Apprentice

this is a story idea i have had for a long time and i have finally decided to put it into words . i will be putting it up chapter by chapter . hope you enjoy .

They never loved you. Why do you think they all left you to fend for yourself? You meant nothing to them.

Im wandering down an empty road. Theres no sign of life anywhere to be seen. The windows of the near by shops are shattered, dead animal bodies laying around everywhere, cars on fire. But I am alone…or am I?

This place looks somewhat familiar. Not somewhere I have ever been to but somewhere I have seen throughout my dreams. Although I can’t see why, I notice I am walking with something of a limp. Have I gotten hurt? How could I not remember getting hurt? Why am I limping as if I am in pain when I can’t feel a thing.

My eyes flicker open and I realize I am back in my bed, almost drowning in a pool of sweat. Thank god it was only a dream. A reoccurring dream, but a dream none the less. Not being able to stand the feeling of my clothes sticking to every inch of my body, I sit up, throwing off my t-shirt and my sweatpants. No one is home and my door is closed, so who cares if I am naked. I start to relax when my thoughts start to race. What does this dream mean? I have been having this exact same dream almost every night for a little over a year now. Its always the same unexplained story; I am wondering down a road that seems to be going through destruction. I always seem to be injured in some way and I am always alone. Yet I know someone is near but out of view. Then I wake up covered in sweat. Is it coincidence or is this somewhat of a sign?

On that note, I drag myself out of bed and into my bathroom. I don’t have time to waste on a silly dream. Everyone dreams, everyone has nightmares. They don’t mean anything, they’re just there to entertain your mind while your asleep. Right?

I don’t recognize myself in the mirror. My usual ice blue eyes are heavily tinted grey and black and I am paler than normal. Maybe hallucinations are part of this nightmare on repeat. But I don’t dwell on the subject. I turn to my shower and turn the water on scalding hot. I can already see the steam in the streaks of light when I no longer feel alone. It’s a weird sensation, really. I know I am alone but one of my instincts seems to be tell me otherwise. Assuming it’s my little brother; I wrap a towel around my waste and look around my room. Nothing. Probably just my imagination.

The water burns my skin as it runs down every crevice of my body. To any normal human, this would hurt and they’d turn the heat down, but not me. It takes my mind off any problem or pain I seem to be having in the real world.

The clock seems to be telling me I have 20 minutes until school as I step out of the shower. I pull on my everyday attire; a pair of tight fitting jeans, a zip up hoodie, and a beanie to hide the wild mess I actually consider hair. Mom is making breakfast as I descend down the stair railing.

“Patrick? Is that you?” No mom. It’s the boogie man here to eat your brains and pick my teeth with your bones.

“Yeah. Have to get going. Love you!” Im running out the door before she can protest and already half way down the road before I look in my rearview mirror and see her waving absentmindedly.

Mom has pretty much been a wreck ever since dad died. I can imagine why though. Having your closest friend call you one day, saying the love of your life burned to death in an inferno that was once someone’s home. All they found of him was ash and a burnt fireman hat with the name “Chief” on the side. He was admired by some, respected by all. My parents didn’t have a normal relationship as most couples married for 24 years. They acted as though they were still teenagers, still new to the whole love game. As you can assume, it was slightly hard to watch at times. But it was nice to see them both smiling a lot. Mom has definitely gotten better, but I have come to the conclusion that she will never have the smile she smiled at my dad with ever again. She will never have that sparkle in her eye. She looks numb from head to toe and anyone can tell. My brother and I are the only reason she has motivation to get up in the morning. Or at least, that’s what I assume.

The loud vibration of my phone snaps me out of my thoughts and back into reality. It is my best friend Demetria calling, probably to rave about some new clothing item she got or maybe how much she hates snow.

“Hello?” I can hear her sniffling gently.

“Can you come pick me up?” I know she has been crying. And without even asking, I know why. She has been in a horrible relationship for far too long. I have tried to get her away from her loser boyfriend, Todd, but she just won’t leave him. Apparently aside from the physical and emotional abuse, he is a really great guy.

