The Mind Thief ~ By Nightowl ~ [Unfinished] *Ch. 11 added!*

by **Nightowl** 7/16/2009, 12:39 am

::Book I of The Mind Thief::

Maturity: Romance, death, violence.
Fantasy: Alternate world, telepathy/powers.

Chapter One
Empty

I woke to the sound of bird song, as was common in the summer months in our city. Stripes of sunlight fells across my face and blanket, dancing across the wooden wall. It was late; Father should have woken me up by now.
I frowned, flipped the covers off and stood on the bare floorboards of the room blinking and yawning. I had to admit that the house was strangely quiet. Quiet in a way it shouldn’t have been in the middle of a Saturday morning.
I padded to the window and looked out at the cobblestone street, which was slowly filling up with bunches of people walking to and fro.
Usually by this hour my father’s shop would be a bustling place full of conversation and people. Coins would be clattering on the solid counter, and laughter and voices would spill out onto the street. And perhaps most importantly, I would be down there, working alongside Father: bringing the morning customers their drinks and bread or porridge. People would be admiring the few carved figures that I sometimes made in the evenings and the other items we had for sale: pickled fruits and vegetables, flour and other grains. And if everything wasn’t as it usually was, then something was definitely wrong.
I returned to my bedside and pulled on my daytime clothes, which consisted of a light, grey colored cloak and a knee length purple dress with leggings underneath. I then turned and followed the hallway past the storage room to the room where my father slept each night. If anything was wrong, I knew it had to be that he was only sick and in bed for the day. For surely, nothing else ever could possibly happened to the only other member of my family.
But it did.
I raised my hand to the door and knocked. There was no answer. Again, I rapped on the pale brown wood. No reply.
With shaking hands, I cautiously pushed the door open all the way.
The room was completely and utterly empty. His bed was smoothly made, as if it had never been slept in before. A light breeze tickled at the curtains, because the window was open. Father never left his window open. Ever. An eerie shudder passed through me as I finally accepted the feeling that was developing deep in me: the empty feeling that you get when something is gone forever.
A purposeful banging noise interrupted my thoughts: I stood listening in shock for a long moment before I realized what that meant. I stumbled down the stairs dizzily, running my fingers through my dark hair. I leaned against the door for a moment before I opened it up. The noise ceased immediately, but it would have been better to not open the door and let it continue, instead of opening the door and having it stop.
I was met with the unpleasant sight of a spear tip in my face. I stepped back a few paces, while observing the multiple dents in the wood.
“Hello,” I stated simply, unsure exactly what to say to this stranger who had come banging so rudely on the shop’s door. He, however, didn’t bother to reply: just walked inside with careless steps, lowering the spear. I held back a sigh of relief. But then my eyes found their way to resting on his rough features for a moment as he studied me in return. It only took that fleeting glance for me to recognize him, even though I’d never seen him before in my life. It was the Inspector.
He’d never been real to me: he was a story, a myth. None of us knew what his real name was, and I don’t think anyone wanted that knowledge. No one cared to have it. His title was spoken softly, in dreaded whispers as if the words alone would cause him to appear on your doorstep. That was something you definitely didn’t want to happen.
The stories had described him well. The Inspector was a tall and heavyset man with a dark mass on his face that one might call a beard, but only if the term was used loosely. His nose was curved like a hawk’s beak, his eyes a penetrating muddy yellow color. Strangely curved and definitely lethal, a gleaming scimitar hung from his thick belt.
They said that he worked for King Riasta, but stories tell nothing for sure. I shuddered as a cruel grin spread over his face.
“I’ve come to speak to you father. He is here, I presume?”
I averted my eyes. “No sir,” I whispered.
“Why’s that?” he inquired casually, but something in his voice told me that the question was unnecessary. He knew.
“I – I’m not sure, sir. He’s… gone.”
“Indeed…” he mused, tapping his chin. “And, do you, Aria Flitten, know what that means for you?”
“No… sir.” I clenched my hands into fists, barely pausing to question how exactly this man knew my name.
“Well, I suppose I’ll have to tell you then?” He went on without waiting for my reply. “It means, dear child, that you no longer have a home. Children can’t own land, not in this kingdom. As painful as this is for me, I’m going to have to ask you to leave the house immediately. This house, shop and everything in it but what you currently have on your person at the moment, now belongs to the Royal Court of Bejia.”
The Inspector looked anything but pained as he prodded my back with the blunt end of his spear. “Get moving.”
I moved. And so it was that I found myself out in the familiar marketplace without my shoes or even a warm traveling cloak and three copper coins from my cloak pocket.

