Forum > Tuber's secrets > thread

Huh, I guess nobody is reading. (sad face)
I don't want to abandon this in case someone, in the future, does read this. Example: "Okay, obviously amateur writing, but I am a bit curious... All right, there are some links to songs I now like. Maybe (s)he'll post some more... I want to see where this is going... WHAT THE--?! Why did it stop right in the middle? I hate that!"
So I will press on. Even if no one reads. I suppose I gave myself a list: Armadillos, Sushi, Magic carpets, and Robots. Now to somehow write it in...

"Justin." Jason looked around as he tried to find the speaker. Vivian was looking straight up, arms akimbo. "I've never seen you before," she called. Jason looked up, barely able to see a wiry figure high in a tree. "I believe you have, actually. Justin, a storm is almost upon us; what are your orders?" Justin glanced around. "Where are our supplies?" "They are within the city. There was no time nor opportunity to take them with us. We have our weapons, the clothes on our backs, and little else." "Why would you even need that stuff?" Vivian asked. "Some of us prefer to stay dry, if not warm." Evan said. "Shh. The grownups are talking." she said, not unkindly. She turned to Justin. "Well? I don't think rain is very likely around here." He lowered his gaze from the treetops. "And why is that?" She spread her arms. "Look around. You tell me." Brothers Tim and Matt were pulling at the kudzu, ripping it away from a wall of vines, branches, and bushes. As they hacked away at the one spot, the not-quite invisible wall (for it encircled them) slowly rose, tapering, weaving itself into a small dome. "You'd better come down" Matt shouted to the man perched in the trees, "Before she locks you out! It's hard enough to get out, I can't imagine getting in." Dylan threw his hands in the air. "Okay, I give up. How are you doing that?" he asked, unable to ignore it any longer. "Wouldn't you like to know." she said with a smirk. However, as all the hunters (except Justin) protested, she rolled her eyes. We're dying of curiosity, Vivian, was the general consensus. "And none of you can figure it out." she sighed. "I had hoped I wouldn't need to tell you. Ah, well. Here's a hint: My mother was a dryad." There was quiet for a moment, as the hunter in the tree dropped down. "No, I still don't see the connection between blood and skill. I have never heard of a dryad's kid being able to do... this." Avery said, pointing to the greenery knitting together above them. "Because almost all dryads prefer humans over anything else. Humans can do nothing magical at all. My father's father was a dwarf. My father's mother was... a lot of things, including an ancestry of almost every human race, plus some. My face, thank heaven, came from my mother. I would look really odd otherwise." "So you're saying," Logan thought aloud, "That because you have such varied ancestry, you have a lot of magic in your blood. What does that have to do with-" "I'm saying that because of the magic in my dad's bloodline, plus my mom's, I can communicate with the plants. Happy now?"

As if to further punctuate her irritation, thunder clapped. "And I don't appreciate it when I am pressured into doing or saying something I don't feel like sharing. Don't do it again." She turned away, then went and curled up on the ground between two large tree roots. The tree creaked and bent slightly over her, as further protection from the rain that was just beginning to sprinkle down. The tall grass hid her from their sight. Jason wanted to say something like, "So, you're just going to sit there and sulk because we asked you a question we were genuinely curious about?" but decided against it. It would only put her in a foul mood, instead of an only slightly peeved one.

