This is a sorta high-school mortal AU, with the Lorics having their names instead of numbers.
I need ideas! Please review!
To guest: I can do Stanrina, though I don't ship it, but if you'd like to give me a few more ideas on what you want, that would be helpful!
Marina
"Marina! Wake up! It's time to go! You don't want to be late for the first day of school, do you?!" my mother yells. I groan, sitting up. This is my first day of my last year at my high school, the same one I've spent the last two years in. I get dressed, pulling the outfit I had chosen last night over my head. I trudge to the bathroom, still half asleep.
After I finally eat breakfast, fully awake, I leave the house, dreading the two-mile walk to school. My high school is fairly small, with only about five hundred students. I have two friends - Maren, who is in the same grade as me, and Ella, Maren's younger sister. She's only two years younger, but she could pass easily for younger.
I arrive just in time, heading to my first class: art. Maren despises drawing or anything related, so I don't have this class with her. I, on the other hand, love painting. As I enter, I notice Charlie sitting at a desk. I resist the urge to groan. Charlie is our self-elected hottest kid in school, and he has asked nearly every girl in the school out. Every single one has denied. He sucks at everything, and I mean, everything. Not an exaggeration at all. Okay, maybe a little. He doesn't suck at failing.
Luckily, he hasn't asked me out yet, but I have a feeling that won't last long. I sit in the desk farthest from him, and ignore his presence. It worked pretty well until he sat next to me. I look away from him, trying to hint that I do not want to talk to him.
"Hey," he says, and I look at him unwillingly.
"Hi," I respond, looking away again.
"To flustered to look me in the eye?" he teases and I glare at him. Thank the stars, someone interrupts.
"'Scuse me, that's my seat," I look up, spotting a handsome guy talking to Charlie. I look away quickly, watching the scene unfold.
"Well, too bad," Charlie smirks. "I'm here now," he says, like he has every right in the world to do so.
The boy's emerald eyes flare with anger, but other than that, he shows no emotions. "Don't care," he spits out, face twisted in anger for a second before the easy smile replaces it once again. "Move," he says, with a hint of annoyance.
The boy is obviously much stronger than Charlie, and he notices it. Charlie gulps, moving out of the seat slowly. "Don't think you're getting my girl," he hisses and leaves.
"Thank you," I whisper to the boy once Charlie is gone.
The boy sits, rolling his eyes, all anger gone. "I'm guessing you're not his 'girl,'" he says to me, and I laugh.
"You guess correctly," I say, and he smiles. "I'm Marina," I add, introducing myself.
"Joseph," he replies.
All throughout art we talk, ignoring the teacher. Then, when the bell rings, I'm disappointed. My next class is English, with Maren. Unfortunately, the rest of the day is a blur… all I can think about is Joseph.
WEEK OR TWO LATER
The past few weeks, I've quickly developed a liking for Joseph. I think I have a crush on him. All I can do every day is think about him.
Suddenly, I'm shoved roughly from behind, and I fall to the floor, spilling my books and papers everywhere. Thank goodness it's lunch, or I would have been late to my next class.
"Well well. Lookie here," says my attacker. I sigh. Ever since I refused to go out with him, Ethan has been annoying me non-stop. "If it isn't the bookworm," he sneers. Usually, once he starts, Ethan doesn't leave until a bell rings. I spot Joseph walking by in a nearby hallway, and I want to get his attention, but he's too far. Luckily, Ethan's next comment does it for me.
"Study over the summer? Is that why you're so pale?" he laughs, his friends laughing with him. It isn't even that funny. Joseph turns, seeing me on the ground, and Ethan mocking me. His gaze locks with mine, and I mouth 'help.' Fortunately, he understands, walking casually over towards us.
Ethan spots Joseph and glares. "Get outta here, loser," he growls. "Unless you want to end up next to her."
Joseph's eyes glint dangerously. Then he smiles. "You wanna bet?" he asks, unconcerned.
My eyes widen. Nobody has ever gone against Ethan. Joseph would really fight Ethan for me? Ethan is one of the strongest kids in school. Joseph, compared to him, looks weak. But, then again, you never know.
Ethan snarls, taking a step forward. "Just a warning, kid. I'm faster than you think," says Joseph. Ethan rolls his eyes, and suddenly shoots his fist out. I gasp. But, unexpectedly, Joseph moved just a few inches to the side, causing Ethan to miss.
