The turf beneath her feet shot out in clumps. Unfortunately, her foot slammed against her own ankle and down she went. The girl's head snapped against the white line sprayed into the gray soccer field. With no time to waste, she pushed off the grass with raw, Band-Aid covered hands. Her eyes darted behind her. With a scream, she twisted to the side. A black tendril shot by, barely missing her. The tendril exploded into the chain link fence behind, sending wire and dirt into the air.
Another scream escaped the girl as she fell backwards back onto the ground. The long, black tendril retracted overhead followed by a ground shattering screech. Her heart rammed in her chest and, while she was grasping for air, she felt like she wasn't getting any. The girls limbs shook, her eyes frozen on the monster.
Its main body is crudely drawn and looked to have been outlined in crayon. Arms, too long, dangled at its sides. The tips of its fingers gouged symmetrical lines into the soccer field. The feet looked like triangles, and as she dragged her gaze upward her heart froze. The head, no too kind of a description, swiveled every way. Black holes where the eyes should have been gave no sign of intelligence, but there it was. The monster looks like a crude caricature of a person by a three year old; a large scaled picture of a kid's mom or sister or aunt or teacher come to life. Thoughts scrambled in the girl's head, the basic need to run lost in a mix of fear.
Why is this happening? What did I do? Wasn't today like every other day? The thoughts buzzed uselessly in her head.
A tall girl peeked out of a door, surveying the empty hallway. No dorm mates chattered and no flocks of people blocked the stairs. The girl's grip tightened on her backpack as she slipped out the door. It was heavier than normal she idly noted, the regular notebooks and textbooks crammed with something else. The girl creeped out of her dorm and into the quiet, cream hallway. The door closed with a quiet click, yet she flinched at the noise. Brown, almost black eyes looked down both ends of the hallway. When nothing stirred, she let moved on.
The girl slunk down the stairs, eyes peeled for any movement. With the back of her hand she pushed a mass of curls out of her eyes. Sylvia did a nice job cleaning, the girl grasped the shining hand rail. She stopped just shy of the last step. Going out before breakfast was prohibited unless you had permission. She did not have permission, yet she was sneaking out anyways. She leaned forward, peering around the corner. The main hall split further ahead, one side led to either the kitchen or shops while the other led to the school.
The main doors revealed a hazy dawn. Fog covered the ground, obscuring the rectangular main school building. Normally, this would be where dorm master Sylvia stood. She would guard, seemingly, all night, at the double glass doors. But, she wasn't there this morning meaning-
"-to do whatever you want, don't you!" A sharp voice sounded. The girl spun and slammed her back against the wall. Her heart rammed, eyes locking with the dorm master herself. Bags are beneath her bright, brown eyes and stark against her pale skin. Her thin lips upturned into a frown. "Well, answer me Merle!" Sylvia's hands snapped to her hips. For a girl that looked like a strong breeze could blow her over, she had an air of authority.
Merle's eyes lowered till they found the yellow card in her hand. She suppressed a groan. Sylvia stamped her foot impatiently on the carpet, the action not making a sound. She repeated the question again, but no answer came. Merle let her grip on her bag go slack, gradually letting it fall to the floor. She gave a sigh and pointedly looked away. "I… think the rule is… dumb." Merle mumbled, her voice barely above a whisper.
"Merle," Sylvia rubbed at a temple, "the rules are here for a reason." She dragged her thin hand across her face, letting out a groan. "This is what, the third time this month?" Aggression seeped into her voice. Despite it being so early in the morning, she didn't sound tired. How does she do it? Merle let out another sigh.
"Yeah," Merle looks at the wall. It was infinitely more fascinating than having to look at Sylvia who was about to bite her head off.
"What is so important you have to sneak off ground? That you can't do in the afternoon like a regular person?" Sylvia asked. The fact that the school has too many people out in the afternoons, the opinion didn't leave her lips. A sharp clap sent Merle jumping against the wall. Again. "Look at me when I'm talking to you." It's not a request. Merle ran a hand through her thick, black hair and pushed the bangs from her gaze. She locked eyes with Sylvia, but quickly dropped her gaze.
"Students aren't allowed out before breakfast unless they have permission, and with the way you keep slinking around proves you do not have permission. Thus," Sylvia flipped the yellow card in her hand. She held it out towards Merle, "you get another yellow card." Without a retort, or any noise at all, Merle pulled it out of her grasp and shoved it into a pants pocket.
