Somewhere Else

Chapter One

My name? I have a few. My parents call me Lovisa, My sister calls me Lovi, and my brother, he calls me Isa. Anyone else, why all you have to do is ask anyone, I’m quite popular, and what for, well you shall find out if you continue. I will start from the beginning and go from there, stay with me as I tell you how I became known as the Lost Shadow.

            I am devastated. Everything has happened too quickly, my father’s death, my mother’s disappearances, and now my brother’s kidnapping.  I have decided that I’m going to leave. I have no other choice. I knew Mother’s hiding place and that she would be back soon. I also knew that my sister was plenty old enough to be on her own until then. So I left, bringing nothing with me but food, water, and this journal to document my journey. I left only a note wishing them well and telling them not to worry about me. I rode away on our only horse, not feeling anything but the need to find my brother.

            They took him no more than 24 hours ago and with no rain, I knew I would still be able to find some markings of their horses or his struggle. The new empire has been demanding a new army to conquer more land, and when not enough men volunteered, they began to force boys, anyone over the age of 16 was fair game. He’s only 15, which was my first clue that something is up. They always set a lower age limit and take people around 20 or so. They are pretty fair in that, but taking someone under the age limit is unheard of. So I left to find my older by a few minutes twin brother who reminds me so much of my father, and holds so much of me, I can’t let him go without losing myself.

            They took him in the middle of the day, when we were all out playing with Isabelle. Mom had left early this morning to go to her hiding place and once we finished our chores for the day, we went out to the barely there lake. It was a bit of a hike but we made it and jumped right in to the slightly warm water. We haven’t had rain in a long time, just the beating of the hot sun and the blessedly cool nights.

            We had fun splashing around in the water and being crazy. But before long, we had to get back so we could eat and get in bed before a long day tomorrow.  On the way back, we saw the dust rising at the horizon, and I knew there wasn’t enough wind for a dust storm, there was no wind at all. I looked at my brother, Alex, and his eyes reflect the same thing I can feel are showing in mine; fear and curiosity. 

“Get Isabelle somewhere safe and stay with her.” Alex tells me. I know better than to argue with him, but I also know that I’m not going to leave him here by himself. The house is nearby and I know there are weapons that I can use there. I grab Isabelle’s hand and drag her along behind me until we reach the small house. I slam open the door and throw Isabelle inside.

“Stay here and do not even think about leaving until I come back and get you.”

She nods and turns to play with her dolls. “Good” I think.

I grab my bow and arrow and a knife for Alex. I sprint back to where I left him and saw him standing exactly where I left him, watching the rising dust come closer and closer. I handed him his knife which he quickly sticks in his boot.

“Do you have anything else?” he asks me.

“My bow and arrow.”

“No more knifes?”

“No, do you want me to go get more?”

“It’s too late now. I don’t want you here, but I know you, you won’t leave so stay here and be prepared. If I say run, run back to the house and keep Isabelle safe. Understand?”

“Yes, but I’m not going to leave you, I hope you know that.”

“Neither of us know what’s about to happen, you’re not risking your life and Isabelle’s to protect me. I’m big enough, I can take whatever this is.”

I just nod in response. I don’t want to fight, especially right now.  We stand there watching the approaching danger.  Finally it reached us.

            There were five men riding on horses and when they reached us they drew these silver things and pointed them at us. 

“Come over here boy.”

When he stood still, staring at the silver thing with a look of curiosity covering his face. Oh great, not this again.

“What is that?” He asked, pointing at the silver thing.

“This? This is a gun. It can hurt you very badly, only the men in the army get one.  If I pull the trigger like this…” he points the gun away from us and at the ground and pulls the trigger. Something flies out of it and goes into the sand, leaving a little hole there.

“That was a bullet. Now if that went into your arm say, it would hurt very badly.”

“Now come over her, so we don’t have to shoot that pretty little girl over there.” Said one of the other men and leveled his gun with my head.

“Don’t shoot her. It’s me you want.” Alex tells the man.

“Exactly, and I can’t hurt someone the King wants alive and well, but this girl seems close to you and I’m sure that hurting her would hurt you, just not physically.”

“Alex, don’t go!” I yell at him.

“Be quiet Isa! Look, I have to go with them; I’m not going to let them hurt you.  Go back to Isabelle and keep her safe. I’ll be fine.”

He walks to the five men who put chains on his hands and then connects them to the back of the last two horses. They’re going to drag him behind them?!?!?

“Wait!” I yell after them as they start to move away.

“What do you want?” the leader of the group asks.

“Can you at least let him ride on the back of the horse? If the King doesn’t want him injured, then wouldn’t it be smarter to tie him to the back of one of the horses of one of the men. And even if he did manage to get off, he wouldn’t be able to get away from you. Think of what the King would do to you if he arrived injured.”

“Sir, she’s right. I would like to keep my head.” One of the other men said, making it all the more clear who the man in charge here was.

“You think I don’t know that?! Get him off the ground. Jack, since you care so much about keeping your head, he will be on your horse, therefore your responsibility. Understood?”

“Yes sir!”

I watched as they roughly grabbed Alex and put him on the back of the man’s horse and tied him there.  And without any notice, they rode off, taking my twin brother with them.

“No!! Come back! That’s my brother!” I began to run after them. I knew I had no hope of catching them, but I had to try. They were gone before I could even begin to catch them. I knew then that I would have to leave.

 So I left the note and left my home and here I am riding through the desert with nothing more than I need. I have my bow and arrow, but I know that would be no match against the guns the army now had, I just hoped I could use it to catch food for myself and that the animals haven’t adopted the gun as well.

I rode until the moon was high in the sky. I stopped the horse and tried to see if I could find the smoke of a fire showing me where my brother and his kidnappers where. I saw nothing but empty land and stars. This is where I would spend the night, not because I wanted to, but I couldn’t run my horse into the ground this early in my journey. I laid down, resting my head on my arm and fell into a light sleep.

So here is my new story, and I'm going to finish this one. I have an idea of where I'm going with it, but you know, maybe I'll change my mind on how I'm gonna end it. Please please please tell me what you think abou this story and what you want to happen. I'm open to suggestions.  Any rude comments will probably be deleted, if you don't like my story, don't read it, I don't need your rude comments trying to bring me down. Thanks! Hope you you guys enjoyed it and will be anxiously awaiting my next chapter!  Stick with me it gets better, just in case this wasn't good enough.

Love you guys, until next time!