Sample 1: Just an normal entrance post. Speech in bold and different color.
She’s inside out
And quick to dream
With empty pockets
She barely breathe
And quick to dream
With empty pockets
She barely breathe
Click. Click. Click.
The sound of heels meeting cobbled stones, the steady pace set by a pair of feet. Their rhythm seeming to keep a beat of their own until they faltered for a moment as the owner of the feet paused. Conflicted with the sort of thought that clouded the mind, not allowing it to send the signal to the feet to keep walking.
What called her there? Why, out of all the places she had passed did her feet turn down this path? She traveled much of her life and had the habit of walking past every building that looked warm and inviting which was exactly what this building looked like from the outside. A warm glow ebbed out from it’s windows and smoke rose out from the chimney, giving it the look of an old cottage one might find tucked away in a forest. But yet she knew it was not such a place. The loud music and shouting voices shattered its’ mask of serenity. Still however, it looked inviting meaning she should simply keep walking. And yet her feet had turned down that path that led to the front door, almost as if of their own will.
She knew not why she turned down that path, but why fight against your instinct? In all of her years she had learned to trust yourself above anything else. Your gut, your head, and your heart usually led you the right way, even if each of them separately led you in different directions.
The season was autumn and the leaves of the surrounding trees were changing their colors to show it, giving them the appearance of being caught ablaze. A wonderful sight it was, especially when the setting sun struck them just the right way and made them almost seem to glow. Unfortunately that beauty meant the oncoming winter, something she was very much not looking forward to.
The winters in that area had a history of being bitter and windy, with large amounts of snow. If you were a normal person with a normal life that wouldn’t be so bad. But if you were her, one who had no home nor any place to hide away until the ice melted away into spring, you too would come to dread seeing the leaves change.
As a child she stayed in a very questionable orphanage. Where, on many occasions, the children that lived there were sold into prostitution at a very young age. She however was one of the lucky ones, or so she had been told several times. The owner had, unfortunately, taken a special interest in her and used her for his own monstrous devices. Though she hated him with a passion more intense than any sun it meant she had a way of saving up money. The man was a b*****d yes, but he did pay her.
At the age of sixteen she ran away from the orphanage and left it, the man, and all its horridness behind. With the money she had worked so hard for over the past several years she bought basic essentials. Some clothing that would actually provide warmth unlike the clothes she wore in the orphanage, a basic knife to protect herself with on the streets, and the smallest amount of food possible that she would still be able to live off.
In the beginning when she had run away her intentions were to find her real family and to demand why she had been left at that awful place when she was only three months old. Her family must have loved her at some point. After all, they had placed a silver chain within the blankets she was wrapped in when they left her on the front door of the orphanage. A sterling silver chain with a charm in the shape of a pair of wings that dangled from it. The people at the orphanage had never taken it and she wore it still today as she walked.
The moons soft light caught the charm that hung from her neck, making it shimmer with an almost unnatural glow. The glow from the moon touched her skin as well, giving it an almost death-like appearance.
Her raven black hair streaked with bits of fiery red, hung around her face in straight lines, red bangs framing her face and shadowing her emerald green eyes. The eyes that belonged to a woman in her twenties, but the eyes that looked as if they had seen much more than twenty years of horrors.
Suddenly made aware of the cool temperate outside by the goose bumps that had risen up on her arms she disrupted the rhythm of her walking as she sped her pace in hopes of getting inside soon. Walking up to the door she lifted her hands press against the dark wood it was made of and for a moment she didn’t move. It seemed as if she her courage may have been deserting her a bit as her brave face faltered, now suddenly afraid of what lie behind the door.
"Here’s to hoping." Whispered softly beneath her breath, the words carried away on the wind before any ears could hear them she pushed the door open and stepped inside, nerves on edge and muscles tense as adrenaline pumped through her blood. What called her there? Why, out of all the places she had passed did her feet turn down this path? She traveled much of her life and had the habit of walking past every building that looked warm and inviting which was exactly what this building looked like from the outside. A warm glow ebbed out from it’s windows and smoke rose out from the chimney, giving it the look of an old cottage one might find tucked away in a forest. But yet she knew it was not such a place. The loud music and shouting voices shattered its’ mask of serenity. Still however, it looked inviting meaning she should simply keep walking. And yet her feet had turned down that path that led to the front door, almost as if of their own will.
She knew not why she turned down that path, but why fight against your instinct? In all of her years she had learned to trust yourself above anything else. Your gut, your head, and your heart usually led you the right way, even if each of them separately led you in different directions.
