: EMOTION :
Volume One: EMOTION
Like particles in the storm,
We pull apart,
And we crash together.
Chapter One: EMOTION, part 1
Alex!
Alex
squirmed and shook her head clear. A
voice bounced around the skull, a voice that was both familiar and distant. It was someone close to her, someone she had
known for a long time. It was someone
familiar yet also unrecognizable.
Alex!
Listen to me!
She opened
eyes slowly and found it standing before it.
Tall and naked, the figure before her was both male and female. It had one head and two faces turned toward
her. One was that of a beautiful woman
with strong eyes. The other was that of
a handsome man with a hard gaze.
Alex, said the figure, its voice that of
a bird’s song.
“Yes?”
You have to wake up, to stand, the
figure said, now sounding like an elephant’s shout.
“Wake
up?” She felt very awake, but things
were blurred. The last thing she
remembered was fighting for her life, and dying. She looked up into the creature’s faces. “Aren’t I dead?”
No, you still live, but you need to wake
up. You need to get moving if you wish
to remain so, said the figure in a voice like a loving mother.
“I’m
alive? How could that happen? Carolyne…”
Trust me, believe in me, and let me help
you. I will keep you going as long as
you allow it, said the figure in the voice of a stern father.
“Right,
right, I remember you now. You’re my
soul, right?” Slowly, events took shape
in her head. She hadn’t died, just
nearly so, and the figure before her was the voice in her dreams. “I’m alive because of you.”
Very close, said the figure with a voice
like waves upon the shore, But you will
understand that later. For now, you
simply must wake up!
Alex
obeyed, waking to a voice that sounded like a clap of thunder. She was alone in a deep canyon, surrounded by
dirt and rock on all sides. The sky
above her was painted in a mix of purples and pinks. The sun set in the distance, partially
obscured by what looked like an enormous tree.
The area
pulsed with life. Alex could see
nothing, but she could feel it everywhere. The light, the air, the stones
themselves were filled with life’s energy.
They shined brilliantly, like stars, in her mind.
She stood
and dusted herself off. Her body was
surprisingly intact. She bore no wounds or scars, just light bruises where her
flesh had been rent. They ached to the
touch.
She
stretched. “Okay, no worse for the
wear. Now, let me see.” She looked toward the horizon and felt the
warmth of the sun on her skin. She could
feel them, all of them. They were there,
somewhere, lost in this foreign land.
“Shana. Carolyne, Abraham, Ellen,
and that guy. They’re all here.” She glanced at her surroundings and said,
“Wherever here is.”
“Okay, okay, first thing’s first, I
need to find a city or something. So,
just pick a direction and get going.”
With that, she set out, marching toward the setting sun.
:
EMOTION :
Shana heard
running water and felt moisture in the air.
It was hot, wherever she was, and very sticky. Opening her eyes hurt, but she blinked
through the pain as her vision adjusted to the light. The sky was a dark canopy of leaves, parted
in places to let lances of light spill through and illuminate the dark earth
below. She sat up slowly, her hands
sinking into the soft dirt around her.
She was in
a forest or a jungle of some sort, one that was clearly very far away from
home. Vegetation like she had never seen
before surrounded her on all sides. It
grew up the sides of the enormous pillar-like trees, bark brown like dark
chocolate and branches supporting the sky.
Vivid red flowers sat next to blinding yellows and fiery oranges. Bushes the size of her torso swallowed her to
the knee as she stood. The air was sweet
and muggy.
To her left
was a small waterfall with a pool below.
The water was clear and pure, and she could see the bottom through her
own reflection. Small boulders and rocks
broke the surface as mist floated about the base of the fall, where water met
water. The cliff side stone was a soft
yellow with a hard texture.
Shana
turned in place, taking it all in.
Wherever she was, she certainly wasn’t at home. Even in spring, the Midwest never got this
hot or this wet. She could feel it in
her lungs with each breath, feel it collecting on her skin like a glass in
summer. Every movement was harder to
make here, harder to will forward. She
still felt very tired but settling beside the pond and soaking her feet inside
helped her some.
At the
water’s edge she eyed her own reflection.
The ripples in the water warped and distorted her imagine and reminded
her of the battle. Reality had bent
around Alex’s arm, where that strange steel blade had been. It did the same around Carolyne, who swung a
thin-bladed rapier and produced a flash brighter than the big bang.
Shana
rinsed her face and forced herself to standing.
If she was there, then Alex was, too, and that meant Shana had to find
her. She looked up the steep incline of
the waterfall. It wasn’t too tall for
her to climb and, from there, she could get a better view of wherever she
was. Hopefully, she could see a city or
something similar, somewhere she could get help.
