FUTURISTIC FOG
The woods were darker, murkier than before.
Branches from the cluster of trees crowded together, making it nearly impossible for any sunlight to peer through. The tall grass was up to the average person's knees, making irritating red dots appear on the skin. Moss and vines hung off the branches. Spider webs strung in the nooks and crannies of the trees. Bugs zoomed around in the skies, buzzing near the animal's homes. Small peaceful animals like rabbits and squirrels ran the fields, while monstrous creatures like bears and mountain lions pawed on the mountain's edge.
The Kingdom of Delphi wasn't far away, but near the woods. The town of the kingdom was bustling with activity, citizen's running towards the market's material restock, while children laughed and played games. The city was the wealthiest and biggest, making many aspire and happy to live there.
Every Kingdom had its flaws, and Delphi was no exception. King Apollo only cared for himself and his family, ruling the city a cockiness only several people could obtain. Queen Naomi was much different, caring, kind, and gentle, but that was after her only son turned up missing. Rachel Dare was a close friend to the prince and assisted the royal family whenever needed. Only she held a secret.
Her fire curls were suspended in a tight bun on top of her head, successfully staying off her sweaty neck. Her dark jade eyes searched the forest around her, peering over branches for the little hut she always so easily found.
Nobody but Rachel knew of the tiny hut in the forest, never seeming to find it. Whenever she brought a palace guard or friend with her, she was unable to find the small cottage. By herself though, she came across it every time.
The house stood in a small clearing in the woods, the trees forming a forcefield-like barrier around the home. A little porch light sat by the door, illuminating a tiny circle on the porch. The wooden logs the hut was made out of were dark, spruce wood. The porch had a set of wind chimes that rested still without the force of a breeze. A hand-crafted rocking chair sat frozen in place on the porch, not having anyone to sit in.
The plants that tangled in the perimeter of the home were Rachel's favorite. Maroon rose bushes, lavender lilacs, orange lilies, blue orchids, and pink peonies. Those were all the beautiful flowers she recognized. There was so much more, an array of greens and a rainbow of color around the hut. The lady that lived in the home must've grown those herself, the mountainous rocks in Delphi making it nearly impossible for any naturally grown blossoms.
The truck through the thick vines and tall grass wasn't an issue for the redhead, considering she was one of adventure. She didn't care about getting her hands and clothes a bit dirty. They were already rags anyway.
The patches she had done on the holes had done nothing, the cool air of winter always finding a way to seep through her home's cracks and pass by the patches. The clothes weren't durable, but thin and rippable. Despite being almost family to the royal family, Rachel wasn't treated any better than the other townspeople. It's not like she expected much anyway if anything at all to change.
That's where she was now, sitting on a log, rolling her eyes about the newest rip in her dress. She heard the fabric tear and decided to see if she could do something, anything, about it. She groaned and rubbed her eyes, standing up and continuing her journey.
At times, it took longer for Rachel to find the hut than others. She swore it never stayed in one spot, moving around like a toddler. Once she discovered the hut in an instant, a few minutes after she tumbled into the trees. The last time, it only took her ten minutes, a time that was not going to happen.
The teen proceeded to stumble through the woods, the tangled blades of the greenery below her tripping her. It wasn't an issue to Rachel, as she just used a nearby tree to catch herself. Peering up after her mishap, the redhead looks straight into the yellow windows of the cottage.
Beaming, Rachel picked up her speed and jogged over to the clearing. It was the same house, that much was guaranteed.
The rocking chair was swaying to the sudden breeze. The wind chimes played a soft tune into the sky, seemingly in sound with the whistling birds. The porch light was off as it was the dead of the day. The lights inside the home were on the yellow peeking from behind the open curtains, rainbows of colors shone, flowers and plants brightening up the clearing of the woods. A patch of stones was buried into the dirt, just barely visible above the grass. They lead to the porch, but Rachel had never noticed them before.
Then again, the home constantly disappeared every time she got within ten feet of it.
