Alex’s breathing was hard, but she kept running. She finally had a chance for some answers. She wasn’t about to blow it now. Her feet flew over the familiar path. She heard voices in the background, coming from the hut. They were garbled and unintelligible, even with her heightened hearing, but one voice rang out above the rest. *Traitor.* Alex’s blood turned to ice as the word brought back flashes. Fragments of memories that made an image she didn’t want to admit. A truth she’d known since the beginning. *Traitor.* She clutched the intricate jade key in her hand, running faster. She resisted the urge to scream, *it’s not me! Can’t you tell?* But she kept going. Faster. Stronger. *Traitor.* Alex sped up, wishing they would stop. *Traitor.* Stop. *Traitor.* *STOP.* She felt something click, and a green flash exploded around her and lit up the trees, bending branches and sending Alex flying. She tumbled backwards and landed hard against a tree, holding tightly to the key. As she stumbled to her feet, she couldn’t miss the connection to Reina’s angry outburst. But this was involuntary. *Just another reason I have to know,* Alex thought, unable to shake the dark feeling the flash had given her. What had it done? She froze when she finally realized what happened. The key fell from her shaking hand, but she barely noticed. The forest was silent. The shouting was gone. All sound had left. *What have I done?*
- The ** around a word or phrase means that it was in italics when I wrote it on Google Docs. - The paragraph indentions are weird because of how I copied it. - The weird symbol in the project is a super huge part of the book, but I don't explain it in the prologue. - Enjoy, and feel free to give me feedback!
