Writers Around the World - Anthology (Volume One)

Excerpt of

  “Heroes of Atlantis”

  G. S. Michael

  So the reason I was tired in the morning is easy to explain. I was taking Jess to the stable so she could sleep with her pet. For some reason, she liked to sleep with her pet more than sleeping in an actual room. Anyway, we were walking down the road to the stables and I caught sight of Val talking with Kyle walking in the same direction. I took Jess to the stable and helped her get some hay for her and her Lupus-Draco. The dragon puppy flew down from the rafters and landed on the hay. He snuggled up and Jess climbed on and fell asleep.

  “Thank you,” came a voice.

  “You’re welcome, Jess.”

  “Try again,” it came again.

   Just to tell you I lost my power to communicate with animals about the time I turned seventeen years old.

  “Is that you, Lupus-Draco?”

  “Yes, idiot, your sister saved me and you took care of me. Everyone I met before I got captured talked about a hero who fought against the government, a person who controlled the form of animals, a hero who cared more about the people he was with than he did his own self. I met you and knew it was you. You are not as strong as they say, but you still have the kindest heart I have ever seen, Thank you for raising your sister to respect life everywhere and in any form, good night,”

  And at that, he fell asleep. I stood there wondering what just happened. Did I get my power back? That’s impossible. I lost it when my life turned for the worst, but to be exact, the night my parents died. That night started the same as all that I can remember. I was in my room having a conversation with my pet fish.

  Blub, “How was your day, George?” Blub.

  “Oh, not so good. Sklenicka has been gone and I do not understand science with the sub. My job though was fun today. I had a pulling contest with the clydesdale we got from a farm, who said he was losing his edge. It is funny how a little competition can put a little spark back into anything. I won, but the boss man saw me helping Bill, the clydesdale, pull the wagon we had, the boss man came running out and asked me how I did it, all i said is that i know animals and all this one needed was some encouragement, The boss then took the horse back to its farm and before he left the horse said thanks, That was the highlight of my day, How was your day?”

  Blub. “Good, but not as interesting as yours,” Blub.

  I then heard a crash and some gunshots i jumped from my chair to the hallway. I saw three men wearing all black with guns leaving out the front door. Jess walked out and i pushed her in her room and locked her door. I ran down stairs and my dad was laying on the ground bleeding out. I grabbed some towels and tried to stop the bleeding.

  He grabbed my hand and said, “George, know that I love you, but it is no use. They hit one of my main arteries, but promise me that you’ll protect your sister,”

  “Yes, dad.”

  “Promise me.”

   He then closed his eyes and died in my own hands.

   “I promise you, dad, nothing will hurt my sister, nothing.”

   I wiped the tears from my face and barreled out the door. I saw my mom and she ended with the same fate as my dad. She was dead before i could reach her. The men were still standing over her body. They hadn’t seen me yet. I ran at them and slid to a stop. It had just rained and the ground was still slippery. They turned and locked their guns on me. I had a second between this until they shoot. I thought quickly and the first animal that i thought of was Bill.

   “Clydesdale.”

   My arms became heavy and i fell to the ground. The men shot and missed. My hands and feet turned into hooves. My nose and mouth became longer and my ears became more pointed. They move to the top of my head. My body built muscle and and I grew to the size of a full grown male clydesdale. A tail sprouted and my hair on the top of my head moved to make a mane.

  “What happened to the boy?” asked one of the men, “He was here two seconds ago and now there’s a big black horse in his place.”

  I tuned and kicked this man in the head. He went flying into a tree. He landed on the tree in such a way that a branch skewered him and he died instantly. The other two looked at each other and they started to run. I changed back and looked at the man in the tree. It was my uncle, his bald head and red beard gave it away. I took him and my parents and buried them. I made tombstones out of some old wood we had in the barn. Each had the name and their last words. I looked down the road and wondered what to do next. I remembered that I left Jess up in her room. I ran up the steps and got her out. I told her that mom and dad had to leave for a while. I called my grandparents and we stayed there till school was up. Till that day I hadn’t been in contact with any animals. The first time I went home, I ran to the barn. Some of our neighbors had taken care of the farm while we were gone. The cows looked up as I walked in. I walked up to one of the calves that was born while we were gone.

  “Hi there little one. My name’s George and I own this farm now and we will be good friends.”

  “Moo,” she replied back.

  “Don’t pretend, I can hear you talk so just talk to me,”

  “Moooo,” she said again

  I didn’t think anything about it normally since baby animals can’t talk. I walked into the parlor where the cows were already milked and they were standing in there chewing their cud.

  “Hey, girls, I am home. Did y’all miss me?”

