So this isn't too confusing I'll let you in on a secret :D
This doesn't follow either Blaze or Alaria...
Just for anyone this is a trigger warning, this chapter does reference a little bit of verbal abuse, so please this is a warning and I'm sorry in advance.
Enjoy the chapter.
- Brax Xx
Friarridge:
First, we must realise that today is no ordinary day, it's a day of magic and mystery... the day of the 'Glowing'. The 'Glowing' is the day when the 16-year-old residents in town find out if they are to become a dragon rider or whether they will live their lives here in Friarridge without.
"Larkin get your f*cking ass downstairs. NOW!" A deep voice can be heard streets away. Lark a girl of 16 who will participate in the 'Glowing' today scurries downstairs as fast as a frightened hare to see what her adoptive father wants. Larkin or Lark for short has long flame-red hair which covers her sharp features and gorgeous ice blue almost white eyes, she's small in height and has lightly tanned skin.
The warm weather in Friarridge means many people are scuttling around the village centre, the warmth soaks into the house through the open windows. "Sorry Abe, I was getting ready for the 'Glowing' ceremony." Lark quickly curtsies before watching Abe carefully.
"Let's go b*tch. I want the best spot and you're not stopping that from happening, especially since you won't be getting to go to the academy. You're a worthless piece of sh*t that nobody wants." Abe scowls at the young girl who just looks down before following him out the door. He never used to be this cruel, he was a loving father but since her adoptive mum's passing, he's unpredictable and violent.
A dark chocolate brown carriage with red highlights pulls up to their house. Lark lives a lonely isolated life apart from when she is with her best friend Azima, Azima also happens to be her next-door neighbour, well more so the house opposite hers on the other side of the road but shhh. Zim for short is who Lark spends all her time with, together they explore the forest and work at the stables near the edge of town. It's their dream to go to the academy together but it may not happen with Abe around.
The carriage pulls away from the house and Lark stares sullenly out the window, she knows that in a short time she will be away from Abe for hours and spending time with her best friend which she's glad about but in this current moment, she's sitting beside someone who resents her existence. Zim and her have been best friends for longer than they can remember, when Lark's adoptive mother was alive they used to spend a lot of time at Zim's family's house. After the passing of Sara, Abe treated Lark horribly. Swearing and threatening her left and right, the two were never close but after years of this Lark is never around, always staying at Zim's or coming home late and leaving early so she doesn't have to be around him.
Only 10 minutes later the carriage arrives at the ceremony. A group of kids Lark's age are huddled over to the side with some Dragon Guards, Dragon guards are respected and defend the villages against intruders from foot or dragon back.
"See you after the event." Lark throws herself out of the parked carriage before Abe can threaten her and she sprints away towards the group of 16-year-olds. Standing on the edge of the crowd is Zim, her pure black hair and slanted grey eyes tell everyone she isn't from around here. She's a gentle soul but is feisty if and when required. Zim is slightly taller than Lark but still on the shorter side. The two girls hug and make their way over to the large group of teens, the amount of toxicity radiating off the group is huge. In town, there are the main cliques and each doesn't get along with the next, Lark and Zim don't particularly fit into any. Nobody holds any grudges against them, and they don't join any groups.
The smoldering sun beams down on everyone causing many to sweat, Lark has never minded the heat however, on the contrary actually, she has always preferred it over ice and snow. When the sun glares down on Lark her red hair glows in the blazing sun like a rampaging wildfire.
After a long hour of standing around chatting with the other sixteen years olds the ceremony begins.
"Please, quiet down." A husky commanding voice speaks from the stage to the groups left. "The 'Glowing' ceremony is to be respected and no interruptions are allowed. One by one the 16-year-olds will come up to this bowl and cut a slim line on their hands. Their blood will then drip into this bowl and if they are a dragon rider the blood will turn into a galaxy of gold and silver then a face will be shown. This face will be your Isalor, your most trusted friend. The blood will then disappear and the cut will heal, if you are a rider please then come forward and the Isalor will repeat the ceremony and either be a dragonless Isalor or the rare occurrence of an Isalor with a dragon. Any questions?"
No one speaks up so a muscular female rider steps up to stand beside the male rider, "I am Miss Gravelia and this is Mr. Tavil and our dragons' Sulfate and Hemplale." She gestures to the two dragons behind her in turn.
