The Truth About A Petal of an Orchid

      In the story ‘A Petal of an Orchid’, you guys are probably wondering why someone as nice as Mercedes shoved Orchid aside. Well, that’s because she didn’t. Those few days after Orchid got her shot, she said that she didn’t see Mercedes for the next few days. That’s because Mercedes was trying to figure out what school she could send Orchid to, a school that helps kids learn the art of dark magic.

     While thinking, a dark army officer showed up and offered to help Orchid learn dark magic. Mercedes was hesitant at first, but she knew that once Orchid learnt how to master the art of magic, her power would be so strong, and she could do so much good. So after the officer swore to never let Orchid stray from the good side, Mercedes agreed.

      However, the officer lied. He had seen Orchid’s incredible power and wanted it more than ever. He told the Black Mage about his plan and a war was planned to take Mercedes’s eyes off Orchid. Then, the officer went to the safe house and tried to convince Orchid that Mercedes had left her for them to deal with. Orchid wasn’t as dumb as he thought and when he finally realized which little girl Orchid was, he took her by force.

        That time when Orchid ran back to Elluel and overheard Astilda and Mercedes’s little chat, Mercedes assumed that the officer had already taken Orchid for her first class of dark magic. When she told Astilda she hated dark magic, she was merely just saying her opinion. And when Mercedes said: “She doesn’t deserve to be in my town,” Orchid was too shocked, sad and angry to hear Mercedes’s next words: “She deserves so much more.”

          And so, Orchid’s grudge was nothing more than a misunderstanding. 

A Petal of an Orchid (End)

              I couldn’t sleep anymore. It was 3.45 in the morning and Taylor had long gone, as so the others, but as soon as I closed my eyes the thought of a dead Mercedes and a suffering Lotus filled my mind and jolted me awake and I was floated there, in the middle of the container, stiff and cold, like a corpse. What was happening to Elluel in my disappearance? Were they looking for me? Worried about me? Or were they just having fun and forgetting about me? The officer did say that Mercedes offered me to them as a peace offering……

        I shook my head. No, that was crazy! Absolutely crazy!! Mercedes was a good mother, and I knew she loved me. I had to get out of here and check how she was doing. She couldn’t be dead, could she? No, of course she wouldn’t! She was strong, for heaven’s sake! Why do I keep thinking the worse?

         Well, if I wanted to escape, now would be a good time to do it. I inspected the glass tank that held me fast; nope. No openings. How they got me in here is a mystery. I tried reaching for the cover of the tank and pushing it open, but it wouldn’t budge. I swam back down and thought hard. How do I get out of here?

        I placed my cold hands on the surface of the glass, wishing that it could just disappear. Suddenly, my hands glowed red. I was frightened, thinking the worst, until a vicious red laser shot out from my hands and broke a hole the size of a tree trunk into the glass, causing a chain reaction to ripple through the smooth surface. Slowly, the tank cracked open and water leaked out like waterfalls, spilling all across the floor.

         As soon as I got out of the tank and the tubes were shaken loose, an alarm sounded, bathing the world in red flashes of light. Quickly, I flung open the door and made a run for it. I heard scuffling behind me, and shout, of course, but I didn’t look back. This was the time to go, and go I will.

       Suddenly, I thought almost stopped me in my tracks; Lotus! What about her? I shook away the thoughts of her. I needed to get out first. Then I would tell Mercedes and she would help me free her. Right now, I needed to get out of here.

           The hallway seemed to go on forever, until finally, I saw a heavy metal door in front of me, leading to the outside world. I used my body to crash open the door and bolted. The warriors were hot on my trail, and I needed to shake them off. Turning on my heel, I whirled around until I was facing them and extended my hand out to them. Just like I predicted, the same red laser shot out from my open hand and obliterated the lot of them. Turning around, I made a break for it.

          I was in a forest; the surroundings unfamiliar, the trees mostly wilted from the ferocious heat. Since it was night time, it was cooler, but me, unused to running, soon had whole rivers of sweat pouring down my face. Where was I? How do I go home? I shook the thoughts of panic from my mind and just continued, straight on, hoping for the best.

                                                            *****

I managed to make it home.

               After swimming for who knows how long in a huge, vast open sea, I finally reached the same spot where I was washed ashore the first time I entered Elluel. I scrambled onto the island, dripping wet with sea water, arms and legs burning of exhaustion. But I was happy! I had made it home, and soon I would be able to see Mercedes again.

            I raced through the trees, heart beating fast, breath ragged, and soon I could see the town, and the castle poking up from the top. Some of the houses were quite burnt and broken, and the top floor of the castle was still being rebuilt, but I didn’t care! I was home and soon, my life would return back to the way it was. Suddenly, I heard it; voices, two females, no-one I knew well. I hid behind a tree and peered over the trunk, and I saw two teenage elves walking, talking as they did so.

           As they past by, I heard them say:

 “Jan, have you heard what happened to our princess?”

 “Yeah, Carol. She’s born with the power of darkness. I heard from her majesty.”

        I froze. What? I was born with the power of darkness? Did that have something to do with my purple blood? Frozen in shock, I listened on:

 “Didn’t like a human in our town anyway.”

  “Yeah, me neither. I’m glad her majesty got rid of her and sent her to the dark army were she belongs.”

           At that point, the girls went off and my knees gave way, and I sank to the ground with a thump. What? Was that true? Was that officer right? No, I still didn’t believe it. These girls, whoever they were, definitely got it wrong. I picked myself up, and headed for the castle.

            Soon, I was in front of the castle gate, happy to see it again. Just as I was about to push it open, I heard voices, and my natural instinct took over. I leapt into a pile of bushes and hid myself in the leaves. I looked out of a little hole in the bush, seeing who it was. I was happy and relieved to see it was Mercedes and Astilda! I was tempted to jump out and scare them, but then Astilda said: “I’m sure you made the right choice, your majesty.”

 I froze. Were they talking about me?

          Mercedes nodded. “I know I did, Astilda. Dark magic is terribly dangerous but very powerful. In the wrong hands, it could destroy a whole town.” Astilda nodded, her grey hair blowing in the wind in union with Mercedes’s blonde hair.

 “So, this was the best thing for Orchid,” Astilda said.

“Yes. It had to be done,” Mercedes said.

  “It’s true,” Astilda said. “it’s for our, and her own good.”

 “Indeed, Astilda.”

