Queen Of The Castle

Chapter 3

Sitting on my revolving chair, I spin around and absentmindedly stare at the ceiling. The walls of the library had intricate drawings. Crawling roots weaved across the edges of the wall, joined again at the end by more leaves and flowers. Bored out of my mind, I decided it was time I got up and tried to sneak out. I couldn't take any more of being cooped up in this room, expected to pass my time studying.

I stood up so fast I got vertigo and had to hold onto the table for support. Blinking rapidly, hoping for it to fade, I straighten myself. Once I feel alright, I walk towards the door and press my ear to it. Hearing no sounds, I quietly sneak out of the room. Once in the hallway, I moved towards the garden, where I saw the man roaming. The house felt unexpectedly empty. It's not like I was never left alone, but I could always hear pots clicking in the kitchen and sometimes the murmur of people talking, but it seemed no one was around.

This never really happened. I'm never left alone for this long, but for some reason, the house felt empty. My gut told me something was wrong, but I didn't know what exactly. Walking down the stairs, the wood creaks against the weight of my leg, and I tense up. If someone were around, they'd surely hear that and reprimand me. But the creek was the only noise that echoed along the walls. Feeling braver than before, I quickly hurry down the stairs and move towards a small door that connects the dining hall to the garden.

Walking out into the garden, I'm hit with how still everything feels. The usual breeze was absent, the birds were quiet, and my surroundings seemed surreal. It almost looked like a painting.

Shuddering, I move forward only to hear fire crackling break the eerie stillness. I slowly moved towards that sound, making sure no one was around. The garden around me was well maintained, not a single hedge out of place. All the symmetry was usually beautiful, but right now, it was terrifying. I couldn't bear the stillness. The shrubs were all cut in rectangles, and an arch separated the garden from the forest. The crackling was coming from inside the forest. I had been warned against going into the forest, but it acted more as a source of refuge than anyone knew. Peeking from behind the arch, I saw a fire cracking in the middle, yet no one was around it. There was a marble structure, one I had never seen before; it stood a little taller than me. Intricate designs decorated the bowl on top of the pillar, and in between in all burnt the crackling fire.

Suddenly, I hear the sound of footsteps from my house. Heavy, thumping steps that belonged to no one I knew. As the steps got closer, I decided to hide behind the arch. I didn't want to get caught by whoever those footsteps belonged to.

The door that I had just used opened with a great thump. I tensed as I heard multiple people exit that door. Waiting for the footsteps to stop, I realised that they were all moving in perfect synchrony. It was almost as though they were walking to a song.

"Find her!" a voice booms before the door is shut.

When they say her, I'm unsure if they mean me, Kait, Alana, Rickey or my mother. Those are the only women in the house. Too scared to take any chances, I start moving towards the woods. The clearing right next to the arch was sparse, but the deeper you go in, the more the trees swallow you up.

Usually, I liked running through the trees. With the grass beneath my feet, the air going through my hair, and the shade the trees provided, I felt safe and protected. But now it was different. Instead of the light steps I usually carried, my legs were tense and awkward. These woods have been familiar to me since I grew up here, yet now my legs stumble over all the roots and branches like I have ever galore.

The freedom I felt amongst the trees was like none other. They're beautiful, the way they frame the world around me. I've always learnt from trees; look at them. They're so generous; they give us everything they have without asking for much.