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neccaro-story · 8 years ago

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Prologue

Over 150 years ago, the Powered People, also known as Pows, began to emerge among the populous. These people were born normal until they reached a certain age, and their abilities blossomed. These children could suddenly do unexplainable things: fly, disappear, shoot substances from their fingertips. Thousands of different abilities could be named, and no two child’s abilities were exactly the same.

No one knew how, where or why these genetically superior people appeared, but the fear of these new people quickly set in. Prejudice against Pows spread like wild fire, and soon, Pows were refused entry into numerous businesses, schools, and even entire cities. Though superior with their abilities, the Pows never fought back.

50 years had passed since the first Pows had appeared. Many new cities were built by the Pows unable to enter normal human cities, or as the Pows called them, Non cities. Though the Pows and the Nons lived separately, things were peaceful. For a while.

The Nons decided that segregation was not enough. To have such dangerous beings live on their world not only terrified them, but made them feel powerless in all senses of the word. In January 2113, the Nons declared war on the Pows.

One of the bloodiest wars in a hundred years followed, killing hundreds of thousands of both Nons and Pows; the war spanning over a mere four and a half years. Hundreds of cities were burnt to the ground, and a lot of the prospering land was turned to dust by weapons of the Nons and the magic of the Pows; the planet was being destroyed. Until one fateful day, in the summer of 2117, something changed.

A child was born on August 20th, named Victoria Zentique, within the Non city of Haling. When she was born, she didn’t cry or fuss, but opened her eyes and spoke to the doctor, thanking them for bringing her into the world. She was a Pow, and unlike any other, she gained her powers as soon as she came out of the womb. Her powers consisted of being able to see everything that was going to happen from the present to 20 years into the future, at any given time. For this reason, she was able to speak almost fluently as a newborn. The downside to her abilities was that, although she could see the future, she was born blind.

Millions watched from across the globe as a baby girl, barely a month old, spoke fluently to the public, begging for a stop to the war, otherwise their planet and everyone on it would be eradicated within the next 10 years. A couple of hours after the broadcast, the war was put to an end.

The year is now 2158.

Though there is still prejudice against the Pows, there are some cities where Pows and Nons live together in one place, called sanctuary cities, or Unis. A major Uni city, named Venara, is where Empress Victoria Zentique resides, now controlling Pow cities and serving as an ambassadress for the Powered People.

Every day, hundreds of Pows are still being abused, taken from their homes and killed, forced into slavery, or worse. How much longer will the Pows be able to keep themselves from fighting back?

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Click here to start Chapter 1.

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neccaro-story · 8 years ago

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Chapter 2: C

“We have to hurry,” Gracie shouted, “they can’t know which way we went!”

Leading Jacob around to the back of the house, she continued, “When I was little and Virgil let me play outside, there was a cave on the beach he never knew about. We’ll be safe there.”

“Lead the way, m'lady.” Jacob said, slowing to let Gracie catch up to him.

Gracie quickly guided Jacob over a small hill and away from the house toward the beach. The night made the beach almost completely black, save for the little bit of moonlight, but Gracie seemed to know where she was going.

They kept to the shadows, hearing the distant sound of Virgil calling out. Jacob stopped and looked back, unable to see the lights from the house anymore. He looked forward toward Gracie, who was still trudging forward through the sand. Jacob trotted forward to catch up with her.

“Gracie?” Jacob asked, slowing to a walk.

“Yeah?” she replied, folding her arms.

“Are you alright?”

“Oh. Yeah..”

“Look. I know what you’re feeling right now. I’m sure Virgil will be fine, okay? It’s… for the best.” Jacob gave a forced smile, but Gracie never looked his way. He sighed, continuing to walk.

“So… you have abilities?” he asked, rubbing the back of his neck. Gracie nodded.

“Ah, cool,” he smiled, “um… if you… tell me yours, I’ll tell you mine.”

“You have powers?” Gracie asked, turning her gaze toward him curiously.

“It’s… not really anything to gawk at, but… yeah. I dabble.” Gracie laughed at his statement, making him smile wider.

“Well,” she started, “I… I can’t specify exactly what mine are, but… I can make myself… hot. Hot enough to burn things, as well as melt them. Um… what about you?”

“I can stop time,” he looked down, examining a shell he was stepping over, “that’s my power.”

“That’s… amazing.” Gracie said quietly, folding her arms. She looked toward the water.

“Oh. Uh, thank you, but… what’s wrong?”

“Your power. It isn’t… destructive. Like mine is.”

“No, no. Woah. Wait a minute. You’re way cooler than me, Gracie. I thought that was obvious.”

“What are you talking about?” Gracie asked, a smile appearing on her face.

“You can melt stuff with your hands, man. That’s pretty cool.”

“I… can fly, too.” Her eye sparkled a bright yellow.

“What? Really? Do you… have angel wings or something?” Jacob’s imagination was brimming with images of Gracie sprouting angel wings from her back. Gracie blushed, her eye starting to glow brighter.

“Not… exactly.” Gracie stopped and took a step back, the entirety of her eye turning a bright orange speckled with yellow. Suddenly, a burst of red, orange, and yellow light exploded from behind her, forming long strands that resembled feathers; glowing droplets fell from the tips of the strands, extinguishing once they hit the sand. Jacob stared in awe as the area around them was completely lit by Gracie’s wings.

“You’re beautiful… I-I mean, they’re beautiful! Your wings, they’re, uh… they’re pretty great!” Jacob laughed nervously, running a hand through his hair. Gracie smiled and laughed.

“Thank you…” She blushed and looked away.

“Can I…” Jacob took a step forward, going to reach for her wings. Gracie jolted forward and grabbed his hand, frowning.

“No! My… wings can’t be touched. They will burn you. I’m sorry…” she turned away from him, hurrying down the beach. A couple of feet away, a cave entrance appeared, and Gracie ran inside. The brilliant light from her wings began to fade until they disappeared completely, sending the cave into darkness. Jacob frowned, running after her and entering the cave slowly. Gracie’s eye had returned to normal, but still glowed in the darkness; the color of her iris had changed to a dark red.

