The Crow and The Raven-
Hey, Life?! Why'd You Change Your Look?!
This is my life as a tomboy, freak, and warrior. Yeah, I said it. Warrior. My name is Rebel Sapphire Blue. I hate to say this, but today is my birthday, and, unfortunately, I'm turning sixteen. If you're a dense one, it's obviously my "Sweet Sixteen". Well that's how they say it in the Human World. In addition, you really, REALLY do not want to see how my family gets when some poor soul turns sixteen. I really want to warn you in advance, but right now, there are more important things I need to tell you. Mostly because I need to tell you how this chaotic story came to be in the first place.
First of all, if you're getting a seriously bad feeling right this minute, close this book right now. But if you're just an ordinary mortal, who is somebody that does not believe in myths, fairy tales, the Boogieman, blah, blah, blah, then please continue. This whole disaster started when I was finally finishing up my "work" for MSMC. That stands for Magic School for Misplaced Children, in case you didn't know. Oh, and if you're wondering why I said "work" in a peeved tone, was because I had to do THREE WEEKS WORTH of school work for homework. Well, one tenths of it was homework, actually. Plenty of it was college applications, most of it was to renew my ID, and last(and certainly least)thing I had to do was to seal it in my Death Note Packager(Yes, it's related to the anime, no it is not based on the anime. I also had to put a drop of my blood(which hurts, mind you), and at last put it in our Lucky Cat Mailbox, and it was officially sent when it went up in blue and white flames. Aw crud, I'm getting off topic!
After I was finished with my horrifying demons called "homework", it was midnight. My birthday was over. And no, not for bad. I had to get ready for school. I took a shower(don't think twisted), whipped on my clothes, quickly packed up my things, grabbed my Vocaloid skateboard, and rushed downstairs toward the kitchen. "Ann!", I called out.
"ReRe-Chan, ya don't need to yell. I'm right here."
"Sorry. Do you have my-?"
"Lunch? Yes." She handed me my bento box.
"Thanks. Ay! Ann, do you have my-?"
"Water bottle? Here you go." She tossed my water bottle in one swift move. I give an embarrassed smile;one of the rarest things I do.
"Heh, thanks again. One more question to throw at ya. Where's-?"
"Luna? She's in the living room."
"Th-thanks."
"No problem, shortstack."
"Hey!" She smiles, gives me a small noogie between the ears, and shoos me off. Yeah, between the ears. My dog ears. Jeez, you people act like this is a bad thing.
"Luna, come 'ere girl! It's time to go!"
"Mrrp!" Luna jumps out of the living room and right into my arms.
"Good girl." I gave her a scratch behind the ears. Luna's loud purr makes my arm vibrate. purrs. "Alright, in you go." I put her in the side pocket of my satchel. I picked up my keys and open the door.
"Ann! Rin! Meo! Leila! I'm leaving!"
"NOT SO FAST, SISTER!", a squeaky voice hisses out. Make that two very squeaky voices. I only saw a flash of black, white and brown before a hand comes out to slam the door shut, and two certain, not-so-happy looking, tiny twelve year old girls stand in front of me.
"(Here we go again.)", I think guiltily.
"Rebellion! Sapphire! Blue!" Some day, when I get a good, fat, faithful chance, I'm gonna kill these girls. NObody says my full name anymore.
"What sweet, procrastinating things do you have to say have this time, Rin? Meo?", I ask sarcastically.
"You promised to to take me to YAC today!", the devil childs whine, "You promised!"
"No," I say in an surprisingly patient tone, "Ann promised to take you two, so move aside. Before I decide to frizz up your hair again."
"But-!"
"No if's, and's, or but's. I'll take you next time, okay?" By this time the girls decided to get all sulky and moody.
"Okay..." Their shoulders sagged, they half-dragged their feet to the couch, and both sat down with a plop! I smiled coldly and said harshly, "Stop. That. Right. Now."
"Yikes!" A jet of smoke was all that remained of who used to be slouching on the couch. Rin likes to call it the "Evil Look." I really don't see how it's so evil. Tch, movin' on!
