Zanilla

Prologue

"Zanilla!" Nina calls, her voice echoing through the forest.

We are in the great Mueve, where upon the forest floor lie the rotting logs belonging to trees of yesteryear, fallen in storms long forgotten. The seasons have been harsh, stripping away the bark and outer layers, yet rendering them all the more beautiful. Their twisting patterns create the appearance of driftwood. The great Mueve might once have been fill with the songs of birds and the roaming of animals, but it is now ages past its former glory.

In the forest, there is a sense of kinship between the fauna with the flora, of an ancient soul. From a simple seed with mud, water, and sun, comes all these herbs providing help through generations.

It was discovered by Zhang Lin.

Every week I come to pluck Brar grass to make medicine for Mǔqīn.

Mǔqīn is the best mother anybody could ask for. Unfortunately, she has been ill since her childhood. She married Fù qīn at a young age, as they were so in love with each other. I wish I could find a love like that.

"You know what, dear? I want to die together with your father."

I don't know how she could tell me that all the time. After all, I am her daughter. Am I not enough for her?

Nina is not only my bestfriend but a cousin from my mother's side. My mother is the last born with two older siblings, a brother, and a half-sister. Nina is my Jiù Jiu, Yang Meng's last born, the baby of her family.

I glance behind my shoulder and see that she is standing with her hands on her waist, her face red with anger. She stands with Biyao and Xiaota, our personal maids.

"Can you just keep your mouth shut and let me focus?" I chide, then turn to continue plucking the grass.

She snorts, clearly annoyed.

"Nina, Nina, Nina... What will I do with you?" I wonder, loud enough for her to hear it. Someone smacks me on my bum, causing a stinging pain upon my delicate skin.

I turn back and realize it is her. I laugh at how her face is contorted in fury.

She rolls her eyes, then squats to help me pick the herbs.

After we gather the herbs we need, we skip back to the Manor while laughing, joking, and teasing one another.

As we near the Manor, I see Chu Feng running towards us, his forehead wet from anxiety. Chu Feng is a guard in our Manor, or more specifically, he is my personal guard. We grew up together and are close, almost friends but not quite yet. According to my Mǔqīn his father and mother had been bought by Fù qin as slaves when his Mǔqīn was pregnant with him.

"Young miss, you cannot go home!" he cries, running in front of me causing me to stop in my tracks and stare at him, puzzled.

I can see from the corner of my eye that the other girls are wearing the confuse look on their faces. We glance at each other, as if wondering if any of us know what is happening.

"The master has ordered me to protect you," he spits the words out so fast, laced with anxiety. His face is red and he is breathing heavily, his chest expanding and contracting as he takes in and lets out a breath.

His words infuse fear in me. Something is wrong, I can tell.

"W- what do you mean? No, I need to go," I quiver through my words and start jogging towards our beautiful Manor without knowing or fearing what I am going to meet or encounter.

I barge inside, where all the guards are on the floor cover in blood and stab marks on their bodies. I feel a shiver run down my spine. What is going on?

I glance around and see Mó mo, my nanny. I suck in a deep breath, shock enveloping me. Her body is collapse against the wall, her throat slice with blood out of the deep wound.

My legs turn to jelly, wobbling as if about to drop me.

I let out a painful cry, then run and squat near her. "Mó mo! Mó mo!" I sob as tears roll down my cheeks. I grab her, ignoring how the blood stains my gown as I hug her tightly against my chest.

My parents, where are they?

As another round of anxiety hits me, I pull away from my Mó mo. I gather all my courage and stand, stumbling when my legs start shaking. I fall into a pair of familiar arms, holding me up.

"I will take you, Miss," Chu Feng offers politely, but nervously.

I nod and steady myself, pushing myself away from his body.

We walk into the big hall. I feel my heart clench at the sight of corpses belonging to our late loved ones. Everyone, dead, and I don't know why.

My heart clenches when I see my parents. They lay on the floor, blood pooling around them from the exact stab marks, eyes widened in fear. my legs fail me, causing me to fall on the floor.

Chu Feng catches me and pulls me close to him, softly whispering in my ear that everything will be alright. He is wrong; everything has changed.

I can hear his words, but my mind doesn't register them. I can't believe what I'm seeing. My parents are gone in the blink of an eye. My whole family, gone. Just like that. My mind ricochets as I wonder if I'm dreaming. I don't want to believe this, even though I know it's real. Memories of our small but humble family start to flash through my head, throwing up even the smallest of events.

My eyes begin to feel heavy, eyelids starting to droop.

"Am I dying, Fù qīn and Mû qin?" I mumble, as my eyelids pull shut, noises growing more and more distant...

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