Story/Newcomer/Newcomer.rtf

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{\*\generator Msftedit 5.41.21.2510;}\viewkind4\uc1\pard\sa150\sl0\slmult0\cf1\lang1041\f0\fs20 #\lang1033\f1 Outline\par
Emily in real world \endash  Disliked\par
Will, new guy, likes her\par
They hang out, Emily doesn\rquote t trust him\par
Emily leaves?\par
Comes back\par
Will and Emily discover abandoned tunnel\par
To the Forrest. \par
Wander\par
Ninja jump kick back of head, unseen\par
Unconscious wake up. All stuff is stolen. Thief/highwayman/something^\par
Lady there, cooing, wake up? \endash  Futura?? Asks who are, what were they doing there, from the looks of their outfits, are they Hearth, gives them names to assure safe passage, glad you found me, (she looks surprised and shocked at who they are)\par
Takes to Moonstone\par
Talks hushed excitedly. Kids left where can\rquote t hear.\par
Futura returns, leaves kids in Moonstone\rquote s care, leaves promptly and mysteriously\par
Moonstone takes to her camp, makes sure okay, are fed, etc\par
Both sides ask questions\par
Keep them for a day? Maybe leave afternoon. Nice timing, we\rquote re having a mentor\rquote s meeting\par
Go to mentor guild in main town Sisterly, capital\par
Mentors apprenticed except Moonstone (Futura\rquote s involvement, possibly)\par
Moonstone makes case, talks, no apprentice allowed to hear\par
Moonstone allowed to mentor Emily and Will\par
Training sessions and introduction to Moonstone and her camp who she is where they sleep\par
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Lewis comes, heard of Luna, hey\par
Luna defensive and protective at first, but then realizes is Lewis and not from her fathers kingdom\par
Lewis fellow mentor\par
Final war with all nations against great threat?\par
Holocaust of Alcara?\par
Jesse Jut Forgoes is the chosen one, not Nykki and not Ellis. He sacrifices himself and saves the world\par
Alcara are quickly killed\par
Still the Alcara push on and they kill the Alcara?\par
Futura kills Nykki herself before Ellis\rquote s eyes. Nykki is Alcara\par
Ellis lives, runs\par
Futura puts the mark of the alcara on Nykki\rquote s forehead clearly\par
Futura runs off to tell the mentors that are still alive (Lewis died and head mentor died) the news of Nykki\rquote s true race\par
Demoralizing news to mentors (most)\par
Nykki\rquote s actions since she was led to believe she was chosen caused the great evil boss??\par
Ellis goes crazy and lost his love\par
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#\lang1033\f2  Prologue \par
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\tab Luminous blue eyes opened and darted about the room quickly. The room still lay at rest, only the edges were made faintly visible by the moonlight. The woman strained her ears for any disturbances, but not a sound could be heard. It seemed a typical night, not even a breeze to arise suspicion. \par
\tab Still not satisfied, the woman slipped out of bed, careful not to draw any possible attention to herself, and ghosted to the center of the room. Nothing. Such silence usually triggered lighthearted feelings of serenity and reminiscence but tonight only unsettled her. The woman stood motionless in the center of the room, hesitating silently as to what she needed to do. The stagnant air chilled her skin, raising goosebumps. A wave of thoughts overwhelmed her of whether this sense of urgency and importance weren\rquote t just lingering from her strange dreams and memories of other nights like this. \par
\tab Then a shift in the air interrupted her indecision. The woman peered out into the balcony. Still nothing. She crept out onto the sturdy stone anyways, awaiting the discovery of the cause of her disconcertment.\par
\tab\ldblquote Moonstone,\rdblquote  the familiar voice murmured a step behind her. \par
\tab\ldblquote Futura!\rdblquote  Moonstone hissed. \ldblquote Why is it that you come to me here? It\rquote s never safe for you to be out here. What if someone had spotted you? What could be so important?\rdblquote\par
\tab\ldblquote Moonstone, remember. Not one of these fools could ever concern me. However, I keep myself hidden for my own reasons. So to leave my shadows just to deliver a message, it must be very important, and you\rquote re the only one I can trust with this information. Now before you say anything, you must not tell a soul. It\rquote s of upmost importance. However, I feel I must tell somebody.\rdblquote  Futura half-smiled. \ldblquote So naturally, I find you.\rdblquote\par
\tab\ldblquote You couldn\rquote t possibly\'85Is this a prophecy?\rdblquote  Moonstone gasped, her eyes shimmering in the dark.\par
\tab\ldblquote The last prophecy,\rdblquote  Futura affirmed. \ldblquote The Prophecy of the Newcomer\'85\rdblquote\par
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\lang1041\f0 #\lang1033\f2  The Source of a River \par
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\tab The sun was dipping just below the horizon, the sky still tinged in slight ripples of amber and crimson. The smooth waters of the lake captured the tips of the mountains against the warm tones of the sunset with the distorted quirks of Monet. Frogs and insects took signal to begin their nightly symphony, shrouded by the dark, known only by their voices. Fireflies were taking turns in dotting the scene in short, dim glows. A lone girl stubbornly sat at the edge of the lake, knowing it was time to return home. She knew this, sure, but she didn\rquote t care. She knew her family didn\rquote t care. Nobody in the whole world would care. So why should she? \par
