Title: Shunned
Author: Raven-Mistress for the Incarnate
Category: Labyrinth
Rating: Pg13-R
Summary: A child, not quite a girl, but still not a woman, is hated by her father and forgotten by the world. What happens when she receives a birthday gift from her aunt, the gift of a small, leather-bound black book, with the words 'Labyrinth of Logic' printed on its cover?
Authors Note: I would appreciate reviews. ~Raven~
Disclaimer- I own nothing.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The path was still dark; the walls seemed to be getting closer and closer together, making the path narrow. Those same walls still refused to allow the sun passage into the great labyrinth. This was getting to be too much; Constance could feel the claustrophobic urge to turn around and find her way out building in her chest. She resisted the urge, instead using it to fuel her pace, not caring about the sharp particles of rock and dirt that cut into her feet, she ran faster, hoping for away out of the almost pitch- black corridor.
She ran, the never-ending walls seemed to taunt her, making her feel as though she were going mad with the desire to be free of them. Time seemed to pass slowly; her breathing became labored and harsh. She tried to keep her pace quick, but her tired limbs seemed to become tangled together, she tripped.
Her eyes shut tightly; her arms and hands flew out in front of her, a reflex, her subconscious trying to break her fall. But, there was no rough landing, no scraping of her skin of the rough ground; in fact, there was no landing at all. Just falling.
She opened her eyes and found herself falling further and further in darkness. There were no walls, no ceiling and no light. She couldn't be sure if she was falling down or up. She couldn't control her speed, and she knew that when she landed it would hurt. The ground below was going to be hard.
But instead, there was no ground. She landed with a resounding 'splash', and was sucked under the surface. The water was dark, murky and within moments of being submerged she was chilled to the bone.
Bubbles floated past her face, they were moving past her, towards what she hoped was the surface. Doing a fast one hundred and eighty degree turn, she began to kick her feet and swim hard. The current pushed and pulled her and waters icy hands seemed to be trying to push her further down, but she kept staining. Her features began to look gray; her lips took on a faint blue cast. Then she saw it. It was a flicker, barely visible through the water. It was the sun.
She broke the surface and gasped in the sweet-smelling air. She shielded her eyes for a moment, being taken back by how bright the light was after the waters darkness. Rising up in the water, she found herself standing.
She was ankle deep in a large, white marble fountain that was set in the center of a circular structure. Walking to the edge she stepped out of the now warm, clear-blue waters and on to soft, springy, green grass. She swept her wet locks from her face and studied her new surroundings.
She had come up in a small, circular, enclosed area, surrounded by high, marble pillars, between each pillar stood a great redwood tree. The trees were so thick around the trunk that they seemed to almost connect with the pillars, making sure that whatever lay within the circle stayed there. Or maybe it was to keep what lay outside from getting in? It was no difference, both meant she was trapped.
She ran to each pillar, praying to find that there was a large enough gap between one of the marble forms and the overbearingly large trees for her to squeeze through. But, her prayers went unanswered.
She turned around and around, thinking that maybe, just maybe she had missed something. A secret door, a limb low enough on one the trees for her to climb up, a gopher hole, anything. Her efforts were wasted; there was no way of escape. There were only the pillars, the trees and the fountain.
She gave a small, frustrated growl and collapsed to the ground, having to resist the urge to pound her fist on it as she sat there. She felt the situation was hopeless. She was going to be stuck in there until she either died or was rescued by the one who was forcing her to play that stupid game in the first place.
'Being rescued doesn't sound so bad." A traitorous voice whispered in the back of her mind, she violently shook off the notion.
For several minutes after that, she sat in the grass, eyes unfocused as her ribs began to feel as though they were constricting around her lungs. Bowing her head, she found herself having to concentrate on breathing.
Looking up from her place on the ground, her eyes focused on the fountain. Absent-mindedly she noted how it was truly a magnificent creation, it was a basic pool enclosed by a circular two foot tall, marble wall. In center stood another marble creation, three tall statues, all of them men. They formed a triangle within the pool, standing with their backs to each other.
