The Seer

The light filtered through the windows of the hospital corridor, motes of dust spinning lazily to the floor. There were people around: doctors and nurses hurrying from one room to another, pausing only to acknowledge coworkers;  patients in embarrassing spotted hospital gowns shuffling on their way to the cafeteria or the courtyard; visitors who scurried nervously along, glancing at room numbers with apprehension. It wasn’t the strangest of scenes, but it took Karina a few seconds to register that this scenario was playing with the sound off. She stood in a silent hallway, but it didn’t seem the least bit eerie. Behind her was an open door to a private room. She stepped inside to see a woman in labour, her screaming and the surrounding staff’s encouragement completely muted. It felt like a private moment, so Karina turned to face the door which was now closed. She approached it and reached for the handle. But although the metal was solid beneath her hand, she found she couldn’t turn the knob. She tried to twist it for as long as her patience lasted, then reluctantly turned back to the birth. Except everything had changed. There was only one person in the room now.The woman who had been in so much pain just a few moments ago now sat up in her bed, reading a book. There was something familiar about the woman, and Karina drew closer to see. She looked like her friend, Dee. But older. Her mother? Dee was having a little brother or sister? Karina stopped to ponder that happy thought. Was this a dream? She shouldn’t be so excited for her friend if this was all in her subconscious.

      A nurse breezed past with a baby in her arms. She handed it to Dee’s mother and the woman stared down into the bundle, a quiet contentment filling her features.
 

      Karina opened her eyes to find herself on her bed. Sound rushed back to the world and for a second, she thought she could hear the air moving around her. Bringing her mind completely out of the hospital room, Karina realised she was sitting. She looked down at her bed. Still made, as it had been since she got up that morning. And it was the middle of the day. A beautifully sunny Saturday. She’d just had lunch, and had come up to her room to get ... She didn’t know. Karina’s mind was slow to readjust to her life. Dee appeared in her line of sight in the doorway.

     “There you are! Did you zone out again or something?”

     Karina must have been a blank, because Dee gave a worried frown and sat down beside her. It wasn’t until Dee’s hand touched her own that Karina remembered the two of them were orphans. She’d never met Dee’s mother. Dee had never met Dee’s mother.

     “I just had the strangest zone out,” she told her friend. “I saw ... I don’t know what I saw, exactly.”

     “Don’t worry about it. Let’s go outside and climb the hill to look out on the town. You like it when we do that.”

     “I do?”

     Dee gave her a soft smile. “Don’t be worried. You’ll get it all back soon.You’ll be okay.”

     Karina let her friend take her by the hand and lead her through the doorway. They were almost at the stairs when Karina pulled back, having had a sudden flash of memory. Dee gave her a questioning look.

     “When I ... go ... I don’t usually see things, do I?”

     “You haven’t before.” Dee searched her face, a frown trying to hide in her pale blue eyes. She gave Karina’s hand a light squeeze. “What did you see?”

     Karina gave a short laugh. “Nothing to be worried about,” she said. “It didn’t even make sense, really. What I saw ... what I must have seen. Was you. Being born.” She laughed again, but this time it was filled with nervousness.

     The worry left Dee’s face. “So when you go away, you’re probably dreaming. It’s fine. We’re fine. Don’t worry about it.”

     Karina gave her a half smile in return. “You said something about the hill?”

    Dee nodded. She didn’t let go of Karina’s hand as they made their way down the staircase. Karina stared at the panelling on the walls as they descended, trying to get some memory back. The old farmhouse was pristinely clean for a building that housed twelve kids between the ages of six and eighteen. If it wasn’t, she was sure Mr and Mrs Brabham would be able to find a group of cleaner kids to keep watch over. There was no shortage of unwanted children throughout Gradia’s towns, and staying at the Brabham farm was quite a sweet deal.

    Both Karina and Dee were at the older end of the orphan spectrum, nearing the time when they’d have to strike out on their own after Academy exams, which were looming ever nearer. Dee tugged her urgently through the open door and into the sunshine.

    “Better yet?” she asked, stopping to face her friend.

    Karina closed her eyes and felt the warmth on her skin. “I’m wondering whether I’ll be able to remember how to do sums in time for our exams,” she said with a cheeky smile.

    Dee sighed with relief and Karina lifted their joined hands, pulling her friend towards the hill in a run.

The young man held out his sword, a beam of brilliant light streaming out of it towards the writhing darkness. His mouth opened to yell something Karina couldn’t hear. He charged forward, driving the illuminated weapon towards the formless black.There was a flash and the sword vanished along with the shadowed mass. The man then turned to face her, giving a determined glare to something behind Karina.

    She turned to stare into the eyes of a dragon.

    Karina was startled back from the other world to find she was being shaken. She moved her hands to pull off the offending grip that held her and stopped when her blurred vision focused on Dee.

    “Please stop now,” she asked softly.

    Dee let go abruptly, causing Karina to stumble backwards into a wall. She turned to face it, trying to regain her balance. When the world finally stopped pitching, she turned to Dee. Her arms were folded, clearly waiting for Karina to speak first.

    The two girls locked gazes. “What?” Karina demanded.

    “Do you know where you are?” The words seemed to drill right into Karina’s soul through her friend’s stern stare.

    “Ahh ...” Karina tilted her head to look up at the building behind her. “Oh. The Academy.”  She rested back against the wall, but pushed off it in alarm when she remembered something else. “Exams! Did I ...?”

    “We just finished when you went away again. I had to drag you away before anyone noticed you were just blank.”

    “And how long were you shaking me?”

    Dee looked down. “Long enough. You make me worry that one of these days you won't come back.”

    “Right. Thanks. I’m glad you’re here to look out for me.” Karina gave Dee a comforting smile, but it didn't remove the concerned look Dee was giving her.

    “Where were you this time?”

    “In a cave. There was a man – a boy our age, I think. And he was fighting a dragon!”

    “A dragon? Your dream-world is kind of disturbing.”

    “You think these are dreams? They’re too real to be dreams.”

    Dee finally approached Karina and placed a hand on her shoulder. “If they're really not dreams, what are they?”

