Darunter

Discussion in 'Archives' started by Jiku Neon, Jan 17, 2010.

  1. Jiku Neon Kingdom Keeper

    Joined:
    Jul 24, 2007
    Location:
    Moe, Victoria
    1,258
    878
    Slight retooling and an extra section to Black and White or whatever I called it when I first put it up like a year ago. Point of this is to try to get back into writing a bit. As usual. CnC if you feel like it. Jiku Neon, away!

    1-1
    In the middle of the sunlit hallway two students faced each other down amid the halted tide of onlookers. A thin bespectacled boy with short, dark brown, hair and matching eyes and a girl with light brown hair held in place with several clips and unrelenting, almost electric blue, eyes stuck out in the mess as the epicenter of the commotion.

    “No, I don’t want to go with you. Get it through your thick head already.” The girl shouted fiercely stamping her foot as she did so. She looked on the verge of hauling off and attacking the bewildered looking boy opposite her but she did not. She merely gesticulated with agitation and anger causing her short black skirt to flip about and sweep over her legs beneath her pastel pink hooded sweater.

    “I’m just confused is all I’m trying to say, you know listening would be a bit helpful on your part.” He tried to sound reasonable but couldn’t conceal the emotion in his voice.

    “No more of this ‘we’ stuff. I said I’d consider it and then turned you down, end of story. I don’t even want to look at you, Needy.” The girl continued her invective without missing a beat or showing the slightest bit of remorse or pity.

    “Erica.” The boy replied softly. He made several attempts to convince the girl to change the venue of their conversation; to most watching it was impossible to tell what he was doing. He reached out and caught hold of her sleeve in a gentle attempt to draw her back, only to have his hand forcefully removed with a quick swipe of hers.

    “Don’t use my name anymore you clingy freak!” Her voice was sharp and almost chilling as her eyes as she glared at him intensely. Suddenly she turned and began shoving people out of her way as she left the boy staring off in a daze as if he didn’t quite understand what had just happened.

    “Erica!” He called after her, angrily, as she pushed through the bewildered crowd as harshly and roughly as she‘d handled the boy behind her.

    “Loser.” She muttered to herself as she walked on. Soon the crowd was left behind her some still in shock at the turn of events, some just lacking of a better activity to turn to at the end of the school day. Either way it went Erica just kept on walking; anything to distance her from the confused, angry, and, by now, probably spiteful creature that once wanted to call itself her boyfriend. At the end of the hall she pushed open the heavy institutional metal doors and walked into the sunbathed walk between the two sides of the campus.

    “Come on, I go out with these guys less than twice and they think that there’s reason for us to act like more than strangers. Then they keep acting like they made a connection and I wasn’t just in it to get something out of them.”

    Suddenly a familiar voice pulled the girl from her internal monologue. “Hey--” A girl wearing a tasteful sky blue sundress and sporting electric blue hair even more piercing than Erica’s eyes appeared from behind one of the concrete pillars lining the outdoor walkway.

    “Not interested, just came off a bad breakup.” Erica replied sarcastically.

    “Stop lying. You love hurting those boys.” Said the blue haired girl with a winning smile. She skipped along beside her companion for several moments before she got a response.

    “I can’t say it isn’t funny, but in the end I must have a reason for it Fred, otherwise I wouldn’t do it.”

    “Lemme guess, ‘He’s not the guy that’ll get me all the stuff I want?’” Frederica chuckled.

    “No…” Erica muttered distractedly.

    “Whatever Ere. I’ve got practice, now behave yourself while I‘m gone.” Frederica bid her farewells rather ostentatiously before making an equally showy exit.

    “Later Fred.” Erica waved lukewarmly. Several seconds later she couldn’t help but burst out, “Damn, Frederica’s such a hypocrite about this, going and telling me that there’s something wrong with me when she does practically the same thing. Jeez.” Suddenly a familiar ring tone called her attention away from her fuming and to the device resting in her pocket.

    “Hello.” The voice on the other end was cool and deep, probably an older male in his forties. Erica did not respond to the strange voice and merely kept her breath stilled and listened closely until the voice continued without losing a step. “I assure this is neither a prank nor a solicitation. We are calling you to inform you that you’ve won the chance of a lifetime--” The phone snapped shut and returned to its place in her pocket.

    “This is bull.” Erica grumbled to herself. She continued walking in the warm afternoon sun. There was another call not two seconds later.

    “Come claim your prize at the following location…” The phone snapped shut again and a third call did not come.

    “Who’d actually go?”

    -----


    “Hi.” Erica’s mother was in the earliest part of her forties and lived separate and estranged from her legal husband with whom she’d been married for seventeen years. The two had separated earlier that year and moved to different cities in order to stay away from each other. Her father moved miles and miles away, the only reason Erica knew he was still alive was the check he sent every month to cover what he felt was necessary to replace him. Her mother on the other hand moved to the closest city, not more than ten miles from their old house and set up there like nothing had happened, like she’d always been a single mother. Erica never knew the exact reasons; she only knew that she was with her mother because her father didn’t put up a fight when she expressed a desire to stay in the same school. Every time that she met either of them Erica couldn’t help but feel that they had only married and were only separated because neither one had the slightest bit of a sense of self control. The upshot of it all to her was that it was why she went from living in a large house in the suburbs to a small apartment in the city.

    “Hey Mom.”

    “You’re back early.” The brown haired woman observed.

    “I have nothing better to do, sorry to disappoint.” Erica bantered as she watched her mother looking over bills through a pair of new reading glasses.

    “It’s nice to see you sometimes.” The woman replied without looking up.

    “I’ll only be around during those times then.” Erica answered with a scoff and with that she was off to the kitchen where she found a dismal lack of nourishment. She looked over at the woman she’d been living with and started violently when she suddenly picked up the thread of conversation again.

    “You know what I mean.”

    “I assure you I don’t if I said anything wrong before.” Erica almost made a face but managed to suppress the urge and sat down at the table with a chair between herself and her mother.

    “Sure.” The older woman replied sarcastically as she threw a sneaky look out of the corner of her eye.

    “So you need anything?” Erica asked.

    “You could get the clothes washed while you’re being such a dutiful child.” The woman said without hesitation.

    “So now that we finally have quality time to spend with each other you‘d rather send me out on some errand?” Erica argued knowing what was to come already.

    “You’ll have to grow up eventually and I have to be going myself, so you need something to keep yourself occupied with.” With those final words the reading glasses were off and so was her mother. In less than five seconds the brown haired woman was packed to go and out the door.

    “Got it.” Erica said to the closed door as she sat leaning on the table. It was a common practice for her mother to leave for her second job at about this time in the afternoon. Part of the reason why Erica’s father and mother never got along was because of her mother’s insistence on holding multiple jobs at once. The lack of quality time that Erica jested about had more truth to it than she’d have liked.

    Erica finally decided to get all of her chores and obligations cleared before her mother came home early the next morning. First she carried all of the laundry down the street to the Laundromat, washed and dried it and began her burdened walk home several hours later. It wasn’t until this return trip that she encountered any complications in her schedule. Just as she turned the final corner and entered the last block back to her home she saw a familiar and unwelcome face. The face was an attractive one, framed by raven hair and accented with golden brown eyes and it belonged to the last boy that Erica had broken ties with before that morning.

    “Hey did you…” He started to speak to the girl but trailed off when he realized that what he saw was Erica lugging around a sack full of clothes. She dropped the bag where she was and jabbed her finger in his face and scowled angrily.

    “Get out of my face, first Needy now Creepy, what did I do to deserve all this crap?” She practically shouted at him from only a few inches away.

    “You were the one who accepted--” When he began to speak again Erica clicked her tongue in agitation and grasped his collar firmly.

    “Then I deliberately, very clearly and rudely crushed all hopes of more interaction between us. Or did I mess that up?” She said, bringing her face closer and raising her voice louder with every word.

    “I wouldn’t--” He began indignantly.

    “Let’s make this as painfully clear as possible. I hate you. I never liked you. I only ever wanted to go out with you because you were popular and free. Now that I’ve had that fleeting wish fulfilled, I never want to see your face again if I can possibly avoid it.” She suddenly let him go or, rather, she pushed him away and turned to pick up her load.

    “You’re gonna die alone if you treat everyone like this.” The boy replied as spitefully as he could manage. He looked to be on the verge of snapping at her furiously even as he spoke, but he remained the gentleman and kept his tone and hands where they were.

    “I’ve lived alone, that is all that follows. Now, away before I call the police or something.” She said shooing him like he was an insect.

    “Whatever, have a nice life alone.” He smirked and gave mock salute and then he was gone.

    Once she was sure he was out of earshot Erica spoke again. “I’ll be sure to do that.”

    -----

    “Live alone?” The smooth firm voice sounded familiar, but Erica couldn’t place the face that went along with it at all. The man that was speaking to her looked to be in his thirties or forties and dressed himself in a pure black suit with the characteristic butler’s coattails. He surely wasn’t anyone she’d met, but it was someone she’d heard. Either way he was standing between her and the path to her home and Erica didn’t like that, his sudden question or anything about him.

    “I‘ll scream.” She threatened as she backed away with her grip on the grocery bags loosened, ready to ditch them and run.

    “We”, He said, disregarding her and advancing further. “Mean anything to you?”

    “Might as well mean you”, Erica scowled and readied herself to kick the man as hard as possible when suddenly he hopped back, shifted his gaze to the half moon above them and began speaking dramatically.

    “We are all but cells within a single body and yet we all aspire to be greater than the sum of its parts.” He stole a glance back at the girl with dazzled eyes and a slightly breathless sigh. In response she continued to scowl.

    “Not interested”, Erica insisted, still ready to fight. The man simply laughed and withdrew a single object from his lapel pocket, it was small and coin shaped, hardly distinguishable from any ordinary quarter at that distance.

    “But you are, I assure you, which is why I present you with this Emblematic Token.” With that he pressed the quarter sized disc into her hand and closed her fingers over it with a polite smile. “Do with it as you choose, the time limit, though, is seven days, now then I shall take my leave as a representative of the Netherworld Casino and Hotel.” Erica opened her hand again and without fully dropping her gaze to look at it fingered the poker chip she’d been handed.

    It was smooth and cool on one face but on the other face it was warm as if it had been lying on a stove and had an engraving of some grotesquely devilish figure across its surface. It inspired a certain feeling, no, it impressed itself upon her being more as a sensibility than a distinct feeling, like something acquired over a period of time that only becomes clear and visible when put under the right light. Whatever it was, it wasn’t good, that much she could be sure of. Still she couldn’t bring herself to just hurl the disc back at the man.

    “Not interested…” She said even though she knew the strange man had left long ago.

    Erica walked soberly the rest of the way back to her apartment after the incident. She wasn’t sure what had happened or what she could do about it, it had unsettled her down to her very core. It made her nervous and anxious just to think of it. Just as she reached her front door she ran into the worst possible person.

    “Oh hey. Erica, it’s been awhile.” It was another boy, the only perceivable difference was that being near this one always gave her headaches. Just seeing him looking down at her from seven inches up through his amber eyes was enough to make her sick.

    “I’ve been busy, Hughes, and I suppose you have been too.” Erica dropped her eyes to the side and bowed her head slightly, anyone else may have seen this as somewhat shy, maybe even demure, but her neighbor simply smiled and played along.

    “How formal of you; still, I can’t say you’re wrong. So how has the being busy thing been going for you?” As he spoke he leaned down to her side to get a look at her face, which by this point was beginning to get red.

    “As well as can be expected”, She said continuing to avoid eye contact as he got closer. Suddenly she jerked away and stepped back, her head was pounding, her throat felt dry, everything was going wrong this time.

    “Are you alright?” He took a step back himself and tried his best to sound soothing.
    “I’d better be getting inside.” She held up her grocery bags, both as an excuse and a way to cover her face. “I’ll see you later, I guess.”

    She was already gone but he stood next to the closed door just long enough to say, “Yeah, we should meet up sometime. Erica.”

    As she stood listening with her body pressed up against the door Erica breathed a single word. “No.”
    1-2
    The next day Erica felt entirely at a loss. Everything that wasn’t going her way was calling attention to itself at once and nothing was going her way. So she decided to take a personal day and sleep through her 3rd period World History class in the hopes that there would be some respite in the dreamless unconsciousness of midday dozing.

    “Hey.” Frederica pushed her face in front of Erica’s before repeating herself and poking her friend repeatedly and arousing her from her half upright doze. “Hey Ere, you’ve been pretty zoned out recently. I mean I know that it’s been boring since you stopped breaking toys, but it’s no reason to act like there’s nothing going on out here.”

    “Shut up. I was thinking.” Erica answered almost angrily as she lifted her forehead off of her hand and rested her chin in its place. She hadn’t really been thinking of anything in particular but it was more than slightly irritated that Frederica knew it too.

    “Of what?” Federica pried, knowing she’d eventually crack the oddly persistent nut that was Erica.

    “Of things.” The other girl tried to be dismissive and aloof but only ended up sounding even more annoyed.

    “Of what things in particular?”

    “Toys partly, since you brought them up anyways.” Erica sighed. It wouldn’t do anything to avoid Frederica, she’d just persist longer and make a general nuisance of herself.

    “Finally gonna kick the habit for good?” The blue haired girl smiled brightly.

    “Yeah.” Erica turned her head away to look out the window. Was that really her plan?

    “Why’s that?”

    “No idea.” Then it came to her. “I probably couldn’t pull it off again anyways. Needy, Creepy, and the rest are sure to tell everyone about what a bad person I am now that I‘ve shown my ugly ways in public and they have credibility.” It was a good idea to stop after all.

    “There’s a limit to how stupid people can be you know. So are you seeing why it was such silly thing to do to begin with?” Frederica smiled and shook her head with the look of a teacher showing a child the folly of trying to add two and two into eight.

    “No. I don’t regret it. It’s definitely better this way.” Erica shook her head. As she thought about it, it did make more sense to cast herself in the role of the villain. A repulsive and evil being wouldn‘t have to worry about what people thought, a unanimous vote of detestation or an ignorant ambivalence, either way there was no one to please.

    “I don’t see how making yourself public enemy number on does anything to help your situation. You should be apologizing and trying to cut losses.” Frederica sighed with exasperation.

    “What situation am I in where I’d be losing so much?” Erica retorted.

    “You should know.”

    “That doesn’t really help me.” Talking to Frederica always had one of two effects. On the one hand it was common for her to make everything seem cheerier and at the very least better than it is, but in cases like this one she proved to only accentuate every wrong with Erica’s life and display them like an exhibition.

    “It should, I haven’t said anything about it until now out of respect for your privacy but you don’t seem to like keeping it to yourself either. I really think you shouldn’t let what happened between you and that guy effect you so much.” She took up a tone similar to Erica’s as she spoke. Now everything was laid bare and neither one seemed to like it.

    “I am supposed to just go on like nothing happened then?” Erica burst out suddenly.
    There were other people around, but she didn’t care anymore. They could listen if they wanted to, talk about it even, it made no difference to her what anyone thought or said. She was fine with being cast as anything so long as it wasn’t herself. “Then I am supposed to pretend that everything is just like before?”

    “That might not be the best thing…” Frederica didn’t know what to say to it, when it came down to the main point, no one knew what to say, that’s why they had avoided it so long.

    “Then what would be? I’m open to suggestions here but all I seem to ever get from anyone is, ‘Try something else.’ That’s not helpful Fred; it’s really not helpful.”

    “I’m really sorry but that’s all I can say. I don‘t really know what‘s best and I don‘t want to make things worse…”

    “Neither do I.”

    “That’s why you’ve got to keep on trying right?”

    “It’s all anyone could do I guess.” Suddenly the girl pushed herself up from her seat and cast a glance towards the door. “Now I feel depressed, I knew talking to you was a mistake.”

    “You don’t really feel that way, do you?” Erica didn’t respond, she only walked slowly to the door. She wanted to look back but she had nothing to say. No answer, no remark, nothing at all. The girl wasn’t ready to have this conversation again, no matter what she did it all came down to the same thing: she wasn’t moving on. She wanted to, she had to, and yet the situation remained static. Whether she went home, went to sleep, woke up, and did it all over again everything would be the same unless she did something. So she went home as she did every day.

    -----

    Erica felt the vibrating in her pocket long before the ring tone sounded and withdrew the small device from its place just long enough to see the familiar number of the solicitor that sent to butler to her and hang up on the call.

    “Another call from them?” She grimaced, her day thus far hadn’t been anything short of terrible and having so much of a reminder to look forward to made it all the worse. In the pit of her stomach she could feel the same uneasiness begin to grow again. The feeling didn’t go away either. As she walked home each step felt like it got heavier with nervousness and stress. Suddenly, she heard someone behind her. She made a quick turn to see who was there and stopped dead for a moment.

    “Hey, Erica.” It was her neighbor again, only this time he was walking beside his girlfriend.

    “Hi Justin. Hi Kira.” Erica responded quickly as she could.

    “So how are you doing?” Justin asked. He looked concerned, but he always looked concerned about everyone; it wasn’t anything special to have him worry. The special thing was when he wasn’t somehow concerned.

    “Fine.” She answered tersely.

    “I heard you broke up with another guy. Was he too slow to keep up with you, Spartan girl?” Kira chimed in happily. Erica didn’t like Kira. There were several reasons for this but at this point Erica just didn’t like her sense of humor at all.

    “Nothing like that.” She answered softly.

    “Then what was it like?” Kira persisted. No one was going to give up without a fight today it seemed to Erica.

    “I had personal problems, alright?” Erica only barely kept herself from snapping at the girl but she did manage to keep at least a civil tone. Kira merely shrugged it off and bounced to another topic at her whim.

    “Alright. Well, me and Justin were just going to grab a bite and we’d be glad to have you along.” She said it, but Erica couldn’t tell if she was trying to be earnest or facetious with her offer.

    “I’m sorry but I have other things to do right now.” She finally decided that whether she knew what Kira meant by it the result would be the same so it would be the best thing to stay away from those two.

    “Would you like to meet up another time? I feel like I haven’t seen you at all since summer ended.”

    “Quit fucking around you dumb bitch! You know that I don‘t want to see you of all people ever again!” was what Erica wanted to say to the girl, but she knew nothing would come of losing her temper at Kira. It was entirely possible that she was trying to make peace with her.

    “Yeah, I’d really like that.” Erica forced a smile and said her farewells with an apologetic air. “I really do have to go. Have fun guys.”

    “You’ll have fun with us too later right?” Kira asked playfully.

    “Yes.” Erica replied through clenched teeth.

    As soon as they’d appeared the two were off and away. Erica wanted to heave a sigh of relief, but she wasn’t relieved at all, she just felt everything that she’d held back pressing against the inside of her chest and nearly threw up right on the spot. Soon the feeling passed though; everything passed by rather quickly recently Erica thought to herself.

    “It can’t be helped.” She said aloud to reaffirm her own feelings. Then she shook her head and continued on her way back home.

    Everything seemed like it as getting back to business as usual, which was a reason to be relieved for Erica, but then Kira and Justin came back into view. It was just out of the corner of her eyed but Erica could easily tell it was the two of them holding hands and laughing together. It wasn’t an unusual sight since they started going out, Erica knew and acknowledged this, but it was still slightly perturbing to see them. The thing that Erica hated to see most was when they kissed.

    Though it shouldn’t have seemed any more unnatural than anything else Erica could help but clench her fists and run off as fast as she could when she saw it, she didn’t care where or how long it would take to get there as long as it wasn’t anywhere near them. So she ran. She ran for what seemed like hours, past her home, past the familiar stretch of city, on she ran until she could hardly take in a breath. Then she came to rest in the alley just outside some of the more upscale apartments.

    “I’m disgusting.” Erica grit her teeth and blinked back tears as she pressed her body against the alley wall in a feeble attempt to balance herself. “I’m so utterly disgusting.” She finally broke down and began to sob and slip slowly down the wall until she was on her knees with head in her hands.

    “I’m so completely and irrevocably disgusting.” She knew that she shouldn’t break down over nothing, she knew it in her head, but at the same time her body wouldn’t accept it. Her chest felt heavy, like a great mass was drawing in every ounce of her being and collapsing her body from the inside. Her head wouldn’t stop aching and pounding with the pointless rush of blood from her quickly beating heart.

    Worst of all, her arms and legs wouldn’t move anymore, no matter how hard she tried to get up and run home, she couldn’t muster up any strength at all. Soon after she‘d begun, her tears dried and her sobbing died down. Even after that she began to laugh at herself; at her own weakness and absurdity. But none of it made her feel any better. “No wonder he can’t accept me, I’m just worthless.”

    For what felt like hours Erica sat there, curled up in a ball and hoping that she’d disappear. Eventually, after it sank in that there was no hope of that she would simply disappear, Erica got to her feet and brushed herself off. It was close to getting dark by then and probably any other place would have been dangerous. The girl swept her brown hair out of her face and dabbed her face for tears, she couldn’t let anyone see this side of her. Not Fred, not Justin, no one should see her like this.

    When she examined her face in a window it looked tired and slightly bedraggled but not as bad as it had before. The brown haired girl laughed at herself again, it wasn’t worth all of the trouble was it?

    “I’m really pathetic aren’t I?” She said aloud. It wasn’t as refreshing as she’d thought it would be. Just then her phone rang, this time with a different tone, Fred was calling her. Without thinking she answered.

    “Hey.” Erica wanted to kick herself the second the words escaped her lips. But there was nothing more to do but press on through the mistakes, like always. So she didn’t hang up or pretend that it was the wrong number, the blue eyed girl just looked around briefly before starting back on her way home.

    “Where are you?” Fred asked. She was concerned and slightly nervous.

    “I don’t really know, I made a little mistake and got turned around a while ago, but I think I’m headed in the right direction.” Erica laughed shallowly. If nothing else, the whole thing was a reason to laugh, even if it was at herself, again.

    “Ere, that’s a big deal. You should try to legit find out where you are.” Fred was still serious, she was perpetually intentionally obtuse and always making Erica guilty for not being a better person. But, now wasn’t the time to care or think it was just the time to walk and talk and laugh along the way.

    “I’m fine, phone’s have GPS’s in them yeah? If I get too lost you can file a missing persons report and—”

    “Shut up.” The other girl demanded abruptly.

    “What, it’s not like—” Erica tried to diffuse her friend before this ended up like the last conversation they had.

    “Stop lying to me. If you don’t want to talk, then don’t talk. If you do, then say something you actually mean.” The brown haired girl stopped in her tracks, looked around and sighed.

    “Alright, I’m in a chatty mood so I’ll tell you. I’m about twelve blocks from where I should be this time of day and I was crying out behind some apartments. Pathetic. I should be over this. I should have been over this years ago. I know it and yet… I still act so pathetically.” The brown haired girl waited with bated breath, wondering what kind of bad reaction she’d incited this time.

    “It’s not pathetic for a person to cry over losing someone they loved.”

    “Did I even know what love was back then? Do I know what it means now? I have no way of understanding that.” Erica countered quickly, she’d thought this all through while she was stuck in the hospital over the summer, and there was nothing about this that Fred could further illuminate with a few minutes conversation.

    “You didn’t do anything wrong.” Fred was sounding downcast and apologetic. She was always right and was always sorry for it.

    “Then why does he feel so indifferent towards me? I could deal with being hated, lots of people hate me. In fact I’d prefer it, because I’d have a better motivation to avoid him.”

    “No one really hates you, you know?” Now she was being encouraging.

    “You never answered my question.” The blue eyed girl replied with a bit more edge to her voice than before.

    “But still, you’re a nice girl and if he is happy with just Kira then it’s his loss then.”

    “You know that’s a lie. If he’d chosen me out of pity or obligation then he’d regret it until he couldn’t stand it anymore and I’d get rejected that way instead. Kira’s the perfect girl for him—no, that’s not it entirely. It’s more like she’s just better than me, special.” Erica laughed wryly again. She was beginning to recognize her surroundings more and got a certain sense of confidence out of it.

    “She’s a normal girl just like you or me.”

    “Right now that might be true, but you know why she’s even come here.”

    “That doesn’t matter!” She practically shrieked into the phone. Erica merely waited for her friend to finish. “There’s no reason to compare yourself with her based on the opinion of one stupid guy! There is nothing wrong with you!”

    Erica was silent for a moment afterwards. The longer she fought, the worse it felt and yet she kept doing it for some kind of sick high she got from feeling like she was right for once. “Isn’t it obvious that you’re wrong? People with nothing wrong with them don’t sit around in their rooms sobbing about things like this.”

    “You can change that can’t you? If you hate it so much.” The blue haired girl insisted.

    “I don’t know what to do. Trying to build an office without knowing anything about structural engineering is impossible. Trying to make this thing better without knowing how to fix it is impossible.”

    “You’re over thinking it again.”

    “How so?” Erica asked. She didn’t have an answer thought out this time. It was something she hadn’t thought about in the hospital. It was something that she’d never considered at all.

    “It’s a problem that’s only in your head. That means you can fix it if you really want to.“

    “Just by trying? Fat chance of that happening. What I need isn’t inspiration, or support, it’s for someone to tell me what I’m supposed to do and where I can go from here.”

    “I don’t know that.” Fred finally conceded with defeat in her voice.

    “I know.” Erica replied with a similar tone.
     
  2. Jiku Neon Kingdom Keeper

    Joined:
    Jul 24, 2007
    Location:
    Moe, Victoria
    1,258
    878
    A little longer and talkier than my last two segments and a lot less edited. I can sense a bad decision being made here but it's not the time of day to be questioning my judgment and expecting it to help. Cnc is always appreciated. Grammatical catches are too.

    1-3
    “Oh, hey Justin.” When Hughes first walked up to her with his girlfriend in tow Erica wanted to run, but the memory of yesterday was too fresh in her mind to allow that, so she sat still and looked up at her old friend congenially.

    “Hey, I haven’t stopped by the old lunch spot since we got together so I figured it’d be nice to see how everyone was doing.” The brown haired girl smiled and nodded as he spoke and waited for him to leave. She had thought that she’d been doing a good job avoiding them, but they just hadn’t tried very hard to find her until then. The lunch spot was a fairly nondescript stretch of hallway where no one had been sitting when Fred, Erica, and Justin were looking for a place to sit last year. As simple as its founding was the three of them spent the greater half of the last year sitting there, talking about what they were doing and just hanging out. No one could forget the place and Justin’s presence that day was proof of concept.

    “That’s fine.” Erica never actually ate lunch at school because that would entail either making a meal ahead of time in the morning or buying something. She didn’t have the motivation to do anything in the morning and no job to finance a daily fee that her mother wouldn’t cover. So she either bummed food off her teammates, former teammates, after school or waited until she got home.

    “You seem really aloof, did something happen?” He was prying again. It was never fine with Erica to pry, but even less so when she felt that she was in such a fragile emotional state.

    “Not since I stopped messing with those stupid boys.” She chuckled to herself. She must have sounded like an idiot blabbering on like that and they kept on asking for more like sadists.

    “So that’s what all those kids were talking about you for.” Kira chimed in. Oh, that Kira. Ever the observant listener.

    “Yeah, I made a bit of a bad name for myself, but it didn’t really end up being too fun, so I’m out of that for now.” She continued with a smile. What else was there left to do but smile? She’d cried, shouted, thought, and moped about all she could handle. So when she felt horrible she smiled.

    “Whatever you like, right?” Justin nodded in a sort of vague agreement. Agreeable people are agreeable because they don’t voice coherent thoughts, they grin and nod.

    “Right.” Erica nodded and smiled like she never would have if she didn’t so want to wince and grimace.

    “Fred’s not here?” Justin seemed to suddenly notice. It seemed as though the conversation had gotten boring enough for him to look for another mouth to listen to. Erica was only disappointed that it did not prompt his departure instead of his inquiry.

    “She has club activities and stuff at lunch and after school today.” Erica explained patiently. If this had been a year or two ago Justin would have known that, but it wasn’t and he didn’t, there was nothing for it.

    “Oh yeah, tryouts for track team were yesterday and you weren’t there, nor were you at swim team or anything.” So the small talk continued. Each word fell on the blue eyed girl’s ear like knives.

    “I’m not gonna ask why you showed up to those or at the very least asked about it, but I quit all of the teams I was on.” Erica replied somewhat indignantly.

    “Why?” He asked simply. Erica couldn’t decide whether it was for better or worse that he was the only one talking to her and Kira was for the most part silent.

    “I was bored with being the sporty girl I guess.” Erica said nonchalantly as she turned her head away from the pair with the pretense of yawning. At least they hadn’t taken seats and acted like they were staying much longer.

    “I need a new name for you then Spartan.” Kira joked familiarly. Erica began grinding her teeth and only just managed to answer.

    “Spartan still works fine if you’re so attached to it.”

    “It won’t be the same without the sports.”

    “Do as you like.” Erica waved her off aloofly and with that, the conversation was over. The two said that everything was wonderful and that if things remained that way they’d be seeing her again soon and with that wonderful note they took their wonderful leave. Erica sighed as she watched the last traces of her company disappear around a corner and continued sitting there, alone, trying not to think of anything related to her own life. It wasn’t difficult. There was math, history, grammar, and current events to think about. Anything so small as her own personal life could easily be lost in the massive shuffle. Before Erica realized it lunch was over and the second set of classes was on its way.

    “I guess I’d better get going.”


    -----


    After school, Erica ducked out of the building and dashed off towards her house as quickly and surreptitiously as possible. After all of the headaches that running into people led to over the past two days she was going to make sure that there wasn’t another slip up today.

    “Hey Erica.” It was Kira speaking to her, from around the next corner. Silent and sneaky as a cat that girl was. Erica slowed her pace to a walk and let Kira follow.

    “Hey.” She replied without turning her head or waving. Kira seemed to take the gesture well because she remained in silence for the next solid minute. Suddenly, she leapt ahead of Erica and turned to her arms crossed and gaze unwavering. She was up to something.

    “What happened to you?” Kira had her cornered for all the good any escape would have done, so Erica played along. It would be best to lay things out before this particular girl anyways, even if she was a huge irritation.

    “I have no idea what you’re asking me about.” Erica retorted as she came to a halt in the middle of the sidewalk.

    “Don’t play dumb with me. I still have connections to the demon underground.” Kira very nearly reprimanded as she grabbed Erica’s wrist and tugged her off the main road to a small alcove between to storefronts. Erica wanted to resist, but she knew better than to fight against a girl like Kira.