I opened the door and was about to step out, when Luna all of a sudden jumped out of my satchel and ran upstairs to the attic.
"Oi, Luna! Come back! We don't have enough time to play hide-and-seek!" I ran upstairs to where Luna was, and when I saw her, her eyes went from a calm ocean blue, to a violent blood red, and on top of that, her back was arched. Luna's hairs were sticking up everywhere, and she was yowling and hissing at something by the window. When I looked to see what Luna was staring at, my heart stopped. The positively armed, and certainly very dangerous silhouette just stood there with eerie, orange eyes.
Thirty heart-stopping seconds later, the silent assassin spoke.
"Yo, Twinkle Toes. So this is where you've been hiding. Good Place, for a feisty biter like you." I couldn't move. I was paralyzed for sure but managed to say a word, no a name. It was so full of hate, rage, and despair, that Luna hissed and ran out of the room."Artemis," was that name.
Before I continue, let me tell you something about my childhood memories: They are nearly point blank. Which means, I barely have any at all. So, in the most specific terms possible, I can't remember most people OR events. But there is one person I do remember, and his name is Artemis Venus Moon. He was a person whom I thought I could trust, but I came to find out I was wrong. He'd betrayed me, and to make matters worse, he'd also broken his pact . He promised he wouldn't leave me behind no matter what. But he didn't keep that 's why I swore to hate him until I breathe my last breath. But, its not why I'm who I am now and what I am now. Who I am now is here because of what also happened that day. Okay, I'm about to scream, so let's get back to the part where I was an iceberg for three straight minutes, shall we?
"You. You're not supposed to be 're supposed to be in Asia."
"It's called an International Portal, stupid. Try it sometime. Anyways, I'll get right to the point; You and your loud-mouthed gal pals, and your pesky little rat of a cat too, have to get out of here ASAP."
I was trying to keep myself calm, but my anger issues got the better of me, and I decided to play Push-His-Or-Her-Buttons; "OR WHAT?", I ask with a cold, steely voice.
"Or...Well, let's just say you'll end up being a midnight snack." Something in me snapped(probably my thin tether of patience), and a whole wave of anger hit me. Just then, my whole body moved on it's own accord. I couldn't get it to stop. Next thing I know, everything is in a blur. One minute I'm a bug-eyed statue, the next minute, I see an eighteen-year-old boy struggling to get a five foot sword from his throat. When I actually came to my senses, I realized it was my sword against his throat. I could only say two words: "My bad."
Oh, the ironic mahogany! 'Cause I was aching to do it anyway.
Artemis stood up, dazed and shocked at the same time. The moon bathed him in light, and now I could really see what he looked like: He was armed head to toe with weapons that thousands of people in war would use, he was six feet and eleven inches, he had a "fair" figure(but still scrawny in my opinion). He was wearing what a normal teenage boy would wear; A blue and orange Summer hoodie, half-cut shorts, black "Boy Toms"(though I don't see the difference between boys' and girls' footwear), and a mysterious piece of jewelry around his neck.
His short, spiky indigo blue hair flared a brighter shade when he gave me a 'I-am-so-pissed-off-at-you-right-now-I-want-to-kill-you-ten-times-a-day-and-then-I'll-send-your-sorry-excuse-of-a-goddammit-life-to-a-watery-grave' look. I promise you, that's the scariest look you can get from a boy. It really is. Trust me on this one. I jumped to the top of a nearby desk when Artemis growled
"Why you little-" I simply shrugged and pointed my sword at him.
"Hey, I said my bad didn't I?"
"Well at least I didn't try to slit your throat ten seconds ago!"
"Yak Yak Yakety Yak...That's all I'm hearin'." He was about to say something else when I jumped down and bolted to the attic door.
"Hey!" He roared after me. I was too busy shutting and locking the door with Anti-I Seals to even spare a word. Just then I saw Ann running toward me, looking flushed. "ReRe, what's going on?"
"That's what I wanna know, Anna." I tried to steady my breathing when a scream erupted from upstairs, accompanied with the crashing of windows.
"What in the name of-?"