\tab The age old laws of how children should behave ruled out in the end, and the girl made the long way home in the void of night, making the trip by muscle memory alone. She had been this way and back several times before, and sight wasn\rquote t really needed anymore. She arrived at her house and entered through the back door, knowing the tricks to avoid the creaky hinges and the threshold for what would wake her family. School was tomorrow anyways, so she slipped into bed. \par
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\tab The morning was just a series of motions: get out of bed, shower, get dressed, brush teeth, brush hair, get a bowl of cereal, pack backpack, try not to get underfoot, and get in the car. Once they got to school, she got out of the car with her backpack and started towards the building. Some student calls her out and pushes her around. One of her friends joins her and give the girl a rough time. The girl completely ignores the two girls and continues to the door knowing they\rquote ll have to part to visit their lockers and hurry to class at some point. \par
\tab Then for the first time, the cycle was broken. \par
\tab\ldblquote What are you picking on this little girl for? Don\rquote t you have anything better to do?\rdblquote  a boy the girl had never heard before cried out in defense. \par
\tab The girl was just as shocked as the two other students, looking up from her feet for the first time since she had gotten out of the car.\par
\tab\ldblquote Y\emdash ,\rdblquote  one of the girls started but couldn\rquote t arrive on anything to say. After half a second\rquote s confusion, she and her friend lapsed back into idle taunts and jabs. \par
\tab\ldblquote Hmph. Like what are you? Her boyfriend? Awww, how sweet. And I didn\rquote t think anybody could ever take trash like Albright.\rdblquote\par
\tab\ldblquote No\'85You don\rquote t have to be in a relationship with someone to help them out,\rdblquote  the boy stuttered.\par
\tab\ldblquote Ha! You want to help Albright out? Then you must be new here. Albright is trash. If you don\rquote t know why yet, just hang around the school a little longer. The students hate her. The teachers hate her. She\rquote s just scum. She doesn\rquote t deserve help.\rdblquote\par
\tab\ldblquote Scum? Well, the only people here acting like that seem to be you and your friend. Just leave her alone.\rdblquote\par
\tab\ldblquote Sounds like somebody\rquote s ready to hold us countable to those haughty words,\rdblquote  the blonde girl sneered. \ldblquote Hero boy\rquote s not gonna fight us, is he?\rdblquote\par
\tab\ldblquote No! And I don\rquote t have to. Just leave her alone.\rdblquote\par
\tab\ldblquote Then what are you going to do? Words mean nothing, you know?\rdblquote\par
\tab The boy hesitated, and the two girls saw it immediately. \par
\tab\ldblquote Precisely. We\rquote ll let you off clean this time, but stay away from that girl if you know what\rquote s good for you. Don\rquote t put such a bad reputation on such a cute face. It\rquote d be a shame. Anyways, come on, Stace.\rdblquote\par
\tab The two girls strutted away indignantly, leaving the girl and the boy alone.\par
\tab\ldblquote Erm, he\emdash\ldblquote  The boy started, perplexed by the scene.\par
\tab The girl turned to her apparent hero with startled, untrusting eyes in wonder which quickly melted to anger. She quickly left him to rush to class. The rest of the day flowed as any without any more breaks in schedule, but the girl never settled back into the series of classes to sit through. She found herself constantly glancing out the door for a glimpse of that guy again. Nobody ever was just\'85nice to her. Especially like that. Who was her to stand up for her? \par
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\tab She didn\rquote t spot him for the rest of the day until the bell rang. She gathered her books and fumbled with her combination, having to redo it once. She had her homework and filled her backpack, so she could leave the school building yet another time and find someplace to be alone for a while. Just as she was leaving the school, she spotted him again: average height, smooth dark hair, brown eyes. She hurried past him to get back home as quickly as possible. \par
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\lang1041\f0 #\lang1033\f2  Spark and Burning Low \par
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\tab The girl learned which halls the boy went down and avoided him with near-paranoia. It took a few days for her usual bullies to block her entrance into the school and degrade her between classes, but after they had, the girl eased slowly back into her routine, but she hadn\rquote t forgotten the hiccup.\par
\tab Eventually, she had learned that his name was Will. He was new to the school, enrolling in the middle of the year due to his dad\rquote s job unexpectedly moving. He was a grade above her, a sophomore. Luckily, they shared no classes. \par
\tab Just as she was leaving the school, the girl heard her name then was tripped onto the concrete walkway. She didn\rquote t break anything, but her books and pencils spilled everywhere. Then there was that boy again\emdash Will. \par
\tab\ldblquote Are you okay?\rdblquote  asked Will, quickly gathering her things into her backpack for her. \par
\tab The girl only stared back incredulously, speechless for a moment. \par
\tab\ldblquote Erm, what\rquote s your name?\rdblquote\par
\tab\ldblquote Emily\'85\rdblquote  the girl breathed back. \ldblquote Why?\rdblquote\par
\tab\ldblquote Err, my name\rquote s Will,\rdblquote  he introduced himself as he handed Emily back her backpack. \ldblquote Here.\rdblquote\par
