Eleutheria

Prologue

        I remember three days from my early life on the human side of earth. In order they are; my birthday, the day mother told me to run, and the day I left everything behind.

        The happiest day of my life was on my eighth birthday. My blonde curls bounced up and down like springs while I was waiting for my surprise gift. My mother jumped around the kitchen corner with a small golden package.

        “Happy Birthday!” she whispered. Her hazelnut eyes crinkled and her smile engulfed me. My father turned around from the fridge pulling a small ice cream cake out from it. He placed it on the mustard dining cloth in front of me. My mischievous green eyes flickered from the present to the cake deciding which to devour first.

        Father turned to the sink to wash the dirt from the garden off his hands. He just finished showing me how to see which basil was fresh and which was not ready yet. I lifted my small porcelain hands to my face, closed my eyes, and sniffed. The smell of fresh basil still lingered in my little sea shell fingernails.

        “Go on then Alexis, open it!” mother shoved the present in front of my freckled nose. I looked at Father who wiped the dust off his glasses. He put them in front of the light hanging from the water stained ceiling then placed them back on his face. They both smiled at me in anticipation.

        I scratched off the wrapping paper to reveal a small white box. I lightly took the lid off and peered into it. Within it was a small golden heart necklace. I played with it in my hands then mother took it away so that she can lock it around my neck. Her thin frail hands undid the clasp and her smile revealed the tiny gap in-between her front two teeth. I eagerly bunched up my curls and placed them on top of my head. Father picked up a knife and started cutting the cake. His long curly brown hair fell over his face. My dimples deepened in my cheeks as I giggled at him. He looked up and gasped.

        “That necklace looks beautiful on you!” He said. His green eyes looked mystified while he stared at my small neck that held the long necklace I would grow into with time. I blushed and my parents took that as their cue for both of them to kiss me on either cheek. I put my hands on their faces when they did. Fathers was scratchy and mothers was smooth. We all radiated with love and pure bliss.

        The day mother told me to run was a month later. Mother and father were walking me to the doctor for my yearly checkup. Both of them were holding one of my hands and squeezing them tight. Mother seemed very nervous and father was trying to figure out why. This was one of the few times I saw them fight.

        “Marie, please just tell me what I did wrong so I can fix it.” Father mumbled. He was obviously aggravated because of the fight.

        “Evan, there is nothing you did and nothing you can do. Can we please just have a nice, silent walk with our daughter?” Mother said quickly and firmly. I noticed that her palms started to sweat.

        We turned down ally after ally with footsteps being the only sounds echoing to our ears. My small, scratched Mary-Jane’s made a tiny thudding noise. My mother’s favorite kitten heeled black shoes made a click clack sound. Father’s dirty tennis shoes squeaked. Then there were more footsteps.

        They came faster and faster. The next thing I knew, mother shoved me out of the way. There were four big, burly men in all black with masks. The pushed around my mother and father exchanging muffled words. Father reached out a trembling hand with his wallet. They slapped it to the ground. My mother pushed her hands at my face.

        “Run Alexis! Run home!” She screamed at me with panic filling her eyes. I started crying, but did as I was told. I ran far down the alley hearing the fight echoing back to me. Two gun shots and screams made chills run up my spine.

        “Mom! Dad!” My body whipped around as I screamed out to my fallen parents. Tears flooded my eyes and my whole body shook like I was having my own personal earthquake. The men picked up my parents and ran in the opposite direction. I fell to the ground and bawled. I wrapped my arms around myself and let my fingernails dig into my skin. Blood started streaming from my pale arms. I let out a torturous scream that was so loud that birds flew out of the ally way. Finally, I got the courage to run home. When I got there I slammed the door behind me and fell to the ground. I stayed there, all alone, for days.

        The day I left happened four days after my parent’s death. A knock echoed through my house and I managed to come out of my room to see who it was. I struggled going down the steps because my body was so weak from not eating in four days. Then again, how could I eat, knowing that every meal would be without them? How could I sleep, knowing when I shut my eyes nightmares would be all I saw? Finally, I made it to the door. I reached up at the rusty, high doorknob and turned it slightly. A small gust of wind poured into the room when I swung the door open. A tall lady with a tight, white blouse and pressed pencil skirt filled the door way.

        “Hello there, what is your name?” The woman said in a cold voice.

        “Alexis Praetego.” I responded fiddling with my fingers. She kneeled down until her cold gray eyes were on the same level as mine.

        “Where are your parents, Alexis?” She asked staring deep into my eyes. My lip quivered. My nose was laced with snot and my eyes were so puffy I could barely see. I knew my parents were dead, but I didn’t want to say the words. Saying the words would make it definite. She nodded at my silence. Her stern finger pointed to the stairs.

        “Go pack your things.” She ordered. I obeyed, sniffling at every step I took.

        I trudged into my room and grabbed the largest backpack I could find. I turned and shuffled into my parent’s room to grab my mom’s diaries. She had many lining the old bookcase. I always wanted to read them and I knew it would be the closest I would ever get to having her again. I pulled them out, placing them carefully into my backpack. A piece of wood caught my skin and I welled up. That one splinter opened the flood gates of my eyes. I thrashed the books into my bag and grabbed one of dad’s herbalist books. I heard the lady’s stilettos clicking their way up the stairs and I knew I was out of time. I scrambled under my parents bed and hid as the lady approached the room.

        “Alexis?” she questioned tapping her fingers against the doorframe. I could almost feel her scanning the room then sighing. She left to go check my room. That’s when I noticed it.

        There was a floorboard right next to the bookcase that was a shade different than all the others. I crept out from under the bed to get a closer look. I remembered seeing this abnormal floorboard, but I never really noticed it. My hand traced around the edges. Something compelled me to place my whole hand on top. As I did this, the floor started to shake. The lady came back and stared at me flabbergasted.

        “Alexis!” She yelled reaching out to grab me. I screamed and everything quickly melted away. I was in darkness headed towards a swirly shape made out of stars.

        I went through the shape. It felt like cool water running down my back. A bright light shined on my face then surrounded me. I blinked my eyes back into focus and saw a gateway. Its sides were made out of a burnt orange clay. The same clay was beneath my bare feet. I shifted my backpack, which amazingly was still with me, on my back and sniffled. When the brightness finally died down I looked up. On the gateway’s brim was a name.

        Eleutheria.