• Beautiful clear blue skies, standing on top of a hill over looking the mountainous valley. Down below lies a small house and a brick chimney with smoke rising about. Her white blonde hair hangs to her lower back, and each layer stirring in the soft wind. Through the gentle blue eyes of her angelic expressions, she appreciates the beauty surrounding her.Avalon Myst is a about to celebrate her fifteenth birthday at the end of May.
    Inside their cozy house in the kitchen, her older sister Lorraine and their mother are busy preparing lunch for the family. Avalon lives a happy life as the middle child in their family of five. The youngest daughter, Miranda, is typically in the play room found in the very back of the house, but today she's in the family picture. Avalon dances around the kitchen setting the table and helping with every little thing she possibly can. Lorraine and their mother bring bowls and plates to the table, Miranda sitting at the table watching the girls parade around her. Avalon and Lorraine are two daughters with the long blonde hair and gorgeous blue eyes like their mother. Miranda has the same blonde hair, but it's cut to her shoulders and her eyes are emerald green like their father's. By the time lunch is fully prepared to be devoured, Father walks in at just the right moment, walking in to the heavenly aromas of a beautiful meal made by his family and seeing his beautiful family gathering around to eat together.
    Later on in the evening on that same day, Avalon breaks away from her family and disappeared off into the woods a couple miles away from the house. In the very heart of the woods a sudden noise spooked her horse and she was thrown off immediatley. The horse ran for miles on end and she went chasing after it until she couldn't run anymore. Just then she noticed that her left arm hurt to an extent where she could no longer ignore the pain. Tired, weak and broken she didn't know what else to do but go back the way she had come. But which way had she come? The path was getting too dark to be exactly sure which way to go. Eerie noises and movements urged her to run away from there as quick as possible. In the near distance she hears the whinny of a horse in pain. At that moment her heart stopped and tears sprung to her eyes, in fear her horse is in trouble. Despite the pain in her arm and the raging fire in her lungs, she ran to the horrifying scene. She picked up the largest stone she could find and threw it at the predator knawing at the horse's back leg. The stars shown bright over head as the moon bathes the woods in its silver light as Avalon inspects the horse's leg, "It's not so bad. I think you'll be just fine. Although I'm pretty sure it hurts worse than it looks." There on the dirt path, Avalon rests her head on the horse's muscular neck to rest a while.
    What only seemed like a short while came the morning sun, brightening the woods with warm golden rays of light. A sight Avalon could not be happier to see. The strangest thing about it, she didn't wake up on the dirt path where she'd fallen asleep. Instead, she woke up in an unfamiliar bed and her clothes had been taken off. She looks at herself and wonders what happened to her white dress she was wearing yesterday, and why does her arm have a cast around it? Just then another thought struck her. She quickly peers out the window beside her, sliding the wooden pane all the way up. Her horse is tied to the door of a small shed beside the house, and the bridle is hung up on a hook inside it. An older woman calls to her, "Good morning." she says kind and sweetley, "Did you sleep well?" Avalon remains silent, she pulls the sheet over her self to hide her body. The woman chuckles, "It's quite alright. I understand how you feel." Avalon wraps the sheet around her like a towel and scoots to the end of the bed with her legs dangling off the edge. "My name is Avalon." she says extending a hand. The woman returns her gesture with a kind smile, "A pleasure to meet you, Avalon, I'm Myra."
    Myra scurries into the kitchen before the breakfast she's preparing burns to a crisp. A big black dog jumped up on the bed to meet this new person, with her tail wagging a million miles an hour. "She won't hurt you, dear. Shadow is very friendly, I bet you my life on it." Avalon strokes the top of the dog's head and smiles. While she has Myra's attention she decides to speak up, "Where is my dress?" Myra disappears back into the kitchen and returns with a plate full. "I put your lovely dress in the wash when I woke up this morning, now it's out on the line drying."