The season was autumn and the leaves of the surrounding trees were changing their colors to show it, giving them the appearance of being caught ablaze. A wonderful sight it was, especially when the setting sun struck them just the right way and made them almost seem to glow. Unfortunately that beauty meant the oncoming winter, something she was very much not looking forward to.
The winters in that area had a history of being bitter and windy, with large amounts of snow. If you were a normal person with a normal life that wouldn’t be so bad. But if you were her, one who had no home nor any place to hide away until the ice melted away into spring, you too would come to dread seeing the leaves change.
As a child she stayed in a very questionable orphanage. Where, on many occasions, the children that lived there were sold into prostitution at a very young age. She however was one of the lucky ones, or so she had been told several times. The owner had, unfortunately, taken a special interest in her and used her for his own monstrous devices. Though she hated him with a passion more intense than any sun it meant she had a way of saving up money. The man was a b*****d yes, but he did pay her.
At the age of sixteen she ran away from the orphanage and left it, the man, and all its horridness behind. With the money she had worked so hard for over the past several years she bought basic essentials. Some clothing that would actually provide warmth unlike the clothes she wore in the orphanage, a basic knife to protect herself with on the streets, and the smallest amount of food possible that she would still be able to live off.
In the beginning when she had run away her intentions were to find her real family and to demand why she had been left at that awful place when she was only three months old. Her family must have loved her at some point. After all, they had placed a silver chain within the blankets she was wrapped in when they left her on the front door of the orphanage. A sterling silver chain with a charm in the shape of a pair of wings that dangled from it. The people at the orphanage had never taken it and she wore it still today as she walked.
The moons soft light caught the charm that hung from her neck, making it shimmer with an almost unnatural glow. The glow from the moon touched her skin as well, giving it an almost death-like appearance.
Her raven black hair streaked with bits of fiery red, hung around her face in straight lines, red bangs framing her face and shadowing her emerald green eyes. The eyes that belonged to a woman in her twenties, but the eyes that looked as if they had seen much more than twenty years of horrors.
Suddenly made aware of the cool temperate outside by the goose bumps that had risen up on her arms she disrupted the rhythm of her walking as she sped her pace in hopes of getting inside soon. Walking up to the door she lifted her hands press against the dark wood it was made of and for a moment she didn’t move. It seemed as if she her courage may have been deserting her a bit as her brave face faltered, now suddenly afraid of what lie behind the door.
Immediately, warmth and light flooded over her chilled skin and a small relieved sigh passed through her lips as her eyes beheld nothing nearly as terrifying as her mind had been conjuring just moments before as her hands had rested on the door and she fought with herself over whether or not to step through that door.
They say when one door shuts, another one opens. Throughout her life she’d had many doors slammed shut in her face, literally and figuratively. But she wasn’t aware that this door she had just walked through would perhaps be the one that had been waiting to open for her.
Sample 2: Kind of confusing to explain. Bold and blue are song lyrics. Italics are from a previous roleplay, paragraphs in violet my own pervious work, paragraphs in dark blue my partners pervious work. Normal purple font is present. I think that makes sense. Oh yea. Speech in bold. sweatdrop
I wanted you to know I love the way you laugh
I wanna hold you high and steal your pain away
I keep your photograph and I know it serves me well
I wanna hold you high and steal your pain
I wanna hold you high and steal your pain away
I keep your photograph and I know it serves me well
I wanna hold you high and steal your pain
Nearly shaking with rage Alex spun on her heel, back towards him as she stalked off. After passing through the main doors of the Haven she stepped out into what appeared to be a blizzard and there she was standing in jeans and a tank top. Much too stubborn and proud to go grab her cloak she ran from the front door as fast as she could, blood from her lip slipping down her chin and nearly freezing in the below zero temperatures of the outside. But still she cared not. Finally she reached the line of trees that marked the beginning of the forest that surrounded the Haven and she sat down, back against a tree as the tears of sadness, anger, and rage that had all been threatening to fall since she saw his face that night finally did so. Her arms wrapped around herself and she pulled her knees up, shaking so that her sobs would be silent. Still she bit down harder on her lip but did not care at all. "W-way to ******** it up Alex." Her shaking voice scolded herself as she shut her eyes and just sat there, never having felt worse in all her life.
