A few things you should know about my dad.
1) He believes that I should name a major character of mine "Azerquacker". Don't ask me. It sounds like a psychotic duck, in my opinion. Or maybe just a psychopath. I dunno.
2) He makes fun of me basically 24/7. One of his favorites is "That's a bad hobbit." because of this lord of the rings vid game I was obsessed with a while ago. Which he felt was a bad habit.
3) If I end up with a published book, I will have to hire someone to read it out loud for him. (I do not read out loud) It's not like he can't read, it's more like reading for pleasure doesn't mean anything to him.
4) He's a pretty cool guy.
Quote of the day:
"We're being led by an idiot with a crayon."
-Commander Root of the LEPrecon police
-Artemis Fowl: The Arctic Incident
-DarkHawk09
Chapter Three
3
“Set up camp,” Shadow said, “Then…” he trailed off suggestively.
“He’s bossy,” Dee said in a stage whisper, making sure Shadow was listening. I nodded, exaggerating the movement. Shadow rolled his eyes. “Well, somebody’s got to get you organized,” he said jokingly, and steered us toward camp, his hands on our shoulders. I felt a cold shiver run down my spine that had nothing to do with the chilly evening. “Come on,”
I went over to the clearing, and began work on the tent. Dee helped me out, Jay went to collect firewood, and Karma started digging the fire pit. Once the tent was raised, my job was done, and we were just waiting for Jay to get back, I walked over to a tall tree. I kicked my combat boots off, and laid them next to the tree. I peeled off my socks, and wiggled my bare foot. I was ready. I looked up, and saw the first branch a couple feet above my head.
I crouched low, looking up, and my black hair blew around my head in a whirlwind, and then I sprung, snagging a hold on some of the bark. I let my body take over; let my mind loose, and began to climb. I climbed like a squirrel, fast and precisely.
I knew what I looked like from below; dark hair falling in rivulets down my back, bare toes curled around twigs on the tree’s surface, long fingers holding the tree with a death grip.
I felt a chunk of bark under my hand begin to peel away from the tree, so I let it loose fast, and pulled my self up using another chunk, which I tested my weight on first. I reached the first branch, feeling exhilarated, and looked to the next one. I growled low in my throat, and began the dangerous climb upward.
I liked doing this, sometimes. I liked finding new ways to test my strength, like running, or climbing a tree. Some were more challenging than others, but none were life threatening, unless I fell the wrong way.
I paused then, a few feet away from a branch, and let go with my feet, using only my arms to pull myself up higher and higher. I blew my hair away from my face for what seemed like the twentieth time, and got an arm around the next branch. I pulled myself all the way up onto that branch, and there I sat.
I pulled a decent sized twig from the branch I was resting on, and wound my long hair around it, using other small twigs to keep it in place. I shook my head vigorously, and not one hair came loose. Perfect, I thought to myself. Now I could climb without my hair irritating me and making my journey all the more treacherous. I climbed higher, pausing every now and then to adjust my bow, which I still had on my back. I seldom took it off: only when I was asleep did I lean it on the canvas wall of the tent. I looked down. Then I looked out towards the sun set. Jay was probably back by now. I started to turn, and then something caught my attention. I blinked. “What?” I asked softly. Then I turned and high tailed it down the tree. “Fire! Fire to the West!” I screamed, praying that my friends could hear me.
When I was a couple feet off the ground, I held on to a branch, swinging my body over the edge. I dropped purposefully out of the tree and onto my feet. I hit the ground with the sounds of leaves crunching underfoot barely registering. I stuffed my feet into my shoes again, then I began running in the direction of the tent we’d just set up. I slammed into somebody, but I couldn’t tell who it was. I was knocked off balance, then, catching myself, I looked up to see my friends’ startled faces. Jay was back, thank God.
“What-?” Shadow began.
“Fire!” I burst out. My face must have shown my terror. I could imagine my wide eyed fright all too well. They all looked at me for a second. Then the danger sunk in.
“Get the tent.” Shadow said over his shoulder. I turned to go with the others, but Shadow grabbed my arm. “How far away?” He asked intently.
“A mile. Two, tops.” I said confidently. I knew what I’d seen.
Shadow closed his eyes for a second. “We’ve got three minutes. Or less.”
“How big was it?” he asked, fixing his gaze on me once again. I thought for a second. “I don’t know. It was getting bigger though.” I said finally.
Shadow kept looking at me, curiosity evident in his dark eyes. I wondered what he was thinking catching us slightly off guard. But not for long. We all turned and started ripping the tent apart, stuffing it with less care than usual into our backpacks. I tied mine on immediately, wrapping the straps around my middle and over my arms, tying them tightly. I picked up my bow, slinging it over my back. I was ready to take on anything. I ran, my boots crushing leaves and twigs underfoot. I no longer cared how much noise I made.