    “I’m just a normal human. That has nothing to do with me.” Erica insisted as she turned her head away from Kira and slipped her hand free.

    “Funny you should say that. I heard that Raven was killed in the final battle by a normal human, sound familiar?” The dark haired girl pressed. The thing Erica hated about her for most often aside from her sense of humor was her long, black, smooth, straight hair. It looked great and she knew it. Erica couldn’t help but run a hand through her own hair to confirm her disdain of its color, texture, and style.

    “Sounds like a stupid rumor to me.” She scoffed without looking back at the dark haired girl. The only advantage she saw to being taller than average at this time was that it was easier to keep the shorter girl out of her sight while they spoke.

    “Why didn’t you tell me?” Kira was just ignoring Erica’s refusal to admit to anything now and acting on the assumption that she was right. That only served to irritate Erica even further.

    “There was nothing to tell.” The brown haired girl insisted firmly.

    “Was it a leg injury? Internal organs? What did he do to you?” Kira balked with equal tenacity and advanced a pace and a half closer, so close that Erica could see her from the corner of her eye and brought her gaze back to the front for the sake of convenience.

    “Nothing happened!” Erica finally looked straight into Kira’s face as she snapped. The dark haired girl looked worried and what’s more angry, as if she’d been somehow wronged.

    “If you had come to me back then I could have called a magic healer--”

    “I told you that nothing happened! Stop patronizing me and acting like you can just tell me what happened and what didn’t!” Erica wasn’t about to stop there. Every push, every little nudge even, until this point had driven her closer to shouting everything she had on her mind and she’d finally had enough.

    “Then why’d you disappear for three whole months?” Kira shouted back.

    “I already told you, told everyone, that I was visiting my grandparents out in the country. Is that so hard for you to understand?” Erica was breathing heavily by now and almost ready to start the ill advised fight she’d already decided against. Just as she was about to start yelling again Kira spoke, this time in a softer voice.

    “I get it. I’ll let you alone. But know this I’m not the only one who’s worried about you.” She was calm again. Cool and collected as she always was no matter what the situation.

    “Like I care.” Erica frowned and closed her eyes, making a visible effort to compose herself. Unsuccessfully.

    “That’s right, you don’t seem to care about anything anymore.” Kira replied acidly.

    “Nothing that concerns you! I stay out of your way don’t I? I keep my distance and I don‘t bother you in the slightest. I don’t give anyone any reason to care about what I’m doing. Are you saying that I‘m not doing enough?” Erica blurted out. She instantly regretted saying anything at all, but she had to plough on through the mistakes again. There was nothing else for it.

    “Is that what this is about?” Kira asked incredulously.

    “Yeah. I don’t know what kind of fantasy world you’ve been living in that would make you think otherwise. You and Hughes, and the rest of that crew, are different from me. Even with all of the demon business over with and your powers gone, you’ve still been through a lot together. A lot of things that I wouldn’t understand, a lot of things that make it clear that I don’t belong with you lot. So why don’t you just put the past behind you and leave me with it?” Erica turned her head again, this time not to hide Kira from her view but instead, to hide her own face from Kira.

    “Don’t be ridiculous! I never tried to do anything to you!” Kira’s gaze followed her and Erica couldn’t help but turn fully away from her. The only thing between them was her own back but, for Erica, it was better than nothing at all.

    “It never would have flitted through my mind that you’d have to try.” She laughed wryly. It’d been a long time since she’d talked to Kira alone and it was just as annoying as before, but even more painful.

    “I didn’t mean anything like that.” The dark haired girl said apologetically as she tried to pat Erica’s shoulder only to have her hand swept away almost instantly. “Instead, why can‘t you just put that behind you? We‘re not trying to keep you out, that‘s all on you!”

    “Would it make a difference if I pretended that everything was as it was before you appeared?” Erica asked softly. It was easier to be calm when it felt like she was talking to thin air.

    “What?”

    “I’m asking if you think that Hughes would still treat me the same if I tried to fit in with him and his new friends now after they’ve been to hell and back again. I’m a normal human without any outstanding attributes or records, achievements or ambitions. Nothing about that fits in with your crowd; I was the only one that had no connection to this from the start. I’m not on your wheel of fate and there’s no room for me on it anyways. Everyone knows that people can’t be friends forever once they become so disparate. Normal people just let things go over distance and time.”

    “We were never friends then were we?” Kira answered slowly.

    “That’s right.” Erica swallowed hard. She would end it here. “I only said that before to please Hughes. Once I get a chance, I‘m leaving and letting you all have fun without having to worry about me and my problems. Would that make you happier?”

    “Me? Yes, but do you want him to know that?”

    “So considerate. Yeah. Tell him everything I said. I should have told him myself the second you two came back from your little adventure. But I guess I was still too attached to him at that point.”

    “Alright, I’ll tell him that. I hope you don’t regret this.”

    “It’s music to my ears.” Erica turned around to look at Kira one last time before walking off the scene and met the now downcast looking girl with a smile.


    -----


    When Erica got home her mother was gone. It was better that way, because her mother didn’t know or care about her personal life and wasn’t about to get forced into changing that. So Erica dropped her school things on her bed and headed straight to the bathroom mirror to see how bad she looked.

    Though it wasn’t a pretty sight, she couldn’t say she hated it much more than usual. The tears were less visible this time and though she had bags under her eyes from sleeplessness she still didn’t look much different from how she usually did when she woke up in the morning. It wasn’t comforting, but it was familiarity.

    Erica didn’t bother to clean her face and simply walked back out into the living room. She quickly contemplated watching some television but quickly thought better of it when she received a text message from Fred. It amounted to a five word pep talk in a box that Erica didn’t want but it did remind her of what she’d talked about the day before.

    “Apologize, you said?” She murmured to herself. The girl’s brow furrowed in thought momentarily before she pressed a few buttons and reached her contacts list. The only numbers she kept there were Fred’s which she had memorized and a sub-list of all the boys she’d ever dated.

    “Might as well try to make amends, it’s not something that I’d do so it must be right.” Erica said as she sat down in front of her couch by the coffee table and began calling and deleting numbers.

    The process wasn’t pleasant and she got a lot of verbal abuse and ridicule out of it, but by the end she was beginning to feel that whether it did anything or not it was a therapeutic distraction.

    “One more call.” Erica said to herself as he wiped away the last bit of salt from her face. She looked at her phone and wanted to throw it across the room, but grit her teeth and dialed the last number she’d left on her contacts list. It rang several times before someone picked up. It was Needy. Of all of the boys on the list he was the only one that she didn’t actually date for any amount of time. He was far too annoying to deal with for that long. Every time he opened his mouth, it was invariably to make an ass of himself.

    “I thought you never wanted to talk to me again.” He held a good natured tone despite the terms on which they’d parted on and that only made it even harder to talk to him.

    “This is the last time, alright?” Erica snapped.

    “Sounding a bit apologetic already. Did something happen?” He wasn’t sarcastic, but he wasn’t being totally straight with her either.

    “Nothing. But you now why I called, right?” Erica asked, following the script she’d made up for herself to a tee.

    “Of course. You may have had me back there, but it was a one time thing. Hate to be a walking cliché, but I can see things a bit more clearly than when I was trying to be with you.” He sounded almost arrogant at this point, trying to save face was one thing but what he was doing was just stupid.

    “Good, well you’re the last one to call so after this, it’s over. I apologize.” She said quickly as possible. It wasn’t in her to draw it out further than she already had regardless of how bad it sounded he’d just have to deal with it.

    “What? Is that it?” He chuckled. He was clearly having fun with it. Despite his emotional outburst earlier, he wasn’t the weakest or stupidest of the people Erica had ever met. He was just really insensitive to those around him so he got caught up in his own rhythm without being able to understand anyone else and then losing it over the incongruity.

    “It’s all I have to say to anyone right now.” Erica replied solemnly.

    “You know, I thought I had you figured. You’d pick up people and throw them out and then jerk them around a little if you thought it would be fun, but here you are saying sorry and acting like you don’t want anything out of it. What’s with you?” He was probably shaking his head and running a hand through his hair on the other end Erica thought.

    “Just let me keep being selfish, I’m not going to bother you again after this.”

    “What do you think you’re doing? You know I don’t believe a word of this and you keep going on like it’s a perfectly honest and straightforward conversation. No such conversation have we ever had.” He pressed. Now she could practically imagine the smirk creeping slowly across his face.

    “It’s up to you alright; I just needed to say it for myself. This is why I hated you anyways, always trying to pry into other people’s thoughts.”

    “Then why are you still talking to me?” He asked with an implied emphatic grin.

    Click

    “There. Happy now?” Erica snapped at the phone as she drew it away from her ear and stared at the now blank screen. It was empty now, like her. Erica powered off the phone and plugged it into the wall; half wishing she could recharge herself the same way. She looked up at the clock. Over an hour had passed and her mother was showing no signs of coming home. Erica stood up, stretched, and walked to the bathroom again. This time she pulled off her hair clips and shook out her hair before looking at herself again. It was nice to have a lot of hair to cover her face. She wouldn’t have to look too closely at it if it was more than half covered. But she knew that it couldn’t help.

    The people who knew her still knew her aspect and manner. Hiding behind a curtain of hair wouldn’t change a thing. So she sighed and pulled off her sweater, skirt, and stockings. Beneath them her body was crisscrossed with scars that hadn’t faded over the three months she spent out in the hospital. With an eye on the mirror she ran a finger over a particularly long scar that reached from the top of her shoulder down to her hip. She smiled at herself, turned away from the mirror and turned on the water in the shower. If there was anything she felt like doing now, it was washing away the evidence of all that had happened since last year. The absurdity of that wish couldn’t help but make her smile again as she removed what was left of her garments and stepped beneath the artificial rain.

    “And this is why I still like you, always putting on a bad face for yourself and leaving it on for everyone else.”
     
  3. Jiku Neon Kingdom Keeper

    Joined:
    Jul 24, 2007
    Location:
    Moe, Victoria
    1,258
    878
    1-4
    When Erica awoke the next morning she could feel that something wasn’t quite right with her. When she got up and inspected herself in the mirror nothing seemed out of place. When she dressed herself and walked out the door everything was perfectly mundane and normal. Everything she did or encountered was just as usual. However, she couldn’t shake the feeling that there was something wrong.

    Even after she reached school and classes began that sneaking sense of dread lingered on. It wasn’t the same sick feeling as when she worried about a test and it wasn’t the icy chill that Raven inspired. It felt like she was being baked in her skin by some invisible presence, constantly exerting pressure from all sides. Both outer and inner. It made her nervous and antsy about everything. She wanted to just get up and go home but she knew that feeling wouldn’t go away no matter what she did about it.

    Halfway through her first period she’d completely stopped listening to her professor and started rifling through her jeans pockets for something to keep her occupied. That’s when it dawned on her, when her fingers closed over that smooth disc, half as a refreshing breeze and half as smoldering ashes. That was exactly what was wrong. The old man, the poker chip, the Casino.

    “I don’t need seven days to decide what I’m going to do.” Erica said to herself as she eyed the dark token thoughtfully before closing her fingers around it and her eyes along with them. It felt like only a few minutes but the toll of the bell told her that she’d been absorbed in her own thoughts for nearly half an hour. Erica frowned slowly and picked up her things to leave for her next class. As she stood up she felt the heat and weight slide a little lower on her shoulders, it was a little it relieving to have something to blame for the feeling she thought as she walked out the door behind several other students she barely knew. Out in the hall she wasn’t lucky enough to keep up the anonymity as she was greeted with Fred’s overexcited visage.

    “Hey!” She was always acting happy about something whether she was or not. Erica was sure that if Fred’s parents ever did die by some chance no one would ever be able to figure it out.

    “’Sup.” She replied unenthusiastically. She felt like saying go away, but that wouldn’t reflect well on her psychological condition.

    “I’m good. And you miss sullen face?”

    “Sullen.” Erica frowned. “I’ve got to get to class. I’ll see you later.” Said the brown haired girl as she waved and stepped past her blue haired counterpart.

    “Alright, you know where to find me.” Fred practically shouted over her shoulder.

    “Yeah.” The other girl replied dully as she pretended to walk off in a hurry. As a result she was able to reach her next class with time to spare. Not that it made a difference. She wasn’t paying attention to anything anymore. To Erica, the world had become like a lucid dream. Nothing felt like it had any weight to it. It was like floating just above herself over a field of dust motes. It was the same kind of feeling she got when she was almost sure that she’d died of blood loss nearly five months prior.

    That lightness that only affected the body and made her feel like she was about to leave her mind behind with every airy step she managed to take. One foot in front of the other and naturally the body follows, it’s just walking. So Erica walked, stepped, and misstepped her way right into the infirmary where the nurse realized that she had a fever of one hundred and three and a green tint to her skin. Erica, however, remained unaware of it for the most part. There were periods of awareness that Erica took little note of as she descended into deeper and deeper slumber.

    When asked how she was feeling in her brief snatches of consciousness, the answer always came out as the same, “I’m fine.” Regardless of how impossible it was for her to move or how bad she looked and sounded. Erica still felt light, airy and perfectly fine when she could be bothered to feel anything. But it was soon apparent that she wouldn’t be inclined to do so for some time and was left alone to sleep for the rest of the day.

    When she finally woke up school was over and her mother had decided not to pick her up earlier in the day so someone else took care of it. Who exactly she didn’t know until her eyes adjusted to the darkness of the room around her. Just as she was trying to place it a light flashed when the curtains were separated to reveal the setting sun, glowing radiantly straight into Erica’s face. That’s when she found herself, lying under more blankets than necessary, in her own room and that there was a boy standing against the light shading part of her eyes from the sun’s glare.

    “Sorry, I couldn’t really get a good look at you without the light.”

    “I’m fine.” Erica croaked her voice hoarse and barely audible. She knew who it was by the silhouette but had hoped her fever was deceiving her. But the voice she heard issuing from that boy’s form put it beyond a shadow of a doubt. Hughes.

    “I doubt that.” The boy replied dismissively. “I knew that the spare key you loaned me would come in handy.” Erica said nothing. “Don’t talk you sound like you should be resting as much as possible.”

    “Why—“

    “I’ll explain if you’ll be quiet for me. Can you do that please?” He smiled. Erica frowned in return and nodded slightly. “Alright. I asked my aunt to pretend she was yours so that no one would snoop into why your mom couldn’t come and no other emergency contacts were to be found. It worked out fine and she dropped you off here with my spare key and I came here to make sure you were fine not long after. You’ve been asleep for nearly six hours. Is everything alright?” He asked.

    Though Erica would like nothing better than to say that nothing was alright, her voice wouldn’t any longer allow it and her heart couldn’t take it. Telling him anything would spark the same reaction anyways.

    “Is there anything I can do to help?” He’d say with a concerned look. If you said nothing he’d pry, if you told him the specifics he’d become apologetic and try to see if there was indeed anything he could do. If neither got him anywhere he’d get emotional. He’d start raising his voice thoughtlessly or thinking really hard in silence. But with this situation he’d never be able to think of anything. He’d come to his conclusion long ago and the matter was closed. Erica sighed.

    “Are you sure you’re alright?” He asked despite not having an initial response. Erica nodded slowly. He didn’t know there was a problem so everything was fine. It wasn’t his problem so everything was fine. There was no solution to the problem so everything was fine. Everything in the world was perfectly fine.

    “So I heard you talked to Kira yesterday.” Erica’s thoughts froze where they were. She looked at him cautiously as her enfeebled form would allow. “Yeah, she said you had something to say to me. I was going to ask about it today but then you suddenly collapsed in the hallway so I never got a chance to ask. I know that it’s pointless asking right now so I’ll wait for you to get better. When you’re all healed up you’ll tell me right?” He was making another promise. Whenever he wanted some assurance that everything was indeed as fine as it was he’d ask you to promise that he was right and that he’d have his world as stable as possible. It was understandable to want stability, but Erica couldn’t provide it. She nodded slowly again.

    “I never got a chance to say it before since you were either busy or I was busy but now that we’re together for more than thirty seconds I’d like to tell you that I like what you’ve done with your hair. It looked nice longer, but I think that this suits you better. It’s more, no muss no fuss. Like you. You never stood for anything you didn’t like. Even when we were kids, you’d always be the one protecting me from the bigger kids, it’s kinda embarrassing really.” He paused and looked at Erica thoughtfully. He never reminisced before, so Erica wasn’t sure what to make of it with her mind as clouded as it probably was.

    The only thing that she knew was that he was taking pity on her again. He wasn’t the type to simply say something nice. He did nice things for you when he could and took everything else for granted. It was charming when he did it. He only resorted to using words when it was out of his hands entirely. The fact that he’d turned away from her only confirmed how much he was absorbed in thinking about what he was saying.

    “What happened to those days? We’re in our second year of high school now, a month in almost, too. It feels like everything has gotten away from me so fast, you know?” He turned back to face her. Erica took the cue and shook her head. If anything had gotten away from her it hadn’t been without her notice, and it hadn’t been only just now. It felt more like everything was snatched up and then slowly pried from her last remaining grip on it. But she still held her fist tightly closed despite the fact that she knew they she’d lost her hold of it long ago. So she turned her head away slightly, under the pretext of shifting to a more comfortable position, to avoid his eyes. He’d know there was something wrong if he saw hers and she knew it.

    “You’re a really strong person. You always seem to know where you’re going and what to do. When I first met Kira and found out about my family and my past I wasn’t sure if I could take that first step forward but you convinced me to take it and I never looked back after it. I seriously wonder how you do it. Even when I was fighting I always thought of what you would do in a given situation. Weird, huh?” By this point the girl wasn’t sure whether to nod at him or feign sleep. He’d, for the first time in his life, opened up to her and told her exactly what was going on in that fluff filled head of his.

    It was only made all the more strange by the soft, subtle tone he’d taken on. Erica slowly turned her head that two inches back towards him to check if he was looking. He was, pity filled eyes and all. Like a kindly attendant or concerned stranger, but never a close friend. They couldn’t look at each other like that anymore. He’d just described the last times when they were friends moments earlier. It was impossible for them to understand each other anymore. So she nodded at him earnestly. Than them talking like this, nothing could be weirder.

    “Are you sure you’re okay?” He asked uneasily. Erica wasn’t sure if she looked worse than she thought or if he knew more than he was letting on. So again she nodded slowly. The sound of the front door opening could be heard.

    “Alright. That’s good.” He smiled. “Get well soon. I think you’re mom is home so I’ll let myself out. If you need anything, I’ll always be around so give me a call.” For the final time the weakened girl nodded at him. “Bye.”

    And Erica was alone for a moment. She had time to think again, just like in the hospital. Erica didn’t feel like thinking anymore though, nothing had caused her greater pain than her thoughts. She wished she could cast them away and live without them, but it didn’t seem possible. So she sat still as possible in body and mind as her mother bumbled around outside for a few minutes before entering with a tired look on her face. She’d been worried. She was energetic by nature and never showed fatigue after returning from either of her shifts unless something was wrong.

    “I’m sorry.” Erica whispered as loud as she could before the woman had a chance to speak. This altogether seemed to go unnoticed though because the woman took no notice of it and took a seat on the side of the bed and examined her daughter in silence.

    “Are you alright?” She asked.

    Erica remained still and just stared at her. It wasn’t pleasant seeing the normally carefree woman in such a state so Erica didn’t even know what to do at first.

    “I’m sorry I couldn’t come get you myself.” She said nervously as if she were on trial making up excuses for keep from paying a traffic ticket.

    “It’s fine.” Erica wanted to say. But the words wouldn’t rise, no matter how she tried. So she just kept staring at her mother, thinking of how she could communicate.

    “You’d probably just say that you’re fine if you could talk wouldn’t you?”

    Erica nodded.

    “Honestly. You’re one strange kid. Every time I expect you to cry, you smile and every time I think you need me, you say that you’ll do it alone. It’s not exactly a vote of confidence in my parenting.”

    Erica looked away momentarily. It didn’t escape her mother.

    “I know I haven’t exactly done right by you in the past. But I do try you know, it’s just really hard for a person like me to care for someone else.” It sounded bad, and she knew it, but that was the way of things and they were both well aware of it. Erica closed her eyes and left them there. Thinking was hard enough a task without that sad face putting it all in a muddle.

    “You look tired. Just make some kind of noise if you need me, alright?” And before the girl had a chance to make any manner of response, her mother was on her feet and in half that time she was out the door. She really wasn’t cut out to be a parent.

    Erica would have laughed if she felt it was possible, but it wasn’t and all she could do to stop herself from going mad with thoughts was fall back to sleep. Sweet untroubled sleep.









    Crit/review if you want, I'll appreciate it. Thanks for your time citizens.

    Side Note: I've got one more chapter planned. After that this either stands or falls based on whether I can decide which way I'd like this to go and if I can actually come up with anything at all. Whichever way it goes I'm sure it won't be any loss to the community.
     
  4. Catch the Rain As the world falls down ♥

    Joined:
    Apr 2, 2007
    Location:
    The Labyrinth
    790
    I have stayed away from posting in this thread, because to be honest I've never seen anything in it that I can point out as needing work, or crit and I didn't want to sound like I was just being a kissass.

    You have a huge talent in writing and I think it is so underappreciated.

    You show excellent control and that is something I really envy, your words flow, but they do so in the best way, as opposed to mine which just flood plains all over the place.

    You also have a way of drawing your reader in, so much so that every time I get to the end of the post I'm disappointed that it ends.

    I don't really know what else to say other than lack of response doesn't denote lack of interest. I think you put the majority of writers in this section to shame.


    This is the only thing I dislike in this thread >:C if you did choose to stop writing this I think it would be a huge loss for the community.
     
  5. Jiku Neon Kingdom Keeper

    Joined:
    Jul 24, 2007
    Location:
    Moe, Victoria
    1,258
    878
    Expect a slightly denser read this time around. It's talky to the extreme and slightly longer than my average chapter this time around.

    1-5
    The next time Erica woke the sun hadn’t risen. She wasn’t sure whether it was night or morning. So she tested her strength, it had returned enough to lift her body from the cushions and covers and haul it over to her alarm clock. The blocky red numbers glowed dimly revealing that the time was 5:43 in the a.m. Erica ran a hand through her hair before flopping back over into her bed as soon as possible. School was in the question but not far enough in it to be of much concern to her.

    After a sickness like that, her mother was liable to make a trip to the doctor’s or at least keep her bed ridden. Either way Erica was fine with it. She didn’t want anyone to bother her and if she was to stay in bed all day she could be assured that no one would bother her most of the day. So she yawned and turned over to resume her briefly interrupted sleep. However, she couldn’t manage it. For all the fatigue she’d thought she’d have none remained. The only thing she felt like doing at the point was walking around. That too was the only thing she was assured that she would not be able to do without anyone else’s interruption.

    The girl sighed and rolled over again in attempt to get back that sleepy feeling she had, what seemed like, only a few moments before. It was as unsuccessful as the other hundred odd turns she made over the course of the next two hours. When the time to be at school had arrived and left along with a few moments of awkward conversation with her mother about her condition and how to deal with it Erica finally felt like her nervous energy had lessened a bit.

    Not enough to allow sleep by any means, but she could sit still for longer and that in itself made everything seem a little better. She didn’t have to go to school and see everyone after what Hughes had said and she didn’t have to go to the doctors and have a battery of tests and questions to contend with. All in all it seemed like the best outcome. Still, something was missing. She didn’t want to be where she would have been otherwise but there was still somewhere that Erica felt she needed to be. A quick glance around the room drew the thought to the surface of the girl’s mind.

    The one thing from the old days that she hadn’t thrown into a cardboard box in her closet was a photograph. The brown haired girl left it because she felt it would be rude to just cover up the dead. Erica walked over to her bookshelf and lifted the dusty frame to get a better look at it. At a glance it just looked like any group picture kids would take. Erica was smiling back at herself as she leaned next to Fred, Hughes, and Thomas in a disorganized group hug and photo-op combined. If she’d known then what was about to happen in her first year of high school she’d be as sullen as she was now.

    Thomas, or Tommy as they usually called him, was the same age as Erica. Literally. They were born on the same day within the same hour and they were the least similar people imaginable. Where Erica was rational Tommy would ignore reason, where Erica would back down Tommy would fight. Every time they had a decision to make, they came to opposite conclusions. Tommy had always dreamed big, even as a kid he wanted to make it big in some way or another. He’d wanted to be an astronaut before he died. He had the heart for it, but maybe not the brains. Either way it didn’t matter. He was on the other side of town decomposing as he had been for the past nine months and Erica wanted to talk to him.

    So the girl dressed herself and took a bus to the cemetery. There was more than enough time to head there and find a way back before anyone knew she was gone and she wouldn’t be able to stand being at home alone all day with her hateful thoughts. If she went to see Tommy it wouldn’t feel like it was just her thoughts at least, it would feel like there was really someone there that would just listen and refuse to voice an opinion. Erica didn’t buy any flowers because she knew that Tommy wouldn’t appreciate the visit if he was aware of it. He wasn’t the type that would like the self pitying state she’d worked herself into and she knew it, so Erica did her best to think of what she’d say to her old friend when she did meet him.

    The bus ride was longer than expected, but it still got her where she was going without lifting an eyebrow so she was grateful. The cemetery was a quiet place, even on the busiest days of the year it remained as hallowed and peaceful as death itself. Today was no different. The sounds of cars and trucks passing by seemed to fade when Erica took her first step onto the site and each step further amplified the effect. As the girl walked on over the soft springy turf, deftly avoiding stepping on the graves of people she’ never known, she began to hum. At first she didn’t notice it, but after a while it became apparent when she suddenly heard Tommy’s favorite song coming from what turned out to be her own mouth. Erica laughed genuinely and wholeheartedly for the first time in months, but it was more wry than amused because she’d lost track of things so much that by the time she’d recognized her own humming she’d placed herself in front of the very headstone she was looking for.

    Tommy didn’t have one of those tombstones that you always see in the movies. His was just like every other normal person’s in the cemetery. A plain metal plaque with an inscription of his date of birth, full legal name, date of death, and the standard short phrase, “In loving memory” was all he had. Erica sat down in front of it and pulled out something she was sure Tommy would like: booze. He’d been underage at the time of his death and never knew what it was like to drink, even though he so looked forward to it. So Erica decided that for her first visit she thought she’d bring a small flask of the amber liquid with her as it was probably the best way to honor his memory and appease any possible remnant of him at the site.

    The first thing she did as she sat was pour a libation for the boy to set an easy tone. He was pugnacious and quarrelsome whenever he was with her despite how long they’d known each other. Something about their personalities never meshed well from the time they were in elementary school when he first joined the group. Maybe it was because he never forgave Erica for how they first met. That was probably it. At the time he was a small kid who picked fights with anyone that he could find an excuse to and he usually won. That was until he picked a fight with some middle schoolers and provoked them into beating him up. Erica was the one who stopped them from sending him to the emergency room at that time. She was sure he never quite forgave her for that, so she was always careful not to bring up anything that would insult his pride. Whether that was the reason for his attitude or not she was not certain but coming to see him alive while he was dead was most likely the worst insult he could endure, so she gave him a drink.

    “How you doin’ Tommy?” She asked aloud. She had her eyes closed so it would be easier to visualize him; his short brown hair, his plain, joyful face, all of it. “I haven’t seen you since your funeral. Because of the way you died they went closed casket. Seeing the remains…I brought you a drink, I thought you’d like it even though you’re still technically underage. It’ll be a while before I’m able to share one with you, but you’ll wait for me right?” She asked jokingly, as if that would change anything. “It’s hard to believe that you died a year ago almost. Give it three more months and you’ll hit the big first year marker. When you do, you’ll have to tell me how it is under the ground. Not that I intend on joining you anytime soon. But I really came here to talk about me so I hope you won’t mind.” She chuckled. Of course he’d mind. He never liked it when she wanted to tell him anything that wasn’t about him and how much he was right about something that she’d disagreed with him on. He was stubborn and boorish like that.

    “So Tommy, you knew I liked Hughes too. I never told you, but I’m sure you knew it and I’m sure you never told that thick headed boy. I wish that I’d had the courage to do it earlier myself. Not that it would have made a huge difference. He would have said no whether Kira was there or not. That’s the thing Fred never gets when I talk to her. I wasn’t just competing with Kira, I was competing with the ideal girl that Hughes had dreamt up in his head. But I lost that race. Badly.” She laughed wryly again without opening her eyes. “And then, even after I was shot down, I hung on like my life depended on it even after he told me no. It was because I hung on like a fool that my legs got messed up in that fight with Raven. You died taking out one of his group, Leon. That’s another thing you’ll have to not forgive me for when I get down there. But I did that for me, not anyone else. They’d have been just fine without me. I’m not quite so noble as you, you know?

    “Either way, that’s when I had to let go of him. Four months in the hospital getting sewed up, cut open, and sewed up again told me that much. Especially when neither one of them had more than a scratch on them after the final battle. While I, on the other hand, was trashed like I got hit by a train with blades all over the front. But I’m still not dead, just like a cockroach.” She curled herself up a little before going on.

    “The doctors said I’ll probably be able to work back up to competing again by the time I’m in track and swimming college if I train hard enough. But for right now I’d just embarrass myself if I tried to do either. Apparently, even with stem cell treatments, my muscles still atrophied to the point where I had to spend a month learning how to walk again. But that was probably the best part of my little stay at the hospital.

    “When I first woke up in that place I was totally alone. I wasn’t sure if I was dead or alive. Dead silence was all I was sure of. Silence that I sat in for who knows how long. It felt so long that I started to wonder, hallucinate even, if anything that had happened to me had ever really happened at all.” She smiled. It had already become a natural reaction to smile whenever she felt that horrible pain. “But it had all had happened and I was to wait alone in that hospital being poked and examined like a science experiment all summer. That’s why I’m so pale right now you see. They didn’t really like opening the windows much with all of the serious surgeries and treatments I had. I’m still grateful for it though, if my grandparents weren’t the owners of the place… I wouldn’t be able to walk at all today.

