Raine woke up to the sound of birds twittering and sunlight streaming
between the slits in the dirty, ragged curtains. Blinking, she got up,
stretching out her arms. She brushed her long hair out of her eyes and got
up to change. There weren't a lot of clothes to pick from. She ended up
pulling on a worn pair of pants and a top that was made from the same
scratchy material. Raine hadn't slept well last night, the same strange
dream had visited her again. She went to the mirror and combed out her
hair. It flowed out, clean and well kept, though she hardly ever took care
of it. It was like that ever since she could remember, just like her
perfect skin. She shuffled into the kitchen to get breakfast ready.
A while later, she walked out the front door and into the cobblestone streets. She made her way to the library. Raine always went to the library to escape her parents and the foul kids that followed her and mocked her. They never learn, not even after she broke the nose of dirty MacField's son after he mocked her and tried to grab her hair when she walked away.
She looked down the rows of worn books. It was usually history books or books with old fables. Raine walked down the rows of bookshelves, not really knowing what she was searching for. Finally, she left the library and decided to just roam around the city.
It was a hot day and Raine regretted wearing the clothes she picked out. The thick material made her sweat and she thought of going back home to change. Raine changed her mind, remembering her parents. She continued walking. She found herself in the main park. Many citizens came here and took walks. Raine went down the dirt path and walked into the shade of a tree. Suddenly, it happened again.
It was exactly the same thing that happened a year ago when a thief had sneaked up behind her and tried to make off with her bag. The sound of birds and trees rustling faded around her and it was as if her ears honed in one sound. The sound of soft footsteps behind her and a snap of a twig.
Raine turned around, raising her arms in self-defense, ready to block an attack of anyone fool enough to assault her. The old man stumbled backwards in fear and dismay. Raine expected another pompous kid like MacField, so she was taken aback.
The man seemed almost frightened of her, but as she watched him, the elderly man seemed more frightened of being seen by others. He kept on wringing his gnarled hands and glancing behind his shoulder nervously.
"Who are you?" she asked warily, but lowering her arms. The man avoided her eyes as he replied. "I am Mr. Farrell. I-I saw you walking and came to warn you that..."
"What?" Raine prompted when the man hesitated. "Miss, You should be careful, the king has ordered the slaughter of all..." He trailed off again. Raine was beginning to lose patience trying to make sense of all his babbling. "The slaughter of who?" The man gave a squeak of fright and looked around nervously.
"Do not speak so loudly and in public too!" he whispered, beckoning her urgently to him. Raine still didn't trust him and didn't budge. The man crept closer. "The killing of... Them." He said the last word in an awed way. He finally met her eyes but only for a second. "Who are them?"
"I dare not say the name for I am scared of death." "Look, I don't know who you are, but I'm not wasting my time listening to some guy saying unfinished sentences!" she finally snapped, about to leave.
"Miss, please!" he squealed. Raine stopped and turned around again, folding her arms. "I don't want to say too much and in this open area, but I want you to take this." He gave her a bundle wrapped in a coarse fabric the color of dirt. "I was on my way to burn it and then I saw you walking." Raine hesitated before taking the package. From the shape and feel, she guessed that it was some papers and a small book. She looked up, but the man was gone. Raine looked around, but no one was there, and the only sound was a breeze blowing through the trees and the soft whisper of leaves.
Raine forgot about the package for the rest of the day. But she remembered it when her mother had thrown a heavy volume at her because she hadn't been there when she was hungry. As she ran up the stairs to her room, she remembered the package that she had dumped in the corner. Raine closed the door behind her firmly, blocking out the sounds of her mother yelling. She took the badly wrapped package and sat on her cot with it on her lap. Then, she gingerly opened it.
It was a small leather bound book and many pieces of old parchment, the things that she had expected. But when she turned over the book, she saw that in gold, peeling letters, the word Diary was embossed onto the front cover. She hesitated before opening it. Raine felt like she was intruding on someone's privacy. But the old man had given it to her, so she had the right to read the contents. She turned to the first page that was yellowed with age.
