In the heart of the Constantine noble family, Anamile Constantine grows up nestled between her sisters Anamarry; the oldest, and Anabelle; the youngest. Everything seemed well until adulthood beckons the sisters to marry into a noble family. But to...
Ren Ellesworth's breath was sharp and short, increasing in urgency as he ran through the forest. The coldness of raindrops felt sharp against his skin. The muscles of his legs burned, throbbing in pain as his body continued to press forward.
Hounds barked viciously not far behind him, their clawed paws against the muddy ground, and the shouts of grown men egging them on followed him for what felt like forever. It did not matter which turn he took or how high a bush he jumped, they continued to follow him like a haunting memory. And all that time he ran, all Ren could think about was that he was not ready to die.
Feeling his will to live began to break, Ren turned sharply in his tracks. He jumped through an overgrowth of bushes, sure of his decision before facing a brick wall against his face and felt the air knocked out of him.
Ren gasped on the ground, holding himself for a few seconds. Lamely he began to crawl in the darkness, slowly moving to a more shielded area deep in the bushes, when he noticed a deeper puddle beside the wall.
Desperate, Ren reached out to what he thought would be a flooded animal den. Instead, he found a hole dug under the wall. He tried to feel the width before ducking under, holding his breath long enough until he reached the other side.
An equally dark, wet, wild, and dirty landscape welcomed him. His heart raced. The blooming feeling of hope and relief filled his chest.
I'm going to live.
Ren smiled a maniac's smile, staggering to his feet before they buckled under him. He fell to his knees; the burn deep in his muscles had turned to a numbing stiffness. He could no longer run, and walking was a challenge. He could still hear the men behind the wall, their dogs whimpering. They lost his tracks.
"I told you we should have just left him be. He was just a child. My son is his age." One of them said.
"My little brother is his age," Another added. "But the Master wants him dead or alive. A lot of things have gone missing everywhere."
"Indeed. All over the twelve lands. But it can't be the doing of this one boy." The third said, their three dogs still whining. It felt like a very long time before he spoke again, "No. I don't believe it's just this one boy. It's all organized. Besides, this boy is too inexperienced. He even dropped his prize."
Ren's eyes widened at that. He frantically plunged his muddy hands into the depths of his pockets. They were empty. Defeated, he leaned on the tree behind him while the men and their three dogs went back. Soon he was truly alone in the darkness.
Ren didn't know how he was going to explain he had managed to steal; however, he had dropped it as well. What would they think of him when they found out? An incompetent boy or a useless liar? Either way, the outcome would not be favorable to him.
Just as he escaped death, Ren sighed at all the worries that came with being alive. Slowly and painfully he walked through the darkness until he reached the end. In the middle of the open field, just below the hills of trees, was a well-kept barn. It stood under the blanket of decreasing rain, casting a dark shadow across the emptiness as the moon slowly reappeared.
Holding in an angry scream, Ren forced his body to walk painfully to the barn where he was greeted by an unsettling sight. One side of the barn door was left open just a crack. Nervous, Ren pushed it open and then slipped in, closing the door behind him with the lightest thud. The sound of droplets from the roof and soft movement from horses inside accompanied him in.
"Hello?"
Ren screamed; it was a high-pitched, short but sharp kind he didn't think he was capable of making. Afterward, was the sound of a laughing girl. Ren felt the shot of terror that pumped his heart full of adrenaline now run to his face.
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" the girl mustered between laughs. "It's just that I never heard a boy make that sound before," she continued laughing.
"I never heard me make that sound either," Ren admitted, finding his way to the back of the barn where an area was left secluded inside a short brick wall. In the middle was a water pump and a few barrels of what he could only describe as fresh water. On the side wall, just under the closed double windows, were racks where clothes, pants, shorts, and socks hung, drying by a series of old saddles nicely placed upon wooden logs.
Ren was thankful there was some water to drink and some clean cloth to dry his skin. The coldness of the rainwater had begun to make his skin numb.
"Where do you come from?" the girl behind him asked, reminding Ren he was not alone. He contemplated it, then shrugged. "Just around here."
"Really? How come I've never seen you anywhere before?"
"I'm new," Ren lied. He stepped behind the barrels, out of her sight.
"But I always go with Pa to greet newcomers, and I've never seen you before."
"Oh." Ren said.
"If you're running away too, you don't have to lie to me. I'm on the run too," the girl said. There was a tinge of sadness in her voice that made Ren peek over the barrels. Even in the dimness of the moonlight, sadness was clearly written on her face.
"I'm sorry you're running away too. If you let me finish, you can tell me all about it." Ren said, hoping for some privacy.
"Really?" She asked as if she was promised a piece of candy.
"I promise," Ren replied, hiding his annoyance. He was tired, upset, and hungry. He did not have the patience to deal with some lost girl. But if it meant she would not speak of him for now, it was worth the annoyance.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
