Not A Small-Town Girl

----

“Get behind the walls, now!" she shouted, gritting her teeth

against the pain.

"At least a dozen swords shot at them this time. Danielle

couldn’t see where they were coming from, but the sound

of them cutting through the air gave her a clue.

“Her dagger was too short to reach them all. Without

thinking, she quickly shed her coat, wrapped it around

herself, and swung it like a whip, using the fabric to block

the blades.

----

"Standing at the center, Danielle

spotted her family huddled safely

against theWall, and her anxiety

eased a litte. With the coat in hand,

she sweng it wildly through therair,

deflecting sword after sword=in that

meiment, she felt like a general on

the battlefield; focused ard fully in

control.

----

“Human strength could only do so much, but these hidden

weapons just kept coming. The thick fog and the constant

attack made it clear this was a trap set to stop anyone from

getting through.

“Danielle kept deflecting the blades, but she could feel the

cuts from where they grazed her.

"She quickly scanned the area. There had to be a switch

somewhere, something they triggered when they came in.

But before she could think much more, another group of

weapons flew at them.

“Look for a switch on the wall!" Danielle shouted, blocking

the incoming blades. "We need to stop this thing!"

“They didn’t waste any time, quickly searching for the

switch to stop the weapons, but all they found were solid

walls covered in vines.

----

“Why are there so many vines here?" Howard muttered,

pulling at one, thinking maybe it was connected to the

mechanism. But he quickly realized it was just a vine,

nothing to do with the weapons at all.

“Vivian’s frustration was growing. Her daughter was out

front, blocking the weapons while they stood there,

completely useless.

“Danielle was starting to wear down. A long sword shot

toward her shoulder. She barely dodged in time, but it still

scraped her, leaving a shallow cut.

" Blood started dripping from the wound, but the rusty

blade didn’t go deep. Danielle didn’t have the luxury of

worrying about it, though.

----

“Danielle, you’re hurt!" Vivian’s face was full of worry.

“I’m okay, Mom. Dad, Xavier, you guys climb up the vines."

Danielle quickly figured it out; these hidden weapons

wouldn’t hit the vines, so if they all stayed on them, theynoveldrama

might be safe from the attacks.

“Without hesitation, Howard, Vivian, and Xavier scrambled

up, using both hands and feet, eager not to hold Danielle

back.

“Danielle, we’re up! Come on, hurry!" one of them called

out.

"Danielle took a quick glance at them, relieved they were

safe. She dodged to the side, grabbed a vine, and was up

in no time.

“The three of them were panting when they saw Danielle

leap up so effortlessly. The skill gap was obvious.

----

"Taking a de reath, Danielle held

on to the vinéand thought about

what to deyrext. She couldn’t just ¢~

hang here forever, the vine might>

breakcy hey couldn’t put their Wes I in

its hands. She needed to come up

e something else.

----

“Danielle, take a break. I will head out first and see if he

can find a way,” Howard said, even though he was in his

fifties, he kept himself fit and strong.

“Dad, I’m coming with you. Let Mom

and DanielieStay here. If we get

through, ae an bring them over," oo

*avier eee, , clearly worried abouttis

dad. idn’t want to always rely on

his sister for protection, espetially

after she had just gotten hurt.

----

“Alright, but you two be careful. Danielle and I will wait

here," Vivian said.

“Howard and Xavier started crawling through the vines,

heading ahead to find a way forward.

“Danielle, do you have any anti-inflammatory medicine? Let

me help you put it on. Those rusty weapons could cause

an infection if we don’t treat it." Vivian’s eyes were

brimming with worry.