Chapter Two
Alone

I was soon swept into the surging crowd of people that were bustling about their business in the busy marketplace. I was jostled, pushed, stepped on and generally abused. Eventually, I fought my way to the opposite end, the end where they sold books and other “unnecessary” items, where it was far less busy. A few people (rich merchants, by the looks of them) meandered through the rows of stalls, eyeing the jewelry, the woven pictures, and the few paintings. I wandered aimlessly as well, pausing sometimes to look at something that had caught my eye. But of course I couldn’t by anything. I had no extra money to spend: what I had was probably only enough to buy a bun, and perhaps a glass of milk. Nothing more.
I left the area in the end, after many apprehensive glances from the stall owners. Walking around without buying anything was, in their eyes, an excellent cause for suspicion. I walked down the streets pointlessly: there really was nowhere for me to go.
By this time, my feet were starting to hurt. As I hadn't had my sandals on when the Inspector arrived, they no longer belonged to me. Stones and bits of grit dug into my soles. I sighed and continued to walk.
The sun was headed for the horizon now, and I watched it slowly sink towards the sandy colored stone buildings. The sky turned crimson. I realized, that for the first time in my life, I had nowhere to sleep, and I hadn't eaten all day. Combined with my aimless walking all afternoon, I was absolutely beaten, dead tired. I examined the three coins more closely, and decided quite rashly to spend them. I was too hungry to care what would happen later if I used them now.
I entered the sagging doorway of a small inn, my sore feet dragging. It was dark inside because there were no windows to let in the light. A few candles flickered from wooden holders on the walls, sending shadows dancing ominously. My footsteps were uncertain and self-conscious as I treaded across the almost empty room to the desk where a bearded and rather gruff looking man sat.
“No rooms be left,” he told me. “And it’s unfortunate you m’dear. I’m sorry.”
He seemed nice enough. I nodded. “I’m not here for a room sir. I just need a meal.”
“This late?”
“I haven’t eaten yet,” I replied firmly.
“Of course. Empty table over there.” He paused to indicate an empty seat in the corner of the room. “You’ll be served in a moment.”
I sat down. A girl who was probably his daughter, a few years younger than me stepped lightly between the tables until she stood in front of me. It caused a burst of hurt to blossom in my chest once again. If everything was as it should have been, I would’ve been doing something similar to what she herself was doing right now. I would be home.
The plate that was placed in front of me didn’t contain much: there was an apple; a small loaf of bread and some long pieces of an orange vegetable that I assumed was carrot. It was too dim to see more than that. She also set down a glass of creamy milk, which I drank down greedily. I did not, however, eat the bread and stuffed that in my pocket. When I was finished I gave the girl my three coins (she returned one of them) and said farewell to the innkeeper and his daughter and thanked them both. It was dark as I wandered back outside.

Chapter Three
Rescuers?

