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The Key Bearer
The life of a Key Bearer is quite the lonely one. You are the sole responsibility of the world’s darkest secrets. To ensure none of them are found, the ties that bind you to your loved ones are broken. You will never meet another soul for the rest of your existence.
I had taken this job because I was at a low point in my life. Each loss, however minor, dug me deeper into the hole I trapped myself in. I left my expensive earbuds on the bus, the promotion I had worked so hard for was given to someone else, my father died, and my girlfriend cheated on me with my best friend. I felt there was nothing else for me to do than to pull away from my life crumbling beneath my feet. So when a mysterious man offered me the task to protect the thoughts that are held dear, I agreed with no hesitation.
But, particularly on Valentines Day, I occasionally forget I’m alone. Whispers of concealed feelings come from the other side of the door as I stand guard. Fantasies of kisses under the moonlight, of dancing in the rain. Thoughts of gifting flowers, of getting married, of listening to the your loved one’s favorite song. All of these things are blissful to relish in, even if I can never experience those things for myself ever again.
When the final hours of the holiday of love tick by, the whispers die down to quiet. Loneliness creeps back into my heart. My hands grip around the thousands of keys around my belt. As midnight approaches, my eyes flutter closed. One last secret sneaks its way into my ears before I drift to sleep.
“I regret hurting you, Nate. Even if you never want to see me again, I’ll do all I can to find you.”
Cliff’s Edge
The wind blows my hair. I’m standing on the edge again, gazing down upon the jagged rocks below. Was I really going to do this? Was I really going to jump?
The tears rolling down my cheeks burned like a thousand hot knives impaling my flesh, but the physical pain was nothing compared to the emotional pain I was feeling. My heart was broken, my soul was gone and so was any form of self-worth or life purpose I had left.
I desperately wanted to jump. What was the point in living if I had lost all my purpose?_ Life sucks… I just want to die…_
Taking a step towards the edge, I felt my heart rapidly pound. What if I regretted it once I jumped? It would be too late for me at that point. But… I didn’t really care.
Another step forward. I took another step forward. Closer than ever before. __ Just a few more steps until it’s over… just a few more steps… and it’ll all be over… keep going…
Death was the prize motivating me to move my feet, so I did. I moved until I was off the edge, falling down to my inevitable doom, falling… falling… falling…
Until I wasn’t. Everything went black. I was finally dead.
Nyx (Main Character)
Nyx, the abandoned orphan, the fire at his orphanage left few survivors. Nyx bore burn marks; it was a miracle he survived. It was miracle that gang of outlaws were passing through this very town. For if they hadn't the child would've been in an early grave. Nyx was small for his age; malnourished, scrawny, downright pitiful. The gang's medic, Iris, whose name Nyx didn’t yet know had healed him to the best of her abilities. Iris had soft purple eyes that could entrance anyone, delicate platinum hair and soft pale skin. Nyx had awoken to near darkness. No matter how much he opened one eye he could only see darkness on that side; he was blind in his right eye... Then the memories flash back into his mind. The fire, the panic. A pain shot through his body. The bandaged wounds suddenly felt hot again. "Shhh, it's alright, sweetheart. Your body is still within shock, you'll be okay I swear," That soft voice had spoken the entire two weeks he'd been unconscious, he recognized it. The medic gave him a soft reassuring smile, gently holding the child's hand to sooth him. Nyx looked up with his left eye and it slowly focused on the gentle medic. He then saw a dark figure in the doorway; arms crossed, a stern glare. A warning; 'Don't harm her'. He trembled and hid behind the medic, now sat up in bed. "Darkness, don't spook the child," The medic spoke in a soft scold and stood, walking over to the figure in the doorway and gave her a soft kiss. 'Was 'Darkness' the scary woman's name?' Nyx thought to himself. Nyx looked over to the cracked mirror and saw the many bandages all over, the now milky white eye gazed back at him through the mirror. He took in his appearance his still functioning left eye was still the usual star gold. His black hair messy from the two weeks of unconsciousness, his dreads covering the now blind eye slightly. Nyx took in his usual dark, cool tone skin now marred with scars covering half his small form.
On Time
I tugged my hat tighter onto my head as the wind threatened to let it slip. Everyone in town knew best to stay away from Nox’s tower. It was an old and barely ticking clock tower, just as jagged and jaded as its guardian. But I couldn’t let my curiosity go unsatiated. He was at the center of it all in my dream, hand outstretched as the entire world fell to ruin. I needed to know why. The door was unlocked, practically falling off it’s hinges. It’s only saving grace being the overgrowth of vines holding it upright. The smell of oil and dust stinged my nose as I stepped into the tower, moonlight seeping in through cracks in the stone to illuminate the center spiral staircase. I took a deep breath and started my ascent, no turning back now. The top of the stairway led way to something normal, almost homey. The cold light of the stairway was replaced with warm candlelight and the glow of a fireplace in the back of the room. The walls were lined with shelves, cluttered with gears and watches and all sorts of random clutter, except for two solitary windows looking over the town of Forgnox below.
