I'm here, again, already impatient reviewers XD!
Sorry this chapter isn't as long, but the first one was kind of an introduction.
This chapter is dedicated to HopeThePixii, who (and I'm not kidding) anticipated the second chapter before she'd even read the first chapter…talk about a dedicated fan…and, I owe her this chapter early because she told Team Twilight readers about it (though it's not as good as she says it is)! This is for you, Pixii!
Sorry, C.I.A.D, Marc is too important to kill. :D YET. I want to kill him too, and you haven't even read the whole story yet! Vote on the new poll if you think Marc should die! XD
Chapter Two
Nothing Lasts Forever
"They may forget what you said, but they will never forget how you made them feel." –Carl W. Buechner
I looked up into the sunset sky, sighing peacefully.
How could I not have noticed the sky before?
The heavens were so grand, its measure incomprehensive. The infinite, rich colors were so luxurious, so striking. It was so imposing I was frightened of it, yet so majestic I wanted to fly along with it. So…lovely, plain and simple.
And yet no one understands.
Its beauty was everything next to where I was standing, the small burrow in the ground. There were lights on, so I knew that my parents were home. But that's exactly what I was dreading, the inevitable wrath of my parents.
"Graduating" had been the last chance of impressing them.
They didn't exactly love me as much as they could. At least, they had until my sister was born. Rubylin, the perfect one, the beautiful one, the admired one.
The very name made anger flood my veins.
I couldn't deny it was true, though; my sister was infinitely more…attractive than me. My parents had been so proud of her, I had been forced to listen to their downright worshipping of her-'Rubylin is so perfect' and 'Rubylin is the perfect child'. Everyone (except for Mark) even preferred her to me, though she was such a despicable and unpleasant person I couldn't imagine why. I can still remember her smug face, sneering at me. You'll always been unloved, wherever you go…
I shook away the memory and started down the hole.
I could hear their displeased voices talking to each other; obviously, they had already heard the news.
This is going to be fun.
I took in a deep breath and started down the small hole.
"VALENTINA PETAL! THAT BETTER BE YOU-!"
"It's me, William." I sighed.
"YOU ARE IN THE DEEPEST TROUBLE, YOUNG LADY-!"
"I'm coming." I refrained from rolling my eyes, knowing how much trouble I was really in. "One can only walk so fast, you know…"
"You better hurry up, then, or you won't have legs to walk with!" hissed the cold voice of my mother, Larissa.
They sounded happy with me, no doubt about that.
I exhaled again and stepped out into the room.
They both faced me with identical expressions.
My father, William, was a Leafeon. He usually held his head up high, as he was much respected in our pack, but now it was faced at me, a soundless snarl ripping from his lips. My mother, Larissa, also a furious face. She was an Umbreon, and proud of it, too. She had frozen eyes, yet warm with rage toward me.
"So…how was your day today?" William asked, his anger barely concealed.
"Good." I swallowed. "Marc's going to be a Glaceon."
"And you?"
"I don't know, really." I cringed, deciding not to lie. "I decided, you know, maybe it's a bit early for evolution. I thought I should wait on the decision until I knew what I really wanted."
"You thought?" Larissa growled. "You THOUGHT? No, you didn't think, you didn't think at all. You've never thought about anyone but yourself, ever. Especially what it would do to William and I."
"And since when have you two cared about my future?" I asked, stung.
"Since you decided it would be a fun joke to disgrace our family in front of the entire group of Elders!" She snarled at me. "And to put stress on us even more than there already was! This is a cruel game, Valentina, just to get attention-"
"Larissa, it wasn't a joke. I told them I didn't want to evolve."
William puffed his chest out, his face stained a dark red, contrasting interestingly with his green fur. "HOW DARE YOU, VALENTINA PETAL!"
"William-Dad-"
"WELL, YOU JUST MARCH YOURSELF RIGHT BACK THERE, YOUNG LADY, AND BEG THEM TO ACCEPT YOU, FALL ON YOUR KNEES IF YOU HAVE TO AND SHOW THEM THE PROPER RESPECT!"
"William, there's something I need to tell you-" I said anxiously.
"That's right, don't argue with your father." Larissa agreed frostily.
"Larissa, William, I can't. I can't anymore, not till next year." Tears sparkled in my eyes. "The Elder said so. I'm sorry, I'm sorry…"
My parents both glared at me.
"Why couldn't you have been more like your sister, Rubylin…?" Larissa sighed.
At that instant, when my mother brought my sister in the conversation, I knew this argument was going to go nowhere. I shut myself down and patiently listened to their yelling. Waiting, waiting for the end to come, which must come eventually.
Nothing lasts forever. Especially the yelling.
Finally, William could breathe again, and Larissa sighed and drifted off to her room. William threw a glare at me that clearly wished for my death and followed his mate.
I was left there, silently struggling with my urge to laugh, or just…cry.
Clearing my throat, I tried to rid it of the great lump that was there now as I climbed out of the hole. I knew I would not be sleeping at home tonight. My parents needed a chance to cool down, that's all.
The sky had faded to a peaceful black night, and I sighed, relaxing. The night sky was as beautiful as the day's, with pure balls of light shining down on me. I lay back against the grass, listening to the wind in the trees whistle and the flowers rustle. I would enjoy this. This night wouldn't last forever.
My face twisted as new thoughts came to my mind.
Nothing lasts forever. This peacefulness would not last forever. This beauty would not last forever. This happiness would not last forever (my parents were not finished with me; I had seen it in their eyes).
Friendship didn't last forever.
Marc was proof of that, I suppose.
But maybe it was also a good thing. The loathing wouldn't last forever. The teasing, the bullies wouldn't last forever. This ache in every part of me, the enormous hole in my heart wouldn't last forever.
The heartbreak wouldn't last forever.
At least for that, I could be glad.
I'm just…through playing this game. I don't want the life I used to live anymore…I can't want that life anymore. I can't go back on who I am; I can't rethink this part of me. I just need to…you know…fly.
That part of me would last forever.
"Something has changed within me…Something is not the same…" Words came to my mind, and I sang them. "I'm through with playing by the rules of someone else's game…Too late for second-guessing…Too late to go back to sleep…It's time to trust my instincts: Close my eyes and leap…"
I sat back and sighed, watching the night gradually darken.
"It's time to try defying gravity…I think I'll try defying gravity…And you can't pull me down!"
H/P