The Lores of Lyra - Rising Star

Breathing heavily, Annabell opened her eyes and raised her head slowly. Her whole body ached even though the worst pain had stopped. A numbness replaced the pain from the many cuts. There was no blood flow to her arms at all—they’d been tied to a pipe above her head. Every time she moved, she could hear the rusty pipes screech. But no matter how hard she pulled, she couldn’t break away.

Looking down at her body, she winced at the shape she was in: placed in an awkward position on the dirty concrete floor with blood staining the rest of her clothes. Relief flooded through her as she saw that the cuts had stopped bleeding.

Annabell looked around for her captors, but the small basement window, didn’t give much light. She couldn’t be sure that they weren’t hiding somewhere in the shadows. Cautiously, she dared to relax her muscles.

The people of Hydra considered Annabell Forrester to be a bad sport. Wherever she went, whispers followed. Sometimes her classmates were the cause of the whispers. Other times, it was the mothers, shaking their head in shame whenever Annabell passed by them on the streets.

Although, what she hated the most was when her townspeople looked at her with sympathy, not for her, but for the orphanage. The only people who had ever taken care of her. The rumors and the threats didn’t bother her. However, when the topic regarded her home—she got angry.

She was rude and obnoxious. Annabell would never back down from a fight. She chose to be so, being tough was how she coped with her life. Anger treatment had proven to be pointless.

Sometimes Annabell envied the lovely people in Hydra that could be sweet all the time. It wasn’t their lives and the popularity she envied. It was also their ability to act social and be pleasant towards others.

A sound shook her out of her mindset, and she tried to change position because her legs were falling asleep. After a few useless attempts at pulling herself up, she settled back down, resuming her earlier train of thought.

Of course, it was when she started demanding answers on her own that she got in trouble. The saying, ’curiosity killed the cat’ came to mind.

In all honesty, Annabell hadn’t guessed that her own nosiness would lead to this. Snorting at the thought, she looked at the floor. If only she had thought about it some more, she might not have been in this place.

The darkness grew outside, and it became harder for her to make out her surroundings. The only light source in here was the small ray of sunshine that still shimmered through the broken window. Dust covered everything in this place. Annabell coughed when she realized that she was inhaling it. Her chest heaved from her troubled breath. She tried to swallow, but her throat and mouth was dry as sand. Arching her neck, she tried to look around the room. If she were lucky enough to get free, she would need a weapon. But so far, only the rope—that currently prevented her from escaping—seemed to be of any use.

Her thoughts tried to recall the room from her memory. Unfortunately, the only images she could muster up were blurry and indefinite. Looking up she watched as the last strays of sunlight faded out, leaving her in complete darkness.

With a deep sigh, she gave up on looking around, and while trying to rest her head against her right arm, she thought back. Remembering what lead to the guards capturing her. Her laugh was bitter as she thought of the irony of this. The one time she’d cared enough to be cautious, was the time she’d be captured.

It had all started with a fight. Some stupid sixth grader was dared to run straight into her, causing her drop all her books right down into a pool of mud. A sudden anger had taken over her body, and she had demanded an apology. The boy had refused, trying to show his friends that he wasn’t afraid of the older—and slightly insane—girl.

When Annabell had noticed his friends in the back, cheering him on, it had taken everything within her to collect her books and walk away. It had been an accident when she pushed past him, accidentally making him fall over. Most of the times she would have muttered an apology, but at this point in the event she was to enraged to care whether he would get in trouble with his mother for making his clothes soiled.

As a result, the little brat had told on her, not to his mother, but to his older brother Lucas. He had cornered her some days after, followed by around ten of his friends. The eleven guys had gathered forces and charged at her. She hadn’t been able to wrestle her way out of it. The first fifteen minutes she’d tried, but the result would have been the same, so instead she had cowered down trying to keep her vital organs protected from the worst of the attacks.

Annabell still didn’t know who called for help. When she woke up again, she was back at the orphanage. Ms. Serena had been watching over her for at least a few hours when she finally opened up her eyes. A doctor came to see her, and everyone had been shocked over how fast she was healing.

“It was a miracle,” they said.

