The Elements

The Truth

Chapter 4                                              

The Truth

Brianna gasped in horror as she looked up at the portrait. Its eyes glared down at her. Cold sweat dripped down her forehead as she pulled her sleeve up to wipe it. Questions were stuffed in her head but she concentrated on the most important question. “Who was Queen Victoria the I?” A cloud drifted in front of the sun, making the room gloomy and dark. Click, Click, Click.The sound of footsteps echoed through the empty hallways to her left. Looking around franticly, she tried to find a place to hide. Brianna scrambled behind the curtains and silently sat on the windowsill just as two people appeared from the dim corridor. Brianna peeked out from the curtain to see who it was.

It was a girl and a boy. They were both about sixteen. Looking closely, she saw that they looked like siblings. The girl had golden hair that fell all the way to her waist with a black ribbon on her head. She had a pretty dimpled face and flawless white skin. She wore a blue frock and black combat boots. Strapped onto her back was a bow and arrows with black feathers. The boy's hair was the same color as the girl's hair and stuck out in different directions like he just woke out of bed. He had a handsome face and a row of perfect, white teeth. In his hand was a sword about 3 feet long. Both of them had eyes as blue as the ocean.

“I heard the queen's assassin found her and brought her here,” said the girl.

“She's somewhere in the castle. We'd better find her before she meets the queen,” the boy replied as he turned towards his left and looked at her way. Brianna quickly looked away but it was too late. He had spotted her. His gleaming eyes widened and he walked toward the velvet curtain, his sword swinging wildly.

"What is it, Mark?" hissed the girl, her hair swooshing around like a fan as she turned her head. Ignoring his sister, Mark walked up to the curtain pulled it aside and glared down at Brianna.

"Who are you?" asked Brianna, her violet eyes wide with concern.

"That doesn't matter right now. What matters now is that we need to get you out of here quickly." The girl heaved Brianna up to her feet and pulled her towards the cramped hallway.

“Where are you taking me?” cried Brianna as she tried to pull away from the girl but it was no use. She had an iron grip. The girl dug her long manicured nails into Brianna’s arms and Brianna screamed in pain. Brianna twisted her hand, trying to break free. Suddenly, with all her might, Brianna reeled backwards; catching the girl off balanced and elbowed her. The girl crashed onto the wall behind her. Her tiny hand scrapped a sharp metal, leaving a blood stain on the white surface. Brianna turned around to face Mark.

“I’m sorry,” Mark muttered, and he ran straight into Brianna. They fell to the ground with a thud. Mark immediately placed something in front of Brianna’s face, it was a rage cloth. A foul stench came from the cloth and Brianna struggled to get it out of her face. The world started to spin and blur. Noises became muffled and she felt light-headed. Brianna fainted for the second time of the day.

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Brianna woke up with a harsh bright light glaring down on her. She squinted and averted her eyes away from it. She sat on a creaky wooden chair with her hands tied onto the chair by a thick twisted rope. Her hair was damp and filled with dirt. Finally adjusting to the glaring light, Brianna found herself in a lifeless room. Suddenly a door appeared out of nowhere and Brianna flinched. The wooden door creaked open and the siblings came in.

“Who are you people? Where am I?” Brianna fired lots of questions to them but both of them seemed to ignore her and glare at her with wonder.

“She does look a little like her majesty,” muttered the girl as she tucked a lock of wavy blonde hair behind her ears. Her brother nodded her head in agreement, his mesmerizing blue eyes staring at her.

“Excuse me but who are you people?” Brianna interrupted their thoughts and they snapped back into reality.

“I am Mark Rider and this is my sister, Avery. We are here to protect you from the darkness in the universe.” Brianna scrunched her eyebrows up and looked at the siblings with confusion. Protect her from the darkness in the universe? What did that mean? Noticing her confusion, the boy quickly asked, “Don’t you know who you are? You’re the last surviving kin of the queen...”

To be continued…