“Writer? I presume?” I turned towards the low voice behind me, it was him alright. Hair combed back like some sort of Vampire, greying slightly from either age or stress. And the general aura of exhaustion I was all too familiar with. He smoothed out his suit coat, presumably having just put it on due to my unexpected arrival. “Sorry for the intrusion, Nox.” I said tipping my hat. He held up a gloved hand, “Not necessary, I knew you’d show up at some point I just wasn’t expecting you quite so soon.” He glanced down at his pocket watch a moment before pocketing it again, “Actually maybe you’re late… you should’ve arrived by dawn.” I gave him a puzzled look, “Sorry I… was held up. How did you know I was even coming?” “My dear girl, you’re not the only one with magic that is far too intrusive.” He stepped towards me, “You’re a clever one, surely you’ve figured out that much.” I took another once over his estate, letting out a small chuckle, “Honestly I didn’t want to believe the rumors. Controlling time? Seems like a tall order.” He shrugged, leading me to a set of chairs by the fire, “Controlling is a bit much. I monitor, record, inform. But as I’m sure you’re curious about, there could be more to it than that.” He picked up a kettle from a table between us, pouring myself and him a cup. It was practically scalding hot, but comforting to hold at least, the warmth seeping through my gloves effortlessly. “My magic works similarly, I think. I try to keep records of the world and the people within. Learning about people is an easy feat.” He smiled, taking a sip from his glass, “Is that why you’ve come my way?” I tilted my head like a metronome, mulling over the idea, “More or less I suppose. You understand the strength of such a unique magic. Furthermore, my magic likes to show me things that tend to make things… difficult.” He watched me close, “Seeing you, for example.” “Really?” He said plainly, “Is that all?” “That and the town being destroyed.” “Certainly not ideal. You don’t perhaps think I’m destined to carry out this vision of yours do you?” I shook my head, “It’s never that simple.” I sat back in my chair, “I think my magic just wanted us to meet.” “Well you’re right about a few things. Perhaps we were to meet. But I wouldn’t discredit the destruction part of that vision just yet.” I turned to face him, “Do these things happen to you too?” He sighed, “The only reason I knew you’d be here is because of this.” He pulled out the pocket watch again, “I have one for every beating heart in this realm.” My eyes widened, “How do you, keep track of that exactly?” “Call it intuition. I know exactly when someone’s time is about to cross with my own. Like the gears themselves start to speak harmonically. Each one of these has its own rhythm, and when two or more start to sync up, you tend to notice. Or at least I do.” He grimaced, “It’s an odd feeling I tend to want to avoid.” Strangely I had an idea of how he felt, “So what do you suppose I do?” “Simple.” He pocketed the watch, “Figure out your magic.” I sat up, “That’s not exactly a good idea I don’t think.” “And why not?” I went silent. He sighed, “Look. If you want answers, that’s where they lie. The way this magic works is a mystery, and one most people tend to avoid diving into. The closest you can get is learning what makes yours tick.” “There’s quite a lot of people I’ve found who are having difficulty with their magic.” “Then maybe start with them. Perhaps a bigger picture is all you need.” I smiled, finally taking a long sip of the tea in my hands before setting it down, “Thank you for your hospitality, Nox.” He nodded, “Try not to make it a regular thing.”
I made my way back towards the stairs. “Oh and one more thing.” He called back to me. “Yes?” “Be sure not to fall too far down, El.” I stiffened, “How did you..?” He turned away from me, disappearing into another room, “Goodnight!” I turned back to the stairs, slowly descending one after the other, “Goodnight then…”
Dark Magic
“I’m scared..” Mave mumbles, a bit of tears welling in her eyes as her small fingers tighten around a lump of her older sister’s gown. “Don’t be.” Roselyn responds, anticipation creeping into her voice as the cloud of dark magic moves closer.
“Mommy said not to go this far out..” Mave whispers, stumbling as Roselyn starts walking towards it. “Ros…” Mave’s eyes start to water- Roselyn whirls around, placing her hands on Mave’s soft shoulders.
“Mave. You’re always going to be safe if you stay by sissy, alright?” Roselyn says in reassurance as her eyes flit between Mave’s.
“Alright?”
She repeats, hands squeezing Mave’s shoulders. Mave nods, Roselyn smiles.
She turns back around, long gown flowing in the wind as the furious storm of dark magic precedes closer. She starts walking towards the storm, keeping Mave close behind her. Standing a few feet infront of it, her gown clings to her body.
The wind rages on though everything seems quiet to Roselyn as she outstretches her hand up to the storm. The electricity of it crackles towards her. A jolt rages throughout her as her eyes glow bright purple.
The magic was too overwhelming for her.. Roselyn’s body grows limp, collapsing as the purple dulls and the world keeps spinning.
