Naria of the Flame *Dead for now (rewrite later): Picture update in last post*

[Nayrman]

Welcome to the story I hope to make into a reality for movies to come in the future. This is an origional story by me, written by me, developed by me, and owned by ME. If I dare see this blatantly used elsewhere without my permission there will be HELL to pay!
Unlike my reviews I NEED RESPONES! I need any sort of criticisms, ideas, etc. to make my work better! I'm counting on everyone!

Chapter 5 Update: I wrote this rather quickly, which was surprising to me since it usually takes longer. Well, this was faster than usual probably because I already knew what I was going to do the entire way...for the most part. I decided to chop this in half because a) I didn't feel like writing the ENTIRE thing, and b) I wouldn't subject you guys to the entire flashback in one go.




-general idea of what Naria looks like


Wee new poster!


- second pic of Naria. This was was half done by me/scratch half mix matching things I saw. Also, you'll note that the first drawing of the Fieron eye has appeared.


- about 60% others mix matching and 35% me (5% who knows what I was thinking). can YOU spot the obvious edits? Tried for a more "comfortable" looking Naria. Also, she's supposed to be wearing a headset. It comes across as white pigtails or something. Gah my art sucks.

Naria of the Flame
By: Ryan Malis

Chapter 1: What Is She?
?So, you?re okay with your classes?? asked the principal to the two new students, looking down from is long slender nose past his rather large bifocals. Having new students starting in October was a tad odd, but he thought nothing of it as he handed the schedules to the two girls.

?Of course we?re fine with them. I?m only here for one year anyway so I?ll deal with it.? replied the first girl, obviously the older of the two. Jenn began to look over her classes pushing her short blonde hair behind her ear, ignoring her sister?s rebuttal.
?You?re just upset you left all your friends and I?ll have plenty to have through high school?.

Unlike her senior sister, Stacy was quite happy about starting her freshman year in a new school. Jenn merely rolled her eyes at her sister?s confidence. Stacy was, after all, the pretty one. With long blonde hair, big hazel eyes, and definitely one of the nicer figures from her old school, it was evident she was going to make plenty of friends in no time.

In contrast, Jenn was less than pleased with her new arrangements. Leaving her old school senior year, moving to a new city for a few months was not her idea of a glamorous senior year.  Wearing a simple pair of jeans and purple t-shirt, Jennifer had already given up hope for having a good year altogether.

?Then I assume we?ll have no problems then? If you need help getting around feel free to ask, but this school is rather straightforward.?

Stacy and Jenn left the main office with completely separate expressions. Stacy happily went on her way to the first class of her high school career, while Jenn was left walking the opposite way down the hall to the start of her drawn out day.
This was by no means a large school. It was at the edge of the city, so it?s not like there was a ton of room. Jefferson High was two stories, a central middle ground containing the main office on the second floor, and cafeteria beneath it. There were two main hallways branching off from the main area. The right hallway led to most of the science and math subjects, while the left hall led to the language and history classes. Behind the school stood the football field for the Jefferson Warriors, with the music and arts building between the main school and the field. Surrounding the school were various office buildings, skyscrapers and other buildings suited to a large and bustling city.

The first half of the day went exactly as Stacy and Jenn had expected. Full of introductions and hastily catching up on lost work for missing the first month of school. Classes were classes, nothing Jenn wasn?t used to; while Stacy was certainly not used to how a high school was run. Luckily for Jenn, lunch came at midday, as she quickly found her freshman sister since she had yet to meet anyone Jenn deemed ?decent? yet.

?So, how?re things going for you?? Jenn questioned half asleep, lightly munching on the small bag of chips that came with her lunch.
?Pretty good so far. Already met some nice people who asked me to sit with them, but I can already tell I?m going to hate biology.? replied Stacy finishing her meal.

?That makes one of us?wait, why didn?t you sit with them? I may be miserable but that doesn?t mean you have to be as well.?
?I?m going for a walk around the school. Ya know, get used to the place, find where things are.? said the young girl getting up to throw her trash away.

?Just don?t get lost; lunch is only forty-five minutes here.? Jenn called back as Stacy made a quick wave good-bye on her way out of the lunchroom.

It was a rather nice day out for October. A few clouds with a cool temperature with barely any wind, making the sun feel a bit warmer than it actually was. This was precisely the reason Stacy began her exploring outside near the football field. Without much a surprise there wasn?t a person to be found there this time a day. The field was empty with no gym class in session due to lunch. Staying long seemed like a waste of time until Stacy saw a human shaped black lump lying on the top row of the high risers in the stands.

Climbing her way to the top, Stacy saw a girl just sleeping on the stands during lunch. She was definitely an upper-classmen, Stacy just couldn?t tell precisely though. The sleeping girl had un-kept jet black hair, long enough to reach her shoulders but was by no means long, bangs down to her eyebrows, and cornered eyes; almost Asian if they weren?t rounded towards the bottom seemingly giving her a permanent glare.

The untidiness continued down to the older girl?s clothes as well. A plain white shirt with a large pure black hooded jacket with dark baggy jeans with worn out black and white sneakers obviously been used for too long. It was apparent she wasn?t one of the better off students what with the lack of any make-up and the grime ridden odor she gave off as Stacy drew nearer. How anyone could sleep lying on these hard benches with their face in the sun was only one of the many questions Stacy had for her odd classmate.
?Uh?Hiya?um, what?cha doing?? Stacy nervously asked the peculiar girl.

?Well, I was trying to sleep, but that doesn?t look like that?s gonna happen anytime soon ya little s***.? replied the gloomy girl. She hadn?t even bothered to open her eyes while rolling over on her side facing away from her.

?Well, I?m just new here and just trying to meet some people.? Stacy mocked back, trying to force the issue.

?Obviously or else you?d know to stay away from me. Go meet new people somewhere else.?

?Hey, I?m just trying to be nice here! You don?t have to be so mean about it. Just introduce yourself and I might leave you alone. My name?s Stacy by the way.? Stacy called back with a cowl on her face, more determined than ever to learn about the mean spirited girl.

Sighing, the other student sat up and opened her eyes to look at her pestering classmate. Stacy was rather surprised to find that the other girl had dark purple colored eyes. She was also as skinny as she looked lying down, making an average sized jacket and jeans look loose around her almost boyish looking frame. Internally Stacy laughed at the fact that she was already bustier than a girl who was clearly a few years older than her. If it wasn?t for the girl?s shoulder length hair Stacy would?ve easily confused her for a boy.

?Naria, senior, go away now.? the older girl bluntly replied to her pestering antagonist, waving her hand in Stacy?s face to prove the point. It was clear she wasn?t in the mood to meet pretty young freshman who interrupt her resting time.

?That?s?an interesting name?? Stacy replied rather blankly, not actually believing Naria would really answer her.

?Okay, you got what you wanted, leave already.? Naria called back almost fiercely. ?I?m not in the mood to deal with people like you.?

?Aw, that?s not nice. At least give the new kid a break. She doesn?t know not to mess with you.? a voice called from behind the two girls. Coming up the stairs was a well built boy, clearly a senior, wearing a slight smile on his face.

?I already know what you want, answer is no. Why do you bother coming up here all the god dang time?? an exasperated Naria said while lying back down on her bench, closing her dark colored eyes once again.

?Just seeing if you?ll actually have lunch one of these days?and you wonder why you?re so freakin skinny. I?m Derrek by the way, nice to meet ya?Stacy right?? the young man called, changing his attention to the new girl.

Derrek was a well built eighteen-year-old guy. Fairly tall, definitely over six feet, with seemingly not a bit of body fat on him and nearly all muscle, to Stacy he seemed quite the looker. With dark brown hair sort of just floating away from his head reaching the border of his eyes, it wouldn?t surprise her if he was quite popular. Derrek seemed quite adept to the cool weather as well, wearing some long cargo pants, a grey muscle s*** with a large khaki shoulder jacket?seemingly a forgotten relic from the 1980?s. The outfit seemed to completely clash, but that almost seemed to be the point; at least to Stacy?s point of view.

?Wait, you mean she doesn?t eat lunch?? Stacy asked the group?s newcomer confused at the whole situation.
?Yea, she lives alone and obviously doesn?t have a good amount of cash flow if ya get my meaning.? Derrek replied taking a seat next to Naria.

?Don?t go there Derrek, I don?t need any more stupid pity and I certainly don?t want it from a little priss like her.? Naria replied getting up, obviously annoyed at his intrusion as well as Stacy?s. Naria got up to walk away when her arm was quickly grabbed by Derrek?s hand.

?C?mon, don?t be so mean to the new kid. You could stand to actually talk to someone besides me and Ed every now and then.? Derrek almost jokingly said, turning to face the retreating Naria.

?What do you expect, I don?t even like you two that much anyway.? Naria sarcastically replied, with an almost devilish grin on her face. Without warning the dark haired girl quickly spun around throwing a punch to Derrek?s face.

This act alone got Stacy to almost squeal in fright, but much to her surprise Derrek actually blocked the punch with his palm and proceed to flip his would be attacker over. Just as quickly as Naria had spun, she landed on her feet from the throw, and began another assault on her classmate.

?Hey, stop it! What?re you two doing!?? Screamed Stacy absolutely confounded at the recent proceedings between the two seniors. Oddly, Naria and Derrek merely stared at her blankly, as if absolutely nothing was wrong with the current picture of the two of them fighting it out on the high risers.

?This is what we normally do?? Derrek mentioned almost offhandedly.

?Yea, this is pretty normal for us.? Naria casually agreed walking up the final steps to the top of the stands. ?Looks like we won?t get to finish today, like usual. We gotta go.?

With as much warning as the fist fight, Naria quickly jumped over the railing to the stands and slid down the side of the risers on a wire supposed to hold the school?s flag during games. Stacy immediately began to panic seeing her fellow schoolmate jumping off of a building quite high off the ground. Turning around she saw Derrek casually walking down the risers, also as if that were a common occurrence.

?Don?t worry about Naria, she?s fine. This is typical stuff between us. In fact she seemed in almost a good mood today. Weird huh?? the departing teen called to the frightened girl quickly following him down the stairs.

?Good mood!? She seems crazy to do something like that! What?s wrong with her?!?

Derrek came to a halt at the bottom of the stands and the start of the pathway back to the main school building. He had a half serious look to his previously joking face.

?Let?s just say she hasn?t had the best childhood. I don?t know anything from before I met her, but I?ll explain some stuff after school. Front of the building after last period okay?? 

This development definitely had Stacy intrigued. Based on how Derrek described it, he and this Ed person seemed to be the only ones to actually know Naria. Meeting other students could wait for now. Stacy just wanted to learn about the strange Naria who seemed so avoidant. The second half of the day couldn?t go fast enough, with Literature and Algebra taking back seat to the conversation soon to come with Derrek. Of course, Jenn was told to come as well, since the two sisters were supposed to stay together on the way back on the first day. Not so much for safety, but merely because Jenn felt like a loser on the way to the bus station.

After the final bell finally rang to signal the end of the day, Stacy quickly caught up to her older sister and made her way to the front of the main school building. Luckily for the two girls, Derrek wears such an odd choice of jackets that he was rather easy to spot in the large group of students making their way to their respective after school plans. With Derrek however, was a much smaller boy. Stacy presumed this to be the Ed person Derrek was previously talking about. As the pair got closer, Stacy noticed Ed was actually barely taller than she was, barely breaking the five foot mark, his only noticeable feature being his dirty blonde/brown hair combed off to the side.

?Hiya Derrek, this is Ed right?? asked Stacy greeting the two at the bottom of the steps before the school hits the street. ?Nice to meet another freshman I can be friends with.?

?Freshman!? I?m a senior you idiot! What gave you the idea I was a freshman!?? shouted an obviously angry Ed at the two unfamiliar girls.
?Well?the shortness doesn?t help your situation.? commented an intrigued Jenn. It was apparent she was far more impressed with the site of Derrek rather than his diminutive counterpart.

