Willa screamed, ducking before a log could hit her in the head. Log after log flew through the air, landing perfectly in a pile. Her eyes widened, and she glanced at her papa's invention. It chopped wood and sent it flying into the pile.

"It's...working," she whispered, her fingers brushing over her lips in surprise. Her father laughed joyously.

"IT WORKS! It really works!" he danced around, clasping Willa's hand. "Oh, Willa, it really WORKS!"

"And it's ready for first prize at the fair tomorrow " she kissed her father's head. "Oh, Papa, I'm so proud of you-OOOH!" She ducked again, avoiding a blow to the head from another log flying through the air. Her father turned off the machine.

...

"GOODBYE, PAPA!" Willa called, waving as her father rode off on their horse, pulling the invention along. He stopped when the path parted in two directions. One direction lead to a sunny part of the forest, where you would hear birds chirping and the sound of laughing children in the distance. The other direction was dark and misty, and he was unable to see past the fog. A caw of an angry crow echoed.

The horse, Felipe, looked at either option, and then turned to go down the lighter path.

"Now now, Felipe, I'm pretty sure it's this way," Maurice said, tugging on Felipe's reigns, trying to lead the horse towards the darker side. Felipe studied it carefully before turning back to the light side, whinnying in annoyance.

"Felipe!" Maurice tugged on the reigns again, forcing the horse down the path...ultimately leading to his doom.

And only the horse could notice that?

"Quick, hand me the satchel and lift me up, and pull you up from there," Maybeck said, holding out his hands expectantly for the satchel. They were at the bottom of a small cliff blocking their path. The pounding of the horse's hoofs against the ground told them the guards were approaching. Fast.

"Yeah, right," one Stabbington brother snorted.

Maybeck put a hand to his heart. "I can't believe this. After all we've been through, you don't trust me?"

The Stabbington brothers' faces were a good enough answer. Maybeck's over dramatically hurt face fell. "Ouch."

He let the Stabbington Brother's hold the satchel as he climbed up their backs, stepping on their faces. He clutched the edge of the cliff, pulling himself up with a grunt. He turned around on his hands and knees, looking down at the brothers.

"Now, help us up, Maybeck," one held out his hand.

Maybeck shrugged, his signature smirk plastered on his face. "Sorry boys." He lifted his hand, revealing the satchel that he managed to swipe from the Brother's as he climbed. "My hands are full." With that, he turned on his heel and sprinted off, snickering at the sound of them shouting; "MAYBECKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK!"

"Well, mother, I was wondering, since I will be 18 and all...well... I was wondering if-"

"CHARLENE! Enough with the mumbling, you KNOW how I hate the mumbling! 'Bleh bleh bleh' it's VERY annoying I'm just kidding darling I love you so much!" Mother Gothel ran her words together, patting Charlene's cheek. Charlene blinked in awe for a second before continuing, louder this time.

"I want to see the floating lights!" Charlene yelled. Mother Gothel blinked her eyes in surprise, staring wide-eyed at the girl, before smiling calmly and nodding.

"Ah, you mean the stars."

"No, mother. I've charted stars, and they're always constant," Charlene used her hair to pull herself up onto a dent wide enough to stand on in the wall, running her hand down her star chart before swinging her hair, using it as a lasso to open the curtains, revealing her newest painting. It showed Charlene, long hair running down a hill, as she looked up as bright shapes flew up into the sky. "But these are different. They appear only one night a year, on my birthday. And only on my birthday. And I can't help feeling...feeling like they're meant for me," she sighed happily, placing a finger gently on one of the floating lights in her painting.

Mother Gothel was silent for a second, before cackling. "Charlene, darling, don't be crazy! The world is to dangerous for you! Look at you, as fragile as a flower! Still a little sapling, just a sprout! You know why we stay up in this tower!"

"Yes, but-"

But Charlene was cut off by Mother Gothel bursting into song. As MOST Disney movie do. Charlene sighed as her mother sang. For ONCE, can they not sing about everything that happens in their life?!

Charlene lowered her mother to the ground by her hair after the song ended, and watched as she disappeared from view. Pascal crawled onto my shoulder, patting my cheek gently. I closed my eyes, trying to hide the fact they were brimming with tears.

Will I ever leave this stupid tower?