The fight that I started at prom didn't land me in as much trouble as I thought it would. I don't know if you Deans are being lenient because it is the end of the year or if it is because you both have grown to love me (admit it Deans, you two are going to miss me). Either way, thanks for not making me clean up more unicorn manure.
Another good thing that has come out of the fiasco that was the prom is that Frank and I have grown closer. There is nothing that bonds siblings together more than having one break up a fight because the other one went all Bruce Banner turning into the Hulk. Plus, my parents said that Frank will be attending Underworld Campus next year. Great ready for Frank Einstein Class of 2016!!
As for my future I'm happy to report that I got accepted into University. I'm going to be a Biology Major at the same school that Mr. Mackey showed us. Where everyone can be themselves because everyone is accepted for who they are. When I told Mr. Mackey his response was, "you go girl!" as he snapped his finger at me. And, I already know where the best parties will be!
There is just one thing that is keeping me from moving forward: my past. At the beginning of the year I promised myself that I would find the reason for my nightmares. Unfortunately I got sidetracked along he way. I got caught up in the cliques of high school, being part of the It Crowd, and fantasizing over what I thought was a prefect boy. As it turns out the It Crowd ended up being a bunch of mean girls who have no care for anyone but themselves, and that prefect boy was nothing but a coward in knight's armor. Don't get me wrong. I have no regrets for anything that I did this past year, because they lead me to Frank and Leon. I've even grown closer to my parents. I actually see them as my parents not just the man who brought me back from the dead and the woman he did the same to first.
And since my mother and I have grown closer, I can finally talk to her about these night terrors. We look so much alike that you would think that we actually were biological mother and daughter, but that’s where the similarities end. We aren't the Gilmore Girls who can talk to each other about anything and everything. I hated her because she was a reminder of who I am: an undead freak covered in hideous scars. These between us started to change when she yelled at me for going to the cemetery at night to dig up Frank's body. As she was yelling at me I realized that she is mad because she cares. She is actually, genuinely worried about me. I don't know if we will ever be Lorelai and Rory, but at least we are better than we were. And never in a million years did I think that she would be the key to solving the mystery of what my nightmares mean.
"I used to have nightmares almost every night." my mom explained. "Then I realized that these are not nightmares, but memories. The memories of who I was before I died."
She sat me down on my bed and we talked and she explained everything. "My subconscious was fighting two different worlds. The world before I died and the world after, and I didn't know which one I belonged in. Before I died I was a young bride with the hopes of having a large family. After your father brought me back from the dead I was different, and he was different as well. I still had him, although he was no longer my young newly wed husband. But the prospect of having children was out of the picture. That is until he created you. After he made you I decided that I would no longer live in the past. And once my subconscious let go if my former self the nightmares ended."
"You knew I had nightmares," I was trying to wrap my head around what I had just heard. "Why didn't you say anything before?"
"The mind doesn't work that way." mother explained, "You have to come to your own conclusions in your own time. You were not ready before. You would not have understood."
I went to my father's lab one last time to look at his notes. This time I knew what I was looking for: a name. Eliza Moore. I did some research on line to find out who I was before I died, and what I found was shocking. Eliza was a drug addict who ran away from home. Her parents disowned her long before she died. They never came to collect her body and she was buried all alone in a remote corner of the cemetery. No wonder my father chose Eliza. No one would miss her. To her family she had already been dead.
I have to make my own conclusions in my own time. Those thoughts ran through my head over and over as I found myself once again drawn to the cemetery. It all makes sense now. My undead life began in this cemetery when my father dug up Eliza's grave. I had to go there one last time and pay my respect to Eliza.
Leon offered to go with me, but I told him that this is something I had to do on my own. But I promised him I would be back in time for the graduation party his parents are throwing him.
Father told me where Eliza's grave would be found, and sure enough it was still there. Someone had covered the grave back up, just this time it was empty. I didn't know what to do so I placed the flowers in a vase in front of the marker.
"Thank you." was all I could muster up the nerve to say. I ran my undead fingers over the marker. There was no epitaph. Nothing about Eliza being a loving daughter or sister. Nothing but a name marked who Eliza was. But Mary is different. I am all those things and more! Suddenly the floodgates opened and I poured my heart and soul onto the grave marker.
"I know it was never your intention to die, but the end of your life marked the beginning of mine." I talked to Eliza about everything. I told her about Frank and I told her about Leon. "I didn't know love could be this amazing. Until I met Leon I never knew that someone could love me for me." I said "With Leon I can be myself. Not the prefect version of myself that I thought I had to be with Marcus. I now love me for me."
I told her about my self portrait and about the giant hitting me in gym class. I even told her about you two Deans. "I know that they are in charge of the school, but I feel I can tell them anything" I said, "even stuff I probably shouldn't have."
After I told Eliza about my past school year I told her about my future. I told her about my goals of being a scientist and maybe one day finding a cure for cancer, or AIDS, or 🐸🐸🐸🐸, or any other disease that needlessly kills. "Your death will not be in vain," I promised. Then I got up and walked home.
That night I had a good dream. I dreamed about attending classes in college, and playing catch with Frank. I dreamed about Leon and me spending the rest of our undead lives together. After that night I never had another nightmare again.
Mine is just....I don't know. I do better when I write my own stories without prompts I guess. I think that was why I had so much trouble because I don't think anything was cohesive...let alone this ending. LOL!
Quite a few students were on detention after the prom that became known as “Fight Night.” The school was basically on lock down. There were no extracurricular activities—club meetings, sports or field trips. We had to report to class and then back to our rooms when class was over. Library trips had to be signed off by the deans—I bet they were getting writer’s cramp from all of those! The eerie pall that had fallen over the school still lingered and I could tell the deans, teachers and all other stuff were mystified as to what was causing it.
After a week of brain wrecking exams, a group of us decided to sneak out to the ruins and have a bonfire and just kick back and have some fun. There were four of us to be exact—Berry, Ophelia, Darrien and I. We had an elaborate plan to get together on Friday night. Many students and staff had decided to go home for the weekend to get away from the oppressiveness of campus. Of course, some of us couldn’t go home or our parents wanted us to tough it out until the end. Darrien’s parents told him he was not allowed the luxury of coming home after the embarrassment of prom. Berry had no home to go to as his parents were on a vacation. Ophelia didn’t feel like facing the lunacy of her grandfather and I just didn’t feel like running home to “mommy and daddy.” The staff would be minimal—just enough to keep an eye on things—so we knew this was our chance. The anticipation of planning and doing something completely against the rules—especially after prom—was too much for us to resist.
Friday night! I swear we were all ready to burst with anticipation for what we were about to do. However, it was kind of a letdown. Everything was so quiet with most of the campus gone that we barely had any trouble. In fact, we all left campus together a few hours earlier than planned and no one was there to stop us. Bummer.
When we got to the ruins, everything was ready to go. Darrien had been busy setting things up the last week because he had super speed and he could cloak himself so no one would see him. We all had offered to help, but he insisted it was better that way. There were coolers with drinks and snacks, chairs, a stereo and the awesome bonfire ready to go. I popped in a Breaking Benjamin CD while Berry lit the fire and we sat and just relaxed and talked for a while. I’m not sure when it happened; it was so gradual at first. Little by little we started arguing and picking at each other and slowly the arguments got more heated. I started to feel just like I did during the prom. I wasn’t entirely sure why I wasn’t as affected as everyone else. I still got upset but not the complete decent into angry madness everyone else did. Well, I was about to find out why.
