Thursday, January 31, 2013

Niccolo Croatoan/Death Rose: Death in death

Niccolo opened his eyes to the darkness again, and swore under his breath. Aretha had jumped out of a window. She could've killed herself doing that! Then again, she also could've killed herself all those times she was actually trying to kill herself... The second he found a way out of there, the first thing he was going to do was hit her. Very hard. On the back of the head. Yeah, that would be fun- maybe whisper something in her ear first, and then hit her. Suddently he wondered if she had been dreaming about him. He knew sometimes she cried in her sleep...
All of a sudden he heard a new voice approaching- this one also sounded familiar. That's right, one of Aretha's friends. He had never bothered to learn their names. Normally he wouldn'tve said anything, but given that this person knew Aretha, they might know something he couldn't gather just from watching tiny pieces of her life. "Hello?" He asked, making a conscious effort to soften his voice.
 
Death didn't like the darkness, well, she didn't like turning her back on a dark room and entering into a light room. Well, she just sometimes liked it... That made sense right?
She was walking around in the darkness in a daze. Ian had said he loved her, he said life without her wasn't worth living. Would he kill himself? What of he did?
 
Her teeth bit down on her lip and pierced the skin, but blood didn't pool in her mouth. It was possibly the strangest sensation ever.
 
"Hello?" A man's voice asked in a soft tone. It had the texture of dark chocolate. Death liked dark chocolate.
 
"Uh, hi mysterious voice that comes from the dark!" She said and she heard a laugh in response. "I'm- wait! Are you a sorcerer?" She didn't care if they weren't, they were dead, she was dead! Big whoop!
 
The man laughed again. "I am," he said.
 
"Sweet! I'm Death Rose! Daughter of Nefarian Serpine and adept who can kill people with a glare and twist gravity! Recently deceased as well..." She said the last part slowly, unwillingly. She didn't like being dead. Death was dead. How was that funny?!
 
"My name is no concern of yours." His voice sounded darker now.
 
"Oh, well, I don't like being dead." She say down but she stayed in place... Strange...
 
"I can't imagine you would." There was a slight smile in his voice.
 
"I'm hoping this will work..." She said and pulled up the side of her jacket, revealing the slashed black shirt underneath. There was a pink rabbit on the front that said, 'It's cute how you think I'm listening.' She touched the scar on her side, it looked like a circle but growing away from another circle. It was hard to describe.
 
Heat flashed across her body and she screamed. She feel to the ground and writhed in agony.
 
He heard her scream but didn't move; whatever had happened, he was sure there wasn' t much he could do. And he wasn't talking to her to try and help her, anyway- he was only doing it to see if he would learn about Aretha. Or maybe a way to get out...
 
"Are you alright?" He said, making sure to show a touch of concern in his tone. He left a slight pause, then added, "Sorry, you said your name is Death Rose- would you happen to know a girl called Aretha Tesla?"
 
Death was gasping as the man asked of she was alright. Did she look alright?! She would have had sweat that plastered her hair to her face if she was alive. The man continued talking, "Sorry, you said your name is Death Rose- would you happen to know a girl called Aretha Tesla?"
 
She smiled as she got her breathing under control. "Yes," she murmured. "I was chasing her with..." Should she say her friend her boyfriend? It wasn't official so she went with friend. "A friend of mine. She's not herself, she's not in control..."
 
"I know, I need to help her."
 
"We," she corrected. "And I think I know how to get you back to the material plane, or life, I guess you could say."
 
"How?" He asked in a confused voice. It sounded strange, like he wast used to confusing things.
 
"A friend of mine can bring you back, depending on how bad your body is damaged... And when you died."
 
"My body is fine, it's in America, and I died not too long ago."
 
Death nodded and smiled. "I'll need a name though."
 
The man sighed. "You'll now my voice. Tell Aretha about my voice, describe it to her and you'll find me."
 
Death groaned. "Ugh!" Wouldn't a name be easier? Come on! She had about five minutes left with this guy... God save her...
 
She could almost hear his cocky smile as he answered, "She'll figure it out quickly enough. Tell her I was... Hard pressed to tell you anything." He put special emphasis on the word 'hard'. "And then tell her I said she's become far too uncaring for my liking. Even that is overkill- if she can't figure out who I am from all of that, then tell her she's an idiot."
He paused for a moment, as if he had suddently realized something. "Your friend... He can ressurect the dead? How?" This time the question was more of a command than anything else.
 