\tab Emily took it like someone accepting a shot.\par
\tab\ldblquote You mind if I walk you home?\rdblquote\par
\tab By now, more than a few students had stopped their idle chatter to watch the scene from afar. Not one said a word. \par
\tab\ldblquote But\emdash uh,\rdblquote  Emily stuttered. \par
\tab She pushed herself to her feet, feeling so light-headed, she hardly felt contact with the ground. \par
\tab The two walked together in silence, the student body watching after them in utter bewilderment. \par
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\lang1041\f0 #\lang1033\f2  Gray Fortress \par
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\tab\ldblquote Emily, I\rquote m sorry for startling you and probably making you feel uncomfortable. Err, are you okay?\rdblquote  asked Will after walking in silence for a long period of time. \par
\tab\ldblquote Why are you acting like this?\rdblquote  Emily replied curtly. \ldblquote What do you think you can get out of this?\rdblquote\par
\tab\ldblquote What do you mean? Surely not everybody treats you like that.\rdblquote\par
\tab\ldblquote Really. Stop with the games. Just tell me what you want and leave me alone. I\rquote ve never bothered you.\rdblquote\par
\tab\ldblquote How far away do you live?\rdblquote  Will changed the subject. \par
\tab\ldblquote A while.\rdblquote  \par
\tab\ldblquote Ah, I live a while away, too. There\rquote s a school that would only take me twenty minutes to walk to, but the districts were set strangely, so.\rdblquote\par
\tab\ldblquote Neither one of us is answering the other\rquote s question, and I trust you will break first long before me. Why are you walking me home?\rdblquote\par
\tab\ldblquote Because I\rquote m hoping to understand you a little better and because you seem to have no idea what it\rquote s like to have someone do you a favor. So I\rquote m being nice.\rdblquote\par
\tab\ldblquote Understand me better?\rdblquote  \par
\tab\ldblquote Yes. Why is everybody so mean to you? They single you out for no reason. You don\rquote t seem to have done anything to anyone.\rdblquote\par
\tab\ldblquote Whether I have or not doesn\rquote t matter. You don\rquote t understand; people treat me how they do because it\rquote s the way it works. People respond to teachers one way, trees another, dogs another, siblings another, and so on. You don\rquote t seem so perplexed at why we walk over the grass as though it doesn\rquote t matter.\rdblquote\par
\tab\ldblquote What? No, well, why you over anybody else in your class or any other class?\rdblquote  pressed Will. \ldblquote Or me?\rdblquote  \par
\tab\ldblquote You\rquote re not me. So you\rquote re not treated like that. However, you seem to not understand at all that rule.\rdblquote\par
\tab\ldblquote I don\rquote t. What rule?\rdblquote\par
\tab\ldblquote It\rquote s just how the world is. I don\rquote t know what exactly it entails or who set it down. It\rquote s just the way it is.\rdblquote\par
\tab\ldblquote You\rquote ve listened to those people for way too long. You\rquote re a beautiful girl and seem alright. That puts you a step above most of the girls I\rquote ve seen. You\rquote re hardly the \lquote scum\rquote  people describe you as.\rdblquote\par
\tab\ldblquote Err, that\rquote s the way it\rquote s been since I can remember. And it\rquote s held true for every person I\rquote ve encountered since birth. Why are you so different?\rdblquote\par
\tab Will was taken a step back. He didn\rquote t quite know how to respond. \par
\tab\ldblquote Anyways, there\rquote s my house,\rdblquote  Emily gestured to a row of houses. \par
\tab She abruptly walked to the last one and went to the back entrance. Will stood where she had left him trying to form an opinion and turned to walk to his house. \par
\tab Emily sighed in relief and walked to where her house actually was, enjoying the fact that she finally found a use for the old house. She wondered when Will\rquote d try to visit or call, only to find that the house was vacant and had been for years. It was kept orderly by an OCD neighbor who made it his own personal crusade to keep the grass perfectly cut. \par
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\lang1041\f0 #\lang1033\f2  A Secluded and Wooded Valley\par
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\tab Will\rquote s walking Emily home became a habit to the shock of the student body. Will never seemed to realize that they weren\rquote t actually going to Emily\rquote s house, though Emily had fun inventing reasons why her parents\rquote  cars were never there and why the lights were never on. \par
\tab The trick worked for a while and allowed Emily to be flat out stubborn towards Will until they walked up to the house one day and a new sign was out in the front. It read:\par
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For Sale.\par
Please contact Minnie Bininger at 555-2686.\par
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\tab Emily froze.\par
\tab\ldblquote You\rquote re moving?!\rdblquote  Will cried. \par
\tab\ldblquote Err.\rdblquote  \par
\tab\ldblquote Oh,\rdblquote  Will realized. \ldblquote So where is your real house?\rdblquote\par
\tab\ldblquote How quickly do you need to get home?\rdblquote  asked Emily.\par
\tab\ldblquote Err, my parents are pretty laid-back. So long as I call, I can hang out as long as I like...\rdblquote\par
\tab\ldblquote Okay then. Why don\rquote t I show you something?\rdblquote  Emily sighed. \par
\tab\ldblquote Okay\'85\rdblquote  Will complied. \par