They were wearing the same style of clothing that the King seemed to frequent. Each of them bore the same light and attractive features and there was no mistaking their fey heritage. Their eye brows were upswept and even in their stone portrayals they had a regal bearing. They were beautiful. Each was holding a silver platter, something she had neglected to notice until that moment. Water trickled off of these platters and into glittering pool below.
Standing, she made her way back to the fountain, feeling the sudden need to further investigate the strange and beautiful form. Stepping back into the pool she carefully approached the stone beings.
The closer she got, more real they seemed, the detail was amazingly intricate. The folds and texture of the clothing, every individual strand of hair, they were captured in a moment of time. Even the somber expressions, on their faces, had been portrayed so fully, they almost created a feeling of being on sacred ground.
Once she stood directly before one, she almost expected it to come to life, like almost every other inanimate object she had come in contact with had. But, it stood still, marble eyes starring past her.
The platters were held gently in stone hands that were raised up to a height even with her chest. There were intricate designed forged into the delicate metal, they looked much like the Gaelic knots that adorned much of her aunts apartments furnishings. In the middle of the tray sat a glass vial, it small in proportions and was kept closed by a miniature cork. It was filled with a deep purple liquid; its color was astoundingly bright, yet it was equally dark.
With docile fingers she picked up the small container and before inspecting it further saw a word etched into the space on the platter that it had been occupying. Looking closely she the fine, scrawling print spelt out the word 'Past'.
"I wonder what that could mean." She asked herself quietly before returning her gaze to the vial in her hands.
For several moments she starred at the liquid inside before she plucked the stopper from its position and lifted the vial to her nose. She inhaled the sweet fragrance, it reminded her of the flowers Aunt Elizabeth insisted on growing inside her winter cabin, or maybe it was the perfume her Grandpa had sent from Ireland just before he passed on.
She stood there, quietly content in breathing in the nostalgic scents that wafted from the small vial until an alien hissed "Drink it," her head snapped up and she quickly looked about and found that she was still alone, "Drink it!" The voice was more insistent; it seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere all at the same time.
With an apprehensive face, she slowly lifted the vial to her lips and poured the liquid inside. Swallowing quickly, she expected to experience a taste or an after taste similar to the scent or the liquid, but there was nothing. Only a nauseating sensation, that started in the center of her stomach and made its way up.
The world began to spin around her, faster and faster until she finally had to shut her eyes to keep from being sick. The ground lurched beneath her feet and she became off balanced, she began to fall, but instead of landing in the shallow water of the fountain she landed on hard, freezing ground.
She opened her eyes and quickly jumped to her feet, she was no longer standing in the beautiful circle of trees and pillars, she was in a forest that looked as though it had recently seen an ice storm. The trees were coated with heavy frost and the ground had fine powder of snow covering it that seemed to freeze the soles of her feet on contact.
Carefully taking in her surroundings a sudden thought hit her, this forest looks familiar. As she looked closer she saw small details that only she would notice in a place like this, this was the forest that surrounded her Grandfathers old winter cabin. She knew that place like she knew the back of her hand; she had spent many years in her childhood traveling through this winter-wonderland.
She turned when she heard footsteps approaching, a woman in a dark green coat and blue jeans approached. Her hair was long and wavy; it was a dark auburn and glistened brightly where snow flakes had been caught up in its mass. Her skin was slightly golden and she was apple-cheeked from the cold, her eyes were a dark brown-red they had the look of innocence that was almost always reserved for children.
Constance starred at her, dumbfounded. The woman moved about the trees in a playful manner, completely ignoring Constance's presence. But Constance knew the importance of this moment; she drew in a deep breath and whispered "Mother."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Special thanks to-
Sapphira: Your support has helped me a lot. Thank you very much!
Addie: Thanks, I'm glad you like what I've got!
Luna: I'm getting the chapters out as fast as I can, thanks for reading.
Jammincat9: Thanks, I'm glad you like the new characters; I had a hard time deciding on how to make their personalities.