    “But at the time I couldn’t walk anywhere. I could only sit there thinking about all that had happened and how I’d have to do with it. Was I going back? How would I live the rest of my life? Would I even see my parents again? Questions like that kept going through my mind. It was scary.” She said with watery eyes. “You must be thinking that I’m being childish and stupid right now. You’d be right, but it wouldn’t be nice to say it out loud. But that pretty much brings me here, to the present. Or at least close to it. The thing I really needed to talk to you about happened yesterday. I got sick at school and Hughes came over to my house to take care of me until my mom got home. He told me that he thought I was strong, he told me that for the first time ever. I’m not sure what to make of it, but I’m pretty sure that it means that I’m just like you to him. Yeah, I know you’re mad now after hearing that. But seriously, I’m just another one of the dudes. Can’t even do that properly right? If I could, then I’d likely be down there with you. It pretty much brought it home, it’s not only that I wasn’t his ideal girl, it’s that I wasn’t ever even a girl to him at all. It just makes me feel like I was so arrogant and blind for not even thinking of it like that.

    “Anyways”, she sighed heavily, “I just wanted to talk to someone who wouldn’t have advice for me. I already know what you would tell me if you were here. You’d tell me how stupid I was and why I should pick myself up by my bootstraps and beat up my problem with physical force if necessary. You’d tell me that if I was so damn high and mighty about disagreeing with you I’d better prove I was good enough to be your adversary. But Hughes is wrong. I’m not strong like you were. I’m just a coward. I couldn’t fight alongside you guys because I was afraid. I couldn’t tell him my feelings because I was afraid.

    "I couldn’t ever do anything for anyone because I’m afraid for myself and because of that you’re in the ground and I didn’t lift a finger to stop it. We were supposed to be friends but I betrayed you.” Erica cried softly over the grave fellow before her, letting her tears drop to the ground like light rain. “It makes me feel like coming here and crying you know? Don’t know why, but I feel like you’d understand if you were here. So do you understand?” She asked, opening her eyes to look at the grave of her fallen friend. Her eyes stung, but her mind was clearing up a bit. It wasn’t like catharsis, because she still felt the weight of her guilt and pain on her chest, but she did feel like she was getting used to breathing with the extra weight. So she got up, brushed herself off and made an awkward bow to the grave.

    “Next time… I’ll bring some flowers. Would that be okay?” She asked as she poured the last of the contents of the flask onto the ground. “You’d probably say no.” She thought to herself as she made her way back to the bus stop. A quick glance at her watch informed her that she’d be walking most of the rest of the way home and she’d be dangerously close to being found out as it was. So she got to walking.

    In the middle of the day left the city, not empty, but different. The kinds of people you’d find in the afternoon are mostly students and people getting off work. At night it’s mostly people going to or from work and people going out to entertain themselves. However, during the day there wasn’t much of a trend at all. It was all people who had nothing better to be doing in the middle of the day but that was all that related them. Some looked like they’d just been fired, some looked like they were skipping school, and others just looked like they were walking around in a daze.

    Erica was sure she was one of the second sort, but she didn’t take much notice of it. She was thinking of other things again. It felt like recently she’d been thinking only of other things. If it was school she wasn’t interested, if it was her surroundings she didn’t care. Everything she wanted to deal with was always in her own mind. All there was for it was more walking. The brown haired girl sighed heavily and came to a stop. It was almost time for the bus to make its appearance in this part of town and all she could do now was wait.

    Fortunately it wasn’t a long one. Nor was the trip. Everything was very short and prompt with its coming and going that day. It was pleasant. Perhaps it was because no one else was around to gum up the works but it was pleasant either way. Erica quickly disembarked from the bus and dashed into her home. A quick glance showed that everything was as expected. No one had come home to check on her and she was still early enough to evade Hughes. For once, things seemed to be going as planned.

    With that in order the girl immediately felt drained and fatigued again, as if her preternatural burst of energy was nothing but another part of her dreams. So she made her way back to her room, undressed, and slipped back into bed as if nothing had happened. As far as anyone else was concerned, nothing had. Nothing Erica had ever done counted for anything it seemed. Everyone else was just as well not knowing so she made no argument or bid for attention. It wasn’t worth the trouble. It wouldn't make a difference. That’s what she told herself as she drifted back off to sleep.






    Crit/review if you want, I'll appreciate it. Thanks for your time citizens.

    Side Note: This is where I have to decide where to go with this. I originally planned to have my decision necessary for this chapter but it turned out long enough time line wise to stand on its own. What I informed you of last time still stands. If I can't make the decision then this ends here. Wouldn't be opposed to input on the plot direction either really. Again, thank you.
     
  6. Chevalier Crystal Princess

    Joined:
    Jan 8, 2008
    Location:
    Trapped on an Island
    552
    This is great. I read non-stop since the third part, and it is steady and flowing nicely. Like Catch the Rain said, I feel you can put other writers here to shame. It's really a great story you have here, and I do hope you continue on with it.

    Overall, I saw some spelling and grammar errors: the he's and she's; sometimes you used he for a girl, and vice-versa. The other things are commas, you aren't using them in some places where they are necessary.

    As for the plot, I can see how these characters have a connection, and a very peculiar one. It would also be nice to know exactly what will happen with the coin, and the demon thingy. I think you should do at least one more chapter where you mix goodbyes with rising action. I think it's time for decisions and more explanations.
     
  7. Jiku Neon Kingdom Keeper

    Joined:
    Jul 24, 2007
    Location:
    Moe, Victoria
    1,258
    878
    The end. One of them at least. I'm pretty shaky on this one so I might take it down for corrections if I really don't like the note that I'm ending this on. Just something to bear in mind.


    1-6
    “How can you always be there for me, when we parted ways so long ago?” Erica thought to herself as she awoke. She’d been dreaming of something that seemed so very close at the time but now was as unobtainable as a floating speck of dust that dances out of your hand every time you draw near to it. She reached out for it slowly, cautious of the air she’d displace, but still couldn’t get a grasp of what it was that she’d dreamt of. The slant of the sun’s rays filtering through her windows onto her outstretched fingers told her it was sunset.

    Either she’d been sicker than she’d imagined and it was Saturday afternoon or she was exactly as sick as she’d imagined and it was still Friday and she had another two days of lying in bed to look forward to. A test of her balance proved only that she shouldn’t get up so soon after waking and that she’d have to take it slow for a bit. But that was fine. Everything had to be taken slow sometimes. Even if it seems like a waste. Haste makes waste was the saying actually. Erica stood motionlessly preventing her body from wavering and tipping over with half her mind and considering her own surroundings with the other.

    There was a note on her desk next to the dully glowing red numbers of the alarm clock. It was evening and the note was clearly from Hughes, a signature that would put Hancock’s to shame and a drawing of a small creature was all it took to identify him, even at a distance at which neither could be properly distinguished. He’d come to see her and left already. Erica stirred herself to motion with a sigh of relief that she’d managed to sleep through it. A steadier stride was quickly coming to her legs as she tottered over to her workspace and lifted the small folder scrap of paper that had been left for her.

    It was one of his unnecessary little pep talks on a page. The girl rolled her eyes at it and threw it away without more than just a skim that told her that he had nothing new to say. Kira hadn’t told him a thing and so it fell to her to set things straight. She turned to face the door and was struck with a bout of dizziness and vertigo. Once it passed Erica stepped out into the hallway connecting the living room to the bedrooms and saw her mother stepping through the front door.

    “Erica!” cried her mother in surprise. “You should be in bed.”

    “I’m fine.” The girl replied dismissively as she made an attempt to walk evenly enough to fool the woman.

    “You always say you’re fine. That’s the kind of attitude that makes you collapse in the middle of school.”

    “What day is it?” She asked without taking notice of her mother’s concern. The only way to deal with her was to ignore these sympathetic advances, they’d only lead to disappointment in the end if accepted.

    “Friday still dear.” She was dearing her. It was galling almost.

    “Thanks.” Erica said offhandedly. “I think I’ll go back to bed if it makes you feel any better then.”

    “Would you have said the same if I told you a different day?”

    “I’m not sure, I didn’t really have plans at least.” She paused to stare momentarily at her mother. “Well, I’m off to bed again, not like I haven’t gotten used to it.”

    “Erica wait.”

    “I didn’t mean anything by it Mom.” “It has nothing to do with you.”

    “But Erica dear, you’re my daughter it has everything to do with me.” Erica wanted to say something back, but the door was closed and neither one of them was for serious conversations. Anything more than a status report and batting back and forth of meaningless chit chat in that family usually ended badly, so Erica bit her lip thinking over what to do next with herself in an attempt to push thoughts of her family out of her head. It wasn’t easy but it was doable.

    If living out the past year as she had taught Erica anything it was that many things were difficult to get one’s mind off of but few were impossible. So she sat on her bed thinking of how to convey her message to Hughes. There was no good way of going about it. Whether she was blunt and terse with it or kind and gentle with it, she’d be telling him that the girl he’d been friends with since he was a toddler practically didn’t exist; hadn’t existed for some time now. No one would take it well, especially not a boy like him. But now probably wasn’t the time to be concerned with what he needed. She’d spent all of her time worrying about what was best for him so long that she’d all but stopped caring about anything else. And yet the world had kept on turning.

    “I’m such an idiot.” Erica sighed as she walked back out into the living room. “One more question Mom.” The woman’s head poked up from behind her book quickly.

    “What is it?”

    “I have to go back in for observation this weekend right?”

    “Of course you do, every two weeks the doctor said.”

    “I’d forgotten. I should rest up until then. Don’t need another reason for them to worry. I’ll see you tomorrow.” The girl said, turning to return to her room. She could tell that there wouldn’t be a response after that, at least it felt like business as usual again. If nothing else that gave Erica a center to start from again. Usually she wouldn’t be so emotional. Usually she would think less about what she felt and more about what she did. Usually she would just let things roll off her back like water.

    Usually she would be more focused. Usually she wouldn’t be so depressed. Since the day she returned home from the hospital for the start of the new term nothing had been as usual. This past week had been even less so if that was at all possible. Erica cast a glance around her room as she sat on the side of her bed. Everything seemed so normal. Lamp, desk, closet, window, door, walls, ceiling, floor. Everything around her had a place and it was sitting right in it. The only thing that seemed to be out of place in that little room was the girl leaning off the side of the bed thinking about thing that must never have happened.

    They were far too fantastical to have happened to a real person. They were far too unrealistic to have happened to a real person. Erica could only think that either they’d never happened or she was the product of a deranged imagination. The fake her was a work of fiction the real her was a flight of fancy. What was the difference then? Erica couldn’t think of an answer, so she lay herself down and stared up at her ceiling. There were lots of things without answers in the world and not every answer that did exist was a right one anyways.

    She turned on her side and reached over into her nightstand’s drawer and retrieved a single slip of paper. It was like her, a vestige of an age gone by. It was probably a bad idea to keep it around; it wasn’t hers and it wasn’t useful. There was absolutely no reason to keep that frail rectangle of pulp and ink that she squinted through the darkness at. Still, even things that hurt to have can hurt just as much to abandon.

    “I’ll still do it. There’s no other way to solve this.” She whispered to herself before closing her eyes and waiting for her body to give in and just take another few hours of sleep.

    ---

    At the hospital Erica was met with the standard procedure that had become the hallmark of all of her tenures, visits, and dealings in general with the doctors. Her personal physician, Dr. Parish, had, at her grandparents’ request, followed her back to the city to take care of things. He was a young man who was the pride of his graduating class and had ambitions of using his position at his home hospital as a springboard into a research position and yet Isaiah Parish was looking after some girl instead. Erica couldn’t help but feel he resented her underneath that perfect mask of congeniality.

    “So how have things been going Erica?” He asked.

    “The same.” She quickly responded. If there was a way to get straight on to the examination and the out of the hospital she would very much have liked to have it happen. “I’ve gotten a bit of a cold, but that’s all.”

    “That’s good. I trust you’ve been keeping up with the exercise regimen laid out for you?”

    “I have.” She lied. The goal of the regimen was to get her back to how she was before the injuries so that she could continue with her life as uninterrupted as possible they had said. That was either a joke or a gross miscalculation of the meaning of three to five years. She had neither the dedication nor the patience to spend over three years taking baby steps, hoping that one day she might be a mediocre athlete again.

    That’s all she ever was anyways. Always got the lowest qualifying times, never made the top ten, and couldn’t ever connect with the team. They were better off without her and she without them. So she lied with a straight face. She’d gotten it down to a science, pleasing people. Tell them what they want to hear and they’ll ignore everything else, you don’t even have to be a good liar.

    “That’s also good. If the tests go well it’ll be all good across the boards.” He said flipping through a chart and leading her down to the testing rooms. There she’d run on a treadmill, sit around, get blood drawn, sit around, answer more questions, sit around, get poked and prodded, sit around, get lights shined in her eyes, sit around, and finally she’d get out of that ridiculous looking hospital gown and go home to wait for it all to repeat in another few weeks.

    “Alright.” She said following obediently. The less resistance you put up the more they like you. The more they feel like you’re acting as you should the more comfortable they are.

    “That’s the way. You’ll be better in no time.” He lied, just as straight faced as Erica. Dr. Parish had also turned pleasing people into a science; he didn’t pretend a second, he just spouted the mendacious and twisted reality to fit his words. He knew that more than half of what he was saying to patients was false and he kept doing it to preserve a positive outlook or peace of mind. The more you encourage someone the more they’ll feel like they’ve got to something they can do. The more hope you dangle in front of someone’s face the more they’ll chase after it. But Erica wasn’t in the mood for chasing dream. So she just followed him and his instructions. Remove whatever articles of clothing; sit for whatever tests, all of it.

    At the end of the first day she pulled at her sweater and stared at the affable man as he scribbled something down on a chart as if it meant something. Suddenly, he paused and looked up at her. He didn’t say anything at first, it looked like he was mulling over what to say and examining her face concurrently. The he abruptly began their final conversation of the day.

    “Well, so far everything looks pretty good. Tomorrow we’ll be moving on to the second battery but if today is any indication you’ll be out sooner than usual. So get rest, eat well, and stick with it. I know that recovering from a car accident like this can be tough, but you’re really fortunate to be so well off as you are. Things will start looking up again, I promise.”

    “Thank you. My mom is probably waiting for me.” She said to excuse herself.
    “One more thing. I know you’re not exactly thrilled with all of this but I’m glad that through all of this you’ve managed not to fall behind or let it get to you. It’s a reminder to me that a good attitude is sometimes the best treatment.”

    “Thank you.” She repeated in the same deadpan monotone. “Things will start looking up again. I promise.” And with that she hurried off before either her falsified smile could fade or he could answer her. She knew it was probably badly played to throw his words back at him like that, but it was irresistible at the time. Erica leaned against the wall around the corner from where her mother waited in all likelihood. She took a deep breath, arranged her features and rounded the corner with a blank, but less than apathetic, face on. Her mother wouldn’t-- couldn’t-- notice a thing. And so the car ride back home was as silent as the dinner that followed and the sleep even after that.

    The next day Erica and Dr. Parish didn’t exchange any words and the man didn’t seem even slightly in the mood for chat. Perhaps Erica really had revealed herself too much yesterday. She frowned when his head was turned and kept doing so to aid her thought for the rest of the day. However, after hours of interrupted and truncated thoughts flowing through her mind she ended up with nothing. Dr. Parish was as inscrutable as ever he could be so Erica just left it as it was. She’d wanted him to shut his mouth about hopefulness and the future and he had, there was nothing wrong at all.

    As promised though she was out of the hospital an hour earlier than the last time she’d been for a second round of tests and exams. It was pleasant but in exchange for Dr. Parish’s silence she had to put up with her mother’s pleased ramblings. Erica would occasionally answer in the affirmative and then let her mother run the topics into the ground one after another. Erica wasn’t sure if she should be sharing in the enjoyment that her mother got out of the positive look of the initial tests or whether it was another thing to simply ignore.

    So she paid attention to it but stayed clear of contributing to it.
    Erica would sporadically yawn or sigh, longing for the times when she could deal with her friends and family without worrying about everything she’d say or do triggering a huge fiasco. But as much as she wished it, nothing changed. Nothing would ever change unless she changed it.

    “Tomorrow’s the day.” She whispered to herself as she pressed her forehead against the cool window of the car as her mother chattered on all the way home and into the night.

    ---

    “Monday.” Erica said to herself as she awoke. Usually the most coherent thing she could get out at such an hour would be a complaint or curse, but as she’d told herself today was the day. She slipped herself out from under her covers and drew herself before the bathroom mirror without really looking at the pale surface against the darkness that she virtually bathed in. Without the artificial light on and with the natural light streaming in she could see herself how she wanted to.

    Nothing but a vague outline, a darker spot that must be an eye or nose, and dark uniform skin, unblemished and clear. But when the light flicked on again the lying, hateful face and the hideous scars came back into view. But not for much longer she thought. The next time she looked at her own countenance things would be different. So she smiled at her reflection and prepared to leave for school.

    Skin and hair were washed, clothes were changed, breakfast was eaten, teeth were brushed, a door was opened and she was off. The walk to the bus stop wasn’t long, neither was the wait nor the ride. School didn’t look any different on the face of it but it felt different being there with a reason.

    The reason, unfortunately however, didn’t make the first three hours pass any faster. But pass they did, in their own due time, and the lunch hour arrived to take their place. Erica avoided anywhere she’d normally be found in favor of the sidelines of one of Fred’s cheer club meetings. It was anything but normal for Erica to deviate from routine to sit around people she didn’t know but it was definitely allowed and definitely more conducive to Erica’s plans to behave a little strangely.

    “I’m glad you’ve finally decided to show up here Ere.” Fred said with a congratulatory clap on the back.

    “Why’s that?” Erica asked her friend suspiciously.

    “Well I’ve been telling you to come watch since last year and you’re here, which means my diligent waiting has paid off.” She smiled and her friend stared.

    “Okay.”

    “Come on. This was my great triumph of the day.” Fred replied with exasperated gesticulations.

    “I’m happy for you, now go finish.” Erica answered dryly.

    “You’re never any fun anymore.” She pouted.

    “I know.” Erica replied softly as she cast her gaze past Fred’s face.

    “You weren’t supposed to agree with me.” The blue haired girl fumed at both being ignored physically and verbally.

    “You were supposed to join practice thirty seconds ago.” Erica pointed out both physically and verbally.

    “This isn’t over Erica.”

    “Sure it isn’t.” Erica scoffed playfully as her friend departed to join her squad mates. So Erica sat out the rest of the time waiting for it to end. As she waited, she noticed two things. It was boring sitting around with no one to talk to or listen to at the very least and that most of the people watching the practice were boys. Creepy boys; the types that Erica made fun of when she noticed them and ignored the other three hundred and sixty four days in the year. Erica wanted to shift away from the awkwardness but knew it was less than practical given where she was. So she just tried to ignore them as usual and wait for the lunch hour to reach its conclusion in silence.

    Unfortunately for her she wasn’t going to be ignored as easily as they were.

    “Hey.” He had come from nowhere and sat next to Erica like he was her friend. He was, again unfortunately, someone she knew. Needy, or Neils, if his real name came to mind. It didn’t so she avoided it.

    “I thought I made it clear that you were never to speak to me again.” Erica growled.

    “And now you’re here with the gawkers. What does that say about you?”

    “I’m here to see you. Fred told me you’d be here since she thought I was, I quote, ‘not as bad as the others.’”

    “She doesn’t speak for me. Now get out of my face. I finished my business with you and I don’t want to make anymore.”

    “I just came to make sure you weren’t really that girl who said yes when I asked her out.” He said with a sigh. “You were a brilliant actor. So much that I prefer the falsification.”

    “Doesn’t everybody?” Erica replied grimly.

    “I’m not sure what you mean, but if you—“

    “I don’t want to talk. Now just go away, you’re making me feel sick.”

    “Alright, jeez. Never expected you to be this disagreeable out of character.” He frowned and pushed up his glasses. He was a walking poster boy for geek but he still managed to captivate the hearts and minds of enough of the student body to get him a certain level of celebrity. Erica wasn’t sure what to make of either that or what he’d just said.
    “You see I thought the break up was also at least partly an act after you called all of us to apologize.”

    “Leave. Now.”

    “Got it.”

    “Handled like a pro, Erica.” She said to herself sarcastically as she turned back in time to see the cheerleader’s dispersing and hear the bell ringing. “Like a pro.” Said the girl as she rose to join the flow of students in the hallways.

    The next few periods went by uneventfully and school ended without a hitch. Now, Erica thought, things could have their start. With that thought in mind and a hand firmly gripping something in her pocket, she set of down the hallway to the other side of the school. Her destination was on the other side of the school and in the opposite direction from her usual route, so she felt awkward going there.

    But as she pressed on around the faces, vaguely familiar and unrecognizable alike, she felt her heart rate increase and her adrenaline kick in. By the time she rounded the final corner she was practically running, but when she saw the two of them staring back at her from across the atrium Erica stopped dead for a moment.

    “Hey Hughes.” She called over the tide of students that stood between them when she regained herself. “Got a minute?”

    “Sure.” He called back merrily. Erica smiled slightly and pushed her way across to the stairwell Hughes and Kira stood next to.

    “You stay after school a few hours today right?” Erica asked, trying not to speak to quickly.

    “Yeah. But I—“

    “I’ll be waiting here.” She said pointing to the ground between them. “Kira can come too if she doesn’t mind hearing me repeat myself.” The dark haired girl’s eyes shifted slightly but she made no other indication that it meant anything to her.

    “I don’t mind. I’m not the jealous type.”

    “As you like.” Erica said with an odd alacrity in her voice. She felt light, like she did when the adrenaline was pumping through her veins at a meet or in a fight. It felt good. Endorphins made even the painful thoughts a source levity. “See you then.” She waved and disappeared from sight before either of the others had a chance to reply. It was better that way. Because like any adrenaline rush this one was bound to end soon. It was all she could do just to get that much out. From there, things would only get harder. But they had to be done.

    “Isn’t that right?” Erica thought to herself as she fingered the chip in her pocket. One week earlier at the very bridge she was making her way toward she had received that chip. During that week she’d looked up what kind of demon could have given it to her and she’d found the results that she’d needed. Erica smiled. The rush hadn’t quite worn off yet. It was fun feeling good, even if it was an artificial high, it was nice.

    The tilt of the sun was quite a bit steeper than when she’d last met that man when she did arrive and the bridge, but she figured being early wouldn’t matter. She wasn’t going to meet him, just to deliver and answer. So she leaned over the rail on the footpath and stared into the murky water. She didn’t feel any presence or change in the atmosphere as she stood, but she knew he was listening and watching. So she began her response.

    “I’ve seen quite a few monsters in my time. Thought most of ‘em died of or went into hiding when Kira and Hughes finished off the big bad. But apparently, you’re a different class of thing. Less what I’d call a demon and more what I’d call a devil.” She laughed.

    “But you devils work in strange ways. You have power, but you can’t use it on an unwilling party. If I accept your offer, then I’d be accepting something from you, something that I’d then owe you. I’d be in your debt, you pocket.” Erica didn’t shift her gaze and kept smiling away at the casino chip.

    “I don’t know why you’ve picked me or why you’re here now, but I don’t need to. These scars are proof that I don’t need to stick my nose into things that don’t concern me. So I’d like to tell you that I’m still”, suddenly, she flipped the disc off her thumb and into the water. “Not interested.”

    So she straightened herself up, shoved her hands into her pockets, and started off back towards school. She wasn’t sure if that old man was behind her this time, but she was sure that it was over. No. That it hadn’t begun. That was her comfort and her motivation. So she left the bridge, not turning to see the old man smiling behind her fingering the chip thoughtfully before vanishing into thin air.

    When she arrived back at school a quick glance at the screen of her phone reminded her that she’d be waiting for another ten minutes before Hughes would appear. It was both nerve wracking and calming to be there alone in the school. She knew what she was going to say, what she’d do down to the last word and mannerism. But she couldn’t suppress the feeling that she wouldn’t be able to go through with it at all. It wasn’t supposed to be an option but failure always is one, no matter how hard you try to avoid it. So, all she could do was stand there fidgeting and going over her lines in her head before the curtain rose and she was called upon to take center stage.

    “Hey.” She turned around so quickly she almost ran into him. He always did stand too close when he talked. “Sorry, hoe you didn’t wait too long.”

    “Not at all.” Erica bit her lip. It was now or never.

    “So what did you have to tell me that was so important?” He was so oblivious. How could she just tell him that the Erica he’d come to know and accept was a fiction, nothing more than a little mask to hide what was really inside her head? No matter how she went about it he wouldn’t get it and there was no way to ease him into it. The only way to tell him something was to be forthright and blunt as he was.

    “We aren’t friends.” Erica could barely believe what she was saying but at the same time she felt her momentum begin to pick up. “We haven’t been friends for a long time.”

    “What?”

    “The girl you know. The girl you think you know. She doesn’t exist. She’s who you thought I should be and who I pretended to be for your sake.” She dropped her eyes. It was harder than she thought it would be. She still felt lingering emotions clinging to her, trying to drag her back to how things were. Back to a place that didn’t exist. “When I told you that I was fine with just being friends, I lied. I was never fine with just that. I’d wanted more for so long and when it didn’t come to anything I—I just couldn’t handle it properly.

    "So I tried to support you. Tried to make you happy because I thought that would make everything alright, but when you and Kira finally confessed your feelings and got together. I felt empty. I didn’t share your happiness at all. I can’t continue acting. It just dredges up all those feelings. It’s been so long since we were really friends that we’ve become strangers to each other. I couldn’t tell you anything about you now, everything I know is obsolete, ancient.” She swallowed hard. “From this point on we’re strangers. Goodbye.” She said sobbing silently beneath her words.

    “Erica…”

    “I’m sorry. Have we met?” Erica raised her face to him, tearless and honest. Hughes looked back at her for a few seconds. Confused at first but increasingly calm as the cogs and gears in his head turned.

    “No. I think you just reminded me of a friend I used to have.”

    “What was she like?”

    “She was a very nice girl. Never asked much from anyone but always tried to take on other people’s problems. Even when she had no time she’d never hesitate to take on more if it was to help someone out.”

    “Really?”

    “Yeah, she used to protect me from bullies and make sure I stayed out of trouble. Even when I got bigger than her she still kept a watch over me like I was still a kid. I always wondered why she was like that. But she was nice to everyone. It must have had nothing to do with me I thought.”

    “You were probably right.”

    “You think so?”

    “Yeah. Some people are like that.”

    “Selfless. She was the definition of it. I wonder if I’ll ever meet her again.”

    “You will.”

    “Yeah?”

    “When you think about people, you’ve got think about what lies beneath. You’ve got to think about what is always going to be there with them. I’ve got to get home. Didn’t catch your name—“

    “It’s Hughes. Justin Hughes.”

    “I’m Erica. It’s nice to meet you.”

    “How can you always be there for me, when we parted ways so long ago?” Erica thought to herself as she awoke. She’d been dreaming of something that seemed so very close at the time but now was as unobtainable as a floating speck of dust that dances out of your hand every time you draw near to it. She reached out for it slowly, cautious of the air she’d displace, but still couldn’t get a grasp of what it was that she’d dreamt of. The slant of the sun’s rays filtering through her windows onto her outstretched fingers told her it was sunset.

    Either she’d been sicker than she’d imagined and it was Saturday afternoon or she was exactly as sick as she’d imagined and it was still Friday and she had another two days of lying in bed to look forward to. A test of her balance proved only that she shouldn’t get up so soon after waking and that she’d have to take it slow for a bit. But that was fine. Everything had to be taken slow sometimes. Even if it seems like a waste. Haste makes waste was the saying actually. Erica stood motionlessly preventing her body from wavering and tipping over with half her mind and considering her own surroundings with the other.

    There was a note on her desk next to the dully glowing red numbers of the alarm clock. It was evening and the note was clearly from Hughes, a signature that would put Hancock’s to shame and a drawing of a small creature was all it took to identify him, even at a distance at which neither could be properly distinguished. He’d come to see her and left already. Erica stirred herself to motion with a sigh of relief that she’d managed to sleep through it. A steadier stride was quickly coming to her legs as she tottered over to her workspace and lifted the small folder scrap of paper that had been left for her.

    It was one of his unnecessary little pep talks on a page. The girl rolled her eyes at it and threw it away without more than just a skim that told her that he had nothing new to say. Kira hadn’t told him a thing and so it fell to her to set things straight. She turned to face the door and was struck with a bout of dizziness and vertigo. Once it passed Erica stepped out into the hallway connecting the living room to the bedrooms and saw her mother stepping through the front door.

    “Erica!” cried her mother in surprise. “You should be in bed.”

    “I’m fine.” The girl replied dismissively as she made an attempt to walk evenly enough to fool the woman.

    “You always say you’re fine. That’s the kind of attitude that makes you collapse in the middle of school.”

    “What day is it?” She asked without taking notice of her mother’s concern. The only way to deal with her was to ignore these sympathetic advances, they’d only lead to disappointment in the end if accepted.

    “Friday still dear.” She was dearing her. It was galling almost.

    “Thanks.” Erica said offhandedly. “I think I’ll go back to bed if it makes you feel any better then.”

    “Would you have said the same if I told you a different day?”

    “I’m not sure, I didn’t really have plans at least.” She paused to stare momentarily at her mother. “Well, I’m off to bed again, not like I haven’t gotten used to it.”

    “Erica wait.”

    “I didn’t mean anything by it Mom.” “It has nothing to do with you.”

    “But Erica dear, you’re my daughter it has everything to do with me.” Erica wanted to say something back, but the door was closed and neither one of them was for serious conversations. Anything more than a status report and batting back and forth of meaningless chit chat in that family usually ended badly, so Erica bit her lip thinking over what to do next with herself in an attempt to push thoughts of her family out of her head. It wasn’t easy but it was doable.

    If living out the past year as she had taught Erica anything it was that many things were difficult to get one’s mind off of but few were impossible. So she sat on her bed thinking of how to convey her message to Hughes. There was no good way of going about it. Whether she was blunt and terse with it or kind and gentle with it, she’d be telling him that the girl he’d been friends with since he was a toddler practically didn’t exist; hadn’t existed for some time now. No one would take it well, especially not a boy like him. But now probably wasn’t the time to be concerned with what he needed. She’d spent all of her time worrying about what was best for him so long that she’d all but stopped caring about anything else. And yet the world had kept on turning.

    “I’m such an idiot.” Erica sighed as she walked back out into the living room. “One more question Mom.” The woman’s head poked up from behind her book quickly.

    “What is it?”

    “I have to go back in for observation this weekend right?”

    “Of course you do, every two weeks the doctor said.”

