Chapter XII - The Test

I open my eyes. The blinding darkness strikes my mind. I can feel it's bitterness touching my skin as if it were a killer attempting to give a warm embrace. I can smell the wet earth surrounding me. Alrik must have put me underground somewhere. The small space lights up as the hatch above me opens. The brightness shocks my eyes and I am lifted into the air by strong arms and my now bare feet reach the ground. I try to look around and capture my surroundings, but someone thrusts a bag over my head. The arms push and pull me in different dirrections forcing me to a destination. Finally, they shove me into a room and remove the bag from my head. The area is small, but comfortable. The walls appear to be made out of some brownish grassy material. Red pillows are scattered arounda small wooden table the dirt floor. I notice a painting on the wall. It's not like the one's I've seen in Cultridia as it was black and white. I walk over to get a closer look. The picture is of a man and a teenage boy. The man is tall, young and holding a staff. The boy is on his knees, staring up at the man and shaking his hand. 

"Enjoying the artwork?" Alrik's voice booms behind me. I turn around to face him my heart pounding in the moment. "Sit" He continues motioning toward a pillow on the ground. I follow his command without hesitation. "Elias and I have come to an agreement about you. It was only a month ago that he discovered his gift of foreshadowing. However, I've known since he first set foot in this villiage. It would be foolish of me not to take his theory into consideration. My heart agrees with Elias one-hundered percent. However, because you are Cultridian, my mind tells me otherwise. We have come up with a test to prove that you are the next female foreshadower and that you will not be a threat to our villiage. Do you agree to this test?" I nod. "Do you have any questions?"

"No"

"We must begin right away. Follow me." He turns and exits the small building I rise and follow him into the sunlight. Everyone in the villiage is staring at me with wide, fearful eyes. Mothers are hurring their children indoors. One man in particular, holding a spear, looks at me angrily and grips his weapon tighter as I pass. Finally, we reach what looks like the edge of the villiage. Alrik stops and faces me. A frightened young woman approaches and hands me a bag filled with food and blankets. As soon as the cloth item is released from her clutches she flees into the arms of a strong young man. The man and I exchange stares as the woman sobs into his chest. What could the Cultridian's have done to make an entire race so fearful? How many of these people have stories just like Elias' sister's?

Alrik speaks again. "If you are a foreshadower, this task will be fairly simple. If you are not, it will be nearly impossible. Elias is hidden somewhere in the forest. You must use your abilities to try and find him. If you find him and bring him back within three days, you have proven yourself a foreshadower. Throughout your journey, you will encounter many trials. Your choices in these trials will tell us where your loyalty stands between us and Cultridia." He turns and points to the sun. "In three days, if you do not return by the time the sun touches the trees, as it is know, you have failed." I swallow hard. My heart is racing faster than ever. "Are you ready?" I look up at Alrik and nod. "When I count to three, you must run until your legs burn. Then, your challenge begins." I look around. Everyone in the villiage has gathered around us. Staring, waiting for the outcome of my test. "One..." The word recaptures my attention. "...two..." I turn toward the forest, ready to go. "...three..." 

I take off running as fast as my tired body can take me. Pebbles rip through my feet and branches slap my face. I begin to slow down when the ground beneath my feet bursts into flames. I can feel them tear through my pants and painfully dance around my legs. Then, I remember Alrik's words. "You must run until your legs burn." Is this what he meant? Again, I slow down bringing myself to a stop. The fire vanishes. I scan the area. There's no one around, not even Henly. I'm alone in the Lower-Flat-Lands once again. My test has begun.

Chapter XI - Alrik and the Village

Chapter XI - Alrik and the Village

I’m in a field. Resting in a patch of plush, green grass. I stare off into the pale blue sky and the planets far off from it’s reach. It’s not long before I notice another hand placed calmly next to mine. I look over to find Callum smiling up at the space above. 