Author: Raven-Mistress for the Incarnate
Category: Labyrinth
Rating: Pg13-R
Summary: A child, not quite a girl, but still not a woman, is hated by her father and forgotten by the world. What happens when she receives a birthday gift from her aunt, the gift of a small, leather-bound black book, with the words 'Labyrinth of Logic' printed on its cover?
Authors Note: I would appreciate reviews. ~Raven~
Disclaimer- I own nothing.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The path was still dark; the walls seemed to be getting closer and closer together, making the path narrow. Those same walls still refused to allow the sun passage into the great labyrinth. This was getting to be too much; Constance could feel the claustrophobic urge to turn around and find her way out building in her chest. She resisted the urge, instead using it to fuel her pace, not caring about the sharp particles of rock and dirt that cut into her feet, she ran faster, hoping for away out of the almost pitch- black corridor.
She ran, the never-ending walls seemed to taunt her, making her feel as though she were going mad with the desire to be free of them. Time seemed to pass slowly; her breathing became labored and harsh. She tried to keep her pace quick, but her tired limbs seemed to become tangled together, she tripped.
Her eyes shut tightly; her arms and hands flew out in front of her, a reflex, her subconscious trying to break her fall. But, there was no rough landing, no scraping of her skin of the rough ground; in fact, there was no landing at all. Just falling.
She opened her eyes and found herself falling further and further in darkness. There were no walls, no ceiling and no light. She couldn't be sure if she was falling down or up. She couldn't control her speed, and she knew that when she landed it would hurt. The ground below was going to be hard.
But instead, there was no ground. She landed with a resounding 'splash', and was sucked under the surface. The water was dark, murky and within moments of being submerged she was chilled to the bone.
Bubbles floated past her face, they were moving past her, towards what she hoped was the surface. Doing a fast one hundred and eighty degree turn, she began to kick her feet and swim hard. The current pushed and pulled her and waters icy hands seemed to be trying to push her further down, but she kept staining. Her features began to look gray; her lips took on a faint blue cast. Then she saw it. It was a flicker, barely visible through the water. It was the sun.
She broke the surface and gasped in the sweet-smelling air. She shielded her eyes for a moment, being taken back by how bright the light was after the waters darkness. Rising up in the water, she found herself standing.
She was ankle deep in a large, white marble fountain that was set in the center of a circular structure. Walking to the edge she stepped out of the now warm, clear-blue waters and on to soft, springy, green grass. She swept her wet locks from her face and studied her new surroundings.
She had come up in a small, circular, enclosed area, surrounded by high, marble pillars, between each pillar stood a great redwood tree. The trees were so thick around the trunk that they seemed to almost connect with the pillars, making sure that whatever lay within the circle stayed there. Or maybe it was to keep what lay outside from getting in? It was no difference, both meant she was trapped.
She ran to each pillar, praying to find that there was a large enough gap between one of the marble forms and the overbearingly large trees for her to squeeze through. But, her prayers went unanswered.
She turned around and around, thinking that maybe, just maybe she had missed something. A secret door, a limb low enough on one the trees for her to climb up, a gopher hole, anything. Her efforts were wasted; there was no way of escape. There were only the pillars, the trees and the fountain.
She gave a small, frustrated growl and collapsed to the ground, having to resist the urge to pound her fist on it as she sat there. She felt the situation was hopeless. She was going to be stuck in there until she either died or was rescued by the one who was forcing her to play that stupid game in the first place.
'Being rescued doesn't sound so bad." A traitorous voice whispered in the back of her mind, she violently shook off the notion.
For several minutes after that, she sat in the grass, eyes unfocused as her ribs began to feel as though they were constricting around her lungs. Bowing her head, she found herself having to concentrate on breathing.
Looking up from her place on the ground, her eyes focused on the fountain. Absent-mindedly she noted how it was truly a magnificent creation, it was a basic pool enclosed by a circular two foot tall, marble wall. In center stood another marble creation, three tall statues, all of them men. They formed a triangle within the pool, standing with their backs to each other.
