UNTIL THE END OF TIME
By Lilly Ivancevic
The wind slashed my face with the treacherous rain. The clouds overhead gave no light, just me and the winding trees. That’s when I heard her. Her presence was like a stare on the back of my neck. I knew she was after him, but she should be after me. The rain was like a bucket full of water pouring on top of my head which trickled down my spine. The mud was so thick that I could barely run back to the Seminole village. Sometime in between I lost the bag of food I was carrying. The food would be ruined anyway, but I had to get back to my brother faster than her.
When I got back to the village, no one was there but her. I couldn’t think. I ran the familiar path that I had run so many times before. The bushes popped out of nowhere. It seemed impossible, but it was raining harder than before. I couldn’t see anything; the darkness was darker than black. Just out of nowhere, a hand reached from behind a tree as I ran past, and cuffed my mouth.
I almost screamed, but a faint whisper said, “Katuete,” which means safe in the Seminole language. As soon as she said this my heart stopped going a million mph, my worries clumped together, and fear came into picture. Only one person would know I would run this way, Liluye. She pressed me against the oak tree; her arm prevented me from moving. We waited a moment and saw a shadow of the same woman who had been chasing after me run past us.
“We need to go,” Liluye whispered as sternly and strictly as she could.
“But…”
“No questions,” Liluye cut me off.
“Where’s James?” I asked. When she didn’t respond, I raced after the bandit who had run after me.
We are thrilled to introduce you to our newest published author, Sloka Edara! Sloka recently published her book, Bridge of Starlight, through our Fresh Ink publishing program. In Fresh Ink, youth authors with a completed draft of a novel are mentored through a chapter-by-chapter revision process. At the end of the program, the author is guided through the publication process resulting in an ink-and-paper book they can hold in their hands and share with other readers!
“Paisley!” Liluye called after me. The forest got darker and more unfamiliar as I went. The wind slammed my face, smearing everything into a blur. The sharp rocks sliced my feet as I ran. It seemed as if I would never stop running, until I tripped over an exposed root, and pain shot up into my foot and up my leg. I rolled, and rolled until… Bam! Something stopped me, turning the world black. “You can’t just run after a bandit!” Liluye said, wrapping my foot with some really strong leaves, I winced at the pain in my foot. I opened my mouth to argue, but I knew she was right.
My book is called Bridge of Starlight. It’s a book about a normal girl, Charlie, a bit paranoid, whose whole world is thrown into a frenzy in one afternoon. As if the people she loves being abducted isn’t enough already, she finds herself in a secret magical organization that reveals hidden information to her. And her whole life changes. Just like that. Soon, she finds herself thrown into a conflict that she didn’t know about until that one fateful afternoon. And the question is: Will she succeed alongside her friends? Or will she suffer the consequences? My book is called Bridge of Starlight. It’s a book about a normal girl, Charlie, a bit paranoid, whose whole world is thrown into a frenzy in one afternoon. As if the people she loves being abducted isn’t enough already, she finds herself in a secret magical organization that reveals hidden information to her. And her whole life changes. Just like that. Soon, she finds herself thrown into a conflict that she didn’t know about until that one fateful afternoon. And the question is: Will she succeed alongside her friends? Or will she suffer the consequences?
“As far as we know, James could be with the rest of the village,” Liluye said as if she had read my mind. “And no going anywhere tonight.” The dark clearing we were in let cooled breezes hit my damp face. The rain had cooled its temper and was now a light drizzle. The fire was the only source of light and heat.
“How long was I out?” I asked.
“I don't know, you ran too fast for me and I found you passed out with a pile of blood around your foot.” Liluye shook her head like she never wanted to relive that moment. “You scared me.” And with that I drifted off to sleep.
The brightness stung my eyes as I awoke. My braided dark black hair had mud and dirt mixed into it. Our Cheyenne fringed dresses were ruined. Liluye’s braided black hair was damp, and her dark brown eyes shimmered in the sun. Our tan skin stood out like a black sheep in a flock of white sheep, and our feet were covered in dirt. We almost looked identical…except we weren't sisters. My hurt foot looked like a horse had stepped on it. The sturdy leaves were now a pile of gunk, and scabs had already formed up and down my leg and foot.
are thrilled to introduce you to our newest published author, Sloka Edara! Sloka recently published her book, Bridge of Starlight, through our Fresh Ink publishing program. In Fresh Ink, youth authors with a completed draft of a novel are mentored through a chapter-by-chapter revision process. At the end of the through the ink-and-paper hands and share with other readers!
