The woman walked through the village, doors slamming all around her as the people ran for cover. The wall at the edge of the village came into view as she walked closer and closer to it.
Mya's pale skin reflected in the moon's glow. The wall's stony surface was cool to the touch. Mya turned her head to take in the village that shunned her.
Her focus shifted to the wall once more. As her skin pressed against its rough surface, the stones melted away, leaving a gap large enough for her body to pass through.
She walked through the gap to the other side of the wall. She looked at the land beyond the way that she had only every imaged. She was told to never go on the other side of the wall, yet here she was standing on the soft grass looking out into the beautiful forest.
The trees large, their branches blacking out most of the light from the moon, but the light that passes by shinned off the bright grass and flowers.
"Mya!" a voice rang out in the silence. A hand reached out but stopped as the child neared. His face flushed as he panted, "wait."
"Go back to the village, Pinus."
"At least take these, sister," his small hand offered a pair of black gloves.
"What use do I have for these," she said grasping the gloves from his hand.
"They are made just for you. They will help when your powers get out of control."
Her eyes lit up as she placed the gloved on her hands, stretching her hands out testing the gloves. "Thank you brother," she said turned ready to leave and started her adventure and new life.
"Wait, I have one last thing,"
Mya turned around again looking at him as he reached in his pocket grabbing something. When he brought his hand out he held a golden bracelet.
"Her take this with you as well."
As the metal wrapped around her wrist, Mya experienced a tingling sensation race along her arm. She stared at the jewelry, puzzled. As she glances up to ask her brother, she realized that he had disappeared.
She glances one last time at the village before moving away from the wall.
She walked into the forest in front of her, the land deep and darker as the moon rose higher in the sky.
She didn't know where she was going to go or which way to take so she just started walking. She figured somewhere, something would happen and she would know where to go, until them however she would just go where she felt she should.
The deeper she moved into the woods the more frightened she became. The swaying of trees, the cracking of twigs and leaves and even the growls of wild creatures in the woods hiding. All the sounds adding to the fear that grew in her chest. She didn't know what to do with everything and at every new sound she would freeze for a second looking in the direction for the source of the sound but there was nothing there.
As darkness continued to creep closer, and her surrounding became less visible, Mya stopped in her tracks. The wind whispered as it pushed around the branched above her, but she was sure she had heard it. Heavy breathing was audible, but its owner was out of view. She felt its eyes trained on her.
She turned to look behind her once again but just as the last times there was nothing. She didn't find its eyes, didn't find a body, there was nothing for her to find.
When she turned her back she saw, for a split second, something in the darkness of the forest. A pair of purple eyes and something beside it, but when she looked back there was nothing there. Whatever it was had disappeared back into the woods where it had come from.
The shadow swirled around Mya as if taunting her. As the night darkened further, the air cooled, causing Mya to shiver uncontrollably in her thin attire.
The pitch black felt heavy as if this presence was pressing down against her. Mya struggled to breathe. She began to scream as if that would do much, however, she continued. Even as her lungs weakened and her cries softened.
Suddenly, a light appeared in front of her, forcing the shadows to reluctantly retreat. Mya was now facing a stranger she could finally see.
The stranger was an older man, his hair grey and long. He had a long white beard reaching down to his chest and his hair was tied up behind him. As she looked at the man she felt herself weaken farther growing even more tired. Her legs gave out under her causing her to fall to the ground. She could see the man walk over closer to her stranding above her looking down a smile present on his face.
"Hello Mya," he said as her vision darkened leaving her in the dark once again.
When she woke up she was in an unfamiliar and room and bed. It was a cramped and barren space. The only furnishing included the uncomfortable cot and an occupied wooden chair in the corner. The bearded stranger stared at her with narrowed eyes.
"I've been waiting a long time to meet you, Mya."
Mya studied the man's features. "I've never seen you before."
The man exhaled and smiled sadly. "The world works differently beyond the walls. It's much more dangerous but you were born to combat the hostilities of this world." he stared at her hands. "It would be best to not block your powers. You'll need them."
She looked down at the gloves on her hands before back at him, "Who are you?" ya whispered, her voice still hoarse from shouting.
"Once upon a time I was your friend." He shrugged, at Mya's incredulous expression, "Aging works differently here."
"How old are you?" Mya asked trying to piece together what was going on, "How long ago were we friends? Why don't I remember any of this?"