The Missing Page

I'm trying to think of something witty to say about this piece. Though I can only tell you why I wrote it. My friend, Jessica, has a habit of telling me to write stories about normal things. Which I don't do. Strangely, when she suggested I write a story about someone losing their assessment outcomes for a uni assignment, I got inspired to do something with it. This is how it turned out. 

This is how I tell the story of a normal, boring, everyday situation...

Jessica sat at the desk in her study, staring at the computer screen. She’d left this assignment till the last minute – again.

     There were only two weeks before she had to hand this report in; she couldn’t believe she’d been so slow in getting started. Her Occupational Therapy course was her life, but lately she’d managed to get distracted by sport and friends, baking and leisurely reading, though she was always aware these weren’t as important as excelling in her studies.

     Jessica shuffled through her papers. She needed that page ... that page ... where was it? She would never know the direction her words should go if she didn’t have the assessment outcomes for the treatments of fatigue that are supported by evidence-based practice. How would she ever succeed at this most important of assignments without it?

     She stood up, frantic to find this recently missing link to her scholarly success. Two weeks was already pushing the time she needed to write an outline, find appropriate quotes from her textbooks and get her beautiful and incredibly intelligent friend to proofread it to find any mistake or grammar problems that might make her work anything less than perfect. So these precious minutes she was wasting searching were absolute agony to her.

     “Jessica?”

     Responding to the voice of her husband from the other room would only further delay the beginning of her work, so Jess pretended she hadn’t heard, flipping again through her folder of notes for the elusive page.

     “Jess!”

     Jessica paused in her hunt. Mitchell’s voice was ... worried. She let go of the paper in her hands and stepped cautiously forwards. She opened the door slowly and saw Mitchell. He seemed to be struggling with something. She moved out of the study and could see the complete picture. Mitchell was holding one side of a few pages of paper and pulling as a little creature tugged on the other. Jessica could only stand in place and watch.  The small monster was only as high as Mitchell’s shin, but was holding his own in the strange tug-of-war.

     “Mitch ... what ...?” Jessica could only stand and stare at the bizzare scene in front of her.

     “Jessica ... he has your assignment ...”

     Jessica looked at the top page and the printed text all over it. “It’s a draft, Mitchell. You can let it go.”

     Mitchell looked down at it, too. “Okay.” He dropped the paper and the little creature fell backwards.

Standing at her husband’s side, Jessica watched as the small creature recovered itself and gave a triumphant grin at his prize before disappearing amongst tiny smoke-like whisps.

     “What the hell was that?” Mitchell asked, putting a hand on Jessica’s shoulder. Jessica was still staring at the space where the monster had been and turned her face to look at Mitchell.

     “I think that may have been the thing that took my assessment outcomes.” Jessica glanced back to where the creature had disappeared from and frowned. “I'm going to have to call someone in my class and ask if I can borrow theirs.”

I'm thinking there's more to this story. Ask and I'll take a shot at making it longer. :)

Two Against the World

Hey all. It's my blog's anniversary month, so I'm trying to post more. There's a long and boring story about where my archive of short stories went (coincidentally a little over a year ago) but I won't go into that.
Anyway, this story! It was a commission work for a friend on deviantART (Scarydestiny), based off this work of hers and the original characters that came with their world.


Leslie had been having a difficult day at school, anyone could see that. It was best to tiptoe around the thirteen-year-old deviant when she was in any kind of bad mood, but Jamie, her best friend, was never one to leave his dear companion to her own devices. Besides her brother, he was the only one who could deal with the strange and powerful girl. Most people were scared of her. Jamie had no fear of anything, not since the accident three years before that had left him in a wheelchair. He was his own kind of outsider, and knew how it felt for people around to never interact properly for fear they would cause feelings to be hurt.
      This day, he had taken note of her emotional state and watched Leslie carefully from the corner of his eye as they met in the hallways. She was bursting with pent-up energy, and Jamie was actually at a loss about what to do for her. Her anxiety was showing in the way she fidgeted, tapped and twitched, and in her frustration and shaking hands. If she could make it through the day, he would watch her sprint down the running track behind the school to release her energy. If only she would make it through the day...
      In the class after lunch, Jamie found himself worrying for her. This wasn't an ordinary day for Leslie, and he knew it. She was too proud to admit that she needed someone to lean on. Jamie looked down at his useless legs and remembered sadly that he wasn't exactly the best for that particular friendship role.
      A cry from the hall made him look up from his work. No one else in the classroom seemed bothered, but the sound made Jamie nervous. He didn't worry about raising his hand, simply rolled his chair out from behind his desk and made his way to the teacher.
      "May I be excused?" he asked, not waiting for an answer before moving towards the hall. Asking was simply a formality for him, after all. Teachers were always willing to give him anything he wanted. He was disabled, and that entitled him to certain privileges that came with being pitied. Getting whatever they wanted was something he and Leslie had in common.
      As Jamie wheeled himself down the hall, he noticed Mrs. Crowley standing outside the janitor's closest. She was mumbling something, leaning towards the door and holding the handle. "Is something wrong?" he called out to her.
      Mrs. Crowley turned to look at who had adressed her, a worried frown creasing her already wrinkled skin as she peered over her glasses. "Jamie?" she asked. "Oh good. You're here. I need you to do something for me. Go to my office and call Leslie's brother, Liam for me, will you? Leslie's only gone and shut herself in the closet again."
      Jamie reached into his pocket and pulled out his mobile phone. The older boy picked up on the second ring. "Liam? Leslie needs you." 
     The conversation didn't last much longer than that one sentence, and at the sound of the dial tone, Jamie replaced his phone. He could imagine Liam, already halfway across his school, running to his sister's aide. He sighed and watched Mrs. Crowley continue trying to coax Leslie out of the tiny room. Sometimes it was just those two against the world, and no one else mattered. Mrs. Crowley always did her best to calm Leslie down when she had one of her episodes, but both she and her brother were oblivious to anyone else in the universe. Not even Jamie could help.
      Jamie approached the gray-haired woman and place a tentative hand on her arm. "I called Liam. He'll be here soon. What happened?"
      Mrs. Crowley sighed and gave the door one last wistful look before letting herself be led a short way away from it. "You know Leslie, dear. Her science teacher upset her and she drained the life from one of his beautiful potted plants. She ran out and shut herself in the closet. But I don't  know why she got so upset. She didn't hurt anyone."
      Jamie looked to the door, wishing he could do something. Anything. He could imagine how Leslie was: sitting in the small space with a blank look on her face, refusing to make any response. There were times when she couldn't control her power -- days when she was anxious and couldn't help sucking the energy out of something nearby, and it weighed heavily on his best friend's heart. It scared everyone except Jamie and Mrs. Crowley, so most people kept their distance from her at all costs. Even her parents seemed to refuse to be close to her...
      Liam came skidding down the hallway, his short blonde hair swaying in the displaced air from the speed of his movement. He barely gave Jamie and Mrs. Crowley a glance as he came to a stop in front of the closet.
      "Leslie?" he called out in his soft voice. The emotion he put into that one word conveyed every feeling he had for his little sister. "Leslie, it's time to open the door now."
      There was a click as the door unlocked and Liam pushed it open, immediately taking his sister into his arms. There were only small trails of tears from her eyes, but Liam wiped them away and held her to him as if she was sobbing.
      "I'll fix it," he crooned. "You know I will. It doesn't even matter because I can put things back the way they were."
      Jamie turned away. He'd seen these scenes enough to know exactly how they went. Liam could fix everything, after all. Whatever life energy Leslie took away, Liam could put back. It was best for him to just to back to class and leave them to it. Though he couldn't help but continue to stare. The siblings didn't even acknowledge his presence, and he was on the outside of even his fellow outsiders.

