The Soul of Integrity

Chapter 1

The day started out as normal as it could be. I was practicing my dancing in a new tu-tu my mother had gotten me as a well my blue jacket since it was a little chilly out today. When I was practicing, some of the other children passed by me.

"Did you hear? Someone else disappeared too!"

"No way!"

"Way! And no one knows if there's some predator on the loose that's kidnapping children!" I shuddered at the thought. If there was some kind of new predator that was capable of kidnapping children without anyone noticing, it was a scary thought. Before I could think about it anymore, I heard someone yell at me.

"Hey! You!" I turned to face the voice. I really wished I hadn't. It was only one girl, but she was really tall. I had never really learned her name, though I knew it was never good when she called on you. None of the adults knew it, but this girl was a bully. A really mean bully.

"Oh, hello again," I said halfheartedly.

"Hello, ugly," she smirked at me. I bit my lip hard. I didn't want to get into anymore fights. There was enough fighting at my house as it is. "I see your dancing is getting better- Not!"

"P-please just leave me alone," I asked.

"Please? You think that's going to help? Because it's not." I closed my eyes and tried to get lost in my dancing, like I always had. When I pushed everything from my mind, it helped to block her out. It didn't help this time.

"I bet no one cares about you." Her words cut through my mind as though it were a knife. I stopped dancing with a stumble. I thought she'd stop talking, but I should have known better. "I bet that's why your parents argue so much, because none of them wants the burden of taking care of the brat they never wanted! No one in the village ever wanted you around!"

I didn't listen to what else she had to say to me anymore. I just turned away from her and ran. I didn't even look where I was going, I just wanted to get away from them. So I could be alone and wouldn't have to hear the words. When I stopped running, I finally noticed where I was.

I was on Mount Ebott, somewhere that was forbidden for us to be. No one knew why though. All we knew was that we couldn't be on the mountain. I had no idea how I had not noticed that I had been climbing a mountain. I must have been too upset to notice.

Even though I had gotten what I wanted, being alone, I didn't want to stay any longer. I was breaking the rules already and I didn't want to worry anyone more that I had. I knew that I would get in trouble for even going up the mountain as well as running away without an adult. While I didn't want to get yelled at more, I still had to do the right things and confess what happened. I looked around the forest, before deciding what was more than likely the direction back towards the village, and took a step.

I was surprised when my foot hit nothing. My surprise had caused me to lose my balance and I fell into the pit that swallowed me whole.

I didn't know how long I fell, all I knew was that it was too dark to see. I hugged my jacket closer to me as the cold wind rushed past me, chilling my bones. I had to close my eyes so they wouldn't get dry. At some point I must have passed out while falling to my inevitable doom.