Young Writers Society

I ran through the seemingly endless alley, struggling to hold onto my breath. Streetlights clicked off as I approached them, making the moon my only adversary. The gravel slid beneath me, gravity forcing my body to the ground. I scrambled to my feet, the world spinning around me. All the lights within my sight were completely black, not a glimmer shone on the alley. It was useless, I was trapped.

LAUREN
Rain softly pelted the rooftop as I tossed in my bed. My alarm had announced that somewhere, beyond the blanket of clouds, the sun hid from its duty. I thought about how nice it would have been to stay there all day, to waste my life in my dream home. But I forced myself from the warmth of the covers, over to the mirror that hung from my wall.

Every morning I began the same routine. I combed the knots from my stringy blond hair the part favoring the left side of my head. I pulled a navy blue hoodie over my tee-shirt, and slipped on my mud colored tennishoes. The faded jeans I’d fallen asleep in the night before would just have to do. I skipped the makeup the other girls insisted I wore and slowly opened the bedroom door, trying to be quiet as possible. As I’d expected, Mom was sleeping off her hangover on the living room couch. A miller light can lay open on the floor. The once white carpet, singed from years of cigarette ashes, some ours, most not, was now a musty gray. Our light green walls, where family photos should be hung, sat bare. Memories where simply ghosts to haunt us, to make us wish to go back, to relive our most precious moments. The TV was turned on, but “mute” glowed a bright blue in the upper corner, so the only sound was the constant patter of the rain outside. I retrieved a decently clean rag from the kitchen counter, dampened it with warm water, and forced it down on the brown spot. I left it there, hoping it would clean most of the stain, and that Mom would realize why it was there, or even better, not notice. I slid through the front door, ignoring my stomach’s demands for breakfast, walked down the stairs our apartment and into the cold, wet, city streets.

The rain fell harder with every step I took, the water seeped through my hood. Only a few trees stood along the cracked sidewalk, most of them were bare; leaves no longer grew in the barren city. This street was always dead at this time, only the occasional stray dog proved it wasn’t completely abandoned, but today it was eerily quiet. I contributed this with the rain. A pit bull ran across the street, a common sight around here, and ran straight toward a tall, brick apartment complex. A few moments after it disappeared, a horrid screech rang through the air, yet oddly, no barking followed. When the dog, which I recognized as the same one to bare his teeth at me every morning, darted from the side yard of the apartment complex, not even slowing down to notice me, I allowed myself to be swallowed by curiosity.
The building stood about five stories tall; the deep red bricks were nearly black for the rain. The weeds stretched up to my knees as it trudged through them. A rusty fire escape hung solemnly from the wall, and from the one of the higher landings, a small white patch hung off the side. It yowled a sound that could have come from the depths of Hades. I threw my backpack into the wet grass and hurried up the stairs, pretending like it was actually a safe thing to do. I was out of breath by the third flight of steps, but I kept going as the rain pelted me in the face. Every time I hit one of the landings, my feet nearly slid out from under me, and twice they did. I finally reached the place where the patch of white fur dangled helplessly. Its eye’s widened as its paws slid slowly from the vibrations of my footsteps. They shone bright amber from fear, its claws scraping the metal as it let out another cry for help. I lifted the small white cat, only moments before it would have hit the hard landing that await it below. Its claws dug into my hoodie as its body trembled from shock and cold.

The cat’s eyes flashed a deep purple as it pressed its shaken body against my chest. It struggled from my grip and leaped through a broken window of an empty apartment. I stood there, unsure of what’d just happened. The rain was thrashing down on my head, but I didn’t notice. The world seemed to melt around me, my mind in a haze. I walked over to the window where the cat vanished, pushed my head through the hole and pressed my hands against the ledge. Broken glass pricked my fingers, yet I wouldn’t pull back.

The inside of the apartment is dark; the only thing distinguishable is an old, tattered recliner. Nothing that hints where the strange animal went. I don’t know how long I stood there, letting my eyes unfocus, my breathing slow to a near stop. I’m not sure why I let the broken shards dig into my fingers, or why I can’t remember feeling the sting until I looked away, and how my hand was coated with blood. An ear splitting thunder suddenly broke my trance, suddenly pierced my hand with a horrid pain, and made the whole world blurry.

I sidestepped my way down the stairs, letting the rain clean my cuts. I found myself glancing over my shoulder every few seconds, thinking I’d heard steps behind me. I kept glancing around keeping my eyes peeled for that cat, but I wasn’t sure why. When I’d made it down the stairs I found my bag in the weeds, which by now was soaked and felt a ton heavier. I slung it over my shoulder and trudged the rest of the way to school trying to ignore everything that just happened.



JINXX
I slid my tongue over the soaked pelt that clung to my body. This form was a disgrace, a true embarrassment for someone of my power. It repulsed me that my lord and master found this a fair punishment. I knew of the surface world and its constantly changing climate, but never had I experienced it. My realm was never bothered by the annoyance of rain. Nor did the chilled wind ever blow through its depths in the many millennia I’ve paced its stone hollows.

