Le Coeur

~ Chapter One ~

I ran my hand, gently along one of the many shelves that decorated the small, rounded room, careful not to touch any of the jewel encrusted boxes that were placed onto them. My hand came away with dust covering my fingers. With a lazy sigh, I pulled some cloth from my pocket, and wiped at the filth.

Why, I thought for the millionth time, am I doing this?

“Because you’re trying to get brownie points from Miss D’or”, I could practically hear his eyes roll at her name.

“What?” my voice came out surprised, but it shouldn’t have been; I knew it had happened again.

I have a ‘problem’ with controlling myself, though not one that can be fixed; it was a mental disorder. At times, it was as if someone else was taking over my actions, and I’d talk aloud when I thought it was in my head, or anything else that would scare people away from me.

“Mummy, what’s happening?” I looked up at her, and saw her staring straight ahead, tears stinging at her eyes. She was gripping onto my wrist, tugging me with her, as she walked with such speed, my small legs were having trouble to keep up with her.

Her voice came out with a choking noise, “you hit someone again”; one tear rolled from her eye then.

We stopped at a small house, just outside the walls of Le Coeur.

My mother only needed to tap on the door once, for a man to answer us. His face blurred with the memory.

I was to stay outside while they talked, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t hear them.

“He’s doing things, and then it’s like he’s waking from a dream. He doesn’t remember what just happened” she sounded distraught.

The man’s voice was muffled, but at points I could make out what was being said, like someone was playing with the volume.

“It’s called Marionnetted'esprit” I heard my mother gasp then, “It’s an incredibly rare disorder; I’ve known only one other like your son.”

“You just asked me’ why you were doing this’” my best friend, Leroux Ambre, wasn’t fazed by my weirdness; it would be weird of him to be.

“Well I am not sucking up to her I’m just being nice, you know, being polite. You should give it a go once in a while”.

Leroux snorted as he turned to give me ‘the look’, “Who needs kindness when they are unmistakably charming and handsome?”

My remark came swiftly to me “and that, my friend, is why you don’t have a girlfriend”.

“Ouch. Chicks just aren’t into red-heads yet”. It was true; girls would constantly reject Leroux, saying he wasn’t ‘their type’. Of course Leroux blamed his striking red hair for that fact, and avoided the real reason; that he hangs around me.

“Which reminds me,” he went on, “I’ve got to go meet up with Flori”.

It was my turn to give him ‘the look’. “You do not have a date with Flori Charoite.”

He chuckled a little, giving me a smile, “unfortunately-no- she’s helping me overcome my fear of heights”. I must’ve looked blank because he elaborated, “Charoite is the stone that aids fears and sleep, love and so on- didn’t you listen at all during training class?”

I simply shook my head at the question, as Leroux said a quick goodbye, and left through the newly restored door. It had been ripped to shreds, by goodness knows what, just a day ago; someone with a chainsaw at hand, it had appeared, was not too fond of turning the handle.