The Secret Chapter 1

Fire. Huge flames flashed angrily from above. Those flames, the color of blood, erupted from the mouth of a massive dragon. Black scales shimmered in the light of the flames. Long scaly wings protruded from the massive body. The skin on the wings was like a thin membrane resembling a wing of a bat. A long tail swung angrily in the air. Piercing red eyes glared around at its surroundings. Cottages erupted into flames. Ashes were scattered across the ground. The smell of burning flesh filled the air. People were running; screaming. The dragon flew to the nearest pile of rubble and landed with a thud on it, its claws sticking out in front of it to grasp a clump of debris. It surveyed the disturbing scene that it had created. A smile swam across its face, ivory fangs glistened. Its master would be pleased. The dragon pushed off the pile of rubble and released an ear splitting screech that would make anyone go mad. It flapped its bat-like wings and flew off into the night sky which instantly engulfed him. A small area a few yards away from the village was completely unharmed…

Sara woke with a start. Cold sweat poured down her body. Her muscles were tensed up. For a few moments she didn’t know where she was until she saw, through her doorway, a man sleeping on a small bed. Drool slipped down his face and landed in a pool of water on the floor. She released a small sigh of relief. Her dreams were getting out of hand. They always woke her up. A small patch of sunlight slipped in through the cracked window. Sara lifted herself out of her bed and pulled on the blanket she had placed over the window last night. The blanket fell silently to the floor and sunlight filled the entire room. Sara heard a startled snort from behind her. The man fell from the bed and was now getting up. He walked towards her angrily.

“Can’t you see I am sleeping?!” he yelled. He stomped closer to her. She cowered in fear in the corner of her room.

“You couldn’t have waited until I was up to pull off the blanket! Now you’re gonna get it!”

The man raised his hand into the air and Sara watched as it came plummeting down to land on her right cheek. Sara gasped in pain and raised her hand to her face where an imprint remained. Tears streamed down her cheeks. The man quickly left the room and slammed the front door shut. She sat in the corner of the room. Her messy reddish hair fell in front of her deep green eyes. Her hands shook violently as she waited to see if the man would return.

That man was her father. He was a tall broad man that helped the village with all the labor work. His brown hair was already beginning to thin on the top of his head and his brown eyes were always filled with anger. His breath always held a hint of whiskey. Sara could never remember a time when her father ever loved her, or at least liked her. Though, she could remember all the times that he had hit her perfectly. She wished she couldn’t. She wished she could tell someone but her father was lucky. She had no voice.

Sara lifted her frail body from the wooden floors and walked over to her mirror, her eyes on the front door to see if he would return.

She glanced around her room. Four shabby walls stood with a roof on top. The ceiling had a few holes where water would could through when it rained. Water spots could be seen on the hard wooden floors. She wondered when the spots would break through. A window was on the eastern side of the room while her door was on the opposite side. Her bed or should she say blanket and pillow were on the northern side of her room while a wobbly bureau stood barely on the southern side. A mirror hung just above her bureau. A rusted silver frame bordered the mirror and a crack went threw the middle of it. She looked into it at her reflection. She grimaced at herself and looked back at her room. A desk was placed precariously under the window. One shelf was in it but the dresser was able to have three shelves. The wood was chipping on all her furniture. A silver brush was placed on the bureau. She glanced down to pick up the small silver brush. She pulled it through her hair a few times then quickly pulled it up into a bun. A few strands of reddish hair stood out. She placed the brush back on top of the bureau and pulled out a small dress, from inside her bureau, which she had to wear everyday to school.

It was a very plain piece of clothing. A grey pattern covered the dress and a black sash would wrap around the back. A white collar would stick out from the dress. Sara made a face as she pulled off her nightdress. She quickly pulled on the dress and tied the sash around the back. She walked over to the door where a pair of mundane patched up shoes sat on the floor. She slipped her small feet into them and walked over to the mirror to examine herself in disgust. She hated how the village wore gloomy colors like gray, white, and black. She walked to the small desk that was placed under the window. She opened pulled the small shelf out and pushed away a few papers. There at the bottom of the shelf laid a beautiful necklace made of onyx and rubies. It glimmered when the light hit it. She had had this necklace for as long as she remembered and she hid it from her father for that long as well. She knew if he ever found it, he would sell it for money to buy more whiskey. She lifted the necklace, smiled and placed it back on the bottom of the shelf. She pushed the papers back over it, closed the shelf and released a silent sigh. She walked towards the front door and opened it gingerly. She poked her head outside to see if her father was waiting for her. He wasn’t. She snuck outside and closed the door behind her. She ran as fast as she could in her patched up shoes towards the schoolhouse.

The schoolhouse stood near the end of the village. A long steeple loomed overhead. A brass bell hung inside it. It rung loudly and clearly threw the village. Most visitors from other villages mistook it for the church. A few windows were in the wall. Sara took a deep breath and walked threw the open doors.

Rows of booths lined across the floor. All walls were painted white. Sara shuttered. She walked quietly to the front seat and landed with a thump on it.

