Submitted to: Contest #59

The Lass We Found In London

Written in response to: "Write about a character arriving in a place unlike anywhere they’ve ever been."

Thriller

I couldn't breathe through the burlap sack over my head. It was suffocating me. My arms were tied behind my back and my legs were tied at the ankles. They had forced me to my knees and left me here. I had no way of telling what time it was.

After what felt like an eternity, I heard the door open, then shut. Someone with a strong grip cut the rope on my ankles and forced me to my feet. They led me to a different part of the room, and forced me to sit in a chair. Someone took the sack off of my head and the room had one light, and was barely brighter than the sack that was over my head. In front of me, sat an older man. He looked about fifty years old and he had a gray comb-over. He glanced at me up and down, then he licked his lips. It was unnerving. I was alone in a room with a creep.

"You're a very pretty girl. Do ya know that, Lassie?" His Irish accent was very thick. After being in a vehicle for so long, I realize that I could be in any one place rather than just England.

"Where am I?" I asked. I probably wasn't in the States, considering the fact that I was on vacation in London.

"Why, Lassie. Ye have found yer way to Ireland. An' ye have the pleasure o' meeting the Brennan O'Connor. I am lookin' for a new mate." He leaned back in his chair and looked off at something behind me. "Wesley, put yerself into good use and find this Lass a new set o' clothes." I looked behind me and saw a tall man, with ocean blue eyes and full lips. He had high cheekbones and hair that laid perfectly on his head. Wesley nodded, but gave me a quick grin that made my heart flutter, before leaving the room. My cheeks were hot from blushing, so I looked at my lap to hide the redness.

"So might I know yer name? I told ye mine." He asked hopefully.

"No. You don't need to know my name." I said, annoyed. I just wanted to go home.

Brennan got up from his seat and walked towards the door. I felt relieved that he was leaving. But then, I heard a click and realized that he was only locking the door. My heart sank.

"Now, Lassie. Friends know everything about each other. Tell me your name, or I will learn about you another way." He threatened. He was so short that it was hard to be scared of him. But he was still a creepy old man.

"We are not friends." I said with venom in my voice. I glared at Brennan and he smiled evilly.

"Oh. So ye want to do it the hard way, eh?" He walked toward me and put a hand on my shoulder. He turned my chair to face him. I looked away from him. He grabbed my jaw and forced me to look at him. His eyes were an ugly gray color, and they were sunken in.

"Ye have lovely violet eyes, Lassie. So innocent. What a shame." He glanced down at my lips, then back up to my eyes. He leaned in so close to me, that I could smell the stank of his breath.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. Brennan grunted and released my jaw. He unlocked the door and let in Wesley. I looked at Wesley, and for a second, our eyes locked. He glanced at me in sympathy and continued over to me.

"Here are some clothes, Miss." He said. He didn't have an Irish accent, but he did have a very proper English accent. "We are going to leave you to get dressed." He grabbed Brennan by the wrist, and led him out the door. I sighed in relief, but then I realized that I was still tied to the chair. So I tilted my head back and made a noise of frustration.

A few minutes later, Wesley and Brennan came back in and looked at me in confusion.

"I can't get dressed without my hands." I stuck my head out like a turtle and Brennan began to walk towards me. Since my ankles weren't strapped down, I scooted myself backwards and away from Brennan.

"Not you. Don't come near me, you perverted creep." I said. He tilted his head and furrowed his brow.

"Well, then I guess ye don't get to enjoy fresh clean clothes then." He said. He backed up and stood near the door.

"I'll do it, Miss." Wesley said. He walked over to me and flipped open a pocked knife. He slipped behind me and cut the rope. I jumped up from the chair and threw my arms around him. He seemed surprised that I was hugging him.

"Thank you, Wesley!" I whispered in his ear. He accepted the embrace and hugged me back.

"You're welcome, Miss."

"It's Kaleida. Call me Kali." I said, in a whisper only he could hear.

"Only If you call me Wes." He released from the hug and grabbed my hand. He gave it a quick squeeze before letting go and walking toward the door. Brennan was red with anger. He glared at me before slamming the door shut.

I put on the black, long-sleeved shirt first. It was too long for my short arms, but It was fine because I could just roll up the sleeves. Then I put on the jeans. They fit fine, although they were very short. I then put on the crew socks that Wesley had provided. Lastly, I put on the black Nike tennis shoes. I was all dressed so I sat back down in the chair that was provided to me.

I looked around the dull gray room. The only furniture that was there was the two chairs and a table. There was no decor, and no windows. It was kind of creepy. I don't think that I ever want to come back to Ireland after I get home. If I ever get home again.

I sit in the chair for a moment, pondering my past hour, when the light shut off. I didn't see the door open, but someone else was in the room. They put the bag back over my head, and tied my arms before I could escape their grasp. I felt a poke in my arm, then a few seconds later, I only saw the darkness of sleep.









To Be Continued...


Posted Sep 15, 2020
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40 likes 56 comments

01:07 Sep 15, 2020

Ooh, cool story! Interesting...part 2 now!

