Safire's Light

I wrote this for an English Honors project. The limit was two to five pages. I wrote sixteen. Everybody else in my class went for three. The only reason I'm in Honors is for my writing and this was the only creative writing project we've had. It seems like the curriculum is more based on reading/comprehension than writing. That's so unfair. Well, maybe not. My reading level has been four to five years above my grade level since I was in the first grade, but writing is still my forte.

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Safire's Light

A string of profanities left Scarlet’s lips in a shrill scream.

“P-pardon m-me, Your Highness?” managed Gemini, the lowly foot guard she called to her chambers.

Scarlet turned, now composed, and gave him an evil smile that would force devil himself to cringe back in fear. “Gemini,” she said. Her velvet voice ricocheted off the stone walls. “Come here, my darling.”

Gemini obeyed and, with a courteous bow, he took a few steps toward her.

“Closer,” she commanded, her blood red hair glowing as though it were fire.

“Yes, Your Highness.”

He was soon within just an arms distance from her. In front of her, he could clearly make out a large, blue crystal sphere – the Orb of Sabhara. Its brilliant safire radiance etched flattering shadows across her face.

She beckoned him closer. “Come! I won’t bite you!”

He was now standing directly beside her.

“Now, Gemini, the Orb of Sabhara, I’m sure you know it well?” she inquired, taking his hand in her own.

“Y-yes, Your Highness, I do,” he managed.

“Now tell me, my child, what does it do?”

“It shows the future, Your Highness.”

“Just the future?”

“No, the past and present too, my Queen.”

“Now tell me, Gemini, what do you see?”

Gemini leaned close to the orb. In it, he saw a girl, her electric blue hair clearly defined as a buzz of activity whirled around her.

Scarlet squeezed his hand. “My dear?”

“I see a girl, Your Majesty.”

“Ah,” she sighed. “It is just as I feared.”

“If I may be so bold as to ask, Your Highness, who is she?”

“The Chosen One, I believe. The next in line for my throne. Now tell me, my child, does she bear the Mark of the vampire?”

He once again leaned into the Orb. As he did, the girl turned her palm toward him. She did not bear the tell-tale eye-shaped Mark that labeled one as a vampire. “No, my Queen, she is not one of us.”

“Thank you, Gemini,” she kissed him briefly on the lips. “You are excused.”

“My pleasure, Your Highness.” He bowed and turned to leave.

“Gemini, wait.”

“Your Majesty?” He turned again to face her.

“Tell no one of what you’ve seen.”

“Yes, my Queen.” He bowed and turned once more.

The heavy oak door closed with a bang.

“How is this possible?” cried Scarlet. “I am the vampire Queen. The Prophecy declared it! I killed that betraying sister of mine! There can’t be successors!”

The atrociousness of the situation stressed her so that she remained in her chambers for the rest of the morning.

***

It was a slow afternoon in Shane’s Book Emporium. Safire, sitting at the front counter, was reading Sense and Sensibility for the fifteenth time this year.

“Safire!” called her father from the back room. “Could you help me price these?”

“Coming Dad,” she said, setting her book face down on the stool she was sitting on.

Safire had been working in the shop for three years. It was originally her mothers, but ever since she died, Safire and her father had been doing their best to keep it from going under.

She showed up after school, helped out, tried to do some homework or read when it was slow, and left while her father went to the pub for another round. The pay wasn’t all that good, but it was better than working a Farm Fresh bagging groceries, that’s for sure.

The back room was dusty and dark. It had that sort of ware-house feel, though it wasn’t quite that big. She found her father, pricing a new shipment of books.

“Oh, there you are,” he said. “You do that stack.” He pointed to a pyramid of boxes about five feet tall and handed her a sheet of stickers, each reading $39.95.

“You print these up yourself?” she said, pinning her long, electric blue hair into a bun and getting to work.

“Yes.”

That was about as complex as conversation got between Safire and her father. Ever since her mother’s death, he went through a total personality makeover. She remembered a time when he was always cracking a joke and laughing, but now, he was just blank. He rarely smiled and only cracked jokes when he was drunk out of his mind.

“How was school?” he said.

“Alright I guess. It’s school. I don’t think it’s supposed to be fun.”

“Right. Do you have a lot of homework?”

