I woke with a start as thunder raged outside my window, the sound of branches clawing at the glass, not lingering too far behind.
"Ugh!" I exclaimed with an exasperated sigh. Pressing the pillow to my face as I reluctantly rolled out of bed.
I groggily walked towards the large window, still wiping sand from my eyes and grabbing my Evanescence shirt off the floor as I approached my window, as a painful caw ripped through the air, followed by a purple flash.
"What the?" I squeaked, my voice cracking a little more than I'd like to admit.
Peering out the window, I frantically searched for the source of that sound and that odd purple light. I had a strange feeling that they were connected. "Come on, come on, come on, where is it?" I said, desperately combing the skies.
Just then! The ground shook, knocking me down in surprise as the strange purple light began to fade below the treeline. I scrambled to my feet and rushed to my balcony, sliding the door open in a panic as I confusedly continued searching the skies out in the rain in nothing but my pajamas. "Ugh, I really should have gotten an umbrella. This is going to murder my hair," I thought aloud as rain swirled around, drenching my very fluffy grey pajamas.
And apparently, I wasn't the only one rudely awakened by tonight's strange spectacle. I peered down on the neighborhood below, watching my neighbors funnel out of their homes in various states of undress, some gawking at the sky while others tried pointlessly to reign in their dogs. The funniest of which was Mrs. Carter getting dragged around in her pink lingerie by her giant grey Doberman.
"You got this, Mrs. Carter!" I shouted, trying in vain to stifle my laughter, although I'm sure she didn't hear me. She was rather preoccupied dealing with her rather large wardrobe malfunction.
A few more minutes of confusion passed before even the most persistent of the onlookers and myself began filing back inside our homes with the same amount of answers we had when we came out of them, but unfortunately, others like Mrs. Carter did not return with the same amount of clothes.
I slid my balcony door open, returning to the comforting darkness of my room, and stripped off my soaked pajamas and replaced them with whatever clothes I found strewn around my bed. I dove into bed with a full head of wet hair, knowing I'd regret this in the morning, but right now, I was too tired to care. I rolled around a bit in an attempt to regain some level of comfort before making the mistake of looking up at the clock.
"Oh joy, it's 3am," I sighed, knowing full well the school day was fast approaching. "Pfft whatever," I groaned as I buried my face in my pillow.
It wasn't long before I dozed off into dreamland and what a dream it was. I found myself in a lush forest sprawled out on the grass. I got up and surveyed my surroundings. Nothing much seemed out of the ordinary, except I've never seen these types of trees. They glowed with a faint red and orange light with thick green vines dangling from their branches. But before I could take in the rest of my newfound surroundings, a familiar caw ripped through the air, and it sounded much closer this time.
"Mierda, I don't know what that was, but I'm not sticking around to find out!" I cursed as whatever it was swooped down so close it shook the trees, and with that, I bolted because whatever that heart-attack-inducing thing was, it was huge, and it could fly, and it's definitely circling above me. "C'mon, c'mon, legs don't give out now," I pleaded, hoping my body was not taking revenge for my unhealthy late-night snack choices, although I quickly realized that my one-hundred eighty-meter dash was utterly pointless.
I ducked off and found a relatively large bridge and slid under it so quickly I'd make any professional baseball player proud—excluding my father, of course. "I think I lost it," I hoped as I took a moment to catch my elusive breath.
I hung out under this creepy dank bridge for what felt like hours until I heard the beat of that thing's wings fade into the distance. When I was absolutely sure old cranky wings was gone, I crawled from under my uncomfortable hiding place and was shocked to find that the treetops had been engulfed in black flames with purple hues.
"Okay, that's it! No more sugar before bed! I swear," I murmured.
"Now, Willow, I've warned you that making empty promises is just as bad as lying even if it's to yourself," a familiar voice playfully scolded.
My blood went cold as soon as the voice hit my ears, "No way it can't be…. mom? " I stammered as I turned around in disbelief.
