Hidden Allure

Meeting Danger 1

I ran through the Forest, my hair flying behind me. A tree scratched my arm, leaving what felt like a huge gash, but I couldn't look back. Whatever that thing was, it was getting faster and faster, not even ten feet behind me. I pushed myself forward, ignoring the searing pain.

I will not die. I have to save Maia. I'll do whatever it takes.

I skid to a halt and whipped around, finding myself staring into a pair of demonic red eyes. They were consuming me, I could feel my energy draining out of me like water in a sink.

You will serve me. Serve me, or die! I heard a menacing voice.

No, it was inside my head. INSIDE MY HEAD?! This was not good. Not good at all. This thing wouldn't give up until it got what it wanted. I was still staring into its glowing eyes when it lunged.

~~~~~

I awoke with a jolt. My head bumped into the top of my makeshift tent. I breathed heavily.

It was just another one of my nightmares, I assured myself. But this one was a little unusual. It didn't connect with any of my other dreams. I didn't ever hear the demon threatening me before.

I forced myself to get out from underneath the white shawl that was draped on top of a broken tree branch. I stared at the intricate designs of the shawl and felt a melancholy emotion come over me. And then I was pulled into darkness.

~~~~~

I stood before the presents. Each of them were carefully wrapped in green wrapping paper with a turquoise bow on top, my two favorite colors. I opened each, one at a time, admiring the gifts my mother had took the time to pick out for me.

She knew my exact choice. A black leather jacket, perfect for my hiking trips with Caleb. A complicated writing tool that could turn into whatever I wanted to write with for my letters to Trish. Lastly, a silver charm shaped into a crescent, representing the night I had become an official adult in the Avenine Society. That was my favorite.

I was just about to thank my mother when she gently tugged on my arm.

"There's one more thing..." she said, giving me a mischievous look . I looked at her questioningly as she pulled out a plain transparent bag.

My eyes found a folded white sheet with silver lotus designs on it. I looked at her with a look that said, Really? A bedsheet? I immediately regretted it as my mom replied with a hurt expression.

"It was your grandmother's." Grandmother? What in the world is that?, I thought.

My mother understood my confusion and began to explain.

"Like I am your mom, my mom is your grandmother." A million questions raced through my mind. Where was my grandmother? How come I've never heard of her before? Why wasn't she with us?But before I could ask my mother about anything, she continued talking about the sheet.

"She wore this everyday when I was growing up. Then she gave it to me and told me to give it to someone I could trust. But I never had the courage to wear it, as I feared I might accidentally ruin it."

"She wore a sheet everyday?" I questioned my mother.

"It's a shawl!" My mother said as if I was obviously supposed to know this. Then to show me, she pulled the shawl out from it protective covering. That's when I saw it's beauty. There were leaves sewn all around the border all of which were connected to the lotus in the middle. More flowers surrounded the lotus. It showed pure elegance.

I understood how important this was to my mother as I saw tears gather in her eyes. Without saying anything, I embraced my mother with my arms. We were too close to see one another upset.

That was when my eyes opened.