ATTENTION ALL WRITERS! C'MON!!!

[Cutiechook15]

Spoiler: Here goes nothing...

Here it is! I've never really shared my writing with anyone, so this is scary!

Backstory:

This story is set in a land that has strict social classes, and Kuno is at the bottom; there are certain rules of interaction that the different classes have to follow as well. That detail will hopefully clear up any confusion. This scene is also about these two's first meeting, but the actual story takes place three or four years later when they're about sixteen/seventeen.

Spoiler: The Meeting

The boy kicked at a rock, watching it roll away before looking out over the lush green fields that surrounded him. The noon-time sun, returning after the spring storms, was heavy and stifling as it shone down, warning of even hotter weather to come. Sinking to the ground, he flicked away a beetle scuttling past his bare foot and dropped his head down into his arms, letting out a huff of air. The sheep he had been assigned to watch would be fine for a few minutes; where would they go, anyway?
It wasn’t this hot in Naida. If he were in Naida he’d be running through the woods with his friends, or in a forge somewhere learning how to make the fine sturdy weapons his homeland was famous for. His skin wouldn’t peel and burn in the shade of the Forest Dusk, and his fiery hair wouldn’t reduce him to some rare trinket. But here he was, sitting in a field somewhere in Baros, a million miles from home, in a strange land with a strange language and frightening people.
Shoving the wide brim of his hat upwards on his forehead, he swiped angrily at a tear. What was the use of crying? No one noticed, and when they did, they only laughed or scolded. And truly, crying did nothing to help him. His mom used to say that tears carried away your sadness like leaves in a current, but now--well, what was the use of thinking about her? She was gone, just like his father, and he would never get her back.
The sound of someone’s voice lifted in song shattered his reverie, and he raised his head quickly, worried that he’d been caught shirking his duties. Turning, he found the noise’s origin a short distance away, where a girl was moving through the tall grass, her skirt hiked up so as not to catch on any hidden thorns. She was singing a fast-paced, lively tune, and at the end of each line of words she would spin happily, one hand holding her hat down and the other flung outward joyfully, her face tilted towards the sky. It was like the sun was dancing her way towards him; despite her voice being a little off-key and her mud-spattered hem, this girl was radiant.
Captivated, he watched as she drew closer and closer. She was so preoccupied that she didn’t see him until she was nearly on top of him; when she did notice, she jumped back in surprise, letting out a shriek that startled him to his feet.
She looked about his age, thirteen, and her flushed pink cheeks were enhanced by the deep tan of her skin. Two almond-shaped brown eyes surveyed him from under her wide hat, casting a gaze that was friendly and warm, and the small smile that lingered permanently on her lips lent her a mischievous expression. She was slim but not skinny, and a large clump of purple flowers was tucked into her wide leather belt, the ends of the stems untidy and uneven.
He reminded her of a frightened deer, ready to fly at any moment, with a face stained by undried tears. Thin and rather delicately built, he was just beginning to grow taller, as was evident in the way his ankles stuck out of the bottom of his pants. Dressed in a thin layer of sand-colored clothes and a wide-brimmed hat that shaded his pale face and neck, his chest rose and fell visibly, and she realized that he was badly startled.
Relaxing, she held out a hand in greeting, hoping that the gesture would put him at ease. She was nearly inclined to believe that this odd boy wasn’t even real, just some figment of her imagination brought on by the heat. Where had he come from?
He glanced from her expectant face to her outstretched hand, then back.
“I can’t,” he breathed after a moment, not wanting to break the silence between them. Was she some sort of bird-spirit that would disappear at the first sound?
She smiled, flashing a dimple. He had a smooth voice and an open, honest face, with freckles and kind green eyes.
“Sure you can,” she replied, stepping closer, her arm still extended.
So she was real.
“No, I can’t.” He furrowed his brows, studying her. “I’m a Kuno, you are not.” Did she want to get him in trouble?
She tilted her head at him. He had a heavy, lilting accent and a careful way of choosing his words; Barian wasn’t his first language.
“So? No one’s around, and those rules are stupid anyway. Why shouldn’t I shake hands with you? We’re both just people,” she countered, shrugging carelessly.
He nodded slowly as he processed her words, then collected himself and reached out his hand. That made sense to him, and, he decided, she was wonderful for saying it.
Her face lit up at his movement, and she swept off her hat, long black braids cascading down her back at the swift motion. The breeze tugged gently at them as she eagerly grasped his wrist, giving it a solid shake before releasing it.
He awkwardly took his own hat off too, still not used to the customs of this country, and the girl gasped in delight, her eyes lighting on his head.
“Your hair, it’s like fire! That’s beautiful!” She exclaimed, practically glowing. Somehow when she said it he felt complimented, rather than judged. Maybe it was because she spoke to him, not about him.
Looking back at his face, she shook her head exasperatedly.
“I’m sorry, what’s your name? I forgot to ask. I’m Eve.”
He studied her tanned face and dancing eyes, complemented by the bright yellow of her dress, and he smiled genuinely for the first time in years. It was a small, crooked gesture, but a smile nevertheless.
“I’m Finn.”

OOOOOH This was so good I love this!!!!

 

[Cluckcluck1215]

Btw Lucifer irl is the actual devil and not the son of the devil, lol.

OOOOOH This was so good I love this!!!!

I'm aware I've actually done a lot of research on Lucifer/Satan, but it's just for plot and because I like the name. Thanks, though!

