I'm going to post the new book as an addition to this one. I may switch over for it to have it's own book, but for now it will be here. This is my personal work! The title will probably change, but that's not what I'm concerned with right now. Prologue and Chapter One will be up today.
If you are not able to decipher who the main characters are in relation to the fanfiction, I will tell you at the beginning of the chapter they are in. This prologue only has one returning character. Meet Sarah by another name.
I was standing before the tallest tree that ever existed. The muscles in my short body twitched in unison with the crack of thunder above my head that was so powerful that it shook the ground. The lightning lit the sky with a delayed glow and the heavy air was losing its fight against the clouds filled with water battling to fall. The forest around me was thick with trees and brush. Everything was electric and confusing. The world seemed to twist and writhe in lively progression, but I was still. Movement was imminent. If something remained still, it would get left behind and overtaken. I needed to move.
I was frozen in front of the tree, unsure if I should climb it or not. The tall tree called to me strongly in a soundless voice. Fear held me in place. I yearned to climb the large tree, but all the others had footholds and low branches. This tree was impossible to climb because of its long trunk and high branches, but I desired nothing more than the feeling of breaking its tall canopy and screaming into the sky in victory.
All too quickly, the other trees began to scream at me, their branches motioning for me to take refuge in them. I wanted to. I wanted to run to the many trees, I wanted to climb into their branches and explore all that they held. All their limbs intertwined which gave me a platform to climb. My body ached to explore what lay behind and above the forest before me.
I didn't have any time to choose. The rain was beginning to fall, and the twisting earth was starting to swallow me. My seconds of thinking were over, and the world resumed its chaos. A bolt of lightning struck the ground near me, warning me. I closed my eyes to give myself more time, but the thunder rolled and knocked me over. I was going to be engulfed by the world if I didn't decide.
"Choose now!" The air seemed to scream as it whipped my hair around and roared in my ears.
My body lurched, and I put my hand on the tallest tree. The bark was rough under my small hands. It felt like all the other trees in the world, but this one was stronger. As the storm grew violent, I circled the tree to find the foothold, but there was nothing. I searched for a bump, indent, or branch, but there were none. Another bolt of lightning struck the ground and I clung to the tree. My eyes closed tightly as if the action would protect me.
A small leaf caressed my cheek softly despite the harsh wind to calm me. My eyes eased open and a small scratch in the bark caught my attention. I raised my hand to the mark and traced my finger over it. The rain blurred my vision, but the scratch was all I could focus on. My eyes trailed up a small bit and found another scratch. I reached for the scratch and my hand hit a camouflaged bump in the tree that couldn't be found when looking up or at it. My small, childlike body filled with hope and I grabbed onto the bump. Strength swelled within me and I pulled myself up. I began to climb blindly, following the scratches of a past climber. The storm fell quiet on my ears as I continued my climb.
My rhythm was stopped when I reached for another bump in confidence instead of watching the scratches. My eyes searched for the scratches, but they were gone. Reality crashed down on me once again when I realized I was stuck. I clawed for anything but found nothing. I looked down to see the ground so far and the footholds camouflaged once again. Lightning struck the ground and the ground began to burn. Flames licked up the tree and the weaker trees began to scream in agony as their bark turned to ash. I began to cry at their destruction.
The rain pelted to fire but did not stop it. My sorrow-filled tears sizzled in the fire and held it off from burning my skin while the fire burned my clothes. My voice cried out in fear and I reached up to get away from the fire. My arms flailed until they hit a branch. I looked up and saw I had reached the branches. I wasted no time climbing up the branches. I climbed until my arms were so sore that I could hardly move. The rain had been pelting my body and the trees were rubbing against my skin to wash the grime of the fire and ground away.
