ECCLESIA: Episode Three "Days to Come" (teaser)A Chapter by Christoph Poe Background music, if you prefer some. (This is some slower dub step) http://youtu.be/2QKARCPO3sA
ECCLESIA
Episode Three: "Days to Come" I knew nothing At this point in a corrupted time. Ignorance posed a threat, --A suffocating threat-- If I did not rise soon to meet The intellect I possessed. Days passed And I dreamed of Him In the most unusual of circumstances. As if a trigger had been pulled, His auras followed me like the air, The Wind A foreign calling of my name. Kaze stood before me, A hole bled Through the silver silk of my dress. Breathless, I still thought Suffocation and the red Folding down my stomach, Streaming across the silver skirt. He stood tall and Possibly expressionless..., If not for the clouded darkness. In his hand Thumped a ball of pink tissue, The red dripped Pouring from ripped veins Puddling At the soles of his bare feet. And paralysis held me back From retrieving it. I decided to take the next several days off and used the opportunity to assist my older sister in a few household chores. Of course, I really didn't do much. Going back to Mr. Trice's store was no longer an option, and though Kaze provided with me with more than enough money to last me for the next few years, I would and could not lounge and waste my opportunities to invest--possibly even in a small business of my own--or use the limited time to hunt for another job. I shook my head frantically at the thought of ever going back to Gairy's cabin... After a few days, my sister sat at her square dinner table eating alone once again, her husband Krio failing to meet the time, and hopefully was only out working late. In just those few days, my drive increased to see Kaze, and as a result, on this lonely night, hunger didn't bother me the least. "Why aren't you eating?" My sister asked without a tone, agitated with her late husband. The wooden fork sat in the untouched cream potatoes. Silence came, and went. "I'm just not hungry." I watched her jaw contort as her tongue licked the roof of her mouth. She wiped her hands with a tattered piece of cloth, once table napkins, then continued without a missed beat. "Why haven't you been at work?" My lungs filled with air. I had been waiting on the question for days, and though I honestly didn't care if she knew or not, I found that the fact of the matter was none of her business. "Mr. Trice finally closed the store," I explained while grabbing the wooden utensil, though I only flipped it across the edge of my plate, the chunky potatoes snowballing on the prongs. With my head held down, I shot her a glance. Her stare repulsed and guilted me. "Krio can't provide for both of us," she said more kindly than I expected. "You know this?" I rolled my eyes, and thankfully my bangs rested across them. "I'm well aware, Lorri." "Don't you think you need to start looking for another job? It's hard enough for you to get one as it is." Again, Lorri never missed a beat. Her words sparked anger as I crossed my arms. My cheeks grew warm as I turned every ounce of attention towards her. I shook my head as I said: "You just have to, don't you?" Her mouth dropped with disgust. "Serenity, I'm only being realistic--" "You've always been blunt, and you love holding these things over my head." My knotted arms tightened as I waited for her to further ridicule me. "I didn't want to tell you because I knew you'd be pissed, and it's not my fault." Then a brief thought came to me, that technically by letting Kaze into the store early I triggered the series of events that indeed led Mr. Trice to close down the store. However, I'd never let my sister know that much. Lorri picked up her fork, and hesitantly opened her mouth for a bite of potatoes--first glancing at me--then she strictly ignored every word that left my mouth. Part of the issue was her husbands late coming, and though I found acceptance due to only that reason, she needed some sort of awareness to the problems she placed on others. I pushed my chair out from the table, and stood straight. I heaved a breath, and rested my tense muscles in defeat. "Will we ever get along?" I asked. The dark-filled window just behind her chair defined her perfectly. She smacked on another bite, and refused to look me in the eyes even once I chose to be civil. "No," she stated blandly. "I already have another job," I said. Lorri picked up a cup of hot tea, her tiny finger stuck up. "Oh really?" her syllables stretched. Then, she drank. "Is the pay the same?" "Well," I took a heavy and longer-than-usual glance down at the dark table. Admitting to a higher pay might only give her more reasons to up my rent. "It's about the same, I guess." Her blue eyes rolled, and I could only imagine that I rolled them in the same fashion. "So you don't even know how much you're making?" she shrieked. I shrugged. "At least it's a job." There was nothing better I could do for her. I left her stuffing her skinny face as I sped into the living quarters. A cloud of black and gray smoke began to bloom in front of the mantle. I stopped straight-backed, as the cloud grew from floor to ceiling. Krio's large boots slammed against the wooden floor. A hollowed 'boom' echoed. He