"Now, since you have four yellow cards that means you either have to take one tutorial or detention to get a new, blank slate." How she remembered the card number, Merle had no idea. She didn't suppress her next groan. Sylvia glared at the taller girl and pressed her lips together. "Perhaps if you would follow the rules you wouldn't have to take precious time from whatever it is you're doing to go to detention."
Merle bent down, scooped up her backpack and turned from Sylvia. The dorm master opened her mouth to say more, but just shook her head. Merle climbed back up the stairs, nails digging into the wood railing. The rules are stupid, her jaw clenched till it hurt. They're meant to prevent something that hasn't happened in years. Merle turned up the sharp corner and marched to her room.
The door swung open with a satisfying crack. Merle dropped her bag at the doorway and entered the small room. Her bandaged fingers ran through her curls as she took a deep breath letting the aggression that was building on the way up seep out and into the cursed room. It wasn't Sylvia's fault she had to play the devil in the dorm. Although, she did volunteer to be dorm manager. And it certainly was either of their faults the school had outdated rules. The thoughts circled round and round in her head.
Merle's body hit her bed. Exude love and peace and you'll draw it in, she remembered what her mom would say. She would say all sorts of things while doing Merle's hair. With a tired sigh, Merle slipped beneath the covers and drew them up to a pointed nose. Two hours till school started, she might as well get some sleep.
How annoying, Merle sunk lower in her seat. She peered down at the breakfast, then stabbed at them with a ferocity that shouldn't be used on unoffending pancakes. She ran the food through thick syrup and gazed out the large windows. The cafeteria had a whole line of them on the wall showing the main school building. The haze from earlier this morning had faded, as it always did, showing the school grounds. Girls ran across campus in matching red uniforms. Soccer club? Volleyball club? Merle had no clue who they were. The main school sat further back on a grassy hill. The early morning light reflected on the windows giving the building a pastel blue look.
Merle's stomach grumbled, effectively drawing her attention back to the food. No skipping breakfast- that was a rule, but one of her own. The chattering of the room enveloped her and out of the corner of her eye she could see a full table. It was drastically different than the one she sat at. One of the girls at the table looked her way and smile. Merle returned it with no hesitation. As the other girl returned her attention back to her own table, Merle looked down. The smile was stuck, but it didn't feel real.
A wave of sickness washed over her. Standing from the empty table, she took her plate and threw it out. She continued on outdoors and onto the stone path that arched through the school campus. Other students passed Merle, all looking bright and ready for the day. Merle rubbed at her tired eyes, I wish I could skip. It was impossible dream, but one that she often thought of. Feet dragged across the tiles as she made her way towards her first class. Although there were students all around her, not a single one reached out for her. No looks across the hall with friends, no people ran up to her. Merle slipped into her first class. This will end quickly, despite the words a sigh escaped her lips.
The day passed quickly in a blur of notes and answering questions. Despite sitting in the back of all her classes, teachers always called on Merle. Every iota of energy seemed gone, leaving Merle to shuffle down the hall. A short figure darted towards her, hand outstretched. It grasped her shoulder eliciting a small 'eep' from the girl. Merle turned and almost bumped into the wall. Sylvia glowered upwards at her, a frown on her lips.
"Where are you going? You have four yellow cards."
What was sad was that Sylvia was the only other student Merle had ever talked to, at least Merle thought it sad. Through her rule breaking they'd have short conversations, but that was the extent she'd ever talked to anyone. Merle looked down at her feet to avoid looking at the girl. "Rules say I have all week to do it," she remembered at least that much from their 'arguments'.
Sylvia narrowed her eyes and backed away from Merle. Her usual pale skin was a trifle redder. "Any-Anyways… be sure to get rid of the cards." She dug the toe of her shoe into the tiled floor. Merle nodded and quickly exited the school. Somehow, she felt even more drained of energy. So tired, she suppressed a yawn. Merle quickly made her way back to her dorm passing even more girls in matching uniforms. Cheerleaders if the pompoms held to their chest was any indicator.
How do they have so much energy? Merle opened the door to her room. It was an enigma, one she hadn't been able to figure out. How did everyone have so much energy for extracurricular activities or going out with friends? Merle stopped at her desk, it was overflowing with papers, wires, nuts and bolts. In the middle of the mess was her prize. It was a boxy looking robot. Its arms ended in three pronged claws to pick things up and had treads for legs. It was very small, able to fit in Merle's arms and wasn't all that heavy. Merle smiled and picked up the robot.
