I opened up my wings, stretching them out as I a yawed. I breathed and smoke filled the cave causing the a little creature that scurried in to sneeze.

I heard the little fur-ball dash away and I, bored, followed it. Listening to the sounds of its paw steps sad scent to locate it.

It scurried farther and further away from the depths of the cave. It was almost at the spot where the cave widens, a place I wasn’t aloud to tread. I ignored the rules and ran after it surprised of its quickness for how quiet its movements were.

My wings brushed up against the dip in the cave, signaling the widened path. It was strange to have my wings less cramped in a space, it was freeing, though my wings still couldn’t fully extend.

The farther I got from the thinner path, something weirder happened. I was able to see a shadow of which I presumed were my claws. They looked weird, far from what I imagined they would be like, granted I had never been given an example of what claws looked like.

Ignoring the weirdness, I dashed further out, fixated on the creature which appeared to be a tiny shadow. Where it went, I went.

Brightness began to slowly pour into the cave, grays, browns, and the rare green something I had never experienced, it was beautiful, I wondered why she made me stay away from it.

The tiny animal dashed into a hole in the cave, too small for me to fit in. It didn’t matter, another thing caught my attention, a bright white glow. I ran towards it.

My wings expanded finally allowing to extend as I came to the exit. The world was even prettier than the caves.

Green covered everything before grey showed a drop off. The open air was a deep blue, something incomparable to the caves. It was gorgeous, although overwhelming.

A red figure moved towards me, taller than even me. It wore an expression that I was unsure of it’s meaning. It moved closer before it spoke.

“I told you to stay in the cave! It’s dangerous out here!”

Oh, the figure was her, my mother. Why did she think this place was dangerous, it was indescribable. It smelled like freedom, it felt like freedom.

A loud bang sounded in the distance with pained roar following. Scared, I dashed into the cave. Perhaps that’s what my mom viewed as dangerous. Whatever it was, it hurt someone. Dangers lurk here.

Hearing that ‘The Author’ is looking for you is enough to make grown adults cry, a known fact for us that seams to confuse some people. It’s probably because they’re outsiders. Outsiders may believe ‘The Author’ sounds like someone who spends all their day writing, but to us, it’s much, much more than that.

The Author is our creator, our controller. They’re powerful, dangerous, and cruel. If they are looking for us, we might as well be dead.

Outlaws, villains, or even people who tripped up, fall into The Author’s hands. Once they’re caught, we never see them again. Although at midnight next to the empty prison, we hear screams.

Maybe it’s the screams of the dead, or maybe they aren’t as dead as we think. Only they know the truth.

Scarlett sighed as she placed her last item in the box. She was already missed the place even though she hadn’t even left yet.

Being forced to leave her home was definitely not fun. The rent had gotten too high for her job to keep up.

Scarlett looked around the room one last time, before she pushed herself off the ground and left. The rest was up to the moving company.

“I need you to listen to me very carefully. You don’t know me, but I know you,” the strange woman said.

I stared at her, wondering what she wanted. Mommy had always told me to not talk to strangers, but maybe once I’ll ignore her.

The woman continued, “Your mother may not be what she seems. Watch yourself.”

“What?” I asked. ‘Not what she seems,’ it didn’t make sense, Mommy was kind.

“Shoot, I don’t have much time,” the woman whispered to herself. She sighed, “Just . . . pay attention to the news, I don’t know how to explain it to you, you’re only five.”

“I’m six.”

“Same thing,” she said before looking over me. “I have to go. Remember what I said!” she ran away when she finished.

I turned around, wondering what worried her, and I saw Mommy. She smiled at me and asked, “Who was that honey?”

“I don’t know, but she said she knew me . . .”

“Come on, let’s go home,” she said as she took my hand and dragged me to an odd white van and started the car.

After a long while in the car, I heard Mommy’s phone buzz a weird alarm.

“What was that?” I wondered.

She looked at me, with a strained smile, “Nothing you need to worry about sweetheart.”

“Okay!”