 

[Cutiechook15]

Okay, Chapter 4 is here. Also unedited. And I'm seeing so many problems. XD I'm horrible at dialogue and flowery descriptions, so my writing ends up a bit blunt sometimes. Sorry.

Also, Cluck cluck, that actually wasn't something I had meant to send. I was pretty sure you were aware of that, lol. It was something I had typed out and decided not to send, but when I came back on here, somehow it got sent with that comment. You're totally good.

Spoiler: Chapter 4: Content warning: violence and death

I cursed and quickly looked away from the camera, chills washing over me. After staying where I was for what I thought was ten or fifteen minutes, I noticed that the Probablies were climbing up the makeshift rope, which gave me a good excuse to jog back over there without looking too suspicious.

So, I did. I made my way through the containers, trying to watch the camera out of the corner of my eye.

It followed me.

My heart jumped in my throat, and I jogged faster. When I reached Lucas, I hesitated. How did I tell him? If whoever was on the other side could see us, they could probably hear us too. Maybe it could be to our advantage that they didn’t know we knew about the camera. But, it was also not hidden. It was very obviously a security camera, the black lens contrasting starkly against the white walls. Maybe we were meant to see it.

I tapped Lucas’s arm.

“What the heck do you want now?” He exploded, making me jump nearly to kingdom come. I glared at him, saying what first came to my mind. How do I tell him without alerting the person watching us?

“Has CAMARYN made it up there?” I asked, widening my eyes and not daring to look at the camera in the corner.

“Wha--?” Brickhead stared at me as if I had grown a second head.

“CAMARYN. CAN WATCH ME climb, right?”

My heart pounded in my ears. I must look incredibly stupid right now. My face prickled with heat, and frustration built in my chest.

Nox made it up the rope, and Vicky, being small, jumped to grab on to the rope and began climbing as Nina walked over to us. I glared at Brickhead, my fear of being noticed by whoever was watching us overpowering my fear of looking stupid in front of everyone.

“Camaryn. Is watching me. Right now.” I blinked hard, willing him to understand what I was saying. Come on, come on!

“I don’t know, and I definitely don’t care.” His eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

Nina scanned the room, then raised an eyebrow, catching my meaning. She, being the brave one, leaned forward and gave Brickhead what seemed like a hug. He stiffened, and I could just barely hear her hiss.

“She’s trying to tell you there’s a camera in the corner recording us right now, you fool.” She released him and patted his shoulder, speaking in normal tones. “Thanks for being such a good and non-oblivious leader. You’re just… the best.”

Rolling her eyes, Nina turned and climbed the rope, leaving only me and Brickhead behind. He watched me for a while, as if considering whether what I had done was incredibly risky, stupid, or brave. Something flickered in his eyes, an expression that seemed like... Was that appreciation? Then it was gone. Surely not. I was bad at reading people anyway. He opened his mouth to talk, but he didn’t mention the camera. “I wonder what’s up there.”

I shrugged, baffled by his change of behavior. “Hopefully something good.”

“Ladies first,” he said, motioning towards the rope, which Nina had climbed incredibly quickly.

I smiled wryly. “Thanks, dearest.”

Grabbing the rope, I used both my feet and hands to pull myself up bit by bit. I wasn’t strong. At all. By the time I reached the top, Mason had to grab my wrist and pull me up the rest of the way. Determined not to be the weakling in the bunch, I stood and held my breath to try and control my panting.

It was pitch black. Unnaturally black. Instead of giving a small amount of light to see by, the light from the hole seemed to be smothered by the darkness. The circle of light was blocked completely for a moment as Lucas’s large frame was pulled through the hole.

“Okay--” Brickhead started, but suddenly lights flashed on out of nowhere, blinding and bright.

I cried out, shutting my eyes immediately. I heard others shouting.

The hairs on my neck seemed to stand straight up, and goosebumps popped up on my skin.

“Duck.” I heard a voice whisper beside me.

Nina’s voice.

It rose to a shout. “DUCK!”

Instincts kicked in, and I dropped to the cold floor, hugging myself to it, and not a moment too soon.

Multiple small objects whooshed overhead. I heard a scream that turned into a horrifying gurgle. I opened my eyes, squinting in the blaring light overhead. The entire room was a pure and perfect white, and a white door sat waiting a few hundred feet away.

“Get to the door!” I screamed, scrambling to get on my knees. It was hard to see through all of my hair. Something hit my bare calf, and I jumped to my feet, a feeling of strange burning coldness spreading from that spot up to the base of my neck.

It was a girl, convulsing as if she were possessed. Froth dripped from her mouth and her light brown hair flopped everywhere. When it pulled away from her neck, I saw a small silver dart stuck perfectly in the cleft where her collar bone met. Her amber eyes met mine, and I could see fear… No, absolute terror in them.

She stilled, her eyes turning glassy, and I felt that feeling of dread wash over me, drowning out that burning feeling. I instinctively hit the floor again and felt the breeze of a passing dart fly overhead.

I glanced around from my position on the floor. Nox and Nina, who were carrying the rope of shirts, were helping a girl and two boys get across the room, Nox using a force field to block the darts. They had almost reached it. Two girls were army crawling towards the door, their faces pale with fright. Lucas was on the ground beside Vicky, shielding her and another girl, and Mike and Mason, along with the last girl I didn’t know, were behind me. Camaryn was nowhere to be seen.

My heart dropped. Had she been hit by a dart? I searched the room one more time for her. Nothing.

Suddenly, I felt a strange sensation running through the seamless floor. It was like vibrating, getting louder and stronger. A perfect square of floor fell out in front of my face, revealing a pit of darkness that seemed to go on forever.

