Alright everyone, Chapter two of "Heartless". Previously in the story we meet Sophie, the reincarnation of our Herione Katara. Now in Chapter two, we discover that things are beginning to change... the old ways are returning.
Chapter two
As I drifted into 'dreamland' I knew I wouldn't be doing anything close to dreaming.
I saw the fire all around me; it engulfed me and smothered my face until I couldn't breathe. I choked on smoke as it wrapped around my neck.
"Please someone help me!" My eyes teared as I cried out in pain. No one could hear me for my voice was lost in the roar of fire.
"Someone Please!" My screams were urgent as I felt my life being drained from my boy, as if some kind of force were pulling it from me.
I screamed as a sharp pain stabbed my heart. What was this? Was I truly dieing?
Then through the dark smoke, I heard a battle cry.
The fire simmered down to a low flame and then vanished.
The smoke parted, making way for a shadowy figure that neared me with every long stride.
The shadow took the shape of a man with broad shoulders, and muscular arms. He wore some kind of heavy armor but it didn't seem to way him down, since he walked in a pride manor.
His hair was longish, covering his eyes as he came to stand in front of me.
"Who are you?" I wanted to back away but found I could not.
The stranger smiled, reaching out his hand as if to help me stand.
"I said… who are you?" I repeated shoving his hand away.
I saw him smirk, under the protective fog around us.
He leaned down toward me, his lips partly touching my cheek.
"A friend." He whispered before finally fading away with the smoke.
As I sat still on the cold ground and found that my cheeks were tickled with tears.
"Damn it Sophie, get up!" I shot up, breathe less. My body drenched in my own sweat.
"What, what happened?" I shouted, before realizing that I was in my own bed, in my own home, not surrounded by fire.
"You know you talk in your sleep right?" I looked to the right of my bed, to see Lance looking through my c-d tower. "Do you have my All American Rejects c-d," I raised my eyebrow inquisitively. "The one you borrowed from me last week…" That made everything clear.
"I think it's under my bed. Maybe." I sat up and rubbed my temples. I had a massive headache like Lance had woken me up by hitting me with a baseball bat.
"Yes, found it!" He proclaimed holding up his prize for me to see.
"Great…" I groaned and turned on my side to try and grasp the last fragments of sleep before I really did have to leave.
"You know we have to go down to the beach today. It's that stupid annual "Clean our beaches" thing that mom always volunteers us for." Lance took the c-d out of the case and placed it into my stereo. The music blared in my ears but I couldn't make out the words. I was too tired. Hadn't I slept at all last night?
"So are you going to get up or are you going to make me face this boredom by myself?" I sighed.
"Lance, give me like five minutes or something. I need to take a shower and get changed," I reluctantly sat at the edge of my bed, my legs dangling over the side.
Lance stood there, adjusting the volume of the stereo. The bone head hadn't even heard me.
I grabbed my pillow and threw it at his head.
"Hey!" he shouted, falling backward onto the floor. I had apparently caught him off guard.
"You're such a mindless idiot." I barked, taking back my pillow.
"Shut up Sophie," Lance groaned as he left my room, slamming the door behind him.
We always had those kinds of senseless fights. We were brother and sister after all.
After I had taken a shower and gotten dressed, wearing a cute navy blue two piece bath suit under a pair of jean shorts and a pink tank top, I felt I was ready to get this thing over with.
Our mother was waiting for us down stairs. She had everything she needed which included like five towels, sunscreen, baggies, wet toweletes (don't ask), and lots of food.
"Finally you kids are up, lets get going," She said excitedly, asking Lance to help her load up the car. What can I say, I loved the beach as much as she did but still I hated things like this… going places…. Without dad.
"We all set?" she asked us both. We nodded a response.
And just like that we were off to the beach, where piles of garbage awaited us. Joy.
The beach was packed with parents, dragging their kids along to do some charity work. They were all dressed as if we were migrant workers, rather then just some local citizens going to clean a beach. It was kind of weird.
"I think Bryant wants you guys to work the far side of the beach. You guys did so well last year over there." I groaned. The far side of the beach was where all the spring breakers came. You REALLY don't want to know the kind of stuff we found on that beach.
"Go ahead," she beckoned, pushing both Lance and I toward the beachy sand.
"And so begins the day of doom… and trash." Lance said picking up a beer can that had been left on the beach, half empty.
We walked slowly to the far end of the beach to find Bryant, the youth leader at our church waving for us to come closer. He was a young guy of twenty six who'd just gotten married last spring. He never stopped talking about his wife… it was a bit annoying.
"Hey guys, ready to do some charity work?" Oh, did I forget to mention, he LIVED for charity work.
"Sure, we need bags though," I mentioned.
"Oh course, here you go," he handed Lance and I both three plastic publix bags and ordered for us to have fun.
"This is kind of a waste of Saturday, don't you think? I could really be doing something more productive." I had to laugh.
"Like what, be your normal lazy self and watch Mtv all day?" Lance scowled and shoved me toward the water.
"Hey! Watch it, there's red tide!" I sneezed, on command. I hated Red Tide; it made my allergies all act up. Why'd they plan the beach clean up when there was red tide?
"God stop complaining," Lance picked up some seaweed and through it into the ocean, disgusted.
I bent down to pick up some trash off the sand; In front of me was a piece of paper, some flyer for Andy's Crab Shack. As I reached down to grab it, the wind carried it away from me, sending me running after it. It danced with the breeze.
I could hear Lance ordering me to slow down but I just kept running. I extended my right arm to grab the paper, but just as if it had a mind of its own, it flew to my left into a tide pool. It floated off out of the tide pool into the ocean.
I huffed in frustration and stood at the edge of the water.
I didn't want to go inside the water for fear of the Red Tide making my skin break out in horrible irritation.
"Come back here you," I was on the tips of my toes now, leaning all my weight forward, my arms outstretched.
Mentally, I urged the piece of paper to move somehow closer to me, maybe if the water just….
I looked up to see a small waves form behind the paper, gently guiding it into my fingertips.
"What… what was that?" I dropped the paper and stumbled backward.
I wasn't mental; I did just see a wave form right in front of me, after I had just commanded it in my mind…
"LANCE!" I screamed running toward him.
"What! What! Did a shark attack you, did the sea gulls peck at your hair, did an Octopus…" he went on and on until I slapped his shoulder.
"No, I just want to go."
"Why? Did something Hap…"
"I want to go Lance!"
He didn't question me after that; he only followed me back down the beach.
My head turned toward the ocean and I knew suddenly that… things were beginning to change. I didn't feel the same anymore…
Who am I?