{ ＩＮＫＬＩＮＧＳ } A Competition Thread V.3!

[eden .]

Congratulations to goldh13, entrant number 1, for winning the third round theme!

Thank you to whomever participated. The next round has been updated. Please check it out ^^

[eden .]

ENTRY ONE;

Time had passed since the accident, but nobody believed that I was innocent. I knew that it wasn't my fault, yet no matter how much I denied it, I was constantly battered down into silence.

It happened this day a year ago. The sky had been overcast, as it usually was when winter came. A thick layer of snow cloaked the hills surrounding our tiny, isolated home. It was constantly cold, and I hated it so dearly. Perhaps if I had been as resisting as usual, what occurred late that December afternoon may not have happened at all.

My mother, a frail little woman, had knocked carefully on my bedroom door. I had mumbled for her to come inside. I sat firm in my tiny arm chair, a book in my grasp and my eyes trained on the words upon the page. I remember her asking me to go outside and enjoy the snow while it was still there. I had argued. Then she announced that she was going to teach me how to ice skate.

I stubbornly agreed to this. The lake at the bottom of the hill was frozen over, a layer of ice glimmering in the dull sunbeams through the breaks of cloud. She helped me to pull on the old ice skates, tying the thin string with quivering hands.

She had led me out onto the ice warily, her grip on my gloved hand surprising tight as she skated carefully. I picked it up with ease, skimming over the frozen water like I'd been doing it in all my seven years. I didn't even fall once.

We should have been so much more careful. We should have suspected that the ice was truly thin, really much too fragile in parts for us to skate over. The ice had slowly begun to crack under our skates, towards the center of the lake.

For a change, we'd been laughing, hugging, like a real family. Then there was a sharp crack, and the ice below my feet gave way. I plunged into the freezing-cold water, a bundle of old scarves and a heavy winter coat, all of which weighed me down. My mother had shrieked and made a grab for me immediately.

I couldn't move; I was useless. Still, the aging woman had somehow managed to drag me from the icy depths of the lake. Her hands were as blue as my lips, and her rasping breaths were as quick as the thudding of my panic-stricken heart. There we both were, exhausted and cold, sprawled across the ice. Obviously, it wasn't the safest place to have been, and we should have moved whenever we could.

But, of course, we didn't. My mother was so relieved to have caught ahold of my life, not matter how insignificant I had thought it to be. I don't know how I didn't hear the crack - I only saw her wide, ghost-grey eyes widen in terror as she slid into the deadly water.

My shrieking was in vain, and my mother was too weak to pull herself up out of the water. I was too tiny to save her.

After that, our home was sold to the government and I was shipped off to an orphanage.

I hated it even more than winter days, the orphanage. It seemed like winter all the time there, with its dull corridors and the constant rainfall outside. I endured for one year; only one. I'd met other kids who had been there for so long; so long that I pitied them. My hatred for the place only escalated with each day, and it finally got to the point that I was determined to flee the tragic Orneal Orphanage. I'd do whatever it took.

It was on this day, December 23rd 1994, that I finally executed my plan of escape. It was pathetically dim-witted, even for a nine-year-old, but it was so silly that it happened to be brilliant. Brilliantly ludicrous, really. All I had to do was slip out of the attic window, leap across the countless roofs of London, and then it was only a matter of taking to the streets until I was free. Simplistic, I had thought.

I made it across a series of rooftops and had just entered one of the emptier city streets when I heard the howl of the dog - the one from the Orphanage, who prowled the corridors and neighboring streets. It had just so happened that the vicious black dog was stalking down the street, the owner of the Orphanage, a beefy woman known as 'Charity', came barreling behind him. They knew I was gone.

The rain fell in light drops at first. I flinched in surprise as I felt a droplet streak down my cheek - I hadn't felt rain on my skin for over a year.

I could tell that they were slowly gaining on me, Charity and the dog. I knew that I was caught; there was no point in attempting to escape their horrid clutches now. But, I did stop in my tracks as the rain began to fall heavily. My mother used to say that when it rained like that, it meant that the angels in heaven were weeping. So I took a moment to remember her, the wispy little woman I knew as my mother, and allowed the rain to pour down on me. With only the slightest of smile on my thin lips, I extended my hands above me, feeling the cold rain splash down onto my skin, drenching my baggy grey clothes and soaking my matted mousy hair. I wasn't Orphan 23. I was little Maria Brooks.

I was free.

[eden .]

ENTRY TWO;

I twirled around in the rain, spinning just as much as my life was spinning out of control. Did I really care anymore? Of course not. Nothing mattered to me right now, really. I had stopped caring by this point. I giggled a bit, tipping my head back and opening my mouth slightly, allowing rain drops to fall into my mouth, a wide grin on my face.
In the distance I heard him calling for me. He wanted me to come back. But I knew I was just up for another disappointment, another promise to be broken. So many things had already happened to me so far that I had just stopped caring. And now, all that mattered was spinning in the rain, allowing it to wash over me, bathe me in the pure apathy that I had finally accepted.
“You’ll catch a cold out here!” I heard him call. “Get back over here!”
It wouldn’t be long until he caught me. Caught me and took me back to his place, where yet another failure would happen, yet another broken promise, another broken dream.
“Lucy!”

