Secrets in the Shadows

Panting for breath, she paused for a moment as she quickly glanced around her. It looked like she had managed to get away from the hunters, but she knew perfectly well that they were not the kind to be fooled so easily and let their prey escape from their claws. There's no time to waste Maev, she said to herself. She couldn't waste another second as every second was extremely important for her, she had to keep on running, she wasn't going to give up on finding a way out of this mess. It wasn't easy when you have been jumping over dead branches and pushing your way through the thick fern bushes, your muscles had started to feel sore and you find yourself desperately trying not to fall or to get injured. If this would happen, it would only hold her back and that wasn't something that she needed at this moment. She tried to keep her calm and held back the tears of fear which were tickling her eyes as the hope of making it to the other side was slowly vanishing into thin air. No, she shouldn't give up, she needed to dig deep down inside her to find the courage that she needed to make it out of this nightmare, alive! Maev couldn't believe that a few hours earlier she was sitting in her room making plans for the trip of her lifetime and now instead of packing her things , she was running for her to stay alive! She had been waiting for her 26th birthday for her to be able to leave her home and go visit the world beyond her magical enchanting world. Crossing over to the other Universe is every girl's dream in the " White Kingdom" the land of magic and sorcery. This can only be done once in their lifetime between the age of 25 and 26 years whereby they are considered to have reached the age of maturity. It was like going on a field trip, but one that takes them out of their world where they could use magic to solve things into a world whereby they could live like a human for only five days.  Maev had dreamed of seeing the busy life of the cities, buildings, meeting people and most of all she wanted to see the sea. Many of her friends who had left to do go on such adventures had come back saying they didn't like being away from their world and wouldn't change it for that one, Maev thought differently. She always felt like she didn't belong to the world of magic, wizard, and witches. This has  often made her wonder if her mother wasn't something they called the mortals. Maybe her father had fallen in love with one of those kinds and had brought her back to the " White Kingdom". But she knew that would be impossible, the sorcerers will sacrifice her as soon as she would step into the Kingdom. No strangers were allowed to stay or to visit. Unless it was an official visit from another kingdom. Going back to her mother, Maev had heard many gossips around the kingdom about her mother, but no one had ever dared to approach her to tell her everything that they know about the woman who gave birth to her. Her mother died when she was born, well that was what her father had told her, yet she had never found a single painting of her around the house or even her burial place was nowhere to be found. She felt that there was a big secret regarding her mother which no one was allowed to speak of and that had hurt her as she grew up. She always felt this void in her life, the void of not knowing the truth. Even her father didn't speak much about her mother, how she looked, what she liked to do, he remained silent and barely spoke of her name like it was a curse. Maev wrapped her arms around a tree trunk and leaned her back against the big tree as she tried to catch her breath. Her throat was dry and she couldn't even think of a spell to help her out of that situation the only word that keeps going around in her mind was survival. She grabbed a big leaf and folded it in a bowl shape and tried to make water appear in there but she couldn't. She tried again but the simple magic spell didn't work.  " Damn! I'm so exhausted that I can't even remember a simple spell properly!", Maev snapped as she glanced around her and threw the leaf on the floor. She heard the swooshing sound through the trees, sniffing the air she sensed that they were getting extremely closer to her. Those Vampires were the most difficult ones to escape from. They had mastered the art of many magical spells and they were the most superior of their species as they were a mix of all the evils that you can think of. No spell or magic could work on them unless you know their weakness, and their weaknesses differ from one vampire to another. So, one would have a very hard time or no chance of survival if you dare to pick a fight with one of that kind. That's why they were the ruler of the "Underworld" and the most feared species. " What did my father get himself into?!", Maev softly questioned herself. Taking  in a deep breath, she looked around her trying to find a place she could hide or think of the spell properly. Maev had to try a little harder to make herself invisible just to give her time to think about where she will go.She turned to run when the blonde wig she was wearing got caught in a  twig and it came off. She didn't have time to grab it as she felt their presence and they were extremely close to her. Maev ran towards the bush and with all her might she chanted the spell to make her invisible and she nearly screamed in joy when it worked. She stopped running and turned to look at those men as they stood by the tree where she was standing a minute ago. They were so good at tracking their prey and once they capture you, there was no way out. The  thought made Maev gulped.  " She is not blonde!", one of the Vampires shouted as he sniffed the air.For a moment, she was amazed at how good-looking those creatures were! The kind of handsome that gave you goosebumps and a fluttering feeling inside your abdomen.We have always been told that they are the ugliest creatures...that was surely a lie!, Maev said to herself. Step out of it!, Maev thought as she remembered that those devilishly handsome creatures was the reason why she had been running like a lunatic for the past hours. She had to run until she will find the other world. If she manage to reach the other side, how long will she stay there for?The thought of her father crossed her mind and she wondered what have they done to him. How would she know if he was ok? If she does make it to the other side, she didn't even have her crystal ball to get in touch with anyone back at the Kingdom. She will have to find the answers to her queries when she was safe and alive, at the moment there wasn't any time for her to be melodramatic. Maev slowly took a few steps backward making sure that she doesn't  step on any dead beaches that could  give away her position. Taking the advantage of her being invisible she started to run, the only thing on her mind was to look for the pixie dust lights which would be a point of transferring to the other side. She had been running for ages and her feet were sore, but she couldn't stop until she found that light. She looked down and noticed that she was no longer invisible, those creatures must have realized that she was using magic to get away from them and blocked her from using her powers. This was how strong they were! She felt like all hope was gone and she stopped running, she was thirsty and exhausted. She will have to give up and surrender. She closed her eyes and took in a deep breath and as she opened her eyes, she noticed a sparkling white light a few meters away from her ,a soft smile appeared on her lips. Forgetting about being exhausted, Maev started to run towards the light and lunged into  the spinning flashing lights.  She had finally made it across to the other side! The sun was too bright for her that she had to cover up her eyes, she quickly removed her coat as she felt like she was suffocating. Maev glanced  around her, blinking her eyes every now and then as she  tried to adjust her eyes to the bright light of the sun. She saw a group of people standing not far from her and she read the board above their heads, " Bus Stop"." Great! A bus, a large motor vehicle carrying passengers by road, typically one serving the public on a fixed route and for a fare", She slowly repeated what she had learned in class about the human world.  She saw the big yellow bus approaching those people and she hurried towards them. As she got close to the bus she stood next to it and slowly touched it and smiled. Maev you better hurry, in case you have forgotten you are not on vacation here! she said to herself as she looked behind her towards the woods. A fare means that she needed what humans call money to pay for the bus fare which she didn't have, she had no choice but to use her magic even if she was forbidden to do so in the mortal world. Beyond her world, she had to live like one of the Mortals and was only allowed to use her magic only for emergencies. Well, this is an emergency!, Maev said to herself. After she had successfully managed to get on the bus after whispering some magic words to the bus driver, Maev hurried in and sat down in an empty window seat in the far corner of the bus. The bus driver turned around and looked at the passengers with furrowed brows and shook his head, he looked as if he was trying to figure out something but he couldn't open his mouth to say anything, he turned in front shrugged his shoulders and started the engine.  Finally! Now he better hurry and move away from here!, she said to herself as she looked outside and smiled as the bus started to move. Maev had no idea where she was going or where she was, but she didn't care. All of those things she will figure out later when she knows that she was hundred percent safe.  The bus had barely moved when it suddenly stopped. Maev looked outside but she couldn't see anyone or anything, her heart started to beat faster. She put her coat back on and slowly pulled the hood over her head and looked down, at the back of her mind she knew that nothing she would disguised herself as will stop those Vampires from finding her! Her worst thoughts had come true and she almost jumped out of her seat when three men dressed in long black coats entered the bus, the bus driver tried to speak to them but one of them hypnotized all the mortals in the bus and they all sat there motionless.  " If you don't come out voluntarily we will use all of these mortals as a feast and it will be your fault!", a manly  voice echoed throughout the bus and Maev got chills as she felt the threat in his voice. She remembered seeing the young children on board the bus and she slowly lifted her hands as a sign of retreat.  I don't know what will happen to me, but no way  I will allow them to kill those innocent people! Maev said to herself as she slowly stood up. She realized that they had blocked her from using her magic when she had tried in a last act of desperation to use the invisible spell again, so she had no other option but to give herself up. " Well well Well, look who we have here! The little runaway! You did well though for your size and for being a girl!", one of those men said sarcastically as he sized her up and the others laughed. " Now let's go, the King is waiting for you!", the same man said as he came up to her and roughly turned her around and tied her hands together,  he picked her up and put her over his shoulder, and carried her out. As soon as they were out of the bus they walked towards the wood where they were joined by some other Vampires and Maev saw some female ones too.  What will happen to me now?!, she said to herself as they disappeared into the woods..