Derina: The Frozen City

The Battle and the Truth

Lora woke up to the gentle pitter-patter of rain on the roof. She should have expected the gloomy weather, she was home, and it almost always rained here. But it still didn't stop her from being grumpy. She hated rain. She loves sunny, pretty, cloudless days. Rain was just dark and dreary. She sighed heavily and looked at her night stand. 6:03 am. Well there was no point going back to sleep.

   She stood up and looked around. Her bedroom was simple and spotless, light purple walls and dark purple bed set. She had a chair with a blanket and books on it, next to a bookshelf, a walk-in closet, and a big bed. Other than that and a makeup desk, her room was blank, no posters of her favorite bands, or hot guys, just plain walls.

   She walked into her closet, overflowing with canvases of her painted landscapes, and grabbed a dark purple t-shirt, black short sleeved hoodie, and dark jeans. She sat at her desk and stared at herself. She had long black hair that fell to her waist, sharp facial features, like her jaw and eyes, and slightly pointed ears. She looked nothing like her mother, Marlene, who was blonde and gorgeous with soft features, and who had bright green eyes, opposed to Lora’s dark grey, almost silver eyes. Honestly she felt like she looked nothing like any other person in her school, but she could never figure out why. She sighed and pulled up her hair. She thought for a moment before deciding to work on another painting. She still had over an hour before she needed to leave for school. She walked to the closet and pulled down a clean canvas and her oil paints. She used them so much most of them were almost gone. Over the years she has worked with other mediums like charcoal and acrylics, but something about oil based paints makes her art seem to almost come to life. She pulled out her easel, and grabbed her phone, she put on some headphones, and suddenly she surrounded by the sound of a forest come to life. birds chirping, A river rushing, animals breaking twigs as they walk. she closed her eyes and took a deep calming breath, imagining she was there, feeling the slight breeze on her face the smell of wet earth in the air, the she opened her eyes and set to work. This time she made a landscape she has made many times before, but always slightly different. Something about the place seemed familiar, though she is sure it only exists in her head. Usually this particular landscape is covered in ice and snow, but this time she painted it how she imagined it looked long before the cold winter fell upon it. It was a beautiful forest clearing with  a small lake and many lively animals basking in the bright warm sun. The trees were plush and green, she could almost see them swaying in the wind. Thick green grass covered the clearing floor, bright luminous flowers bloomed from the ground and covered the horns of a few deer like creatures with gossamer wings. A huge beautiful weeping Willow towered above the lake, providing shade for animals to rest in. If you look closely it almost looks like a woman stood in the bark of the tree. Lora sighed, every time she painted she felt such joy and love, almost like she was home, it made her want to never stop. But once she's finished with one of the paintings, she's filled with an overwhelming sadness and envy, and any time she looks at one of them, she's filled with such loathing she doesn't want to see them again. It's like she's torn in half, for a world that doesn't even exist. 

Lora sighed heavily and carried the easel to the corner of the room and turned it away from the door. She looked at the clock, 7:15 might as well get breakfast before heading to the bus. Even though she was going to turn 17 in a week, she still declined her mother’s offer of a car for her birthday. For some reason cars made her uncomfortable, the space was too tight, and something about the unnatural way they worked freaked her out. She knew a bus was no different but at least then she is surrounded by other people and can almost forget where she is.

   She stood up and grabbed her bag. She quickly ran down the stairs and into the kitchen, grabbing a bagel in the process. She sat at the island and watched her mom cook eggs and sausage.

   "Good morning Lora. So, are you ready for school? It’s been 2 weeks." her mom said, turning around. The two of them had gone to see some of her mom’s friends up on the coast of California, the trip took two weeks off school so she was excited to see her friends again. Not that California wasn't nice or fun, it was amazing, sunny and warm, just as she liked it. But she missed her friends, she never feels complete when she's away from them. "Yah, me, James, and Amanda plan on going to the pizza place after school to celebrate." Lora said.

   "Ah, well I hope you have fun. Just make sure you're home for dinner." she smiled and sat across from Lora, putting 2 eggs and some sausage on her plate. "Oh I almost forgot to ask, what would you like for your birthday?"

   Lora sighed, she honestly didn't want anything, she just wanted to forget it, and it’s just another day in life. But she couldn't tell her mom that. "Um, I guess I could use new paints? I kind of used up my others." she said as she cut her bagel in half and made a sandwich with her eggs and sausage.

   "Honestly, Lora! How do you go through them so fast? I just bought you the last ones not that long ago! I never even see any of your art! I’m sure you could brighten up that room of yours a little if you put some on your walls."

   Lora smiled. She loved her mom, but she didn't really care much for her paintings, they were just to keep her busy. She really didn't understand why people made a big deal about art. "You know I won’t do that ma, I only make them for entertainment.”

