Writer's Games: Carnival

Task Four [Female Entries]

ARWEN BLACK

A wise man once asked me, "What does the world mean to you?"

A few years ago, before the incident when I was 17, before the pressure, before everything horrible began, I'd have declared, "That's a stupid question! The world looks like it always has." But now, now things had changed, and I was a different person from before. The world didn't look the same.

It felt like all the happiness, love and light was sucked out of the world, leaving behind nothing but a dark, lonely planet, where screams split the stillness of the black sky every night, and the sun fought in vain to break through the grey, stormy clouds. Like all the happiness had just evaporated into thin air. No more trees gently swaying back and forth in the wind, with beautiful summer light streaming through the green leaves. No more fireworks lighting up the otherwise dark sky, turning the pitch blackness into an explosion of reds and greens and purples. No more laughter echoing through the air, lifting the hearts of everyone who heard it. None of that was left anymore. Just a desolate, lonely place, where haunted souls roamed the streets at night, where broken hearts and depression were a dime a dozen.

That's what the world looked like to me.

***

My vision swam dizzyingly, my surroundings blurring together in a mesh of colours and confusion. Pain sparked in the small of my back once more, and I slowly reached a hand back to touch it. My skin felt rough and charred, as if it had been briefly lit on fire. Pain danced along my spine, and I moaned slightly, curling up into a small ball. I didn't know why my back hurt. I could barely remember anything. All I remembered was utter terror and sheer horror as I fell backwards from the top of rollercoaster. I remembered the screams that ricocheted in my head as I fell, horror and fear coursing through my veins. One of my worst fears was that one day, I would go completely insane. Cut off from the world, drowning in an ocean of my sanity.

Perhaps I already was.

"Arwen?" I heard a voice speak uncertainly. I blinked a few times, and looked up to see a girl with black hair and bright green eyes that were teeming with worry. Maxine.

"Holy shit, Arwen." That was Morgan. His face loomed over mine, worry lines creasing his forehead. Confusion began to flood my mind.

"What happened?" I croaked softly. Morgan pressed his thin lips together, and I could tell he was debating whether or not to tell me what happened.

"You were shot in the back with acid." He murmured softly, as if afraid I might snap at him.

"I was?" I mumbled. A frown crossed my face. I looked down at my hands, watching as they danced over the mud on the ground, drawing patterns into the cool, slick earth. A smile crept across my face. "This is fun. You guys should try it."

"The hells wrong with her?" Cleo spoke up, although I couldn't see her face.

"Dunno." Morgan replied, his voice laced with confusion and worry. "I'll carry her. I don't think she can walk after a fall like that."

I was barely listening to their conversation, too caught up in the patterns I was drawing into the mud with my finger. I drew zigzags, crosses, lines, circles, flowers, anything my brain could come up with. I found a strange comfort in it. It helped me forget for a few moments. It didn't last long though. Next thing I knew, someone was wrapping one arm under my arms, the other under my knees, and hoisting me up from the ground. I heard a grunt as the person carrying me walked a few steps.

"Damn Arwen, you're heavy." Morgan groaned. Morgan wasn't the strongest of people - I'd almost beaten him in an arm wrestle once so I should know - but I didn't think I was that heavy.