The forest seemed to have a whisper of its own, the call of the wild as some call it. It’s enchanting and alluring in a way not possible to describe. Many like to give it a name, or a creature to blame. It can go by many names, my favorite is the wendigo. It has legends of its own to warn us. Mother Nature has her way of operating, things that keep us mortals out of her forests. We’re well known for hurting her lands and have been for centuries.
It’s easy for adults to say you should find someone to complete you. That’s all too difficult to find when no one is quite perfect for you. No one needs another to be complete, although some might feel that way as they haven’t found enough of themselves to feel whole. Completion is something important for everyone to attempt first on their own without outside assistance. One should feel comfortable with themselves alone before anything else.
She had to have almost everything perfect. Clean lines and folds throughout every piece of clothing. All the pleats were perfect along with each clean curl. Barbra was expected to be elegant and graceful, by just about everyone in school. She had really put this curse upon herself but she couldn’t seem to escape what seemed like hell. Barb walked briskly to class and sat down with her legs crossed. She smoothed out her skirt and looked at the clock while waiting. The was the class where she’d see- oh gods… A loud ring sliced through the thick silence. Not a moment after, a girl walked in with the boys’ uniform, completely drenched in- she couldn’t tell what. She put her face in her hands and Barbs eyes didn’t stray from this girl once. What had happened? The teacher walked to the front of her desk. “Ms. Nevermore. Late yet again.” “I’m- I’m sorry I got stuck in the…locker rooms…” “Mhm. That’s a fantastic story. That’s ten points off for today. Again.” “No- shit- I mean- please…” “Continuing with our philosophy discussion from Tuesday…” The girl buried her face in her arms and sighed. It wasn’t supposed to be like this. Barb ripped her eyes away from the girl and focused, or at least tried, to focus on taking notes. It all went too slow for any real attention to be held. It was all buzz in the background. She passed the girl a little note, in hopes it would make her feel a bit better. She took it and unfolded it with wide fingers. “If you wanna stop by my dorm, I can give you the notes after you wash up.” She gave Barb a small nod and tried her best to take notes during the rest of the class. Each moment went by all too slow. When class ended, Barbra waited for this girl to pack up and walked her out. “Thanks…” She mumbled. “You- we don’t even know each other though.” “I’m Barbra and I think we’ve got biochem together too?” “I’m Tess? Tess.” “It wasn’t the weather that got you all soaked was it?”
I suppose the grim reaper often goes to spots where people kill thenselves. Maybe they go to the spots where people jump and hang their own feet off the edge to get a taste of what death feels like for us mortals. It’s possible they see ghosts, the spirits of people past. They kick their feet just a little to know what people feel, what they think.
“I know you’re watching me.” Lilac looked deep into the mirror. “You can come out now-“ A little black cat jumped out from behind a mirrored cabinet. “You have to stop hiding there-“ She scooped up the cat and placed him on her bed. He looked up at Lilac expectantly until she laid down in bed. He curled up next to her with a little huff. She covered both of them with a blanket and pet his little fluffy head. “You can stay more often if you’d like? I’m gonna put a door in for you soon so you won’t have to jump through the window” Zeus snuggled up closer and leaned into the pets. He liked staying here, he wouldn’t get things thrown at him. But here, he couldn’t hunt. “Cutie- I’ll make sure you’re nice and warm”
It was new for the whole family to go to a college orientation, obviously, I’m the eldest. Mama said it was best for us to stay overnight so we could get a feel for dorm life and so we didn’t have to make a six hour drive early in the morning. They had a game night, by they I mean the RAs that decided to volunteer over the summer also. Never did I imagine I’d spend the next three hours after settling in, with the nerdy girl who wore track pants and glasses. She stood a foot taller than me and had a deep voice I’d found intriguing from the beginning. Of course, nothing could happen; I wasn’t single or polyamorous. The queer nerds had to stick together, so it ended up being three of us. There was Leo, who was probably the most outgoing of us and a psychology nerd. Chrysanthemum of course, is a history and math nerd. Last is me, an art nerd. We hit it off all together while walking down to the lake and quickly learned that I was the only one who liked spiders. It was like that of the movies, the sun setting over the lake surrounded by people you love. Or perhaps they were just the people soon to be my classmates. We couldn’t be separated, so I brought some cards out to play a game, one I hadn’t heard of before. We played two rounds the three of us until Chrysanthemum needed her space, retreating to a worn chair. The three of us reminisced about applying for college and why we chose our school. It was all the simple things to get to know people. She was quiet and annoyingly hard to read. Chrysanthemum chuckled at the appropriate times while Leo and I went on a tangent about romance books. She seemed a little left out but we were both too excited to fully notice. We retreated to our respective rooms, of which I had my own, well after midnight. All too early into the morning, I woke up having to use the washroom and on my walk there I saw her. I loved seeing her in her sweet little pajama pants. They were normal pajama pants but they just seemed to look better on her and I wish I had said hi then. When I looked back to double take, she had already disappeared. We didn’t speak a word to each other until intro week. She wore the same damned sneakers and hoodie and those awful awful track pants. Chrysanthemum sat down cross- legged in our little circle on the grass. It was a great place to reconnect, although too warm for my taste. The summer was finally coming to a close but the sun didn’t feel like it was following. Everyone was all too excited to meet new people with the happy-go- lucky views on starting college; freshmen with no idea what they want to do moving forward. I liked seeing her hair blow in the wind, I don’t know why but that bit caught my eye. She also knew just the right time to look back at me and smile. Now, I’ve liked her for months, admitting to myself that I did on Halloween. Finally, in early December I told her just how I felt and it’s gone quite well. I’ll have a valentine this year and I just can’t wait.
Valentine’s Day was great, I had worked for hours on a valentine and she’s not very well-versed yet in relationship etiquette so I don’t blame her. I do wish only a little that she had gotten flowers, as I’ve never gotten flowers from a partner despite the desire for them.
Shit. That was the first thought through Alanna’s head as she looked down to see the dot on her chest. The second thought was how? No one new her here but she didn’t have time to wonder yet. No time to grab a jacket either; duck. The bullet flew just over the poof of her hair but there had to be eyes still on her. She had to get to the tunnels. Another bullet just brushed by the sleeve of her shirt as she dodged it again. Alanna slipped into her bathroom, then the shower where she seemed to disappear. She flipped a switch, turning on a string of Christmas lights going down the tunnel. Al found the trap door that led to the laundry room in her building and hopped down.
