"Hi everyone, I'm new here and I wanted to know what you think of this. If I get some feedback i might carry on with it, this has more than just the first chapter but it was easier just to put it in together. But please tell me what you think. :0)"
I wake up with eyes sore from crying during the night. I raise my hands to wipe the tears away, but my hands are stopped by the manacles around my wrists, which sink far down into the bed I am lying on. I've slept like this for twelve years, ever since I was three. I lie there waiting, for my father to come and unlock these chains that bind me to this wretched place I call my home.
Every morning I let my mind wander, to collect and replay my life before my eyes. First there's the memory of my mother on the day my father was elected President, lifting me up to see the land my father now ruled. Then the day I discovered my singing can make anyone, or anything, do whatever I wish. The day I told my parents of my discovery, then finally the day my father had to tell the government and they locked me up down here to ensure I never used my powers on any of the people who live in our little town of Surclum.
After a while I hear footsteps outside my door, which is then followed by the sound of a key entering a lock and the creak of the heavy metal door at one end of my cell.
"How are you this morning my love?" comes the concerned voice of, Joel Moragami, my father.
"The same as usual, father dear." I reply sweetly, since last time I tried to use my powers to escape I got lashed, and my mother and father were made to watch.
My father rushes across the room and opens my manacles. I hug him instantly because I know how much it hurts both him, and my mother, to see me like this. Their only child being locked up day after day. The Government's leader, Silas Powell, won't let them have any more children in case they end up like me.
"I'm so sorry it has to be like this Rosy. I am so sorry." My father keeps murmuring in my ear.
My father has brought my breakfast down with him, so we sit at the little table and talk for a while about what's been happening on the surface. My mother Stacy, doesn't come down and see me anymore; she used to but, after a while, she couldn't take the fact that I would never be returning with her back to the surface.
When I've finished my meal, father has to go back to running the country up above and he leaves me free of chains until night fall. I wait a while until I'm certain I am no longer being watched; I then place my spare pillows from beside my bed under my covers and make it look like I am asleep. I then get changed into a sturdy pair of trousers and a loose fitting shirt, completed by a baggy jumper and a pair of chunky boots. As soon as I'm dressed I peer out of the 30x60cm window situated in the wall opposite the door. No-one's around. So I step onto the dresser and slide out of the window on my stomach. I'm never even supposed to look out of the tiny window in my room, so if anyone saw me out here I'd be dead in a minute. I murmur 'Pull up my hood and head to the wood.'
As soon as I am under the shadow of the woods I feel instantly safer, no-one ever comes in the woods since someone (A.K.A me), sent a rumour through town that there were wild beasts living in there. So I always have the woods completely to myself, and, as long as I'm back before one o'clock for lunch, I'm all by myself. Just the way I like it. Being cooped up all your life really changes you. Makes you more confined, less likely to talk or make friends. The only friends I have are the animals in the woods who, with my powers, I can make talk, dance, even do acrobatics.
Whilst in the woods I sing to the animals and they come and talk to me. My best friend is a red squirrel; he's always the first to find me when I tell them I've arrived. We can sit and talk for hours about the most random things. Today we're talking about the air.
"I do think the air is getting a lot thicker every day. Especially up in the trees." Red-nut tells me.
"But how is that even possible Red?"
"I don't know Rose, maybe Silas is releasing something into the air to kill off all the animals in the woods, or something. Do you have any nuts with you today?"
"No sorry, I didn't have any with my breakfast this morning"
"What about with your lunch?"
"What? What time is it?"
"It's half-past twelve, why?"
"I'm so sorry Red but I have to go I'm late getting home!"
"Ok, bye Rose I'll see you tomorrow."
"Bye Red!" I shout back as I pull up my hood and run back. It takes me twenty minutes to get back, which gives me ten minutes to change into a light summer dress (which is usually what I wear, and what I am meant to wear), and hide my woods clothes under the window sill. I just manage to push the sill back into place before the door's thrown open and Silas Powell storms into the small room, shouting at me to get away from my window.
