EMERALD KINGDOM:The Escape

Chapter 7: Carlotta

Rain creeps down my back. I shudder. What kind of place is this? I don't know. I don't know where else to go. I still don't remember anything. But I do know one thing. I don't belong here. And I don't plan to stay.

I think-I hope-I've lost them. I gasp for air, panting, and clonk down in front of an old dead tree. The mustard yellow grass below me whispers in the wind, it's shrivelled blades staring at me. I need to get out of here. I need to rest. Can I still fly? How? As I was escaping the castle, running for my life, my body took over and I lifted into the air. I'd no idea how to do that. All I knew was I had to get away. So I soared into obscurity, for an hour until I collapsed on the ground. I was hoping to find something, somewhere, that wasn't Diablo. But no. I flew over a river of blood, and into a jungle of black trees. I found a desert and hoped that I had finally escaped, but then I saw a black and red temple, with the same symbol of a python wrapped around a devilish trident engraved on the stone, and I flew some more. By this time I couldn't go on any longer. I landed in a forest of dead trees, crumpled grass and black streams. I hadn't escaped. But I got away from the castle and the general. I now have to sit here and hope that no one else is near. Hope that they don't find me.

My stomach rumbles. I'm so hungry. I see a bush of blackberries. I don't trust any food here, for it's probably all riddled with poison. I want to. I really want to. But I don't. I drift off to sleep. No protection. No where to run. No clue of anything that's happened. Alone.

* * *

I awake to the hum of a beautiful voice. I sit up straight, alarmed. A scream escapes my mouth when I see a figure standing before me. 'Who are you?' I shout.
'I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to startle you...I fixed your wounds.' She says. I look down at my once bloody arm and see it wrapped in a strange sort of leaf like a bandage. I stare at the woman before me.
She's a young woman, in her early twenties, I guess. She has flaming auburn hair, curling at her shoulders, and deep chestnut eyes that see right through me. She wears an old fashioned, Victorian pale green dress, made of some sort of old fabric that fits her perfectly. Despite being covered in dirt, her hair messy and her clothes in tatters, she looks gorgeous. Innocent. That's the first word that comes to my mind. What? What's wrong with me? No one is innocent in this wretched place!
'Who are you!' I repeat, louder this time.
'Evie. Evie Night. I-I escaped. From them. But I have never found a way out. Who are you?'
I stare at her. Is this a trick? Never found a way out? I let this sink in, and my heart suddenly feels like stone. 'I...I too escaped from Diablo. Just a few days ago. I don't remember who I am. I don't remember anything.' I say. I want to tell her. To tell her about what happens when I touch the emerald on my neck. That must be who I am. But I don't trust her. Something tells me I should, but my instincts say otherwise.
'I think my name is Carlotta.' I add. 'But that's all I remember. I don't like that name. I prefer...Lotta. Call me Lotta, if you must.' I'm still wary, alert that this might be a trap.
'That must be awful. You poor soul. I lived in Diablo. I was born there. I was their slave. It was horrible, the work they made me do. Every day. And it wasn't for good things. Sometimes they'd give me a prisoner to whip.' Her voice trembled. 'I was sick of it. I ran in the dark of night. I spent months just walking, walking, walking. I eventually gave up. I built a house of sticks, just across that stream. I live here alone. I have nowhere else to go. I don't enjoy it, but I'd rather this than Diablo.'
I study her, unsure of what to do. I made sure when I got here that there was nobody within miles before sleeping. And I hadn't seen any sign of a house. How did she just appear out of nowhere? But if she's telling the truth, I feel ever so sorry for her. There is sorrow in her eyes.
'I am sorry to here that. But I'm not staying here.' I tell her. 'I'm leaving this hellhole. I will find a way out.'
'Oh, my dear.' She says, inching closer. 'Don't you think I've tried? There is no way out.'
'No!' I shout, making her wince. 'There is a way out! It's different for you! I wasn't born here. I don't belong. You were born there! You're just one of them! That's why. How can I trust you?' When I see her drooping expression, I immediately regret what I just said. Her lip quivers.
'I don't blame you.' She says, as she sits down carefully on a rock. 'Of course. I understand your worry. I understand what you've been through. Don't trust me. I wouldn't if I were you. But I will show you the way, if you do. I will do everything I can to help you leave. Perhaps you're right. Perhaps I can't leave because I...I'm...one of them.' Tears fill her eyes. 'I'll leave you in peace. If you need help, you know where to find me.' She gestures her hand towards the stream. Behind it, a cleverly made, large den stands under a tree. 'Goodbye, Lotta.' And with that, she turns and swings over the river with a willow tree branch and disappears into her house. And I'm alone again.