Post by kyraodayashi on Dec 29, 2006 1:10:05 GMT -5
*looks around nervously* okay...I guess I'm the first one to post. How Scary...
Okay, so this is my lastest story in the making: Cross Hilted Cares. It's the Vampire story I have been working on for the past month or two. But since I don't want to spoil all the fun, I'll just start the first chapter.
Cross Hilted Cares-
PG-13 to R (undecided which one right now)
Type: Romance/dark
WARNINGS: Any grammer errors, some cursing, and lots of suspense
Chapter 1
The morning mists covered the rolling hills of Austrian countryside as the silence filled the desolate stretch of land. I couldn’t see the nearby town, which I had only just left, from the hill top view. The mountain range was hidden from me as well in the thick fog. I could only see the bare headstones as I passed them slowly, sweeping my hands across their cold surface. I peered down at each name as I passed, row by row, as my woolen travel cloak kept me warm. I stopped as my eyes swept over one name in particular, the elegant writing weather beaten.
Caldwell
I knelt down next to it, searching among the mists for the dates of her life and I found them, partially covered by the petals of several Bluebells. Born 1988- Death 2007 it read, with the words ‘A life that never lived shall now rest forever’ printed under it. Silence closed around the graveyard; but the silence had already been there, hadn’t it? I ran my fingers over the name carved in rough stone and let them drop to the soft touch of the flowers at my feet. I wondered who had left them there…certainly not one of her supposed friends.
“Did you come…” I turned my head to look back behind me at the woman I hadn’t even noticed come to stand next to a headstone, “…did you come to pay respects to those who have passed?” A pleasant smile swept over my face as I looked at the basket of flowers in her arms. She held a stem of bluebells in her hand as the hood of her cloak covered her hair from the harsh cold.
“I apologize if I’m intruding,” I said, “I didn’t think to ask if I was welcomed here. Though I never expected anyone to be here at this hour…” My gray eyes fastened on her brown ones. She nodded solemnly and placed the stem of flowers in front of another grave, brushing her hand off on her skirt.
“A graveyard is open to all,” she said simply, “and though it is still and quiet, it is never empty of life.” She ran her hand over an old stone bench near to where she had been standing. She sat on the elegant back of a lion and placed her hand on it’s head almost absentmindedly. “Did you know her?” she asked.
“Excuse me?” I said. She had said it so softly that I didn’t think I had caught the words she had spoken.
“Did you know Miss Caldwell?” she asked again. I watched as she stroked the lion’s head gently, her hand running over its chiseled mane and ears. Somewhere only a little distance away, an owl called out and she turned her head ever so slightly towards it. I opened my mouth as the rush of its wings flew overhead, strangely muffled to me.
“I’m not sure if this is the Caldwell I briefly knew when I was younger,” I replied, my fingers running over the name once more, “I was hoping to find out if she did really die after what she did…” The woman’s hand stopped and she folded it neatly in her lap.
“Why do you have such resent towards her?” she asked, “What was it that led for you to despise her so?” I fingered the cross hilted dagger in the belt of my clothes, hidden from peoples view. The metal was cold like ice, but brought a comfort and reassurance to me.
“She took many lives,” I said, “She killed people for her own selfish reason… including my own brother.” I glared down at the name with spite; the memories still fresh after six years. Six years of searching for the body that would prove they didn’t fail what they had set out to do. I took a flower from on top of the grave and glared at it- my brother’s favorite flower- before crushing it in my hands. The sound of grass crunching beneath feet came from behind me as the woman placed her hand on the gravestone.
“I’ll tell you of the girl that lies here, beneath earth and stone,” she knelt beside me and leaned her forehead up against the cold surface. “She was raised here in Austria,” she continued, “as the girl Melvina Adair. She was a girl with hopes of attending culinary school and who, after her eighteenth birthday, moved to America to pursue the career...”
---------------------------------------------------------------
“Don’t stay late Mel! Closing is at nine!” Melvina Adair glanced up from the glass display counter of Aunt Alice’s Antiques. Waving to the disappearing figure of Joe, her boss, she fell back to polishing some of the tarnished jewelry. It was two hours before closing and only one person had stopped by to sell an old watch.
