《Head in the Clouds》


 1. Where The Heart Lies

    I was in a trance. Looking at him, fighting off the monsters surrounding us, I couldn''t move a single muscle.


    "The night skies are beautiful, that''s why I always love looking at them." Nox said. A contented smile spread on his face as he gazed at the moon and the stars, taking the sun''s throne in the sky.


    He was no fighter. He loved nothing more than to travel the world and put every sight he saw on a canvas. An artist such as he had an audience from every corner of the globe, but I was his biggest fan. Every piece of art that he made, I had seen. The frustrations he felt when he lost inspiration, I had felt. The joy he felt when he painted, I loved it.


    "Ah!" Nox cried out, a wound on one of his arms making him lose his grip on his sword. With a swift movement, he switched the sword to his right hand and continued fighting, buying me time to run away. But why couldn''t I move?! He was risking his life for me... And I...


    "Stella?" He said, snapping me back to reality. I had been staring at him again, studying every line on his face, every little shade of color that made up this beautiful young man.


    "Sorry, I spaced out." I replied, a little flustered that I was caught staring. Then again, Nox was kind of dense when it came to stuff that wasn''t art, so he probably wouldn''t know I liked him even if the gods were to tell him so.


    He smiled at me and chuckled lightly. "It''s okay, just stand right over there." He said, pointing over to beside a beautiful tree.


    "Should I make myself pretty for you?" I asked, preparing to act cute for his drawing.


    "You''re already pretty." He said a-matter-of-factly, prompting my cheeks to turn a shade crimson.


    Nox had bought some time, the monsters weren''t chasing us yet. At this, he took my hand and sprinted away, taking me somewhere safer. We walked quite a distance, and we saw the small hints of smoke above the trees. We were close to the village, so close...This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.


    A shrill cry erupted from behind us. Nox and I turned around to see the hounding figures of the undead, still running after us.


    "Is something wrong?" Nox said, stopping his painting to look up at me. How could I not worry him? This was the first time he''s seen me blushing this much. And could you blame me, after what he said? He then walked up to me and suddenly put a hand on my forehead, saying "Wow, you are hot! What''s wrong, got a fever?"


    ''Shut up, stupid! You''re only making it worse!'' I thought as I got even more red.


    "S-stop worrying!" I said, pushing him away gently. "I''m fine, I swear, just... I just wanna see the drawing already..." I added, trying to control my breathing.


    "Alright then..." He said, walking back to his painting. Seeing that, my heart suddenly ached. Would I always be like this? Just an admirer from afar? A muse to his talent? Nothing more?


    "Nox!" I suddenly called out, making him turn. "The thing is... I like y-" I started to say, before we heard a horrifying sound. We turned to the source of the sound to see a horrific monstrosity of flesh and bone. The undead.


    Nox pulled a small bottle from his pocket and gave it to me. He was shaking. There were tears running down his face, but he looked into my eyes with a strength. A finality.


    "Stella." He called my name out. His lips quivered, but his voice was steady and spoke clearly to me. "This is a recall potion. It''ll take you back home. Drink it now."


    I nodded and unstoppered the bottle, putting it to my lips before realizing-


    "I''m not leaving you alon-"


    "JUST DRINK IT!" He screamed at me. Not with anger, though. He was desperate. He wanted to save me, even if it meant leaving him here to die.


    The screams of the undead were getting closer. Nox turned away from me and held the sword in stance once more, preparing to hold them off one last time. In that moment, he stopped shaking. The tears stopped coming. He greeted death with dignity. With beauty. With grace.


    I put the bottle to my mouth and drank the potion. Immediately, my body begin emitting a bright blue light, and I felt a blanket of safety envelop me. It felt like seeing your house after a long time of travel. The nostalgia and longing for home. I closed my eyes and-


    "Goodbye, Stella." I heard Nox say.


    ----


    I felt a pair of arms wrap around me as I stood my ground, preparing to attack. I looked down and saw Stella''s hands hugging me tightly, and I could feel her body pressed against mine. From the corner of my eyes, I could see the magic glow of the potion fading from her.


    "Stella! Why aren''t you home?!" I asked, raising my voice higher. If she didn''t leave, we''d both die!


    "I... I am home..." She whimpered, and I almost dropped my sword. She was crying, crying so hard that my heart ached. "You are the painting that I wake up each day to see, the colors that brighten up this world I live in. If I could, I''d stop time from moving and just look at you forever, because you are the art that makes me happy." She said, in between chokes and cries.


    I let go of the hilt and turned around to embrace her fully. She sounded a bit surprised, but she moved into my hug, crying and sobbing into my chest. My tears began streaming again too as I saw the monsters appear from behind the trees.


    ----


    "I''m home. I love you." We said.

