Above in a black, silent sky, the stars shone down in a peaceful and lush forest, blanketing the area with soft light. But within a moment, the serene atmosphere was broken as a lone figure ran through the dense woods to escape his pursuers.
Pushing large bushes and low tree branches out of his way, a tall, dark-skinned young man raced through the forest for his life, breathing hard and clutching a very old scroll in his had. Despite the cool evening air, rivers of sweat poured down his dark forehead, and his black hood was plastered over his head. Fear like none other caused his heart to beat so fast, it felt like it would burst through his chest at any moment. But as scared as he was, he tried to remain calm. His plan had worked so far; he had disguised himself as one of the worshipers of the demon god Kumraa and sneaked into the castle. After carefully looking around, he found the scroll with the spell he needed in the Spells and Incantations Room. But unluckily, he was stopped by one of the followers as he was exiting the room, and he began asking questions. When the young man stammered on his answers, the other man was just about to call the guards when the rebel in disguise knocked him out and ran off.
Well, that part didn't end so well, but he had the scroll, and with it, the young man could finally leave this planet and find the help he and his people needed so much. The young man stopped for a moment, sure for now that his pursuers were far behind him. Panting heavily, he pushed the black hood from off his head and leaned against a tall, red-colored tree. Above, the light violet sky was darkening with the setting of the red sun, and tiny points of stars began to come out. Falling to his knees, the young man ran a hand through his cornrow-braided hair, and allowed the past few weeks to run through his mind in flashes.
With the Resistance Force decimated by attacks to crush their rebellion, he had appointed himself with the task of stealing the scrolls and making the journey to find help in freeing their planet. For nearly seventeen years, the evil demon god Kumraa had driven the whole planet to slavery and poverty. Hundreds of thousands have already perished trying to defeat him, including the young man's parents, the king and queen of a country not too far from here. Hundreds of other rebellions have been crushed under the demon's might and sheer powers. For centuries, people have believe the stories of how he was supposed to be forever sealed away, but alas, it was not so. Kumraa was back with a vengeance, and he meant to destroy anything in his way.
But then, he and a few others of the secret Resistance Force researched and found out a legend...a legend that was long thought a simple tale. But if it was true, then there was a chance the planet could be saved.....
Suddenly, the young man's thoughts were interrupted as the sound of horse hooves began to rumble and shake the forest ground. With a startled cry, the infiltrator quickly stood up and rushed off, running as fast as he could, slapping away bushes and cutting branches in his way. For a few moments, he ran, but to him, it was like he was running for eternity. "There, over there! Don't let him escape!" cried out a very loud and deep voice.
At that, the horses seem to run faster, crushing anything in their path. A few seconds later, the young man burst through the bushes into a small clearing, almost as if it was made for seclusion. The man fell to his knees in exhaustion. He shakily brought the old scroll from under the black robe he wore, and carefully spread it open on the ground. Tears misted in his eyes as he thought about the consequences for him and everyone else if he failed.
The young man took a deep breath, placed his hands together as if in prayer, and squinted his eyes as he tried to remember and read the old language sketched on the scroll. His voice was soft and shaky, but still held a quiet strength that spoke of everything he had been through. A strange, melodic language softly filled the dusk air as the sounds of the horses came closer and closer.
Just then, then young man said the last word of the spell, and the scroll began to glow brightly. The glowing grew bigger and bigger, until the light of it filled the entire area. In a bright flash, the light turned into a swirling vortex, filled with bright colors and soft clouds. Happiness showed in the dark-skinned young man's eyes as he looked up to see that the spell indeed worked. But he had no time to rejoice, as about ten horsemen burst through the bushes into the clearing. With a surprised cry, young man looked behind him as he was suddenly surrounded.
"Halt! Surrender yourself, NOW!" cried out the leader, his black armor shining brightly in the vortex's light.
But the young man paid him no attention as he rose quickly and grabbed the small scroll, and made ready to jump through the vortex.
"I said halt!" The leader growled in anger and raised his weapon high when the man didn't heed his warning. "Fire! Do not let him escape! It will be our heads if he does!" Blaster fire shot out at the young man from the ends of their long, silver spears. The blasts missed him by mere inches as the escapee jumped high and through the vortex. As he entered it, he felt a sudden rush in his body...then he was falling...falling into a cloud of comfort, yet nothingness. Behind him, the vortex began to close quickly, leaving the armed knights and the planet behind.
To the young man, it seemed as if he would fall forever, and he wanted nothing more than to sleep..sleep forever and forget about the troubles of his planet and his people. But just before he went to sleep, one thought raced through his mind...one thought that gave him hope and comfort in his journey; Earth, he thought to himself, I MUST get to Earth! Oh please great gods, guide me to Earth!