Forward or Die

This was a uni assignment I did once for a reading night. Everyone seemed to like it. I ... can't really say that I do. I don't think I'm much of a comedic writer, but here it is, for your enjoyment. Suppose it might be even better if you heard my dramatic reading of it. Ask me to read it to you sometime. ;)

Ah, and it never had a title. This one I just thought up on the spot, so if you've got a better idea, I'd love to hear it.

The nighttime glow of the moon reached in through the net curtains and the skylight, illuminating the sparsely furnished room. A shadow stretched into the corner behind the open door, and it was there that Louis crouched, staring resolutely into the eerie stillness. His back pressed to the wall, he held a pair of oversized scissors in one hand and clutched the neck of a chipped wooden cricket bat with the other. There was no chance anyone would sneak up on him tonight.
         As he waited, he thought bitterly about how the universe must hate him. Of all the times it could, why did his computer have to crash right after he clicked the forward button?
         It hadn’t even had the decency to stay on long enough for him to see dancing monkeys flash across the screen – a feat he’d been promised for sending the prosperity angel email to the twenty required contacts, as well as ten more for extra riches.
         And so now Louis was miserably slouched, awaiting the sinister email’s retribution, as he had been since the sun had squeezed its last drop of day from the horizon to make room for the night.
         A black figure passing in front of the light from the window knocked Louis out of his daze. The moon’s glow had suddenly dimmed and the dark outline of a person was barely discernable from the surrounding shadows until a stray gleam of metal caught Louis’s eye. He was paralysed with a terrible fear when he realised what it was ...
         A deadly ninja assassin had come to issue the email’s judgement and as Louis crouched, watching the killer, he realised the truth as he remembered the warning stories:
         Tina had deleted the email right away, and that very night she had a fatal car accident. It must have been the ninja.
         Jimmy had read it, but left it unsent in his inbox in favour of rushing to propose to his girlfriend. But after accepting his proposal, the young woman took a hiking holiday and was never seen again – the work of the ninja.
         And Louis would never, ever forget Michael, who only forwarded the email to two contacts and the next day lost his job, never to be hired again, and was served by his wife for a divorce. The ninja!

         The ninja in Louis’s room scratched his head and lifted a corner of the bedsheet to peek underneath. Louis had never been so scared in his life. All this personification of death himself had to do was turn and check the corner and his life would be over faster than he could blink. Everyone knew that ninjas could overpower anyone but a samurai, so Louis’s scissors and bat would do nothing but enrage the assassin and cause his death to be more drawn-out and torturous.
         In a stealthy and swift movement, the ninja dropped to the floor, checking beneath the bed. He slid like a whisp of smoke back to his feet and looked to his left and right, but not behind. After pausing in thought a few seconds more, he shrugged and dissolved back into the darkness.

Louis didn’t budge until full sunlight passed through the window and warmed his frozen fingers. Only then did he release his deathgrip on the makeshift weapons and stood to stretch. He had to get to another computer a.s.a.p to send the email ... and to update the Wikipedia article on ninjas.

I am the Kraken (part 5)

Part the last. Yes. Seriously, when you get to the bottom of the page, it's the end of this saga. Oh, the ways I can comment on this last part ... I'll leave that to you. Comment. More on this phenomenon in my closing remarks.
And if you haven't read the rest of the story yet, click these links: part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4

Trent sat on the floor of the Kraken’s office, breathing heavily and looking distressed.

     “That was ... you’re ... it’s ...” He took a deep breath. “You’re the one I met at the ball.” His teeth showed as he gave a brilliant grin.

     Emma just stared. She had wondered whether Trent had really noticed Frank that night, or if he’d believed it actually was a unicorn. Now her question was answered and she didn't know how to react. She’d just risked a lot to save this boy, and all her plans had failed. She wasn't exactly sure how to proceed.

     Trent was still panting and looking disheveled, so she reasoned fixing him up was the best way to start. Leaving him on the floor, she walked out to get a glass of water. None of her assistants were around, so she had to find a glass herself, and by the time she returned to the office, Trent had dragged himself over to the couch and was slumped against it. She crouched down in front of him and put the glass to his mouth.

     “There aren't any of my people around, so I’m going to have to do this on my own.” She put her free hand to lightly caress a bruise on his face. “I can’t say I’m a great nurse though.”

     Trent smiled, taking her hand gently. “It’s you, so I won’t mind. You just saved me, after all.”

     “I only found you. It was Frank who did the saving.” Emma pulled herself away from Trent to retrieve the first aid kit behind her desk. Trent waited until she had pulled out antiseptic before speaking again.

