Marionette

Chapter 1: The First

Chapter 1

     Posy found herself in a dark forest. She looked at her hand which seemed to glow in the moonlight, then at her bare feet. The forest floor was covered in a layer of snow. Posy wasn't exactly sure what to do. She looked around for any sign of...anything!

     "Hello?" she called, but her voice didn't come out as loudly as she had meant it to and wobbled too much. Behind her, someone cleared their throat and Posy nearly jumped out of her skin, spinning to see a girl standing there, looking a lot like Posy herself. She was maybe a couple of years older, and her hair was jet black and straight except for where it curved at the girl's shoulders, but this girl had the same big brown eyes, the same pale white skin, the same dancer's body. The girl seemed to be thinking the same thing as Posy as she studied her. Posy shivered. She was not dressed for being in the woods at night in the winter. Seeing her shiver, the girl took off her winter jacket and put it around Posy's shoulders, then began slipping off her boots.

     "Don't," Posy said, but it was halfhearted. Her toes were beginning to go numb.

     "It's okay," the girl said. Her voice was lower than Posy's but smooth and hard. That's when Posy noticed that the girl didn't touch the ground with her boots off. She allowed the girl to help her into the boots which were just a little too big.

     "Are you a ghost?" Posy asked, staring at the girl's socked feet floating inches off the ground.

     The girl shook her head and studied Posy a little longer. "Hair a little lighter than Kyle's, skin as fair as mine, aerodynamic body. What's your name?"

     "Posy."

     "Last name?"

     "Um, I don't have one yet."

     The girl raised her eyebrows. "No? What about a power? Do you have one of those?"

     "Power?" Posy repeated, "As in, superpower? No, I don't have one of those. Do you?"

     The girl gestured to her feet. "I can fly."

     Posy broke into a big smile. "Cool."

     "So Posy, are you supposed to be my long lost sister or something?"

     Posy shrugged. "Who are you, anyway?" she asked.

     "Skye Chase," the girl said, holding a gloved hand out for Posy to shake. She took it. "What universe do you belong to, Posy?"

     "Uh, I don't know yet. Whichever universe Ivy makes for me, I guess."

     Skye Chase dropped her hand and narrowed her eyes at Posy. "You don't have a universe yet? Is it mine? With the superheroes and stuff?"

     "Uh," Posy shook her head uncertainly. "I don't think so."

     "Is it the princess' universe? Her universe is a lot brighter than mine. It's got carnivals and castles and stuff. You look like that's where you're meant to go," Skye Chase said, looking at Posy's dress. "No offence."

     It was ironic, Posy thought, that by saying no offence, this girl meant to offend. But Posy liked her dress and flower crown, and the idea of belonging in a place with carnivals and castles didn't bother her at all, so she let it slide. She raised her chin just a bit so Skye Chase would know she wasn't getting to her.

     "Ivy said she hasn't created my universe yet," Posy told Skye Chase.

     "Your universe?" Skye Chase repeated, eyebrows raised. "You're getting your own? Wait, are you a new main character?"