Crap.

I jumped to my feet.

Things seemed to move in slow motion while my adrenaline was pumping. I glanced down at the corpse of the girl, wondering numbly if I should carry the body with me.

No. She was dead, and the body would rot. We couldn’t deal with that. Not knowing what else to do, I nodded respectfully to her. Then her body fell through the floor. I backed up, trying to get my feet to move.

Something flew by me as I began to run, but instead of a dart, I saw the faint, blurry form of Mike carrying something… The curly-headed girl, I thought.

I stumbled, cursing as the floor way beneath me, but something caught me.

“Come on!” Mason said, pulling me back. He grabbed my hand and pulled me along, dodging and weaving through holes and flying darts.

I held on tightly, running as fast as I could towards the exit. Lucas was just entering the door at the end of the room with Vicky and the small girl with light brown hair and a nervous step. How had he gotten there so quickly?

Suddenly the image of the dead girl’s eyes popped into my mind, sickening me.

There was nothing you could do to help her. I tried to tell myself. That look would haunt me. Who deserved a fate like that? What kind of sick and twisted person would do this?

Mason tripped, and I automatically pulled back, balancing him. We continued, leaping over holes and ducking between darts. The rumbles increased, and I glanced back.

The tiles of floor dropped in a wave, beginning in the far side of the room, and just falling, nothing supporting it from underneath.

My breath caught, and I pushed harder. Almost there.

“JUMP!” Mason screamed.

We jumped, and our hands parted, both arms outstretched for the open doorway.

He made it. I did not.

One of my hands caught the bottom of the doorway as the rest of the tiles fell, the force of the fall almost making me slip. I cried out, trying to swing one hand up to support the other.

“Whoa! Skylar, hold on!” Mason scrambled around, laying on his stomach and grabbing my wrist, sweat glistening on him. “I got you. I got you.” He pulled me up, and soon I lay on the cracked and rocky floor, panting and spitting my long hair out of my mouth.

“Thanks.” I whispered, too tired to move. Did I just almost die?

“You’re-- You’re good!” he said hesitantly, sitting up and staring out into the dark hole that was left of the white room. “Wow. That’s a long way down.”

“That’s why I’m glad you didn’t let me turn into a Skylar shaped pancake down there. Thank you.”

He glanced at me, waving a dismissive hand. “Eh, you’d have done the same thing.”

I hesitated, my smirk fading. Would I have done the same thing? Would I have risked my life for someone else? “I--.”

Shouts. We both turned our heads toward the sound, and I saw the remaining teens gathered together a few yards away, completely unaware of us. Their attention was placed on the ground. Or something on the ground.

I sighed, somehow picking up my leaden limbs and jogging across the rocky ground towards them.

It was Mike. He and Lucas knelt over the convulsing body of another young girl. The dart that had struck her lay to the side, glinting in the weak yellow light from overhead.

“Do something.” Mike was hissing at Lucas. “You’re our ‘leader’. Do something. Aren’t you supposed to be keeping us alive?”

Lucas stared at the girl, his hands shaking. He obviously hadn’t been prepared for this. “There… There’s nothing I can do. She’s already dead.”

“No. No, she’s not!” Mike’s voice rose to a shout. “Look! Look at the way she’s staring at me! She’s still alive! Do something!” He clenched his fists, glaring at the body as if daring it to die.

The girl died, arching her back wildly, then going limp, eyes staring into nothing. Mike stared at the body for a moment, waiting for some signs of life, then stomped off.

Lucas blinked, shaking his head. “I… I couldn’t do anything.”

Two deaths. My chest ached, and I put a hand on his shoulder, trying to be comforting. “It’s okay. None of us could do anything.”

“I’m responsible for them,” Brickhead growled, pulling away from my hand. “I shouldn’t have let us get trapped so easily.”

My eyes burned and filled with tears, but I wasn’t sad. I was furious. Furious at the creators of this hellhole. Furious at the two girls for dying. Furious at myself for not saving them or doing anything remotely helpful in that room.

“No one had any idea of what was going to be up here,” I snapped, a tear sliding down my cheek. I brushed it away furiously, my face burning. You’re looking like a wimp in front of everyone, Skylar! Stop crying! Taking a deep breath, I forced myself to blink back my tears.

“Hey Lucas!” Nox suddenly yelled from across the cavern in which we stood. “I found supplies!”

Brickhead stood and, after giving me a parting glare, jogged towards the pile that Nox had found.

Everyone followed, excluding me. I felt drained, the adrenaline now gone from my body. Too many things... Way too many things had happened. It was too fast. I wanted to sink to the floor and just sob for a good thirty minutes before drifting off to sleep.

I had two things that I needed to take care of before I rested, if I could even do so peacefully.

Finding Camaryn came first, and surprisingly, I didn’t have to search far. She stood next to one of the girls in the group overlooking the new pile of provisions left for us by whatever monster put us in this mess.

I ran over to her and smothered her in a hug. “Oh, thank goodness you’re okay. You’re okay, right?”

Letting her go, I held her at arm's length. She had a huge grin on her face.

“Oh, I’m more than okay, Skylar! I used my test ability!”

 

[Starburst]

Okay, Chapter 4 is here. Also unedited. And I'm seeing so many problems. XD I'm horrible at dialogue and flowery descriptions, so my writing ends up a bit blunt sometimes. Sorry.

Also, Cluck cluck, that actually wasn't something I had meant to send. I was pretty sure you were aware of that, lol. It was something I had typed out and decided not to send, but when I came back on here, somehow it got sent with that comment. You're totally good.

