Jocelyn?
1254 Words
HEINA
I remained in the bathroom for the rest of the day. Only coming out when I heard the closing bell. Even at that, I didn't come out immediately, I waited a bit.
I couldn't bring myself to walk down the hallways with fellow students whispering and talking about me like I wasn't there. For hours I sat on the toilet seat. Students came but none used the one I was in and I'd chosen it for this reason — it was at the end of the row of toilet cubicles.
I couldn't bring myself to run into Irana or Aslan. Not after the way Irana had looked at me. The fear. Disbelief. Betrayal.
My new and first ever best friend hated me and our friendship didn't last twenty four hours. My friendship with Aslan was also gone because I knew Irana would tell him everything. Sirra would be so proud of herself right now.
Slowly, when the footsteps had lessened, I snuck out of the bathroom, hurried — more like limped hastily —to my classroom to carry my bag. I saw few persons left in the class, talking and doing whatever. I hurried out, not meeting their gazes.
Five minutes later, I was gentle walking my way home, favoring my injured knee from that afternoon. I was yet to master the trail that led to home but I could try.
I wish I could turn back the hands of time and explain to Aslan how I came to be in their dragon tribe — Black Flame. I wish I'd also told Irana when I'd gotten the chance.
The path was lonely and windy. Breeze chilled my skin, causing my hair to stand on end. I rubbed my arms, keeping them wrapped around me.
Then I heard it.
A low sinister laugh. At first, I'd thought it was my imagination. But it came again. Echoing.
I hastened my steps, repeating to myself it was my imagination. That because of personal attempts on my life that had happened before, I was thinking it was going to happen again.
"Heina." The shrill invisible voice called.
"No. No. No." I was running now, but I knew how useless I was with running. This voice knew my name. It knew, panic increased.
I wish Aslan was here. He was strong. His dragon was strong. Fierce.
My feet kept propelling me forward, my face was now covered in sheets of sweat despite the cold breeze.
"There's no where to run this time, Heina. No where." It was taunting.
"No. No. Y-you are not real." I was out of breath, struggling to suck in more.
A hand struck my stomach, I wheezed, reaching the ground in hard thump. I held my stomach, pain producing tears.
"Does that feel real now?" A figure materialized from oblivion, gliding to the ground and made her way towards me.
Her? I blinked tears away to see clearly, adjusting my frame. "J-jocelyn?"
"Miss me?" Two other girls were behind her, materializing the same way she had. Her smile was sharp and evil.
"W-what...how?" I squeaked out, unable to form coherent words due to pain and shock.
"Oh. You think I'm some teenager?" A cackle that had fear run up my spine rolled off her mouth.
Before my very eyes, she morphed into this very dilapidated, toothless hag with sparse strands of white hair and wicked amber eyes.
If it was possible for my eyes to bulge from their sockets, they would. My jaw literally touched the hard, coarse ground.
She changed back and tried to hit me again, but she staggered, surprisingly weak. She managed to crawl where I was and scratched my face, I screamed.
Blood trickled down my face, she took a swipe and turned her back on me.
When she turned to face me again, she seemed energized. That side of my face bled.
She raised herself to her feet and smirked. "If I didn't have need for you, I'd have killed you way back in your human world." She turned to her girls. "Take her."
"Yes, Mother Phoenix." The girls, young as well, came to lift me.
"W-what are you?" I had to ask, my voice weak and resigned.
"I'm a sorceress. A witch, if you want to keep it simple. Sacred Mother of Blood Phoenix." She boasted.
She drew a circle mid-air and a dark portal began to open when I heard growls.
Loud, angry growls. I looked up to see big dragons. Four of them flap their powerful wings in sync, causing a mini wind storm that blew dust into our eyes.
The girls released me immediately, screeching and covering their faces. I remained on the floor, too weak and injured to move.
They flew down, I noticed someone riding on one of their backs.
It was the silver-white haired man with snake eyes. He was holding some clothes. As soon as the dragons landed, they quickly transmuted, grabbing their clothes from this man and putting it on, tying the rope attached to their robes to their waist.
"Witches! What are you doing on our territory?" One man who looked like the leader with his regal robe and feral look.
Jocelyn stepped up. "We have come to take her off your hands. You want her dead, don't you?"
The man sneered, arrogance exuding off of him. "And you think we'll hand this dangerous threat over to you?" He pointed at me. "Leave now, witches! You have no business been here."
But Jocelyn squared her shoulders, flexing her fingers. Her girls copied her stance. "We can do this the hard way or the easy way, dragon."
"We'll be more than happy to watch you burn, witch."
So saying, he vomited furnace of fire from his mouth, Jocelyn was quick to dodge. The girls barely as their legs caught on fire.
They screamed in agony but it took some words of incantation from them before the fire died off. Jocelyn threw balls of white flame at them, it caught one of the men's robe, he was quick to quench it.
In retaliation, he vomited flame and it caught one of the girls still writhing in pain from the burns on their legs, burning her to crisp before she could let out a complete scream.
I whimpered, dragging myself on my butt away from this chaotic scene. I was powerless against these people.
Jocelyn began words of incantation, her voice getting deeper, the ground beneath the men trembling. Long jagged lines began dividing the ground.
This silver-white haired man threw a fiery blast at Jocelyn, temporarily distracting her from her incantation. The men didn't stop, they continued vomiting flames from their throats, fire soon caught the second girl who was trying to protect herself by conjuring a shield. She too burned to crisp, her cries reduced to silence.
Seeing her backups reduced to ashes, Jocelyn let out a vengeful wail. "I'll be back, dragons." Then she was gone, vanished before they could get her.
The leader looked at me, eyes sharp and mean. "Let's finish this."
He drew in a deep breath and then he exhaled.
"No. Please, d-don't kill m-me. P-please." I cried, raising my arm in weak defense.
"Stop, dad!" A familiar voice shouted from above.
I turned to look into the sky and there was Aslan's dragon, Irana riding on him.
At the same time, I felt a whoosh of chilly breeze and saw blurry figures emerging from the forest.
Ryso and Ryno. Their eyes were burning gems.
- Writer
