The Peach Hill

Laia lived in a palace off the coast of Zaidee, and was worked to the bone, such as pulling the weeds, cleaning out the gutters and her least favorite, cleaning the throne room.



In her free time, Laia would go to the Peach Hill, a hill with a gorgeous Peach tree and a tire swing that helped to get ideas. Laia loved to go there to sing, read, write and draw. It was a truly wonderful place. It almost seemed....magical.



Laia also enjoyed making up stories which she told to her younger brother, Arrow, the heir to the throne once their father passed. He was only 8, but Laia knew once the time came, he would be a fine King.



Laia was often sad since her brother was a boy, he wasn't put to work as she was. He would often run around the throne room playing soldier with his wooden horse he had gotten for his birthday. The Peach Hill was well....the only escape.



A few weeks passed and things didn't seem to be getting any better. Laia was still pushed around while Arrow was free to do anything. Then, something happened. Laia's father fell ill and the doctor didn't know what to do. During the night, he had a heart attack. It was a bad one. In the morning, Laia's mother gave the news, he had passed.



Arrow, only 9 now, took his rightful place on the throne. He was still a child, meaning he wouldn't truly start ruling until he had come of age.



Laia was cleaning the throne room when she noticed a hidden door in the far left corner. She had never noticed it before. Being the curious young girl she was, she went over to it. It was a rather small door, thinly lined with purple paint, the royal color. Laia had been taught not to be nosy, but she just couldn't help herself.



Meanwhile, Arrow had taken his game of soldier outside into the palace garden. Arrow was the shy type of boy. He often hid from the boys in the village, and unlike the other boys, Arrow was into drawing and knitting. He was made fun of for this, and it made him very

unhappy.



Laia peered through the hall to make sure her mother wasn't there. She wasn't. Laia turned the knob slowly, making sure not to make a sound. It was locked. Of course it was. What palace had a secret door in the corner that was just left wide open? It was truly very suspicious. Then something clicked. Laia had gotten a small key for her 13th birthday that was said to unlock anything. The keyhole to this door was rather small so Laia figured it would work just right.



Laia rushed to her bedroom upstairs being careful not to pass her mother. The girl kept the key underneath one of the pillows and felt protected by it at night when she lay staring at the ceiling not able to fall asleep. There seemed to be strange voices throughout the palace, and they were the loudest in the throne room. The girl just told herself it was all in her head.



Laia ran back down the stairway as quiet as a Whinny, the strange cat-like animal in the wilds of Kayouki. Laia fit the key into the keyhole with ease and to her surprise, it opened. She was about to open it when her mother came into the room and spotted her. Before she could get away, her mother took hold of her firmly. "LAIA!" she said, yelling in the girl's ear. "THIS IS THE FINAL STRAW! I'M SENDING YOU TO BOARDING SCHOOL TO BECOME A PROPER LADY." And with that, Laia was sent away.



The school wasn't all girls, there were boys, too. Laia was still getting used to the school. She had only been there a week. She still had boxes of her things in the room she was in, so she started to unload them.



She was sharing a room with a boy named Ian who hadn't arrived yet. He was supposed to arrive today, actually. Ian was 14, a year older than Laia. She was excited to meet this new boy. She thought they'd really get along.



Laia looked outside the window and saw a boy walking toward the school. He was taller than the other boys and a lot cuter, too. Ian had messy brown hair and soft hazel eyes. In his hand, he carried a white rose which he would give to the girl he fell in love with. He was truly an amazing person. Laia took one glance at him and knew at once, she was in love.



The boy walked into the school and Laia could hear him walking up the stairway. She peeked out the door and saw him. She quickly turned back into the room, her heart beating faster and faster. Ian walked into the room and paused for a moment. "Hi," he said, smiling, "I'm Ian." "I know...." said Laia, getting lost in his eyes. Ian looked at her funny. Laia was now very embarrassed. "Uhh...," she said looking at the floor, "Let me help you with your things." "Alright, thanks." Ian said back. Ian lay the rose on the side of the bed, and started emptying his things.



