Two large circles drawn in the dirt with white paint. Perfect circles, thirty feet in diameter, thirty feet between them. In one stood three young men, in the other three young women. All stood facing the center of their circle, forming a triangle in each. In the male circle one with platinum blond hair raised his hand, and at the same moment in the female group a dark blond girl lifted her hand as well. When both hands dropped the battles began.

A young man with dark brown hair, a streak of strawberry blond through it over his right eye, sent the outline of the circle into flame. The first boy, the one with platinum hair and a brown-streaked lock over his right eye, sent out an illusion of another fire cutting straight through the circle. And the final of the three, a young man with red hair and a vibrant blond highlight over his own right eye, lifted his hands and swept them forward. The dirt around the circle lifted slightly and covered the flames, killing them.

The illusion remained, but the brown-haired boy stepped directly through it, unharmed. The blond-haired one that he stepped closer to only grinned and swept his arms before him and sent a large bird at him. His opponent simply set the illusion aflame, destroying it. The fire immediately burned out.

Suddenly the red-haired one took one step forward. A great crack in the ground spread from his foot to the edge of the circle. The young man with brown hair fell into it, while the blond scarcely remained on the surface.

“You promised you wouldn’t do any more chasms!” he yelled, his deep blue eyes glaring hard at the redhead.

The other man just shrugged, chestnut eyes glittering. “I’ve got to practice at some point. And I think I just won.”

“You win!” a voice called from the hole. “Now will one of you kind gentlemen please get me out of this pit!”

The blond sighed and reached down to grasp the trapped one’s hand. He pulled him out and the chasm closed while the rescued boy dusted himself off. All three of them then looked over at the females.

“They’re either stronger than us, or weaker than us,” the brown-haired one said, staring with his light gray eyes at the fight before them. “I can’t tell which.”

Gellina paid no mind to the three watching her and the other two. Her light blond hair with one lone chestnut streak above her right eye, was loose about her face so that the wind could blow it. Only she wore her hair down, as the others thought their hair got in the way during fights. It didn’t for her. Her pale blue eyes were free to see at all times, as they did at that moment when she mentally threw back the other two girls in the circle.

The one with muddy brown hair, a black highlight over her right eye as everyone’s was, was first to recover. She sent a glare with gray-green eyes at Gellina and she felt as if something had hit her in the chest. She sank to her knees then quickly rose again to her feet. But it was then that the third woman, the one with dark blond hair, a light blond streak in it, and pale green eyes, made her move.

Gellina felt her body freeze. She could do nothing, move nothing from her limbs to her eyes. Quickly she sent a mental message to the red-haired young man.

"Gellina says you win!" he called to the blond woman.

“Hailica too,” the brown-haired boy added.

The blond woman nodded, and instantly Gellina could move. “You’re never fair to fight with,” she complained.

She laughed as the men joined them. “I am the oldest of the girls.”

Gellina simply shook her head and dusted off her pants and shirt.

“Who won your fight?” Hailica, the brown-haired woman asked.

“I know,” Gellina replied before any of the boys could answer. She stepped up to the redhead and pressed a forefinger to his chest. “Mister I-Control-Nature.”

His real name was Gelex, her twin brother, and third eldest. The two of them shared a bond closer than what they shared with the others. They were the middle twins, and both attracted to the opposite sex, which wouldn’t seem all that important if not for the other two sets of twins.

Brixten, the blond-haired blue-eyed boy, was the eldest of all six of them, though they did all share the same birth date. His twin, Brira, the blond-haired green-eyed girl, was second eldest. They too had an incredibly close bond, as close as the one Gellina and Gelex shared. And the oldest two were each attracted to both sexes.

The youngest set of twins, born two hours after the first and one hour after the second pair, were Hailica and Hailan. Hailica was the youngest of them all, the one with muddy brown hair and gray-green eyes. Her twin was only a few minutes older than her, the boy with darker brown hair and light gray eyes. Their bond was also close, and they were both attracted to their own sex.

Each of them had elemental powers, though they didn’t posses the red in their eyes that other sorcerers did. Brixten had the power of light, Brira of the body, Gelex of the land, Gellina of the wind, Hailan of fire, and Hailica of water. Gelex was by far the most powerful, but Hailan was clearly the most dangerous. Angering him might mean going up in flames. Literally.

They were all interconnected, and they all cared about each other to an immense degree.

