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another story of mine. i hope this isn't too hard to follow along with. it basically goes as with the POVs of a girl and a guy. they alternate and are somewhat repetitive. it's kind of confusing to read, but i'm sure u'll get the hang of it. enjoy.
Fire and Ice
My name is Talin. I’m seventeen, and I’m one of a kind. Some would say I’m strange. I have no friends, my parents hate me, and the only one that ever loved me was my brother, but he died when I was young. No one really talks to me, but when an occasional person comes by and talks to me, it’s usually an insult.
Today started out normally. I wore my baggy jeans, a black and red T-shirt, and my arms were decorated with wristbands and bangles. I let my long, black hair loose on my face. I left my home without a word to anyone and quickly walked to school that was a few blocks away.
Today was the first day of school. It was the typical first day. Kids were trying to get to their friends, find their classes, just the normal stuff. I had no friends, so I quickly walked past all the teens that were crowded around the entrance to the school. I had an assigned locker, and I supposedly had a locker mate as well. I found the locker and my locker mate standing in front of the locker. It was a guy. Light-skinned, dark black hair with fiery red streaks. His bangs draped over his eyes as if he were trying to hide. He wore jeans and a short-sleeved T-shirt with a silver dragon snaking around his torso. I walked up to him, unsure of what to say. I mumbled a simple “hello” and started putting books into the already open locker. A sideward glance showed he was staring at me right before he turned and headed to class.
Today was normal. Jeans and a black shirt with a silver dragon snaking around my middle. I left the house quickly and quietly. My brother, Drei, was lying passed out in the way of the front door, so I took the back way. He was obviously stoned and I didn’t want to mess with him.
First day of school. How I loathe this day. I ignored everyone that tried to be my friend, knowing that they would eventually get freaked out and run. I walked to my assigned locker and emptied my bag of all books except first and second period’s books. I knew I had a locker mate and I was curious to know who it was. I glanced toward the side, and I saw this girl. She was walking toward me. Is this her? I thought to myself. I looked at her for a while as she said “hello” and began emptying her bag into the locker. Her clothes looked normal. At least to me anyway, considering I wore things similar. Her hair was plain, but what awed me was how deep a black it was. It was like a night sky omitted of all the stars and the moon. It hung low into her face which was void of any emotions. Her eyes were a fiery red. She caught my staring and I immediately turned around and walked to my first class.
I sat in the back corner of the science class. Everyone avoided me as if I was the plague and there was an empty seat next to mine. That girl from before came in, and seeing there were no more seats left, she took the seat beside me. The teacher came in and talked on and on about the class and the rest of the year. I ignored it and looked out of the window. Curiosity got the better of me, and I stole a quick glance toward the girl next to me. She was ignoring the teacher as well. I glanced at one of her closed books and saw her name. Talin. I rolled the name over and over in my head. It was a strange name and very uncommon. I looked at the book she was currently working in and was briefly surprised. She was drawing me. I looked at it closely and noticed that she was incredible. It looked exactly like me. I didn’t want to ruin her drawing, so I continued staring outside the window yet again. I wanted to talk to her when class was over, but when the bell rang, she had left without a word.
“S-s-sorry,” I stuttered. “Reflex.”
“It’s okay. I just wanted to ask you something,” he replied.
“Before you do, tell me your name.”
“Riven,” he said coolly.
“How do you know mine?”
“I saw it on your notebook in science,” he said. “Can I ask my question now?”
“Yeah. Shoot,” I replied.
“You were drawing in class. I thought you were good by the way. I just wondered if you were in art class.”
Inwardly I was happy that someone was actually talking to me and asking which classes I had, but on the outside, I remained emotionless while replying, “Yeah. That’s my next class. I was heading to it just before you stopped me. If you have that class now, you can walk with me.”
His onyx eyes brightened up as he said, “Sure.”
We walked to art class and sat next to each other.
Art was basically the only class where I listened. The art teacher gave us a class assignment for the next hour. We had to draw what our childhood memories mostly composed of.
I instantly had flash back of my brother. He was seven years older than me. I remembered that whenever our parents fought, which happened a lot when I was little, he would take me out of the house and play with me at the park which was just down the street. My memories then flashed forward to when I was ten and he was seventeen, and when he was killed. He was hit by a car, which afterwards drove off. The impact broke most of his ribs which pierced his heart and lungs. His last words to me were, “Be a good girl, okay?”
“You okay?” I heard Riven say, breaking my train of thought.
“Uh, yeah. Just spaced out for a bit,” I said.
I saw him glance toward the sheet of paper in front of me. I looked at the paper and was surprised. Subconsciously, I drew my brother. It was a collage of different things. I drew a picture of him holding me after my mother yelled at me. One was of him playing with me at the park. The next was of the last moment I shared with him. He was lying on the ground smiling at me, blood seeping out of the corners of his mouth. The last picture showed a coffin being lowered into the ground. At the top of the paper were big bold letters that spelled out “Vincent,” my brother’s name.
Riven looked at me questioningly. “My brother,” I explained. My voice lowered, “He died seven years ago.”
“I’m sorry for bringing it up,” Riven said.
I sighed, “It’s not your fault fate hates me. So don’t be sorry.”
“Talin!” I called.
She didn’t look back. I grabbed her shoulder, but almost instantly she slapped it away.
“S-s-sorry,” she stuttered. “Reflex.”
“It’s okay. I just wanted to ask you something,” I said.
Those fiery red eyes looked up at my onyx eyes, “Before you do, tell me your name.”
“Riven.”
“How do you know mine?” Her eyebrow rose in question. That was the most expression I saw on her face so far.
“I saw it on your notebook in science. Can I ask my question now?”
“Yeah. Shoot.”
“You were drawing in class. I thought you were good by the way. I just wondered if you were in art class.”
Emotionless yet again, she replied, “Yeah, that’s my next class. I was heading to it just before you stopped me. If you have that class now, you can walk with me.”
I brightened up at this, “Sure.”
I walked with her to art class, and we sat next to each other.