?I?m not small! You?re all just huge! Leave me alone?? Ed finished his shouting by sitting on the curb, obviously heartbroken that two new girls already think of him as a pipsqueak of the bunch.

?Let?s just go already before the mini-man sinks further into the ground.? Jenn said half sarcastically to get the conversation going onto the mysterious girl she had heard about from Stacy. The group of four began to walk along the same street of the school towards their own bus station a few blocks from the main building.

?Let?s see?? Derrek began, ?I first met her freshman year, not exactly nicest girl in the joint ya get?? Both Stacy and Jenn nodded their heads, somewhat confused at Derrek?s odd speech mannerisms. ?Well, without much a surprise we got into our own scuffles at the start of classes. Lucky for me she didn?t know that I?m basically a black-belt in karate, so we never really get to finish any of our fights.?

?Wait, you take karate? You didn?t mention that.? questioned a surprised Jenn. ?Attractive and strong?maybe this won?t be such a bad year after all? she thought while studying every detail of her fellow soon-to-be graduate.

?I take it too! Hey! Listen to me! C?mon!? replied Ed, angrily shouting desperate to get any attention from Stacy and Jenn.

?Well, yea, won state two years in a row and going for three. Oh wait, hold on a sec, we?re here.? Derrek held up his hand to stop before a crummy, run down apartment complex, if it could even be called that.

The outside of the building was horribly worn down, with the bricks it was made of smoothed down to where every chunk could be pulled out by hand. Graffiti plagued the side of the building, with seemingly feeble attempts to clear it up. Many of the windows were boarded up on the first and second floors, while the remaining filled windows were covered in dust and incredibly difficult to see through. Overall the structure was fairly tall, at least ten stories. Despite its size however, it was apparent almost no one ever went into the building. Obviously sensing where the conversation was going, Stacy was the first to speak up.

?Don?t tell me she actually lives here? Hell, it looks like the place could fall any time now.?

?Well, yea. Other than the owner, real jerk you wouldn?t like him, she?s the only tenant I know of.? answered Derrek. ?I heard the owner took pity on her for being homeless and lets her stay for free?his reasoning was that no one else was staying and he hoped good karma would bring more people. Doesn?t seem to be working huh??

?So?what?s the inside like, dare I ask?? pondered a confused Jenn. She couldn?t believe someone actually lived in such a dilapidated and run down building. Jenn tried to envision what a horrible and disgusting place the inside must be, and began to assume Naria wasn?t any better than her run down dwelling.

?Please, we?re lucky she even talks to us. Normally she just beats up anyone who comes near her.? Ed chimed in, hoping to join the conversation he was so obviously being left out of.

?Well, that stems from Naria and I being so evenly matched in our little sparring matches she doesn?t seem to mind us. That?s the thing I can?t get my head around. I mean, she?s pretty skinny without any sort of training or muscle, and she able to keep up with every move I make, ya get?? Derrek answered, begging to cross the street to reach the bus stop that would lead to their respective homes at the city border of the suburbs.

?How does that make any sense? How can she keep up with such a strong karate master like you?oh and not hurting my sister if that?s all she does?? Jenn had hurriedly added that last part in order to sound concerned about Stacy, but clearly thinking about the guy doing the explaining.

?That?s why I think Naria likes you Stace, she actually talked to you. Well, that?s pretty much the only reason I?m tellin this sorta thing to you.? Derrek casually replied. Immediately afterwards a look of pure dread appeared on Jenn?s face.

?What!? She actually likes you Stacy?? Her expression became even worse when her younger sister offered a shrug yes as her response. ?No. No more talking to her. I?m not having my sister playing nice with some creepy homeless girl who hurts people.?

?But?? Stacy tried to respond before Jenn interrupted with an all too serious glare with a ?and that?s final? look to it.

?Do you know anything about her parents or guardian or anything? I can?t believe they?d just abandon her like that!? Stacy inquired, not completely dropping the subject Jenn had requested.

?That?s all I know kiddo. Trust me if I knew more I?d do something ?bout it. Just ain?t right ya get?? Derrek finished, not wanting to feel the wrath of Jenn?s glare that she had given her sister. This conversation only made Stacy more determined than ever to get to know this strange girl who lived in such a downtrodden neighborhood with no one to help her.

However, Naria happened to get a good look at the group who had been standing in front of the place she had merely to sleep at night. From the topmost window in the entire building stood Naria?s place of residence, and she happened to see Derrek?s little group while walking in the door. Jenn was correct in thinking the inside was just as bad as the outside.

For a cruddy apartment, Naria?s room seemed almost loft like. It was a large open space with dirtied and dusty hardwood floors. In the back corner lay a ripped and torn mattress with many springs missing, with only a small worn grey sheet to cover it. Towards the front of the room sat a half destroyed couch, with patches all over the exterior with small amounts of cushioning falling out in various places. Next to that stood a small table, enough for one person to sit at. After all, Naria had no guests. The bathroom was in even worse condition, with a small bath/shower covered in rust with a dingy curtain hanging around it. The sink was nearly all rust, with a difficult to use handle which barely let out any water. These were the only two rooms in the entire place, with two dust covered windows leading out to the street she had previously been looking out of.

It was the end of another long and worthless day for the abandoned girl. Filling her freebie ramen cup with whatever water the bathroom sink would pour out, Naria sighed as she sat on the couch, clearly depressed looking at the only meal she would have for the day. Bringing her legs up the rest of her body, Naria sat quietly as her hands began to glow in a beautiful dark flame, slowly heating up the ramen cup to make it at least edible. It was going to be another long sleepless night?Naria could feel it coming. At the very least the lonesome girl was in her comfort zone?completely alone.

It was the life she had became accustomed to.




http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PLyi5xHtkb0

Chapter 2: Finding Out
   The time of night couldn?t be well discerned, since there was no clock, but Naria was accustomed to being left in the dark, so to speak. Sleepless nights were also a staple of her life. Walking around the city in the early hours of the day was common practice for her life. However, it was apparent it was after midnight; because as Naria walked the streets it became obvious it was during ?drug hours?, as she liked to put them. Being around dealers wasn?t that big of a deal, it?s not like Naria ever bought any. Everything was fine as long as she avoided them through alleys or stayed on main roads.

   The late night walks had no particular purpose other than to pass time, but tonight was going to be different, as Naria tended to her own thoughts while mindlessly wandering the barren, run down part of the city in which she lived. Today seemed like an odd day, considering the new transfer student which felt all too familiar to the orphaned girl.

Despite the darkness, it seemed darker than usual with the clouds covering the sky. The only light sources were the dull orange glow of various street lights. It seemed quieter than usual for this hour; normally there would more than enough dealers trying to make a quick buck and cops driving around keeping an eye out. However, it seemed as if this was a mandatory ?slow night?. After spotting one deranged looking man just walking about a corner, Naria decided to cut through a short alley to move to the other side of the street.

   Unfortunately, this didn?t lead to better results. At the other end of the alley was an obvious dealer with three customers. Naria thought it best to just sit tight, and sat down next to a dumpster and wait out the sale. It shouldn?t take more than few minutes at most. It was usually best to get these things done as quickly as possible. After a few seconds though, Naria heard a loud thud. Apparently the drug dealer had been knocked to the ground, out near the streets where the streetlight could accurately show him.

   ?Jeez, what the f*** man?! I thought you guys were looking for a good time!?? cried the large and frustrated dealer. It was rare for him to be tossed back like that. Being a muscular African American, it wasn?t too often in which he was messed with.

   ?Probably undercover cops?? Naria thought to herself. Sting operations aren?t rare either, as Naria had seen many times before. However, seeing such an intimidating man get treated like nothing was amusing her; so watching the scene was a no brainer.

   ?We did come for some fun, what?re you talking about?? sharply replied one of his assailants, still only seen from the back. The only discernable detail about the three other men was their bright red hair, and large overcoats covering most of their bodies. It was apparent they didn?t want to be noticed.

   ?Well then piss off if you?re into that sort of thing like fightin?, I?m not into that kind of business. Get lost.? replied the dealer, cleaning himself up as he stood.

   ?He?s not much fun?is he?? asked one of the other men to the others as he silently walked over to the druggie, still dusting himself off. ?Oh well, we?ll just have to move onto something else then.? he slyly mocked, his voice sounding like venom.

   In an instant, the dealer?s head was rolling on the ground next to his body. If the drug dealer didn?t see that coming, then there was no way Naria had any idea what had just transpired. The only thing Naria knew was that something about those three men didn?t feel right, and she felt sick to her stomach just by being close to them. She didn?t know what happened, but somehow during the decapitation the air suddenly felt completely different from before. The only thing that mattered at the moment was getting away from that place; the frightened girl?s instincts told her so.

   However, it didn?t seem to matter how quiet she was in escaping, the tallest of the three men, for some reason or another, picked up the movements behind him. Turning around with a sharp grin, he motioned for the other two to follow him.

   ?Looks like we got a runner?finally something interesting happened up here. I was just starting to get bored.? said one of the three, easily amusing by the idea of a hunt. ?We gonna follow??

   ?Of course, it?s good to get the blood pumping every once in a while. Besides, a terrified human face always gives you that rush.? replied the first man, beginning to make chase on Naria.

   Frightened would be an understatement for Naria. Not only was this one of the rare times she felt fear, but this was one of the few times she?s felt sick. Naria felt completely panicked for some reason, and made her way around various streets, desperate for any sort of cover. It didn?t matter where, just anywhere she could hide. Something about those three made her feel almost the worst she?s ever felt. Naria was turning a corner towards the main highway, when she was greeted with a hand knocking her to the ground.

   The shocked Naria fell face first into the concrete. Before she had any chance to orient herself, one of the coated men wrapped his arm around her neck and lifted her above the ground. Struggling to break free, the other two men gathered around their captive, talking to one another about what to do with her. However, Naria had other plans. Putting everything she had into one hit, she elbowed the one holding her. However, she was shocked to find it did nothing but knock the sunglasses off of her captor?s face.

   Looking up, now worried about an even worse fate, Naria came face to face to something that seemed positively alien. Around the eyes themselves, there seemed to be red-brown scales reaching to the side of his face, while his irises where a murky yellow with a cross shaped blackness for pupils. They had seemed human enough otherwise before. It was only now that she had noticed the face and various other patches of the tough scale like skin on his hands. Naria outwardly panicked, and now tried even hard to break his grip of her neck.
   ?Little girl?s got some guts, I actually felt that.? grinned the man holding her.

   ?That?s funny, maybe she just hit a soft spot?or maybe you?re just the one who?s soft?? replied the taller of the remaining of the two men. The two other men not holding Naria softly chuckled at their little joke.

   ?Yea, laugh if you want?it?s not like it hurt. You think we should just cut her up little by little? She wasn?t fast enough to give us any real fun.?

   ?Sounds good. The other five tonight weren?t any real fun. Maybe her squirming will make this more amusing.?

   The closer of the two remaining men walked up closely to Naria?s face with a large smirk. He extended his index and middle finger together up to the struggling girl?s cheek, as his fingers began to glow in a feint, red colored flame, combining to form a small blade, almost knife-like. Small dashes of redness danced across his fingers near Naria?s face, causing a small amount of pain. Seeing the same power she has sent Naria into a spiral of confusion and fear. Without thinking, Naria?s entire body enveloped into a black fire, causing the man holding her to drop her as his hands were badly burned and causing the other two to just stand there in shock.

   After hitting the ground hard, Naria?s body returned to normal, as she curled up into a ball, shaking nervously as her eyes were wide with terror. Never before in her life could she remember feeling this way. She hadn?t noticed the men regrouping and coming near her.

   ?How ?bout that? We got a pure here?not that?s interesting.? said the first creature, softly speaking to himself.

   ?dang it! She burned me bad! I?ll kill that b****!? the man who previously held Naria shouted, using his burned left hand to grab Naria by throat into the air. This time his right hand was enveloped in the red light and, this time, formed a much large blade-looking weapon. It appeared to look like a hatchet, as the furious man swung it upward to slice Naria clean in two.