Spoiler: Chapter 4: Content warning: violence and death

I cursed and quickly looked away from the camera, chills washing over me. After staying where I was for what I thought was ten or fifteen minutes, I noticed that the Probablies were climbing up the makeshift rope, which gave me a good excuse to jog back over there without looking too suspicious.

So, I did. I made my way through the containers, trying to watch the camera out of the corner of my eye.

It followed me.

My heart jumped in my throat, and I jogged faster. When I reached Lucas, I hesitated. How did I tell him? If whoever was on the other side could see us, they could probably hear us too. Maybe it could be to our advantage that they didn’t know we knew about the camera. But, it was also not hidden. It was very obviously a security camera, the black lens contrasting starkly against the white walls. Maybe we were meant to see it.

I tapped Lucas’s arm.

“What the heck do you want now?” He exploded, making me jump nearly to kingdom come. I glared at him, saying what first came to my mind. How do I tell him without alerting the person watching us?

“Has CAMARYN made it up there?” I asked, widening my eyes and not daring to look at the camera in the corner.

“Wha--?” Brickhead stared at me as if I had grown a second head.

“CAMARYN. CAN WATCH ME climb, right?”

My heart pounded in my ears. I must look incredibly stupid right now. My face prickled with heat, and frustration built in my chest.

Nox made it up the rope, and Vicky, being small, jumped to grab on to the rope and began climbing as Nina walked over to us. I glared at Brickhead, my fear of being noticed by whoever was watching us overpowering my fear of looking stupid in front of everyone.

“Camaryn. Is watching me. Right now.” I blinked hard, willing him to understand what I was saying. Come on, come on!

“I don’t know, and I definitely don’t care.” His eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

Nina scanned the room, then raised an eyebrow, catching my meaning. She, being the brave one, leaned forward and gave Brickhead what seemed like a hug. He stiffened, and I could just barely hear her hiss.

“She’s trying to tell you there’s a camera in the corner recording us right now, you fool.” She released him and patted his shoulder, speaking in normal tones. “Thanks for being such a good and non-oblivious leader. You’re just… the best.”

Rolling her eyes, Nina turned and climbed the rope, leaving only me and Brickhead behind. He watched me for a while, as if considering whether what I had done was incredibly risky, stupid, or brave. Something flickered in his eyes, an expression that seemed like... Was that appreciation? Then it was gone. Surely not. I was bad at reading people anyway. He opened his mouth to talk, but he didn’t mention the camera. “I wonder what’s up there.”

I shrugged, baffled by his change of behavior. “Hopefully something good.”

“Ladies first,” he said, motioning towards the rope, which Nina had climbed incredibly quickly.

I smiled wryly. “Thanks, dearest.”

Grabbing the rope, I used both my feet and hands to pull myself up bit by bit. I wasn’t strong. At all. By the time I reached the top, Mason had to grab my wrist and pull me up the rest of the way. Determined not to be the weakling in the bunch, I stood and held my breath to try and control my panting.

It was pitch black. Unnaturally black. Instead of giving a small amount of light to see by, the light from the hole seemed to be smothered by the darkness. The circle of light was blocked completely for a moment as Lucas’s large frame was pulled through the hole.

“Okay--” Brickhead started, but suddenly lights flashed on out of nowhere, blinding and bright.

I cried out, shutting my eyes immediately. I heard others shouting.

The hairs on my neck seemed to stand straight up, and goosebumps popped up on my skin.

“Duck.” I heard a voice whisper beside me.

Nina’s voice.

It rose to a shout. “DUCK!”

Instincts kicked in, and I dropped to the cold floor, hugging myself to it, and not a moment too soon.

Multiple small objects whooshed overhead. I heard a scream that turned into a horrifying gurgle. I opened my eyes, squinting in the blaring light overhead. The entire room was a pure and perfect white, and a white door sat waiting a few hundred feet away.

“Get to the door!” I screamed, scrambling to get on my knees. It was hard to see through all of my hair. Something hit my bare calf, and I jumped to my feet, a feeling of strange burning coldness spreading from that spot up to the base of my neck.

It was a girl, convulsing as if she were possessed. Froth dripped from her mouth and her light brown hair flopped everywhere. When it pulled away from her neck, I saw a small silver dart stuck perfectly in the cleft where her collar bone met. Her amber eyes met mine, and I could see fear… No, absolute terror in them.

She stilled, her eyes turning glassy, and I felt that feeling of dread wash over me, drowning out that burning feeling. I instinctively hit the floor again and felt the breeze of a passing dart fly overhead.

I glanced around from my position on the floor. Nox and Nina, who were carrying the rope of shirts, were helping a girl and two boys get across the room, Nox using a force field to block the darts. They had almost reached it. Two girls were army crawling towards the door, their faces pale with fright. Lucas was on the ground beside Vicky, shielding her and another girl, and Mike and Mason, along with the last girl I didn’t know, were behind me. Camaryn was nowhere to be seen.

My heart dropped. Had she been hit by a dart? I searched the room one more time for her. Nothing.

Suddenly, I felt a strange sensation running through the seamless floor. It was like vibrating, getting louder and stronger. A perfect square of floor fell out in front of my face, revealing a pit of darkness that seemed to go on forever.

Crap.

I jumped to my feet.

Things seemed to move in slow motion while my adrenaline was pumping. I glanced down at the corpse of the girl, wondering numbly if I should carry the body with me.

No. She was dead, and the body would rot. We couldn’t deal with that. Not knowing what else to do, I nodded respectfully to her. Then her body fell through the floor. I backed up, trying to get my feet to move.

