I can't stand it any longer.
I'm moving out of my parents' house forever and leaving them behind!
I hate being abused by them for everything I didn't do and being smacked around like a doll!
...But I don't want to get caught by them and punished for sneaking out, so I'll do this at midnight.
I have packed everything I have and kept it in the cabinet, so they would not notice I am escaping from them.
On my final night in this godforsaken house, I officially erased my last name and left it blank, waiting to see who would take me in... if the cycle would not repeat itself.
They still treated me like crap and refused to give me food or water, leaving me locked in the basement again as they went drinking.
This is the perfect moment, and I will write in my journal again after escaping from my 'parents'' house.
If I can escape without being caught by other strangers, that is.
From: Stephanie -.
A young girl finished writing in her small journal with a small sketch of the house and angry parents holding bottles of alcohol with a crying child covered in bruises.
She closed it, showing it was a dark blue journal with a combination lock on the side with three dials.
Then she stood up in the darkness and opened the cabinet in the basement after getting past some garbage lying around, taking out a hand-stitched backpack made of various scraps of fabric.
She placed the journal into her hand-stitched backpack and stood back up, placing it over her shoulders and on her back.
After placing her backpack on her back, the young girl walked over to a small window and climbed onto a creaky old stool, going on her tippy-toes as she looked through it.
Her hazelnut eyes watched as two figures walked over to a rundown car and went inside, driving away from the house and down the street.
The head ducked down after the car drove away and soon returned with a small wooden two-by-four, gently banging against the small window.
Soon the window popped open after two strikes, allowing some fresh cold wind to blow into the basement.
It caused someone to shudder before moving their hand out of the popped basement window with a thin, grime-covered arm, grabbing a handful of the grass.
Slowly, a small figure crawled out of the basement window on all fours before slowly standing on its dirty bare feet.
The moonlight gleamed from behind the clouds and revealed a young female child standing outside, looking at her surroundings.
Small puffs of condensation air came from the child's mouth as she breathed slowly before stepping out of the house's shadows.
Her almost pale ivory skin is covered in grime with very long dirty dark copper brown hair that reaches down to her ankles, covering some parts of her face and flowing behind her back.
The young child wore a raggy long-sleeved dark blue dress that reached down to her ankles, with the ends ripped and covered in dirt and grime.
She also wore black tights that reached down to her ankles and were ripped from the ends of the pants and covered in dirt and grime.
The young girl pushed back some oily hair over her shoulder to reveal her face, which was covered slightly in dirt on the cheeks and had innocent hazelnut brown eyes.
After looking around for strangers, the young girl dashed across the street and went towards the forest, double-checking for anyone else coming.
Then she jumped a little and grabbed the top of the fence, climbing over the ledge and looking into the backyard.
Fortunately, there were no dogs in the backyard or anyone else around as the young girl nodded.
She stood up to her feet once she was on top and walked across the narrow top of the post with her arms out for balance.
When she reached the end, the young girl jumped down from the fence and landed on her hands and feet before standing back up.
The young girl continued walking through the neighborhood, being careful not to be caught by any strangers, and stopped when she came across a busy street.
She watched a few cars cross the street without noticing the young girl as she surveyed the lane.
But then she notices something moving along on the sidewalk on the other side of the street.
She perked up after watching the movement, glancing from side to side as no cars were passing by.
As fast as she could, the young girl crossed the street and reached the other side, looking at what was on the other side of the sidewalk.
To her surprise, it was a young black-and-white striped and spotted kitten, and it stopped trying to get over the sidewalk and puffed, softly growling while staring at her.
The young girl softly smiled and reached with both hands for the young kitten, gently scooping it into her hands as it hissed, but soon stopped after being picked up and held close to her chest.
Noticing a car was coming, the young girl quickly stepped out of the street and went into the forest, leaving the small neighborhood as she entered the semi-dark forest.
Using the moon's light, the young girl sat down on a rock and looked at the kitten, who calmed down and was curled in her palms while slightly shaking in fear.
The kitten had blue eyes with a white muzzle and a pink nose, white socks with black toes, a white underbelly, and was covered in spots with the tail in stripes along with the face around the eyes.
She softly smiled after inspecting the kitten and gently scratched the head with her fingers, causing the kitten to purr as it rubbed its face against her hand.
The young girl glanced up at the moon thoughtfully as the kitten playfully bit her fingers with its teeth before noticing something strange about it.
The moon was wide… but was in a beautiful blue color she had not seen before when she was locked in the basement.
Is this… normal?
Curiously, the young girl stood up onto her feet while cupping the kitten in her hands before moving the kitten up to her shoulder.
The kitten climbed onto her shoulder and curled close to her neck from underneath her long dirty hair.
The young girl removed her hand after the kitten climbed on her shoulder and glanced back at the moon, seeing it was shining a beam down into the deep forest.
So the young girl followed the moonlight beam through the forest, carefully stepping over rocks, fallen trees, logs, and small rivers.
