Prison

Prison

Fear trickled through my veins with a steady ferocity. I shuddered from the cold, concrete floor, and the iron shackles on my wrists and ankles. They rattled as I tried desperately to break free.

24 Hours Earlier:

The sun shone radiantly on my smiling face. I lay in a field with an array of wildflowers; my darling little sister lay with me. She was content, making a crown of daisies, while I got up and sat at the brook watching it bubble over rocks. I reached in, to feel the chilled water brush and caress my fingers. I closed my eyes and heaved a sigh.

“You’re gonna miss it, huh, Taz?” questioned my sister’s melodic voice. I nodded, fighting back tears.

“Yes, Sarah. This and you… I will miss them the most.” A tear trickled from my stormy grey eyes and fell into the laughing brook. I felt my sister, tenderly, grab my long, chestnut hair and begin to braid it. When she was through, I looked at it, puzzled, and asked,

“Who taught you how to do that?” my sister looked at me, with matching crystal eyes and simply said,

“You did. 3 years ago, when I was 6.” I smiled as tears gushed from my eyes. Not once, while I was teaching that fidgety 6 year old, did I think she’d remember. But she did. I hugged her and cried. A high pitched whistle pierced our ears, signaling it was time for dinner.

As we trudged through the grass, Sarah placed the daisy crown on my elaborately braided hair. I held her hand, dreading the night ahead.

We reached the village, and everyone stared as we passed. The people gave silent nods, wishing me good luck. We reached the blacksmith, and I told Sarah to wait outside. I pushed open the door and walked in. There he stood. My best friend, Seth, hunched over with his muscles rippling, sweating from the heat. His golden hair stuck to his forehead. He looked up with his twinkling green eyes, and smirked. He walked over and hugged me and whispered,

“Is it just me, or do you get prettier every year?” I laughed and playfully pushed him away.

“It’s just you!” I shot back, trying not to blush. He knew how to make me laugh. His face got serious as he said,

“Happy 13th birthday…” he gazed at me and added, “I’m sure you’ll do fine... I know you’ll do fine.” I smiled, and choked back tears. One dripped down my face, and Seth gently wiped it away. The whole town knew we liked each other intensely, but we never had the nerve to tell each other. I sighed and said,

“I have to go. It’s… dinner time.” We both cringed. I started to leave, when he grabbed my hand, and pulled me in for a kiss. I was shocked, but too busy at the moment to show it. He pulled away and handed me a note, and blushed and said,

“Good luck!” as I walked out the door.

“What took you so long?” complained my sister.

“Nothing.” I said, gripping the note. When we got home, as expected, my favorite meal was set out, and a scroll was placed in my seat. I went to my room and changed my clothes, and sat down at the dinner table with the scroll next to my plate. We sat through a silent meal of lamb curry with apple cider. After dinner, we sat there a few seconds, and I glanced at the scroll and slowly picked it up.

See, what happens on a girl’s 13th birthday, is they get a letter from the king where the king has 3 options:

1.          Kill you

2.          Give you an excruciatingly hard test, to determine whether or not you should live.

3.          Or simply, let you live.

The objective was to try to get the 3rd, but the king picked at a random, and your fate was in his hands. My mother had always feared this day, even though my mum had gotten the 3rd option, but my mother was no longer around to worry.

I slowly opened the scroll and slowly read aloud:

Dear Catherine Cathill,

Congratulations! You have been chosen to take the Test of Ages! You are so lucky to have such an opportunity to attend this educational test! The test will be held this Thursday at noon. All utensils will be provided. You must bring a lunch. You may bring no more or less. If you pass this challenging test, you will bring great fortune to your family, although if you fail, you will either be executed or punished in the dungeon for the rest of your life. So we look forward to seeing you this Thursday! Have a good day!

Sincerely,

Eric Longfellow

Grand Duke

I could hardly believe my ears. So I had a chance at life. I was infuriated and relieved at the same time. My father sat there in shock as I set down the paper.

