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 Posted: Sun Aug 11, 2013 7:19 am
However, he had come to see yellows. He was traveling around with a group of them, but they were not his yellows. They were just yellows who were okay with his around. Loa had been nice, but Raep and Ironshare were always upset and on their own. It was because they were their own yellows.
It was odd though. He had killed strange things with them to get weapons, and the weapons he made and the beast he fought were made of many colors. Purples, reds, golds, blacks, and blues. Did you need many colors to be strong?
He looked to the new goddess as she spoke and offered him a bag, and he opened them expecting cookies or parts. What there was was nothing at all - which was vastly disappointing. He liked gifts. When she noticed her mistake, she gave him a key and told him to get a heart. He knew what hearts were, and gripping his own chest, he felt uneasy. Who didn't need their heart? They were important!
But a goddess told him to get it, and a pair of cold scissors were set in his hands. Looking at them, he looked back to her. "Okay." He said, and turned to head to the bow with the little door.
Inside the room were 3 doors, which was confusing since she didn't say what door the heart was in. By now, he felt it was too late to go back and ask, and he looked to all three doors, feeling like none were very welcoming. While yellow was what he was around before, it scared him. The red looked aggressive and mean. The pumpkin smiling was strange, but didn't make him feel cold.
He reached for this door.
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Posted: Sun Aug 11, 2013 7:23 am
In the dark, the golds and crimsons that lit up the path delighted him, smiling wide in a way that made it contagious and stretched his face as he moved to the voices. Was this what he was looking for? Whatever the case, he knew that this was something he knew and was, in some way, his.
As he drew closer, he realized it was one voice, feminine, and soft. The noise rose and fell, mellow and casual as if talking to itself ...or maybe to him? He wanted to talk to this voice, and see who it belonged to.
Passing rows and rows of pumpkins, he emptied out into a field of bright flaming flower that lit up the world. It was now quiet, the voice dying down as if noticing he was here and politely hushing. His fingertips brushed flowers as he walked to the center, pulled like a magnet to the tombstone where flowers were etched and the stone read "Here Lies Sophie."
"Sophie." The voice made him smile again, and he went to the stone to touch it, letting his fingers glide against the smoothed stone as he read it again and again in hopes he could bleed the rock for memories.
Ta-dump Ta-dump.
He looked at his feet where on the grave rested a bundle of bright, sunny yellow flowers and he knelt to listen.
Thu-dump. Thu-dump.
His hand naturally went to his own chest, feeling his blue heartbeat, and noticed it was not his own. "The heart." He remembered, and brushed the flowers aside and looked at the bare soil. Gripping the scissors closed in his hands, he dug into the earth and tore, striking down with each beat of the heart until it grew louder and louder. He started to use his hands and brushing off the soil, felt the soft texture of flesh. Picking it, he held it in his hands and watched it slowly stop beating. He got the heart the goddess wanted. He succeeded.
A warm sensation washed over him, and his mind cleared as he heard the mumbled voice speak again.....
"I'm sorry." He whispered as he stood it he darkened room, waiting as the young girl shifted and gave him some space. While he didn't see himself, he knew he was older than her. Still, she shifted and he crawled into the covers, turning off his flashlight as he set a strange stuffed animal to his side. A black and white cat shifted at the foot of the bed, looked at them both, and jumped down to find a place to sleep with more room.
"It's okay. Just wake up before you get caught." She reminded him, and he nodded as he rested his head on the pillow.
"Is it bad tonight?" She whispered, her large, blue eyes looking at him mere inches away.
There was a feeling of dread at thinking about it, saying it out loud, a guilt in being here in the first place, and then the anger boiling in him in having to come here. "Yeah." He admitted. If he said it wasn't bad, then he wouldn't be here. He hated coming here, but the option of being alone was far worse.
Reaching out, she petted the strange, black stuffed animal and then pushed her own, some type of bright colored bear, beside it. "Where was it?" She asked.
"I heard it in the coat closet. It sounds like whispering." He told her, and while she was curious, he could see the fear flash through her eyes as she looked at her own door, wondering if it would stay in the coat closet. He shouldn't have told her were or answered, but he also liked she she asked. She didn't tell him to be quiet or stop. She always asked. Sometimes, he liked her being afraid with him instead of being calm like everyone else.
