Buddy's intro

 

 My drooping eyes blurred as I woke. Everything was out of focus, and for a split second I actually thought I was in my bed. Reality hit me when my eyes clamped open observing my wrecked home. Glass covered the floor under the window, and the curtains around it were dangling lopsided from the corner. Had all this happen in one night? It certainly felt like a lifetime. I twisted my head over to the sofa where a little boy with scruffy orange hair had his knees up to his chin sleeping. I groaned remembering the full detail of the night before. My pounding head refused for me to get up, but I pushed myself up on the sofa with all my energy. As my head fell back into the plush material a loud bang sounded in my ears. A painful seer went through my head. 

 

"Don't get comfortable." The boy mumbled just waking. His eyes had changed from the usual dark brown to green. "Get your stuff packed. We're leaving before sunrise. Oh, and Shandle I would appreciate it if you wouldn't talk much. We still have visitors." His voice was so much deeper. It was odd watching a man's voice in a boy's body. He gestured to the stairs for me to hurry. I quickly stumbled out of the sofa and up to my room. What did he mean by visitors? When I looked outside there was nothing, but wood as it always had been. Maybe I wasn't taking this seriously enough. It was certainly very serious to Giffin.   

  

"What would I need?" I asked myself aloud at the doorway.

 

"The usual." Giffin mumbled behind me. I jumped around nearly tumbling over my nightstand knocking over a picture of Perks and I in front of the cottage. I landed hard on my back leaving my backside in pain. 

 

"Giffin! How did you get here so fast?" I screamed taking all the ruble off me and standing to meet Giffin.

 

"I'm not human... Higgorys can do these things." Giffin said trying to ignore my question completely. He walked over to my wardrobe and pulled out several pieces of clothing.

 

"I pack for myself." I said plainly grabbing a shirt from his hand.

 

"You don't know where we're going. It could be too cold." He said grabbing the shirt back and laying it on my bed. 

 

"You're not my mother." I demanded pulling him easily away. He gave a weak pout and folded his arms at my back. He gave a deep breath and huffed out his chest. 

 

"I never knew a higgory could turn into a brat." I smiled. He gave another pout then went to sit on my bed with his arms around his legs. His deep voice was completely gone now.  As I finished getting my clothes together I saw Giffin asleep in the same position with his head resting on his knees. 

 

"I thought we were going on a journey." I said loudly in his ear. 

 

"What!" He jumped tumbling over the ruble on the floor. "You shouldn't do that to people." He tried to get himself together, but he kept tripping over the messes that use to be my room. "Are you ready?" He asked stepping on a clear spot on the floor.

 

"Yes, but can I ask you what this journey's about?" I asked slowly not sure what I'd get back. He was looking straight at the other wall. He got the same look he had when I first met him. "You okay?" I asked keeping my place in case he decided to have a fit.

 

"I don't like questions." Giffin stated as if he were a robot. I motioned my hand across his face, but he wouldn't respond. I felt like slapping him in the face. His eyes turned glassy and looked as if he were straining them. I kept an eye on his clutched palm. A golden chain hung from his pinky. I looked back to his face as it turned ghost white. 

 

"Giiffin. Giffin!" I screamed snapping my fingers dangerously close to his eyes. Nothing. Not even a single movement came from him. All that moved was his chest going up and down. Why was he acting so strangely? His blank stare was scaring me. When would he get out of this trance? I did only what I could. I waited... and waited... and waited. He twitched every so often, but other than that he was completely still with his arms to his sides. I wondered if he had any parents. I knew he was from a tribe outside our neutral town, but I never thought the first tribe member I met would be this one. If he did have parents they must have neglected him considering his scrawniness. An hour past and he suddenly fell to the floor breathing hard as if he had ran a mile. I flew off the bed and towards him. 

 

"What happened?' I asked picking him up from the ground. He was in my arms trying to flop out, but I pinned him so he couldn't move. His eyes were white and he was sweating uncontrollably. What ever he was going through he was still in. I gave him comforting words as I laied him on my bed. He quickly relaxed and closed his eyes. "Wake up. Come on Giffin. Stop doing this." I suddenly became more concerned than I intended, but he was really scaring me. I laid my hand on my head and my elbow leaned on my bed next to his twitching arm. It felt like he was dying right in front of me. His hair turned from its fire red to a dull golden color. How did all this happen so fast? He mysteriously appears in my room then he saves my life within hours. It dawned on me immediately that he had almost a small smirk on his face. It grew in seconds leaving a wide grin and chuckling behind it.