Gelex crossed his arms over his chest as he smiled at Gellina. “So what if I won by opening a chasm under Hailan’s feet?”

Gellina just rolled her eyes and turned away. It was then that she sensed something in the light breeze coming from the direction of the house. One of her powers involved hearing the voice of the wind, and the message made her smile. “Mother’s finished in the garden,” she declared. “You boys are going to get it for the way you left your room. She did ask you to tidy up before she finished.”

“My side of the room is perfect,” Hailan stated.

“Mine too,” Brixten added. “Or… Time to go home.”

Both Brixten and Gelex both broke into a flat out run towards the house in the distance. The remaining four watched them go, smiling.

“At least we can keep our things in order,” Hailica stated.

“It’s just those men,” Brira added, laughing.

Hailan rolled his eyes. “No, it’s those who are too lazy to do as they’re expected to.”

Gellina put an arm around each of her sisters’ shoulders. “It doesn’t require that much effort,” she stated.

Brira took the ribbon from her dark blond hair and shook it out. The lighter streak framed the right side of her face. Another strange trait of the six siblings were their highlights. All of them had the streak over their right eye of a different color than the rest of their hair, and it was natural.

“We should go home and watch them get reprimanded,” she suggested, putting an arm around Gellina’s shoulders.

“They won’t get more than a few words and a request to do it right away,” Hailica pointed out, also putting an arm around the middle sister from the other side. Her other arm went across her twin’s shoulders.

“It would still be entertaining,” Hailan agreed, draping an arm over her shoulders. “Let’s go.”

The four of them walked together across the field towards the house, the spring breeze blowing against them lightly. When they reached the house they found the eldest brothers standing in the den, heads bowed. Before them stood their mother, Ailli, her arms crossed over her chest. Her graying brown hair was pinned tightly back and her brown cotton dress was covered in the front by a stained apron that had once been white.

“Both of you go finish now,” she said with a sigh. “You know what I expect of you, yet you can’t obey those modest requests. There is only so much disorder I can cope with, having six of you about. Go.”

Gelex and Brixten both turned and made their way to the room all three brothers shared, not speaking a word.

“As for the rest of you,” Ailli said without turning. “Go wash up. Gellina, it’s your turn to help with dinner.”

Gellina went to the kitchen and quickly washed her hands before her mother came in. They set to work quietly and it was a few minutes before Gellina asked, “Mother, do you ever think about Father?”

Ailli gave a slight laugh. “Everyday,” she replied. “At first it was the pain of losing him, of him leaving me after he’d been so sweet, almost loving to me. Now I simply despise him, for leaving me alone to raise six children of two different genders, three different sexualities, and six different abilities. I don’t hate any of you, of course. I love my children. I simply know nothing really about your father, about why you’re all the way you are. It was a three-night affair with a mysterious handsome man, and in a way it’s been both a curse and a blessing.”

“Why did he leave?” Gellina asked, looking over at Ailli.

She shrugged. “I suppose he had better things to do than raise a family with a woman he hardly knew. I pray none of you end up in my position.”

“The Babies couldn’t,” Gellina pointed out, setting plates on the table. She was referring to the youngest siblings, Hailica and Hailan.

Ailli shook her head. “Even if you’re more fond of your own sex you can still have your heart broken. I moved us out here partially to keep all of you away from the world, to save your hearts. But it will be out of my control soon.”

“What do you mean?” questioned Gellina, abruptly turning to her mother.

Ailli’s deep gray eyes quickly diverted their gaze. “Nothing. Get your siblings. The meal’s ready.”

Though curious and puzzled, Gellina left the subject and walked through the den, past her mother’s room, and to the one she shared with her sisters. After one knock she peered in. Brira was changing behind a dressing screen and Hailica was in the process of tying her hair up once more.

“Dinner,” she said, then closed the door as she turned to the door across the hall. She knocked once on the door as well, then peeked in. Brixten was finishing making his bed, Gelex was organizing his books on the shelf above his bed, and Hailan was changing his shirt. She announced dinner, then left.

They ate at a square table, Brixten and Brira on one side, Gelex and Gellina on another, Hailan and Hailica on a third, and Ailli in the center of the fourth side. Dinner was quiet but for some lighthearted comments mainly from Hailan. Gelex and Brixten were still humble after disappointing their mother, and Gellina was too curious about Ailli’s earlier words to pay attention to other conversations.

A gentle movement of air shifted her hair about her face, softly speaking to her one word. Change.