part 1: 362 words Serenum was the most beautiful kingdom of them all. Past the gleaming white gates lie a vast region filled with the tallest and largest structures, build by the best of the stone workers. The first walk into Serenum leads you under a large white stone bridge connection two massive white buildings. These buildings had windows carved in gold and jaw dropping etchings into the sides of them. Past the bridge opened into a market surrounded by more of these buildings. Every stand was filled with many delights, from the most sparkling fruit to the bustling livestock. Unlike the other kingdoms, there was no grass or nature anywhere. The ground had been pounded and ever inched filled by marble stone. However, if you moved past the market and past many more rows of expensive housing, ignore the parties happening on roof tops, you might find the hidden side of Serenum. A kingdom of its own. The poor people of Serenum live in a small community far past the main gates. They sleep on untamed grass and feed from the garbage posts throughout the city. I suddenly snapped out of my nightmare of a thought and looked back down the alleyway I had been in so many years ago. It was cleaner now, with less garbage and the graffiti had pretty much faded away. I could hear children laughing in the street behind me and yells about some ball. In another universe, maybe my childhood was like that too. I took another weary step deeper into the alley. The smell still lingered, but instead it was like my mother had left the pie in for only a few seconds too long. It was manageable. At this point, the sun was still shining brightly above me and it made the once dark alley seem not as scary. At this point, I wasn’t scared but since that day I learned everyone has fear, no matter how brave you might seem. That day, I had felt fear stricken straight to the bone like nothing I had ever felt before. Maybe it felt worse because I was too brave. Maybe, just maybe, it was ok to be scared. part 2: 412 words There was a million words going through Ollie’s mind but the only command he heard was dig. Rocks scraped off the skin on his fingers and his nails had turned brown but he continued scraping dirt and creating the hole. The forest floor near Andem was damp from all the flooding. He could hear the falling of trees and intense snarls of the beast as it continued to get closer to his temporary hiding spot. His mind urged harder repeating the command over and over again. The sword lay beside him, sparkling, and almost mocking him as he continued. The hole was almost wide enough now for it to fit. He grabbed it in terror and placed the sword into his pit. It sat perfectly. For a second he almost took a breath, taking a second break he hadn’t had in hours, but it was interrupted by silence. Complete silence. The beast knows he’s here. The voice in his mind now yelled a different command, this time, to run. Quicker than ever he piled all the dirt back onto the sword and stomped on it to make it look at least a little natural. The sound of stomps and falling trees had returned as he sprinted away. It wasn’t hard to find the sword. All Charlotte had to do was follow the path of downed trees and small footsteps. Her heart was racing faster than it had ever before and she couldn’t even form a thought. The only scene she was replaying in her mind was when Ollie had come back to the east. She was sitting on top of one of the towers that surrounded the kingdom. Her eyes were sharp, looking for any movement from the forest nearby. Then she saw him. Before she could even react her body moved for her as she ran down the stairs to meet him. He was just getting to the entrance when she exited the tower. That’s when she finally had a reaction. She beamed like a mad man and rushed towards him, hugging him. She didn’t even care about the awkwardness after or the blush of red cheeks she already had. The only thing she cared about was not letting go of the boys in her arms. The scene in her mind ended once she got back to reality and realized the footsteps had ended. The sword was close, and once she finally got it, she could end the beast for good.
part 3: 324 words The beast was coming. You either ran, or you died. There was no other choices for the villagers of Vidris. Tomathy watched in horror from the palace as the beast trampled everything he had grown up with. The fields. The shack. The homes. The market. Every area was gone in minutes. “Tomathy! We need to go!” Someone yelled from inside the palace. They were urgent. Tomathy just shook his head. “I’m not leaving.” He stood there on the balcony. He would always think of this moment, where he would look over his kingdom in pride but he would never dream it was watching its end. It was the only thing he truely cared about. Well, that was a lie. There was Nova. It had always been her since the day they crossed glances at the induction. She’d be ok. He knew that he was destined to be temporary. “Come in.” Nova responded delicately to the knock at her door. She closer her notebook, filled with eloquent writing. She had always been a writer. A natural born poet, her mother would tell her when she was young. The door opened to reveal a messenger. A little odd, but she listened to whatever he had to report. “Your majesty,” That was the first red flag. Nobody ever referred to her as that unless something was wrong. She shifted forward in her chair. “I….I regret to inform you that there’s been an tragedy in one of the kingdoms.” Please don’t be Vidris, she pleaded eternally. “In Vidris. The beast has attacked and destroyed everything. I’m afraid they’ve fled…beyond the kingdoms.” Her heart stopped. Beyond the kingdoms? Beyond was forbidden, unknown, unexplored by all of humanity. That meant then… Tomathy. “What about Tomathy?” She said calmly, even though her insides were torn into pieces. “That’s the other part your majesty, we don’t know. He hasn’t been found or seen.” Oh. Oh, no. No. Please no. Anyone but him. part 4: 524 words Pacing and Dual Timelines Charlotte couldn’t breathe. Her mind was racing in a million directions and she could feel her breaths come short and raggedy. She rushed through the woods, her hands tingling as she brushed through the cascade of leaves. “Ollie! Where are you!” She yelled out into the forest. Her eyes darted looking for anything, any source of him. Time felt like it was barely moving for her. Where was Ollie? Was he ok? Was he hurt? For a moment she stopped, then retracted her sword she had been using to slice through the leaves. What if she didn’t get there in time? Her movements slowly and she ended up stopping in the middle of a clearing. The sky was turning darker by the minute and her mind was running in a million different directions. She had so many worries on her mind in this moment and she felt like she was going to explode. It wasn’t supposed to end like this. The kingdoms, all four of them, were supposed to be safe forever. There was no need for a beast, or a war, or anything of that type. She heard a crack and turned around. Ollie wanted, no, he needed Charlotte. It was simple. As he half limped through the muddy woods she was the only thing on his mind. His arm was in pain, but if he ignored it for long enough it went away. “Charlie?” He hadn’t used that nickname in forever. It felt nice. “Charlie?” He said it a little louder this time. He almost stumbled over a rock. He mumbled a few curses while trying to hurry faster. He could tell he only had a few more minutes of daylight. After that, it was a lost cause. He looked up and swore he had passed this tree already. Ollie walked left and tried going a little faster. He didn’t want to admit it, but the panic was starting to set in. Charlotte had to be somewhere in this forest. Suddenly he heard an echo. He caught the tail end of it and swore he heard an e sound. His heart skipped. “Charlotte!” He yelled this time, breaking out into a sprint in the direction of the voice. Something inside told him it was her. It just absolutely had to be. He turned a corner, and then he saw her. His Charlotte. She was standing in a clearing and he could see her hands shaking from the other end. He ran. They hugged. There was nothing else to explain. Charlotte’s sword was somwhere lying on the ground and Ollie’s once limp arm was even holding her tight. It was only the second time they had been like this, so close, but it felt like they had been intertwined like vines for an eternity. Charlotte hiccuped into his shirt and promised herself she wasn’t going to cry. But a “I’m here Charlie” later, her cheeks were drenched. He was right, he was here. Even though they had fought and lost and wept in the last day, he was here now. And he wasn’t planning on leaving her ever again.
