Prologue:

    I was dreaming when the sound of crackling wood filled my ears.

     I turned over in my bed trying to go back to sleep. 

    I did smell smoke but I ignored it. Who's burning something so late at night? Annoyed, I let it be for a while but was unable to fall asleep so I looked out the window in curiosity. 

    I saw walls of bright fire engulfing the streets of Rivia. 

    Looking to the side I noticed the flames on the exterior of my house as it turned black.

    Smoke floated up and into the night sky.

    Feeling the anxiety well up in my chest, I quickly grabbed a few items from my desk and ran out of the room.

    When I opened my bedroom door, I was greeted by a dark cloud of smoke. 

    I raced down the hall passing by the large flickering lights climbing up the walls.

    I coughed a few times as my lungs wailed for more air.

    I charged out of my house and got away from it quickly. I saw the familiar face which I just saw the day before. 

    "Ella!" I shouted as I ran over to her. 

    “Eagle!” She said, coughing, as I got closer.

    “Are you okay? What's going on?” I asked. 

    “I don't know! I was with my parents, our house was on fire, I lost them in the crowd and realized you might not know yet because you live farther away so I came to find you.”

    “Are you okay?” I repeated my question, seeing she was shocked and not paying much attention as I put my hand on her shoulder to get her attention. 

    “I'm okay, I don't know where my parents went though!”

    “Where's Orchid, do you know?” I asked.

    “I don't know.” She said, I could tell she was really panicking. 

    “I'm going to check their house!” I said.

    "I'm going too." Ella said as I started running. 

    I broke into a run. As I ran my eyes were darting to different streets and houses in flames as the fire took over the town.

    "Ella!" I yelled, "If they are still inside the house, you get Orchid, I'll get her mom. Once you're out, run as far as you can!" 

    “What if they're not there?” she shouted from behind.

    “Then we'll go back and get out of town where people are gathering!”

    “Okay!”

We ran for a few minutes longer then,

    “There! That's her house!” Ella shouted when a lone house came into view. 

    I picked up my pace running towards the burning building when I heard a man shouting from inside.

     I found my friend and a strange man in a cloak holding a dagger to her throat. 

    With my head feeling nauseous and dizzy, and forgetting what I was supposed to do, I rushed to help. 

    Running forward as fast as I could, I grabbed the man and fell to the

floor with them. 

    “Orchid!” I heard Ella yell from behind me. 

    The man was trying to break free of my grasp but I refused to let go. Something sharp cut beneath my eye as the man's arms were nearly free.

    As if distant, I heard my two friends bickering with each other, then two sets of footsteps rushed out onto grass.  

    At least they made it out safely, I thought.

The man freed his arm just as shingles and boards started to fall down, then with the sound of cracking wood the last thing I saw was bright orange flickering light. 

                                                Chapter one:

                           Kenric

    I sat on the ground looking at the shadows cast from a torch down the hall.

    Two men often came into my cell asking me about two girls wanting to know how I knew them. I had no idea what or who they were talking about.

     I don't even know why I'm in this cell to begin with. My left eye started stinging, they said a house fell on me and that it was on fire. 

    Someone named Kenric looked into my memories earlier. He's the one who told me that my name was Lark.

    I felt confused, lost, and a weird feeling as if I were forgetting something. I don't remember how long I've been here for. A year, maybe?

    I heard the familiar and unmistakable sound of a large door opening followed by two sets of heavy footsteps. Fear and alarm had shot 

through me, as I jumped to my feet. My heart started pounding inside my chest like the beating of a drum. 

    Minutes later, two people dressed in suits of armor stood in front of my cell. 

    “What do you want?” I asked roughly.

    “We need to take you to the boss,” one of the two answered. “We're just trying to follow orders.” 

    I stayed silent and glared at them both as one of them opened the gate with their keys. When the gate was opened, I took my chance and dashed out the door. 

    I felt hands grab onto me firmly and pull me back hard. 

    “You're not getting away that easily. Not repeating what happened last time.” one of them said. 

    I rolled my eyes in exasperation. 

    The day before I had escaped their grasp, but I had been caught soon after. 

    The people in armor had bound my wrists in chains, and quickly

tightened them almost to the point where I couldn’t feel my nerves anymore. 