     “Frank. That’s the name of your unicorn?”

     Emma frowned as she dabbed the cream a little too roughly. “No, his name is Fios. And he’s not mine. Fios is his own unicorn.”

     “Oh,” Trent said, wincing. “Sorry.”

     There was silence between the two as Emma wrapped his wounds in bandages and gauze.

     “He doesn’t like you,” Emma said thoughtfully.

     “Oh? I guess I’m going to have to endear myself to him, then?” Trent gave a half-grin, clearly exhausted. Emma helped him onto the couch.

     “I ... have to go see if Fios is okay. He was pretty mad at me.”

     “I’ll come.” Trent tried to sit up, but didn’t get more than his head upright again.

     “No, you sleep here. Everything’ll be locked up, there’s food in the fridge. I’ll be back early tomorrow morning.”

     “Fine,” Trent sighed. “You go make sure your unicorn-friend is okay. I’ll just sleep.” He closed his eyes. Emma moved to the door and stopped, turning to watch Trent for a moment before continuing out.

Emma walked in her front door and shut it loudly. The light in the front room flicked on. Fios knew she was waiting for him to make an appearance, and managed to hold back for about a minute before he stepped into the room, his eyes dark with resentment. She waited for him to speak first, and he did.

     “Why did you make me save him, Emma? You know I don’t like the boy.”

     Emma was quick to answer as she had previously. “But we need him, Frank.”

     Fios tossed his head. “We do not need him. I told you that. And now he is the only other who knows of my existence. That is not right, I am here in the human world only for you, Emma.”

     “I don’t know what your problem is, Frank. If I want to–”

     Fios snorted, interrupting her. “I want to be the only one at your side, Emma. You will make a choice between Fios-Rente-Narve-Kassa and this Trent.”

     “Frank, you know I can’t make that choice. Trent is human, people can see him and understand that he’s my partner.”

     Fios stepped forward holding his head at her eye level. “If you need another human, then you do not need me.”

     Emma kept her gaze hard, and Fios realised she wasn’t going to change her mind. She wanted him to share her with the boy, but Fios just couldn’t do it. He couldn’t bear to watch her be with Trent and expect him to be happy about it. He lowered his head and looked away.

     “Your final decision is that you want to keep us both?” he asked.

     Emma sent a wordless affirmative into his mind and Fios sighed. He looked to her once more and pressed his nose to her cheek. “I wish you the very best in avenging your father’s death,” he told her. “But I cannnot stay with you.”

     Emma jumped abruptly as Fios pulled away from her. “What? Frank, no, you can’t–”

She reached out to him, but Fios transported himself from her world back to his own meadow. The other unicorns looked up as he appeared, and Fios turned his attention away from them to the grass beneath his hooves. This was where he belonged, whether the others of his kind would accept him or not. Emma had made her choice.

It was the crack of dawn when Emma slouched back into her office. She’d waited up all night to see if Frank would come home, but he hadn't made an appearance.

She was surprised that Trent was already awake. He was looking refreshed, and his wounds hadn’t been so bad as to keep him from moving about freely. She watched him limp over to the fridge, giving her a questioning look. But Emma was determined not to speak first.

     “What happened to the unicorn?” Trent asked.

     “He left. I can’t get him to answer me anymore. We’re on our own.” Emma watched Trent pull a carton of milk from the fridge and pour some into a glass. Looking him now, she couldn't remember why she had rushed off to save him against Frank’s wishes. He was nothing special. Frank was the one who was  special.

     “We need a brilliant plan,” he said cheerfully, oblivious to her overnight mood change.

     “Here’s my brilliant plan, Trent: we storm the building. Then maybe I can call Fios back to me.” Emma had screamed for him to return and he'd given no answer, but she knew that Frank would come back if she proved she could do it without him. He had to. She was going to do this without Trent, as well. She wouldn't follow anyone else’s plans anymore. It was time to follow her own path.

     Emma scowled all the way through her breakfast with Trent, though he did his best to cheer her up. As the morning wore on, her staff floated into the warehouse to work for the day. She moved to the top of the stairs outside her office, Trent hovering just inside the door nervously as the staff waited and looked up warily as she stared down at them. They waited patiently, only speaking in quiet murmurs until it seemed everyone had turned up. There was an eerie silence when Emma finally spoke.

     “Friends, I know that yesterday was a disaster for us. But it was a disaster for Jareel as well. They will be recovering, and so today is the day to hit them hard. I have waited too long already to reclaim my family’s business. The Kraken and I have discussed this at length, and today is all or nothing. He will support me in my rise, or he will watch me fall. Gather everything together, because today we will no longer be splintered, but be under the direction of myself or of Jareel.”

     Emma didn't wait for any reaction to her speech, she just stepped back into her office. Trent followed her like a puppy.

     “You spoke with the Kraken? Was the unicorn ... Fiot? The Kraken?”

     “Fios-Rente-Narve-Kassa,” Emma said quietly without looking at him, “Is not the Kraken. I am the Kraken.”

     Trent took a deep breath and let it out. Emma could feel his eyes on her back as she watched her employees scramble about on the factory floor through her viewing window.  

     “Guess it was a short discussion, then,” he said, in an effort to lighten her mood. 
     Emma cringed inwardly. She found his lightheartedness attractive and endearing, but Trent was no replacement for Fios – her Frank, so hardened herself against it. She and the unicorn been together for so long she couldn't bear to imagine living without him. Emma didn't understand why he had to leave just because of Trent. She felt empty without her constant companion, and she had to end this campaign against Jareel so she could focus on bringing him back to her side.

Emma stormed into the main building of her father's business and shot wildly into the foyer. A security guard and two reception staff fell to the floor. Within a few minutes, her staff had surged into the room and secured the ground level. As men and women started for the stairs and went down to the basement cells, Emma took the stairs going up.

     “Hey!” Trent called after her. “Where are you going? We have to do this together.”

Emma turned in the stairwell to level a glare at the boy. “Jareel is mine,” she said.

