Chapter 1

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Avery was a bold little girl with a hyperactive imagination. She loved to discover new things and she had an unquenchable thirst for adventure. Often times, Avery had great trouble differentiating between what was real and what was just her imagination. But as far as she was concerned, they were the same thing.

Avery lived on the outside of what was known as "The City." All her life, her parents had told her that horrid things went on inside the city.

"Many injustices," her parents would say to her, but they never went on further to explain.

"Many injustices" was the only thing that separated Avery from the city. That and the great forest that lie between them.

Avery and her family lived on a small farm where they grew many crops. Each member of the family was assigned to care for a specific section of the field; and each day, everyone would work in their own sections.

Avery's section lie closest to the forest.

As a matter of fact, her section of the field was so close to the forest, she could almost see the purple flowers that grew on the forest's edge.

These flowers were called Ronpus lilies. Her mother had warned her about these lilies many times.

Avery was always told they were dangerous, but she never knew just why they were dangerous.

One day as Avery was tending to her section of the field, a purple flash caught her eye. She looked up from her work and low and behold, just a few paces in front of her was a bloom of glittering Ronpus lilies.

Avery turned to face her family, but no one was paying the slightest attention to her (as often was the case).

Seeing that everyone else was preoccupied with their work, Avery decided to walk over to the bloom and just take a quick peek. After all, no one would notice her, right?

Avery quietly walked the distance between the field and the forest, frequently glancing over her shoulder. When she got to the forest's edge, she knelt down beside the flowers and took in a tiny sniff.

The aroma of the lilies was almost overwhelming. It was the most beautiful thing she'd ever smelled before. It had this captivating quality that made her want to smell the flowers all day long.

Avery knew she had work to do and if she wasted too much time, someone would suspect she was up to something. She took in one last sniff of the flower, but before she could even stand back up, she heard a deep, loud voice call her name.

It was the voice of her father.

"Avery!" he yelled, "get back here right now!"

Avery went completely red in the face and slowly stood from where she knelt by the forest's side. She turned and walked back to the field, head hung in shame.

When she had reached the field, her father rebuked her. She didn't listen to his words, the words meant nothing. His tone was harsh full of rage, not one of compassion or understanding.

Tears trickled down her cheeks as his words went in one ear and out the other. However, the tone she remembered. Insensitive, harsh, and worst of all, unloving. 

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