Author's Note: Hello my fellow writers, ghost readers, and the like! I, Amor of Niam, present to you my debuting saga, Another Side, Another Story! Here's book 1, Sunset, a story about a girl who has no choice but to follow her heart through a series of adventures, challenges, and love. I hope that we can all work together to make this story successful, so remember, read and review! Ciao 4 now, and on with the show!
Chapter 1: The Key to Darkness
"Vanessa!" shouted a boy as he ran to catch up with her. The girl known as Vanessa stopped walking and turned around. She had short, dark brown hair that fell to her shoulders in small braids. Each braid donned a string of silver beads. She also had vibrant, squinty purple eyes and skin as dark as the color of milk chocolate. She was not tall, nor was she short, around 5' 2". She was not thin, but not fat, average size in her own respect. Her limbs were strong; a tone of muscle could be noticed underneath the sleeves of her school uniform's white blouse and on the part of her legs that were not covered by her red knee-length skirt. She sighed and fiddled with the red tie around her neck as she watched the boy run up to her.
"What in the world do you want this time Michael?" asked Vanessa in an exasperated tone. She had just packed away her books in her bag and was prepared to go home for the day, to disappear from sight until she was forced to return to school the next day. "I really want to go home!" The boy known as Michael stopped and panted as he tried to recapture his breath.
"Sorry…I was told…to tell you something…" said Michael between pants. He regained his composure. "The coach wanted me to let you know that…"
"Don't tell me I have to race this weekend." interrupted Vanessa. Michael grinned sheepishly and rubbed the back of his head as Vanessa folded her arms and leaned back, a taut expression clear across her dark visage.
"Well…" he said. Vanessa threw up her hands in annoyance.
"God dammit!" she swore. "I hate it when the coach puts me in these races last minute!" She began to pace the empty hallway back and forth. "This is bull-sugar! He said I didn't have to race, now I do? Which one is it dammit?" Michael shrugged.
"Sorry Nessa…" he said apologetically. "…but Vick sprained his ankle. We need a fill-in, and you're the best, and only according to the coach, we've got." Vanessa groaned.
"I hate you guys, you know that right?" she said. She shook her head. "How do you know I don't have plans this weekend?" Despite himself, Michael burst out laughing.
"You? Plans?" he cried lightheartedly. He instantly stopped when Vanessa eyed him with a look that could have made a hardened criminal think twice. "Oops, sorry; but be real Nessa, you never do anything." Vanessa stamped her foot in anger.
"Says you!" she shouted. She turned around and flicked her hand at Michael in a stand-offish way. "Whatever, I'll see you tomorrow morning." With that, she stormed down the hall to the outside. She shielded her eyes from the blinding effect of the sunlight reflecting off the tall city skyscraper for a moment until the sun disappeared behind the very same building.
"Tell me I don't have plans…" she grumbled as she journeyed home. "Screw you Michael, you too Coach McLean!"
"Vanessa!" called a female voice, causing her to swiftly turn around. She smiled at the familiar face of the woman the voice originated from.
"Good afternoon Mrs. Marion!" she called back, waving. "What can I do you for?"
"Just wanted to wish you good luck on the race on Saturday!" Mrs. Marion called back. Vanessa's face grimaced, but she quickly covered it up with a broad smile.
"Thank you." she said. Not wanting to entertain the conversation further, she hunched up her slipping book-bag strap back onto her shoulder and continued on.
"Dammit!" she swore aloud. "Damn you coach, not only did you blind side me, you told everyone and their grandma about it so I couldn't refuse! That's crap!" She sighed as she climbed the steps of her apartment building. When she reached her floor, she unlocked her door. She stepped inside, tossed her book-bag to the side of the small living room and plopped on the couch. She rubbed her temples in an attempt to rid herself of her negative thoughts.
"It's just a race Nessa…" she said glumly. "…it's not like you're unprepared or anything…" She sighed. "I just wish I could've been apart of the decision process here; they're my legs after all." She slapped her thighs and rose to her feet.
"Oh well." she said and picked up her book-bag. "Homework time." She spilled its contents onto the dining room table. She sat down and got to work.
Three hours later, all of her homework was completed. Vanessa looked up at the clock on the wall. Six o'clock it read. She went into her room and removed her uniform. She neatly folded it and placed it on the steel chair next to her bed that she used as an end table, and opened her closet drawer. Inside, she picked out her running gear: black jogging pants, a white T-shirt, and a black jacket to match the pants. After putting it on and slipping on her sneakers, she wrote a note for her mother telling her that she was going out to run and headed out the door. She flew down the stairs and jogged out her building towards the park.
"That's right girl, make us proud!" shouted one of her neighbors that owned the corner store en route to her running path. "And be careful, it's late!" Vanessa smiled and waved.
