Yupp, I updated this again instead of NVA or Endangered. Come on though, it's a new story and those are always the ones that end up with the most inspiration. Y'all know how it is. Besides, I'll get this story up on it's feet and work on some other stuff. Right now though I need to study. I got a math and bio exam tomorrow. hfskhefrhairfhzwbfzwhruhzwshrf wish me luck.
VOTE & COMMENT(please?)
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The next morning you woke up easily. You had been sleeping on Bobby's couch, yet that felt like the best sleep you had gotten in years. Bobby was in his kitchen so when he heard you sit up he walked out towards you.
"I found out some- huh." Bobby paused as he studied your face.
"What?" You asked reaching up to brush your fingers against your nose.
Bobby handed you a mirror, "I guess this means what I translated was correct."
You looked at your reflection and your eyes widened a bit. The bruise around your nose and eye was completely gone. Even the small scar on your jawline that you had since you were a kid was missing.
"How did this...?"
Bobby grabbed a book off his desk, "It's that green stone on the necklace. It represents good health. The light blue one is speed, the maroon one is strength, and the black one is agility and stealth."
"So?"
"So that means when those parts of the necklace are activated, you get a bit of a skill boost in that area", Bobby said. He glanced down at the pages written in a foreign language, "It says that the necklace runs off pure emotion. These two symbols here mean negative and positive so I'm thinking if you're in a bad mood something happens and when you’re in a good mood something different happens."
"That's inspirational, Bobby."
"Bite me." Bobby growled, "How do you feel?"
"I feel good- better than good! This is the best I've felt in a long time."
"Well I hate to rain on your parade, but there's bad news too." He sighed, "Whenever that thing gets activated you get that skill boost, but it says if it's used to the extreme you'll die. According to Dean and Sam that means you'll die by explosion."
"Dean and Sam?" You questioned, "Who are they and how do they know?"
"They're the boys that picked up that piece of cursed jewelry and they watched it kill the last user. Like I said before, he exploded. The only thing we can't figure out is why it drew you in like you said. We assume the same thing happened to victim one but..."
You nodded as Bobby's voice trailed off. A glance to the side made you realize Madison would be late for school if you didn't leave now and you'd be late for work.
"Shit, we gotta go Bobby." You said rushing upstairs to wake her up.
Bobby yelled after you, "You should take the day off! Who knows what'll happen!"
You pushed Madison down the road trying to get her to walk faster so she wouldn't miss the bus.
"So Madison", You sighed. "I know you're upset about the house, but I'm going to be getting a new job soon and-
Madison let out a small cry startling you. She dug through the book she held in her arms and pulled out a folded piece of paper, "I need a pen [Name]!"
You stopped and pulled one out of your bag. Before you could hand it to her she shoved the paper into your hands. "What is this?"
"A field trip form! My class is going today!"
"Going where?" You glanced over the words and your eyes widened, "East Castle?!"
"Yeah!" She replied with a grin.
"Hell no, Madison!" You handed her the paper. Her face fell as quickly as it had formed into a smile.
"What? Why?"
"If you haven't noticed that's not the safest place to be for us right now. They think I'm your mom and at the moment I'm wanted. Plus, what if they find out we forged the papers saying that we're related?"
"My entire class is going [Name]! I'll be the only one that stays back!"
"I don't care. You are not going to that damn castle."
Her face morphed into one of anger, "This isn't fair! [Name]!"
"It's dangerous."
"For you! Not me! I'm not a criminal!"
It felt like a blow to your gut to hear her yell that at you. She glared at you with her young eyes. You returned the glare, "Madison. You are not going."
"You can't tell me what to do!"
"Oh I can't? Because I'm pretty sure I can." You replied with a sour tone, "As long as you live under my roof-"
"We don't have a roof anymore because of you! Our house is gone and so is all my stuff!" Her bottom lip quivered. You felt a stab in your chest and sighed.
"Madison, look, things are going to get better I promise." You said quietly, "But I can't let you...you can't go. I'm sorry."
