Alexis awoke to the beautiful morning sun. Its red, orange, and pink rays mingled with the blue light of the fairies flittering around her. After the severe argument with her older siblings the previous night, she’d fled to the forest to escape the pain they might inflict upon her. Not that she was too upset about that. There was nothing like resting surrounded by the sweet aroma of awakening moon lilies, dream-catcher roses, and the rare purple and red flowers that nobody Alexis had met so far had known the name of. She’d started to call them zebra blooms, because of their dark red stripes.

Sleeping outside can be extremely dangerous in certain areas, though. There are so many creatures longing to taste her sweet, soft human skin. Masters of camouflage, they blend into the wild and wait for unsuspecting prey to pass by for them to snatch and devour in their own creative, painful, and inescapable way. Mage snakes, for example, whisked you up into their tree and immediately sink their venomous teeth into you. It’s said they were once regular snakes who happened to come across a delicious fairy for dinner. The magic that flows through the snake’s entire body turns their skin blue, their eyes red, and their teeth so white it is said they are indestructible. Supposedly, one bite and you begin to believe your only purpose is to be this snake’s meal.

Although Alexis had no desire to lay eyes on her cruel older siblings for at least the next century or so, she didn’t have much of a choice except to go back home. Her younger sister, Lara, couldn’t be left all alone. The poor young girl probably would’ve been killed by now if not for Alexis! Upon remembering all of

the times the rest of her family had tried to rid of her younger sister, she saw that she really had no choice at all. Lara would never run away with her, either, though Alexis was deeply offended that her younger sister believed she was better off staying home than staying with Alexis.

So she set off to go home.

The sharp blades of grass had no effect on her hard worn bare feet as she raced through the forest. She welcomed the soft petals of roseliandas trees whipping across her face like kisses from nature. Alexis wanted to enjoy the journey home as much as possible before having to face her family. Her cruel, heartless, unforgiving family. How was it that she was born from such close-minded people? Finally, the home where that family lived appeared between the trees. Quiet as a cat (since mice are actually extremely loud creatures), Alexis slipped into the house and almost got into bed without waking the rest of her siblings who all shared the same room, but unfortunately she was not the only one up early. Samuel, her brother, was wide awake waiting for her with a stick in his hand. A sick little smile played about his lips when Alexis finally noticed him and froze in terror.

He quickly strode towards her. “I’m surprised you even showed up here after last night! You pesky little rodent, can’t you see that we don’t want you here? None of us want you here, you freak! ” He hit her with his stick as she began to run for the door and blocked her way just as she thought she might make it before him.

Alexis glanced at Lara, sleeping so innocently in her bed. Tomorrow was supposed to be her ninth birthday. Samuel noticed the glance and nastily smirked at her. “I guess that explains why you came back. You know she won’t come with you when you leave! You’re too much of a freak for even her.”

The sore on her head caused by her brother’s stick was throbbing horribly. She had to get out. “Please, Samuel. Just let me go! I promise I won’t come back.” Her voice didn’t sound right. She felt faint, and knew another blow from Samuel would most likely knock her out cold. Alexis realized she didn’t have much choice but to use her talents.

Samuel must have realized this too, because a wave of fear passed over his face for a heartbeat- that is, if he had a heart at all. He stammered, “Don’t you dare use that freaky witchcraft on me!” He quickly glanced over his shoulder, and continued. “You don’t want me to call mother and father, do you? You remember what they said. They will murder you the moment they find out you’ve done something.”

Yes, she did remember. The worst day of her life. She was silent for a moment, but gathered up the courage to reply, “But it wouldn’t matter, would it? Because you would already be dead.”

He scowled and began to move aside. Alexis hurried through the doorway and ran to get out of the house, but felt one last knock on the back from her brother’s stick. Even still, she did not stop moving forward. She stumbled through her parents’

land, tripping over her father’s tools and an occasional tree root until she finally broke into a run through the forest.

Alexis barely ran ten feet into the forest before falling over in pain. This was the price she had to pay just to do what she loved? Her parents had been raised to look down upon anything fun or happy. As children, they were miserable. As adults, they grew to hate children and saw them only as tools for getting more work done. They’d raised all of their children this way, too. That’s why they all saw her as such a freak. She was different. Alexis had made a friend who’d changed everything for her. She wanted so badly to go find him, to travel with him. He traveled everywhere. He was a performer. As much as she wished she could, though… She couldn’t simply abandon Lara. Samuel had to be lying, right? Lara didn’t see her as a freak. So Alexis made up her mind to rest until she was strong enough to possibly sneak back and get Lara to come with her. However long that would be.She hadn’t noticed until then what a beautiful day it was. The sun was just barely shining from behind a puffy white cloud. There was a gentle breeze caressing her skin, and the approaching winter made it rain leaves of red, orange, and yellow from the hundreds of trees. Some fairies were flying above Alexis in the trees. She smiled at them and they began to braid her long, dark hair with pink and red petals from the roseliandas trees. She loved the sweet scent the petals gave off, and the red ones even tasted like fruit. Eventually, though, she had to tell the fairies that she had to leave and walk back to that wretched place she used to call her home.