✧ a hundred stories to tell // one-shot challenge

[Alpha*]

Wow. Sensational. ON tee.

[Ranger of the North]

Woah, that's really messed up... :c
Almost like he had a seizure, eh

[blackbird.]

Wow. Sensational. ON tee.

thank you so much!
i was really afraid that some might find it inaccurate
so i'm very glad you thought it was good c:

Woah, that's really messed up... :c
Almost like he had a seizure, eh

yeah, i did quite a bit of research on mental breakdowns
hallucinations and seizures are pretty common

[blackbird.]

"ｎｏｗ ｗｈｙ ｄｉｄ ｙｏｕ ｄｏ ｔｈａｔ？"
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teach me how to love // characters: eyden reus, annabel tully// words: 1508


Eyden always enjoyed History. It was interesting and enriching and taught many lessons about human nature. But he had a firm dislike for History projects. They were a useless way of getting lazy students to actually have a slight interest in the subject, no matter how minuscule. But it didn't bother Eyden much. He'd do well anyway. After all, he had already studied the entire history syllabus.

The problem in his particular case was the obsession teachers had with pair work. He didn't need a partner to do work. He could do things perfectly fine on his own. He was smart enough and capable enough to get a high grade without a partner. And that was exactly what he had said when he had made his point in a very clear and logical way. Only an idiot would refuse him.

Unfortunately for him, his teacher so happened to be an idiot. He had insisted that Eyden have a partner to create a more "dynamic" project. Dynamic. Eyden scoffed. He had half a mind to show him the real meaning of dynamic. He could get the man fired in a "dynamic" way. He could ruin the man's life in a "dynamic" way. He could-

"Eyden."

"What." The young man looked up sharply from his laptop screen.

Annabel reeled back slightly. "I'm sorry...was I disturbing you?"

Eyden took in a deep breath to calm himself before turning to the source of the voice. He was irritated, to say the least, but there was no point taking it out on his project partner. "It's fine. What do you want?"

"Oh, well, I just..." She flushed slightly as she tilted her own laptop so he could see the screen from his seat next to her. "I came up with some slides we could use. I know it's not done yet, but..."

He gave her a wry look. "Slides?" he repeated, distaste in his voice. "Do you think we're in pre-school?"

"No," Annabel quickly corrected herself, shaking her head profusely. "But most of our classmates are on the intellectual level of pre-schoolers."

Eyden's lips curled into a smirk at her joke. "Our teacher too, it would appear." He leaned back in his seat and gestured to her laptop. "Alright, let's have a look."

Annabel seemed pleased as she began scrolling through the slides, showing him what she had been working on the past afternoon.

"It's good," Eyden commented. At least it was some consolation that he got a partner who was more intelligent than a bag of hair. "I like that you included the fact that Japan had a much more prominent role in the war than just bombing Pearl Harbour. Many people forget that they invaded and occupied much of the region."

Annabel blushed at the compliment. "You did all the research for that part anyway."

He didn't respond to that statement. "One thing." He pointed to the slide regarding the downfall of Japan. "'One of the key reasons for Japan's ultimate downfall was its isolationism.'" He recited what was written then turned to her. "What's that about?"

Annabel bit her lip uncertainly. "I know it's not the most accepted reasoning..."

"Japan wasn't working alone."

"That's true, but geographically they're isolated," she blurted in her defense. Eyden looked at her, prompting her to continue. "The way I see it, Japan thought that they could take on the whole of Asia on their own, and that hubris led to their nationalistic and insular policies. In terms of land mass and human resources, it was an impossible task to fight a war with the whole of Asia."

Eyden nodded, a thoughtful frown on his face. "But that's not the reason they lost. They lost because the US dropped two nukes on civilian-populated areas."

"Yes, but..." She took a moment to muster her courage. "But that was already nearing the end of the war, after the Allied Forces sent troops into Burma and liberated Borneo. Japan wouldn't have been so vulnerable if it hadn't been so alone."

