NaNoWrimo: Fairy TXT : Chapter 1
For the last 10k words of Nano I decided to write a another story, since GoG probably isn't ending any time soon. So, I've pulled this story up out of my memory. <3
It's bad and confusing, FYI.
Chapter One: Cell Phones
The clock was ticking. Slowly. Slowly. Every time it ticked paradise got closer. Reyna watched the clock intently, waiting eagerly for the moment that it would trigger the bell. The two months of the year that meant the most to any student were coming. They were so close that students were already starting to get a bit antsy... And then “cool and silent” Reyna didn't want to admit it, the antsy feeling was starting to get contagious.
“Five.”
A whisper came from Reyna's right and she turned to look at the desk next to her. Across from her was her best friend, Gina. Gina and Reyna looked to be polar opposites so it wasn't often that people realized they could be friends. Reyna's long black hair greatly contrasted Gina's short blonde hair. Similarly, Gina's dark green eyes contrasted Reyna's bright blue eye. And while Gina was short and cute, Reyna was tall and...well... She certainly didn't think of herself as being cute.
“Four~” Gina looked at Reyna now, then giggled quietly and smile. Catching the cue, Reyna joined in to the whispered countdown.
“Three.”
“Two~.”
“One.”
There was a loud ringing sound, but louder still was the sound of kids cheering their heads off. Reyna sighed in happy relief and got up out of her chair, picking up her messenger bag and then swinging it over her shoulder. She also took her purse, which was small and unique, not just because the black fabric had an anime character sewn in with pink thread. The unique was also due to the fact that the purse had been a special promotional item and only ten had been given out. The purse was her greatest treasure, even if classmates thought it was a bit strange.
“Reyna, let's go! We're having Chinese today, remember? To celebrate graduating!” Chimed Gina. Her voice was always so cutesy and sweet that it made some people a bit sick. Because of her childish personality persisted in sixth grade (and lasted until eighth) Gina had had some problems making friends, since most kids were obsessed with being “grown up”. And because of Reyna's love for game and books during elementary school she hadn't developed the social skills needed to make it far in terms of friends. So the pair had been latched to each other since middle school.
“Huh? Oh. Right.” Reyna nodded and followed Gina out of the classroom. The two girls were both fourteen and officially done middle school. The fact that they were moving on to high school was both exciting and scary, as it should be for a kid. Starting now they would slowly be leaving childhood and then they'd be allowed to give the real world a try.
Reyna looked down, feeling a bit sick from the thought.
“Hmm? Reyna... What's wrong? If we don't hurry we'll miss Will.” Gina's concern was very obvious; she had a hard time masking how she felt, this being both a strength and weakness. It made it hard for her to play practical jokes and not get caught.
“Oh right. Coming...” Reyna smiled slightly and took Gina's hand so that they wouldn't get separated in the hallway. So many kids in the school seemed excited about moving on to high school. It made Reyna wonder if she was the only one a bit scared of the future loaming around the corner.
And if I tell someone they'll laugh. I'm supposed to be the strong one. Reyna thought miserably as she 'followed' Gina. Anyone watching could tell that Reyna's stern glares were all that kept people from yelling at the blonde as she shoved her way toward the door.
The school yard was packed. Between the swarms of brightly coloured cars coming to take their respective students home and the students lingering long enough to say good bye to friends it was safe to say that it was a bit crowded. But, for whatever reason, there was one spot in the school yard that wasn't crowded and it was, of course, the first place Gina dragged Reyna to.
“Here we are! Looks like we're first!” Gina cheered, pushing between two three-foot butterfly bushes and to the little clearing behind them. This particular hiding spot was located against the front wall of the red brick school building. There was a three foot gap between the actual building and bushes and then, located only eight feet apart each, was a line of cherry blossom trees. This little place had become the traditional meeting spot of Reyna and her crazy group of friends only two months into the school year of the sixth grade.
It hurt to think that they wouldn't be meeting there anymore.
“I wonder when every one'll get here.” Reyna murmured out loud. Gina smiled.
“They'll get here. You know that they always do.” Gina replied happily, her hands on her hips and a confident smile on her face. Reyna nodded slowly, agreeing completely despite appearing to be a bit reluctant.
“IN COMIIING!”
“You two had better move!”
“AAAND I'M HERE!”
Reyna and Gina looked up to the source of the two voices, then Gina squealed in delight. Being the one who usually noticed danger first it was Reyna who yanked Gina out of the way when a blonde boy jumped energetically from the second story window, followed closely by much less enthusiastic black haired boy. Reyna's cheeks turned a bit red and she nodded to both of them, far too shy to even try smiling.
“YAY! WILL! SIGGY!” Gina cheered, running over and forcing her two friends into a group hug. The blonde, will laughed and hugged back while “Siggy” just stayed still, clearly knowing that he could not escape Gina's friendly affection.
