Out of breath. Out of time. The rustling of leaves becomes loud and uncanny. Footsteps seeming to come from any and every corner. Surrounded. It started to become larger. Consumingly scarier. Clawing and mauling at the tree trunk. I hold my breath as a sudden eerie silence devours the whole forest. I scream.

~*~

     Think of the ocean. The waves swallowing the sand, and receding away. The smell of sea shells and the sound of seagulls minimizing the sweet serenity of waves crashing. With a flick of the wrist, I summon the might of the oceans and seas and vanquish the flames on the target. As I start setting up the next target of hay, Zac approaches me with a seemingly warm smile.

“Practicing 24/7 won’t help you win the tournament if you’re tired during it,” says Zac, extending his hands for a welcoming hug. I love Zac’s hugs; they’re as comforting as a binky and a blanket is to a new-born baby.

“Maybe not, but it’s two days until the tournament, I can sleep afterwards,” I say, giving him a teasingly funny face. He runs his finger through his soft, brown hair a bit nervously. As he stares at me with his piercing emerald eyes, I can tell that he had come here to lessen my spirits. “What happened, Zac?”

“It’s your mom. . . her condition is worsening. The mages don’t know what to do anymore.” He reaches for my hand and squeezes it. I feel his fingers, intertwined with mine, and quickly let go.

“It’s fine, Zac. I’ve come to terms with my mother's condition. You don’t have to comfort or pity me. I’m fine,” I say, smiling and acting as if this news means nothing.

“Alright Em, If you say so. I’ll just leave you to your practicing.”

As he walks away, I decide that winning this tournament not only affects my mother’s life and my life, but it affects the whole kingdoms’ lives. “Hey, Zac, Wait up!” Zac stops and twirls.

“Yeeees?” he says with a laugh and a smirk.

“Could you by any chance help me figure out where the tournament is going to be located?” I pleadingly say.

“You know you’re not allowed to, Em. It’s against the rules. You’ll be disqualified, and we’ll both be in trouble. Think of your mom.”

“I AM thinking about my mom, and the whole kingdom, and myself, and you. If I don’t win this tournament, everything goes to crap, Zac.” With an indecisive look, he locks his eyes with mine.

“Are you sure about this?” This is why I love having him as my best friend. He grounds me, makes me feel sane, and let’s me be insane at the same time.

“I’m sure, Zac. Let’s break into the mage’s office!” As we start making our way inside the castle, we speak of  a thorough plan - him the lookout, while I go inside. We’re more of on-the-spot thinkers anyways. As we approach his door, I ask Zac to open it since it can only be opened by those in the bloodline.The door creaks open and I barge in, going straight to his desk. I look for the key under his keyboard and unlock the left upright cabinet. I’ve loved the head mage as a dad since I was young, but this is for the good of everyone. I pull out a map of our neighboring kingdoms and see two locations circled. They must be debating whether to have it in the desert adjacent to the Yanera Kingdom or the ice caps in the Sanera Kingdom.

“Someone’s coming, Em!” As Zac states this, I’m already under the desk. He joins me since it’s the only reasonable hiding spot in his office.

“We’re awfully close,” I say as I lean in just a tad closer. I can feel his breath on my upper lip. The anticipation and the urge to lock our lips together keeps building inside of me. I put my hands on his cheeks and kiss him. With butterflies in my stomach, my wings spring out of my shirt and begin to flap. Is this what love feels like? We quickly separate once we realize that my wings have broken the back off the desk, compromising our hiding spot.

“Zac, is that you?” the mage questions the two backs on the floor he is now facing. Mortified by the fact the mage found us kissing and trespassing, I ask Zac one simple question.

“Will you leave her?” He stares at me, face filled with regret while a single tear falls down his face.

“No.”

With that, I fly out the window. I fly and cry until I feel a sharp pain in my right wing. I’ve hit a tree branch dead on with my right wing and it hurts too much to fly another couple of feet. I stumble to the floor and land on my feet. I start walking through the forest. Why did I think Zac  would leave her? Stupid. . . But who needs him? Tears start rolling down my face. Maybe I could find some friendly neighborhood dwarves and I can be the next Cinderbelle. I don’t think those two things go together in the story, but I am going to become the next well-known heroin who doesn’t need someone to define her. Lost in thought, I realized that I had come across a literal crossway. The left looks like the trees end soon which means there’s probably another town of the kingdom that way. I go to the right. Right can’t be wrong because it’s right, right? Anyways, I have to get to a nice and secret resting spot since the guards will come looking for me soon. As I walk further into the pathway, I hear the loud rustling of leaves from every direction but no wind. I get a cautious feeling in my gut and begin to run, but realize that higher ground might give me sanctuary and an advantage. As I climb up the tree, the rustling stops. I stop to catch my breath when all of a sudden a once-thought fantasy creature, hands me my demise like the apple to Snow White.