The Fallen Queen~[✓]

ℭ𝔥𝔞𝔭𝔱𝔢𝔯 11

I don't remember how long I lay on the muddy ground. I remember falling inwards; and then everything churned into rays of different colors and then it suddenly disappeared, leaving me in a forest which seemed to have experienced rain recently. It was cold; puffs of white fog escaped my mouth; as much as I could see. I was wearing a pale yellow tank top, which had an extremely thin strap, and it exposed most of my body. I also had a thin, skin-tight black pant on; so the cold pricked my skin like needles, but I just lay on the freezing mud.

It was difficult to process what was happening; what had happened. Ryan pushed me inside a mirror? And I land in a cold forest?

And then it hit me like one of my mom's slaps, blinding as if popping something in my head; there was something beyond nosey neighbors and fighting governments. I smiled gleefully.

I might have been the only person in this world who ever did that after she landed in an unknown place where she could see no one. Having the perception that I had something unusual coming for me, adrenaline coursed through my body.

That's when I noticed my surroundings clearly; the forest was exceedingly bright dark green, everything was extra pretty, extra detailed, and seemed extremely crafty. Huge trees ran up and high, some of the nearby ones joining with the help of brown creepers and creating small canopies, big rocks were scattered, algae forming on them, their gray-brown-greenish appearance perfectly contoured. Some creepers ran down from the high trees, forming curtains of brown and branching out, like taproots. The misty fog covered it mildly and dewdrops shone on the tip of leaves, all pearl-like. What would be a few blocks away was a stream, and I could not help but get a closer look.

The water was crystal clear and ran at a moderate speed, above round beautiful stones of brown and green. Beyond it was lush green mountains, all covered with clouds and drizzle. Apart from that, the forest stretched as far as my eyes could see. I felt like I was living in the pages of Robert Frost's poetry.

'Beautiful, isn't it?' The voice startled me. I had been asked the same question twice on the same day. This time it was a girl's voice, and insanely unfamiliar. 'You pushed through some mirror or mysterious door here?'

I turned around. And I could only nod. The girl, maybe eighteen, was wearing a green gown made of leaf-like fabric. A green gradient ascended from her cold shoulder gown, becoming darker as it ran down through her perfectly narrow waist and the darkest when it touched the ground. Her skin was the color of tree bark, and her features were strikingly modeled and sharp. She wore a headgear, a crown may be, which branched out and had carvings. It was three times bigger than that of her head and was made of tree barks as the same color as of her skin. Her hands were slender and thin, tipping out like twigs, and her hair was black, running in curls through her shoulder till her waist. Her full lips were painted darkest brown, not much different in shade from her skin, and her eyes were drawn beautifully yellowish green. Her pupils were yellow. She was smiling ear to ear, revealing her perfect set of teeth. Again, I felt I saw a tree coming live in human form.

'Now now, that's my enchanted form, don't freak or feel awed. Or just don't freak; feel free to feel awed. By the way, I'm Aspen. And let me change into something less awing.' She snapped her fingers. In a whirl of green mist and brown leaves, she changed into a pair of blue boyfriend fit jeans and a lacy bottle green top. Her hair was out to open and middle-parted and she had bark brown heeled boots on. 'I know. A little unusual and hard to believe. But don't worry, you'll get used to me. And I have no over makeup on.'

I just nodded. My voice was lost. It was terrifying and immensely fun. At the same time.

'I'm Aspen. The tree spirit here.' She extended her hand for a handshake. She seemed happy to me. Free-willed, chatty, and kind. She wasn't mean or self-centered like most people nowadays. I could not say the same for her companion.