A Sky Full of Secrets Prompts
Week One - Prompt OneDeathCharacter Prompt: Write about the end of something important to your character. How do they react?
Setting Prompt: Write about about the end of something important to your setting. Is this a good or bad thing? Will it have an effect on any people living there?WritingNatalia finished her painting. It was something that she'd been working on for weeks and she was glad that she'd finally finished it. It depicted a beautiful landscape of white, snow-covered mountains bathed in a warm yellow sunlight. Tiny dots that represented human hikers littered the mountain trails. A giant lake as bright and blue as the sky on a summer's day lay at the feet of these mountains.
The painting was one of many that Natalia had created, each one tinkering around with the same landscape. She'd never seen this place in real life, but it had kept coming to her in her dreams, and each time she drew it, something seemed a little off. Something just didn't make her final product the same as the paradise in her dreams. She'd been trying to get it perfect for a year now, doing the same painting over and over again, but it never turned out right.
Still the paintings were stunning to look at, and this one was no exception. Natalia had gotten the melting snow on the mountains just right, and the stars were in perfectly random positions, adding reality to the picture.
She took the painting off her easel and went to her parents, who were sitting serenely in the living room, speaking to each other. As soon as she stepped into the room, they quieted, looking at her with their loving expressions. They were both government officials with lots of power and spoke almost nonstop about confidential government information, though they tried their best to spare her from it.
Natalia held up the mini painting. She'd been running out of the large canvases that she usually used to create these and this one was made on a smaller canvas to conserve. "What do you think?" She asked.
"Honey, it's almost the middle of the night." Her father said. He had dark circles under his eyes from his lack of sleep. "Why are you still awake?"
She rolled her eyes, turning instead to her mother, whose eyes were looking over the painting with her eagle-sharp eyes. "Don't tell me it's the same thing again. It's beautiful, Talia, but you have to move on. Find a different scene to depict. You are so talented, don't waste it."
Natalia sighed. Her parents just didn't get it. They never did. The first time, they'd been so proud of her. The second time, they'd loved it some more. The third time, they'd started to question her abilities. And ever since, they've been telling her to paint something else. "We're running out of space to hang up the paintings and we don't want all our walls to have the same thing, do we?"
But she didn't paint for their praise. She painted the same scene because she needed to get it right. Something in her heart told her that she needed to. But that was enough painting for tonight. "Good night, Papa, Mama. Love you."
Her parents smiled. "Good night, honey." Her father echoed as he rubbed his forehead. "Sweet dreams."
"We love you too!" Her mother added as she turned away.
Natalia hung the painting up next to the rest of them before walking into her room which held at least a dozen more mountain scenes. Without much ceremony, she slipped into her bed and closed her eyes, hoping to catch some sleep before school tomorrow.
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Natalia awoke to someone taking off her blanket. She slowly blinked her eyes open, confused. Her mother usually woke her up, and her mother only called her name, never took off her blanket. Rubbing at her eyes, she sat upright and yawned. When she was finally done, she realized that there was a man in front of her. And not just any man, but one in a government-issued police uniform.
"Miss Grant, I believe? Daughter of Sylvia and Ezra Grant?"
Natalia nodded, even more confused. Who was this man and why had her parents let him into the house? Why hadn't her mother woken her up before this man had to see her?
"Do you know where your parents are?"
She shook her head. "They're probably sleeping. It's still dark outside." She paused before screaming, "THIEF!"
Before Natalia could move, the man had her wrists in his hands, stopping her from escaping. "Miss, it is much more complicated than that. Ezra Grant had a meeting at 11:30 PM last night, but when the person he was meeting with showed up, no one answered the door. As per the rules, we performed a check and, to put things shortly, your parents have disappeared."
Natalia snorted. "Again, maybe they're asleep. Have you seen their bedroom? It's a literal secret chamber! You probably didn't check there."
The man shook his head. "The chamber was thoroughly checked. Your parents are gone, meaning you have no claim over this building. I'm sorry Miss Grant, but you have two hours to collect your things and vacate the building before we are forced to use violent means."
