I wake up to a lot of clamor outside. The inderlands were breaking in! No time to think, I grab my sword and head for the base. Closing the hatch, I settle down into the old chair. Looking around, I realize that I never payed much attention to this place. The rickety bed had only a thin sheet, but it was already stufy down here so that should do. There is a bunch of crates that used to be filled with food, now eaten away by any insect that could find it’s way. Finally, with the single table and wooden chair practically eaten away by termites, I knew I couldn’t stay long. As the racket upstairs faded to nothing, I climb up to take a peek. They trashed my entire base, my bed turned over, books flung off the shelves, and my drawers were I kept my records and SECRET files of the inderland rotation cycles all were stolen.
After filling my bag with the little usefull things I have left, I walk to the edge of the island. This was the biggest chance of my life, without anything left to do, I jump. Falling down and down, I start to see water. With experience, I land safely, but I have no idea where I am. A vast desert stretches around me. A village is in the distance. “That must have been the light I saw!” I exclaim running towards it. Only to discover an inderland airport. Although they tried to kill me more than once, I was in astonishment. Airships floating back up to the island that was completely out of sight from here. The ships were bigger than anything I’ve seen in my 18 years on this planet. A couple feet away, I set up camp next to the water I landed in. Nothing to start a fire with, I steal some canned food from the port and make a tent out of the sheet and some twigs, using my thicker blanket to shield out the cold.
Waking up, I get some more canned food and sharpen my sword on a rock. “I can do this.” I whisper. Today I was going to confront the overlord, whoever he was. Sneaking quietly through the huge containers of gold, food, jewels, and whatever else, I climb into one just as it’s taking off. With my luck, it was filled with food. Everything was so fancy, live pigs and quail, eggs stored carefully in straw, and wooden barrels filled with aged wine. I was in heaven. Before I could stuff my face, the door opened, and I hid in an empty barrel. After feeling like I was thrown around in a game of some sort, they put me down in a dark and moldy-smelling place. I get out of the barrel and go to the door. “Locked.” I grimaced, after feeling around in the dark hallways, I see a small window in the corner. I put some barrels in a stack and climb out, to a surprisingly long fall. How could I be above ground, in a basement? I was in the cow pasture, seeing the castle on the other side.
It was day, so I stuck to the side with more vegetation. When I finally reached the castle, a big stone wall surrounded it, so for about the 10th time now, I climb up. Landing quietly and sneaking to the storage room door, where the inderlands were throwing barrels from one to another in a line. “Weird.” I mummer, thankfully not drawing attention this time. I keep walking through the halls, ducking behind a table or a plant for the occasional inderland. That’s when I heard voices.
“I told you sir, she would find a way down sooner or later.” a deep voice said “I don’t care if you tear the place to the ground! That little brat is going to get in soon and we have to find her before she finds us!” a younger, but mature voice replies. Too late for them I guess, I already did both of those things. “But Vincent…” the deep voice said. Coming in to view, I duck behind a corner. The deep voice looked like an inderland, but also like a human. The younger voice looked about my age, but he wore a T-shirt and jeans, and had black hair. He must be that mysterious leader, Vincent was a strange name though. I laughed as they both kept arguing, my big mouth again. They noticed me. “You! Stop!” the inderland shouted. I ran and ran, but just as I turned the corner, a whole bunch of inderlands were waiting. I turn to run the other way, they've surrounded me. The two closest to me grab my arms and start dragging me back to the throne room, were Vincent now sits arrogantly on the throne. “Well, it’s about time.” He said with a sneer, “The famous Rena Brendan, who escaped a search while simultaneously discovering the world below.What do you have to say to that?” he spoke while walking around me, as if trying to find a weak spot.
The inderlands have let me go now, leaving me kneeling on the floor. I guess I took too long to answer because he reeled back to kick me in the side. I saw him and dodged it, sending him toppling to the floor. He must have been crazy because he smiled. “You're a smart one, I guess you must have found the secret of the inderlands then, and yourself.” I was taken back and stumbled for a second, just enough time for him to send a blow to my stomach and pin me to the wall. “I’ll tell you this much” Vincent whispered in my ear, as if someone was listening. “The netherlands, there just like us, they ARE us, humans, and you're the reason they don’t remember.” that was the last thing I heard, because Vincent threw me to the floor and I blacked out.
I woke up in a bland jail cell, with mold on the walls and a stone slab for the bed I was laying on. I took this time to process what just happened. Someone my age rules over my old home and says I am the one to blame. And inderlads are humans. Standing up, I walk around the confined space, no one is in the hall, no one in the cells, the only thing besides me in the cell is a book under the bed. It said Brendan corporations with a picture of a man on the front. I opened it, it appeared to be someone's diary.
It read,
I don’t know why I am here, but a man and his two children come every day and takes one of us. I can hear the screams from upstairs.This will be my only entry, for I fear they will find this. The weird thing is, one of us will leave, then will come back as one of the guards and treat us like we never knew each other. If you are reading this, STOP THOSE BLOODY BRENDANS, before they destroy the whole village….
