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"The Laughing Planet"
'Topaz's Story'
Recorded by Ziska Ames
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Chapter 8
Thora pulled out a silver knife and slowly started sauntering
towards Noki. "Ready to feel pain, boy?" She asked almost playfully.
She laid the knife gently at the base of Noki's throat. He
didn't flinch or pull away. Thora sighed and pulled the knife away at
her own accord. "Well, aren't you even going to beg for mercy?" She
asked exasperated.
"No, he's not. He doesn't need to." a voice said. Thora
whirled around to see Lapis standing up, completely unbound. Scorched
hemp cords lay on the ground behind her. Her mouth was turned down in
an angry grimace and her eyes sparked madly. "We're not going to die,
Thora. You are." She said quietly.
Topaz stopped crying and looked up surprised. This wasn't the
Lapis she knew.
"Give me the knife, Thora." Lapis said holding out her hand,
which was, of course, a mistake. Thora saw her opportunity, grinned
and happily stabbed the knife down through Lapis' hand.
She hissed loudly and pulled away, ripping the knife from
Thora's grasp. As everyone watched, she gripped the wooden handle and
pulled it slowly out of her skin. She turned suddenly and slammed the
knife into the stone wall. The silver part broke off raggedly at the
base of the handle and spun wildly away from the group, out of anyone's
reach.
Lapis turned around holding her injured hand to her chest as
she clutched the sheared off handle. It was short, not more than two
inches, and had been broken like a branch. The break was green and
shattered, thousands of little points stuck out at Thora menacingly.
Thora gaped and backed up slowly out of the semi-circle. She
sneered at Lapis. "You can't hurt me with a handle, witch."
"I'll sure try!" Lapis shrieked as she lunged at Thora suddenly
with the handle held in front of her. She slammed into Thora and knocked
her backward onto the ground. She rolled on top of her and felt the
handle being ripped from her grasp. She sat up and immediately crouched
into a fighting position.
The handle had been stabbed deep into Thora's soft stomach.
Only a half-inch remained to mock the insane vampire. She tried
desperately to get a grip on the blood-slicked bit of wood, to pull it
from her skin.
Her efforts became weaker and she eventually collapsed onto
the floor. She lay on her back and, gasping, started laughing. It was
soft at first, but steadily grew louder, and crazier.
Lapis stood up suddenly and swayed as the blood rushed to her
head. She inched towards Thora slowly and stared down at the girl.
Thora reached up and weakly beckoned to Lapis. She hesitantly knelt
down.
Thora's hand shot out and grabbed Lapis' collar, pulling
herself half off the floor.
"You think you've won, don't you?" she said clearly and
distinctly, as if she wasn't teetering on the brink of the abyss. "But
you haven't, you know. Not really."
"Yes, we have. You're going to die." Lapis said softly.
"I'll die, but she's still alive!!" Thora shrieked as a spasm
hit her body and she dropped into the darkness. Her hand released its
grasp and fell weakly on top of the protruding knife handle. Lapis
stood up shakily and turned back to the group.
They stared at her with a kind of fascinated horror. She had
always been the gentle one. Never wanting to hurt, to cause harm.
Jade shook her head slowly. "Mind getting us free?" she asked with a
quirky grin.
Lapis nodded slowly and quickly used her witch fire to burn
through Jade's bonds, as she had her own. Jade ripped a piece of her
shirt off and wrapped it around Lapis' bleeding hand. "That'll hold
for a while." she said.
Lapis nodded and they split up to free the rest of the group.
Opening the door of the apartment, Jendra dropped her bag on
the sofa and collapsed next to it. It had been a month since Lapis had
killed Thora. Everything had pretty much gone back to normal. They had
convinced the town all the deaths were caused by a mass murderer who
was now in jail, they were all doing fine in school, and Topaz was
learning to cope with her real past.
