The Chosen Dawnseeker

Chapter 1

There was nothing. Just darkness. That's all she could see and think about. That is until her new life began. Her eyes shot open, and she gasped for air, beginning to cough up what was spit or water or something else. Her head pounded, a throbbing ache at the back of her skull. She was dripping sweat as she attempted to move around. She could barely move. Not only did it feel like her limbs were being restricted to her body like some kind of eternal numbness, but the area she was in was so small, that she could only move a few inches. She looked above her and saw a tiny hole. It was so small, not even a squirrel could burrow through it. She peaked through it and saw the blue sky. She heard the sound of cicadas, making their clicking sound that they make on hot summer days. Trees draped over, covering the sun from blinding her. She could only move around so much, but not a lot. She was in a box of some kind, but a big one. One that could fit a human, but also a menagerie of other random objects and items. She had no idea how she got there, she hadn't the slightest clue. It was odd, it was like the assembly line that was her brain was working and moving but there was nothing being produced. She could remember things like how to eat and breathe and simple tasks and common knowledge, but she couldn't remember anything else, like where she came from. She pounded on the roof of the box, trying to open it but it didn't budge. It was locked. Maybe she could break the lock open from the inside. She smashed her hand on the roof of the box harder and harder, when she heard the crunching of leaves and grass and some kind of chatter coming from humans. Many voices rung out through her ears from outside the box and she dropped down, attempting to hide away from whoever could see her through the tiny hole. "Get me out of here!!" She screamed in her head, desperate to escape the tight space that was the box. However, she couldn't get the words out of her mouth. Something had sewn her mouth shut. Metaphorically, that is.

The sound of a lock clicking outside the box was heard and the top of it opened, with her being blinded by sunlight poking in through the trees. Almost as if god himself was coming back. She covered her eyes and peeked out through her fingers, and saw maybe around 20 men and woman standing around, their silhouettes only being visible. Then a woman with a stern expression on her face, like she was mad at her for even arriving here, bent down inside the box and grabbed her arm. She couldn't tell whether or not the next words she heard were a gift or a curse.

"Hey there, Cinderella" The woman hissed. "Welcome to your new home"

She was then pulled out of the box by the woman. She was dropped onto the ground, face first. Dirt from the grass sprayed up into her face as she was tossed onto the ground with all the flora. She looked up and foliage spread out for seemingly miles, a large expanse of plant life and critters. Trees towered over them like shadows. The men and woman all surrounded her and started whispering, making comments on her clothing. She was only dressed in a slightly ripped up tank crop top, some dirty denim cargo pants, and black combat boots. She wasn't exactly going to win any fashion shows like that. She took a moment to look at her light brown skin and tried to remember things about her, however couldn't. She turned onto her back and began shuffling backwards, moving away from the men and woman that surrounding her, and she bumped into a log sitting between two rocks. She could feel her breath start to speed up, feeling as if she was being backed into a corner. She wanted to bash her head into the log behind her but she heard the sound of a male's voice.
"Give the girl some damn room, would ya? You act like you haven't done this a thousand times to the others. Go, go away or I'm feeding your dinner to the bugs. Thalia, take her to Whispering Willows" the voice called. The woman whined. "Uhh, fine" She said as she walked up to her. Guess the woman's name was Thalia. Did she want to know what Whispering Willows was? No. Was she going to find out? Absolutely.

Thalia tossed her into some form of hut, with a gated door. Thalia locked the door and walked away. She took a chance to look at the area around the hut. It was surrounded by ancient willow trees, painting a sort of background for the hut. The hut sat slanted, leaning up against one of the willow trees. Guess that's why they call it Whispering Willows, it's literally surrounded by willow trees. The same man from earlier walked up to the door and she stumbled back, falling on her ass. She looked through the door at the man. He couldn't have been younger than middle aged, with long flowing white hair as if he was a woman. But he obviously wasn't. He had a faint shaven beard, that also seemed white. She didn't pay attention to his clothing, only his face. The man knelt down in front of her by the door.
"Hi there. If I open this door, you're not gonna bulldoze me and take off running, will you?" He asked her. She swallowed, the back of her throat feeling dry. She shook her head, giving the man a response to his question: No, she wouldn't.
"Good" He smiled as he unlocked the door and stepped in the doorway. "My name is Aelar. Not the most common name, but it's my name so it's good to me. You haven't said a word since you got here. First day jitters, or are you just nervous? It's ok if you're nervous, but there's no need to worry. I'm not gonna hurt you. Do you think you could tell me who you are? Your name?" He asked.
She opened her mouth but nothing came out. She tried to think of what her name was, but she came up blank. Why couldn't she remember what her name was? She was scared, and her hands began shaking.
Her breathing quickened and she finally was able to muster sounds from her vocal cords. "....I don't know. I don't know my own name, why don't I know my own name?!" She shouted, terrified.
"Woah woah just-.....it's ok. Look, I'll tell you a secret. We call this place Whispering Willows, because the willow trees whisper to the people we put in here" He told her.
Ok now she wanted to bulldoze him and take off running, even though she promised she wouldn't. Talking trees? Yeah, right.
"I know I sound crazy, but try it out for yourself. Just try to relax and just focus on your name" He told her.
"Oh what the hell? I'm not getting out of here until I try his little game" She thought to herself. She took a few deep breaths, and closed her eyes. After a bit, whispers of a female played through her ears. She shook her head, not knowing who was speaking because it wasn't herself. But the voices didn't cease, they just kept whispering the same name over and over again.
"Hannah" they kept whispering. She looked up at Aelar.

"I-...I guess my name is.....Hannah"