She headed further and further into the woods while her newfound kitten lay close to her neck for warmth.
But she noticed the small rivers had turned an odd light blue color as she crossed another one, thinking it was strange.
Soon she entered a small gap and gasped softly, seeing she had come across a small temple hidden within the forest.
The temple had five small pillars encircling it, and the moonlight shone down from above onto a center pedestal.
Curious, the young girl walked up to the center pillar and looked at what was on it, seeing it was a crystal ball stand.
But… where can she find a crystal ball?
Before she walks away from the pillar, the young girl pauses when she notices a small bag on the side of the center column.
She reached down and picked the bag up, feeling there were some items inside that were slightly heavy.
Confused, the young girl sat down on the ground in front of the center pillar and opened the bag, seeing there were items inside.
There was a hand-sized meteor rock, a rock, a matchbox, and a small bottle filled with water.
She reached into the bag and took out a small rolled-up scroll from inside, looking at the wax stamp holding it.
It was in the shape of a rose and had a ribbon wrapped around it, which the young girl carefully opened.
There was handwriting on the scroll with a '🜂' symbol over the written words.
She lifted the scroll to her face while squinting slightly to read the words.
It reads:
Here and now, I evoke the elemental force of fire,
The flames of creativity and passion, dancing source of heat, light, and life.
I seek the glowing forge within that I might warm myself with desire, excitement, courage, and inspiration.
I call you to burn away all that impedes my highest vision and enact change in the world.
Lightning and Hearth
Heart and Forge
Fire, I call thee hence.
The young girl cocked her head after reading the first scroll before reaching into the bag to take out the matchbox, returning to the scroll of fire.
Then, an idea popped into her head, and she picked up the bag again, taking it with her as she walked over to the pillars.
She went to the first one on the left and brushed away the leaves on top of it, seeing it had the same symbol as the one on the scroll.
Returning to the matchbox, she collected some leaves she had brushed off and bunched them in the center, making sure none of the leaves would fall off by accident.
She took the matchbox out of the bag and opened it, seeing enough matches inside.
The young girl took out one of them from the matchbox and lit the match, placing it slowly in the bundle of leaves.
She watched as the leaves burned from the match's fire and stepped back, watching as they lit up and started burning.
To her surprise, multiple red veins formed from the top of the pillar and down to the bottom, reaching over to the center column as it was covered in the red veins, lighting a symbol underneath the leaves.
Then the fire lifted from the pillar, transformed into a solid crystal, and hovered over the column as it was in the shape of a fire.
Amazed, the young girl returned to the scrolls as she placed the bag down, looking at the next scroll as it had a '🜃' and read:
Here and now, I evoke the elemental force of Earth,
The soil of fertility and growth and the prolific source of stability, stillness, and health.
I seek the deep cavern within that I might patiently build strength, mystery, and abundance.
I call you forth to filter away all that is impure and to stand rooted in this world.
Mountain and Dust,
Footstep and Stone,
Earth, I call thee hence.
The young girl read the scroll and walked over to the second pillar on the left, brushing the leaves off to look at the pillar's symbol, seeing it was the same.
She reached into the bag, pulled out a hand-sized rock, placed it down on the pillar, and stepped back.
Green veins appeared underneath the rock and reached the center pillar, lighting up another symbol.
The rock lifted from the pillar and transformed into a crystal in the shape of a leaf.
The young girl nodded her head and went back to the center pillar, looking at the next scroll with a '🜄' and reads:
Here and now, I evoke the elemental force of water,
The fluid of infinite shapes and forms, a flowing source of adaptability, emotion, and life.
I seek the pure spring within that I might drink deep of change, relationship, nourishment, and grace.
I call you to wash away all that needlessly binds and move fluidly in this world.
Ocean and River,
Ripple and Rain,
Water, I call thee hence.
The young girl looked up from the scroll, walked over to the first pillar on the right, and brushed the leaves off, seeing the column had the same symbol as the scroll and had a small bowl on top of it.
She reached into the bag and took out the small glass bottle filled with water, popping the cork and pouring it into the small bowl.
Blue veins appeared underneath the bowl and traveled to the center pillar, lighting up the symbol.
The young girl poured the rest of the water into the bowl and placed the empty bottle into the bag, glancing back up as the water lifted from the bowl.
She watched as the water transformed into a crystal in the shape of a water droplet, hovering over the empty bowl.
After the water transformed, the young girl looked at the next scroll as it had a '🜁' and read:
Here and now, I evoke the element force of air,
The winds of intellect and imagination, swirling sources of flight, breath, and life.
I seek the open sky within myself so that I might breathe deep in freedom, ideas, sounds, and space.
I call you to sweep away all that accumulates in the unseen places and sing beauty into the world.
Wing and Feather,
Storm and Leaf,
Air, I call thee hence.
