(RE) Chapter 1: The Night It All Started

Notable dialogue differences and plot point changes. I also hope some of the writing is better! I am in no way a pro writer but I try my best to simply entertain the best I can.

Chapter 1:

     The Night It All Started.

Inside an unfamiliar cabin buried within a forest, sat a girl by the name of Polan. The poor teary-eyed teen was rescued roughly an hour ago from her once standing village, Ethalis. The dim light of a nearby candle barely illuminated just enough to see the room around her. To her right sat the man responsible for her rescue, whose name was Deki.

“Hey, listen, you're fine. You’re safe. I Promise.” He said trying to ease her crying.

Polan sat still and didn't say a word. After a second's passing, she erupted into tears and quickly turned her head to the floor. Crying filled the cabin and Deki didn't know how to help her more than he already did. She tried sucking in her tears but all she could do was pathetically grind her teeth together. Finding a break in her crying, she said,

“I don't know what to do now, I don't know. I’m sorry… I don't wanna do this anymore. I just want to go home...”

Deki sat back into the couch feeling as if his aid somehow tortured the poor girl. He examined her for a short moment as she slowly collected herself and noted the slowly changing color of her eyes.  

Cautiously, Deki changed the subject and asked,  

“What if one of them is still around ya know? ...Your family.”

Polan stood up slowly and awkwardly, shaking her hands violently in impatience. She stepped over to the window in the middle of the living room, there stating,

“ I heard them die Deki. No one made it out that front door but me. ”

“You said you only heard it though. Did you look to see if anyone was still alive?”

After Deki asked that question, Polan sighed. Peering out into the night sky, she noticed the smoke still lingering from the attack. She bit her bottom lip and replied,

“There's no way anyone else is alive after that.”  

“You have no hope what-so-ever? Not even in the slightest?” Deki asked trying to instill hope in Polan.

Polan remained silent, holding her stomach and gazing into the sky. A few quiet moments passed where Deki too looked at the slowly diminishing puffs of smoke that bellowed from Ethalis. The window in the main room was fairly large, about eight feet long by three feet high. The two used this large pane to collect thoughts while taking hopeless glances at the aftermath. Finally Polan broke the silence, saying,

“I don't wanna think anybody is still alive. I don't wanna know where they are, nor do I wanna know what's going to happen to them. Chances are they weren't rescued like I was by you.”

Deki thought back to that moment he found Polan and wondered something he previously overlooked,

“Who were you speaking to right as I showed up?”  

She stopped for a second and had to remember what Deki was even talking about. Polan then explained to Deki,

“Oh… That guy told me I was cursed or something and needed to come with him but then right as you showed up he left. I kinda assumed you two were together up until now.”

Deki raised his brow in interest after hearing her explanation. He wondered,

“You’re saying you’ve never heard of the curse before?”

“No... Why!? Is that like… real or something?”

“You mean to tell me you’re the only person who has gotten the curse and had no previous knowledge of its existence or how to get it?”

Polan’s mouth nearly hit the floor as she as she asked,

“Wait, what?! What are you talking about, how do you know?! How can you tell?!”

“I don't know if you’ve visited a mirror lately but your eyes are glowing a slight hue of red. That's the easiest way to tell if someone's been cursed.”

Polan froze in place, motionless and worried. Her head immediately snapped to the window, there the reflection of the dull glow lit the glass red.  

Then Polan got a bit odd. She slowly walked away from the window and into the kitchen. The sound of drawers being open and closed invited Deki to find out what she could have been doing. By the time he noticed what was going on all he could get out of his mouth was “Polan sto...”. In a split second Polan had wedged a ten inch serrated blade deep into her chest and let out a painful grunt. As she fell to the ground limp, Deki bolted over and looked down at her. He knelt down and slowly pieced together the rest of what he was going to say in the living room.

“Part of the curse means you can't die. Sure... it seems nice having immortality, the thing is, you still age at a normal rate. You’ll eventually get so old all that's left is the soul that inhabits you. I hate to be so blunt but I only do it to not euphamize the matter.” He said ripping the blade from her chest.