"You never let me do anything." She turned away from you, "You're not my mom, [Name], or my big sister. You’re not my family, not really!"
You swallowed the lump that had formed in your throat and nodded, "Fine. You wanna go? Go!"
You snatched the paper from it and scribbled your messy signature on the line before shoving it back in her hands. You motioned her to go towards the bus that had shown up. Madison stuffed the paper in her book before swiftly storming away from you.
You stood there a moment later before taking a deep breath and pushing yourself down the street towards the factory. Guilt filled your body. It was your fault she didn't have a home. It was your fault that all her belonging had been destroyed of stolen. You clenched your fists and tried not to think as you walked down the street.
"I hate kids!" You yelled as you angrily threw another piece of armor down the line. "I can't do this! I can barely take care of myself let alone an eight year old! I hate this!"
Levi just let you rant as he worked. When he noticed that you had finished he glanced up at you, "You love Madison and she loves you. You guys are just having a little fight. It'll turn out fine. I would bet money that after school she'll hug you with tears in her eyes and apologize."
"Like I care. Little brat." You muttered. A part of you meant it, but the larger half wanted to punch yourself in the face.
"Bobby told me the news."
"What?" You asked half-heartedly. Levi sighed and hit the pause button. The entire line stopped for a minute. You looked at him in shock, "What are you doing? Start it up! We're gonna get fired."
"You plan on quitting anyways don't you? To join Boss and CONTROL. Are you out of your mind?"
You sighed, "Levi..."
"This is a stupid idea." Levi snapped, "One of the stupidest ideas you've had since you robbed that damn bank."
You frowned, "Don't you see the good that can come from this? I'm doing this for Madison, and for Bobby, and for you! I'll have money!"
"At what cost? Your life?"
"I'm not going to die! After work today I'm going to Boss and telling him I accept the job! Nothing you and Bobby say will stop me either!" You said. "I can get you a job in the city, Levi. A good job. Don't you see what this could do for us?"
"We're not done with this." He mumbled before hitting the button and quietly going back to work. Your mind was made up though. It was the moment you saw that mark on your house.
The two of you worked in silence as hours passed. It was around noon when an unfamiliar sound greeted your ears. It was a faint wail in the distance that was muffled by the concrete walls around you. The entire factory came to a standstill as everyone tried to recognize the noise. You glanced up at Levi at the same time he looked at you.
A look of recognition flashed across his features, "That's the siren."
"The siren?" Your eyes widened. You had heard it once before ten years ago which resulted in Ace and you hiding in an abandoned building for six hours. "An attack?"
Levi got up and grabbed your bag. He walked back over to you and slipped it over your shoulders. You cooperated as Levi grabbed your hand and began to pull you downstairs. Everyone was evacuating the factory, but it was calm. No pushing or yelling. Just people slowly walking out as a single siren blared eerily in the distance. Levi kept his pace fast, dragging you through the crowd. By time the two of you got to the edge of both the city and slums panic had increased as people rushed indoors.
"The rebels have invaded the streets."
The slums were quiet as people hid inside, but the noise of destruction could be heard in the distance. Explosions and yelling.
"Please stay indoors and remain calm."
The voice spouting instructions from the speakers blasting across the both the city and the slums was calm. Levi pushed you off the road. Your back was to a wall as Levi stood in front of you blocking you from view. You shifted to the side to see under his arm.
Heartless soldiers rushed down the road followed by General Nine, behind them on a flying vehicle of sorts. His blue hair flew in the wind along with his black cloak as he held tightly onto the black machine with the CONTROL symbol on the side. Behind him though was someone you had seen recently.
King Xemnas rode on a similar machine behind his general. He looked exactly like he did in the CR you went through. Despite 70 years passing since they took over the world he hadn't aged a day. He turned his head and locked eyes with you for a second. His eerie amber eyes looked over you with a feeling of nonchalance before he turned forward again. As he began to disappear from view you noticed a metal briefcase in his hand.
Levi glanced over his shoulder as another explosion rocked the ground, "I need to get you off the streets."