Jendra shuddered. Sometimes Topaz would wake up screaming
having dreamed of all the things that she used to do. She would
usually tell Jendra all of it, then fall back into an exhausted sleep.
Some of the things she told Jendra made her sick. She had been awful
as a child.
No wonder she blocked it out. Jendra now thought in
recollection. She stood up and headed to Topaz's bedroom door. She
knocked softly, knowing her friend might be asleep. When there was no
answer, she slowly eased the door open to see if she was there at all.
Jendra was sure she would just be asleep on the bed. She slept
a lot lately and avoided going out. She had quit her job at The
Laughing Planet, saying she couldn't concentrate enough to work. There
was a new manager, Mr. Wardrip. He was nice enough, but he wasn't
Abrams. Not to mention he was human. He just couldn't understand.
Jendra peered into the dark bedroom. She couldn't tell if
Topaz was in there or not. She eased the door open and flipped on the
lights.
There was no one occupying the single size bed. The hand-quilted
comforter was spread neatly across the top and resting on top of one
of her pillows was a note.
Jendra strolled over to the bed and sat down picking up the
note. She was sure it would say that Topaz was just out at the grocery
or something. What she saw wasn't what she expected.
'Jendra. I'm sorry. I can't stay in this town any more. Not
now that I know everything I did. All the people I killed. I'm going
away to a friend's. I can't tell you why, I know you'll follow me and
try to bring me back. But I can't come back. Tell Jonquil I love him
and I'm sorry. Tell the rest of the group that I love them too. Maybe
I'll come back someday, when the ghosts are gone. Topaz.'
After reading the note Jendra reached up a hand to wipe away a
single tear. She folded the note gently and creased it carefully. She
placed it softly on the white pillowcase and stood up. She smoothed the
wrinkles she had caused from the comforter. Then she turned slowly and
left the room. She had some phone calls to make.
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----------------------------------------------------------------------
So... that's the end of this story. I've already written Lapis'
Story and I'll work on posting it soon. Till then, good bye!
Ja,
Ziska Ames
"The Laughing Planet"
'Topaz's Story'
Recorded by Ziska Ames
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Chapter 8
Thora pulled out a silver knife and slowly started sauntering
towards Noki. "Ready to feel pain, boy?" She asked almost playfully.
She laid the knife gently at the base of Noki's throat. He
didn't flinch or pull away. Thora sighed and pulled the knife away at
her own accord. "Well, aren't you even going to beg for mercy?" She
asked exasperated.
"No, he's not. He doesn't need to." a voice said. Thora
whirled around to see Lapis standing up, completely unbound. Scorched
hemp cords lay on the ground behind her. Her mouth was turned down in
an angry grimace and her eyes sparked madly. "We're not going to die,
Thora. You are." She said quietly.
Topaz stopped crying and looked up surprised. This wasn't the
Lapis she knew.
"Give me the knife, Thora." Lapis said holding out her hand,
which was, of course, a mistake. Thora saw her opportunity, grinned
and happily stabbed the knife down through Lapis' hand.
She hissed loudly and pulled away, ripping the knife from
Thora's grasp. As everyone watched, she gripped the wooden handle and
pulled it slowly out of her skin. She turned suddenly and slammed the
knife into the stone wall. The silver part broke off raggedly at the
base of the handle and spun wildly away from the group, out of anyone's
reach.
Lapis turned around holding her injured hand to her chest as
she clutched the sheared off handle. It was short, not more than two
inches, and had been broken like a branch. The break was green and
shattered, thousands of little points stuck out at Thora menacingly.
Thora gaped and backed up slowly out of the semi-circle. She
sneered at Lapis. "You can't hurt me with a handle, witch."
"I'll sure try!" Lapis shrieked as she lunged at Thora suddenly
with the handle held in front of her. She slammed into Thora and knocked
her backward onto the ground. She rolled on top of her and felt the
handle being ripped from her grasp. She sat up and immediately crouched
into a fighting position.