  They all started mooing and that was all I could hear. No talking, no welcome home, George, not even what’s for dinner. I lost my ability to talk to animals. I guessed this was because I grew out of it, like when one grows out of clothes and toys. That is what happened, I thought until today. I walked down the street, trying to figure out how it came back and I saw Val’s cloak turn a corner. Like all normal humans, I followed it, but I changed shape so it would be easier to follow her.

  “Rat.”

  The first thing I started to shrink and my hands turned into little paws. A tail sprouted and my ears shrank. Black and white fur sprouted on my body and my nose became sensitive to different smells. The smells of food, other animals, which I found weird because I didn’t see any animals on the streets today, only people, which is the other weird thing. I didn’t smell any people and, of course, the smell of water. I followed Val as close as I could. She turned and disappeared behind a corner. I rounded the corner and found myself in a field of green. It was different from the field, we landed on yesterday. It had swords, shields, and a floating rock. I turned into a human and walked around the field. I saw Val and dived under some shields.

   “I hope these are the ones and not some fakers,” said Val.

   “Don’t worry,” came a familiar voice. “They are. Wait, do you smell something out of place,”

   “No, I don’t have a sensitive nose like you, but  do sense someone.”

   Their footsteps came closer and closer and closer, but then they stopped and everything was silent. Their breathing was the only thing I heard from them. Then one cleared their throats.

   “Hello, George. Nice night, huh,”

  I peeked over the shields and raised myself up.

  “Hi, Kyle. Hi, Val. Sorry for snooping,”

  “That’s okay, besides, we have something to tell you,” said Val. 

  “Yes we do,” said Kyle, “Well, actually show you,”

  He looked at Val and she nodded. They both took of their cloaks and all of a sudden, they started to glow. Kyle started growing fur and his face changed into a wolf’s head. His fingernails grew to razor sharp claws. Finally, a tail sprouted. At the same time Val grew a pair of wings. Not bird wings but more like light, delicate butterfly wings. Right in front of me where Val and Kyle stood a fairy that was the same size of Val and a white werewolf with red lines over it in a pattern.

  “Val, Kyle, is that you?”

  Kyle came and slapped me on the back of my head.

  “Nooooooooo shit, Sherlock. We are just showing our true form. I am the only white werewolf le
ft in the world, the only one in history too. This happens when a werewolf mates with a mortal,” explained Kyle.

  I looked more closely at the markings on his body. There were red circles on his knees, his elbows, and his shoulders. Two lines connected the circles on his arms. Four lines went down his chest. Two lines went down each leg and connected to the circle and down to his feet. His back was the same. Though his face was all white with no lies he did not look like someone i wanted to make mad.

  “And I am a halfling, Half fairy and half elf, That is why i am not the size of a fairy and why i have the pointed ears, I am a good fighter and posses a little magic,”she explained, “Everyone here has some sort of ancestor in ancient myths and stories, we all found our way here, this place offers shelter and a place to raise young ones, the humanoid ones have cloaks which cancel out our powers and make us look normal,”

  They put their cloaks back on and changed back to human. We talked a while and they were about to send me home when Kyle stopped. He handed me a black box.

  “George, take this and go to bed,” he said, “Don’t open this till tomorrow,”

  I then left and went to bed. I got a total of three hours of sleep before I was woken up by Gege.

  “Morning George,” she said as licking my face off

  “Morning Gege, How did you sleep?”

   

  “Good, but i guess you won’t hear that since you lost that power,”

  “I wouldn’t be so sure about that,”

   “Of course I am sure, wait a minute, how did you....,” 

  “Yep, I got my powers back,”

  Well, I went down for breakfast and almost fell asleep in my eggs. Then Andrew came down gave us instructions and I went back to my room. I put on my kepesh and opened that box I got from Kyle last night. It was a watch and a piece of paper.

  Written on it was:

  George this is a shield

  All you have to do is press

  the button on the top and a

  diamond shaped shield appears.

  Signed,

  Kyle

  Cool, I thought. I put it on my wrist and met everyone in the hallway.

  “What’s with the watch, animal boy?” asked David in a snarky tone.

  “Just a gift,” I replied. “Now, does anyone know how to get to the training field?”

  None of us did until we saw the note on the door, but then we all took off running and our training started.

  Excerpt from Chapter Two of

  “Worlds Apart”

  Morgan Middleton & Bree Vanderland

  Stars curled around my vision, making strange shapes. Shadows lurked behind them as if the stars were tiny lights on the walls of a room. Twisting into an elephant, a knife, a box of tissues, and other normal, everyday objects, they surrounded me. Faster and faster they went, spinning and twirling in front of my sight, making me dizzy. They got bigger and bigger until I thought they would overtake me and I would be lost among the objects, never to be found again.

