General Art Memory

[Raindrop14]

Hey guys, here it is.^^

Violence and mild language​

Memory​

Prologue​

It was dark in the room, not even the moon had any light to bring. She lay there sleeping soundly with a smile upon her face. Her smile quickly vanished as a shadowy figure quickly moved across the room. The figure slowly crept to the side of the bed, making sure not to awaken the sleeping girl. When it reached the bedside, its arms stretched out to her neck, with a dark pendant in its hands. The girl turned in her sleep and the figure pulled back its hands. When she was still the figure moved back into position. The figure slowly placed the pendant around her neck, trying not to awaken her. As soon as the pendant hung around her neck the figure vanished, leaving a cold chill in the room.

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I hope you liked that.^^ New chapters of The Sages Orbs and Memory will be coming soon.^^

 

[xmajorax]

Very good start, really sets up the story well. Writing seems good, with the exeption of some overused words.
I like it, I can't wait to see more!

 

[*M i d n a*]

Read that in like fifteen seconds. That was short, but at least you started writing on your story. Good going, I wonder why the figure placed that pendant on the girl? Is she chosen to do something? Is she the one who will vanquish something evil? Who knows, but I am sure this will be a good tale.

 

[theothernavi]

Short, but length doesn't matter, now does it? :yes::yes: Two thumbs up!

 

[Raindrop14]

Thanks for reading guys & gals.^^

Okay, here is part one of the first chapter.^^ I'll be getting on to The Sages Orbs soon so be expecting a chapter of that as well.

Chapter 1: A birthday to forget Part 1/2
2 days before that night​

The sun was shining in through the window of her bedroom. The bedroom was small but it had enough room for her things with some leftover space. She kept her room tidy and always put her things away when she was done with them. She was lying in her bed, awake but unmoving. She looked over at her clock and saw that it was six o’clock. She knew she had to get up for school, she just didn’t want to.

She then realized it was her birthday, and she might get it easy from the teachers and other students today because of that. She decided to take that risk and go to school. She got up out of bed and hurried for the bathroom. She came to a shut door as soon as she turned the corner.

Rats. She thought.

She went back to her room and got her clothes ready. Just then she heard someone taking a shower.

Now I’ll have to wait an hour! But we have to leave at seven fifteen!

She went to the bathroom door and knocked on it three times.

“Yes?” Replied her mother from within.

“Mom, we have to leave at seven fifteen so I won’t make it if I don’t get in first!”

“Oh, I’m sorry. I’ll be really quick okay? I’ll be out in ten.”

Her mother went back to singing in the shower and Kathrine went to her room to get everything else ready. She decided she might as well make the bed then, while she waits. She pulled the covers into place and straitened them out. She put her clean clothes on her bed and pulled out everything else she needed. Today was only a Friday so she won’t need her math book. She heard the shower stop and her mother was still singing. She looked over at the clock. Six thirty.

Looks like I’ll be going with wet hair.

She gathered up her clothes and waited outside the bathroom. Her mother soon came out wearing a bathrobe on and things in her hands.

“I’m sorry I took too long, will you get any hot water?” Her mother asked.

“That’s fine; I think I’ll be good if I’m really quick.”

Kathrine went inside the bathroom to take her shower. It was at least five minutes before she called out, “Cold!” A few minutes after that she came out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around her head to prevent her clothes from getting wet. She was saving these clothes for a long time, since the last time she went shopping with her mom, which was a month ago. She didn’t want to ruin them today. She walked in front of her mirror and looked into it. She took off the towel and wrapped it around her shoulders.

Maybe I can use the hair dryer if I have time. She thought.

She grabbed the brush off of the dresser next to her and started to comb her hair. Her hair was long, almost down to her waist, so it was hard to get those nasty tangles out. She managed though, just like every other day she did. She decided to do something special with her hair today, unlike other days when she just leaves it down. She wanted to put it up somehow, maybe a braid. Yes, she’ll do that. She got a ponytail from the top drawer in her dresser and used the comb to put it up. As soon as that was done she started braiding it.

I forgot to dry it with the hair dryer!

She was about to take the whole thing apart when her mother called out, “Time to go!”

She would have to go with wet hair after all. But it wasn’t so bad; she had it in a braid so no one would notice the wetness.
She grabbed her backpack with everything she needed in it and headed out the door. Her mother was waiting in the car for her, trying to get it started. She reached the car and opened the shotgun door and got in.

“You might be late if I can’t get this thing started now.” Her mother said.

“Its okay mom, it’ll give my hair time to dry.”

“Dry? You can’t go walking around in this weather with wet hair! You’ll catch a cold!”

“Mom its fine, I’ll be indoors the whole time. They don’t let the kids out in the snow because they don’t want mud and whatnot
tracked in. I’ll be fine. Besides, I’ve got a warn jacket and gloves and all, the snow won’t hurt me if I’m out there for just a few seconds.”

“Alright. Oh I got it! Alright, let’s go.”

Her mother took off being careful on the snowy roads. On their way they saw one accident. Kathrine was hoping that it was mister Bane, her history teacher. But she knew it wasn’t because he walks to school. They soon reached her school. She got out of the car when her mother stopped and waved good bye as she drove off. She looked at the school’s big doorway. Only a few kids were coming in. She looked at the sign that read, “Alpine High School”. She walked towards the big glass doors, a boy held open the door for her as she walked in.

“Thank you.” She said to the boy.

He just closed the door and hurried on his way. She didn’t see his face but his height made him look like he was a senior. She wiped her feet on the mat and walked through the halls to her first classroom. Her first class was History, she knew mister Bane would be there since there were no signs on the door. But when she walked in, the classroom was dark. The curtains had been closed, the lights were out and it looked like there was no one in there. She thought that maybe while he was walking someone slipped on the road and crashed into him. But if he wouldn’t make it the lights would still be on.
She was standing in the doorway of the classroom; she reached her hand to the light switch on the wall next to her on the left. She turned on the lights and it all came at her at once. Confetti, lights, the little noise maker things, and children yelling “Happy birthday!” She started to smile because she knew who had done this.

