Man has life gotten crazy busy (smiles). I got another request for one of my stories (an agent requested a full--yay). And Friday I finished writing another story--which came out at about 68,000 words. My mentor had me rewrite the ending because it fell kind of flat--but let me just say it sounds SO much better now. I'm totally geeked about this story and can't wait to get through edits on it.

Now that I'm waiting for edits back from my mentor I'm starting to mentally plot for book 2. And get this, because I've been so busy I haven't even had time to read!!! I know, totally stinks! I've got 5 new books that I've had for like over a month now--but writing comes first. I've only got my mentor until the end of May and I'm trying to do as much as I can on the writing front while I have her feedback. She's been super cool and VERY helpful.

But anyway, just thought I'd check in! Haven't had time to post so thought I'd share good news on request for full and for finishing my most recent story! Ciao...

Rebekah

I cast a nervous glance around me, as the woodland grew ever darker. The moon glowed orange on this crisp Halloween night. The scent of autumn lingered heavy upon the air, a mixture of fallen leaves, rain, and earth. Normally this would be reassuring to me, but not tonight, the most haunted of all nights.

"So what do you think is on the other side?" Kenneth said.

I slid across the carriage seat, the horses taking us ever closer to the unknown.

"I honestly don’t know. We’ve heard so many things since we were small, but I don’t think anyone really knows," I said.

His nervous eyes scanned the woods ahead.

"Would you like to hold my hand?"

Kenneth let out a low chuckle, "Arie, I’m supposed to protect you, not the other way around." He reached out a hand and gave my auburn hair a tug.

I smiled eyeing the sword sheathed at Kenneth’s side, wondering if it’d do either of us any good. Every Halloween, a sacrifice had to be made--two children from our village were chosen to go forth to the Hedge of Pephinae, hoping to buy freedom for our small settlement. It was a centuries old curse that’d been placed upon the village of Grigorwood by the witch Pephinae. For when the witch first traveled into Grigorwood injured, no one would aid her. Instead the children threw stones and the villagers merely scoffed at her ragged clothing. In return for this treatment she cast the spell upon us, at least that’s what the elders of old have explained.

Pephinae made our wells dry up and the crops fail. But the worst part of her demands was that each family would have to give up two children for her to do with as she wished as a payment of sorts. However, only some of the villagers abided this demand, while most tried disguising animals and old folk as children. And so the curse was set as a punishment that on All Hallows Eve, two children must be sent forth as payment. This would go on until the families had no offspring left to give and their bloodlines plucked from existence. No one was allowed to leave Grigorwood and those that tried, were later found dead, with the sign of the witch carved upon their body.

The carriage clanked to a stop as Kenneth pulled the horses reins up tight. He ran a hand through his golden hair, trying to calm his quaking heart. "We’re here."

My gray eyes focused on the familiar hedge that we passed each day on our way to the schoolhouse. Yet, tonight an archaic door was visible beneath the ivy.

At the top of the bushes, two torches were lit, giving the dragon and gargoyle shaped hedges an eerie, almost realistic appearance.

"Should we cut the horses loose?" I said trying to keep my voice even as I stared at my longtime friend.

"Yes, no sense in making them wait out here, especially since it’s certain we won’t be coming back." Kenneth grabbed his skin full of water and handed me the bone handled dagger. We’d come prepared for survival, hoping to be the first to make it through the pagan night of Samhain.

"I don’t understand why we were chosen," I said. I reached into the pocket of my cloak and pulled out the old-fashioned key that the village mayor had given to me for the door.

Kenneth shrugged his shoulders standing close to me. We took slow steps towards the door in the hedge. He reached out and grabbed my hand, and raised it to his lips.

"In one more season we would’ve wed," he said. "Now that’s but a mere dream."

I touched his face watching the anguish filter into his dark blue eyes. "We’re together now. If I must die than I’d rather have my love by my side."

We stood staring at one another for a few moments, before I finally pulled free and pushed the key into the lock. The door slid open with a groan, one last warning to turn back.

We stepped through and the door slammed shut behind us. The key twisted of its own accord, barring us from escaping. Before me stood a labyrinth of hedges, shadows splaying over them, like deadly hunters waiting to attack, while a heavy fog began to surround them.

"Stay close to me so you don’t get lost." Kenneth moved forward into the maze. His arms trembled nearly as bad as my own…neither of us was ready for this. Almost immediately we were met by a large pendulum like blade that seared across the path ahead of us.

"Look out!" I grasped a hold of Kenneth’s tunic and yanked him back out of the way. We waited while the blade moved back and forth. "We have to cross we can’t go any further otherwise."

"Do we want to go any further?"

"What choice do we have?" I said knowing that this was our fate. We had to make it to the witch to either destroy her or be destroyed.