Polan’s eyes opened and black mist began to pour from her chest wound. In frustration she pounded the floor screaming,

“Oh my god that hurt like hell!”

On her third floor-punch, Polan noticed she had cracked the floorboard. She rose her fist to her face examining it as if it was a foreign object. Deki, who was now washing off the knife said,

“Punching the floor isn't going to make you any less cursed. It’ll simply make Biff angry.”

Polan moved focus from her fist back to Deki. Asking,

“Wait, who’s Biff?”

“The guy who owns and built this cabin. He’s a bit younger than me and a lot more crass than I could ever be.”

Polan focused back down at her chest. There was no more wound. No more mist. It was almost as if nothing happened at all. The only thing left was a minute scar and a rip in her shirt. Puzzled, she quickly looked up to Deki again, pointing at where the wound had been. Deki smiled back at her and began to walk into the living room again, saying,  

“That is the more desirable part of the curse. The part that make people actually want to bear the weight they must. I never did understand it to be honest.”

From the living room couch he heard Polan ask,

“So I'm really immortal? That's what you're telling me? There's no way for me to die or anything like that?”

Deki reflected on what he was wondering earlier, about how Polan has absolutely no knowledge of the curse. He asked,

“Did you kill anyone tonight or do anything rather out of line that would cause anyone but yourself harm?”

Polan yelled from inside the kitchen,

“What?! That’s not fair! I was being attacked at my house and it was either kill him or die! Why do I get cursed for this?!”

Deki elaborated a tad more,

“Morally, you didn't do anything I wouldn't have done. However since you, I and a lot of other people are baptised through the Albethian Church, this can happen. No matter if it's in one's defense or not, killing is killing... to them anyway.”

Polan quickly shook her head, asking,

“I’ve never been to Alberth though. You’re telling me I got baptised in a place I’ve never been to?”

Nerves whittled away at her stomach and Polan became very dizzy. She whipped off the floor and miserably looked to Deki, muttering,

“I don't even care anymore. I need to use your bathroom, I don't feel good.”  

“It’s at the end of the hallway, have at it.” Instructed Deki with a sympathetic face.

She trudged down the hallway while briefly examining everything around her. Down the hall were four rooms, two on the left, two on the right. Each room had a bed, night stand, lamp and dresser. The first two rooms seemed to be occupied. There were clothes scattered across the one to the left, while the right room was kept tidy. While peering into the cluttered room Polan suddenly felt nauseous and rushed for the bathroom. Thankfully the door had been cracked open, because once she stumbled in, she vomited in the toilet.

The cold porcelain rim cooled her cheek as she laid her head on the seat. Deki walked in a few seconds later, holding a towel in his hand. He calmly said,

“Don't worry about it. Just clean yourself up. You’ll be alright.”

He closed the door and made his way back down the hall. At that moment, Biff strolls in through the front door. He looks disheveled and his long brown hair smelled a bit burnt. As he propped his “Trusty” bow against the door frame, he turned to Deki and said,

"Do you know what's annoying? Not even Zoey showed up to help out their troops. Does nobody give a s**t that Ethalis burns down or is it cool all of a sudden?”

“The city has been low on force since you and I left.”  Said Deki.

“I think that’s total garbage. They didn’t come to help because Ethalis was a free village and did nothing to benefit them.”

Deki looked at Biff and in a concerned manner, asked,

“I wonder if Zoey is ever gonna be able to find it in herself to leave that place.”

“...Who f*****g cares. Let’s not forget who started this whole thing.”

From inside the bathroom came the awful sound of Polan vomiting. Only Biff had no idea that another person was even inside the home. Biff’s eyes fell straight and narrow as he looked at Deki asking,

“...The hell was that?”

"That’s... Polan.”

"You say that as if i'm supposed to know the person. Who is she?"

"Okay. Well, when we got split up back in Ethalis I got down the one road a little bit and saw a row of houses on fire. Outside of the last one was Polan. She seemed scared and in distress so I led her to safety. We do have four beds in total you are aware?”

Biff rolled his eyes and interrupted, saying,

"I didn't ask where you found her I asked who she was. Is she cursed? Is she not? ...Like I want details my friend."

