Lucy stood at the windowsill and looked down. It was looking smokier than usual. The little girl sighed as she had done at least six times that minute. It was getting hot, and here she was, locked in her mother's room. She had tried to call for her mother and sister, but no one had answered. Her daemon, Harlem, was in the form of a large bird, fanning her as sweat rolled off her forehead.
"I am going to get Ariu for this," Lucy panted, aware that the air was starting to taste funny. She had to talk louder to hear over the sirens that were howling outside.
Harlem looked down at her. "She'll only find some way to get us not to tell. She always does."
"It's because she's a witch. Well, soon enough I'll be a witch, and she'll be sorry."
Lucy coughed, triggering a coughing fit. The daemon looked around anxiously for some water.
"You can stop fanning. It's no use." the girl could feel the daemon tiring as dust fell from the ceiling, and the sirens got louder.
She walked over to the mirror, and looked into it, surprised to see that her normally brown hair was grey with dust, and her clothes looked dirty.
She was scared and thirsty and tired and bored. And in her mind, it was enough to make her cry. But she didn't. She held back her tears, because she knew that if she started to cry, Ariu would catch her crying. And no matter how much she wanted to be out, she wouldn't give her sister the satisfaction of seeing her cry. It was the only thing she could hold over the older girl's head. Lucy had never cried in her life. Not even when she was born, or when she had broken her arm when she was three. And Ariu had always tried to make her cry, but it never worked.
"What's happening, Har?" the frightened little girl asked, clinging to her daemon as he changed into a bigger and more protective animal and shook his head. He knew no more than she did.
Both of them just knew that whatever was happening was bad.
"Ariu!" the little girl yelled. She called for her mother. "Luma!" But no one answered her calls, and the air had turned grey. "I don't like it, Harlem."
"I don't either. But we can't do anything. We can't climb out of the window; it's too small. We can't even get out of this room."
"Why did she lock us in? What is wrong with her? Now that she goes to this school, she always locks me in here. She never plays with me anymore." In a corner of her mind, Lucy was certain that she was going to die. The Twelve must have been mad at her for going on the roof. It was wrong. Maybe-- she whispered a word of power-- they thought she had gone to the Thirteenth.
Another thought hit her, and she gasped, which was hard, because there wasn't even enough air for normal breathing. When the coughing subsided, she said, "The Eleven and Ten must be angry with Ariu for going up on the roof. Something must have happened to her! Curse the Thirteenth!"
Harlem paled even though he was in the form of a mountain cat. Even at such a young age, all children knew not to use the Thirteenth as a curse. It could call up the evil god, and he would take your soul and eat it. Lucy gasped, backing into a corner, and picking up a book to throw if the Thirteenth came. She didn't know what a soul was, but if the Thirteenth took it, it must be horrible.
"I'm sorry," she cried. "I'm sorry. Save me, Two and Ten. Bless the First! Bless the Second!" She had blessed all of the gods, before she began to feel really faint. She couldn't breathe anymore, and dropped onto the floor, wheezing as she crawled to the closet.
"If anything ever happens, don't you dare forget to take Luma's money jar. And take the family pictures. Because the money can help us get a new apartment, and the pictures are like memories, only better. You wouldn't want to lose your memories, would you?"
Lucy pulled out the jar and box, and crawled over to the door. Harlem trailed behind her. The words of her sister echoed in her aching head. Ariu was greedy and sometimes stuck up, and she had always been concerned about the thousands of dollars in the form of hundred dollar bills that they had saved up over the years. Their mother's family was wealthy, and although their mother would never accept money, they kept sending it. That went into the jar.
The door felt burning hot, but her daemon butted it, using his rhinoceros form. Soon the door fell, and she clung to her daemon as it went up the stairs and out onto the roof. The air wasn't much better, and she couldn't see through the black cloud she had figured out was smoke.
It was still burning hot, but she could feel water on the surface of the roof. So she sat down next to the door, and, leaning her head against her daemon, feeling very defeated. Together, they slipped into unconsciousness.
Ariu reached her apartment, coughing. She and her daemon dashed through, and stared at the door, which looked as if it had been kicked out. Fire was reaching its long tongues through the ceiling, and she bent down as she searched the closet for her things.
"Let's go," Aruin pleaded. "Come on!"
