Young Writers Society

Andrea had set out with the mindset of searching for a cure for her adoptive mother. She was not going to lose her too. She had packed a bag with some loaves of bread baked by her father, cheese and olives for the road. She didn’t know how for she had to travel in order to find the cure, but she was going to find it no matter how.

To save time she decided to use her flying abilities. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath and then opened her eyes again, her once grey eyes now turned sparkling blue and started to shine. She made a movement with her arms as if she was lifting something but did it next to her body and shakily lifted herself up.

As she got higher and higher in the sky, she looked down where everything looked so small from above. She was very excited, because this was her second time she actually used her powers. ‘I did it!’ she exclaimed and tried to hold herself steady as she looked over the road of her town, the dark woods and the Big city in front of her.

Her adoptive father had warned her not to use them, because people with magic like her were being hunted by BloodHunters, that’s what they called themselves. But all Andrea thought about was saving her mother so she ignored her father’s advice.

While looking in front of her she could see some people walking on the roads and in the middle of the buzzling crowds there was also another girl which Andrea had not yet seen, but as fate had it they would definitely meet.

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Lila found herself stuck surrounded by a wide array of thick tree trunks, and slim sections of light were able to leak through the many branches. She didn't worry about getting lost, not really, since she already recognized some of the animals lingering around. If something was super wrong, then she could ask them for help.

In fact, she meant to check in with how the woodpeckers were handling the recent storms since all of the acorns and various seeds had scattered everywhere and might have gotten lost. But she didn't see any around, so she was sure she could talk with them later. Hopefully they're working to get everything they need for the next few weeks.

She did wonder, though, just what this meant for her. Since her goal was to help her sister, Lila realized that she wasn't going to be able to hang around forever here, since there hasn't been a cure found. At least not yet. And although her parents are pleading her to stay, there's no reason to. Not when she knew there had to be some way of saving her sister and healing her illness.

Even though everyone only talked about how pitiful the situation was, Lila was determined. She knew she had to do it. Had to find something as a clue or a sign to learn more about combatting this sickness.

She sighed, kicking at the dirt underneath her feet. Starting now. Lila looked up at the small piece of sky she could see overhead. Well, it was late enough in the day to get home, probably.

"Bye, everyone," she sang more than said to the few animals still staring at her or moving nearby. "I'll see you later."

Some part of her realized that tonight was the day to leave. Lila had actually packed up her backpack some, but she figured the more supplies the better, so she needed to get home for a bit.

And then, the start of the adventure. Which felt aweing but worthwhile.

By the time she left the forest, Lila was tired and somewhat regretting her big talk about finding the cure, but she knew she needed to do this. She tightened her hands around the straps of her bag.

Here went nothing, she supposed.

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Andrea was managing to balance herself quite well as moved floated forward at an extremely fast rate. As she looked down from time to time she realised how beautiful the earth actually was and how much she yet had to explore with her mother before she left the earth.

After flying for quite some time it eventually turned dark. Andrea was very tired and after some time she spotted an inn below her, so she decided to land. She landed three kilometres away from the inn, because she didn’t want to scare the people without powers.

She was going to land right on her tippy toes, but then an arrow flew at her with a fast rate and her instinct kicked in and avoided it which caused her to fall on the ground.

‘Holy flowers!’ she exclaimed as she looked at the arrow which landed on the earth and was on fire burning the ground around it.

Andrea looked behind her and saw someone on a horse riding towards her. They had a green scarf around their face which gave Andrea the sign of BloodHunter.

She quickly dusted off her bag and began to run with it towards the inn. Some strands of her blond hair were covering her face a little as she fought to get to the inn as fast as possible. Andrea knew that she couldn’t die before she had found a cure.

She looked behind her for a second and saw the person catching up with her. Washed with a sense of fear but determinedness she tried to use her flying powers to go faster, but in vain. She couldn’t control them well, because her emotions got the better of her. So the only thing she could do now was run.

Another arrow was shot which Andrea had tried to avoid, but it had cut part of her upper arm. This burned like fire and caused her white blood to stream out little by little. She had to get in the inn before any mortal saw her and the BloodHunter catched up with her.

‘Stop running witch!’ The BloodHunter yelled.

Andrea couldn’t let the mortals hear him calling her that or else she wouldn’t get a place to stay.

‘Even if you don’t die now, you will eventually.’ He said, ‘I’ll find you and kill all of your kind!’

As she stood in the opening of the inn she saw the BloodHunter turn around and ride off again. She wiped away some sweat from her brow and sighed. As she walked inside with one hand around her bleeding arm to cover her white blood, she placed two gold pieces on the counter and said, ‘One night without breakfast.’

