《War Story Drafts》


 Draft #1 (Jonathan)

    "Take care of the house for me, will you?"


    His father''s words painted the world around him in the hues of sorrow, hanging in the air as flames crackled around them. In his arms was a rapidly fading silhouette of the man he so admired, the man who raised him, the man who gave him all that he is now. There would be no reprieve for this loss.


    As the figure disappeared in his arms, Jon frantically grasped at the empty space where his father used to be.


    His surroundings shifted violently, morphing charred, splintered wood into great trees of immeasurable height. No light could penetrate the thick canopy above, and the forest floor he found himself sprinting through was about as bright as the darkest night. Yelling, shouting, chants of languages unknown filled the air, and the whizz of bullets haunted the cursed marathon for which he was now a participant.


    A hand clasped his own, and the world around him stilled.


    "Jon, wake up."


    <hr>


    "Jon," A woman''s voice yelled in his ear as he shook. Was shaken, rather. "Wake up, your tenants will be here soon."


    He glanced up at the woman who woke him, tilting his head inch by inch as he struggled to break free from the clutches of sleep. The night before, he''d stayed awake to prepare the tenants'' rooms and disregarded his need for sleep altogether. This and the relatively early start of his every day resulted in his current state, slumped atop his workshop''s desk whilst cleaning his late father''s old rifles.Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.


    A pleasant fragrance wafted over him as he turned to face his rouser, and this smell was one he knew all too well.


    "Emi," stated Jon with a few garbled grunts in the mix. "Why are you¨C"


    "I''m the agency''s representative, dummy. I''m here to greet them with you."


    "Wait, what time is¨C"


    "It''s ten in the morning. Go get yourself cleaned up, you look like crap." She said, sitting across from Jon''s table. Her head was cocked to the side as she rested her chin on one hand. Jon stared at Emi in confusion. "Come now, they''ll be here in an hour."


    His gaze was met only by her own, and they ended up locking eyes for a moment. Just looking at her like this brought back memories he both cherished and wished to forget. She was a bespectacled beauty, an unblemished face paired with long, flowing dark hair. She wasn''t his to admire though, not anymore.


    Still, he appreciated her company and friendship through the years, despite their unfortunate breakup. If it wasn''t for her help, he wouldn''t have been able to find tenants for this old house. He just hoped whoever she found would be bearable, as no good person had ever been crazy enough to rent a room somewhere this remote.


    "I''ll just wrap this up, go help yourself to some ice cream in the fridge."


    "Oh shit, you have some?" She asked excitedly, already getting up from her seat.


    "Yep, went to get some groceries yesterday," Jon said, stretching his limbs out as he stood from his seat. "Get the opened one, by the way. I want a bowl too."


    "Okay!" Was all he heard before she ran off, slamming the fridge door in the distance.


    He looked at the door, briefly pondering his friendship with Emi as she guzzled the ice cream tin, evidenced by the aggressive rustling he could hear all the way from the kitchen. Things were alright this way, too. His fridge would beg to differ, however, and he knew his wallet would suffer a similar fate if this kept up.


    At least these new arrivals would ease the strain on his purse even by just a little.

 Draft #2 (Emilia)

    "Why''ve you stopped?"


    She didn''t know what else to say. His love used to be so much more in just about every way. Questions flooded her mind as her lover''s absence drained her in a way she couldn''t comprehend, the melancholy of losing her comfort and refuge taking its toll as she kept her gaze on Jonathan.


    They used to be so much more.


    "Why weren''t you there?"


    Emilia had grown fond of her lover''s doting and borderline obsessive nature. She found it endearing, and a welcome reprieve at all the right times. This was why she fell, and it was why she loved him. Now that it was gone, what was she to do? She couldn''t just demand to be given more attention, could she?


    So she didn''t. She waited for him to return. Waited for that spark to come back. The thrill of their first few months was nothing short of breathtaking, a rollercoaster ride that took her through just about every intense emotion possible. Ups and downs, twists and turns that made her skip more than just a beat. There was passion, and she loved every second of it.


    There was passion.


    "Where were you when I needed you?"


    Minutes of argument flashed by, but the questions remained. Though she got an answer to each one, it never seemed enough. She felt betrayed. Abandoned. Misunderstood. But what was she supposed to do about it? How was she supposed to rest easy without a proper answer?


    What if there wasn''t an answer?Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    "Do you want to break up?"


    ...


    "Okay."


    <hr>


    Emi stood before the door to a large countryside house, tucked away in some inconspicuous part of the jungle. If you didn''t know what you were looking for, you probably wouldn''t have found the house at all! For prospective buyers, this place almost reeked of shadiness and downright danger. Then again, who wouldn''t be suspicious of a massive house smack in the middle of a terrorist hotspot?


    Emi knew better than that. She knew who the owner was, and however hurtful the past may have been, she was an adult now. Besides, they were just kids back then, and kids make mistakes. She could at least vouch for his character, seeing as they''ve somehow stayed friends after all of that.


    Honestly, what would Jon even do about this place if she hadn''t backed him up?


    "Jon," she yelled, pounding on the door to make sure she was heard. "It''s Emi from the Agency. Mind answering the door?"


    She let herself in after a few minutes of waiting.


    The house was quite large, a massive common area, well-equipped kitchen, a garage, and three bedrooms in total. Jonathan kept it well-maintained through the years, and always kept the house in good shape with the insurance money his father left for him. Emi shuddered at the thought of cleaning such a large house on the daily.


    It was 9:00 in the morning, and she figured he would be awake by now. He was always an early riser, but she checked his room regardless, only to find it empty. The place was already clean, so she figured he was in the garage tending to his father''s guns.


    Opening the door slowly, the air from the room hit her with a light stench of solvent. She saw Jon sleeping on his worktable, slumped over a pile of damp rags and small parts as soft music played from his phone.


    "Jeez, at least set the parts aside if you''re just gonna sleep," Emi muttered softly, neatly setting the parts aside as she cleaned up the table. She swept his hair to the side, eyeing him with worry. "Poor guy must''ve stayed up late again," she muttered to herself.


    "Jon, wake up."