Opening the door he stepped out into the cold, problem with cold was, even though you could not die of hypothermia being a vampire, you could still freeze your blood and do damage to the parts of your body like hands. Walking across to the snow, he crunched towards her, his anger replaced by pure worry. Reaching where she was, his first act was to wrap her in the coat he had grabbed on his way out. Kneeling down in front of her he pulled the coat around her. That out the way he looked at her more, noticing details like the tears. Smiling at her softly he leans forward, his arms wrapping around; bugger the fact if she currently did not like him. "Alex, I love you to death girl, I always have, I'm sorry for dieing on you, it was a mistake but I am back now and I want you back, I want you to forgive me." He did not want her crying; Angel had hoped she would learn one fact, that no matter she could do tell him anything and that if she was hurt, he hoped she would come to him. This not being the case apparently, he noted it away to think about at another time.
The night was cold; it was winter, what else could be expected? About an inch of snow resided on the ground, covering all green and signs of life and warmth. The lake that was a little ways off from the Haven was covered halfway with a thin sheet of ice making it quite a danger for anyone who cared for a swim or skate. The frigid winds blew across the flat land, making old dried leaves dance to its' will and making the icy flakes of snow swirl in time with the leaves. It would have been a beautiful sight to anyone viewing it from afar but that was not the case for Alex. No. Of course it wasn't.
That night under the pale glow of the half-moon she sat huddled beneath the very same tree she had run to almost a year ago. The scene was very much the same. Cold snow, pale moonlight, bleeding lip and crying eyes. The only thing missing was him. Angel.
Wrapped in a thick winter cloak and several blankets and other such things for keeping warm she had cleared away the snow from the bast of the tree and had just sat there thinking for several hours. Perhaps not the wisest idea but she was Alex, since when did she give serious thought to her actions before she acted upon them? By now her face stung with frozen tears, her bloodied lip that she had bitten clean through healed, but the blood from it froze on her skin along with the tears. Quite the sad sight she was but yet she still sat there, still and barely moving, just thinking.
It had been almost a year since she'd seen him last. A year since his warm voice had washed over her and made her smile. A whole year she'd felt so lost and alone. Sure. Technically all her ties with him had been severed. She'd been turned human again and Novu had turned around and sired her. But that didn't erase the memories or the loneliness. It couldn't fix everything. It couldn't erase the memories.
"' Cause I'm broken when I'm lonesome, and I don't feel right when you're gone away." Her voice, soft and stuttering from the cold sung out the words to their song. The one they would often go up on the Haven stage and sing together, Seph often accompanying them on guitar. That song fit her so well right now it was almost ironic. "You've gone away, you don't feel me, anymore." Her voice not louder than the whisper of the wind kept singing, or at least trying to. Words that no one would hear, so then why bother? It only hurt more. Her eyes sparkled with every word as his face flashed through her mind and a pang stabbed at her heart. She could only pretend she didn't care about him for so long. Eventually her brave face would disappear and she would be unmasked.
That night under the pale glow of the half-moon she sat huddled beneath the very same tree she had run to almost a year ago. The scene was very much the same. Cold snow, pale moonlight, bleeding lip and crying eyes. The only thing missing was him. Angel.
Wrapped in a thick winter cloak and several blankets and other such things for keeping warm she had cleared away the snow from the bast of the tree and had just sat there thinking for several hours. Perhaps not the wisest idea but she was Alex, since when did she give serious thought to her actions before she acted upon them? By now her face stung with frozen tears, her bloodied lip that she had bitten clean through healed, but the blood from it froze on her skin along with the tears. Quite the sad sight she was but yet she still sat there, still and barely moving, just thinking.
It had been almost a year since she'd seen him last. A year since his warm voice had washed over her and made her smile. A whole year she'd felt so lost and alone. Sure. Technically all her ties with him had been severed. She'd been turned human again and Novu had turned around and sired her. But that didn't erase the memories or the loneliness. It couldn't fix everything. It couldn't erase the memories.
"' Cause I'm broken when I'm lonesome, and I don't feel right when you're gone away." Her voice, soft and stuttering from the cold sung out the words to their song. The one they would often go up on the Haven stage and sing together, Seph often accompanying them on guitar. That song fit her so well right now it was almost ironic. "You've gone away, you don't feel me, anymore." Her voice not louder than the whisper of the wind kept singing, or at least trying to. Words that no one would hear, so then why bother? It only hurt more. Her eyes sparkled with every word as his face flashed through her mind and a pang stabbed at her heart. She could only pretend she didn't care about him for so long. Eventually her brave face would disappear and she would be unmasked.