“Isn’t it beautiful?” He asks. I don’t reply. Instead I just smile. He turns over on his side and stares into my eyes. “It’s so good to be here with you.” He continues. “I was worried I’d never get to see you again. After they took me I-” He stops and sits up. “Agh. Well, that’s just great.” He says as he points out a mud stain on his shirt. He stands and walks over to a nearby pond. I follow him. “I should probably watch what I’m doing when I roll over in the grass.” He continues. I sit down in the grass and watch as he removes his shirt. At first, I only notice his well-toned muscles. But then, as he kneels by the water, I notice two scars on his stomach. Then, when he turns around to rinse his shirt, there are multiple scars on his back, arms, and neck. Then, the dream begins to blur. Callum says something but I can’t understand him. Then, I’m back in the dark forest with Henly by my side. I sit up from my resting place and, for the first time since leaving Callum at the barrier, I begin to cry. What are they doing to him? I wonder. I silence my sobs as best I can, however, Henly obviously hears them because he moves closer and rests his head on my lap. My tears begin to clear up. I glance over at Elias, who is still resting peacefully. We didn’t talk much after he told me about working for my father. I already have a lesser opinion about my father. Hearing about his secret work didn’t change that. In fact, it only made Aralyn’s situation make more sense. Our parents arranged for her to marry a man who controls these people as well. When she found out about his “job” he refused to marry her and she became an outcast. It’s a business, a game.

The next day Elias leads me toward his village. 

“What are your people like?” I ask.

“Lively, joyful, accepting. Even though we live in absolute hunger and poverty, we find reason to celebrate even the smallest of things.” He replies. I have never heard that word before. Poverty. I can only assume it has to do with the living situation of his people. “Okay. You’ll stop here. I’m going to continue to my village to tell them about you so they won’t be surprised when you come. When I leave, I want you to sit in the grass, close your eyes, and focus on me. Try to reach into our mental connection. I have a feeling that, if you try, you might be able to see what I see. Take this.” He says as he reaches around his neck, removes a rope necklace and hands it to me. “It might be able to help.” Then he turns and leaves. As soon as Elias is out of sight I sit in the grass just as he instructed. I press the necklace between the palms of hands and close my eyes. First, I try remembering our conversation from the night before. Then, I try to think back to my dreams and how real Elias felt in them. Finally, I try putting my thoughts into the necklace. How it had clung to Elias’ neck, and how he handed it to me. Suddenly, the blackness of my mind faded and I was walking in the forest again. However, this time I was almost invisible and I wasn’t really walking. I’m not even sure I would call it running. I was just moving at an extremely fast pace. Then, I saw Elias, my figure disappeared into his and, suddenly, I saw through his eyes. 

He was approaching a clearing of trees. I began to make out small buildings formed from wood. There were people everywhere. They all looked just like Elias but, at the same time, each one was unique and beautiful. As He walked through the village people looked at him curiously. 

“Hey, Lias, Where ya been?” One older boy asked.

Elias stops. “Where’s Alrik?”

“Elias.” The voice belongs to a middle-aged man stepping out of a building. “We were starting to worry something had happened to you. Where were you?” 

“I found her.”

“Found who?” Asks the man called Alrik.

“You know who.” Says Elias. They exchange stares. Elias Continues. “She’s here in the Lower-Flat-Lands.” Everyone is looking at him perplexedly. Except for Alrik, he knows.

“Can you take me to her?” Asks the man. Elias nods. “Harper, Karriel, you’ll accompany us. Elias lead the way.” Alrik demands. He exchanges looks with the two other boys as if there is some sort of unspoken understanding between them. 

“This way.” Says Elias. They begin moving. The closer they come to me the more I can feel it. The next thing I see is myself, sitting on the ground. The four men coming closer. All men but Elias have harsh looks on their faces. Then, one pulls out a knife and the other takes some rope from sack around his waist.

“Olivia!” Shouts Elias as the others begin to move faster. My eyes open. Henly is yelling at them ferociously. I stand in attempt to get away. But it’s too late. They’re already binding my hands and feet. Elias tries to stop them but, Alrik has him pinned to the ground. It’s too late. They’ve captured me.

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Chapter X - The Foreshadowers

Chapter X - The Foreshadowers

I sit, staring at the blazing flames before me. Henly jumps around as ashes fly into the air, trying to catch them as if it were a game.

“How did you learn to make fire?” I ask Elias.

“It is one of the first things our parents teach us before the Cultridian men take us to work.”

“How old were you when they took you?” 

“I was eight. Girls are taken earlier than boys, though. They learn how to sew and stuff as early as five.” He looks at me questioningly. “You don’t know what sewing is, do you?” I shake my head. “It’s how clothes are made. I don’t really know how it works. Boys aren’t taught how.” 

“How come I’ve never seen any of your people?”

