Tales of the Alternate Universe

Chapter Eleven: One-Armed Boy

The flames glimmered on Big Destiny's shades as his expression of horror caused a satisfied grin on Flanna's face. He released his grip on her collar and smashed the girl against the ground, just thinking about running away as fast as he could. Flanna glimpsed Big-D vanishing like a blur in the darkness. She still didn't know if her father was being kept prisoner inside the mine or not. There was no way for her to know where he was, she couldn't save him. Her eyes drifted softly towards the unconscious boy beside her then. The red-haired girl grasped Finn's hand as she pulled her aching body closer to his. The green bag with the bulldog puppy was still in her arms —being carried, as if he was her own baby.

"Finn…" Flanna whispered as she shoved her shoulder under his chest in an attempt to help him up. "C'mon fool, do you wanna die in here?"

There was no response from her ex-rival. Hacksworth could only muster the little strength she had left to push themselves up and hope that Finn would be fine once their ordeal is over. Flanna winced a little, feeling the pain of her wound just when she had managed to rest Finn on her back. The fire was about to reach the crate.

Her feet began to run, guided by the horrified grunts of the Destiny Gang way ahead of her. She felt her speed rising up with each beat of her heart. The adrenaline combined with the fear of dying caused her body to ignore the pain and powered her muscles. Flanna had never run so fast in her entire life, not even when Finn stole her favorite plush toy —a cat-like animal that she had named Flambo— and threatened to toss it inside the town's well, where she would never enter because of her claustrophobia.

It was then that the fire reached the TNT crate, triggering a potent explosion behind her.

A resigned smile graced Flanna's lips as she felt the unbearable heat of the fire eating away everything on its reach. Four days ago her biggest worry was to pass Miss Bonnibel's math test, and find a way to make Finn pay for actually throwing Flambo into the well. Who would have imagined that in a matter of days she would be running for her life, trying to save Mertens' as well?

The immense expansion of the released energy struck Flanna's back, sending her along with Finn, various miles away in a straight line. Their bodies hit the ground with a thud. The fire hadn't still caught up with them but Flanna could already feel the heat, burning her skin. She tried to push herself up once again, only to fall back onto the singeing ground. At that point Flanna knew that they weren't going to make it.

Finn clenched his eyelids, forcing them to let him go back to reality. He snapped out of his trance and noticed that Flanna was barely breathing by his side, a sudden wave of pain engulfing his torn body. The farm boy stretched his arm and grazed the red-haired girl's shoulder with his bloodstained hand to help the girl turn herself back at him. The two kids stared at each other while they lay helplessly on the ground, the fire roaring in the distance as it drew itself closer to consume them along with the coal.

"You should have stayed in your bed…" Flanna said weakly. "Instead of coming along with me... You should have known this was an insane idea…"

Finn replied her with the calmest smile he could muster. "Impossible, Flanna… you would have dragged me out anyway, heh…"

The girl chuckled as well, but soon, her smile became more serious. "You know Finn, I wish we… would've been friends before…"

Mertens nodded softly, imagining how his life would have been if Flanna Hacksworth was his friend. Their constant hate towards each other had only caused them trouble, bruises and low grades at school. Now that Finn had discovered that he could actually get along with Flanna, he regretted all the bad things and pranks that he had done to her. He wished for a second chance. The boy wanted to know how would it feel to run through the fields along with her and play with Jake. To escape from school to go fishing at the creek and have diving competitions, to visit Tea Hanks; eat apple pies, play and laugh together. If only he had been nicer to Flanna from the start…

"No…!" Finn dragged the blackened dirt along with his shivering fingers as he fought to raise himself up. "I'm not going to let it end like this… We still have so much to live together… C'mon, Flanna! You can't give up just now…!"

The raging growls of the fire, blasting through the tunnels echoed in the walls. Another explosion was imminent. Finn analyzed his surroundings desperately and glimpsed the iron wagon that Jake had jolted some hours ago. An idea lighted his brain.

"Flanna, we gotta use that wagon to shield ourselves from the detonation…!" Mertens cried as he crawled closer to her barely conscious body. "It may save our lives, c'mon please…!"