He watched her for a moment, his mind thinking about what she had just said. He leaned back and folded his arms. "Alright."

She looked surprised. "You agree with me?"

He shrugged. "You have a valid point."

Annabel's face flushed red and she smiled to herself. Eyden Reus, the ice prince, complimenting her and even accepting her reasoning? She wouldn't lie to herself. It felt good. Maybe he wasn't as cold as everyone said he was. Maybe she was the one to see the light in him Do what no one had ever done before.

There was a short pause in their conversation. Then came an announcement, telling the occupants of the library that it would soon be closing.

Annabel glanced at Eyden, waiting for his reaction. He coughed lightly. "I think we should call it a day."

Annabel nodded and glanced away. "Yeah, that's a good idea." She began packing up her books. "So, uh, are you taking a bus home?"

"I have a driver."

"Oh." She laughed nervously. "I'd forgotten about that."

He nodded as he slung his bag across his shoulder.

"So, uh, what do you think of our presentation?" Annabel ventured asking as they began walking out of the library.

"Factually sound," he replied.

Annabel nodded and smiled, taking a moment to glance at him. "It's nice, working with you," she said. She sounded expectant.

"Thanks." He sounded uncertain. "You're not bad too."

She glanced down at her feet, a blush and a grin on her face.

They soon arrived at the driveway. "My driver is here." He pointed to the silver Mercedes stationed at the corner, then gave one parting look to her. "See you Monday."

Impulsively, Annabel reached out and clasped his wrist. "Eyden, wait!"

He turned back to face her and she took a bold step forward, standing on her toes and pressing her lips to his. She shut her eyes and leaned in deeper. But Eyden just stood there, his lips still and his eyes open.

She pulled away, cheeks burning red. Her eyes were on her feet, but her gaze flitted shyly to him for a brief moment.

Eyden had an unreadable expression on his face. "Now why did you do that?"

Annabel was stunned. She had expected either a positive reaction or a negative one, but this was neither. It wasn't even a reaction, really. "Oh...well, I just thought..." she trailed off, unsure of what to say.

"You just thought what? That just because we're working together on a project that we should become a couple?" he continued. She thought he might be angry, but there was no anger in his eyes, nor in his voice. There was a complete lack of emotion.

"No, it's not that." She bit her lip, glancing down. "I think I like you."

Eyden remained unimpressed. "You're better off liking someone else." He made a move to leave.

"I think you're lonely," Annabel blurted out suddenly.

He froze. Then he fixed his steely gaze on her. "You don't know anything about me." His tone was full of disdain. At least it wasn't empty.

"I know, and I'm not pretending like I do," she defended, taking a small step back. "But I know people who don't look lonely, but really, they are. And I just thought-"

"You thought. But you don't know." He advanced, taking a step towards her with a deep frown on his face. "I'm not like your air-headed friends. I don't ruin my own education because I'm too obsessed with my image. I don't waste my time on social media. I'm not desperate for attention. And I don't care what you think of me." His gaze intensified. "You might want to remember that the next time you think."

But Annabel didn't give up. "There's no shame in being lonely."

Eyden was getting impatient. "I'm not lonely," he growled.

She laid a gentle hand on his arm. "I don't want you to end up like Japan."

His brows furrowed as he realised what she meant. He jerked his arm out of her touch. "I don't lose." He turned his back to her and stalked off before she could reply. Angrily, he entered the car and slammed the door shut.

"Good evening, Master Reus." Eyden just stared out the window in response to his driver's greeting. There was a pause as his driver started the engine. "Does your girlfriend need a ride as well?"

"She's not my girlfriend!" he snapped. He glanced back at Annabel, standing in the driveway and gazing at the car with a sad look on her face. "And no. She doesn't need a ride."

Eyden watched his driver nod from the rear view mirror. "Of course."