“Head for the creek! The creek!” Shadow yelled, pointing east. How he knew it was there, I have no idea. We ran faster than we ever had, the heat of the forest fire at our backs. I glanced over at Dee. She ran like a gazelle, her long legs showing slightly under the gauzy, light-weight skirt she always wore. It was slitted down the sides, allowing her free movement. She was always ready to face danger. Had been for almost eight years. I’d been running from danger longer then she. But I still thought it might forget me for a while. I was very foolish to believe so.
We made it to the creek. We were standing in the deepest part, watching all the animals flee in our direction. Some of them made it before the fire did. Some didn’t. We watched the fire burn itself out on the bank, sparks flying. Dee had her skirt bunched in her fist, holding it above the water. I looked down at my own slitted skirt, flowing around my ankles. The current was tugging at me to play. I’d always loved running water, the sound, the sight of it, even the smell. I’d lived near a lake as a young child, and my fondest memories of that house were of the freshwater surrounding it. I watched a fish snake around my calf. It was no longer than my hand, yet it had no fear of me. That got me wondering if there was anything so lucky as to not be afraid. I pulled at the wet cloth sticking to my thigh and thought that I didn’t want to be afraid. But I didn’t quite like the idea of living without fear, either.
“Kay.” I jumped. I’d been lost in my thoughts again. I looked up at who ever had called my name. It was Shadow. “Yeah?” I answered.
“How did you know?” he asked me. The others were all looking at me, too. Dee was watching me, her eyes darker than usual, somehow, and penetrating.
“How did I know what?” I asked, honestly confused.
“About the fire.”
“I saw it. I was up in a tree, climbing, you know, for a challenge.” I said.
“Kay,” Dee said softly. Her eyes still felt like they were burning holes through me. “You weren’t. You were standing next to me the whole time.” She said, somehow managing to be soft, nice, and matter of fact all at the same time. I opened my mouth to say that was impossible. The texture of the tree bark under my bare feet had been real. The danger, the feeling of adrenaline pumping through my veins had been real. I couldn’t have imagined it all. But something stopped me. I felt all of my muscles relax simultaneously, my knees buckled, and I fell into the stream. I felt my head go under for a minute, I saw someone dive for me, reaching for my hand. I stretched for them. Our fingers barely brushed, and I was sinking. The figure was struggling for air, I could see. I didn’t want them to drown, too. “Go!” I tried to yell at them, but all I did was release a large silvery bubble from my throat. The current swirling my hair in front of my face, blinding me. I watched the bubbles rise from my lips and up to the surface. I felt something tug at my ankle, and glanced down to see a whirlwind of black hair under me. It was tugging me under, over to the deeper part of the water, where I could see nothing but blackness. I felt my last bit of air leave my lungs, and I sank into unconsciousness. I knew I was afraid. I still didn’t know if I wanted to be.
-DarkHawk09
“Set up camp,” Shadow said, “Then…” he trailed off suggestively.
“He’s bossy,” Dee said in a stage whisper, making sure Shadow was listening. I nodded, exaggerating the movement. Shadow rolled his eyes. “Well, somebody’s got to get you organized,” he said jokingly, and steered us toward camp, his hands on our shoulders. I felt a cold shiver run down my spine that had nothing to do with the chilly evening. “Come on,”
I went over to the clearing, and began work on the tent. Dee helped me out, Jay went to collect firewood, and Karma started digging the fire pit. Once the tent was raised, my job was done, and we were just waiting for Jay to get back, I walked over to a tall tree. I kicked my combat boots off, and laid them next to the tree. I peeled off my socks, and wiggled my bare foot. I was ready. I looked up, and saw the first branch a couple feet above my head.
I crouched low, looking up, and my black hair blew around my head in a whirlwind, and then I sprung, snagging a hold on some of the bark. I let my body take over; let my mind loose, and began to climb. I climbed like a squirrel, fast and precisely.
I knew what I looked like from below; dark hair falling in rivulets down my back, bare toes curled around twigs on the tree’s surface, long fingers holding the tree with a death grip.
I felt a chunk of bark under my hand begin to peel away from the tree, so I let it loose fast, and pulled my self up using another chunk, which I tested my weight on first. I reached the first branch, feeling exhilarated, and looked to the next one. I growled low in my throat, and began the dangerous climb upward.
I liked doing this, sometimes. I liked finding new ways to test my strength, like running, or climbing a tree. Some were more challenging than others, but none were life threatening, unless I fell the wrong way.
I paused then, a few feet away from a branch, and let go with my feet, using only my arms to pull myself up higher and higher. I blew my hair away from my face for what seemed like the twentieth time, and got an arm around the next branch. I pulled myself all the way up onto that branch, and there I sat.
