I envied her.
In school, she was the shining treasure every man wanted, even though they would never publicly say. I was the girl locked away in the library—vanishing from the real world. She has never been alone in her life and knowing she would never venture far without a partner worries me.
Through my blurred vision and squinted eyes, a stone structure in the distance catches my attention.
I take off running, wincing in agony with each step. Ignoring the pain, I force myself to make my way over the rolling hills that remind me of ocean waves. The olive-yellow grass crunches under my boots, creating clouds of ash with each step. The structure seems so close to the touch, but for every hill I complete, the stone building seems the same distance as before.
“Well, this is ridiculous,” I complain as I pause, catching my breath and bending my legs, pulling them behind me to stretch. Annoyed by the well-known fact of me not making any progress with this structure, I let out a huff of frustration.
I stand with my spine straight, hands firmly planted on my hips.
“How the hell am I supposed to make it there?” My chapped lips rub together as I scan the rolling hills in front of me.
The sun cooks my exposed skin, causing sweat to trickle down the back of my neck. I have never experienced this sort of heat before. I immediately remove my knitted sweater and tie itaround my waist, desperately trying to cool off by exposing my sports bra.
Bending down, I release my hair from its tie and hastily redo it, pulling it tight so it won't come undone. As I lift my head to pull back my hair, a sudden movement catches my eye.
I pause, my pulse starting to race.
A tall man stands directly in front of me, blocking my path. Before I can even form a coherent thought, the man strikes me over the head with a broken branch, sending a jolt of pain through my body. Darkness swallows me whole as I lose consciousness.
Well,shit.
WITH EACH JOLT OF THE rocky road, my body heaves from side to side. I attempt to make sense of my surroundings as I groggily come to. The wooden walls of the trailer creak and sway around me, pulled by a strong horse. Through the small cracks, I see stone buildings passing by, their rough-cut surfaces adorned with swirling symbols. Some look like dragon wings, while others have five interconnected swirls in the center. My eyes widen in disbelief at this mysterious and unfamiliar world passing before me.
As I try to sit up, a sharp pain shoots through my head, causing me to wince. I bring my hand up to my temple and feel a sticky warmness.
“He hit me,” I say through gritted teeth. “Why the hell did he hit me?”
I let out a low, painful grunt as I stare at my hands. Warm blood stains my fingers. I glance down and notice the ropebinding my wrists tightly together. It digs into my skin, causing me to wince with each attempt to break free.
I whip my head around, scanning the space for clues to my location, and nothing resembles Alaska. Or Seattle. Houses with dried meat hang over wooden ladders outside, golden hay is thrown against the side of their homes, and I catch sight of little kids jumping in it to play.
My ears are muffled, a high pitch ringing sound blasting through my ears, most likely from the branch slamming into my head. My eyes quickly dart around, scanning the ancient architecture of these tall, primeval buildings.
Unfamiliar buildings.
I am lost in a sea of unfamiliar faces.
Through the cracks in the wood, the people that pass by are dressed in clothes I've never seen before, and they seem to steadily focus on me wherever I go. The scorching sun beats against me at the open top, the clouds grazing in front of the light, dimming the sky with each movement. The bustling streets are filled with the clanking of machines and the smell of sizzled pork, yet strangely no one speaks as I pass by.
Two kids pop out from behind a tall, rusty building, startling me. They have wooden swords in their hands, giggling and chasing each other around as if they are playing an imaginary game. Their shaggy, brown hair bounces around as they charge at each other. Their laughs break up the silence of the streets as one lady tugs the boys by their arms, pulling them in. She glares at me with fear, and I can understand why. I am nothing more than a tied up woman with blood smeared along my skin, and I wonder if they believe I am a prisoner.
I am not from here, and by the looks of this, I am not dead.Yet.
As I pass through, women glide gracefully in floor-length skirts, their hair cascading down their backs in waves with smallbraids woven in. They hold baskets full of vegetables and bread close to their chest. The men wear oversized shirts that reach their knees and loose pants tucked into high, leather boots. I feel a surge of uneasiness as I watch them move around.
I am a long way from home;that much is obvious.
As the trailer jolts to a stop, my body is thrown against the side of the trailer. A sharp pain radiates from my head and down to my spine. Despite the pain, my eyes are glued to the cracks of the trailer, watching the faces of the people in the village as they look in with wide eyes.
They are afraid of me. And I wish I could understand why.
Suddenly, the door flings open and a man emerges, his heavy boots crunching against rocks as he makes his way over to me. The sun is beginning to set, casting an eerie shadow over his face as he leans down to examine me.
As I gaze into his deep, green eyes, sunlight streams through the holes of the wood and highlights the slight button on his defined chin. My eyes drift down to the veins along his neck, which prominently bulge as he surveys me. His shoulder-length, wavy, chocolate brown hair falls across his face, framing his sharp features and drawing attention to the scar on his bottom lip. He has braids perfectly weaved throughout his hair, but they’re just a tad messy from the voyage. I can feel the warmth radiating from his hands as they rest beside my shoulders, and I can't help but notice the subtle scent of burnt char lingering around him. A small smirk plays on his lips as our gazes lock, and I can see a hint of soft sky-blue in his eyes when the sun perfectly hits against him.
“Now… what am I going to do with you?” His eyes darken. The curls that frame his face sway in the breeze.
