"A middle-aged man approached in a ringmasters type suit, it was worn down to the point where the colors were faded and the fabric seemed to be holding its breath. He had shaggy dusty-brown hair and a few major wrinkles, but his best facial feature...
" Hello?" I called out to no one. I walked down a long empty hallway, that seemed to stretch on for miles. Well, it wasn't entirely empty, along the walls were lockers with fuzzy numbers on them. No matter how hard I focused, I couldn't see what they said. Every once in a while I would pass the door or bulletin board covered in colorful paper.
That too I couldn't read.
It was like standing up too fast after a long nights slumber. When your site is so blurry that you start to see spots. Except the spots didn't go away
The Grandmaster always liked to tease me. During a few of his more memorable visits, he showed me what he called a memory. " Do you know where this is?" He asked pointing to a large gate decorated with colorful beasts.
" No," I smiled. Somehow he'd turned the small neighborhood into a strange fenced-off adventure.
"Hmm," He stared at me with his deep, blue-eyes, his expression that of concentration or question. He looked intrigued. " This," He said pointing once again to the giant gate, " is called a zoo."
Almost as if it was planned, a loud noise bounced and echoed around my eardrums, challenging me to face it.
"And that, was an elephant." He laughed, " Sounds a bit like a trumpet, don't you think?"
Yes, it did.
Here, in this hallway, I longed to hear the sound of an elephant. I longed to hear The Grandmaster laugh at me once again. It was a beautiful sound.
Maybe, this hallway was a memory too. Or so I hoped it was, because if this was a memory, then surely The Grandmaster was behind it.
I walked a little swifter through the hallway now, hope pushing through my veins, through every pulse, pushing me forward in every step. I found myself passing through strangely familiar doors. Once. Then twice. And before I knew it I was standing in front of these doors for the third time. There was something strange about these doors. They were gray with foggy checkerboard windows outlining the metal frame. They were double doors swung open to reveal more of the long hallway. The hallway that seemingly didn't end.
" Oh?" My voice whispered as I caught sight of what was different. The sign on the door wasn't blurry, it was two simple numbers and a bunch of white dots. I dragged my finger across the smooth surface, " 28..."
As soon as I said the words, like the key to a lock, a faint click echoed from a few feet away. If I could have brought my feet to move, I would have. But my eyes were too focused on the site before me, to even think of running or hiding.
Three boys made their way out of a room, around that my instincts told me, was called a gym. I wasn't sure how my instincts know a word that I did not, though now was not the time to ponder it.
The two taller, bigger, boys were pushing the smaller one. The younger boy looked familiar to me, however, I couldn't place his face. Maybe it was the lack of a tall black hat, or maybe I didn't recognize him at all.
Rất tiếc! Hình ảnh này không tuân theo hướng dẫn nội dung. Để tiếp tục đăng tải, vui lòng xóa hoặc tải lên một hình ảnh khác.
"You twerp!" The tallest boy called pushing the younger. " what d'you think you're doin?" The tallest boy had hair the shade of darkness, it was combed up in a large spike that balanced on his forehead. He had dark green eyes and an olive-toned complexion. Peering out behind him with someone I didn't know was there, little girl, about the age of 10. She looked almost exactly like the older boy, so I labeled them brother and sister.
" I j-just..." the youngest stammered. This boy seemed to defy all logic; he cowered from the older boys in fear, but something about him seemed to stand strong. This boy didn't look like a coward to me, in spite of the way he hid from the older boys. This boy wasn't a coward; he was unique, special.
So I labeled him Appellation, it was a word that The Grandmaster was quite fond of, I could never figure out why, but the word felt tall; strong. Appellation. Meaning name; title, strange yet powerful. Indifferent. Yes, that would be his name, Appellation, because no real name could truly describe this boy.
Brother laughed, it wasn't a funny laugh, It was a mocking laugh. It was evil.
The second, red-haired, boy laughed too. This boy was a follower. He looked like he would follow brother anywhere, do anything brother asked, just to avoid making the choice himself.
I labeled him Cat, after a memory, The Grandmaster showed me; of a tiny, furry creature that rattled when you pet it, and it was always following a little red dot.
" Stay away from her," Brother growled pointing a crooked finger at Appellation. And with that, he turned on his heel dragging sister with him. Sister resisted, looking back at Appellation with a sorry expression. She was apologizing to him.
Brother looked back, scowling at sister. He yanked her forward, but she held her ground, shaking her head. Her cheek stained by the one tear she shed.
I heard the sound before I saw brother's hand. A sharp pain etched at my cheek but it wasn't me he hit. Appellation ran forward, his face showing his determination. I was correct, Appellation wasn't one to back down. He was important.
He shoved his fist into brother's stomach, a low blow. Brother stumbled back his face turning many shades of the wrong color, the olive tone to his skin could hardly be seen amongst the green. Cat hesitated, being a follower, he looked unsure whether to fight back or help brother.
Another click, a man with greasy gray hair, and a suit that looks like it was tailored for someone much thinner than him, came forward. He looked at the scene before him, his eyes flickering between brother and Appellation. He didn't look surprised, he hardly even looked faced.
He pointed to Appellation, waving him into the room he just appeared from. The old man took one last look at Brother, sighed heavily, and turned back into the dark doorway.
Brother grabbed Sister and he stormed in my direction, Cat followed his face turned to the floor. I didn't think brother could see me; no one had ever paid attention to me or The Grandmaster when The Grandmaster would show me his memories, but he stormed in my direction. His face was red, his eyes burned through me like fire.
He didn't stop, he raged my way, undeterred; steadfast. " No no no!" I stepped back falling through the metal door frame. My eyes closed when I hit the ground, like a painful blink. When I opened them again, I was no longer in the hallway. I was staring up at The Sky, The Sky was streaked with red, deep, liquid, red.
Blood red.
Please be sure to vote and I hope you enjoyed Chapter 2!! Tell me in the comments, What do you think is going on? What has happened to the sky? Where was Anna?