He gazed out the car window with a deep unsettling in his heart. Annabel was being foolish, thinking that she even understood him, that she even knew anything about him. But he realised that it wasn't what she had said that unnerved him so much.

It was that she might actually be right.

[ note: "the eternal quest of the individual human being is to shatter his loneliness"

[Alpha*]

Aww

[blackbird.]

"ｎｏ ｗａｙ ｉｎ， ｎｏ ｗａｙ ｏｕｔ"
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lawyer friends are useful // characters: jack nelson, elaena carter // words: 1445


Elaena was staring blankly at the wall when Jack walked in, dressed in a two-piece suit and a briefcase in his hand. She didn't even look up. Jack sat down across his friend but she didn't seem to register that he'd entered the room.

Jack looked at her. He looked at her arms, covered in bruises. He looked at her dress, drenched in blood. He looked at her wrists, shackled by handcuffs which chained her to the table. And he looked at her eyes, which held so much fear and pain and brokenness behind that vacant and empty gaze. "Elaena?" he called out.

"Hmm." Her eyes didn't lose the blankness, but at least she responded.

"Elaena, look at me," he told her.

And she did. Her gaze focused on him, recognising him instantly. A ghost of a smile flickered across her face. "Jack."

He smiled at her, but his heart was crying out for his friend. "I'm here." But he wasn't here to offer emotional support only. She called him for a reason. She needed representation and he was going to represent her even if it killed him. "Elaena, what happened?"

Any happiness that was in her eyes disappeared instantly to be replaced by another emotion. "I hurt somebody, Jack." So it was guilt in her eyes.

He leaned in closer. "Tell me everything."

And she did. She told him about how she was walking home from the library. She told him how she was on her own at night. She told him about the man who grabbed her, shoved her into an alley and tried to hurt her. She told him about how she fought him and resisted and pushed him. She told him about how his head smashed against the corner of a garbage bin. She told him about how his skull cracked open. She told him about how she killed a man.

When she was done, tears were streaming down her face. Jack tried to give his best reassuring face, but there was a deep unsettling in his heart. He hated seeing her like that. He wished he could undo all the trauma she had gone through that night. But he couldn't. He could only try his best to fix things.

"Did you tell this to the police?" She nodded. "What did they say?"

"They asked-" her voice cracked and she stopped for a moment to regain her composure. "They asked what I was doing, walking at night on my own."

Jack's eyes darkened. He had half a mind to destroy them in court for a statement like that. The unsympathetic bastards. "Assholes," he muttered under his breath. He turned his attention back to Elaena. "Anyway, they're not allowed to arrest you, you have diplomatic immunity. Did you tell them that?"

She shook her head.

His eyes widened in frustration. "Why not?"

When she looked back up at him, he could practically see the cracks in her spirit. "Because I deserve to be put in prison."

He stared at her for a moment, disbelief across his face. Then he stood up suddenly, tearing open his briefcase. "You're not going to prison. I have your papers here and I'm getting you out of this place." He rustled through all the documents in his briefcase, flitting through them and isolating the ones he needed.

"Jack." She sounded so fragile.

He looked at her. "Yes?"

"It's my fault."

No. He wouldn't let her do that to herself. "It's not your fault."

She didn't seem to register his words. "I asked to be placed in Supermax," she continued.

His eyes widened. "Are you crazy?"

"It's a place for people like me. It has maximum security." Her lips were in a grim line. "No way in, no way out."

He shook his head in disbelief. "They're not going to put you in Supermax, okay? You don't belong in there, heck, you don't even belong in prison!"

"I do belong there." A tear rolled down her cheek. "I'm a murderer."

"And I'm a lawyer," he rebutted instantly. "I'm your lawyer. There is no way on earth I'm going to let you convict yourself - that's insane!" He slammed his briefcase shut and exhaled through clenched jaw. "I'm getting you out of here right now." He threw open the door and stormed out.

