3 Chapter 3

Somehow Annabelle was now outside standing in the middle of a large field surrounded by shrubs and large trees that seemed to look blue in what little light she had from the moon.

Annabelle is confused but her mind is quickly taken elsewhere. Her skin begins to feel itchy all over, gradually intensifying. She scratches a few places before landing on her wrist which seems to be the hotspot for now.

Annabelle feels something soft stuck to her wrist. It's too dark to see exactly what it is so she just tugs on it instead. She pulled it quickly and let out an "ouch!". When it finally came free, it felt like a really big hair being pulled. It didn't hurt too bad but it was definitely uncomfortable.

Annabelle held up the foreign object to the light of the moon to see what it was. "A feather?" Just as she had asked her question a soaring pain lit through her body, the itching turned to burning and Annabelle was shocked to find more feathers protruding from the opening on her wrist that was now alot bigger.

Annabelle could only watch, horrified as more wounds opened up to reveal more feathers now coming from various places all over her body. Annabelle falls to her knees as an excruciating pain overcomes her. Her skin stretches and rips, falling in soggy pieces on the floor. Loud cracks can be heard echoing in the distance along with a few of Annabelle's soft cries as she listens to her own bones break and relocate.

With every crunch a new muscle appears. Annabelle opened her eyes which had been shut tightly since the pain started, she was met with the biggest shock yet. Paws... Big black paws, as she tried to back away she realised, they were her paws. Her senses were so heightened she was overwhelmed, fight or flight kicked in which was apparently much more intense in this form. Annabelle took off running, a few seconds after this she blacked out.

When Annabelle woke up the sunlight was blaring into her eyes as usual, she scrunched her eyes closed and reached out for her soft fluffy quilt to cover them. She realised that her quilt was now very heavy, she opened her eyes and almost screamed at what she saw. A half eaten animal... She couldn't tell what it was as the head was gone. Her body back to its usual form was drenched in crimson, peices of the animals fur stuck to her half naked body in the drying blood. There was no mistaking this was her doing. She gathered what little rags she had left of her clothing trying to cover herself as best she could.

Annabelle had no idea where she was, the last thing she saw were big black paws and she ran. The trees that looked blue last night actually were blue, they were a mixture of blues and purples. Anna had never even heard of the existence of such a place, what she did know is that she was dirty and thirsty, and the first thing in any survival situation is finding a water source.

She walked for at least five hours before she heard the sound of water flowing, she had passed a few ponds and even a swamp but neither was a viable source of water. On her travels she had encountered a few species of animals that let her know wherever she was, this wasn't her earth.

There was something that looked like a frog with an alligator head, it was the size of a small dog.

Along with many other usual discoveries, she also encountered one of the same animals she had killed last night. She was watching it from around two hundred feet away. It was large and had thick brown fur, it had a mane with a head like a bear and the body of a deer on steroids. It's antlers were larger and more complex than a deer, they looked like two old winding trees.

Annabelle knew it was the same as the animal she woke up with as it smelled the same.

Then it dawned on her that she could even smell it at this distance, it seemed like the animal could smell her too, it looked straight at her and went running in the opposite direction. She didn't blame it, she would've run too at the state of her.

After finding the stream she had drank splashed her face and then followed it to a small river. After washing her body and her clothes Annabelle now had time to think about a plan. She didn't know where she was, or if there were any people that lived here, if there was what would they look like? If the animals looked so different the people could too. Annabelle was scared for her future, but also optimistic, this power inside her was meant for something, she needed to know what. She must be here for a reason right?.

Annabelle made a fire and a small shelter using her surroundings; fallen down trees, jurassic sized leaves and vines that hung from all over. The Gods were finally on her side she thought as she watched the sun setting over the trees, illuminating them in some of the most beautiful colours she's ever seen.

She was coming to terms with the fact that her old life was gone. The whole time she's been here the warm feeling stayed. Although she was terrified Anna couldn't help but feel a sense of freedom, something she could never have before.

Annabelle also felt guilty for leaving her father's legacy behind. Not like she had a choice. Even if she did Annabelle might have still chose this. She felt in her heart that her father was gone. She missed him but pushed those thoughts out of her head before she has a breakdown. That is the last thing she needs in this situation, to panic and exert more energy than she needs too. Annabelle was good at this, suppressing feelings. She had to be, growing up as royalty you can never show your emotions and Annabelle had learned from the best, her mother was amazing at hiding her hatred for Annabelle. She almost didn't see her mother for the first four years of her life.. she could have passed her on the street and not known.

As she looked up admiring the view she noticed there are two moons, one was so large you could clearly see the craters on the surface. The other was a pinkish colour the size of earth's moon. Both were astonishingly beautiful side by side. Annabelle laid in her hammock of vines and slept peacefully.

It had been two days since Annabelle found the lake. She was quite cosy in the shelter she had built, but this can't last forever. Everyday her senses are heightened further, her reflexes improve, she doesn't feel cold or get tired as fast. Annabelle hasn't had another 'episode' yet, but she can feel that whatever took control of her last time was lying dormant. She would never kill an innocent animal by choice, not rip it to pieces anyway. For now though she was in control. Annabelle decided tomorrow she would leave the safety of her camp.

On her wonders around camp she had found a dirt path through the forest that looked large enough for a carriage, although it looked very old she had hope it would lead somewhere, she just hoped whichever path she chose led to somewhere still standing and not a giant monster nest or something.

Annabelle had been walking for at least 8 hours, by this time she noticed that she hadn't eaten anything since the... whatever that animal was two days before.

She still had a bucket of water. The bucket was made from vines and insulated with waxy leaves.

Annabelle stopped at a fallen down tree to sit for a minute and take a drink. Her stomach grumbled as she took another sip of the water, she got a whiff of something sweet, it reminded her of when the palace chef would make all her favourite candies on her birthday. This smell disapated as a new smell invaded her senses, it smelled like sweat and alcohol. She heard a noise from further down the path, she focused to hear a man shouting orders, "Hold her still!" Roared a man with a gravely voice. Annabelle began running in that direction, she didn't know what she could do, or how to do it, but whatever was happening she couldn't just let it.

"ARGGG!!" the same man sounded wounded now. "You'll pay for that bitch!" He scorned.

"I won't let you take what is mine!" Came another voice, this one was from a woman, a very pissed off woman.

"Now we're gonna have some fun with you" the biggest guy holding one of her arms sniggered. Annabelle heard the girl take a blow before the scenario was finally in view. It took her longer than she expected to arrive, but she was much faster than before, it must have been her hearing that made it sound close.

What Annabelle saw was another two roads that joined this one, only they were much more developed having some kind of stone laid. The path she was on was just dirt. On one of the paths there was a carrage with two horses pulling it and four horses to the side. There were people, actual people. A polished man dressed in a red kaftan on his knees with a gun held to his head by a scruffy man wearing old grey brown clothes. Another 4 men in a red kaftans were laid dead in a pool of their own blood, it looked like they were the ones that had tried to fight. Three men dressed in more filthy clothes were pinning a young woman to the carrage, trying to strip her of her jewelry, so that's what this is... A robbery.