Story One-Shots (Ongoing)

Aadya Chief

She opened her eyes to a dusky, gray smog enclosed around her. Everything turned to mush in her mind as she tried to grasp where she was, but the more she tried to remember, the more empty her mind became.

She felt her back pressed against a hard, stone surface. Squirming didn't help as she felt some kind of straps around her waist and wrists preventing her from moving. Breathing was coming faster and faster by the second until it escaped in a small cry only to be swallowed by the darkness. She inhaled the thick fog, building up in her lungs and making her cough. She could feel beads of sweat building on her forehead as the temperature of the room was rising like a furnace.

A shrill scream cut through the air making her jump, her heart pounding a million miles an hour. She looked around for the source of the scream, but the smog was so thick all she could see was darkness. Her breath was running short as the smoke was invading her lungs. She couldn't take much more.

She could feel her eyelids getting lower over her eyes as she was about to give up struggling when all of the sudden a flash of bright light exploded some distance in front of her. In the midst of all the darkness, the light was searing through her eyelids even as she squinted from the brightness. When she finally dared to open her eyes a portion, she could see an outline of a person coming toward her. At least she thought they were coming toward her.

She confirmed this as the person quickly drew closer and she heard a slight clinking noise as the straps around her wrists and waist slipped away, crashing onto the floor. She couldn't tell who it was, a haze of light blinding her, but she heard the panting coming from them. They seemed to be in a hurry as strong arms grabbed her and threw her over their shoulder. Unable to be fully in control of her arms and legs, she let herself be carried off into the light. Then she was once again consumed by the darkness of her mind as her conscience slipped away from her grasp.

She awoke to the sound of birds chirping in the distance. Slowly opening her eyes, she pulled herself into a sitting position, leaning against a tree to take in her surroundings.

She was sitting on fresh, green grass in an open space surrounded by great trees, snow-capped mountains peeked over the tips. Listening closer she could even hear the sound of water trickling down from somewhere. The sun was casting rays of crimson and coral over the horizon as it lowered in the sky.

She sucked in a gasp when a loud snap sounded from behind her. She spun her head towards the sound and saw a man. Maybe it was a boy. She couldn't tell from how far he was, maybe ten yards away. He stopped, frozen in mid-step, when he saw her, carrying bundles of wood in his arms. She slowly stood up, holding onto the tree for support. It felt as though she hadn't stood in years, the muscles in her legs were so fragile she could collapse at any moment. The boy seemed to have noticed this for he started to the walk back over as soon as she stood.

When he got closer, he threw the wood on the ground and grabbed her shoulders to hold her up. He was much more handsome closer up with dark brown hair that stuck up in the front and warm brown eyes with flecks of gold.

The boy set her back down against the tree as she started to lose consciousness once again and kneeled down beside her. But before it slipped away, his rich voice invaded her mind. "Calm down, you're safe here." Aadya had to force her eyes open to concentrate on what he was saying. "Can you remember anything? What's your name?" She tried to use her voice but it all came out in a faint groan. It felt like she hasn't spoken in ages. "It's alright if you don't remember," the boy spoke, but she kept trying.

When she did manage to force a word out it sounded gruff and gravelly. "My name is Aadya." 

She awoke to the sound of birds chirping in the distance. Slowly opening her eyes, she pulled herself into a sitting position, leaning against a tree to take in her surroundings.

She was sitting on fresh, green grass in an open space surrounded by great trees, and snow-capped mountains peeked over the tips. Listening closer, she could even hear the sound of water trickling down from somewhere high above. The sun was casting rays of crimson and coral over the horizon as it lowered in the sky.

She sucked in a gasp when a loud snap sounded from behind her. Aadya spun her head towards the sound and saw a boy. He stopped, frozen in mid-step when he saw her, carrying bundles of wood in his arms. Aadya slowly stood up, holding onto the tree for support. It felt as though she hadn't stood in years. The muscles in her legs were so fragile she could collapse at any moment. The boy seemed to have noticed this, so he started to walk over.

When he got closer, he tossed the wood on the ground and made a move to grab Aadya's shoulders to hold her up, but she stepped further away from him. He was handsome with dark brown hair stuck up in the front and warm brown eyes with flecks of gold.

The boy took a step backward as she sat back down. She was weak and her legs couldn't hold her any longer. Her vision became blurry and her consciousness was leaving her again. It wouldn't be long before she passed out.

"Water," she gasped.

What seemed like moments later, he pressed a canteen against her dry lips. His hand went behind her head to help tilt her head up more. She didn't stop drinking until the canteen was empty. When the last drops fell into the mouth, the boy stood up, saying, "I'll go get you more." His voice held a rich, British accent. She watched him walk off until he was little more than a dot.