mara

Finding Elora: Prologue

Published: July 5th 2023, 2:00:07 pm

A/N: I know this update is supposed to be Land of Wolves, but I got really excited about this new book and wrote the prologue instead of the next LoW chapter 😬

I may end up changing the book title & cover, but this is what I've got for now!

20 YEARS AGO

Abby flattens her sweaty palms against the smooth blue interior of the slide, her shoulders straining as she struggles to find a good foothold. Why can’t she get this?

Everybody else in her first-grade class can climb up the slide, and she’s tired of hearing their frustrated sighs whenever she tries. They say she’s too slow, and it’s embarrassing.

Her right palm slips with a loud squeak, prompting her to flail and kick her legs even further to the sides. It’s the wrong move, one she’s made the mistake of doing over a dozen times already, and she grunts as she loses her hold and tumbles to the bottom of the slide.

There’s no reason for this to be as hard as it is.

“Hi.”

Annoyed, Abby rolls her eyes and shoves her damp blonde hair out of her face before turning toward the newcomer. Her brown eyes meet a pair of vibrant purple ones, the sight only worsening her already sour mood.

It’s Lillian.

She and her mom are new to the neighborhood, and already Lillian’s managed to ruin Abby’s life.

Abby’s older brother Aaron no longer wants to play with her, and, after much deliberation, Abby’s decided it’s all Lillian’s fault. Tommy Knocker, Aaron’s best friend and the absolute love of Abby’s life, doesn’t think she’s cool anymore, and all they want to do is follow Lillian around.

That’s all anybody wants to do, and now Tommy Knocker and Aaron run away from Abby the first chance they get.

They think Lillian’s exciting with her purple eyes and stark white hair, but Abby doesn’t think it’s that cool.

“Can I try?” Lillian asks, gesturing to the slide.

Abby crosses her arms over her chest and glares at Lillian. There’s nobody here to yell at her for her bad behavior, so there’s no reason to be nice. Aaron was supposed to come to the park with her, but his eight-year-old legs are fast. He and Tommy Knocker ran away the moment they stepped outside, and Abby couldn’t keep up.

She has no idea where they are, and it’s all Lillian’s fault.

Everything was perfect before she moved into town.

“No,” Abby says. “It’s my slide,” she continues, wiping her sweaty palms on her pants.

They’re new, but the stretchy pink fabric is already covered in stains. There’s also a tiny hole behind the knee, a blemish Abby’s been working hard to hide from her mom.

Lillian presses her lips together and rocks back on her heels. She’s wearing a long blue dress, and while the color is pretty, it looks about two sizes too big on her.

Abby takes pleasure in that, and she turns back to the slide with the determination only a six-year-old can muster and begins another attempt. This time, she makes it a bit more than halfway before losing her grip and falling back down.

Lillian watches, a fact that greatly annoys Abby. Nobody ever comes to this park, and Abby’s come to think of it as her own.

This is just another thing Lillian has ruined.

Abby makes three more attempts to climb the slide before losing her patience and turning toward the still-staring Lillian.

“Go away,” she huffs.

Lillian frowns and points to the slide. “I want to try,” she repeats.

Her mom wants her to befriend Abby, and she doesn’t want to disappoint. Lillian’s mom’s been so sad since they moved here, but she seems excited whenever Lillian does something the humans deem favorable.

Making friends is very favorable, and Abby seems quite interested in the slide.

Abby purses her lips before clamoring off the end of the slide, and Lillian can’t help but wonder what she’s done to make the other girl so angry. Everybody liked her back in Elora, especially when she became best friends with Prince Mason.

He declared her his best friend in front of the entire court, and even Kieran spoke to her. He never speaks to anybody.

Lillian gulps, her eyes filling with tears. Her mom says she can’t think of them anymore. She’s supposed to forget they ever existed.

Abby hesitates as she notices Lillian beginning to cry, her eyes nervously darting around the empty park. She’ll get in trouble if anybody sees her making the new girl cry.

“You have to climb to the top,” she explains, pointing to the slide.

It’s about as friendly as she’s willing to get.

Lillian climbs onto the base of the slide and peers up the tube. They didn’t have playgrounds back in Elora, but Lillian’s finding she’s pretty good at most human activities. Her mom says she can’t be too good and draw attention, but that’s easier said than done.

Copying Abby’s attempts, Lillian plants her palms into the sides of the slide and begins to climb. It’s not nearly as complicated as it seemed, and after only a few minor slips, she curls her fingers around the plastic edge on top and crawls onto the gray platform.

“How’d you do that?” Abby asks, peering up from the bottom of the slide.

Lillian gulps and glances around the playground to ensure they’re alone. Her mom will be mad at her, but she really wants to be friends with Abby.

“I’m a faerie,” Lillian admits.

Abby cocks her head to the side. That’s probably why her brother and Tommy Knocker like Lillian so much. Aaron’s taken to calling Abby a troll whenever their mom isn’t listening, and she hates it. She doesn’t want to be a troll.

“I’m a faerie, too,” Abby decides.

