I’ll be honest - I don’t like this chapter, it took me too long to write for not much good content. However what I do enjoy are the Sources I made for this one, throwing random references and clues together is fun.
Forum Curses Entr’acte: Who Am I?
Chapter 2: And it’s the fire in my heart, and burns on my hands.
She opened her eyes. The warmth of layers and layers of blankets embraced her skin like a hand of safety and comfort. However the ever moving march of time and its light shone through her window and the grasp lifted. It was morning.
She got up, dressed, picked up her phone, washed her face, brushed her hair.
“Serena?”
“Morning Alice.”
A woman with black hair leant into the room, “Toast downstairs, dear.”
Serena smiled at her and went down to the dining room. She sat at her chair, smiling at a younger boy with black hair also sitting at the table. “Good morning Mason.”
It was unusually hot, not just warm as if the heating had been left on overnight, not hot as in an unseasonable day, but the heat of a blazing fire. In an instant it was gone again.
Her toast was slightly burnt, but nothing serious. At least she’d be able to see Troy again today.
It was once again the blue sky of early winter, a fresh chill which other than touching the bone in its skeletal grasp when it first hits your face, was more welcome than any rain could be.
It was a short enough walk to school, on which she met up with Troy early on.
“Good morning Troy, perfect weather today, Isn’t it?”
“Sure.”
She nudged him gently. “Such a way with words. How are burns doing?”
Taking his arm she carefully prodded at it.
“Hey!”
Serena laughed, “Alright, let’s go.”
Dr. Mahn turned around and smiled. “Good morning you two, alright after yesterday. You caused quite a scare with…”
He stopped.
“Well, the fire. Glad to see you in one piece.”
Serena sat in her seat. The room was uncomfortably bright, although she couldn’t find a source for this brightness. A wave of heat washed over her again.
“No important announcements today everyone, just keep away from parts of the science department of course.”
The day continued to drag on slowly, painfully slowly. Until finally it was over.
“Troy, come on, we’re going shopping.”
“When did I sign up for this?”
“Yesterday, don’t you remember?”
She took out her phone to confirm what he agreed to, to which he sighed. The day was warmer than the morning, brighter. As they walked side by side, she looked about Ahead in the distance Serena saw a blazing white fire consuming buildings higher up on a hill in the distance. It leapt upwards and outwards - blasting a wave of heat across the Eleventh, hitting Serena in the face. She gasped and ran forwards. “Troy!”
“Hm?”
The fire had already gone. A cool breeze returned.
“N- nothing. We’re almost at a good place, I want to buy you something…”
“Thanks Serena…”
A large neon sign glowed ‘Hats.’ as it lazily hung from the ceiling, bright and out of place in the dull surroundings of the clothing store. Serena took a short, flat topped crimson hat and placed it on Troy’s head.
“There.” She smiled.
Concerned, he replied “Serena?”
“Yeah?”
“What the hell is this?”
“A fez! Like the one your grandfather used to wear.”
Troy frowned. “How did you know he had a…”
She smiled, again.
“And this shop doesn’t even sell these sorts of hats? Where did you get it!”
She smiled, once more. “I don’t think it really fits you.” And took the hat off his head.
Troy laughed. “Stop it… can’t you just give me a straight answer?”
Serena opened her mouth to reply, but a searing heat came from her hands, up her arms.
A flash, instantly there and gone again consumed her, causing the hat to slip out her hands, with a small, pathetic gasp.
The burns swirled around, digging into her flesh in its wounding grasp. A pair of arms wrapped around her, keeping her from falling.
“Serena?”
She opened her eyes, breathing heavily. “No- no I’m fine.”
Standing back up straight she checked her arm. Must have just been the injuries from yesterday flaring up. “Just a bit of pain, that’s all.”
He looked concerned, but shook the sombre look of his face quickly. “Alright, go careful…”
“I’m hungry.”
“What?”
She playfully punched his arm. “Buy me some food.”
Troy shook his head. “Why should I?”
Serena took a coat off a rack nearby and wrapped it around him. “I’ll buy you this, and you get me some food.”
“Fair enough.”