Art class began shortly and the teacher was already giving us instructions to a class assignment. We were all supposed to draw a picture of what our childhood memories were composed of. I immediately pictured my brother sprawled out on the floor drunk. I also remembered my parents dying in a car crash when I was five. I looked around and saw other people drawing happier things like birthdays, vacations, and holidays. I looked at what Talin was drawing. Her eyed were in a daze, but her hand was swiftly moving across the page as if she were copying down her thoughts.
I became concerned as I saw the images she drew, “You okay?” I spoke.
Her eyes went back to normal. “Uh . . . yeah. Just spaced out a bit.”
She saw me glance at her paper. The first two images were of a small child and a young teen together. The last two showed the teen dying and then inside a coffin. In big bold letters at the top spelled out “Vincent.”
“My brother,” she said quietly. “He died seven years ago.”
I felt guilty when I heard that, “I’m sorry for bringing it up.”
Her fiery eyes began to dull as she spoke, “It’s not your fault fate hates me. So don’t be sorry.”
I felt like saying something comforting to make her feel better, but I didn’t know what. I turned back to my paper and began drawing. I decided on what to draw and took to imaging it out on the paper. It was of my brother. Talin glanced over to my paper. She raised an eyebrow in question when she saw the man in my drawing.
“This is my brother. His name’s Drei. Hobbies are drinking, getting stoned, and passing out on the floor,” I told her.
“I can tell,” she said, a faint smile on her lips.
“Wow. That’s the first smile I’ve seen all day.”
“I guess it is,” she said, her smile vanishing.
Class ended and I walked back to my locker. Talin walked with me saying she forgot a book in it.
We parted ways as we went to our own classes, mine being history and hers math. It made me a little sad to see her go. She was an interesting girl. Her fire red eyes made chills run up and down my spine when I look in them. Her jet black hair made them seem brighter. Her eyes were like a candle’s flame trapped inside thick layers of ice. It worried me when the fire in her eyes dulled. Like no one else, she made me feel different. I wanted to make that fire burn brighter and melt the ice that surrounds her.
“This is my brother,” he said, “His name’s Drei. His hobbies are drinking, getting stoned, and passing out on the floor.”
“I can tell.”
“Wow. That’s the first smile I’ve seen today,” he said.
I was shocked. I didn’t even notice myself smiling.
“I guess it is,” I said, returning my face to its emotionless state.
Class ended shortly after and we both headed to our locker. My next class was math and I had forgotten my notebook in the locker.
We parted ways as I went to math class and he went to history class. I felt sad. He was the first person to talk to me like a human being. He looked concerned every time I masked my emotions. It felt strange that he cared enough to even worry.
My next few classes went slowly. Finally it was sixth period, the last hour of the day. I reached the classroom and saw Riven sitting in the back. I took the seat beside him.
“Long time no see, Talin,” he said.
“Hey. Guess we have three classes together.”
“Hey! Freak Girl is back this year,” taunted a girl.
“Hello to you, too, Loraine,” I said monotonously.
The girl glanced over to Riven and smirked, “I guess Freak Girl found a mate. Freak Boy!”
I sighed, “What the hell do you want?”
Loraine leaned in closer. She was a few inches from my face. I could feel her breath as she spoke in a whisper, “Just to wish you good luck for this year. I look forward to humiliating you again, your friend as well.” She backed away and returned to her friends.
I clenched my fist in anger. A pain shot through my hand as I realized I held a pencil in my hand. Clenching my fist caused the pencil to break, sending splinters in my hand.
“You okay?” I heard Riven say.
I stayed silent, grimacing at my hand.
He reached over and grabbed my hand.
“Let me see it,” he said softly. He looked at my hand. The splintered wood of the pencil scraped part of my hand and it was beginning to bleed. He reached into his bag and pulled out a roll of bandages. He gently pulled out all of the splinters and wrapped the bandage around my hand. When he finished, he looked up at me. I wore a confused look.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
“Nothing. It just surprised me.”
“Really?” he looked shocked. “Why?”
“No one’s ever done that before.”
“Couldn’t imagine why,” he smiled.
I looked down, “People are afraid of me. They think I’m strange and too different. What you just did just shocked me a bit.”
“I can’t imagine why they would think that. You’re cool.”
Class ended, and school was over for the day. We walked to our locker and packed the books in our bags. We exited the building.
“Hey. Riven, you busy tonight?”
“No why?”
“I just wanted to ask if you wanted to hang out.”
“Sure. What do you want to do?”
I smiled slightly, “I want to show you something.” I grabbed his arm and quickly walked down the street.
We arrived in front of my house.
“Wait here. I need to get something,” I told him.
He waited outside while I entered my home. I quickly made my way to my room and laid my bag on my bed. I emptied the books out of the bag. I grabbed a small wooden box. I placed it into my bag and returned to Riven.
“Long time no see, Talin,” I said.
“Hey. Guess we have three classes together.”
Soon enough, we were interrupted by some snobby girl who obviously knew Talin. “Hey! Freak Girl’s back this year,” she taunted. I heard Talin’s monotonous voice speak next, “Hello to you, too, Loraine.”
The girl glanced over to me, “I guess Freak Girl found a mate. Freak Boy!”
“What the hell do you want,” Talin spoke up.
Loraine leaned in closer to Talin, mere inches from her face. I couldn’t hear what she said, but the angry expression on Talin’s normally emotionless face told me that she hated Loraine and what she was saying. The girl left soon after and returned to her friends.
I stared after that girl until I heard a faint grunt from Talin. I glanced over to her and saw her hand. She had broken her pencil and splinters had lodged themselves in her skin. Part of the pencil scraped her hand.
“You okay?” I asked.
She stayed quiet as she stared at the blood seeping out of her hand.
“Let me see it,” I said as I gently grabbed her hand. I carefully pulled out all of the splinters and took a roll of bandages out of my bag. I gently wrapped it around her hand. I looked up at her when I finished. She looked confused.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
“Nothing. It just surprised me.”
“Really? Why?”
“No one’s ever done that before.”
“Couldn’t imagine why,” I truthfully said.
She looked down as she quietly spoke, “People are afraid of me. They think I’m strange and too different. What you just did just shocked me a bit.”