“Wilhelm. Sigmund.” Reyna said simply in greeting, giving the two a shy wave... Though it looked more like a half hearted wave if you couldn't get into Reyna's head.
“Awwww~ Reyna! Stop being so shy!” Gina called over her hug. “It's a GROUP hug. And you're part of the group!”
“Nnnheee~ That's right, Reyna~ Join us!” Wilhelm called over to Reyna, freeing an arm from the hug to give Reyna room to squeeze in. The black haired girl smiled slightly and nodded before coming in, though she was careful to avoid touching Sigmund. That would just be way too embarrassing!
“There. We're together now~!” Gina cheered brightly, “Now! End hug, start walk to Chinese!”
“We're still doing that?” Sigmund asked. Gina and Wilhelm frowned childishly and nodded.
“Yes~! We are! Now let's go!”
“What Gina said! Follow follow!”
“Please don't go getting crazy on me, Will. Gina's enough insanity. Be more like Reyna.” Siggy said in a half-joking way, reaching out and ruffling Reyna's hair when he mentioned her. Her cheeks instantly turned red but her outer expression betrayed her; before three seconds of hair ruffling had passed she moved away and glared at Siggy.
“I'm not a little kid! So don't treat me like one!”
Gina stared, then nodded. “That's right! Reyna is the most grown-up of all of us! She should be the one patting your head, Siggy!”
Siggy stared at the two girls, his gaze lingering on Reyna. Then he sighed and nodded. He wasn't smiling.
“Right right. Sorry, Reyna.”
“Hehe. You made Siggy apologize~” Will teased, “Now that's a once in a life time thing!”
“He'd apologize to me! Right, Siggy?” Gina turned to him. He shrugged in response.
“If you deserved it.”
“Waaah~! I always deserve iiit!” Gina whined. Reyna observed this quietly until she sensed that Gina was actually getting frustrated. Not wanting a fight, she walked over and pet her blonde friend's head.
“There there. Let's go get Chinese, okay?”
Gina blinked, instantly cured of her anger. “Okay! Hurry up! We need to get there before it gets crowded!”
“Lead the way, Gina~” Will called. Gina had already grabbed Reyna's hand and begun dragging her off, leaving it up to the two boys to follow obediently behind. Reyna let herself be dragged, though she was feeling another lingering sadness. This happiness would end when high school came...
High school was starting to sound more and more depressing.
“That was good!”
“Thanks for covering the bill, Siggy~!”
“Mm. No problem.”
“I'll back you back.”
“Don't worry about it, Reyna.”
It was coming to be five o'clock. It was amazing how much time the four could spend eating Chinese; a simple meal had lasted an hour due to chattering and then they'd wandered the streets for another hour to buy ice cream. Time flew pretty fast when you were with friends, Reyna figured. Perhaps too quickly.
“Ah.. It's five.” She commented, “I need to go.”
“Oh right! It's your turn to make dinner tonight, isn't it, Reyna?” Gina asked, “I'm sorry.. I should have set my phone alarm!”
Reyna shook her head. “It's fine. It's my fault for not noticing...”
“No. Blame it on Siggy.” Will decided, “Hey. Will we see you tomorrow? Before Gina and I go to the beach?”
Wilhelm and Gina were siblings and apparently they were taking a day long trip to the beach the very next day. Reyna personally found it strange that they'd only go for one day but wasn't about to complain. Whatever floated their boat.
“I'll try... Let's go to that new cafe...?”
“Oh! Sure! I've always wanted to try that place!” Gina cheered, “I heard it's got really good sweets!”
“I guess that's a yes. You too, Siggy?” Wilhelm asked, turning to look at Sigmund. Sig nodded.
“Sure, why not? But I'm not paying this time.”
“It can be Will's treat then!” Gina decided. “Anyways, you'd better hurry, Reyna!”
Reyna nodded and started heading off, but she was stopped by Sigmund. He grabbed her arm and tugged it to get her attention.
“I'll walk you to the train. It's late. You shouldn't be alone.” He explained simply before starting off, still holding her arm. His grip did slowly slip down to her hand, though, causing Reyna to blush more than she had been initially.
“Oh um sure.” There was no point in arguing with Siggy. He didn't talk much unless what he was saying was a serious opinion so even if he'd say he wouldn't take her to the station because it was embarrassing he still would. And besides, part of Reyna really liked that he was offering to take her there; everyone else at school treated her like an adult because she had started looking like one as early as the sixth grade. But only Sigmund ever gave her a break and let her act a bit childish.
“Thanks, Sigmund...”
“Mmm. No problem. You shouldn't be walking there alone anyways.”