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Artemisia Pearl
03:05 Sep 15, 2020

Yes! I am working on a part 2! I am glad you liked it!😁

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Ru .
18:29 Oct 30, 2020

Sorry, this is the most random thing but: You like Red Queen? Ha, I've found you, fellow fan. Also, I love your name :)

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Amaya .
22:17 Oct 30, 2020

I love Red Queen too! (sry I'm going through ur comments to upvote them and can't stop myself from butting into the convos so bear with me)

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Artemisia Pearl
23:42 Nov 02, 2020

Ps. I don't remember if I commented on both of your guys's comments, but I gave you both upvote and I love both of you!😄

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Amaya .
02:37 Nov 03, 2020

aw, you did? thank you so much <3

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Artemisia Pearl
23:40 Nov 02, 2020

Omg! Thanks! I'm so glad I found another fan! I gave you an upvote!💗

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Ru .
23:46 Nov 02, 2020

Thank you, I did too :) Now, I have to ask, thoughts? (favourite book, characters, powers,)

Temi: Oh my gosh! Cal is my second husband! (After Jace from the Mortal instruments) And I absolutely love Shade's teleportation, and Mare's lightning!

Ru: Mare's lightning has been my dream ability forever. Shade's is amazing and I absolutely cried when.... you know. Cal is pretty cool too, but I also like Maven, haha. May I call you Temi? I know everyone says Arte so I wanted to use a different one.

Temi: Absolutely! I love unique names! Also I cried for like three days straight when Shade......Ugh!

Ru: Same, he literally just came back, like give me some time to love him and then... bam. There were so many others too. On a side note, Evangeline is a literal queen. Really mean but still awesome.

Temi: At first I hated her, but as the books started to put her point of view into the story, I began to like her more.

Ru: Same here. But now the whole fandom likes her. Not because she's bad, but because despite everything she is loyal and fierce. Have you read Broken Throne? And have you heard about Victoria's upcoming one?

Temi: I have not read Broken Throne. I haven't even heard of it. Is it part of the series? A book or a novella? I knew there was going to be another book, by her, but I didn't know when.

Ru: Broken Throne came after War Storm. Search it up — it's purple and has some short stories from the RQ universe, maps, little history bits, politics, and some scenes from after War Storm ended (it's actually pretty big). The new book is a new series called Realm Breaker (not part of RQ at all) and comes out next year.

Temi: Oh my gosh! I had no idea that the other book in RQ came out already! I'm way behind! My library hasn't gotten it yet, so that's probably why I didn't know. I will upload it to my phone! And since Victoria is one of my favorite authors, I have to read Realm Breaker once it's out. I'm so excited!

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Artemisia Pearl
13:30 Nov 03, 2020

Oh my gosh! Cal is my second husband! (After Jace from the Mortal instruments) And I absolutely love Shade's teleportation, and Mare's lightning!

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Zea Bowman
02:19 Oct 07, 2020

Hey, Artemisia! First of all, great story! Second, I wanted to let you know that I wrote a "Zombies Sound Safer Than My Family - Part 2." You had read the first and seemed to enjoy it, so I was just letting you know that I had made a second if you wanted to check it out. :)

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Artemisia Pearl
10:50 Oct 07, 2020

I'd love to! That was such an amazing comedy! I will read it as soon as I can and I will give ya some feed back!

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B. W.
19:17 Sep 21, 2020

Hey if its alright, could ya maybe help me with something?

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Artemisia Pearl
14:22 Sep 22, 2020

Yes! Of course!!

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B. W.
14:43 Sep 22, 2020

So ya know the novel i think i mentioned right?

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Artemisia Pearl
19:31 Sep 22, 2020

Yes! I also saw that you mentioned in your bio.

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B. W.
20:27 Sep 22, 2020

oh wait, ya know my demi-god series right? i made something for it, go check out "It has begun" and tell me what you think

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Artemisia Pearl
11:56 Sep 23, 2020

In my free period I will! That is third period so it might take a while, though!

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Lily Kingston
22:15 Sep 17, 2020

great story! i love the tense atmosphere created by Kali's reaction to Brennan. It's great for a thrilling story! keep up the good work and keep writing!!

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Artemisia Pearl
23:51 Sep 17, 2020

Thank you!

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Jade Young
21:05 Sep 16, 2020

This was an interesting and nicely written story😊 I was able to visualize everything in every sentence through your descriptions. I kinda wanna find out what happens next, so hurry up with that part two😂❤ Keep up the great writing😉

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Artemisia Pearl
00:51 Sep 17, 2020

Thank you!!😄

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B. W.
23:26 Oct 12, 2020

Hey ^^ i'm working on a new novel lately and i could use your help for it, if thats alright with you?

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Artemisia Pearl
02:22 Oct 13, 2020

Of course! Whatcha need!

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B. W.
02:24 Oct 13, 2020

I need help with the romance, though could i tell you the plot and stuff so it would be easier for you to help?

