Lost Souls [Once Upon A Time]

Lost Souls

I woke up slowly, trying to blink the sand out of my eyes. Salt water lapped at my face. I turned over on the beach and spit the irritating grit out of my mouth. I tried to remember what happened, how I got there, but I couldn't. Not a single face, voice, even my age.

I pulled myself up and crawled over to the water so I was facing against the tide. My v neck shirt and leggings were completely soaked. I looked down at the water, trying to get the best image of my face that I could. I looked sort of European. Maybe British. My wet and tangled brown hair reached down and touched the waves, making ripples in the brackish. I spoke, hoping I could find something in my accent that would tell me where I was from.

"My name is Annie." It sounded British.

"I can't remember my last name, though." Yep. Definitely British.

Suddenly a rumble came from my stomach, and my British origins didn't matter anymore. I needed to find food very soon. I stood up and looked down at my 20 or 21 year old body. Slim, curvy, familiar. At least i can remember one thing about myself. I brushed some sand off of my pants and walked into the woods. 

Pine needles pricked my bare feet. I looked up at what I could see of the sky and quickened my pace: sunset. I didn't  know where I was. No food. No shelter. No knowing what was in those woods.

I jogged through the brush, soft leaves crunching underneath my feet. I lifted up a couple of branches and stepped onto a path. And that path made me happy. If that path were a person, I would kiss it right on the lips. Only because paths were made by people. And people are civilization. I walked down the path for a long time, picking up rock and throwing them at trees. I tried to look for footprints or dropped items or something. Then I started to look at a really smooth and shiny rock I stubbed my toe on. Then something smelled funny. I sniffed. And smelled smoke.

Yes.

I.

Was.

Saved.

I ran towards the smell and found an empty clearing and a smoldering camp fire. I was cold, so I might as well. I blew repeatedly on the dying embers, which glowed each time air was pushed onto them. Finally a fire lit up and I walked over to the edge of the clearing, gathering some leaves and twigs. I threw them onto the fire and sat down and watched them crumple. I curled up into a ball and closed my eyes, keeping the smoke from burning them. I began to sleep away my aching stomach.

It felt like me soul was being torn in two. Pinned against the ground by darkness, I gasped for air, shocked out of my peaceful slumber. I looked up, trying to escape my blackening vision. A dark shadow was above me, trying to pull my own shadow out of my body. Maybe I was getting split in two. I was too scared to think about anything but surviving. I turned my head to the side, watching the embers of my fire dying yet again. They were watching me die too. And I knew we had to save each other. So I blew.

The fire burst, and my own shadow sank back into my body. My attacker retreated into the sky, like a hawk to its owner. Then, slowly, my body started to shake. Pain was rising in my chest, and I was hoping I wasn't poisoned my that shadow. The burning shot to my head and I screamed. I don't know how loud it was, but my entire chest vibrated with the noise. I must've been heard for miles around. I didn't want to die, but the weight of open eyes was too much to bear. I drifted into darkness.

Hey all! This is Annie! What did you think? It's the first chapter, so wish me luck on all the next ones. Leave a comment to tell me what you think! Cleo can use some advice too, because she's working on a couple of peices and is going to submit them. Oh yeah, those two people on the front cover, Robbie and that girl, they are not mine. I just edited them and made the cover k? So don't go giving me this COPYRIGHT stuff.  Enjoy!