\tab Emily led Will alongside the road and through light forests for a long distance. Will trotted along, curious for what Emily could want to show him. He didn\rquote t speak a word in fear of Emily rescinding her offer. The foliage grew thicker and richer at the crest of a hill, a leafy veil for what lie just behind them. They broke the line of trees and stepped onto the spongy grass and soil of the lake. Everything lay perfectly untouched, the animals freely going about their business without the fear of human trespass. As with all things in nature without the gaudy d\f3\'e9cor and rearrangement by humans, the sparkling beauty of the lake and surrounding rocks was hard to define, though it was of a simple nature. \par
\tab\ldblquote Oh, Emily,\rdblquote  Will gasped, rarely having had been in one of the out-of-the-way pockets seeded all about the countryside. \ldblquote What is this place?\rdblquote\par
\tab\ldblquote Nobody seems to know or care about it, so I come out here whenever the world gets to be too much for my liking. Frogs and fireflies care little about the rules of the world, so I enjoy their disinterest occasionally. How little they know, yet how orderly they are fascinates me. Uh, mostly I come out here to think. I don\rquote t really know why I showed you this place. But I usually come here instead of going home. How I\rquote m treated in school is just as tolerable as it is at home, and I don\rquote t care much. It is nice, though, just to take a break out here. It\rquote s beautiful.\rdblquote\par
\tab\ldblquote Oh\'85Well,\rdblquote  Will took in the scene around him. \ldblquote It\rquote s wonderful. Err, yeah, thanks for showing me.\rdblquote\par
\tab Emily was lost in the turbulent little ripples along the shore, and Will observed all around him, shocked by Emily\rquote s foreign openness, at least in this one thing. \par
\tab\ldblquote So how often do you come out here?\rdblquote  Will asked as they sat down on the rocky outcroppings leading out to the waters of the lake. \par
\tab\ldblquote Daily, if I feel my absence won\rquote t affect anything due to certain circumstances.  I like to be here instead of being there,\rdblquote  Emily brushed her shoulder. \ldblquote So why are you so ready to be sympathetic towards me? I\rquote m sure you\rquote ve lost any friends you might have made just for one who\rquote s not worth it.\rdblquote\par
\tab\ldblquote That doesn\rquote t really bother me at all. You seem to need a friend, so I want to try to be one. And you seem to be a really interesting person, but you just completely mistrust everybody. \par
\tab\ldblquote Need a friend? So you throw away any chance of making it through school because I \lquote need a friend\rquote ?\rdblquote\par
\tab\ldblquote Everybody needs friends\'85And people haven\rquote t been that rough on me. Just the occasional odd stare. Nothing unusual\'85\rdblquote\par
\tab\ldblquote Yeah, the students\rquote ll form their opinion about you soon. The teachers, though, I\rquote m not too sure about. I\rquote ll let you make your mistakes if that\rquote s your inclination.\rdblquote\par
\tab\ldblquote Exactly what is this system you see set up that sets you apart as something to abuse? If you got it from somebody, it\rquote s not right. You\rquote re just a girl. I\rquote m sure there have been misunderstandings and jealousy\'85\rdblquote\par
\tab\ldblquote No, you don\rquote t get it. I don\rquote t listen to other people. They always lie. I know they do because I\rquote m told something, believe it, and am let down. It proves true every time if it\rquote s a promise or something that could help me. I don\rquote t listen to other people. I observe things on my own. I meet somebody. They are cruel to me. I meet more people. They verbally abuse me on a daily basis. I don\rquote t form a theory until I have seen it come true so many times, I doubt it could ever prove not true,\rdblquote  Emily ranted. \ldblquote Then there\rquote s you.\rdblquote\par
\tab\ldblquote Am I really that different for just trying to be a little caring?\rdblquote\par
\tab\ldblquote Yes. It shouldn\rquote t happen. So I don\rquote t believe you either.\rdblquote\par
\tab\ldblquote I can\rquote t expect you to\'85I hope you will, though.\rdblquote\par
\tab\ldblquote You don\rquote t?\rdblquote  Emily\rquote s eyes snapped to Will\rquote s face with a strange glow. Her eyes begged for a reply.\par
\tab\ldblquote No, Emily. Had anybody ever allowed you just to be you without obligating anything on you? You\rquote re your own person, Emily. You know that?\rdblquote\par
\tab\ldblquote Eh,\rdblquote  Emily suddenly looked hurt. \ldblquote I\rquote m sorry, just why are you doing this?\rdblquote\par
\tab\ldblquote Em\emdash\ldblquote  Will started as Emily leapt up and sped away, quickly disappearing behind the trees. Will didn\rquote t linger. He got up and started home. He had forgotten to call his mom about it anyways. \par
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# Means How Much \par
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\tab Will was thankful once again for his parents being so hands-off in the way they raised him. They were the sort of parents who allow their children to grow up without overly strict rules that led to death if broken. They had always felt that led to rebellion, and the punishment would do little to mend \ldblquote problems of the heart\rdblquote . Instead, they taught their child what is right and what is wrong, then allowed Will to make mistakes and see the consequences for himself so long as they weren\rquote t hazardous or would negatively impact his future. They thought that a child would learn proper behavior from having to deal with the consequences himself than being blindly punished for breaking silly, meaningless rules. Will is what most people would call a good kid with great respect for his parents, so the guilt of displeasing his parents was often enough to keep him in line. He got off easy, though his mother had private concerns about it. Will never forgets to call home of all things. She didn\rquote t hold one mistake over him, though, and reminded him to call if he was going to be late.\par