I pulled a decent sized twig from the branch I was resting on, and wound my long hair around it, using other small twigs to keep it in place. I shook my head vigorously, and not one hair came loose. Perfect, I thought to myself. Now I could climb without my hair irritating me and making my journey all the more treacherous. I climbed higher, pausing every now and then to adjust my bow, which I still had on my back. I seldom took it off: only when I was asleep did I lean it on the canvas wall of the tent. I looked down. Then I looked out towards the sun set. Jay was probably back by now. I started to turn, and then something caught my attention. I blinked. “What?” I asked softly. Then I turned and high tailed it down the tree. “Fire! Fire to the West!” I screamed, praying that my friends could hear me.
When I was a couple feet off the ground, I held on to a branch, swinging my body over the edge. I dropped purposefully out of the tree and onto my feet. I hit the ground with the sounds of leaves crunching underfoot barely registering. I stuffed my feet into my shoes again, then I began running in the direction of the tent we’d just set up. I slammed into somebody, but I couldn’t tell who it was. I was knocked off balance, then, catching myself, I looked up to see my friends’ startled faces. Jay was back, thank God.
“What-?” Shadow began.
“Fire!” I burst out. My face must have shown my terror. I could imagine my wide eyed fright all too well. They all looked at me for a second. Then the danger sunk in.
“Get the tent.” Shadow said over his shoulder. I turned to go with the others, but Shadow grabbed my arm. “How far away?” He asked intently.
“A mile. Two, tops.” I said confidently. I knew what I’d seen.
Shadow closed his eyes for a second. “We’ve got three minutes. Or less.”
“How big was it?” he asked, fixing his gaze on me once again. I thought for a second. “I don’t know. It was getting bigger though.” I said finally.
Shadow kept looking at me, curiosity evident in his dark eyes. I wondered what he was thinking catching us slightly off guard. But not for long. We all turned and started ripping the tent apart, stuffing it with less care than usual into our backpacks. I tied mine on immediately, wrapping the straps around my middle and over my arms, tying them tightly. I picked up my bow, slinging it over my back. I was ready to take on anything. I ran, my boots crushing leaves and twigs underfoot. I no longer cared how much noise I made.
“Head for the creek! The creek!” Shadow yelled, pointing east. How he knew it was there, I have no idea. We ran faster than we ever had, the heat of the forest fire at our backs. I glanced over at Dee. She ran like a gazelle, her long legs showing slightly under the gauzy, light-weight skirt she always wore. It was slitted down the sides, allowing her free movement. She was always ready to face danger. Had been for almost eight years. I’d been running from danger longer then she. But I still thought it might forget me for a while. I was very foolish to believe so.
We made it to the creek. We were standing in the deepest part, watching all the animals flee in our direction. Some of them made it before the fire did. Some didn’t. We watched the fire burn itself out on the bank, sparks flying. Dee had her skirt bunched in her fist, holding it above the water. I looked down at my own slitted skirt, flowing around my ankles. The current was tugging at me to play. I’d always loved running water, the sound, the sight of it, even the smell. I’d lived near a lake as a young child, and my fondest memories of that house were of the freshwater surrounding it. I watched a fish snake around my calf. It was no longer than my hand, yet it had no fear of me. That got me wondering if there was anything so lucky as to not be afraid. I pulled at the wet cloth sticking to my thigh and thought that I didn’t want to be afraid. But I didn’t quite like the idea of living without fear, either.
“Kay.” I jumped. I’d been lost in my thoughts again. I looked up at who ever had called my name. It was Shadow. “Yeah?” I answered.
“How did you know?” he asked me. The others were all looking at me, too. Dee was watching me, her eyes darker than usual, somehow, and penetrating.
“How did I know what?” I asked, honestly confused.
“About the fire.”
“I saw it. I was up in a tree, climbing, you know, for a challenge.” I said.
“Kay,” Dee said softly. Her eyes still felt like they were burning holes through me. “You weren’t. You were standing next to me the whole time.” She said, somehow managing to be soft, nice, and matter of fact all at the same time. I opened my mouth to say that was impossible. The texture of the tree bark under my bare feet had been real. The danger, the feeling of adrenaline pumping through my veins had been real. I couldn’t have imagined it all. But something stopped me. I felt all of my muscles relax simultaneously, my knees buckled, and I fell into the stream. I felt my head go under for a minute, I saw someone dive for me, reaching for my hand. I stretched for them. Our fingers barely brushed, and I was sinking. The figure was struggling for air, I could see. I didn’t want them to drown, too. “Go!” I tried to yell at them, but all I did was release a large silvery bubble from my throat. The current swirling my hair in front of my face, blinding me. I watched the bubbles rise from my lips and up to the surface. I felt something tug at my ankle, and glanced down to see a whirlwind of black hair under me. It was tugging me under, over to the deeper part of the water, where I could see nothing but blackness. I felt my last bit of air leave my lungs, and I sank into unconsciousness. I knew I was afraid. I still didn’t know if I wanted to be.