             I shrank back into the shadows of the bush. What was happening? Why were they speaking like that? Its like they really did choose me for a peace offering. But they couldn’t have! However, the next thing they said just confirmed my suspicions:

“Dark magic is usually used for evil,” Astilda said, and Mercedes nodded.

“Yes,” Mercedes said. “And I hate it.”

“Me too. So, what do you think of Orchid?”

 “She doesn’t deserve to be in my town.”

            No, I thought, tears streaming from my eyes. No, that can’t be. But it is. They did send me away, just because of this stupid power, they shoved me aside. Suddenly, my sorrow became anger. So, if this is what they want, I’ll give them a taste of their own medicine. I’ll show them all, every single one of them, that if you strike me down, I’ll come back up, even if it means bringing you down with me. Whatever debt I owe them is gone, and they will pay for shoving me aside.

                I returned to the dark army base, furious, and agreed to be the one of the Black Mage’s commanders. They did more tests on me until I could control magnificent dark energy. Lotus soon became as powerful as me and swore she would help bring down the town that shoved me aside because I dared to be different.

        Even after hundreds of years, my grudge still stands. Mercedes and her pitiful little town will pay for what they did. They will all pay. I will show them all.

Especially when I take over the world.

                                   

                

A Petal of an Orchid (Part 5)

            When I awoke, my eyesight was foggy and I couldn’t even see a centimeter in front of me. I blinked a few times but the fuzziness of the world around me remained. I tried shaking my head, but when I tried, my movements were slowed, like I was in water. I froze, frightened, when I realized I WAS in water! In panic, I thrashed about, opening my mouth in the chaos to try to breath in air, and to my surprise – I did.

         I stopped for a moment, testing my breathing. Inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale…..Good god! I could breathe in this water. I swam around, breathing, until my head hit something that went thunk as my forehead found it. I swam back like an octopus recoiling from threat and blinked. I swam forward a bit until I hit it again; some sort of glass. I reached my hand out and my palm found the smooth surface of the glass. I swallowed down my rising anxiety. Was I in a glass tank? If so, how come?

           Suddenly, everything came back to me in a big rush; the war, the safe house, smoke everywhere, the officer…..and what he said before I blacked out. Did Mercedes really give me over to the dark army as a peace offering? I shook my head violently. No, that was impossible. Sure,  I was different; the only human in her perfect elf world…..but I loved her like my real mother, and so did she…..or did she?

           I wanted to hit myself! Of COURSE she did! Does. Good god, why am I talking like she’s dead? The war was fierce and horrid, of course, but I’m sure she’s alive. Of course she’s alive! At least, I hope so. Suddenly, I was overwhelmed by a sudden thought of Mercedes, lying face-down on the ground, her life’s blood leaking out from multiple wounds, flies swarming over her head. The thought was so horrid I screamed, like, really loud, and flailed my arms about. That was when I noticed the tubes.

           Attached to my arms and legs, protruding through my skin, were multiple tubes that hung from the top of the tank and disappeared through a hole in the ceiling. They were pumping something into my body, some sort of dark liquid like the purple blood I saw flowing out of my body that time Mercedes took me to the doctor for my shot.

          Right now, the tubes didn’t seem to be doing anything; just hanging limply to my body. I tried to pull them off but each tug sent a jolt of pain through my arm and body and I stopped after the first try. After awhile of floating, I heard a door creak open. I swam to the glass and peered outside. The glass I was in was in a small white room, a pale grey desk tucked into the corner. A bookshelf stood at the corner of the room, stacks of books littering the floor around it. Next to the glass that held me was some sort of machine that resembled a washing machine, with multiple buttons and levers.

          There was also a door next to the bookshelf, which had been the source of the creaking. A woman with pale skin, dark hair and equally dark eyes covered by a pair of small glasses stepped through the door, looking at me in the eye. She had on a pale blue shirt and a black miniskirt, mostly covered by the faded white lab coat she wore. On her legs were black socks that were mostly covered by her black, shiny boots. She stretched her thin lips into a smile when she saw I was awake.

          “Hello, can you hear me?” she asked, and I nodded. She stepped over a pile of books on the floor and soon she was standing just in front of the glass tank that held me. I swam back, frightened, and she smiled. “Hello there, dear. My name is Taylor Gelimer, and I assume you are Orchid, correct?” I rolled myself into a ball, but I gave just a squeak of “yes”. Taylor nodded and then said: “Don’t worry, this won’t hurt a bit.” She walked over to the washing-machine like contraption beside my glass tank which I christened in my mind ‘thingamajig’.

            She pulled a lever with a shiny blue handle and suddenly another pipe - light blue, not grey like the other pipes attached to me – sprang down from the ceiling and jabbed itself into my chest. My purple blood stained the water pink and I gave a shriek of pain, which was later replaced by a moan of relief as whatever this pipe was pumping into me, it felt good, like a painkiller.

            Taylor was fascinated by something that projected onto the screen of the thingamajig. “Incredible,” she breathed, awed by whatever the thingamajig was showing her. She tapped a few buttons on the thingamajig, and the picture on the screen changed, as so her expression. “Im….impossible,” she muttered under her breath. “This little girl…..is….incredible.” Okay, she is mad. After awhile, Taylor pulled the lever back to place and the blue pipe pulled itself out of my chest and slithered back up to the ceiling like a thick blue snake.

           For some reason, the hole in my chest healed miraculously fast. In one moment there was a hole, the next thing I knew, skin was growing over it and in a matter of seconds, it looked like there was never a hole to begin with. I swallowed hard and swam back to the glass wall and pressed my face into it. Taylor was focusing on something on the thingamajig, but I couldn’t see what. Suddenly, Taylor said: “Okay, my dear, this might hurt, but don’t you worry,” she looked at me and smiled a hint of wickedness hiding behind her smile. “After this, you’ll be perfect.”

          After those words, she pressed two red buttons and pulled a green lever. The pipes suddenly lit up and started pumping something into my body. Each pump was excruciating, and I screamed. Desperation made me blind to pain and I attempted to pull each pipe out of my skin. I pulled and tugged viciously until Taylor pushed a yellow button and suddenly I was paralyzed, all I could do was wince as each pump filled my body with the pale purple liquid they had pumping into my hands and legs.

            “There you go, darling,” Taylor said, touching the glass. “Soon, you will be the most powerful commander under the black mage.” I froze. What? What did she say? She wanted me to become a commander under the infamous Black Magician? No way! Uh-uh! How foolish of them to think I would accept! I would stick to this life and I am not letting any changes come my way again.