   The terrified girl could only stare at her assailant, unable to move or call upon her power once more. Her mind was completely blank, unable to think about anything other than ?I?m going to die?, as the fiery weapon reached its peak as it was about to swing downwards upon Naria. Before the blow could strike, however, an even brighter and stronger red flame pierced through the man?s forehead, as he quickly fell to the ground releasing Naria in the process. In front of her stood a fourth person, similar looking to the other three, yet oddly different than her attackers.

   Naria just stood there, bewildered at this newest development. The man standing in front of her had the same red hair, but it laid low on his head, seemingly floating above his face giving him a clear view, while the back was merely combed behind him down slightly on his neck. He had a unique outfit as well, compared to the remaining two mysterious men who wore simple overcoats to disguise their appearance.

   His dress was clearly foreign to Naria, as she hadn?t seen any clothing like it. It seemed like some sort of uniform, or so she guessed. He had black pants which were worn like jeans but didn?t have the same look or texture. The mysterious man also wore a black shirt with a red, broad jacket that went down to the back of his knees with gold embroidery on the left chest.

   Before the other two assailants could decipher what had just transpired, Naria?s savior quickly dispatched them with two quick stabs to the neck with his dancing red blade, which vanished in an instant once the fighting was over with. He let out a sigh, seemingly of relief, once it was all over.

   Despite this calmer feeling, Naria still felt the need to run, and quickly left the scene to go anywhere but that area. Surprisingly, he didn?t give chase. That was fine as far as Naria was concerned. All she wanted was to wake up from this horrible dream and hope it all didn?t really happen. After running non-stop to her run down dwelling, Naria quickly lied under her sheet on the mattress, hoping that was the last she?d hear of those things again. It didn?t take long for the exhaustion to kick in, as her purple eyes closed into a drawn out sleep.

   
   As the sun rose to start the day, it?s light slowly crept over Naria?s barren floor to the opposite corner where her mattress lay. The warmth softly ran over Naria?s face, forcing her to wake from her nightmare from last night. It took a few minutes to force herself up from her position on the bed. Sitting up finally, Naria realized her jacket and jeans were still filthy from the previous events. She let out a sigh of nervousness upon realizing everything had truly happened as she remembered. Naria pushed her black hair from her face, hoping this was a one time event and not a series to follow.

   ?Awake huh?? called a strong, yet kind voice from somewhere. Without much surprise, this caused Naria to inwardly panic, hearing a voice she had never heard before in such close proximity to her. She struggled to find the source of the voice, which was odd considering there is practically nothing in Naria?s abode.

   ?Over here smart one.? called the voice again, obviously sarcastic. Naria quickly turned towards the window to find the man who saved her sitting on the fire escape, facing inside the room with his back to the rising sun. He looked exactly the same as Naria remembered, almost happy to see him until she realized he had somehow followed her to her home.

   ?Wha?what are you doing here!? You didn?t follow me! I made sure of it!? Naria nearly squealed to the guy, obviously flabbergasted at the idea of him watching her sleep.

   ??ey, calm down. It?s not like I was trying anything. Just makin? sure you were okay.? he calmly replied, expecting this reaction. He carelessly stepped into the open room through the window.

   ?I?m fine, now get out freak.? Naria coldly replied, not really sure whether to believe him or not.

   ?Freak? You?re not any different. Don?t think I missed little miss black fire?s display last night.? he replied quizzically. 

   ?Wait, you saw that? Better yet, you knew what those things were!?? Naria replied, letting her surprise show, realizing there was someone else like here. Inwardly she was excited yet cautious.

   ?Well, yea. I?m just surprised you don?t know anything.? the house guest replied as he made his way over to Naria?s small cabinet, digging through what little food she had.

   ?Hey! That stuff?s mine!? Naria called, quickly running over slamming the drawer shut in his face.

   ?Oh c?mon, that?s not nice. The least you can do is let me have a snack or something.? the much taller man sighed, with the slightest hint of a grin.

   ?I never said you could, better yet how did you find me?? Naria coldly grimaced back, with thousands of questions dancing in her head.

   ?You?re not hard to track,? the man replied. ?You?re not all that fast. I mean if those three fierons could catch up to you it?s not like I?d have a hard time. Besides, it?s not like I?d let you out of my sights. We don?t see people like you all that often.?

   ?So that?s what those are called?? Naria sighed, wanting to ask even more but almost afraid to do so. After all, some of them are question?s she?s had all her life.

   ?Well, yea, we?re both fierons. I?m just surprised three of those faulty ones showed up.? the red haired man answered, sitting on the run down couch, grimacing as he found it was rather hard.

   ?Um?confused.? Naria emotionlessly called back with a bewildered look on here face, staying where she was. She wasn?t exactly willing to go over near him for the moment. ?Wait, why am I even asking you? I don?t even know you, just leave for a while my head hurts.? Naria quickly followed, rubbing her palm against her face after just realizing her head had begun to hurt.

   ?You?re probably not used to using all that power at once. Oh, and Az by the way.? the guest said, with an strangely warm smile as he looked back at the confused girl. ?You??

   ?Huh? What?? Naria replied, now leaning on the table in front of the couch, now more than eager to hear what he had to say.

   ?Name, Az. You? It?s only polite to say your name after I give you mine miss black fire.? He replied jokingly. Somehow, Naria could tell he was just being nice, but it felt nice to have someone go out of the way to try and make her feel better.

   ?Oh, uh, Naria. Uh?is me having that black stuff really the same as you? I mean?I?ve never really met anyone else like us before, I mean, uh?? Naria softly stuttered, embarrassed at the whole situation?but in a good way. Az let out a soft chuckle, as he got up off the couch.

   ?Nice name.? he replied. It was only then that Naria realized he had grey colored eyes that otherwise looked normal, he wasn?t a freak. ?I?ll explain it all in a bit, I just need to grab something to eat.? Az added, while making his way to the drawer bypassing Naria completely.

   Somehow, Naria couldn?t tell what Az was thinking, but she had her own questions. She merely stared at him blankly, confused at the whole situation of this man digging through her food. She had so many questions she wanted to ask, but this time she let Az just grab a small snack. She didn?t mind, as it didn?t matter at the moment.

   She had found someone else. 






http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vx2rgbIG-bY

Chapter 3: Content

   The sun floated high in the sky as Naria rested on her stadium bench at the top of the risers. Turning to keep the bright light from her pale face, she tried to keep with her thoughts on probably the most important conversation of her life. It was odd?the answers to questions Naria had long wondered, had not been as satisfying as she had previously thought. Now that some truths were known, there were many mixed feelings.

   Being part of a different species of ?people? altogether was not an answer she had expected. The strange part was that even Az wasn?t entirely sure if she even was a fieron at all, since there was no definitive way to tell other than her power of the fire. It was noted that all fieron?s power was red, like Az?s, while Naria?s were a deep black color. The only conclusion that either come up with was that Naria was simply a hybrid of a fieron and human. It was the only possible explanation within the realm of reason.

   Somehow, being only parts of things did not appeal to Naria. It only made her feel more different. Not only was she not human, she was also not completely part of this new people as well. The idea of not belonging to one group only brought on a feeling of uneasiness on her already heavy body. A jumbled mess of thoughts swirled until a shadow blocked out some of the light resting on Naria?s back.

   ?You really are here every day, I thought he was just kidding.? spoke a soft yet perky voice from behind her. Sighing, Naria was forced to strike up a conversation.

   ?What? What is it? What could you possibly want??

   ?You don?t have to be such a grouch you know. What?s so bad about someone actually wanting to talk to you?? a visibly annoyed Stacy quibbled back.

   ?Plenty of things. Should I make a list and get back to you never?? replied an also aggravated Naria, not wanting to continue any further.

   ?You won?t make any friends like that.?

   ?Who said I wanted any?? a more frustrated Naria got up and gave an mean spirited glare to try and intimidate the usually cheerful freshman away. Naria had only left Az alone and went to school to try and make sense of the entire situation at hand, not get annoyed by some perky little girl trying to play nice and make friends.

   ?Never said you did, but you definitely won?t make any looking like that.? Stacy had made notice of all the dirt and various cuts on Naria?s pants, shirt, and jacket. In light of recent events, her appearance was not high on Naria?s priority list at the moment. ?Something happen on the way here or are you going to be a whiney little b**** about that too?? Stacey replied smugly.

   ?I suppose you could say that.? Naria sighed, lying back down on the high riser trying to block out her mild annoyance.
   ?Well why didn?t you just go home and change? I mean duh??

   ?I don?t have any other changes of clothes oh smart one.? It was at this remark that Stacy merely balked at the very idea of such a thought. Only one set of clothes? Nothing to ever change into? Who could think of such a ridiculous statement?

   ?V-Very funny?ha ha ha? no seriously, it had to have been near here then, right??

   ?No?I was serious?sorry we can?t all be spoiled with riches like extra clothes.? a tired Naria spat back at Stacy?s almost snide remark. Extra reminders of Naria?s financial situation were not something she liked being reminded of. After verbal confirmation, Stacy appeared completely dumbfounded by the premise of such a thing. Being poor was one thing, but this was getting out of hand.

   ?How do you deal with stuff like that? Seriously? I would just die!? Stacy cried grimacing at the thought of having to live with the same outfit day in and day out. She had to have her nice yellow t-shirt to match her bright blonde hair and her designer jeans.

   ?You get used to it. Now, if you?re done showing off how much stuff you imply you have, then you just please leave me alone. And I mean it this time?? Naria motioned Stacy down the stairs, now visibly annoyed by her little antics.

   ?No way! Not until you promise me something!? Stacy rushed up to right in front of Naria, still pointing down the steps. Her eyes widening to be big and teary to force the notion, ?You?re coming with me to the mall this afternoon. It?s Friday so I?m free. We?re getting you some kind of extra clothes! Eww? the very idea of being stuck in the same clothes creeps me out to no end. How do you do it!??
This was not something Naria had expected to come from the diminutive freshman. A shopping trip? She couldn?t be serious?could she? The only interpretation of Naria?s reaction would have to be completely confused.

   ?You can?t be serious. I?ve never heard of such a lame joke. Look j-just go away; you?re starting to weird me out.? Naria tried backing up away from Stacy, but for every budge she made, Stacy tried to look more cute and desperate to force the issue.

   ?No, not til you say yes! I?m trying to help you here! Gah! I still can?t believe you go through such horrible things.?

   ?If I say no??

   ?I think you can think of some things I would do.?

   ?I don?t know I can think of some pretty horrible things that you couldn?t pull off.? Naria replied, thinking of the previous night?s events.
   ?Just say yes and I?ll leave you alone until we meet at the bus stop near the school at five. I need to go home and get the money.?

   ?Fine, yes, now go away.?

   ?Deal??

   ?Deal. No go.? Naria mentioned down the stairs.

   ?Promise? No take backs.? Stacy questioned one more time, once again trying to look as sad and yet cute at the same time.

   ?Yes already! Jeez!? Naria practically yelled as Stacy hurried down the steps, obviously quite pleased with herself. Of course, Naria had no intention of going. It was just a desperate attempt to get Stacy away. Anything to get some more alone time to think. Even though the bell had rung for lunch to end, the still exhausted Naria went to get some sleep on the bench, still thinking of the life changing events.

   The school day had ended; but after waking up from her little nap a few hours later, Naria headed back to her desolate apartment before classes were dismissed. She had hurried as fast as she could, knowing something good actually waited for her for once. Opening the door, which was so obviously left unlocked, Az was where he was when Naria had left to try and grasp the situation. The red haired mystery man was lying on his back on the matted down couch, appearing to be in deep thought. Having noticed Naria had returned, Az got up to continue where they had left off. He only told Naria to leave because she appeared to be; at least somewhat, visibly upset at the information she was given.

   ?Should we start where we left off?? the young man questioned, trying to give Naria a warm look, desperate to lighten the mood. Naria wasn?t biting however. She sat down at the opposite end of the couch, looking away.