-DarkHawk09
Taters....
Mashed Taters (Potatoes)
Sadly, I could only find a link, but all the same, this. Is. Hilarious. I tell you, my sister fell in love with it. It's really quite amusing. For those of you deprived people who don't know, it's from Lord of the Rings.
-DarkHawk09
Sadly, I could only find a link, but all the same, this. Is. Hilarious. I tell you, my sister fell in love with it. It's really quite amusing. For those of you deprived people who don't know, it's from Lord of the Rings.
-DarkHawk09
2
2
When I was younger, I used to read a lot. I remember reading a book about this guy who rescued orphans, and taught them to take care of themselves. When I think of Shadow, that’s what comes to mind, always. I don’t think of him as Dee’s brother, or the strongest person I know, or the oldest and biggest one, or even as my leader. I think of that book, almost immediately. He’s similar in the way that he has a magical mystical level that none of us, even him, has yet to dig deep enough to unearth.
Shadow caught me looking at him, sometimes. When he asked what I was thinking, I told him. I told him that I was thinking that he was the person I trusted most in the whole world. He always grinned at that, and told me that I shouldn’t trust him so much, that he was a good liar. I said that liars always say they don’t lie. He would laugh then, full out, deep and darkly, like he couldn’t quite believe that I thought he was honest. But Shadow is one of those people who, for some inexplicable reason, you just trust, even if you’ve never seen him before. You just know he’ll help you.
“Kay,” Dee whispered, her slight accent there, but not quite obvious. She poked me in the ribs, pulling me out of my reverie. I started, and realized that I’d been staring at Shadow absentmindedly. Dee giggled.
“I’m going,” I told her, and veered of the trail into the thick forest.
None of my friends batted an eye. They were used to me melting into the shadows. They knew that I had my secrets, just as they undoubtedly did. I liked to be in the forest, off the trail. It just felt right. It was cool and clean looking. The knobby bark always held my attention at first, but then as I let my human nature drain away, I started to notice other things. The multi colored flowers, the long stems of some perfect for weaving into hair, others, though, had shorter stems, but the sweet sprays were still beautiful. The darkness a few feet up, where you couldn’t see your hand in front of your face. The millions of birds, so loud when you wanted to hear them, when you were looking for the noise, quieter when you thought they weren’t there. The wolves and deer and other wild animals that knew you were there, and could smell you a mile off. I loved just existing there, living, and being. It felt kind of good, like giving back to the Earth. I liked it. I wove in and out through the trees, keeping a stone’s throw away from my friends. I always kept a tendril of my thoughts concentrated on my human life, because I was afraid that I might lose them, and myself, altogether if I detached entirely from humanity. I could hear my friends, too, so sometimes I closed my eyes and just took breaths in and out, in and out. I did that now, thinking to myself that I was strong and lively, and a part of the Earth. I snapped open my eyes, and a smile lit my face. I trotted out of the trees a quarter hour later, having seen three does, a buck, a fawn, and a wolf cub. I quickly avoided the wolf. I was afraid of mamma wolf, and mamma wolf could smell that. I saw more animals than most people would, I guess because I have a stronger connection with the animals than most humans do. As I came out of the dark leaves of the forest, Karma wheeled around, her blonde hair whirling through the air. Karma was newest to our group, and had yet to learn the sound of the others’ footsteps. Jay knew right off though, for some reason. That made me nervous. Dee and Shadow didn’t break stride as I appeared. I came up next to Dee. I walked in silence for a while. Then a smile lifted my mouth again, changing my face so you could no longer see the scar that started above my eyebrow, and stretched straight across my eye, down to my cheekbone. It was long and pale, contrasting to my tanned skin. I couldn’t remember where it had come from, only that I’d had it forever. “You want to spar tonight? At camp?” I asked eagerly. Dee turned her face towards me. She studied me for a moment, and then a smile broke out on her own face. “You’re on,” She said.
We all had weapons that we trusted, and liked more than others. My weapon of choice was a long bow. I always had it on my back, with a full quiver at the ready. I could also use a knife sword for hand to hand combat. The knife to divert one sword, the long blade to attack with. The bow I still liked better, though.
Dee could use long swords; they were always sheathed on her back. She could have them out and at the ready within seconds, the left slightly lower than the right. So tonight we would go one on one.
Dee and I were evenly matched, despite our size differences. She was small and nimble, flitting in and aiming a heavy blow at me, always stopping just short of contact if I couldn’t block it. But I usually could block. I was fast enough to block her blow, and throw one of my own within seconds, but they always missed her, by centimeters, sometimes.
