So I went to a party last night and basically I feel like crap today x') Not gonna do that again :p I like to party but I'm usually the designated driver of the group and I think I prefer to remain in that role, to be honest. Hahahaha... TT~TT
Anyway~ Chapter 2 of the story is up! :)
Enjoy~~!
*~The Darkness Inside ~*
*~ Chapter 2 ~*
"I just…I'm not sure," father grumbled, with a hand in his blonde hair while he frowned at my packed suitcase.
We were in the hall and he had returned home almost an hour ago, but we still hadn't changed location yet. The moment I heard the lock click and the door open I rushed to meet him and present the letter. I couldn't hide my excitement and I didn't want to either – maybe I could guilt trip him in to letting me go, as a last resort. Right now he wasn't too happy about it.
"But you said it was fine when I sent my letter to them," I whined reminding him.
He heaved a sigh and replied in an irritated tone, "I know but I didn't think…I didn't think they would reply so quickly…or at all, to be honest."
"But then isn't it better that they did?" I pointed out and explained my point eagerly, trying to persuade him to let me go there and learn from the temple masters, "Doesn't that show that they care for the students who practise there?"
"And what is it you are planning on practising?" he snapped at me angrily. He was beginning to lose his temper again.
I shouted back, "What do you think? I'm going there to learn how to control the pow-"
"Rae!" he barked interrupting me. He narrowed his eyes and hissed in a warning tone, "The only way you'll be able to go on in life is if you ignore those…things and pretend that you don't possess any sort of hocus pocus and that you never did! Once you learn how to forget, it won't bother you anymore. It won't exist!"
"Are you serious?" I asked incredulously and laughed spitefully, "Father, if you really think that ignoring the darkness is going to make it stop then you are far more idiotic than you usually are with this topic."
I saw the rage flash through his eyes and the way his jaw moved and tightened. I had hit a nerve and it scared me a little but I kept up the confidence in my facial expression and my stance. I was not going to back down. I wanted this far more than I had ever wanted anything in my life.
"Rae," he began in a strained but calm voice, as if he was battling with the anger boiling inside. It was apparently too much to contain as it boiled over and he shouted angrily, "I don't want you traveling all the way to this silly temple in order to gain control over something that I would rather you ignored whole-heartedly. Now I want you to take your suitcase, unpack all of your clothes and stay in your room for the rest of the night!"
He was in my face by the end of his sentence, nostrils flaring in rage. I glared at him desperately trying to remain brave but my eyes trembled, betraying me and the tears broke free. I grabbed for the suitcase and hulled it upstairs as quickly as I could and, once in my room, I slammed the door and kicked the suitcase over as the sobs erupted from my body.
I turned and punched the door in anger and the light bulb illuminating my room smashed and went out. I ignored it, I knew something would happen. It always did when I felt like this. The powers were harder to control when my emotions were wild, and the tears wouldn't stop.
I felt the shadows moving around me but not quite coming close enough to touch me. They kept their distance as they knew I didn't like them very much but they continued to dance behind me as I cried in to the wood of my bedroom door.
"Why doesn't he understand?" I wept punching the door again and I heard things falling behind me. I whispered through my tears, "I just want this to stop. I want control."
I turned and watched as they fell in to the ground shrinking from my views. Yet they continued to swirl and slither slowly around on my carpet.
My eyes swept over them, trying to pretend that they weren't there, and found my knocked over suitcase…and then an idea struck me! A surge of adrenalin bombarded my system and the shadows could feel it too as they simply couldn't keep in one place anymore. They rapidly jumped around the room keeping out of my way as I reached for my suitcase and decided that I was going to the temple, whether my father liked it or not!
I was nineteen years old and I'd be damned if I let that man force me to remain frightened of my powers my entire life! No! I was going to the Xiaolin Temple and he wasn't going to stop me!
The flight was uneasy and I couldn't stop fidgeting or even get to sleep when I attempted to. It wasn't because of the last-minute-booked, only-what's-left-available, uncomfortable seating that I had to endure. I could have coped with that. It was the guilt of leaving just a letter behind and just the leaving in general.
As the adrenalin subsided and the shadows reseeded out of sight, the guilt slowly crept in to my body and tugged at my heart strings. How could you do that to him? How could you leave him all alone like that? Like she did.
I grumbled and buried my face in my hands, ashamed of my decision. But running on the fact that it was too late now, I was already in China and he may have already realised by now that I had run away. It was way too late to turn back now.
