Post by Amaranth on Aug 17, 2006 18:29:36 GMT -5
(~Part 1 of Three~)
"Let go of me!" The blue-haired girl struggled violently against the hold of a group of laughing boys, but her tiny limbs had no chance against the burly youths. Her clothes and hair were dirty and torn, her body and face gaunt. Her crystal-blue eyes were wide with panic as she flailed against her assailants. They laughed at her efforts. One hoisted her over his shoulder.
"Whatsamatter?" he guffawed, shifting her as she pounded vainly against his back with her fist and kicked at his chest. "'fraid of a lil' water?"
The boys had dragged her to the edge of a wide expanse of lake, in the middle of a forest. As the boy who was holding her moved to pull her off, she screamed and changed tactics, clinging to his shoulder for dear life. Soon enough, though, his strength prevailed and she was dislodged. There was a sickening crack as the brittle bones in her left arm snapped, and her shrieking rose a notch. This seemed only to amuse the boys further, and their laughter almost drowned her out. One of them held her hands behind her back, letting the broken arm dangle at an odd angle in his grip, and another grabbed her by the hair. Her eyes barely had time to widen before he had forced her head underwater.
She struggled violently, her desperate screaming pulling the precious air from her lungs in bubbles that rose to the surface. Shortly, her struggling weakened as spots of colors danced in front of her eyes. She could hear her heart pounding in her ears, but the sound seemed to be fading into the distance... Just when she was sure that she was going to pass out and that this was the end of her, the boy holding her decided that torturing her would be more fun if they drew it out a bit longer and let her up. Instinctively, she gasped in air, choking up water. The boys laughed at her.
"Le's see 'f she c'n swim," suggested one of them. She was promptly and unceremoniously tossed in. She hit the water hard, what little breath she had managed to regain forced out of her. Her limbs flailed desperately, and her head managed to clear the water for half a second. The last thing that occured to her was that she was going to die and no one would care...
The girl woke up. That in itself was a surprise. The more immediate, surprise, however, was that someone was leaning over her. Whoever it was seemed to be just sitting there, but she could feel their shadow on her, blocking the sun that filtered through the canopy. Her eyes flew open and locked with the other's.
She jerked away, or tried to. As she moved, the broken arm twisted and crumpled. She fell onto her side, whimpering. Staring up at her "attacker," she saw that he was a black-haired, blue-eyed boy about er age. He stared back at her for a moment, then turned red and looked away.
"Uh, you okay?" he asked, a bit gruffly.
Uncertainly, she nodded. He must have seen it, because he repeated the gesture and cleared his throat. "Sorry about that," he muttered. "But you, ah, were just... floating there, so I... yeah."
She continued to stare at him.
"Uh, I'm Japheth..." he tried next.
After a moment of silence, she replied.
"My name is Amaranth."
"Let go of me!" The blue-haired girl struggled violently against the hold of a group of laughing boys, but her tiny limbs had no chance against the burly youths. Her clothes and hair were dirty and torn, her body and face gaunt. Her crystal-blue eyes were wide with panic as she flailed against her assailants. They laughed at her efforts. One hoisted her over his shoulder.
"Whatsamatter?" he guffawed, shifting her as she pounded vainly against his back with her fist and kicked at his chest. "'fraid of a lil' water?"
The boys had dragged her to the edge of a wide expanse of lake, in the middle of a forest. As the boy who was holding her moved to pull her off, she screamed and changed tactics, clinging to his shoulder for dear life. Soon enough, though, his strength prevailed and she was dislodged. There was a sickening crack as the brittle bones in her left arm snapped, and her shrieking rose a notch. This seemed only to amuse the boys further, and their laughter almost drowned her out. One of them held her hands behind her back, letting the broken arm dangle at an odd angle in his grip, and another grabbed her by the hair. Her eyes barely had time to widen before he had forced her head underwater.
She struggled violently, her desperate screaming pulling the precious air from her lungs in bubbles that rose to the surface. Shortly, her struggling weakened as spots of colors danced in front of her eyes. She could hear her heart pounding in her ears, but the sound seemed to be fading into the distance... Just when she was sure that she was going to pass out and that this was the end of her, the boy holding her decided that torturing her would be more fun if they drew it out a bit longer and let her up. Instinctively, she gasped in air, choking up water. The boys laughed at her.
"Le's see 'f she c'n swim," suggested one of them. She was promptly and unceremoniously tossed in. She hit the water hard, what little breath she had managed to regain forced out of her. Her limbs flailed desperately, and her head managed to clear the water for half a second. The last thing that occured to her was that she was going to die and no one would care...
The girl woke up. That in itself was a surprise. The more immediate, surprise, however, was that someone was leaning over her. Whoever it was seemed to be just sitting there, but she could feel their shadow on her, blocking the sun that filtered through the canopy. Her eyes flew open and locked with the other's.
She jerked away, or tried to. As she moved, the broken arm twisted and crumpled. She fell onto her side, whimpering. Staring up at her "attacker," she saw that he was a black-haired, blue-eyed boy about er age. He stared back at her for a moment, then turned red and looked away.
"Uh, you okay?" he asked, a bit gruffly.
Uncertainly, she nodded. He must have seen it, because he repeated the gesture and cleared his throat. "Sorry about that," he muttered. "But you, ah, were just... floating there, so I... yeah."
She continued to stare at him.
"Uh, I'm Japheth..." he tried next.
After a moment of silence, she replied.
"My name is Amaranth."