“Eli, it’s dark in here,” I whispered. “Hush, Luce, we’re okay, I promise,” my brother responded. I caught sight of his dazzling hazel eyes and I smiled softly. I knew I was safe here with him. We were curled in a cabinet, his arms around me, protecting him from… him. My fingers curled around his shirt and he held me tighter. “What if he finds us?” I whispered to my brother. He kissed my forehead softly. “He won’t find us Lucy. I promise you,” he whispered back, holding me tightly. I closed my light, watery blue eyes, feeling like I was about to slip into sleep. It was late at night, after all, his usual time for coming home. IO almost did fall asleep, until I heard a banging noise. “Eli he’s at the door,” I whispered to my brother. My hands curled around his shirt more tightly. I was trying to stop them from shaking. “Hush Lucy,” he said quietly, “I won’t let him near you,” he promised. But it wasn’t me I was worried about. Ever since mom died, he’s been different. Coming home drunk, knocking us about a bit. But Eli would never let him touch me. I can’t count how many times he’s been to the hospital, almost died for me. I didn’t want to lose Eli. I wouldn’t be able to go on without my precious brother. He and I became very close after our mother died. We never left each others sides anymore. Not with him around.
I heard more banging on the door and a loud snap as he finally broke it off its hinges. I let out a small noise, quickly covering my mouth. Eli held me more tightly, his arms wrapping around me, his whole body moving between me and the door, a defensive position, to protect me. We were silent for a moment as we heard the creaking steps, both praying he wouldn’t come to the cabinet. Both silently wishing that we would be okay. But as always, our wishes didn’t come true, as the cabinet doors flew open, and there stood our father.

He looked almost exactly like Eli, except for one difference. Eli’s eyes were a bright and dazzling hazel, while his were a dull brown. Other than that, identical. Same, raven black hair, same tall, lanky build, same pale, long faces.
“Now w-what are you two doin’ in the… the… ca… cabinet?” he managed to say, gazing at my brother and I, his dull eyes looking hostile and fierce. He grabbed a fistful of my brothers hair, pulling him up. I felt my hands slip away from his shirt and I made noises of protest, trying to claw at my fathers arm. I didn’t want to watch Eli get hit anymore.
“It’ll be okay Luce,” I heard Eli utter. “Close your eyes and when you open them, he’ll be gone.”

I did as Eli told me, curling in the corner of the cabinet, squeezing my eyes shut and covering my ears. I didn’t want to listen to my feathers beating, watch him hit my brother to no end. Eventually I heard the cries of pain stop, the sound of my father walking out of the room. I quickly opened my eyes again and saw my precious brother on the floor. “Eli,” I said softly, going over to him. I took him in my arms, holding him close. He looked absolutely awful. His raven black hair was a mess, his face was bruised and bloodied, clothing tattered and torn. I heard his breath, shallow and raged. “Eli he’s gone now,” I told my brother, pushing some hair from his face. “I’m going to call an ambulance,” I told him. I felt him lightly grab my wrist and I stopped, looking back over to him. “Lucy…” he said softly. “Eli, don’t look at me like that,” I said, “Don’t. Don’t even think about…” I trailed off, noticing a tear of mine had dropped on to his cheek. “Lucy, please, run,” Eli told me, reaching up and touching my face, clearing my tears away. “Run and don’t come back to this place,” he continued. The life was slowly draining from his dazzling hazel eyes. “Don’t!” I shouted at Eli, beginning to sob. “Don’t go…” I whispered. “Lucy we both knew it would always end like this,” he told me. I felt my hands instinctively clutch at his shirt. “Eli…” I whispered, taking in a sharp breath from the crying. He looked as if he was about to answer me, but his hazel eyes closed instead, and he drew in his last breath.
I sobbed over his body for quite some time. I wasn’t sure how long. Eventually I stood, passing by the suitcases that were against the wall. It was our plan, our dream. Escape. Tonight had been our night. We were going to get away. Then he came home early. He ruined it for us. Ruined everything.
I slowly walked out of the room, and down the stiars, where my father was on the couch. He didn’t notice me walk by until I opened the door, leaving it ajar. It was raining outside pretty hard, and I found myself running. Running far into the storm, tears still running down my face, mixing with the rain. Eventually I stopped running and just began to spin.
My mother is dead. My brother is dead. My father is going to kill me.
What does it matter anymore?
It doesnt, I decided, spinning in the rain, feeling it's chill. It doesn't.

[eden .]

