I reached the kingdoms limits and stopped running to catch my breath. I had been running for about two hours straight. I may have that power source in me but, it obviously hadn't taken full affect, or it had its limitations. Shaking off some of my fatigue I looked around at my surroundings.
I had unknowingly hidden behind what was a home. Ruined and abandoned probably long ago after the William and my sister over threw the King. The King's death was broadcasted over all the news stations and any station for that matter. I remember where I was. I was walking home from school with Harriet.
We were walking down Buxom Street, we were looking at all the new clothes that had come out for summer. We talked about going away on an adventure this summer, instead of being stuck at home with our mom and dad, working. As we continued on down the street I seen my favorite store, Technic Inc. I pulled my sister by the wrist and ran into the store.
"Alice will you ever be a normal girl?" Harriet asked with a chuckle. I picked up a watch that I had been eyeing for months. It was a holographic watch that had everything, from holographic face calling, to holographic maps. It was truly a gem of technology.
"Sorry Harriet I don't think I'll ever be a 'normal girl', as you put it." I replied with an emphasis on the word normal. Putting down the watch, beginning to browsing through more gadgets. "Really Alice! What's so bad about being normal? You always make it sound like it's a bad thing." She said fiddling with her hair.
"You know people are going to think you're crazy if you keep making all these gadgets and weird inventions. Hell people are already talking about us. What with our parents being-" "Some of the most interesting and best people are." I said cutting her off sharply. "What?" She asked quizzically.
I sighed putting down the gadget. "Some of the most interesting and best people, are crazy. Harriet if everyone was normal, or the same then what would the fun in that be?" I paused and turned around to meet her gaze. "Being different may be frowned upon by people, but that won't stop me from being who I am. I am different from other girls. I like being different." I said calmly.
She shook her head and smiled. She began to open her mouth to respond, when a panicked reporter, interrupted a broadcast. "The King has been assassinated, I repeat the King has been murdered." I tore away from the screen to look at Harriet. We looked at each other fearfully. We began to run out of the store. Harriet and I quickened are pace and began running towards the King's building. It was a skyscraper that was over six hundred meters tall. and towered over the entire kingdom. It was a shiny metallic reminder of the King's wealth and importance.
Once we reached the front of the skyscraper, the King's military forces had blockaded the entrance and had made it impossible to get inside. They were dressed in black and white army military suits and knee length trench coats and steel toed boots. "Get back everyone! This is a hostile situation!" One of the men shouted.
"Alice how are we going to get to mom and dad?" Harriet asked tugging the at my cuffed sleeve. I looked around for an entry point, I then remembered the old hidden escape hatch that was used as an escape root in case of emergency. Motioning for Harriet to follow me, as we both snuck around the back and to the hidden door.
Tugging and clawing hastily at the vines that covered the door, till I had removed them all. Hastily I entered in the pass code, the door opened slowly. Harriet and I began to push on the door to make it go faster. Then we crawled inside and into the lab.
I shook my head trying to muffle the gun shots that rang in my ear. Wincing at the sight of my parents corpses. One year, give or take, had passed, since then. Tears streamed down my cheek. Curling up into a ball I began to rock myself, the tears beginning to dampen the knees of my jeans.
Wiping away my tears I looked up. Staring back at me was the ever so haunting forest that I had met only a few times in person. Since I was young everyone would tell ghost stories about the forest, the normal, creepy, make yourself hide under the covers stuff. One story had said that a little boy had wondered into the woods by accident.
The boy was never seen for or heard from again. Another story was that there was a monster living in the woods, the worst part of that one, was that children said that it was my parents who created it. It was all silly nonsense, I know that now.
As I let the memories travel to the back of my mind, I stared deeply into the forest. I then slowly got to my feet. Tugging a my hood as I took a deep breath. I took one look at my home again before making my decent into the forest.
Scents of the woods filled my nostrils, I'd never smelt something so fresh. The scent of greenery and wild vivid blue orchids filled the air. The scent danced around me as I jogged through the forest. I took in the beautiful scenery, of the trees and rocks covered in fuzzy light green moss, of the wild red, white, green and blue fungus that grew around the stumps and the plethora of wild flowers, each seemed to have a unique colour and pattern.