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In a dark room, an alarm clock suddenly went off, and a few seconds later, a dark hand slammed on the button to turn it off. With a muffled yawn, a tousled head peaked through the bed's covers and turned to see the time. When the young girl saw what time it was, she sighed with annoyance and pulled the covers back over her head. But not even a minute later, there was a knock on the door, and as it slowly opened, light poured into the room.
"Jeneta, darling, it's time to get up!" said a cheery English voice. When the figure did not move, the woman turned on the lights, bathing the room with brightness.
"Alright, alright! I'm up Mum, I'm UP!" With another loud yawn, Jeneta threw back the covers and scratched her head. Jeneta's mother walked over and placed a morning kiss on her cheek.
"That's my girl! So how did you sleep last night?" The blonde-haired woman looked at her adoptive daughter in concern. For a couple of weeks now, Jeneta had woken up the household...practically the block...with her nighttime screams. Last night was the first time the girl had sleep peacefully since those weeks ago.
"I'm much better Mum, thanks." Jeneta smiled, trying to sound reassuring. But deep inside, Jeneta was as concerned about her nightmares as everyone else. Her parents had told her she had nightmares as a little child too, up until 2 years after they adopted her. After that, she had never had another one. But for some reason, they started up again about 3 weeks ago. They were always the same; she was dressed in a very fancy, strange clothing, and there was some sort of creature, wanting to torment her, kill her, and she was with other young women, like herself....
She shook her dark head to clear it. "I...I think they're gone for now. Really, there isn't anything to worry about anymore." With that, Jeneta hopped out of bed and went to her closet to get her clothes for the day.
Her mother Alice nodded, but concern still shown in her eyes. "Yes, I suppose you're right. Maybe they've started up again since you're going to attend your new school in a few days." Tears of pride began to mist in the older woman's eyes. "I can't believe it! My baby being accepted into the world renowned Waterberry's International School for the Gifted Child!" She clasped her hands in excitement.
"Mum, it's not that big of a deal!" Jeneta argued as she laid her clothes out.
"I should say it is!" Alice said excitedly. Jeneta rolled her eyes while her mother got up and gave her a quick hug. "Now, you hurry and get cleaned up and dressed. You and I need to get an early start if we want to get some shopping done for your new uniform and clothes. Your dad and brother are already downstairs, so hurry if you want breakfast!" With that, Alice smiled once more proudly at her daughter and rushed off.
Jeneta chuckled to herself as she watched her mother leave, then gained a serious expression. "It's NOT that big of a deal," she said once more to herself with a sigh. "But I am going to miss my old school. Now I'll have to go and make all new friends again." With another sigh, Jeneta headed to the bathroom, wondering if it was indeed nerves that made her nightmares come again.
When she had finished showered and dressed, Jeneta rushed downstairs, hoping she didn't miss breakfast.
"Well, look who finally decided to grace us with her presence!" said Jamie, glaring at his adoptive sister.
"Bugger off, slush for brains!" Jeneta glared daggers at her nine year old, brown haired brother, already growing annoyed at just the start of the day.
"That's enough you two!" said their father from behind his newspaper. He folded the large paper and looked at one, then the other. "We're going to have quiet breakfast this morning, is that clear?" Phillip gave them a no nonsense look.
"Yes, Dad." both said as they sat down to eat their pancakes. But somehow, Jeneta was quieter than usual, thoughts of her nightmare still in her head. I wonder if anyone ELSE is having bad dreams like me, she thought sadly to herself. Probably not. I would just hate to have to go through this alone though. With a sigh, Jeneta continued eating, suddenly feeling alone.
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"Heather! Heather, come on, what could be taking you so long? I swear you must be the slowest girl in all of England!" Emma shouted out to her younger sister. The red haired nineteen year old rolled her eyes and tapped her feet, feeling very annoyed and impatient. She had promised to take her younger sister into town for a little bit of shopping for when the school term started, but now she had serious doubts that they could get any shopping done if they wasted anymore time. A moment later, a blonde head peaked out from the front of the house's staircase, looking down nervously
"Alright, Emma, I'll be down in just a second...please," Heather said, her eyes begging for understanding.
Her older sister's face softened for a bit, then she nodded. "Fine, I'll be waiting in the car." The older girl walked out the front door, and Heather quietly went back to the bathroom and splashed a little bit more cold water in her face, then put her glasses back on her face.