"You missed," he mocks, stepping back, away from me. Ethan throws out more punches, all of which Joseph either dodges or blocks, hardly moving at all. Suddenly, so fast it seems he teleported, Joseph is behind him, pushing him to the ground.
"You know, I was expecting more from the school bully," Joseph says. By now, quite a crowd has gathered, watching the exchange. Ethan moves to sweep Joseph's legs out from under him, but he steps out of range, smirking. Then, he rolls his eyes, walking back toward me. He kneels beside me, helping me pick up all my stuff.
"Why did you do that?" I ask quietly.
He looks at me, confused. "Do what?"
"Do that," I gesture to Ethan, who is now red with rage, and walking away.
He smiles. "Because I like you, and I don't like him. Is that enough explanation?"
I nod, extremely grateful. "Thank you," I say as the crowd disperses.
"No problem," he says, smiling. "Maybe I should stay around you more. You seem to have a charm for attracting annoyances," he teases.
"Does that mean you're an annoyance?" I laugh, and he joins me.
As we finish collecting my books and papers, we stand. "I hope not," he replies. "That'd mean you wouldn't want me around," his eyes glint.
I laugh. I seem to do that a lot around him. "Don't worry," I say, smiling. "You're not an annoyance. Am I one?" I ask. He laughs, taking it as a joke, but I really want an answer.
"I'm serious," I say, staring him in the eye. "Am I annoying?"
He stops laughing, dead serious for the first time I've ever seen. "Of course not," he says, grabbing my hand. Then he smiles. "Come on. Let's get to bio before the bell rings." The entire way there, he doesn't let go of my hand, and I'm secretly pleased. Unfortunately, we sit at the opposite sides of the room. When I pull my hand away, I think I see a look of disappointment flicker across his face before he leaves. As he takes his seat, he smiles at me, and my heart flutters. I sigh. I'm in deep for this boy.
The entire lesson, I can hardly focus. Every time I look up, Joseph smiles, and my heart melts. By the time the bell rings, I've gotten hardly any work done. On the way out, I nudge Joseph with my shoulder.
"You're going to have to help me with bio," I say, looking up at him.
"Me? Why?" he asks, confused.
"Because it's your fault I didn't get any work done."
"How is it my fault?" he smiles.
"Because you kept smiling so damn much," I laugh, and he grins. "Just like that."
"Well, then, you'll have to come over," he says, putting his hand on my back and steering me away from a huge crowd.
"Come over?" I ask, frowning.
"Yeah, to my house," he says. "Alright, see you later," he says, turning to go to his next class.
"Wait!" I call, but he's gone. I wonder if he really meant that. I continue to wonder as I walk down the hall to my next class, english, which I happen to have with Maren, and her new boyfriend, John.
"Hey, Marina," Maren says as her and John catch up to me, hand in hand. I wish I could have that with Jos- Stop. He's a friend, nothing more.
"Hey, Maren, John," I greet them.
"Who are you thinking about?" John teases. Over the last week, we've all become close.
I stare at him in shock, then look away. "N-No on-one," I stutter, blushing.
"Really?" Maren joins in the teasing. I glare at her.
"Is it Joseph?" John asks, still teasing.
I look at him curiously. "How'd you know that?" I ask before I slap my hand over my mouth. Damn. I just gave it away!
John laughs victoriously. "Ha ha! I knew it!" he says, drawing the attention of other students. "You know, he's my best friend," Right. I had forgotten about that. "It's actually annoying. The only thing he talks about is you. Yesterday, I asked him for the answer of one of those bio questions right? You know what he said? 'Oh, I don't know. I bet Marina would know,' he said. And he had the stupidest expression on his face…" he trails off, laughing, but I'm actually interested.
"Really? He talks about me?" I ask, eyes wide.
John rolls his eyes. "Man, I cannot believe you guys aren't together yet," he says, opening a door. I was so distracted I didn't even notice we got to class.
Joseph (Eight)
At the end of the day, I'm exhausted. I won't be able to do my homework, much less swim team practice. I sigh, walking to my car - a black Zenvo ST1 I got for my birthday - where I see John.