“Thank you so much guys! Who did this?”

“It was Serris, the sophomore. He came in and told us it was your birthday.” Said a boy.

“Well I’ll be sure to thank him then.”

“Now you may all go back to your seats. As a treat I’ll leave this mess here for the janitor so you won’t have to clean it up.” Said mister Bane.

There was a cheer from the kids after he said that.

“Okay, so today, we’ll learn more about World War one.”

There was a saddening noise from the kids now. Kathrine couldn’t help but laugh quietly at the sudden change of emotion from them. Kathrine didn’t mind American history so much; she was just more interested in other countries. As time pass though she learned to just deal with it because she would soon be done with it. An hour later the school bell rang and everyone got up. Mister Bane was saying a few last words as always, reminding the kids to come to class and all that. Kathrine followed the kids to the freshmen lockers. She found her locker, number 208. She punched in the combination and opened the locker. She put her backpack in there and pulled out her science book.

She walked through the halls looking for the freshmen science room. Today the sophomores would be joining them. She liked being able to be with Serris in classes. But since they were in different grades she couldn’t. She found the classroom and entered. She saw Serris sitting at a table in the middle. Today would also be a partnership thing so she wanted to be partnered up with him. Serris was frowning at her though and she wondered why. She walked over to the table and was about to sit down but another girl sat down.

“What do you want?” The girl asked.

“I want to sit down.” Kathrine replied.

“Well too bad freshmen, I’m sitting here.”

That girl is so rude! Kathrine thought.

“Can’t I sit next to Serris?”

“Why would Serris want to be partnered up with a freshmen?”

“Why wouldn’t Serris want to be partnered up with his girlfriend?”

That got her. She thought trying not to smile.

She stared at Kathrine blankly, and then she stared at Serris, then back at Kathrine.

“Why are you dating a freshmen?” She asked Serris.

“That my friend is none of your business.” Kathrine said.

“You can’t answer for him.”

“Yes she can.” Serris said.

“Now can I please sit here?” Kathrine asked.

“No, I got here first, this is my seat.”

“Fine.”

Kathrine went over to another table. At least she could sit next to Kesair, her best friend. She walked over to where Kesair was sitting and sat down next to her. Kesair smiled at her but then frowned.

“What’s with the frown?” Kathrine asked.

“You aren’t sitting next to Serris, what happened?”

“Oh, another girl is jealous and won’t move. It’s nothing. I’d rather sit next to you anyway.” Kathrine smiled.

Kesair smiled back at her. The teacher walked in just then and tapped a ruler on her desk. Everyone turned their attention to her. She looked at the class and smiled.

“Now, as some of you know, we have a birthday girl here. Kathrine, please stand up.” She said.

Kathrine stood up and everyone clapped for her. She smiled and sat back down. This was the teacher she liked, Miss Stella. She was nice, easy on the kids and fun to work with. Miss Stella started talking about the project that they were to do and showed them how to do it. This class was the longest on Fridays, it was a two hour class and most of the kids hated it. But Kathrine put up with it because it was the easiest. As soon as the bell rang everyone cleared out. Kathrine waited with Kesair for Serris to come. He reached the door but that girl was still with him.

“Come on Serris! We have to go to History.” This girl said.

“I want to say hello to Kathrine. You don’t have to wait for me you know.” Serris said.

“Why don’t you introduce me then?”

“Alright. Kathrine this is Clair, Clair this is Kathrine. Now go on Clair, I want to be with her for now. She is my girlfriend.”

Clair looked angry now. She stormed out of the room with her fists clenched. Kathrine and Sarris had only been dating for a month now. It all started when she was partnered up with him for science. It was her third science class since she started her freshmen year in high school. She didn’t know the schedule then, that they would have a sophomore and freshmen science class once a week. She was nervous about being with a sophomore in class since she thought she was immature and ignorant compared to him. Soon though, she learned not to be afraid since he was only a human being as well as her. He had been pairing up with her since. Occasionally he’d pair up with someone else but she soon figured out he liked her. He asked her out once, a week before they started dating, and she said no in fear that it was wrong to date an older boy. He asked her again though and that time she had gotten counsel from her mother, and she said yes. She knew at the time she liked him as well but she was afraid. Now they’ve been dating for a month and were happy with themselves.

“Kathrine, I’m sorry about Clair. I told her I was going to partner up with someone else but she’s so stubborn. I would have forced her to move had there been no one else around.” Serris said.

“It’s okay, I was glad I got to be partnered with Kesair. She’s my best friend after all and I need to spend time with her too.” Kathrine said smiling.

“Well, I better go to History before I get a bad grade for being late. See you at lunch.”

Serris walked down the hall to the history room. Kathrine and Kesair went to their language class room. They were both taking German. It was required that they learn a language so they decided to go with the easiest, since it’s the closest related to English. They entered the room and went to their seats. They weren’t late since their teacher wasn’t even here. There was some talking but when the principal walked in they were all silent. The principal wore a frown on her face and Kathrine wondered why.

“Children, I’m sorry but there is no German class today. Your teacher, mister Sunbeck was in an accident. I know you’ll all be glad that there is no class but mister Sunbeck might die from this. It was very bad; they told me he barely made it to the hospital. I’d like you all to come with me; we’ll be visiting mister Sunbeck in the hospital. We’ll take the bus there and wish him to get better. Then, with the rest of the time, you may do what you like.”

They followed the principal out of the classroom. They’d be going out the back way to the bus parking lot so Kathrine had to go the front to get her jacket. She told the principal that she’d be right back as she took off to the front of the building. She found her jacket hanging on the wall with the others. She grabbed it and put it on. She ran to the back of the building where she expected the others to be waiting. When she saw that they were gone she ran out the door and saw that Kesair was waiting outside the bus they were to leave in.

“Come on!” Kesair called.