Other than that, Joe had only sent Melvina to pick up a fast food lunch for them to eat. She had spent most of the day dusting shelves and furniture along with searching for Christmas music to play in the shop. She set the gold chain of an old necklace back on its cushion and closed the door to the display, locking it securely with her spare key. Mentally, she went over the list of her duties today.
Dust, beat the rugs, polish jewelry, she checked each one off as she went, and put money in safe. Only two things left; get a Christmas present for Lana and find out what Joe wants. She walked around the end of the counter and stepped into the cramped aisle way, ran her hands over higher shelves in search of what she had reserved. Her hand bumped into a cold porcelain box and she smiled, pulling down a jewelry box that had been bought from an elderly lady only a few days before. Taking it back to the register, she rung it up to find the total price including the tax and wrote a small note.
Joe, take the price of the
porcelain box out of my pay check.
It’s total is $26.48
-Mel
She stapled the receipt to it and tacked them both to the bulletin board, which Joe updated every morning with chores and reminders. Sweeping her eyes over the board afterwards, she laughed out loud and pulled a note down from the corner. Joe’s neat handwriting spelled out in small words:
New clock
She tucked the note into her pocket, making a mental note to stop by the store to pick up a new clock for Joe’s Christmas present. Pushing it out of her mind for the moment, she glanced up at the clock. 8:57; almost time for closing. She locked the register, grabbed her coat and heavy backpack, and headed towards the door with the keys in her hand. She flicked the light switch before she stared back at the pitch-dark shop before closing the door behind her and she locked it securely.
“Why hello Mel.” She waved to the elderly woman who was closing up the shop next door, “Your working rather lately. Would you care to come inside for something to eat?” Melvina waved her hand in front of herself.
“Sorry, Ms. Lipowski.” She said, “I have night classes in a half hour and it’s a fair distance away. Thanks for the offer though!” She waved again as she began to stride in the opposite direction, towards the nearest university.
“Keep safe dear!” she yelled after Melvina, “There have been some strange people around lately!” She mentally sighed; there were always strange people in this district of the city, not to mention plenty of bums and homeless children.
“I will!” She called back, “I’ll see you in two days Ms. Lipowski!” She dug inside her bag for a granola bar as she strode swiftly down the almost empty streets before slinging her backpack across her right shoulder. She passed several alleyways with people huddled in boxes and under newspapers to keep warm. The evening chill began to settle in and she felt pity towards them; she was warm in her jeans and wool poncho.
“You dropped something, Miss,” She stopped suddenly as a man called out to her. Turning to face him, she found his hand extended with Joe’s note in his palm. She ran her hand over her pocket and sighed heavily at her own carelessness. She smiled back at the ragged, pale man and took the note from him.
“Thank you so much,” she said. He didn’t smile back as he sidled back towards the alleyway.
“No problem,” he grunted, retreating deeper into the shadow cast in between the buildings. She stood there bemused when her cell phone went off in her pocket. She jumped and pulled it out by the charm hanging off of the device.
“Hello?” she said, holding the phone up to her ear. She cast one last glance at the man, who was now watching her from the shadow, before starting back on her way to the university.
“Hey Mel, mind picking up some milk on your way back from the university tonight?”
“Sure Hua,” she replied to her Chinese roommate, “Anything else we need?” Her shoes clicked against the concrete pavement as she spoke, echoing down the now empty streets.
“Besides winning the lottery? No.” Melvina laughed.
“Alright, I’ll pick some up tonight,” she said, “See ya.” She hung up on Hua before the girl could mention anything she had forgotten. Tucking her phone back into her pocket, she realized that the man from before was following some distance behind. Her heart skipped a beat and she walked faster, hoping to lose him as she came closer to the university.
She didn’t expect someone to grab her left arm and pull her into another alley. She yelled out in surprise, her backpack falling off her shoulder to the ground. The contents spilled out, her books and papers quickly stained by murky water that dripped from a pipe above head. They held her roughly, gripping her arm tight enough to cause her to flinch.
