Autumn Leaves Fall (On Hold)

Chapter Three - Fear

I was running. I didn’t know where I was. Walls surrounded me. I could feel them following me. I didn’t know how many there were. I looked behind me for a second just to see where they were. All I could see were livid red rings where their eyes would be. I picked up my pace. What are they? Why are they chasing me?

 I stopped just before I fell. I was trapped. I turned around as they started to circle me. I still couldn’t see them. All I could see were the red rings. They stepped forward into the light. A full moon illuminated the room I was in and the cloud that had been covering it passed. I could see their eyes clearly now. I could see that the colour in them was pale and that the red rings were only just visible in the light.

I looked around at them all. They seemed to be coming from every direction and they didn’t seem to stop. There were so many of them. How was I supposed to get out of this? My eyes land on one boy, a large smirk on his face.

“Scarlet.” He shakes his head. I didn’t know what I was doing but I felt drawn to him. I took a step forward. He put his hand up to stop me. “Don’t. You’re a disgrace. You disgust me.”

At his words I felt a pain in my chest. I felt betrayed. Why? What did I do?

He closed the space between us. I felt my heart jumping in my chest. His eyes dropped the guard only slightly. Pain. Hurt. He didn’t want to do this.

“Why?” I asked.

“Because you are an abomination. You shouldn’t have lived.”

Even as he said the words I knew that he didn’t believe them. He didn’t want to hurt me. He cared for me. I could see in his eyes.

That moment of weakness was replaced. His cold hard expression of hatred was back. I saw his hand move out of the corner of my eye.

I didn’t look away from his eyes. A deep blue, almost black, just like the night sky.

The dagger was in my chest in a moment. My eyes enlarge, I hear an ear-splitting scream come from my lips and see his hurt and agony in his eyes at the sight of my pain. The world went black and the sight of his eyes and the sound of my scream were the last to fade away.

I sat bolt up right and a scream escaped my lips. Mum and dad came bursting into the room. Tears were streaming down my face. I could still remember his eyes. The pain I felt I could see reflected in his eyes.

I looked up at mum. “What happened sweetheart? Are you okay?” How could I answer that? Who was he? I shook my head. I couldn’t find my voice.

“Tell us what happened.” Dad said, sitting next to me on the bed.

My voice shook as I spoke. “There was a boy, a group of them. They were chasing me down a long corridor. I stopped just before I fell through a glass wall. They circled me. He killed me. Why did he kill me?”

My parents’ eyes were wide as they listen to me. Dad was the first to speak. “Who was he? Did you know him?”

“No. I didn’t know him.” I said, shaking my head.

“Could you draw him?” Mum asked in the quietist voice, scared to upset me.

I grabbed a scrapbook and pencil from my desk and drew. I couldn’t quite get the pain in his eyes but I knew that my parents’ only wanted a visual image.

I coloured in his dark (almost black) hair and the deep blue eyes with the red ring around them. I showed it to them and they both paled a little before taking the image and looking at each other.

“Meet us in the kitchen and get dressed.” Dad demanded in a tone that I’m sure he didn’t mean to be harsh.

I got dressed after showering, trying to wipe away the memory of his eyes.

I slowly walked down stairs and into the kitchen. I went to open the windows when mum’s hand grabbed mine and told me to come away from the windows.

I followed my parent’s silently as they walked down the stairs into the basement. I could see weapons on the walls. I was never allowed down here.

“Don’t touch anything.” Dad warned.

“Why do you have all this stuff?” I questioned. I didn’t even know why my parent’s would need all this. It’s not like we were under attack.

“We have told you that we were placed on this earth to protect the innocent.”

“And we also know that you don’t believe us.” Mum finished before I could have my usual protest. “We are going to prove to you that we are telling the truth.”

With that mum walked over to a small pot plant that seemed to be dying. She placed her hands around the base of the plant and closed her eyes.

I let out a small gasp when the plant began to grow. The life returned to it and within a few short moments it had doubled in size. My eyes grew wide and I was unable to speak.

“We didn’t lie to you about what we are. We know it sounds crazy but this is the truth.” Mum said, seeing my expression and trying to calm me.

“Can everyone do that?”

“No. There are four groups of people, each with different gifts. We used to use our gifts to work together but in recent centuries that has changed.” Dad explained.

I tried to wrap my head around this. My first thought was that my parents were crazy and now my imagination has gotten the best of me, but there was a small voice in the back of my mind saying ‘you know it’s true’.

I needed to breath. In. Out. In. Out.

Mum moved another almost dead pot plant in front of me. We locked eyes and I knew what she wanted me to do. I placed my hands the same as she had done. I closed my eyes and felt an energy from beneath my hands. I concentrated on it. I don’t know why I did but it felt right.

I felt my hands being pulled away from the plant  so I opened my eyes only to find that the plant had grown so tall it almost hit the celling and had tripled in width. I couldn’t help it, I gasped. I blinked a few times and when I finally came to terms with the fact that this was real I turned back to my parents.

“What else can we do?” I thought it was a simple question.

“We don’t know what you can do for sure. We only know myths about your kind.” Dad said in a small voice. They both looked a little pale.

“What do you mean by ‘your kind’? I thought we were the same.” I was completely confused. How could we not be the same?

“We are similar. But you have gifts that we are unsure of. We will teach you all that we know but the rest will be up to you. No body really knows about what you can do. The last and only other that is known of hasn’t been seen of or heard of since her disappearance about three centuries ago.” Mum was doing her best to comfort me and give me the answer I wanted. I could see that this was hard for both of them.

“So w-who are they?” I needed to know who I was and if this person was the only other like me then I would have to find them.

“Her name was Lila.” And as though sensing what I was thinking, dad added “You need to learn more about our world before you go and find her. It is very dangerous for someone like you.” That last sentence sent a shiver down my spine, not only because I was slightly frightened, but also because it hurt to feel like a cord was cut between my parents and I. I wasn’t like them. I was different.

It was in that moment that I saw his eyes again. His voice in my ears; “Because you are an abomination. You shouldn’t have lived.” Now my parents were separating us as different kinds, like I was a Lion rather then a Tiger. Maybe he was right to kill me. Maybe I shouldn’t be here. But why? That one question that seems to never be answered. Why me?

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So ... Update, again not much. Please let me know if you're liking it!! Comment, vote and follow please!! E. <3

(6/5/14) - Update