“Gracie…” Jacob said. Gracie’s eye looked up at him, shifting to a dark orange. He moved forward and felt for the cave wall, slowly easing himself down next to Gracie and laying his head against the wall.

“I wish they were angel wings,” Gracie sighed, closing her eye. The two of them were now seated in complete darkness. Jacob sighed, unsure of what to say.

“Well… I think your wings are better than angel wings, Gracie. They’re… unlike anything I’ve ever seen.”

“I know,” she replied, “I just… wish I was different.”

“… Why?”

“All I can do is destroy things, Jacob!” Gracie shouted, turning toward him. She had started crying, but instead of regular tears, a stream of glowing orange liquid rolled down her cheeks. Jacob frowned, reaching down to find her hand. Once he did, he squeezed it gently.

“Listen to me, Gracie. I barely even know you, but already I… I think you’re perfect the way you are. Everyone has their powers for some reason or another. You shouldn’t be ashamed of that.” Jacob heard Gracie sniffle and the glow of her eye disappeared again.

“You’re right… I’m sorry—”

“Don’t be. You have a right to feel what you feel, Gracie. Being locked up all those years, being told that you’re dangerous… that could change anyone. But… I’m sure that someday, you’ll come to realize that your powers are just as useful and amazing as everyone else.” Jacob smiled, squeezing Gracie’s hand again. Suddenly, Jacob felt Gracie move next to him quickly, hugging him from the side. He jumped, but then blushed, feeling glad they were in complete darkness.

“Thank you, Jacob.” Gracie said, looking up at him. Her eye was glowing a bright yellow. Jacob smiled and turned away, staring into the darkness.

“You’re welcome, Gracie.”

END OF CHAP. 2 ------------------------------ Click here for Chapter 3.

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neccaro-story · 8 years ago

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Chapter 1: C

Your choice: Jacob decides to ignore the sound, not wanting to snoop around, like Virgil said not to.

Jacob leaned back, putting his hands behind his head. It wasn’t his business to wander around in an old couple’s home after they explicitly told him not to. They obviously had their boundaries for guests, and Jacob didn’t want to disobey. Respect your elders, he repeated in his mind. The noises coming from above stopped completely, and Jacob felt his eyelids grow heavy. The girl from his dream popped into his head, jolting him awake. Jacob turned onto his side, pulling the pillow over his head and shutting his eyes tightly.

“Leave me alone!” he said out loud, trying to focus all of his energy on sleep. Unfortunately, his effort was useless, since his mind had started flooding with thoughts. Jacob left his friends and family, traveling miles on a single belief that some random girl by the sea somewhere was in trouble. Maybe Jacob would save her and become a hero, but what would be the point of it all? What if the girl really was just a dream? What if—

The noise of a door opening in the hall halted his thoughts. Jacob lifted the pillow off of his head, looking around for a clock. On the other side of the bed, a nightstand with an alarm clock on top of it were glowing in the moonlight.

The clock read 4:17AM.

“4 o'clock,” Jacob thought aloud, “what could they be doing up this late?” In his mind, he criticized himself. The better question was, what was he doing up this late? Jacob stared at the ceiling, realizing that since Virgil and Beatrice are old, they probably couldn’t make it through the night without going to the bathroom. He thought this until he heard a creaking sound just outside of his door. Turning his gaze toward the sound, he didn’t recognize it to be a regular door. Jacob rolled over and sat up on the edge of the bed, listening. What sounded like footsteps on a flight of stairs went upward into what Jacob assumed was the attic, and soon he heard muffled talking. He jumped up from the bed and moved over to the door, pressing his ear against it. An older man’s voice was speaking angrily.

“What the hell are you trying to do? I told you to stay quiet while that boy was here!”

“Why don’t you try sitting up here all day, old man,” a younger girl’s voice replied, “I needed to move around a little. These stupid restraints aren’t as comfortable as they look.” Jacob could hear the sarcasm in her voice.

“I put those on you because you aren’t safe, sweetheart. I put them on you because you could hurt people. That includes me, your gram, and yourself.”

“I’m not as dangerous as you think I am.”

“Oh, but I know you are, sweetheart. Who knows what else you could be capable of—”

“What I’m capable of? You and Bea have never, ever let me practice using my abilities! Who knows if I even have my powers anymore! And stop calling me sweetheart, Virgil. It’s not like you care about me.”

“You take that back right now, Gracie!”

“How could you lock me up here like this and say you care about me?! You don’t! You don't—” A sudden loud crash made Jacob jump away from the door.

“Gray, sweetheart, calm down—” Virgil said, fear lingering in his words. Jacob flung open the door and rushed into the hallway, seeing the attic door had indeed been opened. The stairs to the attic were folded out and Virgil stood at the top of them, slowly stepping down backwards.

“Virgil?!” Jacob called, confused at the situation. Virgil spun around and looked at him, his face twisted in fear and anger.

“Get out of here, boy! Get out!”

“What’s happening?” A glowing orange-red light started filling the attic.

“I said get, you little—” Virgil tripped as he took a step down and tumbled to the floor, unmoving. Jacob rushed to his side, feeling for a pulse. The girl appeared at the top of the stairs, slowly moving down them.

“He’s alive, but what was that—” Jacob paused, looking up and quieting himself. It was the girl from his dream!

“Who are you?” the girl said, her eyes completely black. She was wearing a light purple dress, like the one in the photograph in the hall, except it was torn and basically hanging off of her. She held it up as she moved, preventing it from slipping. Chains melded to braces on her ankles dragged behind her, bouncing down the stairs as she walked. The skin where the braces were attached was red and irritated. Her hair was much longer than in Jacob’s dream, as it was barely floating above the floor. Her bangs covered the whole side of her face, and her eyes slowly changed to a dark red, just like in Jacob’s dream. Finally, she stepped down onto the hallway floor.

“Who. Are. You.” she repeated, and Jacob soon realized he had been staring at her. He grinned and blushed faintly, standing up quickly.

“I—Sorry, I’m… Jacob. And you must be—”

“Gracie.”

