Emily

“You should just tell the teacher!”

My friend Maya was lecturing me again. “You shouldn’t have to give her your work. It’s just not fair!”

Maya was always very protective of me and was always telling me to stand up for myself.

“Well my life’s not fair. And I can’t tell anyone, it would just make my life even worse,” I said dejectedly while I finished the last few lines in my sketch.

I’d only known Maya since the beginning of our freshman year of high school, but we had become pretty close the past three years. Even so, she didn’t know the reason I didn’t stand up to the bullying and I could never let her find out. I didn’t want her to look at me like I was a monster since she’s the only person I can really call a friend.

Maya sighed sadly. “I just wish you didn’t have to deal with this stuff is all.”

I chuckled halfheartedly. “You and me both.”

We sat in silence for a few moments, working on our art.

Then Maya said, “Hey, have you started thinking about what colleges you’re gonna apply to next year?”

I was grateful for the change in topic. I sat up straighter in my seat. “I’ve thought of a few, but honestly I’m probably aiming too high.” I said a bit bashfully.

“Are you kidding? You’re super smart. I’m telling you, you can get into any college you want,” she responded enthusiastically. Then she went on a rant, listing out all the reasons a fancy college would be lucky to have me, saying that I shouldn’t sell myself short. I was grateful for her constant faith in me.

We lost track of time, laughing and talking and then the club president announced the end of the club meeting. Maya and I packed up our things and left the classroom to walk towards the school’s main entrance.

When we got to the front of the school we said goodbye.

“See you tomorrow, Em,” Maya said, waving as she walked away.

“Yeah, see you,” I responded, giving a quick wave goodbye. I turned away before she got to the far corner of the block, and then I started to walk back home. The sun was still pretty high in the sky as I walked through my neighborhood. It would start setting later and later as the season changed to summer.

…

The walk was peaceful until I turned the corner of a block and heard what could only be described as a hissing noise from somewhere close by. It was a horrible scratching sound, and it seemed as though it was coming from behind me. I turned to look, but nothing was there.

I started to get nervous. Is it someone's pet? I wondered. Then, suddenly the sound vanished as quickly as it had come.

I stood there in silence. Even the rustle of the leaves had gone quiet.

My unease growing, I continued my walk home but now with a quicker pace. I sped up so much that I was practically running.

Then, as I passed a gap in between two buildings, I felt something grab my arm and roughly pull me off the sidewalk. One moment I was looking at the sidewalk in front of me and then the view blurred as I was swiftly yanked into a dark alleyway.

Instinctively, I started kicking and flailing my arms. My right foot made contact with the assailant with a loud thump and a squelch followed by tremors of pain that shot through my leg. The person released me and I fell to the ground, the rough surface scraping the skin off my elbows. I felt blood start to flow out of the cuts, but I ignored it and instead quickly started to pick myself up, adrenaline running like lightning through my veins.

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When my eyes finally adjusted to the dark alley, with help from a dim lamp on one of the brick walls, I looked around frantically for whoever attacked me. Then I saw the person… but it wasn't a person. My breath caught in my throat. My eyes went wide as I tried to comprehend what I was looking at.

The thing that had grabbed me had the shape of a human body but that’s where its human-like characteristics ended. Its skin was pale and gray and appeared to be scaly in places like its shoulders and cheekbones. Thin black horns extended from atop an unruly mop of raven hair. It had large, black, webbed wings with dark veins running through the semi-translucent skin protruding from its back. Razor sharp spines that could shred me to pieces poked out in lines down its arms and legs. A truly terrifying sight to behold.

The thing was hissing and flailing on the ground, grabbing at a gaping wound in its stomach. I stared at the creature on the ground. I didn’t know how it had gotten hurt, but I was too terrified to dwell on it. I was paralyzed by fear, unable to do anything except watch as the monster writhed in pain.

Then the creature stopped flailing as much. It started to pick itself up and I could see its injury healing at an impossible rate until it was just a small circular mark in the center of its abdomen. It stood tall and glared in my direction and its blood-red eyes seemed to burn a hole straight through me. The monster slowly started to shuffle forward in my direction.

Seeing the creature lumbering towards me jolted me into action, fear temporarily overtaken by survival instincts. I tried to get up, but I felt shooting pains in my right leg. I winced and fell right back down again. “Fuck, why can’t I stand?” I said, my voice shaky and terrified.

I didn’t know what to do, the monster was getting closer. Although, it seemed to be moving slowly, like it was being hindered by something. That didn’t help me though. It didn’t matter if it wasn’t moving as fast as before, if I couldn’t find a way to be able to stand up and get away, I was screwed. I could see it in the eyes of the terrifying being making its way towards me: if I got caught, I would die.

Breathing hard, I desperately tried to crawl away back to the sidewalk. The gravel on the ground pushed into my palms painfully as I tried to drag myself to safety. The pain in my leg was still excruciating even just dragging myself on the ground.

My mind was racing. What should I do? What should I do? How do I get away? I don’t want to die! My heartbeat kept getting faster and faster, and I started to feel a warm feeling in my chest, slowly intensifying until it felt like a small fire raging inside me. Then the fire spread to my left arm, continuing to increase in heat. It began to feel like there was fire in my veins, burning me from the inside out.

I clutched my left arm to my chest. It hurt too much to move. “What the hell is this?” I gasped, my voice tight.

Suddenly, I heard the creature growl and I looked up, spots appearing in my vision. It seemed to be able to move more quickly now. It started to take a step towards me, but then it stopped and got on all fours. Its legs tensed up and a feeling of horror shot through me. In one big leap, it lunged and closed the gap between us in a matter of seconds. I put my arms out in front of me, desperately trying to shield myself.

Then, a white-hot blue light shot forth from my left palm and forearm. It felt like my arm exploded. Blue flames engulfed the monster and sent it flying, hitting the wall in the back of the alley with a loud SMACK. The monster’s charred body crumpled to the ground.

I stared at the creature’s body in the back of the alley, but I couldn’t really see it. My vision was abandoning me as I barely remained conscious due to the ridiculous amount of pain in my arm. The blue fire that seemed to come from within me hadn’t stopped. It began to spread around me and grow larger, a swirling blue firestorm filling the alley. My body buckled, my cells themselves feeling ready to combust. I bent down, my forehead pressing on the ground and letting out a scream that I could barely hear over the ringing in my ears and the fire raging around me. Please! Please make this stop! I pleaded as tears filled my eyes and then immediately evaporated in the heat. My vision was nearly completely clouded and I could feel I was about to pass out.

Then I heard faint distorted voices shouting above the noise of the firestorm. They were quiet and I couldn’t make out what they were saying, but then one of them cut through the sound of the chaos, “MANA FREEZE!”

My vision blurred as I lost consciousness. Before I blacked out completely, I could see the violent blue flames receding as I felt a cool, calming feeling wash over me. The burning in my arm began to subside, giving way to the feeling that I had just taken a dip in a nice cold pool on a hot day. My whole body relaxed.

Right before my eyes shut, as my consciousness finally faded, I saw people running towards me. The last thing I remembered was the sound of their distorted worried voices as I drifted off to sleep.

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