The young girl's face turned to confusion after reading the scroll after she had walked over to the fourth pillar on the right and stared at it after removing the leaves, seeing it had the same symbol.
…But how can the young girl place air on the pillar, and how can she get air?
The young girl thought for a moment of what she could do as she sighed, watching as cyan blue veins appeared briefly before disappearing.
She perked up after the cyan blue veins appeared and disappeared, staring at it thoughtfully before gently blowing at the pillar's top.
Cyan blue veins reappeared, went into the center pillar, and transformed the air into a crystal in the shape of a breeze.
Then all four crystals floated away from the pillars and went to the center, hovering over the center as the young girl walked over.
She flipped to the last scroll with the '✡' and reads:
Here and now, I reach deep within myself.
Here and now, I evoke Spirit.
I call on the force connecting me to the world of existence.
The thread that ran back through my blood and the rippling spreading out from my actions.
I call on the visions that have inspired me, the kindness that has lifted me, and the love I have given and received.
Love and Song,
Home and Road,
Spirit, I call thee hence.
The young girl looked up at the center pillar thoughtfully before walking up to the center column and looking at it.
She brushed the leaves off and saw the same symbol in the center, with the other elemental symbols glowing all around her.
The young girl reached into the bag and pulled out the meteor, placing it on the crystal ball stand.
But when she lifted her arm up to remove it from the rock, it did not, and it surprised the young girl as it was stuck to the meteor.
Suddenly, purple veins appeared underneath the pillar as the young girl flinched, watching as the crystals looped around her.
The young girl panicked as she tried to remove her hand from the meteor as it cracked, causing her to stop as it shattered further.
She panicked and tried again as the kitten meowed in fear, trying to get off her shoulder but was stuck too.
Suddenly, the meteor shattered and launched the young girl backward as she screamed in fear, landing roughly on her back as the kitten fell off, scrambling underneath her right arm.
The remaining crystals went into the meteor as it closed again, now imprinted with the young girl's hand on it.
But the glowing veins did not die as the young girl shookily sat up slightly as the kitten peeked out from underneath her sleeve.
The young girl picked the kitten from the ground from underneath and slowly but shakily stood up to her feet, seeing the meteor had her handprint on it.
She slowly walked over to the meteor and looked at it as it barely lifted or did anything.
She watched as the veins from the pillars disappeared and went into the meteor, crumbling after being used.
The young girl turned back to the meteor as it crumbled, revealing a crystal pendant necklace!
The young girl stared at the crystal necklace after the meteor crumbled and reached for the necklet with her right hand.
She picked the necklace up from the pillar as it crumbled after the necklet was lifted, looking at it curiously as she placed it in her left hand.
The necklace has a chrysanthemum shape on the front cover with a rainbow gemstone inside, almost like a locket.
The young girl's eyes shone with amazement after seeing the necklace in her hands, even feeling curious about the gemstone within the locket.
She sat down on the ground and poked around with the locket, wondering how she could open it to inspect it.
Soon, her nails scratched across the sides, and the locket popped open from her fingernails, causing her to perk.
She flipped the locket back to the front and looked at the sides, seeing she had opened it using her fingernails.
The young girl curiously opened the locket with her first finger and looked at the inside, seeing there was a piece of gemstone in it.
It was small, fit her palm, and was cut in a round, smooth shape with many colors that looked like a canvas blend.
The young girl looked amazed after opening the locket but paused when she noticed the other side had gears inside.
But the young girl noticed some gears were missing and a few springs with other missing mechanical items.
She took her backpack off and reached inside, taking out a few items she had stolen from behind her 'parents'' back before escaping.
They were a pen, an almost destroyed pocket watch that her father threw out because 'it was not worth getting the money,' and tweezers.
She opened the pen and used the tweezers to replace the broken spring with a new one, placing it carefully inside as it clicked.
Then she opened the broken pocket watch and took out some gears inside that were still intact, placing them one by one inside to see which would fit.
Some did not fit where the originals had lined up, but luckily some pieces of the broken pocket watch fit in some places where the damaged parts used to be and completed the gemstone locket.
The young girl smiled after fixing the gemstone locket's mechanics and putting the items into her backpack.
Then she stood up with the kitten on her shoulder and closed the gemstone locket in her hands.
Maybe it was an incredible discovery she made.
She unlocked the fishhook clasp and placed the necklace around her neck as it reached down to the bottom of her collarbone.
But as soon as the young girl placed the necklace on, the necklace's gears and mechanism started to automatically start.
The young girl perked up after hearing the small whirs and clicks of the locket before a bright rainbow glow came from the necklace.
Her long hair floated upward as a small circle appeared on the ground underneath her feet, and a transformation began.
The young girl's hair turned from a dark copper brown to a dark blue, and her eyes turned from hazelnut brown to beautiful azure blue eyes.
After the transformation, the young girl disappears into thin air with the kitten on her shoulder.
All that was left behind was a destroyed ruin as the moon vanished behind the clouds.