This is a style study for my English class; my last assignment of the year. I meant for it to be more of a short story, but it turned into what seems to be the first chapter of a book.
Wandering through the forest, one would assume Henry was lost. She was not. In the bright noon sun, trees stood tall and rich green, while ferns and bushes littered the floor all around except for the dirt path Henry walked upon. Henry, short for Henrietta, was a name she requested to be called. The young brunette hated her full name with every fiber of her being. Okay, maybe that was a little dramatic.
"Hello!" She heard a woman's voice call from deep within the forest. Who was that? She distinctly remembered walking in alone. Henry's muscles tensed as she considered her options.
"Hello?" The voice once again echoed throughout the mountains and Henry took off. Her legs pumping, she leaped over a calm stream, dodged a fallen branch, and splashed through the mud, happy she decided to wear shorts. Her tennis shoes were covered in mud by the time she slowed back down to a walk.
"Henry, come on!" The voice called once again. She thought she'd lost them. She thought whoever it was, gave up, and quit running after her. She knew what they wanted, but Henry wasn't about to give up her freedom.
"Go away!" Henry shouted, continuing her hike across the forest.
"Quit running from your problems, and get out here!" The voice demanded. Henry sighed, slapped her hand on a nearby trail marker and turned around. The electronic walls glitched as they changed from a pleasant forest to sharp white walls, reminding her of a hospital hallway from the 2000s. An automatic door of the same crisp white variety raised up to reveal her younger sister and fellow CEO for their massive cooperation.
"You helped me cause this mess, so now you can help me clean it up." The shorter brunette placed a hand on her hip as Henry sighed. It was time for Henry to quit running from her problems and face the dystopia outside.
"Fine. Lead the way." Henry motioned for her sister to leave, and with one last, longing, parting glance to the magical room, Henry left her little utopia behind, the automatic door lowering behind them.