Kathrine ran to the bus and hoped on with Kesair. They both walked down the aisle and sat in one of the seats. The hospital wasn’t too far away; in fact they could have walked. But Kathrine was glad for the ride since she was just running. They arrived at the hospital three minutes later and they all piled out of the bus. The principal led them inside and to the room where mister Sunbeck was. There was only five people allowed in at a time so Kathrine Kesair and three others were chosen to go first. Mister Sunbeck was laying in the hospital bed with bandages on him all over. He was asleep so he didn’t say anything. The nurse told them to be quiet so he could sleep. After they all signed the card that was on the little table by the bed they left the room to let the others in.

“I hope he’ll be okay.” Kesair said.

“He’s your uncle isn’t he?” Kathrine asked.

“No, he’s my dad’s friend. Sort of like an uncle but not really.”

“Ah. I hope he gets better too.”

As soon as the others were done they rode back to the school. They only had an hour left of the free time so Kesair and Kathrine decided to go to the cafeteria. They wanted to be first in line for lunch to get the good stuff instead of getting the bad stuff like always. Kesair and Kathrine played cards the whole time while waiting. Five minutes before the bell for lunch would ring they went to the front of the line.

“You can be the very first Kathrine since it’s your birthday.” Kesair said.

“Thanks.” Kathine said smiling.

The bell rang then and a few seconds later kids started to flood in. Kathrine started to walk in the line with her tray on the counter. Today was pizza Friday and as everyone knows, there usually isn’t any left after about twenty kids. Kathrine was glad that she’d finally get some pizza. She took one slice though; to make sure others get some as well. She got other good stuff and sat down at a table in the middle. Kesair followed her and sat down across from her.

“You’re about to cry. Or at least get a little teary eyed.” Kesair said.

“Why?” Kathrine asked.

“Just wait.”

A few minutes later when everyone was seated the principal walked in. The talking died down and the principal looked at Kathrine smiling.

“I know we don’t do this ever but someone requested it to be done. And she is one of my friends so I wanted to do this as well. It is someone’s birthday today and I’d like us all to sing happy birthday to Kathrine.”

Everyone started singing and the lights went out. Serris came in the room holding a small cake that had lit candles on it. He brought it over to Kathrine while everyone sang and after they were done singing she blew out the candles. Everyone clapped for her and the lights came back on.

“And we also have cake for the rest of you if you like.” The principal said.

Kathrine’s eyes turned red and she had a big smile on her face. She would have never thought that they’d allow this, ever. But she knew Serris made this happen. Serris sat down next to Kathrine with his tray of food and began to eat.

“Wow, thank you so much!” Kathrine said hugging Serris.

“It wasn’t me who did this.” Serris said.

Kathrine looked over at Kasair. Kasair sat there giggling a little.

“I knew you’d think it was him if he had that little surprise thing for you in class today.” Kesair said.

“Oh thank you so much Kesair!”

Kathrine got up and gave Kesair a big hug.

“I sort of hinted that it was me when I told you that you were about to get teary eyed.”

Kathrine sat back down next to Serris.

“Well thank you so much!” Kathrine said smiling.

“Don’t mention it.”

All three of them began to eat. The other students went to get cake from the line but Kathrine shared her cake with Kesair and Serris. She caught a glimpse of Clair looking evilly at her from another table. As soon as they were done they left the cafeteria and went to the front door where their jackets were.
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I know it was long but I hope you liked it.^^

 

[Myriadviper42]

Wow, this is really good. I liked it a lot, the length was great, and it's a good plot, even though we haven't gotten to the story yet. However, the ending didn't seem like an ending to me. Good job.

 

[blue-eyes]

Good job Raindrop. It's A nice start to the story.

 

[*M i d n a*]

Length shouldn't be a problem for readers, if you like to read then you should know that there will be times when the chapters are long or short, so just go with it. This is way better than your previous stories, really, I enjoyed reading it all. You took us for a trip alongside your main character. You basically went on to explain everything from the time she got up to the time she spent at school. (she even visited a teacher at the hospital) It was really good, with few mistakes I caught but that I won't point out. And I wonder what's gonna happen between Kathrine and that jealous girl. Anyway, your story reminded me of the times I lived at school when I was a freshmen. Cool stuff, keep it up.

 

[theothernavi]

Great chapter (and not just because my character came in)! Can't wait for the next one.

 

[Raindrop14]

Sorry for the long wait, I haven't had much time. But here is part two.^^

Chapter 1: A birthday to forget Part 2/2​

“Ahem.”

The three of them quickly turned around and saw the principal looking at them with her arms crossed.

“What do you think you’re doing?” She asked.

“We just wanted to go outside for a little fun.” Kathrine said smiling.

“Just because it’s your birthday doesn’t mean you can break the rules.”

“I know-”

“I will lock the doors until your parents come.”

She walked over to the door with her right hand in her pocket. She pulled out a small key, pushed it in the lock on one of the glass doors and turned it. She did the same with the other and put the key back where it had been before. The three children looked at each other disappointingly and hung up their coats.

“Class will begin soon so you may be there early.” The principal said walking away.

“Hey, we can hang out at my house after school. Just call your parents and my mom will pick us up.” Serris said with a happy
tone.

“I can’t. I have to go house for my birthday. But we could hang out at my house.” Kathrine said hopefully.

“Sure, I’d be good with that.”

Kathrine and Serris looked over at Kesair.

“Yeah, that’d be great.” Kesair said smiling.

“Good. So you two call your parents and tell them my mom will be taking us to my house.”

Kesair and Serris both pulled out their cell phones and dialed the numbers. They talked for a few short seconds and hung up. The bell rang then and they all walked off to their classrooms. This next class was Geography but Kesair wasn’t taking it with Kathrine so they both separated there. Kathrine walked into the sort of small classroom and took a seat. She had her book with her and was ready to take notes if the teacher asked. The teacher wasn’t there yet so the students were all talking as loud as they wanted.

The teacher soon walked in and everyone grew quiet. He looked at the children with a dull face, as always. Kathrine didn’t like this teacher; he was always by the book. He was also very boring. She wondered how his son, Ao Kyonthe, was able to live with him. Although, Ao was twenty-two so he should be moved out, or in college by now. Mister Kyonthe didn’t like Kathrine either, so maybe if she got to know this Ao guy she might get better grades in this class. But he’s seven years older than her, why would an adult want to hang out with a kid?

