Into Fire
Generosity, Honesty, Laughter, Kindness, Loyalty, Magic. Six elements. Together they form a force that cannot be overcome. Or so they say...
These elements are powerful together, but they fall short of impeccable. But who am I to say such a thing? Hmph. Who am I? Oh, right. That. I didn't tell you who I am. Woops. Well, this is kind of embarrassing. Ahem.
Hi, my name is Andrew Daisey. I'm fifteen years old and I live in a small city in New Jersey. Or at least I did. I come from a poor family of my mother and my brother Jeff. My parents are divorced, I spend weekdays at my mom's house and spend weekends with my dad. My dad's never been the greatest role model, although he's called himself a perfect role model, so I take mostly after my mom, who's the complete opposite. My mom is smart, polite, beautiful, and hard-working. My father's a quadriplegic, he broke his neck in a car accident before I was born. My dad always wanted me to be manly, but I had my own plans. I don't care for football, cars, or many "manly" things. I'm not saying I'm feminine, but I'm not who my dad wants me to be. Anyway, back to the story.
"Andrew, what's wrong?"
"Mom, I'm fine. I'm just tired."
"Hey, look at me. I can read you like a book."
"Mom. I-I just want Dad to care about me."
"Oh, honey he loves you. You and Jeffery are all he cares about."
"No, I'm not 'manly' enough for him."
"Andrew-"
"You know what? I'm gonna show him! I'll show him MANLY! YEAH!"
I grab my shoes, and I run out the back door.
"Manly! How's spending a month out in the woods with no food, water, electricity, or basic necessities for manly?!"
I laugh at how amazing I am. I'm running for hours. Suddenly I stop. Wait, what am I doing? Where am I? I turn around, and start running the other way. It's not long before I realize how exhausted I am. But by the time I do, I'm already falling. I stare up at the clouds, I watch them fade. I fear for my life, I scream like a little girl, "I'M NOT MANLY!"
Darkness. Am I dead? No, surely not. I look around. I see cracked, pitch black stone. Through the cracks I can see a fiery glow. I try to stand but I immediately scream due to the excruciating pain I feel. I lift my arm to feel my forehead. I'm on fire, quite literally. My hand begins to turn black, smothered in bright flames. The flames don't hurt. Perhaps the pain I feel is the worst it can get. I hear a voice. The voice can only be described as Insanity itself. What I hear sounds like laughter. The laughing voice also produces a sound that sounds like inhumane agony. I feel myself moving towards the voice. I'm not walking. I'm being moved by something else. I open my eyes wide, prepared for whatever may face me. I expect to see everyone I've ever loved die before me, but instead I am confronted by six horses. I fall to the ground, feeling nothing. My only thought is, "I hope these animals accept me".
