Arella wasn't planning to sneak off until she found her very own note inside her very own locker and engraved with the very same Neverseen eye.
Follow the pretty bird across the sky.
Strength is not a trait, it's a mindset.
Come beneath the darkest hour. Answers lie beneath the tower. For seven years the moonlark danced But now, defeated, it's your chance Meet us here in Paris, France.
That was the final push that convinced her to follow the clues- and when Braelynn happily jumped on board, Arella figured there was no turning back now.
And everything was going just as planned. Braelynn leaped over to their house, dressed in dark human-like clothes and a black cloak. They had cracked their fathers vault containing the Forbidden Cities crystal he kept locked up and were about to leap away- note in hand -before...
"Where do you think your going?" Oralia's voice snapped from behind them. Arella froze and turned around to face her sister, who was fully dressed as if it wasn't midnight outside.
"It's none of your business," Arella hissed, but Oralia had already snatched the note from Braelynn pocket and was skimming through it, her eyes darting across the page.
"No way," Oralia insisted as her twin snatched the paper back.
"I'm telling Mom," she added, when neither of the girls looked scared. She opened her mouth to yell, but Braelynn had already grabbed for Arella's wrist and was fading away...
Oralia snatched her hand and dissolved with them.
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Arella had never been to the Forbidden Cities- all she knew was that it was loud. And cold. And raining.
A mist drizzle poured onto the cold streets and sirens rang loudly in her ears. Despite how late it was, couples rushed past, splashing in the puddles and dressed in dark clothing. Taxis raced down the streets. Far away, she could see the brilliant lights of the Eiffel Tower.
"We're going home," Oralia insisted, reaching for her home crystal. But Arella snatched hers, Oralia's, and Braelynn's and tossed them into the dark streets. The crunch of the crystals shattering beneath heavy, rubbery tires only reminded her...
"Great, now we have no way out," Oralia grumbled, sounding shaky. "You're the Polyglot here."
Arella nodded, and waved her hand towards the street. A yellow taxi pulled up by the curb, splashing the three twelve year olds in a rush of muddy water.
"Where are you three beautiful youngster's parents?" The taxi driver asked them in French. Arella's blush was probably reflex- all elves were naturally gorgeous.
"I'm fifteen, er, this is my younger sister, she's fourteen, and this is... um... she's seventeen," Arella lied sweetly in perfect French.
The taxi driver looked taken aback. "Er... sorry about the mistake, ladies. Where to on this wonderful rainy evening?"
Arella pointed to the glittering Eiffel Tower, not trusting her voice to speak.
"Do you have money?" Braelynn whispered as they clambered awkwardly inside of the taxi.
"Yes." She pulled out some money and slammed it all down into the passenger seat. "Keep the change," she added, since she had no idea how much she had given the driver, who looked startled.
Arella made a mental note never to ride in a car again. The wheels bumped through the rough cobblestone and her teeth chattered in the cold.
When the driver came to a stop, she thanked him in French and looked around. At first she didn't see anything suspicious.
Everyone seemed to be wearing heavy black cloaks to protect themselves from the cold and the rain, but two figures had white eyes on their shoulder.
And then the world turned black.
YOU ARE READING
TAKE TWO, kotlc
Fanfiction𝗶𝗻 𝘄𝗵𝗶𝗰𝗵 arella sencen is tired of her life being defined by her parents' legacy - ready to win the next elvin war , even if it means starting it.