 2. Full Swing

    The music was deafening, reverberating around the dome. The Ball Room, as it was aptly named, was famous for hosting great parties for lots of occasions. A graduation, a wedding, a birthday (for those who really went all out), you name it. This time the customers were my school''s acquaintance party. I was pretty sure St. Clair''s had a contract with them though, because it was my third year here and the school parties were still being held in the Ball Room. You''d think a change of scenery would be in order, but the student government manages to pull off unique themes and atmospheres for each party every year.


    The party was in full swing, complete with the horde of drunk seniors and eager juniors dancing questionably near the stage. The DJ, playing a mix of upbeat dance songs and rock, seemed to get hyped up more and more as the party went on. The dancers were rowdy and energetic, and the music matched that. It had been two hours since the boring part ended, the one with the speeches and the announcements, and everyone was just getting started.


    I poured myself some punch from the sides and maneuvered through the dancers to the chairs where I kept my bag. I and few of the other guys in my year had formed a little fort with the chairs where we danced and sang along with the music, which was fun, but I needed a quick break from the chaos. Plus, it was almost 8 PM, so I had to tell my mom I was going to be late.


    My phone beeped to tell me that my text hadn''t gone through. The service probably wasn''t too good inside. After draining my glass, I left it on a table somewhere and went outside.


    The cold breeze hit me like a brick and I stood for a moment to adjust myself. I was wearing a jacket over my shirt but I still shuddered. I pulled my phone out to check the signal, but the one out of four bars didn''t bode well.


    <i>"ma i might be late hehe"</i>


    Sent. I was stood with  my arms stretched out to the sky just to get to the grand maximum of two bars. I probably looked a little silly stretching up like this, but desperate times called for desperate measures. Not telling my mom about being late would be even worse than looking funny.


    Sliding my phone into my pocket, I let out a little yawn before slowly walking back towards the party. If I was lucky, I''d get back in time for the next slow dance song that played after every four or five of the upbeat ones and get to dance with someone. In the heat of the moment, a lot of people usually just paired up with whoever was beside them.


    I sighed and smiled. Never really did much hanging around other people who weren''t my friends, and they weren''t really into all that. I usually just hung back, enjoying the view. Something that exciting only happens to characters in movies or sappy romance novels.


    I heard the door open behind me and felt something barrel into me, sending me flying forward and knocking me down on my face. I pushed myself back up and brushing any dirt off, I turned to see my attacker.


    "Oh my gosh, Carl, are you okay? Sorry, I didn''t see you there!" She said, coming up to me.


    "Maddie?" I said, looking up at her. She was in my class, and we''d hung out a few times. Her black hair that she usually had straight down was now falling down in waves and she had on this beautiful red gown with white flowery designs around the end of the skirt. I always thought she looked cute before, but right then, she looked majestic hurrying towards me with her phone in hand.


    "Are you okay?" She repeated.


    "Yeah, I''m fine." I said, laughing it off. "But that was a glass door though. Should''ve been hard not to see me."


    "Hey, I said sorry." She giggled.


    "Getting some fresh air?"


    "No, I''m looking for some signal. I need to text my mom."


    "Ah," I got my phone back out, lifting it up. "This spot is pretty good. Give me your phone." Maddie was a bit smaller than me, so I didn''t think she could reach the point where the signal reached. She didn''t seem to mind, though, and handed me the phone eagerly, narrating the message she wanted to send. I typed it out then lifted it up like I did mine and pressed send, trying not to shift the phone too much to preserve the signal.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.


    Beep! The message sent with the tiny sound, allowing a short breath of relief from Maddison. The sound, however, was followed right after by the sudden ringing of a call. On instinct, I answered.


    "Maddison? Where are you? Young lady, we have been calling you for hours!" Came the voice on the other end of the call.


    "Mom, I''m at the party-" She tried to say, but her mom seemed to ignore her completely, continuing relentlessly.


    "Enough! Do you know what time it is? When did you plan on coming home, when the sun''s up? Your dad and I are coming to pick you up right this instant!"


    "Wait, please don''t-"


    Beep! The call ended as abruptly as it had started, leaving us in an awkward moment of silence. I stopped raising my hands and handed her back the phone.


    "Your mother''s pretty scary, Mads." I said jokingly, getting a laugh out of her.


    "Yeah, she can get like that sometimes." She said, her shoulders falling a little. I saw her eyes drift off to the Ball Room building. It didn''t take much to know she didn''t want to go yet. "I know that she''s just worried for me, but..."


    We were quiet for a while, both of us looking at the party, before I decided to interrupt the silence.


    "Anything you need before you go?" I asked.


    "Eh?" She said, turning back to look at me.