She walked
the edge of the pool and came to a stop at the cliff’s base. Up close it looked taller but possible. She felt along the rocky surface, tracing her
palm across the rough face of it, feeling the hard edges and protrusions. Then, she pulled herself up by one stone,
planted her foot on another and tested her weight. It would be difficult. She was a soft girl
unaccustomed to such trials, but she was also determined.
A shiver
spread through her, and her skin pricked.
Someone was watching her, but when she looked over her shoulder, she
couldn’t see anyone in the darkened canopy.
The feeling stayed with her, though, and carried her forward. She pulled herself up, one foot, one hand, at
a time.
:
EMOTION :
Abel was
tall, immeasurably so. Compared to
Carolyne, most people were, but he seemed greater still than most people. Abel didn’t just tower over her. He towered over the world. It was more than
height. It was presence. Reality itself bowed before him, and he
commanded with the omnipotence of a god.
Being around him made Carolyne feel even smaller than usual. It made her feel weak.
She woke
alone in a cavern mouth and was drawn to him, a moth to a flame. He waited for her outside, in the purple
twilight and watched her approach.
Something about him terrified her in the same way Riis has terrified
her. It intrigued and repulsed her, and
she found herself following him without a word.
He led her
to a cathedral. It stood alone, in the
center of a sandy, orange canyon. The
dusky orange sky watched from above. A
long, dark bridge spanned the gap between the canyon walls and this solitary
pillar of stone in the center where the cathedral stood. From where she was, she could see the entire
world, including the massive tree in the distance, but she couldn’t see the
purple twilight or the cavern anymore.
The
cathedral was tall, like Abel. From
outside she peeked through enormous black doors, wrought from wood and bound by
steel, at the darkened vestibule within.
Pews lined the floor. Grey
pillars stretched up to the angular ceiling, looking more like they were
reaching for it than holding it aloft.
Gargoyles watched as she entered.
The
interior was cold. A large platform rose
from the far end. She could see stained
glass looming high above in an oval. An
angel sat in the center, asleep, a sword clutched to her breast. A stairway spiraled up in one corner to an
interior balcony that held four torches and a shining red light.
Carolyne
followed him up. She felt cold and sick,
and she wanted a cigarette. They came to
a stop in front of a shimmering red gemstone in the center of the balcony. It was enormous and swallowed the light
around it. The red glow came from it,
and she could feel the heat of its light.
Abel looked
at her with hollow, dark eyes. “What
will you do?”
His voice
set her on edge. It was strong but
empty, like his eyes. There was no fear,
no hesitation, and no joy. Every word
was carefully weighed and measured, determined eons before being spoken. She couldn’t speak, not to him. She didn’t have the right. So, she shrugged.
“When the
time comes will you find yourself able to act?”
Another
shrug but this time she felt more was expected.
She cleared her throat. “I did
before.”
“Will you
again?”
“I don’t
give second chances lightly.” She looked
into the gemstone, at its dark, liquid center.
It attracted her and seemed to open for her. She blinked, and it was inert. She took a deep breath. “And I don’t give third chances at all.”
He smiled,
but it wasn’t a smile. It was a ghost,
the memory of a smile, a gesture that his body knew but his mind had
forgotten. His long, dark hair swept
around him, fanning as he turned. It
looked like the night-sea swallowing the shoreline. “Do not fail me.”
Carolyne
shuddered. “I won’t.”
:
EMOTION :
Ellen awoke
with a sore thigh and a sore neck. Her
head was inclined at a strange angle.
Her body was crammed into a tiny crevice. She found herself in a small, dimly lit
grotto. What light came in reflected off
the blue and black stones. She could
hear water dripping somewhere around her.
The last
thing she remembered was feeling tired and weak, too weak to protect
Abraham. She had run so far and hoped to
hide among the buildings. Once inside
she became too dizzy to move and shortly thereafter blacked out. Everything else was a series of hazy images
and sounds lacking cohesion.
She felt
her leg. It stung, but she couldn’t find
a scar. Afterward, she groped in the
darkness, slipping face-first into a shallow pool of water. She crawled her way through toward the
opening in the wall. It was just large
enough for her. She scraped her knees on
the way out.
The opening
placed her near the summit of a small hill in the middle of nowhere. Lush, green grass grew knee-high. Patches of wild flowers, all in warm colors,
swayed in the gentle wind. The sky was a
rich blend of pinks and reds. A few
clouds were moving in, but they still seemed so far off.
