Marian - Chapter 1

"Why is she so stubborn." Marian said out loud. Alyss couldn't hear her of course, she was on the roof. What do I do? Marian rolled her eyes. It was obvious, what she had to do. Marian walked towards the open window and climbed onto up onto the roof. Straightening up she spotted Alyss.

"You come to apologize?" Alyss had shouted over the wind.

"Why should I say sorry?" Marian said shortly. They sat next to each other not saying a word. The wind was cold and sharp, piercing their skin. Suddenly, Marian noticed the box that was in Alyss' hand.

"What's that?" She asked. Alyss, snapping back into reality, looked at the box almost like she had never

seen it before.

"Oh...well, it's your birthday present." She said while handing the box to Marian.

Marian opened it. Inside, there was a necklace. A beautiful, silver necklace with a small crescent moon charm attached. Marian was stunned.

"How did you get this?" She said, not taking her eyes off of the necklace.

"It doesn't matter. It's your birthday present and you like it." Alyss said quickly.

"This is the reason you were running." It wasn't a question. Alyss just smirked like it was a joke.

"Thank you, Alyss. I love it." She said hugging her sister.

"Your welcome." Another pause.

"I'm sorry for earlier."

"It's alright. You're my sister and sisters look out for each other."

Marian and Alyss sat on the roof for another hour in silence. It had to be around two in the morning

now.

"Well, it's cold and I'm tired. I'm going to bed. Goodnight." Said Marian standing up.

"Goodnight.”

That night, Marian slept very little. Her nightmares had returned.

MYRON: Chapter 1

“Hey.”

It wasn’t a greeting.

The denim-clad freshman swiveled, a sneer plastered onto his normally pasty face, decorated with numerous dirty freckles and pink scars. Cimon Plato Jr., long dubbed Freckles, dropped the kid he was in the middle of pummeling to regard the intruder. His face fell as he made eye contact with the tall male senior he saw before him.

“Oh,” he stammered. There was a silence. “Oh,” he said again, this time in a mumble. The intruder looked at him sideways, but what he said next was not addressed to Freckles.

“Cody,” he said shortly. “Get up.” The small boy Freckles had been trampling struggled to his feet and brushed the hair out of his face. He looked uncertainly at Freckles and glanced warily between him and the taller kid. The intruder cracked a small smile, and Cody took off.

Myron Euphranor, the mighty senior, turned back to Freckles, who was shifting awkwardly in one place. Myron’s face was a mask. “What was your name again?” he asked quietly. “Freckles?”

He said nothing more, and waited for Freckles to scurry out of sight before turning and making his way down the faded, dusty asphalt of Coppercreek High School. Myron stared down at his feet. He watched them move, one in front of the other. He looked back up at the bleak sky, and brushed the dark hair off his forehead. It was too long now. It always was.

He was off school grounds now.

Myron shifted his backpack, stuffing his left hand into his pocket and sliding his right hand impatiently up the strap of his backpack. He needed to hurry. Larry would still be at home right now, he knew, probably pestering his grandmother about something as usual. Might as well pick up the pace. Myron took his hand out of his pocket and gripped both backpack straps. He took a deep breath and and danced in place for a moment, shaking off the stiffness in his legs. Time to run.

And Myron did run, his brown moccasins landing powerfully on the dry grass growing by the road. The Eighteenth Province Patrols would be here any minute, whizzing down the faded trail they called a road, on their routine visit to the councilmen. They would be going too fast to even see Myron, but it wouldn’t matter if they did. No one was allowed out alone after four-eleven (G-time), but he had saved their precious time on several occasions kn the past by taking care of the shady characters at school himself. They respected him. Most people did. Not that he ever did it for them.

Myron closed his eyes and breathed evenly, letting his legs work on their own. His grandmother would be needing him right now - perhaps badly. And Larry would want his Moonshine. 

Too bad, Myron thought. He was already late. He smiled grimly and clenched his jaw. 

Myron pressed forward.

Colton: Chapter 1

The cold, metal corridors echoed with each pound of Colton’s feet. Far behind him, he could hear the reverberation of dozens of footsteps, pursuing him as a wolf chases a rabbit. Reaching the end of the hallway, Colton skidded to a stop, frantically swiveling his head for an escape route. Two open passages on either side of him beckoned to him. Before he could make a hasty decision, an object barreled toward him slamming into him without hesitation. Stumbling backward, he quickly recovered, growling up at the strange new pawn in such a cruel game as this.

            

“Get up you stupid oaf, and follow me if you value your life.” Obviously a girl. Having no other choice, Colton darted after the girl down the hallway to his left.  

            

The metallic clang of their boots against the hard floor was an obvious giveaway to the antagonistic figures behind them. The girl’s wavy blonde hair flew behind her, as they darted down the sterile passageway. They continued to run straight, for no other corridor would present itself to them.

            

Glancing behind him, Colton caught his breath as he surveyed his pursuers’ uncanny ability to run. They steadily gained on him and his companion, eyes dull in the stark brightness of the hallway.

           

A wall slowly rose up in front of Colton and the girl. A ten foot tall sheet of slivery metal stopped them in their tracks.

            

“So.” He turned to his companion. “’Follow me if you value your life! I don’t know where I’m going, but I may as well get you killed too!’” He mocked her.

            

“Hey. You could’ve gone in the direction I came from – which was your only other option – and run into a dozen more of those goons on our trail. Following me obviously just delayed the inevitable.” She responded defensively, her violet eyes gleamed in frustration. “Just give me a boost over this thing.” She motioned to the wall of metal in front of them.

            

“Right. And leave me to face those creeps alone? No thanks. If I have to face them, you have to too.”

            

“Has anyone ever told you how irritating you are?”

           

“I don’t think you have any right to say that, seeing as you’ve only known me ten minutes.”

            

“Doesn’t take any longer than ten minutes to observe an irritating person. Plus, you’ve just sentenced me to who knows how many years of captivity among these people.”

            

“Point taken. Can I at least get your name?”

            

“You can call me Vi.” She answered, pointedly. “It’s short for Violet. That’s my nickname.”

            

“So you gave your nickname a nickname? Er, right. Why’s your nickname Violet?”

            

“Duh…” She gestured to her eyes. “Purple eyes… Violet? Gosh, you’re an idiot as much as you are irritating.”

           

“Hey, no need to throw insults back and forth.” Colton retorted. “Shouldn’t they have reached us by now?” He gestured back down the hall. Vi glanced past his outstretched hand.

           

“They’re gone.”

           

 “I noticed.” He said. “What do we do now?”

          

 “Where’re you headed?”

           

“The dungeons. They’ve got someone in there. I… uh… I need.”

           

“Family?”

            

“Not yet. She will be. Depending on whether or not they kill her.”

            

“Sounds fun! Let’s go get her.”

            

“But where are you headed?”

            

“Wherever you go. Lead the way.”

           

“Suit yourself.” Colton started back down the passageway. The disappearing attackers unnerved him slightly, but he wasn’t about to admit that.