“Let go!” she said urgently. A man laughed as she tried to pull away from him, only for him to tighten his grip further. Melvina opened her mouth to scream for help, but he shoved his hand in her face, pushing a dirty piece of fabric into her mouth. She gagged as it nearly choked her and in that time he had pulled her forcefully deeper into the shadows, enough so that even if she looked right into his face, she couldn’t see his features.
“Shut up,” he hissed, shoving her up against the brick wall of the building; her shoulder connected painfully with the corner of a dumpster, “I’ll make sure your useful before you die…” He grabbed her hair and pulled it, exposing the flesh of her neck to his clammy breathe.
She pushed him away with her arms, kicking at his legs at the same time. He stopped and brought down his hand hard across her face. The impact dazed her and he pulled at her hair again, his other hand pushing her shoulder up against the wall. She pushed against him again, her hand now pushing his cold face away from her.
“d**n.” he hissed; his hand reached out and seized her throat, “It’ll be easier if you’re dead!” He lifted her up the wall till her feet just barely dangled off the ground. She gasped for air, her arms pulling at his cold hands to stop. She eyes clouded as they welled with tears.
“I wouldn’t do that.” Chilly air rushed into her throat as she fell back against the brick. The arms were no longer in threatening to kill her, but were instead once again gripping her arm painfully. She breathed deeply as her eyes began to clear.
“What do you want?” she heard the man next to her hiss. His hand slid done to her wrist, holding it at an uncomfortable position for Melvina. She pulled it back abruptly, hitting her elbow against the dumpster. “Hold still!” the man hissed, striking her across the face again.
“That thing you so unreservedly abuse is mine,” she heard the voice come from farther down the alley, beyond where her field of vision ended. “Find someone else tonight.” The voice was deep and honey-like, very unlike the thin raspy voice of her attacker.
“She doesn’t have the marks,” he snapped, “She’s fair feed to anyone.” He pulled her forward roughly, pushing her to the ground. She cut her hands against a broken bottle on the wet pavement as she fell forward, the cloth falling out of her mouth as well. She sat on her knees, wiping the cuts and scraps on her somewhat dry poncho as he put his foot on her back. She bent over as he pushed his foot down on her spine.
“She’s just a pathetic woman.” She whimpered as he pushed down harder on her, the heel of his shoe grinding down. The other man scoffed in disgust. There was the sound of light steps next to the steady drip of the pipe.
“I warned you,” he growled; the footsteps grew louder. She heard the scuff of boots walking past her before the loud thud of someone hitting the dumpster. She no longer felt the pressure against her back as her attacker choked out insignificant words. “I wouldn’t question my mood right now,” the man growled again. There was another thud and her attacker fell to the ground before running in the opposite direction.
“They’ll hear of this!” he yelled back as his footsteps faded away into nothing. Melvina sat there, unsure of what was going to happen next, when she heard the scoff of boots next to her again. She flinched instinctively as a hand touched her shoulder.
“Stand up.” The hand slid under her arm and pulled her up slowly. She followed hesitantly, keeping her hands in front of her as to not let them touch anything and begin bleeding.
“Um,” she wasn’t sure whether to be afraid or grateful. Her attacker had seemed to be frightened when he ran off. She drew back slightly as he took a step towards her. “T-thank you,” she said, backing up several paces, “My roommate will be-”
She accidentally backed into a trashcan, sending it crashing to the ground. She stumbled and fell back and he grabbed her hand. The cold grip stung as it pressed against her open cut and she yelled as he pulled her forward. She regained her balance and tried to drop her hand to her side, but he still had a firm grip on it.
“Please let go,” she insisted, “Please, that hurts-” She fell silent and the blood drained from her face. His lips were pressed against hers, sending a chill running through her body. One of his cold hands was placed on the back of her neck, pulling her towards him. The chill from his cold lips began to spread from her face, to her neck, then to her arms. She wasn’t quite sure how to respond, but she pushed him away with her one free hand, turning her head away. He let her other wrist go and she began to panic. She turned and ran in the direction of the street as a gust of wind swept past.
“Miss?” She burst out into the dim light of the streetlamp, nearly running into the same man who had returned her note earlier.
“Miss, are you alright?” he asked as she fell to her knees painfully, “What happened to you?” She choked out only a few words as she looked back down the alley.