“Now we’ll start.” Mister Kyonthe said.

Everyone gave their undivided attention to him because they knew what would happen if they were dozing off or texting in class. Mister Kyonthe rambled on about the seven continents and the countries within. He doesn’t do much of the American country as other countries. At exactly one-thirty the bell rang. The students got up from their seats and headed out the door before they would die of boredom. As Kathrine was walking out she bumped into a tall man with a black trench coat on.

“I’m sorry.” The man said.

He had bumped into her so hard she had fallen to the ground. Her papers were spilled all about the floor and her book went flying under the teacher’s desk. He lent his hand to her and she took it.

“I should have been watching where I was going.”

“Ao, what happened?” Mister Kyonthe asked rushing over.

“It’s nothing mister Kyonthe, I just wasn’t looking where I was going.” Kathrine said.

“Ao, help her pick up her things.”

Mister Kyonthe went back to his desk and sorted a bunch of papers. Ao bent down and started picking up papers.

Ao? But that’s the name of his son? Unless…

Kathrine’s eyes were wide open. She stared at Ao as he picked up the fallen papers. She suddenly came to herself and started helping.

“So you’re mister Kyonthe’s son?” Kathrine asked trying to sound normal.

“Yup. How’d you know?”

“Well the way he knew your name and all.” She said almost losing her normality.

Ao started to laugh a little.

“What?”

“Nothing.”

The papers were all picked up and Ao had gotten the book from under the desk. It was a mess in her hands but she would manage until she got to her locker.

“Thank you for helping. And I’m sorry I bumped into you.” Kathrine said.

“No problem. And it wasn’t your fault; I was rushing in and not paying attention that’s all.”

Ao gave Kathrine a warm smile and Kathrine smiled back. She left the room and hurried to the lockers before she would be missed in her next class. When she reached the lockers she saw Kesair waiting for her by the two lockers that belonged to them. Kathrine quickly opened her locker and shoved her things in. She pushed on it with her hands so it wouldn’t fall down and quickly closed the locker.

“You’re going to have that spilling out on you on Monday.” Kesair said.

“I’ll give myself a note and see it on Monday so I know to be careful.”

They both hurried to the English classroom before the teacher would know they were late. They walked in the room but there was no sign of Mister Sanbell. They hurried to their seats while everyone was talking. The teacher walked in just then and everyone went quiet. He walked over to his desk and sat down.

“You remember where we were yesterday?” He asked.

“Yes mister Sanbell.” Everyone said in unison.

He began as he normally did, with his same boring tone that put everyone to sleep, and his same dull teaching. Kathrine was nodding off in class when the bell rang. She shot up and almost knocked the desk over. Kesair looked up at her with a little giggle. The teacher said his last words to the class as they hurried out. School was now over and they all wanted to go home. Kesair and Kathrine left the room and found Serris leaning against the wall smiling at them.

“Your class ended early. What happened?” Kathrine asked Serris.

“We had no class. Our teacher has the flu so the principal dismissed us. I saw you falling asleep in there.” He said teasingly.

“Well, my mom should be here any minute. Let’s go wait outside.”
They all walked through the halls to get to the front doors. They got there in a few seconds and pulled their coats off the racks.

“So what made you late?” Kesair asked Kathrine.

“Late for what?” Kathrine asked putting her coat on.

“Late for coming to get your English book.”

“Oh, I accidentally ran into the teacher’s son. My stuff was spilled everywhere and I had to pick it up. Nothing big.”
As soon as they had their coats on they rushed out the door. Kathrine’s mom was waiting in the car parked on the curb. Kathrine and the others ran to the car and got in.

“Thank you for letting us hang out miss Bason.” Kesair said.

Kathrine’s mother drove them to Kathrine’s house and dropped them off. They headed inside and took off their coats and boots. Kathrine led them to her room and let them put their stuff in there. They sat on her bed and were quiet. Kathrine’s dad came into the room then and gave them a warm welcome.

“Hey Kathrine! You didn’t tell me you’d have company.”

“Sorry dad, I guess we forgot. Well, this is Kesair, as you already know.” Kathrine said pointing to Kesair.

Kesair gave a little wave.

“And this is Serris.”

“Well I’ve met Kesair but not Serris!” He said with a big smile.

“Yeah, I was planning on introducing you but never got around to it. I told mom though.”

“Told mom what?”

“Well, that Serris and I are, oh you know, didn’t mom tell you?”

“No. What is it?”

“Well, Serris and I are dating.”

“Oh well that’s great! I’m happy for you. Listen, I’ve got to go bake the stuff now so you guys have fun!”
With that he walked off. Serris and Kesair looked at Kathrine.

“What?”

“You never told him?” Serris asked.

“No, I told my mom and I thought she’d tell him. I guess I was wrong. Is there anything wrong not telling him?”

“No, I just think it’s funny.”

All three of them started to laugh. But they didn’t want Kathrine’s father to suspect anything so they laughed quietly. Kathrine got up and turned on her radio that was on her dresser. She sat back on the bed and they listened to so Christmas music.

“So, what do you guys want to do?” Kathrine asked.

“I don’t know. Say, have you guys ever even kissed yet?” Kesair asked.

“Well actually, no. And why do you ask? When dating you don’t just go kissing in the first week.”Kathrine said.

“Just curious. Hey, why not have your first kiss now! I’ve wanted to see you guys kiss since I knew you were dating.” Kesair said smiling.

“Well, let’s play a board game.” Kathrine said.

Kathrine got up and went over to her closet; she opened it and pulled out a board game called “Clue”. She set it down on the ground and pulled off the lid. She pulled out the board and laid it down, then she pulled out the little game pieces and scattered them about the board.

“Oh I love this game!” Kesair said.

This might take her mind off of wanting to see us kiss. Kathrine thought.