    "I mean, we better hurry and do it now before your parents arrive, right?"


    Her eyes lit up for a minute, before looking back to the party. "Well... I mean, I''ve always wanted to dance with someone at these parties. Since you said ''we'', does that mean you''re volunteering?" She asked, a smile on her lips growing.


    "Sure, if you''ll have me." I bowed. She giggled.


    "I think you''ll do." Maddie grinned. Taking my hand, she ran back into the party. I let myself get dragged, getting drawn in by her eagerness to make the most of the time. I only ever really hung out during the acquaintance parties, but right now, I couldn''t help but be excited with her.


    With my hand still in hers, Maddison stopped in what was barely a clearing in the sea of dancers and turned to me. She was beaming. "The slow song''s coming soon, right?" She asked loud enough for me to hear.


    "It should be, yeah." I replied. "But Mads, it''s our third year. How come you never got to dance before?"


    "I always went home too soon." She smiled with a sigh. "So, thanks for volunteering."


    The beat started to slow as the transition was coming. Students all around us started to scatter and shuffle, stumbling into each other and breaking off into pairs. The song started slow, with a piano coming in as people got into position. Maddie looked around us nervously, I''m guessing trying to look at how the others were doing it. Despite all the enthusiasm, she was obviously anxious about it.


    "It''s your first time, right?" I said, taking her hands and putting it on my shoulders and placing mine on her hips. "I''m a pro, so just follow along. We''ll just stay like this and shuffle around, pretty much."


    "Isn''t it a bit more complicated than that?" She laughed, but she seemed to trust me all the same. The song started to move, and so did we. Her eyes shifted around; to her feet, to the people around us, to mine. I felt myself smiling wider watching her.


    As we moved, swaying here and there as we stepped, side to side, back and forth, I couldn''t look anywhere but at Maddison. She was blushing red, and I could feel myself heating up too. Her hands felt warmer than before, or was that just me? She looked into my eyes, already looking into hers, and giggled nervously, but she didn''t look away.


    "Maddie?" I said, breaking our silence. I couldn''t hear the song anymore. Something about counting lucky stars?


    "Yeah?"


    I leaned closer to her. Maddie held her breath. What was she expecting? Her gaze got even more intense, and I wondered what would come next. After this moment, after this party. Would she be sad? Angry? Would she laugh it off? Was there something in this moment, or was that all this was? A moment?


    "I was thinking-" I started to say, but she was looking over at the Ball Room doors and her shoulders slumped. I looked and saw a woman enter, looking around the party, and I guessed it was her mom.


    She paused, and now I was holding my breath. Emotions flew across her face in a flurry; confusion, disappointment, anger. I wished that she didn''t have to go. Not just for her, but for me too. I was having fun too, I was enjoying this. This was great. I didn''t want things to be over just yet. I wanted her to stay.


    "Anything you need before you go?" I managed to ask.


    Maddie looked back at me, and she had that look again in her eyes. Then, slowly, a smile spread back onto her face as she made her decision. With both of her hands still around my neck, she pulled me closer and closed her eyes. I closed mine. The Ball Room faded away, and I forgot what I was worrying about. Everything felt so warm, and we pulled each other closer.


    When we finally pulled away from each other, Maddison was grinning from ear to ear. I still had the surprise on my face. She giggled and took a step back.


    "I''m good now, thanks Carl! Call me when you get home!" She said cheerfully, before running off into the sea of dancers towards the exit.

 3. Holding On

    A young lady walked into the internet cafe. It was a large room with the lights set dim, computers set up in rows and rows. There was a faint glow around from all the RGB, which, coupled with the wide, curved monitors, gave her enough light to maneuver between the units. The sound of pressing keys rang out from all around the room, quickly getting on her nerves.


    The girl stopped at unit #27 where sat a young man playing a shooter game. He was focused, and even someone who wasn''t well-versed in games like her could tell he was good. He moved the mouse so quickly, she thought it was going to fly out of his hands.


    "Ah, hey-!" Chase exclaimed, confused, as his headphones were pulled off. Turning away from the screen, much to the dismay of his teammates, he looked at the girl behind him. She had a stern glare, her eyes bore into his so intently, it was as if she was disgusted.


    "You weren''t at school today either." Elaine said, putting the headphones down on the desktop and crossing her arms. He sighed and turned the chair to face her, ignoring the now losing game behind him.


    "What are you doing here?"


    "Looking for you, moron. Shouldn''t you be studying instead of wasting away in here?"


    "Shouldn''t you be bothering someone who actually cares?" He said, turning back to the game, but she stopped him and turned the chair back to face her.


    "Funny, but you''re not getting rid of me." She leaned closer, the expression in her face softening. Concern, but he knew that. "The teachers called your mom about your grades. She asked me to find you."