"Then we jump on three." Kenneth counted aloud and we leapt through, landing safely on the other side.

From somewhere behind us a low growl sounded, followed by a loud crash. I watched in horror as a wolf shaped hedge pulled away from the edges of the maze—its eyes glowing like the flaming pits of hell itself. The beast came barreling forward, baring its thorn like teeth.

"Arie run." Kenneth pulled me along until we came to a fork in the path.

"Which way?" I shrieked.

"Left, go left." This brought us to the foot of a bridge. It was made of fraying rope and ancient boards, which appeared to decay before our very eyes.

"We—we can’t cross this," I stammered peering at the swirling abyss and sharp rock lined shore below.

"We have no choice, come on," he said tugging me to follow him.

The bridge groaned beneath Kenneth’s weight, but still he moved forth.

"The wolf’s coming," I said. I tried not to panic, while casting worried glances over my shoulder.

"We’re half-way there," Kenneth said. The wolf raised one claw cluttered paw and swiped at the ropes. "Hold on," Kenneth said wrapping one arm around me and one arm through the rope.

The bridge snapped, sending us swinging dangerously fast towards the rocky ledge. Kenneth put his feet out to absorb the impact, jarring him as we hit.

"Start climbing," he said trying to untangle himself from the ropes. When we reached the top I glanced to the other side, but it was no longer there. The hedges surrounded us once more.

"Was it just an illusion?" I said.

"Magic," Kenneth said. "Let’s keep moving."

Each path we took led to more traps, everything from flaming arrows to wild hedge like beasts. Yet, we didn’t stop moving, both of us wanting to defeat the witch and break the dreaded curse.

"Maybe we should stop and get a drink," Kenneth said pulling out a small skin of water.

I wiped the beads of sweat from my brow, trying to ignore the stinging scratch on my arm. "How’s your head?" I said touching the bump above Kenneth’s temple, which had finally stopped bleeding. He’d been hit by a large rock that a troll had thrown.

"I’m fine," he said. He caressed my hand before raising it to his cheek.

I let out a sigh of relief, catching the faint scent of smoke in the distance. "I think we’re getting close."

"Then let’s go," Kenneth said motioning me to follow after him once more.

As we reached the end of the maze, I gasped in disbelief, spotting the dilapidated thatched roof cottage. It was surrounded by hundreds of candles, which illuminated the home’s drab exterior. Ivy clung to its sagging roof as well as to the rotting porch. Yet, it was none of these things that frightened me, but rather the gate that surrounded the home. It was made completely of bones, the skulls making up the top portion, while the other pieces acted as the pickets.

Two full skeletons stood as pillars at the entrance, with a sign that hung above.

"The bones of the wicked here do lay, a sacrifice to the village—my payment and your curse," Kenneth read aloud.

"This is madness," I whispered. "Yet, we’ve no choice but to go on."

"No matter what happens, stay behind me," Kenneth said. As we maneuvered around the cottage, we spotted a small path of candles leading to the back of the home.

"The guilty have arrived," a hooded figure called out.

My limbs trembled as I stared at the large number of cloaked people circling us. They began to chant, lowering their hoods to reveal the faces of the adults from Grigorwood.

"Where—where’s the witch?" I said as fear clamored through my veins like stampeding cattle.

"We are the witch," the villagers’ voices answered in unison.

"And the curse?" I whispered.

"We are the curse," they chanted.

"But, there was magic used…I don’t understand, why?" Kenneth challenged them, the whole while gripping his sword tight at his side.

"But I do have magic," the mayor said with a wave of his hand. The flames in the candles intensified, leaping almost six feet in the air. "You were bad and broke the rules, you must be punished…all bad children must be punished…"

"What have we done?" I pleaded to know.

"We saw you both in the woods—Kenneth kissed you on the way home from the schoolhouse. This could’ve been avoided…" the elder spoke. "We cannot allow evilness in our village and so every year we must cleanse it."

"This is insane," Kenneth said. "You’re our parents and friends."

"You broke the laws and chose to go your own way. We don’t have room for the wicked and now you’ll pay with the ultimate sacrifice," the elder hissed.

I was rooted in place as they closed in on us, but Kenneth knocked over the candles, catching the dry grass on fire.

"Run," he said dragging me with him. We raced into the woods listening to the horrifying screams behind us. We turned to watch the flames fan out into a wall, smoking and consuming the elders of the village. I didn’t understand why the mayor didn’t stop it…the fire, changed colors as if possessed.

We both fell to the ground as if sensing something bad to come. The earth shook beneath us, while the cabin collapsed and the hedges roared with flames. Smoke swirled like wispy ghosts…and then it was done. All that was left of the Grigorwood adults was the charred grass and ash.

I’d never in my lifetime forget this Halloween and the terror we witnessed. But the curse was done and we could now go back home…


THE END