ENTRY THREE

A cloud of dust swirled past a rusty window, a girl on the other side gazing sadly out of it. The rain had not come this year, and everything was dry and hot. The girl, Amanda, had lost her grandmother yesterday, and the whole family was suffering from grief and de-hydration. All of the crops had died and shrivelled, and water was only found at the very bottom of the well.

Amanda walked away from the rusted window, a grimace plastered to her slim face. She walked over to the door which she creaked opened. As she stepped out of the door into the into the hot and dusty morning, she felt the first cold breeze she had felt in a long time. Amanda stopped for just a moment, sighing in contentment as it enveloped her and blew into the house.

She carried on towards the well, where the old lake used to be. Bucket in hand, she looped ropes through the handle and threw it half-heartedly into the depths of the well. As she was pulling the heavy bucket up, she heard a rumble in the sky. She looked up, forgetting about the bucket and let it fall back down into the well.

Amanda’s face went slowly from a sad grimace to a small grin. A raindrop fell from the thundering clouds and splashed into Amanda’s flaxen hair, sending shivers of joy down her spine. Then another, and another came falling down from the sky, until rain was pelting down on the lifeless land. Amanda ran around in circles before racing back to the house, where her mother and father, sister and brother stood happily, waiting for Amanda to join them.
The rains had begun at last.

[eden .]

ENTRY FOUR

It was really going to happen. The scientists had been researching and they said that today was the day. It had been on the news for weeks. After 100 years of sunshine, the impossible was going to happen. It was going to rain.

The world’s children were pressed to their windows; staring, watching, waiting. In the background though, there were murmurs of doubt. ‘Maybe it won’t happen.’ ‘Maybe they were wrong.’ ‘I can’t see any clouds.’ Grandparents expressed their doubt; the sun had shone for so long, how could it possibly stop?
At first there was only the usual drifting, white clouds; thin and harmless. But then they looked again.

Big dark splotches raced across the sky, clamouring over the sun, until the whole world was covered in darkness. There was a flash of light, followed by a crack and somebody screamed. The planet held its breath.

And a big, fat raindrop landed on Susan’s head.

She screamed, and that seemed to be the cue for the heavens to open up and bucket down on the general populace. Parents held their squirming children close, scared of the pure force of the water raining down. But Millie didn’t have any parents. She squealed and twirled and ran and jumped and slipped and got soaked, her hair and clothes clinging to her body. For three hours she played around in the horrifying wet, while all the other kids looked on jealously. Until finally, the rain stopped again.

Millie ran into the arms of her uncle, who lifted her up and twirled her around. ‘Come on sweetie,’ he said, handing her a towel and rubbing her hair dry, ‘let’s get you cleaned up.’

And all the people watched as he lead her away; the only little girl brave enough to dance in the rain.

[eden .]

ENTRY FIVE;

I sit here, looking out the window, watching the little droplets of water trickle down the glass. I smile to myself, thinking about how life had changed for me. Thirteen years. Thirteen years have passed. A droplet of water begins to roll down my cheek as i place my hand on the window, feeling the cold from the other side. It was this very rain that I jumped puddles in. This very rain that I ran in circles in. This very rain that I cried in. and this very rain that I smiled in. Let's take a step back in time, back to when I was seven.

It was a humid day, and it was pouring rain outside. Daddy was crying and holding Mommy's hand as I watched them both. Mommy had cancer, you see. The doctor said that it was very bad, and that she would be ending her life soon. She had been battling cancer for only 8 months. Daddy had to go out of the country for work in a few days, and if he said no, he would loose his job and be unable to pay for us. We stayed next to her for a whole day without bothering to eat.

It was passed my bedtime by the time we left. I fell asleep in my booster seat on the way home. Once we were home, Daddy opened the back door and unbuckled by seat and carried me up the stairs. Still in my day clothes, he tucked me into bed and kissed my forehead. I was barely awake as I spoke. "Daddy? Will Mommy be okay?"

"Yes, Angela. Now go to sleep."

I, of course, did not see the hurt in his eyes or the cracking of his voice as he said so. I heard him turn and walk away. The few minutes that I was partially awake, I heard him go to his room and quietly sob. I feel asleep after that and slept a dreamless sleep.

The next day was slow, it was a Sunday. We did not bother to go to church as for Daddy was slowly becoming less and less believing. I had gotten used to having no pancakes and bacon on Sunday mornings. It was always the same now, just cereal and milk and sometimes and egg or two. Today was just one of those cereal and milk days. I walked over to the cupboard and pulled a bowl out of the first shelf. I walked over to the fridge and got out the milk and then soon the cereal. Once i made the simple breakfast, I put everything away and took out a spoon from a cabinet. I walked over to the counter and sat on one of those high stools. Daddy came downstairs a while later and made himself some coffee.

"Daddy, why do you drink coffee?"

"It wakes people up."