The feeling got stronger and stronger and I looked up as I felt a wave of disorientation swirl around our little gathering. I squinted to see in the feeble reddish light that was given out by the flames that licked upwards from the fire. I felt the hair on the back of my neck and my arms stand on end as goosebumps popped up on my skin. I slowly stood up as with an awareness in my mind that I knew this being floating in the air and my stomach started to drop to my toes.
“Who’s there?” I croaked into the darkness, my voice giving way to my fear. The rest of my group stopped arguing long enough to turn to look at the newcomer, their anger almost tangibly surging towards him as if he was now their intended target.
A deep, evil sounding voice twisted out of the shadows, “It has been awhile, sweet sister. Have you missed me, Vix?”
Duran?! Where had he been all this time? My brief surge of joy was relentlessly squashed down with the realization that this was really no longer the boy I had grown up with. As he came forward into the light, I noticed many changes in him. His face was covered in scars and he was huge with muscle and incredible intense dark power. My brother was an evil monster now.
Both boys ran towards him, belatedly sensing the danger they were all in and wanting to protect the girls at all cost. With barely a flick of his wrist, Duran sent them reeling to the ground, writhing in pain. The fight was on now. Ophelia gathered her power, having been silent this whole time and keenly observing their adversary. I summoned my own power and threw whatever was available at him. My aim was not terribly accurate as I had just mastered this but I would use any distraction I could. I was also able to join Ophelia and strengthen her with my soul shifting.
Duran laughed quietly, “You think to best me? My sweet little sister, your powers have manifested from mine as I have been observing you for a long time. I own you and you will bow to me as will this whole town.”
“No!” I screamed, my power surging with Ophelia’s.
The fight had been long and painful but that was all that was needed--the surge of white hot power--and we bested the evil monster my brother had become.
How I would move on from here and how I would break the news to my parents, I didn’t know. I did know that I was stronger and braver than I ever thought and with this new confidence, I could do great things. The world was open before me and all I needed was to step forward and use the power, the power of believing in myself, to grab it with both hands and really live from now on. Even full of sadness and pain, I was excited at what my future now held.
I finally have a bit of an idea! I think it might just work! I'm going to try to get the picture before I go to bed. I'm going out of town for the weekend, for a family reunion, but I'm taking my laptop computer along with me so I'll be able to get the story written and the whole thing submitted.
I believe something's can't be explained
They are hidden in the mist and in the silver rain...
I took two photos and had two versions of my ending. I feel like I'm taking a huge chance with this one, but this is the ending that the covers dark secret bit better and it's closer to what I envisioned. I hope you like.
FINAL ASSIGNMENT: DARK SECRET REVEALED
I never thought it would end this way. I never thought I would get expelled, but I had broke the worse rule in the book. I had wounded and almost killed a fellow classmate. Thankfully Keith had survived, but it wasn't enough to save me from my fate. He was badly wounded by my claws and it's against the rules to attack other students with such force, so I was expelled without much thought. Grey also met the same fate unfortunately for being an accomplice to my crimes, but he wasn't too bother by it oddly. He had places to go and things to do I guess, but for me it was devastating. I had no where to go. No where to stay. No friends. No family. The circus and the cage I once called home was out of the question. I refused to go back to those nasty freaks. Maybe the old Luna would of went with her tail between her legs, but the new me was determined to do something with the knowledge of her past.
I had to get to the bottom of the visions I saw on prom night. I had to make sense of the blur that was my past. Keith's touch or maybe his blood had did something to me. I thought maybe Tabitha's spell had knocked a few screws loose when I was hospitalized after the prom, but it was nothing more than a stunning spell she hit it us with and such a spell is harmless. So I was quite confused to see a floating figure above my bed in the infirmary. Yes, the spirits he spoke of started coming to me vividly! They couldn't speak to me as they spoke to him, but I could see them mouth words and I could see the sorrow on their faces. I tossed and turned all night looking at their sullen expressions. I almost thought I had been cursed, but after leaving school I came to the realization that this would be my quest.
I knew deep down inside this had to be a solo mission. I didn't want Grey to come with me and I knew my relationship with Tabitha was hopeless now. They wouldn't understand anyway if I could bring them along. They couldn't see what I saw. The spirits didn't do much in my present, but one spirit in particular seemed to be telling me something. That spirit was believed to be my father. He was red in color, but his face was adorned with scratches and his body had gaping holes with what appeared to be liquid of pouring out of them. He was frightening to look at and I often hid under the covers from him when I was on the mend, but I became fascinated by him as he was different from the others. He pointed and he would even grab at my arms when he seemed the most frustrated. He wanted me to see something. I was hesitant to follow a ghost of course, but after the events that followed prom I had nothing else to do and he was the only thing that connected me to the visions I saw.
So after taking one last look at the school, I went off on my quest and the ghost led me to a broken down mansion. The mansion was my childhood home. The ghost floated right through the door and I stood there in shock. I hadn't see this house since being sold to the circus. It was both amazing and horrifying to see it in a such dilapidated state. Feeling a little afraid I made myself step forward and the door pushed open with ease. I walked into a big room that was once a living room and peered around looking at what was left. It was empty and full of dust. Dust covered every surface and webs decorated every corner. Then I saw the blood stains. They were on the floors and on the walls. I shivered looking at the blood. The visions of corpses flashed through my mind in that instance and I almost turned around to leave, but something caught my eye. A stuff animal. A small bunny stained in blood. 'Was it mine?' I asked myself peering down at it. I bent down to pick it up and examine it, but a voice made me stop in my tracks.
"Who's there?" a woman voice rung out. The floor creaked as her foot steps came closer to me and then she stopped gasping. "You..yyyou...don't move!"
I thought about running, but I heard a click that sounded like a gun. Then she spoke again sounding more crazed than before, but oddly familiar. "I knew you would come back. I waited for you! You've come to kill me haven't you?"
"What? Ma...m....mom?"
"You're not my daughter. I should of killed you in your crib. You killed the only man I loved. That man made you kill him! Right?" she sobbed. "This gun....this gun has silver! I'll kill the both of you!"
I could hear the gun the shaking in her hand and I could tell she was pointing it at me. I didn't think I was going die, but I wasn't entirely sure if I would make it unscathed. Then I heard the door slam open and a man voice called out for me. I didn't turn around. I was too scared to, but the voice didn't sound like Grey. It didn't sound like anyone I knew, but the man made quick work of the woman and the gun came sliding pass me as it hit the floor.
I got up slowly and turned around. The man was standing behind me breathing heavily. The woman was on the floor and the spirit faded away looking displeased.
"Who was that? That was my....? Who are you?" I said feeling completely puzzled.
"You don't recognize me?" he said still breathing heavily.
I looked up into his face stunned. His red hair and faced almost mirrored mine. "You're....
"I'm you're father, Luna. I'm sorry. I should of never gave you away. I should of never let her take you away from me." he sighed. "Look I've been watching you, but I only did so to make sure you were safe. Are you ok? She didn't hurt you right?"
"But who is she? I thought she...never mind. And who was that?" I said pointing at where the spirit once stood.
"Well that woman is your mother. Completely insane and human, but you're mother." he said as he watch me stare down at my claws. "You took after me."
"But the man..." I said pointing again.
"What man?," he followed my gaze wrinkling his brows. I stopped realizing I must sound crazy pointing at nothing. He looked for awhile at the spot trying to understand, but I took it upon myself to head for the door. He followed.