Sparring was fun to watch, and usually everyone was game to join in. You could learn things about your best friend, things that you never would have unearthed otherwise. We were all good with our weapons of choice. I was the best with the bow; I could hit anything I aimed at. Dee was the only one who even knew how to use long swords.
I liked sparring with Shadow the best; we were most evenly matched, about the same size, and could go on the longest. It had nothing to do with endurance; it was more like neither of us was going to give in to the other. Neither of us would back down.
So when Shadow heard my question, and slowed down enough to ask me if I wanted to go one on one with him, too, my night became doubly interesting.
Quote of the day:
When life hands you a lemon, say "I like lemons. What else ya got?"
-Some guy who's name I can't remember,
-The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants
-DarkHawk09
When I was younger, I used to read a lot. I remember reading a book about this guy who rescued orphans, and taught them to take care of themselves. When I think of Shadow, that’s what comes to mind, always. I don’t think of him as Dee’s brother, or the strongest person I know, or the oldest and biggest one, or even as my leader. I think of that book, almost immediately. He’s similar in the way that he has a magical mystical level that none of us, even him, has yet to dig deep enough to unearth.
Shadow caught me looking at him, sometimes. When he asked what I was thinking, I told him. I told him that I was thinking that he was the person I trusted most in the whole world. He always grinned at that, and told me that I shouldn’t trust him so much, that he was a good liar. I said that liars always say they don’t lie. He would laugh then, full out, deep and darkly, like he couldn’t quite believe that I thought he was honest. But Shadow is one of those people who, for some inexplicable reason, you just trust, even if you’ve never seen him before. You just know he’ll help you.
“Kay,” Dee whispered, her slight accent there, but not quite obvious. She poked me in the ribs, pulling me out of my reverie. I started, and realized that I’d been staring at Shadow absentmindedly. Dee giggled.
“I’m going,” I told her, and veered of the trail into the thick forest.
None of my friends batted an eye. They were used to me melting into the shadows. They knew that I had my secrets, just as they undoubtedly did. I liked to be in the forest, off the trail. It just felt right. It was cool and clean looking. The knobby bark always held my attention at first, but then as I let my human nature drain away, I started to notice other things. The multi colored flowers, the long stems of some perfect for weaving into hair, others, though, had shorter stems, but the sweet sprays were still beautiful. The darkness a few feet up, where you couldn’t see your hand in front of your face. The millions of birds, so loud when you wanted to hear them, when you were looking for the noise, quieter when you thought they weren’t there. The wolves and deer and other wild animals that knew you were there, and could smell you a mile off. I loved just existing there, living, and being. It felt kind of good, like giving back to the Earth. I liked it. I wove in and out through the trees, keeping a stone’s throw away from my friends. I always kept a tendril of my thoughts concentrated on my human life, because I was afraid that I might lose them, and myself, altogether if I detached entirely from humanity. I could hear my friends, too, so sometimes I closed my eyes and just took breaths in and out, in and out. I did that now, thinking to myself that I was strong and lively, and a part of the Earth. I snapped open my eyes, and a smile lit my face. I trotted out of the trees a quarter hour later, having seen three does, a buck, a fawn, and a wolf cub. I quickly avoided the wolf. I was afraid of mamma wolf, and mamma wolf could smell that. I saw more animals than most people would, I guess because I have a stronger connection with the animals than most humans do. As I came out of the dark leaves of the forest, Karma wheeled around, her blonde hair whirling through the air. Karma was newest to our group, and had yet to learn the sound of the others’ footsteps. Jay knew right off though, for some reason. That made me nervous. Dee and Shadow didn’t break stride as I appeared. I came up next to Dee. I walked in silence for a while. Then a smile lifted my mouth again, changing my face so you could no longer see the scar that started above my eyebrow, and stretched straight across my eye, down to my cheekbone. It was long and pale, contrasting to my tanned skin. I couldn’t remember where it had come from, only that I’d had it forever. “You want to spar tonight? At camp?” I asked eagerly. Dee turned her face towards me. She studied me for a moment, and then a smile broke out on her own face. “You’re on,” She said.
We all had weapons that we trusted, and liked more than others. My weapon of choice was a long bow. I always had it on my back, with a full quiver at the ready. I could also use a knife sword for hand to hand combat. The knife to divert one sword, the long blade to attack with. The bow I still liked better, though.
Dee could use long swords; they were always sheathed on her back. She could have them out and at the ready within seconds, the left slightly lower than the right. So tonight we would go one on one.
Dee and I were evenly matched, despite our size differences. She was small and nimble, flitting in and aiming a heavy blow at me, always stopping just short of contact if I couldn’t block it. But I usually could block. I was fast enough to block her blow, and throw one of my own within seconds, but they always missed her, by centimeters, sometimes.