        After awhile, my eyes opened again. The room was dark and empty, the small light bulb the only light source in the room. I didn’t even know I fell asleep! I swam to the glass and peered at the clock that hung from the ceiling; 1.35 a.m. It was midnight and that sort of explained why there was no one around. But to my luck, I was also afraid of the dark, and being in a dark room alone with white curtains billowing in the wind next to my glass tank sent shivers down my spine.

       Suddenly, I was aware that the door was slowly opening. I froze and abruptly shut my eyes and tried to look like I was still asleep. I heard the click as the person who opened the door turned on the lights and saw the light flicker on through my eyelids, but I was still too afraid to open them. I heard footsteps come my way and soon I could feel a presence outside the tank. Someone familiar, yet I couldn’t put my finger on it.

“Orc?”

        After that single word, my eyes snapped open in shock. That was Lotus’s voice and her nickname for me! No one else called me that. My eyes flickered around the room until I saw her, standing directly in front of my tank, eyes wide in fright. Behind her was a dark warrior brandishing the longest trident I have ever seen. Lotus was wearing a black dress that brushed her knees. I never saw her wear that before. I was also vaguely aware that she had on hand cuffs, and was really pale and had lost a lot of weight. What did they do to my happy – go – lucky sister to make her this way?

      “Lotus?” I say, swimming to the glass and placing my hands on the smooth surface. “Is that you?” Lotus nodded, tears streaming from her eyes, happy to see me again. Her hair had grown quite long these two years, now they reached to her back. The last time I saw her she had cut it into this boyish style. I could feel tears forming in my eyes as well. It had been two years since I last saw my sister. I thought she was as good as dead but here she is, standing in front of me.

        Suddenly, there was a knock on the door and Taylor came in, dark bags under her eyes, a huge stack of files under her arm, a pen in the other. She nodded to the dark soldier and he nodded back, then left the room, shutting the door quietly behind him. Taylor dumped the files onto the desk and collapsed at the chair. She beckoned Lotus over and she went timidly.

        “So darling, what do you think of this?” Taylor said, clicking a few buttons on the thingamajig. The screen lit up and Lotus leaned forward, squinting, reading whatever small print on the screen. After reading the whole thing, her eyes grew wide, looked up at me, then immediately stepped back from the thingamajig. Taylor smiled, bemused, and said: “So, I guess you can’t see your sister the same way, right?”

      Lotus just stared at me in horror and shook her head violently. I wanted to ask her what was wrong, what she saw on the screen that made her so afraid of me. Suddenly, something hit Lotus. She drew back like she had just been shot, and clutched her head like she just had the most violent headache. Before I could ask her what was wrong, darkness crawled like tentacles from where she stood. Taylor sprang up and pinned herself against the wall as many dark hands and tentacles rose from the ground. Lotus suddenly shrieked and the hands and tentacles bolted for Taylor. Taylor’s eyes widened and she sprang out of the way, just in time.

           As she hit the ground, Taylor pulled out a walkie-talkie from her coat pocket, pressed the button in the center and screamed into it: “Mayday, mayday! The test subject is still unstable! I repeat, the test subject is still unstable…..aaahhh!!” Taylor screamed as one of the hands wrapped itself around her foot and was tugging hard. The walkie-talkie flew out of her hands and she was pulled into the air.

         Lotus looked like she was in agony, clutching her head like it was about to explode in minutes. The door suddenly crashed open and multiple warriors and scientist looking people like Taylor poured into the room. A warrior shoved Lotus onto the ground and most of the hands and tentacles dissipated into dark smoke. A scientist fretted about the files and pens on the table until he drew out the same vial with the same red liquid that knocked me out. I hammered onto the glass, shrieking: “Stop!!” Of course, nobody listened. The scientist jabbed the needle hard into her back and her head hit the floor hard, out for the count.

          The rest of the dark hands and tentacles vanished into the air and Taylor dropped to the ground like a sack of potatoes. Two warriors held each of Lotus’s arms and dragged her out of the room, the scientist following. The door slammed shut and I drew back from the glass, shivering. What did they do to Lotus to make her that way?

           Suddenly, I remembered Taylor’s words: The test subject is still unstable!! Test subject? They were doing tests on her? Was that why she looked so pale and unstable? I swallowed down the rising anxiety and the thought that maybe I would become a test subject as well…….unless I already am. Taylor picked herself off the floor and walked towards the corner where she dropped her glasses.

          “Sorry about that, Orchid dear,” she said, wearing her glasses that got slightly cracked. “Your sister is still a bit unstable. It will take her awhile to control her new dark powers.” She smiled sweetly at me, oblivious to my fear and anger towards her. “But don’t worry. After we’re done with you two, you’ll be…….perfect.” She clapped her hands together and looked me in the eyes, a hint of wickedness in her sweet face. “And we’re prepared to do – ” at that time, a scream – Lotus’s scream – filled the hallway outside and rang into my little room. “ – whatever it takes.”

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      ********

A Petal of an Orchid (Part 4)

  “But – where is mum?” I asked, my voice quivering as Danika gave me a gentle push into the safe house. Most of the people in the safe house were kids and senior citizens. While some of the kids were sitting in a circle, playing rock, paper, scissors and other games, most of the kids were sitting their backs to the wall, deep in thought. Most of the kids were crying, and some older brothers and sisters were trying to calm them down. I looked back up at Danika, expecting an answer.

              “She is to lead the Elf army along with her brother. The elves are currently at war with the Dark Army,” Danika said, brushing the last remains of ashes off her back, wincing as she did so. She patted me on the shoulder and held me at arms length, staring at me with her emerald green eyes. “So, if you wish to humor her majesty, please stay here.” Then she turned to leave, the smoke of the crashed fireballs hiding the world in grey.

           “Wait!” I screamed, remembering something. I pushed my hand into my pajama pocket and drew out a keychain of a golden Cherry Blossom. Danika stopped and turned, staring at me in surprise. “Danika,” I said, the smoke winding its way up my nostrils. I coughed a bit, then said: “Please, take me to mum. I need to give her something. Its urgent!!” As Danika opened her mouth to complain, I stared at her with my pleading eyes. “Please, Danika. I beg of you. Please, take me to her.”

            Danika pursed her lips tightly together and extended her hand. “It would be better if you just handed the thing to me, and I’ll make sure her majesty gets it.” She reached out for the keychain, but I shook my head, not sure if the tears in my eyes were from the smoke or the desperateness I felt bubbling up inside me. “Please, Danika, she won’t understand unless I give it to her! Please, please take me to mum!!”