Students began filing in while she read one of the school books. No one sat next to her.

“Hey look everyone! Silent Sara’s here. Hey Sara, tell us, what do you think is fun? Oh wait you can’t speak! Ha ha!” shouted a lad from the back of the building.

“Silent Sara, Silent Sara!” The other children piped in. They all started laughing but settled down when the teacher walked in. Sara sunk into her chair; a single tear fell down her face and landed on her dress.

The teacher was a tall slim woman with her black hair always in a bun. She wore a black dress with a grey sash around her waist. She wore grey tights and black high heels. She also had glasses which were always on the tip of her nose. She had brown eyes that stared at all the children.

The day went on like any normal day. At the beginning of school, they began with geometry. They also learned about their heritage. Soon, everyone was getting antsy for lunch was soon.

“Alright Class, can anyone of you tell me what tools we use to help keep the village running?” she asked.

All the students groaned.

“I know we have to discuss tools unfortunately because you will all grow up to be using them. Now can anyone tell me about what tools we use?”

“Why not ask Silent Sara.” said the lad that was picking on her earlier that morning. Sara stared down at her feet.

“That is enough Ceres. Now, why don’t you tell me what is one of the tools we use everyday.”

“We, uh, well, we have a butter churner, that we use to make butter.”

“Good, good. Yes we use a butter churner. Can anyone else tell me something?”

“We use a plow.” said a girl from the other side of the classroom.

“Yes we do. Does anyone else know any tools that we use?” asked the teacher again.

Sara scribbled something down on her slate and handed it to the teacher.

“Ah, yes. Sara has written down quite a few. Let me read it aloud: Wash boards, rug beaters, mortar and pestles, clamps, candle snuffers, bellows, augers, gimlets, bitstocks, chisels, gouges, calipers, drawknives, and scorps. Well, Sara you know your tools!”

Sara smiled happily as the teacher gave back her slate.

“What about hammers?” said a young boy near the middle of the room.

“Ah yes Hammers. Does anyone know what types of hammers we use?” asked the teacher.

Color drained from the children’s faces and they began sinking into their chairs. Sara began writing on her slate again and handed it to the teacher.

“Sara’s done it again! Let me read this aloud: claw hammers, riveting hammers, Coopers’ adzes, Shipbuilders' pin mauls, upholsters’ hammers, lathing hammers, mallets and clubs. Sara you are doing amazing in this class.” The teacher returned her slate to her and walked to the very front of the class.

“Alright everyone, lunch time!”

Everyone dropped their slates, grabbed their lunch pails, and ran outside. Sara quietly walked behind them. Of course she did not have a lunch. Her father scared her too much to even make herself something. She sat at the edge of the wall and watched as people sat together, eating, laughing, and talking. She released a heavy sigh and sat down on the earth.

“Hi.” said a voice on her right side.

She turned her head and saw a boy sitting next to her with a lunch pail by his feet. He was a tall boy who worked on the Riley farm but was still very intelligent. He had deep blue eyes and dirty brown hair. He wore a hat that looked much like a paper boy hat. He smiled at her and took a sandwich from his pail. He split it in half and gave her one.

“I noticed you didn’t have a lunch so I thought you would like it. It’s ham and it’s great.”

Sara smiled and took a bite out of it. It was good. She chewed, swallowed, and smiled.

“I’m Jeremy by the way.” he said with a mouthful of ham in his mouth. “And I know you are Sara.”

She nodded and took another bite of the sandwich.

“Sorry that the other kids call you names. How old are you anyways?” he asked switching subjects.

She smiled and held up 10 then 5 fingers.

“You’re fifteen? Me too. I’ll be turning sixteen soon though and I can’t wait. “

He reached into his pail and pulled out an apple. He slipped his hand into his pocket and pulled out a pocketknife and sliced the apple in half.

“Here, eat this too. I usually can’t eat all of my lunch.”

Sara smiled and took a bite from the red apple. Juice poured down her chin. She silently laughed to herself.

Jeremy smiled and finished his lunch.

“Well, well, look here. The two love birds sitting together, Silent Sara and Jerky Jeremy.”

Sara began to blush and Jeremy rushed to his feet. He glared at the boy that had walked up.

The boy was slightly cubby and wore a plaid grey shirt and grey pants. His hair was a greasy blonde color. If you looked closely, you could probably see bugs crawling threw it. Green eyes looked tauntingly at them. Dirt could be seen under his fingernails. His father was of high authority for his father owned the village. No one could stand up to him in fear of having their homes taken away. The children followed him around and laughed when he laughed. They also made fun of anyone he chose.

