Saving Silla

Chapter 1

Testing day

My hands won't stop fidgeting with my locket. They only do that when I'm nervous. The locket is a pure sunlight color. It holds pictures of my family in it. My mom, with her silvery blonde ringlets and stormy gray eyes. My father, and his tangled red hair and beard. My only sister Joeslyn, with her fine red hair and critical cinnamon brown eyes. And me Dezirell, Dezirell Morgan with my chestnut brown ringlets and piercing green eyes.
Today is the day that all 16 year old's dread, Testing day. All the 16 year old's in Silla must take a test of the soul, body, and mind. It is a very unnerving to think that your future is in the hands of a test. But it is, and we have no say about it. Every child must take it from infancy to their 16th year of life. Then, on Sector Day, you are sent to your sector or to a "work" camp. Every one in Silla except for those who are close to the Master, know that "work" camps are actually death camps. The Master sends you there if you pose a threat to him or his system. Either that or you get there by having different test results. The sad thing is, that all of your friends and family go there to die with you. You either die of the working conditions or starvation. And on Sector Day, you don't chose the Sector, you are forced to do as the Master wants. Those who are brave are the Berandi. Those who are knowledgeable, are Perigeta. Those who as are the hardworking, are Sunkiai. The peaceful are Taikus. And those who thirst for blood and war are Ut Bellum. And those who pay and bribe their way into the sector of their choosing usually get away with it. I'm worried for Joeslyn and myself we must take our final exam today. I wonder which sector I will be placed in. Will I be brave like the Berandi?Or hardworking like the Sunkiai? But for now all I can do is hope and wait. The system is cruel, but so is the man that designed it, Gwendovier Rassmussen.
Ring! Ring! Ring! The clock tower rings. I put on my nicest dress, a satin blue dress made of an old tablecloth. In Silla, we must be thankful for everything we are given. Such as if we got no food, we must be grateful to the Master for this gift. I think the way we live is ridiculous, but we can't speak out against the Master. So, I put up with all of this nonsense.
I rush out the door, me and Joeslyn are going to be late. We run down to the testing grounds.

Blood Tributes...

I rushed to Aria.
"I need your help," I said.
I explained to her what was going on.
"You need to find him right away,"
"Do you know where I could find him?"
"You'll find him at Elsa's Comfort inn."
"Thank you. And keep an eye on Sonya for me will you?"
"Of course I will."
"Thanks again."
"Just try to stay alive."
I nod. We hug.
"Good luck."
"I'll need it."
I leave to find Elsa's Comfort inn. It isn't that far from the palace. It is a tiny cottage. A small fire glows. Here goes nothing.
"Excuse me, but I'm looking for Keltin Vermillion's room, please."
"Mr. Vermillion is in room 321."
"Thank you very much."
The receptionist just nodded politely.
I walked up the stairs, making sure my cloak covered my face as and dress. I knocked very lightly. I heard the shuffle of footsteps come to answer the door.
Keltin  came to the door with a shocked expression.
"Your Highness," he said, nodding.
"Joker."
"Is that some sort of joke?"
My serious expression tells him not.
"I need your help."
"Okay." He says, letting me into his apartment.

Telling Sonya...

The first thing I did was run to Sonya. My hair was wet from the fountain,but I didn't care all that mattered was Sonya. I rushed into the room, face flushed of all color.
"Sonya! Sonya?" I shouted.
"Here!" Her voice sounded worried.
"Thank goodness," I said, as I held her close to me.
She pulled away.
"Emilia whats wrong?" Her leafy green eyes looked into my eyes.
I told her everything that I had saw. Her expression got more and more worried as I spoke.
"We need to tell this friend Bubbles of yours what happened."
:"I will, but I need to do this alone."
"No. I won't let you, go alone."
"Fine then, I'll take someone along. But it won't be you."
"Emilia, please-----"
"No. My decision is final. It's to dangerous out there for you. You need to stay here with Aria."
"But---"
I looked at her very sternly.
"Fine," she said.
"And you promise not to try to follow me?"
"Yes."
"Good."
"Who are you going to take with you? Defiantly not Zanabell or Marvin. Amya says they won't be able to leave for another week at least."
"A friend," I say simply.
"All I get, is a friend?"
I nod and smile. Sonya gave a big sigh and gave up.
"I'm glad you approve."
And for the first time that day. I felt real happiness.

The Offer...

His voice crackled like rusty sandpaper. "Hello Emilia." I turned to see him face to face. He looked like a zombie. His skin was a creamy pale color like sallow bread. He had a skeletal structure. His eyes were sullen and full of a sort of madness. His eyes were frozen in a tear like state. His mouth was curved into a wicked grin.
"What do you want Azarius?" I asked.
"Nothing that you can't help me with." , he said his eyes shone silver.
"And why would I ever want to help you?"
" Because you have no choice."
"Is that supposed to be a threat?"
"I don't need to threaten you Emilia, because you are already under my control. You have been since before you were even born."
"What do you mean?"
"You really don't know your own family history do you?"
I give him a confused look. He cackles.
"This is so rich. You really need to talk to your little ball friend some time."
"Only an idiot would call Bubbles a ball."
"Only an idiot wouldn't know their own family history."
"What ever."
"I still need to tell you, that if you try to fight me. Your sister will face the consequences."
"You wouldn't."
"Try me."
"Good bye Emilia. I'll keep in touch."Azarius said. And with a luminescent flash, he was gone.

Azarius...

I dreamed of a satanic room. It looked nefarious, with its blood red floor. And malevolent curtains the color of bursting coals. Immediately, I felt caustic feeling of desperation, and death. I walked down the hallway. When ever I tried to touch the walls to see, the walls felt intangible. I wished that there was a incandescent light glowing some where, or any where. It made me feel petrified to be alone like this even if this was a dream. I felt a summery sort of breeze like a human beings presence on my neck. I turned and saw a luminescent blue figure, a ghost. I screamed. And took a closer look. The man seemed to be interested in me to, because he came closer as well.