Soul
Her soul looked bright and shiny to me. I’m not sure, it wasn’t a bright color, that’s for sure. But, when I saw her, her soul just shined through her school uniform. It was a radiant beam across the dull school hallway. Later, I noticed the same radiant glow coming out of the girl who sat in front of me in bio. I glanced at her face when she stood to present her bio project and discovered it was the same girl with the same joyous face. When she sat back down, I took a deep look inside her. Possibly I had been wrong, that happened sometimes when I was far from the person. Sure enough, her soul had a blinding shine to it, although the color was faded and gray. I heard voices echo in my head. What was happening? I heard words that formed into sentences, “I’m not good enough” “This is all my fault” “They hate me” “I ruin everything”.
Suddenly, I felt the air hit my face. I was out. I took a long look at the girl. Now that I had heard what her thoughts were, she didn’t look happy at all. She looked depressed, bored, and, frankly, sad.
Had I been imagining her joyous face simply because her soul was shining? Perhaps she was never happy, and it was all in my head.
The Bridge’s Secret
Nobody went on the bridge. Nobody really knew why, nobody really cared why. It’s not that the bridge looked creepy because it really did look homey. One day, the young princess heard the news that they were going to break it and build something better in its place. The princess had never gone on the bridge itself, but she remembered it as part of her childhood: whenever she was walking through the kingdom she would see it. In solidarity she decided to sit on the bridge until they decided to keep it. She knew they wouldn’t tear it down with her on it because the princess was beloved. She sat on the bridge starting February 23 and finally on March 10, they agreed not to tear it down!
A Hasty Morning
I wake up before my alarm, and when my eyes shut, my brain runs with thoughts of her. She works the same shift as I do. She makes the eight hours slip through my fingers.
On the back of my chair, a black dress with daisies on it drapes over the top. I cannot see the nearly invisible seams of the small hole I closed days prior. Even with the pulling of putting it on, not a single stitch wavers, nor loosens.
“Someone’s up early.” My twin brother, Wayne, peeks in with a smirk. “Is it for who I think it’s for?”
“Yes, it is,” I say flatly. “Now get out of my room and mind your business.”
“No need to be rude,” he sneers. I grab a white cardigan and wrap it over my shoulders. “You won’t get much attention from Ophelia if you put that on.”
“And why should I trust you with relationship advice? Impressing girls isn’t exactly your strong suit.”
“Because I talked to her at school yesterday, found out her type.”
“You did?”
“Yeah.”
“And you did so without grossing her out?”
“Yes, Lilly. She really likes it when girls wear sundresses, like the one you have there. She’s practically lovestruck when she sees them wearing thin straps.”
“Okay then,” I discard the thin sweater, “If you say so.”
Makeup takes hours. The layering of concealer feels like a loose layer of skin one could peel off anytime. I do not have anything to accentuate my eyes other than mascara. I cannot choose between pink or clear lipgloss.
“Wayne, what do you think?”
“Don’t ask me.”
“You’re the one who knows what she into!”
“Well she didn’t exactly specify her favorite lipgloss color!”
“Wayne, you are useless!”
“Would you calm down?! It’s almost time to leave and you haven’t brushed your hair yet! I have work too, you know!”
I flung open my desk drawer for my brush. The thick bristles rip through my hair. They may as well be claws.
“Hurry up, Lilly!”
“I’m coming!”
While I fly down the stairs, I wrap my locks into a half-assed ponytail and grab my purse. “Oh, I feel like shit!” I groan, rolling my eyes. When I slip my black flats on, I realize I haven’t put deodorant on.
“Wayne, give me your body spray! Now!”
Without question, he tosses me his can and I spray myself. I’m stumbling toward Wayne’s started car as I do so, practically falling into the passenger seat. My chest heaves against the pressures of stress.
“Do I look okay?” I mutter as Wayne pulls out of the driveway. We’re leaving our subdivision and no answer.
“Wayne, answer me. Do I look okay?”
We’re at the bookstore when he tells me I look somewhat presentable. I get out and slam the car door behind me.
First Bloom
For the first time In my entire life, I was the first to Rise up and Bloom.
I stood strong Through the constant Pressure That weighed me down, Like never before, I was weak no more.
Stronger than ever, This was my first bloom, Now I can rise up Against the darkness And anything else too.
This was the time For my first bloom. I had finally found room For growth in this Once weak heart That I call my own.
Now the seeds of strength are planted, It’s time for me to sprout, To become the flower I know I can be, To bloom without a doubt.
Nothing
In order to survive, To keep myself alive, I had to give something up, And it had to be you.
For so long, You made me feel weak When I really was strong, Not I’ve reached the peak Of my patience.
You pushed me over the edge And held me Back.
Our relationship, I knew it was dead to me When you said that we Were not right for each other, And that it was all my Fault.
I finally found the confidence, The courage, and the willpower I needed to Give up on you.
We meant nothing To Each Other.
The pain put me in the state Of a volcano Ready to erupt, So I gave you up.
In order to keep on living, I had to get rid of the one Who held me back for so long. I cut you out of my life, Knowing I wasn’t wrong.