Bring Secrets to Light

Chapter 1

Before we begin, a massive Thank You to slimey_gamer who helped me create the plot of this book, and who also shares my enthusiasm for seeing it become a reality.

Wow, that sounded formal. Anyway, THANKS BRO!

"Blade run!"

Switchblade obeyed, running alongside the woman beside her. It was dark and the stars were twinkling high above in the cloudless sky. The air was cool but not cold. And Switchblade and her mother were running for their lives.

Groans echoed behind them, along with the screams of a man, quickly silenced. The thwang of a bowstring caused Blade's mother to dodge to the side, narrowly avoiding an arrow. They didn't stop running. Out of nowhere, three zombies attack the woman, dragging her down to the ground.

"Keep running Blade! Don't look back!" she called.

Blade ran from her mother, going faster than she had ever before. But she couldn't help it. She looked back. And what she saw was too horrible to put into words.

Swtichblade kept running. She ran until her sides ached and her breath caught in her throat. She ran until the dark started leaking away and the first rays of sun were seen on the horizon. She ran until she had no idea where she was or where she had come from. She ran until the sight of her mother was purged from her mind by pain. And then, finally, she stopped, gasping for breath.

It took a long time for Blade to recover. She was fit, but she had been running all night and the exertion, adrenaline and fear all caught up to her at once. She lay on the ground, arms above her head, looking up at the bright blue sky. The sun rose higher into the sky. Blade decided that she had recovered enough and stood up, looking around. She had no idea where she was.

She started walking back the way she had come, hoping that she would recognise something, anything. Her stomach grumbled and she was very thirsty, but she kept walking. She walked and she walked. The sun rose and started to set. Switchblade knew that she only had a few hours at most to find shelter. But no such shelter revealed itself.

Blade couldn't help it anymore. She sat down at the base of a tree, put her head in her hands and waited. She waited for night to come. She waited for the monsters to come. She waited for them to take her and kill her. At least then, she wouldn't be alone. Even if she was dead.

"Hey."

Switchblade's head jerked up. In front of her stood a boy about her age, 16. He wore a blue shirt, purple pants, grey shoes and his brown hair was messy. His blue eyes were concerned as he looked at Blade. At his side, he wore a diamond sword.

"Hi," Blade mumbled back.

"What are you doing out here?" the boy asked, kneeling down in front of her.

"Nothing," Blade said.

"Okay. My name's Steve by the way." The boy held out his hand.

"Switchblade. But call me Blade." She shook his hand.

"Um... do you have a place to stay?" Steve asked.

"No."

Steve tried a different tactic. "Where did you come from?"

"Far away."

"How far?"

Blade looked at him right in the eye. "Try running for a whole night and half a day away from monsters. That far."

"Oh. Well." Steve stood up. "If you don't have anywhere to go, you could stay with me. I'm sure my brothers won't mind."

"Really?" Blade asked.

"Yeah." Steve held out his hand to help her up. Blade took it and he pulled her up. His hands were tough, like he had been living in the wild his whole life. Like her.

Steve lead the way around the trees. Blade followed him closely, being wary of any monsters that might sneak up on them.

"I was on patrol when I found you," Steve was saying. "My brothers and I do a patrol every morning and afternoon, just to make sure there are no mobs sneaking up on us. There never are. I almost didn't go out today."

Blade started to catch glimpses of a house surrounded by trees. Steve put out a hand and stopped walking. Blade stopped too, wondering what was wrong.

"Just a warning. My brother and my cousins look a little.... strange. They won't hurt you, I promise."

Blade nodded, wondering what he meant. Did his brother have a third arm or something? Steve moved on before Blade could ask and she had no choice but to follow. On the other side of the trees, Blade finally got her first proper view of Steve's house.

It was a two story wooden house, with a large downstairs and a smaller upstairs. There was a garden and a crop farm, as well as what looked like a swimming pool. A large tree stood beside the house, and out of its branches tumbled a little girl.

"Steve!" she said happily, bounding forward to hug Steve.

"Alex!" Steve said, picking her up and swinging her around. Blade smiled at the girl's laughter as she was swung around. Steve put her down and motioned to Blade. "Alex, this is Blade. Blade, this is my little sister, Alex."

Alex was about 6 years old. She had long red hair in a ponytail and wore a green shirt, brown pants and tall grey shoes. Her green eyes shone as she looked at Blade. Blade shifted in her white shirt and brown pants, suddenly nervous under the child's gaze.

"I like her," Alex declared, hugging Blade. Blade stumbled back a step, unsure of what to do. So she patted Alex's shoulder.

"Come on Blade! I'll show you Notch!" Alex took Blade's hand and dragged her towards the house. A laugh escaped from Blade as she was pulled slightly off balance by Alex's enthusiasm. Steve followed them into the house.

Once she got through the door, Blade found herself in a lounge room. There was a large couch and a table, but Alex kept pulling her through the house to a kitchen. There was a boy standing in the kitchen, chopping up a potato.

"Notch! Notch, look who Steve brought home!" Alex said.

The boy turned around, and Blade realised that he was more like a young man than a boy. He had no hair on his head, but he had the beginnings of a black beard, making him probably about 19 or 20. He wore a brown shirt and grey pants with black shoes. His eyes were so dark that they looked black, but he had a smile that made him look less threatening.

"Who is this Steve?" he asked. Steve poked his head around the door.

"Notch, this is Blade. I found her in the forest. Blade, this is my older brother Notch."

Notch reached out his hand and Blade shook it. "Hi Blade. Are you lost?"

"Yeah," Blade said nervously.

"You can stay here for as long as you want. There's plenty of rooms."

"Thanks Notch."

"No problem."

YEEEEEEEEAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!!

So, Slimey and I are really excited about this book, and I can't wait to show you guys the rest of the book. I really hope that you enjoy it. Anything you want to add Slimey?

Slimey: Um, okay. Stormis and I worked together to make the plot, so we both had ideas for what happens in the book and yeah.

That's true. I write the chapter and then Slimey checks it and asks me to add things or change things.

So yeah, we hope that you enjoy the book!