    “I’d forgotten. I should rest up until then. Don’t need another reason for them to worry. I’ll see you tomorrow.” The girl said, turning to return to her room. She could tell that there wouldn’t be a response after that, at least it felt like business as usual again. If nothing else that gave Erica a center to start from again. Usually she wouldn’t be so emotional. Usually she would think less about what she felt and more about what she did. Usually she would just let things roll off her back like water.

    Usually she would be more focused. Usually she wouldn’t be so depressed. Since the day she returned home from the hospital for the start of the new term nothing had been as usual. This past week had been even less so if that was at all possible. Erica cast a glance around her room as she sat on the side of her bed. Everything seemed so normal. Lamp, desk, closet, window, door, walls, ceiling, floor. Everything around her had a place and it was sitting right in it. The only thing that seemed to be out of place in that little room was the girl leaning off the side of the bed thinking about thing that must never have happened.

    They were far too fantastical to have happened to a real person. They were far too unrealistic to have happened to a real person. Erica could only think that either they’d never happened or she was the product of a deranged imagination. The fake her was a work of fiction the real her was a flight of fancy. What was the difference then? Erica couldn’t think of an answer, so she lay herself down and stared up at her ceiling. There were lots of things without answers in the world and not every answer that did exist was a right one anyways.

    She turned on her side and reached over into her nightstand’s drawer and retrieved a single slip of paper. It was like her, a vestige of an age gone by. It was probably a bad idea to keep it around; it wasn’t hers and it wasn’t useful. There was absolutely no reason to keep that frail rectangle of pulp and ink that she squinted through the darkness at. Still, even things that hurt to have can hurt just as much to abandon.

    “I’ll still do it. There’s no other way to solve this.” She whispered to herself before closing her eyes and waiting for her body to give in and just take another few hours of sleep.

    ---

    At the hospital Erica was met with the standard procedure that had become the hallmark of all of her tenures, visits, and dealings in general with the doctors. Her personal physician, Dr. Parish, had, at her grandparents’ request, followed her back to the city to take care of things. He was a young man who was the pride of his graduating class and had ambitions of using his position at his home hospital as a springboard into a research position and yet Isaiah Parish was looking after some girl instead. Erica couldn’t help but feel he resented her underneath that perfect mask of congeniality.

    “So how have things been going Erica?” He asked.

    “The same.” She quickly responded. If there was a way to get straight on to the examination and the out of the hospital she would very much have liked to have it happen. “I’ve gotten a bit of a cold, but that’s all.”

    “That’s good. I trust you’ve been keeping up with the exercise regimen laid out for you?”

    “I have.” She lied. The goal of the regimen was to get her back to how she was before the injuries so that she could continue with her life as uninterrupted as possible they had said. That was either a joke or a gross miscalculation of the meaning of three to five years. She had neither the dedication nor the patience to spend over three years taking baby steps, hoping that one day she might be a mediocre athlete again.

    That’s all she ever was anyways. Always got the lowest qualifying times, never made the top ten, and couldn’t ever connect with the team. They were better off without her and she without them. So she lied with a straight face. She’d gotten it down to a science, pleasing people. Tell them what they want to hear and they’ll ignore everything else, you don’t even have to be a good liar.

    “That’s also good. If the tests go well it’ll be all good across the boards.” He said flipping through a chart and leading her down to the testing rooms. There she’d run on a treadmill, sit around, get blood drawn, sit around, answer more questions, sit around, get poked and prodded, sit around, get lights shined in her eyes, sit around, and finally she’d get out of that ridiculous looking hospital gown and go home to wait for it all to repeat in another few weeks.

    “Alright.” She said following obediently. The less resistance you put up the more they like you. The more they feel like you’re acting as you should the more comfortable they are.

    “That’s the way. You’ll be better in no time.” He lied, just as straight faced as Erica. Dr. Parish had also turned pleasing people into a science; he didn’t pretend a second, he just spouted the mendacious and twisted reality to fit his words. He knew that more than half of what he was saying to patients was false and he kept doing it to preserve a positive outlook or peace of mind. The more you encourage someone the more they’ll feel like they’ve got to something they can do. The more hope you dangle in front of someone’s face the more they’ll chase after it. But Erica wasn’t in the mood for chasing dream. So she just followed him and his instructions. Remove whatever articles of clothing; sit for whatever tests, all of it.

    At the end of the first day she pulled at her sweater and stared at the affable man as he scribbled something down on a chart as if it meant something. Suddenly, he paused and looked up at her. He didn’t say anything at first, it looked like he was mulling over what to say and examining her face concurrently. The he abruptly began their final conversation of the day.

    “Well, so far everything looks pretty good. Tomorrow we’ll be moving on to the second battery but if today is any indication you’ll be out sooner than usual. So get rest, eat well, and stick with it. I know that recovering from a car accident like this can be tough, but you’re really fortunate to be so well off as you are. Things will start looking up again, I promise.”

    “Thank you. My mom is probably waiting for me.” She said to excuse herself.
    “One more thing. I know you’re not exactly thrilled with all of this but I’m glad that through all of this you’ve managed not to fall behind or let it get to you. It’s a reminder to me that a good attitude is sometimes the best treatment.”

    “Thank you.” She repeated in the same deadpan monotone. “Things will start looking up again. I promise.” And with that she hurried off before either her falsified smile could fade or he could answer her. She knew it was probably badly played to throw his words back at him like that, but it was irresistible at the time. Erica leaned against the wall around the corner from where her mother waited in all likelihood. She took a deep breath, arranged her features and rounded the corner with a blank, but less than apathetic, face on. Her mother wouldn’t-- couldn’t-- notice a thing. And so the car ride back home was as silent as the dinner that followed and the sleep even after that.

    The next day Erica and Dr. Parish didn’t exchange any words and the man didn’t seem even slightly in the mood for chat. Perhaps Erica really had revealed herself too much yesterday. She frowned when his head was turned and kept doing so to aid her thought for the rest of the day. However, after hours of interrupted and truncated thoughts flowing through her mind she ended up with nothing. Dr. Parish was as inscrutable as ever he could be so Erica just left it as it was. She’d wanted him to shut his mouth about hopefulness and the future and he had, there was nothing wrong at all.

    As promised though she was out of the hospital an hour earlier than the last time she’d been for a second round of tests and exams. It was pleasant but in exchange for Dr. Parish’s silence she had to put up with her mother’s pleased ramblings. Erica would occasionally answer in the affirmative and then let her mother run the topics into the ground one after another. Erica wasn’t sure if she should be sharing in the enjoyment that her mother got out of the positive look of the initial tests or whether it was another thing to simply ignore.

    So she paid attention to it but stayed clear of contributing to it.
    Erica would sporadically yawn or sigh, longing for the times when she could deal with her friends and family without worrying about everything she’d say or do triggering a huge fiasco. But as much as she wished it, nothing changed. Nothing would ever change unless she changed it.

    “Tomorrow’s the day.” She whispered to herself as she pressed her forehead against the cool window of the car as her mother chattered on all the way home and into the night.

    ---

    “Monday.” Erica said to herself as she awoke. Usually the most coherent thing she could get out at such an hour would be a complaint or curse, but as she’d told herself today was the day. She slipped herself out from under her covers and drew herself before the bathroom mirror without really looking at the pale surface against the darkness that she virtually bathed in. Without the artificial light on and with the natural light streaming in she could see herself how she wanted to.

    Nothing but a vague outline, a darker spot that must be an eye or nose, and dark uniform skin, unblemished and clear. But when the light flicked on again the lying, hateful face and the hideous scars came back into view. But not for much longer she thought. The next time she looked at her own countenance things would be different. So she smiled at her reflection and prepared to leave for school.

    Skin and hair were washed, clothes were changed, breakfast was eaten, teeth were brushed, a door was opened and she was off. The walk to the bus stop wasn’t long, neither was the wait nor the ride. School didn’t look any different on the face of it but it felt different being there with a reason.

    The reason, unfortunately however, didn’t make the first three hours pass any faster. But pass they did, in their own due time, and the lunch hour arrived to take their place. Erica avoided anywhere she’d normally be found in favor of the sidelines of one of Fred’s cheer club meetings. It was anything but normal for Erica to deviate from routine to sit around people she didn’t know but it was definitely allowed and definitely more conducive to Erica’s plans to behave a little strangely.

    “I’m glad you’ve finally decided to show up here Ere.” Fred said with a congratulatory clap on the back.

    “Why’s that?” Erica asked her friend suspiciously.

    “Well I’ve been telling you to come watch since last year and you’re here, which means my diligent waiting has paid off.” She smiled and her friend stared.

    “Okay.”

    “Come on. This was my great triumph of the day.” Fred replied with exasperated gesticulations.

    “I’m happy for you, now go finish.” Erica answered dryly.

    “You’re never any fun anymore.” She pouted.

    “I know.” Erica replied softly as she cast her gaze past Fred’s face.

    “You weren’t supposed to agree with me.” The blue haired girl fumed at both being ignored physically and verbally.

    “You were supposed to join practice thirty seconds ago.” Erica pointed out both physically and verbally.

    “This isn’t over Erica.”

    “Sure it isn’t.” Erica scoffed playfully as her friend departed to join her squad mates. So Erica sat out the rest of the time waiting for it to end. As she waited, she noticed two things. It was boring sitting around with no one to talk to or listen to at the very least and that most of the people watching the practice were boys. Creepy boys; the types that Erica made fun of when she noticed them and ignored the other three hundred and sixty four days in the year. Erica wanted to shift away from the awkwardness but knew it was less than practical given where she was. So she just tried to ignore them as usual and wait for the lunch hour to reach its conclusion in silence.

    Unfortunately for her she wasn’t going to be ignored as easily as they were.

    “Hey.” He had come from nowhere and sat next to Erica like he was her friend. He was, again unfortunately, someone she knew. Needy, or Neils, if his real name came to mind. It didn’t so she avoided it.

    “I thought I made it clear that you were never to speak to me again.” Erica growled.

    “And now you’re here with the gawkers. What does that say about you?”

    “I’m here to see you. Fred told me you’d be here since she thought I was, I quote, ‘not as bad as the others.’”

    “She doesn’t speak for me. Now get out of my face. I finished my business with you and I don’t want to make anymore.”

    “I just came to make sure you weren’t really that girl who said yes when I asked her out.” He said with a sigh. “You were a brilliant actor. So much that I prefer the falsification.”

    “Doesn’t everybody?” Erica replied grimly.

    “I’m not sure what you mean, but if you—“

    “I don’t want to talk. Now just go away, you’re making me feel sick.”

    “Alright, jeez. Never expected you to be this disagreeable out of character.” He frowned and pushed up his glasses. He was a walking poster boy for geek but he still managed to captivate the hearts and minds of enough of the student body to get him a certain level of celebrity. Erica wasn’t sure what to make of either that or what he’d just said.
    “You see I thought the break up was also at least partly an act after you called all of us to apologize.”

    “Leave. Now.”

    “Got it.”

    “Handled like a pro, Erica.” She said to herself sarcastically as she turned back in time to see the cheerleader’s dispersing and hear the bell ringing. “Like a pro.” Said the girl as she rose to join the flow of students in the hallways.

    The next few periods went by uneventfully and school ended without a hitch. Now, Erica thought, things could have their start. With that thought in mind and a hand firmly gripping something in her pocket, she set of down the hallway to the other side of the school. Her destination was on the other side of the school and in the opposite direction from her usual route, so she felt awkward going there.

    But as she pressed on around the faces, vaguely familiar and unrecognizable alike, she felt her heart rate increase and her adrenaline kick in. By the time she rounded the final corner she was practically running, but when she saw the two of them staring back at her from across the atrium Erica stopped dead for a moment.

    “Hey Hughes.” She called over the tide of students that stood between them when she regained herself. “Got a minute?”

    “Sure.” He called back merrily. Erica smiled slightly and pushed her way across to the stairwell Hughes and Kira stood next to.

    “You stay after school a few hours today right?” Erica asked, trying not to speak to quickly.

    “Yeah. But I—“

    “I’ll be waiting here.” She said pointing to the ground between them. “Kira can come too if she doesn’t mind hearing me repeat myself.” The dark haired girl’s eyes shifted slightly but she made no other indication that it meant anything to her.

    “I don’t mind. I’m not the jealous type.”

    “As you like.” Erica said with an odd alacrity in her voice. She felt light, like she did when the adrenaline was pumping through her veins at a meet or in a fight. It felt good. Endorphins made even the painful thoughts a source levity. “See you then.” She waved and disappeared from sight before either of the others had a chance to reply. It was better that way. Because like any adrenaline rush this one was bound to end soon. It was all she could do just to get that much out. From there, things would only get harder. But they had to be done.

    “Isn’t that right?” Erica thought to herself as she fingered the chip in her pocket. One week earlier at the very bridge she was making her way toward she had received that chip. During that week she’d looked up what kind of demon could have given it to her and she’d found the results that she’d needed. Erica smiled. The rush hadn’t quite worn off yet. It was fun feeling good, even if it was an artificial high, it was nice.

    The tilt of the sun was quite a bit steeper than when she’d last met that man when she did arrive and the bridge, but she figured being early wouldn’t matter. She wasn’t going to meet him, just to deliver and answer. So she leaned over the rail on the footpath and stared into the murky water. She didn’t feel any presence or change in the atmosphere as she stood, but she knew he was listening and watching. So she began her response.

    “I’ve seen quite a few monsters in my time. Thought most of ‘em died of or went into hiding when Kira and Hughes finished off the big bad. But apparently, you’re a different class of thing. Less what I’d call a demon and more what I’d call a devil.” She laughed.

    “But you devils work in strange ways. You have power, but you can’t use it on an unwilling party. If I accept your offer, then I’d be accepting something from you, something that I’d then owe you. I’d be in your debt, you pocket.” Erica didn’t shift her gaze and kept smiling away at the casino chip.

    “I don’t know why you’ve picked me or why you’re here now, but I don’t need to. These scars are proof that I don’t need to stick my nose into things that don’t concern me. So I’d like to tell you that I’m still”, suddenly, she flipped the disc off her thumb and into the water. “Not interested.”

    So she straightened herself up, shoved her hands into her pockets, and started off back towards school. She wasn’t sure if that old man was behind her this time, but she was sure that it was over. No. That it hadn’t begun. That was her comfort and her motivation. So she left the bridge, not turning to see the old man smiling behind her fingering the chip thoughtfully before vanishing into thin air.

    When she arrived back at school a quick glance at the screen of her phone reminded her that she’d be waiting for another ten minutes before Hughes would appear. It was both nerve wracking and calming to be there alone in the school. She knew what she was going to say, what she’d do down to the last word and mannerism. But she couldn’t suppress the feeling that she wouldn’t be able to go through with it at all. It wasn’t supposed to be an option but failure always is one, no matter how hard you try to avoid it. So, all she could do was stand there fidgeting and going over her lines in her head before the curtain rose and she was called upon to take center stage.

    “Hey.” She turned around so quickly she almost ran into him. He always did stand too close when he talked. “Sorry, hope you didn’t wait too long.”

    “Not at all.” Erica bit her lip. It was now or never.

    “So what did you have to tell me that was so important?” He was so oblivious. How could she just tell him that the Erica he’d come to know and accept was a fiction, nothing more than a little mask to hide what was really inside her head? No matter how she went about it he wouldn’t get it and there was no way to ease him into it. The only way to tell him something was to be forthright and blunt as he was.

    “We aren’t friends.” Erica could barely believe what she was saying but at the same time she felt her momentum begin to pick up. “We haven’t been friends for a long time.”

    “What?”

    “The girl you know. The girl you think you know. She doesn’t exist. She’s who you thought I should be and who I pretended to be for your sake.” She dropped her eyes. It was harder than she thought it would be. She still felt lingering emotions clinging to her, trying to drag her back to how things were. Back to a place that didn’t exist. Back to a place she couldn't ever return to. “When I told you that I was fine with just being friends, I lied. I was never fine with just that. I’d wanted more for so long and when it didn’t come to anything I—I just couldn’t handle it properly. So I tried to support you even more. Tried to make you happy because I thought that would make everything alright, but when you and Kira finally confessed your feelings and got together. I felt empty. I didn’t share your happiness at all. Like I had lost the ability to feel emotions at all. I didn't feel a thing at first. But then it set in my nerves had chance to feel it out. The reason why I'd lost my emotions was because my heart was gone and that pain that suddenly shot through me was me realizing how it'd been torn out. That's what it felt like for me. That's why my life has been...” She paused and swallowed. She'd already made it so far, but there was more to say yet.

    “I can’t continue acting like this, anymore. It just dredges up all those feelings, opens those old wounds. Don't you get it? It’s been so long since we were even really friends that we’ve become like complete strangers to each other. I couldn’t tell you anything about you now, everything I know is obsolete, ancient. Like me.” She swallowed hard.

    “I'm so sorry. I didn't know.”

    “I've been told I'm a good actress.” She laughed, sounding eerie and cold in spite of herself.

    “Erica...” He began to move towards her like he was going to give her one of his trademark 'everything is gonna be alright' hugs but she held up an open palm, staying his advance.

    “Please, don't. I've spoken my piece. If you have even the slightest bit of decency you'll just let me go at that.”

    “How do you expect me to do that. You're my best friend.” He protested frantically.

    “What's my favorite color, bestie?” She asked with a forlornly knowing smirk.

    “Blue.” He answered immediately.

    “Lavender. What's my favorite season?” She replied without missing a step.

    “Spring.” He responded with just as much confidence.

    “Winter. What's my favorite food?” She began shaking her head at him, the smirk thinning and cooling.

    “Uh, pasta.” He showed doubt finally. Erica laughed and turned away from him before answering.

    “Sushi. Alright, we'll go easier. What color are my eyes?” She asked, keeping her eyes tightly shut against his view even though she was turned away from him.

    “Grrreen?” He ventured uncertainly. She opened her electric blue eyes, turned to him and smiled, she'd half hoped he'd get at least this one right, seeing how right her first inclination was could only make her smile that meaningless smile that had taken the place of tears.

    “Wrong again. Can you tell me anything about me?” Hughes paused to think. Erica was going to let him. She was certain, confident even, that this one time she was right and nothing he'd say could change that.

    “When you were three I first met you, I was looking for a place to sit and you were the only one who let me sit next to you.”

    “I was four. You were three.”

    “When you were ten you broke your arm falling out of a tree getting my kite when it blew away.”

    “I sprained my wrist.”

    “When you were fourteen you told me to go out and be a hero, that I had it in me to save the world. You told me that you'd be waiting for me when I got back.”

    “...” She hadn't expected this, it was another one of his little flashes of insight and conversational genius, but after a second's thought she knew what to say. “And so I've been waiting.”

    “But Erica, it's not... I came back and you... what about...” He fumbled, trying to explain that feeling of confusion Erica had grown so used to. So she understood well enough to clear the air.

    “I'm not asking you to come back to being who you were over a year ago. Even you can't do that, and let's be honest why would you want to? So please, just understand that I'm just telling you that I'm not going to keep waiting anymore.”

    “So what now? Do we just never talk again? Do we pretend we never knew each other?” His dismayed voice waxing ragged and pathetic. Erica didn't like it. She'd done this and now she had to live with it. But there was certainly no turning back now. Not when she was still so sure.

    “The girl named Erica, who was the first to accept you, who retrieved your kite, who told you to go out and see the world, save it. She'll always be right over there in that courtyard behind the track and field house, waiting for you. But me, I'm not that girl. So from this point on we’re strangers. Goodbye.” She said sobbing underneath her words.

    “Erica…”

    “I’m sorry. Have we met?” Erica raised her face to him, tearless and honest. Hughes looked back at her for a few seconds. Still confused at first but increasingly calm as the cogs and gears in his head turned.

    After a long time, just staring at her sadly he spoke. “No. I think you just reminded me of a friend I used to have.” He finished with a sigh, looking at her as if he was trying to remember what that other girl looked like. Trying to separate the two in memory so that he wouldn't get them confused. So that he'd be able to keep both of them.

    “What was she like?” Erica replied softly, more delicately than she'd ever spoken to anyone before. She was genuinely curious now.

    “She was a very nice girl. Never asked much from anyone, but always tried to take on other people’s problems. Even when she had no time she’d make it work if it was to help someone out.” He reminisced with a vacant smile.

    “You mind if I sit? My legs are kind of tired.” She said, finally coming off the adrenaline that had propelled her this far.

    “Yeah, got ahead.” He replied sitting down against the wall of the school building as well. “You know, she used to protect me from bullies and make sure I stayed out of trouble. Even when I got bigger than her she still kept a watch over me like I was still a kid. I always wondered why she was like that. But she was nice to everyone, even the people she probably hated. It must have had nothing to do with me I thought.” He sighed again.

    “You were probably right.” She assured him with a friendly punch to his arm.

    “You think so?” He said rubbing it in mock pain.

    “Yeah. Some people are like that.” She shrugged.

    “Selfless. She was the definition of it.”

    “She sounds amazing.”

    “She wouldn't like it if you said that. She'd probably say something like, 'if I can do it, it must not be anything special' and then grouse about it until you let it drop. She never did like the spotlight. It's a shame because she was a pretty good actor. I found that out well after we last met unfortunately. I wonder if I’ll ever meet her again.”

    “You will.” Erica assured him sweetly. Her body was heavy, but her voice felt light, like she could say anything without worrying anymore.

    “Yeah?”

    “When you think about people, you’ve got think about what lies beneath. You’ve got to think about what is always going to be there with them. I’ve got to get home. Didn’t catch your name—“

    “It’s Hughes. Justin Hughes.”

    “I’m Erica Smith. It’s nice to meet you.”












    Crit/review if you want, I'll appreciate it. Thanks for your time citizens.

    Side Note: As one of you knows I'll be continuing Darunter along a different story path as well. It'll be less talky probably. That's what I meant by one ending at the top. Feel free to tell me I'm a genius/idiot for this.
     
  8. Jiku Neon Kingdom Keeper

    Joined:
    Jul 24, 2007
    Location:
    Moe, Victoria
    1,258
    878
    1-6
    “How can you always be there for me, when we parted ways so long ago?” Erica thought to herself as she awoke. She’d been dreaming of something that seemed so very close at the time but now was as unobtainable as a floating speck of dust that dances out of your hand every time you draw near to it. She reached out for it slowly, cautious of the air she’d displace, but still couldn’t get a grasp of what it was that she’d dreamt of. The slant of the sun’s rays filtering through her windows onto her outstretched fingers told her it was sunset.

    Either she’d been sicker than she’d imagined and it was Saturday afternoon or she was exactly as sick as she’d imagined and it was still Friday and she had another two days of lying in bed to look forward to. A test of her balance proved only that she shouldn’t get up so soon after waking and that she’d have to take it slow for a bit. But that was fine. Everything had to be taken slow sometimes. Even if it seems like a waste. Haste makes waste was the saying actually. Erica stood motionlessly preventing her body from wavering and tipping over with half her mind and considering her own surroundings with the other.

    There was a note on her desk next to the dully glowing red numbers of the alarm clock. It was evening and the note was clearly from Hughes, a signature that would put Hancock’s to shame and a drawing of a small creature was all it took to identify him, even at a distance at which neither could be properly distinguished. He’d come to see her and left already. Erica stirred herself to motion with a sigh of relief that she’d managed to sleep through it. A steadier stride was quickly coming to her legs as she tottered over to her workspace and lifted the small folder scrap of paper that had been left for her.

    It was one of his unnecessary little pep talks on a page. The girl rolled her eyes at it and threw it away without more than just a skim that told her that he had nothing new to say. Kira hadn’t told him a thing and so it fell to her to set things straight. She turned to face the door and was struck with a bout of dizziness and vertigo. Once it passed Erica stepped out into the hallway connecting the living room to the bedrooms and saw her mother stepping through the front door.

    “Erica!” cried her mother in surprise. “You should be in bed.”

    “I’m fine.” The girl replied dismissively as she made an attempt to walk evenly enough to fool the woman.

    “You always say you’re fine. That’s the kind of attitude that makes you collapse in the middle of school.”

    “What day is it?” She asked without taking notice of her mother’s concern. The only way to deal with her was to ignore these sympathetic advances, they’d only lead to disappointment in the end if accepted.

    “Friday still dear.” She was dearing her. It was galling almost.

    “Thanks.” Erica said offhandedly. “I think I’ll go back to bed if it makes you feel any better then.”

    “Would you have said the same if I told you a different day?”

    “I’m not sure, I didn’t really have plans at least.” She paused to stare momentarily at her mother. “Well, I’m off to bed again, not like I haven’t gotten used to it.”

    “Erica wait.”

    “I didn’t mean anything by it Mom.” She quickly added. “It has nothing to do with you.”

    “But Erica dear, you’re my daughter it has everything to do with me.” Erica wanted to say something back, but the door was closed and neither one of them was for serious conversations. Anything more than a status report and batting back and forth of meaningless chit chat in that family usually ended badly, so Erica bit her lip thinking over what to do next with herself in an attempt to push thoughts of her family out of her head. It wasn’t easy but it was doable. If living out the past year as she had taught Erica anything it was that many things were difficult to get one’s mind off of but few were impossible.

    So she sat on her bed thinking of how to convey her message to Hughes. There was no good way of going about it. Whether she was blunt and terse with it or kind and gentle with it, she’d be telling him that the girl he’d been friends with since he was a toddler practically didn’t exist; hadn’t existed for some time now. No one would take it well, especially not a boy like him. But now probably wasn’t the time to be concerned with what he needed. She’d spent all of her time worrying about what was best for him so long that she’d all but stopped caring about anything else. And yet the world had kept on turning.

    “I’m such an idiot.” Erica sighed as she walked back out into the living room. “One more question Mom.” The woman’s head poked up from behind her book quickly.

    “What is it?”

    “I have to go back in for observation this weekend right?”

    “Of course you do, every two weeks the doctor said.”

    “I’d forgotten. I should rest up until then. Don’t need another reason for them to worry. I’ll see you tomorrow.” The girl said, turning to return to her room. She could tell that there wouldn’t be a response after that, at least it felt like business as usual again. If nothing else that gave Erica a center to start from again. Usually she wouldn’t be so emotional. Usually she would think less about what she felt and more about what she did. Usually she would just let things roll off her back like water. Usually she would be more focused. Usually she wouldn’t be so depressed.

    Since the day she returned home from the hospital for the start of the new term nothing had been as usual. This past week had been even less so if that was at all possible. Erica cast a glance around her room as she sat on the side of her bed. Everything seemed so normal. Lamp, desk, closet, window, door, walls, ceiling, floor. Everything around her had a place and it was sitting right in it. The only thing that seemed to be out of place in that little room was the girl leaning off the side of the bed thinking about thing that must never have happened.

    They were far too fantastical to have happened to a real person. They were far too unrealistic to have happened to a real person. Erica could only think that either they’d never happened or she was the product of a deranged imagination. The fake her was a work of fiction the real her was a flight of fancy. What was the difference then? Erica couldn’t think of an answer, so she lay herself down and stared up at her ceiling. There were lots of things without answers in the world and not every answer that did exist was a right one anyways.

    She turned on her side and reached over into her nightstand’s drawer and retrieved a single slip of paper. It was like her, a vestige of an age gone by. It was probably a bad idea to keep it around; it wasn’t hers and it wasn’t useful. There was absolutely no reason to keep that frail rectangle of pulp and ink that she squinted through the darkness at. Still, even things that hurt to have can hurt just as much to abandon.

    “I’ll still do it. There’s no other way to solve this.” She whispered to herself before closing her eyes and waiting for her body to give in and just take another few hours of sleep.

    -

    At the hospital Erica was met with the standard procedure that had become the hallmark of all of her tenures, visits, and dealings in general with the doctors. Her personal physician, Dr. Parish, had, at her grandparents’ request, followed her back to the city to take care of things. He was a young man who was the pride of his graduating class and had ambitions of using his position at his home hospital as a springboard into a research position and yet Isaiah Parish was looking after some girl instead. Erica couldn’t help but feel he resented her underneath that perfect mask of congeniality. She felt for him too; she’d be just as disappointed if not more so in his position.

    “So how have things been going Erica?” He asked.

    “The same.” She quickly responded. If there was a way to get straight on to the examination and the out of the hospital she would very much have liked to have it happen. “I’ve gotten a bit of a cold, but that’s all.”

    “Recovered or still in the midst?”

    “Recovered.”

    “That’s good. I trust you’ve been keeping up with the exercise regimen laid out for you?”

    “I have.” She lied. The goal of the regimen was to get her back to how she was before the injuries so that she could continue with her life as uninterrupted as possible they had said. That was either a sick joke or a gross miscalculation of the meaning of three to five years. She had neither the dedication nor the patience to spend all that time taking baby steps, hoping that one day she might become a mediocre athlete again. That’s all she ever was anyways. Always got the lowest qualifying times, never made the top ten, and couldn’t ever connect with the team in any noticeable way. They were better off without her and she without them. So she lied with a straight face because by now it was only natural.

    “That’s also good. If the tests go well it’ll be all good across the boards.” He said flipping through a chart and leading her down to the testing rooms. There she’d run on a treadmill, sit around, get blood drawn, sit around, answer more questions, sit around, get poked and prodded, sit around, get lights shined in her eyes, sit around, and finally she’d get out of that ridiculous looking hospital gown and go home to wait for it all to repeat itself again in another few weeks.

    “Alright.” She said following obediently. The less resistance you put up the more they like you. The more they feel like you’re acting as you should the more comfortable they are.

    “That’s the way. You’ll be better in no time.” He lied, just as straight faced as Erica. Dr. Parish had turned pleasing people into a science on top of his profession. He didn’t pretend a second, he just spouted the mendacious and twisted reality to fit his words. He knew that more than half of what he was saying to patients was false and he kept doing it anyways to preserve a positive outlook or peace of mind or even dreams. But Erica wasn’t in the mood for chasing dreams. So she just followed him and his instructions. Remove whatever articles of clothing; sit for whatever tests, all of it.

    At the end of the first day she pulled at her sweater and stared at the affable man as he scribbled something down on a chart as if it meant something. Suddenly, he paused and looked up at her. He didn’t say anything at first, it looked like he was mulling over what to say and examining her face concurrently. The he abruptly began their final conversation of the day.

    “Well, so far everything looks pretty good. Tomorrow we’ll be moving on to the second battery, but if today is any indication, you’ll be out sooner than usual. So get rest, eat well, and stick with it. I know that recovering from a car accident like this can be tough, but you’re really fortunate to be so well off as you are. Things will start looking up again, I promise.”