Something flew by me as I began to run, but instead of a dart, I saw the faint, blurry form of Mike carrying something… The curly-headed girl, I thought.

I stumbled, cursing as the floor way beneath me, but something caught me.

“Come on!” Mason said, pulling me back. He grabbed my hand and pulled me along, dodging and weaving through holes and flying darts.

I held on tightly, running as fast as I could towards the exit. Lucas was just entering the door at the end of the room with Vicky and the small girl with light brown hair and a nervous step. How had he gotten there so quickly?

Suddenly the image of the dead girl’s eyes popped into my mind, sickening me.

There was nothing you could do to help her. I tried to tell myself. That look would haunt me. Who deserved a fate like that? What kind of sick and twisted person would do this?

Mason tripped, and I automatically pulled back, balancing him. We continued, leaping over holes and ducking between darts. The rumbles increased, and I glanced back.

The tiles of floor dropped in a wave, beginning in the far side of the room, and just falling, nothing supporting it from underneath.

My breath caught, and I pushed harder. Almost there.

“JUMP!” Mason screamed.

We jumped, and our hands parted, both arms outstretched for the open doorway.

He made it. I did not.

One of my hands caught the bottom of the doorway as the rest of the tiles fell, the force of the fall almost making me slip. I cried out, trying to swing one hand up to support the other.

“Whoa! Skylar, hold on!” Mason scrambled around, laying on his stomach and grabbing my wrist, sweat glistening on him. “I got you. I got you.” He pulled me up, and soon I lay on the cracked and rocky floor, panting and spitting my long hair out of my mouth.

“Thanks.” I whispered, too tired to move. Did I just almost die?

“You’re-- You’re good!” he said hesitantly, sitting up and staring out into the dark hole that was left of the white room. “Wow. That’s a long way down.”

“That’s why I’m glad you didn’t let me turn into a Skylar shaped pancake down there. Thank you.”

He glanced at me, waving a dismissive hand. “Eh, you’d have done the same thing.”

I hesitated, my smirk fading. Would I have done the same thing? Would I have risked my life for someone else? “I--.”

Shouts. We both turned our heads toward the sound, and I saw the remaining teens gathered together a few yards away, completely unaware of us. Their attention was placed on the ground. Or something on the ground.

I sighed, somehow picking up my leaden limbs and jogging across the rocky ground towards them.

It was Mike. He and Lucas knelt over the convulsing body of another young girl. The dart that had struck her lay to the side, glinting in the weak yellow light from overhead.

“Do something.” Mike was hissing at Lucas. “You’re our ‘leader’. Do something. Aren’t you supposed to be keeping us alive?”

Lucas stared at the girl, his hands shaking. He obviously hadn’t been prepared for this. “There… There’s nothing I can do. She’s already dead.”

“No. No, she’s not!” Mike’s voice rose to a shout. “Look! Look at the way she’s staring at me! She’s still alive! Do something!” He clenched his fists, glaring at the body as if daring it to die.

The girl died, arching her back wildly, then going limp, eyes staring into nothing. Mike stared at the body for a moment, waiting for some signs of life, then stomped off.

Lucas blinked, shaking his head. “I… I couldn’t do anything.”

Two deaths. My chest ached, and I put a hand on his shoulder, trying to be comforting. “It’s okay. None of us could do anything.”

“I’m responsible for them,” Brickhead growled, pulling away from my hand. “I shouldn’t have let us get trapped so easily.”

My eyes burned and filled with tears, but I wasn’t sad. I was furious. Furious at the creators of this hellhole. Furious at the two girls for dying. Furious at myself for not saving them or doing anything remotely helpful in that room.

“No one had any idea of what was going to be up here,” I snapped, a tear sliding down my cheek. I brushed it away furiously, my face burning. You’re looking like a wimp in front of everyone, Skylar! Stop crying! Taking a deep breath, I forced myself to blink back my tears.

“Hey Lucas!” Nox suddenly yelled from across the cavern in which we stood. “I found supplies!”

Brickhead stood and, after giving me a parting glare, jogged towards the pile that Nox had found.

Everyone followed, excluding me. I felt drained, the adrenaline now gone from my body. Too many things... Way too many things had happened. It was too fast. I wanted to sink to the floor and just sob for a good thirty minutes before drifting off to sleep.

I had two things that I needed to take care of before I rested, if I could even do so peacefully.

Finding Camaryn came first, and surprisingly, I didn’t have to search far. She stood next to one of the girls in the group overlooking the new pile of provisions left for us by whatever monster put us in this mess.

I ran over to her and smothered her in a hug. “Oh, thank goodness you’re okay. You’re okay, right?”

Letting her go, I held her at arm's length. She had a huge grin on her face.

“Oh, I’m more than okay, Skylar! I used my test ability!”

Wow! This is really good!

 

[PioneerChicks]

@Cutiechook15 I think it is a cool twist to have Lucifer be the son of the devil! I am loving your story, keep it up please! Edit: wait, I meant @Cluckcluck1215, but I am loving your story too Cluck!

Spoiler: Here goes nothing...

Here it is! I've never really shared my writing with anyone, so this is scary!

Backstory:

This story is set in a land that has strict social classes, and Kuno is at the bottom; there are certain rules of interaction that the different classes have to follow as well. That detail will hopefully clear up any confusion. This scene is also about these two's first meeting, but the actual story takes place three or four years later when they're about sixteen/seventeen.

