HOME | DD

Description

I'll be posting my story here as well!  If you're interested in it, please feel free to follow my other account: ManuWrites

Thank you if you take the time to read it!

Previous Chapter:

All Chapters HERE.

CHAPTER 77: EPILOGUE

                Thomas wouldn’t admit to himself that he was lost, even after hours of wandering around dark alleys. He had planned his escape for so long; he was too embarrassed to think that all of his furtive nights studying the map of the city had been in vain.
                At certain moments, the thought of calling for help seemed more than tempting. He couldn’t let that idea sink in. I’d rather die than see my mother’s condescending face upon my return. I’m not going back to that house. If they want me back, let them look for their little heir. Maybe they’ll think I was kidnapped. The more trouble I cause them, the better.
                He threw away his cellphone to prevent himself from giving in. They could probably track my location if I have this on me anyway. I have no use for it now.
                He regretted that decision sooner than he could anticipate. He should have known that a kid walking around in expensive-looking clothes, all by himself, was too easy a target for any common delinquent. If only he hadn’t been such a pompous fool, calling the police might have still been an option.
                They had already taken his wallet and the jewelry he had stolen from his mother. He had been punched a couple of times, but that didn’t surprise him. When he had nothing left to give, and the young men that had robbed him refused to leave him alone, Thomas recognized the icy sting of true fear. Terror bound his whole body when one of them tried to undo the buckle of his belt with malignant deftness. He resisted as much as his perturbed state allowed him, but the cold stiffness of despair spread from his spine to his fingertips when he confirmed he wasn’t strong enough to fight even one of them, and there were two.
                Thomas was having trouble holding back his tears when a high pitched voice pierced the air, “Hold it right there!”
                His attackers groaned, “Get lost Lucy, this is none of your business.”
                “That’s not up to you!” Lucy retorted, “What will your punishment be when I tell my dad about this? What you’re trying to do to that poor boy goes clearly against the rules.”
                The men spit out colorful curses and then let go of Thomas, “Your daddy won’t be there to protect you forever. We’ll remember this.”
                “I’ll be sure to let him know that’s how you feel.” She glared at them with staged confidence. She patiently waited for the two men to be out of sight, and then her small frame softened at last. “Boy, are you alright?”
                Thomas stared at his savior. The girl couldn’t be much older than he was. Her hair was short and disheveled, her pink dress worn out, and her knees full of scrapes. He noticed that despite her sloppy appearance, she smelled sweet.
                “Yes. Thank you for stopping them.” He said courtly.
                “Are you lost? You’re too pretty to be from these parts. Do you know how to get home, boy?”
                “I have no intention of going back home. Please stop calling me ‘boy’. My name is Thomas.”
                “Well Thomas,” Lucy shook her head, “if you’re not going back home, at least you should get out of here. Those two aren’t the only scumbags you’ll run into. Your blue eyes will get you in trouble again soon enough. They’re too pretty. Ah!” she pointed at his face, “You’re bleeding.”
                Thomas brought a hand to his lip; he felt a sharp pain as he touched the cut.
                Lucy looked around frantically, making sure there was no one watching them, “I’ll show you a cool secret.”