Elaena shuffled in her seat until she was comfortable, then returned to staring blankly at the wall in front of her. She could hear muffled yelling from another room, and she was very sure one of the voices belonged to Jack. She couldn't tell what they were yelling about, but she could guess that it was about her.

Jack came back in soon, a police officer behind him. He took out a set of keys and unlocked her handcuffs before telling her that she was free to go.

"Come on," Jack insisted, gently grabbing her elbow and leading her out of the station, glaring at several of the officers on his way out.

"Where are we going?" she asked softly.

"Out of this place." He ripped off his jacket and handed it to her. It was cold outside, and there were people. He didn't want everyone to see the blood on her dress.

He took her to a nearby cafe and ordered a cup of hot chocolate for her.

"I called your parents," he explained. "They should be on their way here now."

She nodded and brought the cup to her lips.

"They'll handle the diplomatic stuff. I can only handle the legal part of it - get you out of the station, cancel any court trials." He looked at her pointedly. "And keep you out of prison."

Tears began forming in her eyes again. "I deserve to be there."

"No, you don't," he insisted. "You didn't do anything wrong."

"Maybe if I had worn something different, or-"

"No!" She looked up at him, surprised at the harshness in his voice. "You listen to me. This is not your fault. You do not deserve to be in prison. You are the victim here. Not the perpetrator. Do you understand?"

She didn't say anything.

He reached out to take her hand, but she flinched away. "Sorry," he mumbled. That probably wasn't the best move, after what had happened to her that night.

There was a screeching of tires from the street outside. Jack looked to see the source of the sound, and he recognised the Lichtenstein flag on the bonnet of the black car parked right outside the cafe.

"Your parents are here," he said, standing up and helping her out of her seat. "They'll take you home." He led her out of the cafe and to the car.

One look at her parents and she burst into tears. She buried herself in her mother's arms and sobbed, wails escaping her mouth and tears running down her cheeks. Her mother cradled her and stroked her hair in comfort before bringing her back to the safety of the car, behind closed doors and tinted windows.

Her father was the one who approached Jack, hand outstretched. "Thank you for your help, Mr..."

"Nelson," Jack said, shaking the man's hand. "Jack Nelson, sir. And I'm glad to be able to help."

Elena's father nodded. "You're my daughter's attorney?"

"Yes. Well, sort of." Her father's eyes searched him, looking for clarification. "I knew her as a friend when we were studying in university together. But whenever my friends need help, I always represent them."

"Of course. That's kind of you."

Jack smiled slightly at the compliment, but maintained his professional composure. "Thank you, sir."

Her father nodded.

"Sir, if I may," Jack began. Her father looked him expectantly, waiting for him to continue. "Elaena displayed an interest in convicting herself and putting herself in prison. As her legal representation, I can assure you that this will never happen, but as her friend..." His voice softened. "As her friend, I worry for her. She is so guilty and I don't know how to help her. I was hoping you could do something."

There was a frown on her father's face. "Yes...I will do what I can." He cleared his throat. "Thank you once again, Mr Nelson. We are indebted to you."

Jack nodded firmly and shook the man's hand again. Then he watched as the car drove away.

A deep sigh escaped Jack's lips. Sure, he was a practicing lawyer. He could stand in court and fight for the freedom of anyone who needed help. But Elaena was in a prison of her own creation, trapped behind mental bars in a small, isolated area of her brain.

And there was nothing he could do.

[ note: "we are all just prisoners here, of our own device"

[Alpha*]

This is, by far, one of my favorites. Great job

[blackbird.]

This is, by far, one of my favorites. Great job

thank you so much! i'm really glad c:

[Alpha*]

(I'm writing a criminal book, and I love seeing how others portray crimes. You're welcome, and you deserve every bit of praise )

[blackbird.]

hey that's really cool! is it on this site? because i'd like to read it, if so!
and thanks again haha, that's really sweet of you to say ^^