I stopped right outside and stood there gathering my thoughts. I remembered everything now. I was a little girl with powers she didn't understand and a hunger that never died. I killed the maids and the butlers who tended to me. I killed a little girl who dared played with me. I even killed pets that were given to me, but killing the man my mother had married was the last straw. She sold me to the circus, because she was afraid of me and she was angry. She also had long been ashamed of me. I represented the affair she had. She often got in arguments with her husband about me. I looked nothing like either of them with my red hair and odd looking features. I almost pity my mother for having me. How horrible must it been to have a daughter like me.
"So where to now?" I said finding my voice again.
"You're willing to go...? Anywhere you like."
"Well let's get away from here then," I said coldly. "I can't stand to look at it anymore."
We walked off side by side in silence into the cover of the forest. We didn't speak, but we didn't need to. I was finally the person I was meant to be and I had finally found where I belonged. It all made sense now.
Trista opened the door and reluctantly walked into the room.
'Miss Knight?' Trista nodded, 'Take a seat. I see this is your first appointment. I'm Doctor Robinson. I see your school councilor booked an appointment for you.'
Trista offered nothing in reply, in her eyes there was nothing wrong with her. As she sat there, the doctor continued to make notes in her file.
After a few minutes had past the doctor stood up from her desk and walked around so she was directly in front of Trista.
'Last Tuesday. Let's talk it through.' she instructed.
At first Trista said nothing, she didn't want to be here so why should she cooperate, eventually though she gave in.
'I was only having a bit of fun. The spell casting room was empty so I though I might go in and have a bit o a play with the equipment stored in there. Totally harmless.'
'That's not how it turned out Trista. Listen your a pyromaniac Trista, let's talk through what happened and try to make links between your pyromania and the events.'
Trista felt totally patronized. She wasn't a pyromaniac, she couldn't be. It wasn't her.
'Trista, what were your true intentions when you went into the classroom?'
'I'm not sure. To have a play i guess. I was bored so I went in to see what was in there.' Again the doctor took notes.
'Tell me what happened then. In your eyes. I want to know.'
'I told you, I was bored and the spell room was empty.
I went in and there was nobody there. The cupboard was open so I took a quick peek. I saw a box on the top shelf and I took it down. I didn't know what was in it, I was just intrigued. I opened the box and decided to set a few things up, I thought I need to practice my magic as I am not that good and I could use this stuff to help me. There was a few test tubes of things and I decided to mix them together. It started to fizz...a lot. I left the room for a bit to go to the loo and when I got back the desk and a few pieces of paper were on fire. I thought I could use my magic to stop it but the flames just got bigger and spread to the rest of the room so I ran.'
'Listen Trista, this isn't the first time that you have done things with fire and chemicals. You help out with the science club which uses fire a lot, and the class presentation you did was about fire and how you could control it meaning you must have been able to stop a fire too. Trista why didn't you stop it?'
'I did try! Why don't you believe me?' The tears were building in Trista's eyes. She was finding it really hard to control her emotions.
'I know you have trouble with your emotion's Trista, this can be quite common among pyromaniacs. We need to talk about things more Trista. Why did you really go into that room?'
Trista was silent, thinking things through in her head. She knew the real reason why the fire started but she was reluctant to tell.
'Trista, the only way we can make progress is by talking this through. You can't go back to school until we sort this out.'
'Ugh... I... I... I wanted to do it.?' The relief Trista felt was amazing.
'You wanted to do it? Why did you want to do it Trista?' The doctor continued to make notes.
'The stress of school, I want to be good at magic I really do but I can't do it. I needed a release so I headed for the room as I knew there was the equipment to do it there. I never meant for it to get out of control though. I thought I could control it.' Trista was speaking quickly, it was as if she could no longer hold back the stress she had been enduring for so long. Tears were beginning to stream down her face.
'This is good Trista. I feel we are going to make real progress with you.' said doctor Robinson as she handed her a tissue, 'now we know the root of the problem we can tackle it. You are a pyromaniac Trista and you won't be allowed back into school until we have this totally under control. Do you understand me?' Trista nodded.
It was as if things were finally beginning to come together. She wanted to do everything in her power to make it work. She didn't want this label for the rest of her life. She was more than this and she was determined to sort this.
'I think we have come to the end of our first session then.' announced the doctor, 'this will work out well Trista' she said looking her in the eye. 'I'm the best this town can offer you.'
Trista stood up and walked towards the door with confidence in her stride. Yes she was a pyromaniac but she was going to sort it out.
I am SO SO SO sorry, I was going to have it in on Friday but the place I was staying had NO internet whatsoever. I am going to be working on this now. Again, SO, sososo sorry. Guess I should have stayed up super late on Thursday or something!
I believe something's can't be explained
They are hidden in the mist and in the silver rain...
I didn’t know what to do after prom, but I did know that I had to know why Iestyn had freaked out so badly. I was also angry at Stevie - how could she just keep kissing me and not let me go when I tried to warn her, to pull away? I was starting to pass out and she had just continued to kiss me. Needless to say, I kicked her out of my room - she wasn’t going to stay there. I needed to cool down before I tried to get any answers out of her.
On the Monday after the prom I got set to find out what had happened to Iestyn after he had snapped at prom. It took me all day, but eventually I learned that he had been suspended until the week before the end of school.
How was I going to get to him and find out what was going on?
I went through my classes half-heartedly, lost in my thoughts. The day dragged by, and it felt like two weeks had passed by the time I was able to go home. I wanted to message Iestyn, tell him to talk to me about what had happened, but I only wanted to do that when we had time to actually meet up.
As I approached my room, I reached into the side pocket of my backpack to locate my keys. Of course they refused to actually be within my reach so I continued to struggle with them, slowly walking towards the door, not looking where I was going.
“Laeth.”
I jumped and nearly screamed when I suddenly heard the voice from in front of me, nearly dropped my bag on the floor in my surprised jerk. My heart thudded loudly as I looked up at my room door with wide eyes… to see Iestyn. Leaning against the door, looking.. I couldn’t tell. His emotions normally were always on the surface and anyone could tell what he was thinking, but for once I really couldn’t tell what he was thinking as he stared at me.
“Iestyn!” I exclaimed, and started to move towards him to hug him, before I caught myself and stopped moving. What should I do? I thought, trying to figure out whether I should start talking, or if I should let him start. I didn’t even know what his problem was in the first place, or why he had started avoiding me, or why he had reacted the way he did at prom, or.. or… I felt like I didn’t know anything, anymore. School was the only thing I understood. Give me an essay over relationship problems any day of the week.
We stared at each other in silence for a while before I finally decided to just get my keys out to unlock my door. I nudged him out of the way, and then opened the door to my room, leaving it open for him to follow me if he wanted. Obviously he wanted to speak to me, or else he wouldn’t have come to my room, but I wasn’t going to assume anything. He was temperamental.
As I went about my usual getting-home routine, I heard him walk in behind me and then stop. “Sit anywhere.” I told him, motioning at my desk, my bed, my bean bag chair, the floor.. just everywhere.
“I just wanted to apologize.”
I stopped briefly and turned slowly to look at him. He was staring at my floor intensely, avoiding my gaze. “For prom?”
He winced visibly, and shuffled his feet slightly. “Yeah, that.. and avoiding you after… that one night. Both.”
