Keelia Adams grew up in a wealthy family on a grand estate. The flowers would bloom magnificent violets and blues in the spring, expressing their joy of a new season and new beginnings. The trees would sway in the cool autumn breeze and be a warning that winter; a very beautiful time of year was to come. However, winter was now gone, and spring was transitioning into the hot months of summer.
Keelia was what many called, a strange young woman, seeing that she was always so full of joy and almost never cross. She saw the beauty in most everything, the trees, the doves, even the small teacups in the parlor. She thought that the world held such beauty and never took her sight for granted.
Keelia stood in front of her mirror, gussying herself up for the ball that evening. She had tied ribbons into her red hair and small pins that held delicate lilies in place of which seemed to match her pale skin. She peered closer into the mirror, cursing the freckles that dusted her nose and checks. Those things she didn't like at all. Her elder sisters didn't have a spot or freckle upon their smooth faces and Keelia envied them.
Charlotte and Victoria were the very definition of beauty, their soft strawberry curls were always in perfect alignment, adding to their remarkable soft golden skin of which the sun had generously given them. They were tall and thin, and many gentlemen had confessed that their beauty was beyond compare. Keelia was always the one that was left forgotten in the minds full of her sisters' magnificence.
The sound of shuffling feet came from the doorway, causing the floorboards to creak beneath her feet. There was a slight knock at the door that seemed to echo in Keelia's head. She wasn't ready yet; she needed to do something else for the people out there to receive her own unique beauty. She wanted to be noticed in the bright eyes of the young gentlemen downstairs, she wanted to be admired even in the littlest of ways.
"Keelia, darling," spoke her lovely mother through the hard wooden door, "we mustn't be late for the ball."
Keelia glanced back into the mirror but did not reply. She was both nervous and excited at the same time. She didn't know how such things could happen, but here she was, fretting over her appearance in the mirror while her elegant mother waited at the door. "I'll be just a moment more," she settled on saying.
Her mother entered the room and brought with her a magical presence that only her mother could create. Soft golden curls were pinned back so nicely, her blue irises were like pools of sparkling water on her smooth face. Keelia hadn't inherited any of her mother's beauty like her sisters had; she appeared more like her father, fiery red hair, and eyes of a deep meadow green. However, she had received her mother's smooth jawline, high cheekbones and her freckles, albeit more than her mother had.
Mrs. Adams adored her youngest daughter the most out of all her children. It wasn't something she'd ever admit to, but it was true nonetheless. She knew her daughter was plain in the sense of appearance, but it was her inner beauty that she most adored. Keelia had a bright personality that her sisters and father could never hope to achieve. Mrs. Adams hoped that she'd never lose that aspect of her personality.
She smiled at her daughter, "Let me have a look at you."
Keelia spun about, stopping when she faced her mother. A couple of golden pins fell from her hair and clattered onto the wooden floor below. Her mother chuckled and bent down to pick them up. She curtsied so elegantly, Keelia could only hope to be half as perfect as her mother was. Then maybe she'd attract a handsome gentleman to offer his hand in marriage. However, she could only hope.
Mrs. Adams moved her daughter to stand in front of the mirror again; the gas lantern lit up the background of the room and reflected itself in the mirror. The sun had gone to bed and now was the time to go to the ball that was just downstairs.
Mrs. Adams brought Keelia's straight hair from her eyes and pinned it in place. "There we are," she said quietly in her daughter's ear. "Aren't you a beautiful princess?"
Keelia blushed and shied away from the mirror. "I'm no princess. The men don't even take the time to look at me, let alone plan to court me. I'm almost twenty years old, and I haven't even experienced affection from any other man than my father." Keelia sighed, "I'll end up a spinster and only have cats to be my companions."
Mrs. Adams chuckled - if one could call such an angelic sound that - and placed her small hands on her daughter's shoulders, "You will not end up a spinster. You are beautiful."
Keelia shook her head, resulting in another pin falling to the ground with a slight clang, "I'm not beautiful, mother. Just look at me!" She pointed to the mirror. "I look nothing like my sisters, or even share half your beauty."
Mrs. Adams' eyes saddened, her brow furrowing at the remark. She really did find her daughter quite handsome but knew not how to reply. However, she settled on saying, "Beauty is not superficial, it is deep within," she touched Keelia's heart, "right here."
Keelia smiled, even though she didn't quite believe her mother. People only saw what was on the outside, and that was what mattered with attaining husbands in her neighborhood. They only saw a young lady's face, not her personality or what she did for others. They only value the superficial things. Keelia knew this, but she did not speak her thoughts with her mother's smile influencing her actions.
"There's my beautiful Keelia," her mother spoke with a gentle voice like the coo of a dove.
The sounds of screams echoed down the high ceilinged hallway all the way to Keelia's door. Both she and her mother ceased all movement, anything that they had wanted to say stopped at their lips. Keelia's mouth was instantly dry; fear crept into her mind like a long forgotten nightmare. It was familiar, but unbelievable all at once.
