Chapter 1- Trapped

     To most seventeen year olds, the idea of a perfect life is going out on the town and hanging out with friends, “living life in the fast lane”, as it’s referred. This, however, doesn’t apply to Lyra Wood. Being an outcast at her school, she had no friends to hang out with but, she did have a need to get out, but not for a night on the town.

     Ever since she was little, Lyra had an obsession with the forest; it was as if she was drawn to it by some unexplained instinct. At first, all that it was when she was away from the woods was just a simple longing feeling followed by spending hours staring out her bedroom window. As Lyra grew older, that longing feeling became stronger until it manifested into something that could hardly be controlled. This feeling was equivalent to that which an animal feels when it is cornered; one that is trapped.

     It was Sunday morning and, while her parents weren’t home, Lyra decided to go out and spend the day in the woods. She had travelled the same trails so much that they were now worn down over the years, but each time she traveled them, she felt so giddy and excited that her feet hardly stayed on the ground. Her felt tingly all over as she spotted her favorite old oak tree. She collapsed into its knurled roots. Leaning her head back, she closed her eyes and listened to the sounds of the forest around her.

     Up above, the birds twitted their catchy little songs. Down below, chipmunks and mice scurried in the under growth. She heard something plop in the leaves in front of her and opened one eye. A big, fat toad stared back at her. With cat-like reflexes, she snatched it up and stroked its bumpy back. It struggled and made a low, airy sound from its throat, a toad’s way of whimpering. She smiled and set it down, the toad hopped away.

     She pulled her backpack onto her lap and pulled out a bottle of water. After taking a few drinks she replaced it. Slinging the backpack over her shoulder, she stood up and jogged down her trail. Something shiny caught the corner of her eye, making her stop. She placed her hand over her brow to block the sun and eyed the shiny thing.

     “What is that?” she wondered aloud.

     Setting her backpack down, she approached the shiny object cautiously. Using a stick to brush away the leaves, she saw that it was an iron jaw trap. She frowned, enraged that somebody had dared trespassed on her territory and set this trap. She lifted the stick over her head and came down on the plate. The steel jaws snapped shut, breaking the stick in half. Lyra tossed the other half away with a snort.

     “I’d like to see these hunters come here again.”

     She yanked up the trap and drag to a nearby tree. Pulling down one of the limbs, she hung the trap there and returned to her trail. Not too far away, she came across another trap, only this one had a dead rabbit in it. She cursed under her breath and pried the trap open with a sturdy stick. She pulled the rabbit from the trap and tossed it into the undergrowth for the animals then hung the trap on another branch.

     Lyra followed the hunter’s trap line for the rest of the day. She pulled foxes, lynxes, rabbits, and squirrels from those traps. Each time she tossed the kill into the bushes and hung the trap a branch. Unfortunately, some of the animals in the traps were still alive and Lyra was forced to leave them to their fate.

     When Lyra returned home late in the afternoon, her mother was already there. She sat at the table sipping her coffee and reading a novel. She looked over the rim of her reading glasses at Lyra before she went back to reading her book.

     “In the woods again?” she wondered, not looking up.

     Amelia Wood was like the kind of mother that you’d see on TV. She had beautiful chocolate brown hair that hung down to her shoulders with loose curls that she’d spend hours in the bathroom to try and perfect. She worked as a part-time secretary at the local newspaper. She still looked like she was in her early twenties rather than in her early thirties. Also, both of Lyra’s parents had the nice, olive toned skin that could tan so easily without burning.

    Lyra knew from a very young age that she was adopted. Her mocha skin and short, glossy black hair made her stand out from them. It took them several years of asking before they finally admitted that she was found on their door step when she was only a few weeks old. They said that there was no note on her to say that she had a name so they decided to name her Lyra. To this day, Lyra’s past still remains a mystery.

     She shrugged off her backpack and tossed it on the counter. She went over to the refrigerator and eyed its contents. “Yeah,” she said, matching her mother’s tone.

     Mom nodded, but she didn’t ask any further questions. Selecting a yogurt and a tiny bottle of water, she closed the door and sat down at the table. She watched her mother intently for a moment. How do I tell her? Should I wait until Dad gets home?

     “Is something wrong?” Mom had set down her book and was searching Lyra’s face. “Are you okay?”

     Lyra shook her head. “Yeah-erm- Mom, when’s Dad going to be home?” she asked popping a spoon full of yogurt into her mouth.

     Looking slightly surprised, Mom reached across the table and placed her hand on Lyra’s arm. “Are you okay sweetie? Is there something that you want to tell me?”

     She pushed her chair away from the table and stood up. Discarding her yogurt cup into the trash, she walked past her. A confused look was on Mom’s face. Lyra’s hard expression softened. “No, I’ll….. I’ll tell you both when he gets here,” she told her before she disappeared up the stairs and into her room.

