Silver Thorn

[Jester]

She walked through the woods for hours. The sun glowed between each dead branch, casting odd shadows and orange light everywhere. It wasn't going to be long until that orange turned blue, and she was left in shadows.

Panicked, she rushed farther. Closer, she had to be closer by now...

The wind swayed a few trees, and she caught the nip of autumn in the air. Not only dark, but cold. "Lovely," she thought out loud, and watched her breath on the air. "As if things couldn't be worse, huh?"

Resting by a tree, she set her back against it, angry. If her parents hadn't been fighting... If her father hadn't hit her... She'd still be home right now, cozy in her bed awaiting the next day of school, and seeing her friends. But no, she was stuck out here, in London's cold woods, looking for a place to go. In the near dark.

"Why go back anyway? It's not like it'll ever get any better." She got up, and started walking again, determined, to find at least a small hollow tree for an overnight shelter.

What she found was better.

When she reached a thinning line of trees, she caught a glimpse of something rising up over the woods and casting a shadow across the rest of the clearing. She made her way toward it, and reached the brown grassy landscape in almost five minutes. She gaped for a moment, unsure if what she was seeing was real, and then determined that it was, in fact, what she thought.

A huge, overgrown and deteriorating castle. Abandoned.

 

[Pendulum Ghost]

It had been only half a day since Alek had found new shelter. He could hide behind the castle walls for surely longer than a few days. He hoped that he'd be able to stay here for a few weeks. It had appeared totally uninhabited but he had questioned the past few hours. Throughout the day he had heard weird unexplainable noises, but when he searched the castle he found nothing but empty hallways and rooms.

During his last search he stumbled upon a room with an old worn down bed. He hadn't slept on a real bed in years. But he was wary, he could have sworn that he had heard something in the room before opening the door. After taking a good look around he shut the door behind him and continued to search. Determined not to rest until he figured out where the odd noises were coming from.