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Lady Railly

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Emma wakes up to nothing but empty sandy plains. The last thing she remembers before mysteriously appearing involves a short walk, a letter and a blow on the head – but she’s determined to find out the facts. With the help of her best friend, an entire village and a sympathetic veteran, she is guided around the seemingly endless desert, but is convinced that she has no hope of ever going back to her family and the life she once had - without realising that she may be the key to not only her freedom, but the future of the country.

However, attempting to change the future may come with a price, as her every move is closely studied, and one wrong decision could potentially end her life - and everyone else’s hopes. Will she manage to find safety or is her opportunity costly and short-lived?

--

Hello, and welcome to another story/story series written by me. As you probably have guessed, the story is titled Starved, and to give you a hint at what it's about, it's based off a mix of 'Holes' and 'The Hunger Games'. I was inspired because for my birthday I went to see the film of THG, and although I haven't read the book(s?) (I do want to though), I thought it was simply amazing. And Holes has always been one of my favourite books.

I hope you enjoy reading this!

Started May 2012.

13-May-2012 08:21:14 - Last edited on 09-Jul-2014 22:32:27 by Lady Railly

Lady Railly

Posts: 3,140 Adamant Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

\./Table of Contents\./

Chapter One: Page 1, Posts 3 - 7
Chapter Two : Pages 1 & 2, Posts 8 - 3
Chapter Three: Page 2, Posts 4 - 9
Chapter Four: Pages 2 & 3, Posts 10 - 5
Chapter Five: Pages 3 & 4, Posts 6 - 1
Chapter Six: Page 4, Posts 2 - 7
Chapter Seven: Pages 4 & 5, Posts 8 - 3
Chapter Eight: Page 5, Posts 4 - 9
Chapter Nine: Pages 5 & 6, Posts 10 - 4
Chapter Ten: Page 6, Posts 5 - 10
Chapter Eleven: Page 7, Posts 1 - 6
Chapter Twelve: Pages 7 & 8, Posts 7 - 2
Chapter Thirteen: Page 8, Posts 3 - 8
Chapter Fourteen: Pages 8 & 9, Posts 9 - 4
Chapter Fifteen: Page 9, Posts 4 - ? (Unfinished, 0 posts complete)
Chapter Sixteen: Not Started

Ends of chapters will be marked by a simple '--'.

{^^}_{^^}_-¥- Novelist ~ The Novelists' Guild -¥-_{^^}_{^^}

,··,¸,·´¸·´¸•¹¹•,¸¸,·-·, .... Mos† Improved Writer .... ,·-·,¸¸,•¹¹•¸`·¸`·,¸,··,
',¸¸,.·´ .. ',¸,' The Novelists' Guild Excellence in Writing Award ',¸,' .. `·.,¸¸,'

13-May-2012 08:21:23 - Last edited on 08-Aug-2014 23:27:28 by Lady Railly

Lady Railly

Posts: 3,140 Adamant Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

The blistering heat and the dazzling glare of the sunlight roused the young girl as she cracked open an eye full of sapphire. She rose from the ground, her eyes widening ever so slightly as she examined her surroundings. The half-asleep look on her face gradually turned to confusion as she took a small step forward. Into the terrain, she shouted three words as if she was expecting an answer from the landscape.

“Where am I?”

She took another step forward into the dust and suddenly felt the intense temperature properly for the first time. It was clear that she had never seen herself in this place before. Her foot, as it was moving to take a third step, caught something on the land; casting a glance downwards, she spotted a brown leather bag. Peering inside - much to her relief – there were items such as a flask of water, a wooden dagger, and a fairly sharp knife. Such necessities that had already been given to her made her feel safer but she still wanted to find out exactly where she was.

Emma flicked a strand of auburn hair out of her eyes and set off with the bag over her shoulder, walking down the plains. Only the flame-coloured sand, occasional plants and the odd mountain stretched as far as the eye could see - and she did**t like it at all. Her many attempts to look at the sky always failed, and she soon gave up with trying to tell the time.

However, she kept walking and her mind was always littered with countless questions and doubtful answers. Where was she before she fell asleep? She couldn’t really remember but she knew that she was with her best friend, walking towards her house. Then she recalled smacking her head on the concrete floor.

Where was her friend?

It had several explanations but she did*** know which ones were correct. Gently feeling her head, she couldn’t seem to find any proof that her head was injured. Wait – was she daydreaming or had she already begun hallucinating? Maybe she was suffering mental injuries?

13-May-2012 08:21:31 - Last edited on 20-Jul-2013 22:51:51 by Lady Railly

Lady Railly

Posts: 3,140 Adamant Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

Cautiously, Emma reached into her bag for the flask and took a sip of water before continuing on her way.

After some time the sun and the moon exchanged places. Although all that she could see were stretches of amber, the many unknown noises that circled her made her feel slightly frightened. Her flask was now only three-fifths full and Emma, having walked fifteen miles in the past five hours was settling down to rest. The abrupt change of temperature made her feel more exhausted than she should have been – and she needed to conserve as much energy as possible due to the food shortage.

