Story

Once again they traveled, moving quickly through the air, And in no time Saera, with Ardo directing her, Hovered down the four of them in front of Ardo’s house. Ardo glanced at it. The house was brown, with a red roof. And Ardo realized, with somewhat humorous insight, That its colors matched his own—his skin, and his hair too. He sighed heavily. “Wait here,” he said to his three friends, As he walked away from them, along the concrete path Up the front walk, toward the house

Saera silently slipped into her beautiful house. It had never been as big and opulent and grand As Marin’s house, but she’d always loved it, all the same. She had always found it warm and lovely. Found it home. Now her eyes grew wet as she thought how she had to leave. In the strangest way, she almost envied Marin now. Marin, at least, could make a clean break, with little care For her family. Saera was not so fortunate. Marin did not have to do what she now had to do. But sh

They rose higher, higher, higher still into the sky, And the whole entire world was now spread out below Their feet, and then Terry to the right glanced, and cried, “Look!” And they looked, and then they saw a huge expanse of GREEN, Green of trees that spread about below them in all ways. “The trees,” Terry whispered. “The forest?” “No, look!” Marin Said. “Look over there. Look, there’s a city over there!” Sure enough, the sky was bright with gleaming city lights. They all tu

“Wait!” a voice cried out, and suddenly the four of them Turned their heads, and Saera brought them all to a full stop. So they turned, and their eyes of the different colors there: Silver white, and sapphire blue, and then after them Ruby red, and copper brown that shifted into bronze, Turned as one to see the figure rising from below, Wrapped in black robes, bald, with pale skin, and with silver eyes. “YOU!” roared Ardo, and fire erupted on his hands As Arius rose up to the

“Come on!” Terry shouted, as the four of them went up Another incline of dark black metal, sloping steep. In their path a pair of Technocrats appeared, and they Shouted in alarm. Saera flung out her naked arm, And a blast of air flew out and knocked them both aside, Allowing the four of them to hurry on along Up the slope, and they were moving further, further up. “Are we getting closer, Terry?” Marin said to him. Terry raised his hand and his eyes flashed bright neon brown.

When Marin and Saera, escaped, they ran to the right. When Terry and Ardo escaped, they ran to the left. And it just so happened that their four chambers had been Placed along the corridor such that all of them ran Towards each other. They were all headed each others’ way. “MARIN!” Saera shouted as she saw her blue-haired friend Running straight for her. “SAERA!” cried Marin out as she Saw her friend come flying towards her, just off of the ground. The old best friends reache

Terry felt that he was sliding through a tunnel, wet, Like something inside the body, like a birth canal. He wondered if this was what he’d felt so long ago When his mother birthed him—then his thoughts angrily spiked Because now he realized his birth mother was a lie, Just another lie told to him by the Technocrats. Sliming, oozing, he was pulled til he emerged within Another chamber, another blackened metal dome. Brother Crick was there already, with more Technocrats, Alrea

“No. No. No!” screamed Saera. Tears came from her silver eyes, Thinking of her mother and the warmth of her tight hugs. “It is true,” said Arius, “however much you wish To deny it. The real truth is, WE created you. We used our technology to form the four of you Metaphysically, each one joined with their element.” Arius then chuckled, faintly, underneath his breath. “Who would have imagined that old Plato was correct?” “Who the FUCK is Plato?” Ardo asked, his voice a snarl. “

Saera, Marin, Ardo, Terry one by one could feel Pricking over all their bodies, something subtle, small, But it grew, as time went on. It came into their hearts Then spread through their chests, their limbs, their spines, their heads, their brains, Bringing all of them ever so slowly out of sleep, Tickling them with the faintest hints of cruelest pain, Breaking them from slumber. They awoke, each one by one. Saera slowly opened up her gleaming silver eyes... But then they bul

That evening, Saera was reading in bed. She was getting a head start on reading for Monday, because there would be a test on the novel they’d been assigned for English class. She had already showered and changed into her pajamas. “Saera?” “Oh, yes, Mama!” said Saera brightly, as her mother came into the room. “Hello!” “I just wanted to tell you good night,” said Aemelia. “I have to be at the office early tomorrow for a weekend work session, so it’s possible I won’t see you

