Vision NaNoWriMo - Novel

Prologue

About:

Reducio

“Hey over here! Come on!” I called happily as I ran through the endless grassy field. I held out my arms as I ran around in circles, the gentle wind blowing back my light brown hair. The sun hung lazily in the wondrous blue sky as I laughed and played in this magical world. Another soft breeze blow it my face and I laughed yet again. Collapsing on the ground, I lay quietly smiling up at nothing in particular. I grasped a small flower in my hand and held it up to my face. It smelled sweet and it’s soft, soothing feel reminded me of honey. The white petals spread out as if asking for a hug and tiny bits of pollen blew from the yellow center.

A gentle buzzing sound filled my ears and I gasped as a small bee flew onto the flower. I admired it’s yellow and black stripes as it busily collected the pollen from the flower. Soft footsteps sounded next to me and I didn’t bother to see who it was. Just smiled as the boy sat down next to me and watched the bee with me.

“It’s wonderful, isn’t it?” I said quietly as not to disturb the bee.

“I love it! You know if you’re quiet and gentle, sometimes they let you touch them.” said the boy softly. I opened my mouth in surprise and turned to face the boy. His smart and gentle gaze turned to me as I exclaimed excitedly.

“Really?”

“Yeah, watch.” he replied. He slowly extended his hand out to the flower and worked his way over to the bee. The fuzzy animal was still busy gathering it’s pollen, so the boy continued. Holding out one finger, he gently stroked the bee’s back. I couldn’t stop the smile as it worked it’s way onto my face. This was amazing. I cautiously held my other hand out to the bee. The boy brought back his hand and I gently touched the bee. It’s fuzzy back tickled my finger and I marveled at it’s calmness. It seemed almost contagious.

We took turns petting the bee for a while, talking to each other and sharing stories. Eventually the bee flew away, it’s job done, and I went back to watching the flowers blow in the wind. I placed the flower on my chest and looked up at the sky. Fluffy white clouds were floating in the air, effortlessly.

“That’d be so cool, to be up in the clouds!” I uttered. A pleasant, familiar screech split the air.

“Oh course, we can do it.” said the boy, emphasizing the word ‘can’. Excitement filling me, I quickly stood up. The boy grabbed the flower off the ground and stood up. Slipping it into my hair, he grabbed my hand and we ran up a small hill. On the other side, stood three griffins. Our griffins. Two of them stood still, dipping their heads in greeting. The third, a baby, played around it's parents feet. The boy went over to his griffin, the one with really light feathers and also the mother of the baby. The mother griffin, which he'd named Thunderbeak, lowered her head a little so the boy could reach. He gently stoked her feathers and she made happy purr-like noises. I ran towards my griffin, the father, named Beamwing and wrapped my arms around his neck in a big hug. Beamwing made a purring noise and spread her wings, the way griffins say they are happy to see you. I felt something small brush against my leg. Looking down, I smiled as I saw Sparkfeather, the baby, standing on her two hind legs and looking up at me . Her beak was open and she looked like she was smiling. Her amazing golden feathers sparkled in the warm rays of sunlight. I reached down a hand and pet Sparkfeather on the back of her head, her favorite spot.

"Are you ready to fly?" I heard the boy ask. He was already on Thunderbeak. I found myself gasping at the sight. His eyes seemed to be reflecting something, and I couldn't figure out what it was. It almost looked like Sparkfeather, but she as soon as I recognized her she faded from the boy's eyes. There was something else, too. It looked like there was fire, but it was black…

"What's wrong? Are you okay?" asked the boy, stopping my thoughts. Shaking my head a little, I nodded and climbed onto Beamwing. His dark feathers seemed to take in the warm rays and I resisted the urge to fall asleep on his back. I felt sudden wind in my face as Beamwing lifted his wings and pushed them down. It was only a matter of seconds before we were in the air. It was amazing! It grew slightly cooler as we flew higher and higher. I heard a yell of happiness and I looked up at the boy. Thunderbeak was flying all over the place, going sideways and dropping suddenly before speeding back up. The boy laughed as Thunderbeak flipped upside down, the wind blowing his bangs back into his face.