The worst is over now and we can breathe again
I wanna hold you high, you steal my pain away
There's so much left to learn, and no one left to fight
I wanna hold you high and steal your pain
I wanna hold you high, you steal my pain away
There's so much left to learn, and no one left to fight
I wanna hold you high and steal your pain
He had come back once with a promise never to leave again...but he had. She should hate him with a passion for lying. For leaving her high and dry when she needed him most. She should have wanted nothing to do with him, to be planning on beating the s**t out of him if he ever came back. But no. She was doing the exact opposite. She was sitting under that tree and crying over the stupid man, again! How many tears did she waste on him? She couldn't remember. And was she plotting to hurt him when he got back? No. She was plotting to tackle his a** to the ground and hug him so tightly he would die if he weren’t a vampire. And after the hugging she'd slap him senseless for leaving her again. But she would never get that chance would she?
'Cause I'm broken when I'm open
And I don't feel like I am strong enough
'Cause I'm broken when I'm lonesome
And I don't feel right when you're gone away
And I don't feel like I am strong enough
'Cause I'm broken when I'm lonesome
And I don't feel right when you're gone away
"You promised..." Her words whispered into the night air were carried away by the wind before anyone could hear them, not that anyone would be listening to her anyway. Shifting in her position she wrapped her arms tightly around herself and continued to cry. She shouldn't be out there. It was unbelievably cold and dangerous out in the woods and currently she was unarmed and off guard. But she didn't care. She was far away from the eyes and ears of anyone who mattered so she could cry in private and still be able to put on a strong face around her friends and loved ones. If Novu saw her like this...
Well he wouldn't be too happy. He had helped her out when she was so depressed over Angel before. And for a while she got along fine with the thought of him being gone. But the more time she had alone to herself to just think, the more she found herself wanting him back. She'd always be daddy's girl, even if her daddy wanted nothing to do with her anymore. She loved Novu more than anything and was quite happy to be with him. But there was still that part of her heart that only Angel could fill and ever since he had up and left, that part was slowly beginning to hurt more and more. Who knew what her future with Novu held but if by chance they should end up married who would give her away? The only father she'd known, the only one to make her feel like she was someone special was gone without a trace.
She had tried tracking him down. Tried to pull up old contacts to see if they had any information on him. In that aspect she supposed she was following in his footsteps, tracking people down and following the clues. But he was clearly better at it than her. He had found her again but every lead she had to him ended up in a dead end, leaving her feeling more alone and hopeless than before. She hadn't mentioned to Novu she was looking for him. Most likely it would trouble him since Angel quite clearly wasn't too fond of his family ties and might try to prevent them from being together if he resurfaced. But it had been almost a year with no sign of him and no new information on where he could possibly be. So she had nearly given up all hope.
Nearly. But she was Alexxis and too stubborn to ever give up especially on someone who had never given up on her.
Well he wouldn't be too happy. He had helped her out when she was so depressed over Angel before. And for a while she got along fine with the thought of him being gone. But the more time she had alone to herself to just think, the more she found herself wanting him back. She'd always be daddy's girl, even if her daddy wanted nothing to do with her anymore. She loved Novu more than anything and was quite happy to be with him. But there was still that part of her heart that only Angel could fill and ever since he had up and left, that part was slowly beginning to hurt more and more. Who knew what her future with Novu held but if by chance they should end up married who would give her away? The only father she'd known, the only one to make her feel like she was someone special was gone without a trace.
She had tried tracking him down. Tried to pull up old contacts to see if they had any information on him. In that aspect she supposed she was following in his footsteps, tracking people down and following the clues. But he was clearly better at it than her. He had found her again but every lead she had to him ended up in a dead end, leaving her feeling more alone and hopeless than before. She hadn't mentioned to Novu she was looking for him. Most likely it would trouble him since Angel quite clearly wasn't too fond of his family ties and might try to prevent them from being together if he resurfaced. But it had been almost a year with no sign of him and no new information on where he could possibly be. So she had nearly given up all hope.
Nearly. But she was Alexxis and too stubborn to ever give up especially on someone who had never given up on her.
'Cause I'm broken when I'm lonesome
And I don't feel right when you're gone away
She had to keep trying even if she never got anywhere. She missed him more than she cared to admit to herself. For so long she'd put on the facade that she didn't care, that she even hated him for leaving her. But deep down inside she knew that she missed him more than anything and would give almost anything to have him back in her life.
"You've gone away, you don't feel me here anymore." The soft tear-choked voice sang the final words to their song, the tears falling faster now as a slide show of memories blurred past her eyelids. She really should get up and go into the Haven to warm up. She should...but yet her feet refused to move when she told them to and her mind was too busy being bombarded with memories to put forth that much of an effort. So she sat there still, her thoughts and memories silently torturing her.