The thing that stood before me was an unnaturally tall woman with a beautiful red and white kimono with a pink floral pattern. And she had large claws that hung at her sides. But when I looked up at its face, it was covered with an eyeless pale wooden mask with cherry red lips. Jeez, talk about the perfect mix of a horror flick and fashion show. I thought to myself
"Aww, is that any way to look at your mother, my dear Willow," the creature teased, clearly noticing my disgust. It began inching closer with its clawed hands outstretched, grasping at the air beckoning me nearer.
I should run. I know I should run, but my anger was tossing out any semblance of rational thought I had right now. So obviously, I did something pretty irrational. I lunged forward, barely ducking the outstretched claw, and then rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding her following upswing.
"Phew, close call," I wheezed under my breath.
"Oh, Willow dear, don't play so hard to get with your own mother," she sneered as she whipped around so fast her claws cut the tree behind me to ribbons moments after I slammed my body flat on the ground.
"Okay, okay, definitely starting to rethink that not running idea now," I complained through labored breaths.
"Oh, to be young and spry again like my beautiful daughter," the demon cackled through her dumb mask.
"You're not my mom, you masked freak," I bellowed, my anger bursting forth like an inferno.
I rolled to my left and picked up a rock I found near the splintered remains of the tree that the crazy lady shredded. Then I shot up and jumped back and planted my feet firmly into the ground, then wound my arm up and hurled the rock with all the strength my angry teenage body could muster directly at her mask. Still, unfortunately, she was faster than I thought.
She immediately craned her neck, avoiding the stone, and then grabbed me by the throat, lifting me like I weighed less than a feather. "It's official; this is the worst dream ever," I choked out as pain tore through my body while I dangled weightlessly in the air.
"This is no mere dream, dear Willow. It's a test," the masked freak hissed, tightening its grip around my throat.
"Oh, well, that explains a lot. Tests and I never did get along so well," I mocked as I struggled against her monstrous grip. "Now, put me down, you stupid monster!!!" doing my best to shout while kicking furiously at her masked face.
"You certainly have some fight in you, don't you, dear? Hmmm... That could be useful," she remarked, seemingly appraising me like some kind of show dog. "But what makes you so brave?" she probed, bringing her masked face uncomfortably close but well within striking distance, and well ya know me, I seized the opportunity to strike.
I gathered my remaining strength in one final kick and knocked that accursed mask right off her face, forcing her to drop me. I hit the ground with a loud thud, the grassy ground doing nothing to soften my landing. I barely managed to get to my feet and stared back up at her as she covered her face with her claws.
"I'm not brave; you just pissed me off!" I yelled, hoping I sounded pretty schway.
"They really don't make feathers like they used to," the demon cackled evilly as she slowly lowered her hands, revealing a swirling void where her mask once rested.
"I've exhausted my options, and I can hardly move a muscle. Ugh, I really hope those horror movies are wrong about the whole dying in dreams means dying in real-life things because I'm most definitely screwed," I thought as I stared into the void.
"Yes, dear Willow. Stare into my visage! See what you will leave in your wake," she laughed maniacally as she approached my motionless body, lowering her head so that it was only centimeters from my face; clearly, personal space is not big amongst demons.
"¡Maldito sea!" I cursed. As my mind was ripped from reality and transported to a battlefield where I was floating in mid-air several feet above the ground.I took a moment to check myself out to...uhh...make sure nothing got lost in the warp.
When I looked up, I was surrounded by hordes of faceless warriors locked in a fierce battle, the sounds of swords clanging and shields bashing skulls filled the air, but in the midst of all stood a single warrior engulfed in black flames like the ones I saw burning the trees. She had large blood-soaked blades attached to her arms. And she was clad in obsidian armor, which could not have been too heavy because she was gliding across the battlefield with grace but-uh the savage kind. She cut down foe after foe and incinerated whoever was out of her blade's reach with streams of black flames.