"GET BACK YOU IDIOT! YOU PEST! YOU MANIPULATIVE LITTLE MINX! I SAID GET BACK!" He screams at me before I can even bat my eyes. He then throws me on the table and slaps, hits and chokes me until I'm crying and I am so red I look like I'm bleeding (which I may well be). I learnt a long time ago never to let my pain be audible, otherwise I could only expect more.
"I still can't believe Joel and Stacy can even stand to call you their daughter." Silas tells me with a hint of malice in his voice. Silas has been beating me since I was little. In my mind he is a wolf that is extremely smart, but relies on other people to help him accomplish anything worth his time.
"Remember, sweetie, your daddy may rule the city, but I rule your daddy." And with that, he left.
I lie there for a while waiting for the pain to stop. But the pain never really goes away. A few minutes later a girl, no older than eight, brings down my lunch to me. You can clearly see she's terrified I will do something to her. I've heard that one boy once cried when he found out he would have to serve me my lunch. At this I can't help thinking what kind of rumours Silas has told the people of Surclum about me. I shiver inwardly at even the least corruptive of the options. The little girl places my food on my little table and leaves rather quickly. I am now alone with only a dry slice of bread, an apple (far out gone its sell-by date), and a measly glass of water for the rest of my pathetic day.
"Rose! Silas has taken it too far this time. I can see all the bruises on your arms, legs, face, even your head!" Red's in one of his moods. He always goes into a mood when he sees me after a Silas beating.
"Red, it's not that bad really. I hardly felt anything this time. He's beaten me numb!" I collapse onto the little rock by our stream. We've been meeting here ever since I first escaped my prison. The woods are a lot thicker here than they are nearer the city.
"Rose! You can't keep letting him do this to you!"
"Well there's nothing I can do! You know what happened last time I tried to do something!"
"Maybe if we all went into the city centre acting like rabid animals, we could break into your cell and get you out!"
"No. They would think I'd done it. Then they would kill all of you, and sentence me to execution just like he threatened."
"Just like who threatened?" asks an unknown voice from the shadows. I instinctively pull up my hood and start running away. But as soon as I've gone three paces I hit someone quite tall, definitely male, and very strong, square in the chest. Red's about to shout something very rude and unasked for at this unexpected visitor, so I stop his translations with my powers. I then do something I haven't done in a very long time. I fall to the ground, hugging my knees, and start to cry. Red immediately comes over and tries to console me like he used to when I was little. But a hand (that's definitely not mine) stops him and pushes him, telling him to go away.
"You . . . you shouldn't t . . . talk to h . . . . . him like that." I manage to get out between sobs.
"And why shouldn't I? He's clearly making things worse." comes the rough voice from behind my shoulder.
"No he's not. You are!" I say through gritted teeth as tears spill down my face. "He's my friend. You're an intruder. Someone I don't know."
"Oh! I am so sorry. I am Daniel Steamer, I work at the butchers in town, I am 14 and I live just off from the market. And who are you?" He asks very pleasantly. But I still feel quite shaken, so I ask Red to tell him as I don' trust my own voice. I turn his translation back on by humming a simple tune. Then while he tells Daniel my name, parents and background (but not about my powers), I hide my face and watch as Daniel's face turns from a friendly smile into a look of pure confusion.
"Rose. Sweetie, It's twelve. If you don't leave now you won't be back in time," warns Red. But I find it almost impossible to move. I stop humming because the song's completely gone out of my head. I can't even remember the four simple notes I was using. I look over and see Daniel staring at me through slit eyes.
"What are you doing?" I ask innocently
"Well, I've heard about you. I heard that you were some kind of monster so they had to lock you up for your own good. But they never told me you were so. . . . well . . . . . beautiful. Or what you could do that made you a monster in their eyes. But as soon as I found out you could do things out of the ordinary, I knew I had to find you. You see, I'm like you. I can do things out of the ordinary too." I can see he wants to go on but I cut him off.
"Ok. I don't know what kind of trick this is. But I have to leave. If what you're saying is the truth then meet me here at ten tomorrow morning. You too Red; I'll need your opinion on this." And just like smoke, I'm gone. But because this rose has been antagonised, it leaves a trail of thorns behind it. . . . .