PROLOGUE

Laughter echoes around the silent woods as a pair of orphan girls no older than 18 stepped through the greenery. A neat wooden cabin in which the two made their bed each night for the past two decades stands prim and proper, roses adorning the perimeters. Isolated from the rest of the world, they kept each other company, although one of them would occasionally bring up the possibility of finding new faces. Of course, the older girl would immediately reject the proposal, saying all they needed were each other.

Hand-woven shoes step over twigs, snapping them, and the hems of their newly-sewn dresses dance around the bushes. They take the path that’s been cleared out for them from prior walks to the same spot they’ve visited every weekend since they first discovered this clearing. It’s a nice patchy area underneath the shade of a large oak tree.

The first girl sets down her basket and removes a patterned picnic blanket, smoothing it over the sharp grass. The other girl hesitates for a bit. She turns and looks at her cousin.

“Livana, won’t you pick some flowers for us? It’ll be a nice addition to our picnic.” She smiled gently, removing the contents from her own basket.

“That’s a marvelous idea, Isa. Well then, I’ll be back soon!” Livana gets up, taking Isa’s empty basket with her.

The girl makes her way past the creek and stops every so often to pluck a few blooming buds here and there. A handful of daises, a handful of roses, and a pocketful of other beauties fill up the basket.

A mysterious figure dashes by in a hurry, sending leaves flying out of the bushes. Livana holds her breath, hands dropping the lilacs, and backs up. She waits attentively, cautious of whatever was running about. The bushes rustle a bit more and a ball of white fur leaps out.

“Oh my goodness, you scared me.” She clutches at her chest, her breath returning to normal. It was merely a bunny having the time of its life running about. The tiny creature inches closer to Livana and points its snout towards the southern parts of the forest. It continues to look back and forth between her and that area, as if it was willing Livana to follow. The bunny takes off towards the forest without warning.

“Wait up! Did you want me to follow you?” Livana immediately gets up to follow the animal, chasing diligently, completely forgetting about the flowers and her cousin. Her dress trails behind her, its pinkish-rose color making her look like a large petal flying through the wind. Soon, she reaches an open area, where sunlight was no longer blocked by the dense canopies of trees. She looks around, confused.

Where did the bunny-

Her train of thought is interrupted as something bumps against her leg, causing her to lose balance. As the girl struggles to regain her footing, she slips and tips over the edge of a cliff. The cliff, it seems, had been deemed off-lights by a rotting wood sign standing a few meters away. However, what with all the chasing and the horrible condition the sign is in, Livana hadn’t noticed it. Now, her hand is gripping tightly onto a sharp rock sticking out from the edge of the cliff.

Her panicked voice rises. “Help! Is anyone out there?! Isa! Please!” Her screaming becomes muffled by the tears that soon floods her cheeks. It’s no use. The singular rock gives up, and the girl falls down a whopping 100 meters, towards her impending doom.

Little did she know, this was all orchestrated by the other girl.

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