Then out of the corner of my eye to the left of me I seen something. I slowly came to a halt and stared in the direction of the object that I couldn't make out. I looked around, then I quickly put my ear to the ground. I listened quietly for anything. It was eerily silent. I lifted my head from the ground and did a once over in all directions.
"No one is following me, for now." I whispered to myself as I ran towards the shadowy object in the distance. As I drew closer the object became bigger and began to take a shape. I squinted a little. "A house?" I asked myself quizzically. Why is there a house in the middle of the forest?
Then another ghost story from my childhood came to me. "Did you hear? There is a witch living in the forest! She lives in the old house in the woods. It's called the Witches House."
Stopping a few feet from the steps of the house, I paused to look at it. It was a white brick house, broken window panes littered the steps and the porch. The banisters around the porch were broken in a few places, pillars were also missing. A piece of curtain was hanging out one of the withered panes, it moved in the gentle breeze.
I gingerly took a step on to the first stair, then applied a little more wait by putting my other foot on the next step. Then taking a final step onto the shady looking porch. I winced at every creek, fearing the floor would crack from my weight. Then with two feet filmy on the porch I sighed.
As I walked over to the door glass cracked under my feet. Before I grabbed the handle I took one final look behind me at the forest. I peered around for a soul or anything, to my relief not a soul lurked in the forest. Carefully taking the cold brass knob into my hand, I turned it gently and opened to door.
Peeking through the slight opening I had made, I peered around. Then I opened the door wide and walked in and shut the door firmly behind me. I turned around slowly feeling like something was behind me.
But there was nothing but, a light breeze dancing threw the house. I exhaled running a hand threw my hair, I paced slowly around the withered house. For some reason I felt sorry for it. The house looked like it use to be beautiful.
The walls of the living room were lined with frames some cracked, covered with a blanket of dust, or in semi-good condition. As I walked by the two couches facing each other I trialed my finger tips over the fabric and lace like patterns. I eyed the wooden coffee table in the middle and came around to see what was on it.
On the coffee table where magazines from, 2014, 2015 and 2016. I picked up one and read the title out loud. "Teen Vogue?" Gingerly flipping through the tattered pages I admired the style from the time period and what teens were interested in at that time.
Then as if on purpose, the light from the late afternoon sun hit a brass key that I hadn't even noticed. I put down the magazine and picked up the key. Figuring it was for upstairs I shoved it in my pocket. I then continued exploring the house, I walked into the kitchen. Walking over to the fridge I opened the door.
What I expected, fossilized food, I quickly shut the door. I lifted my wrist up and tapped on my holographic watch. It was already six, it'd be getting dark soon. "Guess I'm staying here." I say to myself as I begin to make my way up the stairs.
Once on the second floor I pull out the key and try the first door. To my delight it opened it. I pushed open the door and walked into the room and locked the door behind me. I then looked at the single bed, which like most things in this house was covered with dust. I slide my bag off my shoulder and onto the floor beside the bed.
I began shaking out the sheets to try and see if there was just dust on them, or if it was just safe to sleep on period. Once I had checked the sheets and got rid of a lot of the dust I made the bed. Plopping down on the bed I slid off my boots and curled up in the sheets of the bed. Then raising my wrist to my face I set an alarm to wake me at five tomorrow morning.
I turned onto my back and stared aimlessly at the ceiling. I had finally escaped William and Harriet's clutches. No more would I have to deal with that life. I'd never allow myself to be taken back, I'd have to be a corpse before they ever dragged me back. No one will get in my way of my freedom. My eyes grew heavy as they began to flutter shut.
I prayed silently to myself that I'd be able to get to the next kingdom before William and Harriet's army found me. I prayed for a better life and a brighter future, as I slowly drifted into sleep. As I began to awake the next morning a tall, dark figure towered over me. Their eyes piercing into mine.
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Hello everyone sorry for the week delay in my update I've had a fair bit of school work on my plate and yeah. I hope you all like the new chapter please vote, comment and share! I wish you all a fantastic week!
It is at this time I will be taking a temporary editing / exams coming up so no time to write hiatus. I'm really sorry about this but, the story needs to have certain parts edited and I also really need to focus on my exams. I finish my exams on June 20th I believe, so I will hopefully get a ton of editing done and have the next chapter up by June 27th.
I wish everyone who is currently writing exams the best of luck and for everyone already starting there summer I hope your having an awesome time! Thank you for reading!
-Blue