The Children of Eliza: Unearthed

By Jessalyn Adamson

Ruby Reddings has only know life in her small, peaceful village until the beast from the tales attack, killing her sister and leaving the village in fear. With one kiss on the forehead from Ruby her sister rises from the dead, changing her world, and helping her unearth the secrets of The Children of Eliza. Including the discovery of nine others with abilities no one else possesses, when one turns against them they have to come together with the help of Eliza to save the present and the future.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Sep 10, 2012
• ISBN: 9781479709618

Jessalyn Adamson

The Children Of Eliza: Unearthed is Jessalyn's first novel. She unearthed the plot at the age of fourteen and continued on until it was published at the age of sixteen. She often chose to work on the story during school hours, surprisingly she never got caught. She currently resides in Utah with her parents and siblings and enjoys writing and reading. She plans on majoring in English and getting her degree in creative writing.

Book preview

PART ONE

Chapter One

RUBY REDDINGS

Ruby’s lengthy red hair rained over her shoulders, her bright green eyes reflected the scenery of the forest that owned most of the kingdom. The long pale arms attached to her body swung as her tiny foot took another step forward, crunching the yellow and orange leaves that rest below her high, towering body. Ruby held her hand out as a slice of morning dew crept down a large waxy leaf meaning to fall to the forest floor but was intercepted by Ruby’s soft, smooth hand. Next she tilted her hand, letting it slip off and splash onto a small dead leaf.

Ruby! the voice pulled her from the peace of the forest. She looked up, and then with her eyes resting on the caller, she muttered a hello.

Honeysuckle wanted to see you. Trixie released the bear cub from her arms. He trotted to Ruby and begged to be held.

Hello, Honeysuckle. Ruby gently kissed his nose and cradled him in her arms. The bear cub grunted in happiness and slid his tongue up her cheek. Ruby laughed, then wiped her cheek, and continued by laying her eyes upon her sister.

Come here, Trixie. Ruby set Honeysuckle down and took Trixie’s hand in hers. Next, she guided Trixie’s fingers along the veins of the waxy leaf.

Can you feel it? Ruby asked, her eyebrows rose. Trixie shook her head in confusion. What am I supposed to be feeling? Trixie asked, looking on to her siblings face. Ruby released Trixie’s hand and touched the leaf herself. The feeling of life. I can feel it. It’s right here, a warmth coming from the leaf. Ruby smiled, then pulled away. Trixie picked up Honeysuckle and studied her sister. Wow, Ruby, you really have a gift. You feel like this in everything. Soon you’re going to start giving every object names! Both girls laughed and began walking to their village.

Ruby had always been that type of person, the person that feels more at home when she is in nature than when she is actually in her home. That’s how she found Honeysuckle. Ruby was wandering the woods one night when she heard an animal crying. She followed the noise to find a bear cub lying by itself. Ruby had searched for the cub’s mother and succeeded in finding the mother a few yards away; she had been killed. Ruby had approached him and looking lovingly into his eyes, then picked him up. Ruby’s mother and father immediately accepted Honeysuckle, seeing the love in his eyes. Over the weeks, they had grown to love him.

Honeysuckle waddled behind Trixie and Ruby, making low grunting noises to himself as he tried to keep up with the girls’ long strides. Ruby stopped walking and focused her energy on the towering aspen trees. The trees were placed close together, creating a thin canopy. The roof of the forest only allowed small blotches of light to escape into the shady land. The leaves above created unusual patterns on the forest floor, which added to the already fallen leaf pattern, creating a bright, shadowy fill of the forest. After observing and taking in the new season of life that lingered, Ruby and her sister continued on.

So what’s the real reason why you came out here? Ruby asked, eyeballing Trixie. I know the reason was not for the sake of Honeysuckle. The cub looked up when his name was mentioned.

Trixie hesitated. Go on, Ruby encouraged.

Mother wanted me to come and see what you were doing. She thinks you’re still meeting with Leonard out here. Trixie’s stomach turned to knots as she waited for Ruby’s reaction.

Why would I be meeting with Leonard? He was in the past. Ruby’s heart ached.

Trixie sighed. You were in love with him, Ruby. Ruby ignored the aching in her heart and remembered how Leonard had broken it. He left me, disappeared with no explanation. That is not love.

Trixie took her sisters hand in hers and helped her wipe a now receding tear. He will come back for you, I know it. Ruby shook her head, discarding the conversation, but failing at discarding the memory.

The couple’s story started last summer on a warm evening. Ruby was strolling through the forest, admiring its summer beauty, when she was knocked down by a powerful force. To her surprise, it was a boy. He looked to be seventeen years, his skin was fair like Ruby’s, and his head consisted of short brown hair. He begged for help, explaining that a mob was after him, and he needed somewhere to hide. She immediately became fond of the boy and took him to the hallow, a place Ruby had discovered as a child. The boy spent many nights there, hiding from a hideous fate. One night, Ruby went to visit him.