            Danika just stood there, thinking whether to or not to take me. After awhile of thinking, she sighed and extended her hand to me. “Come on, then.”   

                      

                    The next thing I knew, Danika and I were racing through the smoke-filled city of Elluel, me coughing, Danika trying her best to shield her eyes from the smoke. Fireballs continued to zoom overhead as I covered my mouth and nose with my hand. Suddenly, appearing out of the haze was a huge army of Elf warriors in their white and blue armor. And at the front of the crowd was Mercedes, standing next to her was Kay, and next to him was Phillius, an elder of Elluel like Danika and Astilda.

                        “Mercedes! Mercedes!!” I shrieked above the chaos. Mercedes turned back and seemed a bit shocked to see me there. I raced towards her, still gripping the gold keychain in my hand. As soon as I reached her, I pressed the keychain into her hand and said: “This…this will be a symbol of home. So no matter how far you are from home, you will still have a piece of it.”

             Mercedes smiled and took the golden keychain from my hands. I swallowed hard and said: “I – I hope you will all win, Madam Mercedes. Do your best, okay? Win for me.” Mercedes ruffled my hair and said: “Okay, thank you, Orchid.” With that, I took a few steps back and then ran towards Danika, gathering the last remaining kids from the town to the safe house. I nodded to her, and she nodded back. I waved to Mercedes, then turned back and followed Danika and the kids back to the safe house.

           Soon enough, we were back in the safe house. I was hugging my knees to my chest and burying my head in my hands. This cannot be happening, this just can’t be happening. All around me, I could hear the whimpering, crying, and complaining. But most of all, I could feel the despair around me. After a moment, I stopped hearing the overhead whiz as a flaming ball of fire scooted over the trees. I looked up onto the ceiling, the white florescent lights flickering above my head. Have the fireballs stopped? The smell of smoke did seem to be growing fainter…..

           Suddenly, a crash could be heard as someone – or something – tried to knock down the door. Screams rang the air and the kids and senior citizens moved back to the wall. I scrambled to my feet and joined them at the end of the safe house. Another crash rang the air and an indentation of a fist appeared on the heavy metal door. I had feeling that it didn’t take long before the door gave way.

           Suddenly, on cue, another crash rocked the building and the door was wrenched off its hinges, where it fell to the floor with a metallic clang. The children screamed and some snuggled into their grandparent’s arms. A dark army officer, one with a shock of black hair mostly covered by a black hat, entered the safe house, a metal knuckle around his right hand which obviously he used to barge down the door. Behind him stood two warriors, faces and body shielded by black armor, hands occupied by sharp, metal weapons.

         “Hello, y’all,” the officer said in a strange western accent. His hard black eyes fixated on the pathetic sight in front of him; kids whimpering, backing themselves into each corner, trying to make themselves as small as possible. He pulled a face of disgust and walked in front of a small elf girl snuggling in her grandmother’s arms. Her grandmother looked up at the officer with pleading eyes. “W-what do you want?”

           “You all are a pathetic sight,” he said, spitting on the old woman’s face. The old woman didn’t wipe it away and instead hugged the little girl further into her arms. The officer spotted the little girl, grabbed her by the collar and tugged. In one, smooth tug, he pulled the girl free out of the old woman’s arms. The little girl screamed in union with her grandmother, and the old woman lunged forward to free her granddaughter from the officer’s grasp. The officer held the girl out of reach and the old woman fell at the officer’s feet before getting stepped on.

             “Foolish old woman,” he said, spitting on her again. The girl in his hand screeched and tried to reach out for her grandmother, but the officer just laughed and held her higher. I couldn’t stand for this!! But I knew I would be no trouble to the officer, and anyway, what about the two warriors behind him?

            “Please, mister,” the little girl pleaded, tears falling from her eyes. “Let me go, please. My grandmother….she has asthma. Please stop hurting her.” The officer gave the girl a rotten look and jerked her up. She screamed from the sudden jerk and struggled to get out of the officer’s grasp. The officer put his face close to hers and said: “So, where is the girl?”

          The little girl stopped struggling and just managed to utter: “W-what girl?” The officer looked a bit angry and threw the girl onto the floor, knocking the wind out of her. “The girl your queen offered us to take as a damn peace offerin’!!!” He shouted at the girl, and she scrambled away. He stepped away from the old woman, who was spluttering as she got up. The little girl fell into her grandmother’s arms and cried.

          “Hold on!” I said, stepping up. The officer looked up and saw me, a bit shocked. I focused my eyes on him, and tried to look as fierce as possible (which of course, wasn’t really much, as you would expect). “What do you mean, girl the queen offered to you as a peace offering?” I put my hands on hips and glared at them. The officer stared at me, bemused.

         “Ye’ queen offered a girl to us as a peace offerin’,” he said, walking towards me and covering me with his shadow. “To make sure we’ all don’t mess with this pretty lil’ town again.” I didn’t believe him for a second. Mercedes didn’t do these things! She was a good queen, and a good mother. This officer was lying, and that made me madder.

            “Don’t lie to me,” I said quietly, trying to bottle up my anger. The officer stooped down so his face was just in front of mine. “We ain’t lyin’, pumpkin,” he said, flicking me in the forehead. I stumbled back a few steps, and he stood up, looking me in the eye. “In fact, the queen said to take ‘er own daughter for the peace offerin’,” he pointed to me. “That you?”

           “What?” I said as what he just said began to sink in. Her own daughter? Did she mean me? No! No, she couldn’t have! This was a lie, a cruel, cruel lie. I stepped forward, and with all my strength, pounded my foot onto the officer’s. He smiled for awhile, as if expecting something like that from a seven year old girl wouldn’t hurt at all (I was expecting it, too) but after a few seconds his smile disappeared and he jumped up, massaging his foot while screaming: “OWW!! Ow, ow, oww!! You…you crazy girl! What is that boot made of, diamond?”

            I looked down at my boot, then back up at him. I lifted up my foot and showed him my boot. “Nope, leather.” Snickering could be heard around the safe house and muffled laughter as the senior citizens and some of the children tried to sustain their laughter. I felt myself smile, a real smile, something I didn’t do for awhile. The officer stomped down his foot and screeched a bad word in front of the crowd. I winced as his screams were the type that were really painful to the human ear.

