Kaley
_
I don’t know where I am.
Somehow, I figured out a way through the forest, mostly just on instinct. Everything is such a blur, nothing really makes sense, and everything is so loud. I’m walking along a dirt road, where big, burly metal things zoom by. There are people inside from what I can see. All I can think is, they must be zooming to their death. Strange things. Some go faster than others, but I’m still careful to stick to the trees.
Soon enough, I came across a small town. A little sign beside the road – which was now a strange, black rock – said the town was called “Bailey.” Stepping into a little circle of buildings, I glanced around. A small shop that sold clothes drew my eye immediately. Avoiding the strange looks from the people around, I dashed into the clothing store. Rows and rows of odd clothing filled the cramped space, and I was greeted by a middle-aged woman.
“Oh, hi, Honey!” the woman chirped. Her voice had a small twang, and I took a step back, afraid. She walked up and smiled. “Where’s your mum?” She asked, looking around. I wanted to snap at her for not knowing, but then realized this was the human realm. No one knew about me at all. I could be just a normal kid. However, that took parents, of which I didn’t have.
I hugged myself and shrugged. The woman smiled softly, almost knowingly. Yet, did she really understand what happened to my mother?
“My name’s Martha,” she cooed. I curtsied, awarded by a strange look from Martha.
“I am Kaley Anne Caladin. It is very nice to meet you, Martha,” I smiled, folding my hands behind my back when I stood up. “I apologize, but… Could you tell me where I am?” Martha laughed and wrapped an arm around me. She guided me over to a counter and sat me down behind it. Soon, she placed an odd drink in front of me and what looked like a pastry. I blinked at them, confused as to what I should do with this.
Martha leaned on the counter across from me and smiled. She was, to be honest, quite pretty. Her eyes were a lively green and her hair brown, with a gray streak towards the front. “You’re in Bailey,” she announced. I made a confused-like face, and she laughed. “Colorado, dear. In America?” I laughed with her.
“Of course!” I laughed awkwardly, “Colorado!”
Then so began my day with this woman. The drink she had placed in front of me was called Pepsi. It was fizzy – that’s how she described it, at least – and sweet. Kind of an odd taste, if I do say so myself. Martha gave me about three “outfits” – one pair of shorts, a t-shirt, one skirt, a tank-top, a pair of jeans and a long sleeved shirt. All of which were either gray or blue. I preferred the jeans and long-sleeved shirt, to be honest. I could pull the sleeves down over my hands, which I had always found comfortable, and my legs weren’t shown. I watched Martha help customers, and at the end of the day, I helped her close up.
Martha’s green eyes became a little sad as we stood outside. She said that my Mum must be looking for me everywhere, and that we would wait for her outside of the store. About two hours of waiting, Martha stood and sighed. I watched her as she grabbed my clothes and her bag, turning to smile at me.
“Come on, you’re coming home with me.” She cooed happily. Scrambling to my feet, I began to follow her to her house. The air around us was cool and soothing, a slight breeze cooling me off. As I looked up, I noticed the sky was filled with stars! It was almost like someone had dumped glitter all over the world. Soon enough, just a couple blocks Martha explained, we were at her house. It was two stories and quite nice, better than the little hut I used to live in. As we walked up, I noticed how there were lights on inside. Of course, she must have a husband and kids, right?
I was wrong.
As we stepped inside, I noticed a demon with mint-green hair playing something on a box with moving pictures. Zach had informed me weeks ago that this was normal. It was a TV and video games, but that girl… She shot a look at me that could kill, and it almost did. Her eyes were a squash yellow with slits as pupils. I froze in place, a shiver running down my spine. As her eyes continued making contact with mine, it felt as if cold fingers were slowly squeezing my heart and lungs. I wanted to scream, to run, to yell for help, but I couldn’t. I couldn’t do anything. I was going to die-
“Eeci!” I heard a man – no, a boy – snap. The girl – Eeci, I was assuming – turned away from me and narrowed her eyes. Yes! Free at last! Yet, I was curious. I turned to look at the boy who had made the noise. He, too, was a teenager… He had shaggy, brown hair, a muscular build, and pale skin. His right eye was a royal-looking green, while the other…
It was pitch black inside his left eye. This time, I shrieked. The whole eye was black, except a little, shimmering sliver. It seemed to pulsate, seemed to be alive. Aside from his left eye, he looked so nice, so apologetic. His green eye widened.