"That was Xemnas. He looks the same as he did 70 years ago, Levi."
"[Name], I really don't care about that right now." He said not looking at you. His hand was clenched around yours tightly as he continued dragging you down the street towards Bobby's house.
As you stepped onto the main road and caught sight of a blaring TV you stopped in your tracks pulling Levi towards you.
"Madison." You said in a chilled voice, your eyes not leaving the TV playing the news.
Levi licked his bottom lip, "She's fine. She's either at the school or at the castle. Both places are the most protected at the moment."
"No she's not." You said quietly. Levi stepped toward you before spinning around to look at the TV many people were gathered around.
It was showing a live video footage of the upper part of the city a few blocks from the castle. A bus was flipped on its side with all its windows busted out. You recognized that bus.
"Riots have broken out in the city as local gangs join in on the rebel attack."
You tore your hand from Levi's and broke out in a sprint toward the city and destruction. Levi called after you but got caught in a crowd so he couldn't follow.
All you could think about was her strawberry blonde hair covered in ash. Her blue eyes widened in fear. Madison in pain. The last time you saw he you fought and that destroyed you. You ripped your book bag off and threw it aside to run faster.
As you hit the city's main road your senses were thrown off guard. Ash filled the air along with screams. Buildings were caved in and cars were flipped over or on fire. Bodies were scattered on the ground of both the chitauri and humans. You tore down the road.
"Madison!" You screamed over the noise. A building a few blocks ahead exploded covering the area in more dust and ash. You ran down an alley trying to get towards where you knew the bus was crashed. As you stepped onto the next road you watched as two guys lit a pack of dynamite and threw it into a building window. You rushed forward to avoid it but the blast caught you and threw you across the street. You hit the ground and rolled.
When you glanced up you saw the two guys cheering. They weren't rebels. They were just idiot gang members. You jumped to your feet and began running again. You didn't feel a thing from that fall. Maybe it was the adrenaline, but you didn't care enough to stop and check.
A loud roar ripped through the air making you pause. In the distance where you could see the top of East Castle was a large green blur in the air. It fell towards the ground with a handful of chitauri.
You passed by a group of civilians trying to hide behind an overturned car. Up ahead you could see the bus on its side.
"Madison!" You screamed as loudly as you could, "Madison!"
A small hand stuck itself outside of the back door window. The green and white bracelet around the hand had you sprinting. You slid onto your knees at the back of the bus to see Madison lying on her chest with a bus seat pinning her down. Her hairline was bleeding but other than that she looked ok.
"Madison. Don't move." You slipped through the broken window. You could feel the glass pressing into your side and the warmth of blood, but you kept moving forward.
"I-I'm so sorry." Madison began to sob.
You tried to pull her out but she cried out in pain. Panic washed over you briefly before you grabbed the bottom of the seat and began to pull up.
"You have to crawl out, Madison!" You yelled holding the seat up. It was much lighter than you expected. You were even able to use your left hand to help her out while holding the seat with your right.
She slipped out of the back door and you let the seat drop. The only other students left on the bus weren't alive. You swallowed the lump in your throat and pulled yourself out of the bus. Madison tackled you in a hug sobbing into your shirt which was covered in your own blood along the waist. You picked her up and carried her off to the side of the road as a new group of chitauri turned the corner. The two of you his behind the half broken wall as you pried Madison off you so you could check her wounds.
"Madison, Madison, calm down." You urged as you brushed back her ash filled hair and checked the wound on her head. It wasn't too bad, just a lot of blood. "Shh I'm here kiddo."
You pulled her into a hug and breathed a sigh of relief.
"I'm so sorry [Name]", Madison shook her head as dirt stained tears dripped from her face, "I-I didn't mean it! I Iove you [Name], and you are my family! I'm so sorry."
You held onto her tighter, "It's ok. It's ok. I'm sorry too. It's ok now though."
A new sound greeted your ears. You peeked out to see a flash if blue light shoot straight through a chitauri soldier. A gold and maroon colored man shaped robot landed on the road and began to shoot down the aliens with a blue light from his hands. He cleared the area before flying back up into the air.