    We walked through the halls. I heard the echoes of dripping water and the small squeaks of mice that ran by. 

    We eventually arrived at a dimly lit room. They led me to a chair that was in the middle of the room and forced me to sit. 

    I tried to resist, but their strength was too much for me. After they had sat me down, they tied my hands and feet to the arms and legs of the chair.

    After they left, the entire room was completely empty. No sound was made. Complete silence.

    Like many other times in the past year, I felt loneliness tear at my throat. 

    I had wondered many times how I got here. I wondered if I had a family, friends, a real life, just right outside of this place. I’ve wondered if they missed me. 

    I shook my sadness away. Then I swiftly looked around to see if I could

use anything to get out of my chains. 

    Finding nothing of use, I grunted in frustration. 

    Then it happened. 

    With the sound of door scraping the floor as it opened, my breath came out in small and quick rasps. My mind raced with fear, knowing who it was already. 

    A cloaked figure had come into my vision, the trim of the cloak billowing behind them. The person had come to a halt in front of me. 

    It was Kenric. 

    They stood facing me, but I could not see anything except a mask of shadows. 

    My breath caught. With my heartbeat rising, I just stayed silent, not even daring to say a word. 

    “So, I see that we’re here again,” a sudden, chilling, voice came from the cloaked figure. “Are you willing to cooperate this time?” 

    The voice was deep, cold, and very petrifying that I couldn’t move a muscle. 

    Summoning up all the courage I could, I shook my head vigorously, saying, 

    “No! I will not! I’ve already told you! I don’t know what you are talking about!” 

    “You lie!” The figure exclaimed in a booming yell. “You better tell me, or there will be consequences!” 

    I raised my head confidently. “I don’t know of a town named Rivia or two girls! You might as well kill me now. I’m no use to you, so why keep me? I know this, you know this! I’m not afraid of you!” 

    Suddenly, he laughed. Deep and frightening as his talking voice. 

    “You make me laugh, little child. You are an imbecile!” 

    “What's so funny?” I asked confidently, then regretted it. He just ignored me. 

    “You do amuse me, little child. You are indeed a challenging one. You’ve been here for a year, yet you refuse to give in. After all I’ve done to you… very interesting. But–then again, I do enjoy a good challenge.” He spoke. 

    I gave a scowl. 

    “What are you going to do with me this time?” I asked through gritted teeth. 

    “oh, don’t worry about that. I think you already know.” 

    I gulped, my skin already itching and hurting at the idea. He means to torture me again, I thought to myself. 

    Kenric then began to leave, but before he left my field of vision, he spoke. 

    “I’ve heard you tried to escape?” he asked. 

    “Y-yes,” I stammered without meaning to. Kenric stayed silent as he walked past. The sound of his footsteps had vanished once he walked through the big door, which closed with a big slam. 

    I sighed. 

    I tried to control my breathing and my heart rate. 

    When I was getting myself under control, two of the guards came back in the room, untied me from the chair. With my hands still tied, they led me out again. 

    I followed, with no intention of running away, knowing already that it

would be a futile attempt.

                        Chapter two:

                      Dreams. 

    I had woken up in my cell with my whole body aching with pain. I opened my eyes to see myself still in the cell. 

    I turned back around to fall back to sleep. Closing my eyes, my brain was turning, finding ways on how to escape. 

    You must have been stupid and done something dumb to be put in here…I scolded myself. 

    I have maybe hoped that I am making this up. That I would wake up and find this all a bad dream. But in the end, it’s very real. 

    “Stupid! You stupid!” I yelled at myself, looking at my newly bruised hands. I groaned. 

    Pretty soon after that, I fell asleep.

                                                         -    -    -

    I woke up and opened my eyes to see sunshine on my face. I got up on my feet and soon noticed that I was in a town. It was empty though.

    Am I free? Am I out for good? I thought. Hope and excitement had fogged my head. 

    I wandered the town excitedly, taking breaths of the cold air. It was empty and quiet. 

    Is no one here…? I thought. 

    My excitement for seeing actual nice people had slowly seeped away from me when I realized no one was here. 

    The town was splashed in moonlight as it was now midnight. The town was surrounded by walls. 