Rachel starred to admire the scene, wanting it imprinted in her mind. It would be a lovely painting to draw, once she got next month's supply. Just because she was close to the royal family didn't mean she got treated with any more respect than the other citizens did. Not that Rachel cared, that would've only made her loath the family more.
That's beside the point though, and Rachel admired the scene until she got more curious. How come the cottage always disappeared on her? It wasn't as if voodoo magic existed, so Rachel figured she hallucinated. No one else could see the home either, so she concluded she was crazy.
The hut was too realistic to be fake though, and that set a queasy feeling in Rachel's stomach. She was insane. She saw a house no one else could, and she had a sneaking suspicion that it wasn't a hoax. Rachel was ninety-nine percent positive she was crazy, but she was one percent sure she wasn't insane. It was like when someone told you to trust your gut feeling.
So that's what Rachel did.
She took a cautious stride towards the clearing expecting the house to vanish with every passing step. Instead, her head the uneasy feeling inside her gut dissipated the nearer she got to the hut, and the more ease filled her veins. Her vision seemed to become clearer, the scenery was less like a fairy tale and more like reality.
Now a few steps in front of the porch, the redhead was astonished the house hadn't vanished yet. The plants went up to her thighs, and as the curious person, she was Rachel didn't mind the itchy feeling. It'd give her another emotion to feel when painting the clearing in the woods.
With a nervous gulp, Rachel pushed herself onto the porch, relaxing when she nor the house disappeared. She peered into the dark landscape around her but only saw lingering animals and swaying branches from the breeze. No, Rachel did not just jump into a parallel universe.
Turning around and facing the door, she advanced. The wooden floorboards groaned under her feet, and in the back of her mind, Rachel questioned how old the hut was. Decades, maybe centuries years old? And if Rachel had been the only human being in the entire Kingdom in Delphi to spot it, how was it still in such nice condition?
Before knocking on the door, Rachel ran her hand along with the wood siding of the hut. It was shockingly smooth much like the castle's brick walls. She had no fear of getting splinters, much like she had to when sitting down at a diner in town. The wood must've been sanded, a smooth texture that Rachel loved.
Her eyebrows furrowed together when her fingertips brushed across jagged lines, nothing like the rest of the wood. Her eyes met the bumps, and she found herself face-to-face with Greek letters. The letters were inside of a rectangle, which popped out from the logs used on the hut.
Το μέλλον είναι στα χέρια σας, Rachel Elizabeth Dare.
Rachel was capable of reading her full name of course, but the rest of the interesting sentence was like noodles. The letters twisted together and Rachel found it harder to read. She didn't have time to dwell on what the rest of the sentence read, as she was more concerned about how her name was on the wall. Has she been stalked? Is this some cruel joke? Being the only individual to see the home, Rachel found it scary that her name was imprinted on it. Was this from the assassins running havoc among the kingdoms? Was this a trap? Was she getting kidnapped? Her heart thumped as loud as a drum inside her, and fear crawled at her insides. What if the sign was warning her? What if the sign was a death note? Maybe this was where William was?
The wind picked up, and the moss in Rachel's curls flew about. The leaves on the branches swished together, making hushed whispers sound in the skies. Shivering, Rachel never tore her orbs from the lettering. Whatever was written there had to be a message. Why else would it have been there?
She traced each line, curve, and dot with her fingers. Her mouth hung open as she muttered to herself. Her eyes squinted in concentration. "The… is... in… your…"
She could only translate the simple words, things that you first learn when learning a different language. She still tried her best to read the rest of the words connecting the previous letters' appearance to others.
"The blank, u-t-u-r is in your blank, blank, n, blank, s." She stated out loud, thinking of any words that could match up to her spelling skills. It only took her a few seconds of looking at the letters intently to have her famous guess. "The future is in your hands."
How could the future be in her hands? She was a measly teenager, sixteen, and nothing more. She wasn't an important princess or prince, king or queen, a pirate or assassin. She was just a peasant, a simple human being who loved to paint and explore the outdoors. She was nobody special. Besides, how would a wood carving on a hut in the woods be telling her that? What would a wood structure know?