Boom!!! An explosion rocked the world, causing the whole battlefield to shift and even threw my astral self for a loop. For a moment, a defying silence swept over the battlefield as a new figure entered the fray, and boy, could this guy make an entrance. He jumped from the head of a flying beast, tearing the sky on his descent.
Not to be outdone, the ember-clad woman sprouted black flaming wings and launched herself directly at him, soaring up like a bullet. Their blades clashed! With mind-numbing force, their energy flared up, causing the ground to shake and the skies to darken before they even hit the ground. Kaboom!!! They impaled the ground, leaving a giant smoldering crater in their wake, smoke billowing from the new dent in the earth, and when it cleared, a feeling of dread swirled in my gut.
Both warriors were bloody and battered. Blood dripped from their blades as they circled each other like gladiators. "I got no idea what's going on, but those two monsters are having a serious grudge match, and the rest of these poor warriors and me are caught in the middle of it," I whispered under my breath, unsure if the warriors could hear me or if they were even aware of my existence.
The woman dropped her blades and thrust her arms forward, her wings spiraling around her arms until they formed an orb in between her hands. The silver armored boy responded in kind by raising his surfboard size sword over his head. Astral green energy pooled at his feet and began to rise until it was warped in the gravity of his blade.
"Well, this is it. This has got to be the final collision," was the last thought I had as I stared into the searing light that emanated from the two combatants. Their earth-shattering blows rocked what felt like the entire planet and blew giant chunks of debris straight towards me. I hunkered down to avoid being crushed, but my hopes were quickly dashed as a giant boulder hurled towards me at mach speeds, and I screamed my head off, waiting to go splat.
I woke in a cold sweat, panting like I had just run for my life. I pressed my palm over my chest. My heart was racing. "Okay, Willow, deep breaths, deep breaths; it was just a dream, and you are totally not a pancake under a bolder you're in totally normal shape," I said as toss my legs over the edge of the bed. I shook off the sleep like a bear coming out of hibernation. The sound of my joints popping was audible as I stretched my body to release some built-up tension. "Ow, that last one hurt," I groaned.
I looked up at my old grandfather clock, and my morning went from bad to worse. "Mierda! I overslept again. Jeez, it's already past eight am," I cursed as I darted across my room to hit the lights, almost tripping over the plethora of clothes that lay strewn across my floor. Then, CLICK! Searing light flooded the room, barely giving my eyes time to adjust. "Note to self: buy a lamp that dims," I thought.
The blurriness fading from my eyes revealed my overly large collection of classic rock band posters covering my walls, hardly leaving the purple paint below visible. My butler, Askeli, often jokes that my room is like a rockstar hall of fame that got ransacked by a teenage goth girl, and well... I can't disagree.
I stepped gingerly towards the bathroom, having learned my lesson from the near nose dive into a mound of clothes earlier. I stepped past my old band equipment that apparently toppled over during the commotion a few hours ago.
"Miss Willow, are you awake?" The heavily accented voice called.
"Yes!" I shouted in reply as I hurriedly made my way to the bathroom to wash up and apply my makeup after. I pushed the heavy door open and stepped in front of a large floral patterned mirror with a silver frame. I stared into the mirror, surveying the damage done to my appearance from the stressful night before. My eyes ran over my admittedly lanky body. I was quite tall for a girl, hence the nickname Godzilla. I was so graciously given by my 'witty' peers when I was younger.
I continued surveying my body until my eyes caught on large red marks on my neck," What the hell?" I said as I brushed my fingers across the bruises. "Ahh!" I flinched, "jeez, where did that come from? I'm pretty sure I haven't sleepwalked into any cage fights lately.'' I joked. "Whatever, don't have time to worry about it now. Let's just get this shower over with," I said, turning the knob to hot all the way up. Shrieking a bit when the water hit my back. "Too hot, too hot!" I squeaked, quickly grabbing the knob to lower the scalding level to a more mild one!
