“Run, Shyana! Run!” her brother yelled.787Please respect copyright.PENANAf51IPFyiCW
She ran and ran from the beasts, determined to make it to her brother, who stood outside the mansion. He yelled encouragements, and together, they dove into the residence.787Please respect copyright.PENANADPMU1uxCvZ
Pressing their backs against the entrance, beads of sweat now streaming down their back, their eyes darting across the unfamiliar room around them. Or perhaps ‘room’ is an understatement. The cloudy walls stretched far across their opposite, making what had to be a living room look wide enough to match a meeting hall. What ruined the impression of a serious gathering venue were the tables and chairs that seated around forty kids with books, sewing needles, video games and various other hobby-related items strewn across the room. The engrossed kids did not seem to acknowledge the door bursting open on them, and continued on with their activities.787Please respect copyright.PENANAO8Tas80MuZ
Neither Aarian nor Shyana found this peculiar in midst of their panic. Aarian yelled out, “Wolves! Killers! They’ll rip us to shreds-”787Please respect copyright.PENANAc7kxZMLmc4
“My children,” a honey-like voice interrupted, the other children still oblivious to their new guests. The voice came from their right, where a doorway to a kitchen stood. A lady stood there, her hazel hair cascading down her shoulders with piercing eyes the colour of fern in an afternoon sun. A laurel wreath circled around her head, glowing, almost like a halo. “The wolves cannot touch our sanctuary, don’t be afraid. Come in. You must be very tired.”787Please respect copyright.PENANAiJ64CaHxlT
Shyana felt the words wash over her, the tight squeeze within her chest now melted, her fingers relaxing and free from the clenching the door in fear. But as soon as the sense of security wafted in, suspicion filled her head. This woman… she was mentioned before, warned of, but who had alerted her about this delicate stranger, when or why, could not come to mind. Despite her current woolly-headedness, she stood on her guard. But before she could open her mouth to decline the offer, her brother spoke.787Please respect copyright.PENANAztnVZO0V3f
“Thank you, miss…” he sounded as drowsy as Shyana felt, but why on earth was he giving in so easily? Surely her brother felt some scepticism of this random lady in the woods? The woman must’ve read Shyana’s thoughts somehow, for she tried to convinced Shyana next.787Please respect copyright.PENANAdrvOMAL0w3
“Listen to your brother, dear,” the woman smiled, but there seemed to be an edge to her voice. The words seemed kind enough, but a hint of forcefulness lay beneath them, Shyana knew there was. “Go on upstairs, I’ve prepared a room for you both. Room 452.”787Please respect copyright.PENANAzlT7FcPNTe
Prepared. This lady knew their arrival in advance? How could she? Had the village contacted her for stay? No, it was impossible. There couldn’t be any connection from the villages this deep in the forest. There wasn’t anyone here for miles, except the odd structure Shyana was standing in. Before she could start her interrogation, Aarian nodded eagerly, setting off for the stairs that seemed to materialise out of nowhere, pulling his sister along.787Please respect copyright.PENANAmtjZSsUi1t
Two beds, a closet filled with clothes that fit exactly their sizes (which concerned Shyana greatly) and mini-fridge filled with endless snacks. The room was painted a cooling ocean blue, with white bulbs hanging from the ceiling, giving a vintage look to the decor. Despite her wariness of the brilliant hospitality, exhaustion draped over her and before she knew it her head lay on one of the pillows.787Please respect copyright.PENANAM3H0AcXY77
“She will find you, Shyana,” her mother’s warned in her dream - a memory, from right before the two siblings went on their quest. “Do not give in. I love you both. Don’t be swayed by her magic gifts, or she will take you both away from me. Come back.”787Please respect copyright.PENANA1EUidenh0C
“Who is ‘she’?” she asked, bewildered. “Mother-”787Please respect copyright.PENANAjXeml5wxG2
The horn sounded, and the siblings were pushed into the woods.