Keelia's mother turned, "Stay here, I'll be right back."
Before Keelia could caution her mother, she left the room and left Keelia to stand there in the dim light emanating from the gas lantern. Her worries gradually grew and grew, like they were a strain of mold growing in the corner of a window that no one had cleaned yet. Both of which were not appealing at all. The sounds of screaming and deep manly shouts permeated through the wooden door, reaching and assaulting Keelia's ears.
Keelia went to the door, planning to stick her head out and take a peak of the situation that was slamming fear into her heart. Her pulse jumped in her wrist when she saw masked men ransacking her home, slamming staffs into the sides of the servants, hurting people she had gotten to know quite well. People were getting hurt while she had been told to stay and hide.
She ventured out of her bedchamber and watched as vandals never ceased their brutality against maids and servants. Keelia couldn't defend herself against such obscene circumstances and elected to go down the stairs instead. Along the way, she saw guests being forced to cower in corners of various rooms and offer up their valuable belongings. Keelia could see that the men had tried to protect the ladies, but only had deep, bloody gashes and wounds to care for now.
Keelia decided to keep to the shadows and continue sneaking her way around the ruined home. The tall paintings within the corridors were torn down and used as fuel for the small fires throughout the halls. Antique vases and family heirlooms were smashed along the marble floors, never more to be special among the Adams family.
The sudden cry of a woman caught Keelia's attention. She spun on the heel of her ballroom shoes and faced the familiar woman.
She picked up her skirts and rushed out to stop a large man from hurting her mother. He was a tall man that looked like he had been in many fights. Scars marked his face and an evil grin was his expression. Keelia used all her courage to attempt pushing him away from her mother. He had budged only a little, glancing down at the thin and small Keelia. He laughed a most belly shaking chuckle and stared down at the girl.
Mrs. Adams used that moment of distraction to smash a nearby gas lamp on the man's head. Keelia knew that he would be seeing stars in the next few moments and grabbed onto her mother's wrist. They ran down the grand hallway which had been lit with gas lanterns and chandeliers earlier that evening. Her mother's grip was strong, and Keelia tried to keep up with her mother's fast pace. She was taken down a long passageway of which she never knew existed. Keelia followed her mother around a corner and into yet an even darker tunnel in the cellar of the large mansion.
The sounds of her sisters' screams echoed down the corridor and all the way to Keelia's ears. She wished she could have done something more – that she hadn't been fussing over hairpins, of which had all fallen out by now. If only she wouldn't have been so concerned with her appearance, something different would have happened. She would have been present for the initiation of the attack. Perhaps her presence could have turned the tables in their favor?
"Please, go down the tunnel," her mother said in hushed words. "Keep going straight until you reach the outside and go to Abbey Way."
Keelia clutched onto her mother's arm to stop her from turning away. "Please, Mama, why can't you come with me?"
Mrs. Adams pulled her arm away, "There are things that I have to take care of." She gripped both of Keelia's arms. "My dear, please, escape from this place. Remember that I love you and find somewhere safe to stay." Mrs. Adams backed her daughter into the corridor and past a large metal door. She leaned in and gave her daughter a kiss on the cheek, as light as a feather caressing her face. "Farewell, my dear. I had hoped we would have had longer together, but alas, the ways of the universe are not in my control. I love you, Keelia. And don't forget that you are beautiful." She shoved her daughter away and slammed the metal door shut between them.
"Mama," Keelia called, "what are you doing? Come with me! Don't leave me!" Keelia watched her mother blow her one last kiss, give a smile and turn, hurrying down the tunnel and leaving her favorite daughter alone in the dark. "Mama!" was Keelia's final plea before her mother turned the corner and ceased to exist in Keelia's sight.
The silence filled the room around her, deafening her ears and allowing no sound to permeate through the stone walls around her. Her mother had left to do who knows what and abandoned her daughter to be a prisoner of darkness. Her mother had told her to continue straight down the tunnel until she met the outside air. But Keelia couldn't go. She couldn't just leave her family to defend their home. The cries were much quieter now, but she still knew it was the yells of her family and friends in pain.
Keelia peered through the small barred window in the door but could see nothing. She fell to the ground in a fit of large tears, whimpering at the blow her family had just received. The air around her was cold, which was to be expected on a late summer night. She shivered and could see her breath form some mist in front of her wet eyes. Keelia stood up and dusted off her skirts. She was not one to sit and do nothing about her situation, she was one to take action and do something about her misfortunes. She was going to do what her mother had told her, she was going to go off into the night in search for someone to help.
Keelia's shoes clicked along the corridor, the echoes bounced off the walls and reached her pale ears. She glanced back a few times, checking to see if her mother was indeed coming after her, but instead saw a little glare of light bouncing off the walls around the corner. Keelia turned around and waited for the person to come. However, Keelia did not see any of her family come around that corner, but two large men with scared faces resembling the very man she had attacked before. She hoped they couldn't see her, but despite her secret prayers, they did.
