Chapter 35

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Chapter 35
Ariel.

WARNING:

THIS CHAPTER WILL CONTAIN SCENES WHICH SOME PEOPLE MAY FIND UPSETTING. I WARN YOU IN ADVANCE.

Run.

That's what the voice in her head told Ariel. It wasn't Accalia telling her that either.

Just to run. To get away from everything. Escape the pain. Get a release. Fix things. Make them better again. Make them as they were before all of this mess. There was only one way to fix them. There was only one way to end all of the problems she had caused.

Run.

She could feel something pulling her back. But the forest was drawing her in. So she went to the forest. The trees surrounded her, green and vibrant with colour. Moss and algae were spread out over the trunks, the lichens an elegant colour like the stems of roses in spring. The old leaves from autumn and winter crunched under her running feet, dried out from the lack of dehydration, decomposing into the soil. Branches and twigs lay scattered out on the forest, a carpet leading to the heart of the open. Flowers stood, stretching, reaching, extending for the desperately needed sunlight that their lives depended upon, blooming and soon to burst into bright springtime colours.

The birds chirped in their nests, little chicks tweeting for food. Some mothers flew in, worms and insects carried in their mouths, gently feeding their babies to grow up with strong wings. Some birds were already dropping out, diving in the air to the ground like missiles, then soaring back up to the clouds. Going to the eaves, over fields, to castles, and clouds.

They had freedom. Something Ariel wished she had. But she would never have it. She would forever remain a trapped bird.

It was the opening act of spring. The joyous time of the year. The season of life.

She had to let it all go. It was time to finally let it go.

But nobody expected it. Nobody expected the change. Suddenly, everything stopped.

The birds were soon silent. Dead leaves littered the floor, decayed. Crunch. Crunch. Crunch. Trees were white, stripped of their bark, a fallen victim. The flowers had failed to bloom here, just remaining as inanimate objects. Everything was silent. Defunct. Extinct. It had all perished.

Soon to be like someone else.

It was the other side of the forest. The side no one dared to venture. She would be safe here. No one could stop her. She was alone as usual.

Her parents were dead. She had no one left. No one was there. She had no one left to help her get through this pain on her own.

"Ariel..." A voice called out to her.

But she ignored it. It was probably her stepmother trying to spook her with her evil mind games. It was a fun joke to her- but not for Ariel.

"Ariel..." It called again.

What the hell? Leave me alone!

"HAHAHAHA!" Another voice.

"Hey, isn't that the Alpha's W H O R E?"

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