"W-what?" The shock and suddenness of it all hit at once, bringing tears to her eyes. She paused, processing his words. "No, they- you're wrong."
He turned around and walked out of the room, not bothering to respond. "Two hours, Miss Grant!" He called over his shoulder before disappearing completely.
At least Natalia was given some privacy to cry alone. She'd forgotten to take off her mascara the night before, and her tears stained the covers black. Not that I'll need them anymore. That only made her cry harder. Her parents were GONE. They'd left her to go who knows where. Or they'd been kidnapped. Or murdered. Her loving parents.
Natalia stopped herself from spiraling further. Nothing good would come out of it. She couldn't believe this was happening. Just last night she'd told her parents that she'd loved them. And they weren't there anymore.
I have to find them. They can't be dead. And without knowing it, Natalia had condemned herself to a lifetime of searching.
Last edited by Ophelia Northwell on 31 Oct 2023, 23:46, edited 2 times in total.
☽ Ophelia Lynn Northwell | i have a whole universe in my mind | Aurélie Nathalie Duval ☾
A Sky Full of Secrets Prompts
Week One - Prompt TwoThe FoolSetting Prompt: Write about a new traveller arriving at your setting. What do they think of the place?WritingFor everyone else, a loving family, a nice home, and wonderful friends were things to expect out of life. A constant, something to rely on. But not for him. His only constant was the hunger that scraped at his stomach, the loneliness that made him yearn for people, and the terrible shadows that haunted his dreams.
It hadn't always been this way for him. He, too, had once had a family to hug when times were tough. He, too, had once had a house to come home to every night once the sun set. He, too, had once had people who spoke to him. But that was all before everything that he'd done. That was before the errors and mistakes that had condemned him to this life.
Many times, he looked back on those days. The hours spent in the sunshine versus the dark alleyways. The minutes spent laughing at the dinner table instead of scavenging for scraps of food. The moments filled only with pure happiness instead of the misery that now filled him.
But he was passed that now. He'd accepted his fate. This terrible place where he'd been destined to end up, no matter what choices he'd make. But now it was his chance to right all his wrongs. To make up for all those nights wondering where to go next.
It was time to start over in a new land, in a place where no one would remember his sins. He would change his name, his backstory, his identity, and he would be free. A new boy washed clean from the scars that marred his past. This heavenly land would be the Paliscades.
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Grayson stepped off the ferry, stretching his limbs and basking in the early morning rays. He'd never seen the sunrise from a harbor before, and the view made his breath catch. The sun was just barely peeking over the ocean, giving up only a little of its light to wash away the darkness of the night. People streamed out of the ferry in a hurry to get about their lives. Only a few stopped to admire the beauty that surrounded them.
Their loss. Grayson surveyed the busy pier with his keen gaze, searching for the contact that he was supposed to meet. He walked along the edges of the crowd, his gaze always trailing back to the sunrise with awe.
Passing the security checkpoint in a matter of seconds, Grayson stepped onto the visitor deck, taking in the new land that was going to soon be his home. The rolling hills and giant cities, the serene streams and excitable people. Everything was just perfect.
Just as he'd finished looking around from his vantage point, a dark figure took him by the arm and pulled him into a dark corner. The person wore a black cloak, the hood up. "Mr. Merritt, I presume?"
Grayson smiled, his new client already exciting. "Yes, ma'am."
The woman lifted her head, revealing the hint of a smile from beneath her hood. "Welcome to the Paliscades, the land where dreams come true... but only if you're lucky."
☽ Ophelia Lynn Northwell | i have a whole universe in my mind | Aurélie Nathalie Duval ☾
A Sky Full of Secrets Prompts
Week Two - Prompt OneThe SunCharacter Prompt: Write about your character doing something that they love or winning a competition. Why do they enjoy it so much?WritingThe perfect Saturday. The sun was out and shining, the birds chirping in their sing-song voices, her parents finally out of work and spending time with her and her only. She would wake up late, yawn, then lay back down for another hour, peacefully dozing in her bright-and-sunny themed bedroom. She would get up late and stay in her pajamas, eating her favorite breakfast of blueberry waffles topped with strawberry sauce and sweet whipped cream.