He wasn't very old at all. He looked like he was in his late twenties or early thirties. He had hair the color of burnt sienna. His eyes were the color of burgeoning grass. His face looked kind and sincere until he changed. He changed into a blood sucking demon. His eyes turned silvery green. And where his teeth were, sharp fangs. I knew what he was, he was Ptolomea,  governor of Jericho, who murdered his guests traitors. I was sitting next to Cocytus. Here it is said that sometimes the soul of a traitor falls to Hell before Atropos cuts the thread, and their body is taken over by Azarius.Azarius was father of the dead, founder of misery.

Keltin's Story....

I knew why those ridiculous fairies hated him. There had always been a rocky relation ship between fairies and humans. Back in the days when my great, great------ thousand of greats grandmother was ruling. Humans wanted to capture fairies for their magic fairy dust. And the only way to that was to kill a fairy. The humans in that time were very greedy. Eventually a law was decreed that no human could kill a fairy. Some humans of course disobeyed the law. And some fairies payed the price. Those, humans were locked up in a cold, damp jail cell. No one would ever find them. The fairies families' that were attacked, still held a very strong grudge. They had always thought of the human race as vermin. And those greedy people had made it worse.

"Oh, I see," I said. "I wouldn't expect you to understand." Keltin said. "I'm just as human as you.Or an other human in this galaxy. Just because some one has special abilities that you don't understand, you don't think that they are a different species." I said. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that, it's just that no one has ever understood before." Keltin said. "It's fine." I say. "So what are you doing here?" I asked. "Aria brought me here after my massive wreck." Keltin said. " What about you your highness? How you get here?" he asked.  "Same way you basically did." I said. " Evil witch through us through a portal, that practically killed us, the usual." I said. Keltin laughed. "What about you, how did you wreck?" I asked him. " Well when you anger a bunch of trolls, your bound to get consequences."  We both laugh.

"Well, I 'd better be going. It was nice to meet you your highness." Keltin said. "It's Emilia. And nice to meet you to Mr.Make the trolls mad." I said. We both left. I headed back near the water fountain and Keltin headed to the village. I sat and dipped my feet into the water and began to think. Purifi may have betrayed us, but that didn't seem to matter. Nothing did. My mind was calm and tranquil. All I wanted to do was rest. To soak in all of the information. To be free from a world of chaos. But super hero princesses don't get that kind of freedom, because I had the worst dream in the history of the world.

Sneak Peak into Death by Pixies...

This is a sneak peak into the second book in the Siblings of the Forest series. Hope you like it!







It was nice to see the Unearthly forest again, after all this time. It was like a jungle full of adventure. It was exhilarating and exotic. A place of wonder. A land of dreams waiting to come out of it's shell. It was part of me. I part I could never forget. Or want to. And seeing it again brought a shiver down my back. It was familiar to me. And it looked my wish had come true. I was going back.

Siblings of the Forest some more.....

She talks some more. Her voice bounces of the walls of the tent.
"Anyway, these people made a deal to go on adventures together. But that snotty prince, broke the deal and left the poor, angelic princess isolated on a island. And when she got off the island. Her beloved prince charming was dead."
I could tell the rest of the story from her looks. She then turned into a cold blood huntress.
Ash had a look of jadedness in his eyes.
"And so my dear chief, the deal I want to make you is a promise ceremony. You will be promised to me. And I will help you rule the jew----- tribe." She said confidently.
At first, I thought he would take the offer. But then, he said the most magical word ever.
"No."
"Excuse me."
"No."
"But chiefy, sweetheart think of all the things we could do together. And you need some one to help you rule the tribe."
"And I will, but it won't be you."
"But---"
"But nothing." he says. She opens her mouth again to speak. And then he says.
" I already told you NO! Do I have to spell it out for you, N-O!"
Her expression falters.
"Look, I have some one I have feelings for already."
A smile crosses her face. She looks like she's about to gloat. She clearly thinks it's her.
"But it will never ever be you."
Her face darkens, she is beaten. This is hilarious, I think.
"Very well, but if you change your mind, my offer still stands."
She bates her eye lashes to make him change his mind. They cover her luminous jade eyes like a winter coat. But Ash still hasn't changed his mind. He looks at her and shakes his head. And that is the first time I look at her chest. She wears a golden pin with a butterfly and a dragonfly on it. What was strange though was that the butterfly was far more bigger than the dragonfly. She sees me looking at the pin. She smiles. She's the large, magnificent butterfly. And her smile also tells me that I know who the dragonfly is.
It's me.
I'm the dragonfly. Tiny in comparison.
"Well just to show a token of my appreciation." she said and leaned in.
She actually leaned in. To do the most unforgettable thing of all time.
She was going to kiss him.
Lucky for me Ash dodges her lips. But her lips still graze his cheek. She looks at me as she does. My face feels warm. She's succeeded in making me jealous.
"I hope you tell her your feelings soon, because she's not going to be here soon. Bye now." she said sweetly.
As she leaves, I hear a voice. It's sounds like metal clashing together.
You really need to work on your snooping sweetheart. And good luck finding them. Good luck keeping him too. You now one of these days your going to wake up and he's not going to be there.
It's Sirena's voice alright. But her lips aren't moving. She's using telepathy.
And beware your 18th birthday, because at the stroke of 12 you'll no longer dwell on this world. And you're right. I'm a witch.
And she disappeared.  Leaving me to ponder her threatening words.

The Fairy Queen........

