Vibrant Eyes

Chapter 2 - New Member

"Alana? Hey, Alana!" I snapped out of my trance.

"What's up with you today? you've been spacing out a lot lately," said Dakota as she placed a hand on my shoulder, to which I moved away. "I'm fine..." I stated, standing up and dusting myself off. I walked to the door of the cafeteria,

"I'm heading home early," I said, walking away. "But we were supposed to study!"

Dakota called after me, but I paid no attention to it. I just wanted to leave and never come back.

I wandered to my usual spot in the forest, sitting on a cliff with my legs dangling down. I felt the wind through my hair. "This feels nice... I needed a day to myself." I said, slightly smiling at the birds above me. "They're so free..." I laid back, feeling my back hit the grass. I sighed in relaxation, slowly shutting my eyes. I woke up with a start, hearing an explosion in the distance. I got up and looked in that direction. "What was that?" I wondered. I looked a little closer, seeing smoke. I ran towards the smoke to get a closer look.

I hid in the bushes, trying to see what was going on. My eyes widened.

"Wh-what do you want from me!?" Dakota said with tears in her eyes. The figure before her smiled. "Don't worry... it's going to be quick and painless." They said, getting closer to her and pulling out a sword. "STAY AWAY FROM ME!" She yelled. The figure rushed at her. "NO!" I yelled and before I knew it, my legs moved without warning, charging at the enemy. I pulled out my knife, which extended into a sword, and deflected his sword, sending it flying. The figure stopped in its tracks. "Alana?" Dakota said shakily.

I gripped the handle tightly. "Back up," I said to the figure. The figure laughed slightly, walking forward. "I'm warning you." I gripped it harder, ready to strike. But the figure stopped. To my surprise, they backed up. They smiled.

"We will meet again soon." Their voice was soft and deep, sending chills down my spine. Suddenly, they disappeared into the smoke. 'What was that...?' I thought. "Alana?" I gasped and turned around to look at Dakota. I retracted my blade and put it back in my pocket. I reached out my hand. "I'm sorry. Come on." She grabbed my hand hesitantly and I took her away from the smoke, taking her back to my place.

We walked around in silence, taking short breaks here and there until we finally, reached a cabin. "What is this place...?" Dakota asked shakily. "Home," I responded, letting go of her hand and opening the door. She gasped, hesitantly walking inside. I sighed, following her and shutting the door. I went over to the couch and sat down with a sigh. Dakota froze and looked around. "Come here, sit down," I told her, to which she did so. She faced me as I got up and grabbed a glass of water, handing it to her. "Thanks." She responded. I nodded, sitting down.

"I should explain what's going on... shouldn't I?" I asked her, to which she nodded.

"Please?" she asked, I sighed.

"I've been living here ever since I came back from that... 'excursion'," I stated, looking over at her. to my surprise, she was quite engaged.

"I don't know who attacked you, and I don't know why the hell I saved you," I said, looking away from her. "I just... needed to." She looked at me with sincere eyes, something I wasn't used to. "You've been living here all alone?" I nodded. She smiled. "Well, if you want, you can come live with me and my family..." I cut her off. "No." she stopped in her tracks. "What do you mean?" She asked.

"What do you think no means?" I said sharply, to which she jumped slightly at the sudden change in tone.

"W-well, it would be better to live with someone who can take care of you..." I stood up abruptly, facing her.

"I don't need your sympathy, ok? I don't need you to take care of me. I'm doing just fine on my own." I stated.

"But you aren't!" she stood up too, facing me.

"You've been living out here by yourself, with no friends or family to comfort you!" She grabbed my shoulders, to which I jumped.

"Please, come live with me. That way you'll be looked after." I shoved her off me. "SHUT UP!" The air went still like a lion about to pounce on a grazing elk.

"YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT I'VE BEEN THROUGH!" I yelled. Dakota backed up. "Alana..." I stopped her. "Leave." Her eyes went wide. "Wh-what?" she stuttered.

"I said leave. I won't ask again." I pointed to the door. "There's the door." A tear ran down Dakota's face as she walked to the door. "I'm always here, Alana," she said last thing before she left, closing the door behind her.

I stood there, looking down at the ground. My eyes swelled up with tears, falling to the ground beneath me. My body trembled.

"You're the same... they're all the same. Every one of them," I sat on the ground, my arms shaking with every breath. "She doesn't deserve you." a voice was heard in the distance. My eyes widened. "What...?" I looked around. "Who said that?" I said, keeping my ears and eyes open for any sign of movement. Suddenly, the same figure that attacked Dakota appeared in front of me. I pulled out my knife.

"I wouldn't do that if I was you." They said, taking off their hood and mask, revealing a teen boy with white hair and red eyes. I stood there.

"Is what you look like supposed to stop me from slicing your neck open...?" I said, slightly confused. The boy smiled. "Not necessarily. But if it does, I'm in luck."

He said.

I sighed. "If anything, it makes me want to do it even more." He gasped dramatically. "Ouch, that one hurt." He smiled.

"Look, I meant to say that she doesn't deserve you." My ears perked up.

"What do you mean?" I asked. He grinned.

"First I should introduce myself. My name is Aether." He said with a bow.

"I work for an organization known as Bloodborne." I tilted my head slightly, putting my knife away. His smile was genuine, which made me feel safe and secure for some reason. "You want to get revenge on the people who have wronged you, yes?" he asked. I stood there in silence, contemplating what he just asked me. 'do I want to?' 'Is that what I want?' I looked down at the ground for a while, before looking up at him. I nodded.

Aether clapped his hands together. "Great! Well, Bloodborne can help." He held out his hand to me. "Are you in...?" I looked down at his hand, then back at him.

'Once I do this, there's no going back.' I thought to myself. I grabbed his hand and shook it. "I'm in." Aether's smile grew bigger. "That's awesome!" He let go of my hand, rubbing the back of his head. "I honestly thought you were gonna refuse," I smiled slightly. "Really?" He nodded. "You were contemplating it a lot there," He said, walking to the kitchen, to which I followed. We sat there talking for what felt like hours.

"So that's about it!" Aether said, putting his glass of water in the sink. I sighed. "So, how many people are in this 'organization'," I said, putting my glass in the sink as well. "Hm... let me think." Aether used his fingers to count, while I stood there with a glare. "Ya done?" I asked. He smiled.

"Yup. There are about 12 members including me and the boss." Aether walked out of the kitchen and to the front door.

"Well, I best be leaving. Don't want to keep master waiting," He said with a bright smile. I couldn't help but smile as well. "Alright. When will I see you again?" I asked. "Soon, very soon." He said, walking out of my door with a wave. I waved back and shut the door. I looked down at the floor, realizing what had just happened. "What did I just do?" I said, covering my face with my hands.

I walked to my room, got changed into my singlet top and pants, and flopped on top of my bed. "Tomorrow's another day," I said, burying my face into my pillow and drifting off to sleep.

"Just another day..."