“I’m so sorry!” he cried, covering the eye. I was backing up against Martha, but she had moved. I was now pinned against the door, heart pounding, blood pulsing. What was this!? These people… These things… were straight from Hell! Sure, people get a little scared from the silver abyss I call my eyes, and the whiteness of our skin, but this… this was horrifying! An evil feeling had settled in the house, but I calmed down as the boy wrapped a bandage over his eye. I took a deep breath, and he smiled apologetically. “So sorry. You came in right as I was changing bandages.” That’s when his friendly gaze became cold and rolled above me. “And you, Natalie… What were you thinking, bringing a child in here!?” he scolded. I turned to face Martha, confused…
Yet again, I was confused and terrified at what I saw. The kind, middle-aged woman I saw in the shop was now a fifteen year old girl with long black hair pulled into pig tails. She had her arms crossed over her, ah, large chest, pouting. This girl – Natalie, I suspected – was gorgeous. More of a sex toy than a pretty young woman. Her body was a perfect hour-glass, with a large chest, and wonderful legs. I was growing jealous of her. It took me a moment to notice her French-maid getup.
“Aw, Jude, she’s so CUTE though!” Natalie purred, her voice rising when she said ‘cute.’ I narrowed my eyes and stepped – no, stomped – past this girl and yanked a dagger out, pointing it at this so-called Jude.
“Look-y here, boy!” I growled, the room suddenly getting cold. “I’m not young, or cute, or anything of the sort!” I could feel ice growing inside me, my breath chilling. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed snow falling outside. Jude, however, looked thrilled instead of shocked, or annoyed. I gripped my dagger harder. Demons… so confusing, so ridiculous.
“You’re Kaley, aren’t you?” he cried with glee. My guard went down and I gave him a confused look.
“How do you know me?” I asked, annoyed. Jude beamed and started taking my bags, setting them down, and clasped his hands together. Gosh, could this boy get any stranger?
“Satsu told us to keep a lookout for you,” he explained, letting me sit. I crossed my legs and arms, narrowing my eyes.
“Excuse me – who?” I groaned. Jude laughed softly.
“You’ll get to know her soon,” he assured me.
Jude started to treat me like a daughter, or a little sister. He let me take a bath, and then lent me a very large shirt to sleep in. Jude was careful with me and pulled my hair to a side-ponytail, as he called it. A bed was pulled out from under his and given fresh blankets; I got a nightstand all to myself; and they washed and fixed my old dress. Jude made me feel special, and not the royal special, but… more like special as a person. I wouldn’t say it was romantic, but definitely special. The entire time I was there, he was joking with me, while Eeci – who, I learned, was just awfully quiet – and Natalie stood off to the side. As we was making my bed, I heard them whisper, he hasn’t acted like this since Prim left. I glanced at them, and noticed sad looks. Was Prim his little sister, or someone in passing, like me? I had no clue.
As I curled up in bed, after Jude had fallen asleep, I heard him murmur the name I heard earlier. He had said, Prim… the black angel… I had thought no wonder, demons with fallen angels. How typical. Then, I slowly fell asleep.
I was at the doorstep of a very, very large house in the middle of a forest.
Rain fell, but that was normal, from what I felt.
There were girls on either side of me. I couldn’t see them, except the swish of a fox tail and the brush of dark wings.
As we walked in, I felt at home. I felt like I belonged. Yet, I also felt that I was so out of place.
I noticed people everywhere, but I didn’t see anything above their noses. Soon, I was folded into the arms of someone, someone who was very comforting. His sleeves were long and red, whereas mine were long and striped blue and black. I felt safe. Content. Amazing. Happy, even.
Yet in the back, I noticed Jude. I could see all of him.
Why did he look so distressed?
I awoke with the covers kicked down, my body very warm. I squinted outside, noticing a clear sky and a large, flaming ball in the blue. It hurt to look, so I shut my eyes and turned over. After a moment, I opened my eyes and looked up. Jude was not in bed. Actually, his bed was very messy, yet empty. Yawning, I stood from the mattress and looked around. I was so drowsy, and yet so happy with how everything felt. I did feel fatigued, and like I needed a very good stretch, but I had not slept that good in years. Still, I was a little curious about my dream. My instinct told me not to ask Jude about it. Who knows, it was probably just weird. Still, I felt like the mystery of this Prim girl had been solved.
Had she been in my dream?