“May I please be excused?” I asked tearing up. My father nodded emptily. I fled out the door, down the street to the blacksmith. I tried the door, and it was locked. I knocked furiously at the door, and I heard a commotion inside, as Seth answered the door. I couldn’t hold it any longer, I cried and hugged Seth. Seth shocked thought the worst and said,

“Am I going to see you next week, or……?” he trailed off as his voice cracked. I looked at him and shook my head and said,

“I’m taking the test. But you know how hard those things are!”

“Oh! Well in that case I’m not worried one bit. I do know how smart you are.” He gazed into my eyes. Still crying, I shook my head and grabbed his hand and dragged him through the town. When we came to the field, I finally let go of him and lay down in the grass and looked at the stars. Seth did likewise, taking my hand in his. I looked at him and smiled a little and stood up and pulled Seth to his feet and put my hand on his shoulder and held his hand. He caught on and put his hand on my waist, and took the first step. Soon we were dancing.

“You still remember the dance, huh?” I teased.

“How could I forget? 3rd grade. Best night of my life.” Seth said and laughed as I blushed.  Then he suddenly said, “You know that I love you, right?” the question caught me off guard.

“Of course.” I replied. He met my eyes and said,

“No. I mean, I’m in love with you.” shocked, I lost my footing and tripped. Seth’s fast hands, caught me, and pulled me close. I flushed from the intimacy. He reached up and brushed my cheek, and leaned close to me. His lips brushed mine, when my sister rushed through the brush in a panic.

“Taz! Father! He’s been looking for you! There’s an officer at the door!” she saw how close Seth was to me and got a weird look on her face. “Oh… sorry…” Seth and I looked at each other, and quickly retreated. We blushed and ran with Sarah to our home. They burst through the door to see the officer sitting at the table with father, talking. They glanced at the children and their faces changed.

“Hello, miss Cathill. I am Sir Fredrick Heron. I am here to escort you to the palace to take your test.” The officer with a familiar face said sharply.

“I know exactly who you are, Fredrick, but my letter said it was on Thursday!” I surged.

“Bit of a miscommunication. My apologies miss Cathill. Now, please follow me, and no monkey business. We wouldn’t want to have an accident.” He warned.  He glanced at Seth and said snidely,

“Where are the swords we ordered last week? Shouldn’t you be working on them rather than off playing in daisy fields? Little peasant.” He said disgusted. Seth ground his teeth but held his tongue, when I grabbed his rough hand. Fredrick noticed and snorted.

“Going a bit low, aren’t you, miss Cathill? Can’t get any better than the blacksmith?” Seth jumped at the officer, but I held him back.

“Calm down!” I hissed. “He’s just trying to get under your skin. I’ll pass the test, and come back to celebrate with you when I’m done. Ok?” I gazed into his perfect eyes.

“Ok…” he grumbled. I kissed his cheek and whispered back to him,

“I love you.” And I felt the note he put in my pocket earlier that day and smiled.  I bent down and kissed my beloved sister’s cheek, held her close and promised to see her again. I glanced at my father and said a silent ‘I love you’.

Fredrick led me out of my house and into the night. When we reached the path in the woods that led to the palace, he smirked and said,

“Seth? Really? I asked you to the dance in 3rd grade but you took him instead. Then in 4th grade I asked for your love, and you rejected me, for him! Wow! He’s garbage compared to me!” I spun around and punched him in the jaw. Fredrick stumbled back and then smirked. “There’s the Taz I knew! Although,” he said as he pinned me to a tree, “I’ve gotten strong too.” I fought to get away and finally broke free. Fredrick laughed and kept walking. I reluctantly followed so I could get this horrid test over with.

