Sophia and Maple

1

I'm all alone, friendless and bullied in a small cottage that my parents call home. I feel like a prisoner, trapped with no way of escaping, wishing I was back in my apartment with my two best friends sitting beside me eating popcorn and talking about how great life is. I remember the last time I saw them; there were a lot of tears and hugs before I was whisked away to this isolated town. I ask myself all the time, why was it I who had to abandon my life and all hopes in a perfect future just for my Dad's job? I don't want to live in this place!!! I definitely don't want to admit it but... I'm... I'm scared!

I flick my long brown hair behind my shoulder as I unlock the front door of the cottage and enter. It looks exactly like I left it but there is an eerie silence lingering in the air. I thought that Mum and Dad should already be home. I just shrug. I guess I was wrong. Dropping my bag on my bed, I slowly pace to the kitchen. On the wooden table in the kitchen, there was an open letter and a shiny silver marble. I started to read the letter but was surprised when I found only a few sentences in large black ink.

'You must hide, HE is coming! Take Sophia and leave at once! Forget about your possessions, this marble will teleport you to a safe house. Only you can activate it. Now GO!!!!!' There was no address or name of who sent it. However, I now knew what I had to do to find my parents. My fingers touched the marble and suddenly, there was a weird tingling sensation creeping down my body. My waist-long brown hair, which fell over my shoulder while I read the letter, was now turning bright blue. Ghostly white figures started popping out of nowhere and continued walking and talking like they had been there the whole time. Without my notice, my feet had lifted off the ground and my head almost touched the ceiling before I realised what was happening and dropped the marble causing it to shatter. All the figures suddenly turned their heads and walked towards me making me scream in fright.

"Good day ma'am! Lovely house you got!" said an elderly man to my right. My feet were now firmly on the ground and out of curiosity, I asked him why I could see them. "You touched the marble, did you not? You read the letter, did you not? It should be quite clear! The marble could only be activated by your parents and you touched it so this is the consequence. Ugly colour by the way." Everything was now quite clear like the man said but rage and fury was now boiling inside of me!

"How DARE you insult my hair!!!!" Flames engulfed my head and my hair turned a bright red colour. Fire balls suddenly appeared in my hands and I was shooting them at the man until I saw that I caused no harm. Scared of my new abilities, I retreated down to the river in the forest surrounding the town. There was a majestic white wolf drinking the water and so I edged away from him, in case I hurt him, and dangled my legs in the water.

"Sophia, I have been waiting for you! Love your hair! New colour?" I whipped around to find the wolf leaning over me, expecting an answer but all I could muster was: "Y-y-yes...t-talking w-wolves, i-i-insane!"