Morning Star

chapter 1

I don't know why I'm here — drenched and soaked with my exasperated breaths filling the air. I think I'm lying on the ground somewhere. Darkness surrounds me. Only the stars up above and the blinks of fireflies bring light to my eyes. For a moment, I stay still trying to gather my thoughts. But it fails. I can't... I can't think straight in this terrifying fucking place. When I move my head, I feel grass and a puddle of mud beneath me while dirt settles on my hair. I wonder in horror if there's bugs on my hair too. One deep breath. Two. Three. Though my mind is a mess, only one key thought goes through my head.

Wait, I'm alive... ?

Quickly, my eyes widen and I rush up to look around. But as a horrid sensation of pain consumes my chest, I fall down quicker. Holy shit! I press my elbows hard against the muddy grass. Struggling  to keep my upper body from reaching the ground, I shake out of physical weakness and fear, all the while my movements disturb this silent, dark night. I fervently brush my hands across the grass as it sprinkles droplets of probably murky water on my face — though — I don't know why I'm doing this. But from this, I notice that the grass feels freshly cut and well-maintained. However, something about the grass seems strange. More water drips across my face as I continue coughing and shaking rapidly.

And then I realize something. I'm not where I was before. I take a deep breath again. It takes a great ton of strength for me to sit upright without falling. When my mind clears and from the little orbs of light the fireflies give, I begin to notice a pond in front of me. I went to a river though? I tilt my head up and gape at the stars again. I should be seeing Vulpecula's constellation if my attempt has failed. I – no – we agreed on it: on the 9th month where her Highness would grant me new beginnings. But she's not there and I begin to wonder.

Where am I? Reincarnated? In another Earth world? In Hell? I thought Hell was red?

The night is eerily still with only the restless noise of cicadas and the occasional tune of birds drifting around. I realize that the more I stare into pitch black, the more fear consumes me. It's as if I'm waiting for something to come jumpscare at me. The suspense is killing me! So for a while, I try to move once more, even if the only thing I can manage is one muscle movement. I'd really like to venture out of this spot I'm in. I'd really love to. But it's too late now. My terror has already paralyzed me. Unable to move, I continue to stare off into the black void around me and start to think I really am in hell. The songs from the birds start to turn into a mash of creepy music, as if they are now chanting a ritual from Hell. A trembling sigh leaves me. As I begin to accept this nightmare, my awareness comes back to me. I feel the soaked wet clothes stuck to my skin, the body aches, my itchy scalp, and the mixture of heat simultaneously escaping my body from my drenched clothes and entering because of the warmth of this place – all of them, I forgot in my panic. I was never one to like the feeling of being dirty and gross and neither was I fond of the horrors nightmares brought. With no support and light to see, I'm no longer strong enough to keep any willpower alive. And from a mixture of dread and unease, tears spill out and I choke back sobs. I push back tears with my trembling hands and curl into a fetal position to where at least my cries are protected.

Now, the only sounds of this place are the birds' ritualistic melodies, the cicadas, and my soft weeps. I stay like this for a while. I await impatiently for whatever comes my way; there's nothing I can do anyways.

. .

Chirp. Chirp. CHIRP!! What the fuck was that? Chirp. Why are the birds getting louder? Chirp. Are they getting closer? I look up. Behind a bundle of trees, three balls of light appear. They move towards me. I take a closer look and see three snowy alabaster doves. They land on my hands and seem to be communicating with each other. They release themselves off of my hands and move a little forward. They seem to be waiting for me. As if in a trance, I forget my initial helplessness and pick myself off the ground to follow. I take one step after getting up to ground myself from my nausea. I walk to them. One stays to my left, another stays to my right, and the last one guides us through this desolate darkness. As we walk, I stumble from the weight of the water inside whatever I'm wearing – which is what I think is a long ass dress – and occasionally step on it but I continue on. Even I don't know why I trust these doves so much. But I think right now, they remain my only guides in such unknown.

As we move farther into what seems like the woods, I begin to hear saccharine streams of water and the rippling flow of a waterfall. From the corner of my eye, a gentle light illuminates. The doves seem to be chirping more now. After walking for what seems to be a few minutes, we reach a large pond and next to it, an open mausoleum

The mausoleum is bejeweled with wisteria vines and a luscious, aureate glow emanates from the inside. The doves leave my side and head towards the entrance for us to enter together. I go inside and the inside is just as beautiful. Warmth engulfs the air from all corners as to comfort me. A waterfall resides in the middle of the wall, directing water to the fountain placed in the center. In it are petals and scattered lotuses floating on the top. The area smells of incense and a hint of blossom lingers. Wisteria vines hang from every corner of the patterned ceilings and columns, while vases filled with azaleas adjourn the sides. When I notice the doves flocking together, I realize I forgot where the three original doves went. Did they stop glowing?

My first thought is to wash away any dirt I have on — and on the side note — I can finally see what I'm wearing now! A gorgeous, long white dress and shining glitter absorbed in an elegant, mauve shawl drapes my body. Well, they're all covered in filth now so they're not that pretty. They're pretty soaked from water too, making the white dress look a little translucent. My arms have on gloves which are also dirty, so my first choice is to take them off. I still have no idea why I'm wearing something like this. I would never come close to wearing a dress unless ... the cult found me? But we were never rich enough to buy fancy things like this, especially for someone like me.

In a second, the doves stop their little dance with me and rush into hiding. I search for them in confusion, but I realize the reason why when I hear footsteps coming from the entrance.

Fuck, either I'm about to get murdered, killed, or kidnapped again!

Again, I freeze. Freezing's always been a natural habit of mine – whether it's because I got caught from playing hide and seek, sneaking in books, or smiling randomly. The shadow of a human appears. Shit, shit. Fuck. What do I do. The shadow becomes bigger and bigger. This person must be how I ended up soaked in some random ass place. My eyes frantically scan the interior. Any weapon? There's no weapon. You think I could throw flowers at it? I hear its first steps inside; they sound like heels. I force myself to break out of my frozen state and immediately hide behind a column after. My chances of not getting caught are slim but I couldn't care less.

I hear the person walking across the place. It's a miracle it hasn't found me yet... yet... I bite my nails.

I hear a short chuckle. Definitely creepy. But for some reason, I hear it getting closer to me. What. Why is it – oh shit my dress isn't covered by the column! I try to tug back my dress but it's futile. It knows I'm here.

"I didn't know people could find this place. Are you Father's spies or something?" A voice says.

I find the courage to take a little peek to my left but to my avail, I'm already found.

Dark red hair, siren eyes, and lavish clothing. Like a girl from my drawings, like a girl taken out of a storybook. She's there. Right in front of me.