~The unlocked secrets of Nerotopia~

~CHAPTER ONE~

~DREAMS ~

In the land of Nerotopia lived a family. Queen Sapphire rusoe, King Alex rusoe, Prince Michael rusoe and the one and only Princess Melony rusoe. Melony was extremely bored and had been grounded by her parents for stealing her brother's teddy bear and hiding it from him for a week. She was fed up with her old toys and had absolutely nothing to do. As she opened her balcony doors she lent her hands on the metal, balcony fence. She had never noticed the view past the castle walls, it was beautiful but she never would see what adventures it might hold as she thought and thought she decided to go to bed and let her dreams run wild in her head never to escape like a prisoner locked up for life. As she woke up the rising sun beamed into the room through the cream colored drapes and the silver crystal's on the chandelier dangling from her roof. As she stepped out of her bed she stretched her arms up high and yawned loudly like a lions cub roaring in the morning break.

While everyone in the castle had woken and started their daily jobs Melony stayed in her room still gazing out her balcony doors and over the walls of the castle. That very night before, she had had dreams of butterfly's so beautiful, and birds gracefully flying through the air she saw deer's prancing lightly like a ballerina on a dance floor. Melony has always had that kind of erge to be free and has heard about nature and animals but has never been close enough to study them or embrace in their beauty. Melony decided to go down stairs to have breakfast, as soon as she walked into the room she ignored her brother, grabbed two pieces of toast and began to spread butter and jam onto them. When she sat down her brother stared at her suspiciously, he glared at her and in his face you could tell he was thinking." What are you up to?" he said "Nothing! Why are you so suspicious?" "I don't know you just seem kind of disappointed or something." " Well I'm fine don't worry about me" "I'm just upset at the fact that I don't get any freedom in this house," She murmured under her breath. "What did you say?" " Oh nothing" " You little idiot" "I'm sure you said some- (thing)" "Nope!" before Michael even got to finish his sentence she walked off with her breakfast in a hurry. When melony got back up to her room she put her plate of toast on her desk and stopped as she thought she turnt around and all of a sudden ran over and leapt on to her bed she moved her hands up the soft pillows and pink silk sheets they were cold because she had been downstairs for a while. She was starting to dread her smaller self, when she was little she was asked what colour she'd like for her room, obviously she said 'I want a pink room!' and ever since that's what she's had to deal with, of course it wasn't a very strong pink, it was a quite elegant soft, baby pink that didn't stand out like a hot pink.

She rolled over, her bed covers and sheets rolling with her. She gazed outside her windows and then getting up stroking her long brown hair to one side. As she pulled her balcony doors open she felt a rush of cool air against her body and face, it made her feel fresh and free as the long flowy light weight dressing gown she had on filled with air it blew around in the wind like she had wings. All of a sudden an arrow flew past Melony's head just missing her. She looked around in shock trying to see where it had come from but she was out of luck. She looked around to see if anyone had seen what happened but every one was much to busy. As she looked around she saw the arrow there it was stuck in the wall she heaved and pulled to get it out and after a minute it did. As she pulled the arrow out of the wall she realized it had a scroll stuck to it she ran through the opening in her balcony doors and hurried inside locking the doors incase anything else should fly in. She went and sat on her desk chair placing the scroll down and plying the arrow from it. The scroll was a dirty brown and had been burnt around the sides it was sealed with a piece of thin string tied in a messy bow. As she undid the bow and unraveled the scroll she saw writing, which read:

Dear Princess melony rusoe,

I Wish to meet you I am apart of A tribe in the rainforest we are called Nero tribe

And we know of your desires to see nature we love nature too and we want to show you that but the royal family can not know for they would capture us and maybe even kill us if they had the chance. My leader has ordered me to do this her name is tinita she is nice but you don't want to get on her bad side if I were you. I will send you another one of these scrolls again in due time to tell you when to come but for now it's goodbye. Oh and my name is cloud. Farwell Princess melony.