They were wearing the same style of clothing that the King seemed to frequent. Each of them bore the same light and attractive features and there was no mistaking their fey heritage. Their eye brows were upswept and even in their stone portrayals they had a regal bearing. They were beautiful. Each was holding a silver platter, something she had neglected to notice until that moment. Water trickled off of these platters and into glittering pool below.
Standing, she made her way back to the fountain, feeling the sudden need to further investigate the strange and beautiful form. Stepping back into the pool she carefully approached the stone beings.
The closer she got, more real they seemed, the detail was amazingly intricate. The folds and texture of the clothing, every individual strand of hair, they were captured in a moment of time. Even the somber expressions, on their faces, had been portrayed so fully, they almost created a feeling of being on sacred ground.
Once she stood directly before one, she almost expected it to come to life, like almost every other inanimate object she had come in contact with had. But, it stood still, marble eyes starring past her.
The platters were held gently in stone hands that were raised up to a height even with her chest. There were intricate designed forged into the delicate metal, they looked much like the Gaelic knots that adorned much of her aunts apartments furnishings. In the middle of the tray sat a glass vial, it small in proportions and was kept closed by a miniature cork. It was filled with a deep purple liquid; its color was astoundingly bright, yet it was equally dark.
With docile fingers she picked up the small container and before inspecting it further saw a word etched into the space on the platter that it had been occupying. Looking closely she the fine, scrawling print spelt out the word 'Past'.
"I wonder what that could mean." She asked herself quietly before returning her gaze to the vial in her hands.
For several moments she starred at the liquid inside before she plucked the stopper from its position and lifted the vial to her nose. She inhaled the sweet fragrance, it reminded her of the flowers Aunt Elizabeth insisted on growing inside her winter cabin, or maybe it was the perfume her Grandpa had sent from Ireland just before he passed on.
She stood there, quietly content in breathing in the nostalgic scents that wafted from the small vial until an alien hissed "Drink it," her head snapped up and she quickly looked about and found that she was still alone, "Drink it!" The voice was more insistent; it seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere all at the same time.
With an apprehensive face, she slowly lifted the vial to her lips and poured the liquid inside. Swallowing quickly, she expected to experience a taste or an after taste similar to the scent or the liquid, but there was nothing. Only a nauseating sensation, that started in the center of her stomach and made its way up.
The world began to spin around her, faster and faster until she finally had to shut her eyes to keep from being sick. The ground lurched beneath her feet and she became off balanced, she began to fall, but instead of landing in the shallow water of the fountain she landed on hard, freezing ground.
She opened her eyes and quickly jumped to her feet, she was no longer standing in the beautiful circle of trees and pillars, she was in a forest that looked as though it had recently seen an ice storm. The trees were coated with heavy frost and the ground had fine powder of snow covering it that seemed to freeze the soles of her feet on contact.
Carefully taking in her surroundings a sudden thought hit her, this forest looks familiar. As she looked closer she saw small details that only she would notice in a place like this, this was the forest that surrounded her Grandfathers old winter cabin. She knew that place like she knew the back of her hand; she had spent many years in her childhood traveling through this winter-wonderland.
She turned when she heard footsteps approaching, a woman in a dark green coat and blue jeans approached. Her hair was long and wavy; it was a dark auburn and glistened brightly where snow flakes had been caught up in its mass. Her skin was slightly golden and she was apple-cheeked from the cold, her eyes were a dark brown-red they had the look of innocence that was almost always reserved for children.
Constance starred at her, dumbfounded. The woman moved about the trees in a playful manner, completely ignoring Constance's presence. But Constance knew the importance of this moment; she drew in a deep breath and whispered "Mother."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Special thanks to-
Sapphira: Your support has helped me a lot. Thank you very much!
Addie: Thanks, I'm glad you like what I've got!
Luna: I'm getting the chapters out as fast as I can, thanks for reading.
Jammincat9: Thanks, I'm glad you like the new characters; I had a hard time deciding on how to make their personalities.