Chapter One
" Targets sighted!" Grin wide and eyes narrowed in mischief, a short ebony haired teen sat amidst prickling leaves and itchy grass behind blue binoculars; A couple was caught in the girls sight, unaware they were closely observed at a distance.
" Girl, just say ' I see them' like a normal person!" Scolded the second girl, who shifted uncomfortably in the bush they both currently resided in. A few butterfly's frantically flew away, startled by the rustling noise.
" Stop moving, they'll see us!" Crystal, the ebony haired girl, hushed her counterpart.
" Crystal! We are using this..." the second girl shoved the binoculars into Crystals face "... because they're far away, if we can't see them they can't see us!"
" You're such a rationist Marissa!" Crystal remarked, grabbing the binoculars from her chocolate skinned friend and turning to spy on the couple once more.
" That's not even a word!"
" It is now." She retorted earning an eye roll from Marissa. Turning back to the small hole in the bush, she replaced the binoculars on the bridge of her nose and continued to spy on the unsuspecting couple, who were now strolling closer. Crystal held her breath and grabbed Marissa's collar.
" They're getting up!" Crystal bobbed on her toes, losing the binoculars to Marissa.
" Is it just me or are they walking over to us?" Marissa squinted.
" That's ridiculous."
" Are you sure about that?"
" You're just being paranoid. . ." Crystal snatched back the equipment. " See they're not. . .HOLY ENCHALADAS THEY'RE COMING THIS WAY!"
Throwing herself spontaneously to the left, Crystal shot into Marissa, who in turn yelped in pain and twisted into an odd position. Kicking her feet on the dirt, she stumbled a few times before barely rising off the ground. In an instant her body jutted foreword, practically taking off if it weren't for a panicked hand yanking her backwords.
" My pant leg is stuck!" Marissa squeeled. " Help me!"
" Okay, on three!" Crystal whispered, fumbling a few times from anxiety before finally managing to grab Marissa's hands.
" One..."
" Two..."
" THREE!"
With a loud rip, both girls flew out of the bush and landed a good five feet away. Marissa hit the ground first as out came Crystal, crashing on top of her.
" Ow. . ."
" Why are you moaning? You landed on me!" Marissa pushed her off with one hand and massaged her rump with the other. " Do you know how much you weigh?"
" Hey, you guys. Fancy meeting you two here."
Both girls, frozen in place on the ground, slowly forced their heads to turn up. A pair of brown eyes, tinted with red, glared down at them. The bouncy brown curls, girly attire and petite form weren't threatening when it came down to everything, but the girls face. . .it seemed as if the depths of hell had decided to take a lovely rest in the form of a facial feature.
" Yeah, we were just in the neighborhood and decided to drop by!" Crystal smiled in a frightened manner.
" Yeah and we weren't in this specific neighbor hood just to spy on your date and use that as a cover up story! No way! Hahahahahah. . ." Marissa joined in with an awkward laugh.
" I can't believe you two. . ." The wrath on the coiled haired girls face became scorching. She advanced on Crystal who bore a cowering Marissa behind her.
" Hey now, hey now!" Crystal waved her hands in defense. " You wouldn't hit a girl with glasses!"
" You're not wearing any glasses!"
" I could put some on if you'd like?"
" Don't try to-"
The sky seemed to crack in half, interrupting Saline's threat. The sudden roar of thunder had startled them all, as well as the other people in the park. Everyone glanced up to see clouds of grey sweep in to block the sun in a hazy eclipse. The clouds flashed with static and carried multicolored hues, emitting another crackle of thunder. Out of nowhere a long strip of lightning struck down on the ground, shaking the plain and swaying the trees. Both crystal and Marissa wailed in high pitched voices and Saline tightly clung to Dustin who stared at the sky with narrowed eyes.
" We better head home." Dustin, who had stood silently, advised. " A storms rolling in."
As if it was queued, the ground began trembling once more. Dustin protectively pulled Saline into an embrace; Crystal came to collision with a pole and landed on Marissa once more
Saline pulled away from Dustin's embrace and held her head. Dustin took hold of her shoulders as she began to waver.
" I don't feel so good." She mumbled in a soft voice and fell unconscious. Marissa's body also gave up on her and Crystal struggled to keep awake but failed. Dustin panicked and fell flat on his back.
It had been a half an hour since the storm had vanished and the sun had resumed its place in the sky. Dustin groaned slightly and got up, wiping furiously at his long lashes to rub away the water droplets, then stared at the three girl sprawled before him.