He stares at the fire, trying to work up an answer. “They keep us underground.” He says finally. “All of the buildings in the Upper-Flat-Lands are just for show. All of the work is done underground.”

“Do you ever get to go outside?” I ask.

“No.” He replies. “There are tunnels under the buildings. Whenever they need to move us to another building, or even another city, we’re led through them.” I can’t seem to wrap my mind around this new information about my birthplace. After my second dream about Elias, I had a feeling that Cultridia wasn’t really the incredible home I thought it was. Hearing Elias’ words have only confirmed those thoughts and feelings.

“Elias. I need to tell you something” I pause. He looks at me with listening eyes. “You said you were looking for me but, really, I came to the Lower-Flat-Lands to find you.” I continue, Elias’ face forms an unreadable expression. “About a month ago, I started having these oddly vivid dreams. In the last dream I had, for example, I was running down the path from Cultridia. I heard voices yelling my name from behind. Then, I ran into something and my friend, Callum, helped me up. Then-” I stop. I realize why running down the hill with Callum was so familiar. I had already been there before. In my dream. My heart beats fast and, when I think my realization can’t get any more confusing, Elias speaks.

“It worked.” He says, smiling. 

“What worked?”

“Your dreams.” Elias states. I stare at him as if he is a crazy person. “Let me explain.” He continues “Out of every generation of people there are two, one male and one female, called the foreshadowers. Being a foreshadower means you have incredible mental capabilities. The most valid being the strong connection between the two minds and the ability to see reflections of the future. This can be discovered early on in the person’s life, or they can grow old and die without noticing their capabilities. Most of the time, the pair of foreshadowers are either from Cultridia or the Lower-Flat-Lands. If they are both Cultridian, their gift hardly ever becomes noticed. Few people up on the mountain actually recognize the term foreshadowing.” He pauses, obviously in deep thought. 

“What does that have to do with me or you?” I ask. 

Elias smiles again. “Olivia, you and I are the foreshadowers of our generation. You’re dreams were reflections of events to come.” 

“But, the way my dream happened isn’t the way it happened in real life. Everything was distorted and I couldn’t quite make it out.” I explain.

“How long ago did you have that dream in particular?”

“I don’t know. Three weeks ago, maybe.” I reply.

“Then it must have come from your own mental capacity. Were your other two dreams more vivid?” 

“Yes, and you were in them.” I say, wishing he would get to the point.

“Okay, so your first two dreams were reflected from my mind. Since your mind hadn’t yet gathered the capacity for foreshadowing, I had to force the connection between our minds so you could see those futures. Your third dream, however, was your own ability being activated. Your brain had never performed such an exquisite task before thus causing your dream to still feel incredibly real but, also quite unsure.”

This is all so much to take in. The fact that my mind has the ability to do these things almost doesn’t seem real.

“You said that each pair of foreshadowers are either from Cultridia or the Lower-Flat-Lands but, you and I are from both. How did you know I’d be Cultridian?” 

“When it became manifest that I was the new male foreshadower, my people started to search the village for the female. They ran all sorts of tests in hopes that they would find her. They used my mind to try and search the Upper-Flat-Lands for another girl of my race. One day, I had the thought that she might not be of our race but of yours. However, when I brought this idea forward to the leaders of my village, they denied it. But, I knew you had to be Cultridian. So, at night, when everyone was asleep, I ran some tests of my own. After all, it’s not impossible for the foreshadowers to be of two different races. It’s just rare.” He stops and stares back into the fire. At this point Henly has given up on his attempts to catch the burning embers in the air, and is resting peacefully by my side.

“Elias-” I start.

“-Wait. How do you know my name? The only way you could have known it is if I showed it to you through our connection. Which I didn’t do.” Elias stares at me awaiting an answer.

“Recently, I was on a tour in the Upper-Flat-Lands. My parents sent my sister and me there to find husbands. We were in Effgere when I found a picture of you on a desk in the house we were staying at. I recognized you from my dreams. Below the picture it said ‘Elias. Fifteen years old. Escapee.’”

“They make those papers so they can remember who has escaped. That was almost three years ago. I’m eighteen now.” Elias smiles again. I smile back this time. 

“Wait a minute.” I start again. “If I would have had to place my name in your mind then, how did you know it and how did you know who I was?”

Elias looks panicked at my question. “I shouldn’t tell you now.”

