The Modern Scheherazade

Electric

Hello again.
This story is of Etkaa Patil and Reco Sanchez. Both are pulled into an adventure they have don't want any part of. One by scary changes they have no control over and the other by ancestry and a sense of duty. This one will probably get a second installment, so I really hope you like it!

Reco crashed though the woods, branches tearing at his clothes and face. He was chasing a thief. She hadn't stolen much, just his Abuelo's journal. It wasn't important, but his pride was. And his pride would not let her slip though his fingers.

"¡Niña estúpida!" He muttered to himself "¿ Que quiere con el diario del Abuelo de todos modos?" (Stupid girl! What does she want with Grandfather's journal anyway?)

He didn't even know if you could read it since it was written in Spanish.

Reco shook his long hair out of his eyes and pushed himself faster.
The girl's thick black hair was in a braid that was thumping against her back. Reco could see that her arms and legs were bleeding from the scratches the tree limbs have her while she ran. She was stumbling and her willpower was the only thing keeping her upright
Reco wasn't doing much better himself.
The tree roots for the sole purpose of tripping him and the branches were out for blood.

The sad part was, he used to explore these woods everyday. He knew them like the back of his hand and he could run though them like a deer. He had forts everywhere and
named paths to get to each one of them. He just got go busy as he grew up. It become less and less of a priority until it wasn't one at all. He was definitely paying for it now.

He was beginning to think the girl might get away when he tripped over something.
Something much too large to be a tree root and too long to be a rock.

It was the girl.

Reco had been so focused on catching her, he hadn't noticed her fall. He scrambled to his feet just a second before she did, that was all he needed.

He grabbed her and pushed her up against the nearest tree.

"Who are you?!" He demanded "Why did you steal my Abuelo's journal?!"

That's when he got a good look at her. She had an oval shaped face with high cheekbones and a curved nose. Her eyes caught his attention then. Wide-set deep, deep brown eyes, framed with long lashes. They were red, as of she had been crying and they shine with fear.

Her chest was heaving and he was sure his was too because he could hear himself panting. Her breath was shaking and everything about maher gave her the look of a trapped animal.

Hopeless and fearful.

When she didn't reply Reco pressed her wrist into the tree bark, not thinking of what he could accomplish.

"Etkaa" The girl got out. "Etkaa Patil"

She had a thick South Asian accent and did everything she could to avoid looking into his eyes. When she did Reco could see the tears steadily streaming down her face

"I-I need help" the girl, Ektaa confessed.

At this Reco's mouth turned to a scowl. She had just stolen from him. Now she wanted his help?

She was sobbing now.

"I panicked and saw the journal and thought maybe it would have some information or-I don't know, anything!"

The scowl fell off of Reco's face and he loosened his grip on Ektaa's wrist until they fell to her sides. She then sunk to the ground and hugged her knees, sobbing like she's lost all hope.

Reco just stood there not knowing what to do. After a couple of awkward minutes, he crouched down in front of her

"What do you need?" He asked softly. She looked so pitiful Reco pushed his pride aside.

But that didn't stop his annoyance from bubbling up when she blubbered that she didn't know.

"What do you mean you don't know?" He snapped, standing up again.

Ektaa took a couple and deep breaths and finally stopped sobbing, but tears were still trailing down her face.

"There's a myth. I don't know what it is, only that there is one. And that Antonio knew it."

With that her tears started to stream even faster down her face. She takes a couple more deep breaths and starts again.

"He-he had the same thing I do." And before Ektaa could explain farther she was interrupted by Reco

"What do you mean "He had the same thing I do"" he demanded crossing his arms "Are you sick or something?"

"No! No, I'm not" Shayla assured him. "It's-it's, I don't know, magic?"

"Magic?" Reco asked dully "You're joking"

"I'm not!" Ektaa insisted "Look!" She thrust out her hand palm up and blue sparks jumped from her fingertips. "Everything I do has to do with magic, so maybe it's more of an ability than magic, I don't really know." She explained "But Antonio, your Abuelo, was supposed to know what to do."

Reco wasn't sure how to answer that, so he brought up another point. "You know that journal won't be able to help you, right?"

She whipped her head up to look at him. "What? Why!"

"It's written in Spanish" he explains

"Huh, oh" she replies dejectedly. Tears start to fall down her face again.

Reco crouches down again. "I'll read to you if you want." He offers.

She nods and he holds out his hand. Her hands were shaking as she handed over the journal, like it was her lifeline.

Reco opened the journal to the first page as started translating.

"Today I have learned what I am..."