  One minute later, I was sitting on a beach with golden sand spread in front of me and water lapping quietly, extending as far as the eye could see. The water was dark with one black shadow in the middle as if under a night sky looking a bit like an eye. It was an eye; Orla’s eye. My image distorted and I was peering into her carefree gaze. Reflected into her eyes was a room. It was pretty much empty aside from a lone table. I turned away from Orla to look at the table. Upon it stood a rusted candle holder, its fake, golden color turned brown from neglect. It was dented all over, like somebody had tried their utmost hardest to destroy it. That was when I noticed the holograms surrounding the tip of the candle stand; five planets all connected by bridges; four rope bridges, pathetic little things with no stability at all in them.

  As I leaned into the bridges for a closer look, I was tugged towards them; a force stronger than anybody could break free from sucked me towards it. I took a deep breath, closed my eyes, counted to ten, and then slowly opened my eyes. Nothing was there. I couldn’t describe it because there wasn’t anything to describe. I was standing on solid ground, meaning something must be there. Lowering my head, preparing to see whatever rested below me, whatever kept me up in the nothingness, I saw a bridge. It was a rope bridge with wooden platforms and frayed knots tied every meter or so. I lifted one foot, reached forward, and landed my step. Another step, and another, another, one more, maybe two more steps and then, was there something over there?

  I sped into a run, sprinting down the bridge. My hand burned as it rubbed along the rough rope. The pain etched through me, but it kept me going. It made me want to get to the end, to win the race against the rope. All of a sudden, a searing agony washed over my lower leg. I can’t take another step as my leg wouldn’t let me. A crack, ripping of wood echoed through the night sky. The bridge couldn’t hold me for much longer, but I couldn’t move. I didn’t want to fall into the nothingness. The wood heaved its final breath and gives up on me; falling.

  I woke up with a start. Little piles of grass and dirt surrounded me. My palms were clammy with sweat and covered in mud from where I had pulled up the ground. It was only a dream. I’m still where I was before, but it’s different now. The moon shone high in the sky, merciless as always. I let out a deep sigh of relief because it is over now. The nightmares always built up before she came. It was like she was preparing me for the worst actions imaginable. I thought I was stronger than she thought. She seemed only young after all, maybe just a few years older than I am. I didn’t want to trust her, but I couldn’t help myself. She was always there, making sure I did everything right and then, on that same date each year, it was as if she is telling me that I was doing well and she would come to me, but I would always question when it would be.

  Excerpt from Chapter One of

  “Beyond the Becoming”

  J. L. Mitchell

 

  “Well, what do you think, Lilith? Do you like it?” asked a tall woman with elfish facial features and who also happened to be the mother.

  “Mom really? I look like a pixie fighter mixed with an ungraceful elf.”

  “Well darling, with your...” She paused, thinking of the appropriate word. “Condition?” offered Lilith.

  “No, not condition, but your um, uniqueness. There isn’t much we can do that won’t offend one race or the other. We’re trying to represent each part of you at your becoming tonight.”

  “Still, making me look like... this!” gestured Lilith to herself in the mirror “doesn’t represent all of me.”

  “Ok, then what do you suggest?” asked the woman.

  “Like I would know! Give me two hours to figure something out.”

  “Lilith, darling, your becoming is in is in five hours. What if you don’t come up with something?”

  “Then I will wear your outfit,” exclaimed Lilith.

  “Fine, you have two hours to come up with an outfit better than my creation, remember it can’t be one race it has to be…”

  “All races, alright, mom. I got it already; now good bye.” Said Lilith as her mom exited the room.

  “This is going to very hard how on earth am I going to come up with an outfit in two hours?”

  “Easy, Lilith, just wear what’s nat... Holy crap, what are you wearing?!?” Asked a girl flying through the window.

  “An outfit my mom made, I’m supposed to represent all of me at my becoming. Which reminds me, you are coming tonight, right Sakura?” Asked Lilith turning to face the demon-angel.

  “Uh, Hello!!! Of course I would be there, wouldn’t miss it for the world, and now let’s see what we can do about an outfit for your special day!” Sakura said as her tail accidentally touched the window sill.

  “Oops, sorry, Lilith. I keep forgetting my tail burns stuff ha-ha”

  “It’s ok, I’m accustomed to it, plus you didn’t do any damage, check it out.” Sakura turned and stared shocked at the wooden window sill r />
  “But how did you? I thought your mom hated you using magic.”