Raine started to read the cramped and swirly writing. It was hard to read and some could not be understood. But after reading a few entries, she got the idea that a girl around her age had written this. Raine started to yawn and get bored, but then something caught her eye. She stared at the sentence in shock. Then, she abandoned the old book and snatched up the parchments. Raine's eyes were widened and filled with her dismay. They were maps of the world. She looked at the mountains and forests. She stared at a few places that she had never heard of.
"So it's true," she murmured, her eyes filled with wonder. "There really are elves!"
A while later, she walked out the front door and into the cobblestone streets. She made her way to the library. Raine always went to the library to escape her parents and the foul kids that followed her and mocked her. They never learn, not even after she broke the nose of dirty MacField's son after he mocked her and tried to grab her hair when she walked away.
She looked down the rows of worn books. It was usually history books or books with old fables. Raine walked down the rows of bookshelves, not really knowing what she was searching for. Finally, she left the library and decided to just roam around the city.
It was a hot day and Raine regretted wearing the clothes she picked out. The thick material made her sweat and she thought of going back home to change. Raine changed her mind, remembering her parents. She continued walking. She found herself in the main park. Many citizens came here and took walks. Raine went down the dirt path and walked into the shade of a tree. Suddenly, it happened again.
It was exactly the same thing that happened a year ago when a thief had sneaked up behind her and tried to make off with her bag. The sound of birds and trees rustling faded around her and it was as if her ears honed in one sound. The sound of soft footsteps behind her and a snap of a twig.
Raine turned around, raising her arms in self-defense, ready to block an attack of anyone fool enough to assault her. The old man stumbled backwards in fear and dismay. Raine expected another pompous kid like MacField, so she was taken aback.
The man seemed almost frightened of her, but as she watched him, the elderly man seemed more frightened of being seen by others. He kept on wringing his gnarled hands and glancing behind his shoulder nervously.
"Who are you?" she asked warily, but lowering her arms. The man avoided her eyes as he replied. "I am Mr. Farrell. I-I saw you walking and came to warn you that..."
"What?" Raine prompted when the man hesitated. "Miss, You should be careful, the king has ordered the slaughter of all..." He trailed off again. Raine was beginning to lose patience trying to make sense of all his babbling. "The slaughter of who?" The man gave a squeak of fright and looked around nervously.
"Do not speak so loudly and in public too!" he whispered, beckoning her urgently to him. Raine still didn't trust him and didn't budge. The man crept closer. "The killing of... Them." He said the last word in an awed way. He finally met her eyes but only for a second. "Who are them?"
"I dare not say the name for I am scared of death." "Look, I don't know who you are, but I'm not wasting my time listening to some guy saying unfinished sentences!" she finally snapped, about to leave.
"Miss, please!" he squealed. Raine stopped and turned around again, folding her arms. "I don't want to say too much and in this open area, but I want you to take this." He gave her a bundle wrapped in a coarse fabric the color of dirt. "I was on my way to burn it and then I saw you walking." Raine hesitated before taking the package. From the shape and feel, she guessed that it was some papers and a small book. She looked up, but the man was gone. Raine looked around, but no one was there, and the only sound was a breeze blowing through the trees and the soft whisper of leaves.
Raine forgot about the package for the rest of the day. But she remembered it when her mother had thrown a heavy volume at her because she hadn't been there when she was hungry. As she ran up the stairs to her room, she remembered the package that she had dumped in the corner. Raine closed the door behind her firmly, blocking out the sounds of her mother yelling. She took the badly wrapped package and sat on her cot with it on her lap. Then, she gingerly opened it.
It was a small leather bound book and many pieces of old parchment, the things that she had expected. But when she turned over the book, she saw that in gold, peeling letters, the word Diary was embossed onto the front cover. She hesitated before opening it. Raine felt like she was intruding on someone's privacy. But the old man had given it to her, so she had the right to read the contents. She turned to the first page that was yellowed with age.
Raine started to read the cramped and swirly writing. It was hard to read and some could not be understood. But after reading a few entries, she got the idea that a girl around her age had written this. Raine started to yawn and get bored, but then something caught her eye. She stared at the sentence in shock. Then, she abandoned the old book and snatched up the parchments. Raine's eyes were widened and filled with her dismay. They were maps of the world. She looked at the mountains and forests. She stared at a few places that she had never heard of.
"So it's true," she murmured, her eyes filled with wonder. "There really are elves!"