   ?Yeah. So what where those things? Those things that attacked me?they don?t look like you.?

   ?Well, they?re fierons too?well sorta. Think of it like two different groups of people who look different but are similar.?

   ?Do they have a name??

   ?Not anything in particular. We?re separate divisions that have been fighting small scale wars in our homes for a long time. Frankly, they?re quite barbaric compared to us, at least in terms of their appearance and their hatred for us. But then again we hate them in return, so I guess it can?t be helped. They like to come up here and cause problems constantly, so that?s why I was here at the moment.? Az sighed after his little explanation.

   ?Up here?? Naria questioned, still confused at the premise as to what was actually being said.

   ?We have cities under the top layer of earth, usually near magma flows. That?s how we get electricity, from their heat and so forth. But that really isn?t important for you, so I? just stop there while we?re ahead.?

   Naria turned to give him a questioning look, still hungry for answers, but was aware of Az?s point. She only needed to be concerned about herself at the moment. She wanted to move onto something far more prevalent to her situation.

   ?So?ah?how did you do all that cool fire sword stuff? I think that?d be pretty useful to know.? Naria made a quick little sword swinging motion, with a half smile, eager to learn how to do something similar.

   ?You don?t know?? the red haired compatriot chuckled.

   ?No?never learned. This is all I got.? Naria lifted her hands and out came some flickering black embers, dancing on her palms in a soft glow. ?Obviously I can make them more intense, but you get the point.?

   ?Well, it?s hard to explain. It?s not something that can just be said?? Az replied casually, thinking of what to do about said situation. It was obvious that Naria had to be taught to use her power, at least to some extent. Leaving a power untrained under any circumstances would be bad. ?Ah?I suppose I could teach you, but it?s not like I could be here all the time.?

   ?You?d really do that? Really? That?d be so great! Please!? For the first time since Az had been there, Naria?s face actually had some excitement to it. She was actually next to him now, trying to get a reaction.

?With a reaction like that?how could I not?? Az sighed, almost wishing he hadn?t been wrangled into such a mess.

   ?T-that?s so great! Thanks, I-I mean it.? Naria shrunk back down, desperately trying to hide her joy. It wasn?t something she was particularly used to. But the first reaction was there, and it still shone through a little. Although she tried to hide her happiness, a yawn managed to slip its way out, showing off how tired Naria actually was while it was only mid afternoon.

   ?Geez, you look pretty bad.? Az turned away during his snide little reply. ?Problems at school or just a lot on you plate??

   ?Just a little pest trying to force me into a shopping trip to get some clothes. I?m just going to ditch her. It?s unimportant.? Naria too turned away, annoyed that the subject matter had changed.

   ?I?d say it?s important. You?re clothes look almost as bad as you do.? the tall guy joked, belaboring the point.

   ?I don?t care what you think. Like I said it?s unimportant!? Naria said getting up, obviously her version of a pout. Of course she had no intention of going. However, Az saw this as an opportunity at some good fun.

   ?Oh really? Well, you?ll want some change of clothes after training. But if you?re not interested in a teacher, that?s fine too.? he mentioned sarcastically, knowing when something may actually be beneficial to the girl who lives alone in more ways then one.

   ?Fine ya jerk, I?ll go. Just hold up your end of the bargain.? Naria aggravatingly replied, obviously getting the point. She sat back down, wanting to get some rest before the five o?clock deadline to her little trip.

   ?Done. Oh, and just so you don?t freak out, I?ll have to go back to my little excursion group for a while, so I won?t be here for a bit, but I promise I?ll come back. Okay??

   ?Fine?as long as you don?t leave permanently, kay?? Naria questioned, facing him with an almost saddened look. Az just gave a small nod to reassure her. It was apparent these were expressions Naria wasn?t quite used to giving.


   After much dread, the time came to face the music and head over to the agreed upon meeting place. This was not a trip Naria was particularly looking forward to; but as she looked at her horribly dirty outfit, she began to at least understand the importance of the little visit to the mall. After a few minutes of walking, she saw two groups of blonde hair at the stop. This only caused more grimacing on Naria?s face. Stacy alone would be bad, but her prissy big sister would only make things worse.

   ?Listen you, we?re not spending a ton here. I still don?t know how you talked my sister into this but we?re not going to be your go to money source. You got that?? Jenn almost angrily said, accusing Naria of some kind of wrongdoing.

   ?First off, I have a name b****. Two, this was your little sis? idea not mine. Third, I don?t plan on spending much. I want to get out of there as soon as possible.? Naria angrily spat back, also not amused at the situation.

?Both of you shut up before this gets out of hand, or else I scream as loud as I can.? Stacy quietly, yet forcefully said, being literally in between the two older girls.

After a few quiet, yet tense moments, between the two seniors the bus finally came. The ride itself went smooth, although a tad long for Naria?s tastes. Eventually the bus stopped across the street from the mall. After a quick walk, the three eventually went into a department store into the women?s section. And thus, Naria began to pray for an immediate end to the possible self torture.

?Feel free to look around. We?re in no rush, so just..uh?? Stacy began to say, but without even listening Naria quickly scrounged around trying to forget the two sisters were even there. Stacy and Jenn were simply forced to follow Naria around as she weaved in and out of certain areas. However, after a few relatively short minutes, Naria turned around with a few things in her arms.

?Done.? she sighed, holding out the scant amount of clothing items she had picked out. In her arms were as follows: a plain white t-shirt, a black jacket with no design whatsoever, and some dark colored jeans. Quite literally the exact same outfit she had on at the moment, except only clean and new.

?Good, can we go?? Jenn also chimed in, hoping to end this little excursion as quickly as possible.

?D-don?t you want some new shoes as well? I mean, well, they?re pretty worn as well don?t you think?? Stacy nervously asked, wondering what on earth this weird girl with no fashion sense was thinking.

?The shoes are fine okay? Can we pay and go?? Naria casually replied, obviously not interested in the idea of more shopping.

?Try them on first. How do we know if they fit?? Stacy replied, the only one not wanting to rush out of the mall.

?I just do.? Naria, getting more frustrated by the second, shot back.

?Liar?now get in the dressing room and try them on.? Stacy said, keeping her ground against Naria. After a few seconds of the silent stand-off, Naria grumbled as she made her way into the changing room to try on the clothes. She began to put on the new set of clothing over he small, skinny frame; actually feeling the freshness of new clothes for once. She had to admit it was sort of nice.

Outside though, was when Jenn get a rather funny, if somewhat malicious idea. Grinning somewhat evilly to herself, she whispered her little idea into Stacy?s ear, which caused the younger sibling to giggle slightly, nodding her head in approval. Jenn then ran out quickly into the store to get the necessary items as Naria changed.

Naria finally stepped out of the room into the small hallway of the changing rooms to prove that everything fit, at least decently. She was about to step back into the room when Stacy chimed in.

?That looks really nice, but could you try this on as well?? she said as Jenn had made her way back from the clothes area of the store. Taking a look at what Jenn had brought caused Naria to turn slightly red on her otherwise usually pale face.

?No way in hell. No no no no and double no. No f***ing way. You have to be joking.? Naria bluntly replied at the outfit prepared for her. A pink mini-skirt, with a white spaghetti strap top with a big red heart in the front with equally as pink high heels was the ultimate no-no for her, which should have been fairly obvious. However, the distraction worked long enough for Stacy to grab Naria?s old worn clothes from the dressing room.

?Hey! Give those back! I need to change back into that!? Naria demanded, annoyed at this little farce.

?Not until you actually try that outfit on and show us! After all, you can?t leave the store until you pay for the clothes you?re wearing.? Stacy laughed staying just far enough from Naria so she couldn?t reach her old clothes.

?After all, we?re being kind enough to buy the clothes for you, so go on dear try it on.? Jenn mocked, pushing the outfit into Naria?s arms, with the same almost devilish grin she had on before. However, the idea did not sit well to Naria. This was the sort of thing she detested, clothes like that. But?there appeared to be no way out of this one. Better to get it over with, or so she thought as she reluctantly shuffled back into the changing room.

As the door shut, both sisters looked at each other with approval, proud of their small victory. Meanwhile, inside the room, Naria just stared at the clothes with fright, never having experienced this sort of thing before. Everything felt tight to her, which was odd considering how thin she was. The top formed to the few curves she had, and the skirt felt beyond short to her, causing her to stand a bit awkwardly.  Finally came the heels, probably the piece Naria was dreading most. After all, she didn?t quite know how to walk in them. Finally, the self though ?monkey suit? was finished, as Naria caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror. To her, she looked absolutely ridiculous. She looked almost skimpy in that outfit, and the look just didn?t sit right with her.

?So? Are you done yet?? Stacy called from outside the door. ?Let us see!? With much reluctance, Naria made her way to the door, almost falling with her first step. After a small struggle, the scared teen opened the door, only to find two laughing girls the very second she showed herself.

?Y-ya don?t have to laugh! I-it?s not nice!? Naria softly spoke, her face almost completely red from embarrassment.

?You?re face is as red as the heart. That?s so funny!? Jenn was laughing so hard she had to take a seat on the bench. Of course, this only made Naria even more embarrassed, as she was having a harder and harder time keeping her balance.

?Okay okay, here.? Stacy said, still chuckling, handing the clothes back to Naria. ?It was so worth it though.?

?Yea, for you, you stupid little bimbos.? Naria angrily, yet softly spoke, rushing back inside to get her usual group of clothes on. She couldn?t get the skirt and heels off fast enough as the jeans and sneakers felt like a huge improvement, at least to Naria. ?Are we done??

?Yea, that?s fine. We got our joke so we?ll show some mercy.? Stacy replied, with her usual perky face on, taking Naria?s new set of ?usuals? from her.

?Good, then pay for the stuff please?I?ll wait outside. I hate this place.? Naria motioned while heading towards the nearest exit. Outside the sun was mostly set, leaving the sky a dark, deep orange color to match the fall weather. Naria was just happy to be outside. After the checkout was over, Jenn and Stacy met her outside to hand her the bag. Naria said a short word of gratitude and hastily got on the bus leading back to her area of town. She was more than happy to have the journey to the shopping mall over with.

Naria was grateful for the new outfit, she really was, but that little joke of theirs left her quite embarrassed. It was certainly an odd situation for her, one she had never been in before. After a short while, the bus arrived at the stop in front of the high school. Naria made her way back up to her dwelling, past a sleeping landlord in the welcome room.

As Az had said, he was gone for god only knows how long. Deep down, it made Naria a bit sad, and honestly she had wanted him to be there when she got back. After snapping herself out of her self-induced mini depression, Naria went to place her new clothes in the corner of the large, bare main room. After pulling her new jacket and jeans out, Naria noticed there were some extra clothes in the bag. Underneath the clothes she had specifically wanted, was the horrid pink mini-skirt, top, and heels she was forced to try on. There also was a little note stuck in the bag on the back of the receipt which read ?Well, I think you looked nice. ~ Stacy?.

Of course, now the thought of owning such clothes caused Naria to turn a little red once again. After a few hours of lying on the bare mattress, thinking about the multitude of the day?s events, Naria eventually got up. Sleep, for some reason, became hard to come buy. Getting up, the now lonely girl worked her way over to the shopping bag and the outfit that was bought without her permission. Looking around as if it was a guilty pleasure for some reason, Naira once again tried on the more feminine clothing and stood in the front of the mirror to take a look at herself. She blushed a little, realizing she actually looked like a girl for once, almost embarrassed that she too thought she looked sort of nice.

But deep down Naria was content about what was happening.








http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_uUVX376U4M

Chapter 4: Recruitment and Regret

   It had been near two months since Naria began practice of her powers with Az. It was in the thick of winter, as snow lay on most open layers of ground. Much of the practice took place on the roof of Naria?s dilapidated apartment building. Despite the constant freezing temperatures, Naria and Az were fine as is. Naria had never felt the feeling of cold before, as apparently fierons have incredibly high internal body temperatures, allowing them to never experience freezing weather.