  “She does but she can’t stop me, I’m about to be a full-fledged vampire-faerie-elf-witch she can’t do anything about it.”

  “Oh I see well cool, we still sharing a flat together right?” Sakura walked over to Lilith’s closet.

  “You can guarantee it! That’s one thing I couldn’t wait for on my day of becoming, finally moving out and with my best friend in the whole world.” Exclaimed Lilith as she was changing out of the dress,

  “Oh, here try this on” Sakura threw her a light rainbow colored dress.

  “I do hope your joking right? This dress is an Elven dress, I need to represent vampires, faeries, elves, and witches.”

  “I know and this will be the elf portion, just relax I know what I’m doing. Now stand still while I fix you up for tonight.” Sakura said coming over with a needle and threads. After an hour and a half, Sakura put the needle and thread aside as Lilith looked in the mirror.

  “Oh my goddess sakura you have to be a genius!! This looks absolutely gorgeous!” Lilith practically yelled “you’re the best demon-angel I know!

  “I’m the only demon-angel you know! It’s my pleasure, so when do your fangs and wings grow in?” “Just before the party. My wand is also arriving today I’m so excited I can’t wait to see it.”

  “Wait, you don’t get to see your wand before you get it? Well that’s bogus, what if it doesn’t like you or you don’t like it?” complained Sakura

  “My faerie and witch teacher won’t let me see my wand, they will argue every time they come over; so the thought of them working together is kind of scary.” Said Lilith.

  “So how exactly does your becoming work? I mean they are certainly different then both of mine were, but you have four becoming’s; so how does it work for you”

  “I’m not really sure I just know each has their own ritual and ceremony, I know for the vampire ceremony I can choose a consort to stay with me for all eternity or in my case as long as I live because as an elf, I am susceptible to emotions and can die if I’m not happy, so I’d have to be very careful when choosing my consort” replied Lilith.

  “But doesn’t being a faerie counter that? I mean faeries aren’t susceptible to emotions as elves are and with faeries they have natural inner things that counter unhappy thoughts don’t they” Sakura shoved Lilith down into a chair to work on hair.

  “Some of them yes; being a faerie does counter act being an elf, but it doesn’t mean I have eternal life, same as being a vampire and witch, grant it, yes I’m more vampire then I am faerie/elf but that’s heritage I’m technically a witch, but that’s practically human, cause my father is pure-blood vampire I’m 50 percent so eternal life is 25-50 percent inherited, since I’m only 25 percent elf and faerie that, for the most part, also have eternal life with loop holes, it’s conflicting, so I have to be extremely careful when picking out a consort, ouch easy with the hair!”

  “Oops sorry but your hair is a mess, and what are the requirements for a consort?”

  “No requirements except the consort can’t really leave the vampire unless the vampire has another consort. And the consort is basically the vampires slave partner, a vampire needs to feed right, well that’s the consort’s job, to be a vampire consort is to feed and, or, “please” the vampire, its why most choose a loved one or soul mate, since I don’t have either a consort will be hard.” Lilith winced as Sakura combed out another tangle.

  “What if I was your consort? I mean, hello, we will be roommates, were best friends, and if it means making sure you’re fed on a vampire diet, I’m your gal, but I’ve never seen you drink animal or human blood before Lilith.”

  “It’s because I don’t need to rely on human blood, but when I become of age I’ll need to feed three days a week, other four days I can split between faerie-elf and human food as long as I get three days of vampire food, two days of elf food, the other two days are mainly mine to choose between faerie and human food. Are you sure you’re up for it sakura, cause your my friend I don’t want to do that to you.” Lilith said.

  “Please that sounds like fun and as long as it’s not every day I’m sure I can help keep you healthy. After all we’ve been friends practically forever, now enough talking and let me finish your hair before your mom comes up.” Sakura brushed out more tangles until Lilith’s hair was smooth and straight.

  “There we go, you’ll be the hottest vampire-faerie-elf-witch at the party tonight, center of attention.”

  “I already was the center of attention, it’s my party remember, but thank you, love the outfit you put together this definitely represents all of me especially the shoes and hat, love it!” Sakura stood back to admire her work. A few minutes later Lilith’s mom came in.

  “Oh my goodness you look amazing darling.” She exclaimed.

  “Thanks, mom, Sakura helped me.”

  “Hi, Mrs. GreyHaven, how are you this fine afternoon?”

  “Hello Sakura, I’m fine, thank you. Thank you for helping Lilith put together an outfit, it looks absolutely remarkable”

  “My pleasure Mrs. GreyHaven, glad I could be of help” replied Sakura.

  “Have your fangs grown in yet Lilith?”