                The girl put her hands around Thomas’ head, without touching him, and closed her eyes. She furrowed her brow and her face went red with exertion, as if she was pushing an incredibly heavy object, and she recited intelligible words. After what to Thomas was an awkward eternity of a senseless display, she opened her eyes and stepped back.
                “I did it! I did it!” She giggled excitedly, her chest soaring with pride, “Grandpa will lose his shi- eh, I mean, his mind!”
                Confused, Thomas brought a hand back to his busted lip, but the wound had disappeared. It was his turn to mumble intelligible sounds. He gathered his courage and a bit of his wit, “How did you do that? Is this some kind of trick?”
                “Shhhhh!” Lucy crouched next to him, her index finger in front of her mouth, “It’s a secret , ok? My grandpa taught me how to do it. He says it’s magic, but it’s super hard to study, even harder than multiplication tables.”
                Thomas put distance between himself and the girl, “Yeah, right. I should have known you showing up from out of nowhere and saving me was too good to be true. I’m not falling for your stupid tricks. Just because I’m not ‘street smart’ it doesn’t mean I’m mentally impaired or whatever.” Thomas rubbed his mouth, “What did you do? Is it some kind of make-up ruse? A drug?” Then he gasped, “…Or do you know who I am? I’m not coming with you! Get away from me!”
                Lucy slapped him. “I should have known you’d be an asshole, with your fancy shirt and your shiny hair. I share my secret with you and you call me a liar! I don’t know who you are, and I don’t give a damn! You’re just a dumb boy from the upper city!”
                Lucy’s yelling ended in frustrated tears. Her big brown eyes sparkled, her round face went red and so did her nose. She turned around intending to run off, but Thomas grabbed her hand in time.
                “…I’m sorry.” He whispered dubiously, seemingly at a loss for what he himself was doing. He knew he wasn’t mistaken: trusting a random girl from the slums and believing her silly talk about magical powers was unthinkably ludicrous. And yet there he was, feeling like he had done something wrong, like he was guilty of some misdeed for upsetting Lucy. He couldn’t even call the weird impulse to listen to her ‘instinct’; it was far too irrational even for that. But if it’s only for a short while, then maybe… “Could you tell me more about your secret?”
                “…Fine.” She nodded, her inner conflict apparently solved in an instant.
                They sat down in a park nearby, where the noises of cars wouldn’t disturb them. Lucy knew every street and every alleyway, and Thomas did his best to remember the paths they followed.
                The girl spoke so eagerly she sometimes forgot to draw breath, “My grandpa is always telling me about the stories his great-grandpa used to share with him. Long, long, very long ago, a lot of people knew how to do magic. You could do anything! My grandpa only knew how to heal small cuts, so he taught me how to do it. They all say he’s senile, and he can’t do magic anymore so he can’t prove them wrong. That’s for the better though, ‘cause it’s a secret. Not even my dad knows. I have to wait until I get big or people could take advantage of me. That’s what my grandpa told me.”
                Thomas listened silently. Everything Lucy was saying was utter nonsense, but he knew she wasn’t lying. Questions swirled inside him. How could humanity forget about something like magic in a matter of a few generations? Why aren’t there historical records about it? Wouldn’t it have affected the sociopolitical development of the world? And what about technology? Maybe Lucy was talking about events that took place thousands of years ago… But then, how did her grandpa’s great-grandfather know about it?
                In the end, when his mind was done rushing, and his rationale gave way to desire, only one question remained. And that question, he shared with Lucy.
                “Do you think we could use magic to change this world?”