People started coming around to see the child that magically survived the brutal attack. At first, she’d sort of liked the positive attention. It had caused the orphanage massive advertising, and many kids were adopted in the following days. But after the first few glorious days, everything went downhill.

A groan escaped Annabell’s lips—her rear was falling asleep as well. Trying to adjust her position, she thought back once more.

It hadn’t taken long before the media had tried to get the spoof on her situation. Doctors rushed to examine her—they wanted to be the one to discover how she survived. Apparently, one of the kicks she’d received to her head had been so powerful that the chance of survival without instant medical help was near zero.

Ms. Serena struggled to keep people at bay, but the media were some of the most persistent folks. They were yelling questions at her from the street: ‘Who was she?’, ‘How did she do it?’, and her favorite, ‘How did she end up here?’

For a while, she’d been amused at their desperate cries for a spoof. Her amusement faltered when Elder Errai showed up, though. The Elders were the highest people in Astron. Mandatory classes taught about them, and the story of how they came to power. They were the most prominent people in the country, and if Annabell knew anything about them in particular, it was that they wouldn’t take notice of on single orphan child—without having something fishy in mind.

When Ms. Selena had announced his arrival, Annabell’s suspicious nature had caused her to refuse him entry, which would have worked if he’d respected her privacy. Errai had forced his way in—possibly by bribing the orphanage.

The memory alone gave her chills.

“What happened?” he asked. His black eyes were void of any feelings.

“I was attacked—“

“I mean after.”

“I woke up here. Ms. Selena was the first thing I saw when I opened—“

“How did you do it?” he interrupted her again.

“I don’t know.” Annabell looked down at her bandaged limbs. “I have no clue.”

A shiver crept up her spine.

It hadn’t stopped there. Elder Errai asked many questions, and she had tried to answer them to the best of her ability. But with every question, her fear of him increased. She hadn’t been able to put her finger on what it was. Only the fact that he was an Elder had prevented her from accusing him of being pure evil—she kept it to her mind.

Eventually, he’d left her abruptly. It wasn’t until later, when Ms. Selena revealed to Annabell that he’d demanded answers from her as well. The older woman hadn’t told him anything, but she’d advised Annabell to be careful. She wouldn’t tell anything else, leaving Annabell with more questions than answers.

Annabell shook her head, by the memory. Her knee itched, and she groaned when she realized that she had no chance to scratch it. Trying to distract her thoughts from her knee, she remembered the events that followed the Elder’s stay.

As soon as she had been able to walk again, she began researching the history of Astron. The most frustrating thing was that she couldn’t find anything unusual. She needed to know why they were suddenly so interested in her. It didn’t take many days before she realized that she needed to gain access to the oldest part of the library; only there would she have an opportunity to get her answers.

The librarian was stubborn though; Annabell had begged, pleaded and thrown hysteric fits for weeks, but to no avail. It was clear in the old wench’s eyes that she had no desire to have Annabell in her library, and certainly, not in the most expensive part. Only Elders, guardians and people of incredible wealth were allowed there, and even then always under supervision.

If only I had stopped there, she thought regrettably.

One day, she’d waited in the library until after closing time. She slid down under one of the reading tables where she waited in hiding. For some reason, she’d been extremely unlucky. The table was old, and a splinter had scratched her eyebrow.

Her plan would have worked—she had memorized the guards’ shifts. As soon as the time changed to seven pm, she would be all alone in between the old books.

When the guard put out the last light, she held her breath, waiting until she heard him lock the door from the outside. She fumbled to get her flashlight, but dropped it on the floor with a loud clash. The sound surprised her and echoed through the empty library, and she stood up, hitting her head on the tabletop. Wincing she held on her tender spot. Yep, a bump was forming already.

Stumbling to her feet, and steadying herself with a chair, she took in her surroundings. The flashlight had turned on and pointed in the directions of the stairs. Smirking to herself, she crept over to the light and held it tightly.

Making her way over to the stairs, she descended, systematically, ensuring that she wouldn’t fall. Mentally, she scolded herself to tread more carefully, to prevent making any sound.

The floorboards creaked with every step, and she decided to hurry and get it over with, instead.