"Having fun, Owen?" I called.

"You bet!" he replied.

When Thunderbeak and Beamwing grew tired, we flew back down to the grassy ground. Owen and me hopped off and stood side by side for a moment, relishing the last bits of our ride. I was stroking Beamwing's feathers when a thought crossed my mind.

"Where's Sparkfeather?" I asked. Owen looked confused for a minute, as if he hadn't realized that she was gone. I gasped with shock as Thunderbeak let out a screech and spread her wings in a defensive way, knocking Owen to the ground. Thunderbeak never did anything to Owen. I looked around for what had startled her and felt fear clench my heart as I saw it. Tall, midnight colored flames surrounded us. It was relatively close and I couldn't believe that we hadn't seen it. There was another screech, but higher pitched this time. Turning towards the sound, I saw Sparkfeather pressed against a lone tree. A man was approaching her, his sword was engulfed in the same flames that surrounded us. I screamed as the man brought his sword down on Sparkfeather. The baby griffin's beautiful feathers seemed to loose their shine as she fell to the ground, and moment's later her body faded from sight. I stared in horror, frozen with shock. Thunderbeak and Beamwing shrieked at the man as Sparkfeather disappeared, and they both ran after the man. The man ignored them and instead came for me and Owen, who ran in front of me.

"Go!" he yelled, pushing me away. The man was closer now, almost next to Owen.

"I don't want to leave you! Owen..."

"Go!" he yelled again.

"Owen!" I screamed as I saw the man push him to the ground and hold up his sword. I tried to run but I fell into darkness, stricken with a fear that I've never felt before.

Chapter 1

About:

Reducio

Blythe looked out at the lake just to her left. It’s brilliant blue water reflected the image of the things around it. She recognized the grey-like coloring shown on the water as one of the two mountains. It’s snowless peaks glowed in the early morning sun, and Blythe wished that she was up there now on the smooth, warm rock. A small ripple moved though the lake, disturbing the vibrant green of the grass and trees that lay printed on it’s surface. Blythe felt the gentle, dawn wind blow through her honey colored hair, and she relished the coolness of it’s touch. She loved this kind of weather with the slight warmth of the sun and the soft, cool breeze. Blythe closed her eyes for a moment, taking in the noises around her. The sound of wind blowing through leaves echoed loudly in her ears, and she guessed it was coming from the tree next to her. The more distant sound of water hitting stones could be heard from the lake, and even the sound of wooden wind chimes was distinguishable. Between all the noises, Blythe picked up the sound of a hissing, almost growling sound in the distance. Her eyes flew open as she recognized the sound. Looking around, she saw not the source of the sound but a girl walking towards her.

“Hello, Brooklyn.” said Blythe as the girl came up next to her. She was taller than Blythe, with dark brown hair and bright blue eyes. A necklace hung around her neck with a sea serpent expertly carved out of wood, and she smiled excitedly at Blythe.

“Today’s a big day! Are you ready for it?” asked Brooklyn. Blythe nodded hesitantly. It was a big day, probably the most important day in her life. She couldn’t mess this up, couldn’t put a feather out of line. Blythe took a deep breath before replying.

“Yes. The big day…” she said, trying to keep the nervousness out of her voice. Brooklyn gave her an empathetic smile.

“Don’t worry, little sis. You’ll do great, just like you always do!” she said encouragingly, putting her hands reassuringly on Blythe’s shoulders and looking her in the eye, “You’ve been looking forward to this day for 5 years, nothing will go wrong. I promise.” Blythe felt her nervousness melt away like snow. She could do this, she would do this. As quickly as they had come all her negative thoughts were gone. Blythe smiled at Brooklyn, thankful to have such an encouraging sister.