She shrugged and said, “Same old, same old I guess. Why?”

“Nothing. Now hurry up and finish pricing. I want to get the heck out of here and get to the pub.”

Nice to see you care, she thought.

The high pitched ding! of the bell saved her from further conversation.

“I got it,” she said, leaving her father with his thoughts.

Leaning on the counter was a black haired boy, with blue-grey eyes, wearing a Dodger’s shirt and a ball cap. He looked about fourteen or fifteen.

“How may I help you?” she said, thanking God that she had worn her green halter top that always made her chest look bigger than it really was.

“Are you Safire Shane?” he said.

“Um, yeah,” she said. “Why?”

He handed her a folded sheet of paper.

“What—,”

“I am Lawrence.”

“What is going on!” she said, giving her best not to alarm her father.

“Read the paper. It—,”

“Safire? Everything alright?” cried her father.

“Yeah, Dad!” she shouted back. “I’ve got it covered!” She turned back to Lawrence. “Look, I don’t know who you are, or what you want, but I highly suggest you get the heck out of here before I get my dad. He’s got a twelve gauge and is itching for some target practice.” She wasn’t sure if this was true, but it sounded pretty convincing.

“Fine,” he said, a little annoyed. “Just read the paper. Find me when you make a decision.”

She tried to say something, but before she could form the words, he was out the door.

“That was weird,” she said, picking up the piece of paper he left. “I wonder what that was about.”

***

It was not three hours ago that Scarlet found out about The Chosen One. It perturbed her to the point of exhaustion, but she realized she must act.

The Chosen One must be found and killed.

“But how? I don’t even know who this witch is. How is she the one to defeat me?”

She once again consulted the Orb of Sabhara. Try as she might, all she could see was its glassy exterior. She was still unable to slip past its protective charms.

“I suppose I must fetch Gemini again,” she sighed. “Poor, foolish child. He doesn’t even realize the only reason I haven’t killed him like the others is because of his abilities.”

After another try, she deduced that it was hopeless and Gemini was needed.

“Gemini!” she shouted.

Not ten seconds later, Gemini appeared right before her.

“You called, my Queen?”

“Yes, my dear. Come to me.”

He took his place beside her once more.

“Now, you must tell me again what you see.”

“But Your Majesty, I have already done this today,” he argued.

“You dare defy the Queen!” Scarlet boomed, raising her hand as if ready to slit his throat for his insolence.

“Of c-course n-not, Your Highness,” he cowered.

“It’s alright.” She patted his shoulder in forgiveness. “I suppose it is natural of you to inquire why.”

Gemini was silent.

“Now tell me, darling, what you see.”

He looked deep into the swirling blue smoke of the Orb. Past the fog he recognized the girl once again. This time there was another, a male. His hair was darker than night and he had the Mark.

“Well?” she said, growing rather impatient.

“I see the girl.”

“Yes?”

“She is with another. A male vampire, Your Highness.”

“What!”

“He bears the Mark, my Queen. He is one of us.”

“Describe him to me.”

“His hair is like night, as is his Mark. He has a power… I can’t see what. I apologize, Your Majesty.”

“My dear,” she took his hand again, “you have done well. I thank you many times over.” She kissed his forehead; his nose; his cheek; his lips.

“You’re welcome, my Queen,” he replied.

“Gemini?” she said before he could turn.

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“Could you please try once more? It’s imperative that I know this male’s power.”

“Anything for my Queen.” He bowed and returned to her side.

For a fourth time, he leaned close to the Orb and lost himself in a vision.

This time he could see nothing but darkness.

“My love?”

“I am sorry, Your Highness. I can’t see anything. Just blackness.”

“Oh, I see,” she said, a bit dejected. “Well, you may return to your quarters.”

Seeing her disappointment, he quickly added, “I could try again if you wished, Your Highness.”

“No,” she sighed. “No, I have kept you long enough.”

“Yes, my Queen.”

“Remember, tell no one.”

He bowed and left the way he had come.

***

“This is stupid!” said Safire. “I so shouldn’t be here.”

‘Here’ just so happened to be the scariest and darkest alleyway she’d ever been down. She didn’t even understand why she came. Everything about this was wrong.