His reply was plain and straight to the point. Ever since mommy was hospitalized, he didn't want to tell stories anymore. I nodded as I drank the last of my milk in the bowl. I turned my head to see what it was like outside. There were clouds in the sky and there wasn't any wind. I turned to face daddy and opened my mouth. Quickly deciding that speaking to him wasn't the best thing to do, I closed my mouth and hopped off the seat to put the bowl in the sink. I glanced out the window again and chose to speak up.

"Daddy, it's going to rain again. Why does it rain?"

"Angela, it rains because God is unhappy. He wants to tell the world."

"Why do you think that, Daddy? I think the rain is fun!"

"It's because God likes to show off. And the rain is never fun. It can get you sick."

I silenced for a moment, thinking of what he just said. Deciding that another topic would be best, I walked over to the light switch and turned on the light. It was getting dark outside. "Are we going to visit mommy?"

"Not today. I have to pack. I'm going to send you to Jennifer's house after I finish my coffee."

I said nothing as I walked upstairs and into my room. Opening one of my clothing drawers, I looked up and saw the picture of me and mommy at disney world on my dresser. I smiled as I pulled out a light pink skirt and a yellow shirt. Quickly changing, I grabbed my teddy bear, Orwin, and skipped down the stairs. I saw Daddy look up at me from behind his newspaper. He soon folded it up and placed it on the table. Without another word, we walked into the garage and went in the car. The car ride was quiet, I was playing with Orwin as daddy just drove. We arrived at Jenni's house in a few minutes. I quickly unbuckled myself and hopped out of the car. It was dark out now, the houses around Jenni's already had their porch lights on. The wind finally started blowing wildly as we walked up to her door. Knocking quickly, Jenni opened the door and opened her arms for a hug. I gladly gave her one with a large smile as Daddy just watched with a little smile of his own. I walked into the kitchen to find Jenni's cat, Morris as I heard daddy talking to Jenni. The door closed and Jenni walked over to me and Morris.

"So I heard about your Mommy..."

I looked at her with confusion. "Daddy says Mommy is fine." I said blankly.

"Okay. Good. Because we don't want you to worry. Anyways, I was thinking that we could bake some cookies today!"

I squealed in glee as Morris looked up at me, concerned. I got up from the ground and picked up Morris. I put him on the couch and told him to stay. Wrapping a blanket around him, I put Orwin next to him. "You guys are best friends forever." I whispered as I followed Jenni to the kitchen.

"What cookies are we making, huh, Jenni?"

I saw her laugh. "Why, we're going to make chocolate chip cookies!"

I walked over to the sink and Jenni picked me up to wash my hands. I watched her get the box of cookie mix and read the instructions. We poured the mix, the oil, butter and water and cracked the eggs. The mixing part was the most fun and messy, Jenni kept on stealing the mixing machine from me! We got sprayed with cookie dough until it became thicker. Jenni was fun to play with, she always made me forget what was happening to Mommy. We took clumps of dough from the mixing bowl and shaped them into small round balls and placed them onto what Jenni called a 'cookie sheet'.

"Now, Angie, let's not put them too close together like last time! Remember how they were all one piece when we took them out?"

I laughed, nodding. "Alright, Jenni."

We remained silent for the next few minutes as we placed the dough on the metal pan. Once we used up all the dough, we washed our hands again.

"Why did Daddy bring me here?"

Jenni looked down at me and her smile faded. She took my hand and walked me over to her soft brown couch where Morris was. I sat besides her and Morris, petting him as she began to speak.

"You know Mommy is really sick, right? Well, Daddy is really sad. He doesn't want Mommy to leave us. He wants time to be alone right now and he has to pack to go to the Americas for work."

I nodded. "But isn't America all the way across the ocean? How long will he be gone?"

"Yes, Angie. And he will be gone for two months. If he doesn't go, he won't be able to buy things for you."

I said nothing. Then, the oven started beeping. We looked at each other and laughed as we raced to the oven. Jenni put on the oven mitts and opened the oven. The cookies looked yummy! She reached into the oven and pulled out the three trays of cookies. We let them cool and walked back to the couch to watch some cartoons. Thunder interrupted the show. I looked at Jenni in frustration. I leaned into her as the t.v. station lost signal. Jenni stroked my hair as she got up from the couch.

"Let's turn off all the lights. You know where our flashlights and candles are, go get them!"

I nodded silently as I ran upstairs to fetch the six candles and three flashlights that were there. I grabbed a little blanket to put all of them in and carried the blanket down. I brought them to Jenni who just turned on three flashlights and turned off all the lights. I looked over at Morris, who was just a pair of glowing green eyes.

"Jenni, I'm scared..." I whispered as I leaned into her.

The phone suddenly rang and the familiar number of the hospital appeared on the glowing green screen. Jenni, who recognized the number, picked up the phone immediately.

"Hello? Yes.. What? Why? We'll be right over. Thank you. Bye." She put the phone back into its cradle as she grabbed her purse from the table. "Angie, the hospital called. They said that they couldn't get a hold of Daddy and that Mommy wants to see you right now."