“I can’t imagine why they would think that. You’re cool,” I said with a smile.
Class ended, and we both walked to our locker. After grabbing our books, we exited the school.
“Hey, Riven, you busy tonight?” she asked me.
“No. Why?”
“I just wanted to ask you if you wanted to hang out.”
“Sure. What do you want to do?”
A faint smile appeared on her lips, “I want to show you something.”
She grabbed my arm and began leading me down the street. We stopped in front of a house.
“Wait here. I need to get something,” she said, while disappearing into the building. I leaned against the side of the house and waited for her to come back.
A few moments later, she reappeared.
“Okay. Let’s go,” she said almost happily.
“Okay,” I pushed myself off the side of the house and followed her further down the street.
I looked at her eyes and the fire I saw behind them looked happy. I felt glad she was. For some reason, I felt something coming from her. Like a child calling out. I wanted to make her happy, and to make that fire shine brighter.
“Almost there,” I reassured him. He seemed to relax a little when I said that.
We came upon a clearing in the midst of a forest made up of many evergreen trees. It was a small clearing that harbored a small area of lilies. I looked at Riven and began laughing at his awed expression.
“What’s so funny?” he asked.
“I never saw anyone with such a cute expression like that.”
“Cute?” he smirked a little.
I nodded. “You looked cute when you saw this place.”
He moved closer to me and smiled, “Thank you. Now I’ll return the compliment and say that you looked cute when you laughed.”
I blushed at this.
“Me? You’re lying,” I frowned.
“You are.”
I looked away and toward the flowers. I walked forwards and kneeled down in front of the flower patch.
“Do you want to know why I brought you here?” I asked.
“Why did you?”
“You were the first person to ask about my brother. This place is mine and his. He told me never to tell anyone about this place except for the one person that cares about me. I never had a friend before, and I always wanted to bring someone here after Vincent died.”
He knelt next to me, “Thanks for bringing me here, Talin. And thanks for considering me as a friend.”
I looked at him. He reminded me so much of Vincent. It hurt to think about that. Before I knew it, my face felt wet. Tears had fallen. Riven looked at me sympathetically as he brought his hand up to my face and wiped the tears away.
Shakily, I spoke, “You remind me of him.”
He smiled at me again. I don’t know why but the next thing I knew, I lunged toward him, wrapping my arms around his waist and burying my face in his shirt. We both fell over, me lying on top of him. I started to cry. I felt his hand on my head and his arm around my waist. It felt strange to be in that position. I only knew Riven for a day, but I already felt so close to him. My crying eventually turned into soft sobs which became silent as I fell into the darkness of sleep. I don’t know why I did, but all I know is that I felt so comfortable in his arms.
“Almost there,” I heard her say.
We passed through the thicket of trees and emerged into the clearing. The first thing that I saw and what completely awed me was a patch of beautiful flowers. They weren’t wild I would tell. Someone must have come here frequently to tend to them.
All of a sudden, I heard laughter. I looked at Talin quizzically. “What’s so funny?”
“I never saw anyone with such a cute expression like that.”
“Cute?” I asked, feeling a slight blush creep onto my cheeks.
She nodded. “You looked so cute when you saw this place.”
I inched closer to her and said, “Thank you. Now I’ll return the compliment and say that you looked cute when you laughed.”
She blushed, “Me? You’re lying.” She frowned.
“You are.”
She looked away and walked toward the flowers. She kneeled down in front of the patch.
“Do you want to know why I brought you here?” she asked.
“Why did you?”
“You were the first person to ask about my brother. This place is mine and his. He told me never to tell anyone about this place except for the one person that cares about me. I never had a friend before, and I always wanted to bring someone here after Vincent died.”
Without thinking, I knelt beside her and said, “Thanks for bringing me here, Talin. And thanks for considering me as a friend.”
She looked at me, seemingly deep in thought. Her fiery eyes welled up with tears and spilled onto her face. I looked at her sympathetically as I wiped the tears from her face.
“You remind me of him,” She said shakily.
I smiled at her. The next thing I knew, Talin had thrown herself toward me and wrapped her arms around my torso. She buried her face into my shirt and I felt the wetness of her tears being soaked into my shirt. I fell backwards onto the ground, lying on my back while she was lying on top of me. She started to cry harder, and by instinct I wrapped an arm around her waist and placed another hand behind her head. Her crying eventually turned into sobs, and soon the sobs ceased, replaced by her soft breathing. Her breathing told me she was asleep.
I looked at her. I smiled, seeing her curled up, resting her head on my chest. I didn’t want to wake her, so I stayed that way for a long time. This position was uncomfortable. Actually, I felt really relaxed. Talin shifted herself so she was on one side of me and snuggled herself between one of my arms and my waist. I still kept my arm around her waist and my hand behind her head. I looked up at the sky and watched the clouds pass by. Soon, I was beginning to doze off. I closed my eyes for only a moment, but they never reopened as I fell asleep.
In my dream, Riven was there, but his normal face, filled with happiness, instead mirrored pain. His face showed disgust and horror as he looked at me. All of a sudden, blood began to seep out of his mouth, scars and bruises began to decorate his arms and face, and his clothes became drenched with blood.
“Why did you do this to me?” his voice came out scratchy and hoarse.
I could feel tears fall from my eyes and I forced my voice around the lump growing in my throat, “I didn’t want this to happen. I’m sorry. I never wanted to hurt you.”
“Sorry doesn’t cut it. You killed me, and now I can no longer feel. I can no longer smile, nor laugh, nor cry, nor love. I am just like him. You killed us both.”
I felt the blood in me freeze. I stared at him in shock. I never wanted him to die. I couldn’t take it anymore. I fell on my knees and cried into my palms. My body began to shake. I let my arms drop but wish I hadn’t when I saw him. Riven was in the exact position Vincent was in when he died. I looked into his eyes only to be met by dull, lifeless onyx eyes. I let out a scream in agony. The agony of seeing him there was pure blinding pain. I wanted to end it there. I wanted to kill myself right there on the spot. I looked at Riven once again. I saw his now blue lips move.
“Talin,” he said. “Talin.”