    He tried to play it cool, but Elaine could see his expression falter at the mention of his mom. Seeing this moment of weakness, she made her move, pressing the power button swiftly. The unit shut down, and as the screen dimmed, he lost all resistance.


    "Come on, I''ll walk you home." She said, picking up his bag from the under the desk and handing it to him. With a sigh, Chase got up and took it, slinging it over his back and taking her waiting hand. With her mission complete, she pulled him to the exit, neither of them paying any mind to the other gamers in the cafe, wide-eyed at one of their best players getting chewed out like a kid.


    Her hand still holding his, the two left the internet cafe. Elaine''s pace slowed to a walk now that they were out of there, and she breathed easier with Chase back. The atmosphere of the cafe, the cramped units, the sterile lights, the game callouts, it slowly faded away behind them.


    Soon, as they walked, they settled into the familiar route home; the loose bricks on the pavement, the massive dog that always asked for pets when they passed by, the street sign with a little too many stickers from passing students. Elaine could still see the ones she and Chase put there from when they were kids, and she smiled. They managed to reach the highest part of the sign to slap it on with the help of Chase''s dad, who offered to let them stand on his shoulders to get up there.


    Her phone buzzed, and she pulled it out to check. Texts about another event for her to organize. The debate team was waiting on her to finalize the topic list for their next competition. She''d left in a hurry when she heard what had happened with Chase, and they were scratching their heads.If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    The sky was slowly dimming as the sun started to set, coating the whole street in warm orange. A flock of birds passed by, probably heading home for the day, like they were. Chase glanced at her, feeling a knot form in his stomach as something dawned on him.


    "What time did you get out?" He asked as she tapped away at her response. "Around three, right after class." She replied, putting the phone away. "Your friends didn''t know where you were, so I had to look around the local internet cafes. That was the fourth." He winced.


    "But," she said, squeezing his hand, "you''re worth a few hours. Don''t worry about it."


    "Thanks." He mumbled, squeezing her back. She nodded, smiling.


    They continued to walk home in silence, but it wasn''t anything new to them. He''d always been a little quiet since he was a kid, and she''d gotten used to it all the years they''ve been with each other. As they turned the corner though, and they saw his house just down the street, he slowed down.


    "She''s just worried about you, you know. We both are." Elaine sighed, sensing his apprehension.


    "You worry too much." He replied quickly.


    "You give us a lot to worry about." She shot back, meeting his eyes with hers narrowed. Chase muttered something. She didn''t mind it.


    "I''m staying over, so good something good for us, okay?" She said, pulling him from his worries. He nodded wordlessly, and she felt his hand tighten.


    Elaine texted her dad, telling him that she''d be spending the night at his place. He''d understand, and it was long overdue for her to have come by. Pulling him along, she took him inside.


    "Mom baked ziti." Chase noted, looking through the fridge. "Are you fine with microwave?" Elaine nodded, heading upstairs to put her bag down and change. She''d been here so much since she was a kid, she had already had a stock of clothes here.


    "Aren''t you going to change first?" She asked, coming back down the stairs.


    "I was going to, but I''m starving." He said, popping the casserole in the microwave. "Go get changed, I''ll watch over it." She said, shooing him away. Giving her a jokingly long sigh, he walked away the kitchen. As the microwave hummed, she checked her messages. Chase''s mom had told her beforehand that she was going to be home really late from work and to just fix up a meal from the fridge. Not that this wasn''t already home to her anyway.


    The microwave dinged, and she took the ziti out, placing it on the coffee table in the living room. Chase was taking a bit longer, she thought as she turned the game console on. Settling back on the couch, she sighed and got her pasta, glancing around as she ate. Everything was the same as when she''d last been here a year ago.


    "Hey."


    She paused, turning to look as he plopped down beside her. Elaine recognized the shirt he wore, a faded Spider-Man graphic shirt that his dad used to wear all the time. It even still smelled like his Old Spice that she always got a whiff of when she hugged him when she visited. He was quiet again, and she put her bowl back down on the table and put her hand in his. She tried to find the words, to say something to reassure him that it''d be alright, but her throat went dry. Sitting here now where there was such a massive hole, after all this time, what could she say?


    "Thanks for always looking out for me." He managed to say, his words straining. Elaine sighed and smiled at him. Shifting over to face him, she pulled him into a hug.


    "Of course I''d look out for you, you idiot. I''m stuck with you." He choked back a sob and she held him closer. "I''m here for you."


    He buried his face in her shoulder, the fabric of her shirt muffling his tears. Her arms tightened around him, and it felt like all the everything would be alright as long as she held him. They stayed like that for a while, holding each other by the doorway. He didn''t let go. Neither did she.