ROSE hummed and danced along to her favorite song playing on the radio.
Tapping her foot along to the rhythm, she glanced outside. The dark clouds covered the sky showing signs of a downpour.

I better get home quick. She thought.

Her phone rang. She glanced at it to see who the caller was. It was an unknown number.

She contemplated answering the call but decided to let it be. It was silent for a while until the phone rang again. It was the same number.

"Who must this be?" Keeping her eyes on the road, she picked up the phone. She hesitated a bit before taking the call.

"Hello?" Rose spoke waiting for a response. She was met with silence on the other end. She said hello again but still no reply. Frustrated, she moved on to cut the call but stopped when she heard someone speak.

"Your life is about to take an unexpected turn, child." A feminine voice said.

"What?" Rose replied, confused.

"Your destiny awaits you." The female continued, "but beware, you will make decisions that will decide your fate. When such happens, remember to follow your heart, and rest assured your path will be clearer." She slurred.

Rose tried to understand what the female was saying. Destiny? Decide her fate? "Look, I don't know how you got this number but I'd advise you-"

"You will know soon child. Remember my words." The female concluded and cut the call.

Rose stared at her phone in disbelief. She wasn't aware fortunetellers also made calls to customers. She's never seen yet visited one so how did the female get her number?

Rose shrugged it off. Must be a scam call.

The rain was coming in fast. Drizzles splattered on her windshield, increasing by each moment. Rose activated the windshield wiper.

The sight in front of her became a blur. Thick fog surrounded her. She squinted her eyes to see the road ahead but the fog covered most part of her vision. Panicked, she turned on her car light and slowed down the speed of her car to avoid any accident. Slowly, the fog cleared out. She sighed in relief. "I was scared for a moment." She said.

But she didn't see it coming.

A force collided with her car sending it swerving across the road. Rose's body jolted forward, her torso being smashed to the steering wheel. The seatbelt tugged on to her like a second skin. She flailed her hands, looking for something to hold on to. She couldn't think. All she knew was her body was being tossed around like a ragdoll . The car spun off the road until it collided with a tree, her head hitting the window. Hard.

Rose's head laid on the steering wheel, blood seeping from her face and torso. Amid the heavy rain, the intense smell of smoke hit her nostrils. She couldn't move. Her eyes drooped, losing the fight to stay awake.

The words of the female replayed over and over in her mind as she lost consciousness. Your destiny awaits you... remember my words. She let out a strained breath before she surrendered to the midst of darkness.

*****
ROSE's head banged. Her eyes opened and closed, her world spinning around her. She felt the prickle of leaves beneath her body as she laid flat on the ground. Where am I?

She made an attempt to stand up. Waves of nausea hit her and she ended up falling back to the ground on her knees. She took deep breaths.

As she forced to keep her eyes open, her gaze focused on trees. Trees? She looked around. She's in a forest. How did she get here? Pain struck the side of her head.

"Argh!" Rose groaned, clutching her head, desperate for the pain to stop. Images flashed through her mind. The strange call. The fog. The car accident. Why was she here? She couldn't have survived that accident. She felt the life slip out of her the moment she lost consciousness.

Maybe God gave her a second chance to live, Rose thought.

She heard the crunch of footsteps in the dry leaves nearby. Alerted, she stood up. She's not alone.

"Anyone there?" Her voice shook. Silence. She braced herself on a tree, feeling frail.

Without warning, an arrow flew past Rose, grazing her on the cheek and hit the tree trunk with a thud.

"Ah!" She screeched and jumped away. What the fuck? Where did the arrow come from? Her legs moved on impulse, about to run.

"Move an inch and I won't miss the target this time." A deep voice spoke.

She froze on the spot. The owner of the voice emerged from the back of a tree, a golden bow in his hands, pointing an arrow at her. He wore a mask covering most of his face except his eyes, his attire adorned with emblems and badges. Power radiated off him. She stayed frozen on the spot.

"W-who are you?" Rose managed to ask.

"I'm the one to ask that." The man inched closer. "Who are you and how did you get past the guards?" He questioned.

She scrunched her eyebrows in confusion. Guards? She doesn't remember seeing any of them. She woke up in the middle of the forest for fuck's sake!

"I won't ask again sweetheart." He seethed. "Who the fuck are you?"

"I-I..." Rose stammered. The words got stuck in her mouth. Her body shook with anxiety. She didn't know she was crying until she felt tears stream down her face. This was all that female's fault! These strange things are happening because of her. If only she didn't pick up that call.

She was so in her thought, she didn't notice the man stood in front of her.

He grabbed her chin and dragged her face to look up at him.

"I'm not a very patient man darling. I could kill you on the spot and end the conversation here. So are you going to start talking or not?" He growled.

Rose cleared her throat. "I don't know how I got here I swear." She peered at his eyes and bit her lip. Up close, she noticed his striking blue eyes. They darkened as they focused on her lips. She released them and let out a shaky breath.

"Please I'm telling the truth. Don't kill me. Please." She pleaded.

He closed his eyes in frustration and released her chin. She stumbled to the ground. Bile rose from her throat and she emptied her stomach. She heard him curse under his breath.

"Your highness!" A voice called out. Rose glanced up and saw men approaching them.

"Where did you go? We've been searching all over for you." One of them spoke up, walking towards the masked man.

"Tyler, how many time will I tell you not to call me that?" The masked man groaned.

Tyler nudged him. "I don't want your mother to have my head so I'll stick to that." He laughed. Tyler's gaze flickered to Rose. He rose his eyebrow. "Who is she?" He asked.

Her capturer glanced at her before responding, "Weren't you informed of an intruder in our territory?"

"Intruder?" Tyler asked, "No. is she one?" He drew his sword causing the other men to do the same.

Rose scurried back, wanting to escape from there. She did not want to die.

"Calm down Tyler." The masked man cautioned, "Apparently, she has no idea how she got here which is quite strange." He peered at her.

Tyler put his sword back and Rose sighed in relief. "What do you want to do your highness?" He asked.

The masked man scowled at him. "She comes with me." He said.

What? She's not going anywhere with him. "Please just take me home. I won't trouble you anymore." Rose pleaded.

The masked man bent to his knees, his covered face in line with hers. "No can do, sweetheart. You should have thought about it before trespassing. Now you have to pay the consequences."

He got to his feet and turned to his men. "Tie her up and bring her along." He commanded. "Let's go." He told Tyler.

"Wait! No!" Rose protested, struggling against the men that came to bound her.

"Gag her if you can." Her capturer ordered as he walked away with Tyler who glanced back at her. Tyler whispered something to him but she couldn't listen because she was being held down and confined with a rope.

"Let go of - mhm! Mhmmm!" Her words came out muffled as a cloth was shoved into her mouth. These vile men! Forced to stand, she was dragged along the arm. She winced. The grip on her arm was too tight. Fear filled her to the bones.

What had she gotten herself into?