“No.”
“Talin”
“No.”
“Talin!”
“No!” I screamed as my eyes jerked open.
I looked up at the face with concern written all over it. Riven’s hands gripped my shoulders tightly as he looked at me.
“Are you all right?” he asked. I was speechless to this. I didn’t know what to say. He sensed this and went on. “You were sleeping and I fell asleep, too. I woke up when I felt your hand grip my shirt tightly. I was worried. I was trying to wake you up.”
“I-I-I,” I stuttered. I felt my eyes begin to well up with tears. Visions flashed before my eyes of the dream I had just seen.
I felt strong arms wrap around my waist. Riven held me tight.
“What are you doing?” I asked.
“You’re crying, and you’re shaking. I just want to make sure you’re all right,” he whispered into my ear.
“I’m fine. I really am,” I reassured him.
“Then why is my shirt still wet from you crying?” he asked.
“It was just a dream.”
“Then why are you crying?”
“I-I had a nightmare.”
“What about?” he loosened his grip so he could look me in the face.
“It was about . . . ”
“About?”
My voice lowered, almost inaudible, “You.”
“What about me?”
I could feel more tears fall down my face as I spoke, “You died.”
His face paled. His eyes widened. His mouth opened slightly as he spoke, “You cry because of that?”
I nodded weakly.
He grabbed me again. He tightly hugged me. I rested my head on his chest, my hands on either side of my head. I could hear his heart beat, and I felt his warmth through his shirt. I was confused on why he was acting this way, but I didn’t care. Of course it felt strange, considering I had never been treated kindly, but I liked the feeling anyway. I felt one arm leave my waist and felt his hand come up under my chin. He tilted my head back so I could look at him. His eyes looked sad as he looked down at me.
“I’m sorry. I have to go now,” he said softly.
I nodded, still unable to speak.
“I’ll come back here again tomorrow if you like,” he gave a small smile.
I also felt a smile tug on my lips.
“Okay then. See you tomorrow.”
He stood up, extending a hand to help me up as well. He turned around and walked away, disappearing behind the trees, but not before he turned back to wave and smile. I did the same back. I waited a few moments before heading home.
My house was dark when I opened the front door. It wasn’t unusual to me. My parents rarely came home, and when they did I usually wasn’t there.
I walked into the living room, surprised to actually see my parents sitting on the couch. My father heard me come in and stood up. I felt a rush of fear go through my body. His eyes gave off an angry aura that I knew all to well. My mother stood up as well, her eyes giving off the same aura. I could feel their hating eyes stare at me.
“You’re late,” my father stated in his gruff tone.
“I was with a friend,” I responded, giving myself a point for sounding calm when I felt like I was about to die.
They both gave off a laugh. My father spoke again, “What friend? Since when did you have a friend?”
My mother walked up to me and raised her hand. She backhanded my face, making a sick sound that echoed throughout the room. I didn’t bother moving my face to look at her again. It would only make her do it again.
“Why should anyone even care about you?” she screamed. “You’re a murderer! You killed Vincent and you should suffer! You took my baby away and I’ll never get him back!”
This infuriated me. I turned to face her once more. “And what do I look like? Am I not your child as well?” I yelled at her.
The next thing I knew, a hard fist slammed into my cheek. I fell onto the floor with a loud thud.
“Shut up!” my father yelled.
He kicked me in the stomach over and over. He grabbed my hair and pulled me up halfway. I tried to shield my face with my hands, but it was futile. He punched my face, busting my lip and giving me a black eye. Tears began to sting my eyes as he dropped me on the floor. I heard their footsteps walk away. I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding. I thought I was safe. At least up until I heard a pair of footsteps come back. I tensed up, curling in a ball and covering my head with my hands and arms. Again, it was futile to try to protect myself. I felt cold steel embed itself in my side. I screamed in pain. It was wrenched out as it was dragged across my back, decorating it in cuts and blood. It left marks on my arms and legs as well. Soon enough, it stopped. They left me there. I was too weak to move, so I curled into a ball and laid there. I could feel blood begin to pour out of the cuts I had received. I knew that if I didn’t get up now and bandage these wounds, I would eventually pass out and die of blood loss. I slowly crawled to the stairs and dragged my body up the stairs. I looked back once and saw that I was leaving a trail of blood. I gagged at the site. I opened my bedroom door and dragged my body inside. I closed the door and laid myself on the floor to rest for a while. Regaining some strength, I opened a drawer and pulled out a first aid kit. I opened it, pulling out a roll of bandages and a box of band-Aids, and began bandaging up all the wounds, mainly the stab wound I received in my side. I tried my best with bandaging up my back and made sure to take care of the cuts on my arms and legs. I put band-Aids on the cuts I had on my face and neck, and did my best with the black eye.
“Why does this always happen to me?” I asked no one in particular.
I still felt weak and in pain, so I slowly pulled myself onto my bed. I laid my head on my pillow, and a few moments later, I fell into a dreamless sleep.
“Talin,” I called. “Talin.”
“No,” I heard her mumble.
“Talin!”
“No!” she screamed as she jerked her eyes open.
“Are you all right?” I asked. She was speechless. So I went on, “You were sleeping and I fell asleep, too. I woke up when I felt your hand grip my shirt tightly. I was worried. I was trying to wake you up.”
“I-I-I,” she stuttered. I saw tears beginning to form in her eyes
I immediately grabbed her into a strong embrace.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
“You’re crying, and you’re shaking. I just want to make sure you’re all right,” I whispered.
“I’m fine. I really am,” she said.
“Then why is my shirt still wet from you crying?”
“It was just a dream.”
“Then why are you crying?”
“I-I had a nightmare.”
“What about?” I loosened the embrace so I could look at her face.
“It was about . . . ”
“About?”
Her voice came softly, almost unhearable, “You.”
“What about me?”
“You died,” she said as more tears spilled onto her face.
I felt shocked. No one has ever cried because I died in their dreams. Usually it was the opposite of that. “You cry because of that?”
She nodded weakly.
I grabbed her again, hugging her close to me. Her head was resting on my chest while her hands were on either side. I rested my own head on hers. My hands were behind her on her back, holding her firmly.
