Forever [Never] After {Edited:4-10-09}

An adventurous teen girl decides to attempt saving a beautiful 'Princess' from her painful reality. Is Love a possibility? Does the pain ever stop?

 

                       Prologue
Once upon a time, there was a beautiful princess. This particular princess wasn't the usual happy, life-loving girl. In fact, she hated the life she was put in. She longed to have a caring, daring soul come and save her. The princess resides not in the tallest tower behind a dragon, but in the chamber guarded by the king himself. He cannot be slayed, nor shall he be awoken from his hateful dreams. He mustn't see the face of who wishes to save the precious princess. He's mighty and spiteful and only wants what suits him.
  
                    ~Chapter 1- The Journey
  One afternoon, I was set on a journey. I was a dreamer looking to fulfill my destiny and complete my own fairytale. They say my love is forbidden and I shall not kiss, for I have the kiss of death.
  As the story goes, I had a spell put on me in my younger years that made it impossible to fall in love. I've tested the theory and have yet to find any such happiness. I feel heartache and shame and have a seductive power that I cannot control, nor can I choose whom it works on.

  This so-called "power" has put me to shame. It's truly more of a curse than a power. I keep thinking,'If only I could control it...'. Sometimes I think I could break my spell and finally find my fairytale without it.
  Back to the subject of my journey. I rode gallantly through town, my steed being a stunt bike. I threw winks and smiles to every being I thought may bring me happiness. I finally reached the outskirts of town and saw something I had never seen before. I parked my bike in front of the candy shop and walked inside. 
  The elderly man behind the counter was called "Pops" for his many helpful words and his sweet, reassuring voice.

"Hey, Pops!" I say with an ear-to-ear smile.
"Well, good afternoon, Darlin'! Out for your daily adventure, I see. Anything I could do for you?" he chirps, whilst  wiping the counter down with a moist rag.
"No candy on this trip, thank you. But I was wondering if you knew what that strange building up that hill was?", I asked curiously.

He sat a newly opened box of Twizzlers on the shelf and looked out the window with a melancholy look on his face. "Oh, dear.", he said, looking at me. "It's a sad story, to be honest. There's a gentle young woman and her father living there. Nobody knows their names but they call the man 'King'. They say he locks his daughter in the lower chambers, 'away from life's impurities'. She's let out of the evening to cook him a large meal and clean the whole place."
"That's so sad, Pops. Does nobody want to help her? She shouldn't have to slave over him.", I said sincerely.

"There's nothing that could be done. He doesn't abuse her... he just uses her. I feel sorry for her, bless her soul." Pops turned around slowly and went back to emptying the boxes of candy. I smirk and ask him,"Say, Pops. Do you happen to know when he lets her out?" He turned around with a worried look on his face.
"What? No. -I mean, yes. But that's not a place you need to start one of your adventures. You never know what he could to do you."
"Oh, Pops! C'mon! It's not like I'm going to kill someone. I just wanna see what she's like if I get the chance. They won't miss me where I live anyway. Please?", I begged. The puppy face never worked before but it was worth the try.
"Now, Jasi.. I know you are a strong, independant young lady but it's not your wrath that I worry about. I hear the man stands nearly seven feet tall. And he ain't no twig either. I hear he used to be a biker with a police record from hell. I can't allow you to-"
I merely glare at him dully. "I'm not dumb enough to get that close, pops. I just want to know what she's like. Maybe it can be like Repunzel, yeah? It sounds good to me."
He sighs, showing me that I've convinced him. "It just so happens that he should be letting her out in..." he looks at his watch and twists his face like he's thinking really hard. "...twelve minutes. If you really want to do this, you'll need some water for the ride and you need to get on your way. It takes that long to get uphill."
"Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you!!" I run to the fridge and grab a large bottled water, then pay for it. I rush to my bike and run it up the road, then jump on. Wow! That hill looks intimidating.

                ~Chapter 2- Meeting beauty~
   Five minutes into the uphill ride, I grab the water from my bike's built-in holder and chug half of it. "It's a good thing Pops told me to get this!", I think aloud. 
  Another ten minutes pass and I'm breathless at the front doorstep of the scariest building I've seen in my life. I find a side-wall bearing no windows and prop my bike against it. After walking the length of that side-wall and around the corner, I see a window I can look through and not be seen if I duck under the ledge. Before I get close enough to see into it, I hear a rough, manly voice yelling. I peek in and see a beautiful girl with fair brown hair that reaches slightly past her shoulders. "She looks so sad.", I whisper. I wonder why anyone would be saying such vulgar words to a girl as gorgeous as she. He's telling her she didn't cook right, she's putting too much salt..."You useless witch! You're just like your mother! You never do anything right. Wash the dishes you dirtied, sweep up everything you've dropped on my clean floor, and back to the chambers with you! You're a disgrace! I don't see why I even let you out." King screams as he paces, shaking his finger, then gets in her face and yells more. He's speaking so loud and harsh I can't help but flinch and cover my ears.

"Such a beautiful face should never frown..." I say under my breath. "I have to save her."
  She looks toward me but I'm not sure if she saw me. Oh, no!  I duck really fast. Did she see me? Oh, no... what if she saw me? Oh, please, please, please don't tell your dad!  I slowly get up to peek again.
  She has her head down and is still getting griped at as she sweeps the floor.  She's so beautiful...  She peeks up at me through her hair and manages a small grin. I can't help but smile back at her. 
  King has stepped out of the room and disappeared from my sight. Let's hope he didn't decide to murder me for looking at this beautiful....Princess.

