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A Chapter by Broken Hearted Faux
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When protagonists meet protagonists haha

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Ashes to ashes.

Fire gnawed at the remains of the structure, tearing it down, licking away hungrily. The flames were hot, intense, burning with heated determination to rid of whatever stood in its path. Pieces crumbled, breaking and flaking off into the scorched earth below. Stones rolled knocking and pouring out towards the licking waves below the cliffs. The structure groaned, creaking, struggling to hold itself up as a shadow stumbled along to find shelter from the hell-fire.

Claws dug themselves into the dirt, the massive body behind it, legs fighting with their last shreds of willpower to move.  It shook, trembling as the body collapsed onto its side, face buried within ashes and splinters. Cries shattered the silence as a pair of jaws opened wide and the head tilted back. Agonizing roars rippled outward into the sky, echoing off the crumbled walls surrounding it.

My hands balled into my sheets as my eyes fought to continue its gaze upon the helpless shadow, tears welding up inside them. I wanted to reach out. Wanted to comfort the beast as it burned, but I withdrew when my eye notice the fire still hungry for more. It leaped for my legs, biting and nipping at my ankles as I backed up onto a rock, climbing desperately away.

I tried to move, but somewhere in the nerves between my brain and legs nothing would respond.

I did the only thing I could register in that moment. I shouted, yelling and screaming till my voice died out. My voice cracked like the rolling thunder on the east winds, lashing out at the beast as if my words could strike it like lightning.

“Get up!” I screamed at the beast.

 I winced at its bellowing and cried as its limbs dangled helplessly on its side. I continued to scream, throat burning and aching, bleeding while I coughed. The fire was getting stronger. The smoke poured out in black clouds, clinging to the air around it. My chest tightened up, the smoke wrapping around my throat like a snake, tightening itself inch by inch.

My hands fought in vain to loosen its hold on me, finger slipping and gliding through with no prevail.

I had imagined death before, and though I never frequently thought of it, I did now. Sparkles danced upon my vision, swirling in stars and colors as I gagged, fighting for air. I could already feel the cold blade of death’s scythe against my throat while I dangled in his grip as he laughed in my face.

My face smacked the wall as I woke with a start, hands absentmindedly rubbing my throat as I sat in the darkness of my room. I held my head, thoughts bumping and swirling around inside as I tried to calm my breathing and savored every breath to enter and leave my lungs. The air tasted sweet on my tongue as it drowned out the aching burn of my sore throat and the peppery taste of smoke which lingered on the back.

Everything had been so vivid and I felt so torn. Every night seemed to have brought a new dream and a change of atmosphere, each building up from the last since the summer had rolled in. The only things I was hoping to worry about during the summer before classes had begun was if I was going to continue onward with said classes. Now I had these forever changing nightmares on my mind each night.

Five forty-three flashed in red on my clock beside my bed. The sun had already begun the day with his face poking out over the Hizarian hill peeks. The orange flames branched out like the ever-hungry paths of hell-fire in my haunting dream. I shivered at the thought and rubbed at my throat once more.

Fighting and weighing my options to exit bed or try to sleep for another hour or two stumbled and tumbled around in my thoughts. Unfortunately, I already knew the outcome seeing as I didn’t want to take my chances of being dragged back into my nightmares yet again. I groggily threw the covers off my bed and grabbed the towel off my dresser while making my way to the bathroom.

Tossing it aside onto the towel rack, I wiggled out of my nightie and make a quick stop on the toilet. My eyes wandered the room as it winced at the unforgiving bright lights I regrettably installed just a week ago. Who knew power saving light bulbs would be so cruel to one’s eyes so early in the morning? Those light bulbs had to go. It was them or my poor eyeballs.

I stretched while setting the temperature, giving myself a once over in the mirror, shaking my head in rejection to my own reflection. Though I wasn’t a work out gym hugging kind of girl, I preferred to keep my body with whatever curves I could manage with work, classes and life in my way. Though I seemed to be allowing the brick walls of life pound me into submission and be lazy enough to miss days and sometimes even weeks of working out. The little ball of pudge on my tummy made me sigh and curse under my breath to give present me a reminder to kick future me’s a*s to work out more regularly once time travel becomes a thing. My auburn hair stuck out in attention from sweat and summer heat, some curled around my face in sweaty rings.

Sighing, I relaxed as the hot water rubbed its fingers down my spine, working away any tension or stress that still resided within me during the fights with my sheets moments earlier. The shadowy image of the beast was burned into my mind, lingering in my thoughts.