“Well, Gracie, I can’t tell you how happy I am to see you exist.” Gracie seemed confused.

“Right… I’ll, uh, tell you everything you wanna know later. But first, we need to get out of here. Probably now.” Jacob said, looking down at Virgil’s body and back up at Gracie, holding his hands out in a shrugging gesture. Virgil groaned, showing signs of waking up.

“Right,” the edges of her lips curved up, “I’ll… go with you.”

Jacob held out his hand to Gracie, quickly taking it back when he noticed it was his prosthetic. He held out his other hand, smiling uneasily. Ignoring his other hand, Gracie grabbed his prosthetic hand and pulled him down the hallway and to the front door, smiling back at him. She turned to him and held up his metal hand.

“You don’t have to be embarrassed,” she said, “we all have our flaws.” Jacob’s gaze shifted from her normal eye to the hair that covered her other eye. Suddenly, a scream echoed through the house, and both Gracie and Jacob’s heads turned toward the hallway.

“Virgil!? Oh, my God! No! Gracie? Somebody!” They both recognized it as Beatrice’s voice.

Gracie quickly let go of his hand and opened the door, pushing Jacob outside and running out behind him.

END OF CHAP. 1 ------------------------------ Click here for Chapter 2.

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neccaro-story · 8 years ago

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Chapter 1: A

Your choice: Jacob decides to get out of bed and find the source of the noise.

Getting out of bed, Jacob made his way toward the door, putting his ear against it and listening for movement. The best option right now, Jacob thought, is to find out what it really is. Not hearing anything outside of his door, he slowly turned the doorknob and cracked the door open, peaking through the gap he had created. He saw two doors of differing colors: a white door, and a brown door. He assumed the white one to be the bathroom, making the brown door the entrance to Virgil and Bea’s room.

Tiptoeing out of his room, Jacob gently closed the door behind him and looked up at the attic door. He stroked his chin, wondering if going up this way would cause a lot of noise.

Choose: 1> Jacob decides to use the attic entrance. 2> Jacob decides to find another way.

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neccaro-story · 8 years ago

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Chapter 1

Smoothing back her thinning sliver hair, an older woman smiled with perfect teeth. She reached for her husband, who was two heads taller than her, locking her arm with his. A similar smile spread across his face. In front of the two elders, a young boy about as tall as the older man smiled uneasily.

“We are so glad you could join us tonight,” the woman said, “I could make my famous mint tea. Made with herbs from my garden out front.”

The boy started, “Ah, I’d love to have some, but… I really just wanted to get some sleep…” he rubbed the back of his neck, looking down at the older lady.

“Oh,” the woman mumbled, her lips forming a straight line.

“I mean, it’s not that I don’t appreciate you letting me stay here tonight, it’s just—” he was cut off by the older man.

“Relax, my boy. Why don’t you sit down? We can get to know each other before you leave. It’s not often we get young folks comin’ through here.” The man’s smile remained unchanged.

“I suppose I can sit for a while—”

“Good. Beatrice can get started with the tea.” The man nudged his head toward the kitchen, placing his hand on the boy’s back and leading him to the dining room. Beatrice’s smile immediately returned. With almost a skip in her step, she left for the kitchen.

“What’s your name, boy?” the man asked, pulling out a chair and sitting down slowly. He seemed overly alert for some reason. The boy sat down in a chair across the table from him.

“Jacob,” he said, leaning back in his seat, “what’s yours?”

“Virgil.”

“Ah…” Jacob leaned forward, folding his arms. He suddenly felt less relaxed. An awkward silence fell between them. Fortunately, Beatrice entered the room, plopping down next to Virgil; her smile as sweet as ever.

“So,” she began, “what brings you so close to the sea?”

“Well…” Jacob paused and thought for a moment, “I just… needed to get away from the city life.”

Actually, that was a lie.

The real reason he was here was because of a dream he’d had a few weeks ago.

It started in a dark room, with a bright light shining down on a young girl. Her hair was snow white, and she knelt before him. Her head was bowed, causing her bangs to droop over her eyes, blocking them from view. When Jacob approached her, reaching out a hand to help her up, some type of invisible force blocked his way. Hitting it a few times, he started to get anxious. Why was this girl trapped in here? He tried again and again, throwing all of his weight into the barrier, trying to break it. For the first time, the girl looked up at him.

Her left eye sparkled a dark red color, but her right eye socket was empty. She was missing an eye.

Jacob stumbled back at the sight of the gaping hole, causing him to hit the floor. The girl mouthed a sob and looked away sadly, her good eye fixing to the floor. The light above had begun to dim. Jacob rushed forward in a panic, calling to her and slapping his hands on the invisible wall wildly. Not once did the girl lift her gaze again. Just as the light shut completely off, plunging them into darkness, a voice entered Jacob’s mind, saying a single phrase: “Follow the path along the sea”. That’s when he woke up, bathed in sweat.

Jacob believed there was meaning to the dream. He rarely dreamed at all, and this one was scarily vivid. Not only did it seem real, but the words from the dream echoed through his mind for days. He knew that somewhere, this girl needed his help. And he was determined to find her.

Though he was sure his dream had some significance, his family, and who he thought to be his friends, did not agree. He decided to leave the old couple in the dark about his true intention in coming here, surmising they wouldn’t believe him either.

“Ah,” Virgil sighed, “I understand. That’s why me and Bea moved out here. For us older folk, it’s hard to learn all that new fangled technology they’re comin’ up with. Y'know what I mean, Jerry?”

“Jacob.”

“Right, right.” Virgil smirked.

Before anyone could say anything else, a loud whistling sound came from the direction of the kitchen. Beatrice jumped to her feet.

“Oh, I think the tea is ready!” she sang, scurrying out of sight. For an old lady, Jacob thought, she’s rather.. mobile.

A couple of minutes later, Beatrice entered the room. She was carrying a black tray holding a cup of sugar cubes, a pitcher of cream, the teapot, three spoons, and three small teacups. All of the glass was decorated with painted, colorful, flowery designs. She gently placed the cups and spoons in front of Jacob, her husband, and one where she had been sitting. After the cups and spoons, she placed the whole tray in the middle of the table. As Beatrice picked up the teapot and began to pour the tea, Virgil started to talk again.