  "Hmm. Where did I put that?", I think aloud, feeling each of my many pockets. "Ah. Here we are." I grab a permanent marker and a small notebook from my lower leg pocket and begin to write, "I will save you." and stick the paper up to the window. She squints to read it, then her eyes get huge and she starts to act panicky. I gulp really hard and flip the paper over. "Your room and nearest window?" I show her the paper again and hope she replies.

  The princess reads the paper and gets a worried look on her face. Almost as if she didn't want to be saved. She hesitates and points down the hall behind her, then points down. She shakes her head and sweeps really fast. King walks in and begins yelling again. "You should be done by now! Stop piddling and get to your room!", he looks toward me so I duck and listen for footsteps. His feet sound heavy and quite large as he walks to the window and barely misses me. I close my eyes tight and pray he doesn't see me. It feels like eternity but he finally walks off. I get up, peek to see if the coast is clear, and dust the grass off my pants. He must be over six feet tall! He could squash me like a bug! Maybe Pops was ri-.. No. I shake my head. Now, get a hold of yourself, Jasi. You're strong. Just like he said.. You're independant. You can do this! Yeah! Shake it off! I shake my whole body and bounce loosely like a boxer preparing to fight. Whew. Let's do this.

  She waits a minute or two and opens the window. "Give me your pen and paper." I must've looked dumb as ever staring at her like I did. I couldn't even begin to fathom the fact that she was really talking to me. I finally noticed her hand reaching out to me when she spoke again. "Hurry, he may come back!" She talked barely louder than a whisper but her voice was the sweetest I had ever heard, yet sort of irritated with a hint of urgency. I handed her the paper and pen and she scribbled down directions to her room with a little map at the bottom. "But you must wait until I disappear around that corner and you have to be quieter than a mouse. If he hears you...you may never see day again. Or anything at all, for that matter. There's a window in my room but it cannot be opened. I have to go now. Remember the timing!" The princess closes the window gently and walks away without looking back.

  It must be nearly a hundred degrees today. I grab my half-empty water bottle from the pocket of my baggy, forest green kapris and drink the rest as I wait for the Princess to 'disappear' around the far corner. The hall is dark, causing slight trouble making sure she had fully gone around the corner.

  After about thirty minutes of waiting, she has finished and is fully out of sight. Not only am I ready to search for this beautiful girl, but I'm also ready to pee my pants. I take my cell phone out of my left hip pocket and look at the time. Surprisingly, I find that I've been here for over two hours already. I slip my phone back into my pocket and head over to the chamber area to look for the window I was to crawl into. The map she had drawn me looked practiced and perfect.

  This so-called 'castle' is quite large and takes quite a while to get from one corner to the other. There is only a single window on this particular wall so I know I have the right one. Of course, the window is a little over my head. I'm used to such things since I'm only five foot four. I hop up and down until I see inside and know it is clear to open and crawl in. Thank goodness I've been using the gym lately. I drop my water bottle, turn the volume off on my cell phone and jump up to grab the window-sill. I secure my grasp on it and pull myself up. The window-sill is an old-time one that was made for setting plants on. The window is cracked open about three inches so I stick my fingers into the gap and attempt to open it extremely quietly. It won't budge! CRACK! "Oh, no. Not this, not now! Ugh. Just my luck." The ledge I'm sitting on has started to fall and there is nothing I can do about it. The window just won't open! I hop off and run to get my stunt bike.

  It's beginning to get dark outside so I ride my bike in the newly cut grass all the way to the window and prop it against the wall. Please, please work! I step on my pegs and then onto my seat with my left foot and place my right foot on the handlebars. This has to be the hardest balancing act I have done yet, but I'm not one to give up. After sturdying my feet I push up on the window with all my strength. "It moved!" I chime excitedly, then cover my mouth quickly, hoping I didn't say it too loud. Once I get the window all the way open, I pull myself up and onto the window-sill, slipping inside as fast as humanly possible.

  Squatting against the wall under the window, I scan my surroundings. Me being the random goofy girl I'm known as, I form a gun shape with the both of my hands put together. There's a door in front of me, the kitchen to my left, and creepy dark stairs to my right. Common sense tells me I should go down the stairs. The King's loud footsteps echo and I nearly pee myself. I run down the concrete stairs praying I don't slip or get caught. Whoa, snap! I freeze in mid-step on the bottom step, flailing my arms behind me in a desperate attempt to keep ballance. Shh!, I tell my thoughts. There's a faint singing coming from around the corner. As if in a creapy movie, a light hanging on the wall is lit up like a candle in a cave at the end of the steps. An immediate right U-turn leads to a hall with four doors. Of those doors, two are age-old rounded doors, one of which has a girl on the other side singing. The hall's end has one of the rounded doors on it, two doors are on my left with an abstract painting separating them, the first door being the other rounded one, and the last door is at the end on the right. So much for 'I'm not dumb enough to get that close'. 

  She's leading me to her by singing beautiful lullabies. Her voice is sweet and soothing and, without giving it a thought, I know she's on the other side of the end door. She just has to be.
  As I walk up to the door I get nervous, scared, and excited all at once. TAP, TAP. "Psst. Princess! It's me.", I whisper, hoping she heard. Just to make sure King didn't follow me, I look over my right shoulder and double-check.