“Why not?”

“Because you won’t like it.”

“Elias. Please tell me. If don’t I’ll probably just be able to reach it out of your mind somehow anyways.” I say but, I don’t really know how or if I would actually be able to do that.

“Olivia. I knew who you were before I knew you were the other foreshadower. I knew who you when we were only little kids.”

“What do you mean?” This is a question of which I already know the answer as I can see the words come out of Elias’ mouth before they actually do.

“Olivia. I used to work for your father.”

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Chapter IX - The Lower-Flat-Lands

Chapter IX - The Lower-Flat-Lands

My heart pounds at the sight. Everything that I saw and heard on the other side of the barrier is gone. I want to stay and wait for Callum. I want to stand here and yell out his name. But, I can’t. Aralyn’s words echo in my mind. “You can do this. You have to find Elias.”

It takes a great amount of my emotional energy to stand up and continue running down the path. As I run, the trees grow thicker and the path begins to flatten out. I stop myself. I’m in the Lower-Flat-Lands. The place I’ve looked at through my window for years as if it were only a picture. I continue on running through the forest until I see the sun descending in the sky. I remove the tied up shawl from my shoulder and place it on the ground.  I open it up and begin dressing myself in the clothes inside so that I can stay warm as the night becomes cool. I then begin to pile up fallen leaves and place the shawl over them so I have some sort of bed. I lay down, but, I don’t sleep at first. I just think. What happened to Callum? Did he escape some other way? What will those men who were after us do to him? Elias’ sister didn’t tell Aralyn much of anything in order to protect her. What if they hurt Callum because of what he knows? Why didn’t I feel like I should stay and wait for him? My questions stop as my stomach begins to complain to my brain. I haven’t eaten since my party. I wonder how I’ll ever find food in this forest. I can’t survive without food. Other than the fruit that grows on trees, I’ve never been taught how to make food or even where it comes from. My thoughts fade into blackness as my eyes flutter asleep. 

I wake up to the blindingly bright sun. It takes me a few moments to remember where I am and what’s going on. I collect my things and keep going. As I walk I examine the flat ground. Everything is different about the Lower-Flat-Lands. The trees have a different alignment, and the sky seems so much bigger. This land has some sort of magical feeling about it. Like a peaceful enchantment is laid upon all who enter. 

I continue walking, hoping that I’m going in the right direction, when I hear a rustle in a bush near by. I move towards it slowly and cautiously, when a four-legged creature jumps out at me making a strange yelping noise. I fall to the ground and the animal continues to yell at me. It stops and sniffs my face as I lay completely still with fear. I am surprised, however, when it begins licking my face excitedly. Feeling much less alarmed, I shove the creature off of me and sit up. It has large, brown eyes, floppy ears, a round, wet nose and is completely covered in hair. It sits with it’s mouth open, tongue hanging out, breathing heavily, and we stare at each other for a while. Then, it resumes licking my face. I don’t know what kind of creature this is. No one keeps animals in Cultridia. The only time they’re even really talked about is in our first and second years of school. However, that was a long time ago and I don’t remember many of the animals I learned about. This one has a large build, and a bulky head indicating that he might be male.

Finally, I stand up and continue walking. The animal follows me. Every once and a while I’ll look back to find him still trotting along behind me.

“Well, I guess there’s no getting rid of you.” He yelps again, then runs up to me and rubs his head against my leg. “I think I’ll call you Henly.” He speaks again in agreement. I find another tree to rest on for the night when, unfortunately, it starts raining. I pull my jacket over mine and Henly’s heads.

The next morning we continue on our journey as the earth begins to dry itself. The feeling in my stomach has gone from one of complaints to a sickly feeling causing weakness to veer throughout my body. Even though I dread it, I urge myself on as Henly encourages me to keep moving. Suddenly, Henly yelps at patch of trees and begins to move towards them while sniffing the air. I follow after him as he begins running. He stops and begins clawing and shouting at one tree. I pull him back and look up. I can hardly believe it. It’s an apple tree! I begin to climb the glorious food source and one, by one pull the apples off of the branches and stuff them in my shawl. One of the apples fall off the tree and onto the ground. This excites Henly as he appears to be just as overjoyed as I am by the sight of food. Once my feet are on the ground again, Henly and I enjoy a feast of apples, and, after a quick nap, we are on our way again. 