The branches of the other trees and my own were coming together. The other trees clawed at me in tempting desperation, leaving marks on my skin. It was difficult to decipher which were safe, and which had been burned. My branches were growing slick from the rain and rough because of the wind. I touched the branches from the other trees, but they dissolved and caused me to fall off balance. I struggled with the slick branches and the burned ones for a while until I came to two very strong branches. I could either climb onto a different tree where the canopy was not far or keep going on the tree that I was on. My body was so exhausted.
I wanted to rest. I grabbed onto the smaller tree to stop, but when I pulled my hand back, it was covered in blood. I jumped back in fright and saw the blood from the other tree drip up my arm instead of down. It began to burn my skin and I cried out. I turned back to my tree and saw the wind had blown me away. I would have to jump back to the strong tree, but I risked falling into the fire or hitting another bloody branch. I jumped, reaching for the strong tree. My heart felt like it stopped as I glided through the thick air.
My hands clasped the tree and help myself up. Instantly, the rain began to wash the blood and prior marks away and I took a breath. The energy I took to jump drained me and I began to breathe deeply and cry a tearlessly. I begged someone to help me. I was so weak as I clung to the trunk of the tree.
My eyes began to close, and the tree wrapped its branches around me. I clung to them desperately, helping them close to cut me off from the world around me. Once my muscles relaxed, my eyes did as well. I fell asleep. I felt joy and peace as my body rested. I didn't need to hold onto the tree, because my mind and body trusted it to hold me still. I didn't have to move. These branches would not consume me.
When I woke, the storm had passed, and the sun was shining. I was somehow now high above the canopy of the other trees. I was clothed in a beautiful dress that felt alive. The dress had grown from the branches of the tree to fuse into my skin. From my body, the dress had extended to the branches. From my skin and dress, I had blossomed and borne fruit. I brushed my fingers on the delicate blooms around me. They had somehow traveled higher with me and grown from me. I touched them once more, but this time they broke from their stem. I tried to catch them, but the wind carried their petals down. I snatched for them, but they drifted. I cried out for them but was unable to save them from the horrors that I had been through and the new ones that may have developed.
My instinct was to chase after the two lost flowers, but something was pulling my body upwards, so I began to climb again, hoping the blossoms would somehow find their way back. I took one branch at a time until the light from the canopy got so bright that my only energy was from the anticipation of finding what was on the other side of the canopy. My breathing grew harsher and my body became excited. I was so close! It felt like a couple seconds until my hand broke through the leaves and I could feel a refreshing wind. I was at the top. I let out a joyful scream. I tried to continue, but the canopy was strong. I beat on the branches and pulled at the vines.
Finally, I cried out for help and I felt a hand take mine. The touch sent sparks through my body. I moved through the canopy with ease and was kneeling at the top of the tree. I touched the material on the person who helped me. I was overwhelmed with relief and excitement. I began to look up to see the person's face. I began to blink furiously. My body shook gently, and the tree began to blink away. I tried to stop myself, but reality woke within me and pulled me from my safety. The figure pulled me to my feet and embraced me. He whispered five words into my ear before I blinked one last time, and everything faded.
When my eyes opened, I was standing in front of someone in the middle of a field. I was holding onto their arms as if I were learning to walk again. They looked into my eyes and smiled. It was not the same person as I was originally standing with. They pulled me to my feet and put a hand on my cheek.
"Don't worry. I will not hurt you. I'm here to guide you. Be ready child. Your purpose is coming. Do not lose sight and do not lose hope" I searched the person's eyes as they spoke to me calmly. I stood on my own and looked at the person. Their body was strong and capable. They extended their arm towards somewhere to bring my attention to my surroundings.
"Your journey will not be as you expect but stay on the path and you will find the right way" he spoke smoothly as I took in the field around me and looked to the forest that encircled us. A storm was brewing. I saw the strong tree in the distance.
"This is the beginning. Only you can uncover the ending" were the last words I heard before a bolt of lightning struck the ground and I took a sharp breath.
Thank you for sticking by my book. You will not be disappointed!
-JCross