Aaliya woke up startled and confused. She looked around trying to understand her surroundings and was met with the same black lake she demises with all of her heart. Aaliya realized all of it was a dream but then reminded herself that her getting kicked out and killing her best friend's mother was not, she sighed and noticed the sun was up and blazing so she stood her face sunken in and her hair sticking to her sweaty body.
Aaliya knew from the gossip of the village that her father left her mother from her mothers clothing business and failed miserably when they heard about Aaliya's witchcraft. Aaliya also knew how her second oldest brother 'Zane' just up'ed and disappeared without a word to anyone.
Aaliya stared at her reflection one last time before she began her journey back. Aaliya walked down the small dirt path, her sapphire blue eyes scanned the leaves on the ground as her feet scuffed against the ground roughly, her long lanky legs threatened to buckle beneath her. A loud "boom" rang through her ears as she instantly snapped to realization and went running, her long black hair stuck to her sweaty beaten face. Aaliyah saw something she hoped she would never see again, Her oldest brother, Elijah being dragged from the small cozy hut by white men with guns strapped to their backs, Her abnormal blue eyes widened and from her weak throat she screamed "Elijah !" her oldest brother looked at her and his blue eyes were frozen with fear, the white men yelled in a weird language and started running towards her with furious eyes.
Her heart was racing and her mind was telling her to run but she was frozen and it was like she couldnt move any muscle in her body. A soft but strong arm wrapped around her shoulder as she was pulled from her thoughts and fears, She looked up to see her mothers soft but fearful blue eyes as she shook Aaliya until the ringing in her ears stopped, "Aaliya ! Run!" Her mother spoke loudly over the mens hollering so she quickly began running for her life, expecting to hear her mothers feet behind her she listened but heard nothing until a piercing scream echoed in her ears. Aaliya turned around to see her mother kicked to the ground and forced into cuffs as the white men grabbed a knife and held it to her throat.
Aaliya struck with fear and confusion she just ran forcing herself away from her mothers tragic demise she ran until her legs ached and bruises formed on her feet. Aaliya stopped and tried to recognize her surroundings but was met with nothing but dead grass, Finally running back through her memory was what she just saw and she couldn't control the tears anymore as she fell to the ground and wept into her arms, The scorching sun made her dark brown skin dry and dusty, When she finally ran out of tears she decided she should move on from where she sat before nightfall in hopes of finding her father and other siblings as they left her mother and elijah when the profits of my mothers business failed.
With a heavy heart she stood and began to walk not knowing where she was walking but underneath her mother and Elijah's death she had to keep going. Aaliyah three days later replayed the scenario over and over again knowing Erica was trying to warn her about the white men. Aaliya knew that her little brothers were taken to the kingdom of Anglo where they took all of her people hostage, "Erica?" she spoke out but nothing happened as the fern grass swayed around her and just the humid air whipped at her ankles and face causing her to silently keep moving. Aaliya saw kinya and her brother 'Elijah' being killed by the anglo men with weird looking metal sticks. Aaliya stopped and thought about the current situation, "I need to save them." she said firmly not only talking about her little brothers but also talking about her people "I will save them" and with that her long journey began.
