Spoiler
I've been trying to make this simple, so you may now conclude: yes, Snow's more slang; Sunshine loves purple prose. (LOL) I think, Tiggie, that's the way she is? Tell me if it's a bad thing. But, like you said, she's been using the wrong words. XD I'll try to get to that in Chapter five.
Okay, LISTEN guys, I mean, read, guys (LOL):
Spoiler
[]Tiggie said that my pace is slow. She said that the plot should be crystal clear by third chapter. I agree with that. But I think what happened with this story is, chapter three is Sunshine's second chapter (this will be Snowflake's second chapter), so I guess, technically, because there are two POVs, we really haven't reached chapter three of either MCs? (Oh, confusion...) I think, my pace is okay? Let me guys see what you think.[/]
Believe me, I appreciate every comment and review I get. I read them all, honest. XD So thanks a bunch in advance for your advices and suggestions. They won't go unnoticed. =)
NOTE: I like putting draft layouts to my writing, so don't mind the capitalization at the start. This is not yet for submission anyway. I want my readers to feel like they're really reading a book. (LOL) Thanks!
...and oh, this one's short compared with the previous chapters. Yay! :p Or maybe not. It's 12 am, I need to sleep. *toinks*
IV
~Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ~
EVERTYHING was darkness. Maybe I was dead. Or maybe I was blind. I didn't know. I didn't have any idea. All I know was that everything was black and there was nothing else. I wasn't scared though. I didn't feel anything. I couldn't. But I could think. And then I thought that maybe I wasn't dead, I ended up with a new conclusion: Maybe I was just asleep, coiled up in thick sheets on my bed, wandering in a dream full of nothing.
Then a piercing sound broke the silence. I turned around and saw a block of solid white--which was my length--slash the darkness. It was bright and I had to cover my eyes to prevent the glow from blinding me. After awhile, my eyes got used to the light and I could look at the figure, though I was still narrowing my eyes as I did so. It was light blue, silver at the edges, glittering and glistening; though I couldn't make out what the source of light was. It looked like huge crystal swords strung together to spring out blade in every way. With all the odds so palpable, I guessed: So, I was just dreaming.
I looked down on my feet. They were floating, and so was I. Oddly enough, I could control my body. And when I could float confidently, I made my way around the crystal and planned to touch it. The glow was hypnotizing, luring me to do what it whispered to me. Not that it spoke; its silence itself were words of enticement.
I didn't see any harm, so I followed those unspoken words, slowly floating towards it, an arm stretched outwards ready to touch it. When I was close enough, I noticed that the blades were larger than what I'd imagined they would be. They were broad enough to see one's reflection. I got lost in my reflection, in my beauty. But my long, curly hair in suddenly grew short; my gray eyes turned blue; and my reflection spoke. "Don't do it, Snow," I saw my reflection say. I heard my own voice, but my mouth was shut the whole time. Was it Yuenish? The face soon faded back into my reflection.
"Don't do it, Snow," a voice repeated. And it wasn't my reflection or Yuenish this time. It was Chase.
"Chase?" His face slowly appeared beside my reflection. I turned around.
"Don't do it..." He was there, standing and somewhat bent over, his right arm holding his guts, the other his bare chest. It was as if he was in great pain. "Just don't--" He winced. "--don't listen to it."
Even though I didn't understand what exactly I shouldn't do, I said, "Chase, don't worry. I didn't do it..." I strove to comfort him, but my feet suddenly became heavy and wouldn't move. They were stuck in a particular space.
His face twisted in agony. "I told you not to do it!" he screamed, his voice was like thunder.
"But I didn't do anything!" I defended.
"Look!" He spread out his arms to show his bleeding guts and chest. "Look what you did to me!"
I thought I couldn't, but I stared at the gruesome scene. "No!" was all that I could say as I shook my head. Bowing down, I saw my own two hands covered with blood. I looked up at Chase. "No, Chase! You're wrong! I couldn't have done that! No!"
"I'm not wrong! You've killed us all: your father, Theresa, Cloud--" I covered my ears, feeling the blood wet them, but Chase's voice was strong enough to make me hear everything he said loud and clear. "--your sister."
