The Chronicle Keeper (Formally - Destiny)

CHAPTER ONE | aislin

UPDATE 6/4/16
I did some editing... Hopefully I didn't miss anything.

Sounds around me faded in and out. The faint echo of footfalls dissipated as I slowly lifted my heavy eyelids. Quietly, I gazed around the room. There was nothing worth noting. It was damp and cold, both visually and physically. Shuddering under the ratty and torn blankets, I tried to grasp what little warmth I could. But nothing would seem to wake my tired and sore body. What had happened? Why was I here and why was no one here to check on me?

I tried desperately to righten myself up. The bed, upon which I had found myself, was a far cry from luxurious, but it was definitely softer than my hand-made bed of moss. So, that was my second clue; I wasn't home. I needed more answers. Closing my eyes, I filled my lungs with a fresh supply of oxygen, held it for five seconds, and then slowly exhaled before opening my eyes again. This time, I didn't gaze at my surroundings, instead, I studied and observed. I analyzed the room I was being held hostage in.

At first, nothing stood out. There was no hospital machinery. No furniture, despite the bed and one chair resting in the far corner. There lay my clothes from the previous day and my burlap satchel sprawled across the chair. Feeling suddenly naked, I felt my cheeks flush with heat and color. I slipped out from under the blankets and let my bare feet rest on the floor. Sharp, frigid tingles raced up my legs and shot up my back, sending me into short spasms. What was this place? Whatever the answers were to my questions, I was running out of time to escape this dreaded place.

Holding back another shiver, I placed my hands beside me, feeling the weakness of my muscles, or what little I possessed. Swallowing, I gently pushed myself to a standing position and took a moment to steady myself. My nerves and mind were unsettled by the uneasiness of the events that had led me to this point in my life. But now was no time to dwell on that. My objective, right now, was to reach that chair before someone walked in.

I didn't trust in my ability to cross the room, though small as it was, to reach the lone chair. So, I resorted to plan B; use the wall as my brace. The wall itself was made of a strange material, and I was perplexed to discover it was stone. Biting my bottom lip, a nervous and bad habit of mine, I calmly placed one slender hand in front of the other. As I did the grapevine motion with my hands, ever keeping my eyes focused on placing my feet accordingly, I edged closer to my destination.

What seemed like an eternity, in reality, only probably took me a couple of minutes at most, to reach my destination. The clothes that had been left on the chair were dirty and smelly. Maybe a clue as to what had happened to me. Unfortunately, there was no other choice of clothing. Scrunching my nose, spreading wrinkles to my forehead, I started dressing myself. A pair of my favorite dance shorts and a dark grey camisole now adorned my slim figure.

Next, I grabbed my burlap satchel. It was more like a miniature messenger bag, with a tulle and lace floral fabric design on the flap. Flipping the flap with an expert flick of my wrist, I scrounged about frantically for the only thing that mattered to me. It wasn't much, just a simple white gold locket my mother had given to me before she and my father were taken from me during World War III. Even though that was nearly a decade ago, I still could replay the horrific event before me, like it was happening before my very eyes, at this very moment.

Where was that dumbfounded thing? Had whoever brought me here, to this forsaken place, taken it? They would have hell to pay if they had. As a last attempt, I hung my satchel upside down and violently shook its contents out, scattering everything across the stone floor. The sound of miscellaneous things clattering to the ground made me cringe. Perfect. My eyes shut tightly and all I could do was hold my breath and wait. But I didn't hear anything. Nothing to warn me of human life outside of this room. I relaxed just enough to open my eyes, trying to locate my mother's locket.

To no avail did my actions make me victorious in my efforts. With one last hopeful glance into the depths of my bag, I almost squealed in delight, but choked on my quick inhalation as a piece of paper caught my attention. It was attached to my locket. Someone had been in my things! Somehow I felt beyond violated.

As I stared at the note, addressed to me, subconsciously, I hugged myself. It was frigid in this blasted room, as I rubbed my arms attempting to generate some bodily warmth. Seeing as both of my parents were dead, and I had no living relatives or siblings to speak of, I was leery of opening up the note. Who was this note from? Hesitantly, I reached for it and carefully opened it up, as if it would creak and disturb the peace. The message was short and simple:

"If you want answers, come and find me." - Destiny

I wasn't given another moment to contemplate what the message meant, or whom this mysterious Destiny person was. The petrifying sound of voices and heavy footfalls warned me danger was drawing near. In one sweep of my willowy arm, my few meager possessions were back in my satchel. The note was safely stuffed into my pocket as I darted glances over every square inch of the alabaster stone room. There had to be a way out. There was no electricity to provide the light that would be required to brighten the room, only the small hole in the side of the stone wall where sunlight filtered through.

The voices were now outside the door, which was right next to where I had been occupying the bed. What was I going to do? I glanced at the small hole and cringed at the idea of squeezing my body through the tiny opening. But what other choice did I have? Stay here? There was a stagnant and disturbing presence that permeated this room, and I did not want anything to do with it. So, with little choice in the matter, I grabbed the chair and repositioned it under the tiny sunlit hole.

The clatter of metal on metal snapped my head in the direction of the door. They had locked me in this room! Was I that dangerous? Surely not me, I was toothpick thin, with hardly any muscle mass to speak of. Who did they think I was I that I needed to be locked away like a prisoner? I wasn't about to find out. Holding onto my satchel's shoulder strap, I lightly tossed it through the hole, keeping a stealthy grip on it. I had no idea how far above ground level I was, and I was not about to lose the only piece of jewelry that connected me to my mother.

I was just about to pull myself up, and attempt to wedge myself through the hole, when a woman's voice penetrated through the door. The words were spoken in a low register, so that if I had been still sleeping, her voice would have gone unnoticed. But the terror that filled me was enough to paralyze anyone.

"Her surgery went well. Very successful compared to the others. She will be a key component to our campaign. She is one of the marked ones."

What in blazing hell did that mean!? My thoughts squeaked. With one last pull-up, I slipped through the hole, just as the door swung open. The shriek that spewed from the woman's lips covered my own shriek as I landed in a pile of overgrown bushes. The camouflaged building was located deep within the forest and I was not about to linger and find out who this lady was, or her companion for that matter. Hiding under the cover of the brush, I waited until I heard the woman and her associate exit the room, into the hallway in a thunderous roar. It was then that I made a delirious dash toward the forest that surrounded this hellhole.

As I ran through the forest, dodging twigs that tore at my bare skin, the mysterious message haunted my thoughts. There was nothing else to do, but find this Destiny person who had left the note attached to my mother's locket.

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So my first dedication goes to @kerriimlay. Because of her critical input on helping me develop Aislin, Nolan, and Destiny deeper and further, I would like to thank her through this dedication.

So the picture in the media header is Aislin. The mark on her forehead is a birthmark, no more needs to be said at this point.

Also, please, please, please, check out the video in the header as well. The piece is called Beyond the Veil and it is by Lindsey Stirling. It will set the stage for suspence :)

If you liked/loved the first chapter of Forever, comment, vote and share. Spread the love and help Forever to go to the top of the list. Forever is sitting at #96. Let's make it number #1. Right, go to it my Forever followers.

Love you all,

OliviaDarlene