Silence fell around us for several moments, and then I sighed and turned to face him fully, my arms crossed over my chest. “Well, thank you. Prom was terrifying thanks to you.. and Stevie. I will think about forgiving you if you please just explain to me what happened. From the beginning.”
Once again he stayed silent, before looking up at me and shrugging a shoulder slightly. “I.. well. Okay. I guess, I just…” he hesitated, looking around my room for some reason that might be hovering in the air for him to grab and use. “... I’m not good with commitment. The only thing I’m very committed to is unlife, since I can’t really change that. And I like you, too, so when you said you like me I felt the desire to date you, and it scared me.”
If I had been expecting anything, that wouldn’t have been it. I had thought of only one other possibility: he didn’t like me and thought it was weird and didn’t want to be around me anymore. I never even considered (well, except at the end of prom) that he might like me too. “Wait,” I started, trying to sort through this in my mind. “This means you like m-”
In the middle of my very important question, a third voice joined in, and sternly demanded, “Marwolaeth Ó Cnáimhín, I have to talk to you.”
Having completely not expected a second person to enter my room, I whirled around with a surprised expletive, ready to throw my keys at the intruder’s face… until I saw Terrie Winchester, of all people. I paused mid-throw, and stared at her, noting that Iestyn didn’t seemed fazed at all. I realized later that it was probably because he is a vampire, and they can smell people from far away.
She stared at me quietly for a moment before crossing her arms impatiently and pursing her lips, still standing in my doorway. It only took me a moment to realize she was waiting for an invitation, and I motioned for her to go ahead and enter, even if I was in the middle of a private conversation.
“What are you doing here, Terrie?” I asked her as she gracefully glided over and sat herself down in my bean bag chair. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Iestyn sigh in annoyance and sit down on my bed to wait for the unwanted guest to finish her business and leave.
“I know you can feel the connection,” she started, motioning between the two of us. The connection.. that inexplicable feeling that drew me to her. I had never thought of it as a connection before, but when she said that it made sense.
“Yeah.. I felt it back at the cemetery especially, when I was wailing for that poor guy you almost killed.”
With a roll of her eyes Terrie sighed and continued, “Me too. How much do you know about banshees and baobhan sith?” I stared at her blankly, and her obvious annoyance grew that much thicker around her. “Thought so. Mother said that half-banshee children are never taught anything about themselves..”
“I know some stuff.” I snapped, wanting to defend the knowledge that I actually had, but mostly not wanting her to think badly of my mother. “My mother sent me letters.”
“Hn. Better than most. But anyway. It’s coming close to graduation, and I needed to tell you this before we lost track of each other. There’s a little known fact that when a baobhan sith and a banshee meet, their lives become intertwined with each other. As one causes death, the other foretells death, so their existences just… go together. When a baobhan sith is going to feed on a human, their banshee will wail for that human - no matter where they are. If they’re across the world from their baobhan sith and the human, they’ll still wail, because they’re so connected. That happened to us, or at least I assume it did. That’s why your very presence has always.. gotten to me. The moment I realized what you were I realized we’d never really be able to be really apart, and the fact that we had no choice in the matter makes me hate you.”
My head spun with all of the new information that was being dumped on me. Iestyn liked me.. and I was… permanently connected to Terrie? We were, what, bonded? Imprinted? This was a ridiculous amount of information to process all at once, and I shook my head slowly in protest. “What…?”
“Knock, knock?”
“Oh what NOW?” I shouted at the door as I heard a familiar ghostly voice drift in from the door. If it wasn’t bad enough that I was learning some very life-altering information but Stevie just had to come by when I wasn’t ready to face her yet. Instead of taking my response for what it was, Stevie took it as an invitation and drifted in with a regretful, determined look on her face. Behind me I heard Iestyn utter a low growl. “I realize that my room is the new hot spot in town but could you all come at different times to mess with my head?!”
“I came to explain myself, Marwy..” Stevie started, sounding as apologetic as she looked.
I wanted to scream, pull my hair out, demand that everyone leave except Iestyn and come back one at a time, but instead I took a steadying breath and nodded slowly. “Alright. Fine. Everyone else is coming to explain something to me, might as well hear from you, too.”
“Sorry..” she bit her ghostly lip - I assume she did, at least, it’s hard to see facial features on ghosts - and shifted, before taking a deep, unnecessary breath. “I told Iestyn you never loved him.” What? “I told him that, and that I was taking you to the prom as my date, and we were a couple now and you liked me better. I did it because I was angry at him for hurting you. I wanted to make him jealous, and to make him realize just what he had done wrong by ignoring you.”
My jaw dropped slightly and stared at her in astonishment. I suppose it shouldn’t have surprised me, nothing was surprising me anymore, but it did. “That.. was very sweet, but a bit extreme, Stevie.”
She groaned and put her hands to her head. “I know! I don’t know what’s wrong with me! When I was in the mirror I was fine, but the moment you released me from the mirror I’ve been… unhealthily obsessed with you. I think about you all the time. I was furious about how Iestyn was making you feel, and I couldn’t help myself. I wanted to hurt him and make him think that you weren’t available anymore, that you were mine.”
This was just getting better and better. Before I could speak, Terrie cleared her throat. “I think I actually have an explanation for you.”
We all looked towards her and I sighed defeatedly. Of course she something about this problem. Of course I was going to learn about it today.
“Banshees are connected to death… so those that are technically dead have a strong attraction for anything related to death. Especially as it gets closer to the banshee’s eighteenth birthday, when she fully comes into her power. I’m assuming, by what happened at prom, that your birthday is getting really, really close, Marwolaeth?”
I stared at Terrie, once again, before nodding. “Next week.”
With a slow nod, she rested her arm back down on her leg. “You’ll be experiencing this sort of thing a lot more soon as time goes on. You’ll be closer to death, yourself - and I don’t mean that in a ‘you’ll die soon’ way - I mean that in a… hm.. like you’re a representative of death, sort of.”
Too much information, too much input all at once, my head was buzzing and I could swear I saw sparkles lining my vision. I had just planned to talk to Iestyn, to see what we were going to do about things, but now I am taught all this stuff about myself from someone who I don’t even like? Who doesn’t even like me? I grabbed my head, trying to contain my emotions. I could hear Stevie speaking to me, she was motioning at me, but all I could think about was I’m practically catnip for ghosts because I’m a second cousin of DEATH, and Iestyn likes me and, and, and, and…
More things were happening than just me having a breakdown, I knew that, and I also knew that I needed to get them out of here. After a long time of Stevie trying to communicate with me I screamed, and then shouted, “Everyone out! Out now!” I herded them out of my room, all three of them, before slamming my door and locking it. I needed to process - something was happening to my body, I was in the process of changing, and I could feel that Terrie was right. Something was feeling different, something was shifting, and I was frazzled, and time was stopping and quickening all at once.
Eventually I stumbled to my bed and laid down. I closed my eyes and let the weird feeling take hold.
Things were going to change from here on out, I could tell. I didn’t know how exactly, but they were, and I had a feeling it wasn’t going to all be bad. My body was changing, my life was changing, but I knew that I would have people there to be with me through it. Terrie was annoying, Iestyn was bad at emotions, and Stevie was obsessed with me, but I had a feeling we were going to all be stuck with each other for a long, long time.
(Cyan says: I apologize for how long it took, and the lack of quality and the general blah-ness of the story.)
I believe something's can't be explained
They are hidden in the mist and in the silver rain...
The first time I've had a chance to get on here in a week and the forums decide they want to play up... huzzah?