  "I know, I just thought it was worth a try," she smiled. "Well you better get going or you'll miss the bus." Then she winked and stood up, taking their plates with her. Lora quickly finished her sandwich, stood up, grabbed her bag, and went outside onto the front porch.

   It was pouring when she stepped outside, so she put on her hood and ran toward the bus stop. The bus came to a stop right as she got there. She quickly got on and went to the back where James and Amanda sat. Amanda was engulfed in a long explanation about an elf in some movie that she liked, so she didn't notice Lora when she walked up, but James did. He stood up, cutting Amanda off, and gave her a huge crushing hug. "Welcome back Lora! Thank god, we missed you." He said as he let go. Once Amanda realized what was going on her face broke into a huge smile, then it was her turn to crush her. “Oh my god! Lora! You’re back! How was the trip?"

 Lora smiled “not bad, but it was kind of boring.” she loved her friends, and she missed them so much. she had known then since they were all kids, they grew up together. Amanda was beautiful, with red shoulder length hair, green eyes and lots of freckles. Lora had always been jealous of her vibrant hair and eyes. James was an outgoing and obnoxious blonde goofball, he was funny and light hearted, but he always seemed to want to fight people. He had soft Hazel eyes and was  almost always wearing green.

“So have you thought up an answer for Derek? If you refuse to go on a date with him he may make your life hell.” James asked. 

Lora groaned, she had forgotten about Derek. Before she left for Cali he had asked her out, she told him she would have to think about it to spare his feelings, he wasn't happy about it but she left for Cali right after so he had no choice. Most girls would do anything to date a guy like Derek, tall, blonde, handsome, and the quarterback of the school's football team. But Lora never liked him. He showed up out of nowhere the year before, and wreaked havoc to the school. He used to beat up the younger students, the nerds, anyone who got in his way. He once sent a few kids to the hospital with some serious injuries. Somehow he got away with it, he never got in trouble for anything. And for some reason Lora really just hated him. And of course her bad luck drew his attention to her. She did not plan on letting him have his way, that's for sure.

“Yah I know Derek can be testy but I can’t go on a date with him, No matter how popular he is. I don’t like him, and he’s definitely not my type.”

James nodded. “Then what is your type?”

Amanda gave James a weird look and Lora shrugged. “I don’t know, but I know it’s not him, he makes me want to barf.” Lora said and made a face. They all started to laugh, but as the bus pulled up to the school Lora let out a low groan. Standing on the sidewalk outside of the bus was a tall dirty blonde haired jock in a blue letterman's jacket, Derek. He glared at every one who passed, and as they stepped off the bus, Lora saw Derek shove some innocent freshmen into the bike rack behind him, making him drop all his school books and groan in pain. A flash of anger coursed through her and she stormed over. “What the hell Derek, what's your problem!” She yelled at him. She bent over and helped the kid collect his belongings. He mumbled a thanks and scurried away, too scared to stay near them any longer than necessary. Lora turned to Derek who stood with his arms crossed, a scowl messing up his handsome face. “you didn't need to interfere babe, it was none of your business.” he shot at her.

“yah well beating up innocent people isn't going to win you any favor with me you jerk. And don't call me babe. you might want to wipe that look of your face, I know how much you care about your looks, that sure won't make you any more attractive.” Lora replied bitterly. Amanda and James stood behind her, James glared at Derek with pure hate, but before he could do anything, Amanda grabbed his arm and walked a little ways away, but still close enough that they could hear the conversation.

“Fine, I'm sorry, and welcome back." Derek said as he walked alongside her into the school. “ have you thought about my offer? Trust me you won’t regret it." 

Lora smiled,  “yeah, actually I did think about it, but not very long, the answer was clear the moment you asked me. No. you're not worth my time or effort. I would never date a guy like you, and you really think I would go anywhere with you after how you treated that kid? You really do have a high opinion of yourself.” 

It took a moment for her response to sink in, then suddenly Derek’s face became contorted with anger as the realization of her rejection hit him. “How dare you mock me? No one says no to me! You will pay for this!" his face flushed red and he balled his fists. Lora rolled her eyes and turned to walk away, but before she could even take a step, something hit the side of her face so fast and hard she had no idea as to what happened. A blinding pain went through her face as she fell, the world blurred and started to spin around her. Derek stood over her, anger flashing in his eyes, making them look black and empty.

   A huge crowd surrounded them, trying to see what happened. Amanda ran to Lora’s side, shoving Derek out of the way. The last thing Lora saw was James throwing Derek against the lockers, and Derek looking at Lora with a look of pure hatred as she slipped into unconsciousness.

                                                         *   *   *

   Lora woke up on a very cold bed in a very cold room. It was extremely bright and quiet. At first she didn't know where she was, she sat up and saw a woman sitting at a desk typing on a computer. Mrs. Black, the school nurse, she was at the school clinic. But why? She stood up and stretched.