The empty darkness stared back at her.
Okay, so this is my lastest story in the making: Cross Hilted Cares. It's the Vampire story I have been working on for the past month or two. But since I don't want to spoil all the fun, I'll just start the first chapter.
Cross Hilted Cares-
PG-13 to R (undecided which one right now)
Type: Romance/dark
WARNINGS: Any grammer errors, some cursing, and lots of suspense
Chapter 1
The morning mists covered the rolling hills of Austrian countryside as the silence filled the desolate stretch of land. I couldn’t see the nearby town, which I had only just left, from the hill top view. The mountain range was hidden from me as well in the thick fog. I could only see the bare headstones as I passed them slowly, sweeping my hands across their cold surface. I peered down at each name as I passed, row by row, as my woolen travel cloak kept me warm. I stopped as my eyes swept over one name in particular, the elegant writing weather beaten.
Caldwell
I knelt down next to it, searching among the mists for the dates of her life and I found them, partially covered by the petals of several Bluebells. Born 1988- Death 2007 it read, with the words ‘A life that never lived shall now rest forever’ printed under it. Silence closed around the graveyard; but the silence had already been there, hadn’t it? I ran my fingers over the name carved in rough stone and let them drop to the soft touch of the flowers at my feet. I wondered who had left them there…certainly not one of her supposed friends.
“Did you come…” I turned my head to look back behind me at the woman I hadn’t even noticed come to stand next to a headstone, “…did you come to pay respects to those who have passed?” A pleasant smile swept over my face as I looked at the basket of flowers in her arms. She held a stem of bluebells in her hand as the hood of her cloak covered her hair from the harsh cold.
“I apologize if I’m intruding,” I said, “I didn’t think to ask if I was welcomed here. Though I never expected anyone to be here at this hour…” My gray eyes fastened on her brown ones. She nodded solemnly and placed the stem of flowers in front of another grave, brushing her hand off on her skirt.
“A graveyard is open to all,” she said simply, “and though it is still and quiet, it is never empty of life.” She ran her hand over an old stone bench near to where she had been standing. She sat on the elegant back of a lion and placed her hand on it’s head almost absentmindedly. “Did you know her?” she asked.
“Excuse me?” I said. She had said it so softly that I didn’t think I had caught the words she had spoken.
“Did you know Miss Caldwell?” she asked again. I watched as she stroked the lion’s head gently, her hand running over its chiseled mane and ears. Somewhere only a little distance away, an owl called out and she turned her head ever so slightly towards it. I opened my mouth as the rush of its wings flew overhead, strangely muffled to me.
“I’m not sure if this is the Caldwell I briefly knew when I was younger,” I replied, my fingers running over the name once more, “I was hoping to find out if she did really die after what she did…” The woman’s hand stopped and she folded it neatly in her lap.
“Why do you have such resent towards her?” she asked, “What was it that led for you to despise her so?” I fingered the cross hilted dagger in the belt of my clothes, hidden from peoples view. The metal was cold like ice, but brought a comfort and reassurance to me.
“She took many lives,” I said, “She killed people for her own selfish reason… including my own brother.” I glared down at the name with spite; the memories still fresh after six years. Six years of searching for the body that would prove they didn’t fail what they had set out to do. I took a flower from on top of the grave and glared at it- my brother’s favorite flower- before crushing it in my hands. The sound of grass crunching beneath feet came from behind me as the woman placed her hand on the gravestone.
“I’ll tell you of the girl that lies here, beneath earth and stone,” she knelt beside me and leaned her forehead up against the cold surface. “She was raised here in Austria,” she continued, “as the girl Melvina Adair. She was a girl with hopes of attending culinary school and who, after her eighteenth birthday, moved to America to pursue the career...”
---------------------------------------------------------------
“Don’t stay late Mel! Closing is at nine!” Melvina Adair glanced up from the glass display counter of Aunt Alice’s Antiques. Waving to the disappearing figure of Joe, her boss, she fell back to polishing some of the tarnished jewelry. It was two hours before closing and only one person had stopped by to sell an old watch.