Serris and Kesair sat by the board on the floor and Kathrine handed them the check off papers. Kesair grabbed the blue piece, Serris grabbed the yellow and Kathrine grabbed the red. Kathrine dealt the cards to each of them leaving three of each kind of card left. She put those in the envelope and placed the envelope in the center of the board. They each looked at their cards and checked off what they had. Kathrine began by rolling the die.

The first die read a two and the second read a three. She moved five spaces on the board, just three spaces away from the Lounge.

“You were hoping to get a suspicion weren’t you?” Kesair asked.

“Yeah. Well, so much for that.” Kathrine said.

They continued to play for about an hour. It was now four twenty. In the end of the game, ten minutes later, Kesair had won, and she had to put it away. She packed it up and placed it in the closet where Kathrine had told her. She sat back down on the floor with them and they were silent. The music was playing “Jingle bells” now.

“So what now?” Kesair asked leaning against the side of the bed.

“I don’t know. Maybe we could go see how my dad is doing with the cooking.” Kathrine said.

“Sounds good to me.” Serris said getting up.

The other two got up and the three of them walked out of the room and into the kitchen. They saw Kathrine’s dad pouring the cake batter into a cake pan.

“Hey dad, how’s it going?” Kathrine asked.

“Oh it’s going fine. I’ve just got to put this in the oven and the cake will be almost done.” He said with a smile.

“Oh good. Well, just wanted to see how it was going, bye.”

They left the kitchen and went back into the bedroom. The three of them sat down on the bed and pondered what to do next. It was two and a half hours before they would be eating. Kathrin got up then and went over to her dresser. She wrote something on her sticky note paper, tore the paper off and placed it on her mirror.

“What was that for?” Kesair asked.

“That is the note that will tell me to open my locker on Monday with caution.”

“Oh. Say, why don’t we play Monopoly? That’s a fun game.” Kesair said with a smile.

“I’m alright with that.” Kathrine said.

“Same here.” Serris said.

Kesair brought out the game and set it up. She gave each of them the proper amount of money and they rolled to see who went first. They played the game for the two and a half hours until they were told to come and eat. They left the game there and went to the table. They sat down on one side of the table and waited for their plates.

“Thank you very much for letting us celebrate her birthday with her.” Kesair said to both parents.

“Not a problem.” Miss Bason said smiling.

They were having a delicious spaghetti casserole, with lots of pepperonis. They ate their fill and now were waiting on the cake. It was a chocolate cake with chocolate frosting. Kathrine’s mother placed the cake in front of Kathrine and her dad lit the candles. Kesair turned out the lights and they began to sing Happy Birthday. She smiled at them as they sang, and when they were done, she blew out all the candles. They clapped for her and Kesair turned the lights back on. They all sat down and Miss Bason served the cake.

“This is really good cake mister Bason.” Kesair said.

“Well thank you.” He replied.

They ate the cake and Miss Bason cleaned up. Mister Bason went to get the presents. Kathrine smiled at Kesair and Serris, she knew what she was getting, but they didn’t. Mister Bason came out with a few wrapped boxes and placed them in front of Kathrine. She loked around and saw that the others were urging for her to open them. She tore off one piece to the smallest box and then ripped apart the rest of the wrapping. Underneath all the wrapping was a game. “Fiery Fortress” was what it was called. It was a game for the PC and she placed it to the side.

“Wow! I didn’t know you wanted something like that!” Kesair said.

“Well I guess you don’t know me that well eh?” Kathrine said.

She opened one of the larger ones and inside was a wooden box with drawers and a cabinet. She placed the little jewelry box aside and began on another one. It was the second to last one and inside was a handmade scarf. She pulled it out of its box and smiled at her mom. She knew her mother had made it.

“Thank you mom!”

Her mother smiled back at her. Kathrine opened the last one and inside was a CD. It was the soundtrack for the Harry Potter movies. She liked those movies, and even more the books. She placed that to the side and looked around at everyone.

“Thanks so much for coming, and thanks for the gifts and food mom and dad.” Kathrine said smiling at them.

“I don’t have your present now but I’ll have it on Monday.” Kesair said.

“Same here.” Serris said.

“Well that’s it. Do you guys want me to take you home?” Miss Bason asked looking at Serris and Kesair.

“Yes please.” They said at the same time.

Just then they heard a knock on the door.

“Now who could be knocking at this time?” Mister Bason asked.

He walked over to the door and opened it. Outside in the cold snowy weather stood a dark figure. It looked like a man, but Mister Bason couldn’t tell due to the dark cloak the figure wore. The figure held out a large box waiting for Mister Bason to grab it.

“Who are you? What do you want?” Mister Bason asked.

“I’m here to deliver a package for you.” The figure said in a dark tone.

“Why are you dressed like that?”

“It’s, uh, to be able to be seen by cars in the dark. It helps since there’s snow everywhere.”

“Oh, I see. Well, where do I sign?”

“Um, nowhere. Just, take the package. It’s free of charge.”

“Oh, well thank you.”

Mister Bason took the package and the figure ran away. Kathrine’s father closed the door and he took the package to the table. He placed it on the table and looked at it. Something was written on the package and Mister Bason looked at it. Written on the package was, ‘A gift to Kathrine, from unknown’.

“Well that’s odd.” Mister Bason said.

“What?” Miss Bason asked.

“It says, ‘A gift to Kathrine, from unknown’.”

“Hmm. Well Kathrine, why don’t you open it?”

“Um, from unknown? Don’t you think that’s a little dangerous?”

“No, I’m sure it’s from your uncle Rob but he doesn’t want you to know. He does that a lot you know.”

“Alright.”

She took the package and started to tear off the tape. She opened the box and pulled out what looked to be a stick wrapped in cloth. She pulled off the cloth and inside was a sword in a sheath. She stared at it wide eyed.

“What is that?” Miss Bason asked surprised.

“I believe your brother Rob is trying to make a joke.” Mister Bason said.

Kathrine pulled out something else and took off the cloth. It was a metal shield with a strange crest on it. The crest was of a silver bird looking up with outstretched wings. There were other sorts of things around the bird and the shield was a dark red. She placed it by the sword, which had the same sort of design on its sheath. She looked through the box once more but that was all there was.

