Chapter one:

The smell of dust and mildew, the sound of leaking roofs, the feel of cold splintering planks on her bare feet. The low rumbles of hushed whispers, the metallic taste in her mouth, the heart beat pounding in her inner ear. This was all Alina could focus on, as Mel her only friend, her chosen brother, her only comfort, was pulled away. Mel fought as hard as he could, before was thrown into the carriage. Alina was restrained by two of the caretakers on the porch of the orphanage. She sobbed and struggled, doing anything in her power to be set free. To chase the wagon, that carried her home, her heart.

She watched as the dirt smeared, tear stricken boy in the window of the carriage got smaller and smaller. She slammed her heel down hard, on the toes of the man that restrained her left arm, buying enough time for her to yank herself from the smaller woman to her right. She sprinted forward down the unpaved road, kicking up dirt and rock as she sprinted, no mind to the pain in her shoeless feet. She could only focus on the ever smaller growing back of that black wagon. She hurled herself forward, with all the speed her little legs could handle, arms outstretched, grasping at air. His name bursting from her lungs with such force and need, that her voice cords cracked under the pressure painfully.

Yet, despite her best efforts, the horses and cart pulled farther and farther away, till any hope of catching up with him was gone. Mal was gone. She felt herself crumble, inside and out; falling to her knees, on the pebbles below her. She wept violently, as the man from before galloped behind her, before snatching her up and throwing her over his large shoulder. She didn't fight this time, she was to broken to try. Her reason for trying was carted away before her very eyes, most certainly to never seen again.

Fog rolled in waves, across the forest as she was swayed side to side with the man's steps, watching as the wagon disappeared into it.

Alina sprung up from her bed, shinning with sweat beads. She blinked away the tears from her eyes she raked nails through her long dark hair. The same dream again, and again. Every night, she's awaken by this never ending memory. She pulls herself from her bed. Which was really nothing more than an old mattress and tattered crochet blanket, that did nothing to keep the cold winter at bay. The space between the stiches, still allowed the ice to filter in, and the mattress was broken down, letting her feel the hard floor under the springs.

She walked as silently as she could on the old wooden floors, dragging the once white nightgown on the ground around her. She reached the small window of the room. The only thing in the large room that was spreading light from the moon, filled to the brim with other girls that looked much like Alina did. Dirt covered and empty eyed, every last one of them. Alina danced her long thin fingers over the window ceil as she peered into the deep forest that swallowed her best friend all those years ago. The fog was ever present, even now, as the moon danced over it, causing an even more sinister atmosphere to linger in her heart.

She stood there for a moment, drinking in the sight as she thought about the rumors that surround those woods in front of her. She though back to how her and Mel would sit up at night with batted breath. Listening to the older boys speak of the figures that would peek out from between the trees, with glowing eyes and sharp teeth.

She rested her forehead against the cool glass, sighing as her breath created a thin layer of steam to form. The young girl, wiped at it with the sleeve of her gown in circler movements. She watched through the clear circle she created. At the way the wind caused the fog to billow out of the forest, making it look like the mass of trees was breathing out the clouds.

No wonder, those boys, all that time ago made up stories to scare Mel and her. Even Alina had to admit, there was something fundamentally different about those woods. Something different enough, that even her, the Doubting Tomas that she was, could be compelled to believe the folk lore surrounding Keramzin orphanage, in the vast forest of Ravka.

It had been five long, agenizing years since Mel was taken from her, and tonight marked the fifth. The anniversary of the day her rather already bleak life, was plunged into full darkness. She placed a wiry hand against the dusty glass, allowing herself the feeling of the cold against her palm. She still hears the footsteps of Mel running to tell her that he was about to be sent to the work force. One of many boys to come, that would be sent away. He begged her to run away into the forest with him, to escape. She wanted to with all her heart, to run away with the warmth of his hand in hers.

She closed her eyes tight, seeing the look on his face as they edged the vast foggy forest behind the faltering large building behind them. She told him she couldn't. That she was too scared. She was so young, and despite being brave enough to fight off the bully's that plagued Mel, she couldn't muster up enough courage to breach the woodlands before them. She balled her hand into a fist against the glass, and thumped it lightly against it.

"Mel.." She murmured under her breath to the boy that was lost and to herself. "I'm so sorry."

She was only 12, but she couldn't help, but place the blame squarely on her, and her alone. Sure, it was the orphanage that couldn't afford to keep Mel fed, but it was her that didn't have the strength to save him from the fate of hard labor for the rest of his life. She knew, that he couldn't run away without her, he was much meeker that she.