"MOM! MOMMA!" I ran as fast as I could to my daughter's room. The door wouldn't budge. "Leila?" I screamed, while banging the door. "Leila?"
"Yuki! ANNA! SOMETHING'S WRONG WITH LEILA AND MEO!" My blood ran cold as ice when I heard Rin was screaming and crying through the door, "YUKI!" A loud, blood curdling scream was all I heard before something rammed into me and everything went black. I thought I heard something else, but I really don't know, and I honestly don't really want to.
Headaches and Heartaches: Who Knew They Were Real...?
All I heard was ringing. Every attempt to open my eyes repeatedly came to me seeing only white. My body was cold and numb...I felt weak. I couldn't say anything at all; every time my stuffed tongue stumped my words. What time was it? Where am I? Am I dead? These were all the questions I wanted to ask, but I couldn't ask them. Suddenly, I felt a warm hand against my cheek. Then I heard a faraway voice calling my name. "Rei. Wake up. Rei, please. I need you here. Just open your eyes so I know you're not dead." Little did I realize that voice was a lot closer than I thought.
"Bluu I will strip you naked if you don't get up, like, right now."
"Son of a-!" I used that rush of adrenaline to punch the anonymous pervert in the face. My eyes were wide open, but my vision got a little blurry. All I could see was a big mass come toward me. Dammit. Get it together, you stupid eyeballs! Too late. the mass had me pinned to the ground in a matter of seconds. "Goddammit!"
"Bluu, calm down!" My body went lax. It was him...So that meant it wasn't a dream...The screams. The explosions. It all happened. Something tried to kill me. Tried to kill us all. I went out like a light. What happened afterwards? Where was everyone? All I saw was Ann's face in terror and- "BLUU!" Zap. Back to the present I went. My whole body felt clammy. I was cold all over, and I was shivering. My breaths were short and ragged. What just happened? "Bluu, look at me. Please." My fearful eyes looked straight into a pair of calm, but concerned eyes of mellow orange. My voice came out raspy and broken. "What in the name of dear Hell happened?" Artemis just smiled and let me go.
"What?"
"Look around." I frowned and did what he'd told me. I think I was gonna puke. The living room was totaled, scars of ash licked the room. The furniture all broken down, everything was ruined. And did I mention the entire roof was gone? I guess not? Everything was quiet. Way too quiet. Rin. Meo. Ann. Leila. Luna. "No." I ran up the chippy steps that used to be our grand staircase. The hallway was decimated too. I looked in all the rooms, nothing. No sign of anyone. The doors were incinerated into piles of wood chips. I went inside me and Leila's room. Claw marks sliced through our bed. The smell of gasoline filled the room. All the pictures that Leila had created for me were all ruined, burned into nothing but ashes.
"No. No. No." I moaned over and over again. Whoever did this was going to pay. Severely, no doubt. Artemis stood behind me.
"We gotta get going."
"To where? An Institution for The Goddammit and Absolutely Insane?" He only chuckled at that, but the gesture wasn't exactly filled with humor. I looked at him, his eyes were rimmed with hatred and something else I couldn't quite interpret.
"What? Did I finally strike a nerve, Trey?" I ask with a pissed smirk.
"No...it doesn't have anything to do with you, Cheshire." I think a vein popped out of my head when he called me that. I really, really hate being called "Cheshire." It pisses me the hell off. Back then I used to be called "The Cheshire Queen," just because I could smile ear to ear. I'm dead serious; I can and could do that. But I stopped when I got older for reasons I won't tell.
"I'm not Cheshire anymore...ok?'' His intense gaze softened, like he just read my mind. I looked down at the glass sprinkled floor, and lifted my head to where our proud chandelier used to be. It was so beautiful; with all the colors we can imagine, and all the ones we cannot. I favored the sunset red crystals, with its wonderful contrast and unique shape. It made me feel special, or even better about myself. It matched how I felt, no matter what. It still does, even though now it's all torn to pieces. It was broken apart and can never be put back together: Just like me.
I Didn't Know Adrenaline Had Assorted Color Filters!
