She squinted and raised her arm up to her face to shield her eyes from the blinding light. She couldn't see a thing and her eyes protested painfully every time she tried to look around. She stepped forwards, her movements sluggish and slow, yet her body felt weightless and her raven hair fanned out behind her despite the fact that the air around her was still. She stepped forwards again, practically blind with no idea where she was going. She walked forwards, step, by step, by step. She felt like she had no control over her legs, like they had a mind of their own. She continued forwards until she tripped over a brick like shape, shooting her hands forwards to break her fall. Her wrist twisted sideways and she sat up immediately, cradling it with her other hand.
"Owwww!" she moaned as it throbbed painfully.
She hoisted herself up and looked ahead of her in awe.
The stairs travelled up into the blank nothing so far that she couldn't see where it ended. Each step had an individual pattern, each one as beautiful as the last. The brick like object, she saw, was the first step, with a deep purple roses spreading along it's width. They looked almost like real amethyst gems and they sparkled prettily although there was no light for it to reflect. She raised her foot and stepped on the first pattern hesitantly as if not wanting to mar it's beauty. It did the opposite, for as her bare foot brushed against it, the gems began to glow, and a cloud of glimmering dust erupted from it's surface. She smiled shyly and gripped the golden banister that twisted elegantly all the way to wherever the stairs leaded. She began to climb and each step she touched exploded with colourful lights and glittery dust until it felt like she was walking through her own little disco. She suddenly felt her legs being lifted from the ground and she laughed giddily.
'I'm flying!' she thought gleefully.
She'd always wanted to fly, and now was her chance. She twirled in the air, higher and higher, the lights following her and giving colour to the white world.
"Come quickly, child," said a formless, silky voice.
It came from the top of the stairs, and she found herself being pulled towards it by an invisible force. As she got closer, the lights faded and the patterns on the stairs lost their glow. She was nearly there when the white nothing suddenly changed to a deep blue and stars filled the sky. She was tugged forward and lowered gently to the ground at the top. She could now feel soft grass beneath her feet and the moon shone a spotlight on to her.
"Welcome, child," greeted the velvet voice.
She looked up to see a woman with flowing blonde hair and a white dress walked towards her. The woman had the palest, ice blue eyes she had ever seen, yet they seemed to be filled with pure warmth. She lifted her hands to rub her eyes, to wake herself up if she was dreaming, but a jolt of pain spread through her wrist. She cradled it in her other hand until the beautiful woman all but glided to where she was standing. The woman touched her wrist with a pale hand and warmth spread from her fingertips to her shoulder. She flexed her wrist. It was healed.
"Hello, Jade Laurdia Jamieson. My name is Ariel." The woman said, her red lips softening into a smile.
Jade frowned. "How do you know my middle name? I never tell anyone my middle name."
"I know everything about you Jade. Laurdia though... That's a very strange name for your mother to give you." Ariel chuckled.
YOU ARE READING
Black Cloaks
Short Story'In a room with no windows or doors the girl sat, leaning against the wall. She had been there so long that the sound of dripping water, or maybe blood, became all she knew...' Jade was taken captive on her 16th birthday by what the kidnapped all ca...