When I wake up a strange woman is bent over next to me. Sonya is across from me soaking a wet rag on my head. Well this is awkward, I think. Last year when Sonya had come to West Ville, she had fainted. Well the feeling is mutual.
"Emilia, Emilia." Sonya's soothing voice was calling to me.
" Sonya, Sonya be quiet," I say back.
She giggles. And barely a smile crosses the woman's face. This woman is, Amya, the queen.
She wears a silky sky blue dress with tiny designs on it. Her hair was the color of an espresso. It is tied up in a bun. She carries with her, a staff with all sorts of jewels on it.
"Who is this? Aria, I told you no more strangers at the castle." she says pointing her staff from me to Aria.
"But mom. these aren't strangers, these are the princesses. And besides, they think that we are murders."
Mom? But that would make Aria the princess. Amya's face goes crazy when Aria says the princesses.
" The Princesses? The Princesses! Well you are obviously not strangers. I'm so sorry your highness's. If there is anything the fairies can do for you, you just let me know."
"It's Emilia and thank you very much. And this is the youngest princess Sonya." I say introducing me and Sonya.
Amya bows.
"There's really need to do that." I say.
She nods.
"Aria said you were here because you think we are murderers." Amya said.
"Yes, Purifi, our seer, has told us that you killed her mother."I said.
Amya shook her head sadly.
"We didn't kill Haleakala, because Purifi did." she said.
My mouth dropped.
"What!" I said.
"It was 10 years ago. Haleakala was getting a high praise from the royal family. Purifi wanted it all. The praise, the glory. She stabbed her in the back. We fairies got there too late. We tried to save her. We did everything in our power. But it wasn't enough. She died that night."
Tears began to stream down Amya's face.
"Her last words were to Purifi, she said," I hope you got what you wanted."
I could picture the moment perfectly as if I was there. I was reading Amya's thoughts. I saw Purifi grin at her mother's final words.
I shivered with disgust. How could Purifi be so vain. It made me sick to watch it. And I trusted her. We all did. And now she's going to back stab us just like her mother.
Her own mother.
Tears began to fill my eyes. I couldn't stay here. Not with this information clouding my judgement.
I ran out of the room. I didn't care when I heard Sonya shouting. I didn't care that I was in a small silky nightgown and a brown fleece sweater. Nothing mattered. My whole world was in ruins. I kept on running. And then I pressed my face into the tree. Sobbing until my heart couldn't take it anymore. And then I heard the voices. I looked and saw 3 boys. I walked over to see what was going on.
" Get lost Keltin." said one of the boys and shoved the boy named Keltin.
The boy who shoved Keltin had blond hair. And then I looked at Keltin. Keltin looked about 17. My age. He had short brown hair that had a point to it. I couldn't tell what color his eyes were. He was very handsome.
"Leave me alone Josh." Keltin said walking away.
But Josh caught him by the arm and dragged him back.
" Hey, where are you going?" asked Josh.
"Some where far away from you." Keltin said.
" Josh, his name isn't Keltin Vermillion. No, it's Verminllon. Get it. 'Cuz he's vermin." Josh's friend said.
He was definitely not the brightest fairy of all. But he and his buddy were laughing their heads off.
"Leave him alone!" I said.
"And who's going to make me, a pipsqueak nobody like you?" Josh said.
"Who are you calling a pipsqueak, Tinkerbell." I said.
His friend started to laugh. His face was crimson. And there was no way. No way. He was going to be made fun of by a pipsqueak like me. His face was back to normal.
"Who are you anyway?" He said, poking my chest.
" I thought you'd never ask." I said.
And I began to change. Or at least my hair my hair and clothes did. I began to look like Princess Emilia. I was now wearing a light green dress. My hair was down. It had a sparkling tiara in it.
"I am Princess Emilia of Malvania." I said, hands at my side.
"Your highness." they said and bowed and ran.
"I really didn't need you to stand up for me, your highness." Keltin said, embarrassingly.
"Mm hm," I said sarcastically.
I had finished changing back by now.
"I'm Emilia by the way, Emilia Vanquek."  I held my hand out so he could shake it.
"Keltin, Keltin Vermillion." he said, shaking my hand.
I nodded.
"So do those guys always pick on you?" I asked.
"Pretty much all the time, because of the differences between us."
"What differences?"
" I'm human."
And then I knew......

Misunderstanding?......

This portion of the story is told by Emilia. So you to know her feelings and her prospective of the story.

I looked at Sonya's expression. Then I looked toward the fairy. She seemed to be shaking her head, as if saying that wasn't true. But I know what Purifi told me. The fairies were responsible for Haleakala's death.
"Please believe me," she says in a soft voice. My instincts tell me to listen to her. And since my instincts are never wrong. I feel unsure. But I decide to trust my instincts. 
" Fine." I say.
"But she's a murder!" Sonya shouts.
" Even so Sonya, we are their princesses and every other living creature in this world and the next. They deserve to be heard."
She shuts up. I hate to argue with her. But they have a right to be heard. Even if it means arguing with my little sister. Then that's a price I have to pay.
"I think it will be clearer if you come with me." the fairy says.
She holds out her hands. I take one. I look at Sonya. She takes the other.
"What about the others?" I say.
She pulls out a special pouch. She sprinkles some sort of dust on them. Fairy dust. It looks like pure sunlight in the dark cave. In minutes they have disappeared. But Sonya doesn't understand what has happened. She goes hysterical.
"What did you do? What did you DO!" she shouts.
And she grabs Aria throat. I grab her hand.
"Sonya! Sonya, let go!" I say.
"NO! SHE killed them! She killed them!" she says.
"No, she didn't she just transported them faster."
She looks at me. Clearly shocked and very sorry.
"What?"
"Clearly, you don't know what fairy dust is used for."
"Fairy dust?"
"Yes, Fairy dust. Fairies use it to transport other things and some times even themselves." 
"Oh."
"Yea."
"I'm am so sorry. And your neck." She says to the fairy.
She reaches her hand out gently to look at the fairy's neck. It is the color of amethyst and very swollen.
"I'm alright." the fairy says.
And already her neck is healing. She holds out her hand to Sonya once more. And this time Sonya stays holding on. Then the fairy transports us. I don't even know what colors I see as we zip through the sky. Sometimes gold. Other time blue. And all the time I see rainbows. When we finally arrive, I feel dizzy. Like I'm falling, falling into icy, cold darkness. I'm faint. I catch a glimpse of the gray-stoned castle as I go down. Down into the heart of my subconscious.

Siblings of the Forest con again......