Trent was too far away to hear her words, but she saw him give a worried glance back down before running to catch up with her. “You’re not going alone.” He passed her to take the lead up the stairs, and Emma let him. It was his place to keep her safe as part of her staff.

     The shot came from further down the stairwell. Emma and Trent ducked and Trent fired his own gun back in that direction.

     “So much for the element of surprise,” he said, glancing upward to make sure no one was above them.

     Emma only nodded. It was only two levels to the floor of the main office, where Jareel would be. She dashed up the stairs as Trent inadvertently laid down cover fire and she heard him yell some kind of expletive behind her.

Jareel heard a few gunshots. Louis looked up from the paperwork he was reading.
     “Did we have any training scheduled for today?” he asked.
     Jareel waved his hand in dismissal. “I don't plan that sort of thing. Now continue with your report from yesterday.”
     Louis shifted nervously at the sound of more gunfire. “Yesterday, we, uh, suffered few casualties, but have many wounded missing today. Unfortunately, I don't think the other side has many dead, either. There were no bodies left behind, so we can't confirm-”
     The intercom crackled to life. “Mr. Nolan, Sir, we have a situation.”
     Louis looked alarmed, dropping the papers onto the desk and drawing his gun from inside his coat.
     Jareel sighed as he pushed the button to respond to his receptionist. “Let me guess: Miss Jensen is making another move. Proceed to crush her as we did yesterday.”
     “Sir ... We're not getting responses from the ground or first level teams. By the time I heard about any of this, they'd gotten to the second floor.”
     Louis swore. “How did she recover so quickly? We have to get you-”
     “Go take care of things, Louis.” Jareel strolled over to a cabinet and withdrew a shotgun. “I'm not in charge because I fail to take care of things myself.”
     Louis hesitated for a second, but knew better than to disobey an order. Jareel began to load ammunition into his weapon. He was going to blow a hole in that girl's head, as he should have done in the first place. Then he'd deal with that fool who called himself the Kraken. He moved out into the reception area, finding his receptionist cowering behind her desk. He did only hire her for her looks, after all. He held his gun with one hand and grasped her arm to pull her to her feet. A pretty, unarmed girl would make a useful human shield. He let go and nudged her towards the door with his gun. She put up her hands as if he was going to shoot her, but moved obediently.
     “Put your hands down,” he told her. “You're just going to check hallways for me. You're unarmed, so no one will just shoot you. I want Emma's head.”
     “O-okay.” The girl put her hands down and opened the door a crack, poking her head out. She looked both ways before opening it wider and stepping into the hallway. Jareel was about to follow her when she gave a shriek and raised her hands. He raised the gun and took a purposeful step outside, noting the newcomer was his old courier, Trent, before blasting him through the chest. The boy crumpled to the floor as the two stood watching.
     “Good,” he said to the girl. “That's exactly what I want you to do. And when we find Emma-”
      He was interrupted by the cold steel of a knife at his back, but before he could turn it had penetrated his flesh. His assailant wrenched the shotgun from his grasp.
     “When you find Emma, she'll stick a knife in your back.”
     Jareel groaned and fell to his knees.
     “Go find Jareel’s closest and get them here,” Emma told the girl. “Your boss and I are going to have a chat.”
     The girl scurried off and Emma kicked him in the side. 
     “Get up and into your office,” she said. “We've got some things to discuss if you want to live.”
     Jareel got to his feet. Emma wanted to gloat, which meant he had a chance to turn the tables. Like father, like daughter. He smiled to himself, stumbling through his reception area just in front of the stupid progeny of his old boss. Emma kicked the door closed and turned to Jareel, holding up the stolen weapon. Jareel opened his mouth to speak, but the blast of the gun was faster than his words.

Emma put down her gun as the door burst open. Some of Jareel’s goons were there, led by Louis. She stepped aside to show them the prone form of their former boss.

     “It’s over. I’m in charge now.”

     When they lowered their weapons, Emma raised hers again. “And take Louis to the basement cells. I want him tortured for his part in assassinating my father.”

     “What?”Louis put his hands up in surrender as a the man and the woman directly behind him grabbed his arms. “I was just following orders. Please. Boss. Please.” They dragged him away, leaving a group of five armed men standing in the doorway. Emma glared at them.

     “Go tell everyone I’m in charge and they don’t have to fight anymore,” she growled at them. “We don’t want more people dying unnecessarily. This whole saga’s already going to cost us enough in compensation to the city.”

     When they’d left, Emma leant against the desk, looking down at the corpse of Jareel, her enemy. She didn't take pleasure in causing pain, but this man had left her with a lifetime of anguish. She glared at him.

     “I wish I could have spent more time killing you,” she told the lifeless body. “Everything was perfect before your stupid coup. Now I have to run this business on my own.” She sighed. “Well ... with the Kraken.” She looked up to the ceiling. “Fios! Come back. You can be the Kraken!” She waited, but there was no reply, no flash of his grey flank appearing in the room. He had gone to the meadow, he had to be able to hear her. “Fios!”

Now for my post-I-finished-something rant...

Sometimes I wonder if I’m writing this blog for the 500 hits its had - from which I’ve gained an entire two comments; for those who tell me that my blog is cool or they like certain stories (and yet, never comment); to advertise I’m writing stories for friends; or simply for myself. 

The only reason that leaves me not depressed over the lack of comments is the last one, and that’s just sad, because I don’t need to post things to the internet for myself.

So ... you know ... comment. It shows passers-by to my blog that other people actually take the time to read it. And if you have a blogger account, follow? And share my blog with other people. Coz you do know that’s the only way I'm going to get anything out of writing this junk, right? And like my Facebook page. If you like what I do, do something in return, because otherwise my (semi) hard work is for nothing.

In summary: comment, like (or +1, even), share, follow.

 Do it! I'll love you forever!

Tracey and the Space Pirates (1)

I haven't got an ending to I am the Kracken yet, but it's been forever since I posted, so here's something I'm working on for my dear friend Tracey.