“Thanks Brook.” said Blythe, pulling her sister into a hug. Brooklyn returned it, and Blythe hoped that it would be like this forever. With the gentle wind blowing around them, the soothing sound of the lake and the trees, and her sister by her side every step of the way. Sooner than she wanted, Brooklyn broke away from the hug.

“Come on, I want to show you something before your ceremony.” she said, the hint of excitement and happiness still in her beautiful blue eyes. Blythe nodded eagerly as she followed her sister away from the lake and towards a large, open grassy field. Blythe knew from experience and years old exploring that a little ways to their left was home, but Brooklyn veered them slightly away. Only a little surprised, Blythe realized that they were heading to the ocean. Her sister seemed to be going to a very specific place, so she just followed without question. Slowly, the ground beneath their feet changed from grass to smooth, rounded stones. The large stones were slick beneath Blythe’s shoes and she almost tripped several times. Brooklyn moved over the stones with ease, using the slickness to her advantage by carefully going along the rocks like they were slides. Blythe watched in awe as her sister slid down a particularly wet rock, landing effortlessly on a smaller rock just in front of the other. Water splashed out from under her as she moved along the pebbly shore. Blythe walked carefully after her, placing her feet down cautiously. A few years ago, she had tried sliding down the rocks like Brooklyn but it didn’t go so well. Brooklyn spends a lot of time down by the water, so she had a lot of experience with it. Blythe on the other hand, who spends most of her time near the trees or up in the mountains, had no clue what she was doing and had fallen. It had resulted in a bloody nose, nothing bad, but it was enough to make her nervous about ever trying it again.

Slowly, Blythe worked her way over to her sister. Her shoes were slightly damp from accidentally stepping in a puddle, but she was rather proud of herself for making it across the wet rocks without falling. Brooklyn was waiting for her at the edge of the water. The sound of water splashing against the ground was calming for Blythe as it reminded her of the lake. Working her way over a rock that strangely seemed out of place, she went to stand next to her sister. Brooklyn held her necklace up to her mouth. For the first time, Blythe noticed a small whole near the mouth of the serpent. Then to her surprise, Brooklyn gently put her mouth to the whole and blew. A wondrous sound came out of it, a sound that reminded Blythe greatly of water falling on rocks or like the sound you hear when you press your ear against a shell and listen.

“It’s a whistle!” exclaimed Blythe as she turned to face her sister, “Clever.” Brooklyn smiled and blew into the whistle once more before letting it lay on her chest. Blythe looked around, unsure of what they were doing or why.

“What are we doing?” asked Blythe. Brooklyn just smiled in response, and pointed out at the water. Blythe followed her sisters finger and gasped. A large wave was rising up from the relatively calm waters. The top of the huge wave was covered in white water, and she couldn’t help marveling at the amazing sight. Blythe was just about to look away when something caught her eye. A shadow was emerging from the deeper waters and slowly working it’s way up to the surface. In a split second, the smooth waters of the wave were broken by an enormous, snake-like creature. Brooklyn smiled, and Blythe instantly knew what it was.

“Droplet!” cried Blythe happily as the serpent worked it’s way closer to the shore. It’s emerald green scales were shiny from the water, and Blythe felt a few drops of water fall on her head as Droplet rose from the ocean. Though Blythe had seen her a lot, she was always surprised by the serpents length. She was at least 30 or 40 feet long from head to tail, and she was still young. Brooklyn took a step closer to Droplet, who gave an excited whining sound at her trainer. Brooklyn ran her hand down the slick scales a few times then backed away. The serpent turned her attention to Blythe, all the while still making the excited whining sounds. She moved her narrow snout next to Blythe’s face and nuzzled her affectionately. Blythe laughed.

