Is This Love?

Chapter One:

You waited until your heart rate was settled before letting go of the string. As you felt the snap of the bow relaxing back into the place, your eyes followed the arrow as it embedded it's sharp pointed tip into the rabbits heart. You gentle placed your hand on the small fragile creature, saying a small thank you before picking it up, a death was a death and there was no need to be cruel. After making peace with it's lifeless body that was now in your hands you wondered back towards your house, well it wasn't what most would call a house but it was home for you, the only home you had ever known.

When you were a tiny infant your mother had abandoned you, she wrapped you up in a blanket outside of the bookshop and had simply left you freezing in the cold, your father had never been in the picture you had never met him or even knew his name. You were taken into an orphanage as is the standard practice but you never fit in, you were bullied, beaten, harassed, teased and had never been loved. Today marks the day of your 18th birthday and you had never known the feeling of love, kind of depressing. 

The familiar running of the stream next to your home could be heard as you turned the corner, and there stood your house it had three walls made of logs stacked upon each other to block out the weather and keep you warm enough. The roof consisted of leaves, moss and a few bits of wood and rock to protect you underneath. It was small but you didn't have any possessions, inside was a make shift bed, essentially just a blanket on moss, and a place to store any weapons and food. You hung the rabbit up out of the way of animals and left towards the nearest and only town for miles, Gavaldon. It was only about a 30 minute walk, people were cruel so you thought it best to avoid going into town too much but you had finished your book and needed another. After about 20 minutes the tops of houses could be seen of the villagers.

Once you saw the familiar face of the bookshop owner, you greeted her with a kind smile. "ah Y/n, how have you been?" she asked in a friendly manner, you had always gotten on well as she was the one you had found you and was probably your closest and only friend. "I'm good thank you, you?" You responded, she replied with a nod in return. "I'm here for a new book if you have one?" I continued, "Your in luck a new batch of books such came in from S.G.E" she replied grabbing a box underneath the counter. "S.G.E?" I questioned, looking through the pile they seemed to all be fairytales. "The School for Good and Evil?" she asked in return, I merely shrugged as I had never heard of it "It's a school where there's two castles connected by a bridge, on one side there's the school for good and the other is for evil. They essentially educate and train any villains and heroes that you read about in these books" she explained while gesturing towards the new pile of books "Each of these stories are true and the main/ side 'characters' have most likely been to the S.G.E" she continued. "Does anyone 'normal' I suppose go to this school or has at least been to see it" I questioned completely engrossed in the conversation. "Yes. They are called readers but they are never seen again, they disappear in the middle of the night and then nothing. It's sad though, even though they go to the school they can never have a story of their own, they merely observe and read about the amazing adventures within". 

"Has anyone disappeared near here?" another question escaping my lips. "Only once that I recall but there could off easily been more. She was a young girl, her name was.... Leonora I believe, she just disappeared and we haven't seen her since." She answered. "Incredible. I would love to go to this school and escape from this horrid life..... I would miss you of course." I replied with a smirk "ugh, I wish, I wish, I wish" I whispered with my eyes shut tight. "Careful what you wish for, my dear. Here take a few books" She said while passing me a couple. I thanked her and we both exchanged our goodbyes before I turned and left. I passed through the streets of Gavaldon earning several disgusted glances at my appearance and my presence, "Pig!", "Ugly!", "Hag!", "Witch!" could be heard as I wondered on the path. I simply walked through my head held high, my face hard and cold seeming unbothered, I won't let them see the damage they cause I said over and over again in my head. The fact was even if the villagers didn't know it these words had been branded into my brain and  have effected me my whole life, what else was I supposed to believe. 

While I walked in the woods, the sun started to settle but I had just enough light to start my book, 'King Arthur and His Knights of the Round Table'. It was a good book, one I had read before, I liked the violence in them and tried to learn some of the fighting moves in the book, however I also liked the romance. It would be nice to feel what love and lust feel like, just to have someone even if it was just a friend. As I entered my camp, I started a fire to give me some light and warmth, I started to prep the rabbit I killed earlier in the day, I took off the skin and placed it upon a stick which I hovered over the fire waiting for it to cook. While I waited I continued to read. Once I finally placed the book down, I saw that the fire was almost out signalling it was time to go to bed. I kicked out the fire, to avoid dying in my sleep by being consumed by flames. That's when I heard it, a rustling like something was trying to sneak up on me. I placed my hands on my thighs as I kept a daggers on either thigh along with a two behind my back and one on my ankle, you could say it was extreme but from experience its better to always be able to defend yourself. 

I felt a strong tug at my feet paired with a black blur when I face planted the floor, landing on a mixture of small and large stones, moss, twigs and branches, luckily I missed the recently put out fire. Then I felt a pull as i started to be dragged harshly across the floor, earning several small cuts along my face, neck, chest, arms and legs. I managed to flip myself around and give a strong kick, allowing my self to be released from the strange beings grasp. I looked around to get a sense of my surrounding, I was in a clearing with no trees above me which allowed me to see a most peculiar sight. There was a magnificent red colour mixed with the black sky, it gave me a sense of comfort and that's when my conversation in the bookshop came back to me, it filled my body with hope of a better life. 

 A deafening shrill shriek pierced the silence, a large bird like creature made of bones with knife like claws, swooped down picking me up and flung me upwards. It grabbed me by my arms digging its claws deeper into my skin as I started to slip, my blood began to drip out of my newly made wound which got longer by the second. "Enough! Put me down" I screamed into the night as we continued to gather height. My head pounded as I felt like there was too much inside almost as if there was another consciousness there, 'I can't place you down' I heard inside my head. 'Please you're hurting me' I responded in my thoughts, 'we will be there by dawn, I'm sorry I can't let you go, its your destiny.' it said again. 

Y/n - 'Can I at least go on your back so that my arms don't get ripped to shreds'

Creature -  'mmm, I suppose so' with that it flung me up into the air again, swooping downwards to collect me again but landing on its back this time.  'Better?'

Y/n - 'Yes, thank you. May I ask what you are, sorry if that's rude?'

Creature - 'I am a Stymph. I collect students every year for the school of good and evil which is where we are headed.'

Y/n - 'Yes, I knew it. Is it nice there? I'm hoping it's at least better then my shitty life here'

Stymph - 'Depends on the story or life you create for yourself'

Y/n - 'Well anything is better then Gavaldon, my name is Y/N L/N by the way'

Stymph - 'Bella'

Y/n - 'Really? I thought it would be scarier, no offence' 

Bella - 'Well we aren't really that scary besides the appearance, plus we can't speak so no one would no otherwise' 

Y/n - 'Wait. You can't speak'

Bella - 'Nope'

Y/n - 'Then how are we having this conversation?'

Bella - 'You are in my mind dear. It's probably your gift'

Y/n - 'Oh. I have a gift.' 

We continued to talk above the clouds for hours before I drifted to sleep wishing that when I woke up it hadn't all been a dream.