Void Driven//Book 1

Chapter 1

          I sat on the roof of the small, wooden cabin as the sun began to rise. I yawned and pulled my feet to my chest, hugging them. The air was slightly humid and a small gust of cool wind blew on my face. Every morning for the past couple of months has been the same. I wake up at an ungodly hour, when the sun still hasn't risen, only to climb the roof and stare at the lake that leads into a nearby river, trying to remember what I cannot. Lately, my mind seems to try and remember something I can't, like something is preventing my mind from recounting what happened before who I am now. Lost in a daze I notice a tall dark-haired woman walking up the stone path to the cabin, taking off the hood to her cape.

         "Merci, do you mind helping me with the supplies?" Nyx looked up at me holding a couple of baskets. She extended one to me as I climbed off the roof, with help from a nearby tree branch, slightly creaking as I did so.

        "Of course." I gave her a tired smile and grabbed the woven basket full of various fruits and veggies. I took her ragged black cape from her and set it on a chair by the table where we had set down all the goods she had brought back from the far away village.

        Nyx sat down with a huff and slouched into her chair. The light from the windows shone on her face, clearly painting a long and exhausting journey. We sat in silence for a minute before she spoke up and looked at me.

        "Have you been sleeping recently?" I continued to look at her in silence. I picked at my fingernails and bit my lip slightly, letting out a small chuckle.    "I'm sure you can figure out that one based on the dark circles under my eyes. You know, you could make me some of that sleeping potion you made me before." Nyx shook her head.

        "You'll soon build a resistance to that potion. You should know this, I've told you this before I left a couple weeks ago. You could always try something more natural, something that you've taken before." Nyx stood from her chair and proceeded to the cabinets under the sink.

"Chamomile tea is not going to help with my insomnia, we've tried it before, and as I've said a million times , it tastes like cow manure." I crossed my arms and turned away from her. "Merci please, you're an adult, act like one. We all have to do things we don't want to. Just try the tea one more time." I could hear her clink around empty alcohol bottles.

"You just got back, are you seriously already looking for a drink? It is barely six in the morning." She didn't respond back to me, only continued to search around for a drink.

I walked to the small closet in the back of the kitchen and dug around the mess of cleaning tools and our small stash of hunting materials. My hand landed on the wooden belly of my old bow. Pulling it out, my fingers traced the rigged star ingrained right above the wooden and leather wrapped grip. Picking up my quiver that ung to a hook on the back of the closet door, I scurried out of the cabin as quickly as I could, not wanting to have Nyx bug me about how she needs a drink and then having her scold me about hiding it from her. Even if I hide it, she'll always find it, secrets are kind of her thing.

As I walked deeper into the surrounding woods further from the house, leaves fell from the trees and the sounds of small animals scampering the forest ground could be heard. Distracted by the beautiful trees and surrounding area, I hear rustling leaves and a shadowed figure run from one bush to another. I put my bow down and slowly took out my hunting knife I had stashed on me. I slowly creeped over to where the creature had run past. Quickly peeking into the bush, nothing was there. I let out a breath and continued to look for dinner.

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The setting sun peeked through branches, shining in my tired eyes. I had set up a makeshift hammock situated between two trees on the bank of a creek. Exhausted from walking for hours on only a small snack of an apple, I tried to catch up on some sleep with a nap. To no avail, I settled on just trying to rest. I came out here to search for tonight and maybe tomorrow's dinner, but found nothing worth bringing home.