"Yes she's cursed but she never even knew it. She didn't even know that she was baptised through the Albethian Church. Plus she tried killing herself just a little bit ago."

"You’re saying you saw a cursed girl and you decided to shelter her back here?"

“What did you want me to do Biff, let her get killed? She might help somehow, you never know.”

“Let her get killed? She’s cursed! Not to mention she could kill us with her bare hands, in case you forgot. I'm not too sure I like this idea man.”

Biff stopped and stared at the wall above Deki's head while thinking. A few moments passed where everything was awkward. Deki asked,

"What?"

Biff snapped out of his little zone and finished what he was saying.

"How exactly is she supposed to help us out?"

"I’m not too sure what she can do. I’m simply mentioning her usefulness as another resident of the cabin. Me and you can't push the cursed back nor can we stop Narr by ourselves. If she’s cursed and a lot stronger than us, why wouldn't we shelter her? How about this, if something goes haywire not only will I take full responsibility of it but i'll deal with it all on my own. You won't have to worry about a thing."

Biff stopped, adjusted his stance and politely began saying,

"Good, good, then I'm perfectly fine with your decision Deki and hope to see you follow through with it. However keep her on a very short leash. A very, very short, barbed wire leash. Cause someone like her snapping, will kill you and me. So, you're damn right about me not having to worry about anything from there on."

Deki rolled his eyes and calmly responded,

"Stop being the Biff I knew back in Alberth for a second would you. The last people she wants any involvement with is the cursed and she's definitely not becoming part of the Albethian army anytime soon. You should know as best as I do that not all cursed decided their own fate."

"Yeah, right...whatever.” Grumbled Biff.

Deki stared at Biff awaiting a decision. As he always did, Biff stared into some odd corner of the cabin until his thoughts finished. Jokingly, he burst out asking,

“...Is she at least good looking?”

Deki stopped and with a blank look he replied,

“...She’s a teenager Biff, make that judgement call yourself...”

"What are they talking about in there?" Polan asked to herself from inside the shower.

Standing there, Polan tightly gripped her upper left arm with her right hand. Underneath was a burn, a wound she obtained before she was cursed. However, this wound wasn't like her chest wound, this healed slowly, painfully and normally. She exposed it, the warm water felt like acid and she cringed. However it wasn’t the physical pain that hurt the most, it was the emotional pain that burned her. Knowing that the wound  was the last remnant of mortality. Knowing her father, her mother, sister and younger brother were all killed aimlessly only a few hours ago and knowing she was now in an strange cabin with two people she would have never met under any normal circumstances. For a teenage girl, this lack of normality would soon take its toll.

Suddenly there was a knocking coming from the bathroom door, the noise made a very touchy Polan jump. From outside the door came a deeper, more aggressive voice unlike Deki’s kinder and softer voice,

"Hey, there’s clothes by the door. The person they were for never got to using them. For now it's the only women's stuff I got until I go to New Haven tomorrow. When your done I wanna talk to you if that's okay. I'm Biff by the way."

Polan opened one eye and looked in the direction of the door as if a sign of acknowledging what Biff just said. From the other side of the bathroom door Biff stood expecting an answer. Yet nothing, not a word.

Finally done showering, she reached to turn off the faucet. As she turned it, the squeak it let out mimicked the screams she heard during the attack. She winced, then Polan stopped as the drops of water poked at the top of her head. Something that man said to her in Ethalis, something she remembered just now, the nickname he muttered right before Deki showed up; “Po-Po.”

“How did he know that name?” She whispered to herself.

Stepping out of the shower, Polan grabbed the towel and wrapped herself in it. She opened the door quickly and noticed a bundle of folded clothes just outside like Biff said. After quickly slamming the door closed again, she let out a sigh and began to fit herself into them. All she was really wearing now, was a bra, a green zip-up jacket, a pair of jean capris and her torn up shoes. To her it didn't matter though, the simple act of getting dressed seemed kind of pointless.

"I knocked like ten minutes ago I don't get it, why do women take forever to do anything?" Biff asked Deki.

Deki shrugged his shoulders as Biff got up and walked over to the kitchen counter along the back of the cabin. He grabbed some orange juice before quickly scurrying back to his beloved couch to the right of the window. Once there Deki asked him,

“You alright? You seem more wound up than usual.”

