Young Writers Society

Lydia

Lydia was left alone in the room with Raven and Ester.


Ester
"Here you go Raven." She gently handed Raven and small black bunny with a torn ear and one eye. "This is Diablo." She said, "Treat him gently because although I can tell him everything is fine, he is still a little skiddish. Just...be gentle."

Nero Sapienti:

He stared down at his scuffed sneakers. "Well, she didn't scare me..." he finally said. If Ollie was going to be giving him therapy sessions (he wasn't objected to the idea whatsoever), he would have to get used to telling her the truth.

"I'm scared of animals," he admitted. He didn't look up - he was too embarrassed about his stupid fear. "My mother had a big dog - a great dane - and when I started living on the streets, all of my encounters with animals were bad. And those are the only encounters I've ever had..."

He looked up and forced himself to smile. "I'm free all the time. I'll go with whatever day works best for you."

Ollie
Ollie waved her hand.

"Oh dearie, Raven scares everyone just a tad. I know you don't want to admit it though. Everyone has their fears. Yours, it's just a small one. If you're going to be around Ester, you are going to have to face it." Her face fell and her eyes became sad.

"I've faced mine, but it still haunts me."

María

As she listened to the two speak from outside the door, she couldn't pinpoint exactly what she felt inside about Nero and Ollie's problems, compared to her own. At least she had had many happy years before . . . while they hadn't. But at the same time, María had lost everything.

She could feel pain growing in her stomach. Suddenly, she didn't really care about seeing Miss Willow right away.

She didn't open the door any wider, but just put her mouth to the crack. "Ollie?"

"Oh! Yes, María?"

"I think I will just stay in here," María said softly. "I don't feel so well."

"Is there anything I can do to help?"

". . . No." Though María couldn't see out too well, she could imagine the girl's concerned expression. "It's just a small stomach ache. I'll be fine . . . Just fine."

The door clicked shut. María sank to the floor, wishing the pain would help her forget her grief.

Ollie
Ollie flashed back to her past. The time when she'd found her powers and almost- No. Ollie shook her head and put a smile back on her face.

Nero Sapienti:

He threw a glance over his shoulder at María's door, slipping his hands into the old hoodie's pockets. He recognized the tone of her voice. She was in pain. But it wasn't physical pain - it was the type of pain that hurts your heart, not your actual body. From his experience, barging in there and trying to comfort her would only annoy her. It wouldn't help at all. If he was in her position, he would just want to be alone.

"Ollie," he began, "could you bring me to Miss Willow? I need to talk to her about staying here." And apologize for how stupid I was earlier. "Then we could pick a day for my therapy session."

"Sure," she agreed, and the two began to walk down the hallway after lingering for a minute in front of María's door.

But, several hallways later, he suddenly stopped. "I'm sorry about this, but I have to go back." He turned around. "I left something behind!" he shouted over his shoulder. He ran and ran and ran until he found himself in front of María's room once again.

He knocked on it. When there wasn't a response, he knocked even harder. He wasn't sure he could help. He wasn't even sure what he was supposed to do. But he wasn't going to be a bystander. If he wanted to be friends with María - or even just be a good person - he had do what he wasn't comfortable with. "María?" he asked. "I know you're upset...I'm not sure how much I can do for you, but I do know I can offer a shoulder for you to cry into."

María

María lifted her head at Nero's voice. Slowly, she pulled herself to her feet and opened the door a crack. She didn't want him to see her.

After a long pause, she said, "Thanks for coming back. I--I really appreciate that. But . . . I think that this is something I have to face alone. Maybe I'll tell you another time, when things get better. I . . . I'm sorry."

She shut the door again, wiping away a tear.

She hoped that she wasn't pushing away the person who was the closest thing she had to a friend.

Nero Sapienti:

"I understand," he simply said, knowing no other words were needed. He made a quick and silent return to Ollie. "I forgot my pocket knife," he lied, fingering said knife in his pocket. "It must have fallen out of my hoodie earlier." He smiled underneath his hood. "So, time to meet Miss Willow again?"

Ollie
Ollie nodded. Her muscles tensed when he said the word 'knife', but she shrugged that off easily.

"Come along then," she said, "It's time for ye to get explanations."

Nero Sapienti:

They continued down the maze of hallways. He tried to remember the order of the ones they took, and which ones they took, in case he needed to make a quick exit. However, they were too numerous to remember.

