Prologue
It was dark out, Pitch black.
That didn’t stop her from creeping out. Looking around to make sure she was alone, she made her way towards the forest. Just as she ducked behind a tree, shouting erupted from behind.
And then she ran.
Little Amara ran as fast as her little legs would allow her. The words of her dear parents echoed in her head. “Run. Run far from here.”
She was doing that now. Then what? She stumbled in the dark, never looking back even once.
Amara didn’t expect to run into the lady. In a fright, she apologised profusely. Surprisingly, the woman was nice about it, assuring her that it would be alright.
“Are you lost little one?” The kind woman asked. Her eyes saw the badly wrapped bandages on Amara’s palms. Understanding dawned on her kind face, and she led Amara to her home.
The woman’s house was large and cosy, with a beautiful garden and a fence to keep creatures that roam the forest out. She properly treated the red angry burns on Amara’s hand, and made something warm for her. “You should eat little one.” The woman patted her hand. “You will need every ounce of strength you could get.”
Amara was scared. terrified to the bone. She grew up hearing the words burned into her head: “To eat an apple in your pie, you must know them.”
Yet she was starving, surviving on small berries she hurriedly picked. After a moment’s hesitation, she gratefully took the stew offered, and gulped it down vigorously. “Thank you miss.” She managed.
She smiled. "Call me Bethany dear. Let's get you settled in for the night."A