Spoiler: The Meeting

The boy kicked at a rock, watching it roll away before looking out over the lush green fields that surrounded him. The noon-time sun, returning after the spring storms, was heavy and stifling as it shone down, warning of even hotter weather to come. Sinking to the ground, he flicked away a beetle scuttling past his bare foot and dropped his head down into his arms, letting out a huff of air. The sheep he had been assigned to watch would be fine for a few minutes; where would they go, anyway?
It wasn’t this hot in Naida. If he were in Naida he’d be running through the woods with his friends, or in a forge somewhere learning how to make the fine sturdy weapons his homeland was famous for. His skin wouldn’t peel and burn in the shade of the Forest Dusk, and his fiery hair wouldn’t reduce him to some rare trinket. But here he was, sitting in a field somewhere in Baros, a million miles from home, in a strange land with a strange language and frightening people.
Shoving the wide brim of his hat upwards on his forehead, he swiped angrily at a tear. What was the use of crying? No one noticed, and when they did, they only laughed or scolded. And truly, crying did nothing to help him. His mom used to say that tears carried away your sadness like leaves in a current, but now--well, what was the use of thinking about her? She was gone, just like his father, and he would never get her back.
The sound of someone’s voice lifted in song shattered his reverie, and he raised his head quickly, worried that he’d been caught shirking his duties. Turning, he found the noise’s origin a short distance away, where a girl was moving through the tall grass, her skirt hiked up so as not to catch on any hidden thorns. She was singing a fast-paced, lively tune, and at the end of each line of words she would spin happily, one hand holding her hat down and the other flung outward joyfully, her face tilted towards the sky. It was like the sun was dancing her way towards him; despite her voice being a little off-key and her mud-spattered hem, this girl was radiant.
Captivated, he watched as she drew closer and closer. She was so preoccupied that she didn’t see him until she was nearly on top of him; when she did notice, she jumped back in surprise, letting out a shriek that startled him to his feet.
She looked about his age, thirteen, and her flushed pink cheeks were enhanced by the deep tan of her skin. Two almond-shaped brown eyes surveyed him from under her wide hat, casting a gaze that was friendly and warm, and the small smile that lingered permanently on her lips lent her a mischievous expression. She was slim but not skinny, and a large clump of purple flowers was tucked into her wide leather belt, the ends of the stems untidy and uneven.
He reminded her of a frightened deer, ready to fly at any moment, with a face stained by undried tears. Thin and rather delicately built, he was just beginning to grow taller, as was evident in the way his ankles stuck out of the bottom of his pants. Dressed in a thin layer of sand-colored clothes and a wide-brimmed hat that shaded his pale face and neck, his chest rose and fell visibly, and she realized that he was badly startled.
Relaxing, she held out a hand in greeting, hoping that the gesture would put him at ease. She was nearly inclined to believe that this odd boy wasn’t even real, just some figment of her imagination brought on by the heat. Where had he come from?
He glanced from her expectant face to her outstretched hand, then back.
“I can’t,” he breathed after a moment, not wanting to break the silence between them. Was she some sort of bird-spirit that would disappear at the first sound?
She smiled, flashing a dimple. He had a smooth voice and an open, honest face, with freckles and kind green eyes.
“Sure you can,” she replied, stepping closer, her arm still extended.
So she was real.
“No, I can’t.” He furrowed his brows, studying her. “I’m a Kuno, you are not.” Did she want to get him in trouble?
She tilted her head at him. He had a heavy, lilting accent and a careful way of choosing his words; Barian wasn’t his first language.
“So? No one’s around, and those rules are stupid anyway. Why shouldn’t I shake hands with you? We’re both just people,” she countered, shrugging carelessly.
He nodded slowly as he processed her words, then collected himself and reached out his hand. That made sense to him, and, he decided, she was wonderful for saying it.
Her face lit up at his movement, and she swept off her hat, long black braids cascading down her back at the swift motion. The breeze tugged gently at them as she eagerly grasped his wrist, giving it a solid shake before releasing it.
He awkwardly took his own hat off too, still not used to the customs of this country, and the girl gasped in delight, her eyes lighting on his head.
“Your hair, it’s like fire! That’s beautiful!” She exclaimed, practically glowing. Somehow when she said it he felt complimented, rather than judged. Maybe it was because she spoke to him, not about him.
Looking back at his face, she shook her head exasperatedly.
“I’m sorry, what’s your name? I forgot to ask. I’m Eve.”
He studied her tanned face and dancing eyes, complemented by the bright yellow of her dress, and he smiled genuinely for the first time in years. It was a small, crooked gesture, but a smile nevertheless.
“I’m Finn.”

I love this! You have very good description and style! Please post more!

 

[Cluckcluck1215]

Okay, Chapter 4 is here. Also unedited. And I'm seeing so many problems. XD I'm horrible at dialogue and flowery descriptions, so my writing ends up a bit blunt sometimes. Sorry.

Also, Cluck cluck, that actually wasn't something I had meant to send. I was pretty sure you were aware of that, lol. It was something I had typed out and decided not to send, but when I came back on here, somehow it got sent with that comment. You're totally good.

Spoiler: Chapter 4: Content warning: violence and death

I cursed and quickly looked away from the camera, chills washing over me. After staying where I was for what I thought was ten or fifteen minutes, I noticed that the Probablies were climbing up the makeshift rope, which gave me a good excuse to jog back over there without looking too suspicious.

So, I did. I made my way through the containers, trying to watch the camera out of the corner of my eye.

It followed me.

