Day 26 & 27: May 28 & 29

I'm not doing too well at the end of the month here..

Challenge: the story must involve a scroll in the beginning.

My father is King here in Trydith. Well, he believes he's my father; but it's not so. No matter how much I wish it. You see, 17 years ago—before I was born—Mother strayed from Father. It was one night, but it did enough damage. If people knew.

My biological father is Father's younger brother, Devlen. He knows, but does he treat me like his daughter? No. Mother says it's to keep up appearances; I know it's because he wishes I was male.

"Aurelia?"

I look up from the scroll I was trying to read in the library and smile at Father. Just because he didn't sire me doesn't mean I don't think of him as my father. "Yes, Father?"

He smiles at me, his citrine eyes lighting up. "I thought you had left with your mother," he says as he takes a seat in the chair beside me.

"Left with her where?" I ask. I didn't know Mother was leaving.

Father's charcoal eyebrows knit together. "She told me the two of you were heading to Etilac to see your Aunt Carlynne."

I raise an eyebrow. Since when did Aunt Carlynne live in Etilac? I only know one person—right. I try and smile even though I can't believe it was still happening. "I wanted to finish my training before Tito left."

Father beams at me, his beard stretching over his lips. "You never cease to impress me, Aurelia."

My smile becomes real. "You know I love practicing."

"Practicing, yes, but you still keep up with the theoretical aspect and that plays a big part in understanding and controlling your powers."

I nod even though I've heard this many times before.

Father claps my shoulder. "I'll leave you to it, sweetie," he says and presses a kiss to my hair. "Don't forget about dinner," he stands and makes his way out.

I watch him leave before turning back to the scroll with a sigh. Even though I've caught them plenty of times and threatened to tell Father, they still sneak off like teenagers.

I stare at the word "king" on the scroll. Watching it blur as I think about Mother and Devlen. Perhaps it's time I tell Father. he deserves to know. And maybe this would get rid of Mother for good; it's not like she acts like a proper queen or mother anyway.

I nod to the scroll. I'll tell Father at dinner.

*I didn't end up writing anything new today; I was in an editing mood. Instead I just fixed up this one, added a bit more here and there. Hope you liked it! Let's hope I can continue for the last few days here in May.*

Day 23: May 25

Missed another day. Oops! Today's challenge wasn't brought about by Seventh Sanctum, it's something that I'm using for something else. It's backstory; but it turns out that I found a challenge that worked!
Challenge: the story must have an elf in it.

I was born in Eroadia, on the island of Thelabaen. It sits off the south western shore of Onardoth, a small, island continent in the Jeradien Sea. I’ve lived here my whole life. I’ve lived with my parents in the same cottage near the docks.

Oh, and I’m a half-elf, and today, I’m finally leaving.

Years ago, when the Gods and Goddesses created our world, they created many others. The fabric between ours and another, the realm of the elementals, has become weak. Instead of the few that would travel to our world, Onardoth has been getting them in swarms. It is as the priestess foretold all those years ago.

“Ready, Ereacia?” My brother, Daomos, says as he straps his chest plate on.

I nod as I sheath my two swords on my back. “Are you, Daomos?”

He laughs. “I’ve been waiting for this day to come.”

Mother rolls her eyes as she hands me two small daggers. “Be careful.”

I smile while Daomos scoffs.

“You’ve said this every day for months, Mother, we’ll be fine,” Daomos says.

“I worry about my children,” she says.

“I’ll look after him,” I say and she smiles at me.

“Now go,” she waves to the door. “And do what you can to sew the fabric.”

Daomos groans, “Mother.”

I laugh. “We’ll be fine.”

Mother pats my cheek and grabs Daomos’ chin, pulling his face towards hers. She pecks him on the cheek before doing the same to me. “I love you.”

“I love you too mom,” I say and Daomos mumbles it. I grab Daomos’ arm and pull him out of the house.

In front of our house stand our four friends, armed to the teeth and bags thrown over their shoulders. The street around us is full of others around our age, swords in hands, ready to face the battle that awaits us across the Sea.

“Boats leaving in ten,” Foiclya says and gestures her head towards the docks we can see between a couple of houses.

I nod and Daomos grins.

“Let’s go,” Daomos says. “It’s about time we live, eh?”

I laugh. “You’ve always wanted an adventure.”

“And now we’re getting one,” Foiclya says and skips forward, linking her arm with mine. “About time too,” she starts dragging me towards the docks.

“I couldn’t agree more,” Daomos says. 

*I hope you enjoyed. It was nice to finally write this. And it gave me more information into what's happening in this world I've created.*

Day 18: May 20 & Day 21: May 23

You'll notice that I missed a few days. Shit happens!

Continuation from Day 17.

Junette raised an eyebrow. “You swam?”