Biff slowly turned his head to Deki. Through his teeth, he muttered,

“New people make me anxious. If you couldn't tell.”

“That’s the difference between meeting and confronting. You confront new people, I meet new people...”

Seconds later, a petite strawberry blonde walked out slowly into the main room where Biff and Deki were conversing. Both men silenced themselves and stared directly at Polan. She carefully took a seat on the chair that was next to the couch closest to Deki.

"Hi, thank you for letting me use your shower. I’m sorry If I took a bit, I tend to take longer when i'm upset. I'm Polan by the way." She said forcing the words from her mouth.

"So Biff wanted to talk to you..." Deki started before being cut off by Biff.

Polan nervously turned her attention to Biff who was looking rather curiously at her.

"Listen I’m having kind of a hard time letting you stay with us, being that you're cursed and all.” Biff stated, leaving a sort of harsh energy in the room.

There was a weird silence, Polan stared only at Biff, she asked,

“...So you clothe me and let me use your shower only to kick me out?”

Exhausted and in despair, Polan stood up and let out a deep breath. With her eyes beginning to well up she said,

“Well Deki, this is what I'm saying. You save me, only for this a*****e to kick me out! It's pointless! Biff, if you’re gonna do that to me just use that bow and shoot me straight in the face-”

Biff raised his hand and halted Polan’s sentence. Immediately angered he spurted,

“I get I’m an a*****e most of the time but I'm also the man giving you a roof over your f*****g head. I just wanna be safe and make sure your not gonna turn around and do something stupid. Do I have your word on that?”

“Why would I!? Of course you have my word on that!” She pleaded.

Biff looked over at Deki confused and stated,

“How exactly were you planning on having someone who knows nothing about their curse help us?”

Polan flopped back onto the chair and felt her plea become ignored. From there on she didn't say a word and continued to stare aimlessly. Biff glanced at Deki and Deki shrugged his shoulders at Biff. Then slightly more sympathetically, Biff said,

“Get some rest okay Polan? I'm sorry for going off on you. It’s just been a rough night. Maybe in time you'll just tune me out like Deki does.”

She only sat there and continued to stare at the floor. Biff shook his head for a moment then proceeded to his room. Polan watched where he walked and saw he walked into the left room. How expected of him, she thought.

Polan kept replaying the events of the night in her head over and over. To think, about five hours ago she was in Ethalis, thinking about something completely insignificant and benign. Now, not a shred of resemblance remained to her former self. Polan tried desperately not to think about what happened, only what to do about it now. If dying wasn't an option anymore, what else was there to do? Deki walked over and knelt down eye level with her, explaining,

“He’s not the big scary Biff he try’s make himself out to be. All you have to do is give him his comfortable space and he doesn't do anything. You’ll learn to laugh at him more than cry over him.”

For a brief moment of time, Polan smiled slightly while continuing to stare out the window. The sky seemed darker tonight, in a depressingly metaphoric way.  Polan looked over to Deki and asked,

“If it’s safe.... could we go back tomorrow?”

Deki appeared halted. He then took a deep breath and sighed sorrowfully,

“Polan... I’m not too sure when we can go back.”

“That’s fine Deki, I kind of had a feeling you were gonna say that...”

Deki felt disappointed in himself for not having a solution. He stood back up and said to Polan,

“Depending what happens the next couple of days, we might find a moment to search the area. Until then I'm afraid it just isn't a good idea for any of us, including a cursed. It just isn’t safe...”

Polan sank in her seat a bit before muttering,

“Okay, that's fine.”

“...Goodnight Polan.” Deki said uncomfortably

“Goodnight Deki, thanks for everything tonight. Really, thank you.” sighed Polan.

Deki nodded back at her before heading off to his room. The door shut behind him and Polan got up out of the chair. She crept towards the window all the while thinking over what Deki told her,”It just isn’t safe...” She leaned in on the sill and with a worried look towards the night sky she whispered to herself,

“If I can’t start there I don’t know where to start looking.”

Reviews

[Questmaster]

I like where this is going