My heart jumped in my throat, and I jogged faster. When I reached Lucas, I hesitated. How did I tell him? If whoever was on the other side could see us, they could probably hear us too. Maybe it could be to our advantage that they didn’t know we knew about the camera. But, it was also not hidden. It was very obviously a security camera, the black lens contrasting starkly against the white walls. Maybe we were meant to see it.

I tapped Lucas’s arm.

“What the heck do you want now?” He exploded, making me jump nearly to kingdom come. I glared at him, saying what first came to my mind. How do I tell him without alerting the person watching us?

“Has CAMARYN made it up there?” I asked, widening my eyes and not daring to look at the camera in the corner.

“Wha--?” Brickhead stared at me as if I had grown a second head.

“CAMARYN. CAN WATCH ME climb, right?”

My heart pounded in my ears. I must look incredibly stupid right now. My face prickled with heat, and frustration built in my chest.

Nox made it up the rope, and Vicky, being small, jumped to grab on to the rope and began climbing as Nina walked over to us. I glared at Brickhead, my fear of being noticed by whoever was watching us overpowering my fear of looking stupid in front of everyone.

“Camaryn. Is watching me. Right now.” I blinked hard, willing him to understand what I was saying. Come on, come on!

“I don’t know, and I definitely don’t care.” His eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

Nina scanned the room, then raised an eyebrow, catching my meaning. She, being the brave one, leaned forward and gave Brickhead what seemed like a hug. He stiffened, and I could just barely hear her hiss.

“She’s trying to tell you there’s a camera in the corner recording us right now, you fool.” She released him and patted his shoulder, speaking in normal tones. “Thanks for being such a good and non-oblivious leader. You’re just… the best.”

Rolling her eyes, Nina turned and climbed the rope, leaving only me and Brickhead behind. He watched me for a while, as if considering whether what I had done was incredibly risky, stupid, or brave. Something flickered in his eyes, an expression that seemed like... Was that appreciation? Then it was gone. Surely not. I was bad at reading people anyway. He opened his mouth to talk, but he didn’t mention the camera. “I wonder what’s up there.”

I shrugged, baffled by his change of behavior. “Hopefully something good.”

“Ladies first,” he said, motioning towards the rope, which Nina had climbed incredibly quickly.

I smiled wryly. “Thanks, dearest.”

Grabbing the rope, I used both my feet and hands to pull myself up bit by bit. I wasn’t strong. At all. By the time I reached the top, Mason had to grab my wrist and pull me up the rest of the way. Determined not to be the weakling in the bunch, I stood and held my breath to try and control my panting.

It was pitch black. Unnaturally black. Instead of giving a small amount of light to see by, the light from the hole seemed to be smothered by the darkness. The circle of light was blocked completely for a moment as Lucas’s large frame was pulled through the hole.

“Okay--” Brickhead started, but suddenly lights flashed on out of nowhere, blinding and bright.

I cried out, shutting my eyes immediately. I heard others shouting.

The hairs on my neck seemed to stand straight up, and goosebumps popped up on my skin.

“Duck.” I heard a voice whisper beside me.

Nina’s voice.

It rose to a shout. “DUCK!”

Instincts kicked in, and I dropped to the cold floor, hugging myself to it, and not a moment too soon.

Multiple small objects whooshed overhead. I heard a scream that turned into a horrifying gurgle. I opened my eyes, squinting in the blaring light overhead. The entire room was a pure and perfect white, and a white door sat waiting a few hundred feet away.

“Get to the door!” I screamed, scrambling to get on my knees. It was hard to see through all of my hair. Something hit my bare calf, and I jumped to my feet, a feeling of strange burning coldness spreading from that spot up to the base of my neck.

It was a girl, convulsing as if she were possessed. Froth dripped from her mouth and her light brown hair flopped everywhere. When it pulled away from her neck, I saw a small silver dart stuck perfectly in the cleft where her collar bone met. Her amber eyes met mine, and I could see fear… No, absolute terror in them.

She stilled, her eyes turning glassy, and I felt that feeling of dread wash over me, drowning out that burning feeling. I instinctively hit the floor again and felt the breeze of a passing dart fly overhead.

I glanced around from my position on the floor. Nox and Nina, who were carrying the rope of shirts, were helping a girl and two boys get across the room, Nox using a force field to block the darts. They had almost reached it. Two girls were army crawling towards the door, their faces pale with fright. Lucas was on the ground beside Vicky, shielding her and another girl, and Mike and Mason, along with the last girl I didn’t know, were behind me. Camaryn was nowhere to be seen.

My heart dropped. Had she been hit by a dart? I searched the room one more time for her. Nothing.

Suddenly, I felt a strange sensation running through the seamless floor. It was like vibrating, getting louder and stronger. A perfect square of floor fell out in front of my face, revealing a pit of darkness that seemed to go on forever.

Crap.

I jumped to my feet.

Things seemed to move in slow motion while my adrenaline was pumping. I glanced down at the corpse of the girl, wondering numbly if I should carry the body with me.

No. She was dead, and the body would rot. We couldn’t deal with that. Not knowing what else to do, I nodded respectfully to her. Then her body fell through the floor. I backed up, trying to get my feet to move.

Something flew by me as I began to run, but instead of a dart, I saw the faint, blurry form of Mike carrying something… The curly-headed girl, I thought.

I stumbled, cursing as the floor way beneath me, but something caught me.

“Come on!” Mason said, pulling me back. He grabbed my hand and pulled me along, dodging and weaving through holes and flying darts.

