Running. I was late, of course. Late for something that I didn't want to attend, nor cared about. The gruelling embodiment of torture, unspoken by the people who supposedly care. The place of nightmares for all youth; School. Of course, I was enveloped by the liquid of the heavens; It was raining!
The street was lined with many beaten up cars, and almost replica houses all the way down, with a large red brick building at the end. All drenched in the bullets of water from the heavens above. The only thing that separates each building is the different colours, or a random Tudor house here and there as if a time bomb went off. Dark clouds consumed up all vision of sky that day. The red building, that was withering away from age, had one bold sign saying 'NICHOLSANAL SCHOOL FOR GIFTED YOUNGSTERS'.
This is also the school for kids that, 'people-think-there's-a-problem-except-its-just-how-our-brains-works-but-teachers-are-idiots'. At least that's what the students call it; aka me and 959 other victims who are confounded to the imprisonment of the classrooms.
As I ran, I caught the reflection of a young 15-year-old boy in an oil slick puddle, the face of Nero distorted by the rain. My face. My brown, scruffy hair was looking as if I had thrown it into a tornado backwards, the unique part of it being a blood-red streak that covers my left eye. I, of course, have dyed it, cut it and tried everything under the sun to hide or remove it. It is going nowhere. My bright blue blazer glistened in a sun that seemingly wasn't there, though that happened with all the clothes I wore. Underneath was a white buttoned-down shirt that, to my grimace, had a brown ketchup stain. If I looked down, at the time, there were several black lines on the grey trousers where I sewed up slashes from bullies, though I missed one.
I was 5 minutes away when I got the feeling that death's eyes were upon me. I span on the spot, the world's distorted image around me. Though I didn't know why, when I stopped, I was in a sort of battle-ready position, like I've fought many enemies daily. Nothing. No eyes lurking in the background of darkness. Not a soul in sight. As I got ready to continue the inevitable race to school, I saw her.
Fotia is a girl who also attended my school for the wicked to punish. She had frizzy, fire-like hair that looks as if someone had turned flame into a liquid dye. Of course, that was silly, it was just ginger with some yellow and red tips. Though, just like him, she had one streak of abnormally coloured hair. It was a bright blue, like the sky on the sunniest day you have ever seen, and it lay on her right shoulder. Her jade green eyes looked as if they could cut through your story with a glance. Little freckles danced across her face, so she looked as if you could play dot-to-dot.
She ran around the corner of an outgoing street and was running at the same pace. Normally this didn't happen because I could run quite fast, but I was too busy daydreaming. She glanced over, and I quickly looked away. She called over from the other side of the street.
"Hey, Ice Nerd. How have you been" she called with an uncharacteristic smile?
Normally she stares at everyone with an undertone of hatred, sometimes even me. But she smiled at me like her only friend in the world, which in fairness, I was. Unfortunately, she was too headstrong for people to get along with. So she kept to herself with her art-filled notebooks, until I plucked up enough courage to confront her. Since then I have been very close to her...
"Hello flames, I'm alright. you?"
I gave her that little nickname because I'm a big nerd when it comes to ancient Greek mythology, and in greek her name means fire. She crossed the road and continued to run with me. 2 minutes till we're late, and 1 minute till I get there.
"I'm okay, though I was up late last night... homework!" an incredulous sigh escaped her lips
Ever since my birthday, she had been getting more 'extra homework'. Which was weird since only 2 out of 20 teachers actually cared enough to do that, but I just played along since she had always been very hidden. The bags under her eyes were very dark though this time like she had been working out all night.
"What have we got today??" she said through a muffled yawn.
"We're supposed to be going on an 'Educational' field trip" Educational tended to mean that we were going to another school to be made to feel bad about our grades. Little did I know at the time, I would never get the chance to be made to feel miserable by teachers.
A few hours later, I was sitting in a giant night sky blue couch that's driver looked sketchy. The school was always cheap. I was next to Fotia of course with all the other kids sitting two seats further 'cause everyone was always afraid of her. It was great for me though, because it got bullies off my back. Though the only one who bothered us normally didn't seem to be here. Charlie.
I was bored so I asked if I could see my companions latest art pieces. As she passed them over, I saw some beady yellow eyes lurk in the darkness of a London alleyway. Assuming it was a feline, I went back to Fotia for the notebook. I slid open to the newest beast she had drawn. The encapsulating work was of a Loopin like creature with jet black hair all the way down its hunched spine. The only sense of colour in the entire piece was two yellow, like gold, eyes. They drew me closer with every second I viewed this work of art. Its attention to detail paramount to what I've seen, however, that's not the only reason I was so invested. The similarities between the beast's eyes were unquestionable to the ones I had just seen.
The seemingly death filled pupils were indefinitely the same, with the shape both being wired straight towards me. Interested as to how she came up with this idea I asked,
"How comes you drew this today"
She as always, when I questioned her work, looked away and then, as if with realisation, gave me a snappy answer.
"I had a dream about it. It doesn't matter anyway"
I let off the subject, 'cause normally, if I continued, I'd get a punch to the arm. Joining the other 25 bruises from me learning this fact. I went back to looking at her drawings of pixies, three-headed dogs and Centaurs. They were so realistic, her imagination was beyond wild when it came to drawing but her lies needed a lot of work. Since we sat at the back, I peered out of the window behind. I regretted it instantly.
A figure of pure darkness, on all fours, was running at the speed of a train on-top the rooves of cafes and shops with flats above. It was about 30 yards behind and gaining, I blinked several times however much I did, the image before me never changed. The monstrous fangs seething for something, and its grotesque yellow eyes laid on me. A slimy green drawl hit the pavement and fizzed into the ground as a sinkhole was created... It had acid for drawl, yay!
It seemed no one else saw a 30-foot big demonic dog barreling through a street in London, almost as if this a normal occurrence. I tapped Fotia on the shoulder, still stunned by the sight in front of me. I watched as the thing was seemingly looking to my soul while jumping from each building to keep up with the coach. Still tapping, came an irritated voice from my left,
"What Nero!"
She stood up next to me to see my sight, and she sighed. She looked at the giant form of pure death as if it was a common problem like a clogged toilet. Then she spoke with the sign of slight annoyance however sympathy,
"We've got to get out of here, ill explain when we're at the Alma"
Now I was confused! She dropped two black purls the shape of drops and as clear as if it was liquid. She pulled me to the centre of the coach and we started to lift. I looked down and saw a blazing fire whirling around our legs, and forcing us through the roof window. I glanced to the back and saw a boy and a girl that looked like exact copies of us, though a teacher was trying to communicate with our double-gangers as they stared right through her.
We, now on top of the couch, was still being transported by the upside-down tornado of flame below our waists to an alleyway. As soon as we touched down, we ran. I was still confused about course but I trusted Fotia. I went through, what seemed like, every dark road in London. As I looked up, 'hell on paws' was still on our tail.
Yes, the pun was on purpose.
Fotia was now sweating rocks, but still running as if her life depended on it, which it did. We ran and ran, till we hit a dead end. With a very audible thud, a large, furry, and the feeling of pure death fell behind us. I invested every thought I had left, that wasn't shocked by the last 10 minutes, was wondering whether I would die to the claws or the fangs.
A blinding jade green light shone brightly, filling the damp and dark area. The light came with a wind that emitted from one place, flames hand.
The glow dimmed and I made out a shadow of something in her hand, that wasn't there 2 seconds before.
