| Home is Where the Heart is. |
 |
| Alaina wakes up to the sound of an infant crying. She sits up in her seat on the nearly empty Grey- hound, wondering to herself how long it will take before they send someone to look for her. Perhaps her foster parents won't miss her--after all, they always told her she didn't belong there anyway. This is the fourth time she has run away... and this is the furthest she has traveled to be free of them. As the bus pulls into the station, she reads the welcome sign, "Avalon." Well, this is as good a place as any. Plus, it's the end of the line and she's out of money. As she steps off the bus, the sweet smell of honeysuckle and freshly-baked bread fills the air, and for once in her life, she suddenly feels like she belongs. Avalon, of all places. Perhaps fate has stepped in, or maybe it is just giving her a gentle push. Lost in thought, she begins walking with no worry about where she will end up. The sound of a horn pierces the air as she realizes suddenly that she has stepped into the road. Before she can react, a hand clasps the back of her shirt and pulls her to the safety of the curb. She pauses for a moment to tell the driver what she thinks of them before she realizes that her rescuer is walking away. Catching merely a glimpse of the woman, she follows her, full of questions. "How'd you do that? It's like you knew I was in danger! Are you some kind of witch? I'm a witch! See what I can do?" She begins to glamour the image of a rose growing from her palm, but before it can get farther then a tiny seedling, the woman turns around and slaps Alaina's hands together, breaking the image. "We don't do that in public!" She says sternly. "So your are a witch! COOL! I've never met another witch before! What can you do?" The woman turns to the teen. "Take one step to the left." As she says this, a tree branch suddenlly falls at the exact spot where Alaina had been standing. "I see things," said the woman. "My name is Gwen. It's nice to meet you, Alaina." "How'd you do that!?" She exclaims as she once agian falls into step beside Gwen. Gwen turns to her with a grin. "Its going to be hard to get rid of you isn't it?" At the expected "yep," Gwen says "very well" and shows Alaina to her home. Meanwhile, Brodrick, a well-known street punk, rolls himself out of bed. He looks around at his dark, cramped, and rather messy apartment. He shrugs at the thought of cleaning. "I'll get it tomorrow." He picks up a bottle from the floor and takes a drink of it while walking into the bathroom. He hears gunshots in the background, but he shows no reaction to it. His shaggy brown hair falls in front of his soft blue eyes. Quickly he pushes it back behind his ear, pausing to look at himself in the mirror. As he steps away, the mirror begins to frost up, but he doesn't see. He begins to leave and ties a yellow bandana around his head. "Another wonderful f***ing day." He slams his front door and a piece of ceiling tile falls to the floor. In the basement of an older home in town: A young man stands with long black hair that falls to his back. Blue streaks fill his black mane. His eyes are a shade of grey. He stands there with a staff, and the woman in front of him is unarmed. They look at each other. "Are you sure you wish to continue?" the woman says, taunting him. "I would hate to hurt you again." "Shut up and take your best shot," he replies. He charges towards her. She opens her palm to him. A stream of water shoots from her hand and hits him with such force that it throws him across the room and slams him against the wall, leaving an imprint of his body behind. "Ouch! Damn! That hurt," he says, out of breath. "You told me to do it." She helps him up, her silky black hair falling over her shoulder. "Perhaps next time I'll take it easy on you." She smirks at him. "You, take it easy?" he says questioningly. "I didn't think you could do that." Across town at the park a young girl sits on a bench watching the people as they pass her. Her long white hair and emerald eyes can be seen from a mile away. She is enjoying the light summer breeze as a shadow passes over her. She turns her head to see a man looming over her shoulder. His hair is as white as hers but his skin is like stone. The long trenchcoat he wears barely touches the ground. His eyes are cold, and his very presence gives her a chill. "Excuse me." She stands and walks away. His emotionless stare follows her. She occasionally looks back at him to catch him glaring at her as if she were prey. "Creepy," she says to herself. Without looking, she steps into someone. "I'm sorry," she says to the young man. "It's okay," Brodrick replies. His eyes meet with hers for a minute and he is filled with curiousity. "Are you all right?" he asks her. "You see that guy over there?" She shrugs her shoulder towards the creepy stranger. "I think he's watching me. He came up behind me while I was sitting there and he hasn't stopped staring at me since," she tells him as she shudders. "Want me to get rid of him for you?" He looks deep into her eyes uncontrollably. "No, that's all right. It's just a little unnerving, that's all." She begins to walk away. He steps up beside her. "Can I walk you home?" "I'd like that." She nods her head. They walk out of the park heading towards the center of town. "My name's Ellie," she says to him softly. "I'm Brodrick," he replies. "So you live here alone?" Alaina asks. "I have for the last six months. It's nice to have a place to myself." Gwen says as she enters the kitchen where Alaina is sitting at the bar. "Do you want to see somthing?" Gwen opens the counter underneath the bar, and pulls a book from the cabinet. "This is my book of shadows. It's been passed down from generation to generation in my family. My grandmother gave it to me." She sets it on the counter infront of Alaina, opening it to the first page. "Read it." "To all of thee, who speak these words. To hear our maiden cry. Beware now the curse of three. Or by it you may die." Alaina looks at Gwen, confused. "What does that mean?" "It means, be careful with your magic. Whatever magic you put out into the world comes back times three. Thus the curse of Three." Gwen goes to close her book as the pages begin to move themselves. "Does your book always do that?" Alaina says questioningly. "Only when it has something to say." Gwen turns the book towards her and reads the passage. "On this day, the last shall rise. Watch for the signs to fill the skies. One of seven, the last to be born. This the spirit blesses with its turn." Gwen takes a second look at the page. "What the hell?" "Would you like something to drink?" Ellie offers to Brodrick. "Yes, thank you." Brodrick looks around at the obviously Catholic home. "So your family is religious, huh?" "What? Oh, yeah, my dad is. He's a deacon," she says to him as she hands him a soda. "I see." He goes to take the can from her as he notices frost growing up the side of it. Ellie quickly drops it, scared. "Are you a witch?" Brodrick asks. The can bursts when it hits the ground, revealing half-frozen slush where the soda should be. Ellie looks at Brodrick. "What's wrong with me?" "What do you mean? That was cool. Pardon the pun. But do you know what you just did? You froze something with your hands. How did you do that?" he says, excited. Page 1 Next Page Home Page |