Dreamcast I: Become A Believer
Chapter 1: from The Wreckage
"Wasn't that the best movie ever?"
"Oh, come on! This is like the fourth time we've been here!"
"Actually, it's the fifth, but-"
"Exactly!" She seemed flustered. Her streaky blonde hair was frizzing from its perch atop her head. "That's one time too many! I'm sick of Lord of the Rings."
He ran a clumsy hand through his platinum blonde hair, rushing to keep up with her quick pace. "But Orlando Bloom was in it! You love him and his movies! Did you see Legolas take down that Oliphaunt? I mean, he was all-"
"No, Kyler, I spent 10 pounds to sit there in the theater and stare at the ceiling!"
He was silent, green eyes cast down on his path in front of him. His twin's steps were quicker, surer, and steadier. He fumbled along after her, confused and feeble. She checked her watch.
"Great! I'm late for Tate's party! I don't know why I came here!" She whipped out her cell phone, dialing numbers as she ranted to Kyler in a sarcastic tone. "Wait! I remember! It's because Kyler can't talk to anyone! He is too stupid, yet he is a "grown" boy of 16!"
Hurt, Kyler swung into his sister's car. He messed around with the buckle as he shoved it into the socket with a reassuring click.
She hopped into the driver's side and jammed the key in angrily. "Tess?" The car revved beneath her. "Hey, it's Rivers. Kyler made me watch all nine and a half minutes of the credits . . . Yeah, like the fifth time."
Tate had a bit of a monologue as Rivers pulled out onto the highway. "Tell me about it, he is so sexy!"
Kyler smiled, but his face fell. He poked Rivers softly. "Riv?"
"No, he did Pirates of the Caribbean in between them. I didn't like the movies that much. The books weren't that good, either."
He shook her. "Hello?"
"Yeah, I read the books on Elvish. They were pretty cool and they look really neat."
Kyler shook her harder.
"Hold on, Tate. What?" She was angry, but the lights from the on- coming car lightened her tone.
She had gone on the wrong side of the road. The collision was seconds away . . .
Time slowed. The glass freed itself from the windshield, jumping into Rivers' lap. Kyler covered his face as his arms slammed against the dashboard. Joints popped in his back and the unmistakable trickle of warm blood oozed from his nose. He looked up.
The front of Rivers' mini was mashed against the other car, folds appearing in the metal of the hood. He turned to find Rivers in the squashed car and gasped.
Her mouth was open, bleeding from her cheek. Glass riddled her doughy skin of her pale face. She was arched over the headrest, sandwiched between the roof of the car and the seat. Her white, albino eyes were open and they rolled in their sockets.
Tate screamed through the cell phone. Kyler picked it up. "Tate? It's Kyler. Send help."
* * * * *
She was tumbling through space, catapulting through large expansions of nothingness. Color flew past her milky eyes and invisible hairs tugged at her banded locks.
Rivers held her breath. She squeezed her eyes shut and wrenched them open again.
She was on a stone floor in the middle of some kind of courtyard. Some one cringing hid behind her. She felt his curls brush against her halter top's open back. A dark, robed figure hulked over them.
He carried a sword, which was poised precariously over her head. Demonic, mottled hands grasped the hilt as it swept down, down, down . . .
The blade stopped at it met Rivers palms, her fingers throwing themselves instinctively around the edges. It was extracted from her fingers, drawing blood from her hand.
As the crimson wave drizzled down her palm, her head seemed to rip apart in pain. Every inch the blood touched sizzled with a cold fire, and she cried out in excruciating lament. She tossed herself at the creature in torment.
In confusion, she missed, but that didn't matter. Anything to make the pain stop would do. She licked at the wound, spitting the scarlet fluid out on the stone. Her tongue ached with an intangible affliction.
Someone else screamed. The noise increased the pain and she shut her eyes, wringing out sound. From behind her lids, real fire blazed as a terrible screech felled the courtyard. The sound smote her wound with a horrible hurt, the twin mouths on her hands pulling themselves apart. She joined the other in a chorus of twisted screams.
A fiery hand flew to her cheek. It was soft and she grabbed it, opening her eyes. She didn't see anything, her desperate white eyes writhing in their sockets trying to find something to gaze upon. Invisible fingers pushed them closed.
"Help," she groaned hopelessly. "It hurts!"