                        ~Chapter 3- My hero...~
  The door opens slowly and I see her. She stands no more than three feet in front of me and she's smiling. She stands a few inches taller than I but her face holds a precious innocence that I just can seem to get over. I've never seen such beauty in brown eyes before. My heart feels as though it has stopped and I can't breathe.
"Hurry. Come in. We don't want my father to come and see you," she says whilst waving her hand toward herself. I walk in and take a seat on her twin-size bed.
"So, Princess, h--"
"-Call me Ivory. I'm really nothing special. What's your name?"
"Okay... Ivory. I beg to differ, but I'll not argue with you on that. My name is Jasi."
"Pleasure to meet you, Jasi. It's really quite late, though. Won't your parents be worried? Surely, they'll be looking for you." 
I look down blankly and try to find the words to say. "No need to tell them anything. They have plenty of other children to scream at without my presence. My home isn't exactly what you'd call a 'cozy' place. It's definitely one of my least favorite places to be.
  
  "Nevertheless, Princess..-I mean... Ivory. I'm on a mission and I'm here until I figure out a way to succeed at it. If you wouldn't mind, I'd like to take you...." "shhh! I think he's coming! Hide!" Ivory whispers as she spins around. "Where?" I ask, searching frantically for a place to hide. She snatches my hand and yanks me to a floor rug on the far left side of the room. She had hidden some sort of poorly made floor hatch under the rug by her bed. I quickly open it and jump in.

  The very second I close the hatch, the King flings the door open and stomps around the room. What's that horrid smell?!  I can do nothing but stand beneath the floor, hoping I chose to sit in a blind spot in case that b*****d father of hers opens the 'hidden' hatch. "Who were you talking to?!" he screams. It's giving me the chills just listening to him.
"N-no one, Daddy. I just got lone-" I hear a loud smack that HAD to be flesh on flesh, then a sudden heavy THUD! "DON'T YOU BACK-TALK ME, YA WORTHLESS TRAMP! I know someone's in here! The window at the top of the stairs is open, so, don't you lie to me!" 
  
  Sitting there, still needing to pee, I fight my bodily urges and hold back tears. I want SO bad to jump up and beat him to the ground. Pops told me she wasn't abused. Surely, he didn't know of these painful details. Nah. He wouln't have given in and told me details if he knew.  
  That wretched smell is starting to get to me. I gag and fight back the vomit, then cover my nose and mouth with my T-shirt and hand. My body is now screaming at me to pee and get out of this disgusting hole. 

  Suddenly, I notice an eerie silence has come over the room above my head. There aren't any footsteps, nor any yelling. In fact, I don't even hear whispering. Part of me hopes I missed something when I got distracted and nearly covered the underground room with my own unbearable scents, but the other part of me hopes he was still standing there, searching for more words to scream.

  creeeaakk.  The floor starts screeching, confirming both, my hopes and fears. Someone is moving up there. Is it Ivory? Is she alive? I sit and listen, gagging all the while. Footsteps. Heavy ones. He's still up there. His deep voice rumbles,"Wake up you little w***e." I can't take it anymore! How am I supposed to sit down here wondering if she's even breathing? The air is still again, then King mumbles some words I can't quite make out. It's something to do with her mother.

  Not knowing what's going on is eating me alive. I MUST know! I open the hatch slowly, praying it doesn't make a noise. I look to my left, under the bed, and see King's boots right next to Ivory's motionless body. SMACK! I flinch. He slapped her right cheek and she's now facing me. 
  Her eyes. Her beautiful eyes. They're welling up with tears but there's no trace of a single stray tear running down her cheeks. My hero....

  The next thing I know, I see King's giant right hand grabbing the chest of her shirt, then lifting her up. "-ugh..da-ddy. p-please...don't," she forced herself to speak but she cannot even breathe. He has lifted her up so high I can't see her feet. I look up and see her back toward me. She doesn't fidget. She just hangs there, still, with her hands on his wrist. She looks so lifeless. Has she given up on fighting for her life? Does she want to die? There's no doubt in my mind she knows what he's capable of.

  Unable to bare looking at her in pain, I take a deep breath and get back into the floor. No more than a minute after I close the hatch, I hear an angry, grunt-like growl from King and an immediate wall-breaking crash, followed by shattering glass, and a heavy THUD on the floor, telling me the Princess has been thrown into the wall from quite a distance. She whimpers in agony. Weakened and defeated, she murmers a single word, "Daddy...". King walks out, satisfied with the pain he has just caused the only being that could ever love him.

  The door slams and I get out of the secret hole as quietly and quickly as possible. Her head is uncomfortably propped up on the wall no more than five feet away from where I had been hiding. Rushing toward her, I place her left hand in mine and raise her head, resting it on my right forearm. 
  "Oh, my-... Ivory, are you alright, sweetie?" tears gathering behind my eye-lids, begging to rush freely down my cheeks, I attempt to comfort and reassure my dear new friend. 

                     ~Chapter 4- Story untold~
  Once she calms down and is able to speak comfortably, I ask her about her past. "Has he always been like this? All.. abusive?"
"Merely ten years. He used to love me. Somewhere along the line, he lost that love. I wish I knew how so I could fix it.", Ivory speaks softly and shows no sign of tears. This girl is a warrior. A real trooper. I look up at the wall where she had been thrown. It looks as though the only thing that saved her from getting her head crushed against the wall is a painting she had hit her head on. "Here. Let's get more comfortable." I grab her left hand with my right hand and lift Ivory to her feet, bringing her to the bed. "Is that better?" 

  "It's fine, thanks. This isn't the first time, mind you. The sad detail to it all is that he's never drank a single beer. At least then I would have an excuse for the way he treats me." She looks at me blankly, "He's heartless by nature."

  "I wish there were some way I could change that. You deserve his love." Holding her hand gently, I look in her eyes, "Forgive me if the subject is sensitive, but... where is your mother in this picture?" Suddenly, I see a deep, sensitive hole of pain and anguish appear in Ivory's beautiful brown eyes. Her eyes slowly begin to shine with a sad, glossy hint in them. She looks away from me, lets go of my hand, and stands. "Ivory?"