Though it was fuzzy to my eyes, the shape of the beast had been massive, probably weighing in tons, and even on its side seemed to be the size of two college buses. I couldn’t wrap my mind around what beast it was crying out into the heavens. It sounded so broken, so lost as though it had lost something precious. Just the thought of it made me tear up and shudder.

It was well into six thirty-five when I exited the shower, wrapping my towel around me and tucking the corner just under my breast. I grabbed another towel beside me, rubbing it against my wet hair while fighting with the cord to my hair dryer.

After a good ten-minute fight between the towel and hair dryer cord I groaned and tossed the towel aside to put the plug in, smirking in victory. Hot air greeted my face, smacking me with a wall of heat as I groaned.

I made quick work of drying my hair, stripping off the towel around my body to replace it with a fresh pair of undergarments as I glanced at the clock. Nearly seven ten as I hooked my bra into place, digging through my drawers, making several reminders to spend some cash for more clothes while I was out.

By seven thirty I was out the door in an old pair of jeans and a black tank top towards Bridget campus to check one final time on my classes starting next Tuesday. Some others were walking their usual zombie pace beside me while I rammed my headphones into my ears and shuffled through my iPod. Four hundred and twenty-three songs, yet I clicked shuffle and only listened to about five of them a day. Pointless I know.

I finally parked my a*s into a chair in the main lobby, trying to look distracted or bored as my eyes jumped from the people around me to ones just entering in behind me. Honestly, I was looking for the few people I cared about on campus that made my first two years better with them around. I smirked at the memories that flooded in as soon as they did. They always entered as a pack, always in their own style and that’s what drew me their way, that and Maddi swore to fill my bra with pudding every night if I left them.

As if on schedule, every piece fell into place as Maddi and her brother Caspian argued back and forth over a topic only they could argue about. Forever by Maddi’s side stood her lovable side kick and twin Moxxie. They lived on different sides of the spectrum. Maddi always wore dark clothes and kept her blue hair in her face and over one eye, hiding her freckles while her Moxxie had never dyed a single strand of hair on her head in her life. Moxxie’s blonde hair was thick, and swooped under her chin, framing it perfectly. She always had a cheerful glow around her, as if a yellow aura beamed off every inch of her skin and she was always caught smiling with her favorite shade of red lipstick.

Caspian was the outsider of the group, wandering in and out of our conversations and lives on many occasions. He had the bad boy charm and looks but the laid-back attitude of a stoner on a good day. He was riding through college on an athletic scholarship for soccer, but had lately begun to waver his decisions towards theater arts after participating in last year’s Theater adaptation of Snow White when he managed to snag the role as the prince and received numerous praises for his acting.

He ran his fingers through his blond hair a few times before waving off his sister and making his way over to greet a few of his soccer teammates. They exchanged laughs and a few punches to each shoulder before disappearing into the crowd and I was met with Maddi’s face in my own.

“Done gawking over the rat, Val?” She smirked.

I chuckled, meeting her gaze, “Only if it’s to piss you off.”

Arms wound themselves around me in a Moxxie hug as I stood and smiled at her. I gave her a tight hug in return, trading off to hug Maddi when she managed to peel Moxxie off me. The twins exchanged a glance, communicating in only a way twins knew how.

Once their gaze returned to me Maddi smirked, “So tell me how much you missed me.”

I rolled my eyes at her Moxxie bounced on her heels in place. Maddi loved to always pick on me to get a rise out of me, something of which I gladly shot back at her to knock that giant ego down a size or two.

Dramatically I knelt and kissed her hands. “Oh so very much my queen. I don’t know how I ever lived without your presence by my side.”

A blazing blush grew on Maddi’s face as she pulled her hands away. She furiously tried to keep her attention focused on anything but the scene I was causing and the ever-growing stares of old and new classmates surrounding us in the lobby. Moxxie giggled into her hands as she too noticed the budding embarrassment on her sister’s cheeks.

“What classes did you pick this year, Val?” Moxxie smiled, trying to change the subject to something more boring to keep the stares off her nervous twin. Always a hero Moxxie was.

I rubbed at my neck, slightly wincing as I stood. “Well I tried for computer tech and game design to get some more insight into that career path. Last year’s introduction to graphics and computer typing got my sparks flying towards those ideas. I heard those classes are hard to grab though with how high in demand they are with Virtual Reality being so popular now. I heard the new nerve gear company Graphic 8Bit has been looking for the best designers and they pay so much. I’m dying to score a seat inside their walls.”

“I heard you have to be an intern there for like ten years before they even consider you,” Moxxie grimaced. “But then again, I’ve never really known anyone cool enough to get into Graphic 8Bit. I hear they’re very picky and harsh on new recruits.”