Miss Gravelia gestures for the first kid to walk up, his blood stays red and disappears then his hand heals and he heads off stage. This continues for about an hour before Zim is called up on stage. Turning around she nervously smiles at Lark before walking on stage. With Lark's reassurance she takes the knife in her right hand and slices her left palm. Her crimson red blood falls down her left hand and drips a few times into the large bowl in front of her, the blood ripples and smoothes out. Everyone watches to see what's going to happen, so far this is the most that the blood has done. It swirls around in the bowl before settling down again, the blood quickly drains and Zim's hand knits together healing. Her shocked face looks over at Lark who is unsure what to say.
"This girl appears to be an Isalor, we will wait until her rider is found." Mr. Tavil glares at the crowd before gesturing for Zim to stand to the side to watch from the stage.
Next up Lark walks up onto the stage, Zim crosses her fingers and watches Lark, hope glittering in her grey eyes. Lark carefully studies the blade before her eyes flicker to her hand and up at Zim, her head bobs encouraging Lark to continue. Lark breathes in and holds her breathe before quickly slicing her hand, she flinches at the sting of the air on the cut before turning her hand over to drip her precious crimson blood into the bowl. She watches as her blood drips into the bowl a few times covering the bottom before pulling it away and watching the bowl again. She hopes that she is the rider, she won't be able to continue living with Abe without Zim there with her. The entire town is watching her blood, it shimmers a few times before glowing gold and silver. The blood sparkles in the hot sun and quickly begins to swirl around to reveal a face. The slanted silver eyes and black hair represent Zim perfectly. The two girls jump up and down with excitement. Neither can believe their luck, Lark is finally leaving the cruel adoptive father after years of enduring his wrath.
"It seems we have a rider and her Isalor!" Miss Gravelia smiles warmly at the girls, "Please move to the side next to Mr. Tavil and wait until the end of the ceremony."
The ceremony continues but Lark can't pay attention, instead, she's making a mental list of what she will be needing to take with her. Over by the edge of the stage, the riders' dragons are sitting watching to see who will be the next riders. Sulphate is Miss Gravelia's dragon, she is yellow coloured with shimmery silver scales intertwined throughout her body. The huge beast has coal-black eyes and is smaller than Hemplale by about half. This makes it seem as though she is probably more agile and a faster flyer however isn't as physically strong. Hemplale on the other hand is a massive brute, his dark grey scales gleam in the sun and he stands tall about the height of a 2 story building. The brute's eyes are blue like the night sky, he's watching Lark closely as though identifying whether she and Zim are threats. Hemplale could easily carry 5 people while Sulphate could carry about 3. Their huge heads swing taking in every sudden movement but their gazes keep returning to Lark and Zim, the two girls stand on stage with huge smiles. Lark is lucky to get away from Abe and have her best friend there with her.
o-o
About half an hour later a boy's name gets called; Thalium. He has cropped shoulder-length blonde hair and a wide friendly stance. Thalium is handsome but part of the middle-class crowd so Lark and Zim haven't had much to do with him over the years.
He walks up to the large bowl and slits his hand without flinching, the girls watch as he drips a few drops of his blood into the bowl. The blood swirls around and shimmers, the colour turning to the magical silver and gold mix. He looks at the crowd who all stare open-mouthed at this revelation, everyone looks back down, watching, waiting. An image begins to appear and a boy's face appears in the blood. The handsome young man looks up at the line and calls out to Kalan. Lark watches and notices movement in the line, upon closer inspection she realises who it is. Kalan is who Lark has had a massive crush on all through school, he is kind-hearted and stands up to bullies. Everyone adores Kalan but she'd never seen Thalium before.
"You know who Thalium is?" Zim whispers into Lark's ear. She shakes her head saying no.
Kalan swaggers up on stage and slits his hand, dripping his blood into the bowl. The process is quick, his blood swirls and shimmers the same as Zim's did. He is an Isolar but not rider. The two boys go and stand beside Lark and Zim and look at the rest of the line, only about 40 left.
"How do you guys know each other? I've never seen you around the school before, Thalium." Lark turns to Kalan and nods kindly at Thalium.
"My cousin... we've been close over the years." Kalan smiles at Lark gently, "You're a rider, that's sweet."