How would things have turned out differently if she had run away with him? That question haunts her day in and day out. Would she be living in a cabin in the woods, hunting deer and gathering berries in simple bliss? Or maybe make it out of the woods on the other side and be wondering the world with Mel by her side. She will never know, because of her blasted cowardice. She failed him, when he truly need her the most.

Alina let a few stray tears fall from her doe like brown eyes, for the first time in a long time, she let herself tonight cry for Mel, on the anniversary of her failure. She turned her back and walked her way back to her cot in the corner and curled herself back into the useless blanket, as she tried her best to will sleep to take her.

Alina awoke to the sound of scuttering feet, and childish laughter. She gowned, tired and sore, as she squinted open one eye to see two of the young girls beside her. A girl with two red braids was brushing through the others long brown hair, as they chatted on about various things. Like if they would be adopted today, and what their names would be if they had a chance to change them. Alina gave a half-hearted smile not fully awake yet. She did enjoy moments like that, that took her mind away from the darkness that lingers in this dreadful place.

But, as quickly as she was blessed with the moment, it was gone, as the head mistress strolled in with her trusty ruler yelling for the girls to line up. Alina sighed and threw the blanket from her, and lazily walked to get in line with the other fifteen or so girls. They all ranged in ages from six to seventeen. She, herself was one of 4 girls that were seventeen, well on their way to escape this prison, not that the world outside of these wall was any kinder.. But at least she'd have her freedom, and she wouldn't have to endure the beatings anymore. Speaking of Which, Alina held out her palms flat in front of her, waiting for the enviable. She watched as the wrinkle faced, old bat smacked the palms of the first girl in line, before the young girl yelped and ran off to wash her face and get dressed.

This was Mrs. Keramzin morning routine. She firmly believed that by hitting palms first thing in the morning, that the sting would prevent the girls from doing the devils handy work throughout the day. She was a grey haired woman, that tied her hair so tightly behind her hair in a bun, that hit pulled her forehead tight, but did nothing for the wrinkles around her scowl that she wore proudly. She walked in front of Alina, before slapping the ruler down harder, than the girl before with a glare fixed on her.

"That Miss. Starkov is hopefully the only time I will have to do that today." She snapped, as Alina winced and nodded, before scurrying off as well into the wash room.

Wicked old bag of bones. Alina thought as she rubbed her hands harshly against her gown. She waited for the girl before her to finish at the sink. She was use to this kind of treatment. Yet, her hands still stung and her tempter still flared. If Melyen could see her now, he would snicker and say that she hadn't changed a bit, in all these years. He wouldn't be right though, because she had changed.

The girl before her finished as she walked up and looked in the mirror at the woman she has become. Her thin face, framed by dark wavy hair, that only served to make her look even paler than she already knew she was, and round brownish gold eyes, lined by dark tired skin. She was thin and ghostly, with long lashes, and full red lips. She by all accounts was a woman, no longer a girl. She turned on the water and splashed her face, before turning away from the dirty yellowish sink back towards the room. She grabbed one of the only three dresses she owned and threw it on. It was a dark brown long dress that flowed to her ankles, it had a swooped neck line that fell right above her collar bone with long cream puffed sleeves that came to a tight cuff at her thin wrists. She buttoned the dress up as she watched more girls flow in from the bathroom. She watched how the younger bounced in to action not yet tainted full by this world, unlike the older ones that merely dragged their feet like zombies. Most only fifteen to sixteen, already tired by life at such an young age. She often wondered what most of these girls would be like if their parents hadn't abandoned them by either choice or death.

Perhaps, they would be already married off or at some kind of ball dancing and eating, joyfully flirting with others of their age, waiting for a suiter to take them off of their parents hands, never knowing the full cruelty that this world has to offer. Alina sighs at the silly thoughts and folded her night gown up neatly and packed it back into the bag that holds everything that she owns. Its small and torn like everything else, but its hers and that's all that matters.

She strolls to the dining room, taking in her surroundings. The grayish brown floors and stained yellow cracked brick walls of the hall, with windows so dusty that they make the blue painted outdoors look sepia in hue. She drags her fingers across the walls as she walked till she is met with the same smell of porridge that she smells every morning. The scent is both off putting, and mouthwatering. Despite how much Alina has grown to hate the milky mush, her hunger always over takes her hatred. She sat alone at the end of the long brown table in the middle of the sunlit room. She never really made any new friends, after Mel. She was too preoccupied by her own sadness to try, and even if she did make new friends, it was pointless. The kids in this orphanage come and go like the wind. She alone has remained the longest, who wants a girl that looks half dead anyway, let alone a girl of her age.