As the sun begins to set and I start to lay out my things while Henly lays down and rests, his head bolts up and he makes an awful growling sound.

“What is it, boy?” I ask. He stands up and angrily moves towards a nearby tree. A pit molds in my stomach when I begin to wonder what might be up there. I stand in my place, shivering with fright, when the figure of a boy drops from the tree. He lets out a groan and Henly jumps on top of him growling fiercely. 

“Henly!” I shout and he runs towards me wagging his tail. I slowly walk over to him.

“Who are you, and what were you doing in the tree?” I ask.

He slowly rises from the ground. “My name is Elias. I was scoping out the forest for-” He stops when his large brown eyes reach mine. “-For you.” I am shocked. The young man in front of me is the dark-haired boy, and it’s not a dream.

“What?” I ask perplexedly.

“You’re Olivia Netherly?” He asks.

“Yes.” I reply.

“I’ve been looking for you.”

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Chapter VIII - Escape

Chapter VIII - Escape

Silence sweeps over the balcony. Callum and Aralyn are staring at me, waiting for a reply.

“Olivia?” Aralyn finally speaks up. 

“Just give me a second to think.” I pause. “I mean, I guess it makes sense. But how do I even get to the Lower-Flat-Lands?”

“Ada, the girl I just told you about, said that Elias escaped on one of three safe paths in Cultridia. There’s one right outside of Effgere. I assume that’s how Elias escaped.” Says Aralyn.

“Okay, this all makes a ton of sense. I totally agree that Liv should go find this Elias guy, but, why am I here?” Aks Callum.

“Well, I don’t want Liv wondering around the Lower-Flat lands all by herself.” I roll my eyes at Aralyn’s motherly ways. She continues. “So I was thinking you could go with her.”

“What? No. What if something happens to him?” I exclaim.

Aralyn retorts. “What if something happens to you? Liv, you’ll need someone to watch your back and so will Callum.”

I take a deep breath. “Okay. I guess I’m up for it if you are.” I look over at Callum. 

“Alright. When should we leave?” As soon as his words hit my ears I blackout and fall to the ground. I see flashes of things. Callum yelling my name, Aralyn running in a blood-stained wedding dress, and Elias, blood streaming down his face screaming.

“COME NOW! YOU HAVE TO HELP US! NOW!” My surroundings return to me. Callum is holding my hand and Aralyn is lifting my head.

“Now. We have to leave now.” I stand up.

“What did you see?” Callum asks.

“Horrible things. Terrifying things.” We exchange stares. “Look, it doesn’t matter. But, we have to go now!” Aralyn and Callum nod and I quickly unlock the door. 

“Uncle Berke will know something’s up. I’ll keep him distracted.” Aralyn says and we begin to shuffle back inside. As we walk she explains how to get to the safe path down the mountain, and precautions we should take.

“Okay, this is it.” Aralyn stops us at the bottom of the stairs. “You two be safe. Watch each other’s backs. I know you can do this.” She hugs both of us while holding back tears. “Now, you have to go.” Callum takes my wrist and pulls me away from her. A wall of fear builds up behind my pounding heart when I realize I may never see my sister again.

Callum and I split up after agreeing to meet at the back entrance of the house. I go to my room and begin removing pins from my hair as quickly as possible. I then slip out of my precious gown and put on a long white shirt that covers all of the necessary places. Callum will be bringing me a pair of trousers which, of course, I don’t own. I grab a shawl and lay it out on the bed. Inside I place an extra shirt, a sweater, a jacket and some socks. After tying up all four corners of the shawl and slinging it over my shoulder, I grab a pair of flat shoes and begin running towards the back entrance of the house.

I begin to worry when Callum doesn’t show. However, I am relieved when I hear the door open behind me.

“What took you so long?” I whisper sternly. 

“I ran back to Berke’s car to get food. Here are your trousers. They’re too small for me, so they should fit you” He says handing me a blue pair of pants. After I finish dressing, we take hands and begin running in the direction Aralyn told us to go. By the time we reach the incline the sun is rising into the sky.

“I see the path right over there.” Says Callum, beginning to move faster towards the path.

“Callum, can we stop here? I can’t go on much further.” I say in between breaths.

“Sure, of course.” He says then moves over to a nearby rock and takes a seat on it. I sit next to him. I recollect my last moments with Aralyn and I begin to cry. Callum puts his arms around me and I burry my face in his chest just as I did after his proposal.