"I hope you're right…" she replied, embracing Jake tightly with one arm while she dragged her weight with the other.

Finn and Flanna managed to get themselves inside the old wagon, laying their bodies down. The girl curled herself up like a ball with the puppy in her arms, and the boy acquired a similar position, warping his arms around her and burying his face into her still sweet-smelling hair. They waited in silence, feeling the racing beats of their hearts and the quivering of their trembling bones, cold sweat soaking their tattered clothes.

Finn's grip on Flanna grew tighter as an intense gush of heat was drawn closer to them —somehow hoping that his body would be enough protection for her and the pup in her arms. The next thing he felt was the girl's head pushing itself deeper into his chest as a strong blazing pulse impacted the wagon. The flames engulfed them, burning their skin and clothes. The two kids screamed in pain and fear, knowing that they were being shot out of the mine by a massive wall of fire. Finn saw it all white and dared to open his eyes in astonishment. The wagon crashed not very far from the mine's entrance, delivering their bodies to the surface with a violent thud.

The impact forced him to let go of Flanna, but Finn knew that they were still far from being safe and dragged his body over the unconscious girl in an attempt to protect her. He slid his neck next to hers, feeling her faint breath on his burnt skin. His left arm embraced both Flanna and Jake while his right one remained over their heads, covering their faces. The tunnels literally breathed fire against the two kids, bathing their bodies with its melting heat. Finn didn't know what happened after that. He just listened to himself screaming until his voice faded along with his breath, the world vanishing from existence as the flames overlapped his limbs.

x+x+x+x+x

Flanna opened her green eyes at the sound of the flickering flames, burning the withered leaves around her. She felt Jake's fluffy fur beneath her chest and tried to push herself up so that she could check on him. An unknown burden on her back startled her in the middle of her action. "Finn…!" the Hacksworth girl gasped once she had managed to remember the explosion. Her hands carried him carefully onto the ground while she tried her best to fight the incoming tears that were now gathering within her eyes. Finn wasn't even a shadow of his past self. His skin was completely seared, being his right arm the worst sign of his terrible condition. Blood caked his scorched muscles and his sleeve had been merged into his skin.

"Oh, Finn…" Flanna cried, resting her head on his chest. She was scared about not knowing what to do to save him. Finn was going to die there, while she lied by his side crying in vain.

"Humph…! I never thought that a pair of runts like you could give me so much trouble…"

That voice… Flanna raised her head from Finn's chest and faced the man before her, hatred darting out of her watery eyes. "You…" she hissed. "This is all your fault!"

Big Destiny remained silent and stared at her meticulously. His eyes were no longer covered by his magenta-tinted glasses, possibly being that the only outcome of the explosion on him. He made a few steps towards her, holding his golden sword tightly.

The red-haired girl winced in fear, but she tried her best to remain as stoic as possible. "So what?!" she yelled angrily. "Don't you think we've had enough?!"

The orange-haired man tilted his head a little, appreciating the way in which the flames swirled around Flanna, as if by some mysterious kind of magic she was capable of commanding their motion. Her green eyes were piercing at his fiercely. Just like the wild fire, which was burning free behind her. Big-D loomed over the girl, raising his golden blade slowly. Flanna closed her eyes immediately, plunging her face onto Finn when her ears perceived the sound of the sword, cutting through the air. She expected a blow that never came.

"Huh?" Flanna let her eyelids drift open slowly, a glimpse of gold striking her irises. The sword had been thrust into the ground.

"You're right, Firefly…" Big Destiny said as he folded his arms. "You've had enough. The mines were blown, your hero friend doesn't stand a chance of surviving, and you'll faint in any moment now… It's over. Luckily for me, my men managed to extract enough coal to make us filthy rich when the winter arrives. So, heh… I gotta thank that Hacksworth dude for it…"

"Dad…" Flanna sobbed weakly.

