| .Dark §ide of the Moon. | {Luna}
Apr 9, 2011 18:00:28 GMT -5
Post by Rosetta on Apr 9, 2011 18:00:28 GMT -5
[/color]Yucca Ephedra
Speaking: 20424F
Text: 64A8D1
Others: 5F7776
It was like she was falling apart. Yucca Ephedra had never felt this frightened, this weak, and this alone before. Horror invaded her body, stimulating her pulse, drawing sweat and tears from her skin and eyes. She was glued to her seat, her eyes never leaving that hanging body. She could hear the chandelier groaning with the added weight of the bled-white body. Creak. The human pendulum swung back and forth, making Yucca’s stomach turn over. Breath short and ragged, the girl kneeled over, gripping her abdomen, but she only saw the blood splattered on the ground, and the broken glass, shards glistening like diamonds…
There was no place to turn. Yucca was glancing around, desperately searching for an escape. Silver passed just under her gaze. She’d promised to protect her, but protection only extended as far. Silver couldn’t erase the images, she couldn’t remove the terror. It was forever implanted now in Yucca mind, stamped to her skull. A horrendous twin she’d live with all her life. Get me off of this island, she thought, eyes wide, lips parted, now! She was trapped, an animal in a cage. Years of living and fishing in District 4 had taught her a lot about fish caught in nets, and lobsters and crabs stuck in cages: There was no way out. She was trapped by water, just as the fish were trapped by artfully tied knots, and bars. Things had flipped. This time she was the prey.
A gagging sound met her ears, and Yucca’s head whipped around to find Mahi Fisher. She’d been watching the door, as if hoping it would open and Peacekeepers would come pouring in to get to the bottom of us. Praying that perhaps someone would run through them, proclaiming that a boat was here to take them home. Anything to get her out of here. But, those fantasies were but fantasies. They weren’t coming true. What was in front of her was true, not in her mind. That’s what scared her the most. Mahi’s eyes were wide, mouth open, and for a moment, Yucca didn’t comprehend. Why was she making sounds at a time like this? Why-then she understood: Mahi was choking.
Quick as lightning, even before Yucca could react to this new discovery, they were plunged into complete and utter darkness. No sooner had this black shroud fall over them did the room erupt in shrieks, Yucca joining in on the chorus. She hated the darkness, that kind that filled an empty, curtained room at night. She’d much rather that blue darkness, that one light up by stars and the moon. A beautiful darkness bathed in white light. Not this. Not this suffocating mass. Oh, please no-
And just like that, the lights came on. Blinking in the sudden light, Yucca found Mahi again. But something was different. The blood hadn’t been there before. And her neck-“No,” Yucca said it quietly at first, not willing to believe it just yet. Then, the word grew louder and stronger, reverberating in Yucca’s ears. “No! No!” The previous horror inside of her was magnified by the thousands, bursting inside of her body. She leapt to her feet, crying out, her voice cracked. Mahi, how? The girl was just across the table, choking on something! Now, there was blood blossoming from her neck, dribbling down her shirt. “No…no…no!” Yucca backed up, knocking the chair over behind her. Mahi, the girl who had been so rude to her in their room, dead? Sure, Yucca had disliked her, but she’d never wish anything like this upon her. No one deserved this! Dead.
The heat in her face seemed to spread through her body, and that’s when it began to seem unnatural. And what was that crackling sound-“FIRE!” Yucca wheeled around towards the red, gold, and blue flames licking the ground and ceiling, curling around the walls, and sprinting towards the guests. Smoke rose all around, a tidal wave, constricting her throat. Gasping out, Yucca inhaled a large amount of the gas, and instantly doubled over, coughing. She fell to her knees, throwing up the little that was in her stomach, tears rolling down her cheeks. No, no, this can’t be happening.
Through the haze, and the running figures, Yucca desperately looked around for an escape. The main door was blocked from the rising orange monster, that greedily ate away at the room. Someone ran over her hand in heels, and Yucca cried out in pain, her red, sore hand leaving the ground. Clawing at the table, Yucca’s weak stomach groaned, but she pulled herself to her feet anyway. Her legs trembled, and for a moment, Yucca leaned on the table. However, there was hardly any time to spare. Smoke swirled around her, invading her lungs. The flames leered at her, no more than several yards away. Coughing, Yucca glanced around again. I’m not going to die, please don’t let me die here, she pleaded, please, I can’t die here.
