Boom, boom, boom.

The only sound Jessica could hear was the steady pounding of her increasingly painful headache, as she looked up at the two intruders. Her body went stiff. Ice poured through her body. She could taste the bitterness of fear. It caked the roof of her mouth and sucked away all the moisture; her throat felt too tight.

This wasn’t how she wanted her first meeting with other elves to go, Jessica sarcastically pondered, trying to calm herself with humour while in serious danger. She glanced at the man's wound and saw blood slowly seeping onto the make shift bandages. I shed blood! Jessica had never harmed a soul in her life, and now she regretted her first real burst of courage as she looked at the man's expression. In the darkness she could only just make out high cheek bones, and a chiseled jaw. His mouth set tense in a grimace under the heavy hood he wore to partially cover his face.

He definitely wasn’t happy with her.

Boom, boom, boom.

Jessica couldn’t tell if it was her heart rate or the pounding in her head that made that awful drumming. It drowned out everything. All but the seriously angry man in front of her. Still donning the thick hood so she couldn’t make out his features, he took a step closer to Jessica. Her body felt heavy like she was stuck in mud, and the air was too thick to breathe in.

“That hurt.” His voice was quiet, but full of darkness and anger that made the pounding in her head speed up.

Boom, boom, boom.

“I get angry when people hurt my brother” A feminine, almost lyrical voice crooned at Jessicas ear. She gasped and flinched as she turned to face the other intruder. She completely forgot about her, too absorbed in the frightening figure that loomed over her. The female was incredibly stealthy to be able to sneak up so close without Jessica’s elven senses picking up on her. Or you’re just too terrified to think straight. Get yourself together. She mentally chided herself.

With that mental slap Jessica straightened her posture slightly, eyes darting between the two intruders. The female also had a hood, but it must’ve pooled around her shoulders during the strange wind. Revealing shoulder length hair which might appear golden in the light and similar sharp facial features as the hooded man before her. Was it a natural wind though? Her instincts suggested that wasn’t the case, as not even a breeze could be felt from within the tower walls. Jessica concluded that the sister must be a wind user, but what of the brother...

“Do you live here?” Mr Tall, Threatening and Hooded inquired.

Boom, boom, boom.

Her headache threatened to smother all coherent thoughts at any moment, and fear kept Jessica’s mouth tightly sealed.

“Come now, talk to us little girl” Miss Windy crooned again in her pretty voice. Jessica would’ve asked her to carry on talking if the situation wasn’t so dire. Slowly moving her gaze from Windy to Mr Hooded to assess her situation. Jessica decided that she was dead either way, she may as well have at least one conversation before she goes. Even if it’s with her would be murderers.

“Yes.” Somehow, she formed the word and sounded a lot more poised than she felt.

“She speaks!” Windy cheered, a dazzling smile lighting her face. There was a bite to her tone that made ice form down Jessica’s spine.

“What is this?” Mr Hooded revealed a small white box, the box had gold rimming the edges and gold designs etched into the mental. Jessica didn’t pay attention to the pretty detailing though, or the fact the man was asking her what it was. In the middle of the box, just above the lid an emblem had been placed in the same pretty gold against the white. The emblem was three diamonds next to one another; the two side diamonds tilting at an angle against the straight, larger diamond in the center.

Boom, boom, boom.

Jessica’s hand flew to her left rib, as if she could feel the birth mark that’s been there her whole life searing beneath her shirt. Why does Agatha have a box with my birth mark etched into it? Why have I never seen this before?

“I-I don’t know” she couldn’t muster any confidence for this sentence. Her head a whirl of questions and pounding.

Boom, boom, boom.

“Liar.” Windy chimed.

“Honestly I don’t. I’ve never seen it in my life. If you return in two weeks, I’m sure my Aunt will be happy to discuss the box with you when she is back from her trip.” Jessica didn’t understand what they wanted with the box. Or why the box had her birth mark on it. All Jessica knew in that moment was that these were no standard thieves wanting jewels or money. Agatha had many high quality and rare herbs and trinkets in her quarters that those with a fine eye or slippery fingers would want to covet. Why did they go for the seemingly harmless box, pretty as it maybe?

Boom, Boom, Boom

“We can’t wait that long. You wear your thoughts on your face, and your eyes nearly left their sockets when you saw the box.” Mr Hooded couched down and palmed a dagger. “Tell us what we want to know and we will let you live.” Liar, liar, liar. Jessica’s blood sang the words and fear coursed through her veins. Sweat beaded her brow and hands as the earth began to shake more violently again.

Boom, boom, boom.

Quickly standing, the man swore and looked over to his sister as she grabbed for Jessica, trying to pull her to her feet. Jessica though, had her hands and feet firmly planted to the ground. All her limbs locked in place and attached to the violently shaking stone below. “Grab her now" Mr Hooded hissed. “We’ll continue this back at the ship.”

No! No, no, no. Jessica had never felt fear like this, every fiber of her being knew if they took her, she would not see her home ever again.

Boom.

Suddenly, with a final pound the drumming in her head stopped, along with the violent tremors. White noise filled Jessica’s ears as she glowed a blinding white light and the Intruders leapt to grab her. The white light surrounded them all, the white noise becoming deafening loud in her ears. The light continued to push outwards until there was nothing else and Jessica’s world went silent and dark.