Never Trust The Moon

Chapter 1

"Freya... Freya," She was day dreaming again; always the same, always that castle. The same giant castle that looms over the village below haunts her in her dreams, it's not that it's scary but she just feels like she knows she belongs there, it feels like home, that's what make it scary. "Sorry Professor what did you say?" she questioned, knowing that she should be paying attention. This is her first year of University she needs to concentrate if she wants to do well, to become an archaeologist like she's always dreamt. "Everyone's left Freya, class is over... are you okay?" said her Professor. Professor Lucas Archer of Woodcreek University was the finest teacher around, he was considerate to his pupils but hard on them if they weren't trying their best, he'd help them if they were struggling and he wouldn't be annoyed if they asked him for help 10 times over. Freya was his favorite pupil, not that you're supposed to have favorites as a teacher, but there was something that he saw in her. The will to succeed? To prove everyone around her that they were wrong? He wasn't sure, but he liked it. 'A bright spark in the making' he tells his co-workers 'ready to face anything and everything life throws at her'.

Freya looked around and saw that the classroom was bare and quiet, she liked it like that, no one to distract her from her studies and her thoughts, "Sorry Professor, yes I'm fine," she said dully. "What's that on your eye?" He pointed up at her face, the eye that's bruised and puffy. She covered it with her long dark hair. "Oh, nothing I was walking through the forest and wasn't looking where I was going and walked into a ton of branches," she answered with a nervous giggle. "Freya, look I know you're an adult and you can look after yourself, but my door is always open, even if you just want to sit and think." He smiled. She smiled back. "Thank you, Professor, really it means a lot to have someone to look out for me ever since Phoenix..." She trailed off looking sullen. "It gets easier Freya, just hold on a little longer... It's her birthday today, 20." She smiled a sad smile and walked towards the door waving goodbye as she shut it behind her, she likes Professor Archer, well she can call him Lucas, after all he's more of a father to her than her actual father.

Freya enjoyed the long walk to work; it gave her time to think. She nearly got ran over once, not that she minded, the driver got angry and yelled at her to 'watch where you're going' 'what are you playing at you stupid girl' she just walked off, she'd been called stupid too many times to care anymore. Her shift at the café went quick and before she knew it, she was ambling back home. "Great," She said to herself as she could hear arguing coming from the living room, the whole street could hear it. She opened the door and the whole house turned quiet. "What time do you call this, I reckon that three slaps today," her stepfather grunted. She curled up as he went to slap her *SLAP* 1 *SLAP* 2 *SLAP* 3 "Now make us dinner you good for nothing child." She ran into the kitchen trying to hold back her tears. Life hasn't been easy for Freya, her father left when she was 8; they had a good connection. He taught her how to ride her first bike and how to punch if anyone ever bullied her, of course she'd been too scared to but there was one time where she got in a fight with another girl in primary, she got into trouble but her dad was proud. She felt like it was her fault that he left, that she was too high maintenance, that's what her mother says anyway. Then her mother got into a relationship with Bruce. Ugly, fat, disgusting Bruce who took every chance he could to knock her confidence down, or to just knock her down. Her mother didn't care, she never even wanted Freya. But then came Freya's knight I shining armor, or rather knightess... Phoenix.

Phoenix was Freya's best friend, she was amazing, kind, warm, funny and was there for Freya when no one else was. Pheonix moved from Kent to Devon when she was 10 and took a liking to Freya straight away. She was more of a fighter than Freya was so always stuck up for her, even if it was with her fists. The first time they met was on the school playground, Freya was being harassed and Phoenix wasn't having it so went over and punched the kid straight in the stomach then took Freya's hand and walked away to play on the climbing frame, she got into trouble but she didn't care as she was looking out for a friend. Freya looked up to her so much, she was her role model. Nix's' parents always used to call her Rascal and Freya Mischief, and they adopted it and started to call each other by those names. When they got to secondary school they were still as tight as two peas in a pod, and when Phoenix noticed Freya wasn't eating lunch she suspected it was because of her mother not allowing her to have any so she used to sneak more food into her packed lunch and pretend that her mother always gave her too much. They finished GCSE's with good results and went on to Sixth Form, Freya wanted to become an Archaeologist and Phoenix a Doctor. Unfortunately, one year into year 12 when they were 17, Pheonix died. They don't know how, the pathologist was very confused, he's only seen one other case, the body is perfectly healthy but the heart doesn't beat anymore. It's been three years. Freya took a gap year to work before going to university, now she's 20 and in her first year, but she has Phoenix's dad as a teacher so in a way Phoenix is still with her.