   Together, Naria and Az stood on the roof, where they would not be disturbed. The various buildings surrounding the complex served as a nice shield. The city was a beautiful backdrop, as the lights of rooms filled the scene as the sun had set. This made the area a dimly lit land of snow and dark grey clouds that filled the sky. Naria was facing Az, who was only a few feet away. She held her hands together, and slowly a long black flame danced from her hands and held a solid form in the shape of a general blade-like weapon. Small embers flickered from the edges as the wind blew.

   ?So, does that form feel comfortable now?? asked Az, in a rather nonchalant way.

   ?It feels okay, but it?s draining? replied Naria, relaxing her body a bit.

   During the course of practice, Az had explained that their power could become any form desired, as long as it stayed reasonably close to the users body, as Az had shown by making various ?weaponry? with his own flame, such as the usual blade, ax, claw, any various other methods.

   ?Well, since that feels okay now, try bending it, or just any sort of different shape? instructed Az, demonstrating with his own deep red flame into a curved sickle shape. Naria regained her stance, and began to mentally concentrate on her own. The simple act of using the flame as a weapon, or even extending it, took a great deal of effort on Naria?s part. After a few seconds of intense concentration, the straight edge in front of Naria began to twist into various directions. It didn?t have any recognizable shape, but it was at least progress. After a few seconds, Naria withdrew her fire, a bit tired after extending her own power that far.

   ?I never thought that simply bending it would be this tough. How come you can do it so dang easily? It?s so not fair? Naria began to sulk a bit. She began to stretch her arms a bit, as they took the brunt of the fire during training.

   ?I told you it would get harder after basic stuff. Besides, most of us have been trained to do basic shapes and fighting most of our lives. So this really isn?t that big a deal.? Az said, in a half joking way in an attempt to get Naria motivated again. ?After basic training like that, we practice on our own family powers.?

   ?Family powers? You mean there?s more after just messing with how to bend it? And how come you never told me about something like that? You?re not telling me stuff!? Naria jeered back. She took a seat next to the window back into her apartment, obviously not going to continue until Az explained. This became a tradition between the two whenever Naria would get frustrated or just curious about something else. It was basically her way of saying ?please explain?. Sighing, Az took a seat next to Naria and prepared to have another lecture on something that was so basic to him.

   ?Well, as you know we?re different from those fierons you met at first. You know the ones with red patches around their eyes with yellow slits in their irises?? Naira nodded, just trying to forget that freakish night.

   ?They?re slightly stronger, faster, and so on than my type. But the group of fierons I come from have evolved into having their own special abilities that sort of define that family.?

[Nayrman]

?What kind of powers? Like superhero stuff?? Naria piqued, wondering at the possibilities that lay in wait for her own future.

   ?Kind of sort of. More like extra abilities added on. I know this one family that can actually shoot out their flame as a projectile. Stuff like that.? Az continued, making various gestures to show different abilities he knows.

   ?Well then what?s your power? Don?t think I wouldn?t ask.? Naria elbowed him, noticing Az was talking very little about himself. Az just sort of snickered at the question, apparently somewhat proud of his family?s ability.

   ?I can see the future.?

   ?Really!? So you can predict stuff?? Naria replied, more than interested now.

   ?Well?not really?? Az muttered, kind of turning away in a playfully sulking manner.

   ?Then what?s so special about it?? Naria prodded, annoyed Az had somewhat lied about his ability.

   ?It?s, more like premonitions more than anything. Every once in a while I?ll just see stuff that will definitely happen in the future. Usually the more powerful the ability, the more difficult it is to control. Otherwise whoever has the best ability would just be able to rule over all of us.? The further explanation seemed to help, as Naria began to look straight ahead and began to ponder.

?What is it?? Az asked.

?Just thinking about what my family?s ability is?? Naria replied, seemingly deep in thought, trying to remember if anything different from the basics had ever happened.

?Well, normally a family member will just tell you and teach you how. Sucks we just can?t ask any relatives or anything.? Az casually mentioned and began to look up at the lightly falling snow. Apparently, this was a poor choice of words as Naria just moved her legs to her chest and caught a depressed look. Az quickly caught on to Naria?s mood, and nudged her a bit with his arm.

?Hey, want to try something cool?? Az raised his hand and a short dagger like blade appeared from his outstretched arm.

?It?s a blade?congrats.? Naria continued to sulk.

?You make one too, and then we?ll press them together. Like sword fighting or something.? Az continued to prod.

?Fine, I?ll go along with it.? Naria gave in, making a small growth as well, and proceeded to press her dark black light against Az?s own. To Naria?s surprise, it didn?t feel like she hit any solid object. It merely felt like an invisible force as just pressing against her arm. It was more than an odd feeling. Her purple eyes stared curiously at the connected flames. Az was pleased with the reaction.

The red haired fieron enjoyed his time with Naria. Az used his time when he was sent to the surface to help with Naria?s practice and answer any questions she had. These moments didn?t happen very often, and he liked taking things out of it as much as Naria did. Needless to say, he was kept busy with his own military duties most of the time. Suddenly the two were snapped out of their own little worlds with a small beeping noise.

?Hm? What the hell?s that?? Naria asked, looking around for the source. Az pulled a small screen about the size of his palm out of his red and gold jacket?s pocket. On the screen red a small black dot, an arrow, and a distance measurement.

?Well, what is it? I?ve never seen something like that.? Naria said, peering over the relatively simple screen.

?It?s a tracker. It?s basically a heat detector, but it specializes in living things. Since fierons have internal temperatures five times that of normal humans, we can usually tell where they are hiding if any of them are here on the surface.? As Az finished explaining, he got up and began to walk towards the fire escape.
?Hey were ya going?? Naria got up to follow.

?I?m the only one stationed up here for the time being. So it?s enemy type.? Az turned, with quite a serious look on his face.

?Enemy? I don?t follow.? Naria asked, somewhat concerned.

?Us two groups of fierons have been fighting since my group came into existence. They?re the larger group, and they think since we don?t look like them, have added abilities, and live in our own groups we?re enemies. Basically we think the same way. So, come across a solitary unit up here on the surface?we take them out.? Az finished, beginning to scale down the building.

?Y-you mean you?re going out to kill whoever it is?? Naria called, following. Even if it was one of those other fierons, the idea of killing someone didn?t seem at all pleasant.

?We?re at war with the others, and this is our way of doing things. This isn?t a big deal. Just one person won?t be a big deal to someone like me. Just stay here.? Az motioned, reaching ground level. Naria hated being treated like she was worthless, so naturally she followed him.

Az was incredibly fast, even for Naria. Being a full blooded fieron obviously granted some extra physical benefits. After a few moments, Az stopped and turned to Naria.

?If you want to come with, just observe. Also, try not to make a scene. Seeing something like this isn?t exactly the most pleasant feeling in the world.? With those words Naria began to wonder if following was the right idea. However, she wanted to face the others at some point. If it was with Az, she would make due. After a few moments of running, Az took out the tracker and looked at the screen, and quickly put it back inside his pocket.

?What?s up? Know where it is.? Naria asked, right behind Az and slightly out of breath from running so much. It really was hard keeping up with him over even a short distance.

?The tracker only gives a general area of about a hundred yards or so. It can?t really be that specific because otherwise we would get a lot of interference from other stuff like heaters. But I know he?s around here somewhere.?

After walking around the mostly bare streets looking for anything suspicious, the two stopped in front of a small alley between to buildings. The annoyance began to show on Az?s face. It would be difficult to simply lure it out, not to mention Naria was with him.

?Naria, I?m going to go through here and check the street on the other side. You stay here and just keep a look out. Just don?t try anything okay. If you see whoever the fieron is, just notice how he looks and wait for me to get back. Got it?? Naria nodded and just leaned against one of the building?s walls as Az departed to the neighboring street.

After a moment of waiting, Naria noticed a man wearing large sunglasses turn the corner and pass in front of her. He wasn?t terribly big, and didn?t seem like the biggest challenge in the world in terms of fighting. He seemed to be wearing average street clothes, a zipped up jacket and khaki pants, in an attempt to look as normal as possible. But it fire red hair seemed to give himself away. After the man had passed Naria without as much as a single glance, Naria decided to see if it was their target or not.

?Hey Az!? Naria called through the alley, hoping to get a reaction. Almost as if on cue, the man turned to Naria and asked in his gruff voice,

?Wait?who?s here??

?Got him.? Naria mumbled to herself.

?Who?s here and how do you know who I am human?? the man asked coming closer to Naria, obviously angry after being discovered after merely minding his own business.

?It?s because you just told me dumbass!? Naria smirked, throwing a punch into the man?s face that was engulfed with Naria?s own black fire. The fieron?s glasses completely shattered as he fell to the ground, flabbergasted after the events that just happened.

?What the f*** was that? You?re not one of them.? He said, clutching his left eye as his right showed the yellow glow that Naria despised so much. Blood began to trickle down the guy?s face as he stumbled to his feet.

?Well, I?m not human that?s why.? Naria confidently stated, getting ready to beat the living crap out of the fieron before here. Before anything could happen though, a bright red glow pierced through the man?s neck and he immediately fell to the ground.

Needless to say, this turn of events surprised Naria. This wasn?t exactly something she had expected. The dark blood began to seep from the man?s lifeless body. Seeing someone just die like that didn?t exactly give Naria the best feeling in the world. She took a step back as the red liquid tapped her sneakers, and she looked up to see an obviously disgruntled Az just bypass the fallen body and grab Naria?s right arm by her black coat. He squeezed just enough for Naria to feel it, but not to actually hurt.

?I told you not to try anything.? Az coldly yet calmly stated as he glared into Naria?s eyes.

?Look we got, I guess. So everything should be fine. He didn?t expect me to hit him or anything? Naria answered back, pulling her arm from Az?s hand.

?But what if he did expect you? What if I wasn?t around? Would you be ready to fight for real and actually kill someone?? Az questioned, briskly walking away from the scene before anyone took the time to notice what had just happened.

?None of those things happened though, so everything?s fine!? Naria bickered back, trying to assert herself. The two quickly walked back to Naria?s apartment, and continued their back and forth about how the situation should?ve handled. Eventually Az just decided to give in instead of argue, just this once. Taking a seat on the worn down couch and taking a deep breath, Az just sighed.

?Look, just promise me you won?t try that again.? Az seemed sincere, but Naria wasn?t exactly the sorry type.

?Fine, I won?t. Forgive me then?? the dark haired girl equally sat down, noting inside herself that it was mostly an empty promise.

?Just this once. I just wish I could get another tracker for ya so you know where they are and can just keep away when I?m not here.? Az mentioned half heartedly pulling out the screen and began to scan close by areas. The area the previous fieron was only a few minutes run away, and he wanted to be safe. The screen lit the dark room in a soft glow as the two sat together. Soft touches of dust were apparent on the floor from the glow, but much of the large singular room couldn?t be seen. Naria was growing bored, but didn?t want to bother the seemingly preoccupied Az.

?Why can?t you just get a second one of those tracker things? Don?t you guys just buy them in your own cities down below or something?? Naria questioned, trying to think of anything to start a conversation.

?They?re military issue just for when a soldier is up here. We can?t really just keep them.? Az half heartedly replied, probably expecting the question as he didn?t even bother looking elsewhere from the tracker?s screen.
?What about making one? I know a guy who?s good at that sort of thing.?

?Yea right. First off, this isn?t standard human stuff. Not to mention we can?t just tell anyone about what we are.? Az chuckled. It was obviously a bad attempt at some kind of joke.

?I mean it!? Naria snapped back, starring at Az. ?When I mean he?s shady, I mean that no one even knows he exists. There aren?t many things he doesn?t know, and when he doesn?t, he makes it his business to find out. Not to mention he?s good at tinkering with stuff. He could probably make a copy or something.? Naria explained, annoyed that Az didn?t seem to trust her enough. Not to mention she thought she really had a good idea.