"So," said Ian, "what's your name?" "Laia.." She said, pulling a strand of her hair behind her ear. "I like that name, it's pretty." Laia blushed, and Ian could see it. He chuckled a bit. "So, you're new here.." said Laia, trying to stop herself from blushing so much. "Uhh, yeah." said Ian. Laia nodded slowly.



A bell rang. It was time to go outside. The children usually did exercises this time of day, but there was a terrible storm coming soon so they skipped it.



Ian wasn't Laia's only friend at the school. There was Skye, too. Skye was 13, like Laia. She was a very energetic girl. She often spent all day on the basketball court. Skye didn't mind being alone out there. She felt free. Free from every troublesome thing to ever come her way. She was an orphan. Her parents died in a bad car accident. She had no one. Her aunts and uncles refused to take her. The same with her grandparents. She was all alone. Until she stumbled upon the school. The school was open to royal, orphan, and poor children. It wasn't always fair. The poor children were sometimes only allowed to be around the orphans, and the royal children were told they were too perfect to be around the other kids and were not allowed to play some of the games they loved.

Skye was an orphan, Ian was poor, and Laia was of course, the princess of Zaidee.



Giant gray storm clouds could be seen coming toward the school, and the children were told to go inside right away. There was heavy rain and huge chunks of hail were falling from the sky. Laia and Ian were still outside, and Skye was nowhere to be found. Ian grabbed Laia's hand and the two ran towards the school. The doors were locked. Laia looked at Ian worriedly. "Don't worry, He said. We'll be fine."



They tried calling for Skye but she was still nowhere to be found. The wind could be felt getting stronger and stronger, and the air colder and colder. Laia could hear the whispery, hissing voices in her head again which made her extremely dizzy. It was almost as if there were someone or something trying to get inside of her. She looked at the school. There was a window on the side that they could climb into. She was about to tell Ian, but he grabbed her hand again. "Look." He said pointing. Laia looked where he was pointing, and saw a figure. It was Skye.



They rushed over to her. Laia noticed she was holding something small, which she quickly slipped into her pocket. "We're so glad we found you." said Laia, catching her breath. "Yeah," said Ian, "I know where we could go to be safe. Come on, let's go!" Skye and Laia followed Ian passed the school. Skye was surprisingly very quiet, and kept glancing at her hands. It was very strange. "Alright," said Ian, "we're here." Before their eyes was the biggest tree they could ever imagine. It hung forward with it's massive leaves nearly touching the ground. "Wow.." said Laia, staring up at it. "This is amazing!" There was an opening in the middle of the tree which the children could easily walk inside. To the girls' amazement, there were sleeping bags, and a large fire inside. "This is where I come to think." Said Ian. "You know, to get things straight and all." They walked into the tree. Laia felt safe, like she was back home in the palace. Skye said she would be outside if they needed her. "It's much too cold out there, dear." Said Ian. "It's fine, said Skye, "It'll only be a second."



Skye went to the back of the tree, and pulled the small object out of her pocket. It was a little, clear bottle which held some type of liquid. She looked at her hands again, which were now turning blue. She pulled out the bottle's cork and drank some of the liquid, and her skin instantly turned beige again. She gave a sigh of relief and made her way back into the tree. Laia still had her jaw hung open, looking around, amazed. Ian looked at Skye, and gestured her over. "Is it done?" He asked. "It is done." She replied. "Great, the only thing stopping us is her." Ian looked over at Laia, who smiled.



It was getting late so the three went to bed. Skye slept in the corner and Ian slept with Laia. They were all very tired so they fell asleep quickly. Laia was just about to doze off into sleep when she heard the voices again. This time, it was different. She could barely make out what they were saying, but she could still understand it. There were two voices. A male and a female voice. The male was hard to understand, but Laia knew what the female was saying. "Dear Laia," it spoke with a deep and confident voice. "We have watched you, seen you, and we know you are ready." "Ready for what?...." said Laia, turning clumsily on her side. "Ready to know the truth, of course." "Truth...." said Laia, with a smile on her face.



It was now morning and the children had to make their way back to the school. Ian and Skye were up, getting ready to leave while Laia, desperately tried to make her dream last longer. She didn't get it. What did she not know? "Laia, come on." Said Ian to her. She replied with a grunt and turned to her side.