Chapter One

Chapter one

Lost in the ghostly darkness of midnight in a eerie, gothic forest scene, the sky was starlit and black. The full moon sent out a cold breath of light that deceived her, seeming to illuminate, but tricking her eyes with out sized shapes that blended with the emotionless shadows dancing along the horizon.

Her name was Tera; her hair a dark cascade of black: side-parted; she wore a red checkered hoodie and black skinny jeans.

Tera picked herself up, exhausted but wide awake at the same time. A mystic fog arose faintly and a distant howl was all to be heard. She decided she was a bit hungry, so she swung her big backpack over her shoulder and swept out an apple skill-fully. Light filtered through the top branches of looming trees, and as Tera walked further into the forest, it became a reality that she was alone and surrounded by nature.

The odd thing was: even as Tera stood outside the forest everything seemed to be oddly unrecognisable, as if none of it was there before. A sudden movement, and before her eyes a tree fell to the ground so close she could feel the force of the air as it collapsed. She jolted backwards and then found her feet as two rabid dogs broke from a passing mans leash and immediately darted towards Tera. There was no use in stopping to see if they were tame, they looked like they could rip Tera to shreds!

Finally, as Tera got away she was a quivering wreck, lost in an open meadow. She sprawled in the grass and closed her eyes for a few seconds to relax. Completely distressed, she needed to sleep.

*

She slept in a rooted, stout tree. She woke up unusually not tired, and walked north a bit until she was stopped in her tracks by an enormous river capturing the sunrise. It was unmistakably beautiful… But Tera had nowhere to go now. While she pondered on the grass, a low, grisly voice growled at her. "What are you doing here" she turned around to see a hooded man. The shadow from his hood masked his face so it just looked like darkness.

"Please, go away" he said it calmly, but something about him clearly said he was mad. She couldn't speak and the strange man started twitching. as if it were three snapshots, in rapid movements the man had shoved Tera and all you could see of his face was his terrifying grin as Tera went flying over a ledge into the deep river, screaming. She plunged into the water, painfully, and sank…

It was hard to tell what was happening from her eyes but she knew she was drowning and running out of breath rapidly, and through all the bubbles she was sure she could see a figure. Tera had always been a good person, put others first and she wanted to save this person but there was a most chance of them both dying.

Despite that, Tera swam down until she felt her heartbeat in her head and she was going to pass out. her lungs burned for more air and even though she knew he would get none her body still took a breath. Cold water filled her lungs and blood pounded behind her eyes. The darkness engulfed her and she had nothing left in her to fight anymore.

*

Above the water, it was still and quiet. Tera knew she was dying and the river was too strong for her as she was getting weaker and weaker. But just as it seemed she was dead, bubbles of air came up to the surface, a figure seemed to be darting through the water, through a tunnel in the direction of another large river, and upwards…
It was not Tera. A boy with matching black hair gasped for air and breathed deeply once, then the water enveloped him…

It was still once again.

*