“Honey, you can’t have these!” Miss Bason said.

“Now now, if your brother Rob gave them to her as a sort of joke thing, I think it’s alright for her to keep them. After all, she
won’t be killing anyone with them. They’ll hang on her wall for decoration.” Mister Bason said.

“Alright, but if they ever come down they are going straight to the dump!”

“Thanks for the gifts mom and dad. And mom, if Rob e-mails you anytime soon, tell him thanks.” Kathrine said with a smile.

“Alright, go put your things away.”

Kathrine, Serris and Kesair got up and put Kathrine’s things in her room. They still had to put the game they left out away, so that’s what they did. After they put it away they sat down on Kathrine’s bed. Kathrine held the sword and shield in her hands and stared down at them. She wondered why her uncle had bought her these things. She wasn’t like a pro fencer type of person or anything. She also wondered why he had picked such a weird design. She put them down on the floor and saw that Kesair and Serris were looking at her strangely.

“What?” She asked.

“Nothing. We just wanted to know why your uncle would get you a sword and shield!” Serris said.

“I have no idea why!”

“Shh, or your parent will hear us!” Kesair whispered.

“I have no idea why he would get me things like these. I really don’t!” Kathrine whispered.

“Well, we’d better find out then eh?” Serris whispered.

“Are you ready to go then?” Miss Bason asked.

They all turned to look at her standing there in the doorway. Serris and Kesair nodded their heads and stood up. Kathrine stood up as well and they walked to the front door. She said goodbye to her friends and they left with her mother. As soon as they were gone she turned around and saw her father looking at her.

“Don’t worry about your mom okay? I’ll handle her and you just go have fun with your things.” He said smiling.

“Thanks dad.” Kathrine said smiling.

She gave him a little hug and walked off to her room. She closed the door and sat down on her bed. The gifts from her uncle still lay on the floor. She picked them up and placed them in her closet. She didn’t want to see those things till they were hung up. She sat back down and looked out her window to her left. It was snowing out there and her window was all foggy. She made a little circle on the window to see through it. She saw a man through her window staring at her. The man was wearing all black, and a hood covered his face. He looked like he was the guy at the door with the package and Kathrine looked harder to be sure.

She heard a knock on her door then and jumped up. She went over to her door and opened it. Outside stood her father.

“You’d best go to sleep so your mother doesn’t scold you. I’d wait till morning, I’ll calm her tonight. Good night.”

“Night dad.”

She closed the door and went back to her window. The cloaked figure was gone. She closed her curtains and got her pajamas on. She lay down in her bed, covered up and fell asleep. The man in the cloak was standing by the window, looking sadly at the ground.

**************************************************

Hope you liked it.^^

 

[Myriadviper42]

Wow....interesting. Looks like the plot's moving along, though I'm still not sure where it's going.....:p Good job.

 

[*M i d n a*]

What's gonna happen now? I don't know, but looking forward to finding out on the next chapter. Anyway, good job, the story is moving along great, keep up the good work. ^^

On another note:

1. It was good to see Ao introduced. lol
2. I wonder whether he (Ao) will appear more in the story, if not, don't worry about it, he's actually 22 and the other characters younger than him.
3. I wonder who that cloaked figure is and why at the end he was sad.
4. I had a feeling the presents were not from her uncle, but then I read this: She gave him a little hug and walked off to her room. She closed the door and sat down on her bed. The gifts from her uncle still lay on the floor and got discouraged that I withered those thoughts away.
5. The story is getting exciting.

--Edit-- I never have played Clue before, but I did play Monopoly lots of times, I love that game. ^^

 

[Raindrop14]

Atsuma, don't worry, Ao will be in the story more.^^

Sorry for the long wait, here is chapter two.^^

Chapter 2: Following the footprints​

It was very cloudy today, the snow was falling heavily. Kathrine had made a snowman outside two days ago but it was completely buried in snow now. She still lay there sleeping in her bed, all curled up. It was nine o’clock now. Usually on Saturdays she slept in. She heard her alarm go off and jolted up right away. She reached over to it and turned it off.

She got up out of bed and checked outside of her room to see if the bathroom was open. It was. She ran to the bathroom thinking her mom would bolt in there any second. She made it in, and then remembered her mom doesn’t wake up until nine thirty on Saturdays. When she was done she went into her
room and got dressed. She left her hair down as she always did, unless it was a special occasion.

She went out of her room and into the kitchen. She saw the dirty dishes still there from last night in the sink. She walked over to the cabinet above the stove and opened it. Inside were some cereal boxes. She pulled out a box and opened the cabinet next to the cereal one. She pulled down a bowl and poured the cereal into it. She put the box away and went to the fridge, grabbed the milk and poured it in her bowl. She put the milk away and grabbed a spoon from the drawer below the bowl cabinet.

She went over to the table, sat down and began eating. She finished her cereal in a few short minutes and put her empty bowl in the sink. She went back to her room and sat down on her bed.

I wonder who that man was. She thought recalling what she saw last night.

She got up and looked out her window again. There was no one there, but she did see freshly made footprints. She thought they were from last night, but then she noticed the snow was coming down pretty hard. Those were mad every recently. Her eyes opened wide and she ran out of her room. She bolted to the front door and pulled her coat off the rack. She quickly pulled her boots on and left out the door. She ran to where she had seen the footprints. It looked like they lead to her backyard. She was very puzzled at that and walked to her backyard gate. She had a key to the gate; it was luckily in her coat pocket. She pulled it out and put it in the gate lock. She turned the key and opened the door.

She looked down at the ground and saw the footprints lead to her shed. She put the key back in her pocket and walked over to her shed. She noticed it was partly open. She cautiously pushed the door. It creaked open and she saw darkness inside. She knew there was a flashlight on the wall near the door. She decided to quickly grab it before whatever was in there could get her. She reached for it and got it. She pulled it off its hanger and jumped back, fearing that whatever was in there would sense her presence and decide to jump out and get her. She flicked the switch of the flashlight and pointed it in the shed.