His mind flashed back to his brief conversation with María. Something was wrong with her. He understood that she wanted some alone time - he was used to the comfort of being alone - but it didn't prevent him from wondering what could be both her.

"We're here," Ollie said.

As she opened the door, Nero suddenly became aware of several things. His feet felt like they were made of lead. His heart had to be beating twice as fast as normal. His hands were getting sweaty. And there was about a million butterflies flying around in his stomach

Miss Willow
As the door opened, Miss Willow raised her head from the microscope. She was in the middle of studying a butterfly.

"Ah," she said, standing up, "Nero, wasn't it? Sit down, please." When the boy did as he was told, Miss Willow gestured for Ollie to come inside to.

"Ollie, dear, please come," she said, "Would you tend to Petanya?" Ollie's face lit up and she nodded.

"Yes, Miss Willow," She disappeared inside the back room, concealed by a curtain. Miss Willow smiled. She knew how much that girl loved Petanya, the giant hunting hawk who taught Miss Willow to fly. She turned her attention back to Nero. The poor boy seemed to be vary nervous.

"Now," she continued, "Tell me what you need."

Nero Sapienti:

He took a deep breath. He guessed it was best to start with an apology; that way he wouldn't seem like half as much of a jerk. "I'm sorry for the commotion I caused earlier with Raven." Nero kept his head down, rubbing his hands against his legs. It was his instinctive reaction when he was nervous about something. "We've made up now..."

Another deep breath.

"I would like to stay here."

He could do this. There was no need to be afraid. Worse case scenario, he would end up back out on the streets. He could survive until he was legally an adult.

But now that I've seen a place where I could possibly belong, I don't want to return to that type of life.

He glanced up at the woman before him, his gaze quickly returning to his legs.

"This place is nice, and I've come to realize that I'm not the only kid who possesses strange powers. I know I've been a jerk, and I know you probably don't like me because of how I've acted."

He looked into her eyes. His dark brown ones stared desperately into her blue ones, a hopeful fire burning in their very depths.

"Could you please let me stay here?"

María

María stared down at the framed photo of her and her parents cradled in her hands. How happy the three of them had been together. María had considered herself the luckiest girl in el mundo, despite the fact that her papá was the president of a large company and often very busy.

Sí, she had had a wonderful life, in that lost time.

The images came unbidden to her mind, and she shuddered.

María blinked at the red haze over her eyes. Her chest felt tight, and she coughed as acrid smoke filled her lungs. She struggled to sit up and flinched at the stabbing pain shooting up her left arm.

She rose shakily to her feet and staggered forward, disoriented. She turned her head from side to side, trying to figure out where she was and where the siren sounds were coming from.

How had she ended up here?

"¿Señorita, usted nescesita ayuda?" An urgent voice broke through the strange reverie.

María shook her head and kept limping forward. She lifted her good hand to her face and swiped at the wetness on her forehead and eyelids. When she was able to see clearly, she realized it was blood.

It was as though scales fell from her eyes at that moment. She saw the wrecked car amidst flames and broken glass.

And then she saw her parents.

María screamed and snapped her eyes open. She gasped and wiped the sweat before it trickled into her eyes. She felt sick to her stomach.

Barely able to hold back the sudden tears, she ran for the bathroom.

Miss Willow
Miss Willow frowned at the boy. He was a little worse for wear, but she supposed, with a little fixing up, he could look a little more presentable.

"Of course, dear boy," she said kindly, "This is a home for peculiar children, is it not? And I'd say, you're still a child." The boy, Nero, looked up with sudden hope.

"Really?" he asked. Miss Willow nodded, smiling.

"But before we do anything else, you need a bath," she said, "You're all covered in dirt." Nero looked confused.

"I am?"

"Yes! Now go take a bath and meet us in the main hall for dinner." Miss Willow winked at him.

"It's pizza night."

María

María flushed the toilet and got off of the floor. She washed her hands and tried to rinse out the taste in her mouth, but it was still there, no matter how much water she used. She sighed and rubbed at her face. Her image in the mirror looked so weary, and she turned away from it.

She exited the bathroom and paused in front of her room's door. She took a deep breath. Her tears were all dry, and she had no more to cry for now. No one would know.

Forcing a smile to her face, she opened the door and stepped into the hallway. She glanced about.

Which way should she go?