Chapter 3: Unleashed
"I can do this! Jump, jump! These keys does not work! FUCK!"
Emma slammed her hand down on the table as she watched her character die in the game she was playing. Ruby giggled and squeezed Emma's shoulder slightly.
"Another round?"
"Of course, since when do I give up? I will roll the fat lady to the finish line!"
The computer room was filled with people playing cards, doing homework, eating an early lunch, playing silly games on the computers and so on. This room was the meeting spot for everyone in the corridor, and everyone went here when they did not have to attend any classes.
Emma and Ruby often wasted time here, annoying anyone who tried to do something useful.
"Damnit!"
Ruby giggled at Emma's annoyance once more before she rose from the chair.
"Come on, the class starts in a few minutes."
Emma clenched her fists as she watched her character die once more.
"I hate this game."
"Oh no you do not, you secretly love watching the characters heads and limbs being ripped off."
Emma looked up at the brown haired girl.
"Oh, you know me too well Ruby."
Emma rose from the chair and logged out of the computer. They made their way through the room before entering the corridor. Yellow lockers, and benches covered in blue fabric greeted them.
63…62…61… There, 60!
Emma pulled out the key from her bra and opened the locker.
And where is my book?
She looked at the mess that was her locker. Papers and books everywhere. She threw some of them around before she found her math- and note book. Emma slammed the door shut and walked up to Ruby.
"She was looking at you."
"Who?"
"Regina, the new girl. She could not stop looking at your ass when you bent down to pick up the papers that fell down to the floor."
Emma blushed slightly and turned around. Regina sat on one of the benches with a book in her hand.
"She likes you."
Emma faced Ruby once again and stared at her in disbelief.
"Oh come on, we have not even said hi to each other yet. Besides, she does not look like someone who would be interested in someone like me."
"Stop with that attitude! Dazzle her with your charm!"
"My what now?!"
The door to the classroom swung open, signaling the start of another lesson.
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I swear, if she does not stop watching me, she is going to bore two permanent holes in my back.
Regina straightened her back and focused on the white board, trying to suppress the urge to turn around and meet the blonde's green eyes. She would not let anything distract her, and certainly not during her first day in this new school.
Before the class started, she had been taking a walk around the school, finding the cafeteria and the hall where the lunches would be served.
When she returned to the corridor, she found it empty and heard some commotion coming from the room at the end of the hallway. Deciding not to investigate, she opened her locker and grabbed the book she was currently reading. The Night Circus was written on the cover. The black and white theme colors on the cover were interrupted by some red and silver. A man and a woman looked over their shoulders at each other.
Regina did not normally read books like these, but the cover immediately drew her attention to it.
She had been reading a few pages when she saw blonde curls in the corner of her eye. Regina nearly had a heart attack when she realized that their lockers were right next to each other. She had been studying Emma's long legs before the blonde suddenly bent down…
The sound of chairs being dragged over the floor brought her out of her musings.
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"Winternight
Conceal thy precious angellore
I secrete my soul
Under thy wings of sorrow
Dark I embrace thy eyes
Wander lost on life's narrow path
I reveal my heart
To this beauty dressed in dark"
Nah, not a good walking song.
Emma pulled out the iPod from her pocket and scrolled through her playlist.
Found it!
She pressed play as she rounded the corner of the gas station.
"And I can't live in a fairytale of lies
And I can't hide from the feeling 'cause it's right
And I go faster and faster and faster and faster for life
I can't live in a fairytale of lies"
Emma quickened her steps. She passed a large number of houses on her way, all of them looking almost the same. Fences made by bricks, a metal gate, bushes surrounding the small garden, children's toys lying around in immaculate gardens.
I have never had that.
Emma had never been the small town girl; she had been growing up in several apartments in bigger cities, feeling trapped most of the time. Moving here a year ago had felt good. As soon as she turned 18 she moved out of her foster parent's home, and moved in with August. He had always been like a brother to her.
A large number of apartment complexes came into view.
"Alone I look for the way
Hoping you're waiting for me
Where the hostile world has no say
That is where I always want to be.
Where my eyes want to follow
When I'm far, far away
When life brings me sorrow
Into silence I escape."
The day had been good. Except for her embarrassing excuse, but the sight of the gorgeous brunette made it all better.
Emma made her way up a small hill. People were walking their dogs, and children on their bikes rode past her. Just like any normal day.
Emma opened the door to the entrance and went up two sets of stairs. She turned off her iPod and removed the ear buds from her ears. When she stood in front of her apartment, she grabbed the keys from her bag and used them to open the door.
She kicked off her shoes, and put the keys, bag, and iPod on the small table in the hallway.
Emma went to the kitchen and grabbed a soda from the fridge. When she had closed the fridge, she saw the small note next to the handle.
"Going to work late. See you later tonight."
Since when is he not working late? Emma thought to herself. Shrugging it off, she went to her room.
Emma stepped over the threshold and breathed in deeply. This was her safe haven, her sanctuary to which she often escaped. Between these four walls she could let her guard down and just be herself.
During the years, she had managed to put on a mask. A mask of confidence and fearlessness. It kept her safe, and guarded the hurting person behind it. Emma would never let anyone in, eventually they would pull away from her, and with that, rip away the ability to trust another human being. She had made that mistake once.
She would never do it again.
Emma put her soda on the bedside table, grabbed her laptop, and plugged in the speakers. She pushed the power button and watched how the screen came to life. The computer was old and was barely hanging on to life, but Emma only needed it for one thing, and that was music.
She logged into Spotify and began scrolling through her playlists.
Hmmm, what should I listen to today? Black, Viking, Thrash… nah, something more… oh yes here it is!
Emma clicked on the name of the song and closed her eyes, goosebumps already appearing on her skin.
"Just after your Sun went down
Into my memories,
Never seen through your eyes,
Missed by another time
Locked helpless in a spider lace,
Memories live in forbidden place,
Around candle light's Final dance,
Call my name and my last chance"
Emma was lost, completely in the mercy of the beautiful tunes. It was a lovely feeling. She knew the lyrics by heart. She tapped her fingers on her keyboard, mimicked the keyboard and drums that invaded her senses. The deep male vocals, mixed with the soothing operatic female ones, sent chills up and down her body. Emma felt the music on her skin, smooth and beautifully dark.
The song was coming to an end, and Emma knew that she would spend the next twenty minutes repeating the song. Over and over again.
Thank you for all the reviews/favorites/follows. I really appreciate it!
Read The Night Circus! It's one of the best books I've ever read. I don't know why I chose to incorporate it in this story, maybe because I simply can!
Lyric #1: My Lost Lenore by Tristania
Lyric #2: Faster by Within Temptation
Lyric #3: Home by Unsun
Lyric #4: Forbidden Memories by Downcast Art
There will be more Swan Queen in the next chapter, I promise! So bear with me!