I finished quickly, grabbing my towel on the way out, quickly drying myself off, and wrapping the towel around my body before turning to the mirror. I ran my fingers through the tangled wet mess that rested atop my head and let out a loud sigh.
I rummaged through my closet, tossing unwanted clothes aside and tearing others off the hangers. A couple of minutes went by before finally settling on the Nirvana shirt buried in the back of the closet and my baggy black cargo pants with several silver fob chains hanging from the loops. The cuffs clung tightly to my ankles, and to finish my dark attire, I adorned my hands and wrists with a multitude of skull-shaped rings and a couple of band bracelets, along with my black combat boots.
I lazily pulled myself off the floor as I unenthusiastically anticipated the school day ahead. But, before I could build up enough dread and enough excuses to justify hopping back in bed, a knock at the door tore me from my thoughts.
"Miss Willow?" Askeli called again in a more concerned tone. "We really must be going now," Askeli explained.
Pfft "I'm having a hair emergency at the moment. Could you meet me in the bathroom and help?" I snapped as the sounds of the lock's gears tumbling filled the room as the door creaked open. Askeli gently stepped in, comically trying to avoid the clothes on the floor as if they were landmines.
"Honestly, Miss Willow, I'm beginning to wonder why I bother to clean this rocker's den you call a room," he chuckled.
"Ahh, c'mon, you love it," I joked while I poured over my collection of hair care products.
"I most certainly do not, Miss Willow, but let's see what we can do here," he protested as he stepped into the bathroom with all the grace of a giraffe, bending down to avoid conking his head on the doorframe.
Askeli was an unusual-looking man, especially for his line of work. He had broad shoulders and a rugged squared jaw and was almost always the tallest in the room; hmmm, about 6'8 if I had to ballpark it, I thought, while Askeli brought over a rose-colored stool from next to my desk and directed me to sit with a polite wave of his hand. I reached over to grab a red hand mirror off the Armitage bathroom counter so I could watch while Askeli worked his magic.
He styled my hair in such a way that the right side of my hair flowed behind my ear like a curly wave, and the other side covered my left eye, my bang flowing down in a leftward swoop in the shape of a feather. "
"You know, Miss Willow; you are the spitting image of your mother lady Himeko, even under this vampire aesthetic you have going on here."
I shifted uncomfortably under the weight of the compliment. "I know… and I hate it… every time I look in the mirror I…. Ya know? Whatever, It's just...I no wish I could have spent more time with her…. ya know?" I stammered.
Askeli knelt, looking at me with piercing blue eyes while giving me his trademark concerned butler look.
"Yes, Willow..." he started, noticeably dropping the miss, not that I minded; I hated the formal tone it carried. "...I understand, there was a lot about your mother you never had time to learn and many lessons she never had time to teach you, Willow. But let me remind you that your mother had a smile that could light up any Stadium or compliment any scene, and you share that smile, but more importantly, you share her golden heart," he lauded; warmth exuding from his visage.
"There's no need to focus on what could have been or even what should have been. Instead, take your memories and hold them so close to your heart that you'll never forget them. Cherish her, keep her alive forever in your heart," he advised as he gently pressed his gloved palm to my forehead, pushing my feathery bangs up, revealing my covered eye. He put a mirror to my face, "Now smile, Willow," he said, all his concern drained from his eyes and replaced with a pride-filled gleam.
"Thank you, Askeli…. I needed that... a-and for the record, it's not a vampire aesthetic,"
"Hmmm, agree to disagree," he chuckled as he abruptly got up and began rushing me into the hall.
"Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! Slow down, man, I was having ya know... a woe is me moment," I blurted out. But Askeli was already gone, no doubt waiting at the car door. "If I didn't know any better, I'd swear that the butler had super speed," I thought aloud.
Grabbing my tattered red backpack off the wall hangers outside my door and a small black hoodie, I reluctantly started walking down the pearlescent hall past all the gaudy victorian art that hung on the walls. I'll never understand my father's compulsion to buy creepy art, although I didn't get a chance to ponder this for very long before an inhuman growl rang across the halls.
