And The Sun Is Still Up

    I’m walking the streets of New York and I think it’s a Sunday. I can hear paw steps of either nearby dogs or some Beasts looking for me. It’s around noon and I’m officially freaking out in my mind. Just a few days ago a couple of Beasts followed me everywhere I went. (One word: Creepy). I found they were following me because they jumped on me.

 

I hate the fact that they watched my every move. I look cautiously over my back. Nothing. I breathe out a sigh of relief. I’m worrying too much about this. I think but as I was turning the corner I looked back to where I was heading and I see a boy about my age running from a Beast. He can run fast, I realize with a startle Almost faster than me.

 

Suddenly, without hesitation, the Beast looked straight at me and I swear its eyes are sparkling with delight as it lunged at me. I ducked when the jaws was only a few inches away. I looked around wildly from the Beast to the entire area. I see nobody but that boy who got chased and is now leaning against the wall… panting.

 

I’m so distracted that I barely noticed the Beast slowly walking towards me. I finally look back at the Beast and I am almost literally nose to nose with it. I took advantage of this and observed it more closely and let me just say this thing was bigger than the ones from the future. Maybe about an inch and a half, it’s not the biggest one though. Right behind it is another Beast about a full five feet taller.

 

I look back at the boy. He’s no longer panting but looking from the Beasts to me. I realize the one in the back must be the first Beast, like ever. I can’t take on these things by myself! I left my bow and arrows back at the abandoned apartment building! I am so stupid! I think looking at The Beast. That’s what the people in my time called her.

 

I have to cower in fear! I hate this! I think bitterly while I watch the Beasts looking rather hungry at me. I shiver remembering Acacia. I lower my eyes to the ground and back away slowly where the boy is. Go along with this! I think as I wrap my arms around him and start to bring him down to the ground with me.

 

With my eyes still averted to the ground I pull him closer to me as he realizes why I’m doing this and he too averted his eyes from the Beasts. Both of the Beasts are glowering down at us with their jaws curved back in a snarl. I look at the pendent that attaches my hood. I didn’t even realize I was wearing it. Then again I don’t remember my own name at the moment.

 

Just as I finished thinking about this The Beast sniffed the pendent then unclipped it with its teeth. My breathing grew shallow as The Beast sniffed the top of my golden hair (Very, very, and very weird by the way). The other Beast started to growl and The Beast hushed it with an ear spitting rake to the ground with its claws.

 

Then finally it sniffed my face. Wierdest.Thing. Ever. But lastly it looked me in the eyes. I think it was thinking something along the lines of She isn’t the type to cower in fear. I’m not exactly sure what it was thinking but The Beasts eyes was shining with these mixing emotions of anger, curiosity, and something I have never seen before, interest.

 

Out of nowhere it nipped my shoulder, like it half bit half licked my shoulder, well actually it was on my collar bone but it still hurt. I little out a cry of pain as blood trickled down my shoulder structure. The Beasts walked away in a slow trot then quickened their pace and soon I couldn’t see them anymore. “Ouch.” I say as I move my arms away from the boy. I toughed the spot that The Beast nipped or whatever and started to stand up.

 

I grab my hood which was now red and I try to put it on but surprisingly my collar bone aches worse and worse every time I move it so I give up. “What’s your name?” The boy asks. I look at him. He’s now standing up but looks like he could collapse any minute. “You first.” I say and he looks at me with green eyes that seem to penetrate my mind making me say “I… don’t remember my name at the moment.”

 

He nods like he understands and his brown hair fall behind his face as he looks up at the sky. “My name is Bart Lazaro.” Bart says looking back at me which felt like forever for him to do. Then my name hit me so hard that it almost physically hurt. “My name is Isabella McGreen.” I say and I look at him round eyed because I know who he is. Well, actually I’ve heard about him but still.

 

Bart Lazaro is Acacia’s cousin on her mother’s side of the family.

 

“Do you know about Acacia?” I ask completely out of nowhere. He nodded a yes and I shiver again remembering how cold and lifeless she was. “I was there. I watched her die.” I whisper and I start to back away as the result of the horror in my recall of the door, the prophecy, Acacia… the blood. I shiver at the memory again. No not shiver, shudder. Or at least I think I did because for some reason my body felt cold at the touch and when I looked at my skin it was pale. I shake my head then say “She told me to come here but now I’m regretting it.”

 

“I was told a prophecy by my mother at her death bed and now it was Acacia and she was my best and only friend.” My voice starts to crack and I feel myself shaking every time I breathe. “I lived in a forest at the age of three years old.” And that’s where it started. I told Bart everything from that point on in my life. When I finished I was crying while Bart holds me and asks me where the abandoned apartment building is when my breathing steadied. “Three blocks to your right then turn another right then a left at the fifth alley way. There’s a hole that you fall through then you land right in the bottom floor.” I say my voice shaky and Bart nods and guides me through streets until we find the alley way.

 

 

 

)---à

 

 

“Can you fit through here?” I ask as I point to a hole that I covered with a stone. I’m now crouching beside the hole while moving the coverage. “Um, I think so.” Bart says as he looks down. “It’s not a long jump. That much.” I say unsure, I never really thought about it. Bart just nods and whispers “Down the rabbit hole I go.” I laugh a little at this comment. In the future the most common read book when you’re a kid is ‘Alyss in Wonderland’; mostly it’s the first book you ever read.

 

I jump down after Bart and land on my feet but I sway as dizziness over takes my body for a minute and Bart steadies me in his grasp. “Are you OK?” He asks and I nod. “The Beast poisoned you with that marking. They can make poison flow through your system and if you aren’t strong enough it might kill you.” I let this sink in and I sway more.