Reyna nodded and fell silent again, letting him lead her to the station. She'd always liked Sigmund as a bit more than a friend. He was nice, reliable, sane and cute. It was like everything she'd ever wanted; someone to protect her and keep her from getting hurt.
High school was starting.
Now would be a good time to ask him out, she figured. Take the dive. Get it over with.
“U-um.. Sig--”
“We're here.”
Her courage dropped back to zero. They were in a public place. People could see... Part of her was very glad that he'd broken her concentrated courage. Otherwise she probably would have confessed love in the most embarrassing place possible.
“Oh.. Right. Thanks.”
“No problem. Be careful, okay?”
“Mmm.”
Reyna attempted a smile but it wasn't really her specialty. The “smile” on her face ended up so crooked and cracked that Sigmund couldn't help but smirk in amusement.
“Nice try. Anyways, I'd better go... Call me when you get home.”
Reyna blushed and nodded. Was he honestly worried about her? About her? For some reason that made her really happy.
“Right...”
The moment of bliss ended quickly. Sigmund turned and headed off, leaving Reyna to enter the subway on her own. She sighed when she did start moving, though, and boarded the train in a thoughtful, almost dream-like, state.
If I asked Sigmund out then things would change. I don't like change. She thought, grabbing a pole since there weren't any seats open. It wasn't until after Reyna let out a depressed sigh that she noticed the strange woman sitting next to her. This woman was a red head and instantly struck Reyna as being quite beautiful. Her hair went to her hips and had a delicate wave to it, shining in the light and looking so soft and fluffy that Reyna couldn't help but want to touch it, or ask the woman what shampoo she used. She might have too, but the woman was sleeping. This woman had bright green eyes and a delicate smile on her lips while she wore what looked like a business suit. Reyna guessed that she was in her early twenties.
But what struck Reyna most about this woman was her bag; it was the exact same bag as Reyna's, which was quite the shock. Only ten of their bags even existed and Reyna had never dreamed that two of the limited edition bags would end up in the same place.
The subway ride was long, especially when Reyna was paying close attention to the bag and debating whether or not she should talk to the woman. She was so distracted that she didn't notice a large crowd enter the train. Reyna was pushed and shoved so much that she eventually, though accidentally, dropped her purse.
“Ah! Bag!” She yelped, bending over to grab the precious treasure. One of the people sitting nearby picked up the purse and handed it to Reyna. She took it gratefully and sighed in relief.
“Thank you.”
“You're welcome. Keep a better grip on your things.”
“Yes Ma'am.”
The rest of the train ride went pretty smoothly. Within three minutes Reyna was at her stop and off the subway. She marched up the stairs and emerged from the underground station to face the now setting sun.
Her purse vibrated.
Reyna blinked and opened it, fishing out her cellphone. The only problem was that the phone in the bag wasn't hers; her phone was black. This one was bright pink.
“Oh no... I wonder... Did I accidentally get that lady's purse instead of mine?” Reyna wondered aloud. It seemed like the most logical answer. The black haired girl sighed and shook her head, preparing to put the phone back into the purse. It would be rude to answer someone else's phone.
“But...” She paused thoughtfully, “Maybe she's using my phone to call hers and arrange for us to return our stuff... If that's the case...”
Reyna bit her lip and flipped open the pink phone. There was nothing there about a new message. Just some bold words on the screen.
“ALERT! SEEKER FIRED.”
The girl blinked.
This made no sense to her. If this was a text message she should have had the option of opening it... And if it was then it was a pretty weird text message.
“Seeker... Fired? What does that mean?”
“It means you need to start running!”
Reyna stared at the phone in disbelief. She could swear that that voice had come from her phone. It was like... like a boy, she guessed. A boy's voice speaking loudly from the phone.
“Didn't you hear me? I said MOVE!”
“But, I... Are you talking?”
“MOVE IT.”
“WHY?”
This kid was starting to frustrate Reyna, so much that she was beginning to yell at the phone. She took a step forward, planning to sit on a bench and figure out what was going on. That move forward, that act of poor chance, was probably the wisest move Reyna could have made. Right after she left her previous standing place a large boulder fell there. The sound of it smashing into the pavement was impossible not to notice.
Reyna turned.
“That's why.” The phone stated. “Now run because they're only going to get more accurate if you stand around! Plus they'll change soon.”
Reyna didn't need the phone to tell her to run. For one,she saw another boulder had been flung into the air and was sailing towards her; as another note, the first boulder was beginning to turn into what looked like a large stone man. The teen screeched in alarm and turned, beginning to run away. As she passed people they gave her odd looks, wondering if she was crazy.
“What the heck is going on?!” She demanded, running aimlessly down the street, “Why isn't everyone else running?!”