“It’s good to see you to, Droplet.” she said happily. The beautiful, green serpent moved away from her and began pushing the rock that had seemed out of place. Blythe looked back at her sister, confused, but she just smiled in response. Blythe moved a little closer to Droplet who was still pushing the large rock. Unsure of what to do, she watched Droplet closely. It was a few minutes before she noticed anything, but something was definitely strange about that rock. The serpent had moved it slightly to side, revealing a small dip underneath it. Droplet gave a huge shove, and the rock was rolled to the left to reveal the rest of the whole. Blythe gasped as she saw what was inside. Shells of all shapes and sizes had been gently piled together. They were placed perfectly next to each other, like a puzzle, so the colors and designs of each other could easily be seen. She stepped closer and began examining all the shells. Every single one was different. One of them quite flat but with deep groves on the top. The bottom was extremely smooth, and the whole things was pure white. Another one was almost a perfect circle. Tawny colored lines were etched all around it, giving it a swirl-like look. Blythe crouched down next to the pile, looked carefully through them and holding up several of them so as to get a better look. She had always loved the shells that Brooklyn brought to their house, but these were by far the most amazing ones she had seen.

“Happy 15th birthday, Blythe.” said Brooklyn as she crouched down next to her sister and gave her a hug. Blythe returned it gratefully, not bothering to stifle the laugh that came as Droplet a sort of gurgling noise. Brooklyn let out a small laugh.

“Droplet says happy birthday too.” she said, finally pulling away from the hug. Blythe stood up and stroked Droplet’s head.

“Thank you Droplet, and Brooklyn. It’s a wonderful present.” replied Blythe gratefully. Droplet let out another whine of excitement. Brooklyn’s smile widened as she stood up.

“That’s not all. We have another surprise for you.” To Blythe’s surprise, Brooklyn took her hand and brought her around to Droplet’s back. The serpent had bowed her head slightly, and Blythe knew from watching Brooklyn train her that this was her way of saying “get on”. Putting one foot over Droplet’s slick body, Blythe felt her feet leave the ground and the sensation of wind in her hair.

“Hold on, sis!” called Brooklyn as she settled herself on Droplet’s back. The powerful serpent began to turn around, back to the ocean. A spray of water splashed the girls in the face as Droplet burst through the waters surface. Blythe waited for the water to envelope her, but it didn’t come. All she could feel was the wind in her face and a gentle mist and Droplet sped them through the waters. Blythe looked all around her as the serpent brought them further and further from the rocky shore. All she could see in front of her and to the sides was water. The rays of sunlight bore down on it, reflecting back up at the girls and making the mist of the cool water feel amazing. The many colors of the water seemed to be screaming for attention. The beautiful shades of blue and green could easily be seen, and Blythe realized how lucky Brooklyn was that she got to spend so much time here.

The shore was far behind them now, appearing only like a small speck. Blythe turned her head to look back at Brooklyn, who had tapped her on the shoulder.

“Are you ready for your last gift?” Blythe nodded, wondering what it could be, “Then take a deep breath.”

Blythe was about to ask why, but her question was soon answered. Droplet began to move under the surface of the ocean, and Blythe quickly took a breath as she felt the star to water rise quickly up her legs. She closed her eyes as she felt it go up over her head. The coolness of the water surrounded her as Droplet moved them through the water, much faster than before as she had put on a burst of speed. Now Blythe was thankful that she could hold her breath for a long time, like her sister. The serpent moved swiftly through the water, picking up a bit more speed. Blythe still hadn’t opened her eyes when she felt Droplet slow down. Brooklyn tapped her on the shoulder again, and at last she opened her eyes. At first all she could see was the darkness of the water, but then it slowly came into focus. Brooklyn was looking down at something, pointing. Following her gaze, Blythe expected to only see the darkness of the deep water but instead a light tan color caught her attention. It was the ocean floor, covered in smooth sand. A wave of happiness washed over her as she noticed many small items in the sand. They were all different shapes and sizes, and she quickly recognized them as more shells. They were arranged in a perfect spiral, just like one of the shells she had seen in the pile. Blythe began looking carefully at all the shells as Droplet brought the two sisters down to the shells. The green serpents scales glowed as she brought them down to the sandy floor, like the moon on a starry night. Blythe let go of Droplet with one hand. They were now so close that they could touch the ocean floor, and Blythe let her hand run through the cold sand as they followed the spiral. The circle of shells became smaller and small as they neared the center of the spiral. Blythe felt Droplet move upward a little bit. She placed her hand back on the serpent, expecting them to leave, but just before they started moving back to the surface Brooklyn leaned to the side and picked something up from out of the sand. She hid it behind her back quickly so that her sister would not see it. Curious now, Blythe tried to turn around to see what it was, but Droplet had put on a burst of speed and she had to turn back around so she could hold on.