Rain continued to fall in a drizzle. The large droplets hit the kudzu leaves and slid off, from leaf to leaf, until it rolled off the outside of the dome. The stranger watched the small incident expressionlessly. Avery, ever a chatterbox, tried to initiate a conversation. "Weren't you curious? About her... ability, I mean." He ignored Avery. Even if he had been curious, he wasn't anymore. So what was the point of reflecting on a past question once he had the answer? There wasn't any. Therefore, he didn't answer. He had already made it quite clear that he was not interested in small talk, or what he thought of as mindless, foolish chatter. The key, Vivian knew, is not to respond when someone speaks. When you give an inch to a salesman, he will take a mile. Some people cannot stand silence. They especially cannot tolerate awkward silence. Sometimes they will be very pushy, and if you say anything, they will pounce. Avery happened to be one of those people. "I didn't think magic could let anyone talk to plants or rocks or whatever. Did you? I mean, if anyone had told me that before I saw it with my own eyes, I'd have told them to see a psychologist, you know? And..." And, Vivian thought sullenly, If you don't talk to them, they jabber to themselves. The trees certainly don't appreciate mindless babbling. Music is much more to their liking. Speaking of which... She still wanted her purse. She walked across the dampening circle, towards Justin, as the raindrops pattered on the leaves overhead. Tim and Matt's combined efforts had opened a hole large enough to crawl through. Apparently, nature had called to one of them. She had overlooked that. She mentally kicked herself for making such a horrendous mistake. She would remember next time. "Hey, Justin." He had been staring into space, and her words startled him. He looked surprised that she wanted to speak with him. "Yes?" "First of all, I appreciate your respect for my privacy." He inclined his head in acknowledgement. "And second, is my purse still in the city with your stuff?" "As a matter of fact..." he reached for his belt, before he remembered his hands, caked with dried blood and Avery's medicine. They were going to be scarred for life, that much was certain. Vivian bit her lip and wished she could reverse the damage. "You know what, it doesn't matter." she lied. "It's just another leather drawstring bag, after all is said and done." He glanced at her, probably searching her face for signs of lying. She buried her true feelings and gave him a small smile, as if to say, It's no big deal. "Are you sure?" he asked. Perhaps he had noticed the small, subtle black sequin design. Cyrus had made sure they weren't obvious, but still pretty. She shrugged. "Forget about it." He didn't quite believe her, she could tell, but there was nothing to be done. "Okay, Justin," Avery interrupted, carrying his box of medicine. "It's time to treat your hands." Vivian stepped back as the medic brushed past. The hooded man followed him and watched over his shoulder. Avery pored water over Justin's hands, softening the huge scabs. As he waited for the water to soak in, he prepared a strip of cloth with his medicine. Then began to peel the scabs off Justin's left hand, and hopefully anything else that shouldn't have been there. Justin shut his eyes, clenched his teeth, and bore the pain silently. His hands were badly wounded. So much so that the flesh over the bones was almost gone, and the bleeding began afresh, and faster than Avery had anticipated. He swore under his breath and reached for the bandage. The stranger grasped Avery's collar and used his staff for leverage, flipping him into the grass, headfirst. Avery tried to shout an objection and got a mouthful of grass. Then the man dropped his staff and took Justin's hand in both of his. Green light glowed as the bleeding stopped. The light caught the hunters' eyes as his hands began to mend, torn ends extending, finding each other and repairing the severed connections. Muscles, ligaments, blood vessels, all reconstructing his ruined hands. Justin opened his eyes in confusion. Everyone's attention was fixed on this... miracle. A thin layer of skin grew over the exposed insides. The light faded away, leaving the skin fresh, almost raw, and tender. The man reached for the cloth Avery had prepared and bound Justin's hand. Then he unceremoniously ripped the scab off his other, causing Justin to growl in pain, and repeated the healing.

The reason no one is contributing is because your posts are too long. That being said... Whenever I see a sad face it breaks my heart a little so I'm contributing with one small text... ^^

Justin dozed of from the pain. He awakened in a black hole with a candle in the middle, or at least he thought it was the middle. There was no floor or walls. It was like he had been transformed into a void. He was falling, but yet he didn't move. Maybe he was floating. He didn't know where he was or what had happened but a strange chill moved up his back. The silence was replaced by a whisper;
- Believe in her. She is the one.
Before he could think or say anything he was back with Avery and Vivian by his side. What had just happened?

Xoxo

@ snabelh : (happy scream) OMG thankyouthankyouthankyou! You would not believe how long I've waited for someone to say something! And thanks for the advice. I can't change anything unless I'm told what needs changing.
Just ask.