  Ivory walks around the room and I start to worry. "Forgive me. I didn't mean to re-open old wounds." "No. It's fine. Really. Uhm...She passed not too long ago. Five weeks and one day, to be exact." "I'm so sor-" "Don't be sorry, Jasi. I should be the one apologizing. Surely, you couldn't breathe down in that hatch." She pauses, then shuffles quickly over to me. Grabbing my hand again, "I'm so sorry, Jasi. The truth is...Mother is buried deep down in that hatch. Father..." Her glossy brown eyes begin to release trickles of sorrow and pain. After watching a drip drop down off her face, I reach and wipe away a stray tear. "Father killed her. I didn't see, but I heard the painful scream. I'm afraid of him." Silence consumes the both of us. My pounding heart tastes a pinch of her withheld contrition. As if in a trance, she and I stare, eye-to-eye, attempting to read one- another's mind.

  I stand, holding both of her hands, "Come, now, Princess Ivory. If only for a night, I want to give you a good time. Follow me. I've something to show you." "Jasi, didn't you hear? I'm AFRAID of him! He killed my MOM! If he hears us or sees us, we'll be as dead as my mom's month-old corpse!" Her love for her mother, and fear for her father rush down her rosy, flustered cheeks in a scattered, disorderly manner.

  My smile, then, faded, holding a solemnity unseen by any other eyes. "I understand, Ivory. But fearing the heartless b*****d and running from the greatness that could be, won't get you anywhere. Give me this one chance, will you? Just trust in me, I have a plan. Well, Princess. What do you say to that?"

  "Well, um. I'm not so sure.  But...then again. If you really, truly think you can get us both out, unnoticed, I suppose it's worth a try. But only on two conditions." She grinned, backed away, and put her hands on her waist. "One:",she wipes her eyes and sniffles with a half-forced smirk, "you don't bring me back to this horrid place, and two: you help me start a new life. Deal?" "Erm... sounds good to me. Deal!" Excited to be of some help, I give her a huge hug. "Pack some things, now, Ivory. But try to keep it light." "Sure thing, Jasi. All I want is a change of clothes and- Oh, No! My snow globe! It must have broken when Jed, my father, threw me against the wall. Mother gave this to me when I was three years old. She's nothing but a memory now." "No. No, sweet Princess. That's not so. She may not be where you can touch her, but her spirit will forever watch over you. She can hear every word you say to her. She's your mom. You will never forget her, nor, she forget you. Understand? I'm sure she still loves you and is thinking of you at this very moment."

  Ivory looks up at me as she stands from the squatted position she had been in to analyze the broken shards of what once was her mother's snow-globe. I frown, feeling empathetic for Ivory. The desolate look in her eyes eats me up. "What's the matter, sweetheart?" She's crying now but all she does is close her eyes softly, letting the pain release, as if she hadn't cried in years. It looks like she needs these tears. She'll feel better in a while. "Precious, Ivory. It'll be OK. I promise." Her response is subtle but stunning. She raises her left hand, opens the closed fist, and exposes broken glass in her blood-soaked hand.

  "I'm sorry," she whispers. "I didn't mean to. I was just...," she drops the bloody glass and puts her arms around my neck, not touching me with the pain-drenched palm. "It'll be OK, Princess," I say, in attempt to comfort her. I wrap my arms around her, rubbing her back ever-so softly as she releases a healthy flow of tears onto my shoulder. "It's gonna be alright. I'm here. Just let it out, sweetheart.

  It seems like only a handful of tiny moments passed when she's finally calm and dry-faced, ready to face whatever is to come. My gorgeous new friend sits up and I put my hands on her face. We silently stare into each other's eyes, "Thank you," she says. "I've never had that comfort before." "I'm your friend. That's what I'm here for. Are you ready to head out? It's getting late." "I am most definitely ready. Will I need a jacket?" "Seeing as it's summertime, I don't think so. Uhm...but you should grab one just in case. I'll grab your clothes." Eager to hit the road she and I set out, putting one foot in front of the other with no intention on looking back.

                      ~Chapter 5- Am I dead?~  
  Now at the top of the creepy concrete stairs, we look at each other and take a deep breath. "Jed should be asleep by now. Tip-toe the quietest possible, he wakes easily," Ivory whispers. "OK. Here's the window I came in through. My bike is under it. Do you need anything else?" Ivory shakes her head in response. "I have what I need. Let's do this."

  "Princess, do you see what I see? I left this window open." Our eyes get large. We look at each other at the exact same time, faces filled with panic. "Let's make this fast, Princess." she nods in agreement and I drop the clothes out the window, by my bike. I jump out first so I can catch Ivory if need be. After I move my bike and the clothes I tell her to come on down. The moon is full, providing the needed light. It must be at least ten 'o clock. Oh, how time flies.

  Ivory sticks her head out the window, placing her hands on the sill, sturdying and preparing herself for the drop. She looks at me, showing such a countenance of terror, my heart stops and I stutter,"W-w-what i-is it, P-p-Princess?" "HE'S UP!" she whispers loudly. "Jump! I got you!" Ivory looks back and freaks out more, then the ledge breaks, causing her to fall head first. I stand below her and "UGH!" she lands on me. "Oh, God. Come on! Wrap your clothes in the jacket!" In a hurry to leave, we rush to the bike. "Stand on these back pegs and Hold ON!" We jump on and down the hill we go. It's so steep there's no peddling needed. 