Today was Thursday meaning the soccer fields were open game for any student. This meant that a lot of other clubs would scramble for the best spaces, but that didn't bother Merle. As long as they left her alone she'd be fine. Although, her smile faded, being surrounded by people… the thought of being judged. The sickness from this morning comes back full force. Her insides twisted, people could make fun of her! That's why she wanted to go in the morning! No one could see her then, so she could do whatever she wanted. Merle tried to push the thoughts away, but they stubbornly clung.
They hung over her head like a cloud all the way down to the soccer fields. Like every other field at the school, the field was cut uniformly and looked green. There were no holes or bumps like in come other schools despite the small student body. Merle perked up as she entered through the gate. Someone above must be looking out for her because there was no one at the field. Clubs always competed for space and argued for hours on end, yet no one was in sight. Merle looked down at her watch. Not dinner time, the smile grew on her face.
After the whole fiasco with Sylvia, she could use some good luck. Merle checked her watch again, just to make sure it really wasn't dinner time. Then did so a third time. Was an important event going on? She checked her memory, then came to the conclusion; she didn't care. If that meant that no one was here, then she could work on her robot; Mark II. She quickly unpacked. Taking a small corner for herself, just in case someone came, she pulled out balls and building blocks from her backpack. She strategically placed them down along with her robot. Next, she pulled out a remote controller.
"Are you ready?" The robot couldn't answer, at least not yet. Merle flipped a switch on the remote and watched the robot come to life. She gave the robot a few test movements. It drove back and forth, side to side then lifted its arms and clenched its claws. A sense of pride swelled in her chest. It was amazing that it could even do that. She'd poured her whole soul into this robot. If everything was good, it should be able to pick up the balls and put them in her backpack. Then, maybe she could enter it in a competition. Though, if it meant being judged… better to not think about it. "Alright, go-"
The earth trembled beneath her. Dropping the controller with a loud crack, Merle looked across the field. The bleachers shook then stilled, the goalposts twitched. Earthquake? Merle's blood ran cold. What did you even do in that situation? Nothing seemed out of place so- another tremble ran beneath her. An ear splitting screech cut through the air. Merle grasped at her ears and collapsed to her knees. The scream rung endlessly in her ears.
What's going on? A loud boom snapped her head to the far side of the field. Something red flew through the air. With a loud whistle the thing slammed into the grass. The ground tore through the air clump after clump as whatever it was slammed over and over into it like a rock skipping across the water. It was a person, she realized. They struggled to pull themselves out of the large hole they made.
"H-Hey!" Merle couldn't help to call out to them. They swayed on their feet, but turned to her. A red eyed gaze met hers, making Merle's heart stopped. How… unnatural. As if being able to stand after tearing through the ground wasn't. Bright cherry red hair flowed behind the figure in a quickly unwinding braid. It was an impossibly large braid as it hung to the edge of their red, ruffled skirt. The figure took a staggering step forward. With a black, gloved hand they frantically waved Merle away.
"Get out of here!" They screamed. But, Merle could barely hear them, she was too far away. The red clad figure swiveled their head back and forth between Merle and the direction they came. Merle's gaze traveled to their chest. Emblazed across it was a black triangle, ending right beneath their shirt collar. The shirt itself looked thin with ruffles over the shoulders. What were they wearing? Like… some cosplay thing? But, the strangest thing was the necklace. A red stone that seemed to draw her gaze. The figure screamed again, but was cut off.
The earsplitting screech returned, sending Merle to her knees. She clutched at her ears. They ring and roar- but she can't focus. Merle gasped for air, feeling a surge of energy overtake her. She was never a fast runner, actually skipping out of P.E., but she's flying across the field. She didn't have time to grab her bag or her robot, who would be missed, but all she could think about was escape.
The usually green grass was turning gray. The color seeped out of it slowly, turning it into a light shade of gray. It didn't make sense, but Merle had no time to dwell over it. Whoever they were urged her to run away, so run away she would.
That brings her to now.
The cosplaying person is the only thing that stands between the monster and Merle. They took a fighting position, their hands clenched into fists and one leg slid back. There was no way they could beat it. The thought runs through Merle's head. The figure was already bloodied and stumbling so how could they get up again? Merle still can't bring herself to stand. All the adrenaline from earlier was gone. It left her with a ghost of energy imprinted on her skin. She should be able to run, but she couldn't.