"Justin.... Earth calling Justin... I'm going to drop a caterpillar down your shirt..." "Vivian!" Avery's shocked rebuke did not stop her from dangling said caterpillar in front of his face. Her theory was that he would wake up a lot faster with some... encouragement. She wasn't really going to drop it. She couldn't tell if it helped or not, because he swatted her hand away without opening his eyes, waited a moment, then sat up slowly. "Justin, how many fingers am I holding up?" Avery asked, extending three. Justin cracked one eye open. "Two." Avery sucked in a breath, then tried something else. "What is six times nine?" "Sixty minus six, fifty-four." Avery continued, but Vivian examined Justin's face. He had a very strange look, beneath his outward expression. The Ninja, as Vivian thought of him, had a similar look. "Did you sense it?" he asked Justin. Justin's eyes shot open. "Did you sense it?" Ninja repeated. "Hear it?" Justin nodded once, almost imperceptibly. What are they talking about? Vivian wondered. Hear what?

Jason caught the exchange, like something strange had happened, and only the two of them knew what it was. Justin opened his mouth to say something, but the man quickly made a cutting gesture. Or what could be interpreted as, Don't say anything. Vivian saw the nonverbal conversation, too. The many possibilities of the looks and gestures seemed to both bewilder and irk her. The hunters appeared to have completely missed the subtle conversation, staring at Justin's healed hands or worrying about possible side effects, and whether he would be okay in the long run. Jason had to admit to himself, he suspected some sort of catch. Nobody was expecting what Vivian said next.
"Has anyone seen Zack?"

The alien crouched on the floor of its ship, cradling its head in its hands... Or tentacles, to be specific. It weighed pros and cons of several plans and possible scenarios, but none of them ended well. The alien was eventually faced with a simple choice: Follow procedure and abandon Earth forever, or... The only other course of action was absurd. Ridiculous. Unpractical. It could even become... destructive. Who knew what lengths the Council would go to? However, to leave Earth at this delicate time was just as unthinkable. This small race of people, created as the two worlds collided, could just as easily destroy both. Perhaps this was only the beginning. Perhaps their dynamic powers were still weak, soon to become unstoppable. They could tear their own world apart accidentally! Then again, their power could be at its zenith now, due to a state of flux the suppressed energy emerged, like a taut bowstring suddenly released, as their powers suddenly appear and vanish, violently at first, then slowly becoming consistent. What powers did they even have? More variations and purposes and uses were appearing at alarming rates. Where was the limit of these powers, if indeed they had any? What were they capable of? Were they dangerous? If so, to whom? Themselves, Earth, the inhabitants thereof? If the alien landed on Earth in an escape pod, would the Council follow? Or would they ignore its presence on the planet? And if they did, would they eliminate it if it communicated with the Earth creatures? Or just the sentient ones? What could the alien possibly hope to accomplish? Gathering data and making sense of it was what it did, and what did that have to do with these people? The alien realized that it wanted desperately to talk to Vivian, Zack, and the others sure to follow. If only it could ask and truly understand, instead of waiting and watching for the answers to reveal themselves, if ever. Were these people so important? Or perhaps... Perhaps... The frozen rose seemed to beckon to Earth, distracting the alien from its hypothetical dilemma. Come. See with your own eyes. Come see my people. See the place I came from. Come. There is not enough data to make an absolute decision! it cried in distress.

There was no response, aside from Jason. "I said, has anyone seen Zack?" Vivian saw no reason to dwell on speculation. A lot of things had just happened that couldn't or wouldn't be explained. She cataloged the events to reflect on later. Zack was missing. She glanced at her watch, mentally starting a time count. Ninja stepped back from the group crowding around Justin. He pointed. The kudzu dome had shriveled in one spot, brown and wilted, as if the sun had cooked it. Or boiled it, since it was wet. If you've ever cooked fresh spinach, picture that. Or type it into Google images. The kudzu was stringy and thin, like a beaded curtain, leaving an opening that anyone could pass though, big or small. "Um, guys?" she said. Jason frowned and came over to her. "What happened here?" Vivian shrugged. "Wasn't me. Hey, guys?" Still ignoring her. "Guys!" This was what happened when she tried to be polite, or didn't yell. She was about to shout at them when Jason did it for her. "HEY, everybody listen up!" They finally quit talking. "Thanks." Vivian rolled her eyes. The only reason she didn't snap at Jason was because he was trying to be... the only word she could come up with was helpful. Even if she didn't need his help. "Two questions. Where is Zack, and who did that?"