Tears were streaming down my face. I couldn't stop, and I didn't want to either. I was shaking badly. I started to pound my bare fists into the ground. I couldn't stop. The pain was only a tad of what I've really been feeling. The rage, the sadness, the newfound loneliness, everything. Blood ran down my knuckles. I still didn't care. I screamed so loud, all the birds flew away. My eyes only saw a filter of blue and purple, mixing together into red. "Chesh! Stop it!" The shout was only a distant whisper. Who was that? No, anger was better than worry.
I was all of a sudden in the street. A lady shrieks at me and throws a rock. I'm in an alley. I turn to see the police shooting at me. I feel nothing at all. I'm on top of a building. I was running, running still. I didn't break a sweat. I still didn't know what was going on. I really didn't care. I wasn't even breaking a sweat. This was too easy.
I'm in the sky, falling. I can only see blurs now. Someone grabs me. I use my claws claws to scratch him. His grip was harder than iron. Rage was wavering and mixing into fear. Who was this bozo? I was really scared now. I told him to stop and he grabs my arms and holds me straight. His eyes were beautiful. They were an organic orange. Like his...like his...Artemis. Artemis!
I was tired. Too tired. I couldn't move. My eyes were back to normal. My breath is slow, but shaky. It comes out in mist. I slump in the iron grip, unable to support myself any longer. tears wouldn't come out now. I was glad and angry for that. I leaned against Artemis. I was muttering my apology over and over. He only looked at me until I felt a white hot flash of pain up my spine. "Kid," he'd said, "You gave me one Hell of a ride." Everything was fading and I saw one more thing before I passed out: The moon turning into the Cheshire Cat looking down at me; smiling from ear to ear.
PLEASE Tell Me This Was Only A Dream? Please?!
Ringing again. That was all I heard. But I also heard a murmur. A lot of them, to be exact. They mixed around, slowly eating away at my thoughts. I wanted to scream, but it felt as if someone glued my mouth shut. My body was pure mush. Heck, my eyes weren't even open yet! I took a few deep breathes and went with the flow.
"She can't handle it!"
"We've gotta do it man! Whether you like it or not!" What the-? Who the heck was that?! I moved my shoulders a bit and forced myself up. My eyes opened to the force of it. I saw only white, then my surroundings came into focus. I was in a room full of velvet, teal, and maroon. It was framed like a mansion, but was about as big as a house. I was on a love seat(which was rather weird), and saw three things: Artemis and an older boy, a table full of remedies, and a metal bracelet on my hand I don't recall EVER wearing.
"Hey chumps. Ya miss me?" I asked in a pissed tone.
"Not that much, really. I miss the silence though," Artemis replied in a smug voice. I scowled and looked over at Mr. Anonymous. He had purple eyes, with dark green hair. His canines were huge, and his tattoos matched the image pretty well. He wasn't too bulky, and had a caramel tone. He looked about his twenties. Yowza! He then spoke, "Yo Arty, tell your girl to stop scoping me. Or else I'll have to punish her." His accent was fluent Brooklyn. But his tone wasn't.
I glared at him. "What was that, Scaly-Tone? He only smirked. I didn't see what was so funny...I didn't even know this guys name and he-Wait. I looked down at my outfit. Let me rephrase that: I didn't have one. I was only in my undergarments. I yelped and ducked behind the couch. I pointed an accusing finger at Artemis. "You lech," I nearly shouted, "where are my clothes?!" His smirk disappeared and he said deadpanned, "I had to discard them. They were covered in your blood, ashes, and specks of cement all over it."
Cement? I don't recall anything about having cement on my clothes. In fact I never had a speck on me. I was about to tell him this, but he shook his head. "Ah-ah!" He interrupted. "Your face says it all. So shut up and listen; when we were at the site a few days ago...you had this big tantrum. No, wait, lemme rephrase that. You were in an all out rampage. Your eyes went kaleidoscopic, and you were all over the place the next thing I knew! You were almost too fast and slippery to catch. Almost. I didn't know what to do. So when you finally stopped running, I jabbed you with a paralysis needle. You went out faster than a light."
I could only listen in silence and confusion. I didn't remember any of this...and yet I only remember a sliver...