  “No mom not yet, they won’t come in until an hour before my becoming, same with the wings, they will also come in an hour before my becoming; although my wand should be coming soon, I can’t wait to see it.” Said Lilith standing up.

  “I’m assuming you’re staying the night, tonight, Sakura?” Asked Mrs. GreyHaven.

  “May I, ma’am? If it’s ok”

  “Sure, that’s fine, Sakura, but you will have to have permission from Mr. GreyHaven as well.”

  “Really, mom? Why do I have to ask dad?” Lilith complained just as a tall ,pale muscular man knocked on the door.

  “Because, Lilith, you are about to become a full-fledged vampire, you don’t know if your hunger will increase or become different, and you will have to be monitored overnight.” Replied the man.

  “Dad!” Lilith hugged the man

  “Nice to see you too Lilith dear;”

  “Can Sakura please spend the night, please?

  “I can monitor her overnight, Mr. GreyHaven” added Sakura.

  “Ok, but only for the night and if I remember correctly, you are moving out tomorrow, right?”

  “Yep, tomorrow Sakura and I are moving into our own place, so I will need help packing. Thank you dad” said Lilith smiling

  “Just be careful Lilith, if you have any unknown urges of hunger ring the bell, oh and beautiful dress Lilith” complimented Mr. GreyHaven leaving the room as servants came up to him.

  “So when do we leave for the party?” Sakura asked, looking at herself in the mirror.

  “Here shortly just getting everything ready, and then maybe your fangs and wings will grow in.” As the girls started talking Mrs. GreyHaven left the room, the sky got increasingly darker. When it was completely dark Mr. and Mrs. GreyHaven came in.

  “Mom! Look, my fangs came in!!!” Lilith exclaimed excitedly.

  “But no wings yet?” Mrs. GreyHaven questioned

  “No but soon mom, soon they will grow in completely; maybe they will grow in during the party.”

  “Let us hope, even so I will have faeries and elves keeping an eye on you” Mrs. GreyHaven replied.

  “Well, let us get going shall we I want to get to the party early so we can make sure everything is set up and ready for tonight, better to get there early rather than late don’t you agree dear?” questioned Mr. GreyHaven.

  “Very much so, darling. Plus, if we get there an hour early, your wings may grow in and it is far better to get your wings in an empty room than it is to get them in a full room.

  5 minutes later, four people walked into a room that was decorated like the night sky with cats, plants and presents. “Whoa, this… looks…
AMAZING!” Lilith exclaimed looking around

  “Glad you like it darling”

  “Is anyone here yet?”

  “No, dear, we came an hour early, remember?” “Oh ok, mom?”

  “Yes darling”

  “What if I don’t get my wings? What will happen?”

  “Well darling; I honestly don’t know I would imagine in your situation, it would not make much of a difference, then again, it may make a huge difference, you will have to talk to the council about that darling; but know this I will still love you no matter what, even if you don’t grow wings, you are my daughter and will always remain my special unique daughter.”

  As if by magic Lilith started growing big glittery faerie wings with forest green spirals embedded into the design. “Oh my word! Lilith look your wings, they grew in! They look so pretty!!!!!” Exclaimed Sakura coming into the room with an arm load of presents.

  “Really, they grew in finally? Yay!” Lilith smiled as she looked in the mirror behind her. What she saw astonished her.

  “Whoa, look how pretty they are, that’s amazing; mom do you see them, they grew in!”

  “Yes, darling, they look amazing, congratulation I’m so proud of you.” Said Mrs. GreyHaven just as four people walked in.

  “I thought so. Congrats on the wings Ms. Lilith, you are now a full-fledged faerie.” The shortest of the four said as she smiled.

  “Yes so it seems you have grown well into your lineage; even if it is not the ideal breed, I assume your fangs grew in? Do you have a consort? Or someone who can make sure of your various dietary needs?” The tall pale Grinch asked.

  “Yes Valdimir I have someone who will make sure my various dietary needs are met. And thank you Ms. Amity I’m happy to finally have my wings. Do I still have to take classes?” Lilith asked.

  “Yes, your training is far from over, little one you still have many more lessons before you’re done. You may be full-fledged, but doesn’t mean you can slack on lessons.” Said Amity.

  “Ah darn it. Will the lessons be harder or easier?” asked Lilith, looking at the floor.

  “It is what you make it to be, but should hopefully be easier. Now onto more important matters.” Vladimir said.

  “Who is your consort? Is it willing or forced?”

  “She is a willing consort, Vladimir, she offered to be my consort” Lilith replied as a woman dressed in black came up and hugged her.

  “Oh my, blessed be Lilith. Today’s the day of the beginning of your life, do you feel any different?” The woman asked.