“Were you plannin’ on leavin’ early tomorrow?”

“Yeah, I wanted to make it to Venara by noon.”

Virgil’s eyebrow raised, “What do you mean ‘Venara’?”

“Oh, honey,” Beatrice interjected, pouring her cup of tea, “Isn’t that place full of bad people? Like thieves and drug dealers?”

“I heard it was a sanctuary for people with… abilities.” Jacob said, the hint of a question lingering on his statement. Beatrice almost dropped the teapot, quickly placing it on the table and sitting down anxiously. She leaned on Virgil, fanning herself wildly.

“People with abilities!” Beatrice exclaimed, “Oh, no. Those are not people, honey. They are the Devil.”

“Now, Bea, it’s alright,” Virgil put his arm around her, “don’t get worked up. You see, boy, I don’t want to be seen as prejudice against these.. 'people’, but what they have… what they do… just ain’t natural. Creatures like them ain’t human. Not meant to walk this earth.”

Jacob shrugged and unfolded his arms, placing his hands around the teacup.

“I’m not a 'special’ guy,” he began, lifting the cup to his lips, “I was just gonna pass through onto the next city.” Beatrice gave an audible sigh of relief.

“That’s great, honey,” she said, sitting up and grabbing the cream for her tea.

“Great indeed.” Virgil said, the corner of his lips raising slightly. Jacob smiled back faintly, sipping on his tea. He was soon interrupted by a loud thud above his head. He looked up at the ceiling questioningly.

“Oh, we have rats,” Beatrice said, setting the cream down abruptly. She smiled and picked up her spoon, stirring her tea gently. Virgil remained silent, picking up his cup and taking a long swallow.

“Right..” Jacob mumbled, tilting his cup back and finishing his tea.

“No cream or sugar?” Beatrice asked.

“Nah, I’m fine. Thank you, though. It was good.” Jacob smiled sincerely.

“Well, I guess we better let the boy get some sleep,” Virgil said, standing up, “I’ll show you to the guest room.”

“Oh, have a nice sleep, honey!” Beatrice said sweetly, hopping up and patting Jacob’s arm.

“Thank you, ma'am.” Jacob nodded courteously and stood up, scooting his chair back with his legs. Virgil walked over and gestured to the doorway behind Jacob, gently touching his back again and leading him through it.

As Jacob strolled across the living room, he looked around, taking in the old couple’s home. Framed pictures covered virtually every inch of the room, except for a few large bookshelves that blocked two of the walls. Snow globes, jars, and other little knickknacks filled the shelves, with a few books scattered here and there. A single reclining chair sat in the corner of the room; a tall lamp and a small table stacked with newspapers were placed next to it.

Virgil and Jacob passed through the living room into a long hallway, and Jacob noticed the rest of the house was pretty empty. They must’ve put all of their belongings in the living room, Jacob thought to himself. The walls of the hallway were completely bare except for one framed photograph. Jacob stopped for moment and studied the picture. It depicted a young girl, smiling happily at the camera in a light purple dress. The small girl had perfectly white hair, and bright, yellow eyes.

“Who’s that?” Jacob asked, hiding the surprise he felt. Could this be the girl he’d been searching for?

“It’s my granddaughter,” Virgil said, his face serious, “she died years ago.” Jacob looked at the ground, confused.

“Oh… I see. I’m so sorry for your loss.” “It’s alright, Jerry, things happen, y'know? I try not to think about it.”

“It’s Jacob.”

“Yeah, your room is ahead of you and to the right. Sleep well.”

Jacob sighed and faked a smile, turning away from Virgil and making his way down the hall. As he reached for the door handle, he heard another thud from above. Jacob looked up, seeing what looked like an entrance to an attic. Suddenly, Virgil called to him from the end of the hall.

“Oh, and don’t wander.” With that, Virgil turned and walked away, most likely going to get Beatrice before heading to bed himself. Jacob turned the doorknob and pushed open the door, rushing inside and closing the door quickly, but quietly. He glanced around, not really caring about his surroundings, his eyes stopping on a bed. He instantly smiled and walked over, crawling onto the bed, turning over and flopping down onto his back. He took a deep breath and let out a long sigh.

Jacob lifted his left arm up to the ceiling, rolling up his jacket sleeve. He was staring at a metal prosthetic arm. He made a fist and stretched his fingers out repetitively, hearing low, mechanical whirs with each adjustment; one side of the dark-gray metal was lit by the moonlight coming from a window situated next to the bed. Jacob wondered why Virgil or Bea (she seemed to care more) hadn’t noticed or said anything about it, like when he had reached for his cup of tea. Jacob wasn’t exactly secretive about his arm, but he didn’t really like to flaunt it. Or look at it. A pair of footsteps passing the outside of his door signaled him to believe Beatrice and Virgil were finally entering their room together. He heard a door close quietly, along with the subtle click of a lock.

Sighing loudly, Jacob tugged his sleeve back down over the prosthetic, turning onto his side. He thought back to the dream, when he had been startled by the girl’s missing eye. How could I be afraid of that when I don’t even have an arm? Jacob brought his metal hand up to his face, closing his eyes. The cold steel reminded him of the dark, crimson eye that had stared up at him, begging silently for help. Although the girl in the photograph had white hair, her eye color was yellow, not red. Besides, she had both of her eyes.

Yet again, a thud sounded from above, interrupting his thoughts. What is that? An even louder, consistent noise, almost like footsteps, caused Jacob to sit up in the bed. He listened carefully, the noise stopping suddenly. Jacob remembered that Beatrice had used rats as an excuse for the noise in the attic, and although he had his doubts, he definitely didn’t believe it now.

Choose:

A> Jacob decides to get out of bed and find the source of the noise.

B> Jacob waits for a while, listening for any more activity.

C> Jacob decides to ignore the sound, not wanting to snoop around, like Virgil said not to.

