Warnings: Child Loss, Sickness, Kidnapping, and Separation. Mention of Abortion and Racism
Author's Notes: So I know I said The Sun's Promise was my last story. But, my brain had other plans. And when she's in Corona the story takes place back in the 17th century but when she's at the retreat the story takes place in the modern day. This is confusing as heck and overall a very bad idea.
I am on my wooden swing hanging on a tree with green leaves from brown rope. The last month has been awful.
I spun in town square. Town square had red and yellow houses and an orangish-yellow road. I was pregnant. I saw an old European woman with curly, black hair and bluish-gray eyes wearing a red renaissance dress with yellow stitching and a black cloak, Gothel come up to me.
"You traitor! You have to die!" She told me.
"Woah! Woah! Back up! I'm sure there's a reasonable explanation for this!" I exclaimed as I held my hands up and backed away. She shot a black rock at my chest.
"Arianna!" I heard a young European man with brown hair and blue eyes, wearing a suit with red and blue columns, Frederic exclaim. I passed out.
I laid in a warm bed one month later. Freidborg, my handmaiden, held my hand.
"It's okay, sweetheart, just give it an hour or so. You'll feel better." She cooed. Suddenly I heard: "If you take the Sundrop you will unleash an ancient curse, by removing the light you will unleash unimaginable darkness.". 'I stop breathing.' I imagined. Tears flowed in streams down my face and began to hyperventilate.
"Oh no! What's wrong! Are you thirsty?". I felt her sit me up and a cool glass touch my lips. I didn't drink and continued to cry. "Hungry?". I felt a cool spoon touch my lips. I didn't eat and continued to cry. I felt her lay me back down. "Are you too hot?". I felt my covers be taken off. I continued to cry. "Too cold?". I felt my covers be put back. "Oh no, sweetie…". A few minutes later, I heard footsteps.
"What's wrong?" I heard Frederic demand.
"I don't know. I tried everything, offering food and water and taking her covers on and off.". I felt him pick me up.
"It's okay, darling. They'll find the flower and you'll be all better.". I lay there, sobbing in his arms for several minutes. Suddenly, he laid me back down. "Okay, girl, time to get something down you. Can you drink this?". He put a bowl to my lips. I drank. It tasted like sweet, cooked lemon mixed with honey. My eyes fluttered open and I saw Frederic's worried face. Once I had finished the tea, I laid back down on my fluffy pillow. Frederic pulled a blanket back up on my healing form. "I love you so much my darling girl." He whispered into my ear before I dozed off.
The next night I woke up to footsteps. "Brown, walking shoes appear in my head," I imagined. I got out of bed. I went over to the white closet. I opened the door and went in. Rows of my and Frederic's clothes hung on a metal bar with wooden hangers. A pink, rectangle case with golden latches was under the clothes. I knelt in front of the cases, opened it, grabbed a sword with a golden handle, and exited the closet. I went up to the figure, which turned out to be an extremely aged Gothel with a sword with a black handle. I gasped.
"Gothel, what do you want?" I questioned.
"Since you stole my flower, I'll need the princess." She coldly announced.
"Over my dead body!" I replied.
"Okay, that should be an easy fix.". She knocked my sword to my back and I collapsed.
Frederic and I woke up to a bright light.
"Wow! Is that aliens?!" Frederic explained. I looked down. My hands were glowing yellow.
"Are you on fire?!".
"I don't feel like it.". I waved my hands in circle, the light tracking it. I giggled.
"Girl, hide your hands!". I hid them under the blanket. After a little while, they stopped.
"Woah! Let's go back to sleep.". I nodded.
"Arianna, we need to talk." Frederic announces. I look at him. "I've been thinking since you have magic; and Corona obviously isn't a safe place for people who have magic; that you need to go.". A red question mark appears in my head.
"Are you saying I have to go?".
"Arianna, darling, I love you more than anything, and I don't want anything to happen to you. So, if I have to send you far away to keep you safe, I'll do it.".
Just then, an European girl with short black curly hair, green eyes, wearing a dress with a white top and a blue skirt Cassandra, our eight year old adoptive daughter runs into the garden.
"Mommy, Daddy what is going on?" She questions.
"Mommy has to go away for a little while.".
"No, but I love Mommy!". She hugs me.
"I know you love Mommy, but we need to keep Mommy safe.".
"Frederic, I am not leaving, I am staying.".
"But it's not safe. Here, I'll help you pack.". I huff. A picture of the world appears in my head. - I could explore the world.
We go inside. The palace has many colorful paintings of European monarchs and pink walls. We go to a blue room with a big pink canopy bed in the middle. We go to the closet. Frederic opens it. He grabs a hot pink bag. I stuff seven purple and white renaissance dresses, seven purple nightgowns, a green renaissance dress and a pink renaissance dress, a book about a girl who healed her sick sister who was the queen with magic, a doll that looks like me, and a stuffed brown horse in the bag. We walk through the palace. We get into a purple carriage with golden lining.