"Hey!" the one man called, "Stop where you are!"
The other man seemed to catch on quickly and began running towards the door. Keelia turned on her heel and began sprinting away from them. The sounds of the metal door creaking open only welcomed more fear into her heart. She couldn't keep running straight, they'd for sure catch her in due time. She'd have to try and lose them in the labyrinth of tunnels below her beloved home. She turned right, but the sounds of thumping footfalls could be heard from behind. She didn't dare glance over her shoulder; it'd only scare her more.
She rounded a corner and heard the sounds of a waterfall in the distance. It confused her; there were no waterfalls near her home. Could the tunnels really be so long that they had led her to a place she hadn't even known of? Had she run that far?
Her feet began splashing through freezing water that seeped up to her ankles. She lifted her skirts and continued on her way, the echoes of manly voices sounded behind her, coming closer and closer. Keelia picked up speed, running once more into the deeper waters in the tunnel. The smell of mold hang stagnant in the air, it made her a bit woozy. However, she trekked on and soon found herself in deeper waters still.
"We're going to get you!" shouted the men behind her.
She didn't dare glance back; it'd only slow her down more. However, she didn't pay attention to her footings and fell into deep water which carried her thin and freezing body along. The sounds of the waterfall were getting much louder than before, signaling that she was getting closer to her demise. Keelia began panicking, screaming in terror of the fall. The edge was approaching faster and faster, and Keelia was crying bloody murder.
She reached the end and with one final yelp, fell over the edge and traveled along with the falling water. The fall was longer than she had imagined it would be. Like time had decided to stand still and take a moment to itself for once instead of always working. The glistening water droplets on Keelia's naked arms shined in the moonlight as she met with the bottom of the lake where all the water was traveling.
Her shoes had fallen off on the way down, allowing her small toes to touch near the bottom of the lake. Her arms flailed around, trying their best to get Keelia to the surface of the lake. She hadn't been able to catch her breath before diving into the murky water. Her head popped out and she inhaled a deep breath as if she hadn't used her lungs in years. Her lungs sputtered up small traces of lake water, but otherwise, she had survived the fall. The cold night air entered her body and made her tremble from the temperature. Not to mention that the crystal-like water around her chilled her to the very bone.
Keelia began swimming to the edge of the lake which was a fair distance. She hadn't been swimming for so long; her parents rarely took her to the lakes for practice. It was a good thing she had exquisite muscle memory. Her arms dove in and out of the water, pulling her in the correct direction to the land she wished to walk on. Her weak limbs found their own way to pull her up onto land and she rolled to a stop. Her body was trembling from the frigid temperature in the forest she was in.
She lied on her back, but only for a moment in order to catch her bearings. She had no idea where she had ended up, let alone if she would ever find civilization again. She rolled her head to the side, finding that there was a small bird scratching on the ground as though Keelia wasn't present.
Keelia wasn't familiar with her surroundings at all, fearing that she had traveled much farther than she had previously thought, she pulled herself up to her feet and began to investigate. It appeared that the moss-covered forest floor was soft on her bare feet, cushioning rather than stabbing into her soles. However, there was more to the forest than she had previously discovered. With each placement of her small feet, the moss below her glowed with a misty green light, supplying radiance in her wake. She gasped with surprise for she had never seen anything like it before.
Keelia hadn't been watching where she had been going – the amazement of the forest around had distracted and stole her attention – and stumbled over a rotting log. She landed on the other side with a thud. Her arms had softened the fall, but her palms were still scraped from the hard stones peeking out of the moss. Keelia got up and dusted off her elegant dress that didn't hold much elegance any longer. The hems had picked up some soil, which in turn mixed with the wetness of the fabric and created a layer of mud. Parts of the white lace had been torn at and ripped away from the gown.
That really didn't bother Keelia much, but the green outline that shined before her only detailed her arms, ankles and feet. A partial smudge of her face glowed in the dusk, but that was all. It seemed that the only parts of the moss that glowed were touched by her skin. Keelia found it odd but continued on, nonetheless.
Wandering aimlessly through the forest, leaving a glowing handprint on tree trunks and footprints behind, she had no clue how to better her situation. Sure she could continue to wander, but what good would that bring? Keelia had to find someplace safe and get help for her family.
There, just a little ways ahead of her was a fork in the path. She approached and stood motionless for a moment, trying to decide which way to travel. On her right, lay a path that was bright in the distance and held promises of hope and shelter. But, on her left, was a path that had folk music winding its way to Keelia's pale ears. She knew that if she chose the right path, she would surely find someone to help her family. And that's what she should have done. However, curiosity had always been her weakness. Her feet chose the left path and began making their way to the folk music that was playing sweet songs in her mind.
Surely nothing wrong could happen from such a misadventure?