turned to swipe his arm through the wild smoke, then it disintegrated. "Sere," he said. "Krio," I said back. He smirked. "What's wrong now?" I through my head back, disgusted and agitated. Krio's smirk indicated that he already knew about the issue at hand. Lorri typically was the issue. His tone humble and smooth, he asked: "Did you tell her?" "Wait?" I tilted my head slightly, crossing my arms as I typically chose to do. "How did you know?" He stepped passed me, heavily yet gracefully. "I went to see you yesterday at the shop, and noticed all the boxes. What is he going to do with the rest of the items anyways?" Krio asked, trailing off subject, as he moved into the dining room to meet with his wife. Their padded conversation continued behind the wall: "Stop giving Sere such a hard time," he defended me. A few beats of unspecific sounds flew from Lorri's mouth, shocked yet angry, by Krio's words. I tightened my lips to defeat my growing smile. "Why do you always choose her side?" she threw back at him. "I'm not choosing sides, but it's not her fault," he said. "It's been days now," Lorri continued. "And she's not been anywhere or done anything." He leaned backwards through the door frame of the dinning room, only his head and the backs of his shoulders presented to me. His eyes were rested, but his thin lips fought for triumph over a hint of agitation. "You know," he began, grabbing my attention. "You're really not making this easy for me." The heel of my right foot bounced my body, my arms still warmly crossed, as I turned my head away from him. "I have another job," I said as blandly as my sister. "You do?" he asked with a crooked brow. I assumed he thought I lied to him, and kept my hardened expression. "I found one the day Mr. Trice closed the store," I explained. He straightened himself and leaned his chest lazily against the archway. "What is it, and where?" "I'm cleaning cabins now." "And," he spoke slowly and unrealistically. "This-- this is a permanent job?" his pitch growing higher. "It's not permanent, but it will work until I find something else," I explained myself again. Then I left them to theirselves, and found comfort within my bedroom walls. Night came rather quickly, sleep a terrifying event that would fall much later. A candles light blurred as time moved. I stared at the flickering shadows strung across my bedroom wall, my hip a mountain, my hair the forest, and the ruffles of my shirt-sleeve a city. 'The castle is missing' however, I thought. So I crossed my index finger with my middle, and held them up near my shoulder. 'Perfect!' My smile was faint and downed by my concentration. Too bad castles only existed in the fairytales of my mother's novels--which sat with the dust on shelves, the shelves clinging to the upper proportion of my walls near the ceiling. I dreamed of him again, just the same. He stood, The shape of his face longer, Yet more squared. Older, Yet still young. I breathed With an absence of oxygen, Suffocation followed My thoughts growing frantically To retrieve my thumping heart He held. His head turned, Though the gray shade of his eyes --Appearing blind-- Called out to me. "Please," I begged. "Give it back." He squinted his eyes More slowly While turning his head. His pain contorted back into me As he squeezed his hand And my heart beat harder, More red poring out the severed veins. His head moved from left to right, And he refused to speak. The rapid rise from my bed, the covers across my chest swept to my waist, came with a hollow screeching, my vocal chords straining. My chest rose and fell furiously, my arms tingling and cold. My fingers shook as I attempted to rub them, and my breaths were heavy with bursts of fog brushing in the faint candle light, which now sparked a tiny flame at the nearly gone wick. I cursed as I warmed myself. The heat of the air obviously surrounded me, but my body still shivered an uncontrollable cold. I threw off the heavy sheets, which I soon discovered were heavy and damp. Grabbing the candle for a closer look, my hands still shaking, the wax poured over the small wick and total darkness followed. I dropped the hot wax, a drop or two sticking to my numb feet, as I moved around the black room, my feet creaking against the wood, and my arms knocking over miscellaneous items across my vanity top. The icy metal of the door handle breezed my palm, and I fled down the hallway. With every passing step, the shaking of my body reduced. My mind focused on thoughts of death however, my heart rate growing, though the warmth was beginning to return to my limbs. Stories of unidentified deaths of villagers from neighbors and friends over the years began to boil up from the back of my mind, and as I grasped the edge of the wooden counter top in the kitchen, I looked out the window into the early sunrise. "What have you done to me?" I asked the still and silent air and maybe even the soft glow of the hidden sun. 