Sidereum

Chapter One - Althea

   I stepped down the hot crowded hall of Prescott Highschool on my way to the last class of the day. Everyone spoke so loudly that words merged and turned into what seemed like nothing at all, Iris a taller girl with golden brown hair and hazel eyes pushed her way through the crowd and shuffled to my side.
   "Althea!" She exclaimed over the other bantering students. Iris and I turned the corner to an emptier hallway, we had our next class together so I wasn't too shocked to see her again. Iris and I had only been friends since we met each other eighth period literature and have started talking since.
   "Ready to go home Iris?" She sighed and looked over at me.
   "Althea, is the second week of sophomore year and you're making me skip again already?" Iris chuckled.
   "Why not, I? I asked, I began to walk faster now a few steps in front of Iris I lead her to a side door which allowed us behind the school. We sat in a divot of the building, I of course complained how my parents wouldn't get air conditioning for our house. Even though I only knew Iris for a few days I could already tell she'd heard this story thousands of times so she soon cut me off. I brushed it off, I really didn't have anything else exciting in my life... footsteps, I heard footsteps I snapped my gaze towards Iris and pushed her and I into the darkest corner. We watched to see who was approaching, A boy?
A tall boy around 6'0, pink hair and clearly around our grade walked away from our direction. Yet he stopped before turning the corner, looking at one of the school maps. Iris smiled and began to get up, I tugged at her arm and shook my head no but her desperate look told he to let her go... so I did.
"Excuse me!" Iris walked over to him "Are you lost? Me my friend Althea can help you around." Iris looked at me and winked, she was clearly aware that I didn't want to get involved and now I had zero choice. I pushed myself up and walked towards him, soon realized his distinct features. The boy was very pale and had light freckles that spread across his nose and cheeks, but what really caught my attention was his eyes... sparkling and glistening like stars, they were a light pastel pink and when I looked closer it was clear to me they weren't contacts. Without speaking to him I smiled and quickly glanced over to Iris, it was clear she noticed the eye too.
   The boy took his hand out of his jean pocket and held It out for Iris to shake, then turned so I could as well.
   "I'm Ryuusei" he smiled sweetly, "but if that's too long you can call me Ryu."
I shook his hand and smiled back "Althea." I replied and Iris answered after me. She went to look at his schedule and while they were comparing and she was pointing him In various directions which I barely remembered I looked into his eyes, they reflected light so beautifully and they glistened perfectly, his features were so strange yet so perfectly placed. I sooned snapped into reality as a watched them start to walk away. Iris looked back to make sure I was following, I wasen't sure where we were going but, so intrigued by Ryu that my mind urged me to go. Soon catching up with Ryuusei and Iris, Iris was explaining the schools layout even more I listened in on their converstation and realized she was giving him a tour I stayed slient most of the walk unless Iris asked me some simple question such as.

   "Who's room is this again?" or,

   "Did you like this teacher, Althea?"

   I yawned and watched Ryuusei jump from the sound of the last bell, holding back a laugh trying not to embarass the poor kid. Iris hurried to finish up the tour and completley left us without warning needing to catch her bus. And there we were, just me and Ryuusei, I choked up trying to think of some sort of conversation to break the obvious tension between.

   "So where do you live Ryu?-" soon after I said that I relized how creepy it was to ask someone you just met where they live. He didn't seem to mind though.

   "About ten minutes by bus, I don't even know how far i would have to walk..." His voice was soft and sweet, he was more timid around me than Iris,  maybe because I didn't really talk to him, social skills were never my forte. The tension began to build again, I couldn't stand it so I quickly waved goodbye and sped past him and out of school. My feet dragged across the sidewalk reluctantly, I had forgotten to put my books back in my locker before leaving school panicking about the weird kid- I mean Ryuusei. Without looking I crossed the cross-walk feeling a painful burn from my back pocket a honk sounded in my ear, I shot my face upwards to the school bus driving straight at me. Diving out of the way, it wasen't enough I felt my back pushed in and out of the way, I landed on the other side of the cross-walk with my face bleeding from it skidding against the pavement. I felt hot tears and blood roll down my cheeks, I looked at the pavement stained in blood and torn skin, falling back down onto the pavement I curled into a ball in excruciating pain.

   My mind wandered as I lay and cry, I thought of Malum... reaching into my back pocket I felt they weren't there. I felt my body slowly get colder and I spit blood onto the already disgusting sidewalk, I forced myself upwards and stumbled to the other side of the cross-walk once again where Malum had been dropped, picking him up I covered the torn and bleeding side of my face with my hair. Everything hurt... walking, breathing, I spun Malum around in my hands hoping that their power of evil could somehow heal my wounds. They didn't. Entering through the front door of my house both Mom and Dad were gone at work even though I was so delayed. The hot musty house stung my wound and I pulled myself to the bathroom. I filled a cup of water and hydrogen peroxide beginning to wash my face with it, I screamed falling to my knees with blood running down my clothes the peroxide burned but I knew I had to to it... so I put more on. After fifteen painful minutes i wrapped my face in gauze and walked into my bedroom, filled with anger I threw Malum across the room until it stuck straight in the wall.

   "Damn you Malum!!" I screamed and the dagger glew with darkness I shoved my head into a pillow trying to find a way to sleep the pain off.. but nothing. My bloody clothes stained my light bed sheets and soon my face bled through the gauze as well, my mind began to wander again and soon the front door of the house creaked and open.

   "Althea! Honey" I heard my Mothers comforting voice call from the family room, but I was too scared to show her what happened to me. Her light footsteps approched my door and it soon opened.

   "Althea, I know you're not alseep" she sounded worried and hesitated what she said next.

   "I saw the blood, show me what happened..." I sat up and looked at her, showing the gauze. Mother's eyes widened as she grabbed my hand and led me back to the bathroom, she was a nurse before she lost her job and started working as a hotel maid and she looked relieved tending my wounds.

   "You won't need any surgery, lot's of blood but not too much skin torn off..." she hugged me and rubbed my back, "Malum again huh? What a pesky demon, how did this happen?" I sighed and explained the whole bus situation, her mind was lingering on the fact of Malum. Instead of persuing me further she sent me off to bed I lay in the dark and waited for the door to creak again symbolzing Dad was home, I wasen't allowed out of my room because Mom wanted me to rest yet it was too early for me to become tired. Father pushed open the front door with the signature loud creak, hearing fathers footsteps they soon stopped and I imagined him hugging Mom... soon they began to talk I listened closely and kept hearing my named repeated a thump sounded from the family room.

   "No! You can't take Malum away from her you know she'll die!" those words from my Mother haunted me, I looked towards Malum who was still stuck and the wall started cracking, Malum was happy they loved causing pain they loved hearing their named yelled in fear or anger. Because that's what Malum was, Malum is fear, anger, despair, hatred, and detruction all put into a demon that by witchcraft was banished to a dagger... which cursed me for eternity. Mother and fathers words melded and slurred until all I could see was Malum and what looked to be cold, dark red eyes above them. Then sleep drifted me away to a place better than reality.