I looked up to see the sun begin to set. I knew that I would have to go home. My brother would possibly be home soon, and I didn’t want him to destroy the very few things they still had in the house when he was drunk and possibly stoned.
As much as it pained me, I spoke, “I’m sorry. I have to go now.”
She nodded, still unable to speak.
“I’ll come back here again tomorrow if you like,” I smiled at her.
I saw her fiery eyes light up as a smile formed on her lips.
“Okay then. See you tomorrow.”
I stood up and extended a hand to help her up. I turned away and began walking towards the trees we walked past to get here. I turned back briefly to wave and smile back at her and disappeared behind the trees. I quickly walked home.
I opened the door to find my brother passed out in the middle of the living room. I quietly checked to see if he was alive. Seeing that he was still alive, I went to my room and went to bed. I wasn’t too sleepy so I ended up staring at the ceiling for a long time. I kept thinking about Talin.
“Why would she cry? If I died, no one would care. Why does this girl seem to care?”
That was my last thought as I drifted off to sleep.
I awoke the next morning. Visions of the dream I had last night flashed before my eyes. It was the first dream I had since I was a toddler. I dreamed of Talin. She was scared and was hugging her legs to her chest as she cried. Her hair was in her face, hiding her eyes from view. I walked up to her and brushed the hair from her face. She remained unfazed by my action and continued to cry. I looked into her eyes and saw the fire in her eyes dull. Her eyes then widened as she bit her lip, obviously suppressing a cry of pain. I saw one of her hands move to clench her side. To my horror, I saw blood seep out between her fingers. Various cuts began to appear all over her body. She was moving her head upwards to look at me when my alarm woke me up.
I sighed. “At least it was only a dream.”
I got up out of bed and put on some jeans and a black t-shirt that had flames decorating the edge of the shirt. I ran my hand through my hair as I made my way to the front door. I usually skipped breakfast so I could get in some extra sleep. A few minutes later I was at school and getting books for my first three classes and quickly stuffing them into my backpack. I had at least ten minutes before I was late, so I decided to wait around for Talin. We did have the same class first period. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Talin walking towards me. She was wearing dark jeans and a black t-shirt. I couldn’t see if there was a design on the shirt because she wore a halfway zipped up black jacket over it. Her hair was once again obscuring her face, her eyes and most of her face unseeable.
“Hey,” I said.
“Hey,” she replied. Her voice was oddly shaky, as if she had been crying.
“Is something wrong?” I asked.
She ignored me and walked away. I followed behind her and took a seat next to her when we arrived at class. Just like yesterday, Talin was drawing something, and if it were a normal day, I would be staring out the window daydreaming, but today was different. This morning worried me. I looked at her, examining her face. Her hair still obscured most of her face, but I could still see part of it. Through the strands of hair, I saw something strange and unusual. It looked like a band-aid. I looked closer and noticed the area around one of her eyes was dark and yellowish. I became concerned and decided to talk to her about it after class.
The bell rang and I followed Talin out of the classroom. I grabbed her shoulder and looked at her. She tried to move, but I wouldn’t let her. I quickly brought up a hand and moved her hair out of her face. My heart froze when I saw her face. She had a black eye and band-aids were all over he face. I could tell one of her cheeks was swollen. Her eyes were downcast, obviously ashamed of how she looked.
“What happened?” I asked.
“It was an accident,” she replied softly.
“This was no accident. Who did this?”
“It’s nothing.”
“How can you call this nothing?”
“I’m used to this okay. It doesn’t hurt as bad as you think.”
I wanted to see for myself that she was all right. If it was only her face, then maybe it was an accident, but if there were cuts elsewhere it would prove that something did happen to her. I unzipped her jacket and pulled it off her, fighting her when she protested. I could feel my heart stop beating as I stared at her arms. There were bandages that were wrapped around her arms from shoulder to wrist. Knowing that she wouldn’t want anyone to see it, I dragged her into an empty classroom. When we were inside and the door closed behind us, she tried to grab her jacket and leave.
“No. I’m not letting you leave without an explanation,” I said hearing the anger that was rising in my voice.
“It’s nothing. It was all an accident,” she calmly said.
I was not about to believe her. So far she looked more and more like the Talin in my dream from last night.
“I just want to see one last spot okay?” she looked at me questioningly. “I want to see your left side.”
Her eyes widened and I knew that she didn’t want me to see it. I could tell it was her left side because I noticed the bulge there that was obviously caused by the bandage. I grabbed the edge of her shirt and pulled it up slightly, receiving no protest from Talin. To my horror, I saw a large bandage covering the spot that was still bleeding. The blood was beginning to seep through the bandage. From the view I had, I could also see more bandages covering her back as well.
I dropped her shirt and stepped back, shocked of what I saw.
“Talin, what happened?”
“Riven, it’s nothing. I can take care of myself,” she snapped.
I hugged her tightly, “I just don’t want anything bad to happen to you.”
She pushed me off of her. I looked down at her. She was smiling as if nothing was really wrong, “I’m all right. It doesn’t hurt anymore. So don’t worry.” She said as she turned away and walked to class while putting her jacket back on.
I felt sick to my stomach and ditched my next few classes. I had to think, and class wasn’t going to help.
“Hey,” he said cheerfully.
“Hey,” I replied in my usual monotone.
“Is something wrong?” he said.
A lump lodged itself in my throat when he asked that. I just ignored him and walked towards class. During class, I began drawing like always. I could feel Riven looking at me, wondering what could be wrong with me. I ignored him once again.
The bell rang and I exited the classroom. He followed. I suddenly felt a strong hand grab my shoulder. I looked up to find Riven. I tried to move, but he didn’t give me the opportunity to do so. He raised a hand and brushed my hair out of my face. I saw him pale at what he saw. I could tell he was staring at the band-aids and the black eye.
“What happened?” he asked.
“It was an accident,” I replied.
“This was no accident. Who did this?”
“It’s nothing.”
“How can you call this nothing?”
“I’m used to this okay. It doesn’t hurt as bad as you think.”