 

“She’s just testing you to see if you’re going to be a problem.” Bart explains and I feel like I’m going to collapse. I close my eyes as the world starts to spin around me and I can barely feel the ground under my feet now. Then I think of Acacia and the blood, the prophecy, but lastly I think of how I can, no sorry wrong word, I think of how I will stop this.

 

“There are two rooms across from each other,” I say and I open my eyes to look at him. “The one to the left of here is where I sleep.” I tell Bart and my breathing grows faint and fast. “There are five cabinets but the second to last one has water and gauges.” I state at I lean against Bart for support. My heart pounds in my ears as I walk with Bart helping me.

 

When we got to my room I sat on the ground against the room’s wall, no longer able to walk. I hear Bart walking over to the cabinets as I close my eyes trying to block out the pain in my lungs and heart. My whole body feels like it’s on fire and just when I think I’m about to die, I feel a cold and wet fabric tough my collar bone. I scarcely open my eyes to see Bart applying, a now different bandage gauge, to my bite.

I look at him for a moment then suddenly the ground went black, then Bart, and finally the roof.

 

 

)---à

 

 

 

I wake up to find myself lying, slightly curled, on my bed with my head pounding and my breathing weak. I groan as I sit up slowly (very painful by the way) and start to stand on my feet. A take a hand mirror that’s beside my bed and when I look in it, I can hardly recognize myself. My eyes are dull and they almost look gray, my hair is no longer a golden blonde but a pale yellow, and my skin isn’t a light tan but… well if you’ve ever seen sea-foam, it looks like that. My hood, I think I’m not wearing it… where is it? I look around the room and I see it lying on a chair.

 

I quickly brushed my hair and I begin to put on my hood when there’s a knocking on my door. “One sec!” I say as I was just finished adjusting the hood over my head. “OK now come in!” I walk over to Bart as he opens the door. “Do you always where that hood?” He asks and I roll my eyes. “Of course not! It’s just a bad habit.” I explain and feel Mocha bristling beside my sandals. “Mind calling off your cat-guard?” Bart asks as Mocha hisses at him.

 

“Oh, so you’re telling me that you are scared of Mocha?” I say leaning down to pet Mocha. “ This little sweet-heart? I don’t think anyone can possibly not love him as much as I do.”I state looking up at Bart while Mocha starts purring like a motorcycle and rubbing his head against Bart’s legs. Bart laughs “Well at least you have your sense of humor!” He says while I stand up but he probably doesn’t realize that I’m looking him strait in the eyes.

 

Crossing my arms I say “So you like ‘Alyss in Wonderland’?” Mocha snorts, still purring he walks around Bart in circle. “Did your cat just laugh at me? Ah, never mind, yeah first book and favorite book why?” Bart asks. I shake my head. “Never mind.” I dismiss the topic and start a new one. “You like Mocha now?” I tease as Mocha walks between Bart’s legs and curls his tail forward. “Yeah well if I say he’s adorable will you tell him to stop?”

 

“Mocha go and chase a mouse!” I order playfully and he walks out the room with his tail still curled. I shake my head. “He’s a very playful cat” I explain. “And also very full of himself.”  Bart nods “Well, we agree on that!”  I smile and walk up beside him so that we were shoulder to shoulder. “How’d you know about the poisoning?” I ask in a low voice, still shoulder to shoulder but I turned my head so I’m now looking at the door frame. As much as I want to trust him I can’t be sure.

 

Back in my time they had been rumors of people working for the Beasts undercover. Why was he here? No, better question, how did he get here? If the rumors were true then the Beasts had developed enough technology from humans to send one to follow, befriend, and then kill. I even heard that they had made a devise to communicate with us. More like to command. I took down my hood that shields my face and looked at him through narrowed eyes.

 

“If you’re thinking about the rumors then don’t even bother. If I was sent to kill you, you’d already be dead.” He said in a voice that made it sound simple. I pulled a knife that was hidden in my right glove. “Answer my question. You should also know that I don’t trust others too easily, even if they saved my life.” I point the knife at him and I’m now facing him. I slowly moved my body so my back is facing the wall, there’s distance between my legs, my arms are wide, and I’m leaning slightly out of the room.

 

The first running position I ever learned. Only thing you change is what direction your body is leaning towards. He noticed the change of position and raises an eyebrow. “Do I really seem like I’m untrustworthy?” My breathing slows as I prepare for what I’m about to do. “Maybe but I do know I can’t trust anyone without good reason, oh, and one last thing.” I say right before I kiss him on the mouth. I hit him with the butt of my blade and he falls to the ground, still conscious. I tip my head to the side and crouch down in front of him.

 

“You’re a good kisser.” I finish and I hit him again, knocking him unconscious.

Reviews

[Talismanic]

Really vivid descriptions and an interesting introduction to character, just watch your tense changes between past and present, it can make things feel disjointed in places.
e.g.
'I look at him for a moment, then suddenly the ground goes black. Then Bart, and finally the roof.'
It's an engaging chapter, I'll be waiting for what's next:)

[Heart Of The Shattered]

Thank you and I'll take your advice about the tense changes :)

[Trigorin]

This is really very in-depth and well-thought-out, so kudos to you for that. You've definitely told the story well and you've managed to keep it interesting and engaging all the way through. My one criticism would be to be conscious of not making your main character too boringly flawless. I haven't read the whole thing, just this chapter, but that's just something to think about. All in all, very well done.

[Heart Of The Shattered]

Thank you for your criticism and your comment and I will try to improve. Although, I have come up with a couple of fatal flaws in the main characters personality/life that will appear in the next chapter :)