"Thanks Mr. Smith!" she replied as she ran past. "And I will!" When she finally arrived at her destination, the local park's track, she burst into a sprint. Overhead, the sun began its descent into the red and purple horizon.
"Gotta remember to get home before eight." thought Vanessa to herself. "Don't want Mom to have another cow." She chuckled to herself at the thought. After circling the track for the third time, she picked up her pace. After 17 more laps, she stopped. Her breathing was harsh and her entire face was drenched with sweat.
"Ok…" she breathed. "…that's it; I'm done." After cooling down for several minutes, she journeyed through the dark back to her home. The full moon shone dimly in the ink-black, starless sky. Only the streetlights provided any source of light.
"It's freaking dark out here…" Vanessa mused. "…and quiet! Man, I hope I don't get jumped…" She laughed. "I guess I could always just run away!" As she walked, she did not notice the shadows amassing behind her. The streetlights started to flicker, catching her notice. She looked up and frowned.
"Stupid faulty lights…" Vanessa said aloud. "Who's a girl gotta bribe to get someone to fix some lights up in here?" She heard a noise. She swiftly turned around, but there was no one.
"Humph, now I'm hearing things." she said. She sighed. "Girl, you better get your butt home before something bad happens to you; you know what happens in those horror movies." As she neared the park's exit, she noticed how deserted the area was.
"That's weird…" she mused aloud. "…where is everybody?" She stopped. "Something doesn't feel right about this." She heard the noise again, the same shuffling sound as if a creature were scuttling along the pavement.
"Whoever's there, you better not come out or else I'll open up a can of whoop-ass on your sorry behind!" Vanessa called out to an unknown source. Her eyes warily scanned the shadows. When nothing appeared, she continued on. Just as she did so, the same sound once again caused her to stop. This time, however, a pair of bright yellow eyes could be seen.
"What the…?" said Vanessa. The one pair became two, and then four, and then six. Six eyes stared back at her from the darkness. Vanessa stepped back, preparing herself to run if necessary.
"Who's there?" she called out. The eyes revealed themselves to be shadowy creatures that Vanessa had never seen before. They were small and looked like oversized ants, complete with antennae that twitched about.
"What the hell?" said Vanessa. The creatures began to sink into the ground, disappearing from sight. Instinctively, Vanessa looked down just in time to catch the creatures approaching her.
"Oh hell no!" she cried. She turned around and bolted. As she ran, she noticed more of the strange creatures appear from the shadows, as if they were everywhere. Vanessa ran faster.
"Come on girl, you're a track star!" she cried in her thoughts. "Run freaking faster!" Her legs obeyed. She almost lurched forward as she was forced to make an abrupt stop to avoid the creatures that had suddenly appeared in her path. She quickly changed direction and ran towards the interior of the seemingly deserted park. She stopped and frantically checked her surroundings. All around her, the creatures were morphing out of the ground. Panic began to rise within her.
"What the hell's going on?" she wondered fearfully. The creatures began to swarm around her, overwhelming her. They all jumped at her at once. Terrified, Vanessa covered her eyes with her arms and screamed, believing it to be her end. Suddenly, a flash of light burst forth, blinding her. She felt something appear in her hand. When the light dissipated, she quickly opened her eyes. She gasped and flinched at the object she now held in her hand. It was a giant key.
"What in the hell?" she said softly as she examined the strange object. "What is this?" She remembered the present danger and held off on her questions to watch her surroundings. She noticed that the creatures were watching her; not attacking, just watching.
"I don't know what the heck's going on but …" said Vanessa as she pointed her new weapon at the creatures. She pulled into an offensive stance with the key held firmly in her hands. "…I'm not going down without a fight!" Seeming to heed her challenge, the creatures rushed to attack her. Not having much fighting experience, she swung around the key wildly. Though sporadic, it proved to be a successful battle strategy as the creatures began to disappear in wisps of blackness. When the creatures where all gone, Vanessa grinned and sighed with relief.
"Vanessa 10, monsters 0!" she said triumphantly. She resumed the examination of the mysterious key. "What the heck is this thing, and where did it come from?" Before she could answer these questions, more of the same creatures popped up, twice as many from before. Vanessa's eyes widened with horror. She was already fatigued from running; she could not go on much longer.
"I could use a miracle right about now!" she called out as the creatures advanced her. Suddenly, like divine intervention, a portal-like pool of blackness appeared. Wasting no time, Vanessa dashed into the black just as the creatures tried to swipe at her. She found herself in a dark and empty place. There was nothing around, just her. She was all alone in the bleak darkness of this strange place. It was cold. She shuddered and explored the new area.
"Hello?" she called. "Is anyone here?" She stumbled; she felt weak, as if her energy was being drained away. She faltered onto her knee, struggling to hold herself up with the key.
"Well, this sucks…" she muttered weakly as she collapsed flat on the ground. Her vision began to blur. Her grip around the key loosening was the last thing she knew before she slipped into unconsciousness.