This seemed to tap Az?s interest, but the very idea seemed out of the question. Revealing himself to someone like that didn?t seem like the most logical thing to do.

?Now tell me, why should I trust this person?? Az casually called back, turning to take a quick look at the eager Naria, anxious to be of any use at the moment.

?How about this, I?ll take you to him and we don?t have to explain anything. If he doesn?t meet your standards, we can just leave. How about that? Sounds good to me right? C?mon, you?re being stubborn.? Naria hastily explained, getting up to leave to meet this person. Az was obviously a little confused at the situation, as he brushed his dark colored pants to follow.

?It?s the middle of the night by now Naria. It?s not exactly the best??

?Actually this is perfect. I can only go to see him at times like this.? Naria cut into what Az was saying, heading down the stairs into the street. This really did intrigue the red haired fieron now. How could it be that he could only be met in the middle of the night like this? Naria?s proposition seemed simple enough, so in an act of curiosity, Az followed.

At this point, the snow was falling fairly well now, and the wind was beginning to pick up. Not that it mattered to two fierons who were affected by the cold, but it meant that all the streets were completely empty at this point. After a short while of quickly walking, Az was quite confused to see that Naria had led them to her high school. Continuing to follow, the young girl led them to a slightly cracked window on the side of the school, and proceeded to stick her finger inside and gently lift it open. After the window was open, she just proceeded to just climb into the school, as if it were no big deal.

?Come on Az, he?s got the camera?s an alarms off. It really is no big deal.? Az just stood outside with a dumbfounded look on his face, as he snapped back together and went through the same window. Things were nothing short of interesting at this point. Now who would be inside a high school close to one in the morning, and be able to turn off all security inside the school?

Inside the school there was virtually no light save whatever came in from the outside. Inside every classroom all the chairs were stacked on the desks, and the place gave a slightly eerie vibe about it. Any sort of school at night would give this feeling though. Eventually Naria led them both to the main heating and utilities room where all the cleaning materials were kept.

?Stand back a sec would ya?? Naria asked in her normal speaking voice, seemingly with nothing to worry about. After a moment Naria pressed open the door with a quick shove from her shoulder, unjamming it.
?What the hell?s in here? Really, this is getting beyond weird.? Az asked, walking into the ironically messy and somewhat dirty boiler room. Inside was a bunch of brooms and mops and other cleaning material. To the far right side stood the heater and all the pipes that lead to vents to keep the building heated.

?You?ll see. It?ll be a surprise.? Naria walked towards it, pressed herself against the wall and shimmied between the wall and the boiler. After a quick second Naria squeezed through passed it into the corner of the room. Az walked up and took a quick looked and was confused to see that instead of two walls meeting, instead a small hall led to a door, in which Naria was standing in front of.

?C?mon. It?s cramped but you can make it. You?re not that big.? Naria mocked, happy for once she had an advantage over Az in something.

?Very funny girlie. Maybe if you took advantage of some of your more feminine traits you wouldn?t be sneaking into school in the middle of the night.? As equally spat back, slowly struggling to fit his way through the heater and the cold concrete wall.

?T-that was low jackass.? Naria quickly replied, a small redness on her face. Finally Az managed to fit between the two, afterwards stretching outward to un-cramp himself after trying to squish his body so much.

?Ready to go?? Naria asked, just enjoying the amusing scene for what it was worth.

?Yea yea sure sure.? Az moaned, heading towards the door. Without bothering to check the door at all, Naria turned the knob and went inside with Az close behind. Before young girl could even step a foot inside, the sound of a swivel chair rolled strait up to the door.

?Greetings princess of darkness! It?s been so long since you came! Oh and you brought a guest! Wondeful! What is it that you want? That is usually the reason you bother to come visit me hm?? A sly yet well toned and thin voice protruded from the entrance.

What greeted the two young fierons as they came inside the mysterious room in the utility closet was a rather strange looking fellow. Crouching with one leg on the actual black and grey swivel chair?s seat, and the other on the floor sat an incredibly thin looking man. Upon Az?s closer inspection, he was almost completely skeletal based on his facial features, where much of the bone line could actually be seen. Az could only guess at the rest of the body frame as the mysterious man wore horribly dirtied and thick jeans, badly scuffed brown work boots with the top half completely cut off as to let the jeans rest easier. Insanely boney hands stuck out from a makeshift hoodie made from mostly dark purple felt with various other patches of colors making up for loose parts.

It was difficult to gauge the mystery man?s age, as his hood was left up, and his black stringy hair went down to cover his face down to the bridge of his nose. Only the vague outlines of eyes could be seen through the mess of hair. Looking closer Az could see small threads of hair that were if different colors altogether. He could tell at least a few blonde, red, and even green strings, making for certain this guy had dyed his hair more than a few times. The only thing left to take notice was the man?s thin yet wide smile that would give normal people more than a few creeps.

?J-jeez that scared me a bit Jack. I told you not to do weird stuff like that!? Naria said back, pushing the chair away from the door to get inside. The strange room only had one distinguishing feature, which was a large, thick table that held five bright glowing monitors all hooked up to five different computers. These monitors also seemed to be the only source of light for the room in its entirety. All of this lay a good twenty feet away from the door, meaning this strange guy had to have known the two were coming in order to be so close to the door when it was opened. Naria and Az stepped inside, but not leaving the vicinity of the door, mostly because there really wasn?t much to see or do inside.

?So who?s your friend? I thought you were only friends with the karate kid and the cutie blondes.? Jack slyly questioned, ignoring Naria?s plea to not be so weird.

?I hate it when you spy on me freak.? Naria quickly spat back, apparently knowing how much Jack was capable of inside the school. Jack just rolled up to Naria and went up close to her face, still with his odd grin.
?You know if you call me that I probably won?t help you.? Az just stood somewhat aback, just watching this odd back and forth, content to just observe for now.

?Uh?sorry?? Naria just piqued back, clearly not meaning it.

?So who?s this guy? I?m curious as to why you would actually bring someone? Jack continued to question, ignoring the false apology. Somehow he bothered to move even closer to Naria on his chair in order to prove a point.

?Uh?.A-Andrew. We need you to, ah, make us a copy of something.? Naria stuttered back, trying to change the subject and keep their identities at least somewhat secret.

?Is that really his name now? Come now princess of darkness I can tell when you?re lying. Besides, he doesn?t exactly have normal clothes on. The gold embroidery on his coat leads me to believe something different. I?m far more intelligent than you so please stop trying to trick me.? Finishing the statement Jack backed off and leisurely sat back into his chair which rolled a few inches back.

?My name is Az.? The red haired fieron quibbled in. It was apparent this wasn?t going anywhere soon unless he just came out and said it.

?Now we?re getting somewhere.? Jack replied. ?And what is it you want me to copy?? Az held out the tracker from his pocket, letting the skeletal being take a glance at it?although that was anyone?s guess since it was impossible to actually see his eyes. After a moment of thought, an even bigger, yet giddy grin appeared on the boney face.

?Oh, a fieron tracker. I?ve wanted to get my hands on one of those and see how they work. I had a feeling you were one somehow and it seems I was correct in my suspicions.?

?H-huh?! Y-you know about fierons!?? Naria stuttered; completely shocked that he knew fierons actually existed. Az seemed equally surprised, that emotion was written on both of their faces.

?Sweetie, there are few things I don?t know in this world so of course I know about you guys. More importantly, how do you expect me to copy it? I suppose I could?but I?ll need to hang onto that one for a couple days so I can tinker with it a bit.? Both Naria and Az were confused that he brushed off their surprise as nothing. Naria turned to Az and held out her hand asking for the tracker to give.

?You don?t mind right. He won?t need it that long.? Sighing, Az handed over his fieron tracker over to Naria, realizing that this was probably the best bet in getting a tracker for Naria?s sake.

?So, what do you want in return Jack? You?ve never done anything for just kicks before.? Naria questioned, placing the slick screen into Jack?s slender hands.

?This one?s free of charge, since I?ve wanted to look at one of these for a while now. Not to mention I can place the programming into one of my own computers for personal use, so this time I don?t really mind.? Jack said holding onto the clear screen and rolling back to his large table of monitors.

?Wow really? That?s convenient.? Naria replied, turning to Az with a nice smile for a change.

?Just come out in two or three days and I should have it done. Now please get the hell out you?re changing the smell in the room, and you know how much I don?t like that.? Jack motioned for the two to leave as he began to take out various screws and pieces to the tracking screen to get inside. Naria motioned Az to leave as well, mentioning that it would be a good idea to just leave Jack alone for the time being. Az was happy to oblige, since something about this Jack guy did not sit well with him. He just didn?t seem, well, right in the head. Making their way past the heater, Az finally began to ask some questions he wanted answered.

?How exactly do you know that guy??

?I broke into the school one time to steal some food from the vending machines, and I caught him doing the same thing.? Naria replied, taking a seat on the floor in the hallway outside the utilities closet.

?You just gonna sit here?? Az asked, too taking a seat.

?Might as well wait for school to start. No reason to head back home.? Sighing, Az just decided to press on with his inquiry.

?So, why is he hiding in a room like that??

?I dunno, never bothered to ask. I suppose he has his reasons.?

?That?s just crazy how you don?t know that much.?

?He doesn?t ask about me so I don?t ask about him.?

?Fine. But, what kind of stuff do you ask from him??

?Various things like codes to the school safe, keys to the vending machine, and so on.?

?That?s just strange?a guy living in a room like that and just, what?? Az was still in disbelief over the whole situation.

?If you?re that creeped out, you could just head back to my place. It?ll be a while before Jack gets done. I?m just going to hang out for school to start.? More than a bit disgruntled at the situation, Az silently got up to leave the way the two came in.

?I suppose there really isn?t much to do otherwise.? Az thought to himself as he climbed out the window, closing it back into place.




The sun was high overhead, as midday passed over the lunch period. Naria was resting in her usual spot on the football bleachers, despite all the stands being covered in a thin layer of fresh snow. The young fieron was resting peacefully when a familiar voice could be heard.

?Holy crap aren?t you cold?? Stacy?s sweet voice called, as the small freshman wearing the biggest pink winter coat imaginable came up the steps.

?Not in the slightest.? Naria coldly replied, not bothering to open her eyes to greet the tiny blonde.
?You?ve got to be kidding! It?s freezing out! There is no way you can?t be cold.? Stacy once again asked, slightly shivering in her wake.

?I told you not in the slightest, so that means I?m not cold.? Naria remained practically still. At least until she heard the unpleasant sound of Jenn calling for her younger sister.

?Up here sis!? Stacy yelled over the side rail to alert her older sister of her whereabouts. Jenn ran up behind the stands, below to where Stacy and Naria were, obviously just as cold as Stacy was.

?It?It?s a call from the office. They said it was about grandpa.? Jenn yelled up. This placed an obviously sad and worried look on Stacy.

?Oh no?don?t tell me he?s in the hospital again! He just got out a few weeks ago.? Stacy called back, heading down the stairs back towards the main building. Naria paid it no mind. It wasn?t any of her business for the time being.

After lunch period ended and Naria was making her way back to the school building when she spotted Stacy and Jenn heading out towards the front of the school out onto the street. Curiosity got the better of her, as she stepped outside to see what was up. Getting closer Naria could tell Stacy was sobbing a bit. Eventually putting two and two together, it was obvious it was bad news about their grandfather.

?Uh?what?s wrong? Or should I not even ask.? Naria questioned, probably wishing she hadn?t.

?Our old man just passed. He?s been sick so it?s not surprising.? Jenn sighed, and replied in a surprisingly average tone of voice compared to how her younger sister was doing.

?T-that?s mean Jenny. It wasn?t an old man, it was grandpa.? Stacy sobbed, waiting for their parents to come and pick them up by the curb outside the school.

?Like I said, our old man. We?re probably going to miss tomorrow and the funeral on Saturday.? Jenn passively said. ?These things happen. It?s not worth being so worked up over.? Saying so, she continued to just stare down the road waiting for their ride. She barely seemed to even notice Naria in the slightest.