Shaking, I nodded as I towards the couch to get Orwin. We rushed to her garage and into her car. The thunder was shaking the earth. We quickly drove away. Running into the hospital, we signed in and went up the elevator. Nurses and doctors rushed in and out of each room, quickly trying to turn off all unnecessary appliances. We quickly walking into Mommy's room and saw her sitting up, sipping a cup of tea, smiling. She waved, her UV line waving as well.

"Hi!"

I ran to her bed and gave her a hug. "Mommy!" Jenni stood back, confused.

"I thought you needed to see us?" She asked quietly. Mommy nodded. She seemed awake and alive. Her voice was not rough anymore and she seemed perky.

"I wanted to tell you that I am better. God did a miracle. See? Watch." I took a step away from her as I watched her pull the blankets aside. She shifted her weight and sat at the edge of the bed. Her blue eyes glistening, she slid off the bed and took a step forward. I saw Jenni rush towards her as if she was in trouble. Mommy stuck her hand out as if to stop her. She smiled at me and walked towards me. Boom. The thunder shook the whole building as a couple nurses rushed into Mommy's room. They stared at her for a moment as they unplugged her heart monitor.

"Actually, I think I would like to go home."

The nurses seemed so stressed. They nodded quickly, as if nothing mattered anymore. They took the UV needle out of her arm and and all the wires. Boom. Screams interrupted the sounds of frantic nurses running around with carts. Something was wrong. The nurses quickly unplugging everything as I rushed to the cabinet where a bag of her clothes was. Taking the bag, I handed her her shoes and she slipped them on. Jenni was at the door by then, motioning us to hurry up. Mommy looked perfectly fine now! We turned off the lights as we exited swiftly. Deciding to take the stairs, I held Jenni's and Mommy's hands down the two flight of stairs. Checking out, we headed out the hospital.

Heading to the car, another loud clash of thunder made me shudder. Jenni started the car and quickly headed back to her home. We arrived rather quickly to her home. Opening the door, I quickly opened Mommy's door and clung close to her as we walked into Jenni's house. Morris greeted me with a meow as I picked him up and showed him to Mommy.

"This is Morris, Mommy!"

"I know, honey."

I lifted up one of his paws to make it look like he was waving. Jenni quickly turned on all the flashlights and lit up the candles once she entered the house and closed the garage. "But Em, how are you suddenly better?"

I glanced at Jenni who asked Mommy a question. I turned my head to face Mommy as she shrugged.

"God. God made this happen." She smiled as she spun around, still in her hospital gown.

"Mommy! We made cookies!" I saw her smile as I lead her to the kitchen. I took a cookie and let her take a bite as I ate the rest. I took another cookie as I let Morris escape from my hold. The thunder clashed again as I remembered Daddy. I grabbed the phone and dialed the well known number. It went straight to voicemail so I left a message:

'Daddy, you said that God was just showing off but you were wrong. Mommy is fine now, she's next to me, eating cookies that Jenni and I made. I know I won't see you until you come back from your work so I wanted to tell you this. Okay. Mommy says hi. I love you, Daddy. Bye!'

Then it started raining. No. Pouring. Trees were bending at a dangerous angle and everything started shaking. I smiled and looked at both of them. "I'll be right back." I walked away and towards the front door. Opening the door quietly, I managed to slip out the door before Mommy asked what I was doing.

I stood on the front porch as I watched the rain pour in front of me. I smiled to myself as I felt goosebumps rise. I took a few steps forwards and into the rain. I smiled as I twirled around in circles, not caring that I was going to be soaked. Looking up, I whispered, "Thank you..."

So now you know half of my life. Daddy never called back, but I know that he is somewhere, watching over us. We do not let that take over us. I am currently in college at the University of Cambridge and Jenni is now married to her boyfriend of two years. Life is great now, Mommy still lives with me. I peer out the large window for the last time and smile. "Thank you..." I get up and walk away.

[eden .]

Congratulations to `vector, entrant number 5, for winning the fourth round theme!

Congratulations to Hawkbelly, entrant number 2, our runner up!

Thank you to whomever participated. The next round has been updated. Please check it out ^^

[eden .]

ENTRY ONE;

My black and white fur flew as I ran, clumps getting stuck in the thorn bushes I ran into and past. My female owner followed me, and as I've understood, her name is Kian. Atleast, that's what I understood. Anyway, I ran way faster then Kian, and her mate, Kyle, followed after her. See, they were swimmers, and runners, but they were way better in water then on land. I barked as I neared the water, some kids smiled and followed after me, pet me after I got to the water line. One little child held to my fur as I waided farther out in the water, I was guessing she couldn't swim. The little child turned and left out of the water, leaving me alone, untill Kyle and Kian threw one blue tennis shoe into the crystle clear water. I followed after it, flying through the water as if I was really flying. I felt the water on my skin through my fur, my pads hitting the sand and the occasional rock. I grabbed the wet shoes, and turned around to see my owners swimming toward me. My tail wagged, and my lips curved to as much of a smile as I could, and barked once again. Kian and Kyle swam with me, me inbwtween them, their hands under me, connected. Kian, Kyle and I swam for hours, and walked to shore after three hours of floating and swimming. They walked to a boat dock, where I jumpped in after shaking my husky fur, and shook the boat. My owners smiled and laughed, then hopped in after me, and we floated all over the ocean that night. The stars were out in a dark blue sky, with an orange moon that made me look black and orange. The white boat didn't standout over the dark water, so we blent into the open sea. I picked up the shoes once more, and procedded to chew them until they were...in shreds. I lay near the tip of the boat,and quickly fell asleep.