"NO!"
Then, screaming out of pain, he howled a word I couldn't decipher. I closed my eyes. I knew tears were streaming down from them. Seeing Chase in pain drained all the strength in me. But I was innocent. I couldn't have done that ghastly thing. Could he have been lying?
Without opening my eyes, I hugged myself and screamed at the top of my lungs "CHASE!"
SNOWFLAKE!” Michelle’s tense voice woke me up again. I opened my eyes, panting, doused and drenched in buckets of sweat. My hands clawed the bed sheets.
“You were screaming again,” Michelle explained worryingly. “Yesterday, your sister's name. Today, Chase's? What kind of crap is going on? It’s like you’re frickin’ choking in your sleep. It’s starting to scare me…” Her watermelon seed eyes were filled with concern. They looked back into mine, and I could tell she could see the fear in my eyes. "This has never happened before. This is not normal."
I stared at Michelle, saying nothing. I rolled my eyes to look at my hands: They were spotless, just gripping on the sheets. Oh, thank heavens... It was all just a dream. I would have laughed at myself. I could never do such an awful thing. But why was I so tense, so scared that it might actually--happen?
A murderer. I strove to normalize my palpitating heart. I knew I hated Dad and Theresa. I loathed them so much I'd wanted to scream at them. But even though that was how I felt for them, I would never, ever do something so cruel--like kill them.
“Snowflake?”
Slowly shaking my head, I sighed and tried to speak in an assuring way. “I’m fine, Mitch. Thanks.” I sat up and hugged my pillow. It was damp, maybe with sweat.
“Are you sure?” she asked, hinting that she knew I was lying.
“Yes, Mitch,” I pressed, irritated. “I’m fine.” I narrowed my eyes on Michelle.
She sighed. “If you say so,” she said melancholy. She turned away, stood up, and fixed her hair.
All she wanted to know was if I was fine, and I had to raise my voice on her? I suddenly regretted my tone.
I groped under my other pillow and felt for my phone. Holding it up, I checked at the time. It was already five fifty-six. Class would start at six and Karen wasn’t really fond of late-comers. I threw my phone and it slid to the opposite end of the bed. I didn’t want to be late, but I didn’t want to stand up and get ready, too. “Why didn’t you wake me up, Mitch?”
“But I did.”
“No, I mean earlier—” I sighed. "Never mind." Blaming Michelle would not help me get dressed.
Michelle sat on her bed. “It seemed like you were tired last night, so I didn't wake you up.”
“I was, but I don’t wanna get late for school.” I grabbed my bag which was on the floor, beside my bed. I took out a shirt that I'd always brought in my bag in case I'd needed to change. I didn’t have the time to mine in my cabinet for something to wear, at least, I knew I liked this particular shirt.
“Turn around,” I ordered. Michelle lay on her bed instead, covering her eyes with an arm. After I wore my shirt, I changed into my lose pants, sprayed myself with cologne (so much for wanting a bath after being drenched in sweat), ponytailed my hair, grabbed my jacket and bag, and slipped my feet in my shoes. “Let’s go.”
Michelle followed and grabbed her bag as well. She slipped out of the room, ahead of me.
“Oh, wait!” I exclaimed, running back to my bed. I grabbed my phone and noticed Chase had just messaged me.
“Hey, princess,” I whispered to myself, “I might come in late. But don’t worry.” I rolled my eyes. Being late for school wasn’t a new thing for Chase. I mean, overtimes, night-shifts, he was sometimes even fifteen to twenty minutes late. It didn’t bother him, but it bothered me much. If he kept on paying more attention to his jobs, he wasn’t going to get impressive grades, which were indispensable if he were to continue receiving a scholarship for the next three years, or worse, which might actually be important for him to stay at the University.
“Snowie!” Michelle called.
I threw my phone in my bag. “Coming!”
We hurried out of the residence hall, running when we could. Outside, the ground had a thin covering of snow. Now that I'd noticed it, it was a bit colder than the previews days. I shivered at the thought that I'd sweat on my bed this morning.
Michelle and I scurried to that familiar beige building. Michelle was ahead of me.