“They can't see them, kid. Because you're holding me you're now caught between the two worlds. Those people can't see the world those stone golems are in.”
That made not sense to Reyna but she didn't think this was the time to ask for an elaboration. Another stone was tossed and hit the ground a few feet in front of Reyna, forcing her to skid to a stop so as to avoid running into the “golem” now forming ahead of her. She turned and prepared to go left, noting that another rock had fallen right in front of her.
“YEEK!”
Reyna turned left and faced another golem. Turning right she saw another fall.
This was bad. Reyna was quickly becoming surrounded.
“Aw nuts. Welp, I have one spell I can use.”
“Spell? What?”
“Get ready to jump, kiddo. WORLD CROSS 4. JUMP ACTIVE.”
“Jump active? What the heck? KYAAA!”
The golem in front of her swung an arm to try and grab her, so Reyna jumped backwards. She had been expecting to maybe jumped a few inches off the ground and was shocked when she went a whole seven feet into the air. Luckily,Reyna wasn't the type to get shocked and then freeze up; she recognized that she could now jump right over the golems and did so without the phone needing to instruct her. No one was around to notice the jump now; it seemed that the once busy streets had cleared.
“GO GO GO! I'll explain later, but get out of here!” The phone snapped. Reyna broke into a run again.
“R-Right! B-but... Where is everyone? Did they get eaten or something?!” She asked.
“Nuh-uh. You're in the other world now. So don't worry about being seen or nuttin.”
“Okay! Hey, how high can I jump?”
“Depends... Forty feet is the highest but yer just startin so-Whoa kid!”
Reyna ran and then leapt forward, pressing down on the ground hard when she landed and jumping up again. This time she went a good twenty feet in the air, enough to get herself on a rooftop.
“There! They can't follow me up here, can they?”
The phone was stunned into silence for a moment, having not expected Reyna to be capable of such a jump. Then it cleared its throat. “Not until they start firin' more... But given that jump of yours I think we can give fighting back a whirl. You ever play a shootin game before?”
“Hm? Yeah, of course. Will loves those.”
“Good! Then point at the rocks with yer fingers and yelled 'shoot'. SHOOTING RANGE ACTIVE. THREE METERS.”
Based on how her jumping power had come around before, Reyna assumed that this was how the phone was activating new shooting powers. Everything was happening so fast that Reyna didn't have time to question this apparently magical cell phone; if she hesitated for one second things could get bad. Reyna didn't know what the golems wanted but they didn't look like something she wanted to be caught by.
Another rock was in the air now. Reyna pointed her finger at it.
“SHOOT!” She yelled. A pink circle formed at the tip of her finger and shot a short pink beam of light at the rock. Apparently it was stronger than it looked, like the super powers on TV, because the rock exploded into a bunch of harmless fragments.
“Good job, kiddo! You might actually have talent for this!”
“Wh-What the heck did I just do?!”
“No time for that. Another one's comin.”
Reyna swallowed her confusion and took aim again. “SHOOT!” She hit the rock again. And the one after that too... Though there didn't seem to be an end in sight.
“This is pointless! I can't stand here forever!”
“You're tellin me! My battery is gonna get low!”
Reyna nearly froze, but she was too busy shooting down rocks to allow herself to hesitate. If the battery died then she guessed the powers went with it. Without these powers that the phone gave her she was pretty helpless against these golems.
“There's gotta be a way to get rid of them all, right? Or maybe... You said that other world won't be affected, right? Let's go there!”
“Izz pretty hard to pull yourself to the normal world when you got a magical item, ye know!”
“Oh well! I surprised you with my jumping and shooting, right? Let me surprise you again!”
The phone fell silent.
“If we letcha go back there these things'll probably come to the other world too. That'd be bad.”
Though Reyna didn't understand the logic that brought the cell phone to this conclusion she did agree that it'd be bad. Then those golems could hurt more innocent people.
“But staying here won't help! We've gotta go somewhere else!”
“If I move ya yer gonna have one heck of a new life.”
Reyna paused. For just that second it sunk in that this was a huge change. She was fighting magical rocks with magical powers... That was a much bigger switch than going to high school. Reyna didn't like change either... But, after thinking the situation over...
“If I don't move then I won't have a life! So let's go!”
Apparently it had agreed because the next sounds it made were more spells.
“WORLD CROSS 3! Now jump, kiddo!”
Reyna didn't need to be told twice. She jumped up, only ten feet this time, and felt the scenery around her change. The sunset melted into a clear blue sky and the roof below her vanished. Far below her was a little town and a large forest that climbed to the horizon. Somehow the world she'd ended up in wasn't normal; the best way Reyna could describe it was as being “shinier” and “brighter” than anything you could ever experience back in her home world. It was magical in beauty.