We glanced at Maddi who had been silent during our conversation.

She was playing with a piece of her hair as she bit her lip, staring out into the new crowds of people that shuffled their way inside along with the rest of us. Her eyes were locked onto Darius Zane my dorm roommate two doors down the hall. He managed to ride his way into Bridget College with his parent’s thick stack of paper bills. He had no special skills, no traits, nothing keeping him there but the will that his parents had sent him off to college to get him out of the house and out of their money. All that money and he couldn’t even afford a personality. The closest he got was handsome looks and a charmingly devilish smile that drew in every girl in the lobby, and unfortunately Maddi too.

Moxxie scoffed softly next to me as she shook her head at her twin. “Maddi, he isn’t worth it. He’s broken every girls heart here on campus and summer has only begun. You don’t want to be a part of his broken-hearted club.”

With a heavy-hearted sigh Maddi looked back at Moxxie and shrugged, “But a girl can dream of a day his heart will be as beautiful as that face of his.”

We all exchanged a laugh as the line to the office finally started to shrink and the twins trailed behind me to check their classes too. We made small talk about the each other’s spring breaks and vacations. The twin’s family had traveled up to the Velcor city and spent their time there learning about the Velcorian culture and their history. Moxxie gushed about the new facts and stories they heard and read about while visiting there while Maddi listened to the blonde with a bored face and a yawn.

“Valkyrie June.”

My head spun towards the secretary as she handed me a packet with all my classes and their descriptions listed inside. The bright blue paper nearly blinded me in the window’s light as I returned to my seat and waited for the twins as they stood in line, awaiting the call of their own names.

Skimming the packet, I smirked when my eyes caught the bold words of the classes I wanted into. I had managed to snag the last seat in each class and I smiled to myself thinking how lucky I was to dodge a bullet of having to spend the last week before classes started re-picking those two remaining open classes.

“Valkyrie June?”

I didn’t look up, reading over the class descriptions, “Yeah? Who’s asking?”

“Oh, well you see, um.”

My gaze finally looked up to see a tiny, Gothic looking woman standing before me. Her silvery white hair hung over one eye, the other one staring right at me, almost through me with an almost pink tone to it. Her skin tone was the same as a cappuccino and looked just as rich and creamy. Dark freckles covered over her nose from one cheek to the other. She had on an old band logo tee shirt and a pair of skinny jeans with a jeweled dragon emblazed down the left side. She was staring at anything else on me but my face, her cheeks emblazed in a soft blush.

“Can I help you?” I raised a brow.

She quickly held out her hand, “I’m your roommate.”

My heart sunk. Joy, just when I was adjusting to having the room to myself with two beds.

“Cool,” Was all I could get out, returning to my papers.

Her smile fell as she ran her fingers through her hair nervously when I didn’t shake her hand. She sat in the chair beside mine, peeking at the papers in my hand. Her head craned sideways to read them with the way I was holding them. I sighed and looked at her.

“Look, you’re new, right? First week here?”

She nodded.

“I see. Alright. Guess this means I’m obligated to show you to our dorm so you don’t get lost. Don’t need you sleeping in the park because you can’t find your way back to your own bed.” I stood, picking up my papers. “Come along, and keep up.”

Her face brightened up as she quickly grabbed her bag and followed behind me as we headed towards the door. The twins gave me a questionable glance as we passed, and I mouthed to them “Newbie roommate” to which they nodded to and gave me a “thumbs up” in good luck spirits.

I groaned when the sunlight blinded me yet again as we trudged towards our dorm number. The new girl was more cheerful behind me as she hummed a song I couldn’t recognize and bobbed her head in time with her melody.

“So I never got to ask,” I turned to face her as I opened the door to our dorm, “What’s your name?”

She followed me inside, blush returning to her cheeks as she threw her bag down upon her bed, “The name is Nyx. Nyx Steeves.”

I smirked at her name, “Like that one singer?”

She looked away yet again and nodded, “Yeah, like that one singer.”

“Well Nyx, welcome to Bridget College. I’m Valkyrie June.”



© 2016 Broken Hearted Faux


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Broken Hearted Faux
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Added on December 3, 2016
Last Updated on December 3, 2016


Author

Broken Hearted Faux
Broken Hearted Faux

Salt Lake City, UT



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Hello, the name's Lexy I've been on and off from Writerscafe between life and inspiration. I was once a dedicated writer, always with a pencil in my hand and a notebook by my side no matter whe.. more..

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A Chapter by Broken Hearted Faux