\tab After apologizing several times, Will headed up to his room and cleared his computer desk to start on his homework. He realized he didn\rquote t have his bookbag with him, so he checked downstairs. Then he remembered leaving it at the lake. He was so foolish! Luckily, he remembered the gist of the material and only brought the books to be used to brush up on what he was fairly confident he remembered, but there\rquote s no telling what could happen to it. \par
\tab He knew he had to run out and get it, but he had just gotten back late after not calling. So foolish! The lake wasn\rquote t too far from the school, so Will resolved to pick it up early the next morning. \par
\tab He quickly knocked out the notebook work on one of his home notebooks. He had finished his math homework in class as usual and had only a few questions left to complete in history. History was his third period class, but he was pretty sure he could finish them in time. \par
\tab Since he was planning on leaving a little earlier, he got into bed around 9:45 P.M. \par
\tab Emily burdened his mind once he had stilled himself to go to sleep. She was just your average teen who has been mistreated and disliked more often than not and grew into being a lonely person who has lost all self-confidence. Will has always tried to be a friend to these people, feeling their depression and apparent helplessness as his own. Emily, however, bothered him. He wasn\rquote t sure how to even describe it; her situation was different. Her disposition, her surroundings\'85just different. Just how she looked at him before running away killed something in him. She must have truly had a very different life than most people like her. And she must hold the feelings in very differently. It hurt to think about. In fear of nightmares, Will shook off all his thoughts and tried to fall asleep.\par
\tab Despite willing his sleep to be easy, Will had bad dreams, though he could hardly remember any of it after opening his eyes. Anything that bothered him usually led to a bothered sleep. It was an inescapable curse for Will. \par
\tab Oh, right! My bookbag! Will thought. He glanced up at the clock.\par
\tab\ldblquote 6:27 A.M.,\rdblquote  the digital display blinked. That was about the time Will usually woke up in the mornings. Great. Great, great, great. \par
\tab Keeping his bookbag in mind, Will got ready in record time, vaguely reminding him of all the times he had been able to shower in under half a minute as a little kid so he could watch some program on the TV. \par
\tab\ldblquote 6:36 A.M.\rdblquote  Will eyed the living room clock as he pulled on his shoes. \par
\tab\ldblquote You seem in a hurry,\rdblquote  his mother commented.\par
\tab Will jumped. He had been so focused on getting ready, he hadn\rquote t noticed that his mom was in the room. \par
\tab\ldblquote Err, yeah. I left my bookbag at school, and I had a few problems in history that I needed to answer before class.\rdblquote\par
\tab Will\rquote s mom half-smiled and replied, \ldblquote Ah, then I won\rquote t slow you down.\rdblquote\par
\tab Will hesitated then hastened out to his car. License, err\emdash no bookbag, the homework I did manage to do, uh, yeah. I guess, he skimmed through an imaginary checklist. As he was pulling out, he noticed his bookbag sitting right beside the front door. He jumped out of his car and snatched it up. Nothing was tampered. It didn\rquote t look like anybody had even opened it.\par
\tab Emily, the name passed briefly through Will\rquote s mind as he drove off to school. \par
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# Bird Catcher \par
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\tab Will brought his history book to homeroom in hopes of completing his work assignment before the first bell rang. He laid his notebook on his desk and opened to page 81. A scrap sheet of paper slipped out from the pages and fell to the ground. Robin and Jenna were the only other people in the room at the moment, and both were too preoccupied with wasting time to notice the others in the room. Will leaned over casually and picked it up off the floor. Once turned over, he saw a handwriting other than his own scrawled across it:\par
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\tab I don\rquote t entirely not appreciate your efforts to be nice. I\rquote m sorry; I\rquote m just not used to the idea. If you really want just want to be friends, I\rquote ll try. It\rquote s just a strange concept to me, and I wouldn\rquote t be that great of one. But if you want to anyways, I can try. I know how \ldblquote teen\rdblquote  this sounds, but I\rquote ve just never met anybody like you who is just\'85nice. But I don\rquote t know. I might retract the offer later. But this is really incoherent, and you have some problems in history, so. Err\'85Sorry\'85and\'85Thanks.\par
# Emily \tab\tab\tab\tab\par
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\tab After reading it, Will quickly folded it and put it in his pants pocket. He didn\rquote t have time to meditate on it, but. It was new. He just wished he could get inside Emily\rquote s head more and see what all has been working through her to get her to feel like she could accept anybody. \par