His name rose automatically to her lips.787Please respect copyright.PENANA9uCo8A1G2d
“Aarian!”787Please respect copyright.PENANA22vhmkZQHF
Looking around the room with panic once again sheltered within her chest, she found an empty bed beside hers, the sheets messy and tossed about. She leapt to her feet, hastily changing into her clothes that rested on the foot of her bed, folded and now scented with lingering lavender instead of sweat. For a split second, she realised she hadn’t changed out of her clothes last night, as well as the fact the soft fragrance of the particular flower was her favourite. But she brushed the thought off as soon as it came. There were other things to worry about.787Please respect copyright.PENANAVornbDubqS
Quick on her feet, she hastily made her way down the stairs, finding Aarian among the children who were playing chess. “Aarian!”787Please respect copyright.PENANAcBxUzxP69U
Aarian ignored her. She shook his shoulders and he turned around in flash, his eyebrows furrowed in irritation with a matching frown that completed the look.787Please respect copyright.PENANAzLLPjxeki1
“This is what mother was warning us about, Aarian,” she spluttered, not waiting for a telling-off. “That lady - she’ll keep us here forever, tricking us-”787Please respect copyright.PENANAicSKte8z8e
This didn’t seem to bother Aarian in the slightest. “So? “It’s a good place, Shyana. Imagine staying here for the rest of our lives. No more responsibility or work.”787Please respect copyright.PENANAfPemp81Pvo
Her blood began to boil. She had always looked up to he older brother. Always her hero, the planner, the leader. His change of heart did not go well with his younger sister. That, and his defiance to their mother’s love? Disgusting. “Our mother-”787Please respect copyright.PENANAyY7q947JGZ
“She loved you more,” Aarian spat. “I’ve got nothing out there. All I’ve lived for was to protect you, because you got mother’s love. If I hadn’t done that, I’d be worth as much as a fly. Mother didn’t care for me.”787Please respect copyright.PENANAtHp4URDPvO
An angry blush appeared on Shyana’s cheeks as she made her mind. She was to leave, now, without Aarian. She didn’t care anymore, she didn’t care about Aarian. Her heart didn’t disagree in the slightest. She turned to flee out the door, when a grip took hold of her wrist.787Please respect copyright.PENANAxlLQbYQlfL
“Shyana,” the woman frowned. Her grip was freezing cold. Her words, once again, calmed her, softening Shyana’s angry gaze, extinguishing the fiery thoughts that burned in her head. “This home… it can be yours. Stay with your brother.”787Please respect copyright.PENANAPdBG4lDOXo
Clouds fogged her thoughts, and Shyana couldn’t seem to comprehend why she was about to leave in the first place. Why should she? It was the perfect place to live, better than the home her mother provided. Her mother… her mother! Her face as a thought alone pushed away the curtain of confusion in her mind.787Please respect copyright.PENANAtxREdOCrxL
“No,” her voice steady. “Let me go.”787Please respect copyright.PENANAk7DvhhsC7S
The lady dropped her sad facade, her stormy grey eyes piquing her with interest.787Please respect copyright.PENANAE3an9Jy5Qv
“Go then, Shyana,” her voice suddenly non-melodic. Her voice was lower than it had been nearly a minute ago, now filled with seriousness and perhaps a something else… she was impressed. “Ungratefulness doesn’t run in the family, I see. Reality is a burden, you know well, but yet you insist to escape. Your determination is admirable. I’m sure your village would be pleased to know that a child has finally managed to escape from my clutches, the first in a century. Go. You are free to leave.”787Please respect copyright.PENANATNbQBN8uY8
And with the final word, Shyana darted out the door, undaunted to look back, not even for her brother.
[A/N] I wrote this last year for an assignment the limit was 500 words lmaoo I think I surpassed it quite a bit don't ya think?787Please respect copyright.PENANA46mLvhSVAr
But it's okay I passed anyway XD787Please respect copyright.PENANACQzoXxShm3