“Yes.” I say.

“What?” Callum asks. His quivering voice tells me he is also crying.

“Yes. If we ever get the chance, I’ll marry you.” 

He smiles, kisses the top of my head and says “I’d be honored.”

“Olivia Netherly! Callum Cortallo!” Different voices yell our names in the distance.

“They know we left. We have to go. We have run!” He says but, I’m already gathering my things. I start to sprint down the path as fast as I can. Tree branches slap my face and bushes grab my bare ankles as I run. This all feels so familiar. The shouting of my name, the running down the hill. Where have I experienced this before? 

I keep going, and going until I run right into some sort of invisible barrier that knocks me onto the ground.

“Olivia!” Callum shouts from behind. 

“Cal, there’s some sort of barrier!” I shout back. He helps me off the ground when he reaches me, then picks up a rock off the ground and throws it over the barrier.

“I think I can lift you over it.” He says, out of breath.

“What? No. What about you? I can’t leave you here.” I cry. “What if something happens? What if they catch you before you can get over?”

“Liv, I’ll be fine. I can make it” He reassures me.

“Are you sure?” I ask again. He takes my face in his hands and presses his lips onto mine. All the chaos around us seems to fade away for a few brief moments in the warmth of his kiss. He lets go and rests his forehead on mine.

“I’m sure.” He replies. “I’ll see you on the other side, okay?”

“Okay.” 

He cups his hands and I put my foot inside them.

“Okay, now put your hands on my shoulders and when I lift you into the air you’re gonna have to push off.” I nod and do as he says. The voices grow louder and I can see people running down the hill after us.

“Ready?” He pauses. “One, two, three!” He shoves me high into the air and I fall to the ground. Pain shoots up my arm as I hit the other side of the path. I lay there for a moment, embracing my pain, then sit up and wait for Callum. However, when I look at the barrier, I don’t see anything. I see trees and rocks leading up the mountain, but, all is silent. There is no yelling and there are no people running down the hill. But, worst of all, Callum is nowhere to be found.

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Chapter - VII Aralyn's Story

Chapter VII - Aralyn’s story

When I hear footsteps stumbling down the hall, I quickly fold the paper with the picture of the boy and shove it between the belts of my skirt.

“Good, you’re still here.” Rory says as he enters the room. 

“You did tell me to wait.” I smile, hoping that this erases any suspicion about what I might have been doing. “You said you wanted to show me something.”

Rory smiles back, then walks over to the desk and opens a large drawer with a golden handle, and pulls out a black satin box. “My father is going to present this to you at your party.” He opens the box revealing the most beautiful silver necklace I have ever seen. 

“This is gorgeous, but, why would your father give such a thing to me? I hardly know him.”  I ask, admiring the shining object before me.

“You mean, you don’t know?” He asks in return. I shake my head. “On every girl’s eighteenth birthday she is presented with a gift by the host of her party if not by her parents.” He continues. I shut the box, remembering that my parents hope to send me as far away as possible.

“Thank you for showing me.” I turn and head back to my room.

I turn my thoughts back to the picture of the boy. Why was his picture on the desk? Who is he? Who are the other people in those pictures? I wonder.

The next few days pass and I’m eighteen before I know it.

“Time to get up Apple Bomb. There is much to do before your party tonight. Oh, and happy birthday to you!” Says Uncle Berke peeking his head through the door in my room then exiting. I slowly climb out of bed and prepare myself for the day. Due to the fact that it’s my birthday, I am free from any of today’s meetings. The first half of the day walking around in the garden avoiding stressful thoughts. Then, I am called up to my room so that I can begin getting ready for my party. I sit at the vanity while Aralyn begins to fix my hair into multiple swirls on the back of my head. She then lines my eyes with black, brushes a plum color onto my lids, and coats my lips in a deep red color. After this, she walks over to the closet and pulls out a large silver box and places it on my bed with the implication that I should open it. I walk over and lift the lid. Inside is the most beautiful pale green, ball gown. After we are both dressed, we go down to the golden room.

The room has been thoroughly decorated for my party. I notice that a stone staircase has been added leading up to a balcony on the midway section of the giant room. 