?You mean?this Saturday?? Naria asked.

?Yea, why you got a problem with funerals on weekends like you got problems with everything else?? Jenn scoffed, still not bothering to turn around.

?Q-quit being so mean?you should be sad grandpa?s gone.? Stacy continued to cry as the tears froze in the icy weather.

?No problems. Just wonderin?.? Naria equally bemoaned back. Both girls seemed to ignore Stacy altogether. After the brief interaction, Naria decided it was probably best to just leave everything as it was and head back inside. More questions and fighting wouldn?t do any good.

Friday passed without incident. True to expectations, Stacy and Jennifer didn?t show up, and it was a very bland and boring day. Az remained at Naria?s place for the time being because he needed to get his original tracker back in order to do his job. In the afternoon the two continued to practice and develop Naria?s powers. Finally Saturday came and Az wanted to go check on Jack and make sure he wasn?t destroying his equipment.

?Actually, I have somewhere to be today. I won?t be long. We can go later in the afternoon okay?? Naria replied to Az?s bemoaning of Jack. She assured the red head that it wasn?t a big deal, and she wouldn?t be long so she left.

Naria wanted to make sure she got there before anyone else did. She took the bus across town on the opposite side. After getting off the bus, Naria still walked a good half an hour before reaching her destination. She hopped the fence, which was still closed, into the cemetery grounds. All the fields were still layered with snow, while the tombstones could still be easily seen.

Even should the graves had been covered, Naria would easily know the way. She had been there many times. Walking rather slowly for her usual quickness, Naria decided to take a more scenic route towards her destination. It really wasn?t a day she like, or one she would care to remember. However, that day will forever be engraved into her memory. After a few moments, Naria sat down besides a thick, bare tree and brought her legs up. After a glance of the stone that stand in front of her, the depressed girl rested her face into her legs and rested.

?Please don?t hate me?? she thought silently.





Chapter 5: Hollow Remembrance Part 1

   The subway car slowed to a halt, as Naria hurried out, with Az following close behind. It was already late afternoon, with the sun beginning to set. Most of the snow had melted during the day, with scrapes of slush lining the road outside the station. By now both of them had reached all the way across town. Despite Naria?s reluctance, Az followed along anyway. The two of them had grown rather close these last few months. Well, close from Naria?s perspective anyway.

   ?So whe?re we going? What?s on this side of town you can?t do at your place?? Az asked, following behind Naria, weaving between the rest of the populous on their way home from a busy days? work.

   ?You?re the one who wanted to come. Quit complaining.? Naria muttered back, almost inaudible to Az. The two continued to weave through the south end of the city; between it?s tall towers and busy streets. After a while of walking, the buildings began to clear up. Az had a visible look of annoyance after his self-imposed dragging to the opposite end of town.

   ?No seriously, what?s up? You actually spent money to use the subway to get here.? Az once again queried. It was true. The girl with no real possessions actually use the small bits of money she found to actually go someplace. This time Naria didn?t even respond. She continued to press onwared without as much as a look back. From the back she seemed more slouched than usual, almost visibly annoyed that someone had bothered to go with her. Naria?s face didn?t show it though, not that Az could see being behind her.

   The longer the two walked the thinner the crowds got as they began to leave the major parts of the city. As the towers gave way to regular sized buildings, to eventually average sized apartments, shops and so forth, a large patch of land appeared surrounded by a metal fence. A small church in the distance could be seen near the actual entrance to the plot, but Az doubted that this was the reason they were there.

   The rows of graves were very neat and orderly, most likely to make as much use of the land as possible. After all there wasn?t much land available inside major city areas. They had various names and dates on them, although the older stones definitely showed it.

   Instead of working her way to the front, Naria quickly climbed over the fence and hopped down to the other side, her black coat dragging along the top of the railing as she jumped off. Az just figured this was part of Naria?s usual laziness. He followed suit soon after as Naria began walking off amongst the stones without even waiting for him.

   The wind gusted, rustling the blades of grass and weeds taking place in the cemetery. Eventually Naria stopped at a gravestone at the end of a row at the opposite end of the fence. This one stone as well as a few around it were covered in shade by a tree branch reaching over the fence between the edge of the church grounds and the cemetery.

   The view of what was written on the stone was obscured to Az since Naria was standing right in front of it. A sense of understanding came over him, as he just sat down leaning against the metal framework surrounding the grounds. His large frame resting against the ironworks caused them to shake for a second as he decided to just let his questions go for now and wait.

   Taking a sigh, Naria bent down on one knee in the wet, nearly frozen glass and rested her forehead against the marking. She closed her large purple eyes in thought, and slowly traced her fingers over the top of the gravestone.

   ?What?re you doing?? asked Az. A little confused at Naria?s posture.

   ?I?m talking to her.? Naria softly replied, without any sort of movement towards Az.

   ?Gotta be honest, I don?t get it.? He replied back, quietly observing.

   ?You don?t have to.? Naria whispered, continuing to gently stroke the top of the grave.








   The sun was high in the sky, during a summer afternoon. The hazy humidity made the air feel heavy and moist. Bugs were making buzzing noises in the distance as the sound of moving cars echoed around until eventually phasing out. Some children were heard playing outside, more specifically on the small open lot between the church and the large rectangular building adjacent to the church itself.

   All play stopped however as one kid?s wailing and the sounds of punches landing filled the area. A boy around seven was on the ground, trying to guard his face from his would be attacker. Sitting on top of him was a girl with straight black hair reaching down to slightly below her shoulders, lightly tapping at her back whenever the wind blew. Her large purple eyes were fiercely focused on the brown haired boy on the ground beneath her. She gritted her teeth as she continued to land punch after punch on the boy.

   Hearing the commotion the two nuns watching over them hurried over.  The taller and younger woman with a slender face and brown eyes began pulling Naria off the boy as he quickly scampered off the ground to hide behind the older, rounder nun. He buried his bruised face and bloody nose behind the old nun?s dress as he began to cry. The smaller children huddled around her as well, while Naria looked on with superiority, yet annoyance. Suddenly a harsh slap came down upon her nine year old head.

   ?What was all this about young lady?? The younger nun asked in a harsh tone. Glaring down trying to use her height as an advantage. Naria just crossed her arms in front of her oversized plain white shirt. Her eyebrows furrowed and a large frown appeared. Her foot lightly kicked the dirt in front of her with her light purple sandals.

   ?He was talking s*** so I had to bring him down to earth.? Immediately another slap landed on Naria?s head. She slightly winced at this one.

   ?We don?t talk like that around here.? The woman said, dragging Naria by the collar towards the main church building. The other nun took the boy into the large building next door with the rest of the children to hand out lunch and clean up the boy who got beaten.

   
   A short while later, the woman who dragged Naria into the building was sitting happily at her desk, reading a book in the main office. At the opposite end, Naria sat there glaring angrily back at the nun. She squirmed about in her seat as the frilly pink dress never felt right. She tugged at the massive bow in her hair, trying to get it out without ripping any hair out.

   ?Move around any more and you?ll be wearing that tomorrow too.? The nun said confidently without looking up from her book. Naria stopped fidgeting despite how uncomfortable the dress was. Her face turned light red as she tried to kill the nun with her glare alone. Over the years the nuns found that dressing Naria up like this was the only way to get her to keep still, at least for a while.

   The ticking of the second hand of a nearby clock seemed to grow louder and longer with each passing second. What seemed like forever was merely a minute in reality. Not two minutes had passed when Naria began to tug at the large puffy sleeves that rode high on her arms. She tried to roll them down some but they kept creeping back up.

   ?Would you like your nails painted pink like the dress or purple to match your eyes?? The nun calmly asked, once again not even turning from her book. Naria immediately stopped moving about as her face turned a bright beat of red. She inwardly groaned at painted nails, as that wouldn?t come off for a while. Luckily a knock came from the door, grabbing the nun?s attention as she want to retrieve it. The embarrassed little girl breathed a heavy sigh of relief, as she was now free to squirm about, at least for a little while during this thankful distraction.

   ?Oh, I?ve been waiting for you Mr. Johnson.? Naria peeked over to see what was going on as a tall but heavy man entered the room, followed by a tiny girl practically clinging to his leg. She couldn?t have been over four, had glowing blond hair in pigtails. Her blue eyes were large with fright, about ready to cry. One of her pink sneakers was untied as her slender yellow dress reached just below her knees.

   As the nun motioned Mr. Johnson to her desk, the little girl, upon catching notice of Naria, quickly scurried over and took a long look at her dolled up appearance. Her eyes still showed that the water works was about to burst, but she managed to squeak out in her high-pitched voice.

   ?Y-you?re, really pretty.? She stuttered. Naria turned bright red with her face showing faint signs of anger, her hand shaking in fist mode, but holding back. Naria was not going to get stuck dressed up like this for a week, with a no doubt ?harsher? sentence during the time period. (This would no doubt mean make-up, painted nails, and heels during her ?sentence?).

   The new girl climbed up on the chair next to Naria, scooted as close as she could, and began clinging to Naria?s right arm, curling up next to Naria resting her head on Naria?s shoulder. At this point Naria was suppressing all urges to just shove this new girl off of her and storm out of the room.

   Meanwhile, the two adults in the room began talking on the other side of the room. Mr. Johnson was sitting at the opposite side of the desk from the nun.

   ?Ms. O?Leery?? Mr. Johnson began.

   ?Sister is fine sir.?

   ?I?m Jewish m?am.?

   ?Whatever is fine then. I assume this is Abigail.?

   ?Yes, we brought her to this orphanage due to, uh, complications regarding her parents? deaths.?

   ?I understand the basic circumstances, but could you elaborate a little, just so I know what?s going on.?

   ?Okay then.? Mr. Johnson pulled out a notepad from his shirt pocket. ?Well, her parents died in a drunk driving accident two days ago. So far no will has been found, and for all we know there are no immediate family members for us to contact. Since, we obviously can?t take care of her at the station, we brought her here.?

   ?Well, that?s why this place is here then.? The nun ruffled through a file kept on all the children kept there. ?Will she be staying with us long or is there some hope of her living with someone she knows? Despite how hard I try here nothing can really match an actual home.?

   ?Well, if we find anything about family, or some neighbor who would take care of her, Abby would probably be sent there. However, if nothing comes up she?s going to have to stay here until she gets adopted or something.? Mr. Johnson finished with a sigh, slightly depressed at the thought.

   ?Unfortunately the latter happens more than you?d think.? O?Leery finished marking the papers in the file. Putting it away. Ms. O?Leery escorted the officer out the building after finishing up the final bits of the documentation. Upon returning to her office, she couldn?t help but giggle at the sight she saw. Abigail had firmly clasped herself around Naria?s pink dress, not budging from the spot. Naria, however, was lightly yet forcibly trying to pry her arms from around her body.

   ?Okay you two.? O?Leery bent over in a cheerful voice and manner. ?You can go to the living room and get some lunch now.? Naria hastily scampered from her seat, practically dragging Abigail with her, wanting to get as far away from the sadistic woman who dressed her up like that.

   Naria quickly exited the church building, her huge pink bow bouncing up and down with each step, with Abby trying her hardest to hold onto Naria?s hand. They crossed the short field between the church and the aforementioned living room. Well, it was more like a living building really. The large rectangular building with the flat roof held everything else that wasn?t in the church building. Half of the large room held two dozen or so beds spaced evenly on each side of the room. The opposite half away from the door held a bunch of tables, chairs, and so forth scattered about between the large messes of mostly broken but still functional toys strewn about the room. Farther from that though was a door that led to the bathroom, tub, etc. where each would take turns getting cleaned, brushing teeth, and so forth.

   After a few steps upon entering, the fifteen other kids began snickering and giggling at Naria?s recent appearance. They never grew tired of seeing Naria?s personal punishment, considering she was the oldest and often the most boyish and violent of the entire group. Her purple eyes merely glared back at everyone, as she was taking a mental note as to who was laughing the loudest to make sure she got some pay back. Abigail followed directly behind Naria, only being half her height though, she couldn?t really see. Naria sat at the table farthest from everyone else and began to munch on the snacks left there.