Death made a disgruntled face at him, even though he couldn't see him. "Is that supposed to be a question or and order, sir?" She sneered. No one talked to her that way.
 
He sighed. "It was a question, ma'am."
 
She groaned again. "God, please save me!" She thought about that; she was dead, if God did hear her... "I take that back!" She said just as quickly.
 
"An answer." He prompted with a tone that conveyed his annoyance.
 
"His name is Ren Clairvoyant. He's a psychic who can find a soul and put it back in its original body. He can also kill people by doing the exact opposite. He is scary and reads minds!" She shivered though it wasn't cold. It might have been cold but she didn't feel it. "How long have you been here for? A while? Less than four weeks?" She really needed to know, if he had extended that limit, he was gone forever...
 
For a while he was slient, thinking. "I can't be sure of this, but unless I'm disturbingly far off, I've only been dead a few days. My best guess is two. Maybe three. How about yourself?" Then, after another breif pause- and this time he sounded genuinely curious, "Death, why are you helping me? Of course, I would've asked you if you knew a way out anyway, but why offer it to me? You don't even know me. It's not as though I'll be useful to you, because I'll be honest- if we ever meet again, I'll most likely either kill you or wipe your memory of me."
 
Death smiled sadly. "I've been alive until I met you. So, less than ten minutes. And for your other question, I don't care what happens to me, I want my friend back. She used to be so funny and..." She stopped as a sob broke out. "I want her back." She didn't know what the man's reaction so she continued. "I'm a psychopath. I do things I regret and forget. I'll probably never remember this in two minutes..."
 
"Why two minutes?" He asked.
 
"Because I am going back. I'll get Ren to save you, just tell me exactly where the body was last. I'll track you down if it is the last thing I do. Aretha needs you."
 
"You can bet your soul she does," He agreed without a hint of irony. "I died at the only train station in Des Moines, Iowa, but you won't find my body there. Whenever Aretha kills someone by manipulating their blood, she has to cover her tracks well to avoid investigation. She didn't this time, though, and she used a method she doesn't normally, so you'll find me in some medical facility nearby. I'm sure there will be something in the local paper about a rare blood disease. It should be easy enough to get in- say you knew me, or something like that. I'll break myself out."
 
Death laughed and smiled happily. "I'll need a name then! And Ren can act as... He can't be my brother, he can't be my father," she laughed as she imagined that. "My boyfriend?" Her eyes pricked but no tears came. She thought of Ian, again and her breathing hitched. "I'll do it. I'll find you and you'll save my friend. Whatever you do, don't hurt my friends, no one likes me when I'm mad." She felt a tugging sensation in her chest and smiled. "I'll find you and you will save my friend!"
 
The man said something - a thank you? - but she was too far gone. She realized she didn't get a name. She would make up some really stupid one just to see his face.

10 comments:

  1. Ha Awesome you guys!!! Oh this is so good!!!
    And you two *points at Death andAretha* are smart people!!! Bringing back the dead that way!!!

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    1. Why thank you, dear reader. And don't worry- I can't speak for Death, but I myself have many more horrors planned. We've not reached a happy ending yet, and I'm not sure that I ever will. xD

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    2. We are so much more alike then I realized....

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  2. Make up some really stupid one? XD

    Nice chapter, both of you! And Ari, I still remember what you said about hope. I will so totally use that against you, and everyone. (Wait, you were the one who said it, right? Sinon, you can ignore this)

    And YAY Death! You're alive again! [Celebrates with balloons] FabiTC is still going to hear the rumour and think you're dead,though. I need to torment her more. Maybe I'll actually use the song-medley...[plots]

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    1. Yep- the key to crushing a reader is to give them hope, and then take it away. If they have nothing to hope for, they won't become emotionally invested (sometimes if you are very very good this is not true) and you won't be able to create suspense (I have never heard of a case in which this was not true).
      I am eager to see how you will use this.

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    2. Oh, you'll see.

      If I can still do it...

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  3. Replies
    1. I do not understand... Is this meant to be a clue, or are you just being fun/random?

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  4. Is no one going to mention the hard and uncaring reference made in this chapter?

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    1. I will!

      Hehehehe! He's going to get Aretha's attention!

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