Sparring was fun to watch, and usually everyone was game to join in. You could learn things about your best friend, things that you never would have unearthed otherwise. We were all good with our weapons of choice. I was the best with the bow; I could hit anything I aimed at. Dee was the only one who even knew how to use long swords.
I liked sparring with Shadow the best; we were most evenly matched, about the same size, and could go on the longest. It had nothing to do with endurance; it was more like neither of us was going to give in to the other. Neither of us would back down.
So when Shadow heard my question, and slowed down enough to ask me if I wanted to go one on one with him, too, my night became doubly interesting.
Quote of the day:
When life hands you a lemon, say "I like lemons. What else ya got?"
-Some guy who's name I can't remember,
-The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants
-DarkHawk09
Blah...I Don't care...
I'm off to type about Kay/Shadow/Dee/Karma/Jay....
*walks like a zombie in the direction of keyboard with arms stretched out in front of her*.....
-DarkHawk09
*walks like a zombie in the direction of keyboard with arms stretched out in front of her*.....
-DarkHawk09
Good book or not, uh... remodeled?
Ta-Da! I've been working. The only thing that's the same, is the characters...
Prologue
I lay there, gasping. I tightened all the muscles in my body involuntarily, shaking. The pain was unimaginable, tearing at me from all sides, like someone slashing me with a sword. But I had no opponent, the pain was from inside. I relaxed my muscles, and then tightened them as another round of convulsions hit. The convulsions hit my whole body, causing all of my muscles, ones I didn’t even know I had, to tighten so much more then ever they could if I had done it on purpose. I was gasping, but I couldn’t cry out. I was in so much pain, worse than any I’d ever felt before. I relaxed again, panting, breathing in all the air I could. I felt terrible, now my whole body was sore, like I’d just run a hundred miles. My breathing was quick; I was sucking in air because whenever the pain hit me like that, it wouldn’t let me draw oxygen. I nearly cried out as another round of the strange pain hit me, but the muscles in my throat were so tight that I couldn’t even squeak. It happened three more times, causing me to wonder if I was dying. Is this what it felt like to die? Then so quick I couldn’t even react, it was over. Nothing was happening, and the pain seeped away like it had never been….
1
I snapped up out of sleep, and off of my spot on the dirt floor, my one blanket getting tangled around my legs. “Someone’s coming!” I cried.
Shadow sat up groggily, his shaggy black hair sticking up. “A dream?” he asked me.
“I don’t know,” I whispered, my face flushed from the sudden heat of summer nights.
He considered me for a minute. I knew he could see the carefully hidden terror in my eyes. “Get Jay,” he told me quietly. “We’re gone,” He looked right into my eyes. He knew me better than anyone, except Dee, Shadow did. We had grown up together, in the same orphanage. Shadow turned to shake his thirteen year old sister awake. “Dee!” then started over the piles of blankets to wake ten year old Karma. Dee got onto her hands and knees, the only one out of the five of us who could be instantly awake.
I left the tent, pushing aside one flap, and ran out into the night air, away from the warm light, glowing from the metal work lantern hanging outside on a pole. “Jay!” I called quietly. Jay is nine years old, and he likes to sleep outside, for a reason that none of us can comprehend. I don’t think he even told Shadow, and Shadow’s our leader. If anyone has a right to know anything, it’s our leader. “Jay,” I called again. I spun around as a twig snapped behind me. “Yeah?” Jay whispered.
I tried to calm my racing heart, and said, “Shadow wants us all together, right now.” I turned back to the tent. “Do you even sleep, or do you run around with the night-time predators?” I teased
Jay looked at me solemnly. “I only sleep sometimes,” he said “Other nights there are more important things to do,” That was all we ever could get out of him.
When we got back to the tent, walking noiselessly, the other three had totally dismantled it and were ready to leave. I picked up my pack, swinging it over one shoulder. I had part of the tent tied to the loop on top of my backpack. We all carried part of the tent, that way we could move faster. My pack had a few things in it. I had few clothes, and none of them were heavy cloth, so that took up almost no room. I had threads that I used to weave flowers into my long black hair. I had an old brush that one of the matrons at the orphanage had given me. She said it was rightfully mine, but she didn’t know where it had come from. The brush was small, about the size of my palm, (and I have small hands) and made of silver, with ornamental flowers carved into it. The bristles were horse-hair, according the woman who’d given it to me. And an old black and white photo of my parents. They were standing together, my father’s arm over my mother’s shoulder. They were both smiling, and looking at my mother’s pregnant belly. I love that picture. It’s the most precious thing I own. I looked up then, and saw Dee looking at me. “What?”
She kept looking at me. “Are you alright?” she asked. “What’s wrong?”