    "Please, don't let him get me." she cries,"I don't want to join my Momma." "No worries, Princess. I have you now." "Please."she mouths lighter than a whisper. "I'm hurrying. We're going to hide my bike down here in the forest, then walk to my house from there." Now, on the main street, I catch my breath, panting excessively. Being able to gently glide on the bike feels so good. I can't help but relax. "I'm going to leave you outside so I can get food and other necessities. Everything will be fine."

    The ride is silent for the next five or ten minutes. By then, we're in the forest and on our way to my house. I only live three blocks away, not counting the quarter mile from the forest edge to the road. "Can I hold your hand, Jasi? I'm still sort of scared." I look at Ivory, trying to read her eyes. "Of course, you can." I smile, then we join hands, lacing fingers. "It's just ahead. Let's take this alleyway." I reach down and grab a piece of steel re-bar by the chain-link fence that outlines the left side of the alley. "What's that for?" Ivory inquires. "I'm never sure if I'll run into a freak of some sort. I've never had to use this but there's no such thing as being over prepared. If something does happen, I know what to do." "Can we not take the long way? I don't like this alley... it gives me the creaps. I mean, haven't we had enough drama for a night?" Ivory's hand squeezes mine, "I wish we had the time to waste, Ivory. I truly do. But we must get to my hide-out as soon as possible. I live just down the road on the other side of this alley. Trust me, will you?" "If I must," she sighs numbly. "Let's get this over with. I'm tired and hungry."

    Moments later, I hear a loud noise in the dark, by the trash cans. We both jump and I prepare to hit someone. There's another small racket, then a raccoon crosses the alley. "It was just a raccoon," I say, stating the obvious. We relax and Ivory grabs my left hand again. Moving on, we finally get to the metal trash cans where the raccoon had come from.
"I bet you weren't expecting me here," says a deep man's voice from the darkness. Ivory gasps, we release each other's hand, and I raise the steel rod again, readying myself to defend my new friend's life. "Get back, Ivory. Who are you and what do you want?" I ask the mysterious shaded figure. He replies, "Awe, so sad. You don't remember me, Jasi? That really hurts. How's about I remind you? 'Run, Jasi! Chris is  ...*Bang* Go!...' ,"he mimicks in a frail, strained voice. "Remember now?" He chuckles. "NO! You b*****d! You killed my father!!" I run toward Chris, screaming bloody murder. This is the day I hadve been waiting over two years for. My father was the only person that ever cared about me. And this man... this horrible excuse for a human, was my ex-boyfriend.

    After smashing ten pounds of re-bar on his left ear, I take four years of withheld rage out on the pitiful, disgusting b*****d that gave me such feelings. The moon shines on me but Chris is swallowed into the darkness. "You're gonna pay for the life you took!!" I grip the re-bar with both hands and repetitively hit him in the head and ribs from every angle possible. Finally, after five good blows or so, he grabs the re-bar in his left hand and my wrist in his right. Bending my arm in unthinkable directions, Chris gets me on my knees in front of him. He raises the re-bar over his head, blood running down his face and staining his gray wife-beater, "Do it. You took away everything that mattered to me. Kill me and let me rejoin my Father." I stare into his icy eyes,"I'll haunt you 'til the day you die." Chris drops my arm and double-handedly swings my weapon against me. I feel a slight sting on my cheekbone, but I black out. Am I dead? I'm unconscious but aware that something is puddling around my face. Damn. Stop hitting me! I can't defend myself!  Wait... he can't... hear m--.....

My head is throbbing. What the hell happened? Did I die? No, the dead don't feel pain. ..Do they?
"Good morning beautiful," an angel says to me. She's gorgeous. Am I dead? It's dark all around, no moon, no street lamp... Nothing. I look around, attempting to find clues of where I am ..or..Who am I?  Wait, I know this one... My name is...um. Natalie. Or is it Jaquelyn? No, I'm not Jaquelyn, I'm Suzie. How do I know all these names but I don't even know my own? 
 So, I'm ...Charlotte, I'm 82, and I like alligators. No, that's not right. Where's the angel? Maybe she'll know. Yeah, that's it! The angel will know. HEY, ANGEL!!! WHERE ARE YOU?!  Whoa! I can't talk. Why won't my mouth move? It's not like I'm freakin' DEAD.  ...Oh, my goodness.. I'm dead. But I still have things to do, people to save, Love to feel. God, why am I Dead!?!?
"Heheh. Silly. You're not dead. Wiggle your toes." the angel?? ANGEL, WHO AM I?? "Jasi." "Mmmm. My name is Jasi." 
"Jasi, wake up! You're scaring me! Stop rolling your eyes back into your head! You're alive!" 
Suddenly, I feel ..... Pain. Ow. "I'm alive! I feel pain!" I yell, throwing my head, unknowingly, off of a comfy lap and onto a hard blacktop. "F**k!", I moan. That was a dumbass move. "What happened?" my eyes blink a mile a minute trying to get focused. "You blacked out right before I jumped on his back. And, thankfully, he ran away before he stabbed me. Some black car drove up and when he saw it, he ran like a little girl. He even wobbled, like this," She imitated a goofy run and I laughed, "Ha-ha.. Just like always." Freeze. Timeout. 'Just like always.'??? What the hell? All this means is that I can still outrun him. Stupid b*****d. Next time you'll die and I'll be the one walking away. Snap! Back to reality.

  "Wow. I bled a lot. He got me good. Oh, well. We need to get going, um... holy crap! What's her name? It's on the tip of my tongue. ..."Ivory. Sorry, my head hurts. It's hard to think. C'mon, time's being wasted." Ivory stands and smiles down at me, "Want a hand?" "Yeah. Thanks." Once I'm up, we hold hands like nothing happened and we both walk away without a limp. Down the road we go. "Thank you, Jasi. For defending me. I apprecia-" "-Don't mention it. That's what friends are for." 