The dark water soon turned light as they reached the surface. Both girls took a huge breath as they broke through the surface. Blinking water from her eyes, Blythe turned around as Droplet carefully brought them to shore. Brooklyn still hand her hands behind her back, clutching the thing she had grabbed from the sand. Her blue eyes were shining brightly as she removed the item from behind her back and held it out to Blythe, who gasped with excitement. It was a bracelet with thin thread colors of blue, green, and white woven together. Nine white shells where attached to the threads. A thin, long opening from the top to the bottom was on each shell, making an easy passageway for the threads to go through. Blythe gingerly took it from her sisters hand. The threads were extremely soft and the shells where equally smooth.

“Really? For me?” said Blythe with great delight. Brooklyn nodded and slipped the bracelet onto her sisters wrist.

“It’s your final gift from Droplet and me. It will bring you good luck during your ceremony today.” Droplet gave an encouraging hiss at her name.

“Thank you, I love it.” replied Blythe quietly. She continued examining the bracelet and didn’t stop until they had reached the shore. Both of the girls slid off of Droplet and said good bye to her as she disappeared into the ocean. Starting out across the slippery rocks, they headed back towards the grassy field. Each carried as many shells as they could. Blythe was thankful when they reached the field and were away from the rocks. It was hard enough going along them without carrying a bunch of shells. Quickly grabbing a falling shell, she found her thoughts traveling back to the shell spiral in the ocean.

“It must have taken Brooklyn a long time to make that.” she thought, pushing her dripping hair out of her face. She continued following her sister, and soon the town where they lived came into view. It was rather small, placed in the grassy field near the ocean. There was a clear view of everything there. The mountains, the trees, and the ocean. Blythe often loved to look out her window at everything outside of it. She particularly loved the forest and the mountains, though, and it wasn’t uncommon to see her wandering around in the trees or on around the mountains.

It didn’t take long for them to enter the town. Their house was on the very edge of town, and they soon reached it. Kicking open the door, Brooklyn went over to a shelf, which was built into the side of the staircase, and began placing the shells carefully on it. Blythe soon followed, and felt relieved to not be caring the delicate shells anymore.

“Blythe, Brooklyn, is that you?” came a voice from up the stairs. Blythe recognized it immediately as her mother.

“Yes!” called Brooklyn.

“Come up, then. Blythe has to get ready for her ceremony.” said her mother, but Brooklyn was already nudging her sister up the stairs. Blythe quickly ran up the stairs to the hallway. There were three doors in the hallway, two on the left and one on the right, that led to the families bedroom. Brooklyn, who’s bedroom was the farthest one on the left, opened her door and entered the room. Blythe caught a glimpse of blue colored walls with several drawings pinned to them before Brooklyn closed the door. Looking away from her sister’s room, Blythe opened her own door, the closest one on the left, and entered. The familiar sight filled her eyes as she stood in the doorway. The walls were painted a pure white with a few pictures pinned to them, placed on the wall just to her right. A dark brown bookcase was positioned on her right, pressed against the wall with the door. On the other side of the door was a desk. It too was a dark brown, and the top of it was covered with papers and several pencils. There was a large window next to the desk that took up half the wall, and the forest was clearly visible from it. A tall mirror was placed next to the window and a soft, circular chair was placed in the far left corner. A book lay open on it, and Blythe remembered that she had been reading it a little before she had gone outside. In the far right corner was her bed, and next to that was a dark brown dresser. Shutting the door behind her and walking over to the dresser, Blythe found an outfit laying on top of it. It was folded neatly, and she assumed that her mother had placed them there for her. Unfolding the clothing, Blythe took off her soaking wet clothes and shoes and pulled on the ones on the dresser. Moving in front of the mirror, Blythe looked at the new outfit. She wore light, khaki colored pants and a white button up shirt that was kind of ruffly. She wore black, slip on, leather shoes with laces in the front. They were quite comfortable, and Blythe found it very easy to run and move around in them.

