

  ‘She loved to write. We all thought she would become a writer. That was before our parents decided she was going crazy. The last thing she ever wrote to me was, “a flower only blossoms when the time is right”. I read it over and over until I understood it.’

  River joined Nana on the last few words but under her breath, remembering what Michael had said to her.

  ‘I guess the time is right now,’ Nana said, turning to look at River. ‘She wanted me to find them, the Warriors of RALA. She wanted me to bring her home, prove to our parents that she wasn’t seeing things.’ Nana looked at Grandpa. ‘Violet had such a big imagination.’

  A smile blossomed across Grandpa’s face. It was the first time she had spoken of Violet in many years.

  ‘I love you both very much.’ Nana said, kissing her granddaughters on the forehead, one by one. Then she reached for the door handle.

  Grandpa gently touched Nana on the arm. ‘We don’t know that she’s in there,’ he said, cautiously, trying to protect his wife from any more heartache.

  A tear rolled down Nana’s cheek. She nodded at him and placed her hand on his. ‘This was our secret place. No one lived here back then; it was deserted. I believe she’s here. I know she is.’

  The twins got out of the car. They watched in suspense as Nana approached the door of the tiny white house. Nana tentatively knocked and waited for an answer.

  ‘Kit,’ River whispered, ‘what if she isn’t here?’

  The front door opened and a little old lady ran into Nana’s arms.

  ‘Phew,’ Kit said. ‘That really would have been the worst happy-ever-after ever!’

  ‘Yeah! Would’ve been a pretty awful mistake.’ They giggled nervously, relieved.

  The reunited twins, Nana and Violet, hugged and sobbed, laughed and cried, for a very long time, but nobody minded. As soon as Violet looked over at River, she smiled, and a soft glow began to emanate from her. Violet grabbed Nana’s hand and turned to face the girls and Grandpa. There was something so warm about what River was seeing, she felt a sense of satisfaction and smiled at the two of them.

  River felt a little tickle on the back of her neck. She scratched it but it immediately came again. She flicked her hair out of the way and a little white butterfly flew across the street all the way over to Violet, hovering between her and Nana.

  ‘Adora!’ River whispered. ‘Surely not?’ She instinctively put the backs of her hands together and Violet mirrored her.

  ‘RALA,’ River said.

  ‘RALA,’ Violet echoed.

  Grandpa, Kit and River walked over to Violet’s house. Violet gestured towards the front door, welcoming them all inside.

  On first sight of the interior of the house, River turned to Violet and said, ‘It’s just like…’

  ‘Indigo House?’ Violet finished her sentence.

  ‘Yeah.’ River said. She couldn’t believe the resemblance.

  ‘It’s been a real comfort to me, this place.’ Violet said. ‘It made me feel as though there was still a little bit of RALA with me.’

  Violet ushered Nana to the sofa and they sat down next to one another. Kit and River sat on the floor, looking up at them, and Grandpa rested on one of the sofa arms.

  ‘Violet, I feel awful,’ Nana said, ‘I just thought you were…’

  ‘It’s OK,’ Violet said, holding Nana’s hand. ‘You see, girls,’ Violet turned to Kit and River, ‘our parents, they thought I was making RALA up. They were afraid I was very poorly and they sent me to a special hospital.’

  ‘And that’s where you’ve been, all this time?’ Kit said.

  ‘No, but I was there for many, many years. Once I left, I felt like this was the right place for me to live.’

  ‘Why didn’t you ever go back, to the house?’ River couldn’t understand.

  ‘Yes, Violet, why on earth didn’t you ever come to see me?’ Nana asked.

  ‘If you get told something often enough, you start to believe it. I guess as time went on I started to doubt my own memories. I suppose I was scared you had been turned against me; I figured that I might not have been welcome any more. It seems so silly now we’re all together, but that’s how I felt. But a part of me always knew the day would come when you would find me.’

  ‘Will you come back with us now, Violet?’ River asked.

  ‘Oh, I don’t know…’ Violet looked a little nervous at the idea.

  ‘Please,’ Nana begged. ‘After all, who else could possibly take me to RALA other than you?’

  Life would never be the same for River Baker. Not only had she discovered a whole other world, she had also learnt so much about herself and her family. Who knew that walking through a new door would change her life!

  She wasn’t sure what was going to happen next, especially now she was a Warrior Princess. Unfortunately, she’d still have to go to school in September and do all her chores at home! Nana and Grandpa decided it might be a little tricky trying to explain River’s adventure to her parents, especially after what had happened to Violet, so they decided to make it their little secret. River liked it that way; it made RALA all the more magical.

  River and Kit got to spend much more time with Violet over the rest of the summer. Violet shared all her secrets with them and they visited RALA together. To say Eddie was over the moon to see Violet again was an understatement, and Michael announced her return as the m
ost joyous event that RALA had ever seen. Eleon and Violet still shared a special love for one another but fifty-six years was a long time to be apart. Things were very different now, but seeing her brought him so much joy.

  For Violet, the best part about going back to RALA was taking Nana. Finally she got to share it with her sister; it was the happiest moment of her life. Nana never again locked the door to Violet’s room, RALA was welcomed and believed in, and, even though Violet continued living in her little white house, that room would always be known as hers.

  Violet was going to teach River everything she needed to know about RALA. She was going to show her how to use her light, what all the different colours meant and what it truly meant to serve others as a Warrior Princess. River knew she had a big responsibility now, and, as Nana once said, ‘Who knows what’s waiting around the corner?’ It might not be long before the Warriors of RALA call upon River Baker and her light to help them once again.

  Driving away from her grandparents’ house, the last Sunday before school started, was the hardest day of all. River waved to Nana from the back window of her parents’ car and then put the backs of her hands together, mouthing the word, ‘RALA.’ Nana did it back and River giggled.

  ‘What’s so funny?’ Kit asked.

  ‘Nothing,’ she said, ‘It’s just that I didn’t even want to come here and now I don’t want to leave.’

  As the car turned the corner, she closed her eyes and smiled. She would never forget the day she opened that door, which had led her to find a power within herself that she’d had no idea she even possessed. That was the day she had realised just how special she was.

  Mali’s thank-yous

  Writing this book was the most magical adventure of my life. I didn’t know where the next page would take me; even reading it back I was sometimes surprised at what was happening in the world of RALA! It was a gift given to me to pen, and even though I am the author, the story belongs to the characters.