          He grabbed me by my collar and I screeched, expecting to be dragged away too, but when he pulled, it just felt like a light jerk and I didn’t move an inch. The officer cocked an eyebrow and tugged again. Still, I did not budge. The officer gritted his teeth, and, using both hands this time, tugged with what appeared all his might, but to me was nothing more than a simple jerk, but at least I moved; well, a couple of centimeters.

         “What’s wrong with you?” the officer said, out of breath. He let go and glared at me, then an evil grin stretched across his face. “Fine,” he said, and he lifted us his right hand, the metal knuckle glinting in the dim light. “Prepare to die!!”

          Okay, maybe he can’t move me, but with that knuckle, he definitely could kill me! Paralyzed in fear, I just screamed and put my hands in front of my face as the knuckle came crashing down. CRASH!! I splintering crash could be heard as something broke to pieces, but I couldn’t get what. Gasps could be heard from around the safe house and I slowly opened my eyes, prepared for the worst.

         What I saw in front of me didn’t make sense at first. A dark purple sphere that looked like it was made of glass was wrapped around me, and the officer’s knuckle was wedged into the glass. He wasn’t struggling to free it as I thought, but was instead staring at the glass sphere, wide eyed. I couldn’t put one and one together until I saw some sort of dark purple light – no, energy – beaming out from my right hand, which had been the hand I put in front of my face.

Oh my god, I thought, it’s me! I’m the one making this thing! And it’s a dark force field!

       The officer yanked out his knuckle and looked at me in amazement. “This is her!!” he suddenly yelled. He turned to the warriors behind him, which had dropped their weapons in shock, just staring at me in astonishment. “I had no idea she was so young, but its her! This is the girl that Mercedes told us to take!” I paused. Wait, what? I swallowed hard, but even though I knew they must be lying, I had a bad feeling that crept up into my stomach and refused to go away.

           I took my hand back and the force field dissipated, adding even more bad feelings into the pit of my stomach, like I had swallowed a snake or something. I could almost feel the snake there, lying in my stomach, slithering around my body……I shook my head, trying to clear out any stupid thoughts that I knew could never be true. The officer gave a whoop of excitement (much to everyone’s bewilderment) and pushed me onto the ground, where I landed with a big thump.

          “Grab her!!” the officer yelled to the warriors, and before I could even sit up, the warriors were on top of me, yelling orders to each other. The one that was on top of me drew out some sort of vial from one of the many pockets that were tied around his belt. My eyes widened and I tried to scramble free, but in seconds, the warrior had filled the vial up with vicious looking red liquid and had stabbed it into my back. My vision clouded and suddenly my head and hands felt too heavy to move. The officer knelt in front of me and smiled, the last thing I saw before I blacked out.

                                                      ********

A Petal of an Orchid (Part 3)

          I shook any nasty thoughts from my head, gathered my courage, and reached for the doorknob, twisting it. As soon as I twisted it, the door fell off its hinges and crashed to the ground, me with it. As I hit the ground, the gold door knob jabbed itself into my chest and was making breathing hard. When I looked up, I saw the queen in the middle of brushing her hair, looking at me with a surprised expression. I got up hastily, my face burning of embarrassment.

         “I – I’m sorry,” I mutter, thinking it was my fault for the broken door. I looked down and miserably shuffled my feet. All I could think of was what a stupid klutz I was. The queen smiled and rested her brush on the table in front of her. “Not to worry, Orchid. The door has been loose for years, and since it’s so heavy – with all that gold and silver and whatnot – almost every hinge I use to replace the old one would break into pieces.” She tapped on a piece of broken hinge with her foot. “Just like that.”

        Well! I felt a bit better when I heard that, but not enough to make the fear of becoming a sudden slave vanish. Even though the king at the gate made be a teeny bit confident that I wasn’t about to become a prisoner and the elves were good people, anything could happen, right? Just like that door crashing to the floor as soon as my fingers closed over it – nobody expected that.

        So after I helped the queen clean up the mess of a door, (I’m surprised she doesn’t make servants do it, but she turned out to be a very modest queen) I cleared my throat and got this over with: “So, um, your majesty,” I said, feeling a bit disrespectful to not be bowing but I still was not prepared for that. The queen smiled as she swept the remaining pieces of broken doorknob into the dustpan. “Please Orchid, just call me Mercedes.”

         “Oh,” I said timidly, feeling a bit out of place. “Well, okay, your – Mercedes.” I felt my face heating up. Why, oh why did stupid things always happen to me? Guess it’s to pay for all that negative thinking. “Well,” I said, nervous. “What do you want me here – in your room – for?” Mercedes dumped the remains of the hinges and doorknob into a big black rubbish bag she held in her other hand and said: “Hold on, dear. I’ll be with you in a second…..oh please, go in already!!”

            The last bit was referred to the broken doorknob and hinge pieces as they were finding it really hard to go into the rubbish bag. Mercedes leaned the dustpan against the wall and wrenched open the rubbish bag so that the opening was bigger. Seeing her almost rip the thin black material of the rubbish bag terrified me, knowing that what happened to the rubbish bag could all too easily happen to me.

           Once all the broken pieces finally found their way into the rubbish bag, Mercedes opened a tiny door (the same length from my feet to my knees) by the side of the wall and pushed the bag into blackness. Once she shut the door and pushed a cabinet in front of it, concealing it from view (must be the door for the rubbish chute, don’t want anyone seeing that) and dumped the broom and the dustpan into the storage room next to the tiny door, she looked at me and smiled. “Now, what was it you were saying?”

          I stared up at her with my violet eyes, then said: “Um, well, why did you send me up here?” I said, swallowing hard, the words sticking together. Mercedes blinked, and for a moment I almost thought she couldn’t understand what I just said. I opened my mouth to say it more clearly when Mercedes said: “Ah! Yes, of course, please, sit down.”

           I looked around the room and was relieved to see couches and smooth, wooden chairs, not the same branch/nail chairs I sat on in the little house with Danika and Astilda. I sat on the edge of a fluffy white couch and eyed a tray of coffee and cookies that sat on top of a coffee table in front of me hungrily. Mercedes caught sight of me hungrily watching the cookies and coffee, and said: “Well, you can have some, dear.”

         That was all the words I needed!! I grabbed so many cookies the tray was empty in the matter of seconds. When I finally finished all the cookies I immediately felt greedy and, most of all, self conscious because Mercedes was watching me eat for I have no idea how long already. And it didn’t help that now I had cookie crumbs all over my face.