A knock on the door startled Blythe, and she left the mirror to open the door. Brooklyn was standing in the doorway. She was wearing a dark blue shirt with black pants. It was obvious that she had brushed her now dry hair, and Blythe quickly went and did the same.

“Are you ready? You’re ceremony starts in the evening and it’s already late in the afternoon We don’t want to be late.” said Brooklyn.

“I know. I’m coming.” replied Blythe, running the brush once more through her hair before placing it back in her dresser. Running out the door, Blythe quickly followed her sister down the stairs. Her excitement was gradually rising, and she almost tripped over her own feet several times. Brooklyn took the opportunity to tease her about it, but Blythe didn’t care. She was finally going to have her ceremony. Once again, her thoughts traveled to what the ceremony would be like. She remembered her sister’s ceremony last year. Brooklyn had been very excited that day, just like her. That’s all she had talked about for weeks, and at the time Blythe had found it a little annoying. But now, on her own ceremony day, she understood why Brooklyn had been so excited and happy. It was what she’d been training for for years, and now it was all going to pay off.

She continued thinking about it through dinner, which they had decided to have early because of the ceremony, though it didn’t last very long. She was to excited to eat, but after being continuously told by her mother to eat something Blythe forced herself to eat a little bit. Brooklyn also didn’t seem to keen about eating. She kept tapping her fingers on the table, both out of nervousness and excitement. She tried not to show it, however, and ate her dinner rather quickly as if trying to get it over with. Their mother didn’t seem to look like anything was happening. She tried to start a small conversation, but Brooklyn didn’t seem like she was in a talking mood and Blythe had to much on her mind to notice. She was running over all the things she had learned in her head and wondering what knowledge she would have to use. Several times she considered asking Brooklyn for help, but she wanted to do it all on her own. After what felt like hours, they had cleaned up the dishes and were leaving their house. They walked along the road to the other edge of town, though Blythe felt more like she was bouncing. Brooklyn kept calling her back for she continuously kept running ahead. Eventually, though, she gave up and let Blythe run ahead.

It was evening when they all reached the other side of town, and Blythe’s excitement had not gone away as she looked around. Everything was decorated for the occasion, and almost everyone in town was there. Most of the adults were talking to each other happily while most of the kids were looking in awe at all the decorations. Blythe immediately joined in looking at all the decorations while her mother began talking with Mrs. Crest, who recently retired from training kids, and Brooklyn ran over to hang out with a group of her friends. Hundreds of tear-shaped lights were strung everywhere, making everything glow. The strings in which they lights were on looked like tree branches, making everything look even cooler. Several banners were placed on the posts, which were used to help string the lights everywhere, and Blythe took her time as she looked at each banner. There were five banners, one for each post, and all of them had a different design. The first one Blythe saw had a picture of a griffin. It’s feathers were mainly a tawny brown, though it’s head was white. The background was a light grey, which made the griffin seem even more stunning. The second one had a picture of a serpent on it with a blue background. The serpent’s scales were a deep blue, and it would have blended into the background if the background wasn’t so light. The third one held a picture of a basilisk with at green background. The large snake looked very similar to the serpent, though it’s body was slightly larger and it’s scales were a dull grey that were no where near as pretty as the serpent’s. Moving onto the fourth one, Blythe saw a phoenix on it with an orange background. The amazing creature was a bright red with an equally bright yellow edging it’s wings, tail, and head. It’s wing tips seemed to be on fire, making it look even more amazing. The last one had a picture of a dragon on it with a red background. The scales of the dragon were an emerald green, almost like Droplet’s though not as bright, with black spikes along it’s back and on it’s tail. Blythe found herself still staring at the creature when someone called her name. A crowd had gathered around a wooden stage that stood at the back of the road. A fountain was placed just in front of it, and the little kids who had been splashing around in it soon retreated to their parents as a woman, who was standing on the stage, began to speak.

