Chapter 1

"What a beautiful day!" I stretch my arms out and plop down on some hay bales. About an hour ago I said goodbye to my mother and father and hitched a ride with a man in a green shirt.

"I agree. The sun is brightest at this time of day." The man starts rambling about how he owns a ranch back on Castanet and how his daughter, Renee, helps out. I close my eyes but it's hard to nap while my body is shaking as the cart bounces up and down as we travel down a dirt road.

"How much longer till we get there?" I ask curiously.

"We're nearing the Flute Fields as we speak." I sit up and look around. Lush green hills surround us. Fields of sunflowers and vegetables lay behind a fenced in area with a few houses nearby. "That's Marimba Farm. If you ever need seeds or veggies, that's the place to get them. Around the corner over there is Horn Ranch. That's where I work." I look around and take in all the scenery and homes.

"This is as far as I can go right now. My cart won't be able to get over that concrete bridge, but the town isn't too far from here. Just keep going down the path and you'll be there in no time," he points towards a concrete bridge.

"Thank you for the ride, um, sorry I forget your name." I smile apologetically. "Cain. Welcome to Castanet." He waves goodbye and I bow in thanks and head towards the bridge. A crossroad comes before me with a sign post pointing north and west. Fugue Forest and Harmonica Town occupy the pieces of wooden arrows. I pull out my cell phone and check the time. I'm half an hour earlier than expected so I have some free time to explore. I adjust my rucksack and head north.

Shadows intensify as I near the forest. My heart starts pounding in excitement. I was never allowed inside the forest when I was younger. I stop in front of an old crooked gate just barely clinging to its hinges. I reach out to grab the handle, opening the gate with a loud creaking that scares off surrounding birds.

I take a step inside and the forest is darker than the previous area. I hold out my cell phone to give off some light so I don't trip over any obstacles. I venture farther into the forest avoiding any branches who would like to greet my face.

Something white catches my eye and I crouch near what seems to be snow white mushrooms. Even in the darkness they seem to glow bright. I stare at the mushrooms for a while before jumping suddenly as my pocket vibrates. A text flashes on my screen and I notice the time is 3pm. "Crap, I gotta get out of here…Where was the exit?"

I glance around frantically, looking for indication of where I came from. I decide to go backwards from where I spotted the mushroom in hope that I'll end up at the crooked gate. I look around everywhere I go just in case some monster jumps out or an evil wizard appears.

I trip over a root and fall flat on my face. "I can't be lost! I just got here!" I feel myself getting angry and scared. I pull my knees to my face and bury my face in them.

A stick snapping catches my attention and I stand upright quickly, looking around frantically. A shadowy figure steps out of the bushes and I swing my rucksack as hard as I can. I feel the impact of my rucksack hitting something solid and I freeze letting the bag fall to the ground.

"Ouch. What was that for?" The shadowy figure moves to the area where the rucksack hit and massages the newly formed bruise. By the figure's voice, I was sure it was a male. Something metallic shines in his hand and I can barely make out what it is.

"What are you going to do to me?" I frantically search my sweatshirt pockets for any form of protection.

"I was on my way out of here and heard someone crying," the figure leans over and grabs my rucksack. "What do you have in here? Bricks?" He begins to open my bag and I quickly grab it from him. He falls towards me as I pull tightly and catch him off guard.

Waves of blue dance in the sunlight that's peaking in from the leaves of the sheltering trees and two golden eyes are looking right at me, widened by my recent action. "Please don't go through my things," I say quickly.

"Sorry, just wanted to know what hit me." He lets go of my bag and stares at me as I adjust the bag onto my back. "Sorry if I scared you by the way."

"It's fine," I lie. "I should go." I turn around and walk towards a group of trees in hopes of finding the exit.

"You're going the wrong way," the boy casually jogs up to me and smiles. "I can show you the way out of here. It's the least I can do after scaring you," he smiles and I feel myself blushing. He was gorgeous. His white teeth sparkled even in the darkness of the forest and his eyes were as bright as the sun. I nod my head in hopes of shaking away unnecessary thoughts.

I follow the boy through a group of trees, occasionally tripping over fallen branches or rocks. Something familiar catches my eye and I happily run over to the gate that's barely hanging onto the surrounding fence. "I never thought I'd miss you so much," I say quietly patting the gate. I step outside and shield my eyes from the sunlight.

"Thank you," I say sweetly towards the boy. I see what he was holding in his hand. The smile fades from my face as I notice it's an axe. He sees my concerned look and quickly hides it behind his back.

"No problem. I was just in there chopping wood," he says while his other hand messes with his hair. "Why were you in there anyways?"

I try to think of a lie but come up empty. "I was on my way into town but I had a little time to spare so I thought I'd just take a small detour?" I shrug my shoulders realizing how lame that sounded.

"I guess you can't read either. The signs should have given you a good warning about how dangerous that place is. You're not very smart are you?" He smiles and punches my shoulder as he passes by and heads down the road.

I stand frozen in anger at being insulted. "Don't think I won't hit you in the face again!" I yell. He laughs and walks down the road with his axe resting on his shoulder. I pout as I follow suit and try to make my way into town.