Melony was in shock but she was excited she knew there was always something out there other than what her parents had told her actually what every one had told her every one she knew and everyone she asked. Everybody was apart of it " I bet Michael doesn't know either" She whispered to her self. She was determined to find out more about this tribe called Nero tribe she wanted to know what they looked like, how they lived, where they lived in fact she wanted to know every thing about them and she wasn't going to let anybody get in her way she was looking forward to the next arrow scroll and when this arrow scroll will come. Any ways this cloud guy sounds nice as melony thought about this guy and what could happen if they became friends or more. She was supposed to be at a meeting with her home schoolteacher. Melony liked to write so she wrote all of this in her journal, which was black with Melony on the front written in diamonds. All day she asked not to be disturbed and just kept thinking and dreaming what the people of the Nero tribe were like and how did they know that she desired to know more about nature and it's beautiful aspects.

The next day Melony was woken by the sound of pounding rain against her window and thunder as loud as anything .She woke in a jump as the thunder got louder and more frightening. Melony stepped out of bed and walked over to her window at the same time sliding her dressing gown on as she pulled back the curtain and peeked out side another loud crackle of thunder made her jump out of her skin. Suddenly she heard a big thumping on her bedroom door and screaming, " let me in" "let me in" as she opened the door slowly her little brother squeezes through her arm's and comes bursting in with his teddy bear and jumps on her bed. As soon as she realizes it's Michael she remembers about the scroll and arrow and immediately runs over to her desk she pulls the desk draw open and slides the arrow and scroll into the draw as she does this she peeks over her shoulder to get a glimpse at Michael who's curled up in a ball holding his teddy bear in his arms at the same time another big thunder cloud crackles loudly. Melony didn't want her little brother in her room all day so she decided to escort him back to his room Melony walked over to him and said " don't worry it will be ok everything will be fine now I think it would be safer in your room with all your stuffed toys and action figures to keep you company they will look after you" Melony said in a calm but struggling tone. "But how their just toys they can't give me hugs or kisses they can't say things like you and mummy say". Michael said in a confused voice. "Just go ok I'm really busy and I can't help you right now ok so just go and cry to mum or something" melony said in an annoyed trying to sound like a nice sweet sister kind of voice. "Fine" said Michael in an upset tone and stormed out of the room. Finally Melony thought as she shut the door behind him and locked the gold colored lock attached to her door. Melony was so pleased that it was raining because everyone would be inside and the guards wouldn't be paying that much attention to what's going on around them if anything should happen if you know what I mean. Again another slam of thunder followed a faint flash of lighting this time it shook the window. The light still poured into Melony's room even though the sky was overcast it was still quite bright outside. Creek creek creek went the castle stairs as melony placed one by one a foot on her journey through the castle. Melony was being careful trying not to get caught wondering around the castle suspiciously and anxious "Ahhh" She screamed as she bumped into the guard in front of the library "sorry" she said this guard was much taller than her he was definitely intimidating and she felt like he was looking down on her she kept her eyes on him as she ran into the library.

"Ah ha" the librarian said "ahh" melony screamed again "why is everybody doing that to me". "What" said the old man with the white beard and brown clothes " What" Melony said back "what is everybody doing to you?" he said "oh" don't worry it's nothing I'm just a little jumpy you know with all the lighting and thunder going off like a bomb every couple of minutes" she said in a nervous voice" "oh yeah that stuff I'm not that scared of storms yeah they give me the hibbi jibbis now and then but I've been in much worse conditions" " really like what?" Melony asked in an interested voice. " Oh you won't want to know what's hidden behind the walls of this castle and what's out there in the rainforest that's connected that's just boring for you and anyway I can't tell you your nothing but a spoilt princess who think she knows best" ' woe woe woe woe woe where is this coming from I don't even know who you are let alone what your talking about what's hidden behind these walls? What's the thing that's connected to the rainforest? Tell me what you know " " typical princess behavior" he said " what?" " Oh you know the ordering people around, thinking you're the boss you should be careful of what you say and do young lady you never now what could happen it's a weird and mysterious world we live in" he said in a weird know it all voice at that point his eyes went all squinty and he was staring at melony "That's it I'm leaving and you know what just leave me alone your freaking me out ". Melony was frustrated angry and confused she didn't know what was wrong with this old man she thought but how come I've never seen him before I know basically everyone in the castle maybe he's new or something " who cares he's just an nobody librarian" she thought.