It was dark on the ship. Jason was grateful that all the main lighting systems weren't automated, because that would draw attention, but he had expected some kind of dim power-saver mode. This ship wasn't like the expensive cruisers he'd managed to sneak onto in the past, and the silent darkness was beginning to make him second-guess his decision. The ship seemed dead, and dead ships weren't so easy to take on little unscheduled trips. He fumbled his way to the main control room, relieved to find a maintenance hatch in the roof was open and letting in light from the docking area. He ran his hands over switches, trying to get the ship to wake up. His mind drifted to the reason for his urgent need of a vehicle – he'd taken a sketchy courier job for some sketchier people, and when the job went south, he found himself owing more than he could pay to some powerful guys. He had to get off-world. There was nowhere on Earth he could hide, so borrowing this run-down old cargo ship seemed like the best option.
     "You can't steal this ship, you know."
     "What!" Jason jumped as a female voice broke the eerie silence. He spun to look, but he could only see her outline in the darkness of the corridor. "I wasn't... This isn't..."
     "I know what you were doing. I was alerted as soon as an intruder stepped foot on my ship."
     "No security, my ass," Jason muttered under his breath, making a mental note to knock some sense into Cove, his contact at the docks. The lights flickered to life and he gave a sly grin. Walking towards him was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. She wore a simple black silk evening dress which flowed down the curves her body right to the floor and had on a necklace and earrings that sparkled so much they must have been expensive. She'd clearly been out at a party and was called back to her ship by whatever passed for an alarm system on old rust-bucket. 
     He relaxed and gave her his charming rogue smile. "Why wouldn't I be able to steal it, pretty lady?
     The woman glared, burning with an anger that seemed to shimmer outward in powerful waves. "Because it doesn't run unless I want it to," she growled.
    Jason felt the uncontrollable urge to run, but his back was against the control console. He eyed the door behind the woman in panic, wondering if he could dart past her to escape.
     She must have seen his terror, because her face softened and she completely changed her tone. "Come here." She beckoned him forward and took a seat on a nearby chair.
     Jason found himself drawn towards her, and when he was directly before the dark beauty, her pleading brown eyes met his.
     "Why are you trying to steal a spaceship anyway? It's not something you'd be able to keep."
     "I need to get off this rock," he told her, feeling uneasy about her sudden mood changes.
     "Where did you want to go?" She touched his hand lightly and he stared down at the place her delicate fingers met his skin.
     "Anywhere ..." he breathed. "... Everywhere."
     "Why not just get a seat on a passenger liner?"
     Jason slid out of reach of her entrancing touch and gave her a pointed look. "Would I be stealing if I could afford a ticket out of here?"
     "If you're willing to steal, why not just steal enough to buy a ticket? It would doubtless cause you less trouble."
     "I … didn't think this all through. I just need to get away."
     "Fine then." The woman returned to her feet, her voice suddenly businesslike. "What are you willing to do to get a place on this ship?"
     "You want to take me with you?"
     "I always need extra crew." There was an unreadable look in the woman's eyes, but Jason didn't much care about her intentions. The most beautiful woman he'd ever met had made an offer and his mind was already made up.

There was  a knock on the door and Jason threw aside his blanket and jumped to his feet. From the moment he awoke, he had no trouble remembering why he found himself sleeping on a cold metal floor in a storage room, and had been lying waiting for this knock for about an hour.
     "I'm decent!"
     The truth was, he'd slept in his clothes. Tracey had warned him the night before that she didn't want to see him in any state of undress when she came to collect him in the morning, and he didn't want to chance her throwing him out before they had a chance to get going. The lock clicked and the door sprung open. Jason could only stare at the dark-haired goddess who stood there, giving him a warm smile as a morning greeting. He didn't think anyone had ever been so happy after spending the night in what was basically a cell. The woman managed to have a glamourous authority about her, even wearing a simple skirt and baggy shirt. He didn't know how she managed to look as amazing in it as she had the night before in the evening gown. He couldn't bring himself to make any movement without her permission.
     When she saw Jason wasn't going to return her smile, Tracey rolled her eyes and turned her back on him. "Come on, I'll introduce you to the crew before we set off this morning." She took a step, then paused, looking over her shoulder. "And bring your bag, they'll show you to your actual room."
     Jason threw his backpack over his shoulder and the blanket over the top and trailed out of the door behind his new captain. He removed his gaze from her back long enough to watch the walls he passed. While from the outside, the ship had looked beaten down, the inside was well kept. Steel walls shone so bright he could almost catch his reflection in them, and every few steps its smooth surface was punctuated by a brilliant piece of art. His excitement grew when he thought about how he was going to visit the alien landscapes he saw depicted, to be amongst the foreign cultures who created the sculptures that leant their colour to an otherwise bland hallway. It was more than he had ever dreamed he would do with his life. This ship, the Mishka, may as well have been a luxury liner, because the adventure and escape it promised was going to change his life. 
     Tracey paused in an open archway and glanced back to him, the look in her eyes slightly wary. She turned back to the doorway and made her announcement.
     "Gentlemen, meet our new crew member, Jason."
     Tracey moved further into the room and out of Jason's way. As he stepped inside the clean metal kitchen, he realised he'd been expecting something specific from Tracey's crew, because the men who leered up at him were nothing like he had imagined them to be. He had to wonder why such a stunning woman would surround herself with such people. 
     There was a large, burly man whose face was contorted in a permanent scowl from the scar running down the length of his face from a sewn-up eye socket to his jaw. He only lifted his head to give Jason a glance before waving his hand and returning to his bowl of cereal.
     "So what'd he do?" asked a short, bearded man who was leaning on the doorframe at the other side of the room.
     Tracey laughed. A light, airy sound that made Jason want to make her laugh more. "He was more brazen than any of you. He tried to steal my ship."
     The fourth member of their crew, a tall guy with rippling muscles and a heavy forehead that pushed a pair of incredibly bushy eyebrows into his eyes, paused with his spoon halfway to his mouth. The short guy in the doorway was laughing.
     "Brazen indeed," the muscle-bound guy's deep voice boomed with a sort of admiration before his utensil resumed its trajectory to his mouth.
     "Why did I have to have done something?" Jason folded his arms across his chest, self conscious about looking like the criminal type.
     The short guy gave another laugh. "You think you're a special guy, to be asked to join this crew after you're caught doing something nasty? We're all here for that reason." He gave a smirk. "This aint the good ship of saintly souls."
     "What did you do then?" Jason turned to Tracey.
     Tracey just gave a secretive smile and turned, her skirt swishing through the air. She left the room without answering his question.
     "That, my friend," rumbled the muscled man, patting the seat beside him. "Is the saintly-est woman you'll ever meet. Rehabilitating criminals is what she does. She's never done the crimes herself."
     "Technically, I didn't either." Jason said as he took the seat offered.
The short guy laughed more as he took the space across from Jason. "You may not have been able to do that one, kid. But if you're here, you've 'techinically' done your own fair share of naughty deeds."
     Jason's face flushed and he filled his bowl with soup. "So, what do we do on this ship?" he asked casually.
     "Oh, you know. Packing and loading. We do a lot of private transport. Hope you're up for it." The muscle man put a large hand around Jason's tiny bicep. "Though you may be able to help out more than mighty mouse."
     "Hey," the small guy said dangerously, getting slowly to his feet. "What did I say about using that nickname?"
     "That you'd renounce your newfound good ways and stick him with a knife in his sleep," the one-eyed man waved a piece of toast. "Now both of you shut up. How's this one supposed to turn over a new leaf with you two acting like common thugs? Lady Tracey certainly wouldn't be happy with your behaviour."
     Both men simultaneously grunted agreement then mumbled apologies. Jason was stunned. He was sure that was about to turn into a fight, but they seemed placated by the very mention of Tracey's name. 