\tab But he had a history assignment and only four more minutes to complete it before sacrificing his free-time, so he got started. \par
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\tab At the final bell, Emily met Will at his locker. \par
\tab\ldblquote Hey,\rdblquote  was all she said. Will nodded back and got his books together. They walked out of the school after Will had texted his mom. Neither really said anything until they had reached the lake. Once they had, Will spoke up first.\par
\tab\ldblquote Thanks for getting my books for me\'85I would have been late if I had to come out here myself before school.\rdblquote\par
\tab\ldblquote Yeah, it was nothing. I usually spend at least a few minutes out here every morning anyways.\rdblquote\par
\tab\ldblquote Really? You must spend a lot of time out here.\rdblquote\par
\tab\ldblquote Admittedly\'85Yeah. It just feels like home more than anyplace else ever has. Not that there\rquote s really anything about it. Just\'85relative silence. No criticisms. No expectations. Just relative peace. And it\rquote s\'85nice.\rdblquote\par
\tab\ldblquote It probably means a lot that you\rquote d take somebody into this place.\rdblquote\par
\tab\ldblquote It does. But I don\rquote t know why I did. You haven\rquote t ruined it, though. So I guess it was okay.\rdblquote\par
\tab The two fell silent again for several minutes. There just simply seemed to be nothing to say. Emily just gazed about the lake with an air of satisfaction that she never had in school. Will just waited, feeling slightly awkward.\par
\tab\ldblquote I\rquote m sorry I\rquote m not talking. It\rquote s making you feel uncomfortable. It\rquote s because you don\rquote t want to say anything to offend me or upset me. Really. It\rquote s okay.\rdblquote\par
\tab\ldblquote Err, okay\'85Emily, what\rquote s your family like?\rdblquote\par
\tab\ldblquote My dad and my mom are together. No siblings. I was adopted, though I\rquote ve never heard much about that. They fight a lot, and neither really likes me. I\rquote m not a perfect child or anything, but yeah. They just don\rquote t like me. I\rquote ve never really fit into the family, though. I\rquote m such a loner in my eyes, I guess, that it\rquote s hard to be in those sorts of relationships. I guess. I don\rquote t know. But I just never have. And maybe I can, but what\rquote s in my head is in my head and nothing feels right. Though that sounds crazy. Sorry.\rdblquote\par
\tab\ldblquote You say sorry so much, Emily. It\rquote s fine,\rdblquote  Will tried to get her to understand. \ldblquote And I sort of think I know what you mean. Even though I\rquote ve never really felt like that anywhere\'85So you\rquote ve just never had friends or anything? Even as a little kid?\rdblquote\par
\tab\ldblquote No\'85I was the kid who just entertained herself and didn\rquote t care much for the others in the room. Academic and skills-oriented pursuits interested me, but that was about it. Other kids didn\rquote t care for me either. They just left me out of anything I tried to get involved in. And they were mean. But whatever. And that stuck\'85apparently.\rdblquote\par
\tab\ldblquote Not everybody in the world can treat you like that without even knowing you.\rdblquote\par
\tab\ldblquote Then just shadow me and watch how strangers respond to me. It\rquote s how the world works.\rdblquote\par
\tab\ldblquote But\'85how? Why? You don\rquote t look extraordinarily different from anybody else. Just short for your age, I guess. Nothing that\'85off\'85\rdblquote\par
\tab\ldblquote It\rquote s how the world works. Don\rquote t reason with it. You just always lose in the end. You accept it and take your place. It\rquote s how the world works.\rdblquote\par
\tab\ldblquote But\'85it\rquote s so\'85I don\rquote t know. Everybody? Just. I don\rquote t know.\rdblquote\par
\tab\ldblquote You\rquote re the first. Really. And maybe you\rquote ll learn later.\rdblquote\par
\tab\ldblquote And you\rquote re okay with this?\rdblquote\par
\tab\ldblquote Like I said. You can\rquote t argue what never changes. Just live with it.\rdblquote\par
\tab\ldblquote Surely that really just eats at you inside, though. Does it?\rdblquote\par
\tab\ldblquote Well. Emotions don\rquote t matter much.\rdblquote\par
\tab\ldblquote It\rquote s who you are, though.\rdblquote\par
\tab\ldblquote Who I \lquote are\rquote  don\rquote t matter much. There\rquote s a world, and I\rquote m just a point on it. People near me don\rquote t usually give me a second thought. Why would I matter on any scale?\rdblquote\par
\tab\ldblquote You can\rquote t live like that.\rdblquote\par
\tab\ldblquote I haven\rquote t?\rdblquote\par
\tab\ldblquote I don\rquote t find you that way at all.\rdblquote\par
\tab\ldblquote I haven\rquote t been a burden to you?\rdblquote\par
\tab\ldblquote Don\rquote t talk like that. You\rquote ve just been living in the wrong company for too long. You matter loads. The others are just stupid. I hope you recognize that.\rdblquote\par
\tab\ldblquote An entire world stupid? Fancy.\rdblquote\par
\tab\ldblquote I don\rquote t really have my mind wrapped around that and don\rquote t I could if I had been through all of life with you\'85And just let me ask you. Do you really feel this way, Emily?\rdblquote\par
\tab Emily didn\rquote t answer. \par
\tab\ldblquote That\rquote s okay. I don\rquote t really want an answer. Err, do you do anything? Like hobbies.\rdblquote\par
