The Crest of Darkness [ON HIATUS]

Chapter Two | Tami

 Fire licked the walls. Smoke billowed out of the broken window where the bomb was thrown through. Screams came from inside and out. Swords drank the blood of hundreds, taking no prisoners from the town.

“Annalisa! Tamara!” The distant voices were almost choked out.

Tami hid under her bed, but her mother's calls made her want to leave the relative safety. She crawled toward her bedroom door. It hung wide open because she didn't like it closed at night. Then her mommy screamed, a terrible, fearful scream that was cut off with a gurgle.

“Tami!” She jumped. Lila was right next to her. “We have to run! They'll get us if we don't!”

“But what about Mommy and Daddy?”

Lila didn't answer. She grabbed Tami by the wrist and ran out the back door. The night was lit by countless fires where their neighbor's homes used to be. Savage war-cries could be heard all around.

“Ahh!”

Tami's father was struck down. Lila wouldn't let them stop. She pulled Tami through the streets, dodging the foreign attackers. Everywhere, they saw bodies of friends, teachers, leaders...

“Time for school!”

Tami jerked awake. Mandy, her adoptive mom, knocked on the door and walked in without waiting for an answer.

“Come on, Tami. You—Oh! Are you okay?” Mandy's voice softened when she saw the distressed look on Tami's face.

“Just a bad dream,” Tami replied. “I'm fine, thank you.”

Mandy's brown eyes were clearly worried. “Are you sure?”

“Yes,” Tami said. “I'm fine, really.”

“Okay...” Mandy closed the door as she left.

Tami sighed. There it was again, the memory of that terrible night. It had been years, but that wasn't something you just let go of in the blink of an eye. Her whole village, gone in one night. And for what? Tami never learned what happened after that night, since she had stepped through a portal to Earth.

That's something Tami actually came to terms with. It's almost as though leaving her destroyed home world made things easier. She had a good life here, a good family... and sometimes she could convince herself it was all a dream.

Of course, Mandy wouldn't let her forget her heritage. Tami wasn't the first lost soul from Jiren she had helped, and she wouldn't be the last. It's as though the fantasy world had chosen her to help its residents adjust to Earth life, though why there were portals in the first place, she had no idea. She also didn't know if they worked both ways.

Tami hoped so. Every day she wished she could return to Jiren, if only for one person: Lila. Going through a portal was a one person thing. Lila couldn't have gone with her if she had tried. Tami often wondered if things could have gone differently...

“Hey, Tami, hurry up,” came her adoptive brother's voice. “I promised Paze I'd give him a ride, remember?”

“Yeah, coming,” Tami replied. She smiled as she prepared for school. At least she made some good friends almost right off the bat.

Ten minutes later, Tami bolted down the stairs, backpack flying behind her. With a smirk, she realized Zorn was still getting ready up in his room. She sat down at the table to get some cereal in before they left. She glanced at the clock; they should be fine on time.

Aubrey joined Tami at breakfast. She was two grades above Zorn, Tami, and Paze. This was her last year at Gregory West High School, and she was close to acceptance at several out-of-state universities.

“I like your hair blond,” Tami said.

“Thanks,” Aubrey replied. “Better than the brown?”

“Mmm, yeah. Just a little. Speaking of hair...” Zorn walked into the kitchen. Tami smiled. Ever since the “accident” that resulted in his blue hair, he always had some sort of blue in his hair. Today his hair was back to completely blue. If it weren't for dress codes, Tami was sure he would keep his hair blue all the time.

“Drop those smirks,” Zorn said. “This is for Halloween.”

Tami and Aubrey giggled.

“You ready to go?” he asked his sisters.

“Yup,” Tami said.

“You two go without me,” Aubrey said. “There's no way I want to be seen in the same car as the blue-haired freak.” She shared another laugh with Tami.

“You sure Mom will let you have the car?”

“Yeah, I already talked to her about it.”

“Okay, see you later. Tami, let's go.”

Tami got up to leave and waved to Aubrey. “See ya.”

“Bye, guys.”

Did you know? The idea of CoD started all the way back between June 19th and July 15th of 2007.