Envision

Chapter 1-Violet

Hello readers, writers, and any other people! I've written several stories, but this is my first one that I'm putting up and I'm really excited. I have a lot of ideas and can't wait to write it all. I apologize ahead of time for any errors and feel free to give tips and other criticism. Also I realize these chapters are a little small but I assure you they will get longer. I hope you enjoy.

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I danced lightly through the room. My bare feet glided softly against the cool ground. I swayed back and forth and let a small smile creep across my face. I listen to the piano music drifting through the air, making my time in my glistening castle even more perfect.

I make my way to the center of the room and let the mist from the fountain spray over me. I giggle, stepping closer to splash my hand in the water. I trace my index finger along the rim of the fountain and lazily circle around it clockwise. I almost make it all the way around when I nearly trip over a small child, crouching at the base of the great fountain. Confused, I take a step back to look at him fully. He appears to be a boy about five years old, with ratty, torn clothes on. He had thin, patchy hair that looked like it was ripped out, a small frame with absolutely no meat, just bone, and a hollow, miserable expression. Crouching down, I position myself in front of him so I can look into his face. Slowly, I reach forward to touch the boy's arm when suddenly his head jerks up. Snatching my hand back, I keep his stare as a scream erupts from him and his eyes start to glow. Dark, misty tendrils envelop his body until he's swallowed by a cloud of smoke. It billows upward and rockets back down and past me to escape through the window.

I stand and run to the large oak doors at the end of the room. I burst through slamming them shut behind me, leaving behind whatever had just happened in there. I lean back against the door to steady my breathing and stop my legs from shaking. I think bitterly to myself, oh come on, what's wrong with me? I'm better than this! I'm just freaking out over nothing. I push off from the door and walk down the hallway to the bedrooms. I push open the door to my own room and walk in carelessly. I look up and stop in my tracks. Looking around, I see black shadows drifting from everything in the room. I take a step back toward the door and my foot hits rough dirt. I look down to see the last bit of carpet dissolve into dirt. All around me the walls and furniture start to shift and disappear. After it all settles, rickety wooden walls of a shack surround me with a small window filtering in dirty light. A small table occupies one corner with a bucket sitting on top collecting water dripping from the ceiling.

I slide down and crawl underneath the table, knowing that it won't protect me any more than staying in the open. Grabbing fistfuls of cloth, I rumple the white skirt of my dress. I continue to squeeze so I have something tangible to focus on. Suddenly, it dawns on me the severity of the situation and what was happening.

They were coming. They are always coming, and will never stop. Not until they got what they wanted. The scariest part though, was they wanted to get one thing.

Me.

I know, how lovely. What a fantastic little turn in my life. They whispered all kinds of thoughts to me. I've heard their voices before, but just choose to ignore them. Now I had no choice to try to forget about them. They had found me and won't accept me running anymore.

They started talking to me years ago, forcing me to be treated like a weak mental patient, who couldn't do anything without supervision. I thought I had finally gotten it under control and that the voices were gone. I was mistaken. They were back and demanding me to come and embrace the darkness.

I needed to find a way to get away. But how? Whenever I make a move they are right there to stop me. I glance quickly out of the run down shack I was in. Maybe if I just started running I could get to someone that could help.

"Oh don't be stupid," I chastised myself. "But then again, maybe if I take a route they aren't expecting I could get around them—no they would probably think of that and find me... well crap, I might be stuck here." I look around at the dirty and cramped room. This is not good; there is no food or anything remotely useful. Just dirt and rotting wood. That only leaves one choice left. I make a run for it and try my chances at getting away. I take a deep breath. It could always be worse I try to assure myself. The forest could catch on fire. Or I could have a broken leg. Or I could—

"No stop that! I need to focus. I can't worry on stupid stuff like that." I repeated this several more times to myself, each time feeling like I just dared the world to make my situation worse. Well, no point on thinking about that now. I jump to my feet and burst out of the door. Looking around, I see towering pines trees that span out into the distance. I pause for a moment to try and get some type of bearing, and then start running to my left. As I run, I glance around to see if anything is around me. I suddenly trip over a root and eat a mouthful of dirt. Crap. I could not afford to do lose my focus. I was already getting slowed down in this stupid forest. I needed out. Now. I got back up and started forward again. I dodge past more bushes and jump over a boulder. I dash through a stream and a few thorn bushes, cutting up my arms. I wince at the sting trying not to pay attention to it. I just keep running, until— there! Finally a thinning in the trees. I put a last burst of energy and reached for the tree line.

But so did they.... I watched in horror as the misty tendrils seeped up almost from nowhere and start yanking at my bare feet. I feel panic set in as more appear. In a desperate attempt to get away, I jumped for the edge of the dismal forest.

I never make it.

I was suspended in midair by shadowy claws. I cried out and tried to pry at them in a frenzy. A low, bubbling laughter erupts from the mist, as the claws start squeezing painfully harder, puncturing my sides. I close my eyes against the pain and grind my teeth together. I snap my eyes back open to see the sun glaring down on me. I'm now held close to a cliff with the forest behind me. The pressure finally leaves my chest and...

I'm falling. A scream erupts from my mouth. I can't help it. I'm afraid and I know I won't make it. All it is now, is down. Down into death.