Alexandria and the Slavic Myths: The Wheel of Rod (Volume One)

Chapter One - The Funeral

Until only a week ago, Alexandria was known for being a happy girl. That was, until her mother died mysteriously overnight.

Her death creeped up on a warm, silent night when even the stars weren't awake. The whole world, it seemed, was peacefully asleep. Nothing could go wrong. However, some monster was waiting for her mother that neither she nor Alexandria could have ever expected. Whatever invisible beast it was, it snuck up on her mother in the dead of night and attacked, leaving no mercy. Her mother struggled, clawing at her neck for one final breath. Alexandria was jolted awake from her sleep, hearing the suffocated screams from only a few rooms away. Her siblings were too tired to hear a thing. Alexandria burst through her mother's door and saw in terror that her mother was dying. She screamed out to her, shaking her and reading her eyes. Her eyes were black, as if possessed by something. It was unlike anything Alexandria had ever seen before, and she loved ghost stories. With her mother still gasping for air, Alexandria felt helpless. In a desperate last attempt, she cried for her mother and tried to remove her hands from her neck. It was then that the black seeped out from her eyes, and her eyelids shut. Alexandria thought she had saved her mother...but in fact, she had died. No amount of crying or shaking could revive her. For the rest of the sleepless night, Alexandria lay by her mother's side, weeping soundlessly; her screams were muffled by her overbearing sorrow.

To the day of this funeral, Alexandria still didn't know how her mother had so suddenly died. All she knew was that her life was going to change forever, if it hadn't already.

Speeches were given, prayers were passed around, and silence filled the small valley they held the ceremony on. The wind was still, and the grass was a muted green color - nature seemed to respect the sorrow Alexandria had been feeling. As Alexandria sprinkled the last handful of dirt over her mother's coffin, rain started cascading from the sky. All of a sudden, the clouds turned from white to gray, filled with sorrow that they couldn't help but share with the people and the earth. The rain soaked her mother's dirt, individual droplets instantly disappearing and merging with the collective wetness that littered her tomb.

Alexandria looked to the sky. She was already crying, and the raindrops that kissed her cheeks only added to the water that dripped down her face. One drop landed in her eye, and this one landed hard. Alexandria bit back the sting; why did this rain suddenly feel acidic? The others felt it too. All of a sudden, Alexandria heard moaning and gasps. The people were confused and in pain. Out of shock, they all ran inside the church that was only feet away, sheltering themselves from the burning rain. But Alexandria refused to leave her mother's side. She laid herself over her mother's tomb, protecting the precious dirt from stinging with the pelting acidic rain. Alexandria's skin began to burn, but she knew she must suffer through in order to protect the mother she loved. She wouldn't let another mysterious force hurt her.

If only her father were here to help her. But then again...Alexandria had never even met her own father.

According to her mother, Alexandria's father left home as soon as she was born, which is why she had never met him. She always claimed that he had to leave for important business, and when Alexandria asked what was more important than raising his own daughter, her mother promised she would understand someday. That never answered any of Alexandria's questions. So, she would just have to live with her siblings' father, knowing she wasn't related to him in any way.

The acidity of the rain had only intensified. It was burning holes in Alexandria's clothes. But now, something was different. A new element entered the scene. There was a voice. Alexandria tried to listen to it, but it didn't make out any true words. Just mindless sounds. She looked to the sky once more, squinting her eyes. What was this voice, and what did it want? Why was it inflicting so much pain?