               ~Chapter 6- New Beginning~
  
  "Here we are. Home sweet home," I mutter sarcastically. "Wait right there, off the porch so Mom won't see you. Chances are, she's in a bad mood. And I tell ya, she ain't too pretty when she's in a bad mood. Kneel down, OK?" "Alright. I can do that. Hurry back." It seems, Ivory could be chained up and beaten profusely and still have a gentle voice and that same sweet smile. She's amazing.

  I grab the screen door to the old, shabby, fixer upper house of mine. Just take a deep breath and make no sudden movements. I can do this. The screen screams in pain when I open it, then I kick the bottom corner of the main door to make it budge. I enter the house in the living area, wincing in pain already, preparing myself for the loud yells and hard hits that are promised to me every time I walk in after seven 'o clock. I stand patiently for a moment or two but there's nothing. No slap on the face, no mom yelling at the top of her lungs, spit flying from her mouth onto my face. -Nothing. I open my eyes. No stepdad... Where is everyone?? Beer cans scattered here and there, broken toys, dirty clothes, but no people running around, drinking, eating, playing... It's empty. "Something's not right." I say to myself. I walk upstairs slowly but most definitely not sneakily. The wooden steps are so old and rotten that you have to skip a step every now and again and hope you don't fall through. Any stranger would surely be swallowed by, what my little sister calls, 'The meanie muggle monster'. She's only three years old though. I hope she grows to be something, unlike mother.

  I listen quietly for a moment and find relief in that the house is no longer occupied. Every usual light is on but the house is empty. I hope they got what they deserved. I enter the first door on the left, upstairs, this was my room. Just like every other teen girl, I have posters of hot male singers covering my walls, but I also have a decorative masterpiece on the wall above the head of my bed. It's a mosaic picture I made from my own drawings. An old friend of mine thought I was amazing for it but it's really not that great. In my opinion, anyway. I gather each drawing then, in the top of my closet, find an old backpack I got when I played softball. Oddly, my room is extremely neat and organized. I was recently thinking about running away so I already have my sports bag packed with food, clothes, and other necessities, odds, and ends. I walk around my room looking for anything that could be deemed as useful. Suddenly, it hits me. I have a photograph of my dad and I on our hiking trip the Father's Day before he died. I walk straight to the drawer and pick up the photograph. "I miss you. I hope you're doing well." I say to my dad, then kiss the picture. I place the picture in my backpack then add my toothbrush, pocket knife, and the five or so thousand dollars I'd saved up, into my bag. There's nothing useful left in this piece of junk shack, so it's back to the woods for my friend and I.

  Using my own ethics, I, unlike the rest of my family, turn out each and every light before I step out the door. "You ready to head home, Ivory?" "What? Home?! NO! You promised!" right as she stood and turned to run, "No, Princess! OUR home. Not that old home. That place is history now." Ivory paused, then ran to me and hugged me,"Thank you." "No problem. Ready?" she nods,"Yeah. ..'Home'." Right as we get to the end of the driveway, my nicotine addict neighbor, Shirley, turns her porch light on and steps outside in a raggedy robe, a cigarette between her lips, and such messy hair it looks as though she were head-banging to heavy metal music for three days and not touched it since. "What's it like?" she roughly questions. "I beg your pardon?" I say. "What's it like being homeless, knowing your fucked up family is scattered and pinned?" "What are you talking about? You know what happened?" I wanted to correct her when she called my family 'fucked up' but I knew it was true. Nevertheless, she had no right to say such a thing. Her family is the very meaning of the word 'Disfunctional'. "Of course I know. They all made the scene worth watching. Your step-dad punched a cop and got tackled by three, your w***e of a mom slapped the face off the front of your sister's head, then bit a cop. Hahaha! Then she groped his c**k and sprayed the Mace in his eyes. How pitiful. And you're telling me this is all new to you? Good thing you weren't home." "Why's that?" I'm clenching my teeth now. How dare she. Wait. It's true. F**k! Why does my family have to be s****y? Why can't I have one worth fighting for? "Needless to say, your parents are in the pin and your bratty little siblings are in foster care. -All six of 'em. Better hope they don't know you exist or you'll be in a group home too. Ah. What a life." she turned and walked inside before I could respond. In total shock, I spin on my heels and walk,"Come now...It's time we go." "Hey! Slow down, I don't know the way!" Ivory runs up to me and stays directly by my left side. I finally slow down after we pass the alleyway I had gotten beat up in earlier. This time, we walk around.

  "Are we getting close?" "Yes, Princess, we've been 'getting close' since we started walking." I grin to her. "It's about a mile from here. Maybe less." "Oh. OK," she says dully."Are you alright? What happened back there?" "I'd rather not talk about it. It's not like I care about my mother or her husband, anyway," I spit back, rudely. "But you do love your little.. um. Brothers and sisters. I can see it in your eyes. You want what's best for them. That's good. I've never had that. I'm an only child." Silence consumes, not only the both of us, but also the world around us. There isn't even the slightest sound from animal, nor insect. The walk is quiet as the whole city lays to rest. I can't help but relax and enjoy the sound of.... Peace.

    "Well, it's not much, but this is it. It took me six years to construct. Not a soul knows about it but myself and my Father. And now you." Each consonant and vowel were spoken with pride and dignity. "But, Jasi...It's just a tree-house." "Oh, contrare, my dear! It's a mansion built, not just above ground, but on AND below ground, also. You'll see by daybreak. Dad and I worked every day for over two years on this. The day he got killed, I ran here and, instead of crying, I worked. I built more that day than the both of us ever did in twice that amount of time. Of course, we always horsed around whilst working so the construction took longer. It's fully furnished, has heating and cooling, and has indoor plumbing. Oh, and it's all powered by solar panels in the trees and the water comes from a spring up the hill. Some tree-house, huh?" I look at Ivory to find she's staring at our home, mouth gaping. Ha ha! She's speechless! Just wait 'til she sees the rest.