It was Friday, April 15th. The sky was sunny, and nearly empty of clouds. A cool, gentle breeze blew from the south. Terry sat with his back against a tree, in his backyard, and stared up into the sky. His hand idly flicked, down near his waist. As it did, the dirt around this hand shifted, moved, rolled and danced, sending up the faintest puffs of dust. He glanced down, seeing the dirt move. “This is still so weird,” he said. “But it feels good, doesn’t it?” said Marin, si

That evening Terry was reading in his room. Or trying to do so. More homework, as a test crept closer in his English class. This was a novel about a family on the verge of falling apart. “I don’t need you telling me what to do!” cried Daniel. “You do so many stupid things it would be better if you listened!” cried Abigail. “You’re the worst mother ever!” Daniel responded. Mother. Terry put the book down and sighed, as a lonely emptiness bubbled to the fore of his heart. H

Terry smiled. “Happy birthday, man.” Ardo grinned at him. “Thanks, dude!” It was April 1st, and Ardo was fifteen years old today. They were walking away from the curb, where Ardo’s aunts’ car was just pulling back into the street. Ardo stuffed his hands into his pockets. The day was warm, and breezy; Spring was in full bloom, flower petals drifting on the air. Ardo twitched his gaze at Terry, then, ruby red eyes sparkling. “How have you been? I know you didn’t want us to com

That evening, Saera laid on her bed, reading. She kept on reading, though she was displeased with what she read. She was reading the book of poems that her mother had gotten her for Christmas. She had tried to pace herself, reading only a few poems a day; Saera liked to stretch out the pleasures of a book, and so she was a deliberately slow reader, only reading short amounts of any given book on any given day. For Saera, a book ending was cause for alarm, and sadness. So she

Softly blew the breeze of Spring ‘round Saera as she sat, Sat and yet could not ignore the cramps that she now felt, Felt amid her thighs and in her abdomen as well: Not too bad a pain, yet something she could not ignore. “Mmm,” she mumbled, softly, sitting in the silence of English class, as the teacher lectured. It was such a normal sound, to almost anyone. But Marin sat in the desk right next to her, and Marin was not anyone. Her navy eyebrows rose as she heard the noise

Ardo’s success at the sewage treatment plant had left him in an excellent mood. He grinned, fiercely and proudly, as he grabbed his plate of orange chicken and white rice, and even picked up an extra crab rangoon—a reward for his success. The cafeteria lady did not seem to notice, or mind. And he surged through the crowd of students milling about the cafeteria at the start of Lunch. Many of them saw him coming, and gave him a wide berth. Ardo had a reputation in the school b

Ardo bit angrily into his food. It was Indian food day, and Ardo stabbed at bites of chicken korma, spicy and creamy, forking them into his mouth. Terry arched a glinting, metallic brown eyebrow at him. “It’s not going to get away, you know.” “I’m mad,” said Ardo under his breath. “You’ll get it,” said Terry. “I’ve been trying for weeks!” cried Ardo, eyes flaring neon red as he did. Steam rose sharply from the food in front of him at this. “Your trouble, it would seem to

Marin sat in the car with Bellona, as it drove itself through the streets. Her mother eyed her daughter from the corners of her gaze. “So…” said Bellona. “Did you have a fun time?” “I did,” said Marin, speaking softly. She had drawn her knees up to her chest. “What did you all do out there, anyway?” asked Bellona. “Just… hung out. Terry’s got a big backyard, it’s fun to wander around.” “Ah.” Marin huffed a sharp breath. “Come on, Mom, I know you want to ask about my hair

Marin twirled her hair, and breathed, and sighed. “We still haven’t forgiven you, you know.” “I know.” She said this, and she breathed her breath out, and turned to Lindsey, who wore her hair shorter these days. She’d gotten it cut a few months ago, and had kept it short. Marin saw this, and turned her head to the side, and said, “Linds, you should have kept your hair long. It would have looked better on you.” Lindsey bared her fangs. “My hair? You’re commenting on my ha

He could barely stand Marin practically skipping through the halls after History was done. She bounded into the cafeteria, with him hot on her heels, Hot and blazing, burning, and he felt it in his chest, Snarling, and a line of smoke came wafting from his mouth. Marin had slipped through the food line before him. It was once again burrito day, a fact which brought him a certain amount of pleasure; the school cafeteria actually made pretty good burritos. He grabbed his stand