She drifted off to sleep behind a semi-circle of cacti and after four hours of sleep she awoke, the cold flowing through her like a snowy blizzard. Sighing with slight irritation, she was just about to lay down her head when she noticed her first real risk since waking up earlier that day.

A scorpion had its tail raised at her from about twenty feet away and was steadily coming closer, ready to strike at any moment.

Emma kept her movements as silent as she could as she reached inside her bag and pulled out the wooden dagger. Shakily throwing it towards the creature, it collided and sunk into the back of it. Its tail stopped quivering and its poised stance fell limp.

The eighteen-year-old felt a positive emotion for once as she pulled out the weapon, the material a little darkened but still intact. Using her knife she cut apart the scorpion, tossing the tail as far as she could. She ate a small piece, recognising the fact that she would have to live off this type of food for at least a few more days.

Her throat felt dry and, after drinking and storing her items once again, she felt refreshed to walk some more. Although the temperatures were below zero at this point in the night she decided that strolling in the blazing heat would be much worse than her current situation. With the bag in her hand, Emma began to advance along the desert for the second time.

13-May-2012 08:21:41 - Last edited on 20-Jul-2013 22:52:03 by Lady Railly

Lady Railly

Posts: 3,140 Adamant Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

The moonlight was the only source of light that she had to guide her through the darkness - and that fact alone added to the startled feeling that she had every time she took a step forwards. The small radius of light from where she stood helped a little to see where she was going, yet beyond that point there was nothing but black. At any point, something could sneak up on her from behind, she could step into some kind of trap, she could tread on a poisonous creature – yet she would not know.

As she was simulating situations in her head, her next step happened to be placed above another venomous arachnid; most likely related to the meal in her bag. Emma gasped as her ears caught a crunching sound from the sole of her foot - and for a second she thought she had killed it. She was slightly bothered about it, as she had killed an innocent being, but that feeling soon disappeared as she caught a glimpse of movement in the darkness.

She panicked and tried to avoid the scorpion’s quivering tail by scrambling away, but no such luck was given to her. Emma cried out in pain as the venom was released out of the creature’s tail and into her ankle. Trembling and rooting through her bag, she quickly reached for the dagger again and struck it into the head of the creature. It did not kill it, but it was stunned and paralysed enough to allow her to get away.

The young girl ambled off and took shelter behind a lone cactus. As she sat down, she examined the now red and swollen sting on her foot. The pain had since reduced, but as she poured some of her precious water on the wound it reminded her of how cautious she had to be in the desert. She only had half as much water as she originally had – and if she ran out she would be lucky to stay alive vafter two days. Emma knew that she would not be able to survive like this forever, and she knew that the poison would probably end her life before dehydration. She had to find a way out before the venom had an effect.

13-May-2012 08:21:50 - Last edited on 14-Jun-2014 16:11:29 by Lady Railly

Lady Railly

Posts: 3,140 Adamant Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

Around two hours after she fell into slumber, she woke up to see a glowing speck on the skyline. However, she thought nothing of it, and continued to sleep until the morning.

She rose alongside the morning, and when Emma took a drink, she was surprised to see that the bottle had been refilled to the neck. The surprised girl rubbed her sapphire eyes, brushed her crumpled clothes and took another look at the flask. There was no chance of it being able to refill itself, so someone – something - must have done it for her. Or was she hallucinating again? Her pupils beheld the sky as much as they could and she remembered the glow she had seen the night before.

Was that the something? Was it that that was so kind as to refill her flask in the middle of a barren desert? She concluded that it was the glow; and finally took a drink. Was it poisoned? Did it contain a disease? She shook the thoughts off her mind and put the bottle away before venturing once more into the wasteland.

The pain from the scorpion had subsided now, but as she glanced downwards towards the wound it looked worse. It hadn’t been infected, but it seemed open enough and ready to be. She wondered if the dwindling discomfort was a good thing or not. She could be just imagining it, after all.

All of a sudden she stopped in her tracks as she tried to remember the glowing spark in the air once again. There was something inside of her that made her want to find out what it was. She was bearing in mind the risk of running into danger, but the true feeling that overcame her was the hope of finding something beneficial. After a couple of moments of thought, she came to realise that the glow had emerged in the west. Consequently she set off in that direction.

As she was walking, Emma was sure that she had encountered a dream when sleeping. She struggled to remember at first – there was only one image that she could recall.

13-May-2012 08:21:57 - Last edited on 14-Jun-2014 16:11:38 by Lady Railly

Lady Railly

Posts: 3,140 Adamant Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

Several bunches of dates were laid out on the sandy ground, while others still remained high above her on trees. Some were a beautiful gold, while others were a ripe burgundy colour. That was all that the image had to offer, and the girl was rather confused as to why she had that in her dream. Then her confusion drastically changed to shock as she tripped.

The pain grew at an alarming rate inside her ankle as she tumbled into a gigantic hole that tunnelled into the depths of the earth.

