Ima just call this part chapter one because the thing is too long to fit in either of these boxes OoP- Part One. *All parts are completely un-edited
Aurora was in the archery ring, practicing her shots- she was getting quite good. Dim pretended to be busy tightening his bow's string, but really he was watching the girl shoot arrow after arrow at a target. Almost all her shots hit bullseye, and those that didn't were not far. Thunk. Another arrow hit it's mark. Dim jerked his eyes back down to his blade. He was supposed to be practicing himself, but he hated bow practice. Watching the girls skillful shots had only further discouraged him. She seemed so passionate about it, so fully focused. She was like a machine. Thwack, pause, draw, thwack. Dim looked back up at her. After a second she set her bow down, exhausted. She had been at it for a little over an hour and was extremely dehydrated. Dim whipped his head back down. He had been sitting in the grass outside of the ring, but he stood up now and walked towards a random target. He tried to look busy and not like he'd just been sitting there weirdly staring. He pulled out an arrow and readied it against the bow. Aurora's eyes focused on him as she fixed her ponytail. Dim immediately noticed the girls attention on him. He felt his emotions fighting inside his chest. He felt a sudden strong urge to show off, but counteracting that was the nervous, feeling that knew if he shot that arrow it would go sailing past target and land, thud, in the dirt. He bit his lip, his sharp fang glinting in hot sunlight. He released his arrow. The urge to show off had won. Thud. Dim cringed. Da*n Aurora quickly lost interest, her long golden hair glinting in the sun as she bent down to pick up her water bottle. Dim felt hot, and not from the sun. Why the heck did he think he'd make the shot when he hardly ever hit the target in the first place. He rigidly walked to retrieve his arrow. She began to pack up her stuff so she could head home. As he walked towards his arrow he felt an all too familiar sick feeling in his stomach. He immediately dropped to his knees, the palms of his hands pressed firmly against the earth. He gasped for air as his body began to writhe and ooze, losing shape and just as suddenly regaining it. His shadowy grey skin gleamed with sweat, and black liquid. His eyes were squeezed shut in horrible pain. Aurora turned quickly, and stood there for a second, not knowing what to do. She regained her senses and sprinted in his direction as she had a horrified look on her face. Dim crumpled into the grass. His breathing jagged and raspy. His body was back under control, but still covered in inky liquid. His eyes were still shut, but his eyelids were relaxed now. The pain was gone. Sweet, sweet waves of relief washed over Dim, wrapping him in warmth. He remained in his crumpled position as the foggy sound of footsteps neared him She knelt by his head. "Are...are you ok?" A voice drifted into his small bubble of consciousness. His eyelids fluttered open. His breathing suddenly increased , and his heart began to beat quickly against his chest. He struggled to get enough oxygen into his body. He felt shocked, like he'd been wakened from a nightmare. He jolted into a sitting position, his eyes wide with fear. She sat back quickly. "...hello?" Dim focused in on the face of the archer girl in front of him. The sight of something real, someone recognizable immediately calmed him down. His mind started working properly again, and his tensed body relaxed. Soon he was thinking and processing normally again, and it all hit him. She'd seen him... His eyes dropped to his knees. He felt hot, black liquid leaking from his eyes and rolling down his cheeks. It dripped down into view, then rolling off his knees. He felt awful. Disgusting. Inhuman. "I- I can't help you if I don't know what's going on...can you talk?" Aurora's voice was filled with concern. Dim clenched his jaw, his body cringing away from her. He'd always been able to predict when one of his episodes coming on, but now they were happening more often... And more unpredictably. His hand went up to smudge away some of the ooze, and he kept it there, hiding his face. Aurora wasn't sure what to do. She wanted to help, but it didn't seem like he was going to accept it. She plopped down on the grass next to him- criss-cross-applesauce. "What's your name?" The simple, friendly question made Dim look up from behind his hand at the girl. Was she really still talking to him like he was just any ordinary teen? His jaw muscles loosened, and his hand lowered ever so slightly. But he still remained silent. She didn't stop trying. "I'm Aurora." Dim dropped his hand. In a low and raspy voice he replied, "... I'm Dim." Aurora smiled at him, faking happiness, but doing it well. "Hey Dim! I've never seen you around here before...you new?"