“Hello girls. You two look lovely.” Says Uncle Berke as he moves over towards us. By his side is Callum, who I almost didn’t recognize. His brown hair is nicely combed to the side, and he is wearing a stunning blue-black suit complete with a light blue tie. “Don’t they look lovely, Callum?” Berke continues.

“Uh-well -uh- yeah.” He stutters, staring at me, catching flies. I smile.

The night continues on with dancing, laughing and countless birthday wishes from strangers. Unlike the past few weeks, however, I actually have fun.

“Olivia, can I steal you away for a moment?” Callum whispers in my ear as I take a sip of my drink. I nod, put down my drink and follow him up the stairs and through a door which opens up onto another balcony that looks out into the night sky. Aralyn is here too. Callum closes and locks the door behind us.

“What’s going on?” I ask. Aralyn looks at me and then at Callum.

“That’s just what I was wondering.” He says.

“I need to tell you two something. Olivia, I found this in your room while you were getting ready.” She pulls the paper with the Dark-haired-Boy on it out of her purse. Callum takes the paper.

“What is this?” He asks. I go on to tell him about my dreams and how the boy is in them.

“Is that all you wanted to tell us, Aralyn?”

“No.” She starts. “There’s more.” She takes a deep breath. “When I was eighteen, Mother and Father found me a husband. We met in secret at his house the first few times, just like every arrangement in Elatus. One day, I was walking home when I realized I left my hat. So, I went back. I knocked on the door, no one was home. So, I walked around to the back to see if I could get a response.” Tears start running down her cheeks. “But, when I got there, I saw a girl. Her eyes, hair and skin were dark just like that boy’s. She was no older than I was at the time. She only had one arm, and it wasn’t of much use. She barely had any meat on her body.” She lets out a sob. “She looked so afraid of me. I couldn’t even imagine how that could have happened to her.” By this point I am also crying and I can tell that Callum is fighting back his own tears. Aralyn continues. “She just stared at me with longing eyes. My first thought was to take her to the patch of forest where we live and maybe save her. She slept there for six days without wake, and when she did I brought her food. She became healthy, we became friends. One day, my husband-to-be followed me to her hiding place. I told her to wait while I went back to the house to get more food. I wasn’t half way there when I heard a scream. I immediately turned back. He was pointing a gun at her when I got there. He looked at me and said ‘You’ve caused a great deal of trouble for me, Aralyn Netherly. I can’t kill you for this, but I can kill her.’ He pulled the trigger before I could even try and stop him. She was dead, and he told everyone that I was a bothersome thief.” Aralyn pauses. “She wasn’t able to tell me much about how she reached her poor condition. She said it was safer that I didn’t know. However, she did tell me about her brother. She said his name is Elias and he escaped. Just like it says there on the paper.” She points at Callum’s hands. “She also said that there is a colony of their people living in the Lower-Flat-Lands. Olivia, I didn’t want to admit it before, but I think you’re having these dreams for a reason. I think you’re supposed to find Elias.”

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Chapter VI - The Picture

Chapter VI - The Picture

The next week is filled with many dinners and lunches of meeting bachelors who might offer their hands in marriage. They all seem quite boring to me, however, I think Aralyn has taken interest in one eighteen-year-old boy, and vice-versa. The weirdest thing about all of it is bumping into any of the other girls who have come here to look for husbands as well. On our second day in Wendra, Aralyn and I were on our way to a lunch meeting when we bumped into one girl. She must have been at least twenty-five. Her face was quite narrow and she had long, white-blonde hair giving her an odd sort of charm. However, I will never forget the melancholy look of desperation in her eyes. I could hardly believe that such a thing could happen to a woman with such unique beauty. 

On our last night at the house of Artrillious Cranks, I was putting my things back in my cases to prepare for the next day. When Aralyn skipped into the room looking as excited as a puppy rolling around in a bed of grass for the first time. I stare at her curiously.

“What?” She asked.

“This week was filled with some of the most boring and awkward moments of my life. What could you possible be so excited about?” 

Aralyn smiles. “Well, you know that guy, Fredrick?”

“Yes.” I replied in anticipation.

“Well, after dinner we took a walk in the garden. We talked for a long time and then he walked me back to our room. Then he said he wants to see me again and that he’ll be in Effgere for your eighteenth birthday.”

“That’s great Aralyn.” I sai but, didn’t actually mean. I was so glad to see Aralyn happy, however, the odds that my parents would choose Fredrick are slim. I would hate for her to loose him, but for now, she needs a few moments of happiness.