And she magically freakin high. But, at that moment, her attention was focused more on the fact that she most certainly wasn't in the city anymore. And her life was definitely about to turn upside down.
It's bad and confusing, FYI.
Chapter One: Cell Phones
The clock was ticking. Slowly. Slowly. Every time it ticked paradise got closer. Reyna watched the clock intently, waiting eagerly for the moment that it would trigger the bell. The two months of the year that meant the most to any student were coming. They were so close that students were already starting to get a bit antsy... And then “cool and silent” Reyna didn't want to admit it, the antsy feeling was starting to get contagious.
“Five.”
A whisper came from Reyna's right and she turned to look at the desk next to her. Across from her was her best friend, Gina. Gina and Reyna looked to be polar opposites so it wasn't often that people realized they could be friends. Reyna's long black hair greatly contrasted Gina's short blonde hair. Similarly, Gina's dark green eyes contrasted Reyna's bright blue eye. And while Gina was short and cute, Reyna was tall and...well... She certainly didn't think of herself as being cute.
“Four~” Gina looked at Reyna now, then giggled quietly and smile. Catching the cue, Reyna joined in to the whispered countdown.
“Three.”
“Two~.”
“One.”
There was a loud ringing sound, but louder still was the sound of kids cheering their heads off. Reyna sighed in happy relief and got up out of her chair, picking up her messenger bag and then swinging it over her shoulder. She also took her purse, which was small and unique, not just because the black fabric had an anime character sewn in with pink thread. The unique was also due to the fact that the purse had been a special promotional item and only ten had been given out. The purse was her greatest treasure, even if classmates thought it was a bit strange.
“Reyna, let's go! We're having Chinese today, remember? To celebrate graduating!” Chimed Gina. Her voice was always so cutesy and sweet that it made some people a bit sick. Because of her childish personality persisted in sixth grade (and lasted until eighth) Gina had had some problems making friends, since most kids were obsessed with being “grown up”. And because of Reyna's love for game and books during elementary school she hadn't developed the social skills needed to make it far in terms of friends. So the pair had been latched to each other since middle school.
“Huh? Oh. Right.” Reyna nodded and followed Gina out of the classroom. The two girls were both fourteen and officially done middle school. The fact that they were moving on to high school was both exciting and scary, as it should be for a kid. Starting now they would slowly be leaving childhood and then they'd be allowed to give the real world a try.
Reyna looked down, feeling a bit sick from the thought.
“Hmm? Reyna... What's wrong? If we don't hurry we'll miss Will.” Gina's concern was very obvious; she had a hard time masking how she felt, this being both a strength and weakness. It made it hard for her to play practical jokes and not get caught.
“Oh right. Coming...” Reyna smiled slightly and took Gina's hand so that they wouldn't get separated in the hallway. So many kids in the school seemed excited about moving on to high school. It made Reyna wonder if she was the only one a bit scared of the future loaming around the corner.
And if I tell someone they'll laugh. I'm supposed to be the strong one. Reyna thought miserably as she 'followed' Gina. Anyone watching could tell that Reyna's stern glares were all that kept people from yelling at the blonde as she shoved her way toward the door.
The school yard was packed. Between the swarms of brightly coloured cars coming to take their respective students home and the students lingering long enough to say good bye to friends it was safe to say that it was a bit crowded. But, for whatever reason, there was one spot in the school yard that wasn't crowded and it was, of course, the first place Gina dragged Reyna to.
“Here we are! Looks like we're first!” Gina cheered, pushing between two three-foot butterfly bushes and to the little clearing behind them. This particular hiding spot was located against the front wall of the red brick school building. There was a three foot gap between the actual building and bushes and then, located only eight feet apart each, was a line of cherry blossom trees. This little place had become the traditional meeting spot of Reyna and her crazy group of friends only two months into the school year of the sixth grade.
It hurt to think that they wouldn't be meeting there anymore.
“I wonder when every one'll get here.” Reyna murmured out loud. Gina smiled.
“They'll get here. You know that they always do.” Gina replied happily, her hands on her hips and a confident smile on her face. Reyna nodded slowly, agreeing completely despite appearing to be a bit reluctant.
“IN COMIIING!”
“You two had better move!”
“AAAND I'M HERE!”
Reyna and Gina looked up to the source of the two voices, then Gina squealed in delight. Being the one who usually noticed danger first it was Reyna who yanked Gina out of the way when a blonde boy jumped energetically from the second story window, followed closely by much less enthusiastic black haired boy. Reyna's cheeks turned a bit red and she nodded to both of them, far too shy to even try smiling.
“YAY! WILL! SIGGY!” Gina cheered, running over and forcing her two friends into a group hug. The blonde, will laughed and hugged back while “Siggy” just stayed still, clearly knowing that he could not escape Gina's friendly affection.