I follow him. He points up. My eyes follow his finger. They meet the image of the surface. It's a shimmering turquoise blue. My mind goes back to the times I used to go swimming with my family. Ash and I finally surface at last.
"That was amazing!" I exclaim.
"Now don't sneak up on me again dragonfly."
I nod and smile. He spins me in the water.
"Now how did you manage to stay in there all that time dragonfly?" He has a mysterious look gleaming in his eye.
"You think I just come in these woods without being a expert swimmer?"
"Good point."
He spins me some more.  Our eyes meet. He leans in closer. His lips are an inch away. I can feel his breath on my face. A sweet tantalizing aroma. That's when we hear the screams. I yank myself onto the dock. It wasn't just any one's screaming, it was my siblings. I try to run, but it is no use. The water that is soaking my clothes is weighing me down like bricks. In the water however, I felt as light as air. When I finally make it to the tent, I ditch my shawl and wet shoes.
"Catherine! Alex!" I shout.
I look in the rose garden where they usually play.
"James! Miranda!"
I'm almost completely scared to death by their disappearance. I was going hysterical. But they are no where to be found. After I run through the whole tribe, I find nothing. They have just simply dematerialized. I go back to the tent and cry. Tears descend down my face. They make my eyes tumescent. Calescent arms wrap around me. And I can tell without looking up, it's Ash.
Chapter....?
Ash nudges a diminutive bowl towards me. But I refuse to eat or drink. I'm too lugubrious. It's my fault that my siblings are gone.  I can't find a ray of sunshine left in me. I've been like this for days. I just cower in a corner. For days at a time. Ash usually is the one staying with me. However, sometimes ( most of the time) he's gone being chief. It's his first priority. So when he's gone, I'm left with Geselli. I don't mind being left with her. I'm delighted he chose her. But I'm just to sad right now to really be obliged. Today, Ash had gone to see someone. I wonder who? Geselli has gone to fetch me some water. It is the perfect time to sneak out. When I arrive at the tent I hear voices. A boy and a girl. The boy being Ash. And the girl's voice was unfamiliar. She must be the someone he's supposed to meet, I think.
I sneak a glance at the strange girl. She had strawberry blond hair and fierce jade eyes. She has smothering red lips the color of raspberries.She wears a black suit that hugs her body very tightly. She looks like Black Widow from the Avengers. Her features are long and svelte. From the looks of her, I thought she was a huntress.
" Chief, I'm Sirena,I've come to propose a deal."
Her voice is so piercing that it could kill a knight in shining armor, by just the sound.
He tells her to continue. What kind of deal? I think. I think Ash has the same question. But Ms. Snotty Huntress Sirena is already talking.
"But first I must tell you a story. Once upon a time there lived a very admirable, dazzling, and angelic princess. And this princess made a deal with a vain prince."
I can tell this story is about her. And so can Ash. He has a look of jadedness in his eyes. What's next, I think.

Bookworm on the Block Writing Contest.......!

Yes, you heard write. Bookworm on the Block is having a writing contest. All you have to do is write a story and email it to me by July 18. Then I will pick the best one to post on my blog. Please be sure to include the title and your name! My email is peach_pie2001@hotmail.com. Thank you!

Siblings of the Forest con...

It was time for coronation. Ash looks back at me from his position. I force myself to give him a smile. He turns back around. The preist takes Ash’s headdress off.

“Today, your new chief is born!” shouts the priest.

A group of Indians began to sing. The priest puts a bigger headdress on Ash’s head. He places red dots on Ash’s forehead and chin.

“Your new ugvwiyuhi!”

He holds Ash’s hand up in the air. Everyone cheers. I just stand there shocked. Ash is the new Chief. The priest lets go of Ash’s hand. That’s when the cloak arrives. The priest puts it on Ash’s back. Now he really looks like a Chief. The priest whispers something into Ash’s ear. Ash goes to take a seat next to me.

“I’m so proud of you, and he would be too.” I whisper in his ear.

A smile crosses his face.

“You really think so?”

“I know so.”

After the coronation, we go to say goodbye. I put a rose on the oak coffin.

“Farewell.” I whisper.

For some reason, I think he can hear me. I bet he’s smiling sunshine. Some of the Chief’s close friends bury him. I look over at Ash. He looks like he’s murmuring a prayer.

“And may we meet again.” Is all I catch.

That’s when I know things are changed forever……

Chapter….?

The campfire is very hot. It’s the first night of being Chief. I feel so strange. He seems to be older and more mature in just seconds. I think he might be completely gone in minutes. If only the Chief didn’t die, I think. Ash however doesn’t appear to notice. The priest and his servants call Ash to live in the Chief’s tent. He refuses to go without us. Especially me. They finally caved in. The tent is much larger than the other tent. I look around in awe.

“ This is your side,” Ash’s says to my siblings.

Catherine grins. The boys shout cheerily.  Miranda however is silent and sad.

“Lizabeth, I sleep with you?” she says.

I look at Ash. He doesn’t seem that excited, but he could get used to it.

“Yes.” I say smiling.

She jumps up and down. Ash smiles.

“ And this is our side.” He says pointing to a larger portion of the room.

“It’s amazing.”

I carry Miranda to our side.

“Lizabeth, we live in castle just like princess,” she says.

I nod. The others rush to their side, jumping and twirling. Which leaves Ash, Miranda, and me. Miranda grabs a pink, fuzzy blanket.

“It’s been a long day,” Ash says, sitting next to me.

 “Yea.”

 Miranda nestles her head into me. I mess up her hair. I kiss her forehead. She closes her eyes.

“She’s really sleepy.” He says.

I nod. Then, the boys come in shouting.

“Time to eat! Time to eat! When’s it time to eat, eat, eat?”

I look up at Ash again.

“I’ll be right back.” He says, getting up.

“Ash,” I grab his hand.

“Yea.” He looks into my eyes hopefully.

“Thanks for everything.”

“You’re welcome.” His expression darkens.

He returns with a bunch of fruit and a glass pitcher full of water.

“Food!” The boys exclaim.

The run off with the food. Leaving Ash and me once again. Ash hands Catherine a piece and a glass of water. Then, he comes back to me. We eat dinner in silence.

“Night.” I say when it’s late.

“ Night.”