We reached the palace in one piece, Even though I wouldn’t have minded Fredrick to become more than one piece, and entered the brass gates that led to the palace. Here, Fredrick gripped my arm firmly, and dragged me. I tried to break free, but he just twisted my arm in a painful position, which immediately made me stop. After a struggled trip down numerous hallways and winding passages, we reached a large spacious room. The marble floors glistened and reflected the brilliant light of the elaborate shimmering chandeliers. The pillars had spectacular engravings of flowers and vines. The ceiling had paintings of the softest clouds.

I gazed about in awe. Then before me I saw a man, with a thick brown beard and matching curly hair topped with a glistening crown. A red velvet robe was draped across his shoulders as he slouched in his monstrous throne. Fredrick hauled me toward the bearish man and threw me to the ground. I stumbled and fell to my knees. Fredrick snickered and I shot him a chilling look.

“Ah, miss Cathill. Rise up please.” I did as I was told, not making eye contact. “Mr. Heron will show you to the testing room, where you will complete your test on whether or not you are smart enough to live. Enjoy.” He said with a false merriment. I stood there in shock. I almost bursted out, when Fredrick seized my arm and dragged me away before I could.

“Would you let go of my arm?!” I snapped, once we were out of ear shot. Fredrick let go, but his gaze still stayed on me. “Stop staring at me…. You’re freaking me out.” He reached down and tried to grab my hand but I yanked away. “Don’t touch me.”

“Oh, why not? What is your little boyfriend going to do to me?” he said teasingly.

“It won’t be Seth you’ll have to worry about if you touch me again.” I shot as I glared at him. He shut his mouth then. We reached a grimly grey painted door and stopped in front of it.

“This is it.” Fredrick said coldly. He finally met my eyes and said, “Good luck.” And awkwardly walked away. I stared at the blank door, took a deep breath and slowly turned the handle. I slowly took a step into the room. It was a dimly lit room with an eerie sense in it. It made my hair stand on end. I knew it was a bad place; the place where my fate would be determined. The room was empty except a single desk with a packet, a feather and an ink well. I walked over to the desk and looked around and sat down. I looked at the packet and snorted a bit at the first sentence. It read:

IF POSSIBLE, WRITE YOUR FULL NAME ON THE LINE BELOW.

How stupid do they think I am?, I thought.  I wrote my full name on the line, as neatly as I could.

“Catherine Nichol Cathill.” I read aloud, checking it over. The rest of the page was blank, so I turned the page and read to myself. I crinkled my eye brows at the first question. It read:

If Jonathan has 7 apples, and Sarah has 5 apples, then how many sheep do they have in all?

A.)          17

B.)          22

C.)          29

D.)          39

I read it over and over thinking that I just misread the problem, but each time, it read the same as before. I decided to skip the question. I turned to the next page. Aloud I read:

“If Sarah has 10 sheep, and Jonathan has 7, then……” I paused and then continued, “...then... How many apples do they have in all?” then it clicked. I added the sheep together, went back to #1, and circled ‘A’. Then for number two circled ‘c’. It’s just a puzzle, I thought, I can do this.

A few hours later I circled the last letter and then sat and waited. After a few minutes, I slowly rose to my feet and strode to the door. I opened it a crack and looked out, but saw no one.

“Are you done, Catherine?” said a familiar voice. I nearly jumped out of my skin. Out from behind the door stepped Fredrick. I relaxed and hissed,

“Don’t call me Catherine. You know I hate that.” Fredrick sneered and trudged past me into the room. He went to the desk and lifted up my packet. He glanced at the front.

“Your full name is Catherine Nichol, huh? Beautiful name, for a beautiful girl.” He said with false innocence. I caught it and stuck out my tongue in a childish gesture.

“You should keep that in your mouth, Catherine.” He said emphasizing my name. “Now, come with me, and we will figure out your test score… and you’re… reward…” he said choking out the last word. I obeyed following behind him, remembering how they first met.