Going to echo Vid's statement here. All the final assignments have been a nice mix of bittersweet, sad and awesome. Great job, everybody. You've all done incredibly well this comp
Comments
Hope you both feel better soon, Vid and Cyan.
Final Assignment:
The fight that I started at prom didn't land me in as much trouble as I thought it would. I don't know if you Deans are being lenient because it is the end of the year or if it is because you both have grown to love me (admit it Deans, you two are going to miss me). Either way, thanks for not making me clean up more unicorn manure.
Another good thing that has come out of the fiasco that was the prom is that Frank and I have grown closer. There is nothing that bonds siblings together more than having one break up a fight because the other one went all Bruce Banner turning into the Hulk. Plus, my parents said that Frank will be attending Underworld Campus next year. Great ready for Frank Einstein Class of 2016!!
As for my future I'm happy to report that I got accepted into University. I'm going to be a Biology Major at the same school that Mr. Mackey showed us. Where everyone can be themselves because everyone is accepted for who they are. When I told Mr. Mackey his response was, "you go girl!" as he snapped his finger at me. And, I already know where the best parties will be!
There is just one thing that is keeping me from moving forward: my past. At the beginning of the year I promised myself that I would find the reason for my nightmares. Unfortunately I got sidetracked along he way. I got caught up in the cliques of high school, being part of the It Crowd, and fantasizing over what I thought was a prefect boy. As it turns out the It Crowd ended up being a bunch of mean girls who have no care for anyone but themselves, and that prefect boy was nothing but a coward in knight's armor. Don't get me wrong. I have no regrets for anything that I did this past year, because they lead me to Frank and Leon. I've even grown closer to my parents. I actually see them as my parents not just the man who brought me back from the dead and the woman he did the same to first.
And since my mother and I have grown closer, I can finally talk to her about these night terrors. We look so much alike that you would think that we actually were biological mother and daughter, but that’s where the similarities end. We aren't the Gilmore Girls who can talk to each other about anything and everything. I hated her because she was a reminder of who I am: an undead freak covered in hideous scars. These between us started to change when she yelled at me for going to the cemetery at night to dig up Frank's body. As she was yelling at me I realized that she is mad because she cares. She is actually, genuinely worried about me. I don't know if we will ever be Lorelai and Rory, but at least we are better than we were. And never in a million years did I think that she would be the key to solving the mystery of what my nightmares mean.
"I used to have nightmares almost every night." my mom explained. "Then I realized that these are not nightmares, but memories. The memories of who I was before I died."
She sat me down on my bed and we talked and she explained everything. "My subconscious was fighting two different worlds. The world before I died and the world after, and I didn't know which one I belonged in. Before I died I was a young bride with the hopes of having a large family. After your father brought me back from the dead I was different, and he was different as well. I still had him, although he was no longer my young newly wed husband. But the prospect of having children was out of the picture. That is until he created you. After he made you I decided that I would no longer live in the past. And once my subconscious let go if my former self the nightmares ended."
"You knew I had nightmares," I was trying to wrap my head around what I had just heard. "Why didn't you say anything before?"
"The mind doesn't work that way." mother explained, "You have to come to your own conclusions in your own time. You were not ready before. You would not have understood."
I went to my father's lab one last time to look at his notes. This time I knew what I was looking for: a name. Eliza Moore. I did some research on line to find out who I was before I died, and what I found was shocking. Eliza was a drug addict who ran away from home. Her parents disowned her long before she died. They never came to collect her body and she was buried all alone in a remote corner of the cemetery. No wonder my father chose Eliza. No one would miss her. To her family she had already been dead.
I have to make my own conclusions in my own time. Those thoughts ran through my head over and over as I found myself once again drawn to the cemetery. It all makes sense now. My undead life began in this cemetery when my father dug up Eliza's grave. I had to go there one last time and pay my respect to Eliza.
Leon offered to go with me, but I told him that this is something I had to do on my own. But I promised him I would be back in time for the graduation party his parents are throwing him.
Father told me where Eliza's grave would be found, and sure enough it was still there. Someone had covered the grave back up, just this time it was empty. I didn't know what to do so I placed the flowers in a vase in front of the marker.
"Thank you." was all I could muster up the nerve to say. I ran my undead fingers over the marker. There was no epitaph. Nothing about Eliza being a loving daughter or sister. Nothing but a name marked who Eliza was. But Mary is different. I am all those things and more! Suddenly the floodgates opened and I poured my heart and soul onto the grave marker.
"I know it was never your intention to die, but the end of your life marked the beginning of mine." I talked to Eliza about everything. I told her about Frank and I told her about Leon. "I didn't know love could be this amazing. Until I met Leon I never knew that someone could love me for me." I said "With Leon I can be myself. Not the prefect version of myself that I thought I had to be with Marcus. I now love me for me."
I told her about my self portrait and about the giant hitting me in gym class. I even told her about you two Deans. "I know that they are in charge of the school, but I feel I can tell them anything" I said, "even stuff I probably shouldn't have."
After I told Eliza about my past school year I told her about my future. I told her about my goals of being a scientist and maybe one day finding a cure for cancer, or AIDS, or 🐸🐸🐸🐸, or any other disease that needlessly kills. "Your death will not be in vain," I promised. Then I got up and walked home.
That night I had a good dream. I dreamed about attending classes in college, and playing catch with Frank. I dreamed about Leon and me spending the rest of our undead lives together. After that night I never had another nightmare again.
That was amazing, Socal! Glad she got her answers
Mine is just....I don't know. I do better when I write my own stories without prompts I guess. I think that was why I had so much trouble because I don't think anything was cohesive...let alone this ending. LOL!
Quite a few students were on detention after the prom that became known as “Fight Night.” The school was basically on lock down. There were no extracurricular activities—club meetings, sports or field trips. We had to report to class and then back to our rooms when class was over. Library trips had to be signed off by the deans—I bet they were getting writer’s cramp from all of those! The eerie pall that had fallen over the school still lingered and I could tell the deans, teachers and all other stuff were mystified as to what was causing it.
After a week of brain wrecking exams, a group of us decided to sneak out to the ruins and have a bonfire and just kick back and have some fun. There were four of us to be exact—Berry, Ophelia, Darrien and I. We had an elaborate plan to get together on Friday night. Many students and staff had decided to go home for the weekend to get away from the oppressiveness of campus. Of course, some of us couldn’t go home or our parents wanted us to tough it out until the end. Darrien’s parents told him he was not allowed the luxury of coming home after the embarrassment of prom. Berry had no home to go to as his parents were on a vacation. Ophelia didn’t feel like facing the lunacy of her grandfather and I just didn’t feel like running home to “mommy and daddy.” The staff would be minimal—just enough to keep an eye on things—so we knew this was our chance. The anticipation of planning and doing something completely against the rules—especially after prom—was too much for us to resist.
Friday night! I swear we were all ready to burst with anticipation for what we were about to do. However, it was kind of a letdown. Everything was so quiet with most of the campus gone that we barely had any trouble. In fact, we all left campus together a few hours earlier than planned and no one was there to stop us. Bummer.