I kiss his cheek. He grins. I lie down next to Miranda. He spreads a blanket on top of me. Then, he lies across from me. The night is young, but not Ash. At least not for now. I think. Oh well, I’ll deal with it tomorrow. And I drift off into a dark and wispy sleep.

Chapter…..?

The sun’s glittering rays wake me up the next morning. Miranda is still clung to me. Ash is gone again. I look over at the other side of the tent. Everyone else is still here. I pry Miranda off of me. I grab my shawl and head outside. The ground is covered up with silver-blue dew drops. I spot Ash on the bridge.

“Hey stranger,” I say, leaning over the railing next to him.

“Hey.”

“You okay?”

“ I don’t know.”

He looks like he’s on the verge of tears. I put my hand on his.

“ Thank you.” He says.

“For what?”

“ For keeping me on the ground. For keeping me alive.” He says with lots of emotion.

“No problem.”

We stand there in silence for what seems like hours. The sun has gotten higher in the sky. After a while, Ash finally speaks.

“It’s beautiful isn’t it?”

“It’s magical.”

“Your beautiful too.” He says looking directly at me.

I blush.

“Your hair is the sweet sensation of hot chocolate on a winter’s day. It melts my heart like a marshmallow. It’s just like chocolate. And your eyes are emeralds brighter than any star, planet, or moon. They are even brighter than the sun.” He says touching my cheek.

“And your skin is a soft as a peach. And velvet. And every time you blush, you are the color of a rose.” He says gently kissing my hand.

“Everything about you glistens and shines. You are beautiful. Unique. Angelic. Radiant. And special in your own way.” He says.

Buffalo horns echo in the distance. Breakfast time.

“May I?” he asks, holding out his hand.

“ Why yes, you may.” I say, grabbing his hand and curtsying.

Then, Ash leads me down to the tent.

   Chapter…?

Breakfast was scrambled eggs and buttery toast. I sit quietly next to Ash. Servants walk around with shiny platters of food. A small girl with auburn hair and luminous blue eyes was in the back with a platter of sausages.  She tries to approach me carefully like the others. But, instead she slips. Sausages fly all over the place, which spills my orange juice all over me.

“Geselli! Geselli, you little rodent. Look at what you’ve done!” shouts a rather large woman.

She shakes the small girl.

“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry.” She whimpers.

She tries to clean up the mess. I wipe my face with a napkin.

“I’m fine.” I say.

“Extra 20 beatings for you,” says the woman.

She leans down at the crying Geselli and smiles.

“I SAID I’M FINE!” I shout.

The room is silent for a moment.

“Better start now,” she says.

She raises her hand to beat Geselli.

“STOP!” I shout, I grab her hand.

The woman looks up at me.

“ Yes, your squaw,” she says hurrying to the end of the line.

Your squaw? I think. I lean down and help Geselli pick up the mess.

“I’m so sorry my squaw.” She says.

“It’s all right.” I say soothingly.

She curtsies and goes to the end. I head back to my seat and finish my breakfast.

“You alright?” Ash says, chuckling.

I jab my elbow into his stomach.

“Ouch.” He says quietly.

“Geselli come.” I say, gesturing her to follow.

Ash gets up to come with me.

“ You stay,” I say, smiling at Ash.

He sits back down. I head to the rose garden.

“Why have you called me out here, my squaw?” she asks.

“Because Geselli, you are very honest and I have taken a liking to you.”

She blushes.

“Thank you my squaw.”

“Now I must ask you, why do people refer to me as my squaw?”

  “Because my squaw, I hear you with the Chief. And that you are wed or going to be wed.” she says.

 “Please call me Elizabeth.”

She nods.

“But Ash and I aren’t married, neither are we going to be right now.” I say.

“Hammarabi says that you the Chief are destined to be married and lead us.”

Ash and me? Married? Running the tribe? That was a strange thought.

“And does everyone know these rumors?” I say.

She nods again.

“Thank you.”

Then, she leaves very gracefully. I head back to the tent too. Ash waits for me.

“Did you get what you wanted?” he says chuckling.

“Yes.” I say, flicking him in the ear.

“What?” he is holding his throbbing ear.

“I’m  not your squaw.” I state simply.

Ash chuckles again.

“Not now you’re not, but one day you will be.”

“Oh, is that a bet?”

I smile.

“Why yes it is.”

He picks me up.

“Put me down!” I scream.

He puts me down. And we walk down to the bridge once more. But this time, we are holding hands.

Chapter…..?

The oars are sapping my strength drastically. However, I continue to move them through the water. Ash had taken me out on the water. If it was a date, I had no idea. But, I was pretty sure it was. The water kept on yanking the oars down. As if to take them for a swim. And the oars were agreeing. They continued their attempts to go under.

“Need any help?” Ash says, looking at the oars.

“No.”

He can tell I’m lying.

“Why?” I ask.

“It’s just men usually handle the rowing with their manliness.”

He reaches for the oars. But, I pull away.

“Manliness?” I giggle.

I begin to row once more. And Ash sinks back into his seat as well.

“I think it’s time to change that.” I say.

Ash looks at me, eyebrows arched.

“Oh yeah?” he says.

“Yea.”

He begins to rock the boat. The boat tilts a little to the left. Then, to the right.

“Stop! Stop, you’re going to tip us.” I say.

Then I meet his eyes. I know that’s his plan.

 “Oh no you don’t!” I shout.

I try to tackle him. He leans the other way. And I fly back into my seat.

“Why should I stop, you afraid of a little water?” he says challenging me.

Me, Elizabeth Clarke. He’s challenging me? I don’t think so.

“No.”

He begins to rock the boat again. This time harder. My hair grazes the water slightly. I’m almost completely tipped, so that I get a mouthful of water. I grab the edge of the boat. A thought comes to me. I grin. I shove Ash. He falls into the water. He doesn’t come up. I wonder if he drowned. Is he okay? My heart pounds very hard with fear. I lean over the edge to see if I can see him. I feel large cool arms on me. They pull me in. I scream. I get a mouthful of water. Then, I resurface. Ash is holding on to the edge of the boat, breathing hard.