First day of school, it was my first day of 3rd grade. I sat at my desk, nervous as ever, shaking a bit, when two little boys came and sat at my table. One boy had vibrant green eyes, and golden hair. The other boy had chocolate brown eyes and curly honey colored hair. The green eyed child said with a voice as innocent as a butterfly,

“Hello, I’m Seth Smith. And this is my best friend, Fredrick.” Seth said pointing to the brown eyed one. I smiled warmly and said,

“I’m Catherine… but… I never really liked my name… momma says ‘If you don’t learn to respect your name, Imma gonna hafta call ya a devil an’ send ya ta Tasmania!’” I said scrunching up my nose, imitating my mother’s voice. Seth and Fredrick laughed, then Fredrick suggested,

“Well… why don’t we come up with a nick name?”

“Yeah!” Seth enthusiastically agreed. I shrugged. We were quiet for a while, when suddenly Fredrick exclaimed,

“I know!! How about, the Tasmanian Devil?”

“It’s too long.” I said disappointed.

“Well… how about… Taz?” Seth said shyly.

“Perfect!” Fredrick and I said together. And from then on everyone called me Taz.

“Taz!” Fredrick said, breaking through my flash back. We were in front of another door. This one had paintings of flowers on it. Honeysuckle blossoms, to be exact. “You ok, there little devil?” he said with a smile. For a second, he was the little 3rd grade boy again.

“Yeah… just… thinking…” I said emptily. “When can I go home?” I asked longingly.

“Hopefully… soon...” he said grimly. We entered the room and sat down. A man with a hunched back and a beard to his knees.

“Here you are, sir.” Fredrick said as he handed the packet to him. The man nodded and walked through a door farther back in the room. The two old friends were alone. We sat in silence for a bit, and I finally broke the silence.

“I’m sorry for spacing out back there. I was remembering when I first met you.” I saw Fredrick smile out of the corner of her eye.

“Yeah, I remember that little devil.” He winked. I laughed and Fredrick joined. Our laughing subsided as we remembered the events after: me rejecting Fredrick, Fredrick moving away, and Seth and I becoming better friends and forgetting Fredrick.

Then I remembered my mother. Annette was her name. She had the most beautiful eyes. They shone like the stars at night. She had the most eloquent hair, curly and flowing. Her personality was unmatched by all beauty in the land. She was a diamond in a field of grain. My father couldn’t resist. Her beauty was vibrant and his charm was, well, charming. They were very much in love.

This is why her death hit him so hard.

Never before had any man felt pain, like my father did when she died.

I shook my head shaking the bad memory. The man had returned with a troubled look on his face. 

“Um… there’s a slight problem.” Fredrick stood and looked at the paper he was holding. His face got a confused look also. They whispered back and forth. I sat there desolate. Fredrick looked at me and said,

“I’m afraid…. We are going to have to…. Take custody of you…” he said choking back tears. I sat there in shock. I thought of the promise to my beautiful sister.  I didn’t feel Fredrick lift me out of the chair and handcuff my hands behind my back. He led me down dark hallways. It got darker and darker the longer they walked. Soon the walls were concrete. Finally I whispered,

“What’s happening to me Fredrick?” no answer. “Fredrick. Answer me please!” I pleaded. He stopped me and looked me dead in the eyes with his watered down, chocolaty eyes.

“Your test scores were high. Perfect actually. There are only too ways that’s possible. You either cheated, which we highly doubt, or, in the king’s eyes, there’s something wrong with your head…” a tear slid down his face. “So they are going to keep you here till they decide what to do. I will try my very hardest to keep you alive, Catherine.” His face wet with salty tears. He kissed my cheek and continued leading me farther into the darkness

We passed by cells filled with filthy people whistling and reaching out for me. I cringed but didn’t make a sound so they wouldn’t have the satisfaction. One of the prisoners grabbed a hold of my dress and yanked me to him. I screeched a bit as I was brought so close to the filthy man. Before he could do anything more, a fist came and slammed into his grimy face. I turned to see Fredrick wiping his fist off on his shirt.