The carriage ride to the retreat is several hours. I read my book. No, I don't get carsick. I used to read in the carriage when I would go on adventures with Mom. After several hours, we stop.
We got out. "Goodbye, my darling girl." He tells me.
"Goodbye," I reply. I look around. I look around. I am in a forest with evergreens and dirt paths. An European woman with blonde hair in a ponytail, blue eyes, wearing a brown hat, vest with several colorful badges, pants, shoes, and a red bandana stands in front of me.
"Hi, are you Arianna?" She asks. I nod. "I'm Sophia, I'm a retreat coordinator. If you need anything I'm your girl.". I nod again. "So, should we go to orientation?". I nod again.
I arrive at a brown, log cabin. I go inside. There is a screen in front of the room. A woman with blonde hair, tan skin, green eyes, wearing a brown hat with a red ribbon around the rim, a brown jacket with several colorful badges, pants, shoes, and a red bandana stands in front of the room. A Roma woman with a pink headband, gold hoop earrings, a white shirt that covers her shoulders with a blue lower part with golden vertical lines, a purple sash with a golden lining with circles coming off it around her waist, and a purple skirt sits on a white, foldable chair. A Chinese girl with short red hair, wearing a red jacket with a white collar, a purple skirt, magenta leggings, white socks and black shoes skirt sits on a white, foldable chair. A girl with brown skin, green eyes, white hair going down to her waist, with blue markings below her right eye, above her chest, and on her arm wearing gold, triangular earrings, a blue crystal necklace, a light blue bra, a gray, feather sleeve on her left arm, a dark blue skirt with two red marks on it with yellow outlines, and a light blue cloth hanging down in the middle of it sits on a white, foldable chair. A Colombian girl with curly hair, green glasses, a white shirt with pink butterflies on it and a teal skirt with pink and green dots on it, orange, light blue, and green flowers, a jaguar face with a toucan on top it, a yellow heart inside of a pink one, a blue capybara with orange dots on it, and yellow stitching sits on a white, foldable chair. I sit on a white, foldable chair.
"Hello, girls, welcome to Evermore Retreat! I'm Angie, the camp director. We should go over a few rules. First, be safe. Don't go to the ropes course, archery range, sky island, ocean or firepit without camp staff. Second, just be kind and respectful, don't be a brat. Third, clean your lodges every day. Got it?" An European woman with brown hair and eyes, wearing a brown hat, vest with several colorful badges, pants, shoes, and a red bandana announces. We all nod.
"I'm Kira. Now, introduce yourselves to each other." She tells us. The Roma woman with a pink headband, gold hoop earrings, a white shirt that covers her shoulders with a blue lower part with golden vertical lines, a purple sash with a golden lining with circles coming off it around her waist, and a purple skirt stands.
"I'm Esmeralda, I'm a French Roma woman. I like palm reading and dancing." She says. She sits back down. The girl with brown skin, green eyes, white hair going down to her waist, with blue markings below her right eye, above her chest, and on her arm wearing gold, triangular earrings, a blue crystal necklace, a light blue bra, a gray, feather sleeve on her left arm, a dark blue skirt with two red marks on it with yellow outlines, and a light blue cloth hanging down in the middle of it stands.
"I'm Kida, I'm from Atlantis. I like riding on Montags and giant crabs." She says. She sits back down. We all gasp. The Colombian girl with curly hair, green glasses, a white shirt with pink butterflies on it and a teal skirt with pink and green dots on it, orange, light blue, and green flowers, a jaguar face with a toucan on top it, a yellow heart inside of a pink one, a blue capybara with orange dots on it, and yellow stitching stands.
"I'm Mirabelle Madrigal, I'm from Colombia. I like helping my family and sewing." She says. She sits back down. The Chinese girl with short red hair, wearing a red jacket with a white collar, a purple skirt, magenta leggings, white socks and black shoes stands.
"I'm Meilin Lee, but you can call me Mei Mei. I have a genetic condition where I turn into a giant red panda when I get emotional." She says. There is a pink puff and she turns into a giant red panda. "See?". I stand up.
"I'm Arianna Corona. I have autism and an autoimmune disorder. I love exploring and writing." I say. Esmeralda smiles.
"Okay, who is ready for a tour?" Angie asks.
"Me!" We all reply. Mei Mei turns back into a human
We go out. We go down a hill. We arrive at a wooden zip line with red and blue grips.
"This is the zip line. It's off - limits without staff supervision.". We all nod.
We go to a brown yurt with a straw roof. We go inside. There is a wooden table covered with pink, red, blue, yellow and green splotches of paint. There are wooden shelves with clear tubs of every color of paint, colored pencils, crayons, markers, beads, pom poms, string, paintbrushes, feathers and yellow pencils with pink erasers.