Lark smiles in return and blushes, Zim swoops in saving the day like she does when they are around Kalan. "Isalor buddies!" Zim's fist pumps Kalan, "Nice to meet you Thalium, I'm Azima but everyone calls me Zim and this is Larkin she goes by Lark though." Both girls smile and Thalium smiles sweetly before turning back to the ceremony. He seems quiet and down to earth someone who doesn't talk much.
Another long hour passes until there are no teens left, only two riders were found and two Isalors. It's the expected amount, usually, no more than 4 pairs are found however usually there are none or only one pair.
"Family of the students up the front please stay behind for information and everyone else please leave in an orderly fashion." Mr. Tavil orders all the townsfolk. Miss Gravelia gracefully moves over to the four conquests and congratulates them.
'Well done on this... or I guess congrats?" Miss Gravelia laughs, her laugh quiet and infectious which causes the four teens to laugh too. "Please call me Harley, what are your names? Sorry I'm terrible with them." She shrugs nonchalantly and levels her gaze on the four of us.
"Thalium and this is my cousin and Isalor Kalan." Thalium explains and turns to the two girls.
"I'm Larkin, but please call me Lark no one calls me Larkin. This here," She gestures at Zim, "is my absolute bestie Azima."
"Pleasure to meet you Harley also, call me Zim." Zim smiles pleasantly at Harley before turning to watch the parade of bystanders leave.
"Zim! Lark! We are so proud of you both, come give me a hug!" Zim's mum Mindy calls to both Lark and Zim. The two girls race over and squeeze her. Mindy has been the closest thing to a mum to Lark since her mum passed away, she taught Lark about periods and partners, and she held her when she wept after her first break-up. Lark and Zim have grown up like sisters, their mums were close which allowed the two girls to hang out often growing up.
"I can't believe you won sweetie!" Abe strolls over to Lark and looks at her with fake kindness. Lark's hesitance brings Zim out of her confusion and she butts in saving Lark.
"It's amazing, isn't it! She's a rider!" Zim beams at Abe forcing him to hide his disgust, everyone watches to see his reaction as the others have all gone quiet. A flash of what appears to be realisation crosses his face.
"You are leaving for the Academy soon! This is amazing." A large satanic smile stretches across Abe's dull pig-like face after this detail settles in his mind. The entire group watches Abe, concerned by his word choices.
"Well, I think we will be leaving sooner than we thought." Harley glances at Mr. Tavil and something passes between the two of them, "We leave in 3 days." Lark releases a breath she didn't know she was holding and turns to Zim who looks just as excited, seemingly already brushing off the odd transaction of words between Lark and Abe. However Lark still can remember the times only weeks prior from Abe and how he's acted all high and mighty, like a chauvinistic pig.
"Here's a list of everything you will be needing to bring with you." Harley hands each of the 'Glowees' as she calls them, a slip of paper with a neatly written list.
"Cool cakes! Let's go pack, Zim..." Lark gestures with her eyes that she doesn't want to be around Abe any longer.
"We will see you at home a little later Mum and Dad," Zim calls over her shoulder to her parents while speed-walking away with Lark already meters away up ahead. Kalan, Thalium, Harley, and Mr. Tavil all glance between Abe and the two girls before turning to Thalium and Kalan's families.
After 20 minutes of getting all the required information, the rest of the group disassemble and leave going about their days. Meanwhile, Lark and Zim are at Abe's house packing all Lark's belongings, the Academy goes for 3 years or more depending on if you choose to take a degree after. Therefore Lark will no longer be living here in the tiny room in the attic of Abe's house...
After her mum passed away Abe transferred all of her stuff up into the tiny attic and turned her room into a mancave. Her old room was coloured in an autumn scheme with large windows with a view of her backyard pool but now her room has cobwebs hanging from the roof with a singular small circular dusty window, and creaky old wooden planks to walk on. She was living the dream with her adoptive mother until she passed then Abe started using all their money, wasting it on beer and spending his free time at the local brothel. A few times he even brought home a girl no older than Lark herself, he never got over the passing of his wife and he took it out on Lark. That was until Mindy noticed and they got involved, now he just verbally abuses her and treats her with zero respect.