The cook made his rounds placing bowl after bowl in front of the girls, and a few young boys. There was much less boys now that when she first arrived, most of them are sent to the work force around the age of twelve, if they aren't adopted at that point, not much unlike Mel. Alina watched as the food cart rattled, finally beside her, and the chief placed the slop in front of her. She frowned as the soupy liquid splashed slightly causing it to dirty the table it sat on. She grabbed her wooden spoon and without a second thought started shoving bite after bite into her mouth, happy to finally stop the rubbing in her hollow stomach.

Once done eating, Alina stood up and carried her bowl to the bin in the back of the room, where she felt a large hand on her shoulder. She jumped slightly, before turning around and looking at the strong face of Mr. Keramzin.

"Sir." Alina said with a curve of curiosity. Mr. Keramzin was so rarely around, leaving his wife to do most of the child rendering, not much different that most husbands, but he did have his way of making a show that he was in fact the one in charge anytime there was new parents looking for a child, or other random visitors.

"Alina, I have matters in which I would like to discuss with you in my office." Mr. Keramzin's serious tone wasn't unusual for him, but something about his grey eyes made her nervous, like something was truly wrong. She nodded slowly and wiped her sweaty palms on her frumpy brown dress, as she followed dazed behind.

She went over all the possible things that she couldn't have done to cause a conversation with the head of the orphanage. She stole bread from the pantry last week, but she was already beaten rather restlessly for that.. Perhaps, it was for not showing up for parents day.. That couldn't be it, they had never cared before weather or not she had greeted the parents. Not like she would actually be adopted at 17..

Once inside the office, she stood at the door, as the older man gestured for her to take a seat in one of the olive green leather seats. She smoothened her dress down, before awkwardly twitting her thumbs waiting for him to speak.

He cleared his throat, before picking up a piece of paper, then sighing and placing it back down again, almost checking over some kind of information.

"Mrs. Starkov, I regret to inform you that starting tomorrow, state law dictates that no child can remain in an orphanage past the age of 16. So, as we are terribly sorry for this, but we will be making a few changes at Keramzin Orphanage." He sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose, as if this was some issue that he has to clear up, and not the fact that he destroying a young girls life for the second time.

Alina looked at him wide eyed and slack jaw. What was this going to mean for her, for the other four girls that turned 17 this year, or the other two that just turned 16.. what about them? "So.. You're just kicking us out.. Just simply washing your hands of us? That's it?" Alina scoffed at the flippancy of the statement. He wasn't sorry, he was annoyed that he had to inform us, that's all.

"Well, not exactly. The law also states that we have a right to do with you how we see fit to facilitate in your futures. So, due to the fact that we will no longer receive state benefits for the addental 6 girls, a business in town has… offered a large donation for the girls that have yet to come of age." He pauses before saying donation knowing full and well how it came across. His real motives on full display to the helpless girl in front of him.

Alina clinched her jaw, they were selling them. She didn't even have to ask what kind of business, because she knew. It was the whore house. That she was certain, she was not dumb or blessed enough to be naive.

"Are we cattle?" She bit out, no longer caring about repercussions she was going to be sold, none of it mattered now. Here, she had waited in this god forsaken place in hopes that Melyen would find his way back to her, just for her to be bargained off to the highest bidder.

"Are we really nothing more than a pay check for you?" Alina asked the question, despite already knowing the answer.

"Alina… You know the orphanage isn't doing as well as it once was.. You are old enough to understand by now, aren't you?" He clasped his hand, and placed them on the desk, incredulously.

"Oh, I know better than anyone, were the boys you sold off not filling your pockets enough? Or the hair of the girls that you shaved the heads of last year? Or the clothing we sow? Is nothing enough out of the question as long as feeds your greed?" Alina finally stood, anger flushing her pale cheeks. She shouldn't be surprised, yet it didn't quell the hatred that she had in her heart.

He flew out of his seat and swiftly back handed her hard with a loud smack filling the room. Alina froze, face turned before slowly reaching up and touching her lip where Mr. Keramzin's gold ring had caught the soft flesh of her bottom lip. She winced, as she looked at her fingers seeing warm scarlet coating them.

"You insolent child, you will shut your mouth and do what is asked of you. If anyone else wanted you, you would not be here to begin with. You would do well to remember that, Miss. Starkov, before you think in some way I have mistreated you. We've done our duty to keep you fed, and alive. Now leave." He growled, taking a kerchief from his jacket pocket, and wiping his hand of the tiniest bit on blood on his ring.

Alina's heart raced and mind fumbled, curls and bends, as she slowly started to turn towards the door.

"Oh and tell the other girls that I will need to speak to them as well." He mumbled sitting back at his desk, his anger slipping away to a simple annoyance.

She just nodded dumbly, unable to fully focus enough to respond as she opens the door, slipping out. Her vision blurry with tears that refuse to fall, She breaths slow, as she slumps against the large door.