If he did come back would he even want her? She wasn't his daughter by blood anymore but in spirit, in love, she was. Or at least she hoped she was. Perhaps he would be mad at her for breaking all ties with him. But then again maybe he would understand and not be upset. And things would be fine again like they were before. But then again maybe he had moved on and found himself a new daughter, a new family, and was much more happy with them. Perhaps she would just be a thorn in her side and he would only talk to her to keep her from crying.
All of the "ifs" and "maybes" swirled around in her head making her dizzy. Or was that the lack of warmth. Or maybe the lack of blood. Or perhaps all three. Or did she just list four. She was becoming delirious in her thoughts.
Beads of ice decorated her eyelashes and cheeks, making her look like some fallen goddess. But no. She was just Alex. Plain old boring and lonely Alex. Still as big of a misfit as ever, still as worthless and lost as ever. Angel had made her feel like she was actually someone, he made her feel as if she really mattered. But now that he had gone, she had begun to doubt that once more. She had Novu and if it wern't for him goodness knows what she would be doing right now. But she knew that Angel still had a large part of her with him, wherever he was doing whatever it was that was more important than being with his daughter or even picking up a phone to tell her he wasn't dead and lying somewhere in a gutter.
"You've gone away, you don't feel me here anymore." The soft tear-choked voice sang the final words to their song, the tears falling faster now as a slide show of memories blurred past her eyelids. She really should get up and go into the Haven to warm up. She should...but yet her feet refused to move when she told them to and her mind was too busy being bombarded with memories to put forth that much of an effort. So she sat there still, her thoughts and memories silently torturing her.
If he did come back would he even want her? She wasn't his daughter by blood anymore but in spirit, in love, she was. Or at least she hoped she was. Perhaps he would be mad at her for breaking all ties with him. But then again maybe he would understand and not be upset. And things would be fine again like they were before. But then again maybe he had moved on and found himself a new daughter, a new family, and was much more happy with them. Perhaps she would just be a thorn in her side and he would only talk to her to keep her from crying.
All of the "ifs" and "maybes" swirled around in her head making her dizzy. Or was that the lack of warmth. Or maybe the lack of blood. Or perhaps all three. Or did she just list four. She was becoming delirious in her thoughts.
Beads of ice decorated her eyelashes and cheeks, making her look like some fallen goddess. But no. She was just Alex. Plain old boring and lonely Alex. Still as big of a misfit as ever, still as worthless and lost as ever. Angel had made her feel like she was actually someone, he made her feel as if she really mattered. But now that he had gone, she had begun to doubt that once more. She had Novu and if it wern't for him goodness knows what she would be doing right now. But she knew that Angel still had a large part of her with him, wherever he was doing whatever it was that was more important than being with his daughter or even picking up a phone to tell her he wasn't dead and lying somewhere in a gutter.
"Remember this not a dream, you are awake and I have kissed you twice because you are my only daughter and I love you to death." Smiling he quickly hugs her again before stepping back outside, turning to look at her before the door closed. "Make sure you stay warm" With that fatherly concern he turned and trekked off into the snow in search of his bike.
That memory flashed through her mind, making her shake over the realization of how much she missed him. Try as she might to ignore it, she simply could not. She was so lost without him and he didn't even know it. Didn't even know that she was so torn up and miserable without him. Would she ever be able to tell him all these thoughts? Tell him she was sorry for everything and that she really did care about him, no matter how hard she tried to pretend that she didn't? Who knew...
He had told her to stay warm. Grand job she was doing of that now. But she was a rebel and wouldn't listen to daddy. And he damn well knew it. Sometimes they were too much alike for their own good.
"Angel..." His name fell from her lips like the last petal of a dying rose. "I miss you..."
He had told her to stay warm. Grand job she was doing of that now. But she was a rebel and wouldn't listen to daddy. And he damn well knew it. Sometimes they were too much alike for their own good.
"Angel..." His name fell from her lips like the last petal of a dying rose. "I miss you..."
H'ok so. Here is another sample and for once I actually like it! Shocker. Don't mind the pictures and whatnot, I just wanted to make it fancy.