When she looked at herself in the mirror, she took a deep breath and then let it out slowly. She had another nightmare last night, and the stress of it was showing on her face. Oh why did they have to start again now? Why now, when she'll be attending a new school and have to face meeting new people and teachers? She didn't need this, not at all! She tried to keep it from her family, but they all knew she had trouble sleeping. It was a wonder she didn't cry out in fright! But Heather had dealt with bad dreams enough to keep herself from screaming, but it was still hard....
With another sigh, the blonde-haired girl walked out of the bathroom and nearly smacked right into her tall grandmother. "Oh! Grandmum, I'm so sorry! Emma's waiting for me, and..and.."
"It's alright darling, quite alright," the elderly woman said, patting Heather's head. Her expressive blue eyes, greyish-blonde hair, and tall frame gave credit to her Dutch ancestry. "Are you feeling well? I know you had another nightmare last night. I could hear you struggling to breathe and..."
"Grandmother, please," Heather turned her head away and lowered her eyes. "I'm fine, okay? I...I was just a bit uncomfortable, that's all. I should get going now, Emma's waiting,"
"Alright then. But you do know if there's anything you wish to talk about, your grandfather and I will always be here. You know that," The old woman smiled kindly at the girl that reminded her so much of her own daughter at her age.
"I know Grandmum, I know. I guess it's just the thought of being accepted to Waterberry's and the now having to keep up with my grades and all that. It's not going to be easy..." Worry began to fill Heather's eyes.
"My dear child, nothing in life worthwhile is ever easy. But you'll do fine, I know it. Now, no more talks of silly dreams and such. Off you go then. I already gave Emma the shopping money. Your grandfather will be back later on to have dinner with us." With that, Patricia leaned forward and kissed her granddaughter's forehead, then shooed her off.
"It's about time!" Emma said as Heather sat beside her in the passenger side. She started the car and pulled away from the drive, mumbling about missing some valuable studying time from college. Heather learned not to take most of her sister's complaining personally. She knew her sister loved her and wanted nothing but the best of her, but at the same time, her sister was very impatient, and wanted her to stop being such a social reclusive. But sometimes...Heather just couldn't help herself.
While her sister mostly grumbled to herself, Heather's thought traveled back to the beginnings of her nightmares. Could it be really just nerves of starting a new school? What if it was something more? She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but somehow...Heather felt as if something very big was going to happen to her; something she never imagined would happen to her.
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Panting heavily, the young dark-skinned man hurriedly hid behind a large tree from prying eyes, hoping that his strange look wouldn't be noticed too much. When he had awoken face down in a park similar to this one, he had indeed caught a lot of stares and whispers from passer by. As it was night, there weren't too much people around, so he had quickly grabbed his scroll and rushed off, hoping his robes would keep him hidden.
Now, about two days later, he had forgone his robes and now wore a simple trench coat, which he had found abandoned on a park bench. Cautiously, he stepped from the tree, glad the coat was big enough to hide his unconventional clothing, and headed toward another one of the park's many trees to avoid an approaching group. He sat down on the ground next to a tall tree, the scroll still held tightly to his chest, and quickly accessed his situation.
Looking around, he can tell that this planet Earth...or at least what the older people and the legends called it, wasn't that much different from his own planet. There were many different kinds of people, clothing, and buildings, but here, the people traveled in very funny contraptions that had four wheels. Some were big, some small. The machines seem to spew some sort of...he didn't know what to call it exactly...gas into the air from a simple pipe in the back. From the looks of it, it didn't seem very healthy to him. Very strange machines indeed. Why do they not simply use horses to travel, or use a transportation spell? the young man thought to himself. The man chuckled to himself and shook his head as he then remembered that they didn't use spells or magic on Earth, as was often used on his planet, nor did they believe in it...which puzzled him even more. Why didn't they believe in magic? It was as real as anything else. For some time now, he simply watched and studied the people of this planet, using a simple translation spell he learned as a child to listen to their strange languages as they talked about things he never in his life imagined or seen.
Another thing that struck him as strange was the color of the sky. It was so....blue! A strange outcome indeed from the light violet he was used to. The man chuckled to himself and and shook his head. Suddenly, whatever more he was thinking was interrupted as a feeling of dread entered his body then, a familiar feeling of the very things he was trying to escape. By the second, the feeling was growing stronger and stronger, and he knew that he didn't have much time. By all that is holy, how did they find me here, how did they find me so fast? the man thought furiously. With an angry growl, the man stood up and rushed off. The spell he had used to sense any presence of the followers of the demon god if they even attempted a spell to follow him worked all too well. He had to find the ones he came to look for now....and find them fast!
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