    “Thank you. My mom is probably waiting for me.” She said to excuse herself.
    “One more thing. I know you’re not exactly thrilled with all of this but I’m glad that through all of this you’ve managed not to fall behind or let it get to you. It’s a reminder to me that a good attitude is sometimes the best treatment.”

    “Thank you.” She repeated in the same deadpan monotone. “Things will start looking up again. I promise.” She repeated back at him ironically before she could stop herself. And with that she hurried off before either her falsified smile could fade or he could answer her. She knew it was probably badly played to throw his words back at him like that, but it was irresistible at the time. Erica leaned against the wall around the corner from where her mother waited in all likelihood. She took a deep breath, arranged her features and rounded the corner with a blank, but less than apathetic, face on. Her mother wouldn’t-- couldn’t-- notice a thing. And so the car ride back home was as silent as the dinner that followed and the sleep even after that.

    The next day Erica and Dr. Parish didn’t exchange any words and the man didn’t seem even slightly in the mood for chat. Perhaps Erica really had revealed herself too much yesterday. She frowned when his head was turned and kept doing so to aid her thought for the rest of the day. However, after hours of interrupted and truncated thoughts flowing through her mind she ended up with nothing. Dr. Parish was as inscrutable as ever he could be so Erica just left it as it was. She’d wanted him to shut his mouth about hopefulness and the future and he had, there was nothing wrong at all with that.
    As promised though she was out of the hospital an hour earlier than the last time she’d been for a second round of tests and exams. It was pleasant, but in exchange for Dr. Parish’s silence she had to put up with her mother’s pleased ramblings. A less than fair trade, perhaps.

    Erica would occasionally answer in the affirmative and then let her mother run the topics into the ground one after another. Erica wasn’t sure if she should be sharing in the enjoyment that her mother got out of the positive look of the initial tests or whether it was another thing to simply ignore. So she paid attention to it but stayed clear of contributing to it so she wouldn’t be involved when it all came crashing down.
    Erica would sporadically yawn or sigh, longing for the times when she could deal with her friends and family without worrying about everything she’d say or do triggering a huge fiasco. But as much as she wished it, nothing changed. Nothing would ever change unless she changed it.

    “Another day. Another way.” She whispered to herself as she pressed her forehead against the cool window of the car as her mother chattered on all the way home and into the night.

    -

    The next day Erica insisted to her mother that she would be fine going to school and eventually won that argument. Staying away any longer would only provoke a greater response from Fred and the others and the girl could be assured that it would involve the usual crowd coming around to ask questions. That, she couldn’t deal with, not just then anyway. A weekend was surely enough to recover from whatever it was that had struck her down like that. The doctor’s clean bill of health only supported her claim more. So in the end Erica’s victory that morning was a foregone conclusion. It would be the last one she’d have for a while it felt like as she departed for school.

    “It’s fine. As long as I have this mask, I’m fine.” She told herself at the bus stop when she walked past it, halfway to school when the bus passed her and upon arrival when her friend came into view.

    “Hey Ere.” Fred shouted gleefully as always. Nothing could stop her from being cheerful. If the world was collapsing around her, she’d find something good about it to content herself with as the fire and brimstone come down in a hail of death. But all the better for her. Erica couldn’t seem to find a single thing to be glad of in her own life and took a certain pleasure in seeing that there were people so close to her that could.

    “Fred.” Erica smiled at her own terse remark to avoid allowing more words to spill out and unleash the torrent of conversation. It wasn’t the time or the place for that kind of thing Erica thought to herself as she fingered the mysterious chip in her pocket as the two of them walked side by side towards the schoolyard.

    “No need for the taciturn treatment. We’re friends aren’t we?” Fred pouted.

    “Just tired. Not all of us have the kind of energy you do.” Her friend sighed as she allowed her gaze to drift off towards the loose crowd shuffling in ahead of them. To Erica’s knowledge there were three groups of people coming down this road in the mornings. The close people, who were always last to get out the door and usually caught up with everyone else just as class was being called into session. The middling people, who, like Erica, fell in along with the other two groups. The far people, who were always first in because they weren’t walking for the most part but rather riding in a bus or car.

    The group ahead was probably a set of middlings that happened to be ahead of time today. Fred was usually in the far group but would change her schedule at a whim and much to Erica’s chagrin, liked to do it when she thought something was wrong with her friend.

    “But everyone should.” She answered effervescently with a finger jabbed in front of Erica’s nose and wagging with nonspecific reprimand.

    “Won’t deny that it’d be nice.” She replied with a swipe of her own hand. “But you can bet there’s no way that it’ll happen with me around.”

    “You sure you’re okay?” Fred asked, suddenly slightly worried. They turned the corner into the school’s lot along with the rest of the meager flow of students that surrounded them and Erica took the opportunity to act.

    “Of course, now I’d better get to class.” Erica yawned and pressed ahead into the crowd before the, with Fred a few steps behind.

    “No need to be early Ere.” She replied as she tried to keep up in spite of the suddenly higher human density as they approached the school.

    “I’ve got some things to do. Don’t worry about it. See you at lunch I guess.” Erica said before slipping past a group of seniors and disappearing.

    “It’s always something.” Fred grimaced slightly at the empty spot.

    -

    Erica’s day after that short intermission went almost uninterrupted completely. However, there was an incident or two that marred the calmness of the day. During the fourth change of classes she ran into Hughes quite literally while her head was turned down at her shoes. as it customarily was when she was thinking.

    “Sorry.” She apologized quickly before she realized who it was that she was addressing. Upon seeing the dirty blonde hair and jade green eyes she quickly turned her head back away and tried to find a way out of the exchange.

    “It’s alright Erica.” He replied in his annoyingly soft and soothing voice that he took when he was trying to whisper and still be heard.

    “That’s good.” She replied, trying to hide her surprise and dodge away from him and set herself back in the opposite direction of him and let him pass, but he followed her instead.

    “Where are you going?” He asked as casually as the terrible liar could.

    “Idiot’s programming.” She responded after mulling over whether he’d trade a lie and leave her alone. He’d follow her even if it was out of his way with that look on his face, one that screamed that he had something to say.

    “I can head that way too. Do you mind?” He inquired perfunctorily.

    “Not at all.” She answered aloofly as they set off in that direction.

    After a moment’s pause he said, “So, how’ve you been?” He was uncertain of himself and Erica hated hearing him try to tread so carefully around her. People aren’t made of glass, they don’t need to be handled with care.

    “Has Kira been telling you things about me?” She snapped back without letting her annoyance get too much the best of her tone.

    “A little, but—“

    “She’s worried and wants you to be too.” Erica told him with the manner of stating fact. It was true at least.

    “I don’t know about that, but should I be?” He was bleeding his cards to her, as always. That was another thing she always hated about him, he couldn’t get himself to lie or hide anything properly.

    “No, there’s nothing to worry about.” Not for him anyways.
    “As expected, whether you have something to talk about or not, you won’t say a word.” He sighed and shook his head as the two pressed through the tide of their peers. Erica felt the odd glare reminding her of how she’d last been seen with a boy in the halls and how oblivious this one was acting of it. No matter what she did, she’d end up looking the role of the villain at that point. Perfect.

    “Glad to know that at least you understand me that well.” She said offhandedly as she tracked a gawker in the corner of her vision.

    “I’d be glad if I didn’t have that to understand at all.” Hughes laughed. That annoying laugh. Wholehearted and without reservation, like everything about him.

    “You don’t have to deal with it.” She laughed back at him with a smile to hide behind. That hateful smile. Duplicitous and fragile to the touch, like everything about her.

    “Only if I stopped talking to you.” He said slowing his pace as he went on, realizing that he’d expressed her meaning himself.

    “That’s what I was getting at. You did fine without me while I was gone for the summer so why bother—“ She froze as he broke in and looked her in the eyes.

    “Because you’re a friend.” Was all the answer he seemed to need.

    “This is my stop, now you can run all the way to the other end of the school and hope you’re on time.” She commented with the calm condescension and patronizing loftiness of someone whose plans had just come to fruition without his opponent’s knowledge.
    It was now his turn to freeze in his steps. Then he smiled, like always, and came up with something to say in parting. “That I can. Peace.”

    “But no room for love.” She smirked as he dashed off behind her.

    -

    That afternoon Erica felt especially antsy, despite her little performance earlier with Hughes it still felt awkward to go through with it. When classes released for the final time she stealthily slipped out of the building so as to not be seen by anyone she knew. For once, she managed it somehow. From the edge of the grounds she rushed home to beat Hughes and collect everything she’d need. From there it was all just a waiting game. No one was home, no one would be for some time, and Erica had time to kill. So she waited in her room with the lights out, going over her plan in her head over and over again, not looking for flaws or ways to improve it. It was anything but a solid plan she knew for sure, but that’s how she always ended up doing things so it didn’t matter.

    “That’s what gets me into trouble isn’t it?” She told herself reflectively. “But I’m never satisfied just leaving this kind of thing to someone else.” She looked at the alarm clock’s glowing numerals and rose. She could hear her joints click slightly in her knees and ran a hand over her face. At the least there were no scars there. Then she was off.
    A city bus. A train. A rail transfer. Another bus, and there she was standing before the Netherworld Casino and Hotel or as the signage read: The Chthonian. Standing as high and as wide as any hotel would it was hard to believe that no one was entering or exiting the impressively ornate walls that seemed to tower more than they ought and half menace if looked at from the right angle.

    “Figures he’d tell me the wrong name.” Erica simply scoffed as she pushed through the revolving glass doors and entered the main lobby.

    That’s how it should have gone at the very least. Somewhere between the first and second buses things began to change when she was spotted by the least likely person to be there and cause her problems. But there he was, standing there, causing problems.

    “Erica.” Neils called out to her from across the sparsely occupied train. Erica stood still as stone and pretended that there was no one there, that she’d heard nothing at all. “Hey.” He called again. She remained immobile until suddenly she felt a hand on her shoulder and quickly shrugged it off as she turned to face the boy who’d addressed her. “Didn’t you hear—“

    “Go away.” She growled viciously before he had a chance to start. She wasn’t going to associate with him anymore if it killed her.

    “Not until you tell me why.” He leaned in uncomfortably close, she could smell the mouthwash he used still hanging on his breath and made a face that reflected an appropriate revulsion as she shoved him away roughly. He stopped long enough to contemplate another advance but obviously discarded the idea when he leaned back against the glass door next to her and chuckled in defeat.

    “I told you already. I just felt like doing it for my own benefit.” She insisted as she dropped her hand from the hanging strap and began walking to the other side of the car. She was instantly followed by the persistent boy and ended up mirroring her old position seconds later.

    “But how would apologizing help you in any way whatsoever?” He asked with emphatic pauses and inflections that only made him sound like a sarcastic little prick. Erica half wanted to beat his face in right there but knew she couldn’t manage it without causing a scene and instead contented herself with glaring at him menacingly.

    “It makes me feel like less of a ****** person, good enough?” She snapped without reserve with him and she had to admit, it didn’t feel any better at all than trying to conceal it.
    “Is that because you feel remorse or is it something else?” He asked right back. It was like a pickaxe on granite. Each swing chipped away at her patience a little more until sooner or later he’d end up caved in.

    “Girls don’t like it when men pry like that.”

    “Good thing I’m not asking a girl, I’m asking you.” And that was quite enough.
    “Fuck off already, you clingy piece of shit. I don’t want to talk to anyone, least of all you.” She returned in a quick, clear staccato. She didn’t increase the volume of her voice like she usually would when so provoked but instead it seemed as if she’d increased its intensity. Somehow, the look on Neils’ face after he’d let it sink in for a second or two told her that it was better that she hadn’t shouted.

    “…Sorry then. I’ll leave then,” said the boy. Then he turned and left her there.

    “And stay out.” Erica spat through grit teeth. Any traces of a good mood she’d had, evaporated in the several seconds she’d been talking to him and left nothing but the searing irritation beneath. And so time resumed. Before long Erica had arrived at the Chthonian and entered the foreboding edifice as she should have and she acted like that’s exactly what had happened.

    The lobby was like any other mediocre hotel’s, there was a check in desk, a set of elevators and a sign implying stairs in immediate view. All of which was framed by patterned carpets and textured walls. Everything seemed to be in order except for the one thing that Erica clearly recognized from only a week earlier.

    “Hello, Miss. You’ve come to accept our offer I presume.” He said calmly as though he’d be expected her arrival. He probably had.

    “I’ll need to see what we’re playing before I place any bets on it.” She responded dully.

    “Right this way, Miss.” He motioned for her to follow him into one of the elevators. She obeyed without hesitation but not without a cynical look and a frown. The strange butler brought the lift down to the third basement floor and with it, a whole new world. The perfectly normal environ above was replaced with the grim visage and heavy smoke filled atmosphere of one of the worst dives in town and the clientele to match.

    Not a single person in the den of vice looked out of place save for the little girl in a light blue sweater. But she knew that the shades and echoes around her were all a glamour, a delusory vision that would soon come to pass. The only thing real about her surrounds was probably the table that she approached and the four men directly down the dismal midway. As she neared them she began to make out the figures of a dealer that would look the twin of the butler in another twenty years and three men hunched over it waiting for their final player.

    A suave Mafioso, a scruffy vagabond and a germane businessman lined the sides of the green felt table and cast a mixture of confused and amused stares as she entered the light cast by the dim bulb above them. Whether their reasons differed or no, they were the same. So Erica brushed off the butler along with any reservations he may have still had, pulled up a chair and said with a weary smirk.

    “Deal me in.”













    So here's the alternate path. Comments/criticism/etc. all accepted and appreciated. I thank you for your time and something other than time.
     
  9. Chevalier Crystal Princess

    Joined:
    Jan 8, 2008
    Location:
    Trapped on an Island
    552
    Each time, it feels like your writing becomes more...human? I don't know if that's a good thing, or not. I'm liking everything so far, but this chapter felt sort of meaningless to read, except for the last few paragraphs.

    Now, I'm expectant to see what comes next. I want to know how she's going to do in this new path. Can't wait
     
  10. Jiku Neon Kingdom Keeper

    Joined:
    Jul 24, 2007
    Location:
    Moe, Victoria
    1,258
    878
    If there was a chapter thus far that has made me want to stop writing this, it's this one. I apologize in advance for it. It's a strange installment either way. At least it's not a long read. To be totally honest, I just want this part over and done with. You can even pretend it doesn't exist if you don't like it, I might end up doing that.

    1-7
    Tuesday morning came with its own share of excitement even without Erica—No—because of her actually. Erica’s mother had returned home the night before as usual, but found no one there to greet her. She waited the prescribed two hours that Erica might be expected to be out doing something on her own and then another half hour to be sure her daughter wasn’t just running late. But it was clear by then that that night no one else would be coming home. The police were immediately informed and the investigation immediately began. By the next morning the school was abuzz with rumors about the horrible girl who always wore those pastel sweaters.

    Frederica wasn’t sure at first what had happened to her friend, but half a day of thought elucidated the point. She’d gone off and done something on her own again, but this time she hadn’t turned up in a bloody heap in an alley. This time she might be dead already. Fred felt a chill run down her spine at the mental image the thought conjured and quickly rose from her seat when she realized she was the only one left sitting in the computer lab.

    If Erica really was gone Hughes should know. Not just that his old friend was missing, but the hand he’d had in it. So she took off to find him at top speed. When she did, it almost made her laugh. It was the unused classroom in which the three of them had sat in at the beginning of last year, before everything had started and here Hughes was with Kira and Victor like everything was right with the world. Once she’d gotten over the irony, Fred started in.

    “Erica’s gone.” She was breathless, but at the same time intense as she entered. No one knew what to say to her, but it didn’t keep all present silent. Hughes was out of his chair and speaking before anyone else could respond.

    “Hey, slow down. Did something happen?” Hughes said with his pacifying tone turned on full blast. Even Fred wanted to slow down and be calm for a moment in spite of herself.

    “I know you heard me.” Fred snarled, betraying her tempest of emotions, but Hughes stood firm in the midst of his confusion and tried for once to keep his own feelings in check as he faced down his old friend.

    “I still don’t get what you’re talking about. Can you just slow down a bit and explain?” He asked in an attempt to keep the situation flowing onwards smoothly until he could get his bearings and take charge of things like usual, but the boy never got a chance to.

    “Last night she disappeared. Her mother found the apartment empty and no one came home that night at all. You’d think you’d have noticed the police coming up to the complex.” Fred snapped at him accusingly.

    “I was at Kira’s…” He began before trailing off when Fred’s expression turn furious.

    “Now that’s what I call irony!” She laughed coldly.

    “What are you talking about?” Hughes asked in an attempt to get a handle on the situation.

    “I don’t know”, she mused momentarily. “Though, I’d also like it if you two stopped acting as though you’re concerned about someone you clearly don’t care about in the slightest, it‘s sickening to watch.”

    “Fred?” The bewilderment waxed greater in him, but he tried to process everything as best he could. So far he knew two things, he’d just lost one of his oldest friends and he had to find the other before he lost another.

    “Are you that oblivious or just trying to worm your way out of this?” She scoffed.

    “What is it I’m trying to worm my way out of Fred?” Hughes replied with measured annoyance.


    “It’s your fa
    ult she’s gone right now I’d bet. Do you really not realize what you’ve done?” Even though she knew Hughes, Fred had always been a little more suspicious than her missing counterpart about the boy’s thoughts and motives. No one was that oblivious and kind and good. Not naturally at the least. And that had always made them slightly distant. Erica had been the glue that held the group together and when she broke her bonds with Hughes, it was time for Fred to leave as well.

    “What did I do Frederica?”

    “Nothing, that’s what’s so funny, you didn’t even look at her did you?” It was hopeless to expect him to give any indication otherwise though. He either played it all the way in his vest pocket or wore it all on his sleeve.

    “What are you saying? You’re not making any sense.”

    “She told you, didn’t she? I saw it happen so don’t try to deny it.” The blue haired girl spat, quaking with pent up anger releasing itself in sudden, violent catharsis.

    “She told me a lot of things. We’ve known each other for years.”

    “This winter, the roof of—“ Of all things that Fred had expected, it wasn’t for the boy to suddenly get defensive. He usually rolled with every punch, absolutely positive he was right and had nothing to guard against so she felt somewhat unnerved in spite of herself.

    “She said that she was happy just being friends that day.” He began to flag and trailed of by the end. He knew it by now, but it wasn’t enough, he had to feel it too. He had to know the pain he’d caused.

    “And you didn’t give it a second thought, right good friend you are. She. Did. It. For. You.”

    “What do you mean?” He asked, almost timidly.

    “We’ve been friends since childhood, the three of us, right? Well, more than half that time Ere was looking at you, wondering what you thought of her, hoping that there was a future with you at some point in her life. Close to ten years of her life she devoted to you. Then she moves closer to you, neighbor even, and she thinks he has a chance, but you crush that in short order. Just when she gets the courage to tell you, another girl shows up, Kira. She’s flashy, she’s great, she’s the ideal girl, and she’s the one that stole your heart away with a single glance.

    "So Ere spends a bunch of her time in her room talking it over with me hoping to god you don‘t hear it through the walls and break ties with her all together over it. Then Erica fights her hardest to make up for whatever she lacks no matter what it is.” Frederica narrowed her eyes fiercely and grit her teeth, she looked about ready to hit him but she didn’t move an inch, rather she continued on. “Yet you don’t notice a thing, you think it’s life as usual. You walk around accepting her kindness and feelings without a single thought of returning them. It really kills me just looking at your face now.

    "Erica gave her best for you as you gave your best for Kira and totally ignored her thinking that as long as you were friends everything would work out in your little dream world. You‘re the worst kind of person there is, you act considerately towards people when they‘re in front of you, but you‘re really just a self serving bastard that takes what he wants and ignores what isn‘t in his own vision of the world.

    "You never consider other people when it‘s inconvenient to you, not at all!” She practically shrieked, slamming her hand down on his desk. “I can’t tell you how much I’ve wanted to say that. Erica would hate me for saying it so bluntly, but that’s how things are. I don’t want to see either of your faces around here ever again. She used to sit here and when she’s back she’ll be here and you won’t be.”

    “Fred, she’s my friend too and you can’t change that. I don’t know how much of what you said is true, but it doesn’t make a difference, I’ll find her because she’s my important and irreplaceable friend. ” He was faltering for once. Even in the face of purported absolute doom he had rushed headfirst into the fray. But now, even if it was slight, even if he fought through it with his sickeningly sentimental words he was afraid for once that he wasn’t always doing the right thing.

    “Whatever, I’m not working together with you on this. I’m leaving.” Then the girl paused mid-step and turned her head just enough to see Kira out of the corner of her eye and spoke her final piece. “Kira, you should have relayed Erica‘s message instead of leaving it to me.” Without another moment’s hesitation she finished storming out of the room and finally the dust began to settle on the tempest of words and the truth of the matter finally began to set within everyone.

    “Hughes. It’s not like she said, okay.” Kira assured him.

    “Then what is it like, what do I do wrong?” Hughes sounded uncharacteristically dejected. He knew well enough that mental assaults on the psyche coming from someone you already know is an enemy don’t hurt unless you let them. But no matter how well he knew it, receiving on from a friend always comes as a shock to the system.

    “It’s not you. Erica did some things that were really unselfish, but they hurt her a lot. Even so. She has no one to blame but herself, no one asked her to—“ Kira tried her best to work against her first instinct to go and confront the blue haired girl that had come out of nowhere after all this time and started causing problems and be the steady, calm one in the group.

    “What was it that she did?” Victor asked pointedly. As a former enemy to the group he was the farthest from understanding the history between everyone but that allowed him to take an objective look at those who took him in as one of their own and he wasn’t going to like what was coming, he knew it.


    “She was the one who killed Raven in the end. That’s why she quit everything and started acting weird. The injuries from it ruined her life. That’s what happened—“ Kira was bad with words and she knew it was showing here worst of all.

    “Why didn’t you tell me?” Hughes burst in, breaking his unusual silence, but not with a return to his usual upbeat personality. They could both detect soberness in his voice as he stared at his shoes and addressed them.

    “I wasn’t sure until a few days ago what had happened at all and she didn’t want you to know. She told me to tell you everything, but she was…”

    “It’s my fault then.” Hughes concluded despairingly.

    “No, it’s not!” shouted the dark haired girl violently, but he seemed in his own world the way he just ignored her and pressed on in his own thoughts.

    “If I was stronger back then I could have done it in her place. I could have protected her.” He paused, Kira was gently lifting his face that he’d not even noticed had drooped so low.

    “There was nothing you could do. She acted on her own.” Kira replied, regaining her own composure and trying desperately to turn the situation around.

    “Just like Tommy?” Hughes asked with a raised eyebrow as the two stared off.

    Kira’s eyes dropped first, it was only then that she spoke. “He saved a lot of people, he was a hero.” Kira answered, not knowing what else to say.

    “So what about Erica then? Why isn’t she a hero too?” He shouted suddenly, pushing her away and stepping back.

    “Calm yourself, man. It’s not like she broadcasted it to us. Kira’s right, she didn’t want us to know, at least at the beginning. Can’t do anything about what you don’t know.” Victor entered sharply almost reprimanding the two.

    “Why would she do that? Hughes shot back almost angrily.

    “She did it for you.” Victor said bluntly.

    “She did it for me…” He said slowly as if he was testing the way it felt in his mouth, sounded in his ears.

    “She did it for herself.” Kira cut in sharply, trying to hold back her emotions.

    “Raven was definitely after you. She killed him to protect you because she knew how I felt.” Hughes corrected her. His voice had become steady again suddenly but he still seemed as if he had something on his mind as he made his way, slowly, to the door.

    “That—That’s not fair.” Kira said as Justin walked past her. Both of them keeping their heads down to avoid revealing their faces. Victor decided against speaking, sighed and stalked off ahead of the others, hoping that things would sort themselves out in time. Time was all they needed he told himself.


    -----


    The inauspicious day dragged on for everyone in spite of the superficial tumult that arose when everyone who’d come into contact with Erica directly for the last month or so was abruptly called to police headquarters for questioning. Many people went in and out. Fred, Hughes, Kira, her mother, her teachers, her ex-boyfriends. None had a single thing to elucidate the case much. So they were released one after another leaving the questioning room open for new occupants and old answers to enter one after another.

    As the sun began its downward slide into darkness Neils was leaving the offices, dead last of everyone, he spied a blue haired girl on the stairs leading down to the street looking out pensively over the passing cars. He recognized her in a sense, so he took a chance and approached.

    “Apparently, I was the last person to talk to her. Erica, I mean. I think she wasn’t really showing any signs of running off like this though even given how we happened to meet. They even said there was no note, no messages to anyone at all regarding herself. The only thing I can think that could have happened, is that she went off to vent about something and got kidnapped or something else out of the ordinary happened to her.” He said quickly and evenly as he took a seat just in front of her so as to show his back and pose less of a threat to her without making it too difficult to turn and look at her.

    “Why are you telling me this?” Fred asked incredulously. She recognized him as one of Erica’s broken toys and wanted him elsewhere almost instantly, but for some reason she felt compelled to listen for his answer.

    “The police questioned me and one mentioned something to his partner about the blue haired girl. You, I assumed.” He said pointing to her hair. “I figured you’d be the person to talk to since Erica is best friends with you right?”

    “Best friends, huh?” She repeated under her breath before answering. “What do you want with me anyways?” replied the now somewhat intrigued blue haired girl.

    “I’m going to find her.” He said firmly if not uncertainly.

    “She seems to inspire that in people, doesn’t she?” Fred sighed and shrugged her shoulders with heavy exasperation.

    “Justin’s heart is in the right place, he didn’t deserve that much abuse.” Neils replied without thinking.

    “You heard.” Embarrassment wasn’t generally Fred’s first response to anything, but her first open and honest words for years ended up coming back to dye her cheeks that pinkish hue she hated so much. She tried to laugh it off and fan herself in the final heat of the day’s waning sun to hide it, but any moron could tell she didn’t like what she was hearing.

    “Everyone on the floor did I’m afraid to say.” Neils answered her as bluntly as he did anything. It was a wonder Erica hadn’t tried to kill him while they were together, however, briefly.

    “So why do you want to find her?” The girl asked in an effort to draw attention from herself.

    “I don’t really know myself. I think that it was her last call that did it though.” The boy replied thoughtfully with a few equally thoughtful taps of his index finger to his chin.

    “What did she say?” Fred inquired calmly in spite of her urge to grasp him by the shoulders and shake the answers out of him.

    “She said that she wanted to apologize to make herself feel better.” Now this came as a shock to Fred. She’d expected verbal abuse and maybe some warnings, but this was beyond the pale.

    So she answered simply, “Sounds odd for her.”

    “Why’s that?” The boy asked curiously.

    “She never apologizes for anything.” She laughed.













    Comments, criticisms and general statements of pertinence are appreciated and gratefully accepted as always. The nightmare segment is over.
     
  11. Jiku Neon Kingdom Keeper

    Joined:
    Jul 24, 2007
    Location:
    Moe, Victoria
    1,258
    878
    2-1
    Erica awoke in darkness, not total darkness but close enough to it to blind her temporarily until her eyes adjusted. The last thing she remembered was sitting at the table with the other losers. After that everything was a blur of motion and a blank. Maybe that had only just happened, maybe it had been days. She couldn’t be sure and it didn’t matter as much as finding her way around the space she’d been dropped in. The terrain, or lack thereof might be a more accurate description, consisted of a completely smooth and even surface below and nothing rising from it on any side.

    It induced a certain vertigo in her that only grew with every clumsily placed feeler she put out only to have it find the same smooth, lukewarm floor. As the girl fumbled about in the dark trying to find some aberration in her surroundings she felt vibrations spill out from her pocket. It wasn’t her cell phone she realized when suddenly the darkness was replaced by a brilliant light. Erica slowly removed her cell from her pocket and peered at the radiantly glowing charm affixed to it. The small talisman stood as a constant reminder of her own weakness, the slip of thick paper was the demon ward Hughes had given her when she decided to leave the group. He’d told her that it was his turn to protect her and that the charm would keep her safe.

    Erica shook herself from her reminiscence as she recalled another important thing about the cell phone charm she was staring at. It only glowed with energy when evil was active nearby. She quickly whipped around, but found nothing and soon the light was fading. Whatever had stepped into the light barrier was either dead or gone by now. Again she’d be engulfed by the darkness of what she’d by now surmised to be an immense cavern. Instead, however, she was greeted by the weaker, orange tinged light of a setting sun on a far off horizon and the hot breeze of the reddish waste she’d been miraculously deposited on.

    “Looks a bit like I’m not in Kansas anymore.” She said to herself with dismay. She was in over her head again and had no idea what to do. So she set off towards a promising little cluster of bumps on the darker edge of the horizon. “Left behind, leave behind.” She muttered to herself as she walked. If there was anything she’d like less than being there alone with herself she couldn’t think of it. Being alone was what she often wanted until she actually managed to get it. Whenever she found herself without distraction, her mind would wander back to the same memories and thoughts that antagonized her daily.

    Before she could even start to rinse and repeat she heard a deep rumbling. It reached out to her in a powerful crescendo gaining in clarity as the distance closed. It was an engine, several engines. The girl swung around to see who or what it was that approached. At the center of triple dust clouds shined the dirt encrusted headlights of a team of motorbikes. The three burly men astride their iron steeds were dressed in the tatters of traveling cloaks barely concealing the heavy denim and leather layers beneath.

    They’d been at whatever it was they were doing for a while it seemed and they were going to be at it again with Erica if they didn’t change course quickly. Without another moment’s hesitation, she ran. She could feel herself practically lumbering along on her scarred legs trying desperately to dash like she used to. Her knees wanted to buckle and her muscles screamed in protest with even the small task she asked of them and soon she was spent and her efforts had simply thrown her flat on her face. Before she could raise herself again to her feet she’d been surrounded by the men and caged by their bikes.

    “End of the line sweetie.” Said one, particularly hairy, man. He clearly wasn’t the leader by the way he carried himself, but he was brash and pungent from where Erica sat all the same. “Now hand it over.”

    “What?” She spat as she put her sleeve over her nose to catch the dust and acrid odor flying around her.

    “Your chips of course.” He said, drawing unpleasantly near and roughly dragging her only protection from him away from her face with his disgusting meaty hand. She wished she had a knife to jam into his eye and tear out his brains with, but she knew she didn’t and that she couldn’t even if she had. She was too weak to kill a human.

