Fate

Chapter 1

I blew out my candles. Finally! My sixteenth birthday! I was finally considered an adult! I had been waiting for this all my life. Why weren’t my parents happy for me?! My mother woke me up this morning. Immediately we were in my parent’s carriage. Mom handed me a small birthday cake and told me not to worry. That everything was going to be okay. Dad was driving the carriage, and crazily at that. Noah sat in the carriage, mapping out something (probably our route) and muttering every so often, “Dang it!” or, “Shoot!”

The carriage took a sharp yank to the left and we all slid against the wall, the cake tumbling out the window. “Shootdang!” I yelled.

“It’s okay, well find another one when we get to Valley Woods City,” mom said. Valley Woods City was the biggest city in our continent. Although still under the rule of King Jonah and Queen Rachel, it was the largest city in the Kingdom of Hammes. Valley Woods City was built on the edge of the kingdom, and bordered the Woods, the Valley Woods.

“Mom, where exactly are we going?” I said, “Besides Valley Woods City?”

“Honey, we are taking a…a….ahhhh…a vacation! Yes! A vacation!”

“A vacation to where?”

Noah grumbled, “Well currently we are going to have to take a detour through the city for a week, because the next ship to Shooting Star Island leaves either right now, or in 6 days.”

            “What?!” Mom yelled. She was obviously very worried.

“Jacqueline,” Noah said.

“That’s mother to you!” Mom yelled, “You may be 19, but you still are living under my roof and I am your mother! I will always be your mother!” Mom broke down in tears.

After a while she stopped, but still had tears coming out of her eyes.

“Hailey,” Mom said to me, “Get down.”

Quickly, I slipped under the seats. We were entering Valley Woods City. A guard tapped on the window of the carriage. Mom rolled it down.

“How many are entering the city?” he asked in a deep voice.

“Three,” mom said, “Three adults.” Why was mom lying? The guard handed Noah and mom a slip of paper. Then he walked to the front of the carriage, probably to give dad one. Shortly after, the carriage began to move again. I crawled out from my hiding place. Mom was gazing worriedly out the window.

“Mom?” I said.

“Yes honey?” said mom.

“What’s going on?” I asked, “And tell me the truth.”

“Honey, nothing is going on. We’re just taking a vacation.”

Then why would she not register me as a visitor? You need a passport (which was the slip of paper the guard handed mom and Noah) to get on a ship to leave the city. I don’t know what is going on with mom, but I do know that she was lying to me. There was something she wouldn’t tell me, probably because she was too afraid too.

“Mom,” I said, “You can’t hide from all your problems.” Mom broke down in tears again. She was sobbing so hard. Noah looked up. He had obviously been zoning out.

“Jacqueline—Mom,” Noah said, “It’s okay. We’re already in the city.”

“Yes but we are even closer to the castle now.”

“Ja-Mom! The castle is two cities and a forest length away!”

“Noah, thank you for trying, now please actually use that map of yours and find us an inn to stay in for a week.”