In out. In out. In out.

Once she started to processed what fully happened, she strained her back and pushed off. Walking into the girls room, pausing at the entrance seeing the girls around her age already slaving away at the bonnets they sowed every day in and out. One of the girls who's heads were shaved last year looked up at Alina. The girl frowned slightly. She couldn't recall her name, but she knew she was looking at her lip.

Alina looks at her feet studying her torn leather clogs, as she begins her decent to the girl that was just looking at her. Once, beside the girl, Alina pauses looking past her, out the window at the forest mind finally clear.

"Please, tell anyone 16 or over that Mr. Keramzin wishes to speak to them.." Alina whispers, before she continued walking back to where her bed was, and picked up the bonnet that she started working on yesterday. She ignored the sound of muffled whispers as the information started to spiral around the orphanage. She sowed stitch by meticulous stitch, completely mindless.

Mel was never coming back, he would have by now if it was his plan. Mr. Keramzin's words bounced around in her head. 'if anyone wanted you, you wouldn't be here in the first place.' He was right, of course. There is a chance that Alina's parents didn't die, they could have abandoned her, and even if they didn't, none of her external family ever claimed her. She was kidding herself thinking that Mel would be any different.. She has been francizing his return for years and it's time to grow up.

Alina's eyes start to drift to the book beside her. 'Folk Lore of Ravka.' She paused, before placing down her half sown bonnet and pulled the book from half way under her blanket. She cracked open, the red frayed spine to her favorite story. She looked up once more, making sure the head mistress was not in sight to complain about her no longer bbe hard at work, before drawing her brown eyes back to the page.

'In the woods of Ravka, deep in the heart of the dark forest, lives a monster. A man that creates darkness from his fingertips, and blinds those unlucky enough to stubble into his trap. He lurks in the fog and waits for those lost souls to feed upon the light of their souls, till there is nothing but the hollow. He's called The Darkling. Beware of the woods.'

Mel use to read this story to her, it continues to talk about a girl who goes into the woods looking for her grandmother, before being devoured whole by the darkness, never to return again. She use to have nightmares about this 'Darkling,' but now her nightmares are filled with Mel and she long forgot the stories. Other than the regret of her 12 year old self's cowardice, because of this story. She closed the book with a thud, she's made up her mind.

She was going to correct that regret tonight, shes no longer scared of the darkness, there is no such thing as monsters. She will prove it to herself, when she escapes into the Ravka forest.

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Once, night had begun to fall on the orphanage and the last candle had been blown out, Alina laid in her bed waiting to hear the last sound of moment, till there was nothing but silent sleeping breaths of the girls around her. Clenching the book of Folk Tales tightly to her chest as it rose and fell. She though back at the looks on the girls faces, when the older ones had come back from that same awful office that she had walked into that morning. One by one, looking scared and lonely. She understood those feelings all to well. She wasn't going to be like Melyen she wasn't going to sold.

Riding that feeling of determination, she slipped out from under her covers still in her night gown, she grasped her blanket and wrapped it around her shoulders, before she picked up her already packed bag, placing the book inside. She stepped into her same beat up clogs. She started to slither around the sleeping girls, taking in the sight of each one of youngling's innocent faces. She envied their innocents, but also felt guilty knowing it would be gone soon enough. She turned her head and shook off the growing feeling of dread. She pressed on outside of the room and down the hall.

She was about at the front corridor, when she heared the raddling of keys and froze, quickly gluing herself to the nears wall peeking into the Fourier. She notices the head mistress pacing outside of her husband's office as Alina narrows her eyes. Guess, I'm not the only one that sneaks around at night.. Alina thought cheekily as she waits quietly, until Mrs. Keramzin finally worked up the nerve to break into her husband office.

Alina sprang into action at her chance and reached the door, before turning around for one more final look at the only place she could come back to. Then, without another word she made her get away. The second the cold air hit her face she could taste the freedom. She bolted from the door like a bullet shot from the barrel of a gun, sprinting straight for the woods, before good sense came back. The moon light causing the low hanging clouds to glisten like magic.

In her haste, she didn't notice that something was very different about tonight. Because, tonight it wasn't fog she walking into, it was black mist, that curled under moonbeams like smoke. Little to Alina's knowledge, she was walking right into his trap…

A/N:

Hello beautiful people,

Thank you so much for reading, I just finished the Shadow and Bone tv show and fell head over heels for The Darkling, and I could help myself, just had to get this fanfic out. I full heartily blame Ben Barnes for this train wreck so write to him if you wanna complain. Please let me know how I did, I'm planning on write quite a few more chapters. I'd love to hear whatever you have to say.

– Katt=^.^=