This Girl Is A Delinquent!, Vol. 2

Chapter 14: Best Laid Summer Plans

Rays of sunlight brought an inescapable heat from the overbearingly bright sun overhead. Unsure of how far he had traveled, a young man wrapped in tattered cloth avoided looking up towards the source of his dismay. With each step he felt the hot sand beneath his feet compress ever so slightly to compensate for his weight. Although, at this point, his frail frame made it feel as if he might cease to leave footprints. The extended trail of prints behind him told a different story and extended far beyond his field of vision. How long had he been stumbling forward and what could he possibly be looking for, he wondered. The answers he sought were far removed from his mind and he continued to trudge along mindlessly.

An unknowable amount of time passed, yet the sun remained stationary in spite of his efforts to keep his pace. As feelings of hopelessness began to set in, a thunderous sound reverberated across the boundless desert, bringing tremors across the shifting sands. The sound sounded like something solid slamming shut and was familiar enough to tantalize his mind. Where had he heard this sound before, he thought while lamenting the fog that filled his mind. As if in response to his struggling cognition, the grains of sand underfoot began to shake violently. Without warning, the young man felt his legs become swallowed by the ground as he was slowly engulfed by the lands that had relentlessly tormented him.

This situation would have been readily accepted as an alternative to his timeless journey across the arid wasteland, however, the remaining memory of the sound had shaken something loose within him. Strengthening his resolve, he knew that he had to survive. Even if he didn't understand, the burning in his head made him reach outward towards the sun. The formless light that had only offered him curses watched mockingly as the dry winds moved more sand across the ground. As the harsh breeze brushed against his arm, the young man felt no pain. Instead, he watched in horror as the cloth that was wrapped around him danced in the air and his arm gently joined the wind as a stream of sand.

Flashes of light filled his vision as he felt the rest of his body succumb and flutter away as sand and returned to the desert surrounding him. Had this always been his fate, and what did it all mean, his thoughts screamed in his head. Just as his frame began to lose form, a faint voice tried to reach him. It was quiet, but he was sure that he had heard it and began thrashing against his fate in an attempt to find the source. The movement proved to be too much and his body collapsed into the ground and sent his head careening towards the same destination. Yet as the world spun around him, the voice echoed once more and quickly gained volume.

"Big Brooother!"

The whimsical sound of Lyra's voice shocked Ken awake as his vision was filled with the familiar face of his pouting sister. Kneeling next to his bed, the girl was visibly annoyed as Ken scrambled to a seated position and increased the distance between them.

"W-what are you doing here! Jeez, Lyra!"

Narrowing her eyes, Lyra stood and leered over him uncomfortably before cracking a sinister grin.

"Were you having a dirty dream!?"

The atmosphere crumbled as Ken shook his head in anger and forcefully threw a pillow into her face.

"Ow! Ow! What did I do!?"

"You know good and well what you've done. Get out! How did you get in here, anyway!"

Raising his voice, Ken reached for the notebook that was exposed when he threw the pillow and began to chronicle the pieces of his dream that he could recall.

"Oh! It was one of those spooky dreams! And you should know that a little sister can't be stopped by a simple door."

Rubbing her nose after taking the blow to her face, Lyra instantly bounced back to her usual energy. After giving a cryptic answer, Ken gripped his notebook and eyed the girl suspiciously as he spoke.