In the middle of a drowned forest, a barn stood leaning to the right. The moon had set, so I guessed it was past three; I was late. I took a deep breath and staggered towards the gate that surrounded the barn. I veered a sharp left and leapt to the ground. On my hands and knees I crawled like a snake unseen, and slithered to the fence. I looked up and saw what appeared to be a dwarf; it scuttled across my vision of a window. I jumped over the fence, snagging my dress for a moment, and then went inside. I was met at the door by the dwarf. The dwarf had a jump on his left and a broad face above it. His eyes were slits cut into his rat like face. The nose was what made him look like this. The nose was long and came to a sharp point.
He made a motion for me to follow him as he dashed up the stairs leading to the upper part of the barn. I followed suite, and found myself in an open plan with a bat sitting on a winged chair. The little dwarf disappeared behind me, leaving me alone with the shriveled bat. As I stood there the bat was morphing into a new shape. Stick like legs became longer and broader, while the wings took shape into human arms. The face lengthened and turned into porcelain colored woman’s face. The scrimpy bat no longer lay there on the chair. Instead a lovely woman sat in its place.
My face held no expression, because I had seen this transformation too often. I have seen it ever since I was kidnapped a few weeks ago, all because I couldn’t hold my tongue. I stared coldly at the woman instead.
“How nice of you to join me again tonight, Elizabeth.” The woman sneered.
“I had to,” I responded icily. Silently I prayed, hoping my green eyes wouldn’t betray me. I had always hated as a child when my eyes would tell everything I didn’t say. For example, when I lied to my parents about stealing by sister’s stuffed bunny, my eyes told my parents that I did steal it and throw it into the dung pile. Thankfully in my early teens, I learned how to conceal my feelings.
“Yes, that is true. Every night you must come to this abandoned barn and talk to his highness. It is just part of the plan my dear.” The woman gracefully stood up and glided across the rough floors towards me.
“Then I wonder what the plan is.” I paused before yelling, “Why won’t you tell me?!” The woman let out a high pitched giggle. I winced, rubbing my ears tenderly. I just hated girlish giggling.
“What are we laughing about Lydia, if I may ask,” a man’s voice echoed throughout the padded room.
I looked up and saw a tall man leaning against the door frame of the room. He was muscular with a short yet expansive face that had piercing icy blue eyes. His face was cleanly shaven with only a slight show of stubble on his chin. His black hair shined in the moonlight from its slicked position on top of his head. My eyes narrowed. This was the person that just had to make my life miserable.
“You know how annoying that little noise is.” The man continued straightening his jacket, hiding his smirk. Lydia immediately stopped and blushed, looking away.
“Good morning your highness,” I said, stringing the words together with my teeth barred in a tight smile. “We were just talking about that plan that remains a secret from me. I hope it’s something more than making me stand here bored every evening.” I carelessly waved my hand around the room. “ And of course you know that when I’m restless, I do not cooperate.”
“Oh my, I forgot how innocent you really are my kitten. You will learn in time what the plan is. Though in the meantime, please make yourself at comfortable.” His Highness gestured to the two chairs by the banked fireplace.
I picked up my skirts and sat elegantly in the smaller of the chairs. He sat down in front of me and rested his soulless eyes on me. My green eyes stared back, challenging him silently.
“My dear little kitten, it is so sad not to have your sister with us today. But no matter, we can enjoy this time we have together.” His lips pulled back into a wide smile that would make any woman swoon; all except Elizabeth.
My mouth remained in a straight line. “My sister will not be coming at any time your highness. And I would be ever so grateful if you would stop calling me kitten. I am not yours, your highness.” I sneered. Keeping my temper in check seemed impossible at the moment.
“Oh my kitten, it is so fun to call you that, and you are mine. Your sister will come if she likes it or not. Both of you are mine to keep, so do not fight it.” His smile broadened. “By the way, call me Sorth.”
“Your highness,” I emphasized. This name was not great, but there was no way I was going to call him by name. “For the last time, my sister and I are Not YOURS!” My temper burst at last. I stood up like an arrow shot from a bow, turned my heel and ran. I ran down the stairs and pulled on the doorknob of the door. I pushed and nothing happened. Pushing and pulling, I tried to pry the door open, but it didn’t shift. I collapsed on the floor exhausted, gasping for air.
“You must have forgotten, during the night there is no exit outdoors.” Sorth whispered humorously.
“I know, but your must-know-I WILL- find a Way OUT!” I struggled through each word, making sure that all my hatred went into each word.
Sorth leaned down till our faces almost touched. His eyes lowered down so that they were slightly higher than mine, his rancid breath suffocating me. “Just-try-my-little-kitten; there is almost everything against you.” He smiled again, revealing black teeth with a white slip half off of his teeth. “Wait… everything against you, and all because of one weapon.” I waited; half hoping that he would finish the fill in the blank, though I was absolutely sure that it would not come. “But I shall keep that to myself for now. Good night my dear Elizabeth. We will be awaiting your sister in a fortnight.” Sorth stepped back and sashayed down the hallway to the left of the stairs.
I took a deep breath and turned to the posse that had gathered at the bottom of the stairs. Without talking, I led myself up the stairs and down a hallway that was to the right of the open plan where I met my hostesses every night. My life had become a schedule of sorts. Every night, at midnight I would meet Lydia and ‘King’ Sorth. Sorth was not king yet, thankfully. Then every day I would work in the forest, supplying for the small barn.
You would think that since I was in the forest, I could escape easily by running; not so easy. The forest was in some sort of different world that no one could enter or leave without Sorth’s say so. Though that doesn’t mean I won’t stop trying.
I locked my door behind me and undressed. In my nightgown I pulled back the covers of the bed that occupied the blank room. The only other objects that occupied the room were a torn-up chair and a lopsided stack of enormous books. I stared up at the ceiling, listening to the slightest sounds around me.
The thing was, there were no sounds to be heard but my own breathing. Everything in this house was cursed. From Sorth to the barn itself was cursed in its own way, including me. I wrapped my arms around my knees and softly moved my feet around under the covers to break the silence that wished to swallow my once happy world whole.
I finally closed my eyes and whispered, “Victoria, stay out of sight. I will be fine; I will find my own way out of this problem. Good night my dear sister. I love you.” I let my body curl around itself to make a small ball. I would figure this out tomorrow, but right now I needed to sleep.