Midnight Shadows

Chapter One

KINGDOM OF ATHENA, 1759

~

IT WAS THE COLDEST WINTER the kingdom had ever seen. Snow rained down from the dark and gloomy sky, ice covered the gravestones and killed every living plant, making the kingdom look dead and miserable; a ghost town. All the trees were bare, leafless skeletons, their bare branches reaching into the sky like bony fingers. 

All except one. 

"Wait for me, Christain!" I yelled to the boy in front of me, trying to catch up to him. 

"Hurry up!" he replied over his back as I ran after him. "If you were not a girl, you'd be faster!" 

I frowned, wanting to throw a rock at the back of his head, though that would only make me fall further behind. He would always mock me for being a girl, slow and weak. I forced my legs to go faster and catch up to him. Suddenly Christain skidded to a stop and I crashed into his back, making us both fall to the snow covered ground. 

"Shh," Christain hushed me as he crept to the small cave in front of us. The entrance was covered in Poison Ivy vines, which Christain pulled aside. 

"Come on!" he told me. I looked at the Ivy and shook my head. "It won't hurt you,. He promised. 

I sighed and crawled into the dark cave. The ground was damp, staining the knees of my white-laced gown with dirt. The sunlight from the entrance suddenly vanished, consuming me in darkness. 

"Christain!" I yelled as something crawled over my hand. 

"Shh!" he said next to me in the darkness, feeling for my hand. "I'm right here."  

"Is this what you told me was so important to show me?" I whispered. "A dark, wet cave?"  

"No, we're almost there." 

That's when I saw the brightness ahead and we emerged from the cave into the most breathtaking place I had ever seen. The sun was shining brightly, the air sparkled, and the grass was a luscious green, dotted with beautifully coloured flowers. A small lake rushed past, the bright blue water dappled with sunshine. In the center of the meadow was a large magnolia tree, it's deep pink flowers bursting from its white branches and covering the ground below. 

"What is this place?" I gasped, twirling around. 

"It's pretty special, isn't it?" Christain laughed. "I found it a few days ago when I was playing in the forest. I don't really know what it's called, or what it is,or how it's all alive when outside everything is dead." 

"It's beautiful," I said. 

"Yes," he agreed, smiling. "I thought it could be our place; Anneliese and Christian's Place. 

I smiled and laughed. "Our own secret meadow." 

"Well, I did find it, so it really is mine," Christain said playfully. "But if you be nice and be my servant for the rest of my life I might share it with you." His smile grew wider as I glared at him. Then I ran at him, pushing him over. He grabbed my hand as he fell, making me lose my balance as we tumbled to the ground. Christain pushed me off of him and quickly stood.  

"That is a crime, servant," he said, trying to stay serious, but the corners of his mouth twitched upward. He bent up to the magnolia tree and picked a pink flower off, tucking it behind my ear. "I'll call you my White Flower, servant." 

"It's pink," I pointed out. 

"Pink Flower sounds silly," Christain replied. "You should know that, servant."

I rolled my eyes at him and stuck out my tongue, which he copied, making me laugh.

"This will be our place forever," Christain said. "No one else's."

"We'll be friends forever, right Christain?"

He looked at me and gave me one of his looks that made me feel stupid for asking. "Of course we'll be friends," he promised. "Forever."