[eden .]

ENTRY TWO;

A beautiful, bright sun is shining outside. A cool breeze is gently flowing past. The leaves practically appear to glow with health and color. Children laugh and play on the sidewalks, drawing hopscotch games with chalk in the quiet road. It's an indescribably beautiful day, with everything so vivid and bright. And where am I? Stuck inside the empty house, waiting for Sara and her mum to return home from shopping.
It's already been an hour. Both Sara and her mum absolutely adore the mall, and whenever they leave I have to worry about the possibility of them staying there forever. What they fail to do is think about how I feel. Wouldn't they know I'd get unbearably lonely while they're gone? It's not a nice thing to leave a living creature stuck in a house with nothing to do, obviously.
I sigh, pad over to my food bowl and peer into it. There's a little bit of my breakfast kibble that I didn't finish, but I'm not hungry. After an attempt to chase my long, fluffy tail, I decide to stop as I've already knocked over a bowl and two empty cups. The kitchen is not the place for a big dog like me. Dragging myself into the spacious living room, I plop down into my dog bed so I don't accidentally break anything else.
I stare at my big yet beautiful white paws and wiggle them a bit out of sheer boredom. My name is Cutie, and I'm an Alaskan Husky. Now I know 'Cutie' is quite an embarassing name for a dog with potential like me, but it's not my fault. Sara named me that. She was only five when I was first adopted. She's seven now, but her taste in naming things hasn't gotten any better. So laugh all you want!
Just as I think I might die of boredom, my big ears with their keen sense of hearing pick up the sound of a key in the lock by the front door. Finally! I hop out of my bed and scramble over to the front door, my paws slipping on the tile. Then I assume my regular position at the door, ready to excitedly tackle whoever steps in.
The door opens, and Sara steps in. "Hi girl! Hi, Cutie!" She gets on her knees, hugs me and ruffles my silky fur. "Did you miss us?"
Well, duh!
Sara stands up, and her mum stuffs truckloads of shopping bags through the door. "Sara, honey," She grunts, struggling beneath the weight of the shopping bags. "Why don't you show Cutie what we bought for her?"
Uh oh. This is never good for a dog like me to hear. What've they bought for me this time? Last time it was a hideous pink nail polish for doggies, and the time before that it was a disgusting doggie ice cream that tasted like mucus. It was 'clinically proven' to make a husky's coat twice as shiny. It didn't.
Sara's face lights up. She digs into one of the bags and pulls out four strange little blue objects that resemble tiny shoes.
"We got you booties!" She says proudly, beaming.
What did she just say?!
Sara gets down on her knees again. "Give me your paw." She says, and I obey. She slips one of the 'booties' onto my paw. Oh, know I see! Booties are supposed to be like shoes for dogs, I'm guessing! But.... But that's a ridiculous idea! Why would a big, strong husky like me need shoes?!
Sara puts the rest of the booties on me and stands back to look over her work. She and her mum grin at me. "How adorable!" Her mum gushes.
I stand up and attempt to walk around with my booties on. They must be the most disgusting, hideous, and uncomfortable things that Sara's gotten for me yet! They make me itch, they scratch me, and they're squeezing my poor paws. The fabric is making me want to sneeze. Worst off, they make it incredibly difficult to walk!
I clumsily stumble around for a few minutes. The booties make it doubly hard to walk on the slippery tile. Several times I find myself sprawled out on the ground in an uncomfortable position. I've tripped over my own legs several times and have come close to breaking my lovely pearly whites. What a humiliating disaster! Even worse, I don't know how to get these booties off!
Nobody in the house seems to get the idea that I hate these darn things, and they go about their own business. By the time night comes, I'm overcome with pure exhaustion. Plopping down in my fluffy little bed, I give a long sigh of relief. My bed has never felt softer. It's been such a long day, and don't even ask me how dinner went!
Maybe tomorrow will be better. Sara's going on a trip to the beach with her mum, and they're taking me with them. It probably won't be so bad, except for the fact that other dogs will have a good howl, seeing this big husky in tiny shoes. Will I even be able to swim? And what if sand gets in the shoes? It'll scratch me up! Worrying isn't making anything better, though....
Tomorrow seems to come so quickly. I'm still drowsy and half-asleep as we load into the car. Both Sara and her mother are pumped and ready for the beach, and they've stuffed toys, picnic blankets, bathing suits floaties, and a beach umbrella in the car along with me. You can probably tell that it wasn't such a good idea to stuff me in the back seat as well. I can barely move my long legs among all this stuff. Huskies need room to gallop, no?
I can finally sense we're nearing the beach as my sensitive nose picks up the lovely scent of the salty ocean. Now fully-awake and psyched, I stumble out of the car and waddle towards the beach, right behind Sara. The ocean comes into view. It's a humongous, stunnigly beautiful sea of blue, perched just below the sun. I can almost feel the waves brushing past my long fur!
Sara's mother sets up the picnic blanket and umbrella in a nice, sunny spot, and starts to work on that tan of hers. Sara runs ahead of me and plunges into the ocean.
"Don't go too deep!" Her mum calls. "Stay where I can see you."
I toddle and trip across the sandy beach, which seems to go on forever. Other dogs are already staring at me. In tuck my tail between my legs with embarassment.
Just get to the water, I tell myself. Maybe then you'll actually enjoy youself.
I reach the water and give an akward little hop. I splash in. The cool water soaks through my fur and chills me. My tail whips around like a propeller and splashes anyone behind me. I lick up some of the salty water. When I go out a litle deeper and I swim, it gives me the sensation of flying. It's way better than a bath!
Then something comes to my realization. These chunky little booties are even making it hard to swim! I lose the sensation of flying, and I realize I must look more like I'm stuck in a jar of peanut butter than swimming. I can hear dogs howling at me from the beach. They all plunge into the water and swim around me, mocking me. They use their tails to splash salty water at my poor, sapphire-shining eyes.