When we got to the ruins, everything was ready to go. Darrien had been busy setting things up the last week because he had super speed and he could cloak himself so no one would see him. We all had offered to help, but he insisted it was better that way. There were coolers with drinks and snacks, chairs, a stereo and the awesome bonfire ready to go. I popped in a Breaking Benjamin CD while Berry lit the fire and we sat and just relaxed and talked for a while. I’m not sure when it happened; it was so gradual at first. Little by little we started arguing and picking at each other and slowly the arguments got more heated. I started to feel just like I did during the prom. I wasn’t entirely sure why I wasn’t as affected as everyone else. I still got upset but not the complete decent into angry madness everyone else did. Well, I was about to find out why.
The feeling got stronger and stronger and I looked up as I felt a wave of disorientation swirl around our little gathering. I squinted to see in the feeble reddish light that was given out by the flames that licked upwards from the fire. I felt the hair on the back of my neck and my arms stand on end as goosebumps popped up on my skin. I slowly stood up as with an awareness in my mind that I knew this being floating in the air and my stomach started to drop to my toes.
“Who’s there?” I croaked into the darkness, my voice giving way to my fear. The rest of my group stopped arguing long enough to turn to look at the newcomer, their anger almost tangibly surging towards him as if he was now their intended target.
A deep, evil sounding voice twisted out of the shadows, “It has been awhile, sweet sister. Have you missed me, Vix?”
Duran?! Where had he been all this time? My brief surge of joy was relentlessly squashed down with the realization that this was really no longer the boy I had grown up with. As he came forward into the light, I noticed many changes in him. His face was covered in scars and he was huge with muscle and incredible intense dark power. My brother was an evil monster now.
Both boys ran towards him, belatedly sensing the danger they were all in and wanting to protect the girls at all cost. With barely a flick of his wrist, Duran sent them reeling to the ground, writhing in pain. The fight was on now. Ophelia gathered her power, having been silent this whole time and keenly observing their adversary. I summoned my own power and threw whatever was available at him. My aim was not terribly accurate as I had just mastered this but I would use any distraction I could. I was also able to join Ophelia and strengthen her with my soul shifting.
Duran laughed quietly, “You think to best me? My sweet little sister, your powers have manifested from mine as I have been observing you for a long time. I own you and you will bow to me as will this whole town.”
“No!” I screamed, my power surging with Ophelia’s.
The fight had been long and painful but that was all that was needed--the surge of white hot power--and we bested the evil monster my brother had become.
How I would move on from here and how I would break the news to my parents, I didn’t know. I did know that I was stronger and braver than I ever thought and with this new confidence, I could do great things. The world was open before me and all I needed was to step forward and use the power, the power of believing in myself, to grab it with both hands and really live from now on. Even full of sadness and pain, I was excited at what my future now held.
Nini: great story, and I love the new confident, powerful Vix
Alexa: if you need help with something specific I may be able to help.
They are hidden in the mist and in the silver rain...
I have lots of time this weekend so I will defiantly do it then.
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FINAL ASSIGNMENT: DARK SECRET REVEALED
I never thought it would end this way. I never thought I would get expelled, but I had broke the worse rule in the book. I had wounded and almost killed a fellow classmate. Thankfully Keith had survived, but it wasn't enough to save me from my fate. He was badly wounded by my claws and it's against the rules to attack other students with such force, so I was expelled without much thought. Grey also met the same fate unfortunately for being an accomplice to my crimes, but he wasn't too bother by it oddly. He had places to go and things to do I guess, but for me it was devastating. I had no where to go. No where to stay. No friends. No family. The circus and the cage I once called home was out of the question. I refused to go back to those nasty freaks. Maybe the old Luna would of went with her tail between her legs, but the new me was determined to do something with the knowledge of her past.
I had to get to the bottom of the visions I saw on prom night. I had to make sense of the blur that was my past. Keith's touch or maybe his blood had did something to me. I thought maybe Tabitha's spell had knocked a few screws loose when I was hospitalized after the prom, but it was nothing more than a stunning spell she hit it us with and such a spell is harmless. So I was quite confused to see a floating figure above my bed in the infirmary. Yes, the spirits he spoke of started coming to me vividly! They couldn't speak to me as they spoke to him, but I could see them mouth words and I could see the sorrow on their faces. I tossed and turned all night looking at their sullen expressions. I almost thought I had been cursed, but after leaving school I came to the realization that this would be my quest.
I knew deep down inside this had to be a solo mission. I didn't want Grey to come with me and I knew my relationship with Tabitha was hopeless now. They wouldn't understand anyway if I could bring them along. They couldn't see what I saw. The spirits didn't do much in my present, but one spirit in particular seemed to be telling me something. That spirit was believed to be my father. He was red in color, but his face was adorned with scratches and his body had gaping holes with what appeared to be liquid of pouring out of them. He was frightening to look at and I often hid under the covers from him when I was on the mend, but I became fascinated by him as he was different from the others. He pointed and he would even grab at my arms when he seemed the most frustrated. He wanted me to see something. I was hesitant to follow a ghost of course, but after the events that followed prom I had nothing else to do and he was the only thing that connected me to the visions I saw.
So after taking one last look at the school, I went off on my quest and the ghost led me to a broken down mansion. The mansion was my childhood home. The ghost floated right through the door and I stood there in shock. I hadn't see this house since being sold to the circus. It was both amazing and horrifying to see it in a such dilapidated state. Feeling a little afraid I made myself step forward and the door pushed open with ease. I walked into a big room that was once a living room and peered around looking at what was left. It was empty and full of dust. Dust covered every surface and webs decorated every corner. Then I saw the blood stains. They were on the floors and on the walls. I shivered looking at the blood. The visions of corpses flashed through my mind in that instance and I almost turned around to leave, but something caught my eye. A stuff animal. A small bunny stained in blood. 'Was it mine?' I asked myself peering down at it. I bent down to pick it up and examine it, but a voice made me stop in my tracks.
"Who's there?" a woman voice rung out. The floor creaked as her foot steps came closer to me and then she stopped gasping. "You..yyyou...don't move!"
I thought about running, but I heard a click that sounded like a gun. Then she spoke again sounding more crazed than before, but oddly familiar. "I knew you would come back. I waited for you! You've come to kill me haven't you?"
"What? Ma...m....mom?"
"You're not my daughter. I should of killed you in your crib. You killed the only man I loved. That man made you kill him! Right?" she sobbed. "This gun....this gun has silver! I'll kill the both of you!"
I could hear the gun the shaking in her hand and I could tell she was pointing it at me. I didn't think I was going die, but I wasn't entirely sure if I would make it unscathed. Then I heard the door slam open and a man voice called out for me. I didn't turn around. I was too scared to, but the voice didn't sound like Grey. It didn't sound like anyone I knew, but the man made quick work of the woman and the gun came sliding pass me as it hit the floor.
I got up slowly and turned around. The man was standing behind me breathing heavily. The woman was on the floor and the spirit faded away looking displeased.
"Who was that? That was my....? Who are you?" I said feeling completely puzzled.
"You don't recognize me?" he said still breathing heavily.
I looked up into his face stunned. His red hair and faced almost mirrored mine. "You're....
"I'm you're father, Luna. I'm sorry. I should of never gave you away. I should of never let her take you away from me." he sighed. "Look I've been watching you, but I only did so to make sure you were safe. Are you ok? She didn't hurt you right?"
"But who is she? I thought she...never mind. And who was that?" I said pointing at where the spirit once stood.
"Well that woman is your mother. Completely insane and human, but you're mother." he said as he watch me stare down at my claws. "You took after me."
"But the man..." I said pointing again.