“Could I be any more idiotic? What if this Lawrence kid is a psycho?” she said, pulling her Linkin Park sweatshirt over her head; it was unusually crisp for mid-September.

His note had instructed her to come to this alley at ten o’ clock and not to tell anybody. It all pointed to something bad.

“I am getting the heck out of here!” She started to go when she heard movement through the darkness. “H-hello?”

“Safire?” Lawrence emerged from the shadows, the moonlight illuminating his flawless features.

“Why did you want me to meet you? Better yet, who in God’s name are you?”

“Don’t worry; I’m not going to hurt you. I’m trying to help you.”

“Why did you want me to meet you?” she repeated.

“You are The Chosen One,” he stated simply.

“What? Chosen One? God you are a freak!” She turned to run.

“No! Wait!”

Despite her common sense, her gut told her to stay.

“Thanks. Just give me a chance to explain.”

“Fine, explain.”

“There is an entire race, separate from your own, called the vampires. I suppose you’ve heard of us?”

“Vampires? You mean like Dracula?”

He laughed. “No. Not at all like Dracula. We are not the vicious monsters Hollywood portrays us as.” Then after a moment added, “Well, some of us.”

“You’re crazy! I’m leaving!”

“No!” he said. “Please, you must believe me!”

As weird and scary as all this appeared, Safire couldn’t help but believe his words. There was something in the way he expressed himself that oozed with legitimacy and candor. She knew that he was genuine.

“So,” she took a deep breath, “You’re one of them?”

“A vampire? Yes,” he said. “I bear the Mark.” He held up his palm. In the center was a small, black eye that seemed to watch Safire’s every move.

“Cool!” she said, reaching out to touch it. As she did, she felt a jolt of electricity flow through her, burning her veins. It was incredible.

He withdrew his hand, noticing her reaction. “That’s not the point. Safire have you ever heard of the Prophecy of Night?”

“Yeah, my mom used to tell me that story all the time,” she said.

“It’s not a just story. It’s real.”

All the color left Safire’s face. “W-what?”

“I’m guessing you recall the ending?”

She nodded. She remembered the ending alright. Remembered it perfectly. It was less than ten minutes after she last heard the ending that her mother died. “One will fall,” she recited, “one will rise. One can’t win until the other dies.”

“Yes.”

“I’m guessing I’m one of those ones?”

“You’d be guessing right.”

“But how? I’m not one of… you,” she said. “I mean I’ve never had a Mark. And besides, neither of my parents are vampires.”

“Your mother.”

“Excuse me?”

“It was your mother. She was a vampire,” he said.

“How did you know my mother?”

“She was next in line for Queen when her sister, Scarlet, killed her for betraying the race.”

“How did she betray them?” she pressed.

“She interbred with your human father.”

“Oh my God.”

“I know it’s hard to believe, Safire, but you must come with me. I’m sure Scarlet has found out about you. This is about the time young vampires get the Mark. We have to kill her before she kills you.”

Her eyes widened with both fear and realization. “One will fall, one will rise,” she repeated.

“One can’t win until the other dies,” Lawrence finished. “You see, that’s what Scarlet wants. In order for her to be the Eternal Queen, she must kill all successors. She has to kill the true Chosen One.”

A knot grew in her stomach and tightened with such force that she doubled over.

“Are you alright?”

She was breathing heavily. “I don’t know.”

“Come, sit down.” He guided her gently by the arm to a bench just outside the alley entrance.

She barely thanked him when she blacked out.

***

“Gemini!” Scarlet shouted. It was nearing midnight now. She felt it. The Chosen One was soon to be Marked.

“My Queen?” he answered for a third time. “You wish for me to look into the Orb again?”

“Yes, make haste. The Sacred Hour is upon us,” she rushed. Time was too fast and she was growing restless. She needed to get to the Chosen One while she was undergoing the Change. Scarlet would be most powerful then, and the Chosen One would be most vulnerable. “Hurry!” she commanded.

He obeyed. He saw the girl and the male vampire. It was dark. They were somewhere outside… and alley he supposed. The girl was slumped over and the male was shaking her feverishly.

“What do you see?” Scarlet interrupted hastily. She was growing ever more anxious with each passing second.

“I believe she’s being Changed, Your Highness.”