“Snow,” she called, seeing I deliberately slowed down, “I thought you didn’t want to be late?” It sounded more of a reprimand than a question.
“I do now.” I grinned at Michelle as I paused from my walk. He was going to be late, and I was gonna wait for him.
She gave back a smile. "Chase going to be late?" I nodded and she rolled her eyes. "Whatever," she hollered.
I laid my back on a tree, looking around here and there, hoping I'd spot that blond along the road. Where is he? I thought to myself. All freshmen were ordered to live in the Residence Hall. It was mandatory. But Chase was an exception. I didn't how he did it, but his request was approved. Every morning, he'd drive down the streets to go to school, and that was exactly what I was expecting right now: him zooming down the street. But I didn't spot him after ten whole minutes. I waved as Chase. I could never miss his smile. I was happy to see the bike.
Yes, he rode a bicycle to school. Some of the guys mocked him for doing so, saying he should have a car, when they were fully aware on why Chase had requested to stay with his family instead of living in the residence hall. But Chase ignored those kinds of petty mocking. “It keeps your body fit,” Chase would reason out, "and does not emit fumes." Obviously, that was not the reason. The real reason is evident: he couldn't afford a car.
He waved at me. I wondered if he went straight home after our walk last night, or if he went to a shift instead.
“Hi, princess,” he said as he padlocked his bicycle by the tree I'd been waiting by.
I laughed. “No one will steal that.”
“Ah—you never know." Chase stretched an arm around me as we walked in the building. "C'mon. We're late."
We hurried in the building, my hand in his.
"You two are late,” Karen snapped as we walked in class.
“Good morning, Mrs. Watershield,” Chase greeted. I'd bet he thought he could bribe the woman with that dazzling smile of his. Well too bad, it only worked on girls.
Karen only gave a sharper look at Chase, then at me.
“Good morning, Karen,” I good-naturedly said.
She raised her brow at me, clenching her fists as if she'd read my mind. Oh, I love doing that. She'd gained posture in awhile anyway. She closed her eyes as she took a deep breath. "Try to keep up, Ms. Leshathe and Mr. Phoenix. Okay, again--"
It wasn't really hard to keep up. I even wandered my eyes about without getting caught. Looked like everyone was present--even Stephanie Burnett. But she was expelled two weeks ago. If it was that easy to get back, then I shouldn't have been so worried about Chase's status.
"Miss Leshathe!" Karen exclaimed. I immediately faced her. I didn't realize that I'd been deep in thinking and I'd stopped from my dance. I shrugged. "Continue!" Karen snapped.
Every time we took a turn, I took a chance to glance at Stephanie: her dark, brown eyes which were unreasonably darker than black itself; her pale, white skin, freakishly almost gray; and her dark hair which fell flat on her face. I wasn't fond of gossips, but when rumors about her round, I hadn't failed to give the chatters my attention. There wasn't a sensible rumor about her though, sadly. They said she was expelled because she was a witch. Now, what kind of reason would that be? Even if she was a witch (if witches were true), why would she be thrown out the University?
The class was a breeze, and it was soon lunch break. Students flocked to get out of the studio. Chase ran to me and stretched an arm. We were about to exit when Karen stopped us with a hand. "You two stay here," she demanded. "I'll be back."
Chase and I watched the students exit one by one. I looked at Chase. His tongue made a lump on one of his cheeks. He was tense, I could tell.
"Don't worry about it." I tapped his cheek, making him look at me and grin. "Think of the bright side." I silently closed the door. We were now alone in the studio.
Chase seemed to understand me. He turned on the CD player. Unfortunately, it was classical music. To be honest, I was dying to try anything not classical since I'd been here at Juilliard. All of the dances taught here were--classics.
Chase walked from the end of the room to the other, imitating Karen's posture. I laughed.
Plain, bleak, white walls surrounded us. I hated this studio for not having mirrors. But that didn't matter now. Chase and I were alone, and being with him was the only simple thing that could make me the happiest girl in the world.
Without any warning, Chase grabbed my hand and swung me around. We laughed. He made me dance the boogie, and the music didn’t suit our moves. Seeing my feet do the quick movements tickled my inner being. There were a hundred ways to improvise with the boogie-woogie steps, and Chase tumbled and kicked to show me each one. It was hilarious.
