The Book of Darkness

Part One - King Corpseheart

Epilogue

1

Wendy looked through the window and wished she was somewhere else. Most days she didn't mind being stuck in school. She loved to learn about the history of her world. The ideas behind where things came from and why they were there had always fascinated her. She would often spend her lunch breaks sitting in the library reading old books that taught her interesting new things. History and science were her favorite subjects. She thought that one day she might be a doctor. Discovering new ways of saving people. Wendy liked the teacher, they were always friendly with her, but she hated the kids in her class, especially Amy.
Amy and Wendy had been best friends in primary school. They would make up stories where they would battle dragons and evil kings. But something changed in the last few years. After moving to secondary school together they tried to stay close but Amy found new friends. Her new friends would often make fun of Wendy. Amy, afraid of being bullied herself, had started to join in with them. After a while she started to pick on Wendy a lot more than the other kids had.
When Amy's sisters joined school the next year they had joined in with Amy and the bullying got far worse. Wendy tried to ignore them but they always hunted her down. Wendy had tried to stand up for herself but they just laughed at her and Wendy would usually run off to the bathroom to cry. Wendy's father was a kind man with a big heart. He had always taught her to treat people how you wished to be treated. But every time Wendy tried to be nice to the sister they would only hurt her more.
Today was the last day of school. The summer season has started and Wendy was hoping with the sisters away on holiday this summer she might actually be able to have some fun. But she knew she would have to avoid them until school finished. Amy stared across the classroom toward Wendy. Her cold smile looked deep into her soul. Wendy looked away but the feeling of being watched still remained. She watched the clock hoping the last five minutes of the lesson would quickly pass by. If she could get out quick enough she would be able to escape Amy and her sisters but she had a feeling that the sisters would track her down. The clock finally struck three thirty and the bell rang. She gathered her things and sprinted for the door.
"Slow down Wendy." The teacher yelled but Wendy was already out the door. As the rest of the classrooms started to empty she joined the cluster of excited children already planning their summer activities. She checked behind her and couldn't see Amy among the other children but she did spot the twins heading toward the class where Amy was probably waiting. The twins weren't very smart and only did as their sister commanded but the comments they made to Wendy could be very hurtful. Wendy turned back to the school entrance and sprinted through the doors inhaling the cool summer breeze before smiling. She was finally free and hopefully the sisters wouldn't follow her home. She moved away from the rest of the school children and decided to take off her shoes. She loved the feel of dirt between her toes and another smile spread across her face as she buried them into the ground. She picked up her shoes and decided to take the short cut home through the woods hoping she might see a rabbit or even a deer wandering between the overgrown trees.

2

As the wind blew through the trees and the birds fluttered between the branches whispering their secret language, Wendy skipped along the path unaware that the sisters were following her home. She was a small girl for her age but incredibly smart. Many of the other children in school found her intelligence rather annoying. Her long auburn hair tied in a neat braid that she would often wrap around her neck like a choker. She skipped across the broken stone pathway gripping her worn out shoes tightly. As she made her way home she could hear the whispers of the sisters drifting into her ears.
"That girl is so full of herself." Amy told her sisters as the three of them carefully followed Wendy. Being the oldest she was in charge of her younger twin sisters and she would often enjoy making them do whatever she said.
"She always wears such ugly clothes too." Isabelle, the youngest sister, sniggered as she said this, checking to see if Amy found it funny. A cruel grin spread across Amy's face. "She must have got them from the homeless shelter."
"She probably lives there too." Emma responded, always trying to gain Amy's approval. The three of them laughed together. A mean laugh that travelled across the empty street toward Wendy that warned her the sisters were looking to torment her one final time before they left. She picked up her pace and crossed the road toward the forest hoping that she could lose the girls. The sisters picked up their pace and began to chase Wendy toward the dark woods.
Sunlight struggled to break through the leaves as the girls moved quickly through the forest. Wendy knew every hiding place in the forest but unless she could escape the sisters for a while she wouldn't be able to hide from their painful punishment.
Wendy made her way through the muddy ground searching for her usual hiding spot by the stream. The girls had fallen behind a little, afraid of what else might be waiting in the woods for them, but the determination to catch Wendy drove them on. Eventually Wendy found the stream and began to follow it upstream. The stream gently trickled down its usual path carrying fallen branches and dying leaves along the way. She couldn't hear the girls behind her anymore and started to slow down, hoping they might have given up. As she turned to check her surroundings she tripped over something buried in the ground.