  “Am I supposed to feel different Ms. Ramona? Because I don’t feel any different than I normally feel.”

  “No, dear child, it’s nothing to worry about, just minor changes that’s all; any who we have a party to set up for. Now stop worrying and smile, enjoy the night. After all, it’s only once you come of age.” Ramona replied walking off.

  As the other three instructors walked off in different directions Mr. GreyHaven came up to her.

  “So I see your instructors showed up without killing each other, this is a good thing; he said chuckling.

  “Ha-ha dad, they wouldn’t kill each other; it’s in the contract, but that is a good thing they haven’t.” Lilith replied as Sakura came up to them.

  “Who’s killing who? And where?”

  “Sakura, no one is killing anyone or anything, my dad was saying my instructors haven’t killed each other yet.”

  “Ah darn, I haven’t seen a good brawl in a while, oh well, would have been nice; anyway, your wings are pretty, Lilith.”

  “Thanks, I’m happy I got them; can I fly now? I want to fly, can I dad please?” Lilith begged.

  “Later, you are not trained. When you have a flight lesson under your belt ,then you can fly.” Mr. GreyHaven replied as guests started to arrive “fine I’ll wait.”

  “Now smile darling, all these people are here to see you remember? Be happy and enjoy the party,” said Mr. GreyHaven hugging Lilith.

  Excerpt of Chapter Two of

  “Lost in Wonderland”

  Mags Knoll & Bree Vanderland

  There were no bright colors. In fact, it appeared as if someone had taken all the colors away. There was no green grass, or the tall trees with multicolored leaves that I was accustomed to seeing in the fall. It was bleak and cold. A chill blew through the air when I came to, making me shiver. I was wearing little other than a black dress with simple black heels.

  Today was supposed to be Mary’s funeral. She had passed away about a week ago, taking her life right in front of mine and my mother’s eyes. I really didn’t know what to think. I missed her already especially with her being my twin sister. It was as if a part of me was missing, cut out, exactly like her throat.

  Tall trees that extended past the point where my eyes could see began to blow in the breeze, scaring me into thinking one would collapse on me, squishing me to oblivion, but this was a dream. This had to be a dream.

  I sat up, sitting on what appeared to be dead grass. I was easily able to break off a strand, but it immediately crumbled in my hand, turning into what appeared to be ashes. Standing up, I saw a path directly ahead of me. As I began to step towards it something stopped me.

  “Who are you?” a mysterious voice asked from behind me.

  I turned around, but there was no one there, adding to my confusion.

  “Who are you?” I asked in reply, hoping the stranger would present himself.

  “Do you not know that it is rude to answer a question with a question?”

  “Do you know that it is rude not to show yourself to someone you’re speaking to?” I retorted.

  By this time, I was turning in circles, attempting to see the strange being, but no one appeared.

  “You are challenging,” the voice said as a white vapor seemed to cloud the area. The vapor wasn’t anything natural though. Instead of just floating away like it usually would, it formed the image of a caterpillar. “This is me. Now. Who. Are. You?”

  The question rang through my head as I tried to comprehend what I was seeing. Fear and adrenaline flowed through my veins and I wanted to run away, but something kept me rooted in place spot.

  “I-I’m Alice,” I stumbled through my own introduction, holding my hand out to shake as I was taught when I was younger. I put my hand down after I realized the caterpillar didn’t have a corporal form to actually grasp my hand. “What are you?”

  “Dear child,” the image spoke again. “Did your parents not teach you any manners? Asking someone that is rude and you should know better. I would like to meet these insolent people you call parents and give them a piece of my mind.”

  I shrugged my shoulders. “I can’t help you there. You see, I’m lost and don’t know where I am myself. How can I help you find them when I don’t even know where I am?”

  “Alice,” the caterpillar form began to speak again. “May I ask where you’re from?”

  “Why of course. I’m from Middlebrough,” I responded quickly but quietly. “Now may I ask where I am?”

  “Ah, dear child; you are in what remains of my home, Wonderland,” the caterpillar sighed as the vapor around him stopped moving.

  I looked closer, but everything seemed to be faded. It didn’t look wonderful, more dreadful than anything.

  “It looks anything but wonderful to me,” I muttered under my breath, hoping the caterpillar didn’t hear me.

  “I know you don’t see it now, but it was once a beautiful place. The sun shone and the area around us was full of color. Here, let me show you.”

