violent love

CHAPTER ONE: to feel loved or be loved?

Once, long ago there was a beautiful princess. The princess's name was maddie Montreal, and she lived high above the village in her deceased parent's New Zealand castle. She had no one. After her parents' death she had inherited the kingdom. She had no siblings - the only people she had ever known were her court and her subjects, along with the castle staff. With nothing else left to be done she found an old book her mother had left to her.
This is where our story begins.

~~~

I stared out the window as the dawn rose above the horizon. Yet again, I had immersed myself in the abyss of a daydream. My book lay open in my dormant hands, but I was lost somewhere else. I longed for the love between Romeo and Juliet, just as in the book I was reading. I imagined a boy, tall, Blonde, handsome. If only. I sighed and returned my focus to the book, staring af my favorite passage In the entire world. 'Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou fair Romeo? Deny thy father and refuse thy name, but be sworn my love, for I'll no longed be a capulet.'
I wished whole-heartedly for my own "Romeo". For the thought of love never ceased to perplex me. I slide my bookmarks in the page and layed the book down on my couch. I half-waltzed half-glided to my closet. I stared in the floor length mirror near the back of my closet. My gold blond hair cascaded in wavy curls around my shoulders, down to my stomach. I never had regarded myself as pretty in the past, and I still did not. My dull blue eyes reflected back at me, examining myself. I dismissed the mirror and threw on a lovely turquoise shirt with a pair of Jean shorts.
I may have been a princess, but I was still your average 16-year-old girl. I grabbed my matching turquoise converse and pulled them on. I fixed the laces and grabbed my snoopy character hoodie. I walked to my door and glanced around at my room. Everything in it's place, and every place has it's thing, I thought silently. I had the most annoying habits, one of which happened to be I'm OCD. I shivered and opened my door, then closed it behind me. I pulled my hoodie over my head and raced down the hallway, I sat on the edge of the stair case railing and slid all the way down. I bolted to the front door and opened it, making sure none of the staff saw me. I wasn't allowed outside the courtyard gates without an escort.
I flicked my hair behind me, and with one last glance around, I slid out the door and pulled it shut behind me.

***

I smile as the autumn air rushes around me and I sprint through the faded gold wheat fields and down the concrete path. I slow to a jog as I near the gates. I turned around to ensure I had not been followed. No one. Odd. I thought silently. Usually there was more of a defensive attempt to stop my rebellious behavior. I shrugged off the thought and gazed up at the tall, black castle gates. Such intricate design, I thought. Remarkable. I vaguely recalled my mother, once, long ago when I was little. We had discussed how the beautiful metal swirls reminded us of water and wind and harmony. The village had loved my parents. Respected them. A rock formed in the back of my throat and I rejected the thought. I forced the images of my wonderful, beautiful mother away and swallowed hard. It didn't help. I snapped out of my daydream and pushed past the iron gates. Almost instantaneously I regretted doing so. A strong anxiety washed over me, along with a sickening smell of decay. I recognized it as death. Precious, lovely death. I began to move forward, quickening my pace toward the town. I ran. The tall steeple of the church came into view and I stopped, dead in my tracks, as I came to the edge of town. My eyes widened and tears filled my eyes. The last time I had seen the city was about 6 months prior. I muttered a prayer and bent down over one of the white and red fabric things on the side of the road. I peeled back the sheet and instantly pulled away. A body. I doubled over on the side of starpoint blvd and wretched. Vomit came out repeatedly until there was nothing in my stomach and i dry heaved for a minute. Finally, I held my breath and calmed myself enough to think of the horrifying... thing underneath the bloodstained cloth. A mutilated human. Ripped open as if it was eaten and shredded. Hundreds of bodies lay on each side of the road. I looked around, concerned. I came upon a sheet that seemed to be... no... was I losing my mind?.. no. The body underneath was... writhing. My stomach churned and my heart hammered painfully in my chest as I walked towards the person. I bent over it and pulled the sheet back. The thing was dead. It's eyes followed me seperately and I gagged. Suddenly it snapped as if to bite me and a loud bang interrupted my train of thought. I watched as brain matter exploded onto the grass from the once-living man. A hand clamped over my mouth and my vision blurred from fear. Darkness swirled into vision and the world soon faded from my grasp.