    “Don’t have any.” She lied instantly as he struggled back to her feet.

    “Don’t lie to me! You’re dead without—“ He was interrupted by the man who did carry himself like the leader. He had a better muscle to fat ratio than either of his colleagues and had the low animal sharpness about him that you’d expect of a man who led a group of unsavory characters such as this.

    “Leave her alone. Talking won’t get us anywhere, we should just kill her and search the body.” He said dully as if the whole affair was already beginning to bore him. He was used to this it seemed.

    “We could easily sell her, she looks pretty cute.” The final man suggested, his rat-like nose quivering with what Erica desperately hoped was not excitement.

    “Why don’t we have a go with her first, see if you’re right?” The smelly man answered as he tightened his grip on Erica’s arm. Suddenly she heard another set of footsteps padding through the dust and grit. A quick glance around revealed an outlandish vehicle parked several dozen feet away from the three men and Erica as well as its driver. A slim young man with a particularly boyish face that peeked out from under an unkempt mop of snow white hair walked towards them, his chest covered with nothing but a bandage sarashi and his shoulders by nothing but a heavy looking black coat with ragged pants to match.

    At his belt there was a long thin implement that could only have been a sword. From the wrapping on the handle it had to be a Japanese sword, but towards the meeting of the hilt and blade the piece seemed have strange mechanisms affixed to it as those on the handlebars of motorcycles. Erica was intrigued to say the least as the man approached theatrically, until he spoke, that is.

    “That’s no way to be treating a child.” Erica bristled with anger at being referred to as a child, but appreciated that at least someone wasn’t looking to rape and sell her at the same time. This man might not be entirely bad.

    “What’re you gonna do about it, little man?” Barked the hairy one. The man with the mechanized katana slumped forwards for a second and held his ribs as if he were laughing. In a blur of motion he’d closed the gap, before anyone’s eyes could even begin to follow after him the foul man fell to his back with his mouth agape. Erica was free and wanted to run, but at the same time she couldn’t help but stay and watch. It had been a long time since she’d felt this kind of mix of fear and awe, not since she’d first met Kira had anyone impressed her so.

    “Damn, you still stink even when you’re way down there.” The silver haired man cackled as he kicked dirt over his downed opponent’s face playfully. Without a word, the other two went into action. They drew archaic looking pistols and started howling like wild dogs as they fired on their target. As if the slugs of lead flying past were nothing, the man in the black coat whipped his head around and became a blur once more. Erica tracked his movement this time, barely. He ended up behind the aggressors and as the quicker of the two turned he caught of gut full of steel as the pommel of the sword crashed into his body with enough force to actually lift the looming giant before felling him. The last of the three men standing turned his gun rather than his body to get a shot in, but found the front half of his gun missing along with the skin of his trigger finger and a pure matte black blade hovering inches from his nose.

    “You’re... the…” He said, suddenly realizing his situation with the horror of a man who’s seen his own death play out in front of him.

    “Black Fang? Yeah. Who else traipses around with long silver hair and a space age samurai sword?” The man with the boyish face chuckled jovially. “I can see you over there!” He shouted in the direction of a far off boulder as he lashed out with his blade. Erica couldn’t see the swing itself but she could see the results. There was a shout from the rock and a geyser of dust connected the point where the man’s blade floated above the ground and the man writhing in pain beside the boulder he’d been perched on with a hunting rifle seconds before. “Traps like that don’t work on me.” He said simply as the groveling forms of the men disappeared from sight, leaving behind nothing but a tribute of several of the very gambling chips they’d been hunting for.

    “Who are you?” Erica asked without thinking. She was over her total awe from moments before, but she still could hardly process what had just happened fast enough.

    “Black. Fang. You’re not deaf are you?” The man asked curiously.

    “I don’t know what that means.” The girl replied, suddenly done with processing and back to her usual, irritable, self.

    “It’s been four years already? Time flies.” He laughed again suddenly, more hollowly this time. “I guess this means you’re new and need an introduction to this little world of mine.” He paused to think it almost seemed, but then with a sly smile he launched into a monologue. “You’re in Hell. There are six hundred and sixty six of us down here and every four years we get a new batch to replace the dead. The number of chips at the start was the same as the number of people, but as more people come in, more chips pile up. Chips are important because they’re tied to the devil in charge of the game, the one who keeps you alive in the atmosphere down here. So if you lose all your chips you’re deader than the door nails that didn’t go into making your coffin.

    "In addition to the big man downstairs, everyone’s got a personal devil. That’s the guy who gives you your übersteuern, or overdrive. He’s the one who handed you your ticket in and he’s the one who gets to feast on your soul when you die. Overdrive is simple. There is only one weapon in all this little mad world that it’ll work with and you’d better find it fast or else people like me who already have overdrives will kill you and take your chips. Speaking of chips again, the only ways out of here is to deposit your chip back at the entrance at the northernmost part of this Hell after four years without touching any other chips other than your own or you get all of them and deposit them the same way.

    "There is only just enough food dropped from that sun over there every day for all of us to live comfortably free of starvation, but it’s dropped at random points so you literally never know where your next meal is coming from. That’s why we started trading chips after a while. Each one is worth a lot because it’s insurance for your life. That’s why it also became so hard to get out for us. They set this place up to be a self sustaining vortex of death and misery. Anyways, I’m going to get every chip and get myself out of this hellhole pretty soon. It’s been four years since I was dropped in here and I’m not gonna miss it. Any questions?”

    “That name of yours… what’s it mean?” Erica asked again.

    “It means I mastered the overdrive of this sword. Fang is the title given to those who master overdrives that specialize in offense and black is the color associated with the element of my overdrive, called void or negative space. Mastering an overdrive pretty much makes you invincible. I can count the other masters on one hand, so out of the six hundred and sixty six of the people there are only three who can match me.” Explained the man.

    “And they are?” Erica pressed with a dull but somewhat irritable tone.

    “White Fang, Jade Shell and Azure Wing. Someone had enough free time to get fancy with the nomenclature. Shell is obviously defense based and jade is the color of wind. Wing is movement based and azure is the color of water. White is the color of light and I already told you what a Fang was. Got it?” He finished with a less than enthusiastic flourish of his index finger and a subsequent wave of his hand.

    “Alright. So are you gonna kill me and take my chip or threaten to kill me and make me leave it?” Erica asked calmly, almost lethargically actually.

    “Neither. A simple ownership contract like this one allows multiple people to own one chip meaning I can share mine with you if you share yours with me. That way when I get out, I can bring everyone else that wants to come with me. That’s the weakness devils always fall for, legal contracts.” He said simply. Erica only just then took note of the timbre of his voice. He was a little high on the register, even for a guy of his slender build. With the clothes Erica had assumed it was a man beneath them but now she was beginning to wonder.

    “You mean there are people who want to stay here?” She asked almost unconsciously as she returned to the present matter.

    “Yeah, it’s a den of scum and villainy to be sure, but a lot of people who get brought down here love places like that and think it’s best to become king of the hill in a place where you’ve got special powers instead of going back to where you’re a nobody that’ll end up in prison one day, or worse, face down dead in a ditch.” He or she shrugged nonchalantly.

    “I guess I understand.” Erica replied slowly, looking carefully at his face to determine if it was a he as she’d thought.

    “Good. My name is Kisaragi Kuroko and I’m not a man. I’m an eighteen year old girl and let’s hope no one ever makes me bring up the topic again.” She must have noticed Erica’s look of confusion and curiosity, because it hardly seemed like bringing up the defeated bikers was the real reason.

    “Alright.” Erica said, finally taking her eyes back to the dust where they felt comfortable when Erica was speaking.

    “Isn’t it customary to give your name in your country too?” Kuroko pouted.

    “Erica. You’re Japanese?”

    “Living in America three years and ten months longer than expected. Everyone here seems to speak fairly standard English though, so you shouldn’t worry about a language barrier. I guess it being the language of commerce has something to do with it.” She chuckled. “But remember that just ‘cause they speak your language doesn’t mean they’ll be understandable in the least.”

    “I know the feeling.” The younger girl sighed.

    “Well I’ve lost enough time messing with you and I should go.”

    “Take me with you for a bit. I—“

    “Umm. No can do, little girl.”

    “You’re going to let someone steal your chip after you worked so hard to get it?”

    “I’m the executor of the chips in our joint ownership, only I can say who it belongs to, anyone who tries to steal off of you will have it physically, but not under the laws of Hell, I made sure to test it out on some punk who tried to kill me earlier.”

    “Thorough aren’t we?”

    “Have to be in this hellhole.”

    “I’ll fight you for it then. In the nearest town there’s gotta be some weapons I can use right?”

    “I hardly think a kid like you—“

    “I’ve killed guys scarier than you.” Erica remarked fiercely, she could only pull it off because she knew it at least had the possibility of being true.

    “You’re what? Fifteen? Like I’d believe… Oh.” She said as Erica suddenly threw off her sweater and brought the darkened lines of overlapping scars into view.

    “You think I got scars like this playing dress up?” Erica balked.

    “Have it your way. I’ll fight you once you’ve got a weapon and if you lose you stay here and wait for me to finish this fight myself. Is that clear?”

    “Perfectly.” Erica snapped rudely.

    “Get on.” The silver haired girl said grumpily after she’d mounted her tech bound steed. There were no wheels or treads so Erica assumed it flew, and she regretted being right for the next twenty heart racing, bug splattering, windswept, white knuckled minutes. She stiffly rose from her seat behind Kuroko and tried to find a way to get her hair and the dust out of her face. She managed to come to some semblance of normal and followed the smirking girl ahead of her into town.

    The town actually consisted of little more than a few tents and broken down wooden structures that were probably placed there at the beginning of the game. The general outfitter’s was the place to go for weaponry and such, also probably scattered around this dull desert at the beginning as well. There were mostly guns there. Old guns that couldn’t shoot in a straight line if your life depended on it and could fire five bullets in ten minutes before you’d have to take an extra fifteen to reload. Erica browsed intently as she tried to think her way out of the fight she’d gotten herself into.

    It was clear that the Black Fang would either kill her or just leave her and neither of which would really be much help in solving any problems anytime soon. Whatever the problems were. Everything seemed to blur together here if it was defined in any way at all. There was no black and white or clear cut goal. Everything just was how it was and it was a matter of getting out or pitching in. It was like staring down a concrete wall armed with a broken pencil and thinking you’d somehow bring that wall down.

    “Guess I’d better start digging.” The brown haired girl thought as she picked out her weapon. She didn’t know much how to fight at all, at least against trained people. Her one real experience with the matter didn’t much lend itself as testimony for a repeat action. She sighed. This time she didn’t even have a distinct and incontrovertible advantage over her opponent. She didn’t have thousands of man hours of work and preparation of the perfect strategy. In the end she only had a set of shiny silvery knives that she didn’t know how to use.

    “That, it?” Black asked almost mockingly.

    “It’s all I need.” Erica lied with a piercing glare.

    “Alright then, I own this town so we’ll just say those are on me, ‘kay shopkeep?” The man nodded nervously and Kuroko answered with a dismissive smile. She really did act like she owned the town.

    “Alright, let’s go.” Erica said impatiently, hoping to at least keep up the façade she’d created.

    “I won’t use my overdrive in this fight you know.” Her counterpart replied dully.

    “Makes no difference to me.” Erica wanted to heave a sigh of relief but overdrive or not she was still twice fucked in a direct confrontation. Either way she drew the two longest blades from her set and held one backhanded as a shield for her arm and the other forward as a safety net for interception. The idea was there even if the skill wasn’t. Erica grit her teeth and wondered what she thought she was doing. Meanwhile, Black wiped her face of all expression and placed her left hand on the hilt of her sword for a same sided draw.

    “If you won’t advance I will.” She barreled forwards in a blur again. She was faster than Raven was on his first move, but she wasn’t far enough beyond the human range to win in the first strike. Erica leapt back, instantly wincing at the pain of liftoff and touchdown. She only just barely had to parry the tip of the blade as it approached. The second strike wasn’t quite so forgiving. Erica tried to duck and dodge again, but her legs refused to move and she ended up with just a thin layer of steel keeping her arm attached. But her luck really gave out on the third swing. Before Black could even stop her sword short of her neck Erica dropped to the ground, her legs totally limp and immovable. But still she held her edge towards her opponent as if she meant to keep going. For a few seconds neither said a word. Erica wasn’t sure if she’d won or lost that match until the silver haired girl sighed and offered a hand, saying, “I lose.”

    “What?” Erica instantly disagreed, conflict replaced with resolution.

    “Come on, I totally dropped my guard when you fell like that and you could’ve gutted me like a sturgeon.” Black admitted candidly.

    “You know that’s a lie.” Erica retorted.

    “Can’t you take a compliment? If that was for real you’d have killed me. I've never been caught like that even if it wasn't your intention, it'd do the job.” The elder insisted.

    “It wouldn’t have. I wouldn’t have the guts to do it.” Erica was almost whispering by the end.

    “Then I’ll make sure you don’t need to.” She sighed.

    “You’re still gonna take me along then?” Erica stated more than asked.

    “You’re weak, but you managed to catch me off guard somehow and on top of that you won’t openly admit you would kill someone after your life. You don’t belong here.”

    “I’ve heard that more than once.” The girl thought spitefully for a moment before replying. “Let’s go then.”

    “Hold up a second. Ground rules. I don’t much like dealing much with people, that’s why I’m getting everyone out my way on my own. If you and I are gonna be sticking together, then you and I are gonna need to be able to live with it. So don’t say anything to me unless it’s important, no small talk and no questions about me; don’t go off on your own and cause me trouble, no helping others and even less pissing off others; and finally, do as I say, even if it sounds dumb because I know what I’m talking about and I wouldn’t do anything without a good reason.”

    “You talk too much.” Erica scoffed softly as she started her own trek back to the outer limits of the town ahead of the older girl.

    -----------

    In the coming days Erica saw many things that she didn't really understand. Mostly it just seemed like the famous Black Fang was just a girl with an odd case of paranoia. All of Erica's first week in the underworld was sit around either off to the side or on the back of a flying motorcycle and wait for Black to finish either going around to places she'd already conquered to make sure they were the same or asking for information about places she was about to go to check on. The whole thing seemed a lot less productive than it had originally sounded.

    Still, she didn't complain, that would just leave her stranded in one place to wait for all of this to come to an end without getting be near a shred of the action. Something about being relatively safe didn't sit well with the brown haired girl while she mulled it over in her place behind Black in the shabby conference room where the snowy haired girl continued talking to a grimy old man about the fate of her shabby town he was apparently in charge of. Minutes later the conversation was over and Erica had missed every word of it. It became apparent that she should have paid it more mind when the two of them left to go pick up some supplies before leaving.

    “Fuck.” She heard Black say audibly. It was the only thing she'd said more or less to her since she made the unfortunate quip about her talking too much.

    “Problem?” Erica inquired softly, hoping that she hadn't annoyed her benefactor who'd been gracious enough to let her keep a hold of her own chip until the end.

    “There's a gang that I've been avoiding until they've weakened a bit, but they're still coming after me like little bitches. Weren't you listening at all?” Black grumbled.

    “Why would you need to avoid anyone? Also, it's usually dead boring what you talk to the townies about so I napped. This place is about rules and contracts? So, sue me.”

    Black menaced her counterpart briefly before heaving an aggravated sigh and continuing. “They've got more than seven overdrive users. Even a master like me would lose if she had to fight seven overdrivers all together.”

    “Really?” Erica asked, amusedly.

    “Well, it's a possibility and that's bad enough for me.” The older girl replied, looking slightly miffed at her partner's amusement.

    “Better safe than sorry.”

    “Yeah.”

    “So what's the plan?” Erica continued. It was the first conversation she'd been a part of in days and she was beginning to believe that humans were naturally social animals.

    “Avoid them a little longer. I need to deal with something in this town first.” Black flippantly answered.

    “Here?”

    “Local gang stuff, might have an overdriver as their strongman I hear. I'm the only one who can deal with it and the townspeople can't keep saying no and letting people smash up their shops. If I don't protect them it's gonna come all straight back to me, so it's best to nip this in the bud before anything too serious shows up.”

    “Alright, so what am I supposed to do?” Erica asked, with little hope of a satisfactory reply.

    “Wait.”

    “I'd like not to sound like a child bu--”

    “Now. I can't hear.” Black reiterated urgently.

    “I'm not gonna sneak up on you like a cat. I prefer a dog fight myself.” The source didn't have to step into view because he had been following them for some time, at a distance. It was only as he came within a dozen feet of them that his footsteps in the sandy earth made himself noticeable.

    “Not in the mood.” Black retorted, scowling.

    “The sword says you are and I think accouterments speak louder than words.” He grinned, starkly apart from the dreary surroundings he stood, decked in clean, orderly and unblemished clothing. It was especially obvious in his white polo shirt and cap that there was something keeping the brown and grey dust from his body.

    “Great to see you're into fashion, golf boy.” Black spat quickly, before placing her hand on her sword.

    “Whatever, you've got a weapon and I've got an order, so let's just fight it out like the Devil intended.”

    “****.” Her first attacked was blocked, Black's extended hand pushed into thin air as it was subtly guided away from the young man's face by his golf club.

    “Come on, draw your damn sword and stop dicking around with me.” He was smiling still but he didn't sound like he was taking it easy anymore. Black scowled even harder before whipping her sword from its resting place and in the same motion slashing at her opponent, who blocked easily as before. The girl came in and slashed at him again and again, only to have her attempts frustrated by the thin shaft of his golf club. “Alright, I take it back. It was better when you weren't serious.”

    “Too late.” Black said as she viciously slashed at him again. Like those before it the strike was parried, but it was just a feint to set up for a kick which wasn't blocked. The man dropped to the ground and rolled himself away from his attacker. He looked slightly confused about something, but kept it in and resumed an aggressive position. Black took his challenge and swung at him again, this time she was forced back when he batted what had to have been a golf ball at her. Neither of them stopped for a second and the increasingly intense melee continued. However, it was within moments that the match seemed to be decided; for a sword was meant to be swung from any direction and it showed. The man noticed it too and made an irritated grunt as he tried futilely to create space for himself. Soon he was facing his opponent from the flat of his back with a defeated look on his face. Black watched him warily.

    “That sword. It's not metal, is it?” He finally asked her.

    “It's not.” The girl finally returned.

    “Worst person for me to fight, basically.” He shook his head. “But, I've still got a little more in me.” He suddenly changed his expression and leapt to his feet. “Gear shift, Overdrive.”

    “He was hiding something.” Black said as she activated her own overdrive without delay.

    “Magnetize.” Black felt her arm jerk back as her sword was pushed away from its intended target. “Repel.” The man said standing his ground as he held the immensely powerful magnet his weapon had become against the recoil force it was receiving. Just as he advanced a step to disarm his opponent she became a blur.

    “Not good enough.” Black said as she stepped back and slashed back downwards. “Nothingness can't be magnetized.” And so the God of the Thunderbolt fell. Black stared at him. His wound was clean and straight as the blade that created it. It bled freely, but slowly. The man seemed unconscious for several moments before he spoke.

    “Damn, I thought the Black Fang would be older, you know? Sagely even.” He coughed from the ground where he lay once more watching the dust start to besmirch his already torn and bloodstained shirt. “And male.” He added with a laugh.

    “You were wrong. Like so many people before you, you were wrong.” Kuroko told him coldly.

    “Like so many before me, you spared my life. Am I right?” He smiled in spite of the blood that was slowly migrating from his open chest wound onto the ground around him.
    “Not if you don't get that gash stitched up quick.” She corrected him with the same tone. After several moments of silence she turned away from him and he spoke again.

    “I was right.”

    “If you live or die isn't up to me anymore. You deal with it yourself.” She snorted.

    “Won't you feel guilty if I just lie here and die?” He insisted with another cough, his voice beginning weaken.

    “Not a bit.” She started walking.

    “Then why didn't you just stab my heart out then?”

    “Because I didn't have to.” She called back to him.

    “If I live, I'll come back again and try to kill you.” His voice was low but the way Black stopped showed that she heard him. “You know that well.”

    “I don't. I just know you can't hurt anyone as you are now.” She finally responded before heading back into the building she'd left minutes earlier.

    “Lame.” The man said as he let his head finally drop back to the dirt.

    “I'll get you to a doctor, even if she won't.” Erica finally said as she started dressing his wounds with strips of his shirt.

    “Why's that then?” He asked her bemusedly, after it finally sunk in what she was doing..

    “If some stranger hadn't picked me up out of a pool of blood I'd be dead. It's my turn to be the sympathetic stranger.” Erica told him without really meaning to let so much slip.

    “You say weird things, but I'm about to owe you my life so let's hope I stay in your good graces.” He smiled. “I'm Kip Wilverton, recently unemployed guy, by the by.”

    “Erica.” She said as she tied the last bit of cloth off with enough vigor to make him wince.

    “Thanks.”

    “Whatever.” Erica said as she lifted his upper body somewhat roughly and started dragging him after the Black Fang, who had by this point left the town hall and entered the next building down without paying the two any more attention than the dust on the wind. So, it wasn't surprising that the older girl didn't show the slightest bit of emotion when Erica brought the man into the general store where she was examining a bottle of what appeared to be liquor. She did however ask what Erica thought she was doing.

    “She's saving my life, you said you wouldn't be bothered with it, remember?”

    “Yeah, I do remember.” She managed to remark without interrupting her seemingly permanent scowl. She did however turn the the shopkeeper and address him with a question that neither Kip nor Erica had expected. “Russ, you were a doctor, right?”

    “Get him out of here. He's one of those--” Replied the old man behind the counter gruffly.

    “Former.” He pointed out pleasantly.

    “Shut it. It shouldn't matter, I can't just watch him bleed to death.” Erica finally burst in.

    “Look the other way.” Russel stated blankly.

    “Russ, he's not gonna harm you guys anymore than a fly now, you know.” Kuroko murmured. “At least not right away. What he did wasn't any worse than anything we've done.”

    “Doesn't mean that I need to encourage it.”

    “If you're not going to try to help him then I'll do it myself.” Erica insisted determinedly. “Got any alcohol and thread to spare?”

    “I do.” The shopkeeper tossed both over to her without taking his eyes off the Black Fang, whose expression still hadn't changed.

    “I don't think you should start at your age, Erica.” Kip said as she uncapped the bottle and pulled out a handkerchief.

    “I'm using it to disinfect the wound *******.”

    “Does this really do anything for you?” Black asked as she watched Erica rolling up her sleeves and preparing for her impromptu surgery on the slightly uncooperative patient.

    “She said she'll do it, so she'll do it.” Russel finally turned and entered the back room, leaving the three alone.

    “He's right, I don't need anymore help with this.” Erica pointed out as she started cleaning the wound with some spare cloth from his shirt and her handkerchief.

    “Ow. That kinda hurts.” The young man managed to remark through his grit teeth.

    “Deal with it.” Erica said as she passed over the wound with a length of cloth soaked in the clear spirits. Next she splashed some over her hands and took a pin from her hair to thread. Both went straight into the alcohol and from there into the area around the wound. It was a clean and relatively shallow cut, given how he got it. It severed flesh but spared bone. With the precision of a trained medic the wound steadily closed and in it's place appeared a neat little seam in his flesh.

    “Where'd you learn to stitch like that?” He admired between winces.

    “Hospital, got some EMT training and the like while listening to how much work they had to do to bring me back to the hospital alive. I couldn't walk, so they figured I should be doing something to keep my mind off it, I guess.” She said as she completed her task and washed it down with alcohol again before beginning to re-bandage the sewn up flesh.

    “Amazing, I'll be up and--” Kip made to stand up only to be held down by a pink sleeved arm.

    “Sit. You'll pull your stitches if you move already. Those are makeshift and barely holding as it is so you'd better be careful. No sudden movements, no running, no activity more strenuous than scratching your nose. You'd do best to let me clean the wound every few hours and give you a fresh set of bandages.”

    “Okay, I get it doc.” He joked. “I'll be good, I promise.” Erica didn't laugh along with him and smacked him in the head as hard as she dared.

    “Take this seriously, it wasn't that bad this time but if you hadn't bled to death from that you could very well have died from some painful, flesh rotting infection.” She said irritably.

    “You really did spend a lot of time in hospital, didn't you?”

    “Yeah.” She replied with a sigh.











    Crit/review if you want, I'll appreciate it.

    Note:
    Like whoa, it's been one year since I started this reboot and I'm finally starting Chapter 2. The installment feels a little short, like it's been cut off suddenly. I'm gonna deal with it later. I will be continuing this with less than 7 months between this and the next update possibly. I know(think?) only one person is actually reading so I'm doing this more out of habit than anything else.
     
  12. Chevalier Crystal Princess

    Joined:
    Jan 8, 2008
    Location:
    Trapped on an Island
    552
    Well, look what's updated after so long. Anyhow, your pace felt off, and then there's a complete change in atmosphere. This kinda turned from something quite intriguing, into some shonen-like thing.

    I don't know, it feels far too different. Erica kinda feels different, the whole premise of hell seems a lot like your other stories. And as I said, the pace felt really off. Your past chapters really took things in more detail and build things up nicely, this one kinda threw a lot of stuff at the reader without giving it necessary detail.

    The fights also felt really confusing. As I said, everything kinda feels like a different story altogether.
     
  13. Jiku Neon Kingdom Keeper

    Joined:
    Jul 24, 2007
    Location:
    Moe, Victoria
    1,258
    878
    2-2
    “What was I thinking?” Erica said aloud to the empty room. She was sitting alone for the first time in days and she recognized that it was probably the reason for her sudden introspective mood. She'd been stuck together with others and it had kept her mind off of it but the it didn't take long for her mind to wander its way back to her old thoughts.

    Thoughts of days gone by, thoughts of the last time she'd tried to step onto the wheel of fate uninvited. She remembered acutely the searing pain of her flesh being rent asunder and winced instinctively. “I was the one who ran in front of that car. I was once bitten but I guess I'm missing the shy part right now. Why don't I ever learn?”

    She groaned more loudly than she'd meant to and cut it short. “Just like old times, don't know who's listening on the other side of the walls.” She laughed softly. She was depressing herself again and that always made her laugh. Black was right, Erica didn't belong here. She wasn't called upon by fate she wasn't chosen to do anything, she called out to fate and chased it down only to be stood up still. If anyone ever was meant to be on the sidelines, out of danger.

    “That's right. I'm not gonna be a big damn hero to anyone. I'm just gonna sit by this time and when the crowd cheers for our triumphant heroes, I will too. It may be too late to stay out of this entirely but... I can at least lay low until it's over.” Speaking aloud helped her feel sure of herself. She still felt the sting of being useless but this time she'd acknowledge it instead of pushing it away.

    She wouldn't get out on stage and trip over herself in front of the audience and make a fool of herself like last time, she'd stay quietly backstage and watch for the final curtain call and let everyone else take a bow. Satisfied, if not still slightly melancholic, she rose and made her way to find Black.

    “Hey.” Kip greeted her roughly as he fiddled with a small puzzle involving a ball bearing and some tracks. He was continually asking to be entertained by whoever would listen to him since he started staying in that town he was once intent on robbing blind. She had no idea what he meant by staying here with them even after he was more than half done healing.

    He said once that defeat meant friendship, but she hardly bought it. He was just waiting out Black's stay to get back to work probably. Erica felt that anything he did was her responsibility as she was the one who had decided to save him and keep him around. She just ignored him and pressed on. Black was where shed spent the last few days, alone in the store room practicing her swordsmanship.

    Apparently, it was important to her to keep in form even though no one else around was supposed to be even remotely close to beating her. Erica paused for a second when she first entered, she wasn't sure if the older girl had noticed her and didn't want to surprise her.

    “You got something to say?” Black asked gruffly halfway through a swing.

    “I was just curious about when you were leaving.”

    “We've been here a little longer than expected it's true, but that's thanks to a little stroke of luck we had with your pet project.” Erica grimaced at hearing Kip blamed on her, whether it was true or not. “If we have him here, his people won't be far behind. I expect them to show up with heat later today or tomorrow.”

    “He could still be a threat.”

    “Doubt it. He's an amicable type, he does whatever he wants and just goes with the flow. I'll just let him do as he likes for now, without a weapon he's nothing and that thing's been locked up since you insisted on patching him up.”

    “I don't see why you keep bringing that up like I did the wrong thing.”

    “You did the right thing.” Black snapped. “That is, it should be the right thing, but here nothing is certain, what's right on the outside isn't always right in here. I can't help but act a little annoyed that you can honestly just say that human life is worth saving. I haven't been able to think that way since I got here. I guess I'm just a little jealous about it.”

    “I'm nothing to be jealous of, trust me.” Erica snickered slightly. She hadn't told Black anything about her past and Black had returned the favor. There was no telling how many coffins Black had filled and how she was dealing with it. Just as there was no way of knowing how Erica had gotten the scars and no one, not even Kip, ever seemed to share why they went to the casino in the first place.

    “You could be worse off, we could all be right now.” Black stopped short. “We'll see how it turns out. Alright?”

    Erica wanted to just spit it out, but she couldn't bring herself to. She'd have to do it later. “Yeah, we'll see.” She replied softly as she retreated from the room. Suddenly, she heard Black chuckle.

    “We're leaving early, I guess. They're here.” The older girl grinned as she adjusted her coat before taking off ahead of Erica.

    “Yay.”

    Outside the situation was just as Black had said. Four men of differing dress and manner strode down the main street looking from side to side at the town as if inspecting a new house. None of them seemed too concerned when Black emerged from the poor excuse for an inn with her sword drawn. Even after she'd swung her sword and two of their number fell without being so much as touched by the edge they didn't seem to notice anything.

    “Decoys.” The silver haired girl muttered to herself as she nonchalantly ducked a bullet from behind. She turned simultaneous to see the man who had just fired at her. He was built somewhat stocky and wore unimpressive clothing and looked unlike any of the decoys. He looked slightly amused by the girl's reaction and simple cocked his revolver again and leveled it for another shot.

    “My overdrive, Five by Five I call it. How'd you know I was here too?” He said calmly, holding his gun with confidence at roughly twenty paces. Erica was half wondering if Black had some kind of enhanced senses but reminded herself that it wasn't a demon like Kira she was talking about but a human like her. Not entirely like her.