“Im on my way.” I hang up without another word and speed to her house. There she is; her bleach blonde hair straight as a needle hitting her belly, her bangs covering her left eye, tight jeans, black jacket, just waiting for me. She looks cold but her broken heart seems to be camouflaging the chilly winds. I open my car door and walk to her, trying to hide my rage.

“What did he-“ There it is. Right around her left eye. Her bangs don’t seem to quite cover the blue and red ring formed around her eye. There is no stopping me now. I have watching this jerk mess with her long enough. I kiss her forehead gently and walk her back inside.

“Go change, get into something comfortable.” She starts to protest but I just point towards her bedroom and she obeys, heading upstairs. Her mom and sister have already left for the day so I have no problem making her stay home.

Fiddling through her cabinets, I find some hot chocolate and make her a cup.

“I will be right back,” I yell up the stairs. I hear a faint okay and I storm out of the door. Todd will be lucky if he makes it through the next hour of his life.

Speeding faster than normal, I make my way to school in less than five minutes and I am already halfway towards Todd when I feel a gentle tug on my arm. I turn and see an angel. Okay, maybe she isn’t exactly a real angel, but with a face like that, anyone could be easily mistaken.

“I don’t mean to bother you, but I am new here and I have no idea where I am going. Could you possibly help? Everyone else has just shrugged me off.”

I am too mesmerized by her deep green eyes, her ebony hair, and her pale skin to realize I was just asked a question.

“Well?” she proceeds.

“Uhm. Yeah. Can you just give me one second? I have some…business to take care of.” With a simple nod from the beautiful girl, I step away, feeling my rage roar through me again. I finally spot my prey. Todd.

“Todd!” I stare at him. I am standing at the end of the hallway, not caring who hears or sees what is about to happen.

He steps away from his pack of Neanderthal friends and spots me with a smirk. He knows why I am here and he’s ready for some fun. What he doesn’t know is I am here for his head and I won’t settle for anything less.

At this point, everyone in the hallway is staring in silence and is getting ready to watch some limbs fly.

“What did she do this time? Or was it just something to go tell all your friends.” He knows exactly what I am talking about. Me, Todd, and Demi are the only ones who know about Todd’s behavior. So he plays stupid.

“Who?” he smirks again. I am ten seconds away from ripping that smirk right off his face.

Before anyone knows it, I have him pinned to the wall by his neck.

“If you touch ever again, I will make sure you do not have any hands to use to hurt her. Got it?” There is that sarcastic smirk again. So before I go, I decide to give him a warning. My right fist comes up and feels as though I left a dent in his left cheek bone. I see him stumble and I know that’s my que to leave.

Driving back home, the image of the beautiful girl I had seen earlier flashes back into my mind. She was something different from any other girl I have ever known. She seemed as though she had something to hide. Then I remembered I was supposed to show her around. She must be waiting for me. Or maybe she just gave up and decided to figure it out for herself. I needed to find out more about this girl.

Pulling back into Demi’s driveway, there she is, inches from my car. The angel girl. She looks completely different than she did before. Her eyes are gleaming blood red, her hair is pointing in every way. She almost looks immortal. Then in a flash, she is gone.

I jump from my car and look around. Not a single indicator that she was actually there. Not a wiggle of a bush or footprints in the snow; just the whistle of the wind blowing. Was I imagining her the entire time? Was she really even at my school? Maybe my anger towards Todd had struck something weird inside of me and my subconscious mind was imagining her.

Whoever she was, she was beautiful. And I am determined to find her.

 

Author's Note

be easy on me . i didnt edit yet .

Reviews

[Wolfwind]

I really liked this! The story line starts out strong and keeps building quickly. The characters are well described and their personalities shine through the way you described them. I loved how the main character is completely torn from going after Todd for a second by the strange new girl. It was almost like time slowed down as Patrick met the new girls eyes. Then Wham! time sped back up and off he went after the a*****e Todd. I loved the way you're setting this story up. Looking forward to more!

Aaron