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Artemisia Pearl
16:27 Oct 13, 2020

Of course:)

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B. W.
16:32 Oct 13, 2020

Here: Mika and Ryder have been best friends for a long time and they kind of have a future to free and save the demi-gods who are kind of enslaved by the mortals and some of the gods which kind of don't like that (Ryder doesn't like it either but he'll change at some point) and so they free Harmony (daughter of iris) and Arren (son of Apollo) and all of them are kind of on the run while trying to stop this enslaving.

what do you think? The characters are all about 18 and i'd wanna get Mika and Harmony together and get Ryder and Arren together.

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Artemisia Pearl
12:10 Oct 15, 2020

So first of all, is Mika a boy or girl? I've heard both ways, so I'm confused on that. I'd say add another demi-god character. Just to make it even in an odd way. Also you could make that demi god the third wheel.

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Meggy House
23:28 Oct 11, 2020

Hi Artemisia!
First of all, this was a wonderful story, your writing is so beautiful and suspenseful and I'm super excited for your next part!
Also, is this the right time to say bird beak?

Reply

Artemisia Pearl
03:37 Oct 12, 2020

It always is! Is there any two specific stories you would suggest or can I read any of them?

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Meggy House
13:59 Oct 12, 2020

You can read any of them! I will tell you that any of the ones beginning with "Cracked" in the title are sequels (which I did explain in the authors note) and go in a particular order, so if you're going to read any of those I would recommend that you would read the ones prior, but outside of that, anything works!

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B. W.
20:19 Oct 11, 2020

Hey, what do ya think of the new prompts?

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Artemisia Pearl
03:36 Oct 12, 2020

I think they are kinda cutesy. Not my favorite tho. Perfect for a romance story, however.

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B. W.
03:40 Oct 12, 2020

You gonna do one then? maybe you could do a plot twist as well?

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B. W.
14:43 Oct 03, 2020

Hey, what do you think of this weeks prompts?

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Artemisia Pearl
20:52 Oct 03, 2020

Like the ones they just sent out?

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B. W.
21:03 Oct 03, 2020

yeah those ones

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Artemisia Pearl
00:40 Oct 04, 2020

I think that they are better than last weeks, but not my favorite. I like the ones that are more fantasy, not the sci-fi.

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B. W.
00:48 Oct 04, 2020

i made a new story ^^ could you go check out "Crossover: the traitor" and leave some feedback?

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Artemisia Pearl
12:55 Oct 05, 2020

I sure can!

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B. W.
15:45 Sep 25, 2020

I really enjoyed this and ya did a great job with it ^^ i'm not sure if i already checked this one out or not. Though this is still a 10/10 from me :) also could ya check out "Betrayed" and tell me what ya think?

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Artemisia Pearl
16:07 Sep 25, 2020

Thanks! I will check it out after my ELA quiz.

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B. W.
16:08 Sep 25, 2020

No prob and alright ^^

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Roger Scypion
02:33 Feb 26, 2023

Great story, very intriguing with a well delivered, anticipatory plot leading to more.

Reply

Aman Fatima
17:42 Mar 03, 2021

Interesting story!!
I'm really invested in the story now. What happens next?? Part 2?

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Ariadne .
02:14 Oct 25, 2020

This is such a beautiful story. The descriptions were amazing and I felt swept into the tale. I can't wait for the next installment!
Also, am I supposed to say bird beak now?
P.S. I LOVE your name. Mind if I use it in a story? It's so unique and pretty. :)

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Felicity Anne
19:21 Oct 21, 2020

Wonderful job, Arte! I really enjoyed the suspense in this one! I hope there's going to be a part two! There were a few grammatical errors I saw that I'd thought I'd let you know about:

They led me to a different part of the room, and forced me to sit in a chair. - remove the comma after 'room'

Someone took the sack off of my head and the room had one light, and was barely brighter than the sack that was over my head. - remove the comma after 'light'

Wesley nodded, but gave me a quick grin that made my heart flutter, before leaving the room. - remove the comma after 'nodded'

"We are not friends." - replace the period with a comma

He leaned in so close to me, that I could smell the stank of his breath. - replace 'stank' with 'stink'

Since my ankles weren't strapped down, I scooted myself backwards and away from Brennan. - replace 'backwards' with 'backward'

"I'll do it, Miss." - replace the period with a comma

He walked over to me and flipped open a pocked knife. - replace 'pocked' with 'pocket'

The only furniture that was there was the two chairs and a table. - remove the 'the' between 'was' and 'chairs'

There was no decor, and no windows. - remove the comma after 'decor'

I sit in the chair for a moment, pondering my past hour, when the light shut off. - replace 'shut' with 'shuts'

They put the bag back over my head, and tied my arms before I could escape their grasp. - remove the comma after 'head'

I'm not trying to hurt your feelings or discourage you by pointing these things out to you, only trying to help you improve as a writer. ;) Wonderful job! Keep up the good work!

Reply

Artemisia Pearl
11:41 Oct 22, 2020

Thank you!!

Reply

Ari Berri
16:17 Nov 19, 2020

This is awesome!

Reply

Artemisia Pearl
18:39 Nov 19, 2020

Thanks! I'm glad you liked it!

Reply

Artemisia Pearl
18:39 Nov 19, 2020

Thanks! I'm glad you liked it!

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Ari Berri
18:46 Nov 19, 2020

No problem.

Reply

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