Dee has this really creepy ability to know what you’re thinking, sometimes. If I didn’t know better, I’d call it mind reading. Dee knew me better than Shadow. We’d lived together, too. We’d been in the same room at the orphanage. Her parents died in a fire, like mine, but she and Shadow, well, they had it worse than I did. They’d been there. They’d seen their house go up in flames. And they’d known that there was no hope for their family. So Shadow took Dee, and left. Dee had been six years old, Shadow, ten. Shadow had taken Dee and hidden in the streets of New York City. I admired them, their bravery. They’d been so young. I’d been at my friend’s house, playing with her dolls, when I found out. My friend’s mother took me in for a while, sheltered me, found a foster mother for me, and sent me away. I’d been no help to them anyway, moping around all the time. The family I ended up with expected me to be like a maid, scrubbing and cleaning for them. Eventually I ran away, too tired to put up with it anymore, and sick with grief. I ended up mal-nutritioned, dehydrated, and half dead in a side ally in NYC. The matron who gave me the brush found me. She brought me to the orphanage where she worked. She was my only source of comfort for two years. For those two years I refused to talk to anyone, and gave no name. The matron told me I was a nameless beauty. Then, my first piece of good luck for a long time. Dee came to live with me, in the same room. We became like sisters, even though I was fourteen, three years older than her, at ten. Sometimes we shared the same cot, more often sharing our memories. I started to talk to her, only her. I told her what I could remember of my parents, and showed her the only photograph that could be found of my mother and father. She in turn told me about Shadow, how he’d taken care of her until they were found. They hadn’t wanted to be found, she said, Shadow had taken care of her, she said. I wished I’d had a brother to take care of me, I said. Dee laughed. I loved the way she laughed, high and musical, like bells. Dee never told me her name, during our stay at the orphanage, so I called her Belle. She was the most beautiful girl I’d ever seen, I said. I told her what I wanted to do as soon as I hit eighteen. I was going to get a job, and earn my way into a house like my parents’. She said that Shadow was only three years away from eighteen, and that she was going with him when he turned. I said that I’d be sad without her for company. She looked at me in a strange way when I said that. I asked her why she was looking at me like that, and she said, all incredulous, that I was silly; of course I was coming with them. We got out earlier than we thought, though, because Shadow managed to convince the orphanage that he was eighteen when he was actually seventeen. He refused to give his real name, but told them that he was Shadow. Just Shadow. Shadow no middle name, Shadow no last name. Even Dee couldn’t remember his real name. So we got out and for two years, we’ve been nomads, living together, and rescuing other orphans. That’s how Jay and Karma came to be with us; we found them, before they went to an orphanage.
So, Dee knows everything about me. From big things, like my past, and my feelings for her brother, to the little things like what I’m thinking at any given moment. I knew that she knew something was up. “I’m thinking about…. stuff.” I told her. She kept watching me.
“My parents,” I said quietly, whispering so no one else could hear, though they were kind of busy, packing up their stuff. “My past,” And in my head, so nobody could hear, my dream.
Prologue
I lay there, gasping. I tightened all the muscles in my body involuntarily, shaking. The pain was unimaginable, tearing at me from all sides, like someone slashing me with a sword. But I had no opponent, the pain was from inside. I relaxed my muscles, and then tightened them as another round of convulsions hit. The convulsions hit my whole body, causing all of my muscles, ones I didn’t even know I had, to tighten so much more then ever they could if I had done it on purpose. I was gasping, but I couldn’t cry out. I was in so much pain, worse than any I’d ever felt before. I relaxed again, panting, breathing in all the air I could. I felt terrible, now my whole body was sore, like I’d just run a hundred miles. My breathing was quick; I was sucking in air because whenever the pain hit me like that, it wouldn’t let me draw oxygen. I nearly cried out as another round of the strange pain hit me, but the muscles in my throat were so tight that I couldn’t even squeak. It happened three more times, causing me to wonder if I was dying. Is this what it felt like to die? Then so quick I couldn’t even react, it was over. Nothing was happening, and the pain seeped away like it had never been….
1
I snapped up out of sleep, and off of my spot on the dirt floor, my one blanket getting tangled around my legs. “Someone’s coming!” I cried.
Shadow sat up groggily, his shaggy black hair sticking up. “A dream?” he asked me.
“I don’t know,” I whispered, my face flushed from the sudden heat of summer nights.
He considered me for a minute. I knew he could see the carefully hidden terror in my eyes. “Get Jay,” he told me quietly. “We’re gone,” He looked right into my eyes. He knew me better than anyone, except Dee, Shadow did. We had grown up together, in the same orphanage. Shadow turned to shake his thirteen year old sister awake. “Dee!” then started over the piles of blankets to wake ten year old Karma. Dee got onto her hands and knees, the only one out of the five of us who could be instantly awake.