\tab\ldblquote Sorta. I just like to pass time here. It\rquote s just the lake. I\rquote ll pick up any new skill that might come in handy, though. Reading is always nice, but I really would just prefer to watch the lake here.\rdblquote\par
\tab\ldblquote How many years have you been out here?\rdblquote\par
\tab\ldblquote Only two. The first was less enjoying the presence of the lake and more overcoming everything that hung so heavily on me. It was mostly a place that I knew I\rquote d always be alone here. It wasn\rquote t until this year that I really started noticing all the special quirks about the lake. It\rquote s order and immutable ecosystem, Bugs, frogs and fish, other fish, raptors, the rare sighting of a larger creature. All move about their daily cycle, inches away from their enemies, yet never flinching. It\rquote s a different world there, and I\rquote ll never be a part of that. I\rquote m hardly a part of my own world. I don\rquote t know, I guess it\rquote s comfortable. Just watching from the outside how everything progresses. Nothing ever seems to stand out between the days here. People aren\rquote t like that. It\rquote s probably less interesting, but I just enjoy the peace here. Paradise, I guess. Everything they need. No fear, no pain.\rdblquote\par
\tab\ldblquote Sentimental spot, then?\rdblquote\par
\tab\ldblquote Yeah\'85Home. Do you have anything like that?\rdblquote\par
\tab\ldblquote Not really. No place has stood out as that significant for me. Though I love my parents\'85if it\rquote s okay to mention that.\rdblquote\par
\tab\ldblquote I have no remorse. I never had and never really met those who gave birth to me. Though I don\rquote t find it hard to believe they threw me out like everybody else.\rdblquote\par
\tab\ldblquote Oh\'85Well, I love mine. So I guess just being with them. I\rquote m an only child, so I guess I\rquote m more attached to them.\rdblquote\par
\tab\ldblquote Heh, doesn\rquote t always work like that, I guess.\rdblquote\par
\tab\ldblquote Yeah, guess not.\rdblquote\par
\tab\ldblquote Anyways\'85you have a lot of homework, don\rquote t you? I\rquote d rather you get started on that instead of blowing time.\rdblquote\par
\tab\ldblquote Right, later\'85\rdblquote\par
\tab Will got up and brushed himself off to leave. Emily just remained where she was because she had no place else to be. Once Will was out of earshot, she sighed. It all just felt strange. She was crazy, but there was something she could feel in him. But she was crazy.\par
.:~:.\par
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\tab The next day, they tried again. \par
\tab\ldblquote So, what classes are you taking this year?\rdblquote  Will started.\par
\tab\ldblquote Err, just the basic 9th grade stuff. You know.\rdblquote\par
\tab\ldblquote Ah. Yeah. New here, so I don\rquote t know any of your teachers specifically or anything.\rdblquote\par
\tab\ldblquote Where are you from, anyways?\rdblquote  Emily asked.\par
\tab\ldblquote Virginia. Nowhere special. My dad is a carpenter and his work moved. So we had to move with it. So now we\rquote re here. It was really unexpected, so I had to leave school halfway through the year, which was slightly stressful with testing and all. But I\rquote m adapting, I guess?\rdblquote\par
\tab\ldblquote Ah,\rdblquote  Emily smiled slightly. She had a prejudice against Virginians for the longest time. She couldn\rquote t remember why anymore, though, so she had just let it pass. \ldblquote Is anywhere really that special?\rdblquote\par
\tab\ldblquote Eh, well,\rdblquote  Will responded. \par
\tab\par
.:~:.\par
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\tab The two went on for about a week, then one day, Will hadn\rquote t shown up. He had started to feel that Emily was a bit off and another guy told him off about Emily and told him to go somewhere with him. Will does so reluctantly, and Emily stands alone in the school doorway for about an hour until she gives up. She drags to the lake and gazes into the water, feeling somewhat dejected. She realizes that she doesn\rquote t totally mind Will\rquote s presence and the lake and just hangs out for a while. Will doesn\rquote t come back for 3 days until Emily catches him. She comes to him, softened, just wanting him. He feels crushed, realizing what he had just done. Emily starts speaking to him more and eventually they go for a walk around the lake and find the portal to Cyre.\par
\par
.:~:.\par
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\tab Emily gets really discouraged and falls into her black cloud of discontentment and just runs away. Will waits at the lake for a week, hoping to catch her. Soon after, he gives up, knowing her nature. He tries to slip into a normal life at the school. After 2 weeks, he gets the strangest urge to travel to the lake. He obliges, feeling so strange doing so, and meets Emily there. Emily had realized how she didn\rquote t care one wit about the world at all and was perfectly content to live out somewhere, whether she died or not. But she missed Will. She had tried to dismiss it, but his memory persisted. So she just had to run back to the lake. If he was there, she would stay with him. If not, she\rquote d just forget him. She gets to the lake and he\rquote s there. It\rquote s dark and she can hardly make out the trees, but she recognizes him immediately and stops breathing. It\rquote s him. After all that time, it\rquote s him. Will is taken aback as well, seeing her in the moonlight. Gorgeous. They both are spellbound by each other and unwilling to talk. Emily finally musters, \ldblquote\'85I\rquote m sorry.\rdblquote  Will says nothing, star struck. The next day is the weekend, they agree to meet out. Will tells his mom that he\rquote s going to be spending the day with a friend. She asks who.  \par