"Hey, John," I say, unlocking the door for him. "Where's Stan?" I ask.
"He's doing that tournament, remember? He left yesterday," he says, raising his eyebrows. "What's with you today? Ever since bio you've been acting weird," he says, getting in the car while I walk around the front.
I sigh. "It's Marina-" I begin, but John groans.
"Are you kidding me? Just ask her out already!" he says, startling me. I rev the engine, pulling out of the parking lot. I see Marina walking by with her friend, Maren, and I resist the urge to wave at her. If she sees me in this car, she'll think I'm a spoiled rich kid. She won't want anything to do with me. Unfortunately, John sees his girlfriend, and he lowers the window.
"Hey Maren, Marina!" he calls, waving. They wave back, and I try to make myself invisible. Unfortunately, it doesn't work.
"Hey, wait! John!" Maren calls as I move forward. I stop, pulling over. John opens the door and steps out, and I do the same. John and Maren talk, and Marina stands awkwardly to the side.
"Hey, Marina," I say. She turns to me, startled. Then she smiles.
"Hey, Joseph," she says, walking over. Her beautiful smile soon turns to an expression of shock. "Is this your car?!" she asks, taking a step back to admire it. I cringe inwardly. It's a beautiful car, and I love it, but everyone knows it's so expensive. Like, really spoiled rich kid expensive.
"Yes," I say, looking away.
"Oh my goodness! It's beautiful!" she says, gently running her hand over the hood. Her hand stops beside mine, where it's resting on the hood next to the windshield. She notices the little bit of scar that's visible on the side of my hand. She frowns, gently lifting and turning my hand palm up, tracing the scar that cuts across the length of my hand. "What…" she trails off, pulling it closer to her face to see it. "What on Earth is this from?" she asks quietly.
I flinch. "I, uh, I used to be really clumsy. I dropped a knife once, and I tried to catch it." I say.
"You tried to catch it? Really?" she asks, letting go of my hand.
Instead of dropping my hand back to my side, I lace my fingers with hers. "Yeah," I say and she blushes, but she doesn't let go. "Say, Marina, are you busy this weekend?"
She smiles. "No,"
I rub the back of my neck nervously. It's now or never. "Doyouwanttogooutwithme?" I say quickly. She looks at me, confused. I take a deep breath, focusing on slowing down. "Do you want to go out with me?" I ask, looking away.
She squeezes my hand. I look up to see her smiling. "Absolutely," she says, and I smile more than I have in my entire life.
"Finally!" John says from beside me. Beside me? I turn to look, and I see him lying across the roof of my car, and Maren trying not to laugh on the other side of the car.
"Get off my car!" I say teasingly, shoving him.
MONTHS LATER
"Hey Marina," I say, leaning against the locker next to hers. These past few months, we've gotten closer and closer as we were dating. And, I admit, I am - and have been - in love with her from day one. But, I haven't told her that yet.
"Hey," she responds wearily.
I frown. "What's wrong?" I ask, wrapping an arm around her waist and planting a kiss against her hair. She leans into me, obviously tired.
"Ugh. I got hardly any sleep last night, and I have to go to the mall with Maren today. We have to pick out a gift for her little sister's birthday," she groans.
"Tell her you can go tomorrow. When's her birthday?" I ask, rubbing her back soothingly.
She sighs. "The birthday is tomorrow. And I can't not give her a gift, she's like my sister," she says, resting her head against my shoulder. I kiss her, a short kiss since the bell rings at that instant.
"I'd come with you," I tell her, lacing my fingers with hers. "But I don't think Maren would want me too. And, I need to go to this practice," I add. "Alright, I'll see you in health," I say, kissing the top of her head. In the halls, I meet up with John, who elbows me.
"So?" he asks like a giddy child. "Did you decide what you're going to get her?" I sigh. John has been bothering me about this for the past month, ever since I told him I was going to buy something for Marina to celebrate our six-month anniversary. I don't know if she's that kind of girl yet, but I'm trying to show how much I love her.
"Not yet," I say. I'm going to the store today, to see if I can find something.
Marina
After class, I meet up with Maren at John's car. John let her borrow it for today, after a pair of 'puppy-dog-eyes,' according to John. It's not that new, but Maren had to get hers fixed. Engine wouldn't start or something.