We leave right away the next morning and eat breakfast in the car. 

“Welcome back travelers. Sit tight and enjoy our ride to Eekul.” Says Driver when we get in the car. The ride to Eekul lasts three full days. We stop each night to rest. Apparently, the seats in the car pull out into beds. Now it is the third night of our journey and I can’t sleep. I decide to sit outside and stare at the black sky. The ground is soft, the night is cool, and the moons shine brightly in the dark space above. 

“Can’t sleep?” I hear Callum’s voice from behind. I shake my head in reply. “Me neither.” He continues as he walks over to sit next to me.

“Are you still mad at me?” I ask after moments of silence.

He shakes his head “No. I’m disappointed that you said ‘no’ but, I can’t stay mad at you forever.” Silence soars over our seating place. Callum looks out into the distance. I stare into his thinking eyes, as the various shades of blue move in a pattern that suggests deep thought. “And, I’m sorry.” He continues. “I shouldn’t have yelled at you. I know you didn’t mean to offend me.” His sapphire lamps shifted down and flashed into my emerald ones.

“Thank you.” I say laying my head on his chest and closing my eyes.

He puts his arm around my shoulder “You’re welcome.”

I open my eyes to the blinding light of the sun. Callum and I must have fallen asleep. I lift my head out from under his comforting hold and find his eyes still closed in peaceful rest. 

“Callum.” I whisper. “It’s morning. We fell asleep.” 

He opens his eyes and looks around. Then, Uncle Berke steps out of the car looking quite cheery.

“Good morning you two.” He says. “You look quite comfy.”

Callum smiles then we climb into the car. when the beds have been put away and we proceed with our journey. 

Eekul is even more boring than Wendra. Aside from the people being boring, the house was just one tall block painted entirely grey inside and out. Luckily, we only spend four days here and then move on to our next destination, Effgere. This city is even further away than Eekul, which means we have to spend a week traveling in the car. For some reason, Driver takes us on the most inconvenient routes possible. At one point during the week, Callum, Aralyn and I were so bored that we made a game involving apples.

The first person starts out holding the apple. Then, they say a color. All other players name an object of that color. The person with the apple passes it to the person who named the better object then it repeats. This keeps us busy for quite some time. When we arrive in Effgere, we are welcomed by a tall, lanky man named Hanson. Next to him was Artrillious Cranks who had trimmed his full beard to a more classy length still reaching from temple to temple. Uncle Berke, Artrillious, and Hanson went on with some pointless conversation lasting quite a few minutes. However, at this point I have reached my full capacity for the intake of dullness and completely zone out of the discussion until it reaches it’s end. 

I actually like my room in Effgere. The walls are painted with my favorite color, emerald, and the ceiling is tiled with glistening silver panels. The floor is covered in a plush, white carpet, and the silver bed is decorated with emerald curtains and a mint green blanket. 

After getting myself settled and putting my things away I decide to take a look around the house. The hallways are filled with odd metallic paintings which reflect light to every little corner. I go into one, large open room. The walls are made entirely of gold with sheer, white curtains dripping down from different areas, and the floor is made of a beautiful cream colored marble.

“Like what you see?” A red-haired boy asks from behind.

I smile “Yes. It’s an incredible room.”

“Good. This room was built specifically for large parties. The celebration of your birthday will be held here.” He says, now standing next to me. He is a strange looking boy. No older than twelve I assume.

I stare at him perplexedly. “I’m sorry. Do I know you?” I ask.

“Oh, forgive me. I’m Rory Glaad. My father owns this house. You’re Olivia Netherly, right?” he replies.

“Yes, but how-” I start.

“-It doesn’t matter. Come. I wanna show you something.” He grabs my hand and pulls me down a dark corridor, and into a white room with a large mahogany desk.

“Wait here.” He instructs me, then leaves the room. Quite distorted at the situation, I examine the room while I wait for his return. On the desk, there are piles of strange looking papers. I look around cautiously to see if anyone is coming, then rifle through them curiously. On the papers are words, and pictures. In the pictures are men, women, and children. I can’t help but feel like I recognize these people. Like I know them. I pick up one paper that says 

Elias. fifteen years old. Escapee. 

I look down at the picture. I know the face. Not generally, but specifically. It’s the boy from my dreams. the Dark-Haired boy.

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