Lightning streaked across the sky, giving the young girl a glimpse of the grim landscape. Trees laid barren with branches like knifes as they thrashed in the howling wind. There was no living person in her vicinity, she made sure of that but still she squinted through the darkness. Rain heavily pelted the window, distorting the image before her and for a second she spotted shapes moving in between the trees.

The young girl shook her head viciously and glanced at the scene once more, the shapes were gone and she blamed her mind for making up things. After all, it was days since she was able to have a good night’s rest.

With a sigh, she continued to watch the weather rage on from the wooden shed she was currently in. It wasn’t the most ideal situation but it was better than nothing. The structure of the shed was barely holding on, with walls that moved along with the wind, a floor that was barely there and a leaking roof where the young girl didn’t know how long it would stay up. But she was dry and safe, and for that she was grateful for the rickety shed.

As time passed, she grew more anxious and when she spotted red eyes hidden near the trees, she nearly screamed, thinking that they finally found her. It was only when the eyes disappeared and no one opened the door of the shed, did the girl realize that the eyes were most likely nothing more than an animal.

 After that scare, she couldn’t bear to look out the window anymore, and so with a turn of her heel she retreated further into the shed. The only light source she had was a simple candle but that was her saviour, she was frightened of the dark and what it held so the candle provided her comfort. It reminded her of the home she had to leave without so much as a note. The young girl couldn’t have left one, especially if she might have endangered her family, but she missed them. Oh, how she missed them.

The young girl wondered if she would ever see them again.

Tears threatened to spill over her eyes, and she sniffled. With shaking hands she wiped her eyes roughly, urging herself to stop, it wasn’t the time to break under the pressure. The young girl soon wrapped her arms around her waist when the steel wall around her heart was raised once more. The cold was slowly penetrating her clothing and she could see a small cloud appear every time she breathed. She didn’t know how long she could stay in the shed before the cold would overtake her, but she had to wait.

Eyes wandered around the shed, taking in the interior once more under the soft flickering light the candle provided, and her eyes landed on the table—specifically the object on it. The ornamental box was unharmed despite the circumstances it went through, and the young girl ventured towards it. With gentle hands, she touched the designs that decorated the box, her finger tracing them. They were strange and at the same time beautiful. She knew almost nothing about the box, but some part of her knew it was more important than her own life and she would try her hardest to protect the secrets that were connected to the box.

The door of the shed suddenly slammed opened and the girl jumped in surprise, her b