CHAPTER ONE

15 YEARS AGO

The hot afternoon breeze slowly wafted through my window as I sat on the floor of my bedroom playing with my dolls. I had arranged my dolls in a straight line and was trying to choose the best dressed doll, it was my own childish version of a beauty pageant

"Kyla! Kyla!" I heard my mother shout my name from downstairs, what have I done now i wondered, mama always had a tone she used to call me whenever I had done something wrong and that was the exact same tone she was using then.

I quickly slid under my bed leaving my dolls laying haphazardly where i was playing with them.

I heard the door to my room being opened and from under the bed I saw mother's legs

"Kyla" she called out, softer this time

"Kyla where are you?, oh where could she be?"

I stayed silent and didn't move under my bed, my childish mind hoping she would leave if i did not answer

I saw mothers legs approaching the bed slowly and I froze up some more if that is even possible

I closed my eyes tightly as if that would help me achieve the level of silence I wanted.

Everything was Silent for a few seconds, i thought she had given up looking for me in my room

but then I heared my name again "Kyla" this time close to my ears

I was startled, so much so i gave a loud shout more like a five-year-old squeal.

I quickly opened my eyes and there lay mother's face right in front of mine, how could she possibly find me?.

I could not imagine how she was able to find my hiding spot, to me that was the perfect place to hide.

"How did you find me mama?"

"I am your mother i will always find you"

"Because you can read my mind?

She gave a small chuckle and answered "because you are in my heart and i am in yours, we will always find each other"

I always thought that my mother's gift was reading Minds, i adored her, even so when she would find me where ever I hid.

I saw mother's beautiful face looking at me, even at that age I could see the compassion shining through her sea blue eyes as she lay looking at me on the floor under my bed, with her rounded face smooth and like an angel's, her long brown hair reaching her waist

I always told her that I wanted to grow up quick so that I could have hair as long as hers

and she would tell me in the kindest voice "oh my sweet baby your hair will not only be as long as mine but it will be even longer"

being the child I was then i would always think that Mama was just trying to make me happy.

she kept on looking at me without saying a word, then with a sigh she asked

"Kyla who let Tiberius out?"

Tiberius is our dog, i sometimes let him out when mama is not looking because he always looks so sad when we make him stay indoors, he likes being outside.

"I did mama, i'm sorry but Tiberius always looks so sad, i just want him to be happy"

I told her in my most child-like and repentant voice

"well baby girl I can't find him so we better go and start looking for him"

"what?!" I shout

"let's go mama, let's go! we need to find Tiberius!"

There is only one opening under the bed Iand mama is lying there blocking it, i tried pushing her out with my tiny hands

"Move mama! Move!" i shout

"ok ok I'm going, as if this will stop you from letting him out again" i heard mama say under her breath

she slid out from under the bed and helped me out and onto my feet.

I held mama's hand as we rushed downstairs,we grabbed our coats because it was freezing outside and went out in search of Tiberius.

"Tiberius! Tiberius! Tiberius!" We shouted on and on, he knew his name, so he always came when we called.

"don't go too far Kyla stay close to me" mama said, being the child i was i immediately disobeyed

I went off into the woods behind our house and that's when I saw a sudden movement to my left, i went in that direction shouting "Tiberius!" thinking it was him.

I kept going deeper and deeper into the woods, i could not even hear mama's voice calling out anymore.

That's when I saw her, a woman in the woods holding Tiberius, but he did not seem harmed.

The woman was stroking him and he seemed to like it, he had always been an attention-seeking dog.

I hid behind a large tree and watched as the woman pet Tiberius, i mistakenly stepped on a branch and the sound caught her attention, her head snapped up in my direction and she looked me in the eyes, it felt odd, her looking at me like that, like she was staring into my very soul with those green eyes of hers, i don't believe i have ever seen eyes that green.

"hello" she called out

"what is a precious little girl like you doing in the woods all by yourself?"

I pointed to Tiberius "that's my dog" i said in a tiny voice

"oh, i see"

she came closer to me and handed Tiberius over, he was squirming in my arms as if he didn't want to leave the woman's arms.

she knelt in front of me and asked

"what is your name child?"

"Kyla" I answered

I looked her over, she was quite tall for a woman pale too yet beautiful with long white hair that reached her ankles, she was dressed in a floral green dress that seemed to be gliding over the the ground and she also had this huge hourglass necklace on her neck. She was an odd sight to behold but looked kind enough.

"what is your name?" I asked her innocently she smiled and answered

"Call me Lady"

"what kind of name is Lady?"

"I will tell you when we meet again"

"promise?" I asked

"promise" she answered

"ok then bye bye" i told her and turned to leave with Tiberius in my hands

I forgot to ask her when we would meet again, but as I turned to do so i saw that she was no longer there. Scared by this turn of events i hurried out of the Woods. As i neared the edge of the woods

I could hear mama frantically calling out my name

"Kyla! Kyla where are you?! Kyla! Kyla can you hear me?! Kyla!"

I followed the sound of her voice until i was no more in the woods, i saw mama's back turned to me

"mama!" I shouted, she quickly turned to me and ran towards me, tiberius slipped out of my hands and ran into the house.

Mama scooped me up in her arms and held me tightly

"where have you been baby girl? I told you not to leave my side"

"I'm sorry mama, i went looking for Tiberius but I found him, he was in the woods

"okay baby girl it's okay"

mama seemed agitated and worried it's not like I was lost or anything.

I wiggled out of mama's arms till she put me down on my feet. She held my hands as we walked back into the house.

After all the excitement of the day, it was evening and almost time for me to go to bed.

Mama was giving me a bath when she asked "baby girl how did you find tiberius anyways?"

"Oh he was in the woods and there was this woman in green who was holding him her name was lady and she had beautiful green eyes and a huuuuge necklace and..."

"Slow down baby girl, you said there was a woman in the woods?"

"Yes mama" i answered enthusiastically while splashing the water in the basin playfully

"You said she was wearing a necklace?"

"Yes mama, it was a huuuuge hourglass necklace" i answered dutifully thinking nothing of mama's questions at the time

It would be later on that i would realize that the woman in the woods was lady time and we would indeed meet again.