And this constitution I’d been forced to posses, so fragile, so mortal. The thought of the word caused a hiss to slip from my lips; simply instinct of this form. Having to fear that your every move may shatter bones. And being focused to pertain to the laws of gravity and the limits of earthly possibilities. These claws could not even pierce the flimsy metals of human creation, where mine would slice through diamond on my weakest of days. The vision of this form is horrid. Green and purple, two colors that I knew only as myth, were my only sights.

But the inhabitants of this kingdom are certainly the worst. Throughout my existence I’ve encountered creatures of night mares; I’ve conversed with demons man can never imagine, for the mere sight of them causes instant disintegration. I’ve sang to the screams of the weak and danced in the tears of the suffering, yet never have I been as degusted by such a people. Their reasoning was mere foolishness, their troubles so petty. Their ideals are senseless and unthought. Always there was new news of death and crimes; it forced me to remember my task at hand.

But the girl I’d targeted only moments before was a bizarre exception. I scented her, alone, lost in thought. A simple and unexpecting prey. The anticipation of a job began caused me to lose all sense. The rain had take me by surprised as I leaped out from my temporary home and caused me to slide off the edge of the stair way. I cursed in distress, but useless vocal cords limited my speech. My prey climbed to the summit of the building, and slowly came to me. I was at her mercy, something I’d never granted. I felt something I’d always caused from a distance yet never experienced, fear. I knew in a normal circumstance this child wouldn’t be any trouble to overcome, yet in my state I was powerless. I’d considered making the jump to the cold ground below, but I would have been at the mercy of my master, which is worse. I felt the cold metal shaking beneath her steps as I scraped my claws against the metal, sliding off the edge.

Then, as if nothing, the girl snatched me up tender hands, and cradled me against her warmth. At first I was simply to shaken to resist, but then I leaped from her grip, and through the broken window of my hideout. She did not try to detain me, nor did she chase after me as most children do. She simply let me free as I wished, and this compelled me even farther. She did come to the window as I had beckoned to her. I studied her, yet unlike most humans, she wasn’t easily read. Eventually I released her mind from my hold and let her be on her way, knowing that we would cross paths again, I would assure it.

I allowed myself to be swallowed by curiosity.

A rusty fire escape hung solemnly

It yowled a sound that could have come from the depths of Hades. [...] Its eye’s widened as its paws slid slowly from the vibrations of my footsteps. They shone bright amber from fear, its claws scraping the metal as it let out another cry for help.

The inside of the apartment is dark; the only thing distinguishable is an old, tattered recliner. Nothing that hints where the strange animal went.

I slung it over my shoulder and trudged the rest of the way to school trying to ignore everything that just happened.

yet unlike most humans, she wasn’t easily read

But I forced myself from the warmth of the covers, over to the mirror that hung from my wall.

I knew of the surface world and its constantly changing climate, but never had I experienced it. My realm was never bothered by the annoyance of rain. Nor did the chilled wind ever blow through its depths in the many millennia I’ve paced its stone hollows.

And this constitution I’d been forced to posses, so fragile, so mortal

screams of the weak and danced in the tears of the suffering, yet never have I been as degusted by such a people

She simply let me free as I wished, and this compelled me even farther.

Every morning I began the same routine. I combed the knots from my stringy blond hair the part favoring the left side of my head. I pulled a navy blue hoodie over my tee-shirt, and slipped on my mud colored tennis shoes. The faded jeans I’d fallen asleep in the night before would just have to do. I skipped the makeup the other girls insisted I wore and slowly opened the bedroom door, trying to be quiet as possible.

As I’d expected, Mom was sleeping off her hangover on the living room couch. A miller light can lay open on the floor. The once white carpet, singed from years of cigarette ashes, some ours, most not, was now a musty gray. Our light green walls, where family photos should be hung, sat bare. Memories where simply ghosts to haunt us, to make us wish to go back, to relive our most precious moments. The TV was turned on, but “mute” glowed a bright blue in the upper corner, so the only sound was the constant patter of the rain outside. I retrieved a decently clean rag from the kitchen counter, dampened it with warm water, and forced it down on the brown spot. I left it there, hoping it would clean most of the stain, and that Mom would realize why it was there, or even better, not notice. I slid through the front door, ignoring my stomach’s demands for breakfast, walked down the stairs from our apartment and into the cold, wet, city streets.

The inside of the apartment is dark; the only thing distinguishable is an old, tattered recliner. Nothing that hints where the strange animal went.

And this constitution I’d been forced to posses, so fragile, so mortal. The thought of the word caused a hiss to slip from my lips; simply instinct of this form. Having to fear that your every move may shatter bones. And being focused to pertain to the laws of gravity and the limits of earthly possibilities. These claws could not even pierce the flimsy metals of human creation, where mine would slice through diamond on my weakest of days. The vision of this form is horrid.

But the girl I’d targeted only moments before was a bizarre exception.

Then, as if nothing, the girl snatched me up with tender hands, and cradled me against her warmth. At first I was simply to shaken too resist, but then I leaped from her grip, and through the broken window of my hideout.