She wrung
her shirt and then looked herself over.
Her leg was wholly intact, and aside from a bruise where she had been
cut and some scraps from the cave, she seemed fine. She was alone, though, with no one and
nothing in sight.
In the
distance she could see an enormous tree.
It was so large that it seemed to reach the sky. There were no buildings around it
though. There was nothing but rolling
hills and grass and trees.
The wind
was cold on her wet flesh. She curled up and shivered, muttering
hopelessly. Grunting, she plopped down
in the dirt. Wherever she was, she
wasn’t home, and she wasn’t sure what people do when they were lost and wanted
to be found.
:
EMOTION :
Alex rested
her chapped hand against the canyon wall.
She had been walking for what felt like hours but there was no end in
sight. The stone was rough against her
skin and the air dry. Her nostrils
burned with each breath and her throat felt rough, but she couldn’t stop. She refused to stop.
Her legs
quaked. When she set out, she felt full
of energy, but that energy didn’t last long.
Now, she felt weak, even sick.
The air was heavy around her, and each breath made her feel worse than
before.
The sky
above didn’t change. The low pink glow of
twilight remained, broken only by the hazy, grey branches of that distant
tree. It was no closer. Nothing was.
She
swallowed and breathed, and then pushed off the wall, shuffling forward. No matter how tired she got, she would keep
walking. Her feet could bleed, her legs
fold in, and her body decay, and she would keep moving. She couldn’t feel it anymore or hear the
voice in her soul. It was lost in the
cacophony of life that surrounded and swallowed her, but none of that
mattered. Shana was out there, lost in
the very same noise, and waiting for her, and that was enough to keep Alex
moving.
:
EMOTION :
Ellen sat,
waiting in the grass. She picked a few
blades and tore them apart, strip-by-strip, to pass the time. While she did it, she thought about the
events that lead her there. She thought
about Alex and Carolyne, about Abraham and the mystery surrounding her, and the
mystery she seemed to bring with her.
The only
thing she knew for certain was that Alex was alive. She didn’t fully understand how, but when
everything went black, she could have sworn Abraham spoke to her, promised Alex
would survive. Whatever happened, Ellen
wanted to believe that much at least.
Deep down,
Ellen felt responsible for all of it.
She felt responsible while it was happening, though she didn’t fully
believe that the police could have stopped Carolyne. Still, if she had listened
and turned Abraham over then perhaps things would have turned out differently.
She heard
someone moving through the grass. At
first, she kneeled down, hiding from view, her heart in her throat. Then, she took a deep breath and swallowed
her fear. She had to grow up, think like
an adult. She thought it could be Alex,
so she stood.
It wasn’t
Alex. Instead, it was a man with a
handsome face and dark hair. His presence made her feel serene. He wore a
jacket, a stained t-shirt, and blue jeans. When he saw her, he smiled. “I finally found you,” he said. His voice was smooth and as handsome as he
was.
“Who are
you?”
He surveyed
the area first and then fixed his gaze on her.
“My name is Isaac, Isaac Eralder.
I’m sort of a friend of Alex’s, and I’m here to help you.”
“How did
you know I was here?”
Isaac
scratched the back of his neck. “It’s
hard to explain.”
“We’ve got
time.”
“Not as
much as you might think,” he said, casting another glance toward the
horizon. “How about I tell you what I
can while we walk? That good enough?”
Ellen
nodded and held out her hand. “I’m Ellen
Summers.”
“Nice to
meet you,” he said, shaking her hand.
“Now, come on, we’ve got a ways to go and a lot to talk about.”
:
EMOTION :
Shana
reached the cliff top in what she liked to pretend was record time. The climb left her tired and sore all
over. Her hands and feet burned
uncomfortably from a series of small, shallow scratches from the rocks.
She took a
moment to rest at the summit, soaking her hands and feet in the rushing water
nearby. While she rested, she took in
her surroundings. As far as she could
see there was nothing but jungle, even from that vantage point. In the distance a tree, as large as a sky
scraper, eclipsed the sky.
Life pulsed
through this place. She could hear it
all around her, almost feel it. It
invaded her senses and stole her focus.
She tried to filter it out, find something familiar, something neutral,
and to keep her focus on the matter at hand: finding Alex.
The hair on
her arms stood up. She could feel that
presence again. It stood in the
distance, watching, waiting. She looked
around but saw nothing. Her stomach
twisted, and she moved without thinking.
Something inside told her to run, to hide, to escape. She was prey, running in a random direction,
back into the shelter of the trees.