Coming to a halt before the door, she took a moment to catch her breath before stepping inside. She could feel the adrenaline rushing through her body. This was illegal, and the risk of it all excited her even more.

She secured the flashlight around her wrist, and aimed the light at the floor. There was no need to be careless. One last exhale and she turned the doorknob and went inside the forbidden room.

Walking further in, she scanned the shelves. The books were dull, and they looked old and frail. All of their binding appeared wrecked and crumbled. Looking them over, she noticed that the paper was fading—almost transparent.

Her stomach clenched when the possibility that she wouldn’t find anything surfaced. Shaking it off, she checked the aisle sign. She was at the Towns Records. Walking past them and further down, she saw another row filled with the Laws of Astron. Skimming them; she wondered why these were off limit.

Granted, Annabell had never been adept at math. However, she couldn’t find anything even remotely useful among the numbers in these books. Growing frustrated, she changed directions and stepped over to an aisle called ‘The Five Legends of Astron’.

A smile had spread on her face. Bingo…

These titles were almost as worn out as the rest, except for one. It placed on display in a glass showcase. The binding was intact, and the caption read ’The Legacy of Astron’. Annabell gawked at the beautiful cover, and as she moved the flashlight over it, she could have sworn that the intricate patterns moved.

She tried opening the showcase, but she couldn’t open it—it was locked. She could feel disappointment rush through her before she remembered her own hair. Ms. Selena had bribed her to try to look more feminine, she had finally agreed to hairpins. In her opinion that was better than a dress any day. Using the pin, she picked the lock.

Five minutes later, the showcase was open and the book in her hands. Slipping down to the floor, she carefully held her flashlight and opened up the book.

‘The Five Legends’ was mentioned first. Annabell knew this story by heart, it was mandatory.

’It was said that the two biggest stars in the universe, Nemesi and Solem collided. The weight crushed them both, and pieces were shattered across the universe, forming the constellations. Every time a star collided, the power would create something entirely new. The gravity from each part of the universe tore Nemesi and Solem apart. Nemesi was forced far away, so they would never risk another collision.

All around different planets started to appear, and one of them was Terra. The world as we know it. Solem protected this land, with heat. She loved Terra as a mother loves her child and enjoyed watching it grow.

Millennia passed, and Solem could sense darkness spread across her beloved Terra. She took five stars from the sky and sent them to earth to help. The five stars ruled for many years, but they longed for the sky and together they gathered five of the finest and wisest men, and gifted them each, with unexplainable power and inconceivable wisdom. This gift was passed down through generations to their firstborn.’

Annabell sighed. She already knew most of this. Flipping through the book, she saw a picture of the current elders. Goosebumps appeared on her arms as her eyes scanned Errai’s portrait. His pitch black eyes, even on the drawing, made her skin crawl.

Reading on she found out that the Elders were actually named in honor of the original five stars.

“Once a new Elder was to be chosen, the Guardians of Astron would search for the mark that would appear on the shoulder of one the Elder’s sons. It would be shaped like a harp, with six marks, similar to the constellation of Lyra. The Chosen would be stripped of his identity, and make room for the Elder, as soon as the powers were bestowed upon them. From that moment, they would be forever known as Elders. Their destiny no longer their own, nor would their allegiances lie within their families or their past lives. Their obligation to uphold the safety of Terra would transcend everything else. This was the price they had to pay for being that close to the divine.”

Annabell pitied those who had their life laid out like that. The tales they were told in school primarily concerned the significance of the Elders among how to act when they were in their presence. She hadn’t known that it was chosen for them. Granted, there hadn’t been a change in the Elders in the sixteen years she had been aware.

Turning the page, she saw that the next section called ‘The Prophecy’. A warning creek from the floorboards interrupted her concentrating, and she hurried to shut the book and turn of the flashlight. Her heartbeat increased and she held her breath in fear of making any noise. She tried getting a glimpse of the time, but without the light from the flashlight, she couldn’t see the digital digits of her watch.