'I'm forced to think about you all the time. You're leaving me optionless.' Footsteps creaked down the hall, then stopped. Krio stepped silently from a cloud of black smoke, and rubbed the back of his scarred hand against his eyes. "Who are you talking to?" He yawned. Hunched over, my hand half holding my body weight against the counter, I whispered "No one." He paused with a dull look and without him having to ask another nosy question, I rose myself straight and explained further. "I'm only thinking out loud." He nodded while stepping past me to the sink, hardly a hole in the counter. "What were you thinking about?" I breathed, and looked down. "I was paid ahead of time, by the way, but don't tell Lorri that." He poured water from a bucket into a short wooden cup. "Come again?" he said as he turned to me. "I was given two silver coins ahead of time for cleaning a cabin." He put the bucket down. "Who has that kind of money?!" His pitch rose as if he hasn't just rose from the bed. I only shrugged. "That's a lot of money," he said. "That's too much. How long are they expecting you to clean?" I shrugged again. "I really don't know. He gave me the money first as a tip, then once I refused the tip, he offered me work cleaning his sisters cabin." I further explained along the truthful route. Krio kept his stare on me while picking up the cup of water. Then, he drank for the first time of the day. "Who is 'he'?" I hesitated before answering. Krio may or may not have known him, and often times he knew more than what he needed to know. He kept busy and stayed in the business of others, just as he had done now. The morning air was still brittle, and an argument may have ruined the day. Regardless of the facts and statistics, I answered him just as honestly. "Kaze." He chocked on his water, spitting it into the sink. "Do you know who that is?" his voice shrunk as he turned his head over his shoulder. A quick scene flashed in my head, one where I jumped on top of Krio's massive shoulders, and I began beating him with my balled up hands. Humorously, I even pulled out some if his jet hair as he disappeared from under me and I fell onto the floor. WHY? The voice screamed across the membranes of my mind, though my expression remained more empty than a plate of sweet bread. I gave him nothing as the numbness consumed me. "Kaze is engaged to the daughter of the village leader," he said bluntly as if in desperation of a reaction from me. I gave him nothing, once again. My heart thudded a slow and steady rhythm in the background as I glanced down to his feet, my tongue swelling as the saliva of my mouth thickened. "He's engaged to Dyllynn Ailla?" I asked in a small voice. He nodded to me sympathetically, his eyes narrow and with me instead of against me. I wrapped my arms around my chest and looked around the room in search of another subject. A dirty pot sat atop the black oven, a ring of dark dust around its feet from the burning wood. Lorri rarely cleaned that area, I thought to myself, though it was hardly a means for conversation. "I guess I'll find something else to do," I said with my focus on the feet of the oven. "That," he paused. "That would be the best thing to do." I nodded, the ringlets at the tip of my blue hair falling across my shoulders and sliding across my chest. "His sister is bad news," he added. "I've heard things about her--" "What things?" I cut him off quickly. He told me in a hush tone "The Village Council are considering giving her the death penalty." I would have gasped if not for the morning tiredness. Instead, I inhaled. "Why would she be put to death?" He shook his head. "I'm afraid it's her attitude combined with the rarity of her ability. I can't believe you've not heard of her." "No," I shook my head. "I only met her for the first time the other day." Krio threw his arms in the air, yelling a universal question: "What?" My right shoulder rose. "I didn't know who she was." "You avoid her at all costs," he demanded as if he were my father. Despite the comparison though, I didn't care to argue. I stood tall, and made my own decisions. With closed eyes, my lungs filled with the warm air. "I will," I told him. "The last thing your sister needs is your blood on her hands as--" "Stop, stop, stop," I waved my hand. "Let's not bring that up this early in the morning." The release of his breath sounded, and he continued a bit more subtly. "I don't want to see you hurt, mentally and--or--physically." "I'm fine," I assured him with a thrust to my neck. "I can take care of myself." "I'm sure you can," his voice struck the bells of sarcasm as he crossed his arms. My brow fell down across my narrowed eyes as I squeezed my arms together, though he hardly noticed my show of anger. "I'm headed to work," he finished with a change in subject. "Do you need me to come and get you later to take you into town?" I stared into oblivion. "No," I said to him. "I'll walk myself. I don't like it when you teleport me places. It makes me nauseous." "Suit yourself." Krio disappeared, the black smoke surrounding him sucked into a tiny point. He angered me on so many levels, but he had taken care of me far better than my sister ever could. A "dink" sounded with the turning of my body as I left the kitchen. Water splattered across the floor. I glared over my shoulder to see the bucket of water turned over, and it's contents puddling at the base of the cabinets. It was one more odd occurrence to add to my day of events, though I shrugged, and reasoned