"Dad?" Big-D replied in surprise. "Well look at that! This is certainly a small town…!" he turned away from her, still chuckling lightly. "If you somehow manage to survive…your father is trapped inside an abandoned cabin by the creek…"

The red-haired girl softened her features as she watched Big Destiny walk away with his hands shoved in his pockets. "You know Firefly…" he whispered, stopping his pace briefly. Big Destiny never turned his face to glance at her. "I kinda wish I had been as brave as you when I was your age…" his shoulders shrugged. "Just saying…"

Flanna Hacksworth remained there, sitting amongst the flames, wondering if Big Destiny had actually showed some compassion or if he was just playing with her mind.

"Bouw…?" Jake nuzzled her stomach, making her react.

"Right, Jake…" Flanna whispered, shaking her head. "I gotta carry Finn back to safety…"

Mustering every ounce of determination in her spirit, Flanna managed to get the boy on her back, raising the weight of their bodies up.

A long way back to Junktown awaited…

x+x+x+x+x

The warm feeling of fingers running through his hair sharpened his senses. Finn opened his eyelids softly, glimpsing the familiar sight of his bedroom's wooden roof. A shock of excitement rushed through his veins.

"I'm…" the boy whispered. "home…?"

"Yes son, you're home."

Finn flinched at the sound of his mother's voice, was he dreaming? He leaned back slowly, trying to get a sitting position and noticed that he was lying on his bed. His body was covered by his blue blankets and Jake was snoring peacefully at his feet.

"J-Jake…?"

"Miss Bonnibel said you had befriended this puppy and asked me to let you keep him as a reward for your bravery." Mrs. Mertens smiled at him. "I'm so proud of you Finn…!"

"Proud?" Finn's head was spinning, he wasn't able to understand or remember what was going on. He just felt an agonizing sting of pain, shooting through his body, which caused him to kick the blankets away from him.

"Finn wait…!" his mother gasped, leaning over him.

The farm boy's eyes were widened open in astonishment: his chest, back, and shoulders were covered with bandages, while some cuts covering his naked torso had been roughly stitched, waiting for time to heal them. However, none of those wounds impressed him as much as the mechanical arm that had sprouted from his right shoulder.

"The doctor did everything she could, but your arm had taken too much fire… It was impossible to save it…" the blonde woman said in response to his puzzled look. "I-it's not that bad, son… Your father built it for you with his own hands and the doctor says you will get used to it in a month…!"

"It-it's not that mom…" Finn replied calmly. "This arm is awesome," Mrs. Mertens gasped in awe. "I was just worried… if this happened to me then… what happened to Flanna?"

"F-Flanna?" his mother repeated, not being able to believe his words. "You, Finn Mertens… are worried about the Hacksworth girl?!" she leaned in and placed her hand on his forehead and then on his cheeks.

"What are you doing mom?" the boy giggled nervously.

"Weird, you don't seem to have any fever…" she whispered. "It most be the pills, I'll tell the doctor to reduce your dose in this instant!"

"Mom, hold on!" Finn exclaimed, pulling her skirt to force her to return to her seat. "I'm fine, I really am…! I just need to know… How's Flanna doing? Is she hurt? Is she dead? Please tell me, mom!"

"Amazing…" Mrs. Mertens whispered while she brushed Finn's hair softly. "Losing an arm is 'awesome' and now he's concerned about the Hacksworth girl… what in the world—?"

"Mom!"

"Okay fine, she's actually doing much better than you." His mother chuckled. "In fact she bumped into a cart at the market as usual last week. Dear, that girl is always getting herself hurt…!" Mrs. Mertens chuckled.

"Last week? Wait, for how long—?"

"You've been unconscious for three weeks, Finn. Your father and I were starting to get scared, you know?"

"Three weeks?! Holy shrub…!" Finn tried to leap out of his bed, but his mother stopped him in mid-way. "Mom, I need to know what happened with the Destiny Gang! And the mine! And Flanna!"

"Hush, son…" Mrs. Mertens laid him down and covered him with the blankets, worried about him catching a cold. "You gotta stop worrying about those things, now you need to rest…"

"But mom…" the boy pleaded, "Can't I see Flanna at least?"

"Oh, Finn…" she sighed in disappointment. "I'm sorry but, that's not possible…"

"What? Why?!"