“Wilhelm. Sigmund.” Reyna said simply in greeting, giving the two a shy wave... Though it looked more like a half hearted wave if you couldn't get into Reyna's head.
“Awwww~ Reyna! Stop being so shy!” Gina called over her hug. “It's a GROUP hug. And you're part of the group!”
“Nnnheee~ That's right, Reyna~ Join us!” Wilhelm called over to Reyna, freeing an arm from the hug to give Reyna room to squeeze in. The black haired girl smiled slightly and nodded before coming in, though she was careful to avoid touching Sigmund. That would just be way too embarrassing!
“There. We're together now~!” Gina cheered brightly, “Now! End hug, start walk to Chinese!”
“We're still doing that?” Sigmund asked. Gina and Wilhelm frowned childishly and nodded.
“Yes~! We are! Now let's go!”
“What Gina said! Follow follow!”
“Please don't go getting crazy on me, Will. Gina's enough insanity. Be more like Reyna.” Siggy said in a half-joking way, reaching out and ruffling Reyna's hair when he mentioned her. Her cheeks instantly turned red but her outer expression betrayed her; before three seconds of hair ruffling had passed she moved away and glared at Siggy.
“I'm not a little kid! So don't treat me like one!”
Gina stared, then nodded. “That's right! Reyna is the most grown-up of all of us! She should be the one patting your head, Siggy!”
Siggy stared at the two girls, his gaze lingering on Reyna. Then he sighed and nodded. He wasn't smiling.
“Right right. Sorry, Reyna.”
“Hehe. You made Siggy apologize~” Will teased, “Now that's a once in a life time thing!”
“He'd apologize to me! Right, Siggy?” Gina turned to him. He shrugged in response.
“If you deserved it.”
“Waaah~! I always deserve iiit!” Gina whined. Reyna observed this quietly until she sensed that Gina was actually getting frustrated. Not wanting a fight, she walked over and pet her blonde friend's head.
“There there. Let's go get Chinese, okay?”
Gina blinked, instantly cured of her anger. “Okay! Hurry up! We need to get there before it gets crowded!”
“Lead the way, Gina~” Will called. Gina had already grabbed Reyna's hand and begun dragging her off, leaving it up to the two boys to follow obediently behind. Reyna let herself be dragged, though she was feeling another lingering sadness. This happiness would end when high school came...
High school was starting to sound more and more depressing.
“That was good!”
“Thanks for covering the bill, Siggy~!”
“Mm. No problem.”
“I'll back you back.”
“Don't worry about it, Reyna.”
It was coming to be five o'clock. It was amazing how much time the four could spend eating Chinese; a simple meal had lasted an hour due to chattering and then they'd wandered the streets for another hour to buy ice cream. Time flew pretty fast when you were with friends, Reyna figured. Perhaps too quickly.
“Ah.. It's five.” She commented, “I need to go.”
“Oh right! It's your turn to make dinner tonight, isn't it, Reyna?” Gina asked, “I'm sorry.. I should have set my phone alarm!”
Reyna shook her head. “It's fine. It's my fault for not noticing...”
“No. Blame it on Siggy.” Will decided, “Hey. Will we see you tomorrow? Before Gina and I go to the beach?”
Wilhelm and Gina were siblings and apparently they were taking a day long trip to the beach the very next day. Reyna personally found it strange that they'd only go for one day but wasn't about to complain. Whatever floated their boat.
“I'll try... Let's go to that new cafe...?”
“Oh! Sure! I've always wanted to try that place!” Gina cheered, “I heard it's got really good sweets!”
“I guess that's a yes. You too, Siggy?” Wilhelm asked, turning to look at Sigmund. Sig nodded.
“Sure, why not? But I'm not paying this time.”
“It can be Will's treat then!” Gina decided. “Anyways, you'd better hurry, Reyna!”
Reyna nodded and started heading off, but she was stopped by Sigmund. He grabbed her arm and tugged it to get her attention.
“I'll walk you to the train. It's late. You shouldn't be alone.” He explained simply before starting off, still holding her arm. His grip did slowly slip down to her hand, though, causing Reyna to blush more than she had been initially.
“Oh um sure.” There was no point in arguing with Siggy. He didn't talk much unless what he was saying was a serious opinion so even if he'd say he wouldn't take her to the station because it was embarrassing he still would. And besides, part of Reyna really liked that he was offering to take her there; everyone else at school treated her like an adult because she had started looking like one as early as the sixth grade. But only Sigmund ever gave her a break and let her act a bit childish.
“Thanks, Sigmund...”
“Mmm. No problem. You shouldn't be walking there alone anyways.”
Reyna nodded and fell silent again, letting him lead her to the station. She'd always liked Sigmund as a bit more than a friend. He was nice, reliable, sane and cute. It was like everything she'd ever wanted; someone to protect her and keep her from getting hurt.
