[DISCONTINUED] Stolen Beauty

Stolen Beauty: Chapter One | Prologue to Misery

                Chapter One: Prologue to Misery

                A few months ago, my father was taken from me by a cruel and merciless man. My father told me to run and hide, that the man taking him would take me too if he saw me. And so I ran, I fled with my sister to another town. At first we were not welcome there, but because of my sister’s beauty, we found it easy to fit in. We decided to lay low in case that man was to come find us. My father had told my sister to keep a strict hold over me, to not let me out of her sight, ever. I never knew why my parents seemed to value my safety more, or if my sister ever held a grudge against me for it. I was too “fragile” …right?

                For most of what I can remember in my life, I was always been protected. Everywhere I went, our villagers and townsfolk would always keep an eye on me. They would make sure I was safe and that I returned home before curfew. I never knew why. I had always thought that everyone was just nice… but then recently, before my father’s kidnapping, our neighbors began to act weirdly. They watched me with cold and scornful eyes. It was all the same except for their attitude. There was no more “Good morning, Alina.” No more “Hurry home before the sun sets, Alina.” Their kind words were suddenly replaced with sneers and piercing glares. Everything was beginning to change.

                Growing up, I was assigned by my parents to do all the chores. I cooked, I cleaned, I did the laundry, and every other thing there was to do around the house. I was homeschooled by my mother while my sister attended a regular school. It was always because they could only afford it for one of us, and since my sister was the oldest, they decided she should go. I was fine with it, though. My mother was a very smart woman. She knew many things that my sister would never learn from school. I learned everything I know from my family. Every day, I would welcome my sister home from school and, eventually, my father would return home as well. That was how my life was like, ever since I was a young girl until a few weeks before I turned 18. Everything would unexpectedly change for me.

                I remember hearing my father burst through the door, nearly knocking it off its hinges. His chest heaving, he roared with a harsh voice, “Get her out of here!” I had never heard him yell like that. My kind and loving father, the one that had raised me and my sister with protective arms, had suddenly become forceful. He grabbed my wrist and pulled me further into our small home. My mother rushed into my room, grabbed my clothes and pushed them into my hands. Within the fabrics, she had hidden a few slices of bread, hopefully enough to sustain me for a few weeks. My sister rushed downstairs with a fearful expression on her face. She watched as mother and father opened the backdoor for me to escape.

                 I saw it right there in her eyes, she looked at me with indifference, as if I had not lived with her all these years. I saw her begin to move back up the stairs, only to be called by my mother, and pushed out the door with me. There was more shock in her face than there was in mine. Her eyes showed betrayal, as if she did not want to be banished from the home. My father looked at her, “Do not let her out of your sight, understand me!? Do not let him take her!” The door slammed shut, forcing us to bare the cold winter wind on our own.

                We stood there for several minutes in silence. My sister, immune to the cold, refused to move. I placed a gentle hand on her arm and tried to urge her back. She turned to me with that same glare the other villagers had and pulled her arm away. “This is all your fault,” She hissed and moved back, as if to abandon me where I stood. “I’ve been removed from my own home, because of you!” Her voice echoed into the woods that were right behind our home.

                When silence surrounded us again, there was a sudden rumble the shook the ground. My sister and I fell from the shock and the village was suddenly in chaos. Women and children were screaming and heavy footsteps crushed the snow as men rushed towards the village gates. Then, a wild roar of a mighty beast filled the sky. I felt the vibrations from the ground snake up to clutch onto my heart.  My eyes shot up to meet my sister’s now frightened gaze. I begged for her to do something, anything that would help us escape. Whatever that thing was, that was why our parents forced us out of the house.

                My sister scrambled to her feet and gathered up our clothes into her arm. She grabbed me with her free hand and pulled me into the forest. I looked back and saw our skirts covering up our light footsteps, sweeping away evidence of our escape. At a distance, my sister and I stopped to catch our breath. We could see what our village had become. Creatures with unspeakable faces ran through streets and alleyways. They walked up walls attacked any living thing they encountered. I wanted to look away, to shield my eyes from the view of the massacre. Who are they? What are they? Why are they doing this!?

                A sharp breath was drawn by my sister as she advanced towards the village. I held her back and she pointed towards our home where our parents calmly walked out of the house. The creatures circled around them, sparing no life but theirs. The giant beast that led the raid appeared in a dark mist. The little creatures danced around to some frightening melody that was inaudible to all. They pulled and pushed my mother forward, away from my father. We watched helplessly as the beast raised its giant arm and nearly slashed her in half. As if the village’s snow covered grounds weren’t filled with enough blood, my mother’s was added with it.

                My sister screamed, her voice breaking the barrier that kept them blind from us. The little creatures immediately turned their heads in our direction. The beast himself looked up and his eyes, despite the distance, locked with mine. I felt something click in the back of my head. Fear maybe? I couldn’t put a word on it, but whatever it was, my legs refused to move. My sister, panicked, tugged my arm and pulled me away. The creatures were steadily coming closer in waves of unknown numbers. The beast picked up my father and with the same dark mist that brought him there, took them both away.

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Okay!~ Soooo... it might take a few chapters for the main characters to finally appear since I want the main heroine's background to be explained a little more. I'm not really familiar with how things work on this website, but please let me know how I'm doing. Every tiny message or comment helps me know if what I'm writing is interesting or a waste of time ^^;

Anyways, I hope you enjoyed :] There will be more chapters coming up x3 <3