Chapter's title/song belongs to Story of the Year, this time around. The rest of the disclaimers/claimers are in previous chapters. Enjoy.
Nothing mattered more than the loyalty we had
Now I'm a world away from everything we shared
Giggles.
Laughter.
There was the girl, huddled by an enormous rock. She was dwarfed beside it.
"Hey—"
—a name, missing—
"—where were you all this time?"
Taunting.
"You could've graduated with us, you know. Too bad."
One word unspoken, but heard all the same.
Failure.
A glare.
Honey blonde hair, flying—
—a flash of light—
—colors entwined—
A gasp of surprise.
A flash in reply—
—golden metal—
—the ringing clang as they met—
—glares of fury—
—rivalry—
Blue and gold—
x x x x
A warning cry.
We're too close—
He had her. He had her!
She would die. They would both die.
They'd all die.
—Gasping breaths—
She's fucked. Oh, hell, she's fucking fucked.
—futile shouts of a name—
—a forgotten name—
That beautiful honey-colored hair was tainted with dirt and matting blood from what he'd already done.
He's too close, he's too fucking close!
That defiant gleam flew from blue to blue to blue, intensifying with shared hatred and wrath and a damned refusal to give in.
There was no possible way they could win.
But they'd fucking give him hell while they went down.
A shriek—
—battle cry—
—erupted from her throat.
Thunder—
"Here we go!"
A losing fight—
A pointless fight—
They would lose—
It doesn't matter!
—Aero—
—Reflect—
—Blizzard—
x x x x
"Why?"
Disgust.
"That's how it always is."
Blue. Honey. Black.
The new.
Like the old.
No, no, no, why her, why her—
x x x x
Giggles.
An arm extended. A hand offered.
"So, who're you?" a sweet voice.
—forgotten names—
An uninterested stare. An unshaken hand.
"Stop bothering her."
Black.
"I'm not—"
—a warm hand dragging her away.
A friend.
They'd all be friends.
"We'll be friends," she announced.
A puzzled look.
That warm smile.
x x x x
Where were they?
Gone.
Can't find them—
Where, where, where—
Disappeared.
No, no, no, don't be—
Gone. Like legend.
Like family.
There—
Together.
They're together.
A sigh of relief.
…Jealousy.
x x x x
No, no, no, no, no, no—
Honey, too close.
Black, too far.
Blue, close enough.
That smirk—
—madness—
She knew—
—he knew—
A flash—
Hell— hell!
That flash, that flash!
x x x x
Honey blonde.
Black.
Blue.
How?
Forgotten—
x x x x
A sharp gasp.
Bolt upright.
Heavy breathing.
Riley panted, checked her surroundings wildly.
White—a plain, white room around her. A plain, white bed beneath her.
"Something wrong?"
She jumped. Red—red to the left.
Axel.
Nightmare—just a nightmare.
"I'm… fine… Fine." Shaky voice.
Liar.
Her breathing slowed. She was fine. Nothing had happed.
She sighed again, shaking her head and rubbing her temples with two fingers.
Who are they?
I fully expect at least some of y'all to be confused. If you are, good. It's supposed to be confusing. Dreams are like that.
And don't ask me what any of it means, either. I won't tell you.
All in due time, friends, all in due time.