"Ok what to pack, we need to be quick so we are outta here before Abe comes home." Zim shudders thinking of Abe and grabs out Lark's rucksack and trunk. The two girls pull out all of Lark's clothes from the dingy cupboard and neatly pack them into the trunk followed by her few weapons and pictures of her mum. In Lark's rucksack, the two girls packed some sanitary items, a notebook and pens, her pocket knife, and some snacks. Together Zim and Lark carry the trunk downstairs and out the front door just as Abe's carriage pulls up, the horsemen opens his door for him and he steps out. Dressed in an ugly suit with a beer in his hand he walks past the horsemen and slaps him hard across the chest making the poor man stubble and almost fall over. Lark shoots him an apologetic look before shifting her eyes back onto Abe, his snatchy hands fly out to touch Lark but she steps to the side still watching the big brute who she's lived with all her life but just out of reach.
"Come 'ere girl, it's our last few days together." Abe raises a suggestive eyebrow and winks at Lark, she scowls stalking away from him.
"I'm staying at Zim's! SO. FUCKING. LEAVE. ME. THE. FUCK. ALONE." With a hate-filled glare, she shoves past the gross pig and drags her trunk along with her.
"NO!" Abe roars in protest at Lark's turned back. "You 'ill NOT go there, we are 'aving a daddy-daughter night." He smirks upon saying, daddy daughter.
Lark stops walking and her posture turns rigid at the inference, she slowly and deliberately turns to face Abe. Her icy eyes flash gold in the bright sun, causing the aggressive Abe to take an unwilling step back.
"I am never, and I mean never setting foot in this house ever again with you here. I don't give a f*ck what you want, I never have nor will I ever. So shut up and don't even think about touching me! FYI just because Sara died doesn't mean you have any freaking right to do what you do all day, and take advantage of innocent girls." Lark snaps, she's been stopping herself all her life but now, she's finally free. Her enraged rant caused her eyes to turn golden, the scared sh*tless face Abe is pulling was worth the small overflow of anger from Lark. Zim watches from the sidelines and as soon as the rant is over she walks forwards clapping, the bystanders join in, and Lark glares at Abe with no shame. Noticing the applause is in encouragement to Lark, Abe scuttles inside with his tail between his legs and slams the door shut without even glancing back. His beer long forgotten in pieces on the footpath.
"Come on, you're free!" An excited Zim drags Lark's trunk across the dirt road dodging horse poo in the process finally reaching her house. She swings open the door and flies inside with Lark on her heels. Together the pair flop down on Zim's bed and stay like that for a while just soaking in the fact Lark just gave Abe a piece of her mind.
o-o
An hour of laying on Zim's bed later the girls begin to pack Zim's stuff, grabbing clothes, pictures, and other mementos for the journey. They pack some extra snacks and sanitary products too because when a girls hungry, she hungry.
"Girls? You in there?" Mindy calls from the hallway stress laced in her willowy voice.
"Yeah mum, we're here," Zim responds with caution while looking at Lark, Lark just shrugs her shoulders casually. "You can come in!"
"Lark! Zim! Oh, my gods girls! I heard what happened with Abe, I'm so proud of you Lark." Mindy rushes over and envelops Lark in a motherly hug. "You can stay here for the next few days, we can buy any of the extras you need to take with you." Mindy gives her a warm smile and gets up brushing invisible speaks of dust from her blouse.
The three women pack up Zim's cluttered room into a trunk and backpack only taking necessities. Whenever Lark stays over at Mindy's she just ends up sharing a bed with Zim, the two girls usually fall asleep in a pile on Zim's bed reading together.
"Dinner!" Zim's dad Bruce calls out from downstairs in the kitchen. The two girls hop up and skid downstairs quickly for dinner, Bruce was an excellent cook and always let the two girls test new recipes he created.
"What's for dinner tonight?" Zim asked while Lark sat silently smelling the air to guess.
"Wait... wait... I think I know..." Lark gingerly sniffs the air again, "Beef and potato stew with homemade rosemary bread?" She appears proud of herself and what she's guessed.
"As per usual you are correct except..." Bruce challenges the two girls.
"Except what?" Lark glances around the kitchen trying to figure out the mystery of what she missed.
"Except you forgot to add garlic, it's homemade rosemary garlic bread." Mindy walks out from the pantry where she was grabbing the bowls.
"Mmm, our favourite." Zim dreamily stares into the distance.
Lark enjoyed spending time here, at the Gregoravich's, they always welcomed her with open arms even when they were put into a difficult position for whatever reason.
o-o
I hope you all enjoyed this chapter... It follows 2 different people which I thought added to the story what about you?
What do you think of Lark and Zim, also Kalan and Thalium???
Is there any ships happening yet ;D
- Love ya,
Brax Xx