“ASH CLEARWATER!” I shout.

He looks at me. He sees that I’m all wet. And does the rudest thing ever. He smiles.

 I decide to the same thing he did to me. I decide to fake a drown. First, I begin to swim around like I’m fine. Then, I cry out in pain.

“Oh a cramp!”

My hand flies to my stomach. And just like the plan, I go under.

“Nice try, dragonfly. You can’t scare me.” He says.

He edges closer to where I disappeared.

“You’re going to come up sooner or later.” He says.

I still don’t rise. Instead, I swim behind him. He then really started to freak out.

“Elizabeth, you can come out now. Elizabeth! Elizabeth?” he shouts.

He is very scared and very terrified. That’ll teach him, I think. He puts his head in the water, and looks around. That’s when I make my move. I glide closer and closer to him. And then. BAM! I jump on his back and drag him under. We come up to the surface gasping for air. He shoves me off of his back gently, like a gentleman. Then, he grabs my hands to hold me up. He pulls me closer. I lie on back and float. He holds me up. My hair moves around in the water. Sometimes meeting my cheeks and tickling them. Ash moves me around in the water. He gestures his hand for me to follow. This time we both go. He grabs my hand and we go under water. The water doesn’t sting me eyes, like a normal pool. Instead I’m filled with pleasure. The water is full of beautiful, green plants. I meet Ash’s eyes. He smiles at me, bubbles coming out of the corners of his mouth. He mouths the words “Come on”.
Be sure to answer the questions... Will Ash and Elizabeth get married and  what are the babies names!

Siblings of the Forest.....

I'm also writing this series. My first 4 pages are stuck on my dead tablet. Hope you like my story so far!

Siblings of the Forest       BY:  Cardin Moberly    

 

Pg. 5-9

I noticed one of the witches. It was the blonde haired girl who’d shown me the tent. Her name was Amanda, yes, Amanda Bezula.  I looked up in horror. Then, Hammarabi arrived.  

“Get your lump down here on the ground child, didn’t your mother teach you any better?” she said, waving a pan in the air.

Amanda just shot a flame at the old woman.

“No, No, No,” she said waving a finger at Amanda. As a mother did to a naughty toddler.

That’s when Hammarabi began to chant.

“Spirits send these witches away, all the way through time and space, teach them to mess with old Hammarabi.”

Amanda and the other witches screamed in agony. Then, they caught on white fire. They screamed some more. I couldn’t look. I buried my head into Ash’s shoulder. He put a warm arm around me. That’ll teach me not to make her mad, I think. I grab the children and shield their eyes. When I look up again, the witches were gone. I look at Hammarabi. One thing is for sure, Hammarabi was indeed a witch.

“What are you staring at?” she said, hands on hips.

We then head back to the village or what’s left of it. The tents are demolished. The crops are pulled up. Men and women look around at the damage. Some tents went up in flames. Luckily, our tent is still standing. I usher every one inside. Who knew that witches could cause that much damage?

“Did you know Hammarabi was a witch?” I ask Ash.

“Well you know there are rumors going around that she’s a crazy old bat, and a witch.”

“That’s not what I asked, did you know?”

I look into his hazelnut eyes.

“Yes.”

“What else are you hiding from me?”

There had to be no more secrets. He hesitates at first.

“I’m the….” He trails off.

“The…” I say urging him on.

“Chief’s...” he doesn’t finish.

All I hear is Chief. It echoes in my head.

“What!” I say outraged.

“Relax, I’m the Chief’s son.”

How could this be?  I think. How could someone as young as Ash be the Chief’s son? How could Ash, with his hazelnut eyes and hair as black as night be destined to be a chief? I didn’t know. But he was still Ash. He put a warm hand on mine. He was still the same old Ash with the butterscotch skin. He was my Ash and nothing could change that. My heart rate slowed, I was relaxed. I melted into his strong arms.

“ Lizabeth, we go night night?” Miranda asked, tugging my nightgown.

“Yes.”

I was warm, happy, and safe. Miranda nestled her head into my stomach. I pulled my fingers through her hair. She smiles. I kiss her cheek. Ash pulls a blanket around me. And I drift off into the night.

Chapter……?

 

When I wake up the next morning, Miranda and I are the only ones there. I nudged the small toddler. She opens one sea-blue eye. Two. I change her out of her nightgown and into her clothes. Then, we head outside. Ash hands me a piece of fruit.

“Morning,” he says, grinning.

“Morning, what do we have planned for today?”

Ash just shrugs. Well I’m going to see Hammarabi, I think. I head back into the tent. Waiting for me, is a thin strapped turquoise shirt and jeans. Then, I went to go see Hammarabi. When I came in, Hammarabi was shouting orders to everyone.

“What did you want dear?” she asks, still turned around.

How, I think.

“You’re a witch.”

“ Yes, and you’re a sibling of the forest, your point is?”

She has a point. Then, she skips off. For a 53 year old woman, she sure moves fast, I think. I follow her. Oom, Oom. She meditates. And then get up and starts moving again. She grabs a book off the shelf, and turns to a page.

“Yes, Mandrake root, Dragon’s tongue, cinnamon.” She says to herself.

Mandrake root? Dragon’s tongue? Cinnamon? I think. Then I lean over to see the age. It’s a recipe to cure the measles.

MEASLES

1 CUP OF CINNAMON

2 MANDRAKE ROOTS

1 DRAGON TONGUE

A DASH OF MINT

3 1/3 CUP OF CHICKEN BROTH

10 CUPS OF WATER

1 NIGHTLOCK FLOWER PETAL

What kind of spell was this? Then, I look at the last ingredient. 1 night lock flower petal. Ash had told her that it was the most poisonous plant there was. So how could it cure the measles? Hammarabi had already pulled out all of the ingredients.

“Will you mash this together for me child?” she says.