Then, Natalia would spend the morning doing what she did best. Paint. Okay, maybe she wasn't the best painter in the world, or even in the Paliscades, or maybe even in Parliament city. But she was good. Or, at least, that's what her parents said.
Painting was an art that took precise brush strokes, patience, and lots of spare time, things that Natalia had plenty of. And Saturday mornings, the one day that she had a break from everything in the world, she dedicated to painting.
The Grant manor was giant and, naturally, there was a giant room dedicated to Natalia's paintings and art. It was this room that Natalia felt the most comfortable in, not her own bedroom, because it was in this room that she expressed her feelings through her art.
There was a routine to it, one that couldn't be broken without bad luck according to Natalia's superstitious mind. First, she closed the blinds. While she usually loved sunshine, she needed to focus during her painting time. Next, she would find an empty canvas. Because of her parents' wealthy status, they were available in large quantities for Natalia to use. After that, she would set the record player to her favorite record, the one which played Harmony Lilith's hit songs. And finally, she would paint.
Inspiration didn't come that easily for someone with such a boring life as Natalia, but there were a lot of places where she wanted to go, and her painting room was the place where she could get transported to each one. From the calm beaches to the powerful mountains, there wasn't a single place that she wouldn't paint.
But that all changed on the worst Saturday of Natalia's life. Because when she woke up, there was no sun shining or birds chirping. Even her parents weren't there! It seemed that the only Saturday that Natalia would remember clearly for the rest of her life wouldn't be the perfect day after all.
☽ Ophelia Lynn Northwell | i have a whole universe in my mind | Aurélie Nathalie Duval ☾
A Sky Full of Secrets Prompts
Week Three - Prompt OneThe High PriestessCharacter Prompt: Write about your character giving advice, or taking advice from someone. Is it good advice?WritingNatalia took a deep breath. Today was the two month anniversary of her parents' mysterious disappearance and she'd chosen the most bizarre way of honoring them. Would they be happy for her to have found her place amongst a rebel organization that threatened to take apart everything they'd built in their lives as government officials? Would they be happy for her to have started to fall in love with someone connected to this rebel organization? Would they even care?
Many times after their disappearance, Natalia had gotten herself into thinking that maybe her parents had never cared for her at all. Maybe they were planning to run away somewhere and leave her alone to fend for herself on purpose. Or maybe they'd gotten tired of her and abandoned her. But every single time, she'd shaken the thought away, knowing that the smiles and looks of pride her parents had given her couldn't have been faked. The hugs and laughs, the kisses and compliments. The memories that she had of them, the only things left, couldn't have been fake.
Pushing her disturbing thoughts away, Natalia opened the door and slipped outside into the warm summery day. She'd had to walk three miles to reach this park and get away from the dirty part of Parliament City in which she was staying. Setting herself down onto a wooden bench, she took out a book that she'd found in a trash can. It was soggy and slightly torn, but other than that it was readable.
Before even a moment had passed, a voice spoke to her from the shadows. "You should do it, you know."
Natalia closed the wet book and put it down on the bench next to her, turning around to find the source of the voice though she subconsciously already knew who it belonged to. She'd only heard a voice so scratchy and deep in one person.
Behind her, a boy was standing in a dirty grey hoodie and black pants, his face covered in shadows, though a few dark strands were sticking out. Slowly, he slid onto the bench next to her and took off the hood, revealing the familiar face that Natalia was expecting. She sighed, feeling safer all of a sudden.
"Gray." The name flows out of her, filled with relief. She'd gotten to know the boy better after the last few days spent with the rebels, and she was familiar with him.
Grayson Merritt smiled, his eyes warm. "I meant what I said, Talia. And you know what I mean. You should take their deal."
