Chapter 1
Dear you,
It feels like it has been ages since I have spoken any words with you. How is the situation over where you are staying? It has been quite dreadful over here. Just a few weeks ago, a very close friend of mine was taken by the Other Side. We did not even have time to properly mourn for him, as we were forced to quickly evacuate and find another safe structure for us to hide out in. Do not worry about us, we are perfectly safe as of now. No one else got hurt, at least as far as I know of. As you know, I cannot disclose our location, just in case this letter finds itself in the wrong hands. I am sending this letter through my owl, so I would expect it to find you pretty quickly. I hope you are okay. Please write back as soon as you can.
With hugs from afar,
Your dear friend
“SEV! NO!”
She watched in horror as her friend was dragged onto the helicopter, struggling against his captors. She barely registered her tears as she stood helplessly.
“Lily, we have to go. Now.”
After that, everything was a blur. One minute, she was hiding behind her shield of mist, watching one of her closest friends getting captured, the next minute she was in the arms of her mother. She vaguely recalled her father shouting at the rest of the coven to get out of where they were staying.
It was back to being on the run again. It was always the same cycle. Hide, then run, then hide again. It was never-ending at this point.
This time they headed North, towards the Great Mountains. There, the coven would be able to hide out in the summit caves where they would be safe for a while. The misty weather was the perfect protection.
The journey was surprisingly uneventful. They luckily did not run into anyone from the Other Side and made it safely to their destination. Right as they arrived, they immediately started setting up for camp. Leaders of the coven went around the big caves and made sure the mist would completely cover the opening.
“Lily, are you alright?”
She snapped out of her stupor and turned around to face her mother. The older woman was watching her with a careful expression. Lily said nothing and looked back at the waterfall she was perched next to. Her mother sighed and sat down on the rock next to her.
“Why can’t we just live in peace? What have we done wrong?”
“Lily, these people who target us for being who we are, don’t understand us. They believe that we are a threat. In their eyes, they are eliminating a threat so they can live peacefully.”
“They’re ruining our lives! Since when were we a threat? All we want is peace as well!” She shouted, her fists curling up in anger. Her mother warily eyed the rain cloud forming above the mountain and sighed.
“I understand your anger, my dear, but I do suggest you calm down before you somehow flood the mountain. I wouldn’t think your father would be very happy if we had to move again because of a hurricane.”
The young girl took a deep breath and sat back down. Her mother noted with relief that the cloud was fading away above them.
“I am sorry mother, I almost let my anger take control again.” Her mother softly smiled and put a hand on her shoulder.
“It’s okay my dear, I do not blame you. We are living in these hard times, anger is inevitable.”
Lily hummed in response, not wanting to say anything more. Getting the hint, her mother patted her back once more and headed back. Lily looked up at the sky and sighed.
“Reg, wherever you are, please stay safe.”
She took a deep breath and turned away from the waterfall. She had a letter to write.