Demons of Mars

Sarah Johnson

Sarah had always lived a normal life. She had one of the most generic names ever. The best it could get was if her name was John Smith. That was close to her mother's name, Jessica Smith. Her dad was John Johnson. He grandparents were very sarcastic, differing from her normal-boring-vegan-eating-church-every-sunday-ugh parents. Then, she met one of the strangest creatures, Jay Forrester. He had a twin sister, Jaqui. They were best friends with yet another set of twins, Darren and Criss. It was strange how it all settled out. The four twins and Sarah. Only child Sarah, never mentioned in their adventures. Only child Sarah, the last one they called to hang out with. Only child Sarah, always the fifth wheel. Only child Sarah, always alone.

It was strange how some things worked out. It's weird how a random boy can become a crush with a snap of the finger. Except, she wasn't exaggerating. She was walking with Jay one day throughout the halls. They were only thirteen at the time. She heard a snap, and looked at Jay. The way he laughed, how his hair moved when he walked. His eyes were a deep brown, barely a hazel, with yellow flecks, so that when you looked into him they seemed magical. She knew she was exaggerating when she thought that. She knew it was just a stupid middle school crush, yet it wasn't. somewhere deep inside of her, she knew this boy was special.

"You alright?" He asked, stopping. She had been thinking too much, she realized she hadn't said anything. It was embarrassing, but she shrugged it off and replied with an "I'm fine."

Let this wear out. How long could it last? She thought to her thirteen year old self.

Now, here she was. Seventeen and still in love. Should a petty crush last for 4 years? Sarah thought not. She had tried to deny it. She tried to deny it all. She tried to deny where she was now. She was strapped to a bed, dehydrated out of her mind, her stomach begging for food. She knew she shouldn't have called Darren and Criss. She was drunk at a high school party. She felt bad for herself, and called people she hadn't talked to for about a year. She knew it was a mistake. Now she was hidden somewhere in a ship, being tortured for answers day by day. Oh, Jay, where the hell are you?

***

When Jay woke up, he had a chainsaw of a headache. He automatically wanted to go back to sleep, but he couldn't. He could barely breathe without aching. How would he be able to stand? He wondered where he was, when all of a sudden, the memories came back. Running, money, flying hundreds of feet above the ground. He remembered Darren's words and actions, the stale smell of the large pantry. Worst of all, he remembered Jaqui. He remembered her shock from being hit in the head. But what about now? Where was she? Where was Jay?

Too determined, he sat up. It sent a sharp pain that lasted through his side, but he needed to get to her. Then, he realized he wasn't sitting. He was hanging from a wall. His wrists in shackles were blistering as he tried to pull himself up. His feet pressed firmly, he used the tension between him and the chains to pull himself up. Thank God for The Emporer's New Groove, he thought, using the technique that Llama Kuzco and Pacha used to climb up the tight valley. He looked up to where he was going, but he couldn't see anything. It was too dark. He looked below him, only for the same outcome.

He kept climbing, ignoring the thoughts in his head. They told him to give up, to let Jaqui be happy. But he couldn't. What if she was up there, waiting for him so they could leave. He knew it was nearly impossible, but he kept making his way up the tension chains. He couldn't risk the chance.

There was a cough, and a rustle of chains. Jay, shocked, let his grip go, and fell. The shackles pulled against his weight, painfully dislocating both of his shoulders.

"Shit!" He shouted, the pain in his shoulders wasn't anything he hadn't experienced before. He had dislocated them before. He wasn't the safest child in the neighbourhood. Always falling, breaking things and his body. Countless hospital bills sent directly to their Father.