"Ready?" she asks, as energetic as a third-grade child on a sugar high.
I groan. "Could we stop by Starbucks first? I need coffee," I beg. Maren relents, pulling over.
"Fine, but you're buying," she says and I grin. After we get coffee, we head over to the mall. "Alright, what do you think Ella would like for her birthday?"
I groan. The caffeine hasn't kicked in yet. "I don't know. How about we just look around a while?" I say. Maren agrees, and we spend an hour looking in multiple shops I can't remember the names of.
First, we find a cute little shop with multiple little toys. But, I honestly don't think the eleven-year-old Ella would want a doll. The next shop has a bunch of accessories for pre-teens. I spotted a cute silver handbag, and Maren loved it, but still she had some doubts. Next we went to a jewelry store, where Maren found a beautiful silver bracelet, with embedded blue stones, which almost look like they're glowing. It matches perfectly with the handbag. Maren buys that, and we decide that I'll give her the handbag.
Joseph texts me, saying he bought a book for Ella, and he says it's called 'Lorien Legacies,' or something. No, wait, the book was 'I Am Number Four,' the series was 'Lorien Legacies.' He asked me if I could give it to her for him, since he'll be away. We head back to the store with the handbag, and I buy it, then we buy wrapping paper - a pretty teal with baby blue stripes - at the store next door.
As we walk back through the mall to get to the car, I peer into all the stores we pass by. There are not many interesting ones, most are filled with clothing or children's toys. We exit the mall, Maren texting John as we exit. She looks up briefly as we begin to cross the street. She focuses back on the screen, a dreamy smile on her face. I've never seen that look on her face. I look away, watching the traffic.
I gasp. "Maren, watch out!" I scream, shoving her out of the way as a car comes screeching out of nowhere.
Joseph
Ring… ring…
My phone rings in my pocket, I sigh and answer it as I step out of the car. "Y'ello?" I say, walking towards the store.
"J-Jos-seph, I-I'm s-so s-sorry," Maren sobs.
I'm alert at once. "What? What happened?" I practically yell into the phone. "Is it Marina?"
Maren sobs again. "You need to get to the hospital, now," she says, still crying.
"Alright, I'm coming," I say, all nerves as I start the car. I speed down the abandoned road, going nearly eighty miles per hour. "What happened?" I ask as soon as Maren's crying dies down. She starts crying again. "Maren!" I yell, my speed increasing. "Get control of yourself! What happened?!" I scream. It must have something to do with Marina. There's no other reason that Maren would call me.
"M-Marina," she gasps. "Sh-She got hit by a c-car," she manages before she falls into hysterics again.
Suddenly, it's like everything just died inside me. "Call John," I say, hanging up. My speed reaches one hundred. Thankfully, the highway is deserted, and there's nobody to stop me. I reach the hospital in a matter of minutes, and I sprint to the doors. I push past people until I find a nurse, her back facing me. I turn her around, and she almost falls, and I steady her.
I ignore her angry expression, and force her to pay attention to me. "Marina, she came in recently. Where is she?" I demand, and her expression turns to one of sympathy.
"Room 78," she says, and I practically run people over to get to the elevator. All are busy, so I run to the stairs. I have to see Marina right now. She's alright, she'll be fine, I think over and over again as I run up the stairs two at a time. I race down the hall, avoiding doctors, patients, and medical carts.
I burst into room 78, looking around frantically. I see Maren, crying, again, with John's arms wrapped around her and her head tucked into the crook of his neck, her body shaking with sobs. John has a look of sadness and sympathy on his face as he spots me. I look away, spotting Marina.
She's lying on a hospital bed, multiple tubes stuck into her skin. Her face is peaceful, contradicting her sickly pale appearance. Her body up to her neck covered in a thin blanket, and I hold back a sob. I can see through the blanket that her right arm is in a sling, her left leg is in a cast, and her other ankle is wrapped in a bandage. Most obviously of all, her head is wrapped in a bandage that is stained slightly red. I kneel down and press my forehead against her head, then press a shaky kiss to her head as tears begin to flow down my face. I feel a hand against my shoulder, but I don't really care. I sob into her blankets, then press a kiss to her cheek.
"I love you," I whisper shakily.
