The Lightning Girl{Temp Hiatus}

Chapter Two

Listening to: Shallot by Emillie Autumns.

Mood: Hopeful

Notes: First story on 2Friends1Story should be up friday, go fan me and Cleo. It's a short piece called "Dice Games and snake Eyes" I'm writing the little girl. it's very dark, very twisted...ELLIPSIES!!!

The first days of the trip were the hardest, Elysia mused. There were people, so many people, staring openly at her Lightning Marks. And worse, they knew who she was. It made her remember, remember that before. She wanted to only remember the after, the now.

After that awful first day she was free. She could be someone else, not the Lightning Princess. That was, after all, what they were calling her now. Once she had left the last buildings behind, she began singing.

The songs helped her forget. Lullabies, ballads, mountain songs, fast paced and slow, they washed away Elysia's memories with every note. She sang until until her voice was barely a whisper, and then sand again. Sometimes she would pause, for food or water. But her voice always started up again.

Throughout the first days she felt like someone was watching her, waiting. On the fifth day, this suspicion was proven true. She had been singing a funeral song, dancing along the riverbed, feet bare. The cool, slippery feel of the rocks beneath her feet and the loud rush of the river were a song of their own. Elysia, voice high and clear, hadn't been looking. She leaped from rock to cool rock, eyes turned to the sky.

The rock she landed on next was unbalanced. With a high shriek, Elysia fell, slipping on the wobbly stone. Arms swinging wildly, she slipped into the swirling currents. With a dull thud, Elysia was knocked unconscious by the same rock. Her last thought was that she was surely dead.

But instead of dying, arms pulled her from the water. When Elysia woke up, a man with Lightning Marks was cutting a loaf of bread with a knife. He didn't look surprised when he noticed Elysia's eyes staring at him. Instead he threw her a chunk of bread and a lump of cold cheese. The girl chewed on the food happily.

“About time you woke up.” The man remarked when Elysia finished her food. Pulling a wineskin from his pack, he took a long sip and passed it to Elysia.

“Who are you?” Elysia asked after taking a cautious sip of the wine. She reassured herself he wouldn't pull her from a river and then poison her.

“Some people call me Caden. Some people call me Cade. It depends who's asking, Lightning Girl.” His swirling Marks crossed several old battle scars.

“I'm Elysia. I’m looking for the Lighting-Struck.” Elysia introduced herself awkwardly. Caden smiled at her, despite the rather obvious answer.

“I'm the head of the Lighting-Struck, so to speak. We heard about you, and I traveled quickly and followed you, ready to help if the situation came.”

“What do you mean?” Elysia asked, voice confused.

“Sometimes the Naen or the Were-folk try and take the Lighting-Struck, and I have to step in to make sure the child gets to the base.” Caden explained patiently.

“That's awful! Why would they do that to those kids?” Elysia was shocked, and a little horrified.

“Lightning-Struck often have extra abilities. Some are able to teleport, or turn invisible, or read minds. The Courts use them as spies.”

“Will I have extras?” Elysia asked with renewed interest.

“Possibly. Usually the extras show up after a week or two. Sometimes they don't surface for years, or never. You can talk to some of the other children when we arrive.”

the unlikely duo walked on quietly. Elysia was deep in thought, wondering about the other Lightning-Struck. Would they accept her, would they find out what she was, would she be happy? Those questions, as well as a million others, floated in Elysia's mind. Caden seemed to understand the girl's internal debate and didn't say a word.

After a few hours of walking the pair entered a large clearing. Small wooden cabins surrounded the outside, two large buildings in the center. Children and adults alike rushed about, some with weapons and some without. Elysia stared in shock at all the Marked people.

A few faces stood out in Elysia's mind. Two girls sitting at a table together left a lasting impression. One had soft brown hair and deep sapphire eyes. Her Marks were delicate, pale pink against golden skin. The other had long, wavy chocolate hair and hazel eyes. Her Marks were a startling black, as if they were traced in charcoal.

A small, young girl was painting over her Lightning Marks with berry juice and a charred stick. Her hair was a frizzy mass of chestnut. Some was curly, forming ringlets, and some was straight, framing her face. The was so small, she barely looked ten. It was a terrible and beautiful sight, such a young girl marred by large Marks.

Then there were the men. They looked harder than the women, covered in battle scars as well as Lighting Marks. Blonde, brown, and black hair, blue, green, and brown eyes. They were different in looks but moved with the same hard grace, like a cobra waiting to strike.

Caden noticed her eyes were fixed on the other Lighting-Struck. Grabbing her arm gently, he pulled her over to the girls at the table. Elysia followed after a moment of hesitation. “Girls, I’d like you to meet Elysia, our newest Lighting.” Caden introduced.

“Nice to meet you! I’m Bryne, and this is Sayge.” the girl with sapphire eyes said brightly.

“Same, is it okay if I ask how long you've been Marked?” Elysia asked carefully.

“Oh, I've been Marked for a few years now. I was twelve, I think, when I was hit.” Bryne said with a shrug.

“I was thirteen.” Sayge said quietly. She stared at Elysia with those bright green eyes. Elysia couldn't help but notice they had little strands of gold, like the emerald necklace in her box... her box!

“Caden, do you have my bag?” Elysia asked, voice rising in panic. If he didn't have it, she would have lost the few things that still mattered.

“I do. Your stuff's in my bag, I can give it to you once we get you a room.” Caden explained, and Elysia sighed in relief.

“She can room with us.” Sayge said, listening to Elysia's conversation carefully.

“Yeah, we have enough room in our cabin.” Bryne agreed. Elysia nodded slightly, and the quartet walked to one of the cabins.

It was plain wood, but the door was painted. It showed a girl, hair drifting, swimming in a river. The seaweed and rocks and fish floated around her. Above was another girl, perched on a rock with her head to they sky. The bright moon hung in the painted sky, free for the world to see.

Elysia knew that the girls on the door were Bryne and Sayge. The wolf was obviously Sayge, which meant Sayge was a Were-folk before she was a Lighting-Struck. Bryne looked to be a water creature, but Elysia didn't know what. She had only heard of the Were, Naen, and the Elves. No water creatures.

Absently, Elysia wondered what they were hiding. After all, everyone had secrets.

Now we're in the good part. This will actually be fairly shourt, maybe 10,000 words.