The Final Challenge for AAWC

Hi everyone!:)

This is the final AAWC challenge! *sigh* That's so sad...:(

I used the prompt word "Invisible", our team mascot, and a plot twist!:D

I always felt invisible in my family. In my home. In my world. This was the story of how I thought I was going to become visible for the first time in my life.

I stared down at my dinner plate, my fork brushing away my vegetables. My sister, Amanda, chattered on to our parents about what happened at school today, but I wasn't listening. Her life was so full of the spotlight; lights, camera, action. My life paled in comparison. She even got all of the attention from our parents. I tried not to think about it, but the fact that she was adopted and I was actually born into the family felt strange to me. As if the roles should switch.

Not that I would ever want her not to get any attention! I loved Amanda. I just wanted attention, too. Dinner ended and I sighed, standing up.

“Hey, Lizzie! I am going to Jane's sleepover tomorrow, wanna come?” Amanda asked me before I could slip away. I shook my head.

“Not really.”

It was only a pity invite, I wouldn't want to go anyway.

I dashed to my room, eagerly seeking solitude. I opened my window and the dry breeze swept through the room, casting the curtains into chaos. I breathed in until my lungs burned. My mind cleared and my sight was sharpened as I stared out at the yard. A sharp wind stung at my face, an oddly bitter wind. A large white form fell from the dark sky and I gasped, backing away from my window. The form was a horse, a Pegasus to be exact. Its white wings spread out as it trotted toward my window. I stared out at it, my mind in shock and my eyes bugging out.

“What are you?” I whispered, but my voice had gone.

“Are you the daughter of the Formen's?” the Pegasus asked and I stared blankly at it. I nodded my head.

“You must come with me!” the Pegasus demanded.

“Why?” I finally croaked. My mind was in denial. This couldn't be happening to me.

“Our world...it's in mortal peril! The prophecy said that you, Daughter of Formen's, would save us, and that day is now. I'm here to take you to our world,” she said.

“Save you?” I laughed. This was crazy. “I couldn't save you if I wanted! I don't even know you-” I paused, my mind hurting, “what?” I whispered to myself, bewildered. This was the weirdest thing in my life. How was a Pegasus here in my backyard?
“You're the savior! It's in the prophecy! You must live out your destiny! If you must know me to feel comfortable, then my name is Athena. I was sent here by the Queen of Pegasi to take you away from here and save us all! Don't you want to help?”

“Hold your horses! This is happening way too fast! I can't believe you, whoever you are, would come into my backyard and tell me to come with you! What about my family? What about my life? I couldn't care less about your world!” I shouted. I opened my mouth to call for my parents when Athena neighed.

“Wait! No! Please don't call for your parents. I'm sorry for springing this onto you...I'm new. Let me rephrase. If you don't help us, then it could destroy your world, too,” she explained, her voice strained as she pronounced every word slowly.

“How?”

“We do not have our rightful ruler on the throne. We were biding our time to come retrieve you from this world we had to station you in, but now that a new ruler has seized the throne, he will come after you and try to kill you. You need to come with me and get to the magical scepter to reclaim your throne! If he comes to kill you, he will wipe out this world with you!”

“I don't believe you!” I yelled. There was no way my world was in danger. Her words sunk in deeper. “Station me in?”

“Yes. We had to keep you here for reasons I can't tell you about yet. But believe me when I say that you are capable. You are our savior! You were born to be the ruler of our world, not just another peasant of this one. Haven't you felt your true calling pulling at you all of this time?” Athena said. I nodded. I had felt that pull to a more important life.

“If I really am your savior, then I will come and I will help you. I have felt the calling all of this time to find my real place.”
“You were never born for this world. Ever.”
I knew she was right. I had never felt that this place was home ever since Amanda got here all of those years ago. I climbed onto Athena's back and she tore through the sky, until my vision turned black from such fast speeds and my body felt like it was being ripped through the fabric of time and space.

I woke up to soft licking against my cheek. I jumped up to see Athena and a dozen other Pegasi around me.

“What just happened?” I asked, breathless.

“We traveled, um, unlike you've experienced before. We go so fast we go to another world. It's hard to explain,” Athena answered. I rubbed my head as the fog cleared.

“Where are we?”

“In my, I mean, our, world. Your true world,” she said and I gazed at the castle courtyard around me. Tall crystal and sapphire spires twisted up to the castle roof, which was slick with diamonds. The walls and floors held intricate crests and etchings that added to the detail and splendor. I was shocked.

“This is my home?”

Athena nickered, laughing. “No! This is the Castle of the Pegasi! Your castle is much more immaculate than this.”
I gawked. How could something be better than this? Yet I somehow felt like this was a place for me.

“What are we doing?”

“We are going in to see the Queen of Pegasi where she will run a DNA scan and make sure that I didn't get the wrong girl.” Athena laughed. “But I know we didn't. You're our savior, I can tell.”
I beamed. She was right. This was my world. It all made sense, my constant struggle to fit in on Earth. It was because I never belonged there. We entered the throne room and a lavender Pegasus with white luscious curls stood in front of me. A crown of sapphires and diamonds ordained her head. She was beautiful.

I bowed at the sight of her.

“Rise, savior,” she told me and I rose, hesitant to meet her amber eyes. The word savior still sent happy shivers up my spine.
“You are Formen's daughter, yes?” she said. I nodded.

“I am Elizabeth, Lizzie for short.”
“Elizabeth, we are going to run some very short tests on you to make positive we have the right girl. It's only a formality though, so don't be worried. You are the savior, we Pegasi can sense these things. You smell like her.”

I grinned. Athena took me into a back room and a Pegasus scanned my arm with a sensor. I was expecting needles and a blood draw, but these Pegasi had different methods. The chip flashed green and the doctor Pegasi took the sensor out of the room. I followed.

“Your Majesty.” The Pegasus laid the instrument in front of the queen and she stared at it.

“But-I see...” The queen faced me, her eyes worried. “Elizabeth, unfortunately, we have brought you here in error. This is not your world and has never been. The girl who is our savior is under the name Amanda Formen, I am sorry. Your presence is no longer needed.”

My body felt like lead. There was no way she was saying what she was saying.

“NO!” I shrieked. “She can't have this, too! This was mine! This should have all been mine! She always gets whatever she wants!” My knees buckled and I crumbled to the stained glass floor, sobbing. I thought I was important. I thought I was visible for the first time. The queen brought out a purple vial and Athena poured the liquid into my mouth. I gagged as I choked on it, but it went down my throat and my mind fuzzed over immediately. Sharp, electric zaps punctured my mind as I felt this world being ripped away from me. They were taking my memories.

“No!” I screamed, jumping up. I panted as I stared at my room around me. Everything was normal. “Just a bad dream,” I murmured to myself and got out of my bed. It was time to continue my invisible life.

***

I hope you enjoyed the story!:) GO TEAM PEGASUS!

-Emma-