《Insomnia》 The Suicide Note of Jacie Rose You always want something more when you cant have it. Thats what my mother said to me when I told her I loved Kira Thorn. But she didnt understand. She didnt know him like I knew him. She didnt know his smile, his laugh. She didnt know the sweet scent of the flowers that grew under his feet when he was happy. She never heard him sing. No one had ever heard him sing but me. If the Eye of Creation had a voice itd be his. She didnt know how beautiful he looked under the moon and stars, staring up at the Eye, lost in thought. She didnt know how gentle his kiss was on the palm of my hand when I fell and cut my hand on my own roses thorns. She didnt know how wonderful it felt to be his comfort and his strength when he cried forbidden tears for his mother. How happy it made me when he trusted me to see him at his lowest, his most vulnerable. How fast my heart beat, how close it was to bursting when I held him close to me as he wept. Kira once brought me back a book from the human society. The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet. And oh do I feel like Juliet! Forbidden to love the only one I could ever love. Tragic and star-crossed. But I have known my Romeo all my life and loved him near as long. Ever since he grew me a lily and put it in my hair saying its pure white suited me better than rose red. The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Oh I would feel like Juliet if only my Romeo loved me back. He trusts me, enjoys my company but I am his friend and will never be anything more. I am content with just his company though. As long as I can be with him, see his smile, hear him sing, smell the sweet scent of the flowers that grow at his feet. My mother doesnt know he came to see me the night he banished himself from our fair Verona. She doesnt know how tender the kiss he placed on my forehead was, how soft his whisper of goodbye was. How much the feel of his lips on my forehead, the sound of his apologetic goodbye, and the bittersweet scent of the flowers he left in his wake linger in my heart. She knows him as a Thorn. Meant to protect those that try to touch his Rose. She knows him only as his duty to protect me. She does not know Kira. I would have been content with things the way they were. But Romeo has left fair Verona so I will take the sleeping potion, to awake only upon his return. He will never return. I will never wake. Eye of Creation My child ran away from home. Even as his soul felt her sleep take hold. He ran from the warm embrace of The Briar. He ran in the hope of finding permanent insomnia. To not sleep under my watchful, loving gaze. Not now, not forever. He ran though he knew it would destroy the girl he was conceived to protect. This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. My poor, poor child taken by fear, selfishness, and greed. Though you wound me deeply I shall continue to watch over you until that day when you are ready to come home. Excerpt from the Memoirs of Rebecca Clark When I was a very little girl I found a fairy sleeping in mothers garden. Father, Mother, and James didnt believe me. Not until I dragged James into the garden and showed him the fairy. But James shook the sleeping fairy awake. He demanded the fairy tell him who he was and what he was doing on our property. He sounded angry with the fairy. I begged him not to yell at the fairy but he laughed at me and said he wasnt a fairy, just a human like us. But I knew I was right. I knew he was a fairy. The flowers around him were growing bigger and prettier than any I had ever seen before. The sleepy fairy rubbed his eyes and told us we were both wrong. Told us he wasnt a human or a fairy. He was a demon. A Demon of the Briar. James shook his head and muttered something. The fairy stood up and took a step out of the flower bed. Thorny rose bushes broke out of the ground at his bare feet. I squealed and clapped my hands in delight. James took a step back. James ordered the fairy not to move with a shaky voice then dragged me away from the flower bed and out of earshot of the fairy. In his secret voice James told me we werent going to tell Father and Mother about the fairy. He told me we would hide him in my playhouse and bring him food. I readily agreed. To keep a fairy as a pet seemed like a wonderful idea at the time. But Kira Thorn was not a safe pet to keep. We should have listened when he called himself a demon At first the fairy didnt like the offer of my playhouse. He left Mothers garden for what I thought would be forever. But months later he came back bruised and bleeding with his clothes a little baggier than before. His name was Kira Thorn and he was in my life for years. We brought him food and made sure he didnt sleep too long like he begged me to do. James wrote down everything Kira ate and every flower he grew and every hour he slept. He drew him in the style of the drawings in Papas books. When Kira cut his hand, James collected the drops of blood. When Kira fell asleep, James took some of his hair. If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. While James played at being Papa, I played with my pet fairy. Kira would grow me flowers and Id weave them into crowns and necklaces. I taught him chess and checkers and played until he beat me. He taught me the games of his