I don’t know where I am.
Somehow, I figured out a way through the forest, mostly just on instinct. Everything is such a blur, nothing really makes sense, and everything is so loud. I’m walking along a dirt road, where big, burly metal things zoom by. There are people inside from what I can see. All I can think is, they must be zooming to their death. Strange things. Some go faster than others, but I’m still careful to stick to the trees.
Soon enough, I came across a small town. A little sign beside the road – which was now a strange, black rock – said the town was called “Bailey.” Stepping into a little circle of buildings, I glanced around. A small shop that sold clothes drew my eye immediately. Avoiding the strange looks from the people around, I dashed into the clothing store. Rows and rows of odd clothing filled the cramped space, and I was greeted by a middle-aged woman.
“Oh, hi, Honey!” the woman chirped. Her voice had a small twang, and I took a step back, afraid. She walked up and smiled. “Where’s your mum?” She asked, looking around. I wanted to snap at her for not knowing, but then realized this was the human realm. No one knew about me at all. I could be just a normal kid. However, that took parents, of which I didn’t have.
I hugged myself and shrugged. The woman smiled softly, almost knowingly. Yet, did she really understand what happened to my mother?
“My name’s Martha,” she cooed. I curtsied, awarded by a strange look from Martha.
“I am Kaley Anne Caladin. It is very nice to meet you, Martha,” I smiled, folding my hands behind my back when I stood up. “I apologize, but… Could you tell me where I am?” Martha laughed and wrapped an arm around me. She guided me over to a counter and sat me down behind it. Soon, she placed an odd drink in front of me and what looked like a pastry. I blinked at them, confused as to what I should do with this.
Martha leaned on the counter across from me and smiled. She was, to be honest, quite pretty. Her eyes were a lively green and her hair brown, with a gray streak towards the front. “You’re in Bailey,” she announced. I made a confused-like face, and she laughed. “Colorado, dear. In America?” I laughed with her.
“Of course!” I laughed awkwardly, “Colorado!”
Then so began my day with this woman. The drink she had placed in front of me was called Pepsi. It was fizzy – that’s how she described it, at least – and sweet. Kind of an odd taste, if I do say so myself. Martha gave me about three “outfits” – one pair of shorts, a t-shirt, one skirt, a tank-top, a pair of jeans and a long sleeved shirt. All of which were either gray or blue. I preferred the jeans and long-sleeved shirt, to be honest. I could pull the sleeves down over my hands, which I had always found comfortable, and my legs weren’t shown. I watched Martha help customers, and at the end of the day, I helped her close up.
Martha’s green eyes became a little sad as we stood outside. She said that my Mum must be looking for me everywhere, and that we would wait for her outside of the store. About two hours of waiting, Martha stood and sighed. I watched her as she grabbed my clothes and her bag, turning to smile at me.
“Come on, you’re coming home with me.” She cooed happily. Scrambling to my feet, I began to follow her to her house. The air around us was cool and soothing, a slight breeze cooling me off. As I looked up, I noticed the sky was filled with stars! It was almost like someone had dumped glitter all over the world. Soon enough, just a couple blocks Martha explained, we were at her house. It was two stories and quite nice, better than the little hut I used to live in. As we walked up, I noticed how there were lights on inside. Of course, she must have a husband and kids, right?
I was wrong.
As we stepped inside, I noticed a demon with mint-green hair playing something on a box with moving pictures. Zach had informed me weeks ago that this was normal. It was a TV and video games, but that girl… She shot a look at me that could kill, and it almost did. Her eyes were a squash yellow with slits as pupils. I froze in place, a shiver running down my spine. As her eyes continued making contact with mine, it felt as if cold fingers were slowly squeezing my heart and lungs. I wanted to scream, to run, to yell for help, but I couldn’t. I couldn’t do anything. I was going to die-
“Eeci!” I heard a man – no, a boy – snap. The girl – Eeci, I was assuming – turned away from me and narrowed her eyes. Yes! Free at last! Yet, I was curious. I turned to look at the boy who had made the noise. He, too, was a teenager… He had shaggy, brown hair, a muscular build, and pale skin. His right eye was a royal-looking green, while the other…
It was pitch black inside his left eye. This time, I shrieked. The whole eye was black, except a little, shimmering sliver. It seemed to pulsate, seemed to be alive. Aside from his left eye, he looked so nice, so apologetic. His green eye widened.