High school was starting.
Now would be a good time to ask him out, she figured. Take the dive. Get it over with.
“U-um.. Sig--”
“We're here.”
Her courage dropped back to zero. They were in a public place. People could see... Part of her was very glad that he'd broken her concentrated courage. Otherwise she probably would have confessed love in the most embarrassing place possible.
“Oh.. Right. Thanks.”
“No problem. Be careful, okay?”
“Mmm.”
Reyna attempted a smile but it wasn't really her specialty. The “smile” on her face ended up so crooked and cracked that Sigmund couldn't help but smirk in amusement.
“Nice try. Anyways, I'd better go... Call me when you get home.”
Reyna blushed and nodded. Was he honestly worried about her? About her? For some reason that made her really happy.
“Right...”
The moment of bliss ended quickly. Sigmund turned and headed off, leaving Reyna to enter the subway on her own. She sighed when she did start moving, though, and boarded the train in a thoughtful, almost dream-like, state.
If I asked Sigmund out then things would change. I don't like change. She thought, grabbing a pole since there weren't any seats open. It wasn't until after Reyna let out a depressed sigh that she noticed the strange woman sitting next to her. This woman was a red head and instantly struck Reyna as being quite beautiful. Her hair went to her hips and had a delicate wave to it, shining in the light and looking so soft and fluffy that Reyna couldn't help but want to touch it, or ask the woman what shampoo she used. She might have too, but the woman was sleeping. This woman had bright green eyes and a delicate smile on her lips while she wore what looked like a business suit. Reyna guessed that she was in her early twenties.
But what struck Reyna most about this woman was her bag; it was the exact same bag as Reyna's, which was quite the shock. Only ten of their bags even existed and Reyna had never dreamed that two of the limited edition bags would end up in the same place.
The subway ride was long, especially when Reyna was paying close attention to the bag and debating whether or not she should talk to the woman. She was so distracted that she didn't notice a large crowd enter the train. Reyna was pushed and shoved so much that she eventually, though accidentally, dropped her purse.
“Ah! Bag!” She yelped, bending over to grab the precious treasure. One of the people sitting nearby picked up the purse and handed it to Reyna. She took it gratefully and sighed in relief.
“Thank you.”
“You're welcome. Keep a better grip on your things.”
“Yes Ma'am.”
The rest of the train ride went pretty smoothly. Within three minutes Reyna was at her stop and off the subway. She marched up the stairs and emerged from the underground station to face the now setting sun.
Her purse vibrated.
Reyna blinked and opened it, fishing out her cellphone. The only problem was that the phone in the bag wasn't hers; her phone was black. This one was bright pink.
“Oh no... I wonder... Did I accidentally get that lady's purse instead of mine?” Reyna wondered aloud. It seemed like the most logical answer. The black haired girl sighed and shook her head, preparing to put the phone back into the purse. It would be rude to answer someone else's phone.
“But...” She paused thoughtfully, “Maybe she's using my phone to call hers and arrange for us to return our stuff... If that's the case...”
Reyna bit her lip and flipped open the pink phone. There was nothing there about a new message. Just some bold words on the screen.
“ALERT! SEEKER FIRED.”
The girl blinked.
This made no sense to her. If this was a text message she should have had the option of opening it... And if it was then it was a pretty weird text message.
“Seeker... Fired? What does that mean?”
“It means you need to start running!”
Reyna stared at the phone in disbelief. She could swear that that voice had come from her phone. It was like... like a boy, she guessed. A boy's voice speaking loudly from the phone.
“Didn't you hear me? I said MOVE!”
“But, I... Are you talking?”
“MOVE IT.”
“WHY?”
This kid was starting to frustrate Reyna, so much that she was beginning to yell at the phone. She took a step forward, planning to sit on a bench and figure out what was going on. That move forward, that act of poor chance, was probably the wisest move Reyna could have made. Right after she left her previous standing place a large boulder fell there. The sound of it smashing into the pavement was impossible not to notice.
Reyna turned.
“That's why.” The phone stated. “Now run because they're only going to get more accurate if you stand around! Plus they'll change soon.”
Reyna didn't need the phone to tell her to run. For one,she saw another boulder had been flung into the air and was sailing towards her; as another note, the first boulder was beginning to turn into what looked like a large stone man. The teen screeched in alarm and turned, beginning to run away. As she passed people they gave her odd looks, wondering if she was crazy.
“What the heck is going on?!” She demanded, running aimlessly down the street, “Why isn't everyone else running?!”
“They can't see them, kid. Because you're holding me you're now caught between the two worlds. Those people can't see the world those stone golems are in.”