That night melony was still angry but had calmed down a bit it was a beautiful afternoon she looked at her clock it was 6:00pm time for dinner great she thought another family get together with everyone including my mum, my dad, the butler, my annoying little brother and of coarse a whole table of fatty foods waiting to attack my plate and make their way to my stomach. Outside was fresh and the air was cold the air still smelt like rain and melony decided to go out to her balcony again. As she strolled towards the balcony she felt the cold rush of the wind and there it was, over the castle walls, the misty and mysterious land of Nerotopia the actual homeland and rainforest, all the trees stood tall and thin, above the white mist was the canopy of the rainforest it was a wondrous sight that she would never forget.

She wondered when the next message from the Nero tribe in the rainforest would come she was keen to find everything she could about them, she was so happy when she got her first scroll she couldn't imagine how happy she'd be when she got another. 'Thump thump thump" There was a trio of knocks at the door "hello hello Melony are you there I know you can hear me don't pretend you can't" said the voice from the recognized this voice it was a girl sounded a bit girly and annoying "oh no" Melony realized it was her annoying stuck up cousin Bridget, Bridget was a real princess she was melony's age 13 and was practically perfect the blonde hair the pink dress with all the ruffles and to top it all off she also had bright blue eyes and every single time she saw her that's all she talked about, herself!

"LET ME IN!" Bridget screamed at the door " Melony looked at the door the lock was breaking she didn't know how to fix the lock so she decided to just open the door "here it goes" she said dreading the fact that she'd have to face Bridget the perfect little Barbie doll one more time in her life, but as melony reached for the door there was dead silence and all you could hear was the wind chime that hung from her balcony doors clinging and clanging against one another "yes" melony said in delight still whispering making sure that Bridget wouldn't hear if she was being as sneaky as she was on April fools day last year.

Meanwhile downstairs in the royal dinning room the whole family including Bridget the brat were sitting down about ready to eat dinner "where is melony she was supposed to come down about eight minutes ago what's keeping her" said melony's mother in a worried voice. Melony knew she'd have to go down stairs eventually but was just going to wait until someone came and got her then she might consider to come she wasn't that hungry anyway Melony just wanted to lye on her bed, let the cool air roll in and fill up the space in her room so it didn't smell like perfume or anything. "Thump thump thump melony are you ok darling" another voice came from the door as soon as melony heard the voice she knew it was her mother the sweet loving tone of her mother's voice comforted her. Melony quickly stepped off her bed and pulled back the covers she slid her legs under and flew the dooner over her body and faced her back to the door " Melony" Queen sapphire walked in slowly opening the door and closing it behind her Melony herd footsteps coming towards her bed the heels that she wore made a "clump" each step that she took.

She stroked melony's forehead with the palm of her hand. It felt soft and smelt like roses. Melony thought. She then bent down and kissed melony on the forehead, again stroked her head but this time ran her fingers through her hair melony was faking being asleep and her mum was falling for it! Her mother loved her so much and she loved her how could cloud think that anyone this sweet could lock someone up or maybe even kill them, melony was confused she loved her mum and dad but if they were really all these years keeping secrets from her and Michael than she wouldn't be that generous to think things otherwise like she was now.

Queen sapphire sighed " My dear melony you should let your dreams come true let them come alive and experience your dreams through the spirit's of nerotopia" Queen sapphire sounded upset and maybe even a bit disappointed. Melony heard the last clumps coming from the heels of her mothers feet, one by one, fading away, slower and slower until she heard the door open and then close almost silent, in an instant.