(I like going by either my last name which sounds kind of strange or by my full middle name never by my full name cause that's a mouth full it's got over 7 letters)
I can't stop reading this its so amazing! Can't wait for more!! And yea, it's definitely no ones fault I just felt like saying that
~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~ "Pain is inevitable, but suffering is optional.” A melodious, enchanting voice whispered in her ear. “You do not have to suffer.” What was that voice? It sounded familiar. Very familiar. Then it hit her. The voice sounded like Charlotte’s. Only gentler, kinder. Her mom. It must have been a memory. Her only memory of them. “You have a lot of nerve, coming back here.” Charlotte’s eyes snapped open. A gleaming sword point was against her neck. Its owner narrowed her amethyst eyes at Charlotte. She had a shrill, spine-tingling voice, but warmth seemed to be inexplicably mixed in. “I-I don’t know what you’re talking about. Who are you? Where am I?” Bewildered, Charlotte backed up. Her arm had started to bleed again. That seemed like enough for this strange girl. She tossed her raven hair over her shoulder and offered a tanned hand to Charlotte. “I knew you couldn’t have done it. I mean, you were only three. And your mom was so caring; she would never hurt a fly. Neither would your dad. I’m Alyssa, by the way.” Alyssa pulled Charlotte up from the ground. Her tall, agile body was very strong. “Done what?” “You don’t know? I suppose I’m going to have to give you a history lesson, huh? Okay. Eleven years ago-when you were three-our beloved leader, Madame Luna, was murdered. No one knows who did it. But her daughter, the conceited Belle, blamed it on your parents and you. She had a grudge against them. I never believed her, but everyone else did. Luna was a great leader and losing her…” Alyssa’s voice broke. “I’m sorry. It’s just that… when my parents died, Luna took me in and cared for me. I was six at the time, and now that I’m seventeen, I realize how much that kindness touched me.” She was silent for a moment. “All of the villagers want to kill you now. They were misled. And the royal guards are ordered to kill you too, even though they know the truth.” Alyssa glanced at her bloody arm. “Oh, you’re hurt!” “Yeah, but it’s nothing…” Charlotte trailed off when she realized Alyssa had placed her hands on her arm. They started to glow brightly, and became scorching hot. When she pulled her hand away, the skin was clean, with no break in it. “How did you do that?” She gasped in awe. “It’s just my gift. Good for healing scratches, but if there’s a serious injury…” Alyssa shrugged. “Very useless.” “Gift?” “Everyone in Doué has a gift. Usually the impressive ones have drawbacks, like mine. There are stories of one really powerful gift-talking to animals-but of course, those are just myths.” “I need to get home. Can you help me?” “You need one of Luna’s amulets to be able to travel through the portal. Luna had just lent your parents one, so that’s how they got through. The only one is at the castle, with Belle.” “How do I get it?” “You have to clear your name. Belle won’t lend her amulet to a ‘murderer’. Especially since she blamed you.” “Well, then how do I figure out who killed Luna?” “I would start by investigating around, finding out as much as you can while staying hidden. I’m going to try to find you a disguise.” With that, Alyssa turned and dove into the bushes. She was soon gone. Charlotte looked around. Majestic oak trees towered over the long jade grass, vibrant flowers growing all around. It was exactly like the clearing, except the beauty had spread to the whole forest. She gently plucked one lilac flower and tucked it behind her ear. Her footfalls echoed around the forest as she started to walk. Or was it not an echo? Charlotte quickly realized that it sounded off. Someone must be behind her. Without giving it a second thought, she took off, sprinting in the opposite direction of the footsteps. Branches whipped by her head… she ducked around trees… a hill came up. Too late to avoid it… and she was sliding down, jumping to her feet as soon as she landed… the stranger was getting closer… she could picture him with guns, and a knife, a malicious grin on his face… he probably wanted revenge on her… but he was wrong… that thought caused another burst of adrenaline, and she shot through the trees like a rocket… but she wasn’t getting any farther away… she was just getting closer… a tree slammed on the ground next to her… she barely had time to avoid it, and the flawless mahogany beavers staring at her. While she was distracted, a root hooked onto her foot and hurtled her a few feet away. She crashed into a tree. There was no time to run. Her mysterious pursuer was behind the closest tree. She anxiously watched him. Deep breaths, preparing herself. He stood, obscured by the tree. No doubt planning his attack. Silence. Then someone tapped her shoulder. She screamed. Was it his partner? ~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~