Scooting closer, she settled again before looking at him. "Pepper will take care of them." She said, and he smiled at the idea of the fat cat taking care of anything other than a can of cat food.
"Cats have special powers. It's why witches have them. I heard Egyptians have them too." She said, reciting something from school. He had heard the same things, but he wasn't sure it was true.
"Maybe she'll go to the coat closet and tell whoever it is to be quiet." He said, and honestly hoped that was true. There was a twisting in his gut as he still heard the sound of whispers. He brought the blankets up a little closer. Her bed was too small for the two of them, and the surrounding was that of a little girl's room, with pink and ruffles all around, and yet here he was, older, seeking comfort.
"We should share a room. Then you can tell me whenever you see bad things." He told her, and he smiled. The idea of having a shared room was both comforting in it's company, but would destroy the order he had in it. It was the one place he wasn't judged for his habits, and he felt he imposed too much on the girl.
"I don't think they'd let us. Anyways, I don't think some of your stuffed animals get alone with my action figures. They'd be upset." He said, giving her an easy to understand explanation. He didn't need her to come to his room and make a mess, or move around things he had in simple order. She grew scared when he came to her room like this, knowing he heard or saw something. She didn't know it happened all the time.
"They''ll listen. They're my friends so they can be yours. I'll protect you with them." She said, smiling but making a brave face with her statement.
"That should be my job. I'm your ....................after all." He felt bad, but even her saying that she would protect him made him feel better. It made him want to protect her even more, even if it was from the troubles he was exposed to.
"And I'm your .......... so I can do that too." She said.
"Ok. Ok. Sure.....I'm sure you can." He gave up. "Good night,......" He said, setting his flashlight between them.
"Good night, ........" She whispered, and soon, the world was quiet. Peacefully so.
The world came back into focus, the yellow flowers by his knees and the heart in his hands. Taking a breath, he put the heart into his bag and rose, looking at the tombstone. "Sophie." He remembered something and felt...strange. Turning, he made his way back.
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Posted: Mon Aug 12, 2013 4:41 pm
One hand was held out to balance himself while the other held the top of the bag closed, not wanting to land on it and hurt the heart, and not wanting to have it fall out.
His ears had been listening for anything, hoping to hear more whispers, but this time he heard sloshing. The ground already felt wet and swampish, and he turned wondering if he'd see the goddess. There was no one there though, and he continued to move to the path between the smiling pumpkins, noticing it was no longer easy to get through as before, and he felt his knees strain as he pressed on.
Again he heard the sound of not just his own feet moving through the murky dark, and he turned again, stopping and listening to make sure that it wasn't just his own legs moving, but just before he knew his own movements ended, he heard the other movements stop too. It was a nagging worry that something was there. "Hello?" He asked.
Please give it back.
His eyes darted around, looking for the speaker, but there was nothing but the smiling pumpkins that almost blinded him now, smiling with flickering flames. "Hello?!" He called again, but there was nothing there.
Feeling afraid, he turned and moved faster down the path, but despite his own determination, he could feel himself sinking into what was now clearly dark water. What was going on? Where did the water come from?
"Goddess?! Goddess, help!" He called, but instead of the goddess, he heard the voice again. He could feel the water rise, lapping against his throat before another step sent it up to his raised chin. Where was the way out? Where did the path go? Where did this water come from?
"Please give me back my-"
His body plunged deep into the water, and his first reaction was to claw his way back to the surface, great bubbles of air rushing out around him as he flailed desperately to rise again. As his hands flew about, he felt arms, and traveled them up to the hands at his neck. The pain was unbearable, and he tried to push away the force that screamed, "Give me back my heart." to him over and over, flashing teeth in the dark waters. The panic of death rushed quickly to meet him, and he felt himself slipping away as if he was a vial of blue ink about to dissolve into these wide, deep waters. He didn't want to go away!
Hands gripped him, pushing across the living room as he fought. "Everyone is tired of you! Just Stop it!" She bellowed, taller now, he hair a long set of curling blonde curls. Blue eyes flashed with anger at him as she stood, tank top and shorts but with sharp, painted nails.
"You're such a b***h!" He shouted back, curling his fists as he shouted from across the room and rose the hem of his hoodie sleeve to wipe at his cheek where she scratched him. His insides were twisting, deeply hurt by her words but wanting nothing more to shout back.
