Young Writers Society

  I opened my groggy eyes and let out a long breath. Today I would have to tutor someone who has repeatedly been rude to me. I pushed off my blankets and put my feet on the chilly floor. I then swiped a comb off of my bureau and dragged it through my hair full of snarls. Flinching in the pain of it, my eyes searched the top of my dresser for the dress I had laid out the night before. Catching it with my eye, I snatched it and sauntered into the hall. The minute my feet stepped onto the rug lining the hall, I knew something was off.

“Mom?” I called downstairs, hearing someone walking around. I smoothed my hair behind my ear and crept down the stairs, thinking of my sleeping family. I walked slowly into the living room and nearly had a heart attack. A shadow of a man stood in my kitchen. The light shown around him and I prayed that it was only my father. I stumbled backwards and stepped on Peony’s talking baby doll.

“I’mmmm hungry!” The doll screeched in her mechanical ways, and my head whipped down to look at it. I rolled my eyes and picked it up. When I peered back into the kitchen, the shadow was gone and the light along with it. A shiver ran up along my spine and I raced back upstairs. I burst into Rett’s room and said, “Everett! I saw another one!”

His blue eyes opened very slowly, and narrowed into little slits, “Too early.”

I rolled my eyes and threw Pia’s baby at him, “I’m serious, Rett! Remember our little talk yesterday?”

He sat up suddenly in his bed, sending his blankets flying off. He ran his fingers through his hair, “Show me!”

“But, its gone now!” I blushed, “I just thought you would want to know.”

He marched angrily into the hall and I grabbed his arm, “Maybe I shouldn’t have told you! I was just freaked out and you are my brother!”

“You think I’m mad at you? Why would you think that?” He grumbled, “My little sister is being messed with every second of every hour and you think I’m mad at you!”

“Well I did wake you up…”

“Waking me up is what you should do. You need me to protect you, Ella,” He gushed, “I know, everything is happening is bizarre and I don’t want you to do it alone. Show me where you saw it, sis.”

I smiled and took his hand, leading him down to our kitchen. Automatically, a shiver ran down my spine as I crossed the living room.

“It was right there,” I pointed.

He straightened his back and walked straight to where I pointed.

“Whatever you are, whoever you are, stay the hell away from my sister,” He growled. I actually laughed and he turned towards me, “What?”

“Thanks for trying, Rett,” I smiled, at least he made me feel better as he always does. I realized that he too was laughing.

“What in the world do you think you two are doing?” My mom asked, pulling her robe on as she came down the stairs, “You sound like a pack of elephants.”

“Nothing,” Rett swung his arm around my shoulders as we chuckled.

“Oh, well. Kids will be kids,” she mumbled and turned on our kitchen light. I snuck out from under my twin’s arm and ran back up the stairs, wanting to get dressed.

My siblings and I were out the door and headed to school within the next two hours.

“Are you going to see the shadow man today?” Pia asked as I swung her onto my hip.

“Well, that depends on who he actually is. Maybe I will, Pia,” I shrugged and kissed her little cheek, “Are you excited for school?”

“Yes. The shadow man doesn’t follow me there,” She whispered and I frowned. All she could talk about was this shadow. I really needed to clear this whole thing up before Pia’s teacher thought that something was wrong with her.

We dropped Pia off at her kindergarten, and then Ally at her middle school. Rett talked to me again about calling him if I needed anything, and I accepted gratefully. We parted ways with a quick hug and I went to face the upcoming day. I went right to my English class, not even bothering to say good morning to Jen. I was so stressed; I could hardly think straight. I sat at my desk, staring at my hands, waiting for Gann to come in. Honestly, I wished that he wouldn’t say anything to me right now.

“Hello, tutor,” A voice said from the doorway.

“Hi,” I cringed.

“I’m sure you are just as excited as me from this turn of events,” He sighed, swinging his book bag onto the ground beside his desk.

“Even more so,” I replied truthfully. Maybe I would finally get some answers today. No, let me revise that sentence. I must get some answers today.

We didn’t say anything word to each other for the whole day. I stuck with Jen and Rett, and Gann didn’t speak to anyone. I met with my brother outside of the library, ten minutes after the buses left for the day.

“Remember, I’ll be right out here if you need anything,” He promised, holding my shoulders, “Don’t let that kid be such a creepy jerk anymore. Let me know if I need to knock some sense into him.”

“Well, we have to get some answers before I let you kill him,” I said, removing myself from his hands and opening the library door, “I’ll be okay.”

He nodded and sat down on one of the hall benches. I breathed in and out, very slowly. Whatever was going to happen had been waiting for a very long time, and I needed to find out what was plaguing this Scottish boy.

“Well, good afternoon,” I said smoothly.

“Same to you,” Gann nodded and I sat down at the table across from him, “We need to work on fact versus opinion, as well as the topic for the essay.”

“Oh, don’t you worry. We will get to that,” I smiled sweetly, “But first, I need some answers out of you.”

He paled considerably and stood quickly, readying himself to make a break for it.

“Don’t even think about it, Gann. If that is even your real name. My brother is standing out there, ready to drag your sorry butt right back in here,” I glared, grabbing his right shoulder and shoving it back down.

“I can’t… I can’t tell you anything, Ellanyra! I promise, I would if I could,” He calmed me, “This is all for your own good.”

“Why? Why am I even in danger?”

“You, well, you can’t know that.”

