I walk through an alleyway, the laundry lines criss-crossing above my head, attached to the colorful houses on either side of me. I shove my hands in my pockets, ruffling my messy black hair. How long from home again? I hold up my plastic grocery bag. Ugh, I could barely afford this. I let out a sigh. Oh well, it’ll work. I take a left out of the alleyway, stepping out onto the grass towards the farm I live on. Or at least the field I build a house on and started growing things. My skirt flutters around my legs in the wind, the chill sending shivers down my bare arms from my tank tops. Of course, most people would gasp at the indignity of a “boy” wearing a skirt. I’ve given up on correcting them. It’s just annoying because they don’t listen. You could say all you want; “Oh, I’m nonbinary!” “Oh, I’m gay!” “Oh, I’m trans!” They won’t listen. Or they’ll just chase you out with torches. Oh? Did I forget to mention? I’m called Kleio. No more of the useless introductions, though. As I was saying, I was walking across my field... When something streaks across it, setting the grass on fire. I stumble back, yelping. The grocery bag thunks to the ground, the couple cans in it rolling onto the ground. It’s two people, a woman and a man, duking it out across MY field. The woman’s hands are blazing, her chest heaving under her tactical vest, while the man has a firing weapon. “Hey… Hey! This is my property!” I shout. “Uncool! You just singed this perfectly good grass!” The man just grunts and points his weapon at me. “Shut your mouth, kid!” I duck just as the weapon fires, rolling underneath the projectile. I skitter to a nearby hay bale, grabbing my bag in the process. Then I sprint towards my house. Yup! Nope! You guys have fun! That night, though the fighting has stopped, and the place is back to normal, I’m restless. I’m always restless at night. I settle down in my haybale bed, pulling the blanket over me and using my arm as a pillow. Almost immediately, I fall asleep. I’m falling. Again and again. Like every night. A blank red and black darkness. Nothingness. On the right side of me is a blue spot, and on the left a pink. One takes the form of a man, the other a woman. But I just keep falling through in between it all, the sounds of jeering laughter around me. Then the dream changes from other nights. A blue and pink swirl takes the form of both, a female on one side, male on the other of the body. A green shape takes the other side of me, behind me, with no resemblance to either gender. I reach for the green, but I don’t find it, instead accidentally causing myself to somersault through the void. “Wah!” I yelp. This is different. The green figure snickers at me, vaulting out of reach no matter how many times I reach for it. I sigh, continuing to fall. “Giving up already?” The green figure pouts. I throw up my hands. “Well what else am I supposed to do??” It doesn’t answer. “Your world is about to change, Kleio Smyth.” And then I wake up, bolting to sitting. Okay, what was THAT?? I slide off my hay bale, pulling the stray pieces of straw out of my shirt. I slip on my Nike’s, bounding out of my simple shed, grabbing a granola bar on the way out. I scoff at the burnt grass nearby. That’ll take forever to grow back. I walk through my field again, when I’m interrupted. Again. This time it’s not fire. But a boy maybe about my age is flung across my field. I throw up my hands with an exasperated sigh. AGAIN?? The boy barely struggles to his knees, dripping onto the grass. “Run.” He grunts. “She’ll destroy you.” “Huh? Run? This is my place!” I say, confused. A woman maybe twenty-nine or so touches down on the grass. She’s wearing a leather jacket with the sleeves rolled up opened over a tank top and jeans. Her hair is red and splayed down her back, a spear gripped in her hand. She chuckles. “You should’ve listened. I destroy anyone in my way.” Oh, crap. She grins, spinning her spear around her hand, slamming the point into the ground. My stomach drops and my legs twitch like they want to run, but I stay completely still. Now’s not the time. “But first, I’ll deal with this annoying child! You thought you could betray me and get away with it??” She yells. Power thrums in the ground beneath her spear, and vines erupt from the soil, shooting towards the boy. He frantically tries to get to his feet and flee, but the vines wrap around his middle, pulling him backwards. I take that chance and pivot on my heel, sprinting away towards the city. If I could just get to the city, they wouldn’t find me. “Oh no, you don’t! Get back here, child!” The woman snarls, and a vine wraps around my ankle. The world goes spinning as my feet are yanked out from under me. I hit the ground, sliding backwards by the vines. The vines scratch against the skin, rubbing my ankle raw with their thorns. My heart pounds in my chest as I frantically claw at the grass.
PART TWO IS INSIDE THE PROJECT! THANK YOU! IT'S A YELLOW BOX COMMENT THING! ^~^ I hope you enjoy!