             “Sorry,” I muttered, my cheeks on fire. Mercedes smiled and said: “No, no, it’s no problem. I told you could have some, right?” She took a handkerchief from a drawer and helped wipe the crumbs from my face. She took a cup of coffee and handed it to me, but I shook my head. “I don’t drink coffee.” Mercedes laughed and said: “Orchid, this isn’t coffee, its Elven hot chocolate. Not surprised you thought it was coffee, though. This stuff is really dark, but sweet.”

              “Oh,” I mutter, taking the cup. Another stupid mistake! When was I ever going to learn? And it didn’t help that I was slouching and Mercedes was sitting in what could only be called a perfect posture. I straightened my back hastily and took a sip from the cup. Mercedes was right about it being sweet. As the sweet taste of the chocolate swarmed about my mouth, I almost forgot all my sorrows and worries. Wow, that is some good hot chocolate. I kept drinking and drinking until the cup was empty and I was vaguely aware I had a chocolate mustache.

            I set the cup back onto the table and wiped the mustache away with my sleeve until I remembered the clothes weren’t mine. Horrified, I tried to wipe it away but only succeeding in smudging it more. My cheeks sizzled and I hid the sleeve (and my hand) behind my back. Mercedes grinned, amused, and said: “Well, you are probably still wondering why I sent you up here, correct?”

I nodded.

         Mercedes sat back and said: “I care about you, Orchid. I really didn’t expect a girl this little to be caught in a crash and washed ashore in my town. And your sister…..even the most talented wizards here probably can’t determine whether she is alive or not. And you told me your parents – both of them, nether less – died in a car crash last year. The life you have now is more horrible than any I have ever heard. If you want, you can stay in Elluel, and let me take care of you. Be your foster mother.”

          I almost fell out of my chair!! Did she actually mean it? I looked up at her, eyes wide in surprise, wondering what my answer was. Did I want her as my mother? After some thinking, I found out that I did. I really did! “Yes,” I whispered, smiling for once ever since the storm hit the ship. “I would really like that.” After those words, Mercedes smiled at me. I was surprised she didn’t act surprised or anything, like this was what she had anticipated all along.

 “Alright then,” she said, reaching out to me. “Welcome to the family.”

                                                      ****

         So, for the next two years, I stayed in Elluel with Mercedes and the king, which I later found out, was named Mekay, or just Kay, as my foster parents. I had the most fun in my entire life, staying in this little elf town, mostly hidden by the forest. Even though I was a human, the elves my age did not treat me as an outsider at all; they treated me the same way as they did to their close friends, and because I was the only human here, I was most of the time the center of attention, and the attention got even worse when the teacher, Miss Morgan, told us to tell the story of our life, like what exciting or life changing experiences we had. At first, I did not want to spill out my tale to the whole world of the classroom around me, but Miss Morgan was a nice teacher, so I decided I could tell her, along with the whole class, about the life changing experiences that could only be called: My Life.

          After I spilled out all my ‘life changing experiences’, Miss Morgan just stared at me. The whole class had their hands clapped to their mouths and most of them were giving me looks that I could feel say: “Oh my goodness, poor thing.” I felt my face burning up until Miss Morgan cleared her throat and told me I could sit down now. The elf sitting beside me, also known as my BFF, Emily, gave me a reassuring squeeze of a shoulder and a smile that said: “I’m sorry,” which of course only made me feel WORSE.

            When the bell finally sounded for the end of the school day, I raced back to the castle which was now my house and poured out my woes to Mercedes. Mercedes listened quietly without interrupting and when I was done, offered me a cup of hot chocolate. “Well dear, I’m sure the children mean well. Next time, if you don’t want people to know your story, then maybe you can just tell it to Miss Morgan at break.”

“I don’t want anyone to know!!”

            “Well, that can’t be helped. You already told the whole class about it, didn’t you?” she said, sipping her cup of coffee. I hung my head in despair. How could I have been so stupid? Mercedes was right; if I didn’t want anyone to know, I shouldn’t have talked about it. Mercedes sensed I was upset – believe me, she always can – and smiled. She set her cup down on the coffee table and said: “If it helps your mood, why not we go down to the forest and have a little walk?”

         That brightened me up immediately, just like Mercedes knew it would. The forest, even though was the place where I was washed ashore when I first came here, was beautiful. The ground was dappled in shadows from the high trees that rose high above the ground. What little sunlight that pierced through the thick roof of branches and leaves shone onto the grass and made it appear a startling pale emerald green. The squawks of birds overhead made the whole green world around me appear so alive.

            My favorite game to play in the forest with Mercedes was hide and seek; me always the hider, Mercedes always the seeker. She always found me in, like, a minute, but if she was really using her sensing powers she would have found me in ten seconds flat, but she enjoyed her evenings with me as much as I did with her and would much rather humor me than find me straight away.

           And of course, I loved the flowers; roses and daisies and some I couldn’t even name. One day, we stumbled over a patch of orchids and Mercedes said: “Look! It’s a whole patch of you!” and we fell about, laughing. When I wanted to pluck some to bring home, Mercedes stopped me, saying that the forest was as one, and that even the tiniest flower shouldn’t be separated from its others. At first I was hesitant to let the flowers go, but then she said: “How would you like it if someone separated me from you?” That shut me up.

              However, one day, I needed to go to the doctor to get an injection. I was hesitant at first, but I knew that it was good for me, so I gritted my teeth and prayed, prayed, PRAYED it didn’t hurt. (It did) As the needle penetrated my skin, instead of my normal crimson blood, dark purple liquid, as thick as blood, seeped out of the hole. The doctor leapt back, and Mercedes inspected it quickly, before muttering something to the doctor, helped me get my injection and quickly got me out of there. I didn’t see her a few days later, and I didn’t know what happened.

Even so, I loved life in Elluel, even if most of the time I was vaguely

aware I was different. When I was sad, Mercedes took to on walks to the

forest, just the two of us, until I calmed down. I had a huge group of friends

which I played with every evening. This was the life I longed for, last time,

just a few years ago, when my life was still nothing but crap.

               But then, when I was seven, an incident shattered it again; the Great War. It happened overnight, when I was still tucked in my bed, fast asleep. It had been a tiring day, and all I wanted was to fall asleep in my bed and to wake up to another new day. Just as I snuggled into the thick folds of my makeshift blanket, awaiting Mercedes to come in carrying my favorite thick book of Fairy Tales, a huge boom rattled the castle and sent the floorboards rattling like waves. I was suddenly terrified, and hid myself under the cover of my blanket, like this gesture would suddenly make everything go away.