"What man?," he followed my gaze wrinkling his brows. I stopped realizing I must sound crazy pointing at nothing. He looked for awhile at the spot trying to understand, but I took it upon myself to head for the door. He followed.
I stopped right outside and stood there gathering my thoughts. I remembered everything now. I was a little girl with powers she didn't understand and a hunger that never died. I killed the maids and the butlers who tended to me. I killed a little girl who dared played with me. I even killed pets that were given to me, but killing the man my mother had married was the last straw. She sold me to the circus, because she was afraid of me and she was angry. She also had long been ashamed of me. I represented the affair she had. She often got in arguments with her husband about me. I looked nothing like either of them with my red hair and odd looking features. I almost pity my mother for having me. How horrible must it been to have a daughter like me.
"So where to now?" I said finding my voice again.
"You're willing to go...? Anywhere you like."
"Well let's get away from here then," I said coldly. "I can't stand to look at it anymore."
We walked off side by side in silence into the cover of the forest. We didn't speak, but we didn't need to. I was finally the person I was meant to be and I had finally found where I belonged. It all made sense now.
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'Come in'
Trista opened the door and reluctantly walked into the room.
'Miss Knight?' Trista nodded, 'Take a seat. I see this is your first appointment. I'm Doctor Robinson. I see your school councilor booked an appointment for you.'
Trista offered nothing in reply, in her eyes there was nothing wrong with her. As she sat there, the doctor continued to make notes in her file.
After a few minutes had past the doctor stood up from her desk and walked around so she was directly in front of Trista.
'Last Tuesday. Let's talk it through.' she instructed.
At first Trista said nothing, she didn't want to be here so why should she cooperate, eventually though she gave in.
'I was only having a bit of fun. The spell casting room was empty so I though I might go in and have a bit o a play with the equipment stored in there. Totally harmless.'
'That's not how it turned out Trista. Listen your a pyromaniac Trista, let's talk through what happened and try to make links between your pyromania and the events.'
Trista felt totally patronized. She wasn't a pyromaniac, she couldn't be. It wasn't her.
'Trista, what were your true intentions when you went into the classroom?'
'I'm not sure. To have a play i guess. I was bored so I went in to see what was in there.' Again the doctor took notes.
'Tell me what happened then. In your eyes. I want to know.'
'I told you, I was bored and the spell room was empty.
I went in and there was nobody there. The cupboard was open so I took a quick peek. I saw a box on the top shelf and I took it down. I didn't know what was in it, I was just intrigued. I opened the box and decided to set a few things up, I thought I need to practice my magic as I am not that good and I could use this stuff to help me. There was a few test tubes of things and I decided to mix them together. It started to fizz...a lot. I left the room for a bit to go to the loo and when I got back the desk and a few pieces of paper were on fire. I thought I could use my magic to stop it but the flames just got bigger and spread to the rest of the room so I ran.'
'Listen Trista, this isn't the first time that you have done things with fire and chemicals. You help out with the science club which uses fire a lot, and the class presentation you did was about fire and how you could control it meaning you must have been able to stop a fire too. Trista why didn't you stop it?'
'I did try! Why don't you believe me?' The tears were building in Trista's eyes. She was finding it really hard to control her emotions.
'I know you have trouble with your emotion's Trista, this can be quite common among pyromaniacs. We need to talk about things more Trista. Why did you really go into that room?'
Trista was silent, thinking things through in her head. She knew the real reason why the fire started but she was reluctant to tell.
'Trista, the only way we can make progress is by talking this through. You can't go back to school until we sort this out.'
'Ugh... I... I... I wanted to do it.?' The relief Trista felt was amazing.
'You wanted to do it? Why did you want to do it Trista?' The doctor continued to make notes.
'The stress of school, I want to be good at magic I really do but I can't do it. I needed a release so I headed for the room as I knew there was the equipment to do it there. I never meant for it to get out of control though. I thought I could control it.' Trista was speaking quickly, it was as if she could no longer hold back the stress she had been enduring for so long. Tears were beginning to stream down her face.
'This is good Trista. I feel we are going to make real progress with you.' said doctor Robinson as she handed her a tissue, 'now we know the root of the problem we can tackle it. You are a pyromaniac Trista and you won't be allowed back into school until we have this totally under control. Do you understand me?' Trista nodded.
It was as if things were finally beginning to come together. She wanted to do everything in her power to make it work. She didn't want this label for the rest of her life. She was more than this and she was determined to sort this.
'I think we have come to the end of our first session then.' announced the doctor, 'this will work out well Trista' she said looking her in the eye. 'I'm the best this town can offer you.'
Trista stood up and walked towards the door with confidence in her stride. Yes she was a pyromaniac but she was going to sort it out.
I hope that Cyan will show soon. This has been extended 4 days already! Let's see it Cyan!!
They are hidden in the mist and in the silver rain...
I didn’t know what to do after prom, but I did know that I had to know why Iestyn had freaked out so badly. I was also angry at Stevie - how could she just keep kissing me and not let me go when I tried to warn her, to pull away? I was starting to pass out and she had just continued to kiss me. Needless to say, I kicked her out of my room - she wasn’t going to stay there. I needed to cool down before I tried to get any answers out of her.
On the Monday after the prom I got set to find out what had happened to Iestyn after he had snapped at prom. It took me all day, but eventually I learned that he had been suspended until the week before the end of school.
How was I going to get to him and find out what was going on?
I went through my classes half-heartedly, lost in my thoughts. The day dragged by, and it felt like two weeks had passed by the time I was able to go home. I wanted to message Iestyn, tell him to talk to me about what had happened, but I only wanted to do that when we had time to actually meet up.
As I approached my room, I reached into the side pocket of my backpack to locate my keys. Of course they refused to actually be within my reach so I continued to struggle with them, slowly walking towards the door, not looking where I was going.
“Laeth.”
I jumped and nearly screamed when I suddenly heard the voice from in front of me, nearly dropped my bag on the floor in my surprised jerk. My heart thudded loudly as I looked up at my room door with wide eyes… to see Iestyn. Leaning against the door, looking.. I couldn’t tell. His emotions normally were always on the surface and anyone could tell what he was thinking, but for once I really couldn’t tell what he was thinking as he stared at me.
“Iestyn!” I exclaimed, and started to move towards him to hug him, before I caught myself and stopped moving. What should I do? I thought, trying to figure out whether I should start talking, or if I should let him start. I didn’t even know what his problem was in the first place, or why he had started avoiding me, or why he had reacted the way he did at prom, or.. or… I felt like I didn’t know anything, anymore. School was the only thing I understood. Give me an essay over relationship problems any day of the week.
We stared at each other in silence for a while before I finally decided to just get my keys out to unlock my door. I nudged him out of the way, and then opened the door to my room, leaving it open for him to follow me if he wanted. Obviously he wanted to speak to me, or else he wouldn’t have come to my room, but I wasn’t going to assume anything. He was temperamental.
As I went about my usual getting-home routine, I heard him walk in behind me and then stop. “Sit anywhere.” I told him, motioning at my desk, my bed, my bean bag chair, the floor.. just everywhere.
“I just wanted to apologize.”
I stopped briefly and turned slowly to look at him. He was staring at my floor intensely, avoiding my gaze. “For prom?”
He winced visibly, and shuffled his feet slightly. “Yeah, that.. and avoiding you after… that one night. Both.”
Silence fell around us for several moments, and then I sighed and turned to face him fully, my arms crossed over my chest. “Well, thank you. Prom was terrifying thanks to you.. and Stevie. I will think about forgiving you if you please just explain to me what happened. From the beginning.”