"At least I'm not making people miserable! You're older than me, but you act like a baby! We can't all hold your hand!" She shouted, and he picked up a pillow near him and threw it at her. If there was anything closer, he would have thrown that too, but he had been shoved near the couch and the coffee table only had a few magazines. He decided to pick those up and throw them too, but the cushion was too soft, being deflected, and the magazines just spread their pages and flew in various directions.
"I never asked you to hold my hand! Just do your own s**t and leave me alone!" He shouted back, their voices rising in the sanctuary of his parents being out. His brother was upstairs ignoring them, no doubt worried.
"I would if you didn't ruin all our lives with your s**t." She kicked the table, sending it on her side, and went to storm upstairs. He instead went to the door, not caring that he was supposed to watch them, and slammed it shut behind him. There were quiet places he could go until it was dinner, and he'd make her clean up the mess she made downstairs. He didn't care.
He gasped, gulping water, and clawed at her hands. Sophie! Sophie Stop!
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Posted: Mon Aug 12, 2013 4:52 pm
Reaching for the scissors, he drove them into her face. She wailed, breaking him free, and he rushed out to the surface only to find that the water dissolved around him. The howling faded and he was left on the solid ground coughing and holding his sore neck. As he looked up, light poured over him, and he looked to the door. Open, beckoning, and he raced for it.
Just as he did, he felt a presence against his back, and he turned to see her there. A slender figure in the field of orange flowers, her hair in the breeze, eyes deep and dark like those waters, and the shine of the scissors in her hands.
"I'll come back for you! When I'm a goddess, I'll save you!" He called out to her, and left.
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Posted: Tue Aug 13, 2013 8:00 pm
It was white, and not just from the light. The walls were all devoid of any sign or clue of what this small room was used for other than keeping the gray table. Why was he laying on a table? Why wasn't he sitting in a chair or laying in a bed? His eyes went to check his body, but nothing was different than before, and he slipped off the table carefully to look around and make sure he didn't miss anything.
He didn't. There was indeed nothing here, but the sterile room didn't bother him. He actually liked how tidy it was, but the table was too much, and he wondered why he had fallen asleep when he hadn't remembered ever being tired.
Going to the door, he opened it, and rubbed his eyes, feeling the strain of the lights getting to him and making it hard to deal with the dental-white brightness of the place. As he stepped out, he jumped at hearing a door slam and turned around expecting the door behind him to be closed. It wasn't, and seeing as he didn't see any other doors, he looked inside the room to see that it was the same from before. Nothing.
Heart pounding from the surprise and feeling uneasy, he moved down the hallway. It continued on and on and on, and he saw no doors, and he started to wonder if this hallway looped around but noticed it was straight and he hadn't passed anything. It was nice with how clean it was, but there wasn't anything else to break up the monotony, and the light! Too bright! He tried closing his eyes for a few seconds to give them a break, but nothing seemed to help.
The slam happened again, causing him to jump and quickly turn around. Even as far as the hallway was, he could still see the open door from the room he was in. "Hello?" He asked, wondering if anyone else was here since he had been laid on a table.
When he heard nothing more, he turned to the door and took no more than a few steps before he heard it again. Heart racing, he turned to expect to see nothing again, but this time it was much worse.
The figure was not gray, but black, with color-less eyes that stared at him. It walked towards him, dragging something metal against the wall. Petrified but unable to move, he looked at the hands to see a pair of sharp scissors. There was no paper here to cut. His eyes flashed back to the voidless ones, and it came after and faster until it reached out with dark, inky hands for his neck.
"GET AWAY!" He cried, and shoved again, bolting in the opposite direction from the creature and down the hallway. When at first he thought it was endless, there was indeed a door. An exit, and he raced to it, slamming to a stop as he set his hands out so the wall could cat him and tried to work the handle of the door, shoving his weight against it.
It didn't budge, and he looked around for a lock before seeing the red light, the only color in this white place, asking for a code.
He...He didn't have a code! His eyes glanced back and saw the creature fast approaching!
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MoonKitsune rolled 1 4-sided dice:
3
Total: 3 (1-4)
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Posted: Tue Aug 13, 2013 8:01 pm
Looking about, he saw no code. Where could he even begin to guess? He smashed numbers into the pad but nothing turned green, and he tried the handle and shoved his weight over and over against the door, hoping he could weaken the hinges and allow him to break the door. It wasn't working? He was not heavy, not strong enough. Why did it have to do this to him now?