"We have to get out of here. Come here." You picked her up with ease and stepped out from your cover. You began to race down the street past the bus looking for the turn off that would take you back towards the slums. Halfway down the road Madison lifted her head.
"Stop!" She yelled bringing you to a halt.
"What?" You asked spinning around looking for danger. She crawled out of your arms and pointed towards a caved in building.
"Someone's in there!"
"Nobody is there. We have to go." You tried to pull her forward when she pulled you back.
"Listen!"
You paused and for a moment all you could hear was fighting and yelling in the distance. Then came the cry. A boy and a girl, and they sounded young.
"Somebody else will get them Madison. We have to go. I have to get you to safety." You explained with desperation.
Madison shook her head, "No! You have to save them, [Name]!"
"Madison!"
"You're the hero [Name]! You have to!" She cried. You were torn at the moment. It's not that you didn't want to help, but Madison was your priority. Finally you grabbed her and hid her behind a car a few feet away, "Stay here! Do NOT move."
You turned and rushed toward the building. The front was completely caved in. There was a small space between two slabs of concrete that you were able to squeeze through and military crawl into. The small space opened up to a small area where two kids were stuck since they couldn't reach up to the ledge you were on. You dropped down toward them creating a shooting pain in your ankle.
The boy was a few years older than Madison at the most with dark brown shaggy hair and dark blue eyes. The girl, who looked Madison's age, had the same shade of hair with bangs and a pink bow. Her eyes were brown. They both wore a school uniform.
The boy stood in front of the girl defensively.
"We gotta go." You said glancing around. Light flittered in from behind a large slab of concrete to the side. It was too small to fit through though. They didn't move.
"Look. My name is [Name] and I'm here to help you ok? We have to go though."
They look terrified and you were probably a bit scary covered in blood and dirt. You got to your knees, "Tell me your names."
The girl spoke up first, "Marlene."
"Denzel." The boy sighed.
"Marlene, Denzel, you can trust me ok? I'm going to get you out of here. I promise."
"How?" Denzel asked skeptically.
You walked over to the concrete slab to check it out since the ledge was not an option. As you tried to think the concrete ceiling above you began to crumble. You grabbed Denzel and Marlene and pulled them closer to you. Out of instinct you threw your arms up catching a thick slab of concrete before it could crush you three. It opened the space more allowing room to leave.
"Go! Get out!" You yelled. They struggled through the space and disappeared from sight. Your arms shook with the weight and a flash of Madison alone out there entered your mind. The maroon and the black colored lines flashed in your arms briefly before disappearing. Your eyes widened, but the result was more surprising. You threw the concrete up and dove out if the space created before the entire building collapsed in on itself again.
You stared at the building for a moment before scrambling to your feet. The exit had been located on the side if the building so now you were in an alleyway. You headed toward the mouth of the alley looking for a mop of blonde hair, but all you saw were Denzel and Marlene crouching by the car you left Madison at.
"Where's the girl that was here?" You asked them before spinning around, "Madison?!"
"No one was here." Marlene said. Gunshots in the distance made her flinch. You took a step away from them when you stopped and glanced at them. They huddled together at the tire of the car in fear. You couldn't leave them.
"Hey, follow me." You grabbed their hands and dragged them down the road swiftly. The road was mostly empty because it seemed the fight had been moved up a few blocks closer to East Castle. The three of you reached an intersection and you searched desperately for Madison.
"Tifa!" Marlene yelled and tore herself from your hand. You watched as both kids raced down the road to the left toward a small group of people. Most were students but there was one taller woman leading them. She had dark brown hair and wore an ensemble of black. The red ribbon on her arm notified you right away that she was AVALANCHE.
"Denzel! Marlene!" She cried and hit her knees to hug them both tightly. She glanced up and her dark brown eyes locked onto yours. You gave her a nod before turning on your heel. She cried after you, but you didn't have time to wait. You needed to find Madison, and fast.