    Still holding her hand, I lead her to the doorway on the ground level section of the house. I clap the lights on for the room we're in and watch Ivory stare in awe. She's so cute! Sure that I look completely idiotic with that dumb smile, I hide that facial expression and lead her upstairs, to the bedroom she'll stay in. Mid-way up the stairs, she asks,"How is all of this legal?". "Well... It's not." The look she gave me was funny. I couldn't help but giggle at her. "You heard me. It's not legal... but around here, nobody pays enough attention. Especially since it's way out here in the woods. I painted it a camouflage color and only put two windows in. That way, no light will shine outside. The windows are both up here, one being a skylight. There's four bedrooms, two full bathrooms, and an office. All the rest are normal house rooms. Oh, and the basement has one of the rooms, the second bathroom, and an art room. So, here's your room." I clap to turn on the ceiling light, then point up, "As you can see, it has the skylight in it."  "No way! It has a huge bed, and my own mini-fridge, and a walk-in closet! This is mine?" Once again, I giggle at her. "Yes, hon. This is yours. All of it. And you can do whatever you want with it." "What about you, Jasi? Where will you sleep?" "I suppose I'll sleep in one of the rooms downstairs. It's by the bathroom, at the end of the hall." I set her belongings on her dresser and head to the doorway. "If you need me, just knock on the wall or find me. My room is under yours. Goodnight, Princess." 
 "Jasi, wait!" she says right before the door clicks shut. "Yes, Princess?"
 "Umm." she pauses. "I'm hungry. Could I have something to eat?" "But, of course, Sweetheart. Follow me and I'll get you something in the kitchen." 

    She decides on blueberry waffles made from scratch and with fresh blueberries I had picked earlier today. I join her as we eat the scrumptious waffles on the gorgeous red oak table. "Wow, Jasi. That was delicious. Thank you. Umm. I have to ask you the real question I stopped you for. Will you sleep with me? I'm scared. Dad would..." "No, Ivory. Don't tell me. It's okay. I will. But no more bad memories for tonight okay?" "Okay. Thanks." She volunteers to clean me up so I hand her a needle and thread and she stitches my face up. Afterwards, we wash our dishes together, then head to bed. As soon as we're settled, she claps the lights off then giggles,"Sweetest dreams, Jasi." "You too. Rest well." I turn over, facing away from that breath-taking face. I sigh and shut my eyes, then she startles me by putting her feet on mine. I ghasp. "Sorry. My feet are cold. May I?" After steadying my breathing pattern from the sudden chill, I assure her that it's perfectly fine. 
  Dream, my dear. Dream until your fears are gone and dreams are reality.

           ~Chapter 7-Home Sweet Home~ 
    
    "Good morning, my Love. How did the rest?" says a smooth voice, too quiet to confirm a gender. "Very well, my dear. How mightest thy morning be?" "Jasi. Jasi, wake up." As my eyes open and begin to focus, I notice that Ivory has made me breakfast in bed with a single hand-picked rose in a small vase centered on the tray. "Good morning. I made you pancakes and fresh orange juice. I hope you like it. "Aww. Why, thank you. I apreciate this." I take a bite whilst Ivory grins proudly, "Mmm. It's delicious. Thank you, again." Ivory sits at my feet, waiting for me to finish. "It's beautiful outside today. I woke at sunrise, then, around six-thirty, I decided to look at the rest of this creative house of yours." "-ours," I said, calmly, between bites. "What?"
"This house. It's not mine, it's ours." She smiles in response and I return a smile. Though, I can't seem to read the glimpse of emptiness in her eyes. She's uneasy, but tries to mask it.

     Now that I'm finished eating, I go to my favorite bedroom in the house, grab a change of clothes, and get dressed. Ivory lightly taps on my door as I'm half dressed. My back to the door and shirt in my hands I reply,"Come in." "Just wanted -oh. I'm sorry." she said, turning away quickly, hiding her eyes. "No, you're fine. You can look now, I'm dressed." "Umm. As I was saying, I just wanted you to know that I washed your breakfast dishes." "Thank you. But, you know... you aren't the maid anymore. You don't have to slave over anyone. That's in the past, and you're now free to rest and do whatever your heart may please. No permission needed. Why don't you go spin in circles and enjoy yourself??" "Hmm. That actually sounds kinda fun, Jasi. Do I do it here or should I go outside?" I simply look at her with a raised eyebrow, "Oh. Yeah." She giggles,"I'll spin right here."
I watch her as she spins and giggles like a cute little girl. She's so beautiful. What is this I feel? No.. She's a girl. I join her spinning frenzy.

