16 March 2013
The houses were built uniquely where she lived. First of all, she lived on a beach. Second of all, the nearest house was 4 miles away. The back yard was filled with grass that shriveled in the winter and flourished in the spring, as was normal. But a fence of stone surrounded her yard, polished white marble. There was a gap about a foot tall and a foot wide where, during high tide, the water would seep into her yard about five feet, along a straight of tan sand that was surrounded by a small wall (six inches) also made of marble. It would create a little pool that lasted a little while, bringing in pastel baby clams, rough mollusk shells, clumps of slimy seaweed, and the occasional crab. She kept the more beautiful shells she found on a shelf in her bedroom. The most odd thing about this was that Ashley lived here by herself. The beach was closed to the public, and most assumed that the cottage was abandoned. She learned plenty. Her room was full of sketchbooks of interesting creatures that had washed up and notes about the behavior of fish that lived in the shallows. She charted the stars and outlined the constellations that she saw, not the conventional ones, ones she spotted herself. She would write on her bedroom walls, whenever she felt the need. Poetry, stories, plays. And she could sing beautifully in the alto key. She knew simple math, how to count money. Not that she needed to do that often. She earned money for fresh water by selling necklaces of shells, and she caught fish with sharpened spears. She was well enough off, at least until the games began.
It started when something new washed up in her pool. Rather, someone. They were small, the size of a seven year old. They had long unkempt brown hair and freckled skin. Ashley started and shook the figure by her shoulders. She appeared to be about 13. And she wasnt conscious. Ashley picked her up and dragged her inside. It would have been better if she had left the newcomer in the water. The creature wasnt human, and wasnt benign.
Games Chapter One • Opuss № I