“Sorry about that. Are you ok?” he asked concerned. I nodded silently, and got to my feet. We came to an empty cell and Fredrick hesitantly opened the door. As he leaned forward for the door, he whispered,

“I’ll get help from Seth and others to get you out of here if they decide….. To…”

“Shh. It’s ok. I understand. Thank you Fredrick.” I said as I walked into the barren cell. Fredrick shackled my wrists and ankles and cried a little more.

“Good bye, my love.” He said as he left. Then it was silent, except all the noise from the other cells, but I heard none of it. I was lost in thought.

I could imagine the grueling punishments that the king could come up with. Extractions of my brain, or perhaps, slow bleeding out were the first things at mind. Then I opened my ears and heard what the other prisoners were saying. The disgusting, vile, and putrid slurs they were coming up with.

Fear trickled through my veins with a steady ferocity. I shuddered from the cold, concrete floor, and the iron shackles on my wrists and ankles. They rattled as I tried desperately to break free. I winced as the shackles dug into my skin. How long have I been in here, I thought, hours? Days?. I couldn’t remember. I sat there and then a petal fell onto my lap. I looked at it, and picked it up and a tear shed from my eyes. I ran my fingers through my hair, and more petals from my daisy crown fell out. I gathered them all, and spelled out on the floor:

My Savior lies within me.

I taught my sister that saying too. I smiled a bit, and cried more. Then I remembered the letter from Seth. I quickly darted for my pocket and retrieved the carefully folded note. I delicately opened it and read:

To my dearest Tasmanian Devil,

I love you. You must know that, to be able to continue reading. I always have loved you, since the day in 3rd grade when I met you. I want to ask you one thing. Will you be my love? Will you stay with me, and make me happy? I will save you from any harm. I would do anything to make you happy. I hope you will oblige to my offer. Please ponder it.

Sincerely and affectionately,

Seth

I heard footsteps approach my cell. I swiftly shoved the note into my pocket and craned my neck to see who was at the door.

“How you holding up little devil?” That was the best voice I could’ve heard right now. I sighed and relaxed.

“I’m holding out. What did the king say? Can I go home? Can I see my family? Do you have any food?” I questioned desperately. Fredrick stepped into the cell and walked over to me, released the shackles, and lifted me to my feet. I rubbed my sore wrists, and searched Fredrick’s blank face.

“The king has invited you to dinner,” He finally said, then he cringed and choked out, “and he wants you to wear this.” He handed me a dress. It was a finely made dress, but low cut, and I could tell it would be tight on my curves, and the length was a tad short. I glanced at it and sighed.

“Do I have to? I hate dresses in general, let alone wearing them for someone who is deciding my death.” Fredrick nodded regretfully.

“I’ll give you a minute to change.” He said, and stepped out of the cell. I stripped down, and looked ruefully at the elaborate fabric. I reluctantly slipped the dress on. I was right. It pressed tight against my busts, and was up to my mid thighs. I called Fredrick in, and his eyes widened, taking me in. I blushed and turned my eyes away. He stood in the door way, in shock.

“You look stunning. Although, it’s sick that the king wants you to wear that.” He said shuddering. “I’m sorry, but I have to do this, Taz.” He said holding up handcuffs. I held out my wrists, and he took them behind my back and leaned into my ear and said, “I’ve notified your family, and Seth. If anything goes wrong, we will save you.” I felt his lips brush my ear when he said it. The thought of seeing Seth again made me brighten little. As I was being led through the prison, the other prisoners stared and reached out even farther for me. I felt so insecure in this dress. We went up the winding stairs, and into the grand hall. Fredrick led me into a room filled with alluring odors. Lamb stew, Baked fish, pulled pork, fresh potatoes, corn, pungent wine, steaming ciders, and scents galore.

The king looked up and saw me, and grinned wickedly, taking me in.  Fredrick tensed, and unshackled my wrists.