Her mind was racing as she wondered upstairs to her small bedroom, she sat on her window sill and gazed out of the broken glass. Looking up at the night sky she noticed her reoccurring friend "Oh Moon, why must they treat me this way, please, please help me Moon, you're the only one I can talk to, to let out my feelings, now I'm asking you to help me, please" she whispered. She didn't sleep well that night, tossing and turning throughout the long hours. When she was finally able to drift off her mind was racing with images of the colossal castle, it walls were ginormous and the turrets towered over the back of the castle keeping watch for anything out of place, the courtyard was full of life: towns people setting up their shops, horses trotting in and out of the castle to go on glorious adventures, a pretty boy with blonde curly hair and his friends dressed in medieval armor sword fighting and laughing, a gorgeous blonde lady with pin straight hair and the most dazzling dress seems to be walking with a younger woman, perhaps her servant. Then the dream moves into what seems like a room full of potions and books and a young boy with dark curly hair and round glasses, he's reading a book and adding ingredients into a bowl and mushing them together. Finally, it brings her to the woods, a cabin. In the cabin there is a young woman, she looks familiar, she has a bow and arrow and long wavy ginger hair half up in a plait, she's cooking. Then this is where the nice dream ends, now she's thrown into a nightmare of battles and torture. This is where she normally wakes up in a sweat, but not this time, the nightmare carries on. Fire and an unknown light source race across the forest towards the castle, screams can be heard and cries for help bound of the walls. Now Freya's awake.

At this point something willed her to go for a walk along the beach, she got up put her earphones in and began to move, one foot in front of the other, then quicker into a run. She sprinted for as long as her legs could carry her and then collapsed into a small heap onto the sand. She made it. The beach was beautiful in the morning the sunrise full of colour like it was about to burst and vomit out a rainbow. The sand was soft and delicate between her toes. She walked, each step becoming heavier and heavier until she got on her knees and screamed, a scream so loud it caused something to break. She slowly looked up to where she heard the object shatter and saw a most unusual sight, hovering above the sea was a mirror. "What the hell," she looks around and sees that no one else is taking any notice of what she is seeing. She slowly makes her way towards the mysterious object, her head spinning. Then it shatters into pieces and she comes back to reality. "What on earth is happening, am I still dreaming?" She makes a quick exit from the sea and sprints back to her house not looking back at the scene that unfolded before her.

She arrives home and dashes upstairs and into her bed, her head can't take all of this. Suddenly Bruce burst in and starts to punch the duvet which she is under "what do you think you're doing making all of this racket you silly little girl." "ENOUGH!" Everything went deadly silent. "I'VE HAD ENOUGH OF YOU TREATING ME THIS WAY, YOU'RE NOT MY DAD YOU DON'T GET TO HURT ME, YOU'RE EVIL AND MYSOGINISTIC... I see the way you hurt my mother too, don't think just because I don't say anything that I don't see it, frankly I think she deserves it. BUT. I. DON'T." she wailed inhaling between breaths. Bruce looks around at her mother with a menacing grin. She shakes her head. "Bruce don't say it, she doesn't need to know," "What, what don't I need to know" Freya hissed. "Bruce please, it will break her, you know how close they were" her mother trembled. Freya starts to panic. They were on about her father. Bruce turned around and snarled "I'm not surprised your father drowned himself." She stood there unable to move "You're lying, why would you say that. I know you're malicious but you're not that evil" but Bruce had walked away "I'm sorry Freya," her mother mumbled, "I wanted to tell you but I knew you'd be heartbroken, I might not show I care about you but when he drowned himself I knew I had to protect you," Freya stumbled backwards "H-How long ago," she whispered "12 years," her mother muttered with a sad heart. Freya couldn't take this she packs up her possessions and bolts out of her room, she didn't know where she was going but it was away from that horrid house.

The History Lecture started in an hour and a half, she'd get there early and explain to Lucas why she had all of her belongings. She couldn't believe it, she just couldn't. Why would her dad drown himself it just didn't make sense, he was happy from what she can remember, but then again, she was young and might have only chosen to see the happiness. She made her way to Woodcreek, thankfully she lived near her Uni and it didn't take long to get there. Her bags were heavy and she couldn't carry them anymore, she was so weak. Professor Archer was walking up the beautiful path to the University's front doors and saw a young girl on the steps, he made his way up and realized it was Freya. "Freya, what are you doing here? Class doesn't start for another hour." She looked up and burst into tears.