I walked towards the sound in disbelief. I audibly gasped before quickly covering my mouth with a little too much force causing me a twinge of pain. The sound led me to my brother's bedroom door, and… and he was having a conversation? An actual conversation?
I pressed my ear to the wooden door, hardly able to resist the urge to tear off that no lizards allowed sign that hung mockingly above my head. "It's her, I've told you before. Now give me what you owe me," a familiar voice demanded. I knelt, trying to get a better view through the door's keyhole. Although all I could see was the back of Mili's shoulders and the edge of a scarlet jacket worn by someone just out of view
"Are you certain it's her, Emiliano? I don't have time for theories or gut feelings," the strange feminine voice snapped.
"A woman? Mili never talks to anyone anymore; hell, I don't think I've seen him near a woman that wasn't me... or Mom," I whispered, wincing at the last word.
"And I don't have time to be pestered with your incessant need for confirmation! I've known her for years. I'm positive. It's her," he seethed.
The red-clothed women moved in a scarlet blur grabbing Mili by the neck, slamming him against the wall with a thud.
"If you are wrong, you'll be the next morsel I run through my fangs, do you understand?" the woman growled.
"I held up-cough!-my end now you-cough!-hold up yours," he spat, coughing between his words.
Boom! The wall shook again. "You're quite spunky," the voice menacingly giggled. "If you are correct, you'll get what I owe you, and if you are not… hmmm... I get a snack! A win-win for me really,"
"Crap, I gotta help him," I said as I frantically searched my pockets. "Aha, there it is," I cheered, pulling out some bobby pins. "This should work," I said as I knelt to fiddle with the lock popping it open in about twenty seconds. Hmm, a new personal record! Gotta remember to write that down later. I pushed the door open practically off its hinges as I rushed into the room.
"What the hell, Willow? Get out!" he fumed from the floor,
"What the hell? Huh? What do you think I'm doing? I'm saving your sorry butt from whoever the hell this crazy lady is?" I questioned as I spun around, accusingly pointing my finger at...at... nothing? I could've sworn there was another person in here.
I scanned the room, searching to no avail. There were no apparent signs that anybody besides my brother had ever been in here.
"Get out, Godzilla, I don't need you!.... I never have!" he shouted, shaking me out of my temporary state of bewilderment.
"Fine, be that way, Emiliano! If this is how you react when your big sister tries to save you, then next time I'll just keep walking," I shouted back, emphasizing the word big by holding my hand over his head while bending down a bit, which must have struck a nerve because he began shoving me out of the door, muttering about installing a retinal scanner slamming the door behind me. "Hmph, whatever Short stack," I said, tossing my hands in the air in a huff before I continued my trek to school, stopping by the kitchen to stuff my bag with snacks and grab a grape soda before stepping into the garage to meet Askeli, who was patiently waiting by the back door; waving me inside.
"It's about time, Miss Willow. We must be going," he asserted with a hint of irritation in his voice.
"I know, I know, I'm sorry I got a little sidetracked, ya know," I said, unsure if I should tell him what happened to Mili heck, I wasn't sure what happened myself.
"Bothering your elder brother again, I see; you really must give him a break. He's been through a lot in recent years. You all have,"
"Chyeah, I get it, but somebody has to pay him some attention lord knows Dad won't. He never seems to care anymore,"
"Ahh, still upset over last night?" he inquired as he ushered me into the car. Unfortunately, I didn't recognize this one though it must be one of my father's new ones.
It was a long glossy black limo with windows darker than my soul after one of Mr. Yoshizawa's mythology lectures. Of course, it would not be one of the Ruiz family cars if it did not have our signature gaudy golden rims and Father's company logo, a beautiful slender Mayan woman in what I assume was native clothes jaguar at her feet ready to pounce at any moment with its tail in the air.
