"Gwen, you can't keep doing this." Sarah Williams berated her thirteen year old daughter who slouched in her seat even more as they drove away from her middle school. "Gwenevre Elizabeth Williams, are you even listen to me?" Sarah nearly yelled as the young girl glared at the same pair of green eyes that matched her own.
"Look they started it mom!" The girl stood straight in her seat as her wild blonde pixie bounced at her movements. "I was minding my own business and those shitheads-"
"Gwen!"
"I mean, those knuckleheads kept on pestering me and they threw my library book in the trash! They deserved it!" The preteen explainable as her mother sighed stopping at a red light. Sarah pinched the bridge of nose at her impulsive daughters explanation.
"Yet you made one of their noses bleed?" Sarah demanded as Gwen's gaze faltered at her mothers words. "This is the third school this year, you can't be expelled again. I want you to have a decent education, I want you to get into a good college, not be some hoodlum on the streets." Sarah scolded as the girl turnt her back to her mother. "You need to start growing up, Gwen"
The light turned green as the girls emerald eyes darkened in anger while she leaned against the door, gazing out the passenger window. This town was the second one in the semester, her mother Sarah never stayed at one place for too long, she said it was for being a writer but Gwen believed it was because she selfish and thought nothing was good enough. True it was a stupid assumption but it was the only thing she could think of, her mother was selfish for not letting Gwen have an adventure or to make any stable friends or to daydream and stay a kid as long as she could. Gwen was angry at her mother because she never seemed to be on her side these days, always spoiling her fun and it's always 'Never go into the woods' or 'Don't go in the attic,' even 'Not everything is fair, but that's way it is.'
They finally reached the house after some time in the quiet car to reveal a cottage on a hill. It was beautiful summer cottage with ivy lacing up the brick walls and a worn out picket fence with wild flowers surrounding the front and back yard that led into a thicket of trees. Gwen loved the new home, but she knew better then to get attached to things so she stomped towards the house ready to get far away from her mother as far as she could, disappearing behind the ochre stained door. Sarah watched her troubled daughter barged into the house before hitting her forehead against the steering wheel, frustrated at the whole predicament. Sarah understood why Gwen was acting out, she was tired of moving from here to there and saying it was because of her job was beginning to be a broken record with the both of them. The mother groaned as she raised her head before widening her eyes, she saw the all too familiar shape of a giant creature she knew well, along with two other small figures hidden in the lush forest that surrounded her house. It was warning, and the Williams had to move again once more.
Gwen stormed up the stairs, not caring her if she was grounded again for the umpteenth time, she was both frustrated and tired of everything and she just wanted to be left alone. She was tired of moving, tired of having no friends, tired of new faces, and tired of growing up altogether. She entered her bedroom before slouching down near her record collection, pulling an album By Florence The Machine on vinyl before playing it and laying down on her bobbled rainbow rug. She stared up mindlessly towards the fairy lights as she let the music fill her ears and she closed her eyes before hearing a soft knock on her door.
"Gwen?" Sarah poked her head into her daughters room,the woman's expression softening at her daughters troubled face. "I had a business call, and I'm meeting with someone later, so I'm going out. Are you okay to stay by yourself?"
"I'm not an idiot, Mom." The girl snapped hastily as she turned to face her bed. "Whatever you want to do, that's all you seem to want to do now a days." The girls harsh words made Sarah sigh in annoyance but she her daughter had a right to be angry, but sometimes she wished Gwen wasn't so stubborn all the time.
Sarah opened her mouth to say something to her daughter but paused and she still saw how upset Gwen really was. The brunette woman looked away at her blonde daughter's balled up form before closing the door softly, making Gwen look back. The girl frowned as she stood up and walked over to the window to see her mothers red car drive off into the dusky road. Gwen scrunched her face up at her mothers hasty retreat, making her throw one of her stuffed toys at the wall, the making white unicorn making an audible squeak upon impact.
"I wish I was anywhere but here!" Gwen yelled in the air as she heard a thud from outside her room after her tantrum. She jumped at the sudden noise, remarking under her breath. "What the hell?
Gwen opened her bedroom door to see the latter to the attic was halfway down, letting the darkness of the hidden room peek through. The blonde smiled deviously as she grabbed a lantern from her beside table before running under the ladder and lowering it all the way down. She flipped the lantern on, climbing up into the attic to reveal boxes of encyclopedias, old furniture, more boxes, a mirror, another box named 'Sarah's Memories', some wood- wait,' Sarah's Memories'? Gwen blinked as she fully entered the attic and shining the light to the half open box. She opened to find old toys and trinkets that looked outdated and the girl figured it was some of her mothers old toy from when she was a kid. She smiled softly to see an old blond bear before setting it aside, finding a poster from one of M.C. Eshers artworks, and old lipstick tube, another stuffed animal of a fancy looking fox, and a music box with a princess with a giant white dress, and a book. Gwen pulled the book to the lanterns light noticing it was a small novella but it had no author nor a publisher on it, she arched a thick brow as she read the title aloud.
"The Labyrinth." She then saw something twinkle in the old cardboard box once she said the title. Her hand reached into the box to fine an odd looking ring. It was odd but beautiful as she inspected it, the band was crafted from silver and shaped into gloved hands that held a perfectly clear crystal ball. Gwen was in awe at the craftsmanship of the price of jewelry before hastily putting it on her ring finger. She smiled as it fit perfectly on her nimble finger before taking the old princess music box.
Once it's old tune started to play, Gwen frowned in confusion at the familiar sound but she had never heard it before in her life. The song was like melody that was an old memory or a dream. She figure her mother must have sung it to her as a lullaby when she was younger, but still she never heard it before yet she knew it by heart. And without warning or knowing, she began to sing along.
"There's such a sad love deep in your eyes, a kind of pale jewel open and closed within your eyes, I'll place the sky within your eyes. There such a fooled heart beating so fast, in search of new dreams a love that will last within your heart, I'll place the moon within your heart..." As Gwen sang she felt her heart become warm before the twinkling tune died down. Gwen then sighed as she rested her arms on her knees, she hated to fight with her mother but she couldn't have understood what the preteen felt.
Gwen was a different child as long as she could remember, she had her quirks like any other kid but hers were different, and she never grew out of them. She had crazy blonde hair that differed from her mothers smooth dark brown hair; her mother was as a soft beauty but Gwen seemed more rough but almost pixie like. She was always reading books and pretending to slay dragon or save kingdoms and even making up her own quests and adventures since she could read, at thirteen she should've been concerned about boys and acne, but she was still in her own little world. Gwen didn't mind growing up but she wasn't in a rush, she wanted to be just Gwen in one place with her mom and just stay where she was. She wished things were just as simple and it wasn't fair. Oh, how she wished. She wished...
"I wish I was anywhere but here."
And all of a sudden the room began to morph and floorboards began to disappear beneath her. Her green eyes widen as stood up quickly, preparing to run back to her room before every dissipated around her. She screamed as she plummeted down into darkness. She should've been careful for what she wished for.