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feelthefloof · 6 years

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💬 Show me what you got

For every 💬 I get in my inbox, I’ll post a quote from my own writing that I’m proud of!

(I’m just going to post this entire piece bc I am really proud of it die mad about it)

Two sistersrun, though the pasture, the plumes of the high grass tickling their sides,their arms, their shoulders. Two sisters run, without a care in the world,laughing and giggling the entire way. Bugs get stuck inside their hair, whichthey then carefully pick out of their locks to set them free into the skyagain. Afternoon sunshine dips the meadow in a glorious golden glow, the grasswaving from side to side in the summer breeze. All is calm. All is peaceful.

Two sisters know this couldchange with a single action so neither of them provokes it. The girl withblonde and wavy hair keeps her hands in leather gloves no matter thetemperature of hot northern Suald. The girl who keeps her brown hair in aponytail knows not to mess with that decision.

Two sisters run towards theforest edge to enjoy the sunset with a pastry and some fruit juice. They don’tget to do this often – good times are a precious commodity.

“Lynnae can’t go outside,” theirmother says far too often.

“And especially not near theforest,” adds their father. There aren’t that many forests to begin with inSuald. Losing one would be a disaster.

But when the youngest of the two,barely nine years old, sits in her room on her own, her sister is never far awayto bust her out of the house. So the two sisters run, laughing: they did itagain, they didn’t get caught, and now they can finally have fun together.

The two halt in their path alongthe forest edge, where birches and oak trees stand proud and tall, their leavesrustling in the wind. Though dry, this is one of the less arid parts of Suald. There,the eldest kneels down on a softer patch of grass and slings her leather bagoff her shoulders.

“What did you bring?” Lynnae sitsdown in the lush, green grass.

“Try not to make your dressdirty, mommy will know that you’ve been out.”

Lynnae stands up immediately andseeks a natural chair that will leave fewer green stains on her clothes.

“And I brought…” Kara reachesinto the leather bag to pull out a pastry wrapped in thin paper. “A blueberrytart!”

“You’re the best!” Lynnae can’tfind a better place to sit. Instead she lifts her dress a little higher andkneels, her bare legs touching the grass below. It’s been a while since theylast sat like that, munching away at a pastry and watching the sun go down. Theirparents are keeping a very close eye on their youngest.

There have been some… accidents,lately.

It always starts with a powerful firestorm blazing within before it seeks its way out through Lynnae’s fingertips,her chest, sometimes even her pores. Parshyr’s lawmaster doesn’t know what todo with the child. She isn’t genasi yet the elemental energy flows stronglythrough her. There are no documents that suggest dragon blood in her veins, nofamilial ties to which the magic can be traced back. The lawmaster thinks acurse was laid on the child at birth, but why?

“Why don’t you stay indoors? Youcan’t accidentally hurt anyone that way,” the lawmaster said to her face.

Lynnae never liked her much andshe didn’t exactly give her a reason to like her either.

Throughout it all there hasalways been one person who doesunderstand and she’s sitting next to that person now. Kara doesn’t judge. Karais just hopelessly curious. She wants to learn. She wants to see. She wants tounderstand.

Sometimes, it feels like Kara isher only ally.

One of the sunsgoes down in front of them, they feel the last bit of the gentle rays brushingtheir faces before it slips beneath the horizon and allows night to take itsplace. It’s late. Soon their father will return from a day’s work at the forge.Mother will be making dinner. Both will be wondering where their daughters are.

The two sisters don’t care. Theylie down on their backs and stare at the sky, slowly but surely the stars comein, weaving patterns, images, like a map in the sky. The sun in the Fire Planekeeps burning though less invasive with its big brother underneath the horizon.

“I want to use magic too.” Kara’swords come out of nowhere, unprompted. A wish she has long kept secret.

“You don’t,” Lynnae says, “trustme.”

“No, not your kind of magic. I want to… make pretty pictures with magic.Like the sky does every night.”

“Illusions?”

“Sort of. Do you think the starsare an illusion?”

“They look like one. A reallybig, beautiful illusion.”

Kara sits up straight. “Can youdo that with fire?”

Lynnae clenches her eyelids shut.

“Can you?”

“Never tried before. It soundshard.”