Until you s p r e a d your wingsSilver moonlight filtered through blinds left open, the rays falling down and brushing against a pale face half-hidden beneath a pile of blankets. The light falling right on her eyes, they scrunched closed tighter to keep it from disrupting her sleep. Unfortunately, it was too little, too late, as slowly the eyelids lifted to reveal a pair of warm golden brown eyes. Well, they were usually warm, but in this instance they were dark and pissed off at the fact her sleep had been disrupted. Confused, Alex sat up in her bed to look around her room as she tried to figure out what had woken her. Eyes glancing over at the window blinds she had left open a frown tugged at the corners of her lips. The moon was full tonight, and bright yes, but surely that alone shouldn’t have woken her. With a sigh she pulled back the covers and slipped out of the warm bed and onto her feet, shivering in the cool night air. “I wonder…”
Crossing the room over to the window she peeked out over the large backyard, her eyes roaming the ground before traveling up to the full moon that hung proudly in the sky. Blood red. “How odd.” The whispered words made clouds of fog appear on the windowpane as she pressed her forehead against it for a moment before turning and looking at her digital clock. The blaring red numbers on it told her that it was much too early, or late depending how one looked at it, for her to be awake. But yet sleep seemed to be the farthest thing from her mind. In fact, she suddenly didn’t feel fatigued at all and considering the day she had had that was very odd. Lately it seemed as if her life had spun out of control with her always being too busy to just sit and relax, if only for five minutes. That day in particular had been rather busy and the moment she had gotten home from play practice she had collapsed in her bed and not moved until the moonlight had so rudely intruded the barriers of her eyelids.
She had gotten home and fallen asleep at ten o’clock and according to the digital clock that was often on the receiving end of her fist come morning time, it was only three in the morning. Only five hours of sleep and she felt as wide-awake and refreshed as if she had slept a full eight hours. Either she was going crazy, which with the level of stress she had been under the past few weeks wouldn’t be a very big surprise, or something weird was going on. She was betting on the latter of the two.
With a sigh she padded over to her light switch and flipped it on, squinting her eyes in the sudden rush of brightness. Once adjusted to the light she walked back over to her bed and sat down, looking across the room at the window and glaring hatefully at the moon. “Ya know,” She spoke out loud to no one, knowing the moon surely wouldn’t hear her complaints. “I was sleeping just fine until you came and disturbed me. A busy girl needs her sleep, not sudden cases of insomnia.” But was it really insomnia? For some reason she couldn’t help but think no. It was one of those weird sensations that made her spine shiver and her heart pound against her rib cage. Like one of those moments in horror movies that are so filled with tension you almost forget to breathe. It was one of those moments, right before the sun rises or right before a storm strikes, that is filled with so much silence and peace it is eerie.
Destiny
The word fluttered across her mind, making her eyes widen and her jaw drop slightly. It just seemed to fit with the feeling she had. Perhaps that’s what it was, destiny in the making. More importantly, her destiny. The realization of the word made her stomach drop a bit, teeth gnawing on her lower lip in confusion. With eyes cast downward, staring at her toes curling and uncurling in the fluffy fabric that was her throw rug, she sat silently contemplating. For several moments she stayed like that, until something across the room caught her eye and she was forced to lift her head. The moon again. “Damn it.” She muttered, scowling at it once more. “What the hell do you want?” She didn’t expect it to answer, and it didn’t. With a sigh she fell back onto her bed, staring up at her ceiling with a frown on her face. Three o’clock in the morning and wide-awake, not very fortunate for her. She could be ambitious and tackle her growing pile of homework assignments, or she could not. She opted for the second option as she sat back up, an idea springing into her head. With a triumphant smile she rose to her feet and disappeared into her walk-in closet for a few moments, re-emerging a short while later dressed in a long white dress instead of her comfy pajamas. Three o’clock in the morning and wide-awake, most people would have stayed inside and watched television or surfed the Internet; Alex however was not most people.
In the hallway that led to her front door she slipped her feet into a pair of flip-flops before walking out her door and into the crisp night air. For a while she just wandered around, trying to figure out why she had decided to go for a moonlit stroll, but couldn’t come up with the answer to her question. It had just felt like the right thing to do, like she was almost compelled to go outside. She didn’t fight it, why fight fate? No matter what you would always lose, or at least that was her belief. Her feet chose their own path with no guidance or consent from her mind which was too busy with its’ whirlwind of thoughts to guide them anyway. They had traveled through that neighborhood for seventeen years and because of that fact had become experts at autopilot. But it also seemed as if something else was guiding her, pulling her towards a certain location.
