Chapter 1 Alone

Nytmare

Hunger gnawed at Ashs gut. How many days had it been since shed eaten? Five? Six? However many itd been, itd been far too long. Ashs swift right hand slyly shot out and grabbed the apple as she passed by the fruit stall, the red gem sliding into her oversized sleeve. No guilt even crossed her mind as she discreetly escaped the crowd of Saturday morning shoppers. Drifting left into the alley, Ashlee rushed behind a stack of mansized baskets. Hunched behind the hand-woven crafts, Ash tore away at the single apple. Grainy chunks of fruit scraped her parched throat on their way to her empty stomach. Large bites subsided to small ones as she savored each and every granule of the precious ruby she held in her dirty hands. A thousand nibbles later, the apple disappeared core and all. Satisfied for the next week, Ash slid out from her hiding place, bare feet tapping against the stonework. The brisk air of the dawn crinkled in her nostrils as she sauntered along Sable Lane, away from the bustle of the early birds. Soon the cold began to nip at her toes, sucking the warmth from their bones. Ashlee sighed. Shed known for a while that shed need to get a pair of shoes before winter finished setting in, but she always dreaded the inevitable theft shed have to make to get either the shoes or the money. Last time, the guards nearly caught her smuggling the pair of pants out the back door of the tailors. Ash let loose another sigh as the tinkling of the nearby shoe shop flipped the old wood sign to open. Another day, she convinced herself as the shop fell out of view. Money for the poor? A small voice pleaded from beside her. Ash turned to face the young boy as he smiled a broken grin and held out his hands. Knowing his pain, she dropped down to one knee and embraced the small child. Keep surviving, my friend. I wish I had something to give you, but I too am condemned to beg money and food from those much more fortunate than us, Ash softly cried to the little boy, her voice broken as she slid in and out of the memories of her times as a child alone on the cruel streets. After a moment, she let go of the boy; tiny tears drifting from his soft green eyes. Turning quickly away from the kid, she hustled swiftly down the cobblestone road. For no reason she could muster, Ash stopped in front of an abandoned, rickety house. No guards; no inhabitants: she could loot the place and sell it all for money to get shoes.

Nytmare

Without another thought, she raced up the porch and pulled out a small lock pick. Kneeling in the shadows of a barren hedge, Ash fiddled with the tumblers until the satisfying click resounded through the air. She gently twisted the brass knob and pushed the door open. The musty scent smacked Ashlee in the face when she put her torn-up foot on the aged floorboards. Boring and empty those were the only two things that seemed to be in the entire house. Ash scanned the first floor like a crime scene, searching every nook and cranny for anything sellable. Finding nothing, she made her silent way up the fragile staircase. Ash stopped in her tracks after the final step. There, in a glass case at the end of the narrow passageway, sat a precious necklace of pure gold and glimmering jewels. Step by step, Ashlee moved closer and closer to the treasure that could possibly give her hope for a real future. Before she knew it, she was standing in front of the case, smashing the crystal into glinting shards tinged with her blood. Ashlee quickly snatched up the jewelry and sprinted down the stairs, flying over every step. Where have you been? a velvety womans voice hummed through the air. Ashlee froze. Chills shook her skeleton from head to toe. Who are you? she stammered. Ash felt the woman grin behind her back. Ive been look everywhere for you, Nytmare. Nytmare. The name struck something hidden deep inside Ashlee as her body shut down. Somehow, she knew nothing would ever be the same again.