It was the third day that I was alone when I met Ree and her crew. Well, technically I didn’t meet them… they found me.
I had slept in a deserted alley that night, huddled close against the chilly stone of a wall in the corner where two stolid buildings met. The crust of bread from the inn was long ago devoured, and I hadn’t slept until quite late for lack of food. I could have stayed there all morning. As cold as I was, at least my hunger hadn’t entered my dreams… yet. But through the confused images of ice and snow that passed across my throbbing mind’s eye, I heard… voices. Nearby.
“She’ll die!” A concerned and high staccato voice insisted vehemently.
“And it’s absolutely no business of ours whether she dies or not,” a lower, yet distinctly female voice replied.
“Maybe it is,” a new person entered the conversation – I could tell that the soft voice was male. “Maybe if we didn’t look out for everyone, we’d stop looking out for each other. And where would we be then?” The shuffling of feet and murmurs of agreement could be heard now. The image on my closed eyelids changed from a black nothing to the sight of a pair of hazel eyes with a furrowed brow above them as I opened my eyes.
“You’re awake,” someone said. I started as I recognized it as one of the voices in my dream – the high, piping first one.
“I believe so…” I replied suspiciously, sitting up and looking around. A group of four people cluster around me. There were two boys, one my age and the other a few years younger, and two girls, twins apparently, who both seemed a bit older than I. One of the girls was kneeling over me, the other three standing. “Who all are you?” I asked, feeling slightly helpless and vulnerable as I leaned back against the chilled stone wall.
“I’m Luke,” the male voice from my dream came from the older of the pair of boys. “This is my little brother Toby, and my twin friends, Mer and Ree.” He gestured to each person as he spoke. The girl who hadn’t yet said anything with her lips tightly sealed and the angry expression on her face was Ree, and the nice girl who sat beside me was Mer.
“Who are you?” Toby asked me, his high voice rather angelic sounding.
“Ari,” I replied shortly. I left out my last name on purpose, because they hadn’t given me theirs. I almost doubted they had one because to me, they looked rather like the hardened type who’d lived on the streets all their lives.
“Nice to meet you,” Mer said, standing up. “Why don’t you come with us? It doesn’t look like you have anywhere else to go.”
A defiant tone laced my voice as I replied. “I’m fine on my own,” I said, even though I knew it wasn’t true. “I’m still alive, aren’t I?” A harsh sound that could be interpreted as a laugh escaped my mouth as I said the words.
“You won’t survive for much longer though,” Ree finally put in, her arms still crossed over her chest. “Which isn’t all that great for you. I, of course, don’t care what happens to you.“
Luke, who’d been silent for the past minute, spoke up. “Just come. I highly doubt you’ll regret it.”
I sighed. “Why should I trust you four? You don’t look like the type to me who just go around helping people out.”
“You don’t have much else to trust in, do you?” Mer slipped her hand into mine, and I broke.
“Okay. I’ll come,” I said as though reluctant, when really I was absolutely bubbling inside.
I wasn’t alone anymore.
As I followed the four ragged forms through the awakening city, I took a closer look at each one.
The early light of dawn illuminated Toby’s halo of golden curls, and tinted his cheeks slightly pink. He wore rags like the other three, and no sandals were laced around his feet. I noticed, with envy tinting my thoughts that he walked easily and without hobbling over the stones like I did. The soles of my feet were cut, bleeding and sore, and with each step the pain became worse. But somehow, the little boy had walked over stones and other refuse so much that his feet were accustomed to it.
Mer moved with a gentle grace that seemed unfit for the patched and dirty dress that just touched her knees. Her hair was long, thick and brown colored and quite a lot longer than Ree’s hair, which was exactly the same color. She also had bare feet, although she’d tied a strip of cloth around each of her big toes. The cloth was the dirty red of dried blood. I shuddered at the thought and moved my gaze to Luke.
He had blond hair like Toby, but it was definitely not curly, and I remembered from before that he sported piercing blue eyes and smiling lips, and was taller than I. He had the assured walk of a confident person – something I wished I could be, but wasn’t. A few cuts (they looked a lot like whip marks to me) slashed angrily around his legs, and the skin surrounding them was pink and puffy. I shivered. It seemed that this type of life that I’d had no choice but to take was rather painful.
Ree was the tallest of our little group, and she was definitely strong. There was no doubt about that. Her hair was cut much shorter than was the tradition for girls: in fact, the ends just barely brushed against her shoulders. She walked in front of everyone else, silent and, I’m sure, seething inside. She hated me already; I was almost as positive as I could possibly be. It was simply that I didn’t know why.
In this manner, the five of us skimmed through the streets, and we didn’t stop for anything. As we went on, the houses became poorer – smaller, more patched up and made of materials that were flimsy and cheap.
After we’d walked farther than I had ever before, (almost all day – Bejia was a large city) Ree stopped at the door of a stone building with boarded windows and a door that just barely hung from rusted hinges. It was backed against a high wall, a wall that looked as if it might be the city border. No other dwellings loomed above it, as they did in almost every other direction.
Mer stepped forward and pushed the door open to reveal an empty room that contained absolutely nothing.
“Looks like everyone else is already upstairs. Come on,” she grabbed my arm and pulled me inside with all the others following.

