Lightstringers

Chapter One: Bloody Shopping

I went shopping with my Dad. We had to because prom is coming up next week. But I had this feeling that everything will go wrong. Usually, I am just paranoid so I always make assumption that's not real. But this feeling is different. I didn't give it much thinking and went on with the shopping. "Dad look at this? Is that dress appropriate for prom?" I asked. "Alice. Anything you wear looks good on you," said father as he hugged me. "I'll go try it," I said. "Alice wait. We need to go. Like now," said my father as he took my hand and flew out of the store. "Father. Wait, I have to have a dress." "We need to go," exclaimed Father. "Can you at least tell me why are we running?" I asked. "Just keep moving." I listened to him. I kept moving until... dead. My father was killed by a very thin and light arrow. When I took it out it dissolved. Now, I lay on the floor with my dead father, covered in blood. I looked around to see how might've done that. But the people weren't bothered to look at us. As I was about to scream and cry, I felt something hit the back of my head. Then darkness.

I tried to wake up but couldn't because I heard people talking. They were talking about me? "What were you thinking? I told you to bring her without any scratch. You accidently hit her father, really. Thinking he was a shadow," said a woman. "What did you want me to do? He saw me and panicked. Then they started running, so I had choice but to hit him. But I didn't mean it to have such impact," said a man. "Where... why is it so bright?" I whispered. "Where am I?" I asked. "Good, she's awake. Are you okay?" asked the woman. "Yeah, just excruciating pain in my head," I said while trying to sit upright. "Yeah sorry for that. Someone here has some problems with understanding directions," the woman said while glaring at the guy standing next to my bed. The woman stood 5' 2. Her olive skin had a harsh feel about her. She had a burn mark on her face. Her face was triangular with a turned-up nose, and very thin lips. Her brown eyes were angular and she had thick eyebrows.

She had tall, curly, black hair which was pulled into a ponytail. She wore natural-coloured lipstick, a subtle foundation to hide her acne, lime blush and red eyeliner.

She had strong arms, a narrow torso with chiseled abs as it was showing because of her white crop top, angular hips, and toned legs. The man beside her, stood 6' 2, this olive skinned man has a responsible feel about him. A particularly notable feature was the scar that went across his lips. He had a triangular face, a small nose, and very thin lips. His grassy green eyes were droopy and he had neat eyebrows. He crossed his arms towards me, he wore a white shirt, acid washed blue jeans, and he had broad shoulders. He would've look very attractive if that frustration was wiped from his face. "I am Jade. This is my brother Brian." "Ok. I am Alice?" I said confused. "We know who you are. You have been under our supervision for 7 years." 7 years that means, they've had their eyes on me since I came this town. We came to this town because my mother died. My father and I didn't want to stay at our old house because everything remind us of her. Wait where's my father? Last thing I remember of him was running out of the shop and... oh god. Where's he? "Where's my father?" I asked. "Um. Just rest now," said Jade with worry written on her face. "No. I need to know where my father is. He's hurt." "Please Alice. Just rest," she said again. "I told you, I want to know where he is." "Your father is in our medical compound. He lost a lot of blood, he might not live," said Brain as Jade glared at him. "What?" At this point, I was lost. I looked down to my limbs to tell them to move but they didn't move. I wanted to yell at Brian, tell him he was lying but my voice wasn't there. Just some warm tears coming down my cheeks.

"We will leave you alone. If you need anything just press this button," said Jade with sympathy in her eyes. I didn't answer and just kept weeping. My father may live. What will I do? When he was away for 1 month for work, I couldn't stand it. I had to call him every now and then. Now, there might be a possibility that he will live. After some thinking, I need to get out of here and go to the medical compound. So I pressed the button, Jade came running. "What do you need?" asked Jade. "I need to get out of here, please," I asked. "Not going to happen. We can't let you go because of you've such powerful aura, you might attract bad people." "How bad?" I asked. "Real Bad. But I can show you around while we figure you out," said Jade with a smile that seemed forced. I guess she never smiles. "Ok." "Just one second," said Jade as she rushed out of the room. "Here, take these new clothes to wear unless you want to wear bloody clothes," said Jade. I hadn't notice before that my father's blood was on my shirt.

I needed to change so that I can forget a bit about this misery. "Thank you. Where's the bathroom?" "Down the hall to your right," said Jade. As I was walking down the hall, the building that I am in seems bright and filled with happiness, but at the same time it feels as if it hold deep dark secrets. I took a quick shower, changed my clothes in to a navy polo shirt and some white jeans. I looked at myself in the mirror, my ruddy skin was splattered with blood. My narrow face and pointed nose had cuts all over them. My plum lips and hazel eyes were bruised. I opened the faucet and washed my face then went back to Jade. She took me to a field of some kind. The field was white, blinding white. If you look at it too much you may go blind. "Don't worry, you won't go blind. We Lightstringers like the colour white so we like it on everyt-." "Wait light what now?" I asked confused. "Lightstringers. A mixture between light and human," said Jade. "Light, like a ray of light." "Yeah a light like the one that comes out of the light bulb." "You must be kidding," I said trying to laugh it out. "I don't kid," said Jade with a stern face.

"Oh, you are serious. Ok." "Moving on." "Wait, what are they holding?" I asked. "Lightweapons," answered Jade. "But I don't see any weapon rake?" I asked. "You make your own weapon," said Jade. "Now you've just totally lost your mind," I answered. "I certainly did not! You can make an arrow or a mace or maybe even a sword," said Jade. She then gestured her hand and bent the light into an arrow then a mace then a sword. "Ok, that was the coolest thing I have ever seen," I said amazed. "You can try it." "I am not sure I can do this magic." "Well, we don't call it magic. We call it light stringing." "What is that?" I asked. "You bend the light into threads then shape it into any weapons you desire," said Jade. At this point I didn't know what's real and what's not. "Wait, if this is real then are there vampires, pixies, werewolves, and..." I said astonishingly. "Of course, they are real. You might meet one of the pixies here, in the common room. There's also getures."

"What are Getures?" "They are vicious plant creatures, you don't want to meet." "OK!" "Can you teach me how to light string," I said excitedly. "I think you know how?" "What do you mean?" "What I mean is that you know how to light string," said Jade. "Um, no. I can't." "Think about it. First, only a lightstringer can enter our park. Second, only a lightstringer can see the play field. Third, only a lightstringer can see our lightweapons. And finally fourth, only a lightstringer have a battling reflex as fast as a ray of light," said Jade while trying to give a punch. I dodged it easily.

"See. You're naturallyat this." "NO. I was introduced to this world just an hour ago. How canI suddenly have these powers? They weren't there before," I shouted. "Oh.They were there but you didn't notice. You just thought it was your mindplaying tricks on you but no." I started to remember my childhood. How I saw aman sucking the life out of a poor woman. Or how a man turned into a dog or wasit a wolf. Or how a woman drowned another woman in a pool of a poison ivy. "Soall this time it was real. I wasn't imagining things?" "Yes. Come on, I thinkthere's someone who wants to talk to you," said Jade. We kept on walking inwhat seems like a forever hallway until, she gestured her hand towards asuspiciously large door. It was oak brown with humongous black doorknobs. As Icame closer to it, it opened up to reveal tons of books. "Why are you briningme into a library?" I questioned. "You'll see."