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Ivy
Ivy Garmand was afraid of the dark. In the dark, anything could jump out at her. She couldn’t see anything in the dark, so she would be helpless. Alone. Afraid.
In the dark, Ivy got the feeling that someone was watching her. And maybe that was true, you could never know. School wasn’t really any better. She was the OPPOSITE of popular, and she got bullied a lot.
Once when she was eight years old, her family went on a cave tour where it was cold, and dark. Ivy was so scared. First of all, she could just imagine the terrible monsters that lurked in the darkness, and the cold made her feel dizzy. She had tripped on a rock, and had broken her ankle. It scared her so much, and thoughts rang in her head as she was brought home, monsters, monsters!?, and, of course, MONSTERS! Plus, mama and papa had lied. They had reassured her when she whined about the dark scaring her, and promised it would be alright. But..it hadn’t.
At nighttime, when mama and papa turned off the lights, Ivy’s heart thumped in her chest.
“Ivy!” Someone shouted. Ivy turned around to see her teacher glaring at her. “Pay attention!”
“S-sorry, Mrs.Petunia..” Ivy murmured.
“Anyway, as I was saying, we have a new kid today.”
Oh no. New kids. They would always try to be friends with her but when they found she was not popular they would leave her. They were almost worse than regular people. A girl walked into the classroom. She had brown hair that went to her shoulders with bangs that flopped into her chocolate eyes. She had a pretty tan and wore a gauzy peach tank top with skinny jeans and brown boots, and she wore golden feather earrings and a silverish blue bracelet.
Later that day Ivy was being bullied by Kelsie.
“Why don’t you just LEAVE!?” She screamed.
“I can’t.” Ivy said. Kelsie slapped her on the cheek, and Ivy fell on her butt.
“Hey. Stop.” Someone said, with authority that made Kelsie look guilty. It was the new girl, Amber.
“Sorry..” Kelsie murmured, then walked away. Amber put out her hand to help Ivy up who was still on her butt. After a second of hesitation, Ivy gratefully accepted.
“Are you okay?” Amber asked.
“Yeah, but, why did you help me?” Ivy asked. Amber looked confused,
“Well, that girl was bullying you! Why wouldn’t I help you?”
Ivy struggled for an answer.
“Oh. Ok…uh..Amber, right?” she said finally.
Amber smiled, “Yeah!”
But Ivy couldn’t help notice something about Amber. Though she was pretty, and seemed happy, there was an uncertainty in her eyes, and that perfect face that slipped into a frown when no one was looking.
Who was she?
Quinn/Amber
“Quinn.” His cold sharp voice rang in Quinn’s ears. He was clothed in a midnight blue cloak that shaded his face and body, leaving two glowing white eyes. He sat on his throne made from children’s bones. He glared at Quinn in a way that seemed to say, Do it or else, and he had killed Quinn’s family years ago. Her mom, dad, the twins, younger brother, and baby. It was just her now.
And then there was him…Well, he didn’t have a name really. Quinn knew him as master and sir. He took his hood off, revealing a tight, pinched face with a creepy paleness in his skin. Grey eyes, and sparkling teeth that shined like a beacon in the dark cave. Everything was wrong. She shouldn’t be here. Not above ground either, but not under it..where there was no light, except for the bioluminescent fungi, and the rare crystals. Some other people might think it was pretty, but to Quinn it was deadly. Not just because the crystals would explode if you touched them and the fungi could be used as poison, but because of the silence. Eerie silence in her home. There was no love, no warmth. Just cold and dark. When she went above ground, she touched the brightest pearl on her silver/blue bracelet, and she transformed into her human form, which looked NOTHING like her. Underground, her true form wasn’t any weirder than everyone else’s. Her skin was pale, since the only time she was exposed to light from the sun was when she was a baby, and above ground. Her eyes were silver, and her hair was grey. She wore nothing like the bright and perky colors of “Amber”.
And then there was that girl..Ivy..and Quinn’s mission.
“Quinn.” He said again.
“Y-yes..master.”
Ivy
Ivy walked into her closet. She tried to steady her heart, and took deep breaths. Okay, now to close the door. The second Ivy closed the door, her heart was thumping in her chest, and she felt like she couldn’t breathe. Monsters, her brain told her, monsters! Ivy lasted three seconds before she busted out of her closet.
So much for trying to get over her fear…
Quinn/Amber
“Alright children..” Mother said in her accent that Quinn loved, “Time to get off the screens.” Welp, even Mother’s accent couldn’t change the terribleness of THAT sentence.
“You really should be outside more…” Mother said. She had silver-blue eyes, grey hair in a bun, and wore black loose pants, grey sandals and a white blouse.
Alex, Quinn’s brother, had cloudy grey eyes that matched father’s, and sleek black hair. Everyone in Quinn’s family had either grey or silver eyes, but not Quinn. Her eyes were a soft violet blue. You got your silver eyes when you showed you were worthy of being a Sagle, which was Quinn’s species.
“Haha,” Alex mocked, “Your eyes are still purple!”
“First of all, they’re not purple, they’re a mix of violet and blue, and second of all, even though YOU have your silver eyes and I don’t, we ALL know that I’M the one that’s worthy and YOU aren’t.”
Alex frowned, “Y’know, if we were animals, you’d be a helpless swan and I’d be a LION!” He laughed.
“Hey! That’s not fair!” Quinn shouted.
“HELPLESS swan, FIERCE lion!” Alex laughed, then stuck his tongue out at Quinn.
“Cut it out. I’M the lion.” Quinn grumbled.
“Yeah right,” Alex said, rolling his eyes.
“I’m the lion!” Quinn hissed.
“No! I’M the lion!” Alex screamed, getting angry.
“I’m the lion!” Quinn insisted.
“I’M THE LION!” Alex yelled.
“Well I’m. The. Lion. NESS!” Quinn exploded, and instead of roaring like a lion, she howled like a wolf.
And from then on, Quinn’s soft violet blue eyes were a fierce shining silver.
Ivy
A week or so later, Ivy and Amber have kinda become friends. Ivy still really didn’t understand how, for one, she was totally NOT popular or pretty or smart..and Amber was smart, popular, AND pretty. But still, Amber seemed cheerful and friendly and 100% kind. But..something about Amber was..different.
Once school was out, Amber said that she wanted to show Ivy somewhere, and led Ivy to a graveyard.
“Umm..Amber?” Ivy asked, “Why are we HERE?”
“Ivy.” Quinn said.
“Yeah?” Ivy asked.
“I’m sorry.” Amber said. Sadness broke through her face.
“For..what?” Ivy asked, confused.
Amber sighed, “For this.” She said, Amber touched a bead on her bracelet..and..she transformed. Her brown hair turned grey, and grew longer. Her pretty tan turned deathly pale, like a ghost. Her red dress turned black, then transformed into a hoodie, grey ripped jeans and black combat boots. Lastly, her chocolate colored eyes turned silver. She snapped her fingers, and a black gun appeared in her hands. She pointed it at Ivy’s heart, which was thumping like a drum.
“Obey me, or I shoot.”
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Mika Lincoln is eleven years old, and she lives in San Francisco. She loves writing and wants to be an author when she grows up.