Begining

by Paige in my world of make-believe

Mistress Elana's inn was full. A bard's voice sang the melancholy tale of The Sea Folks, and men laughed and drank their fill. Serving girls cleaned mugs dreamily. It was a good night at The Golden Cup. --Kati
Or, at least it was for her. Outside the inn, peasants slept in the cold, sick, tired. Elana sighed. She remembered when her life had been like that. She felt sorry for the peasants, and stepped outside. --Gabby

The cool fresh air hit her face and she in-hailed deeply. The fresh air smelt and felt so good. She wished she could become part of it. --Paige

It was night and Elana stood a moment to let her eyes get used to the darkness. She heard someone cough and someone else sob. She walked through many smelly alleys, through stinking heaps of trash, through bunches of people, wide-eyed and dirty. Suddenly she stopped. "Braden?" she called. No one answered, but there was a quiet rustle. --Sophie

At the inn, there was a crackle and smoke met the people's eyes. The inn was on fire. Elana ran back, not noticing the shadowy presence that followed her. --Lauren

"RUN!"

"FIRE!"

"RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!"

Screaming filled Elana's head. How could this've happened? She was only gone for about 2 minutes! -- RIP

Elana stopped and stared left, then right. Which way was the inn? She tried to remember, but all she could think about was her lovely inn on fire, and the fact that she was lost. She wandered through a few more alleys, and stopped in front of a dumpster. --Sophie

Elana's heart thumped hard in her chest and the air caught in her breath; somehow it didn't seem so sweet anymore more. She bent forward, willing her eyes to see through the darkness. Suddenly, she heard a sigh and felt a warm breath of air on her face; a breath that stank of whiskey and rum. Who ever had let out that sigh must have been so close, if Elana reached out, she would surely touch them. "Hello?" Elana whispered, stretching out her long white fingers in the black, darkness pressing in from all sides. There was a glint of bright eyes in the gloom, inches from Elana's fingertips. Another rustle and then, something darted forward out of the black and grabbed for Elana, gripping her wrist tightly in dirty, bony fingers. Whoever it was had caught Elana in fatally deadly trap. --EllyMae

Elana screamed as the fingers enclosed her. The moon had extinguished, light had gone out. But as she gave herself up for dead, something large and black rushed through the air, tackling the thing. She crumpled on the ground, and saw nothing but that shape in front of her. "What was that? Who are you?" she whispered.

"My name is Tyrwel, and that was a Skyr. Quiet now, and I'll tell more in the morning." --£auren.

Elana woke up to darkness. Why must it be so dark all the time? She thought. I remember when my brother Zackaria and I would play out on the bright flowerey fields in the early morning. Why must everything be so dark?

"Because my dear, this is the age of darkness. . ." -- RIP