Once again he stayed silent, before looking up at me and shrugging a shoulder slightly. “I.. well. Okay. I guess, I just…” he hesitated, looking around my room for some reason that might be hovering in the air for him to grab and use. “... I’m not good with commitment. The only thing I’m very committed to is unlife, since I can’t really change that. And I like you, too, so when you said you like me I felt the desire to date you, and it scared me.”
If I had been expecting anything, that wouldn’t have been it. I had thought of only one other possibility: he didn’t like me and thought it was weird and didn’t want to be around me anymore. I never even considered (well, except at the end of prom) that he might like me too. “Wait,” I started, trying to sort through this in my mind. “This means you like m-”
In the middle of my very important question, a third voice joined in, and sternly demanded, “Marwolaeth Ó Cnáimhín, I have to talk to you.”
Having completely not expected a second person to enter my room, I whirled around with a surprised expletive, ready to throw my keys at the intruder’s face… until I saw Terrie Winchester, of all people. I paused mid-throw, and stared at her, noting that Iestyn didn’t seemed fazed at all. I realized later that it was probably because he is a vampire, and they can smell people from far away.
She stared at me quietly for a moment before crossing her arms impatiently and pursing her lips, still standing in my doorway. It only took me a moment to realize she was waiting for an invitation, and I motioned for her to go ahead and enter, even if I was in the middle of a private conversation.
“What are you doing here, Terrie?” I asked her as she gracefully glided over and sat herself down in my bean bag chair. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Iestyn sigh in annoyance and sit down on my bed to wait for the unwanted guest to finish her business and leave.
“I know you can feel the connection,” she started, motioning between the two of us. The connection.. that inexplicable feeling that drew me to her. I had never thought of it as a connection before, but when she said that it made sense.
“Yeah.. I felt it back at the cemetery especially, when I was wailing for that poor guy you almost killed.”
With a roll of her eyes Terrie sighed and continued, “Me too. How much do you know about banshees and baobhan sith?” I stared at her blankly, and her obvious annoyance grew that much thicker around her. “Thought so. Mother said that half-banshee children are never taught anything about themselves..”
“I know some stuff.” I snapped, wanting to defend the knowledge that I actually had, but mostly not wanting her to think badly of my mother. “My mother sent me letters.”
“Hn. Better than most. But anyway. It’s coming close to graduation, and I needed to tell you this before we lost track of each other. There’s a little known fact that when a baobhan sith and a banshee meet, their lives become intertwined with each other. As one causes death, the other foretells death, so their existences just… go together. When a baobhan sith is going to feed on a human, their banshee will wail for that human - no matter where they are. If they’re across the world from their baobhan sith and the human, they’ll still wail, because they’re so connected. That happened to us, or at least I assume it did. That’s why your very presence has always.. gotten to me. The moment I realized what you were I realized we’d never really be able to be really apart, and the fact that we had no choice in the matter makes me hate you.”
My head spun with all of the new information that was being dumped on me. Iestyn liked me.. and I was… permanently connected to Terrie? We were, what, bonded? Imprinted? This was a ridiculous amount of information to process all at once, and I shook my head slowly in protest. “What…?”
“Knock, knock?”
“Oh what NOW?” I shouted at the door as I heard a familiar ghostly voice drift in from the door. If it wasn’t bad enough that I was learning some very life-altering information but Stevie just had to come by when I wasn’t ready to face her yet. Instead of taking my response for what it was, Stevie took it as an invitation and drifted in with a regretful, determined look on her face. Behind me I heard Iestyn utter a low growl. “I realize that my room is the new hot spot in town but could you all come at different times to mess with my head?!”
“I came to explain myself, Marwy..” Stevie started, sounding as apologetic as she looked.
I wanted to scream, pull my hair out, demand that everyone leave except Iestyn and come back one at a time, but instead I took a steadying breath and nodded slowly. “Alright. Fine. Everyone else is coming to explain something to me, might as well hear from you, too.”
“Sorry..” she bit her ghostly lip - I assume she did, at least, it’s hard to see facial features on ghosts - and shifted, before taking a deep, unnecessary breath. “I told Iestyn you never loved him.” What? “I told him that, and that I was taking you to the prom as my date, and we were a couple now and you liked me better. I did it because I was angry at him for hurting you. I wanted to make him jealous, and to make him realize just what he had done wrong by ignoring you.”
My jaw dropped slightly and stared at her in astonishment. I suppose it shouldn’t have surprised me, nothing was surprising me anymore, but it did. “That.. was very sweet, but a bit extreme, Stevie.”
She groaned and put her hands to her head. “I know! I don’t know what’s wrong with me! When I was in the mirror I was fine, but the moment you released me from the mirror I’ve been… unhealthily obsessed with you. I think about you all the time. I was furious about how Iestyn was making you feel, and I couldn’t help myself. I wanted to hurt him and make him think that you weren’t available anymore, that you were mine.”
This was just getting better and better. Before I could speak, Terrie cleared her throat. “I think I actually have an explanation for you.”
We all looked towards her and I sighed defeatedly. Of course she something about this problem. Of course I was going to learn about it today.
“Banshees are connected to death… so those that are technically dead have a strong attraction for anything related to death. Especially as it gets closer to the banshee’s eighteenth birthday, when she fully comes into her power. I’m assuming, by what happened at prom, that your birthday is getting really, really close, Marwolaeth?”
I stared at Terrie, once again, before nodding. “Next week.”
With a slow nod, she rested her arm back down on her leg. “You’ll be experiencing this sort of thing a lot more soon as time goes on. You’ll be closer to death, yourself - and I don’t mean that in a ‘you’ll die soon’ way - I mean that in a… hm.. like you’re a representative of death, sort of.”
Too much information, too much input all at once, my head was buzzing and I could swear I saw sparkles lining my vision. I had just planned to talk to Iestyn, to see what we were going to do about things, but now I am taught all this stuff about myself from someone who I don’t even like? Who doesn’t even like me? I grabbed my head, trying to contain my emotions. I could hear Stevie speaking to me, she was motioning at me, but all I could think about was I’m practically catnip for ghosts because I’m a second cousin of DEATH, and Iestyn likes me and, and, and, and…
More things were happening than just me having a breakdown, I knew that, and I also knew that I needed to get them out of here. After a long time of Stevie trying to communicate with me I screamed, and then shouted, “Everyone out! Out now!” I herded them out of my room, all three of them, before slamming my door and locking it. I needed to process - something was happening to my body, I was in the process of changing, and I could feel that Terrie was right. Something was feeling different, something was shifting, and I was frazzled, and time was stopping and quickening all at once.
Eventually I stumbled to my bed and laid down. I closed my eyes and let the weird feeling take hold.
Things were going to change from here on out, I could tell. I didn’t know how exactly, but they were, and I had a feeling it wasn’t going to all be bad. My body was changing, my life was changing, but I knew that I would have people there to be with me through it. Terrie was annoying, Iestyn was bad at emotions, and Stevie was obsessed with me, but I had a feeling we were going to all be stuck with each other for a long, long time.
(Cyan says: I apologize for how long it took, and the lack of quality and the general blah-ness of the story.)
They are hidden in the mist and in the silver rain...
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Going to echo Vid's statement here. All the final assignments have been a nice mix of bittersweet, sad and awesome. Great job, everybody. You've all done incredibly well this comp