“Chase, you’re epic,” I said as I twisted to spin behind him. The track ended, and I tried to catch my breath, which I lost by laughing out so hard.
The next track played, and it was a slow, orchestral music—a violin quartet of Blue Danube.
Chase held me by the waist, lowering his head on my shoulder. “I know,” he whispered so softly, it was like a breath in my ear.
Turning my head slightly to where his cheek was, I closed my eyes. I just danced, gracefully following wherever Chase’s hand led me. The movements were what my heart told me to do. I raised my right leg, he assisted it up till it formed a perfect line. I then jumped and he carried me as my head swung back in an arc. He slowly spun and carried me. I threw myself up. I felt so light; it seemed like I could never be a burden to him. And my dream? Could that really even happen? He and Michelle were the only ones I considered my real friends. They gave me all that I had ever asked for—to be accepted as who I was. Something my father never thought I needed. I wanted to be freed from all my nostalgic memories, 'cause somehow, I couldn't still let go of the woman who'd carried me in her womb.
Regrets, hatred, unforgiveness and fear crept up my spine, around my shoulders, and into my chest. I jerked and fell but chase caught me. Now I was in his arms.
“Are you alright? Anything wrong?” he asked.
The music ended. Chase hugged me, a mixed smell of wine and vodka lingered around his neck. I knew it. He worked in a bar.
“I’m fine, Chase,” I assured, closing my look at his shirt.
“No, you’re not,” he said.
The next track played: Claire de lune.
I smiled. “You know me too well?”
He smirked, sliding his mouth into mine. I closed my eyes and felt for his chest. He then smothered my neck with light kisses. I opened my eyes. Maybe I could tell him what troubled me. He could assure me that my fear was the silliest thing in the world and it could never happen. But when I was about to tell him everything, I noticed a mark on his neck.
"Chase, is that a tattoo?" I asked. I thought he hated tattoos. He'd even given me a lecture when I told him I had a pair of wings on my back and a butterfly above my derrière cheeks. He'd said that they are worthless pieces of arts making the body look like a scratch paper full of doodles.
He jerked up and held his neck. He opened his mouth, but closed it again, not continuing what he would have said. He swallowed.
"Nothing wrong with it, I mean--" I said. "I'm not mad."
"Just--just pretend you didn't see it." He didn't even look at me.
The door flung open. "You two." Karen's lips trembled. "Come to the dean's office. Now."
In the dean's office, Karen finally exploded. The dean wasn't there, and the skinny woman was free to give out a long rant, the one she was probably keeping inside her chest the whole morning. "Do you two want to get expelled?" she said. "This school are for serious people. You--" She looked sharply at Chase. "--do you not know what you have received?--a scholarship for Juilliard University. Your case is a rare one--some would say even impossible!"
"Impossible?" Chase grinned.
"Did you have ballet classes since you were four? or let's say, even, perhaps six? You're a common man for heaven's sake, Mr. Phoenix!" The sentence turned Chase's grin to a frown. I see his Adam's apple budge. He'd swallowed. "I don't even understand what they saw in you to give you an opportunity to have the finest lessons in the field of Dance. We just don't settle for 'okay', we aim for perfection. Is that too hard for you to understand? This is the last warning, Chase--" She never called us by our first names, till now. "--next time you're late, I myself will make sure you get expelled." Karen turned to me. "You, too."
Karen was catching her breath when the dean entered the room. He seemed calm in contrast with Karen. "Have lunch," was all that he said.
Chase and I slowly walked down the hall. "Let's have lunch in our room," I suggested. Chase looked up and sighed heavily. "Don't mind them, Chase. Just do what they say, and everything'll be alright." He didn't face me. Instead, he looked away, giving me an opportunity to get another glimpse of his tattoo. It was a dragon, a fire-breathing dragon, puffing out flames.
"You don't understand."
"What do you mean?" I paused, but he kept on walking. He left me. There. Hanging on my own question.
I felt a tinge of anger grab my heart. Why did he do that? What was that something that I wouldn't understand? But I stopped myself from letting that twang of anger grow. I might not be able to control it. Besides, it was such a petty thing to even be mad about. He'll get over it, I thought.
