Chapter One

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Effie Richmond stared at herself in the long mirror of her room. She was wearing her Sunday dress. It was cream-colored and ran down to her knees. Layers of ruffles flowed around it and a large bow was tied in the back. Effie smiled at her reflection. This was her favorite Sunday dress. Her mom had gotten it for her on her ninth birthday last year. She wished she could wear it every Sunday. She spun around and giggled as her dress flowed out around her. 

Turning around, she walked over to her makeshift calendar and opened it to June. She picked up a red pencil and crossed an 'x' on June second. She smiled wide as she looked ahead and counted out three weeks until she turned ten years old. Her mother and father had promised to take her to the lake in the Sarton forest for her birthday for a picnic. 

"Effie! Darling! Time to go!" her mother called for her from downstairs.

"Coming, Mum!" Effie ran out of her room and down the stairs. She stopped in the living room to see her parents sitting on the couch waiting for her. 

The three walked out of their house and into the family car. Her father turned on the radio and they listened to the soft music as the car rolled out of the driveway and down the two-lane road.

Effie and her family lived in a small neighborhood. Tall, brown houses sat close together. There weren't very many children in the neighborhood for Effie to make friends with, but that never bothered her. She wasn't a shy child, but she wasn't outgoing. She had her parents and that was all that she needed for comfort. 

As they left the neighborhood, Effie watched as the scenery around her changed. They flew past fields of trees and flowers. The sun was shining up in the sky and Effie was thankful that it was a beautiful day outside. Moments passed by before she felt the car slowly come to a halt at a stop sign. Her father looked both ways before moving the car forward. All of a sudden, Effie heard the screeching of a car and felt something crash into the side of her door. At the impact, she screamed and closed her eyes as the car spun around until it hit a tree, the people inside blindly smashing onto everything beside them. 

The world was silent for a couple of seconds until her father turned around. "Effie? Honey? Are you all right?" Her mother also looked back from the front seat and Effie saw thick, dark red liquid trailing down both of their faces. Blood. Her eyes widened in aghast. 

"It's all right, dear," her mother tried to assure her. She tried to reach back, but Effie watched as her mother winced and placed her arm back down. "It's just a few scratches. We're all right." 

Effie attempted to get up from her seat to reach them, but a shooting pain came from her side. She looked down to see her leg trapped underneath the car door. Her breathing started to get ragged, and a lump formed in her throat as hostile thoughts flooded into her mind. She whimpered, trying to fight back tears that threatened to escape as she started to tremble. "Mummy? Daddy?" Effie cried out; her voice barely audible in her ears. "Help me!"

Sirens and car lights came into view. Glancing to the window, Effie saw police officers and firefighters running over to the car. Effie's parents were trying to calm her down, but she couldn't hear them. The officers rushed with getting her parents out and sending them inside the ambulances. Effie cried out and reached her arms out towards her mother, but pain shot up through her leg every time she tried to move. 

A firefighter poked his head through the front car door and looked at her. He tried to give her a reassuring smile, but nothing could calm Effie down at this moment. "It's all right, young lady, we'll get you out." He disappeared and started to yell at his fellow firefighters. 

Effie's vision started to fade. She heard men's voices, some yelling at each other and others trying to keep her awake, but her body was already succumbing to oblivion. Black started to show around the edges of her vision, and she began to feel weak, tears flowing down her cheeks. Effie felt the pressure come off of her leg and someone picking her up. She didn't dare try looking at her leg in fear of what it had become. 

She tried with all her might to stay awake. But when they laid her on a stretcher in the ambulance, all of her strength had seeped away from her body. The last thing she saw was her mother and father staring down at her with their lips moving. Then the darkness engulfed her.

She tried will all her might to stay awake. She was fighting her body, but her body was winning. When they laid her on a stretcher in the ambulance, all of her strength had seeped away from her body. The last thing she saw was her mother and father staring down at her with their lips moving. She wished that she could hear them. Her mother was crying, and her father looked scared. Eventually, the darkness engulfed her. 

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