Supper in the Bostwick residence was hardly an affair of any consequence. Ebony had assumed other families must put more emphasis on the last meal of the day than hers ever did. She had often dreamed of what an average British household of reasonable wealth looked like. Her family had so far departed from the once idolized image Ebony had had as a young child. Mr Bostwick had long since stopped even any apprehension of formally dining with his daughter. To the best of Ebony's knowledge, he requested his meals to be sent up to him whenever he grew hungry. Ebony; however, ventured down to the kitchen herself. Avoiding any contact with the cook or the scullery maids, she scavenged food for herself.

On this particular evening, Ms Ebony Bostwick had grabbed a plate full of a singular baked potato and a slice of buttered bread. She'd resolved to make her way out to their grounds and pick an apple from their old tree to supplement her meagre feast.

Before Ebony had abandoned the art of poetry, she had often scribbled on bits of paper little prose about the dear old apple tree. Little rhymes she had come up with as a girl still skipped and strutted across her mind, bringing her moments of happiness.

Apples and Pears

Apples and Pears

Apples and Pears are so dear to bears

Ebony often found herself muttering nonsense along those lines. Her lips curled into a smile as she made her way to the exit through the kitchens. She snatched a basket along the way. After exiting that vestibule, she broke into a trot. The words in her head followed her actions, becoming more frantic and hopping.

Invigorated and out of breath, Ebony made her way to the comfort of the apple tree. She picked up a ripe apple that had fallen from the tree onto the ground. She leaned her back gently on the rough skin on the plant's trunk and smelled the apple. She gave a cursory glance over its surface for worms or other foreign objects. Finding it satisfactory, she rubbed the waxy, red surface on her skirts and sunk her teeth into the apple. She relished the refreshing taste and the pleasing crispness.

She sat down in the grass under the tree. It was early evening, the sun had set but the sky still showed remnants of the sun that had previously been there. The orange had started melting into blue; the blue melting into a deep purple.

This time of night was very possibly Ebony's favourite time. It had become a ritual of sorts to walk around the grounds at this time of evening. It was one of the few moments of respite Ebony seemed to find during her days. Marsden House was something of a villain in Ebony's existence. Horrid memories showed their ugly faces at every corner of the old house; anxiety leaked through the rough brickwork.

The outdoors of course had some anxiety as well. Usually, faeries were unassuming little creatures and kept to themselves. Sometimes they seemed nothing more than curious of Ebony's acknowledgement of them. Ebony; however, remembered very vividly of a time where they had been the worst that Ebony had ever witnessed.

At the small age of eight years, she had gotten more brazen towards the fae. She often sought them out, trying to pick them up and touch their stain-glass wings. She had learned at a young age that she was the only one of her family and peers who could witness these creatures; therefore, she was careful to look for them only when the sun had set and darkness had fallen.

On one of these habitual excursions, Ebony followed a few fae a long way from home. The bright-eyed girl was so enveloped in that activity, she knew very little of how far her small feet had taken her away from home.

Eventually, she reached what she had from then on thought of as a hive. The glow of the fae looked like a star in the distance where she stood. As she approached, she found it bustling with more faeries than she had ever beheld in her short existence. She was frozen in awe for a few moments. Though she was afraid, her curiosity got the better of her as she made her way towards the bustling hive. The fae were caught up in frantic activity, flitting from here to there. From the hive, there was a buzzing noise. Much like bees. They didn't seem to take notice of Ebony's presence and Ebony inched closer.

When she got closer, she realized that the buzzing was not only the beating of tiny wings but also voices. The voices were high pitch and whispering. Ebony walked closer to try and understand what they were saying.

She peeked inside of the trunk of the large tree trying to spy past the glowing bodies. She noticed a fae that was larger than the rest in the middle of the group. It looked to be a male fae. Suddenly, its eyes turned onto her. It stared at her intensely. Suddenly, there was silence in the nest. Then there proceeded what sounded like a command from the mouth of the large faery. Ebony stepped back quickly right before the fae started after her.

Ebony's eyes widened as the unknowable amount of faeries started to crawl out of the tree and fly towards her. She started to run. She felt her hair and her dress snagged by tiny hands. She heard high pitched cries. She shut her eyes tightly and felt tears stream down her cheeks. She felt as if she had run into a forest of thorns. Her face was being snagged and her clothing ripped. She could hardly hear herself pleading for mercy over the wings of her attackers. Ebony rammed into something hard and rough and heard her ears ringing. Something wet and warm dripped down her forehead. She could only assume it was the blood from her stinging scalp. Her head swam and she felt herself falling.

She woke up in the early morning outside the door that led to the kitchen. She'd thought that perhaps the whole ordeal had been part of a nightmare. But why had she fallen asleep outside of the kitchen door? She then realized she felt no pain in her head. She touched her forehead, expecting to find at least a bruise. She found it not in the least tender. She felt her cheeks and didn't find any scrapes. Her dress, however, was in a different state, It was marred with little tears and droplets of blood. Her hair as well was knotted and rough. She contemplated for a few moments, stood up and made her way inside.

Ebony sat now, looking at the fae flying lazily overhead. She sighed in the night air as the colour deepened itself into black. Ebony discarded the core of her apple, brushed herself off and made her way inside of Marsden House. She slipped her shoes off and felt the cool wood under her feet. The floors creaked under her, slicing through the silence in the house. She quickly pattered her way up the stairs to her chamber. 

Hey there! Caroline here! If any of you are coming from my previous draft, I apologise for the immense delay. This book has a soft spot in my heart and I am still currently working feverishly to complete it! I'm planning on updating every Saturday! Thank you for reading!