He unzipped my jacket and, ignoring my protests, pulled it off my arms. He stared at the bandages that spiraled down my arms from my shoulder to my wrists. He paled even didn’t let me go, but rather he dragged me into an empty classroom and closed the door behind us. I tried to retrieve my jacket and leave, but he stopped me from doing that.
“No. I’m not letting you leave without an explanation,” he said, anger rising in his voice.
“It’s nothing. It was all an accident,” I said.
“I just want to see one last spot okay?” I looked at him questioningly. “I want to see your left side.”
My eyes widened when he said that. He grabbed the edge of my shirt and slowly and gently pulled it up. He pulled it up only as far as the bandage. I gave up and let him see. I could feel his hand become shaky and his face became paler.
He dropped my shirt and stepped back.
“Talin, what happened?” he asked.
“Riven, it’s nothing. I can take care of myself,” I snapped at him.
He embraced me and spoke softly, “I just don’t want anything bad to happen to you.”
I pushed him off of me. He looked down at me. I smiled at him., “I’m all right. It doesn’t hurt anymore. So don’t worry.” I left with that and grabbed my jacket, putting it on as I left the room. I headed for my next class.
That day, I didn’t see him anymore. I didn’t see him at our locker and I didn’t see him in sixth period, the only other class we had together. I didn’t see him when school was over either. I gave up on waiting for him after I had waited for half an hour outside school. I headed towards the park, walking past the trees to head towards the place I took Riven to yesterday. I remembered that I had forgotten that box I brought yesterday. I quickly made my way through the trees but came across something unexpected.
Riven was sitting in front of the flowers. He heard my footsteps and turned around to face me. His onyx eyes were sad and worried when they locked onto my own fiery eyes.
I didn’t know what to say to him, but I managed to force something out of my mouth.
“Hey, Riven.”
He stared at me and motioned the box next to himself. “You forgot something.”
“Oh.”
I sat next to him. I could feel his gaze locked onto me. I felt his hand come up under my chin that turned my face towards his. I didn’t have time to think or to say anything when his lips came into contact with my own. He pulled back, staring down at me with sad eyes.
“Please tell me who did this to you,” he begged.
“Riven, it’s nothing.”
“I don’t want this to happen to you again.”
“Why do you care?”
He grabbed me and held me close to him.
“Because I lost everything once. I don’t want to lose you either. I know it’s only been two days, but I don’t care. You’re precious to me now, and I will do anything to protect you from getting hurt again. It only hurts to see you that way and hear you say that it’s okay when it’s not. Tell me what happened.”
I had to tell him. I mind as well. I wanted to feel safe again, like when Vincent was still around, and Riven was doing just that.
“Okay. I’ll tell you,” I said. I told him of everything that happened to me last night. I was still held in his arms while I told him. When I told him of the knife and the cuts I received, I felt his grip tighten but then loosen. I finished and waited for him to speak.
“I wish I was there to save you,” shame evident in his voice.
“It’s all right, Riven. You being here now is good enough.”
He released me, but only so he could kiss me once again. When we parted the kiss he spoke again, “That’s not good enough. I should have protected you from that.”
This time I hugged him. “I don’t care. I feel better knowing you’re here.”
We stayed in that embrace for the rest of the day and left the flowers together. He walked me home to make sure I would be all right before he headed home. He would only leave when I waved at him from my bedroom window on the second floor. He eventually left and I sighed with relief. I couldn’t believe it. I went from no friends to boyfriend. It felt amazing. That night, for the very first time since Vincent’s death, I dreamed a good dream. I almost didn’t want to wake up the next day, it was such a good dream, but I wanted to see Riven again. Riven, the boy that wanted to protect me more than anything else. It was almost to good to be true. I almost thought I had dreamed it last night, but I remembered the kisses we had yesterday. I smiled at the thought. It was all very real.
I ran down the hall with those thoughts in my head. I exited the building through the front doors and ran off. I just started off in one direction, not knowing where I was going. When I finally slowed down and looked at my surroundings, I found myself in the park. I began to walk towards the clearing with the flowers. The sight eased me. I finally figured out why Talin and her brother loved this place so much. It was calming. Just watching the wind gently blow the lilies was soothing. I found a place to sit by the flowers. I sat down and felt something hard hit my leg. I looked at it and noticed it as a small wooden box. Thinking back on yesterday, I remembered that the box belonged to Talkin. I would give it to her later.
I don’t know how long I sat there, but the next thing I knew I heard footsteps behind me. The sound snapped me out of my reverie. I looked behind myself and saw a familiar face, still covered with cuts and bruises. The sight of her broke me down inside.
“Hey, Riven,” she said.
I looked at her and motioned the box beside me, “You forgot something.”
“Oh,” she said quietly.
She seated herself beside me. I looked at her, memorizing every feature on her face even her cuts and bruises, as she stared ahead towards the flowers. I wanted to show her exactly how much I cared for her. My only idea and thought crossed my mind only seconds before I acted. I gently placed my hand beneath her chin and turned her head towards me. I brought my lips down to hers in a small, light kiss. When we parted, I looked at her pleadingly.
“Please tell me who did this to you.”
“Riven, it’s nothing,” she reassured.
“I don’t want this to happen to you again.”
“Why do you care?”
That did it. I grabbed her and held her firmly yet gently.
“Because I lost everything once. I don’t want to lose you either. I know it’s only been two days, but I don’t care. You’re precious to me now, and I will do anything to protect you from getting hurt again. It only hurts to see you that way and hear you say it’s okay when it’s not. Tell me what happened.”
I never wanted to see her like this ever again, or so help me the person who did this was going to pay!
“Okay. I’ll tell you,” I heard her say. My eyes became wide a I heard her talk. Apparently, her father and mother had beaten her last night. When I heard of the knife and her cuts, I felt protective again and held her tighter but soon after loosened up.
She ended her story and waited for me to speak.
“I wish I was there to save you,” I said. I felt ashamed that I did nothing for her.
“It’s all right, Riven. You being here right now is good enough.”
I let go of her only to kiss her again. After we parted, I said, “That’s not good enough. I should have protected you from that.”