Lillian beams and climbs back into the slide. Her shoes squeak against the hard plastic, and a second later she emerges at the bottom. Abby steps to the side to avoid getting hit.

“No,” Lillian says, landing in the pile of wood chips at the bottom of the slide. “I’m a real faerie.”

Abby frowns and climbs back onto the slide once Lillian’s out of the way. Lillian made it look easy, further fueling Abby’s desire to climb to the top. Everybody else can do it.

“I’m a real faerie, too,” Abby argues.

She doesn’t wait for Lillian’s response as she begins another attempt up the slide. She paid close attention to every one of Lillian’s movements, and despite her slightly shorter legs, it seems to have helped as she makes it almost three-quarters of the way up before losing her footing and falling.

“Try putting your hands closer together,” Lillian suggests.

Abby fights back an eyeball, but desperation has her giving it an attempt.

She’s willing to admit the closer hand position makes climbing slightly easier, but once she reaches the halfway point, her shoulders start to burn. Her right palm slips, the first sign she’s about to fall, but before her feet do the same, a small hand is pressing into her butt.

“Come on,” Lillian grunts.

Abby peers between her knees. Lillian’s red in the face as she pushes against Abby, giving her just enough of a boost that she can regain her grip and climb a bit higher. Lillian follows Abby the entire way up, continuing to push against her butt.

The other kids usually get angry when they’re behind Abby, and some of the meaner ones go as far as to grab her ankles to try and trip her up. Lillian only helps.

Abby sweats, and her heart pounds as she completes the climb of her life. The air inside the small slide is stifling as she curls her fingers around the plastic edge on top and climbs out onto the platform.

Lillian follows, and Abby spins and kneels at the edge of the slide before offering Lillian a hand. Lillian doesn’t hesitate to take it, and Abby lets out a dramatic groan as she yanks and pulls the other girl to the top.

Both collapse on the platform the second Lillian makes it out of the slide, and Abby pants as she struggles to catch her breath. Lillian takes a moment longer to read the situation, but once she realizes she should be winded, she throws herself onto her back and sucks in giant lungfuls of air.

Climbing the slide isn’t easy, but it’s not nearly as tiring as it is for humans her age.

The air here lacks the concentration of magic Lillian’s accustomed to, but she’s still more athletic than the others. The withdrawal makes her weak, but she’s young enough that her mom doesn’t think it will have long-term repercussions.

Lillian’s body hasn’t learned to rely on magic.

At least, not like her mom’s has. She tries to hide it, but Lillian sees the signs of exhaustion taking root. Her mother’s once vibrant white hair now appears a dull gray, and her bright purple eyes look almost brown. Even her body shape is changing, her once-perfect posture replaced with a slouch and her confident stride turned into a slow shuffle.

Abby rolls her head to the side and peers at Lillian. Despite having had help getting up the slide, she feels accomplished.

“I have popsicles at home,” Abby blurts out.

It takes Lillian a moment to remember what popsicles are, but the second she does, she’s sitting up with a smile.

“Can I have one?” she asks.

Abby nods before rolling onto her hands and knees and climbing to her feet. She’s exhausted, but she wants to show Lillian her newest toy. Her dad always brings gifts when he visits, which her mom hates, and his latest present was a giant bracelet-making kit.

Everybody at school exchanges bracelets, but nobody’s given her one yet. They don’t want hers, either, but maybe Lillian will.

“You can have one popsicle,” Abby says, brushing wood chips off her pants. “But the blue ones are mine.”

It’s her favorite flavor, and she’s not willing to share.

Lillian shrugs, uncaring about what color she’s given, before jumping to her feet and following behind Abby. Her mom told her not to go to anybody’s house without asking permission, but fear of Abby changing her mind prevents her from saying anything.

She won’t be gone for long, and Abby only lives two houses away from her.

They make it halfway down the street before Abby abruptly spins and plants her hands on her hips. She looks Lillian head to toe, silently evaluating, before asking the question that’s been coursing through her mind for the past thirty seconds.

“Are you really a faerie?” she asks.

Aaron tells her those things aren’t real, but she’s not quite sure if she believes him yet. He’s a bit of a liar.

Besides, Lillian could be a faerie. She’s got weird purple eyes and white hair. Abby doesn’t know what faeries are supposed to look like, but she supposes Lillian could pass for one.

Lillian taps her fingers against the outside of her thighs as she debates whether or not to answer truthfully. Will Abby retract her invitation for popsicles if she says no?

A few tense seconds pass before Lillian gives a jerky nod.

“Yes,” she confirms.

Abby knew it.

Aaron’s going to be so mad.

“Do you have powers?” Abby asks.

Lillian shakes her head. “No.”

Oh. That’s less cool, but at least Lillian can climb up the slide.

Lillian waits for her invitation to be revoked, but instead, Abby spins on her heel and continues leading the way home. Her mom is cooking dinner, and she’ll be able to read them the instructions on the back of the bracelet box.

____

The prologue is 3rd person, but moving forward the story will be in 1st as usual!