Steps sounded to her right, and she slowly put the book down beside her, careful not to drop it. Her plan was to crawl away quietly. The footsteps came closer, and she tried to shuffle to her left, when another set of feet walked in her direction. Staring at the bookcase in front of her and feeling the other pressed against her back, she understood the situation—she was surrounded.

“Well, what have we here?” the voice of a man spoke from her right. Annabell heard a snicker from the left. Even though, she knew it was too late, she sat perfectly still.

“I am most certain that we aren’t alone Calum,” the voice from her right said. She heard their slow footsteps as they both came closer, trapping her in.

“Don’t try to get past us. You won’t succeed!” the man who must be Calum said as if he read her thoughts.

Standing up slowly, she held her hands in the air. A bright light blinded her as the other man passed his flashlight over her. Passing the torch over the book, he groaned as he recognized the name.

“Grab her Calum, she’s coming with us,” he commanded before she could say anything. Rough hands grabbed her arms, and bent them behind her back. She tried to get away but couldn’t force her way out of the strong hold. Her movements only made the hold more unpleasant.

With Calum pushing her forward, she started to walk after the unknown man. They forced a bag over her head as soon as they left the library and she was pushed into what felt like a car. Annabell hit her head slightly but remained quiet. She tried counting the seconds, to get an idea of where they were going, though her mind kept slipping in other directions, so she had no idea when they finally stopped.

An icy gust pierced through her scanty clothes as they pulled her body out of the car. A yelp escaped her lips when she felt her feet leave the ground in a flash. One of the men was carrying her. She felt different bumps that led her to believe they were carrying her down a set of stairs.

With no way of seeing her surroundings, she had to rely on her other senses. She felt the man place her on a flat, hard surface, holding her down while other hands grabbed her arms, tying them tightly together above her head. He tightened the rope, and she flinched slightly from the pain.

Annabell struggled against them until they removed the bag. Standing before her was six traditional looking men, dressed in uniforms. She recognized one of the designs as the highest of the guards in Astron. Barely believing her own eyes she blinked, but no matter how many times she looked, the man was still there. She was in the presence of one of the guardians of Astron. She focused on him; he was standing behind the others. If she had any chance of getting out of this, he would be the one to release her, she knew that much.

“What’s your name?” the one called Calum asked. Shifting her attention to him, she took in the rest of the men. They were all dressed in the uniform of the guards. Standing with their hands behind the backs they all stared at her.

The lightning was dim, only a bare light bulb lighted the room, from the corner. Shadows fell over the men’s faces.

Calum was the one closest to her, when she didn’t answer he nudged her with his boot. Focusing on him, she couldn’t help but smirk. He was middle-aged, buff man. The jacket seemed glued onto his broad shoulders. His eyes, which looked at her with a grudging expression, showed signs of being tired. Aging lines extend across his face, hiding beneath his unshaven face and his mouth was in a thin line. He didn’t want to be here anymore than she did. Annabell smiled an innocent smile to him.

The other men in the room were younger. His partner, who had commanded Calum to grab her, was looking at her with an unreadable expression. His stance was perfect, and the seriousness in his bright blue eyes, made her want to roll her eyes.

“Answer me!” Calum commanded again.

Still ignoring them, she had taken in the other four. All of them were a combination between athletic and muscular. She couldn’t see the facial expression of them, but her skin had itched as it does when someone is staring. Annabell looked up to find all eyes on her, shifting around she diverted attention to the sighing Calum.

“We want to know what you know,” Calum explained. He was clearly tired, and she had a feeling that if it were only him and her, she had a good chance of taking him down. Smirking at the thought, she remained silent.

Pain shot up her body, when someone kicked her in the side. Gasping she searched for the culprit. Her eyes met the one in the highest uniform; he stared down at her with black eyes that reminded her off Errai.

Anger flared through Annabell, she bit her lip so she wouldn’t say anything. The leader squatted down beside her.

“Why were you in there?” he asked as his black eyes pierced her own.

The pain from the side had subsided, and she fought to control her anger. Failing miserably she spat the superior in the face. Shock overtook his expression until resentment replaced the shock. He lifted his hand in the blink of an eye and slapped her across the face, causing her cheek burn badly.

The superior forced her to look at him again.