Unexpectedly, she hugged me, saying, “I don’t care. I feel better knowing you’re here.”
We spent the rest of the day in that embrace. We left together when it came time to go home. I walked her home to make sure she would be all right. I only left when she waved from her room on the second floor. I smiled at her from the ground, and I walked towards my own home.
When I opened the door, I was shocked to see my brother actually up and walking around.
He heard me come in and turned towards me, “Where have you been out this late?”
I looked at the clock to see that it was eleven o’ clock. “Nowhere you’d care about.”
“I just don’t want you dead,” Drei sighed.
“Since when?”
He punched me in the arm hard enough to leave a bruise, “Shut up. I just don’t want to get arrested if you wind up dead.”
I smirked, “I didn’t know you cared so much,” I replied sarcastically.
Drei sighed, “Okay, do you want to know the full story?”
“Of why your acting totally out of character? Then yes,” I said as I crossed my arms.
“I noticed you got a friend. Or rather a girlfriend. Am I right?” he smirked.
I could feel my face flush, “What about her?”
“As unbelievable as it seems, I do care about you. I don’t want you to make the same mistake as I did. The last thing I want you to do is become just like me.”
“I’m still wary of suspicious of you no matter what you say, and what exactly do you mean by the same mistake as you?”
“About thirteen years ago when you were around four years old and I was fifteen, I was dating this girl. You don’t happen to remember her, do you? Her name’s Hannah.”
I shook my head.
“Well, she was my first love. We had fun almost everyday, but in the end it all ended sadly. Of course we told each other that we loved each other and we spent as much time together as we could, but one day we were hanging out late at night on the bridge downtown. I told her I loved her, but instead of saying it back, she broke down crying. She was on her knees, crying. I tried to hold her while she was crying, but she kept pushing me away. She looked at me, still crying and told me exactly why she was crying.”
flashback
“What’s wrong, Hannah,” Drei asked as he tried to hold his girlfriend.
She pushed him away and looked up in his eyes, “I’m sorry. I can’t love you.”
His eyes widened at this. She had always said she loved him. “Why? You always said it before.”
“I always meant it. I always did. But now, I can’t. If I do, something bad will happen. I can’t take it!” she said as she held her head in her hands.
“Is someone hurting you?” he asked tenderly.
She shook her head before she spoke, “No. If it was me, I wouldn’t care. It’s you who will get hurt. And I couldn’t live with myself if you did.”
“What are you talking about?”
“I don’t want to hurt you,” fresh tears began rolling down her cheeks. “I’m not good enough for you. I will only hurt you in the end, just like everyone else.”
Drei was silent. He couldn’t think of anything to say.
She stood up and shakily walked towards the metal railing on the side of the bridge. She gripped the cold steel tightly with her hands, as she looked into the black river that flowed beneath the bridge.
“Drei, I love you so much. I can’t even begin to tell you how much. But the fear I have is too much as well. I may end up killing you like my mother and father.”
“You didn’t kill them. They died saving you.”
“They died for me! It’s still killing them!” she gripped the rail tighter, her knuckles turning white.
Drei could only stare at her, wanting to comfort her but not knowing how. It hurt him inside.
“I’m sorry for what I’m going to do. I don’t want to hurt you so this is for the best.” She turned her head to face him, saying, “I love you, Drei, with everything I am. I’m sorry for breaking your heart. I know I don’t deserve this, but could you do me one last favor?”
“What?”
“Don’t die for me. It will only make me sadder. Don’t ever take your own life. Promise?”
He nodded.
Hannah smiled. The same beautiful smile he fell in love with.
“I love you, Hannah. I promise I won’t.”
“Thank you,” she smiled wider.
It was going to be okay. At least that’s what he thought. He never anticipated what she would do.
She pulled herself on top of the railing, perfectly balancing herself as she stood up.
“Hannah?” he asked, shocked.
She turned back to him one last time, smiling the same smile, “I love you, Drei.”
She fell forward, still staring at him as she fell. Drei ran towards the edge hoping to catch her, but he was too late. He attempted to grab her foot before she fell, but only felt the edge of her shoe. He stared down at her as she fell into the black liquid, her eyes still locked onto his. The swift torrents swallowed her in an instant, engulfing her.
He could feel tears run down his face. He let out a cry of anger and rage towards himself for being unable to stop her. He collapsed on the ground, leaning his head against the railing.
He looked up to the sky, “Hannah!!” he screamed. He screamed at the sky until his throat was sore. When he could no longer scream, he cried. People who were walking or driving by looked at him strangely, for they had only passed by after Hannah jumped to her death.
His tears stopped flowing after hours of crying by the railing. He stood up, and stared at the rails. He took out a knife and carved a heart where he last saw her.
“I love you, Hannah, with all that I am,” he whispered as he began to walk away.
end flashback
I was shocked to hear those words come out of his mouth.
“Drei, I never knew.”
“When I got home that night, Mom and Dad yelled at me for coming in after curfew. I broke down in front of them, shocking the two of them. I eventually told them what happened and they never brought it up. I never told you because you were too young. When Mom and Dad died, a year later, I tried to raise you best I could. I kept seeing you crying, never smiling. I couldn’t take it. That’s when I started doing drugs, smoking, and drinking. I’m trying to stop now. I can’t believe I’m trying to now, when you’re almost an adult.”
“Is that why you always did that stuff? Because you couldn’t handle the grief?”
Drei nodded.
“Now I understand,” I bowed my head in shame, knowing that I had treated him with hatred because I thought he never cared.
“Don’t look that way. I always cared for you. I guess I was a pretty bad guy when it came to that. I know it’s a little late now, but I’m sorry.”
“Exactly why are you telling me this now?”
“Your girlfriend called a few minutes before you came in. She wanted me to tell you to meet her at the same place as today. I think she said whenever you wake up tomorrow.”
“Talin called? Really? Tomorrow huh?” I hit my forehead with my hand. “I’m an idiot. I forgot tomorrow was Saturday.”
“Idiot.”
“It’s not my fault school starts on a freaking Thursday.”
Drei laughed. I never heard him laugh since I was a kid.