The girl nodded and something splashed near the boat.

Junette straightened up on her knees. Her eyes widened again as the scales she had seen around the girls belly button led to a fish tail lazily floating at the surface.

The girl giggled and Junette looked up at her eyes, watching them swirl between fuchsia and teal. “It’s like this is your first time seeing me.”

“It is,” Junette answered, studying the silver circlet on the girl’s forehead.

“Oh, Juney,” she smiled sadly at Junette.

Junette blinked. “How do you know my name?”

“You really have forgotten,” the girl said.

*This is where I got to on the 20th. Not very impressive. I finished this little segment today, though.*

“We’ve met before?” Junette asked.

The girl sighed. “I had hopes that they wouldn’t wipe your memories,” she said.

“Who would do that?”

The girl smiled sadly. “Usually the parents of the girls we approach.”

Junette’s mind was running through her memories, trying to see if she remembered her family acting odd.

“They tend to erase all memories associated with us,” the girl explained. “They want you to forget, and hope by doing that we won’t approach you again. Most times, the family leaves the area all together and heads as far away from water as they can.” She giggled. “I’m surprised your family didn’t do the same.”

“Father is the sheriff,” Junette said.

The girl nodded before she turned around, hearing something Junette couldn’t.

Junette leaned to the side and searched the water, but it appeared empty. She looked back to the girl to see she was smiling at her.

“Time to go,” she said and grabbed Junette’s arm, tugging her over the back of the seat.

“Wait, wait,” Junette tried to pull her arm back. “Go where?”

“Your new home, of course,” the girl laughed and slipped off the boat, tugging Junette into the water with her.

Junette broke the surface and gasped for breath.

The girl placed her hands on Junette’s face, feeling her treading water in front of her. “This may tingle,” she said.

“Wait,” Junette grabbed the girl’s wrists as they started glowing light lavender. She sucked in a breath as warmth spread through her face and started to travel along her veins. Her body started to tingle as if goosebumps were spreading up her arms and legs. The light travelled from the girl’s hands into Junette’s face, following the same path as the warmth. When it reached her toes, Junette’s body soaked up the light.

The girl took her hands away and swam back a little. She winced when Junette started screaming. She looked around her, making sure no humans were in the area.

The glow started to fade and Junette stopped screaming, a sob coming through her lips as her head drooped. The girl swam forward and caught her when it looked like she was going to sink.

Junette blinked a few times before lifting her head. “What happened?” Her voice was rough.

The girl giggled and swept her tail over Junette’s. “Ready to go home?”

Junette looked down and her eyes widened. She quickly crossed her arms over her now naked chest before looking even further, to the violet scales that now covered her fish tail, the same length and width as the girl’s in front of her.

The girl grabbed Junette’s hand. “Everything will work out,” she said. “Trust me.”

Junette looked up at her. She searched the swirling eyes and, for a reason she didn’t understand, she nodded.

The girl grinned and turned, diving into the water. She tugged Junette down into the water with her, interlocking their fingers. 

Day 17: May 19

Challenge: the story starts on a lake.

Junette Baddock leaned back on her father's boat, stretching her arms across the seat at the stern. Around the boat was the clear blue water of Swyn Lake, waves gently licking at the side of the boat. It sat near the middle, no houses or shores in sight, only the tall cliffs on the port and starboard sides that reached for the sun.

Junette tilted her head back and closed her eyes, letting the rays bathe her. A towel was flung over the driver seat, a book sitting on the seat.

Humming echoed around her and Junette opened her eyes. She lifted her head and looked around. The lake was void of others, a gentle breeze whispering through the trees and across the lake.

Junette shook her head and closed her eyes again.

A giggle rang through her ears.

Junette snapped her head up and opened her eyes, whipping her head back and forth.

Another giggle and she turned around in her seat. Her eyes widened upon the violet haired girl sitting on the back of the boat.

"Um, hello?" Junette twisted to sit on her knees.

"Hi," the girl chirped.

Junette ran her eyes down the girls body, over the hair covering her breast to the scales she could see around her belly button. "How did you get here?"

"I swam of course," the girl started twisting a strand of hair around her finger.

*Just a short one today. But it's kind of cute.*

Day 16: May 18

Challenge: during the story, someone's method of transportation breaks down.

It was their annual camping trip. A time where it was just the family, together, for an entire weekend.

The father, Torrence, had the motor home packed and ready by 8 in the morning. The mother, Elladine, had her high school trumpet to her lips by 8:30. The youngest, Kiley, was up and in the shower by 8:35. The twins, Jayme and Jeth, were pounding on the door by 8:45. The oldest, Leighton, rolled out of bed at 9:15.

It was 10 by the time they were pulling out of the driveway.