I nod.  I look back at the recipe. Here goes nothing. A cup of cinnamon. I carefully measure the cinnamon. 2 mandrake roots. I pull out two brownish looking roots. 1 dragon tongue. I gulped. I grabbed a spoon and dipped it into a jar. I pulled out a green, wiggly thing. It wiggled some more as I dropped it in the bowl. I mixed it up. This is so gross!  A dash of mint. I pulled some thin leaves form a container. 3 1/3 cup of chicken broth.  I measured it out and stuck it in there. 10 cups of water. One. Two. Three. Seven cups later. 10. The last ingredient was sitting next to me. I slid a glove on my hand. I pulled out a multi-colored petal. BAM! SPLASH!BOOM! The potion exploded. I began to mix it some more. It looked like chicken noodle soup.

“Good child,” she says patting my back.

She mutters a spell. She sniffs it.

“Perfect.”

She pours it into a bowl. She plops a spoon into the bowl. She walks out of the room. I follow. Someone grabs me from behind.

“Elizabeth, where did you go?” Ash asks me.

“I’m sorry, I went to see Hammarabi.”

“What? Never mind.”

“What’s wrong?”

“It’s my father, he’s dying.”

Tears come to his eyes. I feel a pang. Ash’s father, the Chief. Is dying. Ash’s is going to be the new chief. But there was nothing I could do. 

Chapter….?

We went to the Chief’s side immeadiantly. He was lying on a small mattress croaking, coughing, and shaking. I had to admit, he did look a lot like Ash. He had hair like salt and pepper and eyes the color of cinnamon. He had skin the color of chocolate. He croaked some more. Ash and I kneeled at his side.

“Ash.” He croaked.

Ash put a hand on the old Chief.

“Ash, it is your duty to be a good chief.” His chest barely moving.

Ash nods. The old Chief smiles and closes his eyes. His chest has stopped moving. His skin is now tan. Then, the tears come. Ash keeps on shaking. I put an arm around him. The thought strikes me. Now Ash is the new chief. But I just keep holding on.

Chapter…?

Ash doesn’t speak the next morning. Not even to me. Not even a smile crosses his face. Today, is the coronation and the funeral. Hammarabi and her servants arrive to dress up Ash. They put him in a furry deer skin cloak and headdress full of feathers. On his face are all sorts of symbols painted in reds, yellows, and blues. He wears a gloomy frown. I’m depressed just looking at his expression. Hammarabi then starts to work on Catherine, Miranda, and the boys. She places Catherine in a midnight blue dress, with blue moccasins. She left her hair down. When Hammarabi was done, Catherine looked like dawn light.  The boys were put in deer skins. Miranda was in a black dress.  And last, she came to me. She put me in a blood red dress with red moccasins. She left my hair in a bun. Then, we were off.

Ash gives me a half smile as enter. I smile back. I stand next to him.

“ Yo-wa igohidv. Send my ugvwiyuhi to thee. Ogina li, ogi towada donda guhui. Galv laditsosv. Go to ga laditsosv. May the gilagoge, go-gi, vlagohusdil, and go li continue to flourish. Fly! Uwohili. Fly!” chanted the priest.

I could only understand some of the message, but I knew it was beautiful. Tears slowly made their way down Ash’s cheeks. I hug him. He puts his warm arms around me. He presses his cheek to my hair.

“Yesterday, we had our old ugvwiyuhi, but today, a new one is born!” the preist shouts.

A large man pulled Ash away from me.

  

Fairy Murderer.....

Aria turned back to look at me. I realized that she had pink eyes. Literally. Then, I took a look at her tiara. It had golden flowers on it. Her eyes also seemed to have little butterflies flying in them. Impossible. But fairies were magical. The possibilities were endless. "I'm Sonya," I said holding out my hand to her. She nodded. "What are you doing here?" I asked. " Healing." she said in a voice that sounded like wind chimes. " Healing?" I asked. She nodded. Emilia then woke up. "What the heck?" she said putting a hand to her head. Then she saw me and Aria. "Stay away from her." Emilia barked at Aria. Aria was very frightened. Emilia lifted her hand to conjure a spell. "Emilia! Emilia, WAIT!!" I shouted. Emilia continued to conjure the spell once more. "STOOOOP!!!!!!!!" I shouted and slapped her hand down. " What is wrong with you?" I asked her. I was on the verge of tears."She's a fairy." she said. "Yes, so" I said. "Don't you know?" Emilia said looking shocked. I shook my head. " The fairies killed Purifi's mother." "What!" I screamed. I looked at Aria with a disgusted look. Why did they kill a seer?

Rowan's Mistake?......

I woke up with a big migraine. The room wouldn't stop spinning. Emilia, Marvin, and Zanabell were all sprawled out on the floor next to me. Zanabell was looking spectral. Her honey blond hair was messed up all over her face. Emilia looked like she'd just seen a avalanche. Her chestnut colored hair was stuck underneath her. Marvin looked the worst of all, his flaming red hair was mopped all over his face. His face was very banged up. He had violaceous scars on his face. Where were we? The room was surrounded with luminous mirrors. The place had a shimmering glow to it. Each mirror had a special surge of spirited energy flowing through them. Some had shimmering gold energy others had bright reds the color of wildfire. Some were colors I didn't even know existed. I didn't think Rowan meant to send us here. I think she had something else in mind. I sat next to Emilia and moved her hair out from underneath her. She was knocked out hard and was hardly breathing. But, at least she was breathing. I propped her head up on my bunched up jacket. Then went to check out the others. Zanabell was still breathing also. Marvin's violaceous scars were healing. But they shouldn't be healing that quickly. They were almost gone completely in a minute. Then, I noticed the small girl. No not girl. Fairy. This girl was a fairy. She had lustrous wings the color of pure gold. Her hair was auburn and like her wings, her hair was glossy. She wore a thin strapped, peach colored ballerina dress. In her hair was a shimmering gold tiara. " Who are you?" I said. I was surprised to see a real fairy. "Aria." the fairy said scaredly. I thought she might fly away. She turned. " Wait!" I called. " Please stay." Aria turned around to face me and obeyed. My question was why did she stay?

Rowan's Story........