" They aren't awake?" He asked no one in particular and shook his dirty blond hair. Panic struck him and completely losing his regular, calm and collected façade, he immediately jumped to his feet and desperately began to wake them. The first to rise was Marissa, who rubbed her head in pain and then kicked Crystal, waking her next. Saline rose shortly after, and stretched in place. After rising and checking to see that no one had injured themselves, they began to walk to the main entrance of the park.
" Um, hey." Dustin turned Saline around. " My ride's here."
" Oh then, I'll see you tomorrow?" Saline asked, a red tint scribbled across her cheeks. He shuffled closer.
" See you tomorrow." He gave a smile, half closing his eyes. Saline's heart leapt and she dodged his approaching lips.
" Yeah, I-I'll call you!" Saline said hopefully. " Um . . .later or whatever."
Her tongue slurred, as it seemed to do time to time,
" Yeah, sure." Dustin smiled at her one last time, seemingly disappointed, and turned to the direction of his house.
" So, since you guys went out of your way to stalk me." Saline sighed. " Wanna go see a movie?"
" Sounds good to me!" Crystal grinned. " But can we stop by your house, I need to get the stuff I left, including my wallet."
Nodding, Saline led the way to her home, only 20 minutes away from the park. Walking through the front door and slipping her shoes off, she motioned Marissa and Crystal to stop.
" I'll get the stuff, you guys can wait down here." Turning she ran upstairs. Turning right into her hallway, she found her bedroom door already open. She cursed her little sister, who had surely been the one to enter, and dove into her closet, digging out Crystals things and her own. Oblivious to the smirking figure floating outside her window, she continued searching, zoning out momentarily to figure out where she'd put Crystals jacket. The figure grinned and put one hand to the glass. In one movement it shattered, busting into tiny sparkling pieces.
" Oh my God." Saline backed up to the nearest corner, her breath hitched inside her throat. A boy, about her age, with large, elfish ears levitated atop the broken shards. His complexion was pale, his dark green almost black hair tied into two low pig tails and he wore baggy, almost tribal cloths. He glanced around her room with amber eyes and then fixed his gaze on her.
" Don't get any closer! I-I kn-know . . .KARATE!" She lied and got into a fighting stance.
" Well," The strange boy began. " You're a cute one."
Her face flushed.
He reminded her of those fabulous creatures she would always read about. He was almost like the elves from the Eragon books (which she had read about three times). This amazed her, and yet at the same time scared her to bits. Her knees bucked and she shivered under his stare. The strange elf saw this and vanished. Soon Saline felt breathing on her neck and turning, the, what she presumed was, elf caught her lips with his. She stood there, eyes wide with her lips connected with his for a while before pulling away.
" Don't touch me you freak!" She screamed. " Are you criminally insane?"
" Feisty aren't we?" He chuckled and let her go.
" You can't break someone's window and then kiss them!"
" Really? Because I think we've just done exactly that."
" Get Out!" She screamed, face flaming.
" Saline! Stop screaming!" She heard her father from downstairs, and then a mumble. " My poor insane child. . ."
" Sorry honey, looks like my partners messed up the chimera locations." The alien pursed his lips. " We'll have to do this another time!"
" What?" Saline stood baffled. " Wait, you can't just-"
And with that he vanished and she stood, confused and uncertain of what to say to her parents about the broken window.
" Aw, damn." She groaned, grabbing Crystals things and dashing down stairs.
" What was with all that screa-"
" Nothing, nothing." Saline hushed her friends, shoving Crystals things into her arms. " Let's just go."
" Are you okay?"
" Yes, just dandy." She seethed. " Some freak broke my window and kissed me but it's fine."
" Someone broke into your house? No wonder you were screaming!" Crystal pulled Saline to a halt
" We have to tell your parents! What if the freaks still in the house?"
" He's not, he left." Saline seethed, continuing to walk. " Let's just go to the movie's, he's gone now so there's nothing much to do."
" But, a random guy just broke into your house. . .and kissed you."
" Yes, we've established that Marissa."
" So shouldn't you be freaked out or something, you big ol' nutcase." She rubbed Saline's head, tussling her curls.
' Truth is I don't know what happened in there.' She thought. ' And what am I suppose to say, an elf broke into my house?'
Masking her unease, and mentally questioning everything she had ever believed, she continued to walk, choosing to at least ignore what happened; she had to be crazy, after all, elf's weren't real. She was probably having a mental breakdown, after all a few panic attacks had come over her the last few days, so there really was no need in freaking everyone out. And if the day couldn't get any stranger, some blonde guy ran into her in her train of thought.