Torrence cranked the country station as they pulled out of their neighbourhood. Elladine immediately turned it back down and started a running commentary of this new campsite in the middle of nowhere off a dirt road. Kiley, 14, was curled on the couch with a manga book open. Jayme and Jeth, 15, had their Magic cards out on the table. Leighton, 16, was stretched out on the other side of the couch, ball cap pulled down over his eyes as he snored.

"No cell service?" Kiley asked 2 hours later, looking up from her manga with wide eyes.

"That's right," Elladine said. "You kids are on those things enough; this is family time."

Kiley let out a strangled laugh. "I'm going to die of boredom."

"Kiley," Elladine said before grabbing the dash as Torrence turned onto the dirt road. "Don't be dramatic."

Leighton snorted. "Kiley thrives on dramatics."

The motor home jerked and Torrence let off the gas, his hands tightening on the steering wheel as he tried to straighten it out. It lurched again and he pressed on the brake, pulling over.

"Torrence?" Elladine asked.

The kids all looked forward, their activities forgotten.

Torrence looked at Elladine and tried to smile. He opened his door and stepped out. He flicked the button to open the hood before shutting his door.

Elladine pulled out her cell as Torrence lifted the hood and propped it open. She lifted her cell towards the roof of the car, waited, then rolled the window down and held it outside.

"Mom?" Kiley asked.

"No cell service," Elladine sighed and thumped her head on the head rest.

*This was fun to write! The prompt made me think of the Rocky Horror Picture Show and I wanted to play around with the idea of being stranded.*

Day 15: May 17

Challenge: the story takes place at midnight exactly.

It's the time I was born, and the time when everything significant happens in my life. It was the time my mother succumbed to the tumor in her brain when I was 10. It was the time my father left for the bar the night he never returned; I still don't know what happened to him.

Tonight is my 18th birthday, and something in my gut is telling me it'll be a night to remember.

The house is dark when I pull up, just as I left it. I press the button and the garage door opens. The mortgage was paid off two years after mom, and two years before dad started his nightly bar hopping. I was 15 then and already had my first job as a hostess at the family restaurant down the street. I'm still there 3 years later.

I unlock the door to the house, a precaution I've kept since dad disappeared. I close the garage door the lock the one leading inside. I flick on the light to the hallway, toeing off my shoes. I glance at the clock hanging by the door; five minutes.

I hang my coat and purse on the hook under the clock before heading towards the living room at the end of the hall. I grab the remote I left on the arm of the couch and switch on the TV. I head to the left and up the few stairs to the kitchen. I grab a coca-cola from the fridge before going back to the couch and stretching out on it.

As the grandfather clock mom had bought years ago chimes from the front room, my temples start pounding. I close my eyes and images start to dance in my mind. Whispers follow and I try to hear the words but they don't make sense. Snippets of sentences come through but I can't piece them together. The images start moving faster and I might have groaned as the pounding increases. I press my palms to my temple, rubbing circles into my flesh. It doesn't help. My entire head starts to throb and I move my hands to my eyes, pressing them hard. A rush of sound echoes in my ears before the darkness reins.

*A short one today, but this idea has been swimming in my head for a while and I thought I'd play with an idea that would be the start to this story. It's not bad. *

Day 14: May 16

Challenge: the story ends atop a tree.

There's a story in my village about a creature that lives in the canopy of the emlwor trees. The thing that makes these creatures different from the small, winged tandeltins that live in the canopies is the wings; they don't have any. Nobody knows the name of these creatures, or what they look like; it's been a century since anyone has seen these creatures. We only have rumours passed down through the generations. But we know they still exist; they're still feeding off us.

Two days ago, my sister's newborn daughter was taken in the dead of night. The only thing left behind were the claw marks in the wall. The only thing we have to go on to know these creatures exist.

That day, my brother-in-law gathered every man that was willing to hunt these creatures. But it didn't stay a group of men. Ten women followed me to the meeting place where he was waiting with the fifteen men he had gathered. He took one look at the faces of the women behind me, and nodded. This mission was personal. It didn't matter if we had never held a sword or shot a bow before. Sometimes, the strength of will is greater than the strength of arms.

Now, we sit in the camp nestled in the giant roots of the emlwor trees. Some of the men don't believe we should be here. It doesn't matter how many of them we fight and come out the victor; to them, battle is for men. But we will show them; we will prove, for how ever long it takes, that we have the right to be here. We can be fighters just like them.

As I sit here, I wonder if we've come across these creatures without knowing it. The past couple of nights around the fires have been spent telling tales of the creature, each one of use giving our family's version of the story. There is only one thing we all agree on: it has no wings.

*Short today, but this one was interesting and I edited it quite a few times to get it to read how I wanted it to read. It's a fun little story, though.*