The red clad figure shot forward like a bullet. They leapt into the air, easily arcing over 20 feet. Inhuman. They twisted their body and swiped their leg across the monster's face. It connected with a dull crack sending the monster tumbling. Its long arms kicked up large clusters of gray mud and dirt. The inhuman person landed in a roll, once standing they rushed forward again. It felt like the monster just hit the ground before they're attacking again. The red clad figure leaped into the air and spiraled downward.
They land another crunching kick on the crudely drawn monster. The ground beneath cracks and a cloud of dust exploded forth. With a loud crack, the person arced outward. They spun in the air and crash into the ground. Again. A scream lodged in Merle's throat. Superhuman or not, that must of hurt. The person tumbled towards Merle, stopping short a few feet.
The monster let out another screech. Tears, or something resembling tears, dribbled out of the black holes where eyes should be. There was no mouth on its face, Merle realized, so how was it screaming? Her body trembled as she reached a shaking hand towards the person. Fear from the monster, fear for this person made her heart beat like a drum in her ears. Torn gloves pushed the person up from the ground. Curled bangs obscured their face, but blood dripped from their nose. Now that she was looking closer, Merle realized they were a girl.
"Please run, I don't know if I can hold it off." She begged, locking eyes with Merle. That red gaze. Her eyes were brimmed with too many emotions: anger, sadness, defeat. Merle had never been able to connect or even read another person's gaze, yet looking at her. Something in Merle switched.
"Let's run together," the shaky words leave her lips. Merle couldn't drag her gaze away from her eyes. The girl grit her teeth and looked towards the monster.
"No more running. I have to defeat the Dead-Color." Dead-Color, is that what it was? The girl struggled to her knees and then to her feet. The braid was completely undone now. Red locks cascaded down her back reaching the soles of her knee high boots. Must be heavy. Merle found herself standing, but she didn't remember when she got up. Her knees have stopped knocking against each other, her heart still beat fast, but not as fast as before.
I have to help her.
The girl clutched at the red stone around her neck.
"The Pigment that blazes within the heart! Pretty Cure!" She threw her hand to the side. A paintbrush formed out of red energy. It's bigger than a regular one, and longer as well. She grasped it and quickly drew a circle in the air. Thick, red pain coated nothing. "Vermillion Spiral!" The girl shouted. She flung the painted ring towards the monster. The red ring spun rapidly, cutting through the air. It grew bigger and bigger as it got closer and closer to the monster.
It hit the gray grass just before the Dead-Color. The childish painting leaned forward as if to inspect it. The paint bubbled. Ribbons of thick, red paint unfolded from the splattered circle. The Dead-Color brought one arm upward and curled its crayon hand into a fist. But, it didn't get much further. The ribbons spiraled up and climbed its limbs, restricting its movements.
The cosplayer, no girl; cosplayers don't do real magic, fell to her knees. The paint brush dropped from her hand into the grass. The spell was broken. With a loud shriek the Dead-Color broke out of 'Vermillion Spiral'.
"I… can't do…anymore…" the girl (Pretty Cure?) rasped out. "I guess… I'm still… hopeless." Tears fell from her eyes.
Fight. I need to fight. Merle leaned down and picked up the paintbrush. It's surprisingly light despite being so big. This made the Pretty Cure snap her head up.
"What are-"
"Tell me how to fight it!" Merle interrupts her. Her hands shook as she clutched the brush. Her knees started to rattle again. What was she doing? Why was she doing this?
"You can't. You're not a Pretty Cure," she rasps out. Merle turned to the girl.
"I don't follow stupid rules! What makes you think I'll follow that one!" The words came out wrong. Incredibly wrong and definitely not cool. Merle's cheeks heat up. "Tell me how to fight it!" Her heart rammed against her chest. If felt as if it was going to burst out of her rib cage and kill her.
The Pretty Cure rummaged for something in her skirt pocket. Another stone, like the one she's wearing, filled the area with a blue light. Something thrummed in Merle, something other than her heart beat. In the torn glove, she offered the glowing, blue pendant towards Merle. It pulsated brightly as her bandaged fingers grasped it. An electrifying feeling rolled across her skin, starting at her finger tips.