“Thank you, my dear. You have been very loyal to me these past few hours, Gemini. I will see to it that you are rewarded. You are dismissed.” She waved her hand to show she needed him no longer.

“Yes, Your Majesty,” he said, quite shocked at the change in her manner from the last three times he visited.

Now alone, Scarlet went straight to her wardrobe.

“No need to alarm the good mortals of my coming,” she said, throwing off her slinky black and red lounging gown.

Opening the wardrobe, she pulled out a pair of blue jeans and a white blouse with a rose pattern - remnants of her once human life. Looking in the mirror, she couldn’t help but laugh.

“How long has it been since I last wore these?” she said. “Twenty? Thirty years?”

After a moment’s reflection, she came back to her senses.

“Don’t be ridiculous, Scarlet! The ‘Good Old Days’ are over. You are now the ruler of a whole race. Don’t cloud you’re mind with silly memories.” She scolded her reflection for her foolish thoughts.

She was almost ready. There were only twenty minutes until midnight. The Chosen One would be overcome by the Change. Safire would be vulnerable and Scarlet would strike. Nothing could stop her now. She was going to win this battle, once and for all.

***

“Safire! Safire! Can you here me?” called Lawrence desperately. “Safire! It’s okay! You’re undergoing the Change. You’re alright. I’m right here.”

“It burns,” Safire moaned. “My arm is on fire!”

“No. No, you’re fine. Just relax; it’s less painful and a lot quicker if you relax. Don’t resist and don’t force it. Just relax,” he instructed.

“But it burns,” she cried.

“I know.” He stroked her sweating forehead. “I know. You’ll be fine.” He took her hand, the hand that wasn’t ‘on fire’, and held it. Looking at his watch, he saw that it was almost midnight. “It’s almost over, I promise. Just two minutes and the pain will stop.”

She let out a pitiful moan.

“It’s alright.”

A high pitched laughed rang through the night to their left. Lawrence was up in a flash, ready to fight if need be.

“Boy!” said the voice of Scarlet from the shadows. “Give me the Chosen One before the clock strikes midnight and I promise you’re death will be painless.”

“You don’t intimidate me, Scarlet!”

“Oh I don’t, do I?” she stepped into the dim light that illuminated from a streetlamp. Her red locks glowed with fierce intensity.

“Give it up. She’s almost done with the Change and when she is, you’re going to fall.”

“Aw… The young vamp’s been reading fairy-tales again!” she said with blatant sarcasm.

“Scarlet, back off, or else,” he growled.

“You dare defy the Queen.”

“You,” he spat, “are no Queen of mine.”

She made a grab for him, but Lawrence was quicker. He dodged and Scarlet landed face down on the pavement.

“You’re going to pay for that,” she said, wiping her mouth with the sleeve of her blouse.

Lawrence laughed as Scarlet made attempt after attempt at an attack. Suddenly, a great force hit him. He slammed against the pavement.

Scarlet had pinned him.

“Who’s laughing now, boy?” said Scarlet.

“Me!” said Lawrence. He opened his palm and sent Scarlet flying backwards.

“So that’s you’re power?” She grinned. “You create shields? How pathetic. I’ll show you what real power is.” She opened her palm and hurtled a fire ball at his face.

Once again, Lawrence created a shield. The fire ball was extinguished before his shield could even go up. He looked at the source.

It was Safire. She was glowing. Her electric blue hair was lit with the most radiant light either Lawrence or Scarlet had ever seen.

She hurled a water bomb when Scarlet tried to hit Lawrence again.

“Lawrence,” she said, “this is my battle.”

“Yes, Lawrence, run along and go play while the ‘Chosen One’ goes to her death,” said Scarlet, aiming again. Safire hit her square on before she could launch another fire attack.

“I’m not leaving.”

“Go,” Safire commanded.

“Fine, but I’ll be right here if you need me.”

“Thank you, you’ve been so helpful.” She walked to him and gave him a light kiss. “Now go.”

“Yes, my Chosen One,” he said with a bow.

“How cute,” said Scarlet. “Now can we please get on with this? I want to rip her to shreds as fast as possible.”

Lawrence growled a deep, angry growl, but listened to Safire and disappeared in the shadows.