Now laden with the coat, the pair were back on the street, side by side. The Eleventh was crowded on the cool afternoon, with more and more people arriving as time went on and the day grew closer to an end.
A man, face scarred and hands withered, stood at the side of the street handing out leaflets.
“Young ones, listen. Live your best life and join the Church of the Headless. Be free from Guaponian control, pray to the Headless Lord and follow its freedom!”
A piece of paper was pressed into the hands of Troy. He dropped it and walked onwards, only turning back after a few seconds to see the man pushed to the ground by police officers in dark, black uniform.
[ITEM A: The Leaflet ]
They came across a small cafe, relatively empty compared to the streets, and went to sit down inside it.
The tables had a small card for a menu, listing a range of hot drinks and sandwiches.
[ITEM B: The Cafe, Menu]
“Want a coffee?”
“Sure.” Troy nodded. “I’d love something warm, everything feels slightly unsettled… if you understand.”
By the time Serena returned from the counter, she had two almost scalding hot coffees.
She placed them down on the table and touched his hand gently. “Hopefully this can settle it.”
“Today has been pretty uneventful.”
She smiled, then frowned. “Compared to yesterday at least. I’m personally just fine with a day like this. Anyway, what would you want to happen? A couple armed gunmen bursting in to steal our money?”
He shook his head.
A small television on the wall, mounted there so whomever would be sitting in the same seats that they were for saturday lunch could lazily watch the news, carefree.
A man in a suit, solemn, quiet - cleared his throat and began to speak, voice serious, emotionless.
“This is North Guapo News Broadcasting. It is with great regret that we inform you that civil war has broken out.”
Serena gasped quietly, grabbing onto Troy’s arm.
“A small group of who can only be described as rebels originating from the Hera District have reportedly violently crossed the River Severn into the Aion district in an attempt to cause terror. The group is numbering up to four hundred heavily armed terrorists. The Hera District is openly supporting and funding this group, and other Olympian Districts have stated that they do not oppose the actions of Hera and the rebels. The Primordial Districts have all said that they support Aion, however only the nearby Aether District has sent in any of their personal armed troops.
The Titan District, Cronus and North Guapo state that they would support the Primordial Districts in the case full out conflict erupts.
In similar news, both Aion and Cronus will be placed under strict media blackout, with only licensed sources allowed to broadcast on the situation. As soon as this message ends, Cronus is also being placed under lockdown by order of the Court for Protection, Reinforcement and Control of The Titan District, and the Kingdom will prevent anyone from foreign countries entering either Northern or Southern Guapo territory.”
Both Serena and Troy were silent, both not daring to break it. A tear ran down her face, as she buried it into his shoulder. “That’s terrible… what if we’re next?”
“Then we will have to watch the world burn. At least together there will be some respite.”
“I’ve never heard you speak in that tone.”
“I’ve never felt the need to. Come on, we can spend an hour or so at my place.”
His living room was dim, silent. Empty other than themselves, both sitting dim, silent, leaning on each other for comfort. A magazine was lying on the table, open on a contents page, similarly silent.
[ITEM C: The Magazine, Contents page]
“I don’t want war. When I was little… I remember my dad telling me about the previous war. He said thousands died in a matter of weeks. I don’t want to die. I don’t want you to die.” She held back the tears, looking deep into his eyes. “I’m sorry.”
Standing up, Serena turned away and walked through the door. “I’m sorry. I need a moment. I’ll message you later… I guess…”
“It’ll be alright.”
Her eyes flickered towards the ceiling, unable to restfully close.
Her hand lay on her phone.
She looked at the screen.
The last message from Troy was.
‘You want to talk tomorrow?’
Without wanting to answer, but still feeling urged to not ignore him, she typed a message, hovering her hand over the send button, hesitating until she felt the courage to press it.
Troy quickly replied. She sent a few more messages back, and he replied some more.
[ITEM D: Serena’s messages history with Troy]
A weight which she was not previously aware of lifted from her shoulders, releasing its hold on her.
Laying a head back onto her pillow, she had just one last thought for the day.
I shouldn’t of had that coffee
All rules can be found here.
Vote on the order that Sources will be published in.
- A
- B
- C
- D