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# Cross the water\par
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\tab\ldblquote You look like you\rquote re ready to go somewhere,\rdblquote  Will\rquote s mother came up from behind.\par
\tab\ldblquote Oh, I\rquote m just spending the day with a friend,\rdblquote  Will replied.\par
\tab\ldblquote Oh, good! Who is he?\rdblquote\par
\tab\ldblquote Her, actually. She\rquote s a girl I met in the school. She seemed to have had a really rough time from the other girls in her class and stuff.\rdblquote\par
\tab\ldblquote Aww, how sweet. So you watch over her. You don\rquote t like her, do you?\rdblquote\par
\tab Will blushed vividly on cue. He wished he was one of those people who could be asked questions like that, guilty or not, and keep a straight face. He wasn\rquote t, however, and it started more rumors that he could ever care for.\par
\tab\ldblquote No, no, I just have to be a friend to those who don\rquote t have any. You know how I am.\rdblquote\par
\tab\ldblquote You know I\rquote m just picking on you, Will. You\rquote ve grown up to be such a good person. Anyways, I\rquote ll let you go ahead. You know your curfews and all those other burdens.\rdblquote\par
\tab Will smiled back. \ldblquote Of course, Mom. See ya.\rdblquote\par
\tab Will was jovial on his way to the lake. He still had chills from last night, even though he felt sort of silly about it. He eventually gave up walking and jogged the rest of the way there. As always, Emily was waiting for him. \par
\tab\ldblquote Do you want to look around? We\rquote ve never ventured out back the water\rquote s edge,\rdblquote  Emily called out.\par
\tab\ldblquote Sure,\rdblquote  Will shrugged. \par
\tab The two ventured about, admiring trees and the little pockets of nature. Emily had a deeper admiration, moving slowly, cherishing every detail. Will had never really been out in nature before and was astonished at nature\rquote s ornaments and own structures. They ambled aimlessly, going every which way, until they had reached the base of the mountains where a curious stone structure stood. The architecture was far different from anything either of them had ever heard about, and it looked very old. Two timeless statures guarded the great stone door listlessly, gazing past Emily\rquote s attempts at eye contact.  Their faces surprised her, resembling humans only slightly. The male was shorter and its face was flatter. Long, thin ears extended from the sides of its stone head, ended in points. Its hair was scraggly and untrimmed, and it had a tail similar to a lion\rquote s. The statue depicting a female was tall and lanky, her hair thin and wispy like a baby\rquote s. Around her tall forehead was a headband with a jewel at the center of her forehead. Her hands presented a timepiece of sorts. Will guessed it to be some form of a primitive hourglass. \par
\tab\ldblquote\'85Ancient gods? Or? How does this seem untouched? It looks like it\rquote s been out here for hundreds of years!\rdblquote  Will exclaimed. \par
\tab\ldblquote\'85If people knew about this, would someone have heard about it at some point?\rdblquote  Emily gawked at the towering statues.\par
\tab\ldblquote Well\'85yeah\'85\rdblquote\par
\tab\ldblquote Well\'85?\rdblquote  said Emily. \ldblquote If this was seriously some government secret, this would be guarded or destroyed or at least have better foliage coverage. So.\rdblquote\par
\tab\ldblquote If we touch it, we wouldn\rquote t trigger any traps, would we?\rdblquote\par
\tab\ldblquote You\rquote d have to check. But you want to touch it?\rdblquote\par
\tab\ldblquote We\rquote d have to, though! It\rquote s an ancient, mysterious door in the middle of the woods.\rdblquote\par
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\tab The two teens vaguely became aware of a swirling, roaring world out of the black. The light was blinding at first then became bearable. The backs of their heads ached as though a leather sap was brought against them. Someone was calling to them. A woman.\par
\tab Emily picked herself up, still feeling groggy. A startlingly beautiful woman a bar below average height met eyes with Emily. Her hair was long, thick, and braided into wild curls that showered down her shoulders. When she saw Emily awake, she smiled. Emily\rquote s vision was so blurred, she couldn\rquote t make out any intentions under that smile, so she just stared back. \par
\tab Will grunted and got up to his knees. \ldblquote Whash\'85?\rdblquote\par
\tab Then Emily jolted fully awake. \ldblquote Where\rquote s my stuff?\rdblquote\par
\tab Will forced himself up to his knees. \ldblquote Whash\'85?\rdblquote\par
\tab\ldblquote It\rquote s gone. Yours, too. All gone. Where\rquote s my stuff?\rdblquote  Emily streamed, surveying the horizon. \ldblquote\'85Wait, what happened?\rdblquote\par
\tab Will looked up and shook himself. \ldblquote What is this place?\rdblquote\par
\tab\ldblquote Ah, you two are finally awake! Good! I was just walking along and happened to find you here. Fortunate I was the one to find you. Who knows what cutthroat might have happened upon you. Though perhaps a thief has? Whose apprentices are you? Your attire looks awfully odd, though. Are you travelers from far?\rdblquote  questioned the woman. \par
\tab\ldblquote Mm\'85you could say we\rquote re travelers.\rdblquote\par
\f2\par
}