“What did you find?” he asked. When she still didn’t answer, he lost patience, and signaled for Calum to go with him.

“See if you can get her to talk,” he said to the four others before they left.

Annabell eyed them wryly. She held her breath as she waited for them to approach her. The rope gouged itself into her wrists, and the lack of blood flow, had caused her arms to sleep.

“Martin, what do you say we have a little fun?”

One of the guys came forth, and Annabell couldn’t help but take notice of him. He was obviously bad news, taller than the others were and with a mischievous glint in his midnight blue eyes. He had battle scars scattered around his face and arms.

“I don’t know about this Nicolai.” The guard who had been with Calum when she was caught - Martin she presumed - took a step forwards. “Then again, Jon told us to try and get her to talk.”

“You and your morally moral,” Nicolai said. Annabell thought he seemed ignorant; however, with great difficulty, she refrained from speaking her mind. She watched the two of them bickering back and forth on how to make her talk. She figured it was for show, in hopes that she would respect them and start talking.

Her eyes fell on the guard in the back. The highest guardian of Astron was staring at her with his fist clenched. He didn’t seem distracted by the two baboons trying to intimidate her. Her eyes widened when he stepped forth. Would he release her at all?

The two guys stopped their bickering, and let him pass. He walked the last few steps and stopped in front of her. Annabell could feel the anger rising inside her, and she refused to break eye contact.

“What were you doing in the library?” he asked in a calm voice. Silence fell in the room. He squatted down, just as Jon had done, and when she didn’t answer, he gave her a slap on the side of the head. Her cheek stung, and she sent him a glance filled with hatred.

“What were you doing in the library?” he repeated while raising his hand to hit her again. His other hand lingered on his knife in his belt.

“What’s it to you?” she snapped. His fist came thundering down, and she cringed back in fear, hating herself for cowering away.

“You filthy piece of crap!” She screamed and struggled to get free, though the ropes wouldn’t budge. They only tore at her wrists. She could see that her reactions amused him. The other guards started to laugh, and her feeble attempt was rewarded another hit, this time to her torso.

“You are so feisty! That will make this even more fun!” Alexander exclaimed, and stood up. Before he turned around, he kicked her hard in the stomach.

Annabell saw him turn away from her, through clenched eyes. The pain from his kick had left her breathless. Panting heavily, she saw him grab a compact package. Spreading it out in front of her, she saw as he studied the various knives it contained. Showing them to her with joy, a lusty grin spread across his face.

“Now Feisty one, since you won’t answer my questions I will change my tactics a little. You see, I’m not amused by the fact that you seem to believe that you are so superior to us,” he said and pointed a small dagger towards her. “Therefore, from now on, I will ask you something, and for every question, you do not answer correctly. I will cut you. Is that understood?”

When she didn’t answer, he reached out and cut her arm. She winced at the pain, but soon after it faded. She recognized the surprise in their eyes, and soon it was only a matter of seeing how fast they could get her to bleed. The cuts were there, though it almost immediately started drying, and the blood stopped flowing shortly after.

Annabell didn’t give them the satisfaction of screaming. She clenched her teeth together and groaned as the pain hit her repeatedly. He would wait until the pain faded and then make another. She felt the blood trickle down her body as the blade tore open her skin. When he started on her arms, she shut her eyes, feeling the blood fall on her face.

“This is unbelievable,” Alexander said as he made another injury. “Have you ever seen anything like this, Scott?”

Annabell jerked to attention. She watched in silence as they all stopped and looked at the man that until now had remained silent. She tried to focus. But the exhaustion from the pain was causing her trouble—she couldn’t keep her eyes open.

“I’ve heard about this, though I haven’t seen it with my own eyes,” Scott answered and stepped forward. Slowly he took a sturdy knife and slashed across her ribs, not caring that he tore her clothes. Annabel screamed at this.

He furrowed his brows as he watched blood seeping from the gaping wound. When the healing kicked in, he rose from the floor in a swift motion.

“We have to send a message to the Elders. They would want to know about this.” He gestured to the rest of the guards to follow him. With a last look towards her, he turned out the light, and walked out closing the door after him.