“Now,” said Scarlet, “we finally meet, Chosen One.”

“Save the respect Scarlet,” said Safire.

“Is that anyway to treat your only aunt?”

“You killed my mother. You deserve no respect from me.”

“No you see, that’s where you’re wrong. Your mother’s death was her own fault. She chose to betray us and breed with that… human.” She said the word with distaste and hatred.

“Yeah, human, like you used to be.”

“‘Used to’ being the operative words. And worst of all, the reason I had to kill my sister, was because of you. So you could say it’s your responsibility.” She shrugged.

“Don’t you ever say that about me or my mother,” she said, rage swelling up inside her.

“Or what, half-ling? You don’t actually think you could ever defeat me, do you?”

“Yes. The Prophecy declares it.”

“The Prophecy declares one of us will walk away from this battle. It isn’t specific. Now enough talk.”

She sent a fire ball flying toward Safire.

“Water beats fire every time,” said Safire, extinguishing the attack with ease.

“Yes, it would appear that way, wouldn’t it?”

Scarlet sent attack after attack and each time, Safire would douse it with precision and skill.

“Give up?” said Safire, just beginning to tire.

Scarlet charged at her at full speed, fire for hands.

“No!” cried Lawrence from the shadows. He set his shield around Safire, blocking the attack with all his strength.

Safire watched in bewilderment as Scarlet fell back from the force of his defense. She hit the ground with a crack! as her neck snapped.

Scarlet was dead.

Lawrence disengaged his shield and ran to Safire, who was now on her knees.

“Safire,” he said, “are you alright?”

“W-what just happened?” she said as he helped her to her feet.

“Scarlet’s dead. You defeated her, just as the prophecy declared!”

“She’s dead?”

“Yes, my Queen. She’s dead.”

“Queen?”

“Safire?”

For the second time that night, she blacked out.

“Mother?” said Safire.

“Yes, Honey,” said a lady in white cloaks.

Other than Safire and her mother, there was no one around. It was all darkness.

“Where are we?”

“A dream, Safire. Now that you have been Changed, I can contact you from the other realm this way.”

“What?”

“Safire, my daughter, I am so proud of you,” she said. “You will make a great queen. I can see it.”

“I-I don’t know what to do.”

“Follow your heart and remember that I’m always right here,” she said with a smile. “That’s all you’ll ever need.”

Safire was silent.

“Come, it’s been so long since I last hugged you.”

Safire accepted the gesture and ran into her mother’s arms. She was so solid, so real, not how you’d expect a ghost, or a dream, to be.

She kissed the top of Safire’s head. “I love you,” she said. “Take care of you’re father.”

She began to fade until she was no more.

Safire sat up with a jolt. The pavement beneath her was rough and cool on her hands. Kneeling beside her was Lawrence.

“You have to stop doing that.” He smiled.

“Sorry.”

She went to stand, but Lawrence wouldn’t allow it.

“No way. I think you’d better catch you’re breath first.”

“Good idea.”

“You did it.”

“We did it,” she corrected.

“Yes, I suppose that’s true. So now what, Your Highness?” He gave her his hand and helped her to her feet. He was surprised at her expression. “What? Do you need to sit again?”

“No,” she said. “It just feels weird, you know?”

“Um, no.”

“Being called ‘Your Highness’. It just seems… wrong.”

“You deserve it,” he said, her hand still in his.

Nothing felt more right. How could she ever think things where wrong? She was in her place. She’d found herself, who she was meant to be.

“Hey, Lawrence?” she said.

“Yes?”

“When I touched your Mark, what happened?” she said, remembering the electric current that seemed to flow through her, pump with her blood through her veins.

“I don’t know. It was quite peculiar,” he said. “Perhaps, and this is only a guess, it was a reaction to my powers.”

“Creating shields?”

He let out a chuckle. “That’s not the only thing I do.”

“It’s not?” she said, quite shocked.

“I can also anticipate other’s emotions,” he said. “That’s how I knew to hurry back to you. I could tell you were worried, because you were weakening.”

“Wow.” That was all she could say. Was she really worried? Come to think of it, it was right after she realized she was tiring that he came.

“Yeah. Pretty incredible.”

“Pretty incredible.”

They faded into the night, hand in hand.

The End