That made not sense to Reyna but she didn't think this was the time to ask for an elaboration. Another stone was tossed and hit the ground a few feet in front of Reyna, forcing her to skid to a stop so as to avoid running into the “golem” now forming ahead of her. She turned and prepared to go left, noting that another rock had fallen right in front of her.
“YEEK!”
Reyna turned left and faced another golem. Turning right she saw another fall.
This was bad. Reyna was quickly becoming surrounded.
“Aw nuts. Welp, I have one spell I can use.”
“Spell? What?”
“Get ready to jump, kiddo. WORLD CROSS 4. JUMP ACTIVE.”
“Jump active? What the heck? KYAAA!”
The golem in front of her swung an arm to try and grab her, so Reyna jumped backwards. She had been expecting to maybe jumped a few inches off the ground and was shocked when she went a whole seven feet into the air. Luckily,Reyna wasn't the type to get shocked and then freeze up; she recognized that she could now jump right over the golems and did so without the phone needing to instruct her. No one was around to notice the jump now; it seemed that the once busy streets had cleared.
“GO GO GO! I'll explain later, but get out of here!” The phone snapped. Reyna broke into a run again.
“R-Right! B-but... Where is everyone? Did they get eaten or something?!” She asked.
“Nuh-uh. You're in the other world now. So don't worry about being seen or nuttin.”
“Okay! Hey, how high can I jump?”
“Depends... Forty feet is the highest but yer just startin so-Whoa kid!”
Reyna ran and then leapt forward, pressing down on the ground hard when she landed and jumping up again. This time she went a good twenty feet in the air, enough to get herself on a rooftop.
“There! They can't follow me up here, can they?”
The phone was stunned into silence for a moment, having not expected Reyna to be capable of such a jump. Then it cleared its throat. “Not until they start firin' more... But given that jump of yours I think we can give fighting back a whirl. You ever play a shootin game before?”
“Hm? Yeah, of course. Will loves those.”
“Good! Then point at the rocks with yer fingers and yelled 'shoot'. SHOOTING RANGE ACTIVE. THREE METERS.”
Based on how her jumping power had come around before, Reyna assumed that this was how the phone was activating new shooting powers. Everything was happening so fast that Reyna didn't have time to question this apparently magical cell phone; if she hesitated for one second things could get bad. Reyna didn't know what the golems wanted but they didn't look like something she wanted to be caught by.
Another rock was in the air now. Reyna pointed her finger at it.
“SHOOT!” She yelled. A pink circle formed at the tip of her finger and shot a short pink beam of light at the rock. Apparently it was stronger than it looked, like the super powers on TV, because the rock exploded into a bunch of harmless fragments.
“Good job, kiddo! You might actually have talent for this!”
“Wh-What the heck did I just do?!”
“No time for that. Another one's comin.”
Reyna swallowed her confusion and took aim again. “SHOOT!” She hit the rock again. And the one after that too... Though there didn't seem to be an end in sight.
“This is pointless! I can't stand here forever!”
“You're tellin me! My battery is gonna get low!”
Reyna nearly froze, but she was too busy shooting down rocks to allow herself to hesitate. If the battery died then she guessed the powers went with it. Without these powers that the phone gave her she was pretty helpless against these golems.
“There's gotta be a way to get rid of them all, right? Or maybe... You said that other world won't be affected, right? Let's go there!”
“Izz pretty hard to pull yourself to the normal world when you got a magical item, ye know!”
“Oh well! I surprised you with my jumping and shooting, right? Let me surprise you again!”
The phone fell silent.
“If we letcha go back there these things'll probably come to the other world too. That'd be bad.”
Though Reyna didn't understand the logic that brought the cell phone to this conclusion she did agree that it'd be bad. Then those golems could hurt more innocent people.
“But staying here won't help! We've gotta go somewhere else!”
“If I move ya yer gonna have one heck of a new life.”
Reyna paused. For just that second it sunk in that this was a huge change. She was fighting magical rocks with magical powers... That was a much bigger switch than going to high school. Reyna didn't like change either... But, after thinking the situation over...
“If I don't move then I won't have a life! So let's go!”
Apparently it had agreed because the next sounds it made were more spells.
“WORLD CROSS 3! Now jump, kiddo!”
Reyna didn't need to be told twice. She jumped up, only ten feet this time, and felt the scenery around her change. The sunset melted into a clear blue sky and the roof below her vanished. Far below her was a little town and a large forest that climbed to the horizon. Somehow the world she'd ended up in wasn't normal; the best way Reyna could describe it was as being “shinier” and “brighter” than anything you could ever experience back in her home world. It was magical in beauty.
And she magically freakin high. But, at that moment, her attention was focused more on the fact that she most certainly wasn't in the city anymore. And her life was definitely about to turn upside down.