[01] Belle
School was boring. Work was boring. Middle-of-Nowhere Arkansas was boring. Life was boring. I lived alone, finally a scholarship-paid college kid and able to support myself with an entry-level job at a local restaurant. I had thought this would be escape enough, but it had quickly proved not. Fortunately, I was able to continue my well-proved escape I had picked up years ago from such a mundane way through books, video games, and my own creative outlets.
It was on a particularly uneventful day, I had piles of homework that my procrastination told me would be ok to do at 1 am. TV on, system on, game on. Starset blaring at the maximum volume I could without my neighbors calling the cops on me, I fought countless enemies in one of my many gaming lives.
I began to notice the light outside my window quickly diminishing. A glance to the clock on my wall stated it was only a little after 4, but even if it had been later, the sun wouldn't set this quickly. Pausing my tedious level grinding (that I would still do rather than that Biology assignment), I stood and pushed the sheer curtain covering the lone window to the side. At first, I was confused. It was completely dark, like a midnight without even the stars or city lights. Then the realization that this black was too black kicked in.
The great blackness swirled, seeming to turn as a pair of glowing orbs came into the frame of the window. I felt as if it was gazing straight into me, and a fear unlike any other rose up. A scream stuck in my throat, refusing to come forth, as I retreated from the window, stumbling over my forgotten stack of textbooks. I fell, the books fell, something on the shelf I grasped for fell. I barely registered the sound of shattering glass, barely registered the hand with such nothingness rolling off it in waves reaching through to me. My life was flashing before my eyes, or something similar to that. I was sure this was my end, I didn't even have time to be disappointed how pitiful and anticlimactic my death would be. I squeezed my eyes shut, curling up and trying to disappear as my world turned so cold.
Then suddenly it was warm again. I could feel the light from the afternoon sun pouring through the window. Slowly opening my eyes and lowering my arms from my head, I expected to see the sun, but I still saw a shadow obstructing the light from filling the room. Any hope I had that I was saved quickly drained and I covered my head yet again. The glass that crunched as the shadow stepped into my room seemed louder than anything, making me realize my previously blaring radio now sat silently, probably on the floor in pieces. Footfalls echoed through the room, amplified and slowed by my fear.
After what seemed like forever, all noise stopped, and I knew this time, this time, I was a goner.
"Hey, are you alright?"
My body jolted. A voice was the last thing I was expecting, even less, one asking about my wellbeing. I cautiously uncurled from my fetal position, laying slightly angled on my side and looking up to the silhouette framed by the window's light. This darkness didn't seem to have any ill-intent, but my brain was slowly regaining its logic.
"This is...is the second floor..." I muttered out, stuttering from a shakiness I just realized was running through me. The shadow chuckled, putting a hand on its hip.
"That's not what I asked, but thank you anyway." The shadow crouched down beside me, allowing light to spill through and finally reveal a pair of piercing cyan eyes that I had only ever dreamed of seeing for real. My mind fuzzed up again, too hazy and confused to even form thoughts. "Can you stand?"
My head nodded of its own accord while my mind was still stuck on those eyes. He offered a hand to me, which I hesitated to take not out of fear, but out of wonder for if this were really real. When I finally grasped his hand, he pulled me up, holding onto me as I regained my balance.
"Hey, Riku! What's taking so long?" The window darkened for a third time that day as someone else appeared in my second story window. He stepped into the room, glass crunching as he made his way over to me and the boy I still couldn't believe was Riku. The new entrant stopped, and I was in even more disbelief about this series of events.
"I was making sure she was alive." Riku turned to Sora, crossing his arms over his chest. "It would be bad if anyone in this world died, right?"
"Of course it would be! Good job, Riku!" Sora smiled, clapping the taller boy on his shoulder in a congratulatory manner. He then turned to me, smiling widely, hands folded behind his head. "Glad you're alright. I'm Sora and this is Riku." He went to motion to the other boy, but Riku had already disappeared, presumably through the window in which he entered. "Hey! Riku, wait!" Sora ran to the window, only turning back to quickly wave. "Bye! Stay safe!" And with that, the blue-eyed boy vanished as well.
I was dumbfounded, absolutely baffled. I slowly sunk to my knees, still not sure about everything that had just happened. I looked at the clear evidence of the somewhat chaos that had ensued. A loud rapping on the door of my apartment roused me from my tangled thoughts.
"Coming!" I shouted as the knocking persisted, impatiently getting louder. I jumped from my crouched position, rushing quickly to the door and opening it, nearly getting a fist to the face from a very angry Mr. Rodgers.
"What the hell was that racket, you miscreant! I can't hear my damned TV over you up here breaking shit!" Such colourful language from a guy as old as Mr. Rodgers always amused me.
"I'm sorry, sir. I was doing dishes and accidentally dropped a plate." A terrible lie that my near-death neighbor easily picked up on, but nonetheless kept me from having to explain the unbelievable truth.
"Goddammit, Belle. Learn to make up a better fib the next time you throw a fucking party. Damn kids these days." And with that, he left, me praying every step that he'll fall down the stairs. I disappointedly shut the door as I heard him safely reach the last step and go back into his own apartment.
"Well, I guess I should start clean up now..." A sigh escaped as I thought of all the work I had to do...on top of that biology assignment due tomorrow.
-x-
Erk. This was a weird idea I had. I may not continue this cuz I feel like I'd be torturing anyone who reads it.