Around 30 years ago, there was a beautiful lady, walking around a field one Monday morning. Although she wore a rich red, velvet cloak, and a blue, silky dress, and a pair of pretty, leather boots, she was homeless, unfortunate, and poor. She had fled from the orphanage when she was only 6. And although she was now still very young now (only 21), it felt like she’d been alive and walking for millions of years - in fact, since the earth was created. But then she paused. She could hear something faintly echoing around her. Immediately, she slipped behind a tree trunk, and waited there, until the sound had passed. Gradually, she began to notice something. She could hear heavy footsteps rapidly approaching her. And, then - silence. She gave out a huge sigh of relief, and then slowly struggled to her feet again. Suddenly, something grasped her sleeve, and violently tugged her backwards, tripping her up. All she could do now, was to try to escape, and to keep on running until she couldn’t even see a single shadow of any human being. But, no. Things weren’t as easy as they seemed. She couldn’t even bear to look behind, and see what this vicious hand was trying to do to her. But then, she had to. The hand was wrapping around her so tightly, that it was almost as if her arm had been struck at, and strangled. As she apprehensively turned her head around, to see who or what it was, she stumbled backwards. This was no creature, but a human! Although that still wasn’t going to stop her from getting away. “Get off! Please!” She cried desperately in despair. The man shook his head, and through her shut eyelids, the woman could see his face darken dramatically.                                                             “You are coming with ME.” He shouted, “and no one else is going to change that!” He dragged the tearful woman along behind him, frowning every time he thought about how vicious he was being. But he had to do what his master had told him. He had to be strong.

 By time the man had managed to drag the woman to his master’s large, ugly house, she had already become dazed, and tired. Just before he knocked on the door, he gently laid her down onto the ugly, black doorstep, and whispered “Please forgive me. I was told to do this by my master.” He then knocked on the door, and boomed in a loud, furious voice, “Master, my lord! I am home. Waiting with the girl - at the door!” But what he did not notice, was that his Master had been watching him talk peacefully and kindly to the girl, and was going to give him secret punishment....

“Hello, young sir, Richard Smith. Now may I ask you where she is?” The man’s Master questioned, strictly. The deep tone about his voice, and how poshly he spoke awoke the woman very quickly. She just had to know what was going on. She tilted her head up and down, left to right, until she could clearly see the man. He was exceptionally tall, and was nearly as thin as a stilt. He looked old - about 88, but moved as well as an eight year old. His voice twisted in all kinds of strange, different ways, and sounded rich, and happy, but cold and dark too. He led Richard Smith into the house, whilst he carried the girl, and to an unknown ladder that led into a light place, but somewhere underground. “My lord,” the man asked, calmly, “The girl. I could not possibly hold her and climb down the ladder at the same time!” Although his Master just told him to leave the girl on the floor at the top of the ladder, and began to approach down it. Just as his Master got to the bottom of the ladder, Richard saw the woman open her eyes. “Help....” she shook weakly, “me!” Richard looked into her dark, beautiful, deep blue eyes, and pointed. Pointed at the door.

By time Richard had reached the bottom of the ladder, his Master had already scurried away into the basement. Meanwhile....

The woman’s legs, arms, and even her head were throbbing with terrible pain. She had been grabbed, and harshly dragged along the solid, concrete ground so hard that she was covered in scars, and cuts. Finally, she used the wall to pull herself up, and started heading to the door. Before she opened it, she thought a few times. Surely she couldn’t just trust a stranger, who had attempted to trap her, just because his evil Master had told him to. But at the same time, she understood how hard it was to disobey someone that would punish you so much, from her experience of living in an orphanage for the beginning six whole years of her life. And after all, it seemed like there was a sort of trueness to him. She could very clearly see it in his sad, hazelnut brown eyes. Although, she was forced to move quickly when she heard voices slowly starting to approach her. It was Richard and his Master. “Richard! Do you know what?” He chuckled furiously.

“Um... Y- y- y- yes?” Came the voice of Richard.

“You know what? If that stupid woman is still up there, unconscious on the floor, she’s silly! I would of woken up by now and ran from this ugly, dark house of mine that she doesn’t know!”

The woman shuddered, “They... thought that I... I was... unconscious?!” She whispered to herself. At that moment, she opened the door, and bravely stepped inside. Richard took a sign of relief, when he heard the door close quietly. Now he didn’t have to hold his Master up, and could just relax. “But... b-b-But, sir! No! There is a mistake!”

“MISTAKE?!!!” He boomed and raged in a definitely agitated voice. He went to smack Richard, but he luckily backed away just in time. He climbed to ladder, and fled behind the same door that he had told the woman to go past. There, he found her sitting on the floor, shaking, and trying to be brave.

 “Hello?!” Richard muttered worriedly. “Livia! Please! Are you alright?” Suddenly, the woman looked around, her dark, curly,smooth, golden hair dangling down her back, and wrapping around her small, white shoulders. “You.... y-you know m-my.... NAME?!” She whispered, shocked. 

“What? What do you mean? I am your....”

“Get away from me, she screeched at Richard, and dramatically down the narrow alley way.

“Oh dear!” Said Richard underneath his breath. “Please! Don’t go there! Livia!” He shouted, loud enough for her to hear, but too quiet for his Master to hear. Nobody - not even his Master ever went where Livia was going. He fell to the floor, tears of frustration stinging his eyes. He just couldn’t let this happen! He had already got Livia, this wonderful, young woman into enough danger, and trouble. He just wouldn’t be allowing this to happen to add to it all! He fled after her, taking light footsteps, but running like a jet. “Wait!” He sighed, trying to catch his breath. Luckily, just before Livia had got to the end of the hall, Richard grabbed her arm, and pulled her backwards. “Livia. Just listen to me!”

“No, I will not! And HOW do you know my name?!”

“I am your....”

“You are not my anything! Now, let go! Please! Let me go!”

“Okay! I will! But I did warn you!” Richard let go with immediate response, and let Livia stumble down the steep, unlevel steps, leading down into total darkness, and danger. Afterwards, he made his way back down the hall and through another door, just in time before his Master pocked his head through the hallway’s door, and then tutted and left again. Richard ran down the alley - an excellent shortcut into the place that Livia was running into. He had an amazing plan - to trick Livia into thinking that his Master was there, so that she’d go back up the steps, and then he could talk to her up there. When he got there, he fell down a mini cliff drop, skidded along the concrete stones on the ground, and ended up lying on the floor next to a small swamp, nearly in tears. It was then that he realised he was in a cave. Livia stumbled into the darkness of the cave a few moments later, and looked around. It was then that she saw a man lying on the floor, scarcely breathing, and taking small gaps of air a few minutes at a time. She jumped, and backed away. But then, she decided to be brave, and tiptoed toward the man. She stared at him closely, and then looked at him even closer.

She gasped, and breathed out heavily, in anger at herself. “Richard! No! Please!” She cried out in despair, now feeling free to shout as loud as she wanted. “What have I done? I’m so FOOLISH! So stupid that I put you into this terrible risk, just because you wanted to keep me safe! Richard! You can hear me, can’t you?!” There was no reply. Livia began to sob, and gently carried Richard up the steps. When they were back in light in the hallway, Livia shook Richard, and tried to wake him up. Nothing happened, however hard she tried.