#neccaro #neccarostory #pickyourownpathstory #fiction #hashtag #fictionstory

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neccaro-story · 8 years ago

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Chapter 2: B

When Jacob felt they were a safe enough distance from the house, he fell to his knees, almost dropping the girl in the process. He had run a good distance, finally coming across a cave along the edge of the beach. The night made the beach almost completely black, save for the little bit of moonlight. He let his concentration slip, and set the girl down near the mouth of the cave. Soon, the waves started to move again, and the girl blinked up at him.

“Hey. Uh.. it’s okay, now. We aren’t in the house anymore.”

“H-How did you—” the girl trailed off, her eye glistening in amazement.

“I can stop time,” Jacob stood up, brushing the sand from his pants, “that’s… my power.”

“That’s… amazing,” the girl said, standing up slowly and folding her arms,

“Um… what’s your name?”

“Oh,” Jacob laughed nervously, “right. I’m.. Jacob. And you are?”

“Gracie.”

“That’s a pretty name.” Jacob smiled.

“Thank you…” Gracie said, a frown touching the corners of her mouth, “but… why did you come here?”

“Well.. I guess I came for you, Gracie. I traveled miles, away from everything I’ve ever known. All because of some… dream I had.” Gracie laughed, unbelieving.

“A dream? You… dreamt about me?”

“Yeah, it was weird. You looked sad and I tried to reach you, but… I couldn’t, like something was blocking my way. When you looked up at me, you were missing your—” Jacob stopped. He looked at Gracie’s eye, seeing it change to a dark red.

“My eye?” she said, looking toward Jacob and turning away, walking into the cave. She walked until she was in complete darkness—Jacob following behind her—and they both sat down, sighing in unison. Gracie’s eye glowed a dark orange in the blackness of the cave.

“I lost my eye a long time ago.”

“How?”

“Well,” Gracie sighed, her eye disappearing, “when I was little, two men came to my house. They dressed like regular businessmen, telling us they had some product to sell. Virgil let them in, but… they attacked him and knocked him unconscious. I screamed and ran to him, but the men grabbed me. One of them told me how pretty my eyes were—back then they were always yellow—and thought it would be funny to take one from me. So they did. I… woke up later that day in the hospital without my right eye.”

“I’m so sorry,” Jacob said, sighing. He folded his hands, rubbing the cold metal of his prosthetic. He knew how it felt to lose something like that.

“How did you… lose your arm?” Gracie asked, her eye turning a lighter orange. Jacob leaned his head against the wall and closed his eyes.

“I was stolen as a young child and put to work in a factory,” he said, his tone serious, “if you disobeyed or didn’t do your work, they… took something precious from you. I didn’t have a home or belongings anymore, so… you can fill in the blanks.” Jacob suddenly felt Gracie scoot a little closer to him.

“I’m… sorry. I shouldn’t complain, really… you’re worse off…”

“Are you kidding?” he laughed, “I can still use my arm, it’s just.. different now.”

Gracie sighed, “I see…”

“It’s alright. Really. Plus… I was planning on going to Venara. If we got there, I bet somebody could give you a new eye.”

“Really?” You could tell by the sound of her voice that she was smiling.

“Yeah, they have all kinds of new technologies nowadays.” Suddenly, Jacob felt Gracie move next to him, hugging him from the side. He tensed, but then blushed, feeling glad they were in complete darkness.

“Thank you, Jacob.” Gracie said, looking up at him. Her eye was glowing a bright yellow. Jacob smiled and turned away, staring into the darkness.

“You’re welcome, Gracie.”

END OF CHAP. 2 ------------------------------ Click here for Chapter 3.

#neccaro #neccarostory #pickyourownpathstory #fictionstory #fiction #hashtag

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neccaro-story · 8 years ago

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Chapter 2: A,2

Jacob opened his eyes groggily and blinked a few times, trying to clear the blurriness from his vision. Turning his head and glancing around, Jacob realized he was still in the attic. This time, though, he was chained to the floor by his ankles.

“Virgil—” he said aloud, sitting up quickly. Blood rushed to his head, giving him an instant headache.

“Are you alright?” a female voice asked. Jacob turned his head and saw the girl from his dream seated next to him. She was wearing a light purple dress, like the one in the photograph in the hall, except it was torn and basically hanging off of her. She held it up so it didn’t slip. Chains shackled her to the floor by her ankles; the skin where the braces were attached was red and irritated. Her hair was much longer than in Jacob’s dream, as it was laying and curling around her on the floor. Her bangs covered the whole right side of her face, and her eye was just as red as it had been in the dream. He smiled.

“It’s really you,” he said, laughing, “It’s really you!” the girl tilted her head in confusion.

“Right, sorry, um. I’ll explain later. So… what was your name?”

“I’m… Gracie. What’s yours?”

“Gracie? Ah, a pretty name,” he said, bowing his head, “my name’s Jacob.”

“Jacob,” she repeated, “okay…” Gracie still had a confused look on her face.

“Look, all you need to know right now is that I came here to get you. I don’t know why or what for, but I did. Now, if we’re gonna get out of here together, I’m gonna need you to trust me.”

The subtle noise of footsteps below them made Jacob freeze in panic.

“Um, just lay down,” Gracie ushered quietly, “he’s coming to check on us.”

He watched as the attic door swung downward, the stairs unfolding with it. Virgil’s head appeared at the top of the steps, a look of disdain on his face.

“So, the little hero awakens? And what did you plan to do with my granddaughter?” Virgil suddenly laughed uncontrollably, stepping up into the room, “What, were you gonna save her and go on a date?” Jacob’s eyes narrowed challengingly.

“Stop it, Virgil.” Gracie snapped. Jacob turned to look at her, noticing her eyes were now pools of black.

“Gray, sweetheart, you know I only do the things I do to keep you safe.”

“Safe?” Gracie scoffed, looking at her chains, “you think living with you is *safe?*”

“Like there’s any place safer than here,” Virgil countered, keeping his distance, “what, did you think this boy was gonna take you someplace safer? Look at ‘im, Gray. He’s a defect.” Jacob rushed forward, his chains holding him back inches from Virgil.

“Get these chains off of me and say that again!”