   "Oh good you're awake." Mrs. Black said standing up. She walked over and looked at her face. “Surprisingly you don't have any bruising yet, but I would expect some to appear shortly.” She checked my blood pressure and pupils before concluding that I was alright. “Someone has been waiting to see you." she walked to the door and gestured toward a person "you can come in now, she’s awake." Amanda stepped into the room, and when she saw Lora, she ran to her and hugged her so tight she felt like the life was being squeezed out of her. 

   "Oh my god you're okay! I can’t believe he hit you!" she said, pulling back. She must have seen Lora’s puzzled look because a second later she started to explain. “Derek punched you after you rejected him, you should have seen his face. I doubt he even cares that he hit you. But after the hit you blacked out, so....."

   "Well I’m ok now, thanks Amanda. And where’s James? I thought he would have come to visit also." with this Amanda frowned. "I told him he wasn't allowed to be near me so he had to visit you at a different time, but now that you're okay he doesn't have to wait." Amanda shrugged “wait why can’t he be near you? Did he do something wrong?" Lora asked.

 “Yeah, he punched Derek, which started a huge fight and so they are both in the principal's office at the moment."

   Lora laughed, she would have thought it was a good thing for James to stick up for her. He was just being a good friend. Amanda hated unnecessary violence, so it's no surprise she was mad at him. They headed to the door and waved at Mrs. Black who was now back at her desk. As they walked down the hall towards their 2nd period class, Lora let Amanda babble about the fight, though she didn't even try to follow her rambling. Lora’s mind had just started to wander, imagining a beautiful and quiet world, far away from this simple and mundane life, when a door slammed and people screamed as something came running out of the principals office. As it got closer Lora realized what it was, Derek. He looked different, he had pointed horns sticking out of his messy hair, long pointed teeth, and dark red eyes. His fingers were long and bony with razor sharp claws. He was running straight for Lora with a look to kill.

   "I’ve had enough! I tried to play nice but you just had to push it didn't you! Now you’re going to come with me whether you like it or not!" he yelled lunging at her. She yelped and jumped aside, causing him to miss. The next time he jumped at her, he was stopped suddenly by an arrow in his arm. He yelled in anger and turned toward the new danger. Amanda stood a little behind him with a bow pulled tight and an arrow notched. she wore dark leather leggings and boots, and a dark red tunic. her red hair had grown to about waist length, with little braids starting at her temple pulled to the back of her head holding back the rest of her hair, showing off her long pointed ears.

   "Hey Derek are you confused?! The mental home is about 8 miles south!" she yelled. That distracted him long enough for Lora to slip away and run. When he noticed she got away, he gave a cry of anger and stormed after her. 

"Hey I wasn’t done!" Amanda yelled, releasing another arrow. It hit Derek in his side, thick black blood oozed around the arrow and appeared to be eating away at it. The pain caused him to whirl around in anger, charging at Amanda. As he came upon her, she took out a dagger and dashed to the side. As he passed she slashed a long gash down his back, cutting through his clothes and into his skin. His dark blood dripped slowly down his jacket, disintegrating the fabric on contact.

   Amanda laughed. “Wow, I thought you daemon were supposed to be faster than elves? So much for that." and with that she threw another dagger at him. Derek knocked the blade out of the air right as James came stumbling into the hall. A crowd was gathering but it was still easy to spot him. He too had grown longer ears and wore a green tunic, in his hands he held two beautiful, slender and embellished short swords. His platinum hair also now reached his waist, braided loosely behind him. 

   James ran at Derek, readying his swords, and went to stab him. Derek turned around and hit James, sending him flying. “James!" Amanda yelled, anger boiling inside her. "How dare you touch him, now you've passed the limit! No one messes with my friends!" but before she could do anything Derek ran at the wall, running up onto the roof and fell landing behind Lora. “Too bad you won’t have a chance to get your revenge. I’m not being paid to fight a warrior, and I’m pretty sure I would get in trouble for killing the prince, I think Safield has plans for him." he grabbed Lora’s arm, making her cry out in pain as he twisted it behind her.

Amanda yelled and threw her dagger. It hit Derek right as he disappeared, leaving the crowd confused and scared. A dark red pool of thick acidic blood lay on the ground, eating a hole in the tile.  Amanda heaved an angry sigh, then she remembered James and ran over to where he lay on the ground. He was a little dazed but nothing major was wrong. A moment later they both stood in the hall, receiving many weird looks, trying to figure out what to do next.

   "We need to go see the nymph and find a way to get to Derina."  Amanda said, rubbing her forehead.

James nodded “well then we better get going. Lora won't last long, she wasn't supposed to get there for another 3 weeks." they both exited the school. Lora would have to learn how to survive long enough until they could get there. James turned and looked at the school. “What about the humans?” Amanda rolled her eyes. “We can have Marlene erase their memory, it shouldn't be too hard, but we must go, time in Derina is too different from here, we can't waste any time.” and with that they made their way to Lora's home.