Destiny
Again the word fluttered through her mind, shocking her out of her thoughts like the flapping of birds’ wings right beside her ear. But when she looked up she saw nothing, just the clear night sky and that rude red moon that hung so eerily in the sky. Eyebrows furrowing in slight confusion her gaze lowered to her surroundings, smiling when she realized where her feet had taken her. Crystal Lake Park. Why it was called that nobody knew, since there wasn’t a lake around that area for miles and the biggest bodies of water were pools, puddles, and ponds. Either way, the community loved that park, there were always activities down there for the little kids and teenagers and once every spring there was a community effort to clean up the park and add on new things for everyone to enjoy. As a child she would always beg her nanny Clarisse to take her down there to play, and more often than not her big puppy eyes would win the woman over and a short while later they would be in the park playing until the sun set.
It had been months since she’d last come there, not for lack of caring but for lack of time. With being in college at the age of seventeen she was always busy, add her long nights of staying late for play practice on top of that and she was lucky if she even had time to eat or sleep. But now that she was awake, with no hopes of falling back asleep, she might as well enjoy herself at the park. Just being there made her feel like a small child again, carefree and happy as if nothing in the world could be wrong. It was a wonderful feeling as she kicked off her sandals and ran over to the swing set, the fresh grass feeling heavenly as it brushed against her feet. Hopping onto one of the swings she sat for a few moments, just smiling and looking around her, the feeling of nostalgia heavy in her heart.
The swings were always her favorite part of the park, even when she was little and didn’t know how to make the swing go without running and jumping out it. Clarisse would push her and teach her how to move her legs to make it swing and she would spend hours just swinging. In the summer when it was hot she would take breaks and go over to the little pond in the center of the park and dip her feet in the water, giggling at the fish would brush against her toes. The mere memories of it all made her cheeks red as she slowly started to move her legs back and forth, the swing moving slowly. It was after a short while, when the swing started to go higher and move faster, that she remembered why she loved the swings so much. To her it had always felt like she was flying when she was swinging, a silly thought yes, but it did. Little girls almost always play make believe, imagining they are princesses or fairies, but not Alex. When she was younger she would imagine herself as a bird that could fly in the sky and soar through the clouds, so high up her wings could brush the moon.
“Silly…” She spoke out loud to herself, laughing at how odd she had been as a child. Not that she was much more normal as a teenager. She still had her daydreams where she was a bird that could fly, but the older and more responsible she got the more her childlike dreams began to fade. Being here in this park reminded her of it all, reminding her that her childhood was full of precious memories that she never wanted to forget.
Now swinging as high at the swing set would allow she let out a loud sigh of happiness, feeling relaxed and completely at ease. A small grin toyed at the corners of her lips as she got an idea. When she was little and her nanny watched over her in the park she was never allowed to jump off the swings when they were going so high, Clarisse was always afraid she would break something since Alex did have a tendency to be a klutz. But now that she was seventeen, almost eighteen, and by herself, she could finally jump off the swings without getting yelled at. For a moment she laughed at herself for the silly ambition, but then turned her attention to jumping, now suddenly afraid of the task she was always so confident of when she was younger.
With a deep breath she counted mentally to herself. “One. Two.” Her legs kept moving as she focused her eyes on the fresh grass laid out in front of her. “Two and a half. Two and three quarters…THREE!!” Timing it just right she released her hands from the chains of the swing and let the force of her swinging carry her into the air. And for a few moments she felt like she could really fly, the sensation stole the wind from her lungs as her eyes widened in wonder. “Wow…” A breathless whispered word before her body made contact with the earth. For a few moments she stayed on her feet, running forward to catch up with the momentum but then loosing her balance she toppled over and fell into the grass, laughing and smiling like a little girl. It felt so wonderful.
For a few moments she just laid in the grass, her hands folded neatly behind her head and her eyes staring upward searching the heavens. It was so peaceful. With a sigh passing through her lips she tilted her head to the side to look out over the sea of grass that separated her from the little pond. It was that then she saw it. Laying a few yards off, right on the bank of the pond, something was shining under the gentle light of the moon. Seeing this her heart leaped, the odd sensation filtering through her body once more. From her laying position she tried to see what it was but couldn’t, so grudgingly she got to her feet and walked over to the pond. Kneeling down beside it she bent of the shining object, an expression of awe covering her face. “Wow…” Speechless she looked down at the object that had so brilliantly caught the moons light. Lying there in the grass was a silver brooch shaped like a bird, it was so beautiful she wondered why anyone would have just left it lying there, or not have noticed it was missing.
Slowly her hands reached out for it, and as they neared it it seemed to glow brighter. Hesitating for a moment she bit down on her lip before extending her hands the rest of the way and scooping the piece into her hands. The moment its cool metal surface touched her hands a sort of shock traveled through her body, that same feeling she had woken with making its’ presence known again. “Weird.” She murmured, turning the trinket over in her hands. “It’s so beautiful. I’m sure whoever lost it misses it dearly.” But in the back of her mind she knew it belonged to her now, that she was meant to find it.