So I kept that in mind all the way through the airport and all the way on the taxi journey to the temple and all the way to temple gates.
I paid the driver and exited the cab. He drove off almost instantly but I couldn't enter just yet. I was frozen at the gates, captivated by the beauty of it. The gardens were neatly kept, the shrubs weren't wildly out of hand like they were at home and the flowers were all colourful and in full bloom. The architecture of the temple buildings was amazing too. All traditionally designed, like in paintings I had seen and images on television of old spiritual grounds.
The fact that it all looked just so perfect intensified the once dull fear of not feeling welcome, of feeling out of place. Another reason, why my legs were frozen at the gates.
The wind softly blew in from behind me as if to push me in and give me a hand to start. My black hair was pushed forward in to my eyes from the breeze, so I brought my hand up to brush it aside again and keep it in place.
Few silent moments passed until, "So, you going in or what?"
I jumped away from the voice beside me and when I looked…I found no one. I looked around and then down and found a green lizard looking up at me. I stared at it in disbelief.
"Did you…" I began but trailed off. That was ridiculous! As if a lizard could talk!
"Did I, what?" he asked and my eyes widened. After around three seconds of my mind trying to find the logic in the situation and failing, I screamed backing away. He held up his front claws in surrender and cried, "Hey! Hey! Hey! What's wrong? What did I do?"
"You…you can talk!" I cried pointing at him in somewhat fear and somewhat surprise.
"Yeah, I can," he nodded in agreement and then crossed his arms and rolled his eyes, "Geez, at least the other monks didn't react like that."
"But how?" I asked confused, "You're just a lizard."
"Ah- Dragon, actually," he corrected me narrowing his eyes as if it annoyed him a little.
"Dragon?" I asked slowly, slowly coming to terms with talking to another species in plain english, "As in fire breathing?"
"Yeah, but don't ask for any tricks, the fire in my belly is a little lacking lately and it'll only result in you coughing up your lungs from the cloud of soot that I'd have just puffed in to the air," he shrugged as if it was normal but then added almost defensively, "But don't get the wrong idea! Anyone who gets on the wrong side of Dojo Kanojo Cho is most likely heading for an early grave as a spit roast."
That didn't calm the nerves one bit but he didn't seem all that keen on roasting me so I allowed myself to breathe a little easier.
"Are you scaring our guest, Dojo?" the dragon and I looked back to the gates and saw an elderly man approaching.
"Ah! Master Fung, right?" I asked a little nervously.
He smiled kindly and nodded, "Yes, young one, and would I be correct in assuming that you are the new student, Miss Word?"
"Call me Rae," I replied extending my hand to shake his. He accepted the handshake and then went on to bow as well. I looked between the master and Dojo and decided to awkwardly bow as well, in fear of being rude otherwise.
"I hope that Dojo didn't frighten you," Master Fung said and then narrowed his eyes at the little dragon as he added, "Or annoy you in anyway."
"Oh no, I was just a little…surprised," I explained, my eyes flickering between them, "Lizards don't talk from where I come from and there aren't any dragons either. Are you really a dragon?"
Dojo threw me an unimpressed look. I shrugged, "Sorry, it's just, well, aren't dragons a little…bigger?"
"Excuse me?" and all of a sudden the little shrimp of a lizard was more than ten feet tall and staring down at me with his big yellow eyes, "Do I look small to you?"
My voice caught in my throat and the fear paralysed me once again. There really was a dragon staring me down right now in this moment. How would father react if he knew? I dread to think.
"Dojo, she was merely asking a question," Master Fung commented, looking up at the dragon, seeming almost bored. Not even moved in the slightest. So this was normal for them, huh?
The dragon shrank back down again and smiled triumphantly, "Yeah, but the look on her face was priceless!"
Master Fung shook his head as if tired of the dragon's antic and then turned back to me smiling again, "If you would like to follow me, I shall show you to your dorm and your sleeping quarters. I hope you don't mind sharing, Rae, you are not the only young student at the temple."
Hazzard - Introducing Dojo and Master Fung! :D Next chapter Rae meets the other monks she'll be learning with :)
Jack -Am I in this story or not? -_-
Hazzard - Of course you are :D How could I write a Xiaolin Showdown fanfic without Jack Spicer in it? :) It would be boring other wise ;)
Jack - True, true.Remember to Read & Review! ^_^
Lv Lv Hazzard ^_^ x x