    “Every overdrive has some kind of limit, since people don't act stiff like that when under attack, it had to be a decoy based overdrive, yours should be range. Meaning you'd have to be close by and your inexperience meant you'd shoot from behind like that without masking your footsteps or cocking your gun out of earshot.” She explained swiftly as she cut down the remaining two decoys without turning away from the man pointing a gun at her.

    “Got me, I am a bit new at this. But you're still not gonna be able to wi--.” He dropped the rest of his sentence when Kip sauntered out of the shadows, now entirely between Erica and Clyde, and grinned at him lazily.

    “Hey, boss man.” The young man greeted him with affected camaraderie.

    “You've been lazy, Kip.” The older man chided him. “You were supposed to have the chips back days ago.”

    “Not lazy, Clyde. Injured.” The brown haired youth chuckled as he pointed towards his bandages.

    “Her?” Clyde replied disbelievingly.

    “Me.” Kuroko shot back, spitefully.

    “She's gonna kill you, she tried to kill me.” He mocked.

    “Failed to as well.” Clyde spat impatiently.

    “Think what you like, but if I'm gonna be on any side of this one it's not gonna be any side opposite her.” Replied the brown haired man, his expression suddenly hollow and foreboding.

    “What's so scary about her? She's just a skinny little girl with an overdrive.” Clyde stamped his foot angrily, only serving to make him look smaller and less secure to Erica. Regardless of what he said he was clearly afraid now.

    “You're a little new here Clyde but—” Kip didn't get to finish before Clyde went sailing to the ground. “I was talking.” The young man pointed out with a disappointed frown on his face.

    “You were talking too much.” Black pointed out with a sullen frown on hers.

    “Well, not like I was gonna stop you.” Kip groused with a resigned shrug.

    “Was he the boss?” Erica asked as she peeked herself further out from behind Kip.

    “Yep. He still is, watch him breathe like his life depends on it.” Kip said cheerily.

    “I can fix that?” Black responded as she edged closer to the crumpled heap that was so recently intending on beating her.

    “No need.” Kip quickly stepped in between the two parties. The girl refused to drop her sword to her side even after her counterpart looked at her tensed pose and scoffed slightly. He then turned away from her and stooped to address Clyde. “G'mornin', boss man.” He said as he shook him roughly. Clyde stirred awake.

    “Kip?” He asked, bewildered.

    “Yeah, so here's the plan. Me, the strongman, and you, the boss man both taken down by a size three. Do you know what that means?” Clyde shook his head, still dazed and confused. “It means she's the boss man now. It means we piss off like good little boys and try not to get our pretty little heads cut off. Is that alright with you?” Clyde nodded quickly when he caught a glimpse of the still armed Kuroko menacing behind Kip. “Good man. Now I suspect you ought to go say hi to the boss and ask what we should be doing.” Clyde grimaced as Kip awkwardly helped him to his feet and brushed him off slightly.

    “Miss...” He was still holding his head and seemed slightly groggy yet.

    “Black Fang.” She replied stonily.

    “Ah, well--”

    She quickly pulled a contract from one off her unseen coat pockets and shoved it into his hands to shut him up. “Sign this. It means all your chips are mine and you belong to me.” She pulled out another. “Have all your men sign this one. From there all I ask is that you wait and do as I say until you receive word from me indicating otherwise.”

    “What happens then?” Asked the man uncertainly.

    “We all leave.” Was her simple answer.

    “And if I refuse to?” He asked even less certainly.

    “I kill you, then we all leave.” She said without hesitation or forethought.

    Clyde took his hand off his head for a second and then ran it through his hair with a wry chuckle. “Fair enough. I guess I can't hack it here either.”

    “All the more reason to leave.” Black said with the same dull deadpan voice she'd been using since she met Clyde. The man went silent for a moment to process her words. He looked down at his shoes and ran his hand through his hair again, it was clear there were already some greys mixed in with the dark brown strands. Suddenly he straightened up and for the first time spoke to the woman opposite him with confidence.

    “Then what's your reason?” Came his delayed response.

    “A bath.” She smirked, breaking her bleak facade for the first time. She looked really human for a moment, it was hard to believe that she was the strongest person here, a person with supernatural powers and experiences. If only for a fraction of a second, she looked like she was wearing the expression of a genuine eighteen year old girl who'd just cracked a joke.

    Clyde laughed genuinely and heartily and didn't stop laughing for a full minute. When he finally composed himself and wiped the tears from his eyes he breathed a single word. “What?”

    “I really want to go back home and take a bath.” Kuroko explained returning instantly to the same even, serious tone that she conducted all her business in.

    “I don't believe it. You're going to fight through possibly the most dangerous people in existence in order to bathe.” Clyde had loosened up a bit and it was easier to see that he looked like a normal salaryman in his early thirties who'd been trying his hand at changing his fate only to have his dreams crushed once again. He looked so sad and pathetic beneath the slightly upturned corners of his mouth and softened eyes. It was hard to believe that moment ago he was acting the role of the big bad villain. Looking at him now it was hard to believe he could harm a fly.

    “You'd feel the same way after four years without doing so.”

    “I've been here for a single month, I guess I wouldn't know the difference. You know? I thought I was finally getting lucky with life.” He looked at Black. Not like he hand before, he actually examined her slim figure and determined eyes as if searching for a reason why she was the one choosing everyone's fate and why he was suddenly accepting it like he'd always accepted his fate before.

    “Most people who end up here have a reason. But it's not your chance to make something of yourself. No matter how strong you are or how hard you work you won't be able to hold onto anything, it's despair for those on the bottom and despair for those on the top. Just as the devil intended.” Black stated philosophically.

    “I don't know why I expected anything else in a casino.” He said with a hint of despair creeping into his voice as the situation seemed to settle on him.

    Black remained silent this time just gazing intently at him as if awaiting more.

    “Not gonna let something like this keep me down, are you?” He asked, she smiled. “Or did you want something more like this. Boss, orders?”

    “That's the way. Your job is to protect these towns.” Said the girl as she withdrew a hand drawn map from her coat. “You can read a map down here, right?”

    “Yeah, Kip showed me actually.” He said looking at the man who'd been beaten before him, the man he used to rest his hopes of advancing on. How foolish he'd been.

    “You could have kept that secret, now I have to raise my view of him.” Kuroko said with a disappointed shake of her head.

    “Sorry.”

    “Well, take your gang and try to explain it to them. Take the golf nut back with you too. This is where we part ways.”

    “I don't know exactly what to say. This is...” She stared at him. “I got it boss.”

    “Thanks.” Clyde managed to smile somewhat hollowly as he turned and left with a wave in the reddish light of the eternally setting sun.

    “Kip, you go with him. I have a feeling he'll need some back up when he breaks this.”

    “As you wish.” He swept his cap from his head with his free hand and flourished it with a low bow and took off after his well dressed comrade.

    “One more thing.” Kuroko called after him as she threw something at him. He managed to keep it from pummeling him over the head but barely recognized what she'd thrown until he was picking it up off the ground. “If you want a rematch, we'll have it at the exit. Kill me before that and you're dead.”

    “As you wish.” He swept his cap from his head and took another low sweeping bow his hat and Mjolnir both in hand.

    ---

    The dirty orange sunlight fluttered through the saloon style doors along with thin translucent clouds of dust as they swung back and forth following the entrance and exit of every patron of the dark, dilapidated bar. The chipped tankards and glasses clinked and clattered about as men caroused and gambled the hours away around the silent figure in white.

    The mysterious cloaked figure with long white hair and a bemused smile who never drank a drop of what was put in front of him and sat in patient taciturnity as if waiting for someone. Suddenly, the doors burst open and in walked a man with a particularly hideously scarred and gnarled face and the echoes of burns crawling up and down his arms beneath the sleeves of his raggedly worn duster.

    “So a man walks in a bar.” Click “And he points a gun at my head.” The white clad figure laughed but did not turn, instead he queried his assailant. “Do I know you?”

    “Put that away, son. We won't be having none of that in my bar.” The bartender warned, reaching beneath the counter threateningly. The scarred man didn't move or take his eyes of his target for a moment.

    “Don't worry, I'll have this cleared up in a minute.” The man in white assured him. “Now, I'll ask again. Do I know you?”

    “You should remember everyone you've killed, Black Fang.” The man spat, suddenly showing the colors of his fury reflected in his, now crimson, face and bloodshot eyes.

    “I'm not the Black Fang.” Chuckled the man in white with a shrug. “Now you can toddle on home and jack off or whatever it is you people do.”

    “Long white hair and a katana. You're him alright.” The man in white looked down to his hip and surely enough there sat a katana rigged up some gears and vents about the hilt. He pulled the sheathed sword from his belt and set it on the table without taking notice of the pressure he felt on the back of his head as the scarred man drew nearer.

    “Her hair is longer than mine.” He whispered.

    The man who'd only just walked in had by now gathered a crowd of spectators that had not been in the bar moments before with his furious shouts. “Cut the crap, you are the one who burned me and my brother! I may not have seen your face that time but you killed him! You killed them all!”

    “I'm glad that it's so easy to fool you people but this katana is a fake just like me.” He said, tapping on his sword. “I was hoping I'd be able to spread the rumor and let it call Black to me. But you're here instead. It actually makes me sad.”

    “I don't—”

    The man in white was suddenly on his feet before anyone could see him move and he began shouting. “Listen well! I'm not as forgiving as my twin fang. She's my prey and you can't have her! Now get out of my sight this instant!”

    The man did pause for a second before he fired. A second too long. By the time he'd finished pulling the trigger on his weapon his arm had been spun about and his gun directed into his side. Then he felt the heavy lead ball rend his flesh and shatter his bone. Then he was laid on in the middle of the floor, dead before he had a chance to finish forming an expression. So his face remained in a half surprised, half unwitting expression as the man in white threw off his cloak and tossed it on the counter.

    “It's got enough chips to pay for all this and why not have the katana too it's a work of art.” Said the White Fang as he sauntered off dressed in the same fashion of clothes as the bartender with the sole exception that his clothes were almost entirely snow white save for the dark argyle of his vest.

    He froze when he heard another gun cocking. “That's far enough. You're wanted, you know.” The man who'd been sitting down the bar from him said as he leveled his single action pistol with both hands. He was soon joined by everyone in the bar the wasn't already fleeing the scene entirely. As people rushed by him White stopped and then slowly turned his head to face his attackers.

    “Oh yeah, that's the other reason I pretended to be Black. She isn't in trouble with anyone she hasn't killed yet. I should be more like her. You guys with guns all ready to die?” White's face revealed a grin full of nothing but malice and cruelty.


    Before any one of his opponents could move he was off like a rocket towards the first armed man. White gracefully redirected the shot aimed at him to the man on his left within a second of grabbing the man and he continued forcing his human shield to fire on his opponents as he maneuvered slowly towards an avenue of escape. When the ammunition was exhausted White darted away again and nicked a pair of handguns from the corpses of the two men between him and the counter.

    The bartender had gone into the back as soon as the gunfight broke out and White took advantage of the vacancy and with a swift leap through the hail of fire that now pursued him fell behind the thick wooden bar, perfectly hidden. It was then that everyone paused. White to familiarize himself with his newly acquired arms and the gunmen opposite him to wonder if they could make it out alive anymore.

    They got their answer when the brave few who managed to look behind the counter came back with knotholes for eyes. The rest opened fire recklessly at the bar just as White managed to escape into the back room and hide on top of a rack full of dried cured meats. Once there he shot the bartender who'd been hiding in ambush further back in the room and took his shotgun before backing himself against the rear exit firing at all who dared cross the threshold. Soon the clip was empty and so too seemed the front room.

    With a smile he tossed the spent weapon to the ground and made his escape. The men right outside the door shot each other over his ducked head and grinned as he quickly mounted his metallic steed. A great blade-winged beast of chrome silver and exposed brass colored gears that woke upon his arrival and with a kick of a pedal was off, flying on wings of steel leaving a breath of fire in its wake.

    “I'm coming for you Black. So just wait there.”
































































    Note: Updates were 7 months apart again. Oh well. CnC if you want.

    After Note:
    Chevalier was right all those months back. I've taken this is a totally different direction from the beginning and it's not looking nice at the moment. I'd like to take this chance to actually explain myself in hopes that it'll clear up some of the confusion or at least make it look like I've put some thought into it. This was the original story. Part 1 was actually what I came up with later as in when I started posting to bridge the gap between this and the implied past story. I feel like this change of pace ended up being worse on the characters than I had initially imagined. I'm trying to even out the gaps but honestly, I feel like if you want the old angsty emotionally charge section you can just treat it like it ended with part 1. This part of the story is about something else and I'm hoping that I'll be able to convey it all the same. Those are my excuses.
     
  14. Jiku Neon Kingdom Keeper

    Joined:
    Jul 24, 2007
    Location:
    Moe, Victoria
    1,258
    878
    2-3
    It was late, without the bright glow of the city there would be no finding one's own way. Even in the back alleys it looked as though the sun was only just set, the lingering light still permeating the crisscrossing corridors giving everything a faint glow. It was warm too, just hinting at the summer to come while still carrying the soothing scent of spring on the light breeze. Deeper into the alleyway the darkness began to creep in at the edges of everything, blurring and obscuring detail.

    The steady step of the rubber soles echoed clearly over the distant rumble of engines, tires and conversation. Then a more erratic, disjointed, skipping step of leather soles joined in about a block behind. For a moment to two walked in each others' echoes without so much as a word passing between them, then as if some signal had been made, both took off at a full sprint. Minutes of running later led them both to meet in the center of a derelict shopping arcade. The pursuer grins and so does the pursued. The lights flicker to life for a fleeting moment and it begins.

    Suddenly.

    Blood. Shadows flickering in the dim light of the fading halogen lamps. Blood. The sound of footsteps slipping and sliding across the slick surface. Blood. The maddened screams of a deranged lunatic in a slow crescendo towards beastliness. Blood. The screech of metal being torn. Blood. The look in his eyes like a dead fish, still staring out into the sun long after he's stopped seeing. Blood. The pain of shrapnel entering the skin preceding his razor talons. Blood. The feel of his bones creaking and crunching beneath a rain of blows. Blood. The scent of death engulfing everything. Blood. The taste of defeat numbing the mind. Blood. The end of the battle. Blood. Staining everything a dim red in the final seconds of light and consciousness. All that was left was... Blood.

    Erica suppressed a scream as her eyes snapped open and she sat up straight in bed. She was soaking in cold sweat and her eyes were tearing up. The hand she held over her mouth was violently shivering as her hot breath fell over it in gasps escaping through her clenched teeth. Finally, she realized that she'd woken up.

    So she sighed and let herself fall limply back on the uncomfortable bed, shaking. It had been months since she'd had a dream about Raven. In the hospital they had told her that it was post traumatic stress that was getting to her and that she might never be rid of these nightmares, all she could do was try to overcome her fears. Erica smiled wryly.

    “I'm still dead scared of him. I killed him, and I'm still frightened by the very thought of him. Overcome your fears? I overcame him and I'm still scared.” She murmured as she pulled her knees to her chin and buried her face in her skirt.

    “You talking about the one who gave you those scars?” Kuroko asked quietly. Erica quickly turned with a start, only to find her nose inches from Black's, which was sitting comfortably in front of a soft gaze from the elder girl who leaned over the end of the bed as far as her body would allow.

    After a moment spent composing herself, Erica replied, “Yeah.”

    “Do you mind?” Black asked as she mimed sitting on the bed. Erica shook her head.

    “Why would I mind, I owe you everything I've got here, don't I?” She sighed.

    “No reason not to be polite.” Replied the elder simply.

    “Fair enough.”

    “Are those scars on your neck getting agitated by the environment down here or--”

    “These?” Erica asked, running her fingers over two faint scars, one across the left side of her neck and the other running down her right. “I cover them up with makeup usually. I just haven't bothered to bring along anything like that. No one to fool down here. Right?”

    “Doesn't it bother you, though?”

    “Not really. I only cover them so that other people don't get worried, even if I didn't have them I wouldn't feel any different. I'd still remember, I'd still be scared and ashamed regardless of whether or not I had something to look at.” Erica turned her head away slightly. Was that really true? Or was she just punishing herself again to make herself feel like she had been right all along?

    “I'm assuming you don't want to talk about it.” Kuroko replied, somewhat awkwardly, she wasn't exactly a people person and it showed especially clearly when she tried to be kind.

    “I'm assuming you don't want to hear about it.”

    “Not entirely true. Though our relationship is predicated on the fact that we don't know too much about each other in order to stay on good terms, your past is intriguing in a way.” She said more loosely, as if a disconnected interest was more palatable to her than the possibility of a genuine connection. Erica couldn't help but feel similarly however, after all, her connections with other people are what got her here, perhaps stepping back and taking a look at the larger picture would be easier.

    “What do you want to know, then?”

    “Who was it? The person who you killed?”

    “It wasn't a person really, it was a demon. They're not like the devils down here, they're more like nature spirits or something. This one's name was Raven, because he was a raven spirit, I assume. He was fairly weak in the grander scheme of things because he gave his demon skin, like his true form, to his master to make him stronger. At least that's what I overheard. I supposed I'd be dead and he alive if it weren't the case though.”

    “How'd you manage it?”

    “You see this?” Erica held up the demon ward Hughes had given her. “It's a demon ward and weakens any demon within a certain range of it, I wrote over five thousand copies of this one and set them up in an abandoned garage. I got him to chase me there and then we fought...” Erica dipped her head again, thinking to herself momentarily.

    “You don't need to go on.”

    “No, you seemed interested. I just was thinking of a way to say it, alright?” Erica snapped back a little more defensively than she meant to.

    “Alright.”

    “He didn't go down immediately, obviously. He fought like a total bitch, by the way. The scars are from the claws he grew when he revealed that he'd taken a weaker transformation in exchange for his old one. God, just talking about it reminds me of how damn scared I was. How scared I still can be. Pathetic, right?”

    “I don't really know what it feels like to fear any one person. However, you handle the almost dying thing better than a lot of hardened criminals and military men that I've met, so I wouldn't feel too bad about it.”

    “Well, I'll keep that in mind.”

    “So how'd it end?”

    “I punched him to death, then staggered off into the middle of the street where some people call an ambulance for me, then woke up about two weeks later in a hospital bed covered in scars. I heard that the world hadn't ended and that I wasn't in my hometown anymore so I went back to sleep and that's all there is to the tale.”

    “So... that's what happened?”

    “To the best of my knowledge. I can't tell you what happened for sure because the whole thing felt oddly like a nightmare at the time and I keep dreaming about it. No one even knows it happened other than me so maybe I just made it all up...”

    “You can't deny the scars, no car accident or normal accident could do something like that.”

    “I guess...”

    “Be confident, you're a badass for such a mopey little wimp. You should seriously put some effort into letting people know that.”

    “Like I could do that.”

    “Well, think about it, the world is made of all sorts and I think you're mistaking which sort you are. And speaking of all sorts, we're going to be meeting an odd sort today.”

    “Yeah?”

    “She's an old friend, I guess you could say. So up, up, up kiddo. You've got ten minutes.” Black chirped, cheerier than Erica had seen her. With that, Black rose to her feet and strode out smoothly. Erica rose soon after and began doing what preparation that her meager quarters would allow.

    When Erica was finally ready to head out the two left town headed on a course for what looked like this world's equivalent of east. Erica could only imagine who it was that was waiting at the end of their ride and how they'd even find them for that matter, and so she did. She'd felt a strangely pleasant emptiness since the nightmare about Raven, like she'd been opened up and all her emotions and feelings were simply scooped out and tossed away.

    To keep herself from filling the space with the everything she'd managed to escape, she avoided thinking about serious things. Wondering about a new unknown person is much better than looking back over the past and replaying every little detail over and over again even if neither really achieved anything of value. Just as Erica began to become aware of her decision the vehicle stopped. Black shrugged her off like an old blanket and dismounted before putting her ear to the ground and nodding to herself.

    “She's here.” Kuroko declared confidently.

    “I'm not even going to bother asking how you know.” Erica had learned quickly that Kuroko was, for the lack of a better phrase, different. She wasn't the kind of hero that Hughes and Kira were. In fact, while it was obvious that she was the main character of this little adventure she acted anything but heroically. She ran from fights, deceived, threatened and did all other kinds of things that Erica had hardly expected of the person who'd saved her that first day. However, every story was different, Erica had learned; and when everyone was finally out, no matter what had happened down here, Kuroko would be the one everyone thanked and celebrated. That's how the world worked.

    “Good, because I don't know either.” For the most part.

    Soon, from the dusty wilderness emerged a figure dressed even more strangely than the Black Fang even. Erica quickly realized it was a woman but could still hardly believe that she was really there. Her attire consisted of a set of heavy boots the tapered into what appeared to be a pair of stockings by the time it reached the middle of her thighs. Over the top of these she wore a skirt the most resembled a gigantic blue bell flower.

    Moving further up the ensemble Erica realised that her shirt consisted of tight black netting over a pale green tunic with long sleeves that came down over the back of her hands and left her palms free. But the oddest thing she wore was her hat, a pale green hat with dark green pinstripes along the two long arms of the hat the terminated in two bells.

    “Guten tag, hermanita.” She chirped with a sweeping flourish followed by a shallow curtsey.

    “Bonsoir, good evening.” Erica answered with a similar curtsey.

    “She's a bother, isn't she? Bother meet Lisile. Lisile, bother.” Black joked.

    “I think she's cute. It's about time you started traveling with someone. Though, I thought it'd be a certain someone else if you ever did.” Lisile replied suggestively.

    “Lis.” Black growled.

    “Oh, alright. You two would make the cutest pair though. I'm not even joking, I'd probably die of all the cute if you got together.” She practically squealed.

    “Well, let's just not and say we did.” Black answered impatiently.

    “He told me that too. I'm surprised you guys want to kill each other so badly. I thought that the schoolkid rivalry would have died down a bit since the four of us split up.”

    “Anyways, have you finished locking down this quarter?”

    “Yes, all their chips are belong to me.” Giggled the girl before taking a sudden turn for the more serious, a turn that Erica had hardly expected. “I still don't like the idea of leaving this power behind, though. You go back and things are peachy fucking keen but once I go back, I never walk again.”

    “Would you rather wheel around Switzerland where people will love and take care of you or run around here where everyone wants you dead?” Snarled Black. Erica wanted to wince at it, it was hard to see how these two were friends, they way they talked.

    “I know. I know. It's just hard, okay?”

    “You're better than hard.”

    “Jeez...” Lisile frowned with a nervous shrug. “So why'd you bother to come all the way out here to check before schedule?”

    “Because the new group just arrived this month.”

    “I saw, they all were fairly cooperative. Some just had to go though.” Lisile shrugged. “Something else getting to you?”

    “...”

    “So was that it? You thought I'd lost track of time like you had?”

    “I wanted to know if you'd seen White again.”

    “He comes by from time to time. Looking for you. He sometimes goes at length about how much he'd love to fight-- no, duel-- with you. Usually when he drinks. However, the last time I saw him was months ago. He had decided to start dressing up as you to see if he could get you to come after him. I told him it'd never work. That's pretty much the scoop on him. Though, there is some other super big news that I've just remembered. The old man passed about seven months back.” Lisile declared triumphantly.

    “Serious?” Black's eyes lit up as though she was a child that was told that there was going to be a second Christmas.

    “Yeah, the only thing he couldn't beat was aging. He must have been in his nineties when we knew him. Still, I'd never seen an old guy that spry before.”

    “Old bastard deserved a worse death.” Black spat, suddenly annoyed.

    “Don't we all know it?”

    “Still, I'm glad that there's one less obstacle now.”

    “I was convinced he was the devil himself, knowing he's died... It makes it seem like anything's possible, even your hair-brained scheme.”

    “Well, one last thing for today. Since everything's locked down here, I'd like you to come with me to finish off the last of my business.”

    “Don't you think you're being a bit... impatient?”

    “Yeah, I'm impatient. I feel like I'm the only one who is in this place. I understand it on some level but I really feel like every day I'm gone is just another day of my life I'm never going to have again. Another day towards my total separation from the reality I used to know. I want to just go back to how things were, and I know I never will be able to. Does it really mean so little to be able to sleep easy to you?” Said Black, with more emotion than Erica had ever seen from her, more than Erica had thought she was capable of.

    “I'm just worried about you. The plan was set up to work, we both signed off on it, rushing it will only hurt us in the end. So, I'm going to follow the plan and hope that you do the same, okay?”

    “We're ahead of schedule.”

    “Schedule will catch up. What's your real name, bother?”

    “Erica.”

    “Erica, keep an eye on her for me. I'll meet up with you guys in two weeks at Central to compare notes again, you'd better not stand me up, okay?”

    Erica nodded.












    And that's this years update, whoo hoo.
     
  15. Jiku Neon Kingdom Keeper

    Joined:
    Jul 24, 2007
    Location:
    Moe, Victoria
    1,258
    878
    Ha ha. Fooled you. This isn't actually an update. I've just been dissatisfied with how the neutral ending went back in 1-6 since I posted it and when work has been slow over the past 2 years I've worked on it. Now all that ends since it's at a place I'm much happier with. But I'm keeping the original post just for the sake of remembering it. You can find the edited version at the end of the original post. See? Well, I thank those of you that still care. You mean a lot to me you anons. So keep reading if you can bear it. You have my deepest gratitude.
     
  16. Jiku Neon Kingdom Keeper

    Joined:
    Jul 24, 2007
    Location:
    Moe, Victoria
    1,258
    878
    The city was darkest just after the moon set, and just before the sun rose, it was late but that's when Kira liked it the best. When she was an untamed demon it was when she'd feed on lesser demons and humans as they slumbered. When she came to know her first master it's when she watched him sleep most peacefully. When she'd been sent to the city it's when she'd go out on patrol to allow Justin to sleep easily. Recently, though, she'd been walking aimlessly in the streets, thinking. She hated it. Life was supposed to have gotten simpler after the great cosmic evil was defeated; it was supposed to be a happy ending, clear and clean, sure and straight. It was that stupid girl's doing. Kira had never really liked Erica, not from the day she met her. She'd always thought her to be an annoying self absorbed little twit. She'd always seen her as the other woman. Someone-- no-- something in her way to be removed and stomped down.

    That was until she found out that the annoying self absorbed little twit was willing to die to save her. Willing to die horribly. Then Kira just began feeling guilty. Guilty that she'd been so weak that she needed a normal human to protect her. Guilty that she had taken so long to realize it. Guilty that she was keeping it a secret from Justin. She didn't have much of a choice after her conversation with Erica about it. Maybe fight was a more appropriate word. But she couldn't simply reveal something that her savior had been keeping a secret, that would be... dishonorable. Maybe she was trying to keep it quiet, keep herself out of the spotlight, like she even had to try. But now Erica had brought all the attention onto herself anyway by running off to god knows where. What was worse, if her usual depressive attitude was any indication, she didn't mean to come back either. Kira bit her lip. She didn't know where to begin.

    She had to calm down. She had to do something. Starting with finding Erica. She ran off in the night, the police were told. The week before that was when Kira had discovered her involvement in Raven's death and confronted her about it, probably not the best choice now that she looked back on it. Erica had also broken up with her most recent boy toy adding him to an impressive collection for someone who'd only been at it since the beginning of the school year. Fred had that stupid blow up at school, too. But none of this meant anything. She wouldn't make a drastic action over anything Kira knew she'd seen this past week. Not unless she was even more emotional than expected. No... She wasn't the kind of person to just snap over that. She was the type that would have a secret. Last time she knew more than she was supposed to and acted on it alone. This was probably what she was doing again. She'd found something bad and ran straight for it. Just like last time. Maybe she was hoping for it to be enough to finish the job Raven couldn't...

    “You look rather pensive.†Victor observed from high above. As a tree spirit it was his tendency to look down on people whenever possible even if it meant sitting perched on a telephone pole. Or a dead brother as he'd sometimes call them.

    “Feels like I'm the only one thinking about how to solve this problem.†Kira snapped back.

    “I'm convinced that you should leave that girl alone. She isn't like the rest of you humans. She's got things to sort out for herself and your constant pity and condescension isn't going to help.â€

    “I haven't been a normal human that long.†She grunted, clearly displeased.

    “You've always acted an awful lot like one. You were long ago tamed. You've probably forgotten what it's like to be wild, to be out there, vulnerable, but still powerful and confident enough to overcome it and take your place in the food chain.†He rambled on.

    “What would a tree like you know about a food chain?†Snapped the girl impatiently. She could never stand any of the old spirits that came from before thy called themselves demons. They were so old fashioned and slow about everything. They never wanted to get to the point and had no head for time sensitive matters. Dinosaurs. The lot of them.

    “I'm old. I've watched, learned, remembered. It's a bunch of naturey shit I don't expect you to understand after being domesticated for all those years. After that long in human form I'd probably be the same way and I'm easily ten times your age.â€

    “Point taken. Still, my human sense of honor won't allow me to just sit idly by.†She continued pressing, hoping the conversation would move along a little faster for her effort.

    “You want to make sure she's still alive?†Victor bit, he either had something to say already or suddenly gained a certain respect for her impatience.

    “Yes. That's the case.â€

    “I still am of the option that letting her just sort herself out alone is the way to go. She may die in this stupidly human process, but it's better than living the way she was.â€

    “How so?†Kira was suddenly interested. She'd heard nothing but people worrying. But here there was someone who was under the impression that it was unfounded. It was especially odd since he had openly told her that Erica was the only human he could really understand, get a feeling for so to speak.

    “You guys never really look at people do you?†He scoffed.

    “Get to the point already, Victor.â€

    “She had more negative feelings than a ghoul. She'd probably have become a renegade spirit long ago if she had died against Raven. Nothing anyone said or did, helped her. She just kept on falling deeper and deeper into a self perpetuating, self loathing depression. This is her chance to pull away from that downward spiral and you running interference won't make it any better. Sometimes there are things that it's actually worth dying over.†He replied coolly.

    “Things that are bigger than yourself!†Kira shouted back at his condescension. He had no idea what he was talking about and she had been stupid for listening. He was just like the others, useless.

    “You've never felt despair so I don't expect you to get it.â€

    “What do you know about me?â€

    “Your days in the woods were chronicled and relayed by the woods themselves and your time among the humans was whispered by the echoes of the dead brothers. It's simple really. For all of pretty much anyone could ever care. I know everything about their tiny little personal histories. Wood is everywhere and constantly calling out to me. It's just a matter of whether I'm close enough to hear it yet.â€

    “Hmph. So what if I don't understand her? I don't need to understand to care!†Now he was just fanning the flames of her ire, but he acted totally oblivious, totally detached and aloof. Like he didn't even want to know what she was feeling about the whole thing. That's right. He didn't.