“No,” I stated simply, “I want you to start with why you choose to say my full name, rather than what you hear everyone else call me. Or, I suppose we could start with why these stupid freaking shadows are following me everywhere?”

“No! Okay fine, I will start with the name thing,” He gasped, “The reason I say your full name… is because I think it is a beautiful name. And well, what you probably want to hear is that this is how I learned to call you. Where I am from, no one calls you ‘Ella’.”

“Why do people say my name where you are from at all?”

“Because… You share your name with your Grandmother,” He looked down at his hands.

“And I suppose my British grandmother is very well known in Scotland?” I rolled my eyes.

“No, not in Scotland,” His accent completely transformed into an odd sort of British accent.

“You are British? What the hell, Gann!” I gasped.

He sighed, so defeated looking, “Your time has come too early, I suppose. Although it is hard for me to admit, I must tell you the truth.”

“You think I don’t know that?”

“Fine,” Gann huffed, “It started a very long time ago. Before you were born, before even your great grandparents were born. The world, well it’s not just this land. In every plant, there lies an untouched land. A land that is discoverable by anyone at all. When the land is discovered, that person may choose to do whatever they want with it. Make it into another country, or perhaps just leave it as if it had never happened. Earth’s land was discovered in the 1700s, 1790 to be exact, by a young women named Tasha. Tasha, well, she was your four times great grandmother.”

My eyes widened with every word. What in the world was this boy talking about?

“Tasha was not the best person, to be honest. Conceited, selfish even. She took the land, and every single person she knew was brought with her. Every child, every parent, everyone. The land was well populated, but much too large for the number of humans brought through. Tasha took herself as queen, and appointed a small court. The court decided the rules, much like other countries. Tasha married for looks, and bore a girl, who became queen next. Because of how the rest of the world acted, Tasha decided that women would run the country. If the queen did not have a girl before having a boy, the child would be taken. No one knew what happened to the poor things,”

“As time went on, the residents of the secret land were miserable. The land never moved on from the royal times. Everything was very similar to the Medieval times. Nothing happened really. No one opposed the court, although their lives were terrible. Now, is where we come to your Grandmother. Her name was… it was Queen Ellanyra Juliet Lillianna BelleCourt the First.”

“You expect me to believe that my grandmother was some kind of magical faerie queen?” I asked, disbelievingly.

“No! Not a faerie. They, as far as we know, do not exist. As for queen, well, yes. But, that is not all. Ellanyra was happily married to a man that sadly passed away shortly before their child was born. As you have probably guessed, this man was your grandfather. Times were better then. She ruled with justice, but compassion. She was destroyed when your grandfather passed. The night of his death, she finally fell asleep. In her dream, her husband stood before her, his eyes grave. ‘Ellanyra, my love, you must save our son.’ he spoke to her. She knew then, what happened to the children that were born male. And she knew that she had to act fast.”

“Her plan came together quickly. The queen took the doctor, and swore him to eternal secrecy. The day of her son’s birth, she would have the doctor retrieve a newborn orphan from the orphanage and switch out the two children. She replaced her son with a girl born only a day before her own child. Not only did she trick the court from thinking that she had had a daughter, but she also faked her death. She fled the land, finding a secret loophole. That man…”

“Was my father,” I whispered, trying to take it all in, “But, Gann, this doesn’t even make sense. Why wouldn’t my father tell me? And what with the shadows? What do I need to be protected from?”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa! I need a second to catch my breath,” He laughed nervously, and I glared. He was either a totally liar, crazy, or some weird guy from another land.

“Back to my story. Your dad, well, he doesn’t know. She never told him. He only thought she was from England. As for the shadows, we are a society.”

“We?”

“I am a shadow. Sworn to protect the crown. And you, my dear, are the rightful queen,” He almost sounded smug.

“I am not!” I protested, “And if you are so sworn to the crown, then why don’t you protect the current queen?”

“But you are! And as for that, I’m afraid our current queen is not so ideal. The times changed when your Grandmother ruled. I’m afraid our young queen only brought us back. She treats everyone unfairly and life is not good.”

“If it was a secret, my dad’s birth, then how do you know?”

“I’m afraid that the doctor did not do such a great job of keeping a secret. He told the head of the shadows.”

“Oh, I see. You never answered my question about the protecting me.”

“As for your protection, that is another story. A shadow betrayal. A shadow that knew the secret. He is sadly, madly in love with the queen and will do anything for her. He gathered a small group of others and they are looking for you.”

“Oh, god,” I groaned, “Are you saying that not all of the shadows I see are you?”

“I’m afraid not, Ellanyra,” He said gently, “I know this is a lot to handle, my dear. Why don’t we wrap this up?”

“Just leave? You want me to just leave after hearing this?”

“It is all we can do, I am afraid.”

“Take me there!” I gasped suddenly, “Take me to my land.”

“No!” he shouted, “Not yet, anyway. You are not ready.”

I put my head in my hands. I needed to tell Rett, immediately if not sooner. Why? Why would anything like this happen to me? Plain old Ella. Not so plain, I guess.

I raised my head to look at him, “Gann. You will take me there. No buts. I will not be stopped from seeing this, if it does exist.”

“Oh, Ellanyra,” He sighed, “If you leave with me, it is likely that you will never be brought back here.”

Chapter 5. Wow! I'm more than excited about this chapter! Please leave reviews :)