"I need to get my things!" She was thankful she hadn't left her school things in the apartment. They were very valuable, and she doubted her cousin would give her anymore. She tried to go into her room, and found that the back wall of it was covered in flames. She grabbed some clothes, and her emergency bag, and all of her bath things. Shoving them into a large rucksack, she threw it over her shoulders.
"Lucy!" she yelled, looking around for her. "Lucy!" The girl was gone. "Where is she? Did the firefighters get her?"
Aruin said, "Use your powers!"
Ariu closed her eyes half way, and reached out with her mind, for her sister's mind. Through her eyes, she saw black smoke around her and a door with water spraying off of it. Her sister's mind was going dim.
It was hard to get to the roof, and several times, Ariu fought the urge to turn back and hope that someone else would get her. But she couldn't do that. She thought of her Luma. She would be outside, watching the fire, wondering where her daughters were. And surely the firefighters would be up soon.
Her bare feet thundered up the stairs. She never put on shoes unless she had to, but now she wished that she had. The floor was burning her skin. Fire licked through the open doorway of someone's apartment, and she ducked under it, glancing at her watch as she did. It had only been five minutes since she had entered the building. And she hadn't stopped running. She was tired, and homeless, but she had to get to her sister and save her. Her feet and legs blistered as she ran through the fire to the roof door.
The stair door was open, and Ariu threw it open and raced out across the surface of the roof, choking as smoke filled her lungs several times. She couldn't breathe at all, and she was retching. "Lucy," she tried to call out, turning around.
She spotted the girl huddled over, clutching a daemon. "Thank the Two and Ten," she gasped, coughing. Lifting the dead weight up, she was thankful that she didn't have to carry the daemon too.
Right as they got out of the building, covered in smoke and dust and filth, it began to collapse. Eyes burning, she dropped the girl, and threw herself down on the ground, cursing loudly.
Why had this happened to her? She didn't do bad things often, and she had never uttered the name of the Thirteenth god. Tears flooded out of her eyes, and she screamed, almost drowning out the thunder of the falling building.
Aruin howled next to her, looking at the building, which was still engulfed in flames.
"Come back," she sobbed. "Come back..."
In her delirium, she felt someone lift her up.
And then everything went black.
~So how did you like it? Please review and tell me what you think. I didn't like it. It was very boring. But I have the plot figured, and I know what's going to happen. There won't be any HDM characters involved actively in the story for awhile.
"I am going to get Ariu for this," Lucy panted, aware that the air was starting to taste funny. She had to talk louder to hear over the sirens that were howling outside.
Harlem looked down at her. "She'll only find some way to get us not to tell. She always does."
"It's because she's a witch. Well, soon enough I'll be a witch, and she'll be sorry."
Lucy coughed, triggering a coughing fit. The daemon looked around anxiously for some water.
"You can stop fanning. It's no use." the girl could feel the daemon tiring as dust fell from the ceiling, and the sirens got louder.
She walked over to the mirror, and looked into it, surprised to see that her normally brown hair was grey with dust, and her clothes looked dirty.
She was scared and thirsty and tired and bored. And in her mind, it was enough to make her cry. But she didn't. She held back her tears, because she knew that if she started to cry, Ariu would catch her crying. And no matter how much she wanted to be out, she wouldn't give her sister the satisfaction of seeing her cry. It was the only thing she could hold over the older girl's head. Lucy had never cried in her life. Not even when she was born, or when she had broken her arm when she was three. And Ariu had always tried to make her cry, but it never worked.
"What's happening, Har?" the frightened little girl asked, clinging to her daemon as he changed into a bigger and more protective animal and shook his head. He knew no more than she did.
Both of them just knew that whatever was happening was bad.
"Ariu!" the little girl yelled. She called for her mother. "Luma!" But no one answered her calls, and the air had turned grey. "I don't like it, Harlem."
"I don't either. But we can't do anything. We can't climb out of the window; it's too small. We can't even get out of this room."
"Why did she lock us in? What is wrong with her? Now that she goes to this school, she always locks me in here. She never plays with me anymore." In a corner of her mind, Lucy was certain that she was going to die. The Twelve must have been mad at her for going on the roof. It was wrong. Maybe-- she whispered a word of power-- they thought she had gone to the Thirteenth.
Another thought hit her, and she gasped, which was hard, because there wasn't even enough air for normal breathing. When the coughing subsided, she said, "The Eleven and Ten must be angry with Ariu for going up on the roof. Something must have happened to her! Curse the Thirteenth!"