"I'm betting on that girl." Evan said, pointing to a thoroughly average-looking 15-year-old. She seemed to be really out of it, staring at nothing at all. Her hair was messy and tangled, her torn and dirty clothes hung loosely from her figure. It looked like she had been chased cross-country by a goblin- or in other words, exhausted, muddy, and in desperate need of a shower. She was leaning against a tree that curved, supporting her. Jason sighed quietly. It was like strange people were just attracted to him or something. Why was he even here? It wasn't like he was one of the hunters, and he had no special connection to Zack or Vivian or that... hooded person in the shadows. Why was everyone following Vivian? Honestly, she was what tied them all together. But how, and why?

The girl looked at Vivian with haunted, dark, half-closed eyes, like she didn't have any energy left. "Help me," she whispered, then crumpled to the ground. Ninja swept her up in his arms. "Come," he ordered as he strode towards the wilted opening in the dome. "Where?" Jason asked. The sound of angry voices became heard, though too far away to understand. One of the hunters climbed a tree in record time. "Holy snap!" "What?" "What is it?" "What do you see?" "I don't know what that girl did, but there's an angry mob coming at us from the east. Torches, axes, chains- these people are out for blood! What do we do?" Justin stood. "What we usually do. Go with the flow." Everyone began following the Ninja. Vivian ran out in front, opening a path that closed behind them. The angry voices drew closer as they ran. Justin was still dizzy, Ninja had to carry the girl, and it was taking all of Vivian's concentration to open and close a path because of the sheer mass of the plants. Jason looked back and saw Zack in the forest, hopelessly snarled in vines. One particular vine was wrapped around his neck. Jason broke away from the group and drew his sword to cut away the vines. Zack wasn't dead, but he had passed out from lack of oxygen. Jason's sword glittered in an arc as he sliced most of the vines. He pulled them away as quickly and carefully as he could. Another pair of hands joined his. It was Logan. They each took one of Zack's arms and struggled to catch up with the group.

Well, it looks like I've jumped in over my head again. I considered not posting this 'cause it's so huge, but whatever. It's not a crime to wax eloquent... is it?

They managed to escape the overgrown forest, and found themselves in an open area. Nothing but grass was visible as far as Vivian could see. She leaned forward, resting her hands on her knees as she tried to catch her breath. The others crashed through the kudzu, breaking out of the tangled vines. Ninja was the only one who wasn't gasping for air. The sun was beginning to set, painting the sky with gold and blushing pink. The pale azure of day was sinking to a deeper, richer blue. It would've been breathtaking, but Vivian didn't have any to spare. The girl Ninja had been carrying began to cry, though she was obviously trying hard not to. "Oh, not again!" Vivian glanced at Dylan. "What?" she asked. He looked at her quizzically. "That's what you looked like in the archery field." Ninja gently lowered the girl to a sitting position on the ground. She rocked back and forth, crying, her face twisted in pain. Then she relaxed. Vivian was suddenly stricken with the familiar feeling of something welling up inside her, trying to get out. At first she fought, but then thought "Oh, what the heck. Might as well give in now and save my energy for controlling it." She closed her eyes let the feeling wash over her. The girl was already singing, haltingly, trying to stop herself.
*(t.A.T.u - It's all about us)
"They, say,
they don't, trust
You, me, we, us
So, we'll, fall
If we, must
'Cause it's you, me-"
(And she stopped fighting)
"And it's all about
It's all about"
(Vivian began to sing with her)
"It's all about us (all about us)
It's all about
All about us (all about us)
There's a thing that they can't touch
Because you know (ah ah)
It's all about us (all about us)"
(Their eyes opened at the same time. Hers glowed electric blue, Vivian's bright purple.)
"It's all about
All about us
all about us
We'll run away if we must
'Cause you know (ah-ah)
It's all about us (It's all about us)
(The girl looked at Vivian, like she had been hurt and alone until Vivian began to sing. Vivian locked eyes with her.)
It's all about love (It's all about us)
In you I can trust (It's all about us)
It's all about us"
(Vivian replied as purple and blue mist formed. The purple and blue seemed like two substances, like oil and water. They mixed and remained separate at the same time. She felt unfamiliar feelings- that is, feelings that didn't come from her. Yet, she felt them as vividly as though they WERE her feelings. Panic, despair, heavyhearted among them. The strongest was that she was being hunted down. She supposed that they were coming from the girl. She concentrated, trying to see why she felt that way. Literally. Ghostly images faded in and out of existence, wispy and vague.)