There was just the old shovel, rake, lawn mower and other outdoor supplies. She let out a sigh of relief and flicked off the flashlight. She hung it back on its hanger and closed the shed doors. She walked back to the front of the house and walked to the front porch. She turned around and looked back at the footprints.

Well, if there was no one in the shed, then whose footprints were those? She thought.

Her eyes widened. She quickly ran inside realizing the danger she could have been in. She pulled off her boots, struggled with getting off her coat and ran to her parent’s bedroom. She saw that they weren’t in bed and was glad for that; she would feel terrible if she woke them up. She ran to the kitchen and saw her dad fixing himself a bowl of cereal.

“Dad, you have to come look! Hurry before they disappear!” She said rushing over to him.

“Look at what?”

“I saw footprints leading to our shed! And the door was open!”

“Show me.”

He started to walk to the front door before she stopped him.

“Well actually, I closed the door when I found it, so now it’s closed, and my footprints are all over as well. But I did see it!”

“Honey, I can’t take your word for it if you don’t have proof. Has anything been stolen?”

“I don’t know! I have no idea what was and is in there!”

“Alright, I’ll go check to see if there is anything stolen.”

He walked over to his boots by the front door and pulled them on, at the same time, Kathrine frantically pulled her’s on. She struggled to get her coat back on as her dad just quickly slipped his on. He opened the door and Kathrine decided to go without a coat. She followed him to the shed in the back and they both stopped, looking at the open shed.

“See! I closed it when I left but it’s back open!”

“Well I’ll go see if there is anything stolen.”

He walked over to the open shed and pushed the door all the way open. He reached for the flashlight that hung on the wall where Kathrine had left it and turned it on. He pointed it inside the shed and saw nothing but what had been there for years. He checked everything to see if anything was stolen but everything was still there. He turned off the light, hung it up and closed the door. He turned around and looked at Kathrine.

“So was anything stolen?” She asked.

“No. Kathrine, why did you lie to me? I know you’re a good kid and you don’t lie, you never have. Why now?”

“I didn’t lie dad! I swear that it was open earlier and I had closed it!”

“Maybe it’s that boyfriend of yours that’s making you lie.”

“No dad, it’s not him. Please, just believe me. You told me just now that I’ve never lied, why would I lie now and about something like this?”

He stood there thinking. Then he said, “Alright, so maybe someone just wanted to spook us. I’ll lock this up and we can stop worrying.”

He reached in his pocket and pulled out a key. He pushed it in the keyhole on the shed door and turned it. He pulled it out and placed it back in his pocket. Kathrine walked with her dad back to the front porch and they went inside. They took off their boots and her father hung up his jacket. Her father went back to his cereal and started to eat. A few minutes later Kathrine’s mom walked out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around her head.

“I see your back now.” She said. “What was all the fuss I heard outside?”

“Well we almost caught a thief but instead it was a prank.” Kathrine’s father said.

“Oh. Well, I’ll be out in a minute.”

She walked into her bedroom and closed the door. Kathrine went to her room and sat down on her bed. She looked over at the closet and saw the sword poking out of the closet. She walked over to it and pushed it back in. She sat back down on her bed and thought about the shed.

I did close it. I remember closing it. Who could have opened it? She thought looking at her window.

She walked over to her window and looked outside. It had stopped snowing and the footprints were still visible. She wanted to follow where they had come from, but her dad might suspect something. She’ll have to sneak out without her parents knowing. She closed her door so her parents couldn’t discover her plans. She looked at the window and wondered if she could get out that way.

No, too loud. She thought.

She looked around to see if there was any other way out. None, unless she broke a hole in the wall. She’d have to go out the front door or the back. She picked the front because that’s where her gear is and the floor around the back door is creaky. She waited five minutes for her parents to finish their breakfast and go somewhere else. When she heard her father go down the stairs she left her room. Her mom was sitting on the couch putting her shoes on.

“Oh, Kathrine, I was just about to go in your room and ask you something.” Her mother said.

“Yes mom?”

“Do you want to go shopping? After all, I’m sure you want some new sweaters for this winter.”

“Um, no mom, I’m fine.”

“But you had been begging me for sweaters since November.”

“Yeah but, I’ve got plans with Kesair.”

“Oh. Doing what?”

“Well, were going to the mall.”

“Oh, well we can go together, I’m going there as well.”

“Alright, um, let me go call Kesair.”

She went back into her room and picked up her phone from her dresser. She dialed in the number she knew to be Kesair’s number. She waited for Kesair to pick up the phone. After five rings Kesair answered.

“Hello?” Kesair asked.

“Hey Kesair. Do you want to go to the mall?” Kathrine whispered.

“Um, sure. Is your mom giving us a ride?”

“Yeah, actually she’s going with us. Do you mind?”

“No I don’t. Your mom is very fun.”

“Okay, get ready and we’ll be there in a minute.”

“Okay, bye.”

“Bye.”

She hung up and put her phone in her pants pocket. She looked around in her drawers for her wallet. She found it in the top drawer. She left her room and went to the living room where her mother was putting on her coat. Kathrine grabbed her own coat and put it no as well as her boots.

“So, let’s go pick her up. Oh, by the way, I’d like to stop by some place before we go pick her up.”

“Oh, and where is that?”

“Um, I’ll tell you when to turn.”

“Okay then.”

They left the house and went to the car. Kathrine sat in the middle to the left. Her mother started the car and they drove down the street. Kathrine looked out the window at the footprints and waited for them to turn off. They turned off to the left and she told her mom to go left. They followed the footprints along the busy road until they went left. They kept following the footprints until they came to her school. She saw them lead into the school.

“Is this where you wanted to go?” Kathrine’s mother asked.

“Yeah, um, can we stop? I just wanted to get something I left here.”

“Is the school even open?”

“The teachers are having a conference today, it’ll be open.”

Her mother stopped the car and Kathrine got out. She walked to the doors but saw that the footprints didn’t lead into the school, they just lead to the door and then back to the sidewalk. Kathrine looked around to see what the person might have been doing. The school looked just the way it was when she was here yesterday. She walked back to the car and got in.