“Maybe we can try it, in thefireplace.” Kara shakes her sister’s shoulder with a wide smile on her face.“It’ll be fun!” She can’t see Lynnae’s frown. “Maybe we can finally figure outthe secret of your powers.” She can’t see the sudden frustration on her youngersister’s face. “C’mon, Lyn!”

“Not today. I’m tired.”

“But Lyn… I want to experiment.What’s an arcanist without research?”

“Mom and dad will be angry, I’llbe wiped out afterwards, I just don’t wanna. Not now.”

Kara heaves a sigh. “You’reboring,” she grumbles.

“You’re pushy! Sorry that I don’twant to play with fire today, we did that last week.” Lynnae crosses her armsin front of her and huffs.

Silence falls as quickly as thenight.

“Don’t you want to know more?”asks Kara after a while.

“Not now.”

�� “You’re ungrateful.”

“Excuse me?”

“I got you out of the house todayand you don’t even want to help me as a thanks.”

The storm ignites. She feels it bangingon her skin from the inside, screaming in her ear, waiting – no – begging to belet out. She stares at the sky and tries to ignore it. Her gloves are on –nothing bad can happen. She stands up and dusts off her clothes. “I want to gohome.”

Two sisterswalk in silence, both wearing a frown.

Kara is strong-willed, Lynnae isangry. Both are tired of this.

Kara wants to sate her curiosity,Lynnae really just wants to be normal for one day. Both want to get home andsleep and maybe talk again in the morning.

Kara doesn’t mean to disrespect,Lynnae doesn’t mean to be ungrateful for everything Kara has done for her. Bothdon’t mean to cause each other pain.

Both hope things will be allright.

Both hope the fire will quietdown one day.

Both hope to control the energythat has caused their family so much uncertainty and worry.

Two sistersenter Parshyr again, the guards giving them strange looks – the children shouldbe in bed by now. None of the guards say anything: this isn’t the first timethis has happened and it will not be the last. The newest member of the guardwalks up to them after a while, but Kara quickly mutters that they know the wayaround, then thanks him and walks on, holding Lynnae by the hand.

“Are you sure you don’t want tohelp me?” Kara asks as she nears the door of their house.

Finally, Lynnae gives in. “Youknow what? Fine. Let’s just get it over with. Grab your Spellbook.”

Two sisters open the door totheir house and find it empty.

“Maybe they’re still at work,”Kara says, “Mid-season’s always busier.”

And indeed: in the month of Raomthe roads of Parshyr are always rife with adventurous folk coming through insearch of quests, fame and glory. Under those circumstances it’s not rare fortheir parents to be home late from work. They don’t have to worry about food:Kara is a decent cook (not to mention that she often drops by the bakery forsome fresh bread).

Luckily, the pastry from beforestilled their hunger for a good while.

Kara runs to her room to find thenotebook she has affectionately dubbed her Spellbook and starts leafing throughit until she found an empty page.

Lynnae looks over her shoulder towatch her write “Experiment #27” in the margin and she feels the familiar nervestake a hold of her stomach. Gloves off, easy, be careful.

“Okay, eh—” Kara begins, “you canstart by lighting up the fireplace.”

It takes nothing more than a snapof Lynnae’s fingers for the blocks of wood in the hearth to catch fire. Withthat, the stench of sulfur starts filling the room. Cinders dance. Lynnaeconcentrates. The urge is starting to creep up on her.

“Can you take control of theflames?”

She tries. She waves her hand.She straightens her fingers, she furrows her brow. Come on, don’t fail me now. Move your hand in circles. It works forcandles. Come on you stupid flame, BEND.

Nothing happens.

It’s bigger than candlelight, ora torch. Less easy to control. Lynnae tries again. Why-can’t-I-JUST-BEND-THIS-STUPID-FIRE-YOU-ARE-SUPPOSED-TO-LISTEN-TO-ME.

“What are you even doing?” Karasighs.

Something snaps inside of theyounger sister – Lynnae’s patience is lost. “I’M TRYING, KARA!” She suddenlyspins around, her hands move along, so does the fire, like a blowtorch it shootsout of the fireplace and meets Kara’s body.

The sheer force of it flings herbackwards, she hits the wall with a thud and stops moving. The Spellbook fallsout of her hands, embers eating at the pages.

One sister sprintsout the door. The air around her is pungent with sulfur as she screams for hermother’s help.

#my writing #ask game #Lynnae Laroche #zealousasmodeus

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