  With that, the caterpillar closed his eyes as the vapor began to swirl, forming a circle in front of me. It looked like a mirror as color appeared shining through. Bright colored flowers with happy faces and voices like angels appeared in the swirl of what use to be the caterpillar. There was a party. Colorful lights were dimmed during the coming sunrise as people and
animals gathered in an empty field. One woman, dressed in a bright red dress with deep red lipstick, pitch black hair and light eye shadow stood before the rest.

  “Who is she?” I asked, not even trying to contain my curiosity.

  “That, dear Alice, is Scarlett. She is also known as The Red Queen. The woman who is walking to her is her sister, Cecily. She is The White Queen.”

  The two sisters sure lived up to their names. Cecily was wearing a dress that was styled exactly like her sister’s, except it was pure white, Light reflected off of it in such a way that she appeared to be glowing. Her lips were white and she had deep blue eyes.

  “Is her hair dyed white?” I asked another question.

  “No. Surprisingly, she was actually born with white hair. Everyone swore that she was going to die at a young age, but the woman is a fighter. After two hundred years of war between the sisters, she’s still standing, trying to reclaim her throne.”

  “Two hundred years?”

  “Is that not what I just said?”

  “I’m sorry,” I muttered looking away as the vapor began to shift again, back to the image of the caterpillar. “I just… People don’t live that long where I’m from.”

  “They don’t?”

  I shook my head. “They don’t. My great grandmother lived to be about ninety-seven before she died.”

  “How did she die?” the caterpillar said, finally curious about something Alice had said.

  “She died because she was old and her body wasn’t cooperating. Her organs were shutting down,” I replied, trying not to think too much of it. I didn’t want to remember another death on this day.

  “Such a pity,” replied the caterpillar. “Here people live to be as old as they want and then some. I mean, look at me. I’m alive even after I chose death, but that isn’t a bad thing. I can watch over things this way and give advice to people, whether they want to hear it or not.”

  I nodded in agreement. It must be nice to give advice to people with no repercussions.

  “So, there is a choice whether to live or not?” I questioned. “Here you can choose when you want to die?”

  The caterpillar nodded as he floated around me. It felt as if he was invading my personal space. I looked around my surroundings, noticing the dead flowers, trees and grass which crumbled under my feet, turning into the same ash from earlier. I couldn’t bear the thought that this was wonderland. The sky remained cloudy, no sign of the sun coming out anytime soon. I let out a sigh, thinking it was quite dull.

  “What about the plants?” I asked.

  “Whatever do you mean?”

  I sighed again. I was never going to get anywhere with this caterpillar.

  “The plants you showed me in the vision were alive. They were kind of dancing, smiling and singing. Did they choose to die?”

  “Insolent girl,” was the reply I received. “There was a war. Of course the plants and trees didn’t have a choice. The Red Queen set fires that uprooted them, giving them no hopes to return, but not everything in Wonderland is ruined. There are still the waters the mermaids live in and some retreats that The White Queen keeps safe, but a lot of it is gone, never to return.”

  “How do I get there?” Curiosity got the better of me, but as soon as the words left my mouth, I knew I was in for it.

  The vapor eyes rolled into the back of the caterpillar’s eye sockets.

  “If you want to get somewhere, you’ll have to be specific. Here you are, wasting time with someone who isn’t technically even real.”

  ­­­“How do I get to one of the retreats?”

  “Which retreat?”

  “How am I supposed to know which retreat?” I demanded an answer. “You didn’t tell me how many there were or their names, so how am I supposed to know?”

  “You’re not and you don’t go there,” the caterpillar spoke quietly. “The quickest way to any of the retreats requires crossing through the Red Queen’s territory, and that is suicide.”

  I thought for a moment before speaking this time. “Is there anywhere I could go that is safe and close?”

  “There is not. You have to go through Scarlett’s lands and no one is brave enough to do that.”

  “Who is Scarlett?”

  “There is much that you have to learn about Wonderland,” the caterpillar spoke to me. “I know someone that could teach you better than I, and that is the Mad Hatter.”

  With that, the caterpillar began to drift away from me towards the path I’d noticed earlier, but I didn’t know if it was safe after everything the caterpillar had said. Despite my doubts, I followed.

  The path was made out of gray stone and my heels made light clicking sounds every time the two met. The passing grass was still the same; dead. Everything was dead. The trees, the grass and no animals resided in the forest as they did back home.

  “Did you say the ‘Mad Hatter’?” I questioned, not really sure I wanted to meet someone who was mad.

  “Why, yes,” the being confirmed. “Other than me, he’s the oldest living person in Wonderland. He knows a lot of the history surrounding this. He was also… erm… involved in a way, with the Red Queen.”

  “Involved?”

  “Yes,” he responded. “Involved.”