The man was taken aback for a moment at the questions but quickly responded. "It was a very long time ago, several centuries when the wall was first built. We were just children then but that didn't change anything. Those who built the wall found us, took you, and left me. They took you beyond the wall and I couldn't do anything to save you."
Mya watched the man's face fall during the story as she could tell it was hard for him to say all this.
"So how long ago was all this?"
"I apologize I avoided that. I am 230 years old but within the walls, I would only be 25 years. Like I said earlier aging works differently here."
Mya's eyes widened, "Have you been alone this whole time?"
"I have encountered few outside the walls. Not all have been friendly." He paused, "I know this must be a lot to take in, but I believe we can be friends once again. It's so nice to see your face again."
"Why don't I remember you? or life outside the village?"
"When you were captured, your memories must have been altered somehow."
Mya swung her legs off the bed looking the man. "Who are you?" The man smiled, "You always called me Jo."
"Jo," she said, "Jo, Jo...Jo"
The man looked at her as she repeated the name over and over. His eyebrows furrowed as he watched her. "What are you doing?"
"I hoped that saying your name might help me remember something. The name seemed so familiar to me yet so foreign at the same time."
The man said nothing as he looked at her, as she continued to say the name. Her face holding nothing but a plane expression that the man could not read. He stood up, pushing herself up and off the bed.
"Where are we?" she asked no longer repeating the name.
"It was our house so long ago. I kept it in perfect condition, as you would have wanted me to."
Mya crossed the room toward the sole door. She pushed it gently and it creaked open. The cabin was small. Another barren room was visible, and along a short hallway, Mya noted the kitchen moving on.
Although the sight was unknown, Mya was comforted. She felt oddly at home and safe. As she crossed through the house, she noticed the window. It was uncovered, allowing for a breathtaking view. On the other side of the window there stood tall mountains in the distance, snow covering their tips. The forest she had first set off into was beyond a valley in front of the house.
She had seen manly things within the walls but nothing as breathtaking at that view.
"It's beautiful, isn't it," Jo said from behind her.
"It is. I haven't seen anything like it before," she said turning from the window looking at Jo. "Did I truly lie here with you?"
"Of course, You were the one who picked out where you wanted the house."
"Really? I wished I could remember that, and my life before the wall."
Jo placed his hand on her shoulder, "As do I."
Mya noticed the pinks and oranges dying the blue out of the sky, "It's nearly night again. I must have slept for ages."
Jo's eyes widened, and he moved with sudden swiftness. "The shadows sap our of your energy." He tugged a wooden board against the main door into the house. "We must protect ourselves from the night creatures," with that, J tugged on a string near the window and a dark cloth fell across the glass, blocking Mya in.
The feeling of comfort and safety all but vanished as fear crept up in her heart again. She was afraid of what was coming and what was to come. She knew the things in the woods and she knew it was dangerous. They needed to protect themselves before something came for them or tried to take them away.
As she looked at the covered windows, she imaged those purple eyes she was seen. She imaged them right in front of her staring at her as she moved.
She felt a hand tough her should pulling her out of her daze. "Let's eat something to get your strength back," Jo said leading her to the kitchen. Mya only nodding and following behind him.
Jo tugged a plastic box from beneath the table. It squealed open, cans of food tinkled next to each other. Jo grasped one on top and revealed its label. "How about chicken noodle soup?"
The contents of the liquid bubbled in the pot. Jp poured it into a paper bowl. It steamed as Mya gently sipped it. "This is delicious," she said bringing another spoonful to her mouth.
For several moments they simply sat there eating in silence neither one of them taking but soon enough Mya finished her soup and had yet another question for her old friend.
"What do we do know? I had no idea what I was going to do coming into the forest so what do I do?"
Jo looked up and away from his food looking at Mya. "Now we train and I get you ready for what is going to come and what you are meant to do."
"What do you mean? What was I meant to do?"
"You were meant to save everyone from the things that live in the forest that want to destroy not only you but everyone else in and out of the walls."
Mya sat at the table looking at the empty bowl in front of her imaging what it would be like to not do anything and have those who lived in her village suffer for what they had done to her. However, she couldn't think like that way. She knew it wasn't right and that there were some people who had done nothing, like Pinus and a few others.
"When do we begin." she said looking up determination written across her face. Jo looked at her smiling.
"First get rid of the gloves we don't need to hid your power."
She pulled off the gloves her brother had given her placing them on the table looking down at the bracelet that rested on her wrist, she would never forget him and what he did. She was going to save him and show him how much she cared about him and all he had done for her.
It was truly time for her adventure to begin.
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