I held on tightly, running as fast as I could towards the exit. Lucas was just entering the door at the end of the room with Vicky and the small girl with light brown hair and a nervous step. How had he gotten there so quickly?

Suddenly the image of the dead girl’s eyes popped into my mind, sickening me.

There was nothing you could do to help her. I tried to tell myself. That look would haunt me. Who deserved a fate like that? What kind of sick and twisted person would do this?

Mason tripped, and I automatically pulled back, balancing him. We continued, leaping over holes and ducking between darts. The rumbles increased, and I glanced back.

The tiles of floor dropped in a wave, beginning in the far side of the room, and just falling, nothing supporting it from underneath.

My breath caught, and I pushed harder. Almost there.

“JUMP!” Mason screamed.

We jumped, and our hands parted, both arms outstretched for the open doorway.

He made it. I did not.

One of my hands caught the bottom of the doorway as the rest of the tiles fell, the force of the fall almost making me slip. I cried out, trying to swing one hand up to support the other.

“Whoa! Skylar, hold on!” Mason scrambled around, laying on his stomach and grabbing my wrist, sweat glistening on him. “I got you. I got you.” He pulled me up, and soon I lay on the cracked and rocky floor, panting and spitting my long hair out of my mouth.

“Thanks.” I whispered, too tired to move. Did I just almost die?

“You’re-- You’re good!” he said hesitantly, sitting up and staring out into the dark hole that was left of the white room. “Wow. That’s a long way down.”

“That’s why I’m glad you didn’t let me turn into a Skylar shaped pancake down there. Thank you.”

He glanced at me, waving a dismissive hand. “Eh, you’d have done the same thing.”

I hesitated, my smirk fading. Would I have done the same thing? Would I have risked my life for someone else? “I--.”

Shouts. We both turned our heads toward the sound, and I saw the remaining teens gathered together a few yards away, completely unaware of us. Their attention was placed on the ground. Or something on the ground.

I sighed, somehow picking up my leaden limbs and jogging across the rocky ground towards them.

It was Mike. He and Lucas knelt over the convulsing body of another young girl. The dart that had struck her lay to the side, glinting in the weak yellow light from overhead.

“Do something.” Mike was hissing at Lucas. “You’re our ‘leader’. Do something. Aren’t you supposed to be keeping us alive?”

Lucas stared at the girl, his hands shaking. He obviously hadn’t been prepared for this. “There… There’s nothing I can do. She’s already dead.”

“No. No, she’s not!” Mike’s voice rose to a shout. “Look! Look at the way she’s staring at me! She’s still alive! Do something!” He clenched his fists, glaring at the body as if daring it to die.

The girl died, arching her back wildly, then going limp, eyes staring into nothing. Mike stared at the body for a moment, waiting for some signs of life, then stomped off.

Lucas blinked, shaking his head. “I… I couldn’t do anything.”

Two deaths. My chest ached, and I put a hand on his shoulder, trying to be comforting. “It’s okay. None of us could do anything.”

“I’m responsible for them,” Brickhead growled, pulling away from my hand. “I shouldn’t have let us get trapped so easily.”

My eyes burned and filled with tears, but I wasn’t sad. I was furious. Furious at the creators of this hellhole. Furious at the two girls for dying. Furious at myself for not saving them or doing anything remotely helpful in that room.

“No one had any idea of what was going to be up here,” I snapped, a tear sliding down my cheek. I brushed it away furiously, my face burning. You’re looking like a wimp in front of everyone, Skylar! Stop crying! Taking a deep breath, I forced myself to blink back my tears.

“Hey Lucas!” Nox suddenly yelled from across the cavern in which we stood. “I found supplies!”

Brickhead stood and, after giving me a parting glare, jogged towards the pile that Nox had found.

Everyone followed, excluding me. I felt drained, the adrenaline now gone from my body. Too many things... Way too many things had happened. It was too fast. I wanted to sink to the floor and just sob for a good thirty minutes before drifting off to sleep.

I had two things that I needed to take care of before I rested, if I could even do so peacefully.

Finding Camaryn came first, and surprisingly, I didn’t have to search far. She stood next to one of the girls in the group overlooking the new pile of provisions left for us by whatever monster put us in this mess.

I ran over to her and smothered her in a hug. “Oh, thank goodness you’re okay. You’re okay, right?”

Letting her go, I held her at arm's length. She had a huge grin on her face.

“Oh, I’m more than okay, Skylar! I used my test ability!”

This is really good! First person is difficult to write in, but this is very well written.
That's okay! Lol. I get it, it's happened to me before.

@Cutiechook15 I think it is a cool twist to have Lucifer be the son of the devil! I am loving your story, keep it up please! Edit: wait, I meant @Cluckcluck1215, but I am loving your story too Cluck!


I love this! You have very good description and style! Please post more!

Thank you! I wanted a little twist on Lucifer, even if it doesn't quite follow everything about the actual Lucifer.

 

[Thing2]

OOOOOH This was so good I love this!!!!

I love this! You have very good description and style! Please post more!

Aaahhh thanks guys!

 

[PioneerChicks]

Thing2 I love your signature! I am reading Fahrenheit 451 right now. I love distopias!

 

[Thing2]

Thing2 I love your signature! I am reading Fahrenheit 451 right now. I love distopias!

Thanks! Fahrenheit is awesome! That quote always stuck out to me, it's one of my favorites

 

[PioneerChicks]

Thanks! Fahrenheit is awesome! That quote always stuck out to me, it's one of my favorites

Yeah, It's a cool quote. I remember reading that exact part just a few days ago! It is just extra memorable, I guess!