The Pariah

Chapter 2

Chapter song: Digital Daggers - Still Here

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Minus the talking of this girl, she really isn't that bad. She talks a lot. Most of the time, they're questions. I give her an answer and she would be off with telling me a story about a time when something similar happened to her. Only, they'd be a little different.

For instance, I could say, "One time, my dog ran away."

And she would try to relate with, "Oh! My dragon escaped my cage and flew into the sky. I hunted him down with a Griffin and had to use it for weeks because Mr. Snuggles was mad at me."

Yep, thats the jist of what happened last night.

My body had its own system. I didn't need an alarm, because my body wakes up at 6:02 every single morning. Even if I don't want to, I do it. It's not a bad thing, per se. But I certainly don't enjoy the fact that I forget Hazel is dead for the first two seconds.

This morning, I even turned on my side, calling Hazel's name and asking what we had planned. No response but the scratching of mice in the wall's. My eyes adjusted to the darkness. I sat up and pulled away the blinds at the window near my bed. I squinted when the street light glared back at me.

The sky was dim. I puffed out a breath. That's right. I'm in a cruddy apartment. Courtesy of Windbreak Guild.

I rolled out of bed and headed for the bathroom. Might as well see what goes on in that room. I need a shower anyway.

The bathroom smelled of fungus and something rotten. I sighed and placed my hands on my hips. Let's see here... I walked to the tub and fiddled the knobs before running my hand under the water. Warm. I thought, good. At least the water system works. I pulled the peg and heard a loud groan before the head of the shower vibrated and then water fell out evenly. I took a step back, to see that the cracked mirror was already steaming up. This part, at least, is normal.

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Priam was quick to run over when she saw me. Her blonde curls bounced on her shoulders. She was just as peppy as before. I was too sleepy to even attempt a smile. So I just nodded to her instead.

After the very uncomfortable hug, she turned to me with a new look in her eyes. Excitement. "You came at just the right time." She wrapped an arm around me and began walking toward the small crowd crowding oddly around a board hanging up on the wall. Papers hung up on the board, pinned by small nails.

I scratched my eye with the heel of my palm. "What's going on?" I asked her.

She pointed above their heads at the piece of paper hanging over them. "See that?"

I squinted at the text. Even in bold, this shit is hard to read. "New Arena Sends Fans Into Frenzy." I read out loud. "Yeah, so?"

"It's a battle of capture the flag between different Guilds. Four people support each Guild against another." She elaborated for me.

Just then, some guy with dirty blonde hair, in a silver and black best climbed on top of one of the tables and clapped his hands together. It was loud enough to get everyone's attention.

"I will personally win this and keep our name golden! Once again!" He bent down to another guy, who must have just been there to serve his pal. He took the mug from him and raised it. "And when I return, drinks are on me!"

Everyone except for a selected few decided to encourage a cheer in the name of this cocky asswad. Yep, I definitely didn't like him. I could tell just by the way he moves I know exactly what kind of person he is.