Since I'm feeling nice, I'll update ~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~ “The best way to find out if you can trust somebody is to trust them.” “Calm down. Stop screaming. Trust me, I won’t hurt you.” Charlotte closed her eyes and breathed deeply. “Okay, I trust you. But there’s a guy intent on killing me behind that tree, and…” “That was me.” “Oh…” Charlotte opened her eyes and stood up, looking at him for the first time. His brass hair, tinged with hints of brown, was tousled and windswept, as if he had been running for a while. His piercing green eyes, flecked with gold, stared deeply into Charlotte’s, as if he could see all the way to her soul. “I’m Dylan Wolfe, and that’s my gift. Super speed. You probably need a weapon. Here, choose one.” Charlotte glanced down and saw that Dylan’s tanned leather jacket was filled with weapons. A longbow was strapped to his back, and an assortment of knives, swords and scythes. “Uh, I guess I’ll take this one.” Charlotte picked up a knife. It felt well balanced, the artistic carvings in the hilt fitting smoothly into her hand. “So why have you come back now, of all times?” Dylan asked. His voice was sweet and velvety, mesmerizing with each syllable. “What’s so special about now? I just fell through a waterfall. I don’t know anything about this.” “Nothing? The daughter of the infamous Marc and Bridgette doesn’t know anything about Doué?” Dylan’s easy, natural grin was infectious. Charlotte started to smile with him, and then firmly pressed her lips together. But she couldn’t stop the corners of her mouth from tugging up. “Well, I know everything that Alyssa told me. But what’s so special about today? Do you have any idea who killed Luna? Why don’t you want to kill me right now?” “Well… Tomorrow is the anniversary of Luna’s death. It’s also the day that you will be permanently exiled from Doué. They have to follow the 12 year law. It’s to prevent a person to be wrongly accused of murder, like you. If you can figure out who killed Luna by midnight tomorrow, you can live. If not… well, the villagers were prepared to storm into the human world and kill you. As for who killed Luna, I know it had to be an inside job. No one entered from outside that day. Since your family was nowhere near the castle that day, I knew it couldn’t be you. Only the servants and maids could enter her bedchamber that day. She wasn’t feeling well. I would start by going there and interviewing everyone there.” Dylan started to walk, Charlotte falling into step beside him. “So is there some secret convention of people that believe I didn’t kill her?” Charlotte asked him. “The only people I met-you and Alyssa-have believed me.” “Alyssa Silvett was a sort of personal maid to Luna. Brought food for her, made her beds, all that. She wanted to repay her for her kindness. It would make sense for her to hate you, seeing how distraught she was. But Alyssa is logical. She probably realized that you couldn’t have killed Luna.” Charlotte fiddled with her knife. Even though it had been less than an hour since she was in the human world, it already felt like eternity. The memories of Belinda and Karan were easy to forget, here in this surreal world of perfection. She had thought the clearing was enthralling. How ridiculous that seemed now. “So, do you know if Alyssa is going to come with us?” Dylan broke the silence with his question. “I think so. She’s getting a disguise for me now.” “Good. You won’t be able to avoid the villagers for long. It’s by sheer luck you haven’t come across any yet.” “And you know how to get to the castle, right?” “Yes. It’s in the very center of Doué. Anyone would be able to get there, but I know a few shortcuts.” Charlotte considered this. Dylan seemed to know an awful lot about the castle. He even knew exactly what was happening that day, even though he couldn’t have been older than five when she died. “How exactly do you know all this stuff about the castle?” Dylan opened his mouth to speak. Charlotte held her breath, waiting. Footsteps inched towards them, so soft neither of them could here. The light glinted off polished blades. Ten pairs of eyes watched in anticipation. Watching. Waiting. For the perfect moment to strike. Ten tongues flickered across ten lips. Ten sets of yellowing teeth grinned maliciously. Dylan formed the first word, unaware of how close they were to death. Charlotte waited. Her watchers waited. Dylan said the first word. Then everything happened at once. “I’m Luna’s son.” They lunged. “The rightful heir.” Run. ~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~