Destiny
The word, for the third time that night, fluttered through her mind like a birds wings. But this time when she looked to check to see if the sound was real, she was shocked to find a snow white dove perched on one of the branches of a bush in front of her. A dove? How peculiar to see a dove out and about at the same hour she was. Surely all the animals had settled down and were sound asleep, as far as she knew doves were animals of the day, not night. But here this one sat in front of her, its’ dark eyes just staring at Alex as she cradled the brooch in her hands. The animals’ eyes unsettled her, they seemed almost too human to be in the face of a dove and yet they were. Clearing her throat she smiled at the dove, before speaking softly to it. “Hello there. Shouldn’t you be resting some place safe and warm? Not that I have any room to speak.” Glaring up at the moon she laughed before turning her eyes back to the creature. “Isn’t it lucky I found this?” Holding up the brooch for the birds’ eyes she smiled. “It’s lovely.” Humming softly she un-did the clasp in the back and pinned it to her dress. “How appropriate. I always loved birds.”
Rising to her feet she walked over to the edge of the pond, staring down at its’ moonlit surface to inspect how the brooch looked on her dress. “Perfect.” The sound of fluttering wings made her jump and turn around, the dove no longer on the bush. But then a ruffling near her cheek made her smile as her eyes went back to the glassy surface of the pond to see the dove sitting on her shoulder. “You’re friendly.” Tilting her head to the side to nuzzle the dove it suddenly jumped off her shoulder and took flight into the sky. Lifting her head to watch her, her jaw dropped in awe as a trail sparkles seemed to be left in the wake of the birds’ wings. They drifted down from the sky and fell on her skin, coating it. “What?” Her voice taking on an edge of panic she looked around her frantically, not understanding what was going on. But then a gentle voice intruded her mind, speaking words of comfort to her.
“Don’t be afraid.”
“What?” Speaking out loud her eyes darted around to find the source of the voice; surely it couldn’t have come from inside her head. That was never a good sign you know, hearing voices in your head.
Soon she was completely coated in the sparkling substance that had appeared in the wake of the doves’ flight and a tingling sensation was spreading like wildfire over her skin. Blinking in the nearly blinding light created by the sparkles, she gasped as she looked around and realized that she was hovering several feet above the ground. “What the hell is going on?!” She whispered in a panic stricken voice, eyes wide and filled with terror. Feeling her clothes suddenly disappear her cheeks burned with color as she tried to move her hands to cover herself up, but found that she couldn’t move them anymore. In fact, she found she couldn’t move at all anymore.
Her dark brown hair began to swirl around her face, as if disturbed by some wind, and began to grow at an astonishing rate. As if that weren’t a frightening enough thing, the chocolately brown color of it began to fade away until it was a bright and sunny blonde. “Blonde?” She tried to move her lips to speak, but found that even her lips no longer moved to her will. And then it was as if all of a sudden something grabbed hold of her and ripped her out of her body, throwing her a few feet in front of the swirling mass of hair and lights. Talk about an out of body experience.
She floated there, across from herself, as a pair of brilliant white wings appeared on her back. Fearing that all of the lights and commotion would attract attention of nosey neighbors she frantically glanced around to the houses that surrounded the park but found that all of the windows remained dark. “Phew.” And then the wings on the figure before her closed in around it, as if they were suffocating the person inside, who she wasn’t entirely sure was really her anymore, until they exploded into millions of tiny mirror like pieces. In their wake was definitely not her.
For a few seconds Alex started with wide eyes at the figure of the person who had just seemingly stolen her body before shaking her head furiously back and forth. “Dream! I’ve got to be dreaming…what the hell is going on?!” Shouting at the body snatcher she demanded answers.
“You’re not dreaming Alex but don’t worry.” At this Alex just rolled her eyes. What a cliché line. “It’s a lot to explain, and I’m sorry for so rudely intruding into your life but time is something we have very little of. If you’ll calm down and stop screaming at me, I’ll explain. For starters, I’m Tori the virtue of Charity and together we are going to help save the world.”
Mouth hanging open, in what she guessed to be some sort of spirit form, Alex just started at the woman in front of her as if she were nuts. But it made sense. The moonlight waking her, her feet just leading her there of their own will, and that never disappearing feeling that something big was about to happen. Too bad she hadn’t guessed anything close to this, not even in her wildest dreams.
“Alright. I’m listening.”
You will never know how f a r you can fly