Virgil sighed and continued, taking a step back and folding his arms, “You think this little boy could protect you from thieves 'n’ liars?”

“If I go with him right now, he’d be taking me away from a thief and a liar.”

“Gracie, you know I ain’t no thief or liar!” Virgil shouted, pointing a finger at Gracie.

“To hell, you aren’t! You’ve lied about everything I’ve ever known! My parents, my powers… and not only did you lie to me, but you stole my whole life from me!”

“Gracie—” Virgil furrowed his brow.

“No, Virgil, I am sick and tired of this! All you’ve done is supposedly for my 'well being’, but do I look well to you? Because I sure as hell don’t feel like it!”

Virgil frowned, shouting back, “Everything I do is for you, Gracie! And you better start learnin’, little girl, or things are gonna be hell for you!” Virgil turned around and started rushing down the steps.

“My life is already hell!” Gracie screamed, the attic door shutting loudly. Jacob looked at Gracie in shock, not knowing what to say. That’s when his eyes caught her hands.

“Gracie… your hands…” he whispered, slowly approaching and kneeling next to her.

“My—” Gracie held her hands up and looked at them. They were glowing orange!

“H-Has that ever happened before?!” Jacob gasped, reaching to touch them, but Gracie quickly moved her hands out of his grasp.

“N-No, it hasn’t… but…” Gracie suddenly took one of the chains in her hands, watching it melt between her fingers. Jacob’s eyes widened and he laughed with excitement.

“Yes! Quick, get them all, we can get out of here, Gracie! We can get out!”

Gracie nodded happily and took each chain in her hands, one by one, until they were all completely separated from the floor. Gracie then stood up, the glow in her hands fading. Jacob stood up next to her, smiling.

“Okay, so now,” Jacob held out his right hand, “all you have to do is trust me.”

“Oh, is that all?” Gracie teased, looking down at his hand. Her eyes shifted to the metal forming his left hand.

“Your arm…” she said, reaching to grab it. Jacob sighed, about to open his mouth, but was interrupted by Virgil calling from below.

“Gracie,” he yelled, “I—I just wanted to… apologize…”

Gracie frantically looked around, scrambling next to the attic door.

“I—Just… I don’t want to see you right now,” she yelled, turning to Jacob with widened eyes and whispering, “if you’re gonna do something, you need to do it now!”

“Okay, okay, just give me a sec,” he replied, sitting down in a meditative position and closing his eyes. Gracie looked at him with an utterly confused face.

“Gracie, please, is it okay if I come up?” Virgil’s voice seemed genuinely apologetic.

“Hurry, Jacob!” she whispered loudly, reaching forward and pulling up on the stairs to keep Virgil from opening the door.

“You know I respect your boundaries, Gray, but I don’t like you alone with that boy in there. I’m comin’ up.”

Suddenly the door was yanked open and the stairs unfolded, causing Gracie to scream.

A bead of sweat rolled down the side of Jacob’s face. He opened one eye, seeing Gracie sitting next to the attic door. She was completely still. Jacob got up and walked over to Gracie, wiping the sweat from his forehead. He bent down and picked Gracie up. Jacob looked down the stairs noticed Virgil hadn’t started making his way up the steps yet. Jacob trotted down the stairs, squeezing between Virgil and the rail of the stairs. Glancing at Virgil’s face as he passed, Jacob noted how angry he looked. He hurried to the front door and struggled to turn the doorknob with Gracie in his hands, but he eventually managed. Jacob proceeded to carry her as far away from the house as possible, not once looking back at the building.

***

When Jacob felt they were a safe enough distance from the house, he fell to his knees, almost dropping Gracie in the process. He had run a good distance, finally coming across a cave along the edge of the beach. The night made the beach almost completely black, save for the little bit of moonlight. He let his concentration slip, and set Gracie down near the mouth of the cave. Soon, the waves started to move again, and Gracie started screaming. Jacob frantically pushed his hand over her mouth.

“Shh! It’s okay, it’s alright! We aren’t in the house anymore,” Jacob slowly removed his hand from her mouth, “we’re safe, Gracie!”

“But… how did you—”

“I can stop time,” he stood up, brushing the sand from his pants, “that’s my power.”

“That’s… amazing.” Gracie stood up slowly, folding her arms. She looked to toward the sand.

“Thank you, but… what’s wrong?”

“Your power… it isn’t destructive… like mine is.”

“No, no, you’re way cooler than me, Gracie. I thought that was obvious.”

“What are you talking about?” Gracie asked, a smile appearing on her face.

“You can melt stuff with your hands, man. That’s pretty cool.”

“I… can fly, too.” Her eyes sparkled a bright yellow.

“What? Really? Do you… have angel wings or something?” Jacob’s imagination was brimming with images of Gracie sprouting angel wings from her back. Gracie blushed, her eyes starting to glow brighter.

“Not… exactly.” Gracie took a step back, the entirety of her eyes turning a bright orange speckled with yellow. Suddenly, a burst of red, orange, and yellow light exploded from behind her, forming long strands that resembled feathers; glowing droplets fell from the tips of the strands, extinguishing once they hit the sand. Jacob stared in awe as the area around them was completely lit by Gracie’s wings.

“You’re beautiful… I-I mean, they’re beautiful! Your wings, they’re, uh… they’re pretty great!” Jacob laughed nervously, running a hand through his hair. Gracie smiled and laughed.

“Thank you…” She blushed and looked away.

“Can I…” Jacob took a step forward, going to reach for her wings. Gracie jolted forward and grabbed his hand, frowning.

“No! My… wings can’t be touched. They will burn you. I’m sorry…” she dropped his hand and turned away, entering the cave. The brilliant light from her wings began to fade until they disappeared completely, sending the cave into darkness. Jacob frowned, walking into the cave slowly. Gracie’s eye had returned to normal, but still glowed in the darkness; the color of her iris had changed to a dark red.

“Gracie…” Jacob said. Gracie’s eye looked up at him, shifting to a dark orange. He moved forward and felt for the cave wall, slowly easing himself down and laying his head against the wall.

“I wish they were angel wings,” Gracie sighed, closing her eye. The two of them were now seated in complete darkness. Jacob sighed, unsure of what to say.