Without thinking, Rachel knocked on the door, silently praying the person inside wasn't some creepy old man. The rasp of her knuckles hitting the wood pounded in the clearing when no one answered the door. Was the house vacant?
That thought somehow unsettled the girl more. No one lives in this cottage in the woods, but her name is embedded in it? An important message is for her is in a house no one else could see other than her?
The door creaked open a smudge, so Rachel took an unsure step backward. Fortunately, she didn't fall off the porch. Unfortunately, a low glow was emitting from the open door. Rachel frowned, her face falling. As the door opened further, the colorful glow got brighter, and Rachel gasped in awe. The light was a forest green, and it was in the form of mist. It was nothing Rachel had ever witnessed before.
The mist filed out of the door and circled Rachel. It swirled around her like a storm, the dark green matching her eyes. The mist continued flowing out of the home, but more filled its previous place. There was so much Rachel was convinced it would've gone on forever if she didn't rush inside and slam the door shut.
The substance was only thicker inside the hut, stretching up to the ceilings and down through the squeaking floorboards. It made it tough for Rachel to see anything, so she didn't dare move. She was frozen in place, petrified something was going to pop out of the fog.
Her eyes burned, but she kept them peeled open. "Hello?" She shouted, her voice seemed lost in the haze. "Anyone here?"
She spun around in place, seeing through her blurry vision if anyone was walking towards her. When she saw nothing she sighed, the fog moving from her frame for a split second. The mist entered her body through her nose and mouth, her throat getting scratchy and itchy. In that case, Rachel swallowed, but it did nothing for her scratchy throat and sore nose.
Her senses became on fire in no time, her eyes tearing up, nose on fire, and her mouth tasting like vile. Rachel's fingers twitched, her ears became plugged with an unknown source, and her body felt as if it was shutting down. She swayed on her feet, but her mind demanded to stay upright. If she were to pass out, could she die?
Maybe that is what the sign outside of the home meant. She'd be setting her future in stone by willingly trapping herself into his house. She'd unintentionally be choosing whether she lived or died, all with a simple decision. Maybe whoever owned this home wanted her dead, and knew her well. Maybe they knew her curiosity would end up killing her.
All too soon, her body was swept with unbearable exhaustion. It was as if her whole soul had been torn out of her. Her legs were jelly, and her arms were cooked noodles. Her vision was beginning to spin, and Rachel collapsed to the ground, unable to keep herself up anymore.
Black dots appeared in her line of sight, and her breathing became heavy. Her fast pants scorched her throat, and Rachel felt as if an animal was clawing at it. Any sound making it past her eardrum was warped as if she were underwater. Her nose was finding it impossible to smell anything anymore as she breathed. The scent of the luscious flowers just outside the door fading into the back of her nose. Her body was electrified, twitching and sizzling every few moments.
Rachel found her brain the only thing able to work. Her head was still spinning with thoughts, much like her vision was. Her thoughts were going hundreds of miles per hour, not being able to think straight. She saw memories from when she was little, and she saw events that had not happened yet. She saw an older version of herself, throwing a blue hairbrush in her paint-splattered working clothes. She gasped when she came face-to-face with William, his bright blue eyes shining with concern.
The fantasies didn't pause there.
Colors twisted together until a new scene arrived. The Princess of Athens stood in a ballroom. Her dress was loose and trailed a couple of feet behind her. She held flowers in her hands and a smile on her face. The dress was pure white, and it poofed out at her shoulders. The rest of the dress was tight on her torso but exploded into ruffles at her waist. A foot or so away from her stood a man who looked to be in his thirties or forties. The smile was cruel on his face, but that was hard to tell from the outside eye. His suit was a simple black one, with a navy blue tie. The color seemed to be one of the wedding colors, as Annabeth's flowers were a navy color.