“Oh, my moccasins are ruined,” Liluye complained as she stood up and let the warm morning sun shine on her.
Crack! A branch split! Liluye grabbed my arm and dragged me behind the nearest bush. The pain sliced up my leg, but I didn't complain. Branches don't just split out of nowhere I thought to myself.
We finally heard something a moment later. “How did you lose the dang boy?”
“He was gone in the morning.”
“He couldn’t go far in this wood.” Then the bandits popped out of the brush. A tall buff white man wearing jeans and a black shirt came out with a pretty black haired woman with shimmery dark brown eyes, and tan skin almost the exact color as ours. She was wearing a short brown fitted dress with buttons going all the way to the bottom of the dress. The man had a pistol strapped to his belt. I noticed the women had Seminole moccasins instead of normal shoes.
“Look what we got here…a fresh campsite.” They started to search the campsite. The buff man had a small smirk on his face.
Liluye whispered, “Wait for my signal to run.” My first thought was how could I run with a hurt foot. But I knew I could run through the pain. As soon as she said this, a Seminole brave, riding his horse bareback, almost ran the bandits over. He also had the same colored skin as me, Liluye, and the woman. He also had the same colored hair as us. His horse was a great black stallion with a white feather in his mane and a painted handprint on his neck.
“Leave now and you won’t be harmed!” the brave said. He seemed to know we were there, because he looked directly at us as if to tell us something.
“And how will you do that?” the buff man said sarcastically. “I have…”
“The gun!” I cut in front of the man, grabbing the pistol before he could. Pain shot up my leg but I didn't care. The woman’s eyes widened as if she was more than shocked. She then backed away slowly. The Seminole brave now had the smirk on HIS face. The buff man looked shocked as he touched his empty holster.
The woman stepped in and said, “YOU! You have the locket.” She pointed at me, and her expression said it all. I felt like I knew her somehow, but I didn't know how.
“Where’s James?” I screamed, pointing the gun at the woman. Liluye was now standing next to me, looking at the lady with the same expression that I had.
“Give me the locket!”
“Give us James.” Liluye stepped in, putting a foot in front of mine.
“We…” she choked the words back as if she were ashamed. “We lost him.” She looked up at the sky, letting the sun shine on her face. The man frowned harder than he already was. I felt the gun lower as I fell to the ground and Liluye huged me on her knees. The grass felt prickly and the sun shone on us through the clouds. Everone stood there watching; I kept thinking, I know my brother, so where would he be? The breeze was cooler than I remembered and the clouds seemed to hint at another storm. The trees around were thick and the clearing we were in was small. Liluye and I knew if we were to find James we had to act fast.
My thoughts and tears were cut off with, “The locket!” It seemed so demanding and sad the way the bandit said it. I wasn't going to give the only connection I had to my mother to some stranger! My face started to get hot and my hands clenched together into a tight fist. I stood up and cupped my hands together, to my mouth. My leg had pain swimming up it the whole time, but I tried not to let anyone know this. The man’s eyes bulged, and the brave smiled.
“WETE! WETE!” I whistled so loudly you could hear it for miles. Nothing happened at first, Nothing, Nothing, Nothing, until you could hear a faint galloping noise, louder and louder, until I knew. Liulye and I got ready to jump. I clenched Liluye’s hand really tight. Then we all saw a big white, beautiful horse with a black feather in its long flowing mane. Liluye grabbed Orchid’s mane, and I launched onto her back Liluye pulled me on.
The dark-haired woman tried to grab onto our hands but wasn’t fast enough. The brave followed, galloping on his horse. I felt a smile on my face grow larger; they definitely weren't expecting that! We rode through the trees and mud dodging everything that came at us. The brave followed our every move, as light rain started to fall from the sky. Even more pain moved into my leg and I almost fell off, but the Seminole brave came galloping to the side and helped me steady myself. That was so close, I thought to myself though everyone was thinking the same thing. I could feel defeat from the bandits a mile away. By now the sun was setting and the orange and pink glow was spreading through the trees and sky, and nesting itself onto the tops of the trees. The deep pink and orange were like ribbons floating in the sky. Soft clouds floated in strands, which mixed in the glow.