"It's resonating," the Pretty Cure whispers. "The Blue Pigment is resonating." Something whispered in Merle's head. She dropped the paintbrush and slipped the stone over her head. She held it between her palms and closed her eyes. She should have been scared that something was whispering in her head, but a feeling of calmness washed over her. Her body relaxed. Her heart slowed.
"Pretty Cure! Primer and Gloss!" Merle let go of the Pigment and extended her hands forward. The feeling of water cascading enveloped her body. Slowly, she opened her eyes to see her clothes gone. Instead, there seemed to be glowing undergarments. Merle pressed her hands, which were free of Band-Aids, against her chest. A cropped shirt burst out; a light blue crop top with the same triangle pattern on it as the other Pretty Cure. With a shake of her thin hips, a darker blue skirt unfurled. It stopped just at her knees, bounced and a ruffled against her thighs. She clicked her heels together, summoning two short boots into existence.
Next, she clapped her hands once… twice… two elbow length gloves popped onto her arms. A bright, glowing crisscross pattern decorated the gloves. Finally, Merle reached for her hair. She ran her gloved fingers through it. The black hair melted an electric blue and methodically folded in on itself to become a braided wreath across her head. The feeling of weightlessness faded, and she landed lightly against the ground.
"The color of the unforgiving earth," the worlds tumbled from her mouth. She struck a pose, pointing to the sky and brought it down till she was pointing at the Dead-Color. "Cure Aero!"
Aero stilled for a moment. She looked down at her hands, clenched and unclenched her fists. This was her alright, not someone else. However, her brain wasn't registering it. She turned her hands over and then back to palms facing upward.
"You- you're my partner?" a note of distress filled the other girl's voice. She stood on unsteady feet. Aero gave an unsure nod. The girl gave a smile, but something was wrong with it; yet Aero couldn't put her finger on it. "Cure Vermillion." Vermillion's voice cracked while speaking.
"Cure… Vermillion." Aero murmured the words. With renewed vigor, Vermillion sharply turned toward the Dead-Color.
"Let's end this quick. I'll ensnare it and you destroy it." The paintbrush from before rose from the ground and flew into Vermillion's awaiting hand. Aero opened her mouth to protest. What was happening again? She seemed so sure before, but this was too much! That feeling of calmness was gone. It was too late to protest however, as Vermillion was already chanting her spell. She flicked her wrist and Vermillion Spiral was being sent to the Dead-Color.
"H-How… what am I?" Aero's words come out wrong. Vermillion turned towards her. Red eyes met hers. What color are mine? Something clicked in Aero, again. She reached towards the Pigment and grasped it with one hand.
"The Pigment that tranquilizes the heart!" Her other arm snapped to the side. A comfortable weight rested in her palm. It's not a paintbrush like Vermillion, but instead a large pencil. No time to think about it, Aero pointed it towards the Dead-Color. "Pretty Cure Aero Recode!" Her arm moved on its own, drawing blue, glowing numbers. With a spin on her heel, she jabbed the pencil at the code. It shot forward, growing longer as it neared the Dead-Color. It slammed against it, wrapping around the child's drawing. It gave a piercing shriek, but didn't break free.
Color began to seep into the monster; the gray triangle dress turned purple and its skin turned orange. Finally it gave a cooing noise and shut its eyes. The body swelled and burst forth. Paint splattered over the field, and where the Dead-Color once stood, was empty. The torn up turf disappeared. The holes where Cure Vermillion was thrown around were filled. Aero turned behind her, the metal gates were now standing upright as well.
With a poof of energy, the uniform exploded off into shining, blue light. Merle's body ached and she fell onto her knees. A bright, red light drew her attention. Vermillion swayed on her feet, although she didn't quite look like Vermillion now, and fell onto her butt. With a loud exhale, she fell back further and landed on her back. Merle scrambled to her side. Her eyes met with stunning gray ones.
A small smile filled the girl's sharp, dark brown face. She extended a hand towards Merle and gave a short laugh. It didn't sound bitter or even forced, if anything, Merle thought, it sounded sad.
"I'm Clancy…" she sniffled, tears pricked at her eyes, "It's good to meet you."
"Merle," she took the offered hand.
Afterword: Tada~ Chapter one is rewritten! I've changed some things, but expect major changes as the story goes ahead. I may add some chapters, may take out some scenes. The characters should more in character as well. Anyways, thanks for reading. I would love some feedback so please leave a comment, critique, constructive criticism if you like :)