The Nightshade Trials

1: Awake but at What Cost?

< Gisela Moody >

I wake up to a new place that I've never seen before. A forest so thick that I cannot see the sky beyond the thick canopy of leaves and branches. Grass has coiled around my body, vines wrapped around my throat. I gasp, trying to breathe around the sudden pressure. A person comes over to me, a woman I've never seen before. I whimper, trying to get away from her, away from the vines. 

“Shh, shh,” she says as she kneels beside me. “I won't hurt you, I promise. I'm gonna get you out of this thing, okay? Blink if you understand me.”

I blink and she nods. 

She then produces a knife. She slips the blade under one of the vines around my throat, then cuts it. Once the vine breaks, some breath fills my lungs. I try to cough, but I cannot, as the vines seem to tighten against me. 

She then cuts one more vine, and pulls me into her grip, wrapping her arms around my naked body. “Oh! Oh, Gisela! Oh, I'm so glad to see you. But I wish it wasn't here that we meet.”

When this strange woman leans back, letting go of me, I shiver hard. She removes the pale blue jacket which she'd been wearing. Silently, she hands me the jacket. I slowly, painfully wrap the jacket around my body. The girl watches me, then nods once. 

“You are Gisela,” she says. “That's your name. My name is Bristol, and I'm… I'm your sister.”

I just stare at her. 

She sighs. “I know, I know it sounds weird. But I am your sister. Your other sister, Harrow, is back in the camp. If you'll come with me, I can take you to her. As well as to the others who are trapped here.”

I open my mouth, trying to ask her if we are indeed trapped, but all that comes out of me is a hoarse wheeze. Bristol shakes her head. “Don't try to talk, Gisela. Your voice will return within an hour or so.”

She helps me up, and then takes my hand. I look at her green eyes, her heart-shaped face, her wavy and short red hair. She's pale, like me, and her thin body is also shaped a lot like mine. The thing is, she looks like she could be my sister. But I am just totally unsure, as I don't even remember who I am. Let alone who she and this Harrow person are. 

We walk toward the other end of this clearing, and I hear a bunch of voices echoing our way. Bristol leads me into a new, much bigger clearing, one filled with a bunch of girls around their 20s. 

The others, who had been talking, all turn to look at us. 

A blue eyed girl breaks free of the crowd and runs up to us. “Gisela? Oh, god, is that really you?!”

“She doesn't remember us, and her voice is gone, too,” says Bristol. 

The girl, who must be the aforementioned Harrow, turns to look at me. Her pale face is covered in freckles, her long red hair sways down by her hips. She raises her arms, outstretched them toward me. 

I just stare at her. 

“Look, you may not remember things, or anything, really, but we aren't going to hurt you. You're safe with us, in this clearing. Gisela, we won't harm you. Just … let Harrow hug you. She and I both thought you were dead.”

I sigh, then step into Harrow's embrace. 

Harrow hugs me, and Bristol hugs us both. Moments pass in these strangers’ embrace, until I hear another woman's voice breaks through the emotional embrace. 

“So, we have a new friend, I see?”

Harrow and Bristol step away. I spin around, facing this woman. She's a Black woman who's tall and a bit muscular, with long and very curly brown hair, as well as dark blue eyes. The clothes that she has on are a pair of ripped up jeans, muddy blue sneakers, and a torn pale pink shirt. 

“Hello, I am Esme Dean. I am the leader of this place. So, I heard that your name is Gisela?”

I nod. 

“Well, I'm pleased to meet you, but I must say that I'm sorry you are here with us. Moonwood is not a safe place for anyone.”

I cough, trying to speak once more. To ask why it isn't safe here. Why we are here. 

Esme holds up a hand. “I know you have many questions, but your voice will return soon. Right now, we need to ensure that you are well informed of the rules here, as well as find a place for you to rest. And where you are going to be working.”

Bristol and Harrow exchange looks. Then, Harrow nods and turns around to look at Esme. 

“We can let her sleep with us, in our little shack,” she says. 

“Are you sure? I know you're sure she is your sister. But is that a certainty?”

“Yes, it is, Esme,” says Bristol. “We'll all be okay. Tomorrow morning, we can assign her work, if you want. But for now, just let us introduce her to her new … uh … home. I know we can handle this, but you need to let us.”

“Alright,” says Esme. She glances at me once more. “If you need anything, just let me know.”

Esme walks away, and Bristol and Harrow turn to me. They then lead us away from the big clearing, heading toward the other end, where a cluster of weird-looking shacks stand. Bristol stops before one of these shacks, which is a little bit larger than the rest. They are all made of stones and branches from a bunch of the trees around here. 

Harrow spins around as soon as we reach the shack, smiling at me. “Welcome to our little home, Gisela.”