The handle had been stabbed deep into Thora's soft stomach.
Only a half-inch remained to mock the insane vampire. She tried
desperately to get a grip on the blood-slicked bit of wood, to pull it
from her skin.
Her efforts became weaker and she eventually collapsed onto
the floor. She lay on her back and, gasping, started laughing. It was
soft at first, but steadily grew louder, and crazier.
Lapis stood up suddenly and swayed as the blood rushed to her
head. She inched towards Thora slowly and stared down at the girl.
Thora reached up and weakly beckoned to Lapis. She hesitantly knelt
down.
Thora's hand shot out and grabbed Lapis' collar, pulling
herself half off the floor.
"You think you've won, don't you?" she said clearly and
distinctly, as if she wasn't teetering on the brink of the abyss. "But
you haven't, you know. Not really."
"Yes, we have. You're going to die." Lapis said softly.
"I'll die, but she's still alive!!" Thora shrieked as a spasm
hit her body and she dropped into the darkness. Her hand released its
grasp and fell weakly on top of the protruding knife handle. Lapis
stood up shakily and turned back to the group.
They stared at her with a kind of fascinated horror. She had
always been the gentle one. Never wanting to hurt, to cause harm.
Jade shook her head slowly. "Mind getting us free?" she asked with a
quirky grin.
Lapis nodded slowly and quickly used her witch fire to burn
through Jade's bonds, as she had her own. Jade ripped a piece of her
shirt off and wrapped it around Lapis' bleeding hand. "That'll hold
for a while." she said.
Lapis nodded and they split up to free the rest of the group.
Opening the door of the apartment, Jendra dropped her bag on
the sofa and collapsed next to it. It had been a month since Lapis had
killed Thora. Everything had pretty much gone back to normal. They had
convinced the town all the deaths were caused by a mass murderer who
was now in jail, they were all doing fine in school, and Topaz was
learning to cope with her real past.
Jendra shuddered. Sometimes Topaz would wake up screaming
having dreamed of all the things that she used to do. She would
usually tell Jendra all of it, then fall back into an exhausted sleep.
Some of the things she told Jendra made her sick. She had been awful
as a child.
No wonder she blocked it out. Jendra now thought in
recollection. She stood up and headed to Topaz's bedroom door. She
knocked softly, knowing her friend might be asleep. When there was no
answer, she slowly eased the door open to see if she was there at all.
Jendra was sure she would just be asleep on the bed. She slept
a lot lately and avoided going out. She had quit her job at The
Laughing Planet, saying she couldn't concentrate enough to work. There
was a new manager, Mr. Wardrip. He was nice enough, but he wasn't
Abrams. Not to mention he was human. He just couldn't understand.
Jendra peered into the dark bedroom. She couldn't tell if
Topaz was in there or not. She eased the door open and flipped on the
lights.
There was no one occupying the single size bed. The hand-quilted
comforter was spread neatly across the top and resting on top of one
of her pillows was a note.
Jendra strolled over to the bed and sat down picking up the
note. She was sure it would say that Topaz was just out at the grocery
or something. What she saw wasn't what she expected.
'Jendra. I'm sorry. I can't stay in this town any more. Not
now that I know everything I did. All the people I killed. I'm going
away to a friend's. I can't tell you why, I know you'll follow me and
try to bring me back. But I can't come back. Tell Jonquil I love him
and I'm sorry. Tell the rest of the group that I love them too. Maybe
I'll come back someday, when the ghosts are gone. Topaz.'
After reading the note Jendra reached up a hand to wipe away a
single tear. She folded the note gently and creased it carefully. She
placed it softly on the white pillowcase and stood up. She smoothed the
wrinkles she had caused from the comforter. Then she turned slowly and
left the room. She had some phone calls to make.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------------------
So... that's the end of this story. I've already written Lapis'
Story and I'll work on posting it soon. Till then, good bye!
Ja,
Ziska Ames