She walked in Room A12 tired and plopped down on the bed. Then she cutted a piece of her jeans jacket she was wearing and tightened it around her arm. She then lied down on the bed and closed her eyes.

‘I told you I’d find you.’ A voice said next to her ear.

Lila made her way back home, but the lights were out. As they had been for the last few months whenever she would come back late.

Her sister no longer stayed with them, instead staying at a care place on the outskirts of the town, where she knew the unwanted family members of the local people would go. Camie complained about not seeing her often, or about being stuck with people that did not want to be there either -- which, understandable in Lila's eyes.

However, this meant that her parents, their parents really, had no reason to be at the house any longer than necessary, with them separating many years ago as well. So, Lila was stuck. She had felt stuck for a while, until the idea to help her sister emerged and stayed with her.

Since no one was home, it made leaving even easier for her.

Lila grabbed a few food items that would stay better than, say fresh fruit, and grabbed the lightest blanket she could find that had some sentimental value. She knew she couldn't just bring everything with her, but she wanted something from home that would remind her of her sister and her family, regardless of their current circumstances.

With that, she locked the front door one last time, stopped herself from crying and went on her way.

Of course, the way was a bit convoluted at first, and she ended up walking right by the opening of the main forest she had just been in a few hours prior. At least this way she knew she would end up at the nearby inn just in time for catching some sleep.

She nodded a tired greeting to the housekeeper, who accepted her two gold coins in exchange for a single night and no breakfast. She didn't need any more food -- in fact, she probably should have eaten before her trip here, but she was too tired to yell at herself tonight.

With that, she dropped her things onto the floor to take a nap until the next sunrise. Of course, that didn't go quite as planned.

Her eyes shot open in a flash of a second when she heard his voice. She wanted to sit up immediately and search for something to defend herself when he wanted to kill her. He held her by her left arm where her arm was cut and pressed on it.

He threatened, ‘Not so fast Andreina PurpleHeart. We wouldn’t want your adoptive mother to die now would we?’

Andrea’s heart started beating faster and the thought of her mum dying made her stomach sink. I can’t die, not now She thought. To waste time she then asked, ‘But you’re a BloodHunter, how did you get in here? I thought-’

‘Blablablabla and bla.’ He mocked her and chuckled, ‘What you thought the mortals could stop me? In fact yes they can, IF they see me. If not, I’m totally alright, funny right?’

What was funny about that?, Andrea thought, but then she said, ‘I know you want to kill me, but-’

‘Kill you?’ He laughed, his red hair falling in his face. ‘No, we want to make you suffer and experience pain beyond your understanding. That’s my life goal.’ He said coldly and pressed the cut even more making parts of her white blood seep out and falling onto the red bedsheet.

‘You see your white blood is the key to so many things from which the powers of the BloodQueen can become more powerful. And lucky for you, my powers can provide a slow and agonising death.’ He explained while activating his powers by cutting his pulse which made his fire coloured blood stream out, but at the same time it turned into a flame. He laughed and took it in his hands and played with it.

Andrea gulped, for starters she couldn’t fight. Secondly, flying powers weren’t going to help her now and third nor was screaming, because of her white blood. All she could do now was praying to get saved by some kind of saint with powers to defeat him or a human but then she would expose herself.

He held the flame up her neck almost burning her skin, he started, ‘Andrea PurpleHeart, you are a shame to your name and therefore you must-’

He was interrupted by the knock on a door.

The reason she wasn't able to just relax in her bed since she was honestly exhausted ended up being more complicated than she expected. Lila covered herself with a thin blanket, rolled onto her back and closed her eyes.

Well, she did catch some sleep for a little while, but her dreams were strange, reminding her of times when she had gotten lost in the forest as a small child and had to find a way to get out, when she was too young to realize that animals weren't beasts meant to hurt her.

Then she woke up with a scream caught in her throat. It didn't feel that scary really - but maybe those feelings as a kid were a bit frazzled and vivid enough to make her shocked even in her dreams.

And that involved two persons of interests that apparently were booked just next door and were causing a ruckus as well as would not stop talking in such loud voices.

Lila was ready to cry. And decided that she would steel herself to knock on the door and demand some kind of answer or some kind of reason for this kind of disturbance at night when everyone should either be minding their own business in a quiet manner or you know, actually sleeping.

With a steady stride, Lila crossed the hall and stood right in front of the nearby door, which for some reason, sounds rather quite now, but so be it. She was determined to get down to the bottom of this silly business and figure out how to get some rest.

With that, she knocked on the door. She coughed; a bit surprised by how loud it was.