I left the tent, pushing aside one flap, and ran out into the night air, away from the warm light, glowing from the metal work lantern hanging outside on a pole. “Jay!” I called quietly. Jay is nine years old, and he likes to sleep outside, for a reason that none of us can comprehend. I don’t think he even told Shadow, and Shadow’s our leader. If anyone has a right to know anything, it’s our leader. “Jay,” I called again. I spun around as a twig snapped behind me. “Yeah?” Jay whispered.
I tried to calm my racing heart, and said, “Shadow wants us all together, right now.” I turned back to the tent. “Do you even sleep, or do you run around with the night-time predators?” I teased
Jay looked at me solemnly. “I only sleep sometimes,” he said “Other nights there are more important things to do,” That was all we ever could get out of him.
When we got back to the tent, walking noiselessly, the other three had totally dismantled it and were ready to leave. I picked up my pack, swinging it over one shoulder. I had part of the tent tied to the loop on top of my backpack. We all carried part of the tent, that way we could move faster. My pack had a few things in it. I had few clothes, and none of them were heavy cloth, so that took up almost no room. I had threads that I used to weave flowers into my long black hair. I had an old brush that one of the matrons at the orphanage had given me. She said it was rightfully mine, but she didn’t know where it had come from. The brush was small, about the size of my palm, (and I have small hands) and made of silver, with ornamental flowers carved into it. The bristles were horse-hair, according the woman who’d given it to me. And an old black and white photo of my parents. They were standing together, my father’s arm over my mother’s shoulder. They were both smiling, and looking at my mother’s pregnant belly. I love that picture. It’s the most precious thing I own. I looked up then, and saw Dee looking at me. “What?”
She kept looking at me. “Are you alright?” she asked. “What’s wrong?”
Dee has this really creepy ability to know what you’re thinking, sometimes. If I didn’t know better, I’d call it mind reading. Dee knew me better than Shadow. We’d lived together, too. We’d been in the same room at the orphanage. Her parents died in a fire, like mine, but she and Shadow, well, they had it worse than I did. They’d been there. They’d seen their house go up in flames. And they’d known that there was no hope for their family. So Shadow took Dee, and left. Dee had been six years old, Shadow, ten. Shadow had taken Dee and hidden in the streets of New York City. I admired them, their bravery. They’d been so young. I’d been at my friend’s house, playing with her dolls, when I found out. My friend’s mother took me in for a while, sheltered me, found a foster mother for me, and sent me away. I’d been no help to them anyway, moping around all the time. The family I ended up with expected me to be like a maid, scrubbing and cleaning for them. Eventually I ran away, too tired to put up with it anymore, and sick with grief. I ended up mal-nutritioned, dehydrated, and half dead in a side ally in NYC. The matron who gave me the brush found me. She brought me to the orphanage where she worked. She was my only source of comfort for two years. For those two years I refused to talk to anyone, and gave no name. The matron told me I was a nameless beauty. Then, my first piece of good luck for a long time. Dee came to live with me, in the same room. We became like sisters, even though I was fourteen, three years older than her, at ten. Sometimes we shared the same cot, more often sharing our memories. I started to talk to her, only her. I told her what I could remember of my parents, and showed her the only photograph that could be found of my mother and father. She in turn told me about Shadow, how he’d taken care of her until they were found. They hadn’t wanted to be found, she said, Shadow had taken care of her, she said. I wished I’d had a brother to take care of me, I said. Dee laughed. I loved the way she laughed, high and musical, like bells. Dee never told me her name, during our stay at the orphanage, so I called her Belle. She was the most beautiful girl I’d ever seen, I said. I told her what I wanted to do as soon as I hit eighteen. I was going to get a job, and earn my way into a house like my parents’. She said that Shadow was only three years away from eighteen, and that she was going with him when he turned. I said that I’d be sad without her for company. She looked at me in a strange way when I said that. I asked her why she was looking at me like that, and she said, all incredulous, that I was silly; of course I was coming with them. We got out earlier than we thought, though, because Shadow managed to convince the orphanage that he was eighteen when he was actually seventeen. He refused to give his real name, but told them that he was Shadow. Just Shadow. Shadow no middle name, Shadow no last name. Even Dee couldn’t remember his real name. So we got out and for two years, we’ve been nomads, living together, and rescuing other orphans. That’s how Jay and Karma came to be with us; we found them, before they went to an orphanage.
So, Dee knows everything about me. From big things, like my past, and my feelings for her brother, to the little things like what I’m thinking at any given moment. I knew that she knew something was up. “I’m thinking about…. stuff.” I told her. She kept watching me.
“My parents,” I said quietly, whispering so no one else could hear, though they were kind of busy, packing up their stuff. “My past,” And in my head, so nobody could hear, my dream.
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