This Is War

Chapter 1

Anna POV:

Black smoke filled my lungs. Ash dusted my chestnut brown hair. My boots pounded against the ground as I ran. I jumped over a fallen tree, landing on the other side with a thud. My vision blurred as my head pounded against my skull. Buildings were being swallowed by orange flames. My breathing was ragged and harsh. My throat was dry with the lack of water. My eyes stung with tears as I looked at my surroundings. I spotted a horrifying sight. My family. Trapped in a burning building. Their horrified expressions made me sick to my stomach. There was a loud crack.

No.

I screamed like I'd never screamed before as the roof came crashing down. Tears threatened to spill down my face as I stared at the now-collapsed building. Something felt wrong. Horribly wrong. I just couldn't place it. Suddenly I was swallowed into darkness. The whole world turned black before my eyes. I didn't understand. A mere second ago I was surrounded by fire, my village in ashes. Now I felt nothing, seeing only black.

"W...K ..P" a voice cried out. I looked around, trying to find the source of the voice. "WAK...P" the voice cried again. I whipped my head around but was met with darkness. "WAKE UP!"

I jolted upright in my bed. Sweat was dripping down my forehead as hot tears trailed down my cheeks. I took a deep breath. In and out, in and out. My breath became even as I sat there. My white bed sheets were damp with sweat. I looked out the window and found it was still dark. Bright stars twinkled in the dark blue sky. The moon was full and round, shining as bright as ever. I took in a shaky breath and pulled myself out of bed. The wood floor of my small room was freezing beneath my feet. I tiptoed out of my room as quietly as I could as to not wake up my family and made my way downstairs. I thought about going back to bed but dismissed that thought immediately. I sighed as I made my way into the kitchen.

"Why can't I just have a peaceful night?" I mumbled to myself.

I haven't had a peaceful night's sleep in one hundred and thirty-four nights. And I've kept count. I walked over to one of the wooden cupboards and took out my sword. It was long and delicate. The moonlight reflected off the silver blade and the raven-black hilt. I had been training with a blade since the moment I could walk. As well as bows, daggers, whips, throwing knives, and a bunch of other weaponry. Not only that but I've been trained to fight. I sauntered over to the training room and took a fighting position, sword in hand. I took a swing at the training dummy and it hit me square in the chest. The dummy was good for aiming at but not much more as it couldn't fight back, being a wooden dummy. After hitting and swinging my sword for a few minutes, I hit a hard blow. The dummy spun around at the impact and hit me square in the face.

"Ack!" I cried as I fell onto the hard ground. I let out a string of curses as I sat up, annoyed that I wasn't able to block it.

"That's no way to speak my child." I whirled around and came face to face with my grandmother. Her blue eyes held years of knowledge. Her eyes were soft and caring, as well as hard and strict.

"Sorry," I mumbled as I heaved myself up and walked over to her.

She's been living with my family for years now. After my grandfather passes away she was heartbroken, but she still somehow kept smiling. She would always say he was in a better place while smiling up at the sky. She's been there to help me through all my tough times, no matter how hard they were. My mother was a spitting image of her, just younger. Though my grandma's hair is now grey it used to be a light hazelnut colour and curly.

My mom's just as kind as my grandma though she can be strict at times. My father... left long ago. I no longer try to think of him for this exact reason. He left a few weeks after Aggie was born. Aggie is my little sister and she is the sweetest thing in the world. Yes, she can be a little bit of a brat at times but that doesn't change the fact that she's adorable. Her short bushy hair is a replica of our mothers while her eyes huge round eyes replace our fathers. Though the colour itself is a mix between emerald green and bright blue, making it look turquoise. She's currently eight while I'm turning sixteen in a couple of months.