I am the Kraken (part 4)

This was totally going to be my last entry for IATK, but planned events seem to take much longer than I think they will to write. I'm setting off to write part 5 a.s.a.p, so look forward to the exciting conclusion really soon, or else prod me on Facebook for an ending if I'm taking too long.
And for previous readings: part 1, part 2, part 3

Trent opened the door for her. “And will I get to meet this Kraken? The rescue he pulled after Jareel’s coup still has everyone talking.”

   “He … likes to keep himself a mystery,” Emma explained, wondering why she was feeling so guilty for lying. “I think I’m the only one who knows who he is.”
   “Not a chance he’d show himself to the new guy then.” Trent got into the car.
   Emma frowned at his nervousness. He’d been nervous around her at the ball, but then he’d been quiet. Now he was babbling. “Am I making you anxious?”
   “No, it’s just … Your Dad, he always talked about you, and I’ve been waiting forever to meet you.”
   Emma was surprised by his answer. “What did he say about me?”
   Trent just leant back and smiled. “He told me how much he loved you, and how even your frown could make a man as tough as him feel love.”
   Emma frowned at this, and Trent gave a light laugh. She tried to suppress her smile, but that only made him laugh harder.
   “Then what did he say about my smile?” she asked, accepting that she’d lost the power in the conversation.
  He turned his soulful eyes to her, the smile gone from his face. “He said it would light up the night.”


Fios eyed the boy with distaste. Emma was twitchy around him, nervous. The boy had power over his human, and that could only end badly. Emma had left him to roam the warehouse, explaining that she had to go speak with the Kraken, and Fios watched him with suspicion through a darkened window high above the factory floor.
    “Frank.”
    Frank turned his head to watch Emma as she came in the door. She approached him cautiously.
    “Is something wrong?”
    Frank turned his head to look out the window once again. “I don’t trust him.”
    Emma joined him at the window. “Trent? He was the one who told me not to attack at the ball. He’s been working with us for a long time. We can trust him.”
    “You’re nervous around him though.”
    Emma bristled. “That has nothing to do with how trustworthy he is,” she said through gritted teeth.
    “Then why?”
    Emma sucked in a breath, “He kissed me at the ball.”
    “Oh.” The revelation didn’t ease Fios’s mind, it just made him more suspicious. If that boy made the slightest wrong move, Fios wouldn’t hesitate to disable him.

A few weeks passed, and Fios watched from afar as Trent and Emma became closer. He didn’t know what was so special about the boy that Emma would treat him differently from her other subordinates. He was a spy close to Jareel, but Emma had plenty of others on the inside. Fios couldn’t understand her actions. He was just glad Emma hadn’t brought the boy to their home, he still didn’t trust him. Fios paced his room, anxious about his human. She was still out with that boy, doing whatever it was they did night after night, and he didn’t like it.
    The door opened and closed, and Fios stepped slowly into the front room. He waited silently for Emma to speak in the semi-darkness, the light from the street the only illumination.
    Without turning on the lights, Emma approached him and placed a hand on his nose. They stood in a companionable silence for awhile, but Fios needed to know what was happening. He pulled his head away from her and she sighed.
    “Trent thinks we should take on Jareel now.”
    “Tonight?”
    “No, but in the next few days. The atmosphere at Jareel’s has been relaxed lately, and his security has been toned down. It’s the perfect time for us to make our move.”
    Fios shook his head. “I don’t think it’s the right time. My feelings tell me we should wait longer.”
    “How long?” Emma had a little edge of irritation in her voice.
    “Just a few more weeks. I’ve been watching Jareel. He seems like he’s getting too comfortable, but that there’s something in the works. There’s more to his movements at the moment than meets the eye.”
    “Trent says he thinks we’re not going to attack. Trent is in the thick of it.”
    Fios met Emma’s gaze. “I think he’s wrong.”
   “You just don’t want to go ahead because you don’t trust Trent.”
    “Do you really believe that about me, Emma? You’re trusting that boy over me, when I’ve been with you for half your life. Where has this Trent been all that time? I think you should hold off.”
    “You know who’s been in my life longer than you? My father! I need to get his business back, and I need to do it sooner rather than later. My father’s memory needs to be honoured.”
    “And we will get it back, Emma. I promise you that.”
    “I shouldn’t have lost it to Jareel in the first place!” Emma around to face the front door. “My father shouldn’t even be dead! He should have had his bodyguards, I should have been there to protect him. We shouldn’t have taken so long to get back.”
    Fios stepped forward to nuzzle Emma’s shoulder. “Emma, the past is the past. We can’t do anything to change it now. All we can do is plan properly for the future, and I say we should wait.”
    Emma spun to face him, but kept her voice soft. “I can’t wait any longer, Frank. If Trent says we can attack Jareel now, then that’s what I’m going to do.”