“Well… I think your wings are better than angel wings, Gracie. They’re… unlike anything I’ve ever seen.”

“I know,” she replied, “I just… wish I was different.”

“… Why?”

“You’re right… I’m sorry—”

“Thank you, Jacob.” Gracie said, looking up at him. Her eye was glowing a bright yellow. Jacob smiled and turned away, staring into the darkness.

“You’re welcome, Gracie.”

END OF CHAP. 2 ------------------------------ Click here for Chapter 3.

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Chapter 2: A,1

Jacob woke up, but didn’t open his eyes. A throbbing pain radiated from his right side, causing him to groan. He felt his injury, noticing it had been bandaged; he was now only wearing his jacket. Jacob opened his eyes and blinked a few times, trying to clear the blurriness from his vision. Turning his head and glancing around, Jacob realized he was still in the attic. This time, though, he was chained to the floor by his ankles, just like the girl had been.

“The girl…” he said aloud, trying to sit up quickly but cringing at the pain in his side.

“You mean me?” a female voice said, and suddenly the girl appeared over Jacob. He smiled and raised an eyebrow.

“Heh. Yeah, but… what happened?” he asked. The girl frowned at his question, turning away.

“Virgil—I mean… my grandfather… he… stabbed you. I’m so sorry, I didn’t want this to happen. I should’ve said something, I—”

“No, no,” Jacob said, smiling, “it’s alright. I’ve had worse.” He lifted his left arm, wiggling his metal fingers. The girl gave him a sad smile.

“I’m… Gracie, by the way. What’s your name?”

“Gracie? A pretty name,” he said, closing his eyes, “my name’s Jacob.”

“Jacob,” she repeated, “we… we have to find a way out of here. But… Virgil will never let us leave…” Jacob sat up, making pained noises. Gracie put a hand on his shoulder, making Jacob turn and look at her. Her eyes were glowing orange.

“I think I may know a way to get around Virgil,” Jacob said, placing a hand on his side, “but… we need to find a way out of these chains first.”

The subtle noise of footsteps below them made Jacob freeze in panic.

“Lay down,” Gracie ushered quietly, helping him back down, “he’s coming to check on us. Don’t talk too much, and act like you’re really hurt.”

“I don’t think I’ll have to act,” Jacob whispered back, holding a hand on his side tenderly. He watched as the attic door swung downward, the stairs unfolding with it. Virgil’s head appeared at the top of the steps, a look of disdain on his face.

“Stop it, Virgil.” Gracie snapped. Jacob turned to look at her, noticing her eyes were now pools of black.

“Gray, sweetheart, you know I only do the things I do to keep you safe.”

“Safe?” Gracie scoffed, gesturing at Jacob, “he was trying to keep me safe. Trying to get me away from you, Virgil.”

“Like he was gonna get you any place safer than here,” Virgil countered, kneeling next to Jacob, “this boy is just a defect. Look at ‘im, Gray, you think he could protect you from thieves and liars?”

“If I go with him right now, he’d be taking me away from a thief and a liar.”

“Gracie, you know I ain’t no thief or liar!” Virgil shouted, pointing a finger at Gracie.

“To hell, you aren’t! You’ve lied about everything I’ve ever known! My parents, my powers… and not only did you lie to me, but you stole my whole life from me!”

“Gracie—” Virgil stood up and looked down at her.

“No, Virgil, I am sick and tired of this! All you’ve done is supposedly for my 'well being��, but do I look well to you? Because I sure as hell don’t feel like it!”

“My life is already hell!” Gracie screamed, the attic door shutting loudly. Jacob looked at Gracie in shock, not knowing what to say. That’s when his eyes caught her hands.

“Gracie… your hands…”

“My—” Gracie held her hands up and looked at them. They were glowing orange!

“H-Has that ever happened before?!” Jacob gasped, propping himself up on his elbows.

“N-No, it hasn’t… but…” Gracie suddenly took one of the chains in her hands, watching it melt between her fingers. Jacob’s eyes widened and he laughed with excitement.

“Yes! Quick, get them all, we can get out of here, Gracie! We can get out!”

Gracie nodded happily and took each chain in her hands, one by one, until they were all completely separated from the floor. Gracie then stood up, the glow in her hands fading. She bent down and helped Jacob up slowly. His face twisted in pain, but he managed a smile.

“Okay, now we just have to—” Jacob stopped and almost fell over, using Gracie to steady himself.

“What’s wrong? Are… are you too hurt?”

“Seems that way,” Jacob said, holding his side again, “I’m not gonna be able to carry you.”

“Carry me? What for?”

“Gracie,” Virgil’s voice called from below, “I—I just wanted to… apologize…”

Gracie frantically looked around, her eyes stopping at the small window on the other side of the room.

“Jacob,” she whispered, “do you think you can break that window and jump out of it?” Jacob’s eyes widened in disbelief.

“Are you insane?”

“Gracie, please, is it okay if I come up?” Virgil’s voice seemed genuinely apologetic.

“I—Just… give me a minute… I don’t want to see you right now,” Gracie yelled toward the attic door, turning back to Jacob and lowering her voice, “please, Jacob. Trust me.”

“Well, I guess there must be something special about you,” Jacob said, letting go of Gracie and making his way toward the window, “otherwise I wouldn’t be here.” Jacob pointed to a loose plank on the floor and Gracie picked it up, handing it to him. Below them, Virgil was getting restless.

“You know I respect your boundaries, Gray, but I don’t like you alone with that boy in there. I’m coming up.”

“Quickly, Jacob! Hurry!” Gracie ran over to the attic door and pulled up on the stairs, holding the attic door from opening.

“Okay, okay!” Jacob took the plank and thrust it through the glass, shattering the window. He dragged the wood around the window frame, removing excess shards. Jacob started to climb out.

“Gray? Gracie, what was that?!” Virgil shouted frantically, trying to open the attic door. Gracie held it shut.

“Jump, Jacob!” she shouted.

“A-Are you sure? It looks pretty far—”

“Jacob!”

