Find Edward

Chapter Two: Claudia Cadwell

I was getting tired of being the owner of my name. Miss Claudia Cadwell, the belle of the town. All the boys want her and all the ladies despise her. I hate all this attention that I get, specifically from the male population of this town. If I'm marrying it's going to be out of love, not money. The people of this town couldn't seem to wrap their heads around that.

Today I'm escaping for a few hours. The ball last night socially drained me. The thought of walking through town and watching the boys fight over me is unappealing. So while grandmother is napping I'm going to escape to the woods. So I crept around and changed into pants and a flexible blouse. I grabbed my bag and made sure I had my small container for any treasures I'd find. Then I snuck back downstairs. I crept out of the house with my hunting boots in my hand. Grandmother can be a light sleeper sometimes.

Once outside I slipped my boots on. Then I started walking across the garden. The town was surrounded by dense forest and the house garden had a door that led to it. It was perfect for escaping. So I snuck out of the garden and stood on the edge of freedom. Grandmother would kill me if she knew that I didn't go to town while she napped. No, killing is too generous. She'd force me to marry a man of her choosing. I walked a few feet from the wall and layed on the soft grass.

"I hated grandmother's ball. I know the whole purpose was to try and get me to choose a husband because she is always doing that. I'm just waiting for her to give up and try to choose someone for me. I want to marry for love, not for money or fame." I stared up at the trees above me. I loved the way the sun shone through the leaves. It was beautiful.

"Enough of this nonsense. I came here to go on an adventure and that's exactly what I'm going to do." I stood and faced the forest. My destination was someplace far away from the village. That way no one would think me scandalous. So I took a deep breath and started running. I love the feeling of running. The burning of my legs and lungs. The feeling of control and freedom. It was a wonderful sensation. I sped up, letting the wind ruin my hair. I kept running until everything burned and a cave came into view.

It looked natural, going from dirt to stone as you went further back. It sat comfortably in a hill. It wasn't a cave that I'd seen before. This whole area was new. Claudia felt excited, this was what she thought when she said adventure.

"I mean, getting lost wasn't part of the plan but exploring someplace new was. I guess you can't have one without the other. Hopefully, Grandmother is still asleep by the time I get back, I'd lose all my freedom if she ever finds out." Despite all that I was risking, I still wanted to explore the cave. I wouldn't go too far in. I'd stay where I could see the entrance. That way I won't get lost while being lost.

I walked into the cave and looked around in awe. This cave was different from the others. It was dirt near the entrance but rock further in. Mixed in with the rock were small crystals. Pretty but nothing of use to me. Except for that beautiful sunset-colored one. It faded from blue to pink in a pleasant way. I reached out and tried to snap it off of the cave wall. It remained firmly in place. I looked around and found a sharp rock. I grabbed it and smashed it on the crystal. After a few hits the crystal relinquished its hold and was mine. I smiled, this would go in my treasure box.

Then I saw something faintly glowing in the corner of my eye. I turned and saw that it was moss glowing. Bioluminescent moss, something I didn't think existed. This got me extremely excited. I walked over and opened my bag. I placed the crystal in it and grabbed the container. Then I scooped some dirt into the container. Finally, I reached up and carefully removed some of the moss from the wall. I carefully planted it in the dirt, put the lid on the container, and placed it back in my bag. This would make an excellent addition to my plant collection.