Other than that, Joe had only sent Melvina to pick up a fast food lunch for them to eat. She had spent most of the day dusting shelves and furniture along with searching for Christmas music to play in the shop. She set the gold chain of an old necklace back on its cushion and closed the door to the display, locking it securely with her spare key. Mentally, she went over the list of her duties today.
Dust, beat the rugs, polish jewelry, she checked each one off as she went, and put money in safe. Only two things left; get a Christmas present for Lana and find out what Joe wants. She walked around the end of the counter and stepped into the cramped aisle way, ran her hands over higher shelves in search of what she had reserved. Her hand bumped into a cold porcelain box and she smiled, pulling down a jewelry box that had been bought from an elderly lady only a few days before. Taking it back to the register, she rung it up to find the total price including the tax and wrote a small note.
Joe, take the price of the
porcelain box out of my pay check.
It’s total is $26.48
-Mel
She stapled the receipt to it and tacked them both to the bulletin board, which Joe updated every morning with chores and reminders. Sweeping her eyes over the board afterwards, she laughed out loud and pulled a note down from the corner. Joe’s neat handwriting spelled out in small words:
New clock
She tucked the note into her pocket, making a mental note to stop by the store to pick up a new clock for Joe’s Christmas present. Pushing it out of her mind for the moment, she glanced up at the clock. 8:57; almost time for closing. She locked the register, grabbed her coat and heavy backpack, and headed towards the door with the keys in her hand. She flicked the light switch before she stared back at the pitch-dark shop before closing the door behind her and she locked it securely.
“Why hello Mel.” She waved to the elderly woman who was closing up the shop next door, “Your working rather lately. Would you care to come inside for something to eat?” Melvina waved her hand in front of herself.
“Sorry, Ms. Lipowski.” She said, “I have night classes in a half hour and it’s a fair distance away. Thanks for the offer though!” She waved again as she began to stride in the opposite direction, towards the nearest university.
“Keep safe dear!” she yelled after Melvina, “There have been some strange people around lately!” She mentally sighed; there were always strange people in this district of the city, not to mention plenty of bums and homeless children.
“I will!” She called back, “I’ll see you in two days Ms. Lipowski!” She dug inside her bag for a granola bar as she strode swiftly down the almost empty streets before slinging her backpack across her right shoulder. She passed several alleyways with people huddled in boxes and under newspapers to keep warm. The evening chill began to settle in and she felt pity towards them; she was warm in her jeans and wool poncho.
“You dropped something, Miss,” She stopped suddenly as a man called out to her. Turning to face him, she found his hand extended with Joe’s note in his palm. She ran her hand over her pocket and sighed heavily at her own carelessness. She smiled back at the ragged, pale man and took the note from him.
“Thank you so much,” she said. He didn’t smile back as he sidled back towards the alleyway.
“No problem,” he grunted, retreating deeper into the shadow cast in between the buildings. She stood there bemused when her cell phone went off in her pocket. She jumped and pulled it out by the charm hanging off of the device.
“Hello?” she said, holding the phone up to her ear. She cast one last glance at the man, who was now watching her from the shadow, before starting back on her way to the university.
“Hey Mel, mind picking up some milk on your way back from the university tonight?”
“Sure Hua,” she replied to her Chinese roommate, “Anything else we need?” Her shoes clicked against the concrete pavement as she spoke, echoing down the now empty streets.
“Besides winning the lottery? No.” Melvina laughed.
“Alright, I’ll pick some up tonight,” she said, “See ya.” She hung up on Hua before the girl could mention anything she had forgotten. Tucking her phone back into her pocket, she realized that the man from before was following some distance behind. Her heart skipped a beat and she walked faster, hoping to lose him as she came closer to the university.
She didn’t expect someone to grab her left arm and pull her into another alley. She yelled out in surprise, her backpack falling off her shoulder to the ground. The contents spilled out, her books and papers quickly stained by murky water that dripped from a pipe above head. They held her roughly, gripping her arm tight enough to cause her to flinch.
“Let go!” she said urgently. A man laughed as she tried to pull away from him, only for him to tighten his grip further. Melvina opened her mouth to scream for help, but he shoved his hand in her face, pushing a dirty piece of fabric into her mouth. She gagged as it nearly choked her and in that time he had pulled her forcefully deeper into the shadows, enough so that even if she looked right into his face, she couldn’t see his features.