We soon came to the beach and slowed to a walk.
“Let’s set up camp and regroup tomorrow,” the brave said with a tired look on his face. As soon as he said this Liluye eminently stopped and climbed off of Orchid; she helped me climb off Orchid.
The horses roamed around the beach side campsite. The ocean waves were small and they crashed at the shore. The soft, white beach sand felt nice between my toes. The fiery flames made a peaceful crackling sound as the stars started to come out. Liluye, the brave, and I all huddled together around the campfire. Once in a while we heard a horse sigh; the crickets chirped, the moon just came up over the sea, and the soft wind made me feel safe. I almost forgot the pain was there.
I was playing with my locket when Liluye said, “So… what’s your name?” she asked the brave. I tried to focus my attention on him.
“Moto, it means bear,” he said in a strong voice, as he sat up tall.
“So why did you help us?” I asked. Liluye was wondering the same thing, I could tell. “A lot of people will come after you and your sister Liluye,” Moto said. “SISTER!” we both said at the same time, just as surprised as each other.
“But…” Then it all clicked. Our moms disappeared at the same time, or OUR MOM. I knew we were born on the same day, and we look Identical, but I never thought we were sisters or IDENTICAL TWINS. I could tell Liluye was thinking the same thing, because her eyes widened almost at the same time I looked at her. Moto went digging in his side bag connected to his leather belt. He handed us a folded piece of paper he got out of his bag. I took the paper with a shaky hand. Liluye looked over my shoulder as I read aloud what the paper said.
Birth Certificate
1836
Liluye Paisley
Parent Signature
Iara Moto
Moto looked nervous before, but now he looked scared. He didn't look either of us in the eye. My mouth was hanging open now. I was so shocked; it all happened so fast I couldn't comprehend it all. I didn't have the courage to speak but Liluye did.
“How come we didn't know sooner?” Liluye said softly. Moto let out the breath he was holding with relief. “Our mom went missing when we were four, and you left us?!” Liluye’s face started to turn red, but her eyes were just sad. “James was a month old!” Moto sucked in the breath he just let out, now expecting for the worst. Liluye’s face was fully red now, and her eyes weren't all sad. There was something else mixed in.
“I…” Moto’s voice couldn’t keep going, and a tear dripped down his cheek. “Iara left me and…” Moto choked his words back. “She left the tribe with no signs of her leaving. When I woke up in the morning, you were gone too, her twin sister left too with her white husband.” He was crying now, and I felt like crying too, but I didn’t.
“How come I don’t have a Seminole name?” I asked confused. My mother and father were both in the Seminole tribe.
“My side of the family wasn’t always Seminole, and I wanted to bring that heritage back.” The only light came from the campfire now, and there was a full moon. I took that as a good sign that I would find James. I couldn’t sleep all night. All I could think about was James, and what Moto said. I had a new twin sister! I watched the moon, and stars until my body gave out and fell asleep.
I woke up to the smell of fish cooking and fire burning. I hadn’t noticed, but my stomach grumbled. I hadn’t eaten in two days! The sun was still low in the sky, and the waves still crashed. I tried to brush the sand out of my hair. Moto had set up a bucket of water that Liluye had for cleaning our hair. Lily was now braiding her wet and clean hair. As I stood up to do the same I realized the shooting pain wasn't there, just a buzzing feeling remained. I'm pretty sure the others noticed because they watched me walk over to Liluye. After I finished washing and braiding my hair, Moto finished cooking the fish. He also gave Liluye and me oranges. The food tasted so good, and I was so full afterwards. I never knew someone could be so hungry.
After breakfast I finally got the guts to say, “I think I know where James is.” Moto and Liluye turned their attention to me now. Their eyes looked hopeful and eager to learn more.
“Where?!” Moto and Liluye both asked energetically.
“Do you remember that part of the Everglades where the flamingos are?!” I explained.
“Yes! Do you think he is there?” Liluye asked
“After we went there, he said it’s his favorite place, and whenever he got the chance he would visit. He must have known we were near there.” I should have known Moto was in a different Seminole tribe located farther north because he looked very worried and confused.