It was midnight, and Emma waited in the car with her semi-automatic, feeling self conscious without her real weapon standing by. She was having second thoughts about doing this when Frank had been so adamant that she not, but she wasn’t a little kid anymore, and it was time to be making her own decisions. Frank wouldn’t be there forever, he was a wild unicorn, and she had to prepare for her future in whatever way she could, so if creating an independent life for herself involved blowing Frank off every once in awhile, that was what she had to do.
     Any of Emma’s publicly known followers waited around the main building. Her covert staff were inside, and when Jareel stepped outside tonight, Emma would be the one to have the honour of removing him from his position. He was having a late night meeting regarding the Kraken, and Trent would lead him out and the bodyguards would be dispatched, leaving Jareel unattended. Since Emma was the rightful heir to the business, there wouldn’t have to be a bloody takeover. But there was still the disturbing issue of why Jareel had kept her alive in the first place. The empire needed a king and a queen. Trent would be the one responsible for a successful coup, and so it was reasonable that he would be the one to take the open position. She’d seen his glances when he thought she wasn’t watching. It would only be a matter of time before he tried something, because Emma wasn’t going to reject his flirting. She was jolted out of her daydream as the door opened and Jareel stepped out alone. She waited for Trent, even watching the building for a signal of some sort, but there was nothing. She leaned forwards to be nearer her driver.
    “Go. Back to the factory. We’ll meet anyone who got out of this back there.”
    As they pulled into the next street, the sound of gunfire followed them. Emma cursed. She didn’t know the extent of the damage to her operation until she returned to the warehouse. She listened to the continuing spatters of bullets and realised she shouldn’t get her hopes up.

Upon returning to the factory, Emma shut herself in her office. She told Frank the whole story, watching employees trickle in to deal with the crisis at hand, bandaging wounds and carrying covered bodies to lay them on the floor.
     Frank pawed the ground nervously. “... Emma, I hate to say ‘I told you so,’ but-”
    “No! Frank, I don’t want to hear it. We need to get Trent back. Without him, we can’t get my father’s business back.”
    “Why do we need the boy? We had no need for him when it was just the two of us. We will get revenge on behalf of your father on our own and then return to our normal lives.”
    “Our normal lives? Do you know what has to happen when I get the business back? I need Trent by my side.”
    “I don’t understand. Why am I not enough?” Frank looked hurt and Emma turned away from him.
    “The business ... traditionally it needs two leaders to run it so that all the employees will stay loyal. It needs a queen and a king, and I need Trent to be my king. If I don’t do that, I’ll end up with a situation like Jareel has now.”
    “Why does it have to be him? There has to be someone else.”
    Emma moved over to run her hand through the unicorn’s mane. “No Frank, there’s not. Trent was one of Jareel’s and there’s no one else still there who I know I can trust.”
    Frank tossed his mane indignantly, removing Emma’s hand from his head. “Well I’m not running in, guns blazing, to save your little king. We don’t even know if he’s still alive.”
    “Fine. I’ll do it myself.”

Emma walked in through the front door in broad daylight. No one stopped her or even gave a second glance, they were so busy rushing around in the aftermath of her own failed takeover operation. She let go of the breath she didn’t realise she’d been holding as elevator doors closed in front of her.
    This was the first thing Emma had done without Frank’s help since she was a little girl. She felt unnerved without him as a safety net in this situation, but it seemed that her own charisma would serve her just as well as his magic. She’d been an assassin most of her life, after all. Blending and looking like she belonged was her thing. She pushed the button for the basement floor where the holding cells were. In her line of work, she’d never had to go down there. Her jobs didn’t involve taking prisoners. But for one night she had been a resident there herself, so it wasn’t unfamiliar territory.
     The doors opened to a dim corridor of barred walls. There was a strip of fluorescent lighting down the middle between the rows of cells, and anything beyond the metal poles was in darkness. No one approached the doors upon seeing the light from the elevator. She supposed that most of the prisoners just hoped the visitor wasn’t for them. More of the cells were occupied than on her last visit. Jareel must have had more trouble consolidating his power than he had anticipated. She’d been the only snag in his plan and was proud to have ruined his smooth transition with her refusal to help. She peered into the first cell at the shadowy figure huddled in the corner. It was too big to be Trent, so she moved on to the second cell. This time the woman inside approached the bars.
    “Emma,” she croaked. “You’ve finally left the Kraken and joined Jareel?” There was a hint of disappointment in her voice. Emma turned away, but everyone else in the room had heard and were now at their bars. “How could you betray us like this, Emma?” the woman continued, her voice louder now. “How could you betray your father?”
    Out of the corner of her eye, Emma saw that the elevator had started to come down, so she had to find Trent quickly. With everyone closer to the light now, she could see who was in what cell, and Trent was on the floor, trying to pull himself up. The keys were at the end of the corridor, near a small door, and Emma rushed to get them and open Trent’s door, glancing back to the elevator ticking down numbers. The other prisoners continued to yell at her, a slight bit of confusion creeping in at Emma’s actions. By the time she had Trent leaning on her arm, the elevator was almost at the LB level and the only thing to do was to go through the door.
    The room beyond was a dead end, and Trent groaned as they entered. It seemed to be used for torturing prisoners, which was clearly what had happened to Trent himself. The lack of exit didn’t bother Emma though. It was time to swallow her pride and call Frank for help. She hadn’t really thought of how to get out once she had gotten in, and called out urgently for Frank. He appeared quickly, his horn emitting a soft glow in the darkness. She could feel his disapproval as she pushed Trent up onto his grey flank and jumped up behind him. The light was suddenly bright as they were instantly in Emma’s Kraken headquarters office. Trent slid off Frank’s back and onto the floor, breathing heavily. Frank was still streaming his angry thoughts into her mind and Emma had no idea of who to deal with first. She ran her hands through Frank’s mane, promising to have a talk with him at their home soon. As she got off Frank, he snorted and disappeared.