   Dizzily, we both lie on the bed, laughing histerically. Ivory bursts out with a hardly understandable,"Make it stop spinning!" She and I look at each other and slow our bellowing laughter to a gentle giggle, followed by a simultanious sigh. I throw my hands in the air perpendicular to myself,"That was so much fun!" My arms loosen to near noodle consistency as they drop lazily onto the bed, my right hand landing on Ivory's left. Our eyes meet, lingering around each other. Our faces straighten, as we each analyze the other. For the first time in my life I feel butterflies. In a daze, I notice her eyes nearing mine in slow motion. Our eyes close without thought of the matter. I feel her breath on my lips. It tastes and smells sweet. My mouth waters, I shiver uncontrollably for a quick moment, and I come to. "No. wait... I can't." I interrupt the moment. "There's something you don't know about me." I pause, disappointed in myself. Disappointed that I have to ruin such a moment. "It may sound ridiculous but my mom had some crazy lady put a spell on me so I can't fall in Love. And.." "And you believe it?", she inquires, unmoved by my outragious statement. "Uhm. Yeah? Yeah, I do. It's what my uncle tells me, anyway." After a sigh of disbelief, "Alright," she says. "Tell me about this spell of yours. I'm interested now." A brief silence comes over the both of us, interrupted by her failed attempt to hide a chuckle. "Don't laugh at me. They've always been so serious about me having some sort of 'poisonous' kiss. I..." I pause to ponder the seriousness of this ridiculous story. "I guess it does sound kind of crazy, huh?" Giggling, Ivory replies,"Yeah. More than you know." An awkward silence consumes us once again. I stare at the wall, she stares at the ceiling.
 
  After thinking the possibilities over in my head, I turn to this amazingly attractive female, I just so happen to be laying next to at a moment of realization. "May I?",I gently whisper. Her reply is a simple look at my lips. It's a yes. Just do it. But wait.. -what if??  -Just do it.-  All of a sudden, I have butterflies again. Am I just nervous? She touches my left cheek ever-so gently, making my face tingle as if I am hyperventalating. She and I linger face-to-face. I touch her face and trace her perfect cheek-bone, eye, then jaw line, stopping with my hand near her ear. Her breath on my lips gives me chills. I quiver. Our lips welcome each other, carressing one-another with such bliss it's unreal. Is this really happening? I pull away. "What's wrong, Jasi?" My mind wanders off and I stare at the wall as if it interests me. Stunned at myself for .. being.. Gay? "I'm a lesbian?",slips unnoticably in a less-than-whisper. "What? I.. uhm..No? I-" I turn to her but my gaze is far off. "Jasi? What's the matter? Did I..-" "What?," I shake my head, focusing back on the now. "Did I say that out loud?" Ivory turns her head away as if she's looking for what I was staring at. "Yeah. I suppose you did." another sheet of stillness overcomes us. We look at each other at the same time. She's focusing on me. Fixing her eyes so intensely on mine I can't help but look away. "Are you ashamed of me?" she inquires, obviously disappointed in herself. "No, Princess. -I mean; Ivory.- It's just... I'm not sure what just happened. You're not dead, I'm not dead. I am sort of confused, but not at all dead." I touch my index and middle finger to my neck as if to feel for a pulse. "Nope. Still alive." she giggles nervously at me. 

   Why is she so damned beautiful? The next thing I know, her lips are tightly against mine, my hands holding her face to mine. She grasps me, -I relax. Mmm. Perfection. "Wait!" I push her face away and jump backwards, to the edge of the bed. "What is this? What does this mean?" Her reaction? A frown of disappointment once more. I can see in her eyes that she isn't quite sure of this either. "Ivory?" she stands slowly, moving toward the door. "Yes, Jasi?" Our eyes meet again and I'm lost. 
 
   "I think I... " I take a moment to look a way and think it over, but shake my head and, "I think I have something to show you." Her hand in mine, I walk proudly, yet, nervously through the bedroom door, then down the hall and out of the house. "It's a surprize so don't ask about it, okay?" "Alright. I've never had a surprize bef-  Uhm. Nevermind." "No worries. He's gone now and this will make everything better."
   
   We journey through the trees as the sun shines directly above us. Its warmth blankets over us, setting a cheery mood for the both of us.

 

Author's Note

.opinions, critiques... all is welcome. {Latest update: 4-14-09}
Edited VERY often. If you're interested in what you've read, Add/ message me
and I will let you know when I'm finished. It's going fast so keep the look out!!

Reviews

[Wolfwind Words]

I like the idea here! What you have so far is catching, making me want to know more. It reads easy, and I like the different look, when the main character is thinking to her self.

One suggestion. Put a line between each paragraph. Makes it easier to read.

There is a certain sense of caring and tenderness that comes from your main character. It's a breath of fresh air.

I do hope you continue this tale.

Aaron Maycroft

[jesusfreak213]

I love this....

[.::Cup^E^Cake*RaWr!*::.]

still amazing!!!!!! :))

[L.V. Ana]

Hm. It's not very logical, and yet I love it. I find this to be a very refreshing piece. It's interesting, a bit long but so perfect. I love the style of the speaker. The drama is there, but not too hardcore to break the mood, and it works despite the fact that just about none of this could happen in real life. I really, truly enjoyed this piece.

[Xfaerie corpseX]

oh ok...jasi's a girll.....makes more sence.

[+xDrunkenFairytalex+]

Jasi is a girl. Just a quick FYI to all readers. LoL. The idea for all of this comes from real life experiences...but stretched out a bit. The name Ivory comes from the girl I've been in love w/ for 4 years, Ivy. The name Jasi comes from my nickname, Kali... the J on the keyboard is by the K... and the S is the same finger as the L... but on opposite hands.
The King... is an extreme version of Ivy's verbally abusive dad.
If you have questions.. feel free to ask!!

Thanks!,
Kalisa Rachelle

[Xfaerie corpseX]

ok....what?

Jasi's...gay?

[Xfaerie corpseX]

...More...

I like it a lot. i really wanna know if they make it.

[Xfaerie corpseX]

OMG!!! i wanna no what happens!!!

You should so finish it!

[.::Cup^E^Cake*RaWr!*::.]

AMAZING & BEAUTIFUL THAT'S ALL i CAN SAY!