The priest was saying something, but Rachel was not able to hear anything. The Princess of Athens gulped, only making the black-haired man grin wider. Her fingers shook around the bouquet in her hands and opened her mouth. Just as that happened, everyone's head's snapped towards Rachel but seemed to look past her. Only she found herself helpless as she could not move.
Just as the colors blurred, Rachel caught sight of seven hooded assassins stepping in her line of vision.
Next, Rachel saw Prince William. His golden locks bounced around on his head as he worked on a patient. The other boy on the table had a large scar running down the side of his face, and his face was sheet white. His hair was crusted with blood, and his arms were showered in infected cuts. His shirt was ripped in several places, gushing crimson liquid. The sight would've made Rachel cringe if she could move.
At the wounded teen's side was Annabeth Chase. She was grasping the boy's hand, watching with a worried face as William worked on the boy. When Rachel saw the boy flinch, Annabeth's face dropped. Her eyes widened and she let go of his hand to shove William away.
Her face was highly distraught, tears brimming her eyes. As Willaim tried to push through the girl to get back to the boy, she shoved his back once again. The princess shielded the hurt teen and pointed a shaking finger at William. Something must've been coming from her mouth, but Rachel couldn't hear. Then William and Annabeth jumped as something outside of Rachel's vision happened.
Annabeth ran off with a second glance at Luke as William hurried to the door after throwing a blanket over his patient.
When darkness took the fantasies away, Rachel panicked. Why was William with the Princess of Athens? Was William in Athens? If he was, why? How come William wasn't being escorted back to Delphi if he was talking with Annabeth? Why wasn't Annabeth helping him? Did she threaten him? Protectiveness flooded through Rachel before another foresight clouded her eyes.
On all sides of Rachel were unfamiliar people. They were all in their teens, but Rachel was sure the green-eyed boy was in his early twenties at least.
They all seemed to be speaking, but they were all looking directly at her. Could they see her? Was she there in this sighting?
Suddenly, the twenty-year-old came up to her and shook her shoulders. The rest of the figures watched him cautiously like they didn't know what to do. His eyes were caring, and the green swirled like a hurricane. "Rachel, you'd be a fantastic addition, if you're willing that is."
Shocked that she could hear the guy, she opened her mouth to speak. She heard her voice, but it sounded far away as if she were a ghost. She listened to the words that poured out of her mouth. "Percy, I'd love to, but I don't think I'm cut out for this." At the boy's frown, she quickly added, "I promise not to tell anyone of your identity, being close to the royals of Delphi."
The boy then grinned, patting her on the back, his hands still resting on her shoulders. He pushed a curl out of her face, and she could feel his calloused hand. It was as if she were truly there. At that tent with those people, she'd never seen before. The rest of the crew whispering in the back, some giggles and coughing sounds coming from them.
Rachel ignored them, only focusing on the gorgeous boy then pulled her into a hug. She wrapped her arms around his torso, feeling his muscles as his arms stayed around her shoulders. She could smell a faint scent of sea salt on the guy as if he'd just come back from a swim. She breathed in deeply, wishing the smell was stronger than what her other-self could pick up on.
"Thank you for the opportunity." She whispered, forcefully pulling herself out of the hug. Then on a whim, she stood on her tiptoes and pecked the guy on the cheek, gaining a tiny blush on his cheeks. Before anything else happened, the man disappeared.
Rachel was disgusted. During that out of body experience, she had just kissed a guy. Her first kiss. A person she didn't even know as of now. Why would she do that? Did she even know the guy very well at that time? Although, Rachel subconsciously wasn't complaining considering he smelled amazing and was hot as hell.
Rachel's eyes snapped open, she rubbed her eyes, wondering if everything she just saw was a dream.
It scared her though, knowing that Princess Annabeth was to be married off soon, and she was getting promised to a man in her dream. Then, Prince William had been with Annabeth, safe and sound. He was most likely in Athens, but how could Rachel be sure. She didn't want the kingdoms to go to war because of a false accusation. Finally, she had seen, felt, and been herself when she kissed a guy.
