unknown

chapter one

"shut up and listen"Raven screamed as fury built up inside her. She had enough of this.Her eyes widened in fear as her mother went to grab her. "no you listen. Stop being a spiteful little brat I have had it with you young lady." the other fired back with hatred in her eyes, "i have put up with you for 15 years, with your lies and theft. Now this! You tell me you have done drugs. Your father would find you a disgrace. Don't you understand? Your and embarrassment to the family and my reputation." tears flooded the girls sterling silver eyes.That was it she had enough. Raven marched out the house. The door slammed behind her. She came to a halt and held back the tears, searching frantically for her phone raven panted as the wind blew her navy blue, thick hair in her face momentarily blinding her. Thank god she thought once she found her phone in her hoodie pocket. I have got to get out of here. There is no-one here for me now. The teenager sprinted from the mansion into the woods. The building grew smaller and smaller as she got deeper into the pine forest. The deep green leaves glistened in the moonlight. All the stars shone bright,mocking the poor girl with their purity.

Raven remembered the old folk tales she was told about the forest, legends and myths. Travellers coming in and out explaining their stories. One once told her that the land the trees stood on belonged to the magical, barriers to protect the village. Elves and fairies lived here and kept evil at bay. Moments passed as the lost child delved into the history of Jalehill. Her mind took the better of her and so did the fatigue of her body. Soon enough she was sleeping.

The elves were known protectors but anybody who looked for them, couldn't see. It was as if they hid themselves. Little was known about the creatures except this. Folk law suggests elves were thieving animals and deceitful. Raven never thought they were. She had met a few elve sand yet they were nothing like what she was told as a child. They didn't seem like the type of creature to lure humans to their death.They seemed beautiful but had a mask of mystery about them. Though Raven had never met an Arthurian elf, she knew they were real.Whenever the teen told anyone about her sightings she would be called a nutcase and insane. There was only one girl in the whole of the four land who believed her and that was her best friend, Sasha.

Despite being best friends since they were four, Sasha always found the other a little odd. Raven found it easy to see the magical beings. Fairies were one of the first. Whenever the child went into the pine forest she'd find a fairy each had a special name connected with the part of the wood they protected. Ivy was the first she met, a kind fairy, soft gentile green skin, the two remained friends even when the queen fairy, Pine, told her not to see Raven any more because she sensed power, the two kept meeting in private.  

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The dreams disturbed Raven, There was no pearly gate.

The only reason she knew she was in a cave was because she had just passed the entrance. The rock wall rose behind me with no ceiling in sight.
She knew this was it, this was what religion talked about, what man feared ... the child had just entered the gate to hell.
the teenager felt the presence of the cave as if it was a living, breathing creature. The stench of rotten flesh overwhelmed me.
Then there was the voice, it came from inside and all around.

"Welcome"
"Who are you?", the girl asked, trying to keep my composure.
"You know", the thing answered.
The girl did know.

"You are the devil", she stuttered, quickly losing my composure. "Why me? I've lived as good as I could".
The silence took over the space as her words died out. It seemed like an hour went by before the response came.
"What did you expect?"
The voice was penetrating but patient.
"I don't know .. I never believed any of this", she uttered "Is that why I am here?"
Silence.

she continued: "They say the greatest trick you ever pulled was convincing the world you don't exist"
"No, the greatest trick I ever pulled was convincing the world that there is an alternative"
"There is no God?" I shivered.
The cave trembled with the words: "I am God"

Raven watched  this from afar. the young child looked no older than five yet she knew the concept  of heaven and hell. then the girl turned.