Haven walked down a snowy path, trees on either side of her. All was quiet, but in a good way. A peaceful way. The sky above her was bright and blue and empty, and she wasn't cold. Tiny blossoms poked out from beneath the snow. Those and the closed buds on a few of the trees gave the landscape a pop of color.
A child soon appeared on the path, and she ran to Haven, nearly losing her balance and falling. She didn't appear to be experienced in walking enough yet to be very coordinated in the matter.
"Come!" the little girl said, pulling on Haven's coat with a small hand. "Follow me!" Haven obeyed and let the child lead her faster down the path. The little girl giggled and squealed and almost tripped over herself, her long light brown hair getting in her face as she raced through the forest.
They soon reached the end of the path, where a scraggly rose bush with extra-large thorns struggled to grow, out of place in the happy environment. Ice clung to its blooming black petals. The child looked up at Haven expectantly.
"Do it," the girl said. "Do the thing."
"What thing?"
The child tugged on her arm. "Heal it. You healed it last time."
Last time? Haven searched her mind for a "last time" but came up empty. The little girl placed the teen's hand on one of the dying leaves.
"Like this." Suddenly, a single thornless rose consumed the entire bush and grew humongous, its stem as thick as five people and its now-blue head stretching over the two girls, blocking out the beginning rain. Haven looked up and marveled at its beauty and the stunning thing she had just done.
"Is this why I'm here?"
The little girl nodded and gave a twirl in her bright blue short-sleeved dress.
"Inside," she said. "Come inside." She tapped on the stem, and it carved a door for them at its bottom. Haven pushed it open, and they went down the steep spiral staircase that lay just on the other side of it.
The steps emptied out into a wide room full of pretend houses- some plastic, some cardboard, some pillow-and-blanket. In the middle was a sort of market-looking place composed of a few makeshift tables with lemonade, handmade hats, and a few other random items on them. Haven could spot no people aside from herself and the little girl.
"You can come out now," the latter called to the houses. "She's a friend." And out came children of all ages, filling the room, making Haven wonder how they had all hidden themselves so well with how many there were. Three boys in particular stepped in front of the others: one with curly red hair and a pale complexion, one with dark hair and olive skin, and one with brown hair and a slight tan. Hey, they kind of looked like...
Haven turned to the little girl beside her.
"Angelia, what is this place?"
A sudden thud shook the ground, and dust rained from the low ceiling. The children gasped and murmured, frightened looks on their faces.
"I don't know..." Angelia whispered. "It's not ours."
The scene faded from Haven's vision, and a new one took its place. She was now standing in an empty drafty cave, though she couldn't tell from where exactly the draft was coming from. She could barely see.
As she ran her fingers along the stone wall, it came to life with light. All around the circular area were names in white. Matthew Ian Sloan. Haven Trinity Avery. Angelia Kristine Seymore. Duran Rickward Feltner. Annabeth Polly Howard. A lot more, many of which she didn't recognize.
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To Survive without the Guardians
FanfictionHaven Avery and Matt Sloan have gone many years of their lives being haunted by Fearlings, or, as they know them as, "shadow ghost people" or "demons." They don't know why they're targeted, but they don't really care. They're much more concerned wit...