Harlem paled even though he was in the form of a mountain cat. Even at such a young age, all children knew not to use the Thirteenth as a curse. It could call up the evil god, and he would take your soul and eat it. Lucy gasped, backing into a corner, and picking up a book to throw if the Thirteenth came. She didn't know what a soul was, but if the Thirteenth took it, it must be horrible.
"I'm sorry," she cried. "I'm sorry. Save me, Two and Ten. Bless the First! Bless the Second!" She had blessed all of the gods, before she began to feel really faint. She couldn't breathe anymore, and dropped onto the floor, wheezing as she crawled to the closet.
"If anything ever happens, don't you dare forget to take Luma's money jar. And take the family pictures. Because the money can help us get a new apartment, and the pictures are like memories, only better. You wouldn't want to lose your memories, would you?"
Lucy pulled out the jar and box, and crawled over to the door. Harlem trailed behind her. The words of her sister echoed in her aching head. Ariu was greedy and sometimes stuck up, and she had always been concerned about the thousands of dollars in the form of hundred dollar bills that they had saved up over the years. Their mother's family was wealthy, and although their mother would never accept money, they kept sending it. That went into the jar.
The door felt burning hot, but her daemon butted it, using his rhinoceros form. Soon the door fell, and she clung to her daemon as it went up the stairs and out onto the roof. The air wasn't much better, and she couldn't see through the black cloud she had figured out was smoke.
It was still burning hot, but she could feel water on the surface of the roof. So she sat down next to the door, and, leaning her head against her daemon, feeling very defeated. Together, they slipped into unconsciousness.
Ariu reached her apartment, coughing. She and her daemon dashed through, and stared at the door, which looked as if it had been kicked out. Fire was reaching its long tongues through the ceiling, and she bent down as she searched the closet for her things.
"Let's go," Aruin pleaded. "Come on!"
"I need to get my things!" She was thankful she hadn't left her school things in the apartment. They were very valuable, and she doubted her cousin would give her anymore. She tried to go into her room, and found that the back wall of it was covered in flames. She grabbed some clothes, and her emergency bag, and all of her bath things. Shoving them into a large rucksack, she threw it over her shoulders.
"Lucy!" she yelled, looking around for her. "Lucy!" The girl was gone. "Where is she? Did the firefighters get her?"
Aruin said, "Use your powers!"
Ariu closed her eyes half way, and reached out with her mind, for her sister's mind. Through her eyes, she saw black smoke around her and a door with water spraying off of it. Her sister's mind was going dim.
It was hard to get to the roof, and several times, Ariu fought the urge to turn back and hope that someone else would get her. But she couldn't do that. She thought of her Luma. She would be outside, watching the fire, wondering where her daughters were. And surely the firefighters would be up soon.
Her bare feet thundered up the stairs. She never put on shoes unless she had to, but now she wished that she had. The floor was burning her skin. Fire licked through the open doorway of someone's apartment, and she ducked under it, glancing at her watch as she did. It had only been five minutes since she had entered the building. And she hadn't stopped running. She was tired, and homeless, but she had to get to her sister and save her. Her feet and legs blistered as she ran through the fire to the roof door.
The stair door was open, and Ariu threw it open and raced out across the surface of the roof, choking as smoke filled her lungs several times. She couldn't breathe at all, and she was retching. "Lucy," she tried to call out, turning around.
She spotted the girl huddled over, clutching a daemon. "Thank the Two and Ten," she gasped, coughing. Lifting the dead weight up, she was thankful that she didn't have to carry the daemon too.
Right as they got out of the building, covered in smoke and dust and filth, it began to collapse. Eyes burning, she dropped the girl, and threw herself down on the ground, cursing loudly.
Why had this happened to her? She didn't do bad things often, and she had never uttered the name of the Thirteenth god. Tears flooded out of her eyes, and she screamed, almost drowning out the thunder of the falling building.
Aruin howled next to her, looking at the building, which was still engulfed in flames.
"Come back," she sobbed. "Come back..."
In her delirium, she felt someone lift her up.
And then everything went black.
~So how did you like it? Please review and tell me what you think. I didn't like it. It was very boring. But I have the plot figured, and I know what's going to happen. There won't be any HDM characters involved actively in the story for awhile.