  I shuddered, expecting some crazy old man whose ramblings wouldn’t explain much. I was expecting to see someone who was likely to get me lost in the woods, but this Mad Hatter was quite the opposite.

  It took about twenty minutes of walking down the path, shaded by the looming dead branches of trees before we came to a small clearing. In the clearing, there was a long table with twenty-two chairs, however only two were filled.

  “You, caterpillar, are late.”

  Enya and the Dragon

  of Time

  Bree Vanderland

  This short story is dedicated to Kieran and his younger sister, Enya Bolton :)

  Enya took a deep breath and held the bow and arrow up again.

  “Concentrate,” she whispered to herself. Here she was, disobeying all laws, but she didn’t care. She wanted to be like her brothers. She wanted to be able to sword fight and shoot arrows and even hunt dragons.

  “It’s too dangerous for a woman to do,” she could hear her father’s voice echo through her ears, but it only made her want to prove him wrong.

  When she released the arrow from its nock, it went whooshing past her ear and landed dead on her target, nothing more than a sack full of hay with ink spread over it in different sized circles.

  “WOOO!” she yelled, throwing her hands up in success, forgetting that she was supposed to be quiet. She forgot that there were actually guards patrolling the area and she knew that she was caught as soon as a twig snapped behind her.

  “HALT!” one of the guards yelled out, raising an arrow. “State your business!”

  “Don’t shoot!” she yelled as she threw down her own bow and threw her hands up.

  “Princess Enya!” the guard exclaimed as soon as the girl turned around and he noticed who she was. “What are you doing out here? You should be in the palace! The forest is a dangerous place for you! Let’s go.”

  He grabbed her arm and forcefully took her back to the castle after picking up her bow and leaving the arrows in the tree and the sack of hay. He knew the Queen of Ralin wouldn’t appreciate him giving her daughter something so dangerous.

  When they arrived at the palace, Queen Callista ordered the guard to bring her eighteen year old daughter to her chambers to speak to. Enya was nervous. She hated being around her mother who was so regal and strict. It was as if she never cut loose and had fun. Maybe fun wasn’t in her vocabulary.

  “Come in,” Callista spoke as soon as the guard knocked on the door. He pushed it open and just about pushed Enya in, closing the door behind her. Enya didn’t like having these conversations with her mother as they always ended up the same way. She would have a guard placed by her side  every second of the day for a few months, but then Callista would
get tired of seeing her mope around the palace and would lift it just for it to happen all over again.

  “What were you thinking?” Callista asked her daughter. Enya just stood and look at her mother. Her mother was dressed in a blue silk dress with gold embroidery that showed off her hourglass figure well with her crown on her head that signified her royal status. “Enya, you can’t just walk around the grounds like that. Haven’t you heard of the thieves and murderers out there? People are insane and here you are just begging them to take you!”

  “Yes!” Enya shouted. “I want them to take me somewhere far away from here! I don’t want to be a princess.  I want nothing other than…”

  “Than what?” her mother challenged as she raised an eyebrow in her daughter’s direction. At that moment, Enya swallowed her courage. There was no way she would win with her mother. “Well? What is it that you want, Enya? I can’t do anything about it unless you tell me.”

  Enya let out a sigh and then meekly replied.

  “I want to fight dragons.”

  Her shy reply was greeted with her mother laughing at her.

  “Fight dragons?” Callista questioned in between her fits of laughter. “Women don’t fight dragons. You would be better suited as a princess, even if you hate it. Enya, out there, people can only protect you but so far.”

  “I know that, mother, but that doesn’t change what I want to do.”

  “It’s out of the question,” Callista gave the final command. “The guard outside the door will escort you to your room. Leave me.”

  Callista waved her hand and Enya felt dread coming on. The good news was that there wasn’t a guard placed on her at all times for a few months, which pleased her. She liked her freedom, although most women in the country of Tenya didn’t have freedom.

  The guard escorted her to the east wing of the palace and opened her door.

  “I’m sorry,” he spoke quietly. “I know how you must feel about me turning you in, but it’s for your own good. My cousin went off dragon fighting and he never came back. It’s dangerous.”

  Enya scoffed, rolled her eyes, and then shut the door in the guard’s face. She didn’t care about danger. She just wanted to be free and to let people see that she could do more than sit and look pretty. What was so difficult to understand about that? She was a good shooter when it came to the bow and arrow, she could ride her horse, Lilith, without a problem. She was skilled at most things her brothers could do just by watching them, especially sword fighting, although it was extremely hard for Enya to get her hands on a sword. Everyone kept telling her she couldn’t.

  That’s when she made up her mind. She was going to run away. She would have her wish and she would fight the dragons.