Signs on...goes to preview...looks at dismal number of reviews...slaps self in the head. Well, at least there are some people reading this. I still have a few chapters typed out and gathering dust in my harddrive. I'll just keep posting in hopes that readers will suddenly take interest in my story...
Artemis(bursts into room): Fat chance of that happening!
jadeddragon212: What?!?! Get your ass back in the story now!
Artemis: Once again. Fat chance of that happening.
jadeddragon212: Do you want to die you SOB?
Artemis: What are YOU going to do to me?
jadeddragon212(eye twitches and pulls out keyboard): One day, Holly wanted to make jadeddragon212 very happy. So she bought a box of lollipops...
Artemis: Wait. What? I don't like where this is going...
jadeddragon212: Holly brought them to jadeddragon212's room...
(Holly pops into room) Holly: Hi guys!
jadeddragon212: She saw Artemis and remembered the time that Artemis had forced Mulch to surprise-French kiss Holly during a game of truth and dare the other day. She looked from the box of lollipops to Artemis and grinned quite evilly...
Artemis: Now wait a second...what are you going to do with those lollipops? (Artemis begins to back towards jadeddragon212's computer)
Holly: I'm going to stick them up No Shine Drive... that's what I'm going to do. (Holly advances then pauses)
jadeddragon212: You better get back in the story...now( jadeddragon212's hand hovers dangerously over the keyboard)
(Artemis and then Holly disappear)
jadedragon212: Now back to the story.
Chapter Twelve:
"I met Quill when I was seven. He was nine and looking at books in my mother's book store. He was reading a book on necromancy. I noticed how into the book he was and I knew…that he was going to go home and try it. I was right. He came back a few days later and reread the book, probably searching for what he did wrong. I asked him why he was looking up necromancy and he told me everything. I…I was sorry for him. We got into talking. Eventually he told me his dream of making the world a better place. And that's when I started teaching him about magic."
"So your family is all for 'making-the-world-a-better-place' idea?" asked Artemis.
"It's what we've been trying to do from the Beginning," said Esmeralda. "It's all we really want."
"Do you believe in actually, making the entire world a better place. Everything…perfect?"
"Like I said, it's what we aim for," said Esmeralda, gulping down the rest of the tea while avoiding Artemis' eye.
"You don't believe in all that hype, do you?" asked Artemis softly. "Don't lie."
"The world will never be perfect using my family's methods," admitted Esmeralda. "Peace, love and friendship. We can preach all we want but will anyone really listen?"
"So Quill came up with a better method?"
" I was young and naïve and I believed him when he painted this imaginary world where people didn't kill people and everyone loved one another because of magic. Magic was the answer to the world's problems. He would create a world where harmony ruled."
"Chaos is a constant. The world cannot exist without it. Where there is good, there will always be bad and all that clichéd junk you hear on television. Point is, nothing will be perfect."
"That's what I began to see while I was growing up. I began to see that the world will never have perfect peace and that you just have to learn to live with it. You can wonder why, but keep it moving. Like Aspen. He never dwelled on his mother's murder. Never letting something go…it can drive a person off the edge sometimes. I began suggesting something along those lines to Quill but then he just yelled at me and left, disgusted. 'I thought you understood,' he said."
"What's he trying to do?" asked Artemis.
"He's going along with his plan to create a better world, of course."
"How's he going to do that?"
"By destroying this one and starting over from scratch."
The sweet smell of bergamot orange filled the air as somewhere in the house, a chough squawked in laughter.