Description

I'll be posting my story here as well!  If you're interested in it, please feel free to follow my other account: ManuWrites

Thank you if you take the time to read it!

Previous Chapter:

All Chapters HERE.

CHAPTER 77: EPILOGUE

                Thomas wouldn’t admit to himself that he was lost, even after hours of wandering around dark alleys. He had planned his escape for so long; he was too embarrassed to think that all of his furtive nights studying the map of the city had been in vain.
                At certain moments, the thought of calling for help seemed more than tempting. He couldn’t let that idea sink in. I’d rather die than see my mother’s condescending face upon my return. I’m not going back to that house. If they want me back, let them look for their little heir. Maybe they’ll think I was kidnapped. The more trouble I cause them, the better.
                He threw away his cellphone to prevent himself from giving in. They could probably track my location if I have this on me anyway. I have no use for it now.
                He regretted that decision sooner than he could anticipate. He should have known that a kid walking around in expensive-looking clothes, all by himself, was too easy a target for any common delinquent. If only he hadn’t been such a pompous fool, calling the police might have still been an option.
                They had already taken his wallet and the jewelry he had stolen from his mother. He had been punched a couple of times, but that didn’t surprise him. When he had nothing left to give, and the young men that had robbed him refused to leave him alone, Thomas recognized the icy sting of true fear. Terror bound his whole body when one of them tried to undo the buckle of his belt with malignant deftness. He resisted as much as his perturbed state allowed him, but the cold stiffness of despair spread from his spine to his fingertips when he confirmed he wasn’t strong enough to fight even one of them, and there were two.
                Thomas was having trouble holding back his tears when a high pitched voice pierced the air, “Hold it right there!”
                His attackers groaned, “Get lost Lucy, this is none of your business.”
                “That’s not up to you!” Lucy retorted, “What will your punishment be when I tell my dad about this? What you’re trying to do to that poor boy goes clearly against the rules.”
                The men spit out colorful curses and then let go of Thomas, “Your daddy won’t be there to protect you forever. We’ll remember this.”
                “I’ll be sure to let him know that’s how you feel.” She glared at them with staged confidence. She patiently waited for the two men to be out of sight, and then her small frame softened at last. “Boy, are you alright?”
                Thomas stared at his savior. The girl couldn’t be much older than he was. Her hair was short and disheveled, her pink dress worn out, and her knees full of scrapes. He noticed that despite her sloppy appearance, she smelled sweet.
                “Yes. Thank you for stopping them.” He said courtly.
                “Are you lost? You’re too pretty to be from these parts. Do you know how to get home, boy?”
                “I have no intention of going back home. Please stop calling me ‘boy’. My name is Thomas.”
                “Well Thomas,” Lucy shook her head, “if you’re not going back home, at least you should get out of here. Those two aren’t the only scumbags you’ll run into. Your blue eyes will get you in trouble again soon enough. They’re too pretty. Ah!” she pointed at his face, “You’re bleeding.”
                Thomas brought a hand to his lip; he felt a sharp pain as he touched the cut.
                Lucy looked around frantically, making sure there was no one watching them, “I’ll show you a cool secret.”
                The girl put her hands around Thomas’ head, without touching him, and closed her eyes. She furrowed her brow and her face went red with exertion, as if she was pushing an incredibly heavy object, and she recited intelligible words. After what to Thomas was an awkward eternity of a senseless display, she opened her eyes and stepped back.
                “I did it! I did it!” She giggled excitedly, her chest soaring with pride, “Grandpa will lose his shi- eh, I mean, his mind!”
                Confused, Thomas brought a hand back to his busted lip, but the wound had disappeared. It was his turn to mumble intelligible sounds. He gathered his courage and a bit of his wit, “How did you do that? Is this some kind of trick?”
                “Shhhhh!” Lucy crouched next to him, her index finger in front of her mouth, “It’s a secret , ok? My grandpa taught me how to do it. He says it’s magic, but it’s super hard to study, even harder than multiplication tables.”
                Thomas put distance between himself and the girl, “Yeah, right. I should have known you showing up from out of nowhere and saving me was too good to be true. I’m not falling for your stupid tricks. Just because I’m not ‘street smart’ it doesn’t mean I’m mentally impaired or whatever.” Thomas rubbed his mouth, “What did you do? Is it some kind of make-up ruse? A drug?” Then he gasped, “…Or do you know who I am? I’m not coming with you! Get away from me!”
                Lucy slapped him. “I should have known you’d be an asshole, with your fancy shirt and your shiny hair. I share my secret with you and you call me a liar! I don’t know who you are, and I don’t give a damn! You’re just a dumb boy from the upper city!”
                Lucy’s yelling ended in frustrated tears. Her big brown eyes sparkled, her round face went red and so did her nose. She turned around intending to run off, but Thomas grabbed her hand in time.
                “…I’m sorry.” He whispered dubiously, seemingly at a loss for what he himself was doing. He knew he wasn’t mistaken: trusting a random girl from the slums and believing her silly talk about magical powers was unthinkably ludicrous. And yet there he was, feeling like he had done something wrong, like he was guilty of some misdeed for upsetting Lucy. He couldn’t even call the weird impulse to listen to her ‘instinct’; it was far too irrational even for that. But if it’s only for a short while, then maybe… “Could you tell me more about your secret?”
                “…Fine.” She nodded, her inner conflict apparently solved in an instant.
                They sat down in a park nearby, where the noises of cars wouldn’t disturb them. Lucy knew every street and every alleyway, and Thomas did his best to remember the paths they followed.
                The girl spoke so eagerly she sometimes forgot to draw breath, “My grandpa is always telling me about the stories his great-grandpa used to share with him. Long, long, very long ago, a lot of people knew how to do magic. You could do anything! My grandpa only knew how to heal small cuts, so he taught me how to do it. They all say he’s senile, and he can’t do magic anymore so he can’t prove them wrong. That’s for the better though, ‘cause it’s a secret. Not even my dad knows. I have to wait until I get big or people could take advantage of me. That’s what my grandpa told me.”
                Thomas listened silently. Everything Lucy was saying was utter nonsense, but he knew she wasn’t lying. Questions swirled inside him. How could humanity forget about something like magic in a matter of a few generations? Why aren’t there historical records about it? Wouldn’t it have affected the sociopolitical development of the world? And what about technology? Maybe Lucy was talking about events that took place thousands of years ago… But then, how did her grandpa’s great-grandfather know about it?
                In the end, when his mind was done rushing, and his rationale gave way to desire, only one question remained. And that question, he shared with Lucy.
                “Do you think we could use magic to change this world?”