“Good luck” he whispered. He exited the room, and I stood, waiting for a greeting from the king.

“Hello, miss Cathill, please sit!” he beckoned. I uneasily sat farthest away from him.

“Wine?” he offered. I shook my head, I never cared for wine. I sat awkwardly in silence as he cut into steak. He looked up and exclaimed, “Oh, please do dig in! I’m so sorry, my dear!” I scanned the table, my eyes stopped at the cream of mushroom soup.

Sarah’s favorite dish. When she was little she’d ask for it every night at dinner. Mother would run her fingers through Sarah’s long, straight, black hair and Sarah would flash her smile. Her smile could’ve lit up a whole town and her eyes would’ve made a puppy’s eyes look evil, because they had nothing on the innocence and beauty of Sarah’s. I loved Sarah like there was no tomorrow. Putting that aside, before I started to cry, I reached forward and poured myself a bowl. The aroma sifted into my frenzied nose. I quietly gulped my soup.

“So, your test scores were…. Well…. Stunning! Miraculous, actually! I don’t know of anyone acing that test, ever.” He said in a too nice tone. My eyes narrowed as I thought to myself, what on earth are you planning, you psychotic monster? I smiled with false gratitude, and continued eating.  “How on earth did you know all of those answers?” The king inquired with sarcastic awe.

“Well….” I responded with matching sarcasm, “I don’t really know. I mean, I guess I’m smarter than I thought. It was so hard, I guess I was supposed to feel as stupid as most people think I am.” This time, the king narrowed his eyes.

“Watch your tone, young lady. You do know that I hold your life in my hands, so tread lightly my dear.” He advised.

“I apologize, your highness. Please forgive my tongue.” I said through my clenched teeth.

“Well, you must be a bright child to have passed my test. Or a devious little cheater.” He suggested.

“I didn’t cheat.” I spat, “I’m not the little rat that you thing I am, yet somehow you find something wrong in perfection, and hold me in your prison, while you sit cowering over what you should do with a smart child. What do you fear? Are you terrified of the thought of someone smarter than you? Best get over your phobia, sir, because it is fast approaching.” The king sat there, outraged, yet speechless. I watched his face when from a pale peachy color to a deep crimson. I sat there saying nothing, waiting for his outburst, too angry at him and shocked at what I just said to speak. Just as he opened his mouth, Fredrick stormed in breathless shouting,

“Sir! An attack! The villagers, they are at the gates!” The king’s face drained, and then he spun and looked at me.

“She is what they want isn’t she?!” He barked. Fredrick nodded. “Well then they’ll get the little rat.” He proclaimed. With that, he pulled a knife from his belt, and grabbed my arm. He started to drag me away, when two daggers flew past my ears and pierced the door in which the king headed for. The king and I whirled around and saw two boys standing there in a battle position. One with stunning green eyes and shimmering golden hair, with a sword in his hand, and the other boy, with deep chocolate brown eyes and rich honey colored hair, holding another knife in his hand and a bow and quiver over his shoulder. Yes, there stood my two saviors, Seth and Fredrick.

“I’m sorry sir, but I can’t let you do that.” Fredrick said with a dangerous edge on his voice. The king started to lift the knife to my neck, when I ducked and swept my feet, and took the kings legs out from under him. He fell with a loud thud, and I quickly grabbed the knife. I knelt over the king as Fredrick and Seth rushed over to my side. I held the knife close against his throat.

“Geeze, Taz! Remind me not to get on your bad side!” Fredrick marveled. “I got him.” He said as he handcuffed the king, and started leading him to the dungeon.

“Where are you taking him?” I questioned curiously.

“Well, I thought he’d like a taste of his own medicine.” He winked. “I’ll be right back, wait here.” Seth nodded. As soon as Fredrick left, I jumped into his arms and embraced him in a bear hug. He heartily laughed, and then gripped me tightly. I let the smell and memory of him fill me up. Then suddenly the doors, once again, bursted open and in walked 4 guards. They stood there for a few seconds, taking in the situation: no king, prisoner, and an unknown boy together, no one guarding them = attack.