--

13-May-2012 08:22:04 - Last edited on 14-Jun-2014 16:11:47 by Lady Railly

Lady Railly

Posts: 3,140 Adamant Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

A short yet piercing scream leapt out of Emma’s mouth as she hurtled into the hole. There wasn’t much darkness around the entrance, as the light was streaming into it, but beyond where she stood it gradually grew darker. The girl nestled herself into an alcove along the side of the wall and inspected the graze on her ankle. It was deep enough to cause bleeding and as Emma kept her fingers pressed on the wound, she hoped it wouldn’t be infected.

She took this time to think some more about her dream. She did**t like the taste of dates, and she hadn’t eaten any for a long time, so why did it wander into her mind and create a dream like that? The image in her head revealed nothing more - no-one was standing around them. Was there?

The silhouette of what seemed to be an upright body was lurking in the background of the picture. Its arms were raised, and its head was slightly tilted back in a flinching manner. That could not have been a person. It was simply a cactus swaying in the wind, and she ended her thoughts with that conclusion.

Still half-dazed from the sudden fall, she reached for her bottle and took a long drink from it. Refreshed, she used more water on her wound after removing her fingers. It seemed that the blood had clotted. She smiled weakly to herself and stood up - but something immediately made her sit back down again. It was her stomach.

As she was briefly wiping her mouth after being sick, Emma noticed something half-buried under a pile of fallen sand. Curiously, she uncovered the writing but after several tries of trying to translate it, she gave up.

She rose once more and, for the first time, came to realise that in front of her, there were crossroads. She took a random direction and began walking, and as she travelled more she continuously grew to be astonished. What made her marvel was not the sandstone alone but the fact that the sandstone had lots of ancient writings carved into it. Not a single spot on the stone was uncovered.

13-May-2012 08:22:11 - Last edited on 14-Jun-2014 16:11:55 by Lady Railly

Lady Railly

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How much time did these people spend writing it? Who were these people?

Her thoughts stopped as she spotted someone at the opposite end of the tunnel. He did not seem to notice her because his viridian eyes were locked onto someone else.

Like a lion waiting to catch its prey, he silently made his way towards a small, almost defenceless human being. His back was turned as he was inspecting the contents of a brown leather bag, similar to Emma’s. The man made one swift move with his sword and it descended onto his victim’s back. A repulsive cracking sound was heard, and the sight was not one that Emma wanted to see.

The victim lay in two halves and as the girl now watched the killer, he picked up the wooden sword and the two bags that he had now earned. She gazed with curiosity at him as he tossed out a few empty flasks onto the floor and disappeared from sight. Did he leave? She took a few tiny steps forward and as a small gasp escaped her lips, he came into her view.

His eyes now showed determination as he ran towards her, dropping everything but the wooden sword in his path. Emma responded with her instincts, and turned to escape the claws of death that were nearing her.

The only thought on her mind was to leave the man far behind, but due to her circumstances – the fact that she was in a maze of narrow tunnels and her wound was throbbing – she did not doubt that this would be her death place. Not caring about which direction she took, she ran through the cave and came to a somewhat challenging jump course.

Emma could hear the footsteps of her follower, and she had to make her decision now - staying there to die or risking her life to jump over the rather large gaps in the rubble. She chose the latter, and although it was uncomfortable she made her first jump. She was surprised to see afterwards that not only had the man not caught up with her, but she had landed straight in the middle of the next obstacle.

13-May-2012 08:22:19 - Last edited on 14-Jun-2014 16:12:05 by Lady Railly

Lady Railly

Posts: 3,140 Adamant Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

With slightly more confidence than before, she jumped over the second of three divisions. She landed successfully, but the empowering feeling that she had received quickly dispersed when she noticed the man had caught up with her.

He already had his sword aimed at her and Emma was helpless, stranded on a lone pillar of rock. If she took the chance to jump over and to the other side, he would pierce her in the back; if she were to stay, he would simply throw it at her, and fate would decide whether she would dodge it or not. She considered the choice carefully but quickly. She would have no chance of survival if the sword landed in her back - but if it landed in her shoulder, for example, she would still be able to carry on for a little longer.

Her mind was what kept her still, and so the man projected his sword into the air and towards Emma. The girl promptly snapped out of her thoughts and stepped aside to dodge the throw – but due to such small space on the pillar she toppled over the edge.

After plummeting to the bottom of the towers, she felt two emotions; pain as she had grazed her ankle once again yet happiness as she noticed she had not received any major wounds from the sword. She had no time to rest now, though, as her hunter was coming over - ready to retrieve his weapon and strike again. Emma’s first instinct was to climb to the other side of the course, but how? Accompanied by a short burst of adrenaline, she heaved the many fallen rocks lingering around the edges and placed them in a staircase manner. Like luck was teasing her, she slipped just as she was about to cross but fortunately recovered and pulled herself to safety. The man was on the second pillar, and was rapidly approaching her.

As Emma limped as much as she could to get away from him, she spotted a familiar-looking object at the end of the tunnel. It was yet another leather bag and much to her happiness and disbelief, when she opened it, it contained some sort of potion.

13-May-2012 08:22:26 - Last edited on 14-Jun-2014 16:12:13 by Lady Railly

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