by **shadowsowner888** 7/16/2009, 7:00 am

OMG yay!

I love this one!

by **Kat24** 7/16/2009, 5:10 pm

Awesomeness! =D

by **DreamCatcher81** 7/16/2009, 10:45 pm

Sweet. It sounds interesting. I can't wait till your back so I can read more!

by **Nightowl** 7/20/2009, 11:09 am

Thank you all. =] I'm off to camp now, and I won't be putting up more for a while. That's horrible of me, I know, because I said I would probably add more yesterday, but I simply haven't had the time. I was packing from the moment I got home until I had to go to bed, and I was banned from the computer. It's quite probable that you'll get more on Tuesday or Wednesday when I get home, but I can't say for sure. I have the greater part of 8000 words to rewrite because I've recently changed a major part of the plot, and in doing that, the fantasy rating has also changed. Take a look. Also: I'm changing the title slightly.
Have a lovely week everyone.

Sparrow

by **Komoda** 7/20/2009, 11:51 am

This is a really great story, Sparrow! You're very descriptive. I can't wait to read more. Smile

by **shadowsowner888** 7/21/2009, 1:11 pm

Aww. Well, I understand; my parents make me break my internet promises all the time too. XP

by **DreamCatcher81** 7/25/2009, 9:31 pm

Awe, we'll miss you! I just went to away to camp for a week so I know what you mean!

by **Nightowl** 7/29/2009, 12:05 pm

Chapter Two is now up. =] Enjoy - although it's a bit short, and not the best.

by **Komoda** 7/29/2009, 12:25 pm

I really like the new chapter! I feel so sorry for her.

by **Nightowl** 7/29/2009, 1:45 pm

Thanks Mo. Smile

It's really not my favorite but I'm glad you like it.

by **Kat24** 7/29/2009, 2:12 pm

I like the newness. Not alot happened but it's really well-writen, so it's all good. xD

by **Nightowl** 7/29/2009, 4:39 pm

Thanks Kat. I'm glad you like it. =]

by **shadowsowner888** 7/29/2009, 5:06 pm

Nice job.

by **Nightowl** 7/29/2009, 5:30 pm

Thanks Shadow. Very Happy

by **Kat24** 7/29/2009, 6:28 pm

Welcomez, Sparrow. =)

by **DreamCatcher81** 7/29/2009, 8:21 pm

Ooh. I love the new chapter!

by **Nightowl** 7/29/2009, 8:25 pm

Glad you love it Dream! I think I'll add Chapter Three now, since I'm gonna be gone for so long. [I have up until Chapter 5 written already. =D]

by **Nightowl** 7/29/2009, 8:29 pm

Chapter Three is added. Tell me what you think...

by **DreamCatcher81** 7/29/2009, 8:44 pm

You're welcome!

by **DreamCatcher81** 7/29/2009, 8:44 pm

Ooh! I'll go read it!

by **DreamCatcher81** 7/29/2009, 9:20 pm

I loooooved it!!!

by **Nightowl** 7/29/2009, 9:50 pm

Thankies!

I'm glad you like it. Smile

by **Nightowl** 7/29/2009, 11:21 pm

I think I might add more tomorrow morning before I leave. Should I?

by **shadowsowner888** 7/30/2009, 9:06 am

Sweet job! Very Happy

I think you should. ^^ That way it'll be easier to wait for more!

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The Mind Thief ~ By Nightowl ~ [Unfinished] Ch. 11 added!

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