She went
deeper into the jungle, ducking under vines and tripping in the
underbrush. She landed hard in the dirt,
knocking the breath from her, and lied there for a moment. Then she rolled onto her back and rubbed her
bosom, which broke her fall.
The
presence was gone. It wasn’t behind her
anymore. In an instant it disappeared,
leaving her to stare up at the leaf-blotted sky and ponder. She thought that, perhaps, it wasn’t fear but
anxiety. Trekking across a jungle was
never really one of her life goals, and it definitely wasn’t something she had
planned to do before graduating high school.
“Hello,” a
voice called. It was raspy and
distinctly female. Shana looked around
but saw nothing. “Hello,” the voice
called again, this time curious.
Shana
scrambled to her hands and knees and scanned the area, but she couldn’t see
anyone. She pulled herself up to her
feet and pushed deeper into the trees, seeking the origin of the mysterious
voice, hoping it might be Alex.
She stopped
and looked around. Her heart beat hard
in her chest, and her mind was in a frenzy.
Sound surrounded her on all sides, and she couldn’t hear the voice
anymore. She couldn’t hear anybody, but
she could feel life all around her still, shifting and swelling.
Closing her
eyes, she blocked it all out and focused on the important thing, the only
thing: Alex. As she opened her eyes, she
marched forward and kept reminding herself that somewhere Alex was lost and
alone, and it was up to Shana to find her.
They were best friends, after all.
She took a
few steps and felt the presence again.
It was in front of her in the form of a pale, voluptuous woman. Her face was expressive, full-lipped and
lustful. Her hair was dark and curly and
stretched down her entire body like a cloak.
“Hello,” she said, her voice raspy.
Shana
backed away into a nearby tree and stared.
The woman stepped toward her.
“You don’t
need to be afraid. I’m here to help.”
Shana had
no reason to doubt the woman, but she didn’t see a reason to believe her,
either. The fear she felt was enough to
keep distance.
The woman
smiled in a loving, albeit manipulative way.
“My name is Samantha, and I won’t hurt you, I promise. What’s your name?”
Shana took
a deep breath and steadied her shaking limbs.
“Shana,” she said hesitantly.
“Good, see,
that wasn’t so hard,” Samantha said warmly.
“And what are you doing here, Shana?”
Samantha
looked her in the eye, and Shana shied away.
She looked anywhere but at the woman.
Eye contact made her feel queasy.
“I’m—I’m not sure.”
“Are you
lost?”
Shana
nodded.
“Maybe I
can help you, then. I can lead you out
of here.”
“How?”
Samantha
laughed a rich, throaty laugh, covering her mouth politely in the process. “Oh, I didn’t introduce myself properly. I’m Samantha, and I live here.”
Finally,
Shana looked the woman in the eyes, and she froze on spot. “Where is ‘here’ exactly?”
The woman’s
smile became thin and dangerous.
:
EMOTION :
Alex
stopped cold when she saw her. At some
point the canyon had, without warning, disappeared. She found herself walking along a stone-laid
path, and a hundred feet away or so was Abraham. She was lying, her black hair spread around
her, her eyes closed.
Abel stood
above her, his head high. He kneeled
down and scooped her up. His eyes,
normally hollow, gleamed with joy.
Alex,
filled with a sudden burst of energy, moved.
She leapt through the air and, as she flew, called Three Gods in a flash
of light. She didn’t know Abel, but from
a glance she knew his intent. She could
feel something off in the way he smiled at Abraham, in the way he held her like
a sacred object, not a person.
Her arm
gleamed as the blade formed out of the air.
She meant to end it with one strike.
She had fought Caorlyne to a stand-still over Abraham, and she was
determined to do it again if necessary.
Abel saw
her and kept smiling. “Hands off,” Alex
shouted as she came sailing down. She
pointed her sword for his chest and thrust forward, and her breathe caught. She landed and stopped, her blade now above
her head. “You’re…”
Carolyne
stood before Abel, her Voice ready. She
didn’t even wince as Alex came down.
Three Gods hovered dangerously close to her head, but she was unafraid. Rather, she was smiling. “Hello, Alexandra.”
“Carolyne?” Alex staggered back. “What are you?”
“We still
need her. She’s more than just the
gateway or the key, and there’s more to this place than what you see,” Carolyne
said. “Much more.”
Alex
lowered her Voice and let it fade.
Suddenly, she felt sick. “This
place?”
“Yes,
haven’t you figured it out yet?”
“No, what
are you talking about?”
Carolyne
giggled sardonically. “Sometimes, I
can’t believe you. Well, then, allow me
to explain, dear. Welcome to the
Emotion.”
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