Rowan was defiantly not calm. Her bleached white hair looked lustrous. She wore an evil grin.A barbaric look gleamed in her cinnamon colored eyes." You." Rowan shot Emilia a disgusted look. Then she looked into Zanabell's azure colored eyes. Rowan grabbed at her throat. Zanabell's skin turned the color of magnolia blossoms. However, Zanabell didn't show a sign of struggle. Zanabell's  throat began to obstruct her breathing. She struggled to breathe at all. Rowan laughed. " Stop this right now!" Emilia said giving Rowan a hard shake. She then turned it into a death grip. Rowan's hand turned red, then blue, and finally white. The white color of her skin was beginning to clam up. " I didn't get to finish the fun," Rowan whined. Then, quickly she let go of Zanabell. A little of the color returned to her face. She started to wobble and fall. I caught her. " What was that all about?" I asked very startled. Rowan's cinnamon colored eyes turned to meet my leafy green ones. " Whose the newbie?" she said smiling. She looked at me like I was a new toy for her to play with." Why do you need to know?" Zanabell said weakly, standing up.She looked into Rowan's eyes. Then, she collapsed. " Now, are you going to tell me your name? Or do I have to squeeze it out of your friends?" she said making a gesture towards Marvin and Emilia. Marvin tried to look brave. However, when I looked into his eyes I saw agonizing pain. I looked at Emilia. She winced. " Sonya, Sonya Prewett." I said fiercely looking into Rowan's eyes. She grinned again. " A Prewett, my sister enjoyed the help from your uncle." she said. I glanced at her with hatred."Why do you even bother asking me? Why not just use telepathy?" I asked. "Why are you here?" I said, almost shouting. " Those are good questions. And with good questions come good answers. Unfortunately, I'm not good, I'm evil," She gave me a very large and scary barbaric grin before I blacked out....

Another Dangerous Witch.....

" Her name is Rowan." Emilia said. Thank goodness it wasn't me, I thought. " She's Halien's sister." Emilia finished. All of the sudden a wave of worry swept over me. Halien's sister, another dangerous witch." Couldn't we be seeing Rowan is stead of Halien?" I said. "It's possible." Emilia replied. She sent me an image of Rowan through telepathy. Emilia had mastered that power easily. I took a good hard look at the image. Rowan looked around the age of 15. She had long bleached white hair and cinnamon colored eyes. How could this girl be a threat? I wondered. I kept looking at the image. Rowan had a mysterious look to her. " Let's get Marvin." I said rushing out the door. If it was Rowan we were up against then we are in big trouble. " Is it true, are we seeing Rowan?" I asked Marvin. " Yes, we might be," he replied. Great, just great, I thought. " What has she done so far?" I asked. " The question is what hasn't she done?" Zanabell said. " She used her magic to murder an innocent little boy." Marvin said. " She also burned down a house with a family in it," Emilia continued. Rowan was a very big threat to everyone. Marvin had brought them to his lab. He pulled up a tape of Rowan burning the house. Emilia was right, Rowan looked a lot like Halien. The night made Rowan's hair blend into it. Her hair looked like a white star in the night sky. She turned around and grinned. I just stared right into her cinnamon colored eyes. They looked cold as ice. Her heart ,I bet, was as dark as coal. I looked away. How could someone be so corrupt and malicious? It made me sick. " What are her powers Marvin?" I asked shivering. " She has power over emotions, and she is a strong powerful at telepathy. And a number of others powers maybe." he said. " I bet Emilia's a better telepath then her." I said. Emilia blushed. " Except no one knows what she's capable of." Emilia said. " Great, we have an unpredictable witch on our hands and no way to vanquish her." I said. The truth was I was very scared in the inside. I had never felt so scared in my life. That's when the alarm went off. I jumped. " Rowan!" Emilia screamed. We rushed to the sleeping corridor. Everyone was in a panic. A little girl rushed by my side. She didn't look older than 7. I shoved her into a bed room. " What's going on." she asked full of fear. " Nothing, your safe, I promise." I said hugging her. I didn't know why I promised her that. I knew though that I would protect her no matter what. The light flickered out. I'm going to meet Rowan, I thought. Would she be calm though?

Welcome Back.....

I looked at the note again. I stared at the smudge very hard. The smudge then formed into words. To Ms. Sonya Prewett from Emilia Vanquek, Zanabell Whinesberry, and Marvin Charms. Next to the names was other things like Westville's honorary staff. Since when were Emilia, Zanabell, and Marvin honorary staff? I shrugged and read on. We are currently experiencing some difficulties. In other words Halien is back! The situation is dire. I dropped the note. Halien was back again, but how? The spell should have bound her for at least a century. I rushed up stairs. I stuffed clothes in my bag. I whistled for the carpet. It was time to end this again. The glorious carpet arrived."You know what to do," I said to the carpet. It speed up. The wind slashed at my face. The next minute I was hovering over Westville Academy. Welcome back, I thought. Emilia and the others welcomed me. " Your sure it's Halien," I said. "Positive," Emilia responded. I rushed into my old room at Westville. It was like a second home to me. I placed my duffel bag on the bed. I put my hand to my head. Emilia leaned against the door. "Why didn't the spell hold her?" I said frustratedly. Emilia shrugged. Clearly, I was not the only one frustrated. I decided to change the subject. " Since when are you ,Z, and Marvin honorary staff?" I asked her. " It happened after you left. They need experienced people to train the next generation of witches and wizards." she said. " Oh." I said. " Yea, I don't understand why the spell didn't work." she said full of rage. Her rage made me angry to. I just felt like killing Emilia and everyone, until I had the world in the palm of my hands. I felt greedy and full of resent to some thing. No, someone. I just had to let it out. " IS THIS WHAT YOU EXPECT ME TO DO MY WHOLE LIFE! I WILL NOT DO THIS! YOU CAN GO VANQUISH HALIEN TIME AFTER TIME AGAIN!" I shouted with such anger, it even surprised me. Emilia shot me a horrified look. I covered my mouth. " I'm sorry, I didn't mean it." I said apologetically. Emilia just nodded. "Halien doesn't have power over emotions." Emilia said worriedly. "Of course she does, no else could do that." I said. " I only know one person." Emilia said and looked at me. What did she mean? I wonder.