It hadn’t been long since they left. Even though, most of the pain had faded, it still took a lot of her energy. Her torn clothes stuck to her body from the sweat. She wished that she just had stayed out of it. Now she couldn’t refuse to talk to the elders anyway, and she didn’t even find anything.

Annabell once again tried to break free from the ropes, though to no avail. She was stuck.

Hearing noise coming from above, anger pulsated through her again. They can’t seriously be coming back to torment me again so soon, can they?

This whole situation reminded her how the rats in school were caged, and how students performed experiments on them. She always refused to participate. Right now, she didn’t regret that decision. Annabell could easily imagine how the rats felt on a daily basis.

She could hear the sound of footsteps coming closer toward the door. Her eyes were on the door, waiting for them to come back because she didn’t have any other choice.

When the door eventually swung wide open, she was surprised to see that it wasn’t the thugs, instead before her eyes stood a boy. His jaw dropped as his eyes fell on her.

As he stood staring at her, with mouth wide open, she grew irritated.

“As much as I’d like to hang out here, do you mind giving me a hand before the others come back?” she asked, her voice seeping with sarcasm.

The boy came to his senses and hurried to her. Now she could see that he had blond hair that fell into his green eyes.

“I’m Joshua,” he said as he cut her loose. Annabell rubbed her sore wrists as she stood up slowly.

Ignoring him, she hurried to the door, carefully making her way upward. She stopped when she heard no noise. Looking back at Joshua, she motioned for him to be quiet.

Going out into the room, she was surprised to see not only the four men who tortured her, but also Calum and Jon were lying still on the floor. Turning around she looked at Joshua as he came into the room.

“Did you kill them?” she asked and pointed towards the men.

Joshua seemed surprised and then shook his head. “They are anaesthetized, they won’t wake up until after few hours… no matter what you do,” he explained.

Upon hearing that, Annabell went to kick them all, in the groin, releasing the anger she had built up inside.

“Put this on,” Joshua said. She stopped her kicking and turned around to him. He threw a black shirt, which she barely caught. For a moment she was confused, until she looked down to see that her clothes didn’t leave much to imagination. Pouting, she pulled the shirt over her head, before she ran out the door.

Annabell couldn’t recognize the place. It was close to a forest, but which forest? She squinted at dark trees in front of her.

“You can’t leave,” Joshua said and ran after her. Grabbing her arm, he forced her to a stop.

Slightly impressed by his strength, Annabell looked him over. He appeared thin and breakable—like a twig. Realizing that he was still holding her, she jerked her arm free of his grip.

“You can’t tell me what to do!” she said, and once again turned to leave towards the city. She didn’t get far before she once again felt Joshua’s hand grab her.

“I mean it, you can’t leave. We have something to do!” he said, their eyes locked in a glaring competition.

“Let me go, or I swear you’ll regret it,” she threatened. Joshua’s face didn’t change, and he didn’t let her go.

“Like I said, we have something to do.”

“There are no we… We don’t have to do anything. I am getting out of here. You can stay here if you like. I don’t give a damn,” she said. When he still didn’t release her, she commanded, “Let me go!”

She pulled, and was surprised that he didn’t even budge. He sure had some muscles somewhere hidden inside him.

“Where do you even want to go? It’s not as if you can just go back home. They’ll find you again, and surely the foster home will ask questions about your current situation,” he said. His green eyes travelled down her body, and a frown formed on his face before her met her eyes again.

“Have you been stalking me?” she asked as shock covered her face and a new wave of anger pulsated through her.

“No, I just know you live there. It’s not as if Hydra is that big of a city,” he said, still holding her arm.

“What is it that we are supposed to do, then?” she huffed, her voice filled with sarcasm once again.

Before he could answer, they both heard a car arriving on the other side of the house.

“Look, I’ll be more than happy to explain all this to you, when we are safe. The city isn’t secure though. Therefore, you’ll have to come with me. Quick!” he explained in a hurry, and started pulling her towards the forest. Annabell was forced to follow him as he still had a steel grip on her arm. Running side by side, they both disappeared deeper and deeper inside the dark forest.

Boy, I hope I’m doing the right thing, she thought.