"Please, open!" He cried.
The shadow moved towards him, it's voice female but echoed in a way that wasn't normal.
Can't even get a door open. You can't do anything right. It's why no one can rely on you. You try and try and try, but no one likes you being around. You were weird then and you're weird now. Even the freaks know how to be a better friend than you. No one at the party liked you because you're still a freak to them. You tried to fit in and it didn't work. You should stay alone. That's what you get. A failure in one life and a failure in another.
He didn't get what she was saying, and tried the door handle again.
Distance: 35
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MoonKitsune rolled 1 4-sided dice:
2
Total: 2 (1-4)
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Posted: Tue Aug 13, 2013 8:01 pm
Looking around, he noticed something else that was red he hadn't noticed before. Snatching it up, he read a line of red letters. "A-C-E-G? ACEG? What does that mean?" He looked to the pinpad to see if the numbers had letters, but there was nothing but numbers.
He turned the paper over and over to see if there was anything else, but there wasn't.
Distance: 30
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MoonKitsune rolled 1 4-sided dice:
1
Total: 1 (1-4)
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Posted: Tue Aug 13, 2013 8:13 pm
The car drove down the interstate, the young woman driving with him in the passenger's side. His bag was in the trunk, and he looked out the window, checking the distance from the sun to the horizon, and checked his watch. Winter was here, and the days were shorter.
"We'll get there in time." She said, and he leaned back, breathing out.
"It's fine. I'm not that bad anymore." But he had his worries. It was a habit ingrained in him to check the time and the sun, like a crazed traveler unable to make distance in the dark.
"That's good. They still worry, ya know." She said, and passed another car.
"What about you?" He asked, looking straight ahead to read the license plates of the passing cars traveling during the holiday rush.
"I know you can take care of yourself...." But she let the words linger. "I'll always worry about you though. You're my _________ after all."
"You don't need to. They don't need to. It's fine. I'm a lot better than what I used to be. It's all under control. I wish ____ and ____ would see that. I'm not a kid anymore."
"You'll always be to them, and ____ always worries. It's what she does. She's happy to see you though."
"Well, you know I always get my tickets early." He had to in order to ensure his travel was during the day. He couldn't afford to panic in a airport or on a plane.
"I'm glad to see you." She said, and he smiled back before looking over at her.
"Me too. It's been a long time."He shook his head, looking up as he heard her sing. Long time........Glad to see youuuuuuuuuu.Distance: 25
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MoonKitsune rolled 1 4-sided dice:
3
Total: 3 (1-4)
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Posted: Tue Aug 13, 2013 8:14 pm
She was closer now, and he shoved at the door again, trying to see if it would budge even an inch. It didn't want to move, and she continued to call to him.
Why go back? There is no reason for you to go back to them. Stay with me. At least I know your failures. They don't care. You're no use to them there. You're weak. You can't even protect the ones you love, and even SHE didn't want you around when you put her in danger. SHE had to fight herself against HIM, and made you mop up her mess. You're no good for them, and their no good for you.
Distance: 20
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MoonKitsune rolled 1 4-sided dice:
2
Total: 2 (1-4)
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Posted: Tue Aug 13, 2013 8:15 pm
He checked the page again, trying to decipher the code, but he had nothing to go by. Even with the paper, he had more luck smashing his forehead into the pen pad and getting the answer. He wondered, if he got the scissors, if he could stab the pen pad, but that would mean getting close to it.
He decided he didn't want that.
Distance: 15
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MoonKitsune rolled 1 4-sided dice:
3
Total: 3 (1-4)
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Posted: Tue Aug 13, 2013 8:16 pm
She kept getting closer, all the while speaking in that unsettling voice.
You should have never tried. You thought you could replace us. You made parties to bring them together, but they just destroyed each other. You can't bring them together. You can't even understand them. You think you can bring together a family when you only strained the ones around you.
Distance: 10
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MoonKitsune rolled 1 4-sided dice:
1
Total: 1 (1-4)
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Posted: Tue Aug 13, 2013 8:18 pm
"Are you okay?" She asked, standing beside him at the beach. The Bombfire rose up, crackling, and dulled the sound of people nearby.
"Yeah." He said, looking up at her as she sat beside him. It was summer, one of the few warm days, and they all gathered at the beach for a Bar-B-Q. The water had been nice, but the sun had long since set. Even marshmallows couldn't make it better.