Then, she saw it. A door! Past the gray smoke, rolling over the masses of running people, a lone door stood on the side of the Dining Hall. If she could just reach it…Yucca stumbled away from the table, peeking back at the fire that was spreading at a rapid pace throughout the room. Chest heaving, she reached the door, but the second her skin met the doorknob, agony surged through her hand. She jerked her hand away, howling, red burns stretching on her flesh. A choked sob erupted from her mouth. The doorknob was much too hot. She couldn’t open it. She couldn’t do it. She was going to die. She-
Aha! Perhaps luck was on her side that night, because her frost-blue eyes found something else of use: a fire extinguisher only about a few feet away. Yucca grabbed it, wincing, as her thin arms struggled to raise the heavy object. She staggered back towards the door, and rather than hit the fire extinguisher against the door, she more or less fell at it, the extinguisher in front of her. With a satisfying crack, the wood splintered, causing a hole that once Yucca’s arms pushed through, was wide enough for one to leave out of. She looked back at the inferno, threatening the lives of the people in room. A dark-skinned girl was nearby-
“NIL!” Yucca screamed it without even thinking. She’d spotted Nil Rosewood, the other girl in her room. Something possessed Yucca at that moment. Something fleeting, something quick forcing her vocal chords to call out the name, and forcing her arms to reach up and wave, motion for the girl to follow, follow so she wouldn’t perish. It was common courtesy, right? Helping someone out, making sure they didn’t die, right? Still, Yucca couldn’t shake the feeling that perhaps that crying out that one simple name was much deeper than anyone realized. Hidden under many layers, a river at the bottom of a canyon, something much too sheltered to reach. Maybe it was because they were roommates. Mahi was gone now…yes, that had to be it. She didn’t want to be alone. Because to be alone meant danger, not only a physical danger, but also a mental one. She’d be locked up alone, locked away in her own personal prison built by horrific memories, with no one to drag her back out. No way was she leaving this place alone. And Nil, she couldn’t be dangerous, could she?
Well, it didn’t matter now, because Yucca had already said that fateful name. Her stomach lurched again, eyes watering, soot settling over her skin, and heat burning her face. She needed to get out of here now! As quick as possible, Yucca forced herself through the hole she’d made in the door. Splinters dug into her skin, but she disregarded them, as cool air reached her and she fell forward onto the ground. Her burned and trodden-on hands rejoiced against the cool grass, that soothed the pains. For a moment, she knelt there, pressing her hands into the grass. But, she soon stood, uncomfortable warmth still on her back, and began to run. She’d meant to walk, but as soon as she began, she couldn’t stop. Her philosophy was that maybe if she ran away far enough, she could forget it all, leave it all behind. Her bare feet beat against the grass, making little noise, her sandals having been shed. The cool air kissed her skin, and alleviated her overheated body. Smoke filled her nose, and made her eyes water, as she ran, trying to escape it. Away she went into the darkness. A crop of trees was coming up to her, and she dodged through them, leaving hell behind her.
She needed to get out of here now, she-
Yucca stopped short, dirt flying up around her feet. Gasping, she stared, eyes wide, mouth hanging open. She’d come out of the trees to the hotel. But, it wasn’t there anymore. Only a smoldering wreck stood in front of her, smoke still billowing towards the sky, and small fires burning here and there. Crumbling walls still stood, along with some furniture, but the rest had been reduced to ash, swirling around in the wind, causing Yucca to double over with a coughing fit. Finally, she was able to stand up straight, panting, studying the place. Whoever had set the Dining Hall on fire had gotten to the hotel first, and reduced it to almost nothing, a foundation with some charred pieces. Whoever had killed Mahi, had also killed that other girl first. There were all pawns in this dangerous game, but the other side had the upper hand. They were making all the right moves, one step ahead of them all.
The very thought of it sent shivers up and down Yucca’s spine. She took a step forward, towards the ruins, but her legs suddenly wouldn’t support her. Yucca collapsed to her knees, and finally rolled over onto her back, glaring up at the starry sky. A pure white crescent moon stared back at her, matching her hair, but not her spirit. It wasn’t so beautiful, was it? The moon, she meant. No, it really wasn’t. It was only beautiful some nights, when it was full, luminous and huge. Then, the other nights it was cut in half, torn into pieces. It just goes to show how quickly beautiful things could fall apart…
Yucca rolled over onto her stomach, uneasily, and forced herself back to her knees, staring at what once was the hotel. Her few posessions, her hand-me-down clothes, burnt, gone forever. Was that the way she was going too? Gone forever? Would she be stabbed, or hanged, just like the two girls in the Dining Hall? Would she live to see that moon come together? Or would she simply fade away…?
"Promise me you'll come back, Yucca. You'll come back, right?"
"Of course, Net. It's just a wedding, I'll be back before you know it."
She’d promised her little brother she’d come back. She had to go back. Right on back to her huge family, and her snobby mother, who was probably still enraged at not being invited to the wedding. She was probably pregnant again to replace her. She was always in need of more children…
I’ll come home, Net, she thought, reassuring herself more. Her eyes found that crescent moon, and she thought back to the phases of the moon. 12 days. That’s how long it would be until a full moon. And that’s when she’d be back.
You hear that Net, she thought again, a small smile coming to her lips, before sinking back down into despair, I’ll be home in 12 days, don’t you worry, don’t you worry…