"It's not just last night you know this Askeli; ever since the attack on our family a few years ago, all he's done is pity himself and pour himself into his stupid company. Is it too much to ask that he pay attention to us," I yelled on the verge of tears
"Look at me, Miss Willow. I know this is a hard time for you and your family, but if I may be so bold, I think they need you,"
"But why is it always me? I'm tired of still being the responsible one. I just want to be free! Free from all of this, I bellowed, waving my hand at my overly extravagant surroundings.
"In times of chaos, someone must always be the peace, Miss Willow, and right now that role falls to you," he insisted.
"I'm not my mother. And right now...I'm all out of olive branches," I snapped. Before shoving my face in the nearest pillow in the backseat of this stupid limo.
"Well, as late as we are already, I do not think they would mind if we took the long way," he grinned.
"You're the best, Askeli," I muffled through the pillow before letting my thoughts wander.
"What happened this morning? First with that odd purple light and that otherworldly caw, and now whoever that lady with the impressive disappearing act is, has Mili pissed off any magicians lately?" I asked myself, clearly unable to answer any of my questions. Pfft, whatever all I know, I should keep an eye on dear old brother and find out she was.
"Hey Askeli, where'd you learn to do hair? It's kinda weird. I've never asked ya before," I blurted out randomly, desperately trying to distract myself from the current drama, although I was actually curious about Askeli's phenomenal hairstyling skills.
"Oh, I learned during my stint in the military in the midst of the Finnish civil war, but it was not all buzz cuts and full shaved heads, mind you. I also ran a bit of a side business out the barracks cutting hair for some of the displaced civilians that took shelter at the base," he explained.
"That's cool, Askeli. You rarely talk about your past like that" I smiled, grateful for the change of pace.
"You rarely ask Miss Willow," he retorted
"Touché," I quipped, enjoying the moments before the dread of the rest of the day set in.
"Looks like we'll be arriving soon, Miss Willow," he announced. And just like that, the mood was shattered. I sat up groaning, and peered out the window watching the trees fly by as we drove up the hill.
"Whose idea was it to put a school in the middle of nowhere?" I groaned.
"That would be Sir J. Isaac Reeves. He was always a fan of the scenic route, they say," he commented.
"I was not looking for a real answer, Askeli, although the scenic route is right," I laughed, still staring off at the heavily wooded area that was just beyond the gates that separated Saber City from a giant wildlife reserve that surrounded its edges.
"We have arrived, Miss Willow," he announced as he slowed the car to a stop before walking around to open the door for his less-than pleased passenger.
"Booooooooo!" I moaned, making my displeasure known to my audience of one, as I slowly stepped out of the car and performed a long stretching routine before I began walking towards the school.
"Just a moment, miss Willow," he called after me. I stop in my tracks, casually turning back to him.
"Yo, what's up, Askeli," I asked, doing one final stretch of my arms, extending them as far as I could
"I'd like you to wear this at least for the day Miss Willow," he said as he reached behind his head and unclasped his Silver lion's head necklace, and pressed it into my open palm.
"Really, Askeli? You've had this since…since," I stammered.
"Since you found me starving in the streets, Miss Willow," he interjected
"Chyeah, but why are you giving it to me, Askeli? It's super important to you, right?" I probed.
"As important as my life, call me silly, but I feel that it has protected me all my life, protected me as you do now. So please, Miss Willow, humor the worries of this old man and wear it at least for today," he implored as he looked warmly into my eyes with his graying blonde hair blowing in the wind.
"Fine if I must," I grinned with false indignation as I clasped the necklace around my neck. "Oof, it's a lot heavier than I thought," I panted, feigning labored breaths.
I turned on my heel after giving one final wave of goodbye to Askeli. Then, I walked towards the big Sign in Front of the large row of Golden doors that read Welcome to Alcaeus Academy for higher learning and pretentious celebrity rich kids. Okay, okay, I added that last part, but it's true.