Now silent, I curl into a frail ball and hide. Perhaps she will forget, I think hopefully. I sigh. She never forgets. A meager tray of food is slid under my door and I inch toward it, frightened. Maybe she's finally decided to give up and poison me, I think. Perhaps that would be better than what I have endured for fifteen years.

      Hand shaking, I grab a glistening apple the color of blood and slowly bite into it. Nothing happens. Not even the slightest hint of poison. Next, I lithely grab a plain white porcelain cup of clear water. It reflects the sunlight in a cold sort of way, reminding me of the fact that I've never been outside a day in my life.

      I study my pale, skinny hand. No calluses. No scars. No color. No fat. Just skin and bones. Nothing else. I stand and look into my plain full length mirror. I am tall, at about five-foot-nine. I have dark black hair; so dark that it doesn't even have a bluish hue.

      Next I study my eyes. They are sunken deep into their sockets and they are a pale yellow-green; sort of fiery. My face is angular, like the rest of my body.

      Suddenly, I see a movement in the reflection. I turn quickly and gasp. A face looks at me through my window, and a boy-no, not a boy, a man probably almost my age-signals for me to open it.

      Sadly, I signal that it can not be opened. He looks confused. He holds up a finger, signaling for me to wait, and I cock my head. I shiver, my simple outfit of black leather leggings and a white blouse barely providing warmth.

      The man-child appears again but he is holding some kind of tool. He expertly uses it to remove the window from its stone wall, where it has lain unmoved for so long.

      The window comes loose and he gently sets it on a shelf near the sill. I sigh, suddenly feeling free, as a gentle breeze of fresh air wafts through my room.

      "Well, what are you waiting for?" His voice breaks the silence I have for so long endured. I reel back, gasping at the powerful sound. "What?!" He asks, frightened. I search for my voice. He cocks his head. "Who are you?"

      "I am Kataigida Vrochisdaughter." My voice rings with a clarity like none other I have ever heard and the man-child's eyes shine with recognition. I say no more, for memories from my ancestral past eclipse my thoughts and I eventually recover, panting.

      Thunderous footsteps sound below and fear glimmers in his eyes.

      "We should take leave now, Katy, lass. The guards be coming now and we haven't much time." I notice his odd accent but say nothing.

      I nod and we both leap out the three-story tall window. Due to spending years of just simply reading books, I know to roll as soon as I hit the ground. Arrows whiz around us as we dart into the forest.

      Twenty minutes later we have to stop. Unaccustomed to so much physical activity, I clutch my side, breathing heavily. Suddenly I double over and a shrill cry escapes my lips. A searing pain burns through my shoulder and makes its way down my arm.

      I look at my shoulder and see an arrow poking through it. I pale. And a moment ago I was hoping to die. I grimace and bite my lip. Alarm slides over the man-child's face as he sees my wound. Mustering all my courage, I clutch the arrow and yank it out of my shoulder. The man-child yelps in surprise and an unhealthy amount of blood starts to gush out of my shoulder.

      "Help me!" I growl. At loss of blood, yellow spots dance across my vision and I black out.