“Shut up,” he hissed, shoving her up against the brick wall of the building; her shoulder connected painfully with the corner of a dumpster, “I’ll make sure your useful before you die…” He grabbed her hair and pulled it, exposing the flesh of her neck to his clammy breathe.
She pushed him away with her arms, kicking at his legs at the same time. He stopped and brought down his hand hard across her face. The impact dazed her and he pulled at her hair again, his other hand pushing her shoulder up against the wall. She pushed against him again, her hand now pushing his cold face away from her.
“d**n.” he hissed; his hand reached out and seized her throat, “It’ll be easier if you’re dead!” He lifted her up the wall till her feet just barely dangled off the ground. She gasped for air, her arms pulling at his cold hands to stop. She eyes clouded as they welled with tears.
“I wouldn’t do that.” Chilly air rushed into her throat as she fell back against the brick. The arms were no longer in threatening to kill her, but were instead once again gripping her arm painfully. She breathed deeply as her eyes began to clear.
“What do you want?” she heard the man next to her hiss. His hand slid done to her wrist, holding it at an uncomfortable position for Melvina. She pulled it back abruptly, hitting her elbow against the dumpster. “Hold still!” the man hissed, striking her across the face again.
“That thing you so unreservedly abuse is mine,” she heard the voice come from farther down the alley, beyond where her field of vision ended. “Find someone else tonight.” The voice was deep and honey-like, very unlike the thin raspy voice of her attacker.
“She doesn’t have the marks,” he snapped, “She’s fair feed to anyone.” He pulled her forward roughly, pushing her to the ground. She cut her hands against a broken bottle on the wet pavement as she fell forward, the cloth falling out of her mouth as well. She sat on her knees, wiping the cuts and scraps on her somewhat dry poncho as he put his foot on her back. She bent over as he pushed his foot down on her spine.
“She’s just a pathetic woman.” She whimpered as he pushed down harder on her, the heel of his shoe grinding down. The other man scoffed in disgust. There was the sound of light steps next to the steady drip of the pipe.
“I warned you,” he growled; the footsteps grew louder. She heard the scuff of boots walking past her before the loud thud of someone hitting the dumpster. She no longer felt the pressure against her back as her attacker choked out insignificant words. “I wouldn’t question my mood right now,” the man growled again. There was another thud and her attacker fell to the ground before running in the opposite direction.
“They’ll hear of this!” he yelled back as his footsteps faded away into nothing. Melvina sat there, unsure of what was going to happen next, when she heard the scoff of boots next to her again. She flinched instinctively as a hand touched her shoulder.
“Stand up.” The hand slid under her arm and pulled her up slowly. She followed hesitantly, keeping her hands in front of her as to not let them touch anything and begin bleeding.
“Um,” she wasn’t sure whether to be afraid or grateful. Her attacker had seemed to be frightened when he ran off. She drew back slightly as he took a step towards her. “T-thank you,” she said, backing up several paces, “My roommate will be-”
She accidentally backed into a trashcan, sending it crashing to the ground. She stumbled and fell back and he grabbed her hand. The cold grip stung as it pressed against her open cut and she yelled as he pulled her forward. She regained her balance and tried to drop her hand to her side, but he still had a firm grip on it.
“Please let go,” she insisted, “Please, that hurts-” She fell silent and the blood drained from her face. His lips were pressed against hers, sending a chill running through her body. One of his cold hands was placed on the back of her neck, pulling her towards him. The chill from his cold lips began to spread from her face, to her neck, then to her arms. She wasn’t quite sure how to respond, but she pushed him away with her one free hand, turning her head away. He let her other wrist go and she began to panic. She turned and ran in the direction of the street as a gust of wind swept past.
“Miss?” She burst out into the dim light of the streetlamp, nearly running into the same man who had returned her note earlier.
“Miss, are you alright?” he asked as she fell to her knees painfully, “What happened to you?” She choked out only a few words as she looked back down the alley.
The empty darkness stared back at her.