Feeling much better than she seemingly had hours ago, she sat up. Her bun was still in, her cherry hair still away from her face. Her clothes were even more stained, light green dust shading the cream shade of her dress.
When Rachel stood, her legs were more rested than ever and felt as if they could run a marathon. Her throat refreshed, no longer on fire. The ringing in her ears vanished, along with the tickling in her veins. Her nose was able to smell again, a rotten scent nonetheless. Her orbs had adjusted to the darkness outside and the shadows in the home.
Just as the thought that lights above her head flickered on. Adjusting to the light, Rachel blinked her eyes. On the other side of the single-roomed home, she saw something even grosser than kissing a guy she didn't know.
A rotting mummy corpse sat leaning against the wall. Green fog puffed out of its mouth every so often, making the girl shiver. What had the green mist put her through moments ago? Glancing out the window in the corner of her eye she corrected herself. 'Hours, possibly days ago.'
Her gaze was sent back to the corpse when it made a noise. The black body with sunken eyes, skin and bones body and a green cough moved. Seconds ago sitting limply on the ground, now sat up straight. The legs were no longer hanging limply outstretched in front of him but a crisscrossed style. Its arms were in its lap, hands folded neatly. The old cloth clung to the frail body, some pieces revealing more than what Rachel figured was right.
Pine colored smog piled out of the open mouth of the body, and Rachel took a step forward. She didn't want to, but if she could get more hints on where William could be through the green dew, she'd take the bodily shut down any day.
A croaky voice came with the subtle amount of pine smog, so Rachel's thumping heart sped up a bit.
'Sightseer, fortune teller, prophet, forecaster…'
"What?" Rachel asked. Telling the future? What did that have to do with green smoke?
'I've been awaiting you, Rachel Elizabeth Dare.'
Fear poured through her system, freezing up her train of thought. How did this mummy know her name? Why had it been waiting for her? What did it want? How was the mummy moving?
Swallowing thickly, Rachel's right hand whipped to her left shoulder. She grasped the cold hilt of her knife, pulling it out from under her sleeve. Despite not knowing if she could proceed to use the weapon against the corpse, it made Rachel feel safer. "How do you know my name?"
'My name was once known too. Look what happened to me.' A laugh sounded through the corpse, but it soon changed into a choking noise. The whispering voice breathed hard, trying to get air into lungs that no longer existed. 'I'd rather have you make the impending decision Miss Dare. I'd rather not have to choose for you.'
Rachel's ears perked up, and she raised an eyebrow. She pointed her knife at the corpse, taking a few steps until she was a meter away from it. "What choice?"
'Would you like to tell the future or live it?'
The answer was easy. Rachel would rather live in the future. She'd hate to tell her future if she never got to live it. What would be the point of life anyway? Telling the future would be fun, but what would be the price?
"I'd rather live it."
The elderly voice chuckled. 'Very well, Miss Dare. See you soon.'
'Wait-" She tried, but was stopped when loads of the smoke erupted from the once again corpse. She backed away, the wooden floorboards creaking stubbornly under her feet. Her breathing picked up and her heart pounded as she backed up towards the door. She needed to get out.
When Rachel reached the door she jangled the door handle but it didn't budge. She shouted in a mixture of fear and frustration before whipping around. She turned, pushed, pulled, but nothing worked. The door was stuck. She used all her might, her voice. "Please, please, please!" She yelled at the door, dreaming for it to open and the smoke surrounded her again.
'The choice was made, Miss Dare, and I'm afraid it can't be undone.'
Rachel dropped her knife and pounded on the door, tears coming to her eyes. She screamed for help, doubting anyone heard her from town.
A roar of laughter filled the room, the raspy sound striking fear in Rachel. 'Good luck, oracle.'
The cottage was engulfed in a forest-green smoke, covering all of Rachel Elizabeth Dare and her quieting coughs and screams.
Words: 4,220
Sorry for the wait! This chapter took too many attempts to write!:)
[ANY RECOGNIZABLE CHARACTERS GO TO RICK RIORDAN]
-Bookworm-2026