As you jogged down the road looking at every possible place she could be hiding you noticed how quiet the street had become. There were no more explosions or gunfire. The screaming had ceased and an eerie silence had fallen over the destroyed city. You slowed to a walk as your breath caught in your throat. What if you couldn't find her?
"MADISON!" You yelled. Your voice echoed off the empty buildings and carried itself down the road. Ten more seconds of silence before your cry was answered.
"[Name]!" It was a soft cry and it was distant, but you could recognize that voice anywhere. You sprinted down the road towards a few blocks to the left pulling yourself further from East Castle. You ran out onto a new street and skidded to a stop.
A large group of people had been gathered under a building with the front windows blown out. Chitauri and Heartless soldiers guarded the area. Your eyes immediately narrowed in on Madison standing near the front. The people beside her pushed and rearranged themselves, but she never left your sight. Her blue eyes were filled with fear. You rushed forward at the same time that a chitauri soldier swung a glowing staff at you.
You dropped to your knees and slid under the staff then quickly jumped up and rolled over the back of another chitauri that tried to grab you around the waist.
Before you could try to push yourself through the line of heartless soldiers though a large axe type weapon swung out at you nearly taking your head off. Madison screamed as you fell onto your back to avoid the weapon. It was immediately brought back towards you again and pointed at your throat.
The wielder of this large black and red sword axe was General Five. He was easily the biggest of all the generals with strong features as well. He had a square chin, straight nose, and sharp cheekbones with small ginger eyebrows over his dark blue eyes that glared at you. His ginger hair was short and spiked in an odd, messy way.
Your eyes darted to the side where you caught sight of General Four with his long blonde hair and narrowed green eyes holding a large blue shield with sharp points. He stood in front of King Xemnas who glanced down at you from on top of his flying vehicle.
"A pesky rebel?" General Four scoffed, "Or worse a low life gang member?"
Xemnas slowly removed his gaze from you and let it settle on the group Madison was standing with. You swallowed the lump that had formed in your throat.
General Four smiled at you creepily.
"Kill her."
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A HERO
Madison watched the building. Her hands clenched the edge of her shirt nervously.
"Help!"
It was faint but it caught the eight year old's attention. She took a step toward it, but froze. You would be furious if she left this spot.
"Help!"
Madison ran down the road hoping to help whoever needed it and then get back before you even knew she was gone. Down the road was an older man lying in the road. His leg looked broken based on the angle it was pointed in and Madison gagged. The pained look on his face was something she'd never forget.
"I-I-I'm going to help you sir." She said with as strong of a voice as she could. Madison glanced around to see a group of people huddled inside a broken building, hiding. "Hey! I need your help!"
They didn't move, but instead stared at her. She gave the man a pat on the arm before running towards the group. They were jumpy and on edge, but the sight of Madison's angelic features, even covered in blood and ash, made them more comfortable.
"He needs our help!"
They didn't reply, but just stared at her. If they stepped out they could die. Who was this girl, and why did she care enough to risk her life for a stranger?
"Hey!" She roared in a child voice, "Get your ass out of the building and help me get him to safety!"
Two teens standing in the front jumped and ran out to pick up the man. Madison smiled triumphantly to herself. She could picture you saying those exact words if you were here. That's all Madison wanted to be after all. A hero, like you.
She knew that the last thing you would call yourself is a hero, but to this little girl that's who you were. She saw it in you when you would stop what you were doing to play a soccer game with the kids on the street to distract them from the abandonment they felt. She saw it in you when you gave her the last bit of food even though you were starving yourself. In every choice you made she saw goodness in the person you were trying to be. She saw a hero in you when you tucked her in at night.
Madison rushed away without a word leaving the small group speechless. She needed to get back or you would worry.
Her small body slammed into another as she turned the corner. The familiar roar of a chitauri barked at her. Madison let out a cry when it grabbed her and threw her into a mass of people being led down the road. Her heart stopped in fear as she scanned the area looking for you.
She just wanted to be a hero like you.