“Shut up Ceres. Sara’s nice and you just haven’t given her a chance. You think she is horrible because she can’t speak. You’re wro…”

Jeremy wasn’t able to finish his sentence before Ceres punched him in the stomach. Sara jumped to her feet and watched in horror as her defender was beaten up. Jeremy gasped in pain as Ceres punched him to the ground. Ceres kicked him in the side flipping him over. Sara couldn’t take it any longer. She leaped onto Ceres’ back and began hitting him on the head with her fists. Ceres cried out and reached up with his stubby hands trying to grab Sara’s hair. At that moment, Jeremy was able to jump up from the ground and kick Ceres in the shin. Ceres began jumping up and down and Jeremy grabbed Sara’s hand and pulled her into the classroom. Both of them began taking deep breaths. Ceres came into the classroom, saw the teacher and left. Ceres never went back to class after lunch. Jeremy looked up at Sara.

“Thanks for helping me out.” He said and sat down at his seat. Sara smiled and sat down in the front of the classroom as students began coming in when they finished their lunch.

“Alright Students, now before you went to lunch we were learning about hammers. Sara named quite a few. Does anyone know what a claw hammer is used for?” asked the teacher when everyone had settled down into the benches.

“They are the most commonly hammers we use. The flat head well, hammered the nails into wood and the claw like metal on the opposite side pulled them out.” said a younger boy in the back.

“Very good Remus. Now, what are riveting hammers used for?”

A young girl sitting in the back stood up.

“Yes, what is it Tara?” asked the teacher questionably.

“Teacher, something outside is on fire.” said Tara pointing towards the window.

The teacher rushed to the door and peered outside. Tara was not lying. There was a fire; a big fire. It enveloped whatever it was burning and black smoke floated up to the sky. The students raced to the door and the teacher was pushed outside as the children went to see what was happening. The flames rose higher into the air. Sara’s eyes widened when she finally squeezed threw the mass of children bodies that crammed the doorway. Her Dream! It was happening. She searched the skies for what she hoped would be a black spot in the air moving around the cottage that was set aflame. What she saw was exactly what she was looking for. A black figure was flying near the flame. Sara went into action. She searched the crowd and found someone she was hoping to find. Jeremy was staring into the flames with a look on his face. She slipped her hand in his and pulled him away from the flames.

“Hey I want to see them put it out!” said Jeremy.

Sara stopped and pointed into the sky. She spotted the black dot heading for another cottage. Jeremy followed her finger and then saw another cottage erupt into flames. Wide eyed, Jeremy looked into Sara’s eyes and knew he had to go wherever she was going to take him. Sara raced to where she knew would not be burned. She remembered what happened next. She knew the safest spot. Her feet pounded into the ground and she pulled Jeremy into what seemed to be a manhole. The sky darkened around and it seemed as though it was night. Their eyes looked out and watched as people rushed in panic. Sara squeezed Jeremy’s hand. Fear engulfed her. The dragon in the sky released a screech so earsplitting, glass broke from miles away. Sara and Jeremy both winced in pain and raised their hands to their ears. They sat in that hole as quietly as possible.

The dragon looked content at the damage it had committed. It flew up into the sky and disappeared from view. Sara and Jeremy sat in that hole for a few more minutes before stepping out on the ground. There seemed to be a line from where it was green to where it was black. Jeremy pulled Sara out of the hole and together they walked back to what was left of their village. A few tears fell from Sara’s eyes but that was all that came. She soon felt nothing. This village never treated her with respect, and even if it was rebuilt, it would continue to treat her with disrespect. Piles of debris and rubble scattered across the land which used to be the village. Halves of cottages still stood. A few flames flickered in the darkened sky. Jeremy ran to what was once his home. Ashes were in piles from where his family members were right when their house was torched. Jeremy fell to his knees. He wiped the dust from his eyes. A few areas around him became moist. Sara knew that this was where Jeremy had once lived for the fifteen years of his life.

Sara put her hand on his shoulder. Jeremy raised himself off the ground and walked with Sara to where her home was. There was nothing but scorched wood and broken concrete. She walked to where her room would have been. She saw something glittering under a pile of wood. Together, she and Jeremy moved as much as they could until she was able to reach in and pull whatever was inside. Sara blinked. Her necklace was still there! The onyx shined brighter then ever and the rubies glistened. There was not a single scratch or dent on it. She gripped it in her hand for a moment then put it on around her neck. She and Jeremy walked on through the rest of the village and spotted the place where her father worked. She knew he was gone and she felt nothing. Good Riddance she thought.

As they staggered by a pile of wood, a burned hand drove threw the wood and grabbed Sara’s leg. Sara fell to the ground and a figure burst from the wood. Her father stood there crushing her leg in his hand. His face was now distorted and he was horrifying to look at. Blood flowed down his face like a waterfall and skin was peeling of his hands. He groaned for his mouth was burned shut. Jeremy turned around and yelled in horror.

Sara screamed and a sound emitted from her! Her father continued to pull her leg towards him and yanked harder each time. Tears of pain fell from Sara’s eyes. Jeremy quickly pulled out a piece of burning wood and swung it at the head of the man. Sara’s father released her leg and grabbed at his face. Jeremy half lifted Sara and began running. Sara raced after him tripping along the way. She and he ran towards the forest. She knew exactly who to go to.