They charged and Seth handed me a sword and raced forward too.  The clang of steel on steel rang through the room, as our swords collided. Ducking and slashing, keeping my feet steady, with Seth and I mirroring each other’s moves, made sword fighting feel as natural as dancing. Soon Seth and I were the only ones standing with the guards laying dead sprawled out on the floor. We stood there panting for a while. I dropped my sword with a loud clang. I slowly sank to the floor as the world went dark, and the last thing I heard was Seth yell,

“Catherine!”

Buttercup. The first thing I smelled was buttercup. I slowly let my eyes flutter open, to find myself in small bed, in a small quaint room. I sat up in my bed and looked around. A vase with buttercup blossoms was at my bedside. I smiled and thought, Seth always picked those for me.

“Seth!” I exclaimed remembering what had happened. I started to get up, but pain shot through my legs as I moved them. I gasped and winced as the pain sunk in. Then Seth came bounding into my room.

“Are you ok?! What happened?! Can you move?! When did you wake up?!” He quizzed frantically.

“I’m fine, I’m fine!” I reassured him. “But what happened Seth? Where am I? Where’s Fredrick? Where’s my sister?” I said worry sinking into my voice as each question made me more frantic.

“shhh.” He said putting his finger to my lips. He sat on my bed and continued, “After we fought the guards you fainted, and I caught you before you hit your head. Fredrick heard me yell, and came running up from the dungeon, where he left the king locked in a cell with another prisoner. I told him what happened, and he helped me carry you to the courtyard. The rest of the guards were busy trying to tame the villagers, so we snuck out back. We couldn’t go back to our village, because the guards were searching it, so Fredrick suggested we go to his house. His father died 2 years ago, and he’s lived by himself for a while now. So we carried you to his home, and put you in bed. Fredrick’s out getting food and you’ve been sleeping for about 2 days.”

“Two days?!” I screeched. He nodded and continued.

“I’ve sent a letter to your father and told him all the details. We should be able to take you home in a week, but for now, the king is furious and made it his life’s mission to get revenge, so we have to wait until he moves on to search the next village. And that’s about it.” He let that sink in, and then asked, “How do you feel? Can you move?”

I tried to get up, and again the pain shot through my legs and I winced, once more.

“My legs!” I said breathlessly. He nodded and said,

“Yes, you got cut on your legs. You’ll heal and be fine, but for now, it will hurt.” I nodded, and sighed. I looked up at him, to find him staring at me contently. I blushed and said,

“What?” he smiled and teasingly said,

“I never got a reply to my note that I gave you.”

“Well I have been a little busy.” I said wryly. We both laughed together. Butterflies fluttered in my stomach, with their wings brushing the sides of my tummy, as I continued, narrating, “Dear Seth, I am extremely flattered by your confession of feelings for me. And, how can I resist? With your vibrant green eyes, and you soft gilded hair, your strong, faithful arms, and your mischievous, cunning smile, what girl would be able to resist. So I am writing to you to tell you, that I too share the same love for you. I am eternally grateful to have you. Yours, Taz.” I looked up to see Seth’s expression, and received a huge grin. He gently leaned forward and hugged me. Goosebumps ran up my arms as I felt his heart beat on my chest. He kissed my cheek gently, and said,

“Get some more rest, my love. You’ll need it.”

“But I’m not, tired!” I yawned and said. He chuckled and kissed my cheek again.

“Sweet dreams, Taz.” I smiled wearily, and closed my eyes. He got up and started to walk out, but stopped and said, “And try not to talk in your sleep about me this time.” I barely heard him, as I drifted into the sweetest dream I’d had in years.

  Little did we know that thunderclouds formed in the distance. A storm was brewing like one we’d never imagine.