Written in Life

(Chapter 1)

Suddenly, the world appeared before me and I gasped for air." Damn, why are teenagers so popular these days?" I looked where the sound came from and the two people before me smiled. They were short and looked incredibly young." Welcome to the page honey," the same voice said, a high pitched, girly sound. Page? The little boy next to her looked a little older than the girl. He walked up to me and sat down." You probably can't understand us right now, but we're your Artists," he said, his voice cracking under pressure. He took hold of my hand and looked at it closely. His eyes suddenly went wide and he looked back to the girl behind him. The girl shook her head and tears started to form in her eyes." Don't say it," she said, her voice shaky.

"She's Inked," he said. The girl broke down in tears and the boy ran to her side to comfort her. I looked around and tried to make sense of what was going on...

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"Now, class! Listen up!" said my scaly history teacher. The room buzzed with whispers and laughter, including the buzz of that one insect kid's bees. I put my hood up and pulled the strings tight, the fabric closing in on my face." Class!" Mrs. Douglas called again. Suddenly, a huge burst of orange and red flicked through the room, the heat crashing into our faces. Everything went quiet within seconds and the bees hurried out the window." Well, that solved that," the teacher said smiling and flicking her forked tongue in and out of her razor sharp teeth. I don't know how she got a husband... you know, before she ate him." Today, we are going to talk about fantasy," she said, clapping her hands together cheerfully. The whole class groaned with annoyance and I banged my head on the table. I definitely didn't want to waste my whole day naming my psycho teacher's ancestors. She brought up a newspaper and blew a spark onto it, making it sizzle and appear bigger on the wall." Now, can anyone tell me who this is and what kind of dragon it is?" she asked. She skimmed the room with her cat-like eyes, looking for a volunteer to answer her question. Only there was nothing to be seen from anyone. She narrowed her eyes and they wandered in my direction. Please don't call on me, Please!

"Bernice?" she said, a scaly smile spreading across her face. Damn it! I looked at the picture and I could hear whispers and giggling coming from behind me." Uh, Níðhöggr," I answered. The teacher cleared her throat and raked her claws against her scaly arm." And?"

"Um and he is from Norse mythology and he chews on the World Tree," I said. She sighed and looked around." Anyone want to add to that?" she asked. Instantly, Renae's hand shot up and Mrs. Douglas smiled." Renae?" Renae was my best friend and was a huge know-it-all. She could memorize anything in the world. I'll never forget the first time we watch Finding Nemo and ever since we've been talking about going to that place in Sydney, just to see if the clown fish was really there. She had light brown hair and ocean blue eyes, completely matching her story. She folded her hands on her desk and sat up straight, smiling." The dragon in the picture is indeed named Níðhöggr, but is more commonly known as Nidhogg, a dragon that gnaws on the root of the World Tree and can only be controlled by the Norse goddess, Hel," she explained. Mrs. Douglas gave her a cheeky smile and folded her arms." I'm impressed, as always," she said. I rolled my eyes and before I knew it the bell rang. I walked to my locker and shoved my books in my dirt smudged camouflage shoulder bag and flung it over my shoulder, accidentally hitting Renae in the arm." Ouch," she said.

"Sorry," I breathed.

"Is something wrong," she said saying it not as a question, but more as a statement.

"What makes you think anything is wrong?" I said, slamming my locker and turning to face her but instead bumping into a huge jock's chest. I tilted my head upwards and looked him in the eye as he put a charming smile in his face." Is there a reason you standing right next to my locker?" I asked sarcastically." To see that pretty little face of yours," he said, looking back and laughing with his friend.

"Oh, ha ha ha," I said. I quickly grabbed his arm and twisted it behind him, pushing it up between his shoulder blades. He screamed." Ow, ow, ow ,Ow, OW," he said.

"Next time, think before you hit on a girl that has a story based in the army," I whispered in his ear and threw him to the ground. Everybody in the hallway laughed at him and I started to walk home, Renae right behind me. She jogged up to my side and looked at me." Was that necessary?" she asked. I sighed and rubbed my eyes." I don't know anymore," I said.

"Seriously?!" she said. I looked at her surprised.

"What?" I asked.

"You need to tell people what bothering you," she said seriously. I groaned. We've had this conversation way too many times." Do you even like anyone at school?" she asked.

"The only person I don't hate is you," I said. She sighed and stepped in front of me, stopping so I would. I slid to the side but she followed my every move." Fine! If you wanna know so badly, why don't you try living in the army 24-7 when your in your story! And while you're at it, try standing being..." I said, starting to get angry but I stopped myself before I went any further. Renae looked at me with a 'go on' expression." Try being what?" she asked. I sighed and looked up.

"Nothing," I said, watching as a witch went by with a golden serpent gleaming around her neck.

"Bernie, you need to tell me what's going on! I'm your best friend! We've known each other since birth! What's such a secret that you can't tell me? You've told me millions of times you can trust me with anything, so why not this? I'm worried about you," she said, starting to get frustrated with me. I saw my family's farm and turned around to face Renae." I'll tell you when the time is right," I said.

"Don't you go undercover on me!" she said. I shrugged my shoulders and smiled, turning and running to the farm. I quickly threw my bag in the corner and took off my sweatshirt and putting on a pair of overalls. I put my dark red hair in a high bun and shook my head to loosen it a bit. I looked to the retriever sitting in the corner and smiled, holding a paint brush with my mouth and hauling four cans of paint with my hands. I wasn't perfect, but I knew I could get the job done, breaking a nail or not, I didn't care. I had a more masculine figure than the perfect girls at my school, but then again, my story was held in the army and theirs were held in castles and under-sea paradises and what not. I dropped the paint and opened it with a screwdriver and looked at the color and winced. Mom must've picked this one. It was a bright purple with a yellow tint to it. All I knew is that dad was gonna hate it. I laughed at the thought of that.