"This is the art yurt. You can come here at any time.".
We go to a big mud puddle.
"This is the mud pit. You have to change into different clothes to be in here.".
We go to an archery course with red and white targets.
"This is the archery range. It's off - limits without staff supervision.". We all nod.
We go to a blue circular building with a purple domed roof.
"This is the observatory. It is open all night every night.".
We go to the beach.
"This is the ocean. It's off - limits without staff supervision.". We all nod.
We go to an orange cookhouse. We go inside. The inside is wooden. There are six red wooden picnic tables on each side. There are windows revealing a giant metal oven and fridge.
"This is the mess hall. We eat here. Sit down please.". We sit. "Okay, now time for your roommates. Mirabelle and Mei Mei,". They go to each other, high-five, and walk off.
"Arianna and Esmerelda,". We go to each other and smile.
"And Kida,".
Kida stands alone. I visualize.
"Kida, do you want to dorm with us?" I ask.
"Yeah, we'd love to have you!" Esmeralda adds. Kira steps up.
"Girls, that is really nice of you but, unfortunately there are only two beds in a dorm.".
"Oh," Esmeralda and I jinx.
"Sorry guys, that's just the way that the retreat is organized.". She walks off.
"Don't worry guys, I prefer being by myself anyways." Kida replies.
"Okay!" Esmeralda replies.
Esmeralda and I are in a white room with metal bedframes.
"Okay, first things first, let me show you my little secret." She tells me. She opens a purple bag. A white goat jumps out of the bag. I gasp. A white palace with light blue tops appears in my head. - Oh my Corona.
"Oh my Corona! What's it's name?" I ask.
"Jolly. His name is Jolly.". I smile. Jolly bleats. I laugh. "So, should we get to decorating?". I nod. "What color should we paint the walls?". The walls are pink.
"Pink!" I exclaim.
"Purple!" Esmeralda exclaims.
"I can live with purple.".
"Okay! Let's go get paint!".
We walk outside. We walk to the main lodge. We go inside. There are white buckets of paint and wooden wall-painting brushes on a white tarp. We grab a bucket that says 'purple' on it. There are every color of rolls of carpet. We grab rollers. We exit. They are red, orange, green, aqua, blue and purple bedding sets.
We go back to our lodge. We set the bucket down in the middle. We grab the rollers. We dip the rollers in the paint. We paint the walls.
"Okay, what carpet should we use?". A picture of Esmeralda appears in my head. - Esmeralda can choose.
"You can choose.".
"No, no, no I chose the walls. You can choose.". The carpet is pink. - Pink.
"Pink,".
"Okie-dokie!".
We walk outside. We walk to the main lodge. We go inside. I go over to the rolls of carpet. I try to pick up a pink roll but, it is too heavy.
"Arianna! Don't try to pick that up, okay? You'll bust out your back. Let me help you." Sophia announces.
"Okay.". She picks it up.
We go back to our lodge.
"Let's get the bed frames out of there." Sophia announces. Esmeralda and her go inside. They lift one bed frame out and set it down. They go inside again. They lift one bed frame out and set it down again.
"Okay, now we can put the carpet in.". We take the carpet in and roll it out.
They lift one bed frame in and set it down. They go outside again. They lift one bed frame in and set it down again.
"Thanks, Sophia." Esmeralda says.
"No problem, guys." Sophia replies. She walks off.
"Now, do you want to pick out beding?". I nod.
We walk outside. We walk to the main lodge. We go inside. I go over to the bedding sets. I grab a pink bedding set. Esmeralda grabs a purple bedding set.
We go back to our lodge. I spread my bedding set on my bed. I set my doll on top of my bed. Esmeralda spreads her bedding set on her bed. Esmeralda hangs a purple dreamcatcher above her bed.
"Dreamcatcher?".
"I'm good. Thank you.".
"Okay!".
At night, Esmeralda and I sit on our beds. I grab my doll.
"Did you bring that from home?" Esmeralda asks. I nod. "You're lucky you have a home.".
"Do you not have a home?".
"I live on the streets. Which is extra hard with Frollo.".
"Who's Frollo?". She sighs.
"He's a terrible person. He sees him as 'chosen by God to rid the world of sinners' which includes everyone he doesn't like which includes Roma people.". I punch.
"That's just awful! A month before I left home, I was attacked by my one of my friends, Gothel while I was pregnant. I got really sick for a month. But, there was the Sundrop, a healing flower. But, another one of my friends, Quirin said not to take it because of a curse. But, they had to take it. I got better and gave birth to a little girl. But, Gothel broke in and kidnapped her.".
"That's terrible! I'm so sorry!". We hug.
Author's Notes: How do you like my new story so far? I swear that the book is based on an actual fairy tale, I just can't find the name.