 

"That wasn't as bad as I thought." Giffin laughed sitting straight up.  My legs weakened and my heart skipped a beat. Not as bad? I've never seen someone in so much pain. "What time is it?" He asked looking over my shoulder for a clock.

 

"What was that?" I screamed ignoring his question." One second you're perfectly fine and the next you're dying. What is this? Another Higgory thing? I can't stand this anymore Giffin. Okay, you got your stupid watch... Now leave!"  I said rather harsh wagging my finger vigorously at the door. He just sat there staring me in the face confused. "Don't give me that look! Your family's probably trying to find you. You have no reason to stay here!" He quickly got up when I ended, and walked over to the pile of shirts on the foot of my bed. He stuffed all of it into a bag lying on the floor and threw it at me square in he chest. 

 

"We're leaving. It's getting late and we're behind schedule." I was just about to respond with something viscous, but he stopped me dead in my tracks. He took out another vile and gave the green liquid a quick swoosh in his mouth. Crashing to the floor just as before he turned not into a wolf, but into a troll. He grew instantly growing large muscules along his back. His raggedy t-shirt turned into a sash on the beast. He looked down at me from about two feet above my head.

 

"If you can't respect me as a human maybe you will as a troll." He gave a quick smile then picked up his still clenched fist. "You may need this." he opened his hand which shown a bright silver with as he said a large steam engine carved on the front. It was beautifully made. It was so perfect it didn't seem real. I put out my hand to retrieve it. It was cold and was much too light to be a pocket watch, but when I opened the latch I saw odd markings around the circle. It wasn't like any watch I've seen. It had three golden arrows that spun wildly. Two of them were spinning so fast they were only blurs, yet the third one ticked slowly behind stalling every other beat. "We need to go now. Keep this safe with you and stay close behind me at all times. Oh... I forgot. I need you to get a journal from your Uncle's room. The black one with the reasons written inside for the king." My heart slipped and I mindlessly gave a groan. Perks! I hadn't forgotten about him and something told me that he wasn't doing well.

 

"Perk's room?" I hesitated for a moment as I walked up to his bedroom door. I was never allowed in there and never dared to try to peek. I poked my head in as my hand trembled on the doorknob. I flicked on the light and felt Giffin push by me, which knocked me into the side of the doorway. "Wait. How do you know about his reasons to the king?" I asked remembering the failed attempt to bring it up with Perks.

 

"My family use to work for the king. We know every man who trys to get his way to fame." He said looking in Perk's drawers.

 

"They do it for fame?" I asked clearly interested in the subject.

 

"Yes. Why else would they be doing it? Stating the reasons of Peter MacKenny is showing honor to the king. It shows him that you know what he knows. And if he likes your explanation of Peter and his child you will have eternal fame. But unfortunately nobody's reasons have been positive towards him. Every man who he dislikes is shown to the chambers to have their head chopped. People think it's rumor, but I've seen it with my own eyes. He's a cruel man and I wouldn't blame your Uncle for not wanting to go." He grabbed a thin black journal from under Perk's bed and flipped through the pages. I felt extremely uncomfortable. If this journey were to state Perk's reasons I would be out of the equation as soon as possible.

 

"Is that why we're going on this journey? To state Perk's reasons?" I asked looking at the pages of the thin book as well.  

 

"Yes. I feel that his reasons are exactly what the king is looking for, and I think it could save my father's life. He’s stating his reasons as well, but I think strongly against them and the king will too. If you state these correct reasons my father could live along with all the other men out there who die everyday." He gestured for me to pick up my bag and led me out the house. He wasn't taking no for an answer and certainly wasn’t going to leave the cottage with out me. I decided not to argue even though I wanted nothing more than to kick him out of my house and find Perks. I turned my head back to the cottage as he literally dragged me into the wood. This would be the last time I ever had a normal day inside my home with Perks. I felt captive in his grasp. I felt as if he was pulling me from happiness and into grief. 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Author's Note

This is the full chapter

Reviews

[alternative_be]

Well ... if this is 1/4 of the whole chapter, WC should provide us writers with a 'page' feature instead of a 'chapter' feature. You have written several pages already, and chapters should be longer than some short stories...
I should have printed this before reading instead of reading online as I always do ...
Now I needed several readings to get some idea of where you were heading with this story and it is not your fault or your style of writing! Definitely not!
I find this chapter very intruiging so far.
At first I expected the 'normal' events after waking up in strange surroundings with a bad hangover ... But I am glad I persevered and read through the whole chapter as is, so far...
I am impressed! I want to read more, more, more ...