“Alright, alright! I can’t believe you’re making me commit suicide…” Jacob climbed into the window frame so he was in a crouching position, paused for a moment to collect himself, and then pushed his body out with his legs. He watched as the ground approached at an alarming rate, and he closed his eyes tightly when it looked like he was about to hit the ground. Almost instantaneously, Jacob felt arms embrace him from behind, and he wasn’t falling anymore. He groaned in pain from the sudden force on his wound, but he opened his eyes curiously, seeing the ground just in front of his face.

“I’m… flying?” he said, suddenly face-planting onto the ground. He shouted in pain.

“I’m so sorry! I’m so, so sorry,” Gracie’s voice squealed, and Jacob saw her feet touch the ground in front of him. He pushed himself up onto his knees, breathing heavily.

“It’s… hah… fine, but… we’re not out of the woods yet,” Jacob stood up unsteadily, leaning on Gracie.

Virgil’s head popped out of the attic window, and he screamed, “How the hell did you get down there?! Gracie, you get back here! Boy, you are gonna get it!” Just as fast as he had appeared, Virgil was gone. They could hear him screaming Gracie’s name from inside the house, along with cries from Beatrice.

“We have to hurry, he can’t know which way we went,” Gracie said, leading Jacob around to the back of the house, “When I was little and Virgil let me play outside, there was a cave on the beach he never knew about. We’ll be safe there.”

“Lead the way, m'lady.”

Gracie quickly lead Jacob over a small hill and away from the house toward the beach. The night made the beach almost completely black, save for the little bit of moonlight, but Gracie seemed to know where she was going. They kept to the shadows, hearing Virgil’s calls growing distant. Jacob stopped and looked back, unable to see the lights from the house anymore.

“Gracie?”

“Yeah?”

“How did you… catch me earlier?” Jacob asked, taking slow breaths. The pain was almost excruciating. Gracie stood up a little straighter, Jacob wrapping his arm around her to help him walk.

“I… don’t only melt things, Jacob.”

“So you can fly, too? Man, how am I supposed to compete with that?”

“What are you talking about?” Gracie asked, a smile appearing on her face.

“You can melt stuff with your hands, man. Plus you can fly? My 'coolest-person-ever’ meter is off the charts.”

“Mhm,” she nodded her head, “I have wings.” Gracie’s eye sparkled a bright yellow.

“Wings? Really? Are they… angel wings or something?” Jacob’s imagination was brimming with images of Gracie sprouting angel wings from her back. Gracie blushed, her eye starting to glow brighter.

“Not… exactly. I’ll show you another time. Right now, we need to keep moving.”

“Right…” Jacob paused, “So, uh, Virgil let you go out this far?” he asked playfully, trying to keep the conversation going.

“Surprising, isn’t it? Virgil wasn’t always the way he is. Ever since I got my powers, he…”

“He felt like he couldn’t trust you. Trust me, I get it. They were talking all about how people with abilities are… well, horrible. All because I said I was going to Venara.”

Gracie nodded, “Yeah, I don’t get it. I mean… I guess my powers could be dangerous, but… it isn’t right to lock me up and never let me see the light of day again.”

“Right,” Jacob laughed, “I think that’s the first time I’ve ever heard of an old man chaining his granddaughter up like a prisoner.” Jacob looked at Gracie and saw how sad she looked. His smile disappeared.

“I—I’m sorry, Gracie, I wasn’t laughing, really, I was just—”

“No, it’s okay. I know you were just… trying to make me feel better.”

“Yeah…” Jacob trailed off. Silence fell between them; the only sounds were the shuffling of feet and the dragging of chains on the sand.

***

“Here we are,” Gracie said, breaking the silence, “your injury slowed us down quite a bit.” Jacob walked into the cave and placed his hand on the wall.

“Well, I definitely wanted to be stabbed. That was my intention all along.”

“No, Jacob I—”

“It’s fine, Gracie. I know what you meant.” Jacob walked farther, using the wall as a guide, disappearing into the darkness. He sat down and leaned against the wall, biting his lip to quiet himself. The pain was even worse than before. Gracie walked in, moving along the opposite wall. Jacob watched her glowing, orange eye search the cave.

“Where are you, Jacob?”

“Right here,” he called, noticing how tense he sounded. Gracie walked a couple more steps and sat down, almost straight across from Jacob.

“Why did you come here?” she asked, her eye fixed downward.

“I came for you, Gracie. I traveled miles, away from everything I’ve ever known. All because of some… dream I had.” Gracie laughed, unbelieving.

“A dream? You dreamt about me?”

“Yeah, it was weird. You looked sad and I tried to reach you but… I couldn’t, like something was blocking my way. When you looked up at me, you were missing your—” Jacob stopped. He looked at Gracie’s eye, seeing it change to a dark red.

“My eye?” she said, looking toward Jacob and turning away again, “yeah, I lost that a long time ago.”

“How?”

“I’m so sorry,” Jacob said, sighing. He folded his hands, rubbing the cold metal of his prosthetic. He knew how it felt to lose something like that.

“How did you… lose your arm?” Gracie asked, her eye turning a lighter orange. Jacob leaned his head against the wall and closed his eyes.

“I’m… sorry. I shouldn’t complain, really… you’re worse off…”

“Are you kidding?” he laughed, “I can still use my arm, it’s just.. different now. But I bet if we got to Venara, somebody could give you a new eye.”

“Really?” You could tell by the sound of her voice that she was smiling.

“Yeah, they have all kinds of new technologies nowadays. And maybe, if it really is a sanctuary like they say… there’ll be somewhere you can practice using your powers!” Suddenly, Jacob felt Gracie move next to him, hugging him from the side. He tensed, the pain in his side growing worse and then dulling again. Jacob blushed, feeling glad they were in complete darkness.

“Thank you, Jacob.” Gracie said, looking up at him. Her eye was glowing a bright yellow. Jacob smiled and turned away, staring into the darkness.

“You’re welcome, Gracie.”

END OF CHAP. 2 ------------------------------ Click here for Chapter 3.

#neccaro #neccarostory #pickyourownpathstory #fictionstory #fiction #hashtag

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