Hello, Leonard. She smiled. She loved the way his name slid off her tongue. He smiled back at the sight of the beauty that had saved him in his time of need.

I really appreciate what you are doing for me. I never wanted to leave, but its time for me to find a new place to hide out. I may get discovered.

Ruby’s smile faded. Will you visit me? she asked hopefully.

Of course, how could I not? he replied.

Ruby sat next to him on the wooden log that took the place of a bed. You never told me why you were being followed by a mob. All color drained from Leonard’s face turning him into a black-and-white painting. He was silent for a long time.

You’re not a thief, are you? Ruby stood up.

Leonard shook his head. No, much worse, he replied.

Ruby took a step back, then she asked, Murderer? Leonard shook his head once more, then stood up, taking Ruby’s hands in his.

Ruby, I have a gift. I don’t know how to explain it, but I can show you. She stared into his deep brown eyes for a short while when suddenly, they turned green, as green as the forest, like herself, like a mirrored reflection.

She touched his face. It no longer looked like him—he was her.

I can change form, he started to explain even sounding like Ruby. I was caught changing, and my village blamed me for witchcraft. I was sentenced to death, but I escaped before my death. A mob followed me, then I ran into you. Leonard changed back to himself.

Ruby was dumbstruck. That’s not even possible! she thought to herself. She just couldn’t comprehend it. Then he changed to King Russell and continued switching forms as if that was supposed to help Ruby understand.

I don’t know how I can do it, but I found out about it two weeks ago. Then Leonard left, leaving Ruby standing there in awe.

He visited her many times after that, and Ruby quickly fell in love. They would watch sunsets, then if possible watch the sunrise in the early morning. One sunset, Leonard never came, and the following sunset he didn’t show up. After many, many hours and days of waiting, Ruby herself stopped showing up, and Leonard became just a memory.

If he were to come back for me, he would have already came.

Trixie nodded, then understanding the way Ruby felt, she also discarded the conversation.

The village wasn’t far now. They could see it through the tall trees. People walked from market to market buying goods that they would probably use for supper that night. Little children ran around in groups, laughing to themselves.

A cold breeze swept past, rustling the leaves on the trees and causing some to tumble to the earth’s floor.

Ruby, Trixie, and Honeysuckle stepped over the newly fallen leaves and into the busy dirt roads of the village. Many women and children were fond of Honeysuckle. He was like a newborn baby to them. They loved to hold him and bring him food and give him attention. Honeysuckle enjoyed when this happened.

A group of children ran up to the girls, kneeling down to Honeysuckle. They ran their fingers through his thick fur. Honeysuckle immediately dropped to the ground and turned on to his back. One of the girls happened to be Princess Isabella, the youngest of the seven royals.

Honeysuckle is so cute! Princess Isabella squealed as Honeysuckle gifted her a kiss.

Hello, Princess, Ruby said kindly, smiling at her. Princess Isabella looked up onto Ruby’s smiling face. Hi, Ruby! Why haven’t you been seeing Arianna lately?

Arianna was Isabella’s sister. King Russell and Queen Laura have five children: Princess Kiara, Princess Arianna, Prince Mason, Prince Benjamin, and Princess Isabella. Princess Kiara is a great beauty. She is twenty-two years and engaged to Prince John of the Kingdom of the West. She is so very kind and loving like her mother. Princess Kiara is the perfect princess. Princess Arianna is beautiful, but not as much as her sister is. Arianna is eighteen, one year older than Ruby, but the two are the best of friends. Prince Mason is handsome. He is very smart and is very much into science. Mason is sixteen, the same age as Ruby, but the two had never crossed paths. Prince Benjamin and Princess Isabella are twins. They are ten years old and are very much alike. Both would always be found exploring in the ponds on the grounds of the palace. Isabella could never wear a dress for more than an hour and keep it clean. The queens dresser made Isabella a simple dress with a fabric that repelled most dirt and water. Benjamin, however, was surprisingly less of a rascal than Isabella and tended to keep his clothes in better condition. He mostly collected the pond water and studied it under a microscope while Isabella liked to swim with the microorganisms. This did not make the woman who did her laundry very happy.

When is Kiara’s wedding? Arianna invited me to attend, Ruby said, smiling in pride. She is one of the very few peasants who is attending the beautiful princess’s wedding. The king and queen cared for their children as much as they cared for their people; that is why the royal children were allowed to roam the village side by side with the villagers.

Two weeks from today. Mama’s dresser is making me a new dress. It’s going to be beautiful, Isabella replied and picked the cub up and rocked him like a baby.

Ruby, we better go. Mother wanted me to bring you home. She still thinks your seeing Leonard, Trixie explained, walking in the direction of their home.

All right. Thank you, Isabella.