“Honey, you didn’t even go in.”

“Oh, I had just remembered, I already have what I thought I forgot. Um, now I need to go somewhere else. So, keep going until I tell you to turn.”

Her mother drove and Kathrine told her to turn when the footprints turned. As they drove Kathrine noticed there were two sets of footprints now. She was very puzzled at that. She dismissed that though because all she wanted to do is find the culprit. They drove for ten minutes and found themselves at the mall. The footprints lead into the mall and Kathrine wanted to get out of the car, but her mom drove off.

“What are you doing mom? I need to go in there.”

“Honey, we can go in there when we pick up your friend.”

Oh, but what if the culprit is gone by the time we get back? She thought.

She would be patient though and hope that the culprit was still there. When they picked up Kesair they went back to the mall. Kathrine was eager to find out who had been pulling that joke on them. They got out of the car and walked to the front doors. Kathrine looked around at the floor to see if the prints were gone. She saw that the footprints did not lead out of the store. She gave a sigh of relief and went in. She thought about other people’s footprints getting mixed up with the culprits and worried about that.

No, the culprit’s footprints look different from other people’s footprints. I know how to tell the difference. She thought.

She wondered how she would find the culprit if there were no footprints in the store. Then she thought about the size of the footprints. She would look at people’s feet to see if they would fit with the image in her mind. Everyone they passed by in the store she looked at their feet. She would act as normal as she could when Kesair, her mom and her were doing something. But she wanted so badly to find that culprit. After an hour she gave up and thought they were long gone. She hung out with her mom and Kesair like normal and stopped looking like a psycho by looking at people’s feet. After a long time they went to the checkout of the last store and checked out. They were leaving when Kathrine accidentally bumped into someone.

“Oh I’m so sorry.” She said to the person.

Kathrine had been looking into one of her bags to see if she got a receipt and hadn’t been looking where she was going. Although Kathrine’s bags had fallen on the floor she felt as though the person had done nothing. Just like when she ran into Ao.

“No, it’s my fault, I was running to get to my friend, I shouldn’t have run into you like that.” The person said.

Kathrine looked to see who it was. It was a girl who looked to be nineteen. She was wearing a black short black skirt with a white rim, a no sleeved white skirt with a black tie, long black boots that go to just below where the skirt ends, long black sleeve like things that start at just below the shoulder and end at the fingertips and her silver hair reached the floor. She also had a tattoo on her left shoulder, it looked like numbers.

Kathrine bent down and picked up her things. While she was picking them up she noticed the girl’s feet. They looked like they would fit in one of the footprints that she was following.

So her friend was pulling the prank. She thought.

Kathrine found the receipt she was looking for. She got up after she had picked her things up and smiled at the girl.

“Actually, thank you, you helped me find the receipt I was looking for.” Kathrine said.

“Oh, well than your welcome.” The girl smiled at Kathrine.

The girl walked away to a man wearing black. Kathrine thought the man looked familiar but couldn’t place him. She left with her mom and Kesair and they went to the car. When they got in Kathrine noticed the girl she had run into was walking with the guy to the car next to the car Kathirne was in. She looked outside to see the footprints and the footprints matched the footprints she was following. Her eyes opened wide and she realized something.

Maybe, they’re like weird stalkers!

Her mom drove away and she noticed the people were watching them drive away. She calmed herself down, she didn’t want Kesair and her mom asking question she couldn’t answer. She was sitting in one of the middle seats next to Kesair. Kesair was looking to see what she had and Kathrine decided to do the same.

When they arrived at Kathrine’s house they went in and took off their coats and boots. Kathrine and Kesair went to Kathrien’s room and Kathrine closed the door. They both sat down on Kathrine’s bed.

“Kesair, a weird thing happened today.” Kathrine said.

“What?”

“I went outside and found some footprints. I decided to follow them and they lead to our shed out back. I saw that the shed door was open and no one was inside so I closed the door. I went back inside and told my dad and wen went out to investigate. The door was open again and he thought I was lying about the whole thing. Then we came to the conclusion that someone was pranking us.”

“Okay, how is this weird?”

“Well, before we picked you up I followed the footprints. They lead to school and then there were two sets of footprints. Those lead to the mall. During our shopping I looked at people’s feet to see who the pranker was. After an hour I gave up but when I ran into that girl I saw her feet, they looked perfect for the smaller set of feet I was following.”

“People can wear the same kind of shoes you know.” Kesair said.

“Yeah, but when we went to our car the people were following us, I looked at the ground and their footprints matched the prints of the ones I was following.” Kathrine explained.

“So you think people are stalking you.”

“Yes.”

“Have you ever met these people?”

“No. But that guy did seem very familiar. The night of my birthday, I saw a man in all black outside my window. He looked like the guy in the mall today, but I can’t tell. The man in the mall didn’t have his face covered.”

“Well, what do you want me to do about it?” Kesair asked.

“I just want you to believe me because my parents won’t.”

“Okay, I believe you. You are my friend after all.”

“Thanks.” Kathrine said smiling.

The sword in her closet was sticking out again. She walked over to it and pushed it in. This time she closed the closet door to make sure it wouldn’t poke out. She sat back down and they both sat there thinking of what to do now. Kesair got up and pulled out the Monopoly game from the closet Kathrine had just closed. She put it on the floor and set up the board. Kathrine sat down on the floor with her and they started playing.

**************************************************

Hope you guys liked it.^^

 

[*M i d n a*]

Okay, I read it, and yes, it was great, definitely worth reading. ^^

Hm, so that's what happened, huh? I believe that the stalkers are looking for the sword, if not that, then something else that was suppose to be in the shed. Could it even be that the sword is trying to let Kathrine know something? It keeps poking out of the closet. And it's good to know Ao will continue to appear. Good job, Rainy, the story is looking great, you put a lot of effort in it, I can easily see that. And you keep building plenty of tension for future chapters, way to go.

 

[Myriadviper42]

Good work. Interesting, not sure who those two 'stalkers' were, but I know you won't tell me, so I suppose I'll have to wait.