Chosen

Chapter Two

 I woke up the next morning from a dream about my unknown lover. Sighing in sadness, I knew that in my village, all the boys were eight years old or younger. Putting on my chore dress, lacing up my boots, and clipping on my necklace, I grabbed an apple from the tray in the kitchen, checking for Mother first, and headed out the door. Father was standing in the same place as the day before, and I soon reached him. 

Father smiled, handed me my chore list, and I noticed that the paper was only half filled with writing. I glanced up at Father, confused, and he started explaining why.

“You don’t have as many jobs today because we got everything that needed to be completed, done yesterday. So you just have jobs that needed to do be done outside of the village.” 

I nodded my head, and started walking, but Father stopped me. 

“Be cautious out there, Elle. Mysterious dangers are waiting to be revealed in the woods. So keep close to the path, and be back before sunset. I don’t want you to be killed.” 

I nodded my head once more, and started heading into the woods. I looked back, and Father waved, heading to his chores.

    As I was walking toward my first chore, I started reviewing my other chores. Gather firewood for the wood pile, wash laundry in the stream, hang them to dry, and catch fish for Friday. I arranged my chores so it would be quicker, and my last chores would be catching fish and firewood, because I would just have to take them back to the village as just one trip. I started washing the laundry that was waiting for me at the stream first, humming as I washed the clothes, watching minnows pass by my fingertips and hung the soaked wet clothing on the long rope, tied to two maple trees. 

     When I was finished with washing and hanging the cloths to dry, I noticed that the sun started to set. Grabbing the spear I had brought with me, I speared 10 fish, sticking them in my leather knapsack, and started grabbing firewood, big and small, fitting as much as I could underneath my two thin arms. As I was walking, I started to hear wolves howling, even though the sun wasn’t halfway gone. That’s strange, usually they don’t start howling until the moon is only showing. 

    The closer I got to the village, the howls started sounding human, frightening me. Something is definitely going on. Noticing in the distance, a strange, orange glow was right where my village is supposed to be. All of a sudden, I hear a terrified scream echo throughout the forest. Mother. 

“No.” I whispered, dropping the firewood, and sprinting toward the village. I was extremely terrified now. 

    

    Running through the main entrance of the village, I came to a halt. The village was covered in flames, the library, the farm, Mrs. Finlay’s house and her garden, and all the other houses including mine. Noticing blobs in the village square, I realized that they were bodies. Running in a full sprint again, I stopped when I came to the bodies, everyone pierced through the heart with a sword. I saw farther away that my parents both laid on the ground. Stumbling over to them, I fell to my knees, sobbing with despair. 

    My parents laid next to each other, both pierced in the heart, holding hands. Mother still had tears on her face, and Father had something under his hand. Moving his hand, I found the Beauty and the Beast novel laying there, with a paper acting as a bookmark inside. 

Inside, it said, “We love you, Giselle, stay strong. Love, Father & Mother.” 

They knew that they were going to be killed, and they didn’t try to escape it. Shutting the book, I put it in my knapsack, and removed the fish, throwing them as far as I could, into the gray smoke. Sobbing even harder, I realized that I was now truly alone. I felt a hand grab my arm, turning me around, and I was faced by a group of the King’s men. 

“Here’s the girl I was looking for, where were you hiding darling?” one of the King’s men asked, probably the leader. I turned my head away from them, regretting it instantly, and I felt the same man grab my chin, and forcefully turned my face toward him. 

He turned my head side-to-side and commented, “She’s a pretty one, and I feel that she’s the one. Ailstair better pay me a lot if she’s his mate.” 

The Vampire King? No, they can’t take me there. They can’t, hopefully they have a little bit of good in their hearts, unless they’re vampires, then I’m doomed. 

“N-no, please don’t take me, I beg of you.” I stuttered, rewarding me with booming laughs from each of them.

“Why not? I want gold, darling, something that you don't understand.” the leader stated, sealing my fate. 

“Hopefully he kills the ones who aren’t his mate.” one of the followers exclaims. 

“It will be such a waste to see this one die though.” the leader states, and before I know it, I’m hit over the head, knocking me unconscious.

 She has been captured. It's gonna start getting good, hehehehe. :) ~Indigo