"Joseph, I-" Maren begins, and I turn to her, a glare on my face. I know I shouldn't be mad at her, but I can't help it. I'd be mad at anyone right now. If I ever meet the man who hit her, he'll regret ever getting a driving license in the first place. Surprisingly, Maren looks away and takes a step back. "I-I, nevermind," she whispers.
I sigh. "No, I'm sorry, Maren, I shouldn't be mad at you," I say, turning back to Marina. A tear rolls down my cheek as I listen to the monotone beep of her heart monitor. I grab her hand, pressing the back of it to my lips. "Please wake up," I beg.
Somebody brings a chair beside me, and I sit, never letting go of her hand. I lay my head on her bed, pressing against her thigh. Eventually, I fall asleep, and I dream.
All around me, there's fog. Dense, unbreakable fog. I can hardly see my hand in front of my face, yet, I can see the tops of huge trees.
"Run! Run! Please, run!"
I look around, trying to find the source of the voice.
"Run!"
The fog clears, and I see Marina. She's chained to the floor, bleeding, crying.
"Run!" she screams, pulling against the chains. "Run! Get out of here, Joseph!"
I jerk awake, nearly falling out of the chair. I look around, confused until I remember where I am. Maren is sitting on a chair by the door, staring at me. I sigh, looking back at Marina. The rest of the night, I stay awake, terrified that I'll see Marina like that again. Every few minutes, I press a kiss against her head, hair, cheek, hand, anywhere.
LATER
I (unfortunately) have to go to school, since my father and step mother don't give a crap about my comatose girlfriend. Usually, I would cook dinner, but I'm with Marina so much I get home too late. I trudge through the halls, running on very little sleep. I hardly ever have time to do homework, and every week is a continuous blur. It's been three months since Marina got hit, and the doctors can't figure out why she won't wake up.
At the end of the day, I run out of school as fast as humanly possible - sometimes even ditching seventh period. I drive at the speed limit of whatever road I take towards the hospital. By now, I bet all the staff know who I am and who I come to see. Nearly all of them send me sympathetic smiles, clearing a path for me. Each day, before I get to the hospital, I stop and buy a bouquet of flowers, different each day. Today, it's carnations and peonies.
I walk into Marina's room, only to see her thrashing and screaming. I haven't seen Maren for days, but she's here, holding Marina down until a few nurses come in. They hold her down, and Maren spots me as I walk in slowly.
"Wh… what's happening?" I ask, eyes wide with shock. I stare at her, disbelieving. She's thrashing against the doctors' hold, screaming, her eyes closed.
"They think it's PTSD, or something. I think she has nightmares. We've tried everything, nothing will calm her down," she says, staring sadly at Marina.
I'm frozen with shock while Maren speaks, and as soon as she finishes I push through the nurses and doctors, standing by Marina's head. Slowly, I place my hands on the sides of her faces. I don't know what I expected, maybe for her to stop, but not this. She pulls away, seemingly shocked. I pull back, but I have to try again. I kneel beside her.
"Marina, Marina, calm down, it's alright," I whisper. She stops screaming, tilting her head to her me better. "That's right. You're okay, Marina," I whisper again. Tears stream down her face as she relaxes back into sleep. I grab her hand, refusing to leave her side any time soon.
"I love you, Marina," I whisper once all the staff are gone. "I love you so much. Please wake up," I beg, bending my head down. "You're my world, you know that? I can't live without you, Marina. Please, wake up soon."
"Run away, boy. Leave, now. This is not for you. This is for her. Get out of here."
The voice is evil, and I don't know where it's coming from. I'm in the same foggy landscape as last time, except this time Marina isn't screaming at me to run. I turn in a circle, feeling a strange sense of evil from my right.
"Yes, go to the left, boy," The voice says, with a new strange edge to it. I ignore the sense of fear and turn towards the evil feeling. I walk forward, and the voice growls.
"Stupid boy, I told you to leave," it says with a horrible new tone. I break into a sprint, and I see a silhouette through the fog. Suddenly, I feel an invisible force pushing against me. I force myself to keep walking, struggling closer to the person. As I get closer, I notice the person is a girl, who is apparently unconscious. When I'm within a few yards of her, she lifts her head, and I freeze. It's Marina. Suddenly, everything comes into high definition. I see multiple cuts across her face, arms, legs, and torso.