    “You need to understand to help, though. She's in a precarious position and let's not forget who had the greatest influence on her state other than herself?†He continued pedantically, like he was explaining something simple to an idiot. Maybe that was indeed what this felt like to him. What everything felt like to him at this point.

    “Me?†Kira was puzzled, he wasn't going where she had expected him to with this.

    “Close. It's Hughes. You are the person who has been the greatest influence on him, though. So I guess you were closer than just closer. Let's go with really close.â€

    “So what am I supposed to do then?â€

    “Are you asking for a palm reading?†He smirked almost imperceptibly as he launched himself to the ground. At over six and a half feet tall, he didn't need to be on top of a telephone pole to looks down on Kira. So he stood for a moment peering down his nose at her, unflappable as always, before slowly walking away, as if inviting her to follow.

    “Stop that pretentious 'I'm a tree I know everything' bullshit and help me.†He started tapping her foot and crossed her arms without following him an inch. Not that the tree gave a damn about her body language. He would continue spouting off at the mouth as always. She had to give him one thing, he was talkative for the spirit of something without a mouth and as annoying as that was, it meant she wasn't always called upon to prod him into talking at all. Things would be even slower than they are now, she shuddered to think. With that in mind she unfolded her arms and started walking.

    “I thought you were interested in helping her?†He groused with affected agitation. He hadn't quite gotten the hang of faking it. Though for something that couldn't feel emotion the same way as a human, one could say he was doing a decent job.

    “You know what I mean!â€

    “Yes. I do. You mean to help the **** out of her whether she likes it or not. You intend to put her back near the thing that pains her most. You intend to try to keep your little happily ever after in tact. You want to please Hughes. You feel guilty about her and want to put an end to that feeling. But in the end, you couldn't really care much less about her. Erica the true entity, the human, is of at best secondary importance to you. You want to feel like you've repaid your debt and like you've done something good. You're doing this for yourself. Now isn't that right?†This time Kira paused, not out of irritation, but because she totally lacked the words to respond with. She was usually either quick witted or quick tempered enough to always have a retort, but when faced with such an evaluation she didn't know what to say. So her temper took over and led her into the stumbling sentence that followed.

    “I—I don't know, alright! It was just so easy before. Just kill this, save that. Why can't it be that simple with her?â€

    “Dear, girl. It was never simple. You just chose to blind yourself to the problems your actions might be causing others. If we trace back through every incident you will always find scars and fallout. You just have never had to directly handle it until now. How's it feel having to deal with the consequences of your own actions?†Victor sighed.

    “Don't act all high and mighty. You can't pull this **** with me.†Kira remarked caustically. By now they had been steadily moving back toward the residential district and Justin's apartment. But Kira had had enough and rushed in front of Victor. Staring him down as fiercely as possible.

    “Is that your answer?†He asked as he came to a stop to avoid running into her.

    “I'm not going to answer that loaded ass question.†She snapped back.

    “Alright, I'll rephrase. Will you accept that what's happening to Erica is Hughes' fault?â€

    “It's hers! She--â€

    “Chose to have those feelings. Chose who she had feelings for. Chose that those feelings could never be returned or understood. Chose to go above herself and risk her life for her love's lover. Could have at any point just been the bigger girl and just done the right thing and stopped. Yup. All her fault. †He said sarcastically. For once it seemed he was the one impatient with her, even if he was being a bit circuitous about it.

    “Fuck off.â€

    “Do you retract your answer then?†He asked forcibly.

    “No... I don't...†She sighed. She wasn't the type to back down, but when it came down to it she really had no idea what she was doing anymore and felt just as wrong no matter what she said.

    “Think on it for a bit. Talk to Hughes. Find out some more. We can't afford to have you running off, too.†He said suddenly calm and serene again.

    “It's sunrise already.†Kira noted solemnly.

    “Are you going to school today?â€

    “Of course. I can't have everyone else worrying about me on top of this stupid ****.†She remarked coldly. Was that even a question?

    “You're really not a morning person. Perhaps you should get some more sleep in the future.â€

    “Go to hell.â€

    “I'll see you at school.â€

    ---

    For the rest of the day Kira felt restless and barely payed any attention in class. Not that she usually did. These human topics moved along at a snail's pace. She wondered how they could stand anything so boring and dull. Still, it gave her time to organize her thoughts. Victor was smart. He usually thought things out long in advance and only started a conversation when he was good and ready. He'd probably had most of that exchange planned for weeks. But that meant that he knew more about Erica's condition that she did and chose not to tell anyone. He'd definitely either deny it or say that it was because no one asked him. She sighed, but then instantly regretted it upon realizing her desk was made of composite wood. Victor definitely had an advantage when it came to know what people were doing, but he couldn't possibly know what they were thinking even with his moribund agents everywhere.

    “Hey, Kira. Anybody home?†Justin waved his hand in front of her face. She hadn't realized that class had ended already and was about to retort harshly to him dragging her from her thoughts. But instead she paused for a moment and let herself realize that she wasn't angry at him at all. Even when he was being annoying he was a rather charming boy Kira thought to herself as she smiled in spite of herself and began her usual routine of following him out to lunch.

    They usually ate outside, but with the weather turning damp and unpredictably rainy they had begun using an empty classroom for their midday meal.

    “So...†Justin started about halfway through his sandwich. The fact that he'd remained silent so long told her what he was going to say and how he said it told her how much it meant to him. Why couldn't understanding all people be this easy?

    “I haven't found anything on Erica. From the look you're giving me, I can tell that you haven't either.†She replied grimly.

    “Yeah... I know it's really awkward to have me so worried over another girl, but you know that it's not like that, right?†He answered somewhat sheepishly.

    “I'm worried about her too. You don't have to apologize for having the full spectrum of feelings for your friends too. It's not like I'm the jealous type either, right?†She could never find it in herself to feel jealous before because she hadn't ever had a reason to be. She'd always been on some level aware of her superiority over normal humans and everyone else seemed to be as well. However, right now, with Justin's attention finally away from her, she was actually feeling quite jealous. Though, she wasn't quite aware of it yet.

    “Thanks.â€

    “I'm always here for you. You know that.†She cooed soothingly as possible.

    “Yup.†He smiled like everything was alright for a moment. And for a moment she believed it too.

    “What's up, kids?†Victor saluted casually with a flick of his wrist as he entered.

    “Not much. Today's been pretty weird. People are still talking about her and we've been looking for a week with no real progress. It'd be great if we could get more help...†He trailed off and looked back down into his unfinished meal. Kira quickly picked up the slack and tried to keep Victor from saying anything unnecessary to him.

    “What's up with you, Victor?†Kira replied nonchalantly.

    “Glad you asked because something has been up with me, regarding our little search no less. Go figure that one out. Actually, don't. I'm just going to tell you anyways.â€

    “Um...†Justin looked back up confusedly. He wasn't the brightest sort, but he meant well at least. Kira thought it was cute.

    “Regardless. First, I will only tell you this if you promise me that you will do nothing about it until I'm completely finished. Do you accept this?†Victor declared with a stately tone and a his index finger projected from the rest as if to indicate thee single condition.

    “Ye--†Justin began acceding immediately. Kira however was feeling a lot more distrustful of their frequent ally.

    “No. Don't be so quick to accept his terms.†She stood just as Victor began taking his seat.

    “Don't worry. I will be able to finish it today. I'm not going to drag it out or anything. I just don't need you two running off in the middle of the day. It would be suboptimal for all involved.†He replied, anticipating her reservations after their conversation that morning.

    “Is that a promise?†She pressed.

    “Yes. I will finish before midnight today.†He said with a hand over his heart in an empty, yet over dramatic show of sincerity.

    “Then we accept your terms.†Justin tried again to get a word in.

    “Don't be so quick to--†Kira protested, clearly ever so slightly ruffled and distressed.

    “This is important.†Justin insisted.

    “Fine. We accept.†She grumbled as she slumped back down into her chair with her arms crossed.

    “Good. I'll get through part one now and part two after class ends. Cool?â€

    “Yeah. Cool. Get on with it.â€

    “Patience is a human virtue, kiddo. Anyway, before we get sidetracked I'll move along with it. So as you both constantly need to be reminded. I know everything. Specifically and somewhat less impressively. I know everything that happens near plants. Dead or alive. I have a special affinity for trees though so I get the best information from wood. Lucky for all of you, Erica has wood panel flooring in her apartment. So I have a pretty good idea of what she's been doing since she started living there. At first I kept my mouth shut as a matter of politeness. She has a right to privacy the same as anyone else. Especially after all she went through. Anyway, our little tale begins nearly a year ago, when some kid she knew died. Thom Whitley, I think his name was.â€

    “Tommy? What's he--†Justin started to interrupt. Victor bristled slightly at this and quickly took back the lead.

    “Story time, not discussion time. Now, shh. After he died she became aware of the fact that she didn't belong in this world of our with demons and magic. She did the smart thing and bowed out. Still she felt she needed to be a good friend to both you and him. So she studied up a bit. She found out the process for making demon wards like the one you gave himâ€, he said pointing from Kira to Justin, “and he turned around and handed to her when he outgrew it.†He finished, pointing from Justin to an image of Erica he'd scrawled out on the desk in whiteboard marker as he spoke. When he was satisfied that they'd followed him, he erased it and went on to draw out more visual aids as he spoke, pointing at them every so often.

    “So she wrote. The boards tell me that she spent over a thousand hours making wards. That adds up to about half a year of full time work with no vacation in case you need a reference point and a good reason why she'd made herself so scarce since this whole thing began. She had by my count fifty one thousand three hundred and twenty six of them by the time she was finished. She kept them all hidden from everyone, though. No idea why. Maybe she didn't want to look like an idiot, or get told that what she was doing was pointless or something to that effect. She just wanted to do be doing something, I guess.†He shrugged disinterestedly as he went on.

    “So May rolls around and we're all ready to go fight Faernicarius and shit. It's the final battle and we're pretty much set up to win if you look at it in retrospect. Their at the height of their ritualistic ravings and doomsaying and whatever else the fuckthey thought would allow them to flood this land in spiritual energy and all that naïve bullshit. So the last thing on their mind is defense, they just want it done before anyone can interfere. The problem for them is we knew that was the case. At this point we still had a problem of our own, though. Raven's still alive at this point.†He said pointing to a badly drawn bird.

    “Now be aware I'm not certain of a bunch of the details concerning the events I'm about to describe, but I get the gist of it. Anyway. He's lying in wait and he's got a smite spell with your name on it Kira. He's always hated you and now he's got the means and the order handed down from on high. It's absolutely delicious to him. She finds out from that dowsing bitch and interrupts his ambush. Draws him into a trap of her own. All of the wards she'd ever written set up in one place. Ready to be activated. She locks him in the abandoned shopping plaza downtown and then they fight.†He admires his handiwork, an image depicting two bulbous headed stick figures rushing at each other with battle menus above their heads, then quickly erases it and begins the next visual aid.

    “Things get really ugly from here on out. You know how she says she was in a minor car accident that night and she spent the summer with her grandparents? She's lying on both accounts, well more or less. He had to use his demon skin, you know? Yeah, if it weren't for the power boost you'd gotten from contracting with Hughes, Kira, you'd have lost to him in that state. He didn't ever use that smite spell, though. He saved it, probably hoping he'd get to use it for his master. Either way, she was basically dead at the end of it and a random passerby nearly ran over her on their way through a 'shortcut' and ended up instead called the hospital and saved her life. Probably also orchestrated by Liz, mind you. I do hate that girl. And also probably where she got the hit by a car part of her story. Anyway. She lives miraculously but about forty percent of her skin has been shredded to protein, she's lost a ton of blood and probably broken some bones.

    "So it's less like a car hit her and more like it hit her and then dragged her under it for about a hundred yards. That's why she was gone for the summer. The city hospital wasn't equipped to handle someone as uniquely fucled up as she was so she was taken to the hospital her grandparents own out in the suburbs. That's where she got the stayed with her grandparents part, I guess. She was in critical care for a month, normal bed rest for a month and rehab for a month over the summer. That's why she wears thigh highs and sweaters all the time now. She's got nasty scarring all up and down that tiny little frame of hers. It's pretty horrible to see; like she got caught in a wood chipper or something.†He shuddered at his own drawing. A sloppy little blob with limbs and scribbles all over it with two labels pointing vaguely at it. One reading, “Erica,†and the other, “Scars.†Next to her there was a box labeled, “wood chipper,†apparently chewing on one of her arms.

    “Anyhow. She's been continuing her rehab back here and pretending like nothing even happened. I cannot even begin to fathom why she'd try to hide it... Hah, let's be real. It's the same reason she does everything. And we all remember the answer to that one?â€

    “Quit being a dick and get on with it!†Kira snapped, her hand already reaching over and yanking on his collar instinctively.

    “It's fine, Kira. Just leave it.†Justin murmured as he placed his hand on her arm gently, pulling her back into her seat more with the force of his words than his arm.

    “But he's--†She protested in frustration, her face flushing slightly at the constant annoyance she'd been called upon to tolerate from all sides.

    “Yeah, he's poking at me. But I deserve it, okay? I don't deserve to have you constantly sticking up for me and trying to comfort me. I basically did this through my own negligence. I swore I'd protect everyone important to me and this is what came of it. So let him make fun, it's better than I deserve.â€

    “Don't take a little joke so seriously. It's unbecoming of the Hero of Souls. Now I have time for a few questions before we go back to class.†Victor kept cool and detached as he spoke, as if this were a school topic or something he'd read about in the news. Though, he'd joined their side of the fight, Kira found it incredibly hard to be sure of what he was truly after at any given point.

    “Where did she fight Raven, exactly?†Justin asked after several moments of silence. He wouldn't look the unflappable tree spirit in the eye, but he tried to show determination in his voice at least.

    “It's in the old town shopping district, where the Japanese immigrants set up shop around the time this city was founded. I'm pretty sure the name was Abeno-something or other. You won't find anything there. I told you that dowser, Liz, had a hand in this. She doesn't just leave well enough alone.â€

    “Alright.â€

    “Well, I've got a bit of a walk, so if you don't mind me.†He rose and brushed himself off, pocketed the marker and nearly set off with his slightly gamboling stride that came from his slight unfamiliarity with walking at all.

    “Wait. One more question.†Kira snapped suddenly. She wasn't sure why she'd bothered, there wasn't much to ask at this point all the things she wanted to know were going to be classified as part two material. Still she wanted to get some word in before he walked off all smug and self assured.

    “Yes?â€

    “Do you know where she is?â€

    “I know where she went.†He confirmed vaguely. “Well, I'll be off then if there's nothing else.â€

    Kira instantly turned back to Justin. His head was still down and he seemed almost to sway unsteadily. She quickly rushed to his side. He had always been the one to hold her up when she was dejected and depressed. It was weird seeing the opposite side of that. It wasn't right seeing him worried and weak. He was supposed to be headstrong and confident and even stubborn. But something inside of him hadn't been right since she left. Maybe she was a more important fixture in his 'little dream world' as Fred had put it. He'd said that love was all he needed, that nothing else in the world mattered but her. Kira had for the first time in her life felt special. For once she felt like she was being seen as more than the sum of her requisite specs and as an actual peer, a person, a human. But now she knew how immature she'd been in believing him and how stupid he'd been in saying it. The world wasn't made of just two people. It was made of all sorts even the strange sorts. So she needed to be the strong on for now, she needed to be the one to carry them both for a while.

    “Justin. You heard the bell didn't you?â€

    “Yeah.â€

    “I'm not going to say I know she's alright. But I'm going to tell you something that might be almost as comforting.â€

    “What's that?â€

    “She still loves you.â€

    “How I that supposed to be comforting. Something awful like that.â€

    “Think about it. You came back to life because you loved me. The situation may be different, but people this inextricably linked to magic and spirits don't die easily when they feel they've still got something to do.â€

    “What's does she have to do?â€

    “If it were me, I'd say that the thing she's trying to do is get over you.†On Kira's face a faint smile could be seen and Justin couldn't help but feel his lips mirroring hers. She had a way about her sometimes. Maybe that's why he loved her?

    ---

    While no arrangements had been formally made on location, Justin and Kira knew that whenever anyone said to meet after school they would meet directly off campus across the street. This time was no different, Victor awaited them patiently, if not drowsily. He yawned loudly on their approach, though as a tree spirit he never had slept a wink in all his days.

    “So you ready for our field trip, kids?†He grinned hollowly. This part wasn't going to be as fun for him it seemed.

    “So where are we headed?†Kira asked tentatively.

    “You'll see. Knowing won't make us get there any faster.†Victor said with a hand motion indicating that he meant for them to follow.

    “...Alright.†Kira acceded hesitantly. Then they were off. He did not speak at first. At first he just walked and they followed. It was only as they began to traverse the hills and old winding cobbled stone roads of the old town moving inexorably towards the newly renovated downtown district that he began.

    “So I left off at the beginning of this school year. shit happened, she took out her emotional troubles on some unfortunate bystanders, blah blah, blah. Then a week before her disappearance, that's when things started going odd. Erica was contacted by... something. In my investigation I've found that it doesn't have a physical form. So I've been trying to reach out and see what it is. But all I've found out is it's bad. ****all evil. Like the Fae were lunatics and a threat to all human life on the planet to be sure, but they weren't evil. You understand what I'm getting at?â€

    “Yeah. It was a war. No one was completely right or wrong. We just had something to protect and they had something to accomplish. It was a sad conflict of interests, I guess you could say if you were gonna be totally dispassionate.†Justin agreed solemnly. He'd never had to think of it that way until now, but it seemed so obvious when he took the time. Maybe there were other things that he'd been missing as well, he mused passively as Victor continued.

    “Yeah. So these guys are just evil. They don't want a better world for themselves and their kind. They're not even the type to destroy everything. They want it to keep turning in a perpetual state of suffering for everything else. They are that kind of evil. Anyway. They or maybe one of them, I'm not even sure if it's one plural identity or a group of singular ones or if there's really a difference at this point. Either way, she was contacted by this evil. I saw her talking to it but the wood only sees what's there. If there's a projection straight into someone's mind or some other kind of illusion I won't be able to see it either. This was something kinda like that, just stranger.

    “Either way she got mad at it and she spent the next week researching it. Unfortunately for me, she never points her laptops screen so that the floorboards or papers can see what's on it. I've been able to piece a few things together based on the books she was reading but it's been slow and I've already hit a dead end. I know that she was looking at a book entitled, Demons and Mythos in Medieval Europe and a few others along the same vein. That'd be an indicator towards a form of spirit normally, but that evil scent I caught off of they agent or the tendril or whatever the hell that thing that contacted her was definitely like no demon I've ever encountered or heard of. Given the hundreds of years I've been alive, that narrows the field a bit. So either we've got some spite filled uberghoul or something even worse on our hands, she's determined.

    "Seems like a job for the Hero of Souls, right? So what does Erica do at this point? She decides she'll try and fix this one herself.†The city streets around them was dark and seemingly abandoned, so whenever Victor paused to look back at his audience there was a nearly complete silence over them. A silence interrupted only by the dull clapping of asphalt with rubber as they pressed on. It made Kira anxious and every time it happened she'd take a moment to turn and look behind her as well. Justin however seemed totally engrossed whatever thoughts this story brought up in him and just stared blankly back at the ancient spirit when he turned.

    “Anyway. So when the thing made contact with her, she was given some magical item, I think the proper term is fetish or something. Regardless it acted as a beacon and allowed her to find where these things were hiding. I found the same physical place yesterday, only there was nothing there. Just a normal hotel with no signs of spiritual or negative energy. I even went inside and searched the place. It's totally clean, like she was never there. So that's the other part of the story. She wants to go play hero or martyr depending on the results of this escapade and leaves us knowing exactly where she went but not where she is.†He concluded with a satisfied bow and flourish, just as the reached the threshold of the old town and the new downtown no less.

    “So where do we go from here?†Kira asked cautiously. This whole thing seemed like a big round about way of telling them that there was nothing they could do this time. So it was all the more to her surprise when Victor smiled and began spouting off plans.

    “We see if she's cleared the search history on her computer, first. It was when she was sitting with her laptop that she first seemed to indicate she knew what was happening. We also conduct our own search using the information we've already got. I'm pretty awful with computers so I figured you two would do that part. In order to narrow that search we've got Kira's contacts in the demon underworld and Justin's title and accomplishments. So that's the plan. Questions, comments, concerns, complaints?

    This year's second update. Whoo hoo.
     
  17. Jiku Neon Kingdom Keeper

    Joined:
    Jul 24, 2007
    Location:
    Moe, Victoria
    1,258
    878
    Whenever I feel melancholic I start writing for this. This isn't actually an update. It's more of a vignette or extra than anything else. There's a couple more I plan on writing. They're going to all be memories and they're going to serve to clarify some of the past events that have been extensively alluded to thus far. So now you know.

    Kira was furious with herself. Her fingers were bruised and bleeding from her most recent outburst against an unsuspecting wall. Hughes was still crying. He'd been crying for hours. The rest of the battle monks were performing the normal, dispassionate sending ceremony to ensure their fallen comrade wouldn't return as an evil spirit. The whole scene felt disgusting. Erica spat into the dirt hoping it'd clear the painful metallic tang from her mouth. Hoping that she'd somehow no longer feel if she did something. But other than that she remained stark still, staring out over the field.

    A rather ungraceful bellow from Kira. She'd managed to hurt herself again. Erica couldn't help but scoff slightly. Before she'd even taken another breath Kira was in front of her, incensed.

    “What is it?”

    “....”

    “You want to say, 'I told you so.'?” Kira snarled, more and more beastly with each passing day, this one. “You want to say that he should've just backed off like you?”

    “I don't see what you're so angry about.”

    “I--”

    “It's not like you just lost your first friend.” Erica continued calmly. “It's not like you get to tell his family that they'll be bur-- rather, they won't be able to even bury their only son. It's not like you got to hear the news from the people who swore he was going to be taught to survive. It's not like you were told that this was gonna be a cinch. It's not like you couldn't even be there for him. No... I don't see what you're so angry about.” With that Erica turned and began walking.

    “I'm sorry...” She heard someone saying-- no-- whispering, as she stalked off in silence. Even her footfalls felt light, like she might just float away.

    “Dead.” She heard her own voice express the idea, felt her own lips give it shape, but it seemed so foreign to her. “Tommy's dead.” That same feeling of disconnection from her own actions. There was nothing for it. Nothing that could be done now. Not that she could've ever made a difference. Not that she was even involved anymore. Erica sighed. She'd been walking aimlessly for a while by now and found herself on an unfamiliar street. She didn't recognize any of the roadsigns or storefronts. She'd normally have felt worried. Scared, even. But now there was nothing. She just took it in stride and kept walking. That's what legs are made for. Put one foot in front of the other and the body will follow, it's called walking. Do it faster and it's running. Before she knew it Erica was running. She still had no idea where she was. She still had no idea what she was doing or why she was doing it. She smiled. Another seemingly involuntary action. Same for the tears. She kept running through it all.

    What felt like miles and miles later she was out of breath, stopped and aching from her exertions, but she was in a familiar neighborhood.

    “Now's as bad a time as any.” She said aloud, her own thoughts being drowned out by her heaving breaths and pounding blood. Then she put her right foot in front of her left and then her left in front of her right and started walking to the nearest house. A house she'd been to many times before. Only those times she wasn't alone.

    She stood for several minutes at the door, almost waiting for someone to come and tell her she was wrong. No such luck. She reached out to knock and then withdrew her hand. She reached out and withdrew three times before the door opened. Tommy's mother had seen her.

    “Erica! You look awful! Has something happened?” She exclaimed.

    “Is your husband home?” Erica asked. Her voice as dead as her bleary eyes. With a moment's hesitation the middle aged woman answered that he was. Erica dropped head. “Can I come in?”
     
  18. Jiku Neon Kingdom Keeper

    Joined:
    Jul 24, 2007
    Location:
    Moe, Victoria
    1,258
    878
    The shop was always empty. The shelves were always stocked, the counter always clean. Still, the shop was always empty. The displays were always neat and colorful, the floor was always clear. But, the shop was always empty. The sales were always good, the lights bright and clear. Yet, the shop was always empty. The proprietress of the small hole in the wall magic shop had considered moving out and finding a better location once or twice. She had at other times considered going back to school and joining real society. But she'd never done more than consider any of these things. The shop was important to her. That's why she kept the shelves freshly stocked every month and cleaned the counter every day. That's why she spent hours arranging displays and sweeping the floor after closing time. That's why she made sure to have the lowest possible prices on all products and kept the electrics in working order. That's probably also why the shop was always empty.

    She never sold any trick decks or microfiber threads. She never stocked any weighted dice or How To guides. None of that is real. It's all a trick. All a ruse. Magic isn't supposed to be a trick or a sleight. Magic is just as real as rocket science. People are just really bad at it. Modern people think they can just brew up a love potion or say a few words to cast a spell. That's ridiculous and practically slanderous to real magicians. Magic is an exact science and a very difficult proposition. The proprietress knew this very well, painfully so. There was a reason she lived above the shop alone and couldn't sell the place if she tried. Divination though, that was something she could do. Whether you needed her to dowse for a lost ring or throw some bones for your ETD, it was easy. She was gifted at this craft. That's another possible reason why the shop was always empty.

    Today the shop was closed entirely, because she'd foreseen herself making some money in the park. She was wearing the same clothes as in the vision; a pair of cargo shorts, kneesocks, hiking boots, her favorite blouse and a witch's hat she picked up for a costume party several years before. Not exactly the most convenient thing for a young lady to be walking around in during the middle of the day, but if the vision called for it, perhaps it made some sense. When she arrives at the park, she'll meet a girl with a pink aura. The girl will be wearing a yellow shirt, blue shorts and running shoes, though.

    The girl will ask, “Are you the time witch they keep talking about?”

    “No. I'm just a shop owner who happens to tell fortunes on the side.”

    Next the girl will look at the proprietress like she's lying and ask her to prove that she's not just some charlatan. Her exact words are, “Listen, *****, I don't have time to play with you. Either you can tell me what I want to know or you can go **** yourself.”

    When the proprietress manages to mouth all the words back at her as she's saying them she starts to understand. “Need more proof?”

    Of course she does, “How many fingers am I holding up?”

    “None, you're holding three fingers down.” The proprietress will say. “Two on the left hand and one on the right.”

    The girl will think on it for a moment before coming up with a battery of questions. None of them are incredibly good, but she'll get eh point soon enough. “How old am I and what is my name?”

    The proprietress will pull out a piece of paper and start reading. “You're fifteen and your name is Erica.” The girl, Erica, looks none too happy about it, but keeps going.

    “Why did I come here?”

    “To figure out where Raven was going to be set up for his ambush.”

    “Well?” She's a very rude one, but money is money. The proprietress will sigh and give her an out. When fate's already decided you can't tempt it, might as well pretend to be the better person.

    “You don't have to do this. I can already tell it will end up badly.”

    “I have the cash, look.” That's that, then.

    “Can't argue with that logic. He'll be hiding out on the fifth floor of the Sunrise Tower on an outcropping that oversees Reiner Avenue. That's all I know based on my vision of this conversation.”

    “Is there anything else I should know?”

    “Who knows until we cast the stones?” This is where the vision cuts out and the proprietress starts working on her own.

    “How much?” Erica is getting impatient already. Typical of the youth of today. No respect for the tradition of the thing. No manners either. Perhaps that's just the desperation talking.

    “You've got enough. I lead a very simple life and I'm not here to rip you off. You're only just in high school after all.”

    “Whatever, just do your thing, time witch.”

    “As you wish.” The proprietress smiles. “Also, you may call me Liz. It's what all my friends call me, you know, if I had any friends.”

    “Liz, then.”

    “Thank you.” Liz pulls a few smooth stones from her pockets and motions for Erica to follow her. There are many ways of divining, because it's more to do with the mentality and ability of the seer than it is to do with how they do it. As the name implies, seers see. That's how they figure it out. Liz prefers to look at metaphors for causation to see the future. That's why she started skipping the rocks over the surface of the pond as soon as she reached the edge. Erica looked at her like she was wasting her time before Liz handed her a stone and asked her to skip it.

    “Come now, Erica, the magic doesn't happen unless we all play a part.”

    “I'm bad at this.”

    “You're bad at a lot of things, it has never stopped you before.” Liz smiled again and pat her client on the back. “Have some confidence for once.”

    “Easy for you to say.” Erica flung the small, smooth composite straight into the water. Her skill was in line with her initial prediction unfortunately.

    “Try again, if you please. But be gentler this time, and try to spin it a bit. Like this.” Liz tossed one of her own. “See?”

    “I guess.” Erica took a second stone from the proprietress and tested its weight.

    “Don't guess. We are telling the future here, we need to know.” Liz reminded her.

    “I know you're going into the water if you keep bugging me.” The girl growled when Liz tried to give her another pat on the back.

    “That's the spirit!”

    Splash.

    “I told you I'm not good at this.”

    “Once more. I've a good feeling on this one.”

    “Fine. Last one.” Erica sighed and lazily lobbed the stone across the water. It skipped once before tumbling to the bottom.

    “See?”

    “That was luck.” Erica insisted.

    “That means you're gonna be lucky.”

    “Does it now?”

    “Er... no. But it helped me get a better idea of the course of events.” Liz frowned a little at the end and Erica picked up on it immediately. She didn't say anything about it, but her expression had gone from serious to depressed already.

    “Good enough.”

    “So would you like to hear it now or would you like to get it in writing?” Liz offered, pointing back in the direction of her shop.

    “Just tell it to me straight, Liz. What do I have to do?”

    “Alright, the ambush will take place the night of the attack. No surprises there. He'll be right where I said he'd be. No surprised there. He'll have something called a smiting spell with him. That means it kills things by hitting them with their own spiritual energy. So it doesn't work on normal humans very well. Keep that in mind. The last and most important thing is, you will get some use out of your demon wards. They're the only way you're getting through this alive. So prepare yourself. This is a future that you can easily avoid, but I don't recommend that you do, because it's deeply intertwined with the fate of that Hero. You understand?”

    “Yup.”

    “So, if I may ask, what will you do, Erica?”

    “Liz, it looks like I'm going bird hunting.”