     Lyra flopped down on her bed with a frustrated sigh. Now that she was out of the forest, that horrid feeling had taken its hold on her again. The invisible chains reattached themselves to her heart and locked it into place. She laid there brooding for the rest of the afternoon, her usual hostility returning.

     When Nathaniel Wood returned home from work late that night, he was tired but kept up his cheery attitude. He went over to his wife and wrapped his arms around her asking her how her day was and what was for dinner.

     Mom giggled and leaned back into his embrace. “We’re having spaghetti and garlic bread,” she said before she turned to press a kiss on his lips.

     Dad smirked. “That sounds wonderful,” he whispered into her ear.

     Both Mom and Dad were about the same age and have been married for about eight years. Both of them had earned decent reputations at their jobs. While Mom worked at the newspaper until early in the afternoon, Dad worked as a lawyer until late at night. Despite their two jobs and dealing with the trouble that Lyra causes at school (more on that later), they were still able to keep up a decent love life.

     Lyra was still upstairs in her room when she heard her father’s car pull up and sighed. Here we go. She pulled herself out of bed and stomped down the stairs. When she entered the kitchen she saw her parents kissing each other.

     “Uh, excuse me for interrupting you make out session but, I need to tell you guys something kind of important,” Lyra said.

     They pulled away from each other and looked at her. “What is it dear? And we aren’t having a make out session,” Mom asked.

     Taking in a deep breath, Lyra spoke. “I found traps out in the woods today.”

     Dad’s expression grew hard. “What do you mean? How many were there?”

     Mom grew hysterical. “Why didn’t you tell me earlier? You didn’t talk to strangers did you?”

     Lyra held her hands. “Would you guys just be quiet for a second and let me explain!” They both stopped talking. “Thank you, now Dad I legitly saw animal traps on our property. There were probably between fifteen and thirty of them. I triggered all the traps and threw whatever was dead out into the woods but some of those animals were still alive so I had to leave them. And Mom, I’m not six. I know better than to talk to strangers and I didn’t tell you earlier because I knew that you would act like this,” she explained, folding her arms over her chest. “What do we do?”

     It was Dad who spoke first. “Well first off, don’t touch those traps again. I don’t want you to get cut and have to get a tetanus shot. Second, I don’t want you in the woods period. I’ll see if one of the neighbors can go into the woods and see who is hunting out of season.” His brow creased as he went into deep thought and he took his place at the table.

     Mom had busied herself with finishing dinner while Lyra was speaking. “I do not act like that all the time,” she protested as she set the pot of spaghetti on the table.

     “Yeah you do,” They said in unison.

     Mom huffed and went to take the garlic bread out of the oven.

     “Dad, you know why I go out in the woods,” Lyra said to him trying to seem unmoved by his earlier statement. In truth, Lyra could feel those chains tightening and her hostility growing.

     “Yes, because you claim that it helps with your mood, but yet you still get into trouble at school,” he commented, eyeing the food with interest.

     “Hey, I haven’t gotten in to trouble for more than a month now,” she defended.

     “That’s a new record for you!” Mom called from the kitchen.

     Dad’s face grew stern. “But I still don’t want you in there; I don’t want those poachers to�"you know�"do something to you.”

     Lyra punched her fist into her palm. “But I can take care of myself.”

     He shook his head and sighed. “You may be able to take down young men and women your age but let’s be realistic Lyra; can you really fight a full grown, drunken man with a gun?”

     Lyra stood up and did a heroic pose. “I think that I can take down anyone anywhere. There hasn’t yet been and opponent that Lyra Wood hasn’t defeated!” she exclaimed.

     Mom came into the room carrying a plate of garlic toast. “Sit down Lyra,” she instructed. “It’s time to eat.”

Reviews

[Joan*Eckhart]

Okay, one thing you're going to have to explain is: you say Lyra (who sounds pretty feisty) is 17, yet her parents have only been married for eight years? I don't understand that. Also, in the scene when Lyra tells her mom and dad that she went into the forest, first her mom is near hysterical, then the next second she has busied herself with preparing the food. I think that is too quick a change of emotion to be realistic.
I did enjoy reading this story. It is interesting and you have described events well. I felt sorry for those poor trapped animals she had to leave. Lyra sounds like a heroine I can really root for, but there is one thing I thought did not really suit this story.

" Lyra stood up and did a heroic pose. “I think that I can take down anyone anywhere. There hasn’t yet been and opponent that Lyra Wood hasn’t defeated!” she exclaimed."

This made her sound more like a soldier than a teenage girl! I get that you want to make her appear fiery, but really, at that age, what opponents would she have defeated?

I do like her though.

[Miranda]

I knew there was something wrong with this chapter. I felt an unsettled feeling in my gut when I completed this. Thanks for pointing the stuff out. :) I'll be sure to read the next chapter of your novel today.