    I found a house, with a big tree beside it. 

    It felt familiar to me. Is this the town I used to once live in? I thought. I walked over to the house with the tree beside it.

    I suddenly saw something. I walked over to the door of the house. Stuck in the hinges of the door, I found a string of hair. 

    Picking it up, I examined it. It was orange. Confused, I dropped it. 

    “Hey!” a sudden voice said which made me jump in surprise. “There you are!” 

    I turned around to see who it was, but as I did, it was in slow motion. Two people were ahead of me, by the town's entrance. 

    Surprised and happy that I saw someone in the last year, I broke into a run towards the two people. I had realized that I wasn’t getting closer to them but farther away. 

    Everything started to get swamped in darkness and disappear. The two people were waving. 

    “No! Come back! Come back! Help!” I begged desperately. There was no answer. No reply. 

    Finally, I was left alone in complete darkness. 

                    -    -    -

    I jumped to my feet, alarmed. I looked side to side. I saw that I was in my cell. 

    That wasn’t real? I’m still here! Why am I still here!? I shouldn’t. I don’t want to be here! I complained silently. 

    I sat on the dirty ground again. I started to cry quietly. As I was weeping, I heard a distant sound. 

    Footsteps came next. 

    I lifted my head, getting myself under control, to see what it was. To my surprise, it was Kenric who came to my cell, accompanied by two guards. 

    I got to my feet and walked to the bars. 

    “Do what you want with me, it doesn’t matter anymore,” I said miserably. Not as if I’m ever going to get out of here, I thought harshly. 

    Kenric let the others tie me up with not a single word. 

    I followed recently as they led me through the stone halls. They put me into a room.It was secluded, away from all the other cells.

     The guards shoved me into the room, tied a chain to my foot, along with cuffs around my hands so it covered them. 

    I could not see my hands now, and I could not move as fast now that a ball was weighing me down. 

    “Why am I here?” I asked, looking at Kenric. Although I could not meet his gaze, for his eyes were hidden by his hood, I kept my stare. 

    Kenric had left me alone in the room without an explanation. I stared at the shut door in disbelief, feeling as though all the hope and strength was being sucked out of my body. 

    I slowly sank down to sit on the floor. My stomach growled with hunger as my limbs hurt. 

    I had soon fallen asleep again.

                        -     -    -

    I woke up in a dream. I saw myself in the same town as I was last time. 

    “Something is up with this town. . .” I mumbled to myself. I searched the town once more, this time, with more sightful eyes. 

    I wandered the town aimlessly, not really sure of what I was looking for. 

    “Is anybody here?” I called out, hearing my own desperation and pitiful

tone in my voice. 

    I sighed. 

    This is a dream, you stupid. Nobody is going to answer you! I scolded myself harshly.

    I then saw something that piqued my interest. I saw a burned-black house. I walked into the house and felt immediate comfort. 

Then I heard somebody suddenly say, 

    “Hey, dummy!” 

The voice was nice and playful sounding, but I was alarmed. I came out of the house to see where it had come from. 

    I looked over, and I saw the two same people I saw in my last dream. I walked over to the two figures, who were waving happily. 

    This time, I was able to actually get there. I saw that the two were by the house I was in last time, next to the big tree. 

    One of the people was sitting by the tree, while the other one was sitting on one of its boughs. 

    I looked at the people's faces. 

    “Where were you? We were looking everywhere for you! Did you forget to meet us here?” one of the people said. I was confused. 

    “What do you mean?” 

    “What do you mean?” one of the people echoed the question back. “Are you feeling okay?” the other one asked. 

    The two people came up to me, and I examined them more closely. My vision had started to get blurry so I could not see their features very easily, but I could tell they were two girls. 

    “Are you feeling okay?” one of them asked. 

    “Y-yeah, I’m okay,” I replied, feeling uncertain. “Just–confused. That's all.” 

    “You said you’ll meet us here, remember? You’ve probably forgotten…” one of the girls said. 

    “Classic, you. Very funny.” The other one chuckled. 

    I started to feel nauseous and dizzy. I stumbled without meaning to, my hands shaking. 

    “Are you sure you’re alright?” The first one asked again, their voice