The particular deal that Grayson was talking about was something that Natalia had been debating about taking for the past week. The rebel leaders had offered her a place amongst their rank, food, shelter, and protection in exchange for some spy work. "You'll be perfectly protected as our made up General Wilcox's long-lost granddaughter," they said, though she didn't buy it for a minute. Safe while spying? Impossible. Still the thrill of the offer lured her in. And everything else that it gave her. A group filled with people who would care about her. Something close to a family.
And revenge. That was the sweetest part. The Paliscades had the most corrupt government, which was something Natalia had already known. But she hadn't known that it was so corrupt that they wouldn't even bother to look for their missing government officials.
Still, it would be dangerous. "I don't know." Natalia said, flashing Grayson a worried look. "My parents wouldn't have liked it. I should work an honest living and figure something out. A painter?" But the argument sounded weak, even to her.
Grayson turned his beautiful brown eyes on her, large and pleading. "Oh, come on, Talia. The rebels can give you exactly what you've wanted since the government completely forgot about you and your parents. They can give you cold revenge." He paused before upping his charm. "And I'll miss you."
Natalia didn't know what it was that finally pushed her over the edge. Grayson's puppy dog stare or his last words. And I'll miss you.
"Okay." Her eyes widened, not believing that she'd just agreed to such a big commitment. "Okay, but if I regret this, then you're going to be the one I blame, Gray."
☽ Ophelia Lynn Northwell | i have a whole universe in my mind | Aurélie Nathalie Duval ☾
A Sky Full of Secrets Prompts
Week Four - Prompt OneJusticeCharacter Prompt: Write about your character doing the right thing (or what they believe to be the right thing). Why do they believe it is right?WritingTaking a deep breath, Natalia entered the abandoned library which the rebels used as their headquarters. The day before, Grayson had approached her at a park, pleading with her to join the rebel rank. After an evening of pondering, she'd finally decided that she would stick with her promise to him.
Her parents were the most wonderful people in the Paliscades, she was sure of that, and they deserved to be avenged, even if it was in a way that they wouldn't have approved of. They would be okay with it, right? Natalia shook off the thought.
Okay. Maybe her reason for joining the rebel ranks weren't so noble. Maybe it was for no other reason than to keep seeing the warm smile of a certain brown eyed boy, or to hear said boy laugh at her words. But the added bonus of vengeance was perfect, right?
The double doors right inside the library stayed closed as Natalia thought about her decision. There's no going back now. With a sigh, she knocked on the door.
"Password?" The voice was deep and conjured up the mental image of a tall man in a black cloak.
"Hearing."
"Granted." The rough-voiced man clicked open the lock and one of the double doors opened, revealing a dark passageway.
The first time Natalia had stepped through this hallway, her heart had thudded with fear. But not this time. She kept her chin up, her chest puffed out proudly throughout the whole walk to the chamber. She reached another set of double doors and she knocked, going through the same process before she was finally admitted into the Council Room.
This room, she'd been told, used to house the children's section of the library. It was airy and filled with light from overhead windows. Rainbows of color were visible on both sides of the walls and rows of benches lined the walls. On one end, a judging panel of Councilors sat in their dark robes. "Miss Grant."
Natalia took her place on the bench in the middle of the room. She shrank as all the eyes in the room went to her. She looked around, trying to find a familiar face. Her eyes landed on beautiful brown eyes and her rigged position melted. Gray.
"You have been summoned by the Council to make your decision. Become our friend, or join the enemy?" The speaker of the Councilors had a booming voice, making Natalia even more nervous. She kept her gaze locked on Grayson's, conjuring up confidence to speak in front of so many people.
This has to be the right choice. Right? It was the only path in which Natalia didn't foresee her immediate death or starvation. It was the only way.
"Miss Grant, the decision?"
Sucking in a breath, Natalia stood up, her hand on her heart, and said the words that bound her future to the rebels, to Grayson.
"Let the Eagles soar and the Deer graze, I am One with the Rebellion."
☽ Ophelia Lynn Northwell | i have a whole universe in my mind | Aurélie Nathalie Duval ☾