Life Within Crystalfort: Our Story Continues - Part One [COMPLETED]

Chapter One

**This is an older work of mine and does NOT reflect how my writing style is now. It's still here, however, because original readers enjoyed it when it was first written. You've been warned!**  

"Hey, D! I feel like it's been ages since we've seen each other!" Cleo said, pulling me into a hug. I was standing in the school lunch line next to Lagoona. I gently pushed myself away from Cleo.

"How can you just be ok with what happened?" She cocked her head to the right and smiled.

"I have no idea what you're talking about, D. You have to be more specific," she said, walking forwards.

"What happened to Clawrk. That didn't phase you? At all? It happened because of your house. You're aware of that, right?" I asked, looking at the back of her head, now.

"I am highly aware of that. I just don't care," she said, flipping her hair as she continued to move ahead in the lunch line.

"Don't care? How can you not care? That man was someone's father. Someone's husband. A family lost their son when he died. And it happened because of your house. And you don't care?" She shook her head and smiled.

"You see, Draculaura," she said, grabbing a tray and heading back to a table. "How can I explain this to you? I only care about my own family when it comes to tragedy. My family is just fine after the incident that led to Clawrk's death. The Wolf family might be screwed up, now, but, hmm, mine is just fine," she said, taking a small bite of the salad on her plate.

"You are a horrible, horrible person. You.... You are very dark hearted, Cleo De Nile," she smiled.

"My heart has been gone a long, long time, Draculaura. The day I died, the day I became a mummy....... My heart's been gone a long time."

I stood up from the table and dumped my tray. I walked out of the lunchroom, away from Cleo. I went to my locker and looked at the time schedule. I had an hour to waste until lunch was over. I reached for the books on the top shelf of my locker and sighed; too high up. I closed the locker door and sat down on the floor in front of it. I sent a text to Clawd; the nineteenth one since this morning. Still, I'd managed to get no reply. If my dad had died, I wouldn't be texting people, either.

"Hey, Draculaura," Deuce said, walking by me. He stopped at the end of the hallway and came back towards me. "You ok?"

"Me? Yeah... Yeah, I'm fine," he frowned and sat down beside me. I tucked the loose ends of my hair behind my ear and smoothed out the wrinkles in my skirt.

"Hats got you down? You can tell me," I shrugged. What did have me down? Everything seemed to have me down. Did I start with Clawrk's death? Clawd ignoring me? Or Deuce's own girlfriend?

"Kinda seems like everything's getting me down, recently. Clawrk, Clawd..... Cleo," he took in a deep breath and learned back against the lockers.

"Let's go with her, first. What'd she do, now?"

"She doesn't care about Clawrk. She just doesn't even care that it was her house that e feel off of. That if he hadn't been working on their stupid mansion, he'd be fine. It's like she has no conscience."

"That's Cleo for ya. She can be a real inconsiderate jerk sometimes, you know? Man, it's so hard to stick around her, sometimes. I mean...... Ugh, long story short, she's mean to everyone. She thinks highly of herself."

"Why are you still together, then?" I asked the question that had been in my mind since their one month anniversary. Deuce looked at me in shock and then shrugged.

"I don't know. I guess..... I guess I kinda feel like I have to. I can't really leave her now. She'd have me killed and the world would have to accept it," he let out a little nervous laugh. "I don't know. I do love her. Sometimes, it's just a little hard to remember that. I feel like me and her have been together so long that it's a routine. You can't end routine. You know?" I nodded, looking down at the ground.

"I guess I never thought about it like that."

"Now, about Clawrk," I looked at him in surprise. "His was the first name you listed when I asked what was wrong. Why?"

"I know I had just met him and all..... But, he's Clawd's dad. That makes me want to have an emotional connection with him, and..... And now I can't do that. Because, when I got to know him, he was taken right out from under me. That's not fair. Life sucks. Life isn't fair," I softly hit my leg with my fist. It was something I had adapted when I became a vegetarian; it stopped me from wanting to bite anything.

"What about Clawd?" He asked.

"Clawd won't...... He won't live forever," I brought my hands up to my face, wiped away the tears. Deuce draped his arm over my shoulder.

"That's not something to worry about, D. He's got a good several hundred years on him. He's only seventeen. You've got enough time to deal with all of that."

"Maybe. But, once he's gone, then what do I do? Who will I have then?" He looked out the window and then back at me.

"You'll have a wedding ring, wedding pictures. Kids, a house, the good memories, the bad ones. You'll have a family. Maybe it'll be missing an important part, but you'll have all the rest of it. And that's something to remember when all else goes downhill," I felt myself smile. I wrapped my arms around him and gave him a quick hug. "You're so cold," he said. I laughed.

"That's what happens when you're dead, Deuce," he laughed and stood up. He held out his hand and helped me up. "Can you get something for me?" I opened my locker and pointed to the books on the top shelf. "Clawd normally gets 'em for me."

"I kinda figured. Didn't figure you were the one that put them on the top shelf," he handed me my books and closed my locker door. "Just give him some time. He'll want to talk about it all soon. I promise," the bell rang and Deuce leaned against Cleo's locker. I smiled and walked away.

"You'll have a wedding ring, wedding pictures....." Had Clawd told him something I didn't know?"