"After the colliery was destroyed, Mr. Hacksworth needed to find a way to solve his new financial issues and he decided to ask his brother for help. They…they are moving to the city…tonight…"

"The city?!" Finn gasped. "But…they will return, right?"

His mother shook her head. "You must understand that the city offers them better opportunities of work and education. The Hacksworths have lost everything they had here, there's no reason for them to return…"

"But… I couldn't even… say good-bye to her…" the blonde boy whispered in disappointment "It's not fair…!"

"I'm sorry Finn, there's nothing you can do about it. Just try to go back to sleep, everything will be better in the morning…"

"I seriously doubt it…" the boy protested, covering his face with the blankets.

x+x+x+x+x

"Woof…! Woof…!" Jake's insistent barking drove him out of his sleep.

"Quit it Jake…!" the boy moaned angrily.

"Houuuuw….!" The puppy howled in excitement.

"Jake what the—?!" a sharp hit on his forehead cut his words off. Finn leaned down and realized that something or someone had tossed one of his pills against his head. "Huh?"

"You were supposed to take that pill an hour ago!" an angry voice yelled from his window. "How irresponsible! If you die, all my efforts would have been in vain! You're very ungrateful, Mertens!"

Finn dropped his jaw open in surprise, his blue eyes full of wonder. Flanna Hacksworth was sitting on his window's frame with a fake look of anger on her face.

"F-Flanna… you're here…!"

"Of course I'm here, you dumb!" she smiled. "I couldn't leave without saying good-bye to…" her cheeks blushed a little. "My hero…"

Finn ran out of his bed and hugged her with all his strength, fearing to lose her again. "I thought you were gone forever!"

"Careful, Finn…! My wounds still hurt ya know?!"

Flanna struggled a little to free her body from his embrace, but she ended up returning the hug anyway. It gave her the chance to examine the gravity of his injuries better. Instinct made the girl brush the damaged skin on Finn's back with her fingertips, giving him short pricks of pleasure and comfort until she reached his missing arm. She gasped.

"Dad told me that you had lost your arm, but I didn't believe it… I'm sorry things ended up like this…" she whispered hurtfully.

"Things ended up just fine…" Finn replied, tightening his grip on her waist. "You should be sorry about leaving…"

"I am..." The girl sighed, "I just wanted to make sure that you were not going to forget about writing me a letter every week… You'll be failing to our pact if you do!"

The farm boy pushed away from her a little. "What's wrong with you? Of course I wouldn't forget about something like that…!"

"Great…!" Flanna exclaimed, pushing him away (much to his disappointment) and sprinted towards the window. "I gotta go now, if dad finds out that I'm not where I'm supposed to be, he'll ground me for a week.

"Yeah… I get it…" Finn sighed in sadness. "Good-bye, Flanna…"

"Bye Finn…" she replied in a whisper, and then jumped out of the window to climb down the oak tree.

Finn got back into his bed and covered himself with his blankets. He felt Jake snuggling on his side while he tried to fall asleep once again. He closed his eyes and sighed, not being able to believe that he was already missing that screwball girl. The boy could even swear that she hadn't left the room at all.

That is, until he felt the warm touch of a delicate hand on his cheek and a soft sensation on his lips. Finn flinched, realizing that the feeling was real. Flanna was really there, kissing his mouth as gently as she could to avoid waking him up. He sat up immediately in an attempt to catch Flanna, feeling how those lips slipped away from his, never wanting to let her go. Inevitably, the red-haired girl left his side without a word, dashing like a red blur out of his window. If only she had given him the time to return the kiss...

Finn was left alone with only one thought in his mind.

"Come back soon Flanna…"

Author's Notes:

I'd really like to thank you for all the nice comments that this fic has gotten! This chapter marks the start of the 'crown's events' but of course it won't be that rushed, Finn and Flanna (Flame Princess) still have a lot challenges waiting for them. Sadly, I won't be able to keep updating because of the holidays, but I swear that I will be back in January with the second arc of this story.

Have a merry Christmas and a Happy New Year,

-SCIK1012

Update: Grammar checked and corrected.