Chapter 1
~ Shades of Red ~
739 hours, 4:41 A.M.
She slipped the hood on and lightly stepped off of the creaking wooden porch of the cabin. Her topaz eyes reflected the pale dawn that struggled to rise as the pine needles pressed onto the soft dirt from her black boots. The air was bitingly frigid, despite the lack of the gentle blanket of white that was usually draped over the ground by now. The cape of crimson billowed out behind her as she approached the forest.
A pair of swallows twittered overhead between the trees as she headed towards the plume of smoke in the distance. The wind stirred the dust beneath her, causing fallen leaves to swirl past her black pants. The towering trees sent long shadows to scar the perfect collage upon the ground. But she was only focused on getting to her destination in time.
Her mother had spoken to her in a worried tone this morning. "Your friend is extremely ill. I've just recieved notice from the others. I need you to go and give her medicine so she can stay...healthy." Washing her gaze over her mother, she sensed that she had been about to say "alive" instead of "healthy." The urgency crackled in the air. She could have only obeyed her.
The forest slowly spread away from her as she left the trees for the wild emerald grass. Green blades flattening with every step, her chestnut wicker basket swung beside her, carrying the thin and fragile hope of a lifeline for her friend. And ahead of the small stretch of grass was another forest. Lines of trees had been toppled down to create two thin dirt paved roads that led to a small wooden cabin at an intersection. One led to the left, one to the right. The one on the right was the one she usually took, not only because it took less time to get to the cabin, but also because it led to the bustling town of Velder. In between the roads was a sign she hadn't seen before. Did someone just put it up? It read, "Do not go this way."
She glared at it, long and hard. The wood used to make the rackety sign was sodden and dark, and the nails were hanging loosely to the board. It seemed as if it had been here for several years already. But she had never seen it until today... Which side was it talking about?
Glancing dubiously at both of the paths, she assumed it was talking about the one to the right. Several trees had fallen in the middle, creating a huge blockage that cast a bulky shadow on the rocky dirt. They had all been uprooted by some force that seemed to only be the heavy thunderstorm that had passed a week ago.
She rebuckled her boots, her pale fingers swift as they went around the silver rectangular frame that held the boots to her feet. And then she set off, through the dusty road with littered debris scattered all over it. Snapped twigs rolled in her way. The abnormally large pebbles that were lodged into the hardened earth were a nuisance to her as she picked her way through.
Then the way came to a pitiful end. The road just dwindled away and came to a stop in a glade with a circle of cedar trees. Blinding sunshine poured into the lively glade. She flinched as it reached for her with warm fingers. Sunshine this bright... How long have I been walking? Should it not only take a little more than an hour? It took about three hours for dawn to give way to morning. But, looking upwards towards the sky, the sun was already one-fifths across the world.
A shadow flickered behind the cedars. The movement snatched her eyes as she watched it disappear back within the forest's darkness. She turned around, feeling her long hair sway to the other side, and saw nothing around her. Light filtering through the leaves speckled the ground, giving nothing away. But her stomach twisted uncomfortably. The creatures within the woods here weren't the safest to be around. Coyotes, bears, wolves...
She felt the presence before the knowledge of it sunk in. The silent steps sifted through the needles upon the floor behind the cedar in the center. They sounded so human-like, she almost dropped her guard for a moment. Then the memory of the fleeting shadow brought her back to her senses. No human would move that fast. This silently.
The steps stopped right behind her. Only the broad chestnut trunk blocked them.
"I know you are there," she whispered.
The breeze whistled through the glade, taking the presence along with it. She relaxed visibly as she was left alone once more in the small pocket of serenity.
Eve stopped in front of the bistre door. Her hand hovered over the old brass handle, as if it was unsure about what lay inside. In a swift motion, she twisted the knob and the door screeched open.
The fire was dead, giving the ancient cabin a gloomy and bleak aura. The normally bright and cheerful place was now ruled by dust and dank smells, along with several cobwebs draped across the beams on the ceiling.
She approached the living room to her right. The fireplace was filled with ashes, the couches sagging. The windows to the side, full of once-alive plants, let the rays in to shine upon the sight on the middle of the wooden floor.
Her long golden hair was splayed out around her, her sightless dark honey eyes pointed up at the unseen sky. Dried maroon rivulets flowed down her pale, cut arms, and her neck was slitted with a thin line. The body of her friend floated within a pool of blood-red.
"Re...na...?"
The corpse was a gruesome sight. Terribly ill? What can medicine do if someone has already...murdered her? Rena's leaf green silk dress was stained with a black splatter that seemed to almost shape into a lotus flower.
The shock registered physically and mentally. Why am I not feeling afraid? Disgusted? Terrified, or a feeling of some sort that is regular in a situation like this? Rena. Rena is dead. Murdered. Rena, one of my very best friends. Nothing but the shock stayed. No other feeling. But something deep within her told her that her lack of emotion was normal.
She knelt down in front of the elf and stared at the lifeless body for what seemed like several hours. Finally, her logical senses got the best of her. She found a dusty but clean white blanket to cover Rena. Bowing her head in silence, she backed towards the exit.
Do not look back. Out of the house, the door flinging and slamming behind her. If you look back, you will be caught in the web of death. Down the path, forking to the right. You will not be able to look away.
She skidded to a halt, her boots scratching against the loose rocks. Panting, Eve gazed upwards and found the blockage of trees ahead. Did I take the wrong side?
Eve collapsed onto the ground next to the fallen trees. Her silver locks tumbled from her shoulders as she assumed the fetal position.
Rena.
Pool of blood.
Crimson liquid reflecting her paralyzed expression, her golden eyes widening.
That gaze, void of light.
That black splatter on her once-unblemished dress.
That shape it took after.
A lotus flower.
And that presence...
I think I'm finally off of writer's block. o-o It's amazing, to be able to write anything at all right now. *-* I'll be trying to mass update my fanfics soon :D But for now this is a short chapter for you all! ^o^ And it'd be great if you guys shared your thoughts and connections to this fic, it does have some hints. Cx I will add other characters later on, so no worries! :D Thanks for reading, everyone! xD