Chapter 1: from The Wreckage
"Wasn't that the best movie ever?"
"Oh, come on! This is like the fourth time we've been here!"
"Actually, it's the fifth, but-"
"Exactly!" She seemed flustered. Her streaky blonde hair was frizzing from its perch atop her head. "That's one time too many! I'm sick of Lord of the Rings."
He ran a clumsy hand through his platinum blonde hair, rushing to keep up with her quick pace. "But Orlando Bloom was in it! You love him and his movies! Did you see Legolas take down that Oliphaunt? I mean, he was all-"
"No, Kyler, I spent 10 pounds to sit there in the theater and stare at the ceiling!"
He was silent, green eyes cast down on his path in front of him. His twin's steps were quicker, surer, and steadier. He fumbled along after her, confused and feeble. She checked her watch.
"Great! I'm late for Tate's party! I don't know why I came here!" She whipped out her cell phone, dialing numbers as she ranted to Kyler in a sarcastic tone. "Wait! I remember! It's because Kyler can't talk to anyone! He is too stupid, yet he is a "grown" boy of 16!"
Hurt, Kyler swung into his sister's car. He messed around with the buckle as he shoved it into the socket with a reassuring click.
She hopped into the driver's side and jammed the key in angrily. "Tess?" The car revved beneath her. "Hey, it's Rivers. Kyler made me watch all nine and a half minutes of the credits . . . Yeah, like the fifth time."
Tate had a bit of a monologue as Rivers pulled out onto the highway. "Tell me about it, he is so sexy!"
Kyler smiled, but his face fell. He poked Rivers softly. "Riv?"
"No, he did Pirates of the Caribbean in between them. I didn't like the movies that much. The books weren't that good, either."
He shook her. "Hello?"
"Yeah, I read the books on Elvish. They were pretty cool and they look really neat."
Kyler shook her harder.
"Hold on, Tate. What?" She was angry, but the lights from the on- coming car lightened her tone.
She had gone on the wrong side of the road. The collision was seconds away . . .
Time slowed. The glass freed itself from the windshield, jumping into Rivers' lap. Kyler covered his face as his arms slammed against the dashboard. Joints popped in his back and the unmistakable trickle of warm blood oozed from his nose. He looked up.
The front of Rivers' mini was mashed against the other car, folds appearing in the metal of the hood. He turned to find Rivers in the squashed car and gasped.
Her mouth was open, bleeding from her cheek. Glass riddled her doughy skin of her pale face. She was arched over the headrest, sandwiched between the roof of the car and the seat. Her white, albino eyes were open and they rolled in their sockets.
Tate screamed through the cell phone. Kyler picked it up. "Tate? It's Kyler. Send help."
* * * * *
She was tumbling through space, catapulting through large expansions of nothingness. Color flew past her milky eyes and invisible hairs tugged at her banded locks.
Rivers held her breath. She squeezed her eyes shut and wrenched them open again.
She was on a stone floor in the middle of some kind of courtyard. Some one cringing hid behind her. She felt his curls brush against her halter top's open back. A dark, robed figure hulked over them.
He carried a sword, which was poised precariously over her head. Demonic, mottled hands grasped the hilt as it swept down, down, down . . .
The blade stopped at it met Rivers palms, her fingers throwing themselves instinctively around the edges. It was extracted from her fingers, drawing blood from her hand.
As the crimson wave drizzled down her palm, her head seemed to rip apart in pain. Every inch the blood touched sizzled with a cold fire, and she cried out in excruciating lament. She tossed herself at the creature in torment.
In confusion, she missed, but that didn't matter. Anything to make the pain stop would do. She licked at the wound, spitting the scarlet fluid out on the stone. Her tongue ached with an intangible affliction.
Someone else screamed. The noise increased the pain and she shut her eyes, wringing out sound. From behind her lids, real fire blazed as a terrible screech felled the courtyard. The sound smote her wound with a horrible hurt, the twin mouths on her hands pulling themselves apart. She joined the other in a chorus of twisted screams.
A fiery hand flew to her cheek. It was soft and she grabbed it, opening her eyes. She didn't see anything, her desperate white eyes writhing in their sockets trying to find something to gaze upon. Invisible fingers pushed them closed.
"Help," she groaned hopelessly. "It hurts!"