She sobs. "Run, Joseph! Get out of here! Wake up! WAKE UP! He can't hurt you if you're awake!" she screams, pulling against chains that seem to have materialised out of nowhere. "He can't hurt you if you're awake…" she whispers, trailing off. The fog closes in, blocking Marina from view. I stumble forward, but she's gone. Instead, I fall into an endless abyss filled with fog.
I jerk awake, just like last time. This time though, it's early in the morning and I have to get to school. I sigh, and pass Marina's mother in the hall. Every week, she takes a day off to be with Marina. It's four in the morning, and I have time to get home and take a shower.
I drive slowly, not happy to go back to an unhappy house. When I get there, it's four-thirty, and both my father and 'beloved step-mother' are sleeping. I creep in silently, but, much to my disdain, our house is really old, so it wakes up my step-mother.
"What the hell were you doing out so late, boy?" she yells, not at all caring if she wakes my father. But I know she won't wake him, thank goodness. He'd blame me for being the reason of waking him.
"Doesn't matter to you, Lindsey," I mumble, looking down, but unfortunately loud enough for her to hear. She painfully pulls my head up by my hair, spitting in my face.
"What did you say, you ungrateful brat?" she hisses, narrowing her eyes.
"Nothing, ma'am," I say through my gritted teeth. "I was at the hospital, and I lost track of time."
She rolls her eyes, uninterested. "Oh, you were visiting that girl again, weren't you? Martinas, or something?"
"Yes ma'am," I mutter, not bothering to correct her.
My father walks downstairs slowly. "What in hell is all the commotion about? Why are we awake at-" he glances the clock. "Five in the morning?"
"Your stupid 'love-stricken' boy was visiting his 'girlfriend,' again. You should really control him, Harold," I flinch, and Lindsey rolls her eyes, walking to stand by his side. She runs her hand down his arm, and I try not to let my disgust show. She has almost complete control over him.
"I'm gonna take a shower," I say, turning to go to my room.
"You better make breakfast after," my dad says, but I don't turn. "We'll be busy," he says, voice husky. Lindsey giggles, and I gag.
TIME SKIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIP3
Ring… ring… ring…
"John, answer your damn phone," I growl, staring at the road.
"Geez, sorry Joseph," John says, fishing his phone out of his pocket. "Hello? Maren?" there's a muffled response, and John smiles. "Hey, love," a pause. "Yeah, he's with me." another pause. John's face falls. "Sure, be right there," he says, hanging up. "We have to get to the hospital. Something about Marina. Maren was crying, she didn't tell me why, just that we have to get there ASAP."
I don't know how to react, so I floor the gas. I drive, and we sit in silence. As soon as I get to the hospital, I run through the door, John beside me. I run up to Marina's room, faster than John, who took the elevator. I let my hand rest on the handle of her door, hesitating, and that's all the time John needs to catch up to me.
"Hey, she'll be fine, okay?" he says, laying a hand on my shoulder. I nod as tears spring into my eyes, and in the time it takes for me to gather my courage, Maren walks out.
Tears stain her face, more than the day Marina got hit. Her face is expressionless. She looks at me, revealing nothing. "You… you should go in there," she says, and turns and walks into John's open arms. They walk to sit by the chairs, giving me my privacy. I suck in a breath, pushing the door open silently. On the bed lies Marina, same as ever, still and with her eyes closed. No, that's not right. She looks paler than before, but her breathing is easier.
"Marina?" I say hopefully, sitting by her side and clasping her hand with my own. Over the entire time, she's become frailer and thinner. Her hand in mine looks so small, like I could crush it easily.
There's no reaction from Marina. I press my head to her sheets, letting the tears roll down my cheeks. Suddenly, I feel a hand running through my hair, and I look up. Marina is looking up at me, smiling.
"I missed you," I whisper, crying. I move towards her, kissing her forehead. "I missed you so much."
"I missed you too. Now, come here and give me a real kiss," she says, sitting up. I'm surprised that she already has so much energy, but I'm too happy to be concerned. "Come on, please," she begs. "I missed you for so long. I don't want to waste any more time," she adds, giving me puppy dog eyes. I laugh, but oblige.
And, let me tell you, that was the best kiss I've had. Ever.