         Suddenly, the door of my room burst open and I screamed, like really loud, until I realized it was just Danika, hair wild, forehead beaded with sweat. She was huffing and puffing, like she had run up the stairs faster than the Olympic champion. I swallowed a lump in my throat and pulled the blankets up to my chin, “Your highness,” Danika said, wiping sweat from my brow. (Ah, yes, I think I forgot to mention that most of the elves call me ‘your highness’ because I’m Mercedes’s ‘daughter’) “Please, come with me.”

         Before I could respond, another boom rocked the castle, louder and much more powerful than before. Bits of ceiling rained down on us and I scrambled out of bed at top speed and grabbed Danika’s outstretched hand. Together, we galloped out of the building and made it out in the nick of time. Just as we stepped out the front door, a fireball – which had been the source of the booms – blasted the top floor of the castle – which had been my room – to smoldering ashes. Danika pushed me onto the ground and covered my body with hers and flaming bits of debris rained down onto the ground. I screamed – much to Danika’s discomfort – and as soon as the debris stopped raining down, I scrambled out from Danika’s grasp and looked back. It wasn’t a pretty sight. Most of Danika’s back was burnt and still had some smoldering bits of ashes on it. She winced as she got up and continued to lead me through the city as fireball by fireball soared through the sky.

            “Danika, are you alright?” I asked, and she nodded, even though she was fooling no one. I looked around in dismay as each fireball left a crater the size of me in the earth. Parents were gathering their kids and pushing them to wherever Danika was ushering me to. Soon, I reached a huge stone building with a flat roof that seemed the only one that was unaffected by the fireballs. A crowd of parents were currently standing by the front door, whispering things to their kids. Some were crying and hugging their children, then finally releasing them, saying a little bit more, and then vanishing back into the smoldering town, leaving the children misty eyed and miserable, wishing for nothing but that this was all a dream.

              “Where are we going?” I asked Danika, fear in my voice. Danika squeezed my shoulder, then said: “The Black Mage’s army is attacking, and her majesty has instructed you to be put in the safe house with the other kids.” I gasped. I had heard all about the Black Mage; that he was an infamous wizard that practiced very powerful dark magic, but he was pure evil, and all he wants is to have Maple world sitting in the palm of his hand. I swallowed hard. The situation was worse than I thought. Whatever dream I had been living in these two years – taking walks in the forest, playing with friends – was now over.

               

A Petal of An Orchid (Part 2)

           When I woke up I was on an island, but I couldn’t make out where I was. My whole body ached and I could feel the wooden plank digging into my stomach. Any movement resulted in screaming and a lot of pain and effort, so I just stayed in a pose and allowed the plank to dig into my stomach. A faint smell of vegetation flowed into my nostrils and on cue my stomach rumbled. I really needed food.

         Suddenly the events of the ship and the sinking cabin came back to me and my eyes flooded with tears. What a horrible experience!! And where had my sister gone? I just lay there, allowing the sun to burn my back, my chin digging into the earth beneath me. It was an awkward pose, with my hands outstretched by the side of my head, my feet going in two directions, and my face digging into the dirt. But I didn’t want to move. I just wanted to stay there and die.

Suddenly I heard voice and my heart stopped:

“See? There she is. I told you I wasn’t imagining it!!”

  “Oh, my goodness, is she alright?”

  “I told you, I prodded her with a stick just now and she didn’t move. She’s dead.”

        It was a girl and a woman’s voice. I froze and held my breath and hoped they would just leave me be. But they didn’t.

“Danika, you can’t determine that she’s dead with a stick.”

 “But I’m telling you – ”

  “Enough Danika. I think I’m going to check whether the poor dear is okay.”

        With that, I heard the grass crunching as the woman – I’m sure it was the woman!! – walked towards me. I felt her kneel down and I held my breath and closed my eyes, pretending to be dead. I held my breath until I felt I would burst, but I didn’t give up.

 “She’s alive, Danika. Her heart is still beating.”

Oh my god. She sensed my heart beating. Oh well, at least I can breathe now

   “What? She’s alive?”

         And so the next thing I knew is the woman and the girl were on they’re hands and knees, peering at me, their eyes on the look out for any sign of life. Of course, I gave up pretending to be dead and just stared back at them in fear.

 “My god, she’s alive,” the girl said.

  “See? I told you. But the poor dear is freezing. Let’s get her back to Elluel,” the woman said.

          So, the girl (who looked about maybe seven) hoisted me up onto her shoulders and followed the woman (Now that I had a close look at her, she was more of an old woman) into a forest. My heart stopped as my eyes were drawn to their ears; they were pointy.

Dear god, I thought. I stumbled into Elf territory!!!  

         Maybe the girl felt me shaking as she said: “Astilda, I have a feeling this one is freaking out.” The old woman stopped and looked back, her graying hair flying in the wind. “Well, one wouldn’t be surprised. Come on now, Danika dear, we must heal her once we get back to town.”

        Danika nodded and shifted her weight, then followed Astilda on her winding journey. I swear, I thought I was going to die. Little did I know that elves were not a threat, but how would I know that? Internet?

       Finally, after what felt like forever, we reached one of the most beautiful places I had ever seen in my life. I could feel it take my breath away. It was an elf town, with multiple elves going this way and that. A huge white and cyan castle poked its way out of the endless rows of houses. The grass was a pale green and behind the castle rose a huge cherry blossom tree, its pink leaves swaying in the breeze.

Okay, I admit I am not easily impressed, but it would be an understatement when I say it takes my breath away.

        But of course, I was freezing. I was still drenched in salt water and my hair hung limply and plastered onto my pale face. Astilda beckoned Danika forward and ushered her into a little house by the side of the castle. I was still looking at the beautiful castle when I was pushed into the house and made to sit on one very uncomfortable chair. (Good Grief, they make their chairs out of branches? Or is it needles?)

           “Shall I call her majesty over?” Danika said in her very unusual accent. Astilda nodded and Danika vanished behind the door. Astilda looked at me and smiled. “Hello dear. Can I ask what your name is?”

I did not answer.

          “Come on now, dear. My name is Astilda,” she said, placing a hand on her chest and extending it out to me. “What is yours?” I sucked my cheeks in and looked at the ground. It had been the most awful day. The next thing I wanted was to be kidnapped by elves and forced to work as a slave or whatever elves made humans do.