He stopped and looked at me strangely, “What?”
“You laughed. I forgot how it sounded.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. I forgot how cute it sounded,” I teased.
“Shut up!” he punched me in the arm and left the room.
This time I started laughing. It had been thirteen years since I had a decent conversation with Drei.
“Oh yeah,” he called back from another room, “She said not to worry about when you get up. She gets there around seven and doesn’t care when you come as long as you get there.”
“Thanks,” I called back as I went to my room.
I fell asleep the instant my head hit the pillow. I dreamed of Talin again, only this time she was smiling. She was smiling and laughing.
I continued to watch the flowers blow in the wind. I felt as if my brother was still there. I could almost hear him again. Every time we came here, he would tell me how to properly take care of the flowers.
I gasped when I remembered. I kept forgetting that box here. I quickly found the wooden box I brought here a couple days ago. I opened the lid to reveal three small bags. I opened one of the smaller bags and stuck my hand inside of it. I pulled out a handful of a grainy powder and threw it out amongst the flowers. I never knew what it was, but Vincent always told me how much to spread among the lilies. He said it was a homemade fertilizer, but he never told me how to make it. I get worried that when I ran out, the flowers would die, so I try to ration the powder. When I finished, I stuffed the box in the backpack I brought.
I sat down once again, hugging my knees to my chest. It was a lot colder than I expected. It was only September. I shivered, wishing I brought a warmer jacket than the one I had on.
I closed my eyes for a brief moment when I suddenly gasped as I felt two arms wrap themselves around my shoulders.
“What the hell?” I said.
I heard a laugh.
“I’m sorry. Did I scare you?”
I turned my head to see Riven holding me.
“You just surprised me. That’s all,” I smiled to reassure him.
He sat down behind me, reluctant to release his arms around me.
“So, why did you want me to come here?” he said as he placed his head on my shoulder.
I could feel a blush creep onto my face, “I just wanted to talk again.”
“Okay. What do you want to talk about?”
“Whatever. I don’t care. I just want to talk.”
“Well, I guess I’ll start. Were you all right last night?”
I nodded, “Yeah. I’m fine.”
“They didn’t hurt you?”
“No. They weren’t home when I got there.”
“That’s good.”
“What about you?”
“My brother finally told me why he was being an ass for the past thirteen years.”
I turned my body around to look at him, “Really? When I called last night, I didn’t really expect him to be so nice.”
He looked astonished, “He was nice? Really?”
“He was. He seemed glad that I called.”
Riven smiled, “He did say he was glad I found a girlfriend.”
I saw him stare at me for awhile. “What?” I asked.
“You blushed. You look so cute when you blush,” he said.
I could feel my face heat up, “What? Cute? Me?”
He leaned down towards me and kissed me briefly.
“You know, whenever you look so cute, it only makes me want to kiss you over and over again.”
I turned away so I could try to hide my blush as I said, “Hey. That’s not funny.”
“I’m sorry, Talin.”
“Yeah. You’re really sorry,” I replied sarcastically.
“Hey, Talin. Do you want to hang out some more today?”
“Yeah. Do you want to go now?” I asked, trying to get up.
He pulled me back down, hugging me close, “No. Just a little longer. Okay?”
I leaned my head against his chest, hearing his heartbeat. I closed my eyes as I said, “Okay. A little longer.”
He held me tighter, and I winced, letting out a small cry of pain.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, concern evident in his voice.
“Nothing. Just the cuts. They still hurt, but other than that, I’m fine.”
“No, you’re not fine. Let me see them.”
I picked up my head to look at him, “What? No, Riven, it’s all right. I’m perfectly fine.”
His face showed that he was determined to see the injuries whether or not I consented.
I was wracking my brain on how to get him to forget about the injuries, but nothing came to mind.
I sighed, “ Okay. I’ll show you.”
I took off the coat I had worn to reveal a black tank top. I began unwrapping the bandage around my arms. I slowly unraveled my arm until all the cuts were exposed. I looked at Riven and saw him wince as he looked at them.
“These still look pretty bad. Are you sure you’re still fine?” he asked.
“Yes, I am,” I wrapped the bandage around my arm as I spoke.
“What about that other one?”
“That one, too? Okay,” I said.
I lifted up my shirt slightly to show the gauze pad taped down on my side. It was fairly cleaner than the last time he saw it because the blood had not seeped through as much. He gave a sigh of relief as he looked at it. I replaced my shirt in its previous position and pulled my jacket back on.
I looked at Riven o find him deep in though, a worried expression on his face. I moved closer to him, wondering what he was thinking about.
“Riven?”
No response.
I touched his arm.
“Riven?”
This time he reacted. “Huh? Oh. What is it, Talin?”
“You looked worried. Are you okay?”
“I’m just worried about you.”
He looked like he was about ready to cry. I brought my arms around his neck and leaned against him, holding him in my embrace. I placed my head on his shoulder and felt his arms go around my waist.
“Don’t look like that.”
“How can I be happy when I see you smile and laugh and know that your crying inside? It’s too hard to take. Every time I see you smile and hide your tears makes me want to shed them for you.”
I felt tears fall onto my shoulder as he buried his face in my hair.
He took in a shuddered breath before he continued, “When I was a kid, my parents died in a car wreck. I felt so bad. I locked myself in my room and cried everyday. My brother was no help because he was having as much a hard time as me. Since then, I’ve never been the same. No one ever came near me, but if there was even one thing that could make me smile I would keep it near me and protect it.”
“Is that why?”
“Yeah. That’s why I want to protect you. You make me smile and laugh when you’re truly happy, and you make me want to cry when you’re sad.”
“Riven.”
“I love you, Talin,’ he said, so gently and firmly with no hesitation.
I gasped. Did he really just say that?
“R-Riven, I love you, too,” I said shyly.
He leaned back to look at my face, his eyes wide, “You do?”
I could feel a blush creep onto my face, inwardly cursing my shyness, “Yeah. I do.”
Not a second after those words left my mouth, our lips connected with each other, deepening soon afterwards. We broke the kiss, staring at each other.
He smiled as he broke the silence, “Shall we go then?”