I followed Chase, tried to grab his arm, but he disappeared in the crowd. I felt too disappointed to eat, so I sat by a tree outside, taking pictures with my DSLR, then went straight to the next class--Dance theory. I found him there, talking to a classmate of ours, who I'd known was Mark.
"Chase," I called. I smiled and sat beside him.
"See you later, man." Mark left us.
"Chase," I repeated, But he didn't look at me. Instead he took his books and sat someplace else. What was wrong with him? What did I do?
I didn't try to approach him after that. I gave up. I just sat there and felt so lonely.
When all classes for the whole day were over, I stayed in the girl's bathroom, crying in one of the cubicles. I couldn't be losing my father and my boyfriend within two days, could I? I hugged myself. I knew deep in my heart, I couldn't lose Chase, and the killing thoughts roused in my mind again. No, I can't do that... It was just impossible.
I dried my tears. "Petty," I told myself. If Chase thought I wouldn't understand, he was probably right; but that didn't justify the fact that he was hiding something from me. Damn. He'd tell me soon, I thought, more like hoped. It took some time for him to tell me that his mother was sick, and that he couldn't let go of his jobs. So it was rational that soon he'd tell me what was going on.
But he never before acted this way. He had avoided me all day. Was it because I'd minded his tattoo?
I clawed my hair. Gah...everything was confusing me. I took a deep breath and tried to forget about it all. Maybe tomorrow, everything would be back to normal again.
I made my way out of the cubicle. I planned to run straight of the girl's room, up to my room in the residence hall, and sleep. But I was stopped when I saw Stephanie washing her hands. I wanted to run away, but my feet stuck and wouldn't budge, just like my eyes on her.
When she was done, she wiped her hands on her rear. (She must have not known what the hoarse tissues were for.) She gave me a look, a piercing look. It was somewhat painful, emotionally and in an insensible way. It was as if she was sucking my memories by eye contact, gaining every feeling, and thought. After what seemed like years, she tore her eyes away from me and walked out of the comfort room. It was an odd encounter really--a scary one it seemed. If she was a witch, I'd say she'd casted a spell on me, that was why I'd frozen. But that being done, I hurried my way back to the residence hall.
I didn't eat dinner, didn't have the appetite to do so, and I only worried Michelle the more. I just lay on my bed, covered myself under thick sheets, silently sobbing, quite unsure of what I had to cry about. Everything just confused me. Everything.
When Michelle was asleep, I sneaked my way to the bathroom. Oh, how ugly I was. I looked like someone named Petunia Piggy. I turned off the light so I couldn't see myself. The moonlight shone through the small window and on my chest. What if Mom was still alive? Could she tell me what to do? I grasped the necklace around my neck, but I didn't feel the locket. Thinking that it might have twisted around, I took it off. But it wasn't there. I looked in the sink. It might have fallen while I washed my face. None.
Not finding the locket just added to my frustration, so I went back to my bed and covered myself under the thick sheets. In the dark, something glowed, just like in my dream. My hearth thumped faster. My toes and fingers became numb and cold as if blood was not able to reach them. Something was shining in the blackness. I didn't want to know what it was. Maybe it was just the moonlight shining through the thick sheets? No, it couldn't be. Maybe I was asleep. Maybe I was dreaming again. No, I was still awake--wide awake.
Out of panic, at the same time curiosity, I searched for the light source. And who would ever thought that that glowing something was also a crystal just like in my dream?--or more specifically nightmares. And who would ever thought that that crystal--fixed in my chest, growing and crawling and glowing just like in my nightmares--was the locket?
Maybe I'd gone crazy. Or maybe my nightmares were actually visions. Oh, my damned destiny, please no...
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It's almost one in the morning, I wonder if I'll laugh about this later evening. :p Aww...it can't be that bad...I'll recheck later...
Please answer this to help you in your review:
Did my tenses improve?
Are you lost in the plot?
How is Snowflake different from Sunshine?
THANKS! =))
Flow here as requested by you 
You are still having a few problems here and there, but nothing worth worrying over. With a bit more practice, you'll be fine.