"Did ___ send you over?" He asked, looking out into the sea of dark figures milling around under festive pineapple lights.
"No. I just don't want to be around anyone." She said, sitting down and watching the fire with him.
They sat together, before the fire, and he sipped his soda.
"Will you walk with me?" She asked, looking to him, her blue eyes wide in the orange glow of the fire.
"Now? Why?" He asked, and she made a peace gesture against her lips.
"You should quiet. She's going to find out." He told her, but felt a degree of apprehension when he glanced down the length of unlit beach.
"That's why you'll be with me." She said with a smile.
"So I'm your cover." He sighed.
"No...I like having the company." And he saw that she wanted protection. Despite knowing full well how he felt about the dark, she still wanted him beside her.
Taking his drink with him, he rose up and dusted the sand off his swim trunks. "Okay. Let's go."
He pushed against the door, and could practically feel her against him.
Distance: 5
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MoonKitsune rolled 1 4-sided dice:
4
Total: 4 (1-4)
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Posted: Tue Aug 13, 2013 8:19 pm
She was practically at his back, but as she moved, he noticed a piece of paper by his feet. Grabbing it, he read the numbers and with quick but clumsy hands, shoved the code into the pen pad before ramming the door.
Hands reaching out, she tried, but he raced before she could reach him.
Distance: 5 - ESCAPE
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MoonKitsune rolled 1 4-sided dice:
4
Total: 4 (1-4)
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Posted: Tue Aug 13, 2013 9:09 pm
He was outside, where gray trees rose and swayed, their branches like claws just like her's reaching out to him. He raced between all these big a** trees* and looked back to see her there, her scissors snipping the air and calling to him.
It's mine...............you took mine...............I'll take yours............................my heart...................that blue, lovely heart..........
He gripped his chest on reflex, and pushed on till he saw a bridge that raced ahead. Without hesitating, he raced over the bridge, arms out to grab the thin, brittle ropes and didn't stop till he was at the other end. Even then, he was about to race when he heard the clatter of boards and thought she was right behind him.
Looking back, he saw her jump back to the other end as the bridge started to fall down, it's boards shaken loose from his run, and she slashed the air with her scissors in his direction. GIVE IT BACK! She bellowed, but he only turned and ran ahead.
Distance: 30 - ESCAPED
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MoonKitsune rolled 1 6-sided dice:
2
Total: 2 (1-6)
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Posted: Tue Aug 13, 2013 9:17 pm
He turned, and she was there expecting him. His eyes looked down at the dagger in his hands, and it glowed in response to confirm his thoughts and no doubt the goddess' desire.
But did he want to kill her? He knew she would kill him. She would take his heart and had already tried, but the memories. She was important. She stretched from a time long ago that he couldn't remember, but she had been there for him and wanted him around. She wanted him for protection, but also hated him as well. Why was she here, like this, now? Why wasn't she gray with a blue heart like him? What had happened.
She reached out, scissors in her hands, and he knew that she was like those other creatures from before. Whatever happened, she was different, and didn't care for him to live or to become a goddess.
He threw the dagger and pushed it deep into her chest where a heart should have been. As he felt cold against his hands, her eyes wide and blank staring at him, he felt a tremor of a memory pass.
He stared at the screen on his computer, the Word document saved over and over again, ready to be emailed. He couldn't send it to her now, as he looked over at the screen and saw she was online still. If he sent it to her now, she'd call, and his heart was already breaking, his eyes red and tears sticky with dried tears. It was a good thing his roommate was out.
It had been the hardest thing to write, even moreso than his _____'s letter. She was everything to him, and they called each other every week. He should call her now, explain, but he knew she loved him enough to keep him on the phone and would hop on a plain. He'd be gone by then.
He'd be leaving her. He had been there for her. She had been there for him. In that time, he had caused them all enough grief, but still he wanted to stay and be under their protection. It wasn't time for that now. He would be getting answers, but he would be leaving all he loved behind. He'd be leaving her.
He could only hope that the pain wouldn't last and her life would be easier, finally, without him. He was her older ________ after all. It was about time he let her go.
Panting, he felt great tears in his eyes and he held her body, and she turned into mist into his lap, gone now. Gone like before. He sat there, dagger in hand, before rising up and turning to the door slowly. Result: Success!
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