My name is Briar Leafsong, and I am 17 years old. I have three sisters and two brothers and we live with our father. I am the youngest in my family and we live in a small house in a small city.

"Briar! Time for chores!" I heard my oldest brother Jake call out.

I got up and got dressed for the day. I did a small stretch to wake myself up and to dodge the flying cup of water. Every morning I got used to it as my siblings try to throw objects at me. I ran down the stairs to make breakfast for everyone, and I stopped to look out the window. There was a dark forest that blocked us from reaching any of the western towns because of the stories of a cursed castle.

"Briar!"

I shook my head and continued down my way. I set up the coffee machine and started to warm up the pan for the bacon and pancakes. I counted the shuffles and then finished when I heard the sixth chair moved.

"Morning!" I said in a chipper voice.

Everyone just grumbled at me until I gave them their coffee and breakfast. I counted up to ten as they all started to wake up. I sat down after refilling their cups a second time.

"Oh! I have to go to the capital later for a few days to turn in our recent earnings. Is there anything you all want?"

"A new dress!" The eldest, Sara asked.

"The newest video game!" The second eldest, Samuel begged.

"A puppy!" The third eldest, Lily said.

"A new motorbike!" The third youngest, Kate asked.

"More snacks!" The second youngest, Jake said.

"Some books?" I asked quietly.

My siblings started to laugh at me and I felt my ears burn. I liked reading because I can dream that I am in the world within the books. My favorites are the fairytales because they always have a hidden lesson.

"Do you want me to make sure if the car is working?" I asked so I can get out of the room.

"Sure Briar, let me know how it is running."

I nodded my head and went outside. Every few months, my father has to go west to the capital to show what we earned during each period. I work over in the nearby bookstore, Sara works at the retail store nearby, Samuel is a video game programmer, Lily is a chef in a five-star restaurant, Kate is a motorbike racer, and Jake is a video game tester. Our father works at the mayor's office as an accountant. Only Jake is in school even though I am younger than him and I have to do all the housework.

I went over to my workbench and grabbed my tool belt before going under the car. I did not want the car to break down in the middle of the forest and for us to lose Father. After I was done, I put my tools away, started to walk out, and bumped into Sara.

"Hey loser, I'm just grabbing something out of the car."

"Don't call me a loser."

"Okay then, baby."

I rolled my eyes before going back to the kitchen to eat.

"The car's running fine!"

"Thank you for checking."

I just nodded my head before eating.

Father left while I was in the middle of cleaning the house before I had to get ready for my job. Everyone had a chance to wave him off but I waited until he drove passed my window before waving him good-bye. As soon as I was done, I changed clothes and ran out of the house.

"Ah! Briar! You're here! There's a new shipment that just came in this morning! You know the drill." My boss told me behind the counter.

Unpack, scan into the system, stock them up, and keep any of the books that are in a bad condition was the drill I remember from my first day working there.

"Yes sir!"

I walked to the back to get started on unpacking the items. Due to the new transport units, there are not as many books that I could take home like I used to. But, I still like the smell of books around me, nothing like the smell of old leather and ink to make me think of happy memories. Sirens blared as they passed by the building and I felt a shiver down my spine for some reason. I was working on my final box when I heard the phone ring.

"Briar! It's for you!"

I ran to the office and grabbed the phone.

"Hello! This is Briar Leafsong speaking!"

"Hello, this is Captain Lightfeather, we found your father's car crashed in the western forest and his body is currently missing."

I zoned out at most of the words after the shock hit. I thanked him before hanging up and I stared at the phone as if I was hiding the answers I was looking for.

"Hey, you were almost done when he called, right?" I nodded my head, "then go home and comfort your siblings."

"Thank you sir," I told him before running out the door.

Flashes of the underside of the car kept on popping in my head as I tried to figure out what might have caused him to crash in the forest, but nothing came to mind.

'It might have been just an animal that caused him to serve off the road. But, it could also be the monster that is said to live in the forest.' The final thought sent a shiver down my spine.

I pulled out my key and unlocked the door. Thankfully, I had good reflexes because as soon as I opened the door, I had five glasses of water thrown at me.

"It's all your fault we lost Father!" The girls shrieked at me while I was covered in water and broken glass.

"If you believe that, then let me borrow a vehicle to go find him."

I knew after all these years to stop denying anything they said because then my brothers would beat me up. Kate threw her motorbike keys to me and I caught them.

"I expect him back here by tomorrow night," Samuel told me. "You might be able to come back or you might stay away for your own good."

I ignored him as I went up to my room to clean up before leaving. Luckily, none of the cuts were deep but there were quite a few on my face. I sighed after fixing my face and shoving a few items in a knapsack. Then I ran down to pull Kate's motorbike out of the garage, it started effortlessly before I drove off. The bike ran flawlessly as I turned with ease to the forest and continued on.

'Why is the forest so freaking dark?' I wondered as I remembered that I left in the early afternoon on a sunny day.

I turned on the headlights to see five feet in front of me until I saw the crash site. The police moved the car, but I could still see the damage that it did to the tree. It looked like that it damaged the car but Father would still be okay to walk. I continued down the road as it started to get rough as I got closer to the castle. I stopped when I slowly started to lose control and I did not want to crash. I heard the howl too late as a wolf pounced on me as I turned. The force of me hitting the ground knocked me out.

I opened my eyes and I noticed that I was in a place that I have never seen before. I started to sit up but I felt stiff, so I looked down and saw the bandages on me.

"I see that you are awake now." I heard a voice near me.

"Who's there?"

A tall man walked out of the shadows with dark hair, pale skin, black wings, horns, and a tail. My eyes widen at the sight of the demonic features.

"I am Dmitri, the lord of this castle and I found you after one of the forest wolves tried to use you as a chew toy."

"Thank you, sir."

He walked closer to me and grabbed my chin with his claws.

"You look a little like the man that I found this morning."

My eyes widened at his words.

"You found my father! Thank you! May I see him?"

I felt the claws dig deeper into my chin.

"First, tell me your name then I might show him to you."

"Briar, Briar Leafsong."

He smiled, showing his fangs, before letting go of my chin.

"I'll show you my prisoner then, Briar."