This is what Vincent meant, MY father kidnapped and entire village and turned them into, the inderlands, I can’t take this. Yet there was one more child, who was it? “I guess you cheated, didn’t you?” I spun around to see Vincent standing in the hallway. He had seen me with the book. I could only reply in one way, “I had a sibling, who was it?”
“I guess your father was right. Men are smarter, I guess that’s why he dumped you instead of me, sis.” he said with that wicked smile again. I didn’t know what to think of this. He, we couldn’t be, we were completely different. Yet it made sense, Same age, same hair and purple eyes, and same mother, who died at birth. “I’ll leave you to it, Rena.” he proclaimed as he walked away. I sat down to take this in, If my, OUR father erased human memory, and the inderlands looked like humans. That means they tried to turn me into an inderland! But they failed, so they dumped me in the forest, where I grew up, and Vincent became the ruler. If I could escape that method of mind erasing, then the others could be cured to! Vincent was certainly not smart enough to re-create it. So I just had to find the file room, steal the folder, and find the antidote. Easier said than done.
First order of business, making a map. There was only one floor of this place, the throne room took up half of it, one hallway down the middle, and three rooms on the other side.
Down the stairs on one side of the hall, the staircase that led to another long hallway filled with prison cells, which I am currently in. On the other end, the door where I came in. I have 3 chances, I’ll do it at night. Now to get out of here, not much to work with, I feel around the cold, stone walls. Just my luck, a loose brick. Pulling it out, fairly easy, I find a key. Also lucky, it fits and I'm free, I’ll leave the key in the lock so I can get out once it’s night.
Night falls, so it’s easier to sneak out of the hall. They decrease the guard at night, also. I check the first room, only to immediately close it realizing it’s where all the inderlands are kept, farmers, bakers, maids, guards, the whole lot. On to the second room, I also closed the door, it was Vincent’s room. I opened the door again, he was in there, sitting at a desk in the corner. The only light on in the room was a desk light. Vincent was writing feverishly, but I couldn't tell what. I walked away.
The last room was the file room. I searched through every rack, until I stumbled upon a door in the back corner. Before I could open it, Vincent emerged, and I ducked behind a rack. The door connected to his room. With that wicked smile again, he went to the far corner of the room, pulled out an old folder, and placed the paper inside. As soon as he left, I got the folder he put back and saw something shocking, he was keeping a file on ME! Everything I did for the past week was here, and the latest report. He said I “cheated” in figuring out my history, whatever that meant.
I found a file on one inderland, so I left the file room. I made it through the rest of the hallway and out to the pasture. Running with all my might, the sun was rising in the distance, and the daytime inderland farmers came out. With me barely making it into the forest before they noticed. I couldn’t go back to the base, couldn’t jump from the island again, and I couldn’t stay here. I kept running until I was in the dense part of the woods, this is where I’ll rest for now. I take the two folders out of my backpack. Mine and the inderland’s, I open the inderland folder. His name was James Cook, the baker's son, I kept reading, he was erased on October 16. My birthday, Vincent’s birthday, he made the cake for him, while I was alone. I took out the book, the entry was on that date, in my folder it said I was erased on that day as well. Yet my memory wasn’t erased, so there was something about that date that meant something. But what?
I slept on the ground for only a short time , waking up with an answer. I was so stupid! The computer in the inderland room! If it controlled them, then the date 10/16 must be the code. If it was on and made them forget, turning it off will make them remember! I have to go back to that place, which was a lot smaller on the inside then the outside. I laugh out loud. Time for another plan.
Again under the cover of darkness, I don’t even have to get to the edge of the woods to know that they were looking for me. Every inch of the field was monitored by a guard, and the watchtowers were even being watched. Sticking to the woods, I sneak around the pasture, now to get through the door. That’s when it hits me, the shipping containers, I go around to the front of the castle, perfect timing. These containers are already checked, so I climb into one of the crates, holding my breath because it was filled with water. Once again being batted around, I’m back in the familiar smell of the wine cellar. I wait until they leave before climbing out, stumbling a little from the lack of oxygen.
I go out the door this time, and now that it’s day, I stroll across the pasture, avoiding the eyes of the watchmen. I go in, at one end of the hallway, I make my way to the inderland room, the computer flashing. The screen asks for a passcode, this is my chance. I type in the code 1016, and it opens! I search through every PDF, document, and folder. Until I find it, every person from the village and there before and after records. I punch in the code for the final test, but I was to late, Vincent bursts through the door, and I freeze like a deer in a headlight. 695Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCHGBxHM1ZV
695Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJD9tJ8yuex
“Hey there Rena, did ya miss me?” he said with a sneer, once again. “It’s too late Vincent, I just have to press enter and they will all wake up.” I responded. “Oh, that won’t be happening.” then he pointed at me, and the inderlands swarmed. I press the button just as they grab me, I did it. They all fall to the floor, like they just went to sleep, even Vincent. After a short period, they woke up, and they all had a massive headache. I did to after the previous days. The last one to wake up was Vincent, I walk over to him. “Rena, where did you come from? What happened?” he asked, confused. “We have a lot to catch up on.” I said, trying to imitate his grin.
