The Lost Girl ✨Once Upon A Time✨

Chapter One

   Reese Mayleaf was not exactly what one would call a "light sleeper."  She'd managed to sleep through a lot of things before, sure. Sleeping through an action movie with bombs exploding on surround sound speakers? Easy peasy! Having her cats claw at her door all night long? Pfft, she could do that... well, in her sleep. Missing first hour due to sleeping through all three of her alarms? Okay, that only happened a few times. Little did she know that night would take the crown for possibly the biggest thing she would sleep through in her entire life.

  It was not particularly a surprise when Reese slept through the aggressive squeak, squeak, squeeeeeel of her bedroom window gradually being cracked open. The draft of the crisp fall air quickly chilled the room, and Reese unconsciously hugged the comforter tighter around herself.

   Nor did it come as a surprise when she didn't wake to the loud thump hitting her carpeted floor, or the aggressive hissing of her name in her ear repeatedly, or for that matter the cold mud-caked hand being clasped over her mouth after the covers were ripped back. 

   That was the final straw that would pull Reese out of her deep slumber. Her body noted the extreme change in temperature and roused her to the edge of consciousness. She was vaguely aware that something in her environment had altered, yet her drowsy mind was still attempting to separate reality from dream.

   "Reese," the voice hissed once again, this time close enough to her ear that she felt the warmth of the breath against the skin of her cheek. It sounded vaguely familiar, feminine but demanding, as if every word was an order.  Her over-somnolent mind still could not place a face to the sound. Yes, she knew this voice well, but the puzzle pieces were still not easily placed together.

   Beginning to break through the hazy fog that covered her mind, Reese opened her eyes and allowed them to adjust to the darkness of her room. Too late, her skin pricked to life, recognizing the cold, dirt-stained hand pushing against her face. Panic lit up the girl's still adjusting eyes, and her strong grasp gripped the other's bony wrist. She threw her weight at the attacker, immediately recognizing that the other was thinner and weaker. The attacker winced in pain, but the tiny grip somehow still managed to hold as Reese screamed weakly. The sound came out too muffled to raise alarm to her family sleeping downstairs. Reese rolled off the bed, which she quickly recognized as a mistake. The attacker swiftly pinned her down, and Reese squirmed in response. She felt as one of the hands was removed from her mouth.

   Reese's vision finally settled as she witnessed the attacker take a long finger and hold it to her wide lips. The girl looked slightly younger than Reese, with freckles adorning her once tan cheeks, now flushed salmon from the chill. Her eyes were overly large and a startling shade of crashing blue and grey, like storm clouds over the sea. Reese untensed, her eyes filling with concern.

   Reese had instantly recognized the girl, yet her entire appearance seemed off in the room. The girl was covered head to toe in mud. Her white shirt was so saturated in some spots that it would be impossible to tell it was ever colored anything other than a dusty brown. Under her nails and in her fingers' crevices bore a similar marking, and a few dead leaves had caught in her hair. Reese tried to ignore the tiny deep red splatter on her mud-stained clothing and similar caking the girl's feet and ankles. Oddest of all was how she couldn't make out the edges of the girl. They were all fuzzy, like when her internet tried to go out while watching a YouTube video. The girl seemed to blink in and out in the thin moonlight poking through the open window.

   "Wren!" Reese barked angrily. The girl made a ssh sound while moving to let Reese sit up, offering her hand for help. Reese's eyes narrowed. She didn't take her friend's hand, and sat up on her own. Wren's eyes still glimmered mischievously, and her lips were closed tight in a smile despite her disheveled appearance. Reese took a deep breath, bringing her palm to her face.