"If, they, hurt, you
They, hurt, me, too
So we'll, rise, up
Won't, stop
And it's all about
It's all about

It's all about us (all about us)
It's all about
All about us (all about us)
There's a thing that they can't touch
'Cause you know (ah ah)
It's all about us (all about us)
It's all about
All about us
all about us
We'll run away if we must
'Cause you know (ah-ah)
It's all about us (It's all about us)
It's all about love (It's all about us)
In you I can trust (It's all about us)
It's all about us"

(The girl tried to explain. People began to appear in the blue mist- a young man was at a worktable. He leaped up as someone swept his projects off the table and advanced threateningly. Someone was shouting in a young woman's face in front of a large audience. A boy was running down a street in terror, away from a small crowd which was yelling and pointing at him. "It's all about us." Vivian realized. "Zack, Ninja, her, me, them; we, us... We're all being chased. Something big is happening." Not those exact words, but how else can a feeling be described? "It's all about love" or the lack thereof, appeared to connect them all on a deeper level. 'Bonded by trauma', so to speak. "In you I can trust" Vivian was an excellent keeper of secrets and feelings people didn't want anyone else to know. And perhaps the girl could feel that. All of this takes time to write and to read, but it was all feelings and thoughts flowing in and out of her mind. The girl kept singing.)

"They don't know
They can't see
Who we are
Fear is the enemy
Hold on tight
Hold on to me
'Cause tonight..."

(Green light began to swirl with the blues and purples, like whirlpools. The young man in the blue mist was kneeling to gather his things off the floor. He shot to his feet, looking around himself wildly as discolored mist curled around him. The threatening figure cowered, then turned and ran. As the young man became transparent, one of the green whirlpools began to shape itself into a mirror image as he backed up, unable to escape the colored light. The young woman looked puzzled and apprehensive as mist swirled around her, drawing shocked stares and a scream from her audience. The boy sprinted faster and faster, trying to outrun the green-tinged tendrils of smoke. More green whirlpools formed in the agitated mist, mirroring the figures in the blue mist. The purple clouds infected both, somehow adding weight and depth; much like shading a drawing transforms it from flat to vivid. )

"It's all about us
It's all about
All about us
There's a thing that they can't touch
'Cause you know (ah ah)
It's all about us (all about us)
It's all about us (all about us)
All about us
There's a thing that they can't touch
'Cause you know (ah ah)
It's all about us (all about us)
It's all about us (all about us)
All about us
We'll run away if we must
'Cause you know (ah ah)
It's all about us (all about us)
It's all about love (It's all about us)
In you I can trust (It's all about us)

It's all about us
It's all about us...."


*Just FYI, the link is there for the song, and anything besides that has no relevance to the story. Although the Final Fantasies vids are pretty amazing.

Vivian stood face to face with the girl, and Ninja faced the sunset beyond them. Each green whirlpool began to turn with the other colors, circling the trio and the hunters. Jason and Logan dragged Zack out of the forest just in time to see the ring of colors spinning around everyone else. Mist spilled over everyone as they became lost in the maelstrom. A wind that had no source whipped past, lifting the mist and smoke into a whirlwind, spinning higher and higher. Bits of extra clouds tinged with colorful hues twirled away from the forming tornado, brushing Jason's cheek like a whisper of a kiss as it faded into nothing. A kiss that left a powerful, yet pleasant, tingling sensation. Logan's mouth dropped open in awe. (What I'm trying to describe is like a cross between This ,This, and This) Jason's knees weakened. A leaf that was disturbed floated down lazily. Lazily, that is, until a wispy tendril caressed it. At which point air friction tore it apart because of the sheer speed of its flight as it flew into the vortex. Whatever was happening here, it was powerful. Jason could no longer see anything besides dark silhouettes, and even those were fading. No, materializing. Most of the hunters were in there- wait, there were too many shadows even if everyone was inside. How many people were in there? Jason couldn't see well enough to count, but he thought there were too many silhouettes. Even if some of them were fading in and out.