Small Stories

(#6) Draft (1)

Background: Hello! This is a draft I wrote a few months ago that I've decided to share. This is from Tad's world and may become part of my writing. Hope you enjoy! 

Victory. That was the feeling pulsing through Tad's veins as he stood there in the dark, gloomy castle he had lived in prior when he was a small child. His sister Juniper was struggling under the weight of his foot on her stomach. It was the moment he had been dreaming of for months. The day his wicked sister would have an end to her reign of tyranny, and peace would be in the kingdom of Lux again. He could finally end this awful war that he had been pulled into. He could finally end the pain and suffering Juniper had caused, especially to Lucas Davidson, his best friend. Tad took out the sword which had belonged to his mother, Juliette, and raised it over his head. Yes, he was going to end this. Once and for all.

He was about to strike when his eye caught something shiny. It was the same mirror he had beheld his reflection in as a child, the one where he would always make faces and laugh. Now though, he didn't see the same laughing, smiling child. No..what he saw now was an exhausted, crazed looking individual who was about to take the life of another. This idea startled Tad, especially because it reminded him of something..or to be more exact..someone. He was starting to become like the person he swore he'd never be..and that was his father, the past king, Zayn Oswald Rogers. Tad's father had had many issues during his life, the worst of them being the death of Thomas, his father, by Talon Lark. Talon had once been a dictator over both Lux and Tenebrae, and was responsible for the separation of the two kingdoms, which used to be one. Since then, Zayn never forgave the Lark family, even long after Talon was said to have died of disease. Therefore, he was sure that the remaining Larks', along with certain others in Lux, were going to conspire against him to kill him. So he started to take 'suspects' and give them a trial to see if they were guilty or innocent..most never came out alive. From that moment on, there was nothing but a sense of fear and despair that hung over the kingdom like a thick fog. Tad remembered hearing his mother pleading with his father to not jump to such drastic conclusions about innocent civilians, but it was no use. Zayn had caused so much destruction..so much death.

Looking back to his sister, he began to study her more closely. He looked deep into those dark brown orbs that resembled their father's so well. Tad could see the anger and hatred they held, but he noticed something else that he had neglected beforehand. It was the fact that she was still human, and even though she was not innocent, Tad came to the conclusion that she was still his relative. He had to show her mercy. He remembered Hector, Tad's father figure and one of the guards, and his words when he had presented the sword to him. "Use it wisely, Thomas." He had said. Tad felt shame wash over him. Even his mother would've at least given Juniper another alternative than immediate death, no matter how corrupt she had become. He felt his eyes begin to water at how close he had come to making that horrible decision. Then, he was temporarily brought out of his thoughts by Juniper herself. She had been waiting for impact this entire time.

"Well?" She snapped, "Are you going to kill me or not?"

Tad knew she had meant to be harsh about it, but he still heard the note of confusion in her voice. He thought over Juniper's response a little deeper. If he had killed her, would that have been true justice? To use pain to end pain..only to cause more of it? Then, before Tad could think on it further, there was a loud rumbling noise near the two. A chunk of the throne room ceiling had come off due to the machine Louis Davidson had created for his sister out of fear. Louis was Lucas's father and the inventor. Tad knew he could be a coward, which is why Juniper was able to sway him. The small box-like device had been the true cause of the war, Juniper had just been part of the package. It was designed to destroy the surrounding dimensions, one by one..Lux and Tenebrae included, with the castle being used like some sort of magnetic beacon. Knowing Juniper, she didn't care one bit about anything being destroyed..she only wanted power. Luckily, Louis came to his senses and had instructed him on how to destroy the machine. As he recalled the information, it was as clear as if Louis himself were there talking to him right then.

"Look for the purple button on the side. This will cause the system to override and a temporary black hole will be created. Once this black hole is formed, make sure you have something to hold on to..the current will be quite strong at that point."

Tad knew what he had to do. He put the sword back in the sheath tied around his belt and looked down at his sister once more.

"No, it's not right to take lives that aren't mine to take. I don't have authority to. You still can't stay here, though."

He took his foot off his sister's stomach, ran toward the machine, and slid to hit the purple button on the side. Once Tad did this, there was a suction that was more powerful than a vacuum. He grabbed onto one of the support pillars for dear life as everything from books, furniture, and even pieces of the wall flew past him to join the black hole that was forming at the ceiling. He watched as Juniper, who was trying to hold on to the pillar a little ways off from him, began to lose her grip. At once a sort of panic overtook him. It was the kind of panic an older sibling had when they saw one of their younger siblings about to fall or do something dangerous.

"Juniper!!" He tried to shout over the noise, "Grab my hand!!!"

He extended his hand to her as far as it would go while trying to keep himself from losing his grip too. Tad knew it was desperate..but he was willing to give her a chance. He saw Juniper give him a nasty glare.

"I don't need your help!!" She yelled back. "I never will!!"

At that moment, she lost her grip, screaming when she did. Both Juniper and the machine were then pulled into the black hole. There was a small, powerful explosion, which Tad had to look away from. He turned his head around slowly to assess the damage. The wind had picked up a little, blowing his messy raven-black hair into his eyes. Once everything became clear he felt his heart sink in his chest a little. There were chunks of the wall and ceiling missing as well as books and furniture scattered everywhere.

"Well, the clean up is going to be fun for sure.." He grumbled out loud to no one in particular.

Tad then took in the silence, finally realizing what it meant. The war was over...it was finally over! Mixed emotions collided like waves hitting the beach. He found himself both laughing and crying. Laughing out of relief..crying out of grief over the people they had lost. Soon enough, he found the strength to stand from his kneeling position and looked up. There was a huge gap in the ceiling above him where the black hole had been not too long ago, and it reminded him of Louis's last words.

"Once the black hole has disappeared, the machine itself will have vanished along with anything else it picked up. These items will be transported to different dimensions, and you may or may not see them again."

The last part kind of stung. What if he never saw Juniper again? Though there were doubts, he had a feeling that not even distance like that would keep her away. However, he couldn't dwell on these thoughts at the moment. Now, he had a celebration to attend.

~EJT