   The day faded quickly to night, as Abby remained by Naria?s side the entire time. She was much too shy to try and get to know anyone else, especially with recent events. Once bedtime came once the sun had set, Naria was finally free to put on her normal clothes, much to her delight. She practically tore the frilly pink dress and bow off, and quickly retrieved her white t-shirt and short jeans and faded purple flip-flops. After Naria?s little transformation, Abby once again stared at Naria, looking her up and down over and over again.

   ?W-what?!? Naria said, a little creeped out at the four year old giving her a look down.

   ?It?s just that, well, you looked prettier with the dress. Put it back on.? A swift, yet soft, knock on the head quickly followed that statement.

   ?Rule number one: Don?t call me ?pretty?.? Naria said raising one finger. ?Rule number two: I don?t wear dresses.?

   ?But you just were and?? another knock on the head. ?Owie!?

   ?I didn?t want to wear that. They made me. Now go to bed!? Naria pointed across the room to one of the unused beds at the front of the room. After all the children were tucked into bed, the lights were put out and the kids were left to sleep. A couple of minutes passed, and Naria was still trying to fall asleep when she felt her covers being lifted up and someone crawling in. The oldest orphan rolled over to have Abigail immediately cling to her yet again as she began sobbing into Naria?s chest.

   After the initial shock, Naria just rolled her eyes and she hugged back. Her face turned to a quiet sadness as she held back. Over the years she knew everyone cried their first night here. Naria had seen more people go through this place more than some of the caretakers. She?d been there for as long as she could remember.


   The next day was Sunday, which being at a church meant going to services. After breakfast the kids followed the nuns into the church building next door. Well, Naria once again had to practically be dragged over. The actual service room was rather small, with only about ten rows or so of pews in front of the stand that was before a stained glass window of Jesus.

   After everyone had settled in, Naria moved herself as close to the back of the room as the nuns would allow her, which usually meant about halfway back. However, the rest of the kids and nuns were stacked in the first two or three rows. Without much surprise anymore, Abigail followed Naria everywhere she went, somewhat over her trauma from yesterday and looking slightly cheerful. After the service was well under way, Abby decided to speak up.

   ?Why?re we sitting so far back? I can?t see.? She whispered to make sure she wouldn?t interrupt.

   ?I hate it here. It?s not right.? Naria quietly responded, crossing her arms and looking anywhere but straight forward.

   ?Why? My parents took me to a place like this a few times. It was okay.? Abby whispered back, leaning closer so she could be quieter.

   ?Do you even know what this place is for? It?s to pray to this invisible man in the sky to do things for us, and to thank him for all we have. It?s bulls*** I tell you.? Naria whispered, slightly angrily, back.

   ?I don?t get it.? Abby said back, looking slightly confused, but looking adorable while doing so. Naria just sighed and closed her eyes before looking back intently at the blonde sitting next to her.

   ?This whole god guy isn?t worth believing in. A lot of the stuff sister says doesn?t make any sense. Besides?? Naria said, now glaring at the stained glass window at the front. ?If he is some all powerful all loving being, why the hell did he take our families away?? Naria whispered off, with a hint of sadness at the end.

   The sermon dragged on for about an hour or so before the children were once again allowed to head back to the living spaces. As soon as they arrived however, one of the nuns came in carrying a large cardboard box that was apparently quite heavy.

   ?I?ve got a donation box kids, come take a look!? she said, placing the box on the ground in the middle of the room. All the kids scrambled towards the box hopefully filled with goodies. Being the oldest and biggest Naria was able to work her way towards the front, right next to the box. It was pretty much the only time to hope during her stay here, but it was usually for not. Most of the time donation boxes were filled with clothes Naria didn?t like or used or worn down toys Naria didn?t want. After a bit of sifting through the usual junk, Naria pulled out something she was actually happy to find and hurried off to show it to Abby who got stuck at the back.

   ?Freaking score!? Naria said happily, holding up her prize. It took both arms, but she held up a black hooded jacket that could easily wrap around two of her. It was still pretty fuzzy as Naria held it up for Abigail to see.

   ?It?s just a jacket.? A swift knock on the head.

   ?But it?s an awesome jacket. One for us adults. Not the stupid kiddy worn down crap I see all the time. This is definitely mine!? Naria said confidently, tugging it around her, as the bottom of the coat hung just above the ground. The sleeves easily fell beyond Naria?s arm length, but she just rolled them up as far as she could. She smiled a big grin as the jacket completely enveloped her.

   ?I still think you look prettier in the dress.? A fourth hit on the head came.


   The months passed, as summer turned to fall, and fall to winter. For most of the kids, life changed very little. The same routine for every day of the week. Abigail continued to follow Naria wherever she went, who would wear her new prize everywhere. Abby stuck to Naria like glue, and the nuns noticed this seemed to calm Naria down, at least a little bit, although this didn?t stop Naria from getting into fights with anyone that dare cross her or Abby. However, punishments now included having the jacket taken away for a period of time, and occasionally changing the dress for a ballerina outfit that was also in that particular donation box, but to Naria?s chagrin. Abby found the pretty pink ballerina outfit just as cute as the dress, which would make Naria wail on the cute little four year old blonde, although not as harshly as the rest of her roommates.

   Around mid-December, one of the days Naria hated appeared. An adoption day. Well, Naria called it window-shopping. It?s when some parents looking to adopt a kid would pay a visit to the orphanage to see if they would like to adopt one. The oldest orphan always said she could feel the fake-ness in the air and would always find a way to sneak out of the building. This time though, she took Abigail with her.

   When the nuns weren?t looking, busy showing the couple around, Naria took Abby into the bathroom, and hastily climbed out the window by climbing on the toilet to reach. Naria had to lift Abigail up though, since she couldn?t reach. After dropping down outside, Naria once again had to life Abigail up to reach the fire escape on the far side of the building. Despite much prodding from the older girl, Abby slowly but surely reached the flat roof of the building.

   It was a bitterly cold day for mid-December. The wind blew harshly stinging the two young girl?s faces. The sun was setting quickly over the city, leaving the sky a beautiful yellow and orangey color. No sooner had the two reach the roof could they hear calls for their names from below. Naria motioned Abigail to be quiet as they went to the center of the roof. Both of them lied flat on their backs as Naria draped the black coat over the top of both of them. It was pretty much necessary, as there usually weren?t enough winter clothes for everyone.

   The air was really cold out, especially for a little four year old with only a jacket to cover her. It took a few minutes, but the cute little blonde was able to get comfortable by snuggling as close to Naria as possible. At this point Naria was used to such fondling from her five-year junior.

   ?Why don?t you want to see the nice mommy and daddy? I thought you would want a family.? Abigail questioned, popping up from under the jacket covers. Her bright blue eyes staring inquisitively back. Naria just sighed; dejected she would have to answer but knew she would have to eventually.

   ?It wouldn?t by my family.? She explained. ?It just wouldn?t be right. I could never consider them my relations. They just wouldn?t be my real mom and dad, or brothers and sisters if I had any.?

   ?You don?t want a mommy or daddy or a brother and sister??

   ?O-Of course I do!? Naria stuttered, not expecting that response. ?It?s just that I want my real family, not some fake one.?

   ?But I?m real!? Abigail shouted back, obviously not understanding what Naria meant. Naria just laughed at her response. ?I am real! I?m right here! So I?ll be your real sister!? Naria just continued to laugh at the little girl?s ramblings.

   ?I don?t think that?s how it works kidd-o?.

   ?Why not!? I?m real, so I?ll be your real sis, big sis! Hmph!? the last remark coming as Abigail ducked her head under Naria?s chin, hugging her back as hard as she could. Naria smiled slightly, gently hugging the little girl back.

   ?Alright, alright, little sis.? Naria said back. A few hours passed, and the sun was barely visible.  The wind grew stronger and the temperature dipped lower. Abigail began to shiver from the cold despite what little the jacket coverings could do.

   ?Big sis, I?m cold.? Abby whined.

   ?But I think those jerk off not parents are still here. I can still see their car.? Naria replied.

   ?But I?m cold.? The smaller one said softly. Naria, out of options just sighed and said, ?Okay, I?ll show you this, but you can?t tell or show anyone. Not even the nuns, or the other kids, absolutely not a single person. Do you understand me?? Abby just nodded in agreement.

   Naria held her hands slightly apart, a few inches in between each hand. She moved them closer together and interlaced her fingers to form a little cup with her palms. After a second of concentrating a small black flicker appeared, and slowly grew into a little ball of black flame that sat comfortably in the half-fieron?s hands. It gave off a warm haze to it, quickly heating up the air under the jacket. Suddenly Abigail felt warm again despite the freezing temperatures around her.

   ?It?s pretty!? Abigail said, excitedly.

   ?Hey, what?s rule number one!? Naria replied with a fake serious look on her face. Abigail just giggled.

   ?I can?t do that. How come you can?? The little blonde said, making the same motions with her hands. Naria pondered for a second.

   ?I?m magic.? Was her reply, with a big grin on her face.

   ?Oh you?re so cool!? Naria?s little sister said, digging herself even closer to her self appointed big sister.


Together they watched the sun set behind the tall buildings in the distance. Naria wished this moment would never end.

[Nayrman]

**another random edit space just in case something happens to hte other posts*

[Nayrman]

**Just making sure...I'm anal okay!?**

[Triforceman22]

Wow.
That was an awesome read.
It's so freaking detailed. XD

I will definatley keep reading this.
I can't really find anything wrong with this as of now.
Except for each chapter being rather long...

If you want more readers, maybe trim the length of each chapter down by a few paragraphs.

But still a great read.

:)

[Nayrman]

sorry about the lack of updates. Moving into college and getting started takes a lot of time and energy. Also, my computer doesn't work with this forum on the connection type in my dorm, so I'll be on a lot less in general. However, I PLAN on having something up by Sunday afternoon at the latest.

[Nayrman]

Updated...finally.
please post what you think or it'll never get better.
*In otherwords, someone post besides Triforce!*






60+ views and only one comment... ;_;
???
If no one is going to make any commenets I'm not going to bother posting it...this isn't for my health I want genuine feedback here so I can make this better... X_X;;

[Eizweir]

I'll comment.
It's awesome, I love the story.
It's really detailed, but it needs a bit more description in sense, or that's what I think...
Like what she hears, and smells, or feels.
I really like how well you describe the emotion, and that music really helped set the mood :D

[Playat]

Well I actually took the time to read this. The story is amazing. I really enjoyed it. Keep it up :)

[Red]

Wow Nayrman. This is a long, but amazing read. Keep it up. :D

[Nayrman]

Okay, quick update on current events:
Sorry for the lack of any sort of update for so god darn long, but with fall break coming after next week, I promise to have SOMETHING soon. I know where I want to go for the story, just not exactly how to get there...*GOD D A M N  WRITERS BLOCK!!!!*
So yea, within the next two weeks I should have something up since I will have more than a couple hours at a time to really think about the story word-wise.

As a side note I found this neat (if insanely small) picture on the web randomly, and this is very close to what I pictured Naria to be, so hopefully that may help a bit.

[Red]

Wow, chapter 2 was better than the first one. Keep up the good work. :)

[SkyMyl]

Took a while to read both chapters, but I finished them.

And it's awesome! Can't wait to read more! Well, once you get by the Writers Block.

[Nayrman]

Took a while to read both chapters, but I finished them.

And it's awesome! Can't wait to read more! Well, once you get by the Writers Block.

It's been a while since I wrote anything and I have a long weekend (fall break woo!), so I will try my hardest to get SOMETHING up in the next week.
In the mean time I was able to reformat the picture so it's big enough to be viewable. A little pixelated but thank god for photoshop's clean-up mode XD

[Nayrman]

Hooray it's done! XD
CHAPTER 3 IS UP!