"Er, hello? Is anyone there? Why are you making such noise so late in the day? You don't even have to answer my questions, just please be quiet, okay?"

Okay, that felt good to say.

Andrea was very scared, but also relieved to hear the knock.

This could mean three things, one it was a human which would make the BloodHunter disappear if they saw him, two it was someone with powers who could save her or simply would fall to his prey too or three it was one of the BloodHunter’s sidekicks coming to help him finish the job.

The window was open which made the chilly breeze from outside enter the room, but this did not stop Andrea from sweating.

She wanted to scream, help! But she was afraid she would only complicate things. To avoid Andrea screaming the BloodHunter snapped his fingers which made his fire disappear and he covered her mouth.

‘If you scream, your adoptive mother dies. If you don’t, you die and she doesn’t, you have my word.’ He whispered and then answered the knock, ‘We’re terribly sorry for making so much noise and disturbing your beauty sleep, Lila. But don’t worry, we’ve got your message, I can guarantee you that you won’t be annoyed anymore. Have a good night.’

He hoped to have calmed her down by this and waited for the stranger to move on and go back to sleep.

Andrea however did not trust him and knew that he would kill no matter what. She knew it was risky, but she took a chance.

She bit his hand and shouted, ‘Help me! Pleas-’

This made the BloodHunter angry, his hand was hurting but he couldn’t let her escape.

'You had my word.' he said and before she could finish her sentence the BloodHunter had put a spell on her causing her to lose her voice for a minute of three.

He could only hope the stranger was asleep again.

Well, that answer was rather rude, wasn't it? And, when Lila thought over it, the voice that sounded closer to a sneer than a smile mentioned "we" instead of just one person.

Could someone else be struggling against the other person? At least there's someone else inside the room for sure. Maybe they need help.

Lila felt stuck standing in front of the door, but she decided to wait a few more seconds just to make sure she's not missing out any last-minute details.

It had been long enough that she figured she might as well leave. She turned around, shaking her head. Oh well. Maybe she can catch them later.

Was that a sound? Lila approached the door once more to hear better.

"Help me! Pleas-" that was definitely coming from the room -- that person needs help, and she was the only one there to be able to provide support.

She gathered all of her strength to kick at the door, trying to force it open. Lila cursed her lack of lock-breaking skills, but she could only do so much now.

One more swing of her boot into the heavy barrier made her lose her breath. Ugh. This was not only harder than she expected as well as exhausting her so much quicker than she anticipated.

Wow. She was bad at rescuing someone.

"Uhm, please hang in there. I'm trying to save you!"

Lila panted, taking a moment to breath. She needed something to make this easier. Did she have anything heavy she could swing at the lock? Actually -- she might have a tool.

Gah. That was way more useful than just her foot, but oh well.

She ran back to her room to grab her hatchet that had held up throughout all of her treks through the forest and building shelters for her animal friends.

With newly found strength and determination, Lila swung her tool at the lock, striking a direct hit. After four more attempts, she could feel the tremor of the door right up through her arms.

Only one more swing was needed to finally shatter the lock enough for her to push at the door. The hatchet clutched in her one hand even as she used the other one to finally step into the room.

Her eyes widened at what she saw before her.

Andrea lay on the bed with her eyes closed breathing slowly. The stranger named Lila had broken open the door and was now standing in front watching the scene.

The BloodHunter was standing in front of the window and was busy with an injection. His back was turned towards the door, so Lila could only see his flaming red hair and Andrea laying peacefully in the bed.

The BloodHunter turned around and looked at the broken door, ‘Oh gosh, now you’ve done it. We’ve already apologised for making so much noise and I can’t even afford my fiance’s medicine. Now I’m going to have to pay for an extra door handle too with money THAT MAGICALLY FALLS OUT OF THE SKY, RIGHT Lila?’

‘But I heard someone calling for help.’ Lila said flabbergasted.

The BloodHunter turned his gaze back to the injection and grinned to himself.

He said, ‘My fiance is struggling with an illness similar to what the morta-’

He stopped for a second and then realised that Lila was going to know he wasn’t a human if he said that, but that also meant she wasn’t a human. Or else he would have disappeared already.

‘Uhm…I mean Amnesia. She sometimes thinks I’m trying to kill her, but it’s just medicine to help her get back on her feet and then I’ll take her to a special place to find the cure that can cure any illness.’

For some reason he thought he knew Lila was going to buy that.

Andrea was trying her best to break free from the BloodHunter’s spell, but he was powerful. She wanted to tell the girl, Lila, that it was all a lie and that she really needed help.

As Lila looked at the scene that was unfolding in front of her eyes and the thought of him knowing her name when she didn’t tell him anything, she got the creeps for a second.