I turn myself around and splash back to shore, utterly humiliated. Plopping down on the warm sand, I give a few pathetic little whimpers. The sand sticks to my wet fur in clumps. The sun is burning hot, and I long to be able to swim. It just isn't fair! Upset, I rest my head in my paws.
Suddenly a thought races across my mind. I haven't heard from Sara in a while. My eyes scan the horizon. There's no sign of her. But her mother was supposed to be keeping an eye on her! Sneaking a glance at Sara's mum, I see that she's fallen fast asleep and let her gaurd completely down.
I start to panic. Getting to my feet and pacing a bit, though the booties trip me, I bark a few times for Sara. There's no response whatsoever. Only the sound of everyone else on the beach laughing and playing, and the call of a few seagulls. Coming to a conclusion, I decide that Sara needs my help. I don't even know if the poor girl can swim! What if I'm already too late?
I race akwardly over to the edge of the shore and straight into the water. But a few feet in I freeze. I can't swim with these booties on! What am I supposed to do now? But.... Sara needs help. I can't let a few pieces of ugly, clunky fabric stop me.
Baring my teeth, I bend down and start to tug at the shoes as hard as I can. There's a ripping sound, and the next thing I know I'm sitting up with a torn shoe in my mouth. It's off! It's finally off! I lean over and do the same thing with each of the booties. They all come off as well. It was probably just sheer adrenaline that I was able to do that! ....Or, maybe it's because I'm such a strong and beautiful dog and underestimated my strength. But it's probably the first option.
I race into the water, my paws feeling free. Doggie-paddling a bit farther out, I check for Sara again. No sign of her. A feeling of dread washes over me. I should've just forgotten about how stupid I looked and kept an eye on Sara. Why did I act like such a Poodle?
I decide I'm gonna have to do something unnatural for a dog to do. Taking a huge breath, I submerge myself underneath the water. Slowly opening my eyes and adjusting them to the burning, salty water, I look around again for Sara. The water stings my poor eyes, but I'm determined to find her. I don't even care about how I look right now.
All I can see is the legs and torsos of other people swimming. My stomach feeling sick and queasy with worry, I swim downwards a bit. I finally spot Sara. Nobody even seems to be noticing the poor thing. She's floating limply, sinking every second. She appears to be unconscious. Don't even ask me how she managed to do that!
Frantically swimming towards her, I very gently grab her by the thin scruff of her bathing suit. I have to be extremely careful not to tear through the fabric with my sharp canine teeth. I also have to worry about accidentally biting her. Once I have a firm yet careful grasp, I start to pull her upwards. I don't ever remember her being this heavy!
I can see the sun shining above the surface, we're almost there. Eventually my head breaks through the surface. I choke and gasp for air. Sweet, fresh oxygen! I had been starting to feel faintish and dizzy from being submerged like that. I cough and hack a few more times.
Sara still isn't moving. Very gently, I drag her onto the sand. Is she breathing? Can she hear me? I ask myself. I lick her face a few times and nudge her tiny cheek with my snout. She doesn't respond to anything. I'm too late. I tell myself, baring my teeth with regret. I've failed her. I bury my snout in her brunette hair, whimpering.
Suddenly Sara starts coughing and hacking, much worse than I did, and her eyes flutter open. She sits up abruptly and starts spitting up water. After she stops, she turns to me and smiles innocently. "Hi, Cutie! Sorry for all the coughing. What's wrong, girl?" She peers into my eyes for a moment, then looks towards the ocean. She looks at me again, then at the ocean again.
"Was I drowning?" Sara asks, shocked. "Did you just save me, Cutie?" I rest my paw on her lap and start licking her face. She laughs. "Good girl!" She says, hugging me way too tightly. "Good dog! You're a good girl!" I respond only by giving excited little whimpers and licking her. Sara then looks down at my paws. "Where are your booties?" She asks quietly.
I tense, waiting for her to get upset. She only smiles and ruffles my fur. "It's okay. You probably couldn't even swim with them on."
You don't say?
Sara wakes her mother up and tells her what happened, and her mum decides it's best that we head home. Sara's mum is beside herself, crying and upset that she fell asleep and almost let her child drown. On top of that, she's gotten a horrendous sunburn. At least she gave me plenty of praise for saving Sara. She says I'm a really wonderful dog. You think I don't know that already?! Haha, kidding.
We arrive home, and I settle back down into my precious little doggie bed, my brain overwhelmed. I've had way too much excitement for one day. Even big and beautiful huskies like me need a break. And maybe now Sara's learned her lesson about buying me ridiculous clothes. Hopefully she has! Those booties were the worst thing I ever was forced through!
A couple of weeks pass, and Sara and her mum head off yet another mall day. I don't know if they'll ever get over their obsession with shopping. I don't see the point of it at all! Then again, I've never actually been shopping before. At least I shouldn't have to worry about them buying things for me....
I hear a car door closing, and I go through the usual routine of greeting Sara at the door. Like always, her mother is stumbling in with so many shopping bags that it practically looks like you have enough to be equivalent with Mount Everest. I half-tackle Sara, and she hugs me and ruffles my fur in return. Nothing out of the ordinary. My tail wags like a propellor.
Just as I turn around to get back to my nap, though, Sara calls me. "I bought something for you, Cutie...." My tail and ears go limp, and I slowly turn around. She.... She what? "This is going to look so adorable on you!" Sara says brightly. My jaw drops in pure horror. Sara's holding up a hideous, disgusting, absolutely horrendous pink dress with ruffles and glitter on it. Even worse, it's in my size.
This can't be happening....