            Astilda frowned, but I could make out just a hint of sympathy in that look. I suddenly grew angry. Even as a child, I hated people’s pity, people’s sympathy. I tossed my head and said, rather coldly: “Orchid. My name is Orchid.”

         Astilda clapped her hands together like I was a baby that finally learnt ABC. “Orchid!! What a lovely name. So, Orchid, where do you come from?” I narrowed my eyes at her. I have never really been mean to someone before, but I have learnt a lot about kidnappers and how they can make you tell them where you live or what and they cause misery to your family. She was pretty old to be a kidnapper, but there’s always a first. And she didn’t think she would get the truth out of me.

         Suddenly, the door swung open and Danika poked her head through the door. “Astilda, her majesty has come,” she said, and Astilda got to her feet and bowed as a girl about 15 stepped through the door. Even though I wasn’t a boy I was shocked by how pretty she looked. She had long, honey blonde hair spilling down her back. In her hands – BOTH OF THEM OMG WHAT WILL SHE DO TO ME – were crossbows that looked like they could kill a boar. Her sky blue eyes widened when she saw me sitting there, pale as a sheet, nothing on but a soggy nightgown.

       “Good lord,” she said, resting the two crossbows on a table by the door. “Where did she come from?” Danika bowed and said: “We found her by the sea, your highness, and decided to help. Tell us, what shall we do with her?”

         The queen – obviously she was the queen – stepped forward, bent down and got a close look at me. I suddenly felt very self conscious and looked at the ground to hide my blush. She smiled, then raked her fingers through my hair. “Young one,” she said in her gentle voice. I looked up at her. “What happened? Can you tell me?”

           Well, maybe I can’t tell my story to strangers, but for some reason I felt I could tell her anything. I cleared my throat, then began to pour out my story to the queen. I had no idea what I was doing before I finished, and realized my stupid mistake. I clapped a hand to my face and looked at the ground, not really believing what I had done.

         “Poor thing,” I heard Danika say, but this time I was too ashamed of myself to feel angry for her pity. I felt the queen’s warm hand give my shoulder a reassuring squeeze, and I was amazed at how much that gesture reminded me of Lotus. She turned to Astilda. “What’s her name, Astilda”

“Orchid.”

         “Orchid,” the queen repeated, and then drew back her hand. She cupped a hand on my chin and made me look up at her. I felt frightened and tried desperately to release myself from her grasp. “Little Orchid,” she said gently, and I stopped struggling for a moment. “Are you cold?”

I nodded, and she released me.

         “Astilda, get her some warm clothes and maybe a hot bath, then send her to my room, thanks,” with those words, she picked up the crossbows she lay on the table and swept out of the room. My heart beat painfully against my chest. Send me to her room? What for? To kill me? To make me her slave? God, what am I to do??

           Before I could think of plans to escape, Astilda made me stand up and looked me kindly in the eye. “I know you do not want us to bathe you, correct?” I nodded. “Okay, then sister Danika will hand you some warm clothes and you bathe yourself, is that okay?” I nodded and after some time of searching in a big wardrobe, Danika handed me a set of clothes my size. Astilda showed me the bath, and I zipped in, locked the door and leaned against it.

         My mind was racing about endless possibilities for escape. Maybe a window? No, there were no windows in here. Hold on a second, what am I thinking? This is a bath, OF COURSE there are no windows in here!! I stared at the small bath tub tucked away in the corner and the set of clothes resting on my palms. I had to admit, the tub did look inviting. And I was freezing in my still soaked thin nightgown. So I decided against escape for now, stripped off my clothes and stood under the warm water for half an hour.

          After I was done, I put on the clothes that Danika chose for me; a white shirt and a simple dark blue skirt. There was a comb resting against the sink but no hair bands to tie my hair with, so I just straightened out my hair with the comb and let it hang loose. I looked at myself in the mirror. I looked fine, but I was surprised how much I looked like Lotus with my hair down; same light blonde hair, same purple eyes. Of course, we were twins, but if I cut my hair short I would look exactly like her.

         As soon as I stepped out the door, expecting to see Astilda and Danika, I got a shock because instead of the two gentle and kind elves, the room outside was filled with elf soldiers dressed in blue and white. One seized me by the arm and I screeched. I was really being kidnapped!! I couldn’t help but feel a jab of pain. The queen, Astilda and Danika seemed so nice, yet all along they planned on kidnapping me.

       “Let me go!!” I screeched and the warrior and tried to pull away, but when you’re only five and your kidnapper is an elf warrior with a spear in another hand, you don’t hold much of a choice. So I made myself silent and allowed the soldiers to march me into the castle, where, I suspect, the queen was waiting to make me a slave.

       As we entered the palace gate, a boy about 15 stepped in the way of the soldiers. I expected the soldiers to push him away and get on with the march, but they just looked shocked and bowed down, meaning I was the only one still standing up. I felt self conscious, but I didn’t want to bow down to people who wish me to be a slave.

       “Your highness,” the soldier at the front – the one which grabbed me – said in his deep baritone. “What is it you seek from us?” The boy standing in front of the army crossed his hands over his chest and looked a bit cross, not sure at me or at them or what. “I am not happy with how you are transporting the little girl to my sister.” He said, and when I looked up at him and I was shocked at how much he looked like the queen. Same blonde hair (Only shorter) and same blue eyes. He must be the queen’s twin brother and the king of this Elf town.

         The soldier at the front, no doubt the leader looked a bit surprised at the king’s reply. “But, your highness isn’t she a prisoner?” Now his really shocked me. So, they were planning on making me a prisoner? God, it would be an understatement to say I was shivering. The king slapped a hand to his face. “Good lord, Sir Dominic, what is wrong with your hearing?” the king pointed to me and said: “Not a prisoner, okay? My sister just wants to see her, for lord’s sake!! Now take her up to my sister properly.”

         The soldiers got up a bit shame faced and escorted me up the winding steps to the top floor which I suspected was where the queen’s room sat. Sir Dominic had long let go of my hand and when we got up the stairs, he patted me gently on the head and said: “My apologies, little one. I knew something was wrong at first, that you couldn’t be a prisoner. It is entirely my fault for such a horrid experience. And for that, I am truly sorry.”   

         I nodded and he and the soldiers bowed and hurriedly walked down the steps until they were gone from sight. I looked at the huge, gold and white door in front of me and felt my heart skip a beat. What would I find waiting behind this door?