Ruby took Honeysuckle and followed Trixie down and through the middle of town. Ruby paused at the entrance to her home, getting ready to face her mother. She pulled her hair into a ponytail, then release it as if to released the stress; then she walked through the entrance with Honeysuckle following close behind.

What were you doing in the forest, Ruby? Leah, Ruby and Trixie’s mother, asked.

I was walking around, like I do every morning, she replied. Ruby felt angry that her mother thought she was still sneaking around with the boy that had left and taken some of her with him.

Were you with Leonard? she asked, stepping closer to Ruby.

Leah wasn’t a strict mother, but she was very protective over her children. At the time when Ruby was seeing Leonard, Leah had followed Ruby out to one of their meetings and immediately recognized Leonard as the man that used witchcraft. She confronted Ruby and told Leonard’s village his location.

They came after him, leaving Ruby watching the sunsets alone.

Mother, Leonard was gone a long time ago. Can we please not speak of him? Ruby requested. Trixie sat in silence between her mother and her sister as they spoke of Leonard.

Ruby had not told Trixie about Leonard until two weeks into their relationship. Trixie remembered the way Ruby would talk about him, her eyes looked as if she was looking into the clouds on a sunny morning. The way her mouth curled when she smiled showed the kiss of a love, and her face shone brighter than the moon. Trixie missed seeing Ruby so happy.

I was just making sure, Leah said as she turned back to her cooking. Ruby stood there for a while, looking at her mother as she moved about the small cooking space.

Arianna has invited me to attend Kiara’s wedding, Ruby informed Leah.

Ruby, can we talk about this later? Leah said. She didn’t even turn to look at her daughter.

~       ~       ~

The fire crackled and popped, causing Ruby to jump at the sound. Trixie giggled, then placed a spoonful of soup into her mouth.

Mother, this is very good, Ruby complimented, swallowing.

Leah didn’t get mad often, and when she was upset, it blew over quickly, and they were a happy family again.

Leah smiled, then said, Thank you, Ruby. Honeysuckle seems to enjoy it too. They then glanced at Honeysuckle, who was greedily licking the bowl clean. Leah laughed at the sight.

Joseph, the girls’ father was at work most of the time. Their family was not wealthy; in fact, they would be considered poor. Joseph was often not at home. There was no bonding time between the family. Whatever Joseph did earn, it went to their basic needs: food and shelter. Ruby and Trixie rarely got new clothes. There was no money for gifts, so the Reddings family learned to be thankful for everything they obtained. Leah also earned a portion of the money. She was very talented at painting designs. The villagers and royal family paid her to paint designs on dishes or vases and even on clothes. Trixie and Ruby had both experimented with this talent; neither of them had inherited it.

Ruby lay awake that night not able to find sleep. It was as if her eyes were pinned open, and her mind was not able to shut down. A war was going on in her head. All she could think about was Leonard. Yes, he was a thing of the past, but that didn’t take away the heart-throbbing love she felt towards him. The days he had been around was like a fairy tale. Soon she realized that she had meant to discard him from her life, but he was rebounding at a time she least wanted to think about him. Ruby pulled the blankets up to her chin and glanced across the bed at her sister who lay in a deep slumber. The crickets outside created a symphony. In compulsion, Ruby left her bed empty and stepped into the darkness of the night. She had actually never left her home at night; it was too dangerous. There were legends of a great beast that roamed the villages in the wee hours of the night searching for a meal. It had never happened to any of the villages during her time, but many old folk had told stories to her of things that had been put upon them by the beast when she was still a child.

Ruby continued on into the forest. It was eerily quiet. Her conscious mind told her to turn around, but she just kept walking into nowhere. Something moved in the distance. Ruby, being a curious girl, walked toward it, but nothing was there. She shrugged her shoulders and turned around. Everything was black, where was the forest that had been there only a few seconds ago? Ruby started walking, hoping moonlight would be shining somewhere. As soon as she took a step, she fell backward. She had run into the darkness. Ruby looked up from the ground, looming over her was the biggest bear she had ever seen. It growled loudly and went from standing on two feet to four paws. The bear was taller than her, even with her standing up. This was the beast the old folk had told her about. It definitely was a beast, standing thirteen feet on its hind legs, yet Ruby didn’t feel fear. It was as if the world was frozen, and her heart was the only thing beating. The beast sniffed the air, then it scampered off.

Ruby looked around the forest. What had just happened? she thought. Her eyes turned to where the bear once stood.

A lump of grey lay there. It was silent, but she saw it was softly breathing. She walked over to it until she stood over the lump. It had large gashes that were oozing blood. Ruby began to cry. She kneeled next to the animal. She now recognized as a wolf. She and the animal had never met, but she could feel what it was feeling now. She felt pain and agony. Ruby lightly touched the wolf’s matted fur and planted a kiss on the dying animal’s nose. Next, Ruby stood up, turned around, and began walking away. All of a sudden, a bright light flashed behind