[eden .]

ENTRY THREE

I am running. Running, away from the evil's. Tear's stream down my face, drowning me even though swimming is a strength for me. I trip and slide to the ground. I look up. Yells. Yells, sirens, voices. I must not stop. They might catch me. So I get up and I begin running again. My shoes slip on the ground as rain falls beside me. But I keep running. I might've been running for minutes, maybe hours. I finally find one spot to hide. A birch tree. I leap up to the first branch and continue on, higher and higher. When I find a hole in the tree I climb in and more tears start. The voices are so close. And so, I listen.
"Oh Violet!" They yell as if I'm a dog. But I'm not... I'm just different. That takes me back to what happened...

I sit down and sigh. Today wasn't supposed to happen. I don't wish to think about it, so I push the thoughts away. Instead, I look at an upcoming dog. It's eyes seem to glow and it let's out a rasping bark. Or at least, that's what everyone else heard. Instead, I heard this.
"Welcome, stranger," he woofed. "It's time for me to step down. You are now leader."
"What?" I say. Stares seemed to become attracted to me as the dog barks again.
"I'm leader of the Sirius pack. And now, you must become leader," he woofed and faded away.
"Wait, come back!" I yelp and jump up, looking around. A man walks over.
"'Scuse me, but why were you talking to thin air?" He asked.
"Th-there was a dog there!" I say. "It talked to me, it did!" The man sighed and chuckled.
"Violet Grimm, have you been seeing things lately?" He asked with an odd smile on his face. I stumble backwards.
"What do you mean?" I ask, not bothering with that fact that he knew my name. The man's face suddenly changed.
His skin turned a ghostly white and his eyes turned blood red. He smiled and I stifled a scream. His teeth were like a sharks, sharpened. He growled at me. I didn't need another warning. I spun around and ran. For some reason, I seemed to be carried by the wind. Everything blurred behind me as I made it to my house. I stopped. Police cars, sirens. And a body.
"No!" I screeched. Everyone looked at me and something came over them. They began walking towards me, all the same steps. I looked behind me. The man was advancing. I knew one place left to run. The woods.

Now here I was sitting alone in this tree. I heard the voices grow fainter and fainter until I couldn't hear a thing. Then came barks. Loud ones too. So I climb out of the tree and jump to the ground. Dogs and wolves emerge and bow to me. Something settles in my heart. A feeling. A feeling that meant I had a home. My eyes glowed and I transformed into one of them.
"Come on," I barked. And we ran towards the rising full moon.

That feeling I felt? That was something I'd always found confusing. I could never understand it. That feeling...

Was Love.