that the bucket had overturned do to Krio's departure. He had overturned objects in the past. So I disobeyed my father figure, Krio, and I moved through the marketplace like a thief, avoiding the middles of the streets, and passing across the front porches of higher businesses, preventing vulnerability just incase Krio himself was browsing about during one of his breaks. I wore my darker leggings, and a loose shirt with short sleeves. A red string bound the v-neck and pulled the fabric closer to my chest, appearing less revealing. I witnessed many women who wore their v-neck shirts without the strings, their cleavage most noticeable. I sneered at one woman in particular who's clothes were far tighter than anyone, even a man, could bare to look upon. She passed in a bees-line of view, bouncing down a few steps, then disappearing into the strings of the crowd, who appeared to me much like ants. I shook my head, and kept walking, hoping off the end of a banisterless porch, and onto a bed of dried weeds that sat at the beginning of an alley. I turned my head, and glanced down through the shadows. The buildings were at the perfect angles for both walls to be nearly covered in darkness, one sun to my distant right, and the other sun to my distant left. I crossed my arms, and moved down through the alley. Kaze's face appeared in my mind once again, stopping me as I squinted my eyes, crossing my arms, and shivering upon the cold that rushed underneath my skin. "Why can't you stay out of my head?" I whimpered aloud as if in pain. "Excuse me," a masculine voice called. My body jolted, a small screech echoing in the back of my throat. I turned swiftly, my hair swinging around my neck. His steps hardened, and came sweeping towards me. "I've been following you," he said. A long blade stretched across gray bottoms, his black shirt resting on a high chest. His arms stood still as he walked, and as he fell closer to me, his hand reached for his sword, but he did not draw it from its sheath. He approached me as one of the many guards of the village. They kept peace and order, enforcing the ridiculous rules written by the village council. Even my father complained about their abuse of power. "You've been following me?" I asked as boldly as I could. His bony cheeks fell down, then back up. "Your suspicious activity has led me to investigate your actions," he began. "What is your name, and what gifts do you possess?" Intimidation got the best of me, I'd admit. "Serenity Avalore," I said. A moment fluttered by, my arms crossed with sweat as I waited his further questions. "You failed to answer my question: What gifts do you possess?" With squinted eyes, I shook my head to loosen the tension. "I'm Human, sir." He nodded. "Forgive me for being blunt, but I do believe you are lying--" "Sir," I cut him off with a deep breath. "I possess no abilities. I'm merely a Human, nothing more or less. There's no way I could prove it, but--" "There are," he paused strongly, and with a rise of his chin, he trampled me with his superiority. "There are but five people classified as Human within the village, and I know the five of them by name. You're name escapes me..." He quirked his head, "...though it's familiar in the same." "Perhaps you know about my parents, the Avalores, who were murdered a few years ago," I explained. "Yes, the Avalore Massacre." The wind lifted, and pushed through the alley as the guard crossed his arms. Across my neck the gentle cold came; it was as of the wind spoke to me, pulling me away from the guard. The pause in conversation became less awkward with the sounds of leaves and light trash rattling across the dirt. "I'm terribly sorry," his tone was off almost as if forced. "I shouldn't have brought up such a sensitive subject." "You're fine," my words quickened. "If I'm not guilty, then may I be on my way?" His head turned again, the corner of his lip quirked. "I never said you were or weren't guilty." "Then interrogate me so I can be on my way," my arms tightened and my neck grew hot. My boldness embarrassed me at times. "Have you stollen anything?" he asked. "I have stollen nothing," I explained blandly. "I'm on my way to work." "And where might you be working?" "I'm cleaning a Cabin. I've recently lost my job, and no one will hire me considering I'm Human." His eyelids shrank as he thought about the validity of my whereabouts. He couldn't have made it more obvious that he still thought I was lying. "Well, considering you are Human, as you've explained," he bowed with his hand offered. "Allow me to escort you?" I turned away from him, and walked. "I've never needed an escort before, but you're welcomed to follow me." The light came at the end of the alley, and the sheet of heat fell over my golden skin. I knew that he'd follow me; everything became too obvious. (To be continued) © 2013 Christoph PoeAuthor's Note
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Christoph PoeTuscaloosa , ALAbout(I got this!) My name is Christoph and I'm from backwoods Alabama. It's really boring here, but the scenery is always gorgeous! I can't complain because its probably this environment that's brough.. more..Writing
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