“I’m so sorry!” he cried, covering the eye. I was backing up against Martha, but she had moved. I was now pinned against the door, heart pounding, blood pulsing. What was this!? These people… These things… were straight from Hell! Sure, people get a little scared from the silver abyss I call my eyes, and the whiteness of our skin, but this… this was horrifying! An evil feeling had settled in the house, but I calmed down as the boy wrapped a bandage over his eye. I took a deep breath, and he smiled apologetically. “So sorry. You came in right as I was changing bandages.” That’s when his friendly gaze became cold and rolled above me. “And you, Natalie… What were you thinking, bringing a child in here!?” he scolded. I turned to face Martha, confused…
Yet again, I was confused and terrified at what I saw. The kind, middle-aged woman I saw in the shop was now a fifteen year old girl with long black hair pulled into pig tails. She had her arms crossed over her, ah, large chest, pouting. This girl – Natalie, I suspected – was gorgeous. More of a sex toy than a pretty young woman. Her body was a perfect hour-glass, with a large chest, and wonderful legs. I was growing jealous of her. It took me a moment to notice her French-maid getup.
“Aw, Jude, she’s so CUTE though!” Natalie purred, her voice rising when she said ‘cute.’ I narrowed my eyes and stepped – no, stomped – past this girl and yanked a dagger out, pointing it at this so-called Jude.
“Look-y here, boy!” I growled, the room suddenly getting cold. “I’m not young, or cute, or anything of the sort!” I could feel ice growing inside me, my breath chilling. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed snow falling outside. Jude, however, looked thrilled instead of shocked, or annoyed. I gripped my dagger harder. Demons… so confusing, so ridiculous.
“You’re Kaley, aren’t you?” he cried with glee. My guard went down and I gave him a confused look.
“How do you know me?” I asked, annoyed. Jude beamed and started taking my bags, setting them down, and clasped his hands together. Gosh, could this boy get any stranger?
“Satsu told us to keep a lookout for you,” he explained, letting me sit. I crossed my legs and arms, narrowing my eyes.
“Excuse me – who?” I groaned. Jude laughed softly.
“You’ll get to know her soon,” he assured me.
Jude started to treat me like a daughter, or a little sister. He let me take a bath, and then lent me a very large shirt to sleep in. Jude was careful with me and pulled my hair to a side-ponytail, as he called it. A bed was pulled out from under his and given fresh blankets; I got a nightstand all to myself; and they washed and fixed my old dress. Jude made me feel special, and not the royal special, but… more like special as a person. I wouldn’t say it was romantic, but definitely special. The entire time I was there, he was joking with me, while Eeci – who, I learned, was just awfully quiet – and Natalie stood off to the side. As we was making my bed, I heard them whisper, he hasn’t acted like this since Prim left. I glanced at them, and noticed sad looks. Was Prim his little sister, or someone in passing, like me? I had no clue.
As I curled up in bed, after Jude had fallen asleep, I heard him murmur the name I heard earlier. He had said, Prim… the black angel… I had thought no wonder, demons with fallen angels. How typical. Then, I slowly fell asleep.
I was at the doorstep of a very, very large house in the middle of a forest.
Rain fell, but that was normal, from what I felt.
There were girls on either side of me. I couldn’t see them, except the swish of a fox tail and the brush of dark wings.
As we walked in, I felt at home. I felt like I belonged. Yet, I also felt that I was so out of place.
I noticed people everywhere, but I didn’t see anything above their noses. Soon, I was folded into the arms of someone, someone who was very comforting. His sleeves were long and red, whereas mine were long and striped blue and black. I felt safe. Content. Amazing. Happy, even.
Yet in the back, I noticed Jude. I could see all of him.
Why did he look so distressed?
I awoke with the covers kicked down, my body very warm. I squinted outside, noticing a clear sky and a large, flaming ball in the blue. It hurt to look, so I shut my eyes and turned over. After a moment, I opened my eyes and looked up. Jude was not in bed. Actually, his bed was very messy, yet empty. Yawning, I stood from the mattress and looked around. I was so drowsy, and yet so happy with how everything felt. I did feel fatigued, and like I needed a very good stretch, but I had not slept that good in years. Still, I was a little curious about my dream. My instinct told me not to ask Jude about it. Who knows, it was probably just weird. Still, I felt like the mystery of this Prim girl had been solved.
Had she been in my dream?