" Oh, I'm sorry." She apologized, jumping up quickly. He shoved a box into her arms. " Um. . .what are you do-"
" You're Saline Maner? Yes? Good, keep it." And he stalked off the opposite direction.
A moment of silence passed over the three girls.
" You gonna open it?"
" Pft. Yeah." The paper came flying off, revealing identical pendants, all varying in color and symbols. Examining the pink one in the air, Saline put it back in the box. " Do you guys think it's weird he gave these to us? It looks like real gold."
" It's called generosity Saline." Crystal patted the coiled haired girls back. " It's the basis of which life stands on."
" You completely made that up, didn't you?"
" Yes, now give one of the pendants to me."
Saline looked down, unsure.
" What if it explode's or something?"
" Or something." Marissa scoffed, grabbing the purple one and making way for a cackling Crystal to grab the blue.
" If you guys blow up or whatever, don't blame me."
" We wont, now stop yapping and pay for a ticket, the guys waiting on you." Crystal grabbed her own pair of tickets.
" You do know, the movies going to be over in 30 minutes?" Saline, grabbing her tickets, ran to catch up with Crystal and Marissa, who were now passed the lobby and in front of the entrance of the theatre.
" Losers can't be choosers." Crystal retorted, taking a seat in the designated theatre. With only 30 minutes left of the film, only the death of the antagonist was the main highlight. And, of course, Saline cried for the antagonist with bulging eyes and slight tears,
" You and your fetish for the antagonists." Crystal shook her head. " Hey. . .I don't think that's part of the movie. . ."
" THE EXITS ARE SEALED OFF!" Some man screamed, sending the theatre into panic.
" It's the guy that broke into my room!" Saline cried, wagging her finger.
Crystal guffawed, which Saline couldn't understand. . .even if the guy did have elf ears.
"I'm back cutie! Did you miss me?" The elf licked his lips.
" Ew, get away you nasty piece of stank." Crystal backed away, a sour expression etching her face. Kisshu's face blanked and a tired sigh left his lips, shaking off his bleak disposition, he grinned and flew high into the air. As if ready to strike, the three pendants flew into each girls hand and burned in a blinding light.
" Mew Mew Brownie Metamorpho-sis!" Saline cried, as her cloths melted off into a raspberry pink, ruffled dress adorned with roses and gold lace. She felt her hair uncurl into pink waves and decrease in length. In the flurry of warmth, Crystals cry came next. Her outfit also fused into a short blue dress with long, trailing sleeves with silver lace lining. Her hair wrapped into dark blue buns with long strands hanging down.
" Mew Mew Blueberry Metamorpho-sis!"
" Mew Mew fig Metamorpho-sis!" Marissa 's body lit in violet, as shorts wrapped around to her mid thighs and a strapless top formed. Long gloves and puffy boots also appeared along with long ribbons hanging down her waist.
A chimera immediately shot at them, screeching loudly as it soared into the chairs.
" Brownie Bell Star!" Saline yelled while grabbing the shiny object that appeared in front of her. A white microphone was in the shape of a comb with pink stripes circling the sides materialized out of no where. On the handle was a star shaped bell atop a pink bow with multicolored boxes trailing up the sides. In her other hand was a small chip which she swiped in to the microphone.
" Blueberry flute!" Crystal shouted as a blue metallic flute appeared in her hands. On either side were small bows.
" Fig Violin!" Marissa shouted as a violet violin appeared in her arms.
" Mew Mew Melody! It's show time!" Saline yelled. Crystal blew into her flute which created a multitude of sounds to accompany Marissa's violin. Saline parted her mouth and took a gulp of air. Above the music and the chimera's shrieks, Saline's mezzo soprano voice rung out clear and clean, harmonizing with Crystal and Marissa's instruments.
The Chimera let out a screech and began to rip itself to pieces. Kisshu barely noticed; he stared abysmally at the pink mew with the cat ears and tails, listening to her voice. A wave of shining material flew out of Saline's microphone, as she momentarily parted with it to extend it towards the chimera, and abolished the creature.
" What was that?" Crystal screamed, gawking at her blue bird wings.
" I don't know, but let's get out of here." Saline whispered, weary of the people taking pictures with their cell phones.
" Ditto." Marissa pulled them down, behind the chairs. The outfits and animal appendages disappeared. " What the-!"
" Shhh!" Saline clasped a hand around the others mouth. " Let's just sneak away, it's dark, no one will notice. "
" Sounds good to me!" Crystal earnestly whispered back, leading the other two out of the theatre.
Title of chapter inspired by Breathe Electrics song Let Go.