“I’ll see if I can call my horse from here,” Liluye said excitedly.
“Wait!” Moto said. “Where are we going?” Moto looked as if he needed to know where we were going, or else he wouldn’t let us go.
“Just south of here there are Everglades, and during the summer flamingos stay there. It’s James’s favorite spot,” Liluye exclaimed. I was already putting out the fire.
“Wete! Wete!” Liluye let out a louder whistle than me. At first there was silence… silence…silence, until the silence was cut off by a big NEIGH! You could hear the galloping loud and clear. I saw Flurry, Liluye’s horse a little bit farther on the beach. The tall horse was white with black speckled spots. The mane was pure white. Flurry had a handprint identical to the one on Orchid and a matching black feather. Flurry came galloping towards us. Her long mane was flowing in the wind, and it seemed as if it were in slow motion. When she got to us, she stopped and reared on her two hind legs.
“Flurry, I missed you so much!” Liluye said as she hugged Flurry and patted her neck. Orchid, Fern (Moto’s horse), and Flurry were already to go.
We were riding along the beach as fast as our horses could take us. The wind swooshed past my face making my braids fly. When we started to get near the Glades we turned into the thick forest, dodging the trees and bushes like we were dodging bullets. Once we were near the flamingo lake, we slowed to a trot. I could hear the mud and swooshing puddles under Orchid’s feet while the birds were chirping away. All of the usual buzzing sounds of the forest were all around us. I could hear something else around; so did Liluye. I could see it in her face.
“How far into the Everglades is this flamingo lake?” Moto questioned.
“Not much farther,” Liluye and I said at the same time. We soon opened into a clearing where the flamingo lake was. On the other side of the lake was OUR Indian village. Everyone stopped and looked over at us. I could hear murmurs and whispers among our people as they stared. One, two, three long seconds passed before two people came out of the make-shift tents. An eight-year-old boy wearing classic Seminole pants and no shirt, with dark black hair and dark shimmery brown eyes, and tan skin a little darker than mine, came out of one of the tents with a black haired woman with dark eyes wearing a Cheyenne dress. They were talking when they came out, but when they saw us, they stopped and stood with the other silent people.
“James!!!” Liluye and I said at the same time.
“Paisley! Liluye!” James called after.
Liluye and I jumped off Orchid and Flurry and ran to James for a big hug that lasted until Moto said, “Iara?” Lovi looked up at him with wide eyes.
“No one has called me that since…” Her eyes got wider when she noticed it was Moto saying it.
“Moto!” she called after him, running to give him a big hug. Liluye, James, and I all looked up at them so confused.
“Lovi! You’re Iara?” Liluye and I said at the same time.
Iara blushed and said, “Lovi is my middle name.”
As soon as I heard this, I took off my locket and opened it. I had never opened it, because I never realized it was a locket until yesterday. A small note came out. It read,
“I know this is hard, but Lovi is your mom, and my real name is Iara. My sister and her husband took you when you were little, and I ran after them. I never thought I would find you again until I saw smoke from a nearby campfire. When I reached the campfire, I found a whole village and decided to lay low while getting to see you. I feared that if my sister knew I was near, they would take you.”
For the first time I understood why the woman wanted the locket. She wanted us. She also wanted to hide the evidence of our mother’s existence which was inside the locket. All this happened because she hated her sister, Iara. I knew the woman looked familiar, and now I know why.
Later that day James asked “Aren't you wondering how I got here Paisley?” James said, pointing to the camp.
“Yes James, don't I always?” I responded
“Well if you really want to know. These people showed up, the man had a pistol in his hand, and the woman had a rope. I noticed the woman had Seminole moccasins instead of normal shoes…” James went on and on about how the village ran towards the river but James thought they should go to the Everglades to hide. In all his stories he always ends up being the hero.
After the long day was done I went to the edge of the shimmering flamingo lake to catch my breath. The flamingos were so pretty with colors ranging from white to hot pink as they stood in the shallow green water. The trees seemed to sway to the sweet humming of the forest. Swish. Swish. Swash. Swish. Swash. James, Liluye, Moto, and Iara all came to sit with me now as a complete family. I was crying, and I didn’t know if the tears were sad, happy, or both, but I did know that I had a new twin sister, new parents, and an amazing little brother, until the end of time.