“Good evening, everyone. As you all know, this ceremony is one of the most important days in a Seiag’s life. Today’s ceremony is for a young girl. She has trained for the traditional five years, and it is time for her to become a Seiag! Let’s give her an encouraging applause, and welcome Blythe Stormshade!” said the woman, named Stella, beckoning for Blythe to come up. Everyone around her clapped loudly as she worked her way through the crowd and went up the stairs to the stage. She felt as though she had a whole collection of butterflies in her stomach, but she didn’t want to show how nervous she was. Instead she walked proudly onto the stage, an excited smile etched onto her face. Stella held out a hand as she came up next to her, and Blythe gave it a small shake. Stella held up her hand, and the clapping slowly died down. Blythe felt the many eyes looking at her, and she found it hard to ignore the uncomfortable feeling.

“First of all, happy 15th birthday Blythe.” Blythe nodded her thanks, as she was to nervous to talk, as Stella went on, “Second, I know you have trained hard for this moment so let’s get started right away. As all new Seiag’s must do, you will have to take the traditional oath before you can start on your first task.” Quickly, Stella pulled out a neatly folded piece of paper from her pocket, unfolded it, and began to read.

“I, Stella, swear the this young girl has completed her five year training and knows all the traditions and rules of a Seiag. She is now ready to take the oath and to become a Seiag. Blythe, do you promise to use your knowledge for good purposes, and to help keep these traditions alive for many years to come?”

“I do.”

“Then from this moment on, you are and will forever be a Seiag.” She placed the paper back in her pocket and pulled out a wooden block. Blythe instantly knew what it was for as Stella held it out to her. Taking it gratefully, Blythe held it up in the air. Her smile grew bigger as the crowd clapped once more. Blythe spotted Brooklyn cheering loudly for her, and she couldn’t help wondering it this was how Brooklyn had felt when she had her ceremony. After saying her thanks to Stella, Blythe walked off the stage and made her way over to her sister. Several people congratulated her as she went by, and it took a bit for her to reach her. Brooklyn pulled her into a big hug before Blythe could say anything.

“Good job, sis. I knew you’d do great.” she said, letting go of her sister.

“Thanks, Brook.” replied Blythe, just as someone called her name again. Turning around, she spotted Stella at the foot of the stage, waving for her to come over.

“It’s time for my first task. I’ll see you later tonight!” waving goodbye to her sister, Blythe wove back through the crowd to Stella.

“Come on come on, no time to waste! You don’t want to be doing your first task when it’s to dark!” she called cheerfully as she lead Blythe behind the stage and into a large section of forest. The trees were all white with lots of green leaves. Most of them had carvings on them, but to her disappointment Blythe didn’t have enough time to look at them all. Stella had pulled her over to one of the smaller trees. It had no carvings on it, but she knew that soon it would have many.

“This is your Carving Tree.” said Stella. Knowing that Blythe already knew what it was for, she pulled her deeper into the woods before she could even respond. Blythe followed obediently, and soon found herself standing in a grassy clearing. A cliff was on the other side of the clearing, and Blythe knew from the sound of crashing waves that the ocean was down there. A large, stone cave of on the left side of the clearing. A loud screeching sound was coming from it, and Blythe’s curiosity began to rise. She turned to ask Stella what it was, but she was no where to be seen. Blythe stood confused for a moment, unsure of what to do, when something red burst from the cave. Blythe had no time to think what it was. The cool evening air was disrupted by an intense heat that enveloped her like a blanket, and a scream escaped before she could stop it. Large flames filled the air, making it hard to see anything except for the orange and red hues of the fire. A screech filled the sky as another flame flew through the air.

I awoke with a start, my heart thumping in my chest and my breathing coming rapidly.