    Avalon poked her head back out the window to see if she was right...and there it was blowing in the gentle breeze. "It's such a pretty dress, I hope you take good care of it?"
    "Of course. My grandmother gave it to me as an early birthday present." Myra smiles and seemed to drift off in deep thought. They sat in silence until Shadow whined and paced around the back door for someone to take her outside, "Will you be a dear, and take her out for me?" Avalon nods her head and grabbed the leash off a hook near the back door. Shadow follows closely at her heels, yipping with joy and wagging her tail again. Once the door opened, Shadow bolted and pulled Avalon out to the bright sunny day. While Shadow ran and tossed a big stick around, Avalon snatched her dress from the line. She checked her surroundings to make sure no one's near by to see her make a quick change. Once she dropped the sheet, Shadow came running and stole it as she slipped her dress on. "Shadow! Bring that here." she calls to the dog. Then she suddenly remembered her family, and how her mother would have reacted if she saw how dirty she was last night; she surely would have had a fit.
    In the far back of the bushes, a dark figure lurks in the early morning light, watching this young woman merrily dance around the yard. Avalon turns around on her heels at the sound of bushes rustling. She stares the distance down, scanning the woods for any signs of movement. Right then Myra steps out onto the deck, "Avalon, dear...your breakfast is getting cold." A sudden gust of wind blows Avalon's hair in her face, uprising her long, flowy skirt. Avalon, and the many other inhabitants, live in a land where such a thing as evil does not exist - or so everyone thought. In this world, there are all sorts of evil... from demonic powers to the evil that father's see in boys.
    The afternoon sun hangs well over head, and shadows begin forming on the woodland floor. Avalon rests on a pile of hay with her hands behind her head, watching the clouds float by without a single care. Her horse grazes near by, then he raised his head and perked his ears forward in curiousity. Avalon turns her head and smiles, "Montes..." she admires his spirit and charisma. Myra comes out and leans against the fence post.
    Avalong stands admiring the wind's powerful push through her long hair, an enjoyment and comfort she has loved since she was a little child.
    "It's been awfully breezy lately." she looks around her, watching the trees sway in the breeze. This wind also brings back a cherrished memory that often escapes Avalon's mind.
    The last time it was this breezy, Avalon was only six years old, and there she met a boy on her favorite hill overlooking her cottage home. They became fast friends almost immediatley and just for that one day. Dusk is when their friendship came to an end when he went back home over the mountains and never returned.
    Montes slowly makes his way to the fence to praise the woman who treated his injured leg. Myra pats the top of his forelock and braids a lock of his mane. A troublesome sigh surpasses Avalon's breath. Myra clears her throat to grab Avalon's attention. "Shall we get you home, dear? Your family must be awfully worried about you." Avalon redirects her attention.
    "Myra, do you think it's possible that demons could still exist?"
    Myra smiles and chuckles as she prepares to give her an answer, but by the seriousness of Avalon's expression, there was no joke about the matter.
    "It is to be said that the war killed them all off hundreds of years ago, but I hardly believe that to be true. These woods are special, you know?"
    "I'm starting to relate to that theory..." Avalon smiles at the thought. "I don't know what else to do, Myra. I'm miles away from my home and being here, I feel that there's a mystery among these woods that is yet to be answered."
    "Well you're welcome to stay as long as you need to, Avalon."


    Chapter 2:

    It's after midnight and Avalon is woken by the sound of Montes pawking angrily at the shed door. Avalon rushes to a sitting position, looking out the window. She scans the moonlit backyard and shrugs off the eerie feeling of being watched as she attempts to return to sleep. Montes dances around in a tight circle as an unidentifiable figure approaches the house; Avalon simply covers her head with an extra pillow to tune him out. The figure's shadow reaches all the way to the opposite wall of Avalon's bed, he stands hidden to the side of the window out of Avalon's sight.
    For hours Avalon did not move from her bed, or even move from her position until the figure's shadow finally faded by the crack of dawn.