people . Ive forgotten their rules but I remember their splendor. Kira would read to me as well. His voice was beautiful, like the whispering of wind through the woods. I would listen, enraptured, to even the most horridly boring of stories if he was the one telling them. And once, only once, was I blessed to wake up in the middle of the night to the sound of his singing wafting up to my bedroom window from the garden. My little pet fairy became so much more to me. After years of friendship, I fell in love with Kira Thorn. And he shattered my heart and soul. I have made quite a few mistakes in my life. For instance, leaving my bedroom open the night of a thunderstorm only to wake up and see Fathers book that I borrowed without permission ruined or ripping my wedding gown only hours before my wedding. The worst, by far, though was falling in love with Kira Thorn. I grew into a woman with my eyes and heart set on a fairy that nobody believed existed. They were right though. There was never a fairy. Only a demon. Why did I have to love him? Why did he have to be like that? One day when I was 17, I decided it was time to tell my darling fairy how I felt about him. I went to my playhouse, where we kept him. None of Kiras flowers were around it, which meant James had been there. I was not prepared for what I would see beyond the door of my playhouse. Kira kissing my brother. I stood in the doorway unnoticed as James shoved Kira away and yelled obscenities at him. Words meant to cut, to bite, to burn. To poison, to scar. The same words that coursed through me, that wanted to attack Kira as well. I couldnt speak though. I couldnt do anything but stand and watch. And cry. It was when the tears fell that James noticed me. When he saw me crying he moved from harsh words to fists. Kira didnt even guard himself. Nor did he cry. He simply looked at me with black, empty eyes while James hurt him again and again. I couldnt stand those eyes. James said something I couldnt quite hear. It had an effect on Kira. His eyes stopped being empty and they stopped looking at me. They looked at James and welled with angry tears. Kiras plants began to grow through the floor. Obscenely large rose bushes with no flowers. Only thorns. He tangled James and I up in them and left us suspended to be found hours later. By then covered in hundreds of small wounds from struggling against the branches. We never saw him again. The flowers in my mothers garden never bloomed again. Excerpts from the Research Journals of James Clark Rebeccas fairy returned rather quickly after it had fled from us, like a stray cat asking for food and shelter but refusing to be touched. I will now outline my day 1 observations. Its entire external anatomy resembles a human male of 12-14 years. Olive skin, black hair, and dark hazel eyes. Roman features and long eyelashes. It doesnt speak much, though still seems to have a decent grasp of human language. Every time its bare skin touched dirt, plants immediately sprout. The type of plant varies and it is unclear whether the fairy controls what plant grows. It was not difficult to obtain a hair sample. It was, however, difficult to obtain fathers permission to use his tools. But I didnt need to rush it. This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. Rebecca wasnt letting her fairy get away. I would have plenty of time to study it. * The subject, Kira, has become more talkative. It seemed to enjoy answering my questions, telling full stories in response. Though it refused to tell me where its people could be found. And it began to ask me questions. It started to smile at me when I came around. Im not sure when these changes occurred. They were far too gradual. Today it gave me a very strange flower of a species Ive never seen in any of fathers books. Ill have to study it further. * Ive lost my research specimen. And good fucking riddance to the disgusting thing. I cant believe it kissed me. Kissed me! And then attacked me! At least its gone now. And if it comes back, research be damned, I will kill it. Disgusting. Eye of Creation (2) Perhaps I should have seen it coming. Should have known Kira would flee eventually. He was always a bit of an outcast. Not many tried to understand and the ones that did filtered their views through their desires and dreams. I suppose I am among those. I believed too much in his sense of responsibility, in the selflessness I thought was in his heart. Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. Perhaps I should have seen it coming. Should have known Kira would flee eventually. He was always a bit of an outcast. Not many tried to understand and the ones that did filtered their views through their desires and dreams. I suppose I am among those. I believed too much in his sense of responsibility, in the selflessness I thought was in his heart. Excerpt From “My Imaginary Friends” the Autobiography of the Acclaimed Children’s Author Sammi Wise Ever since I was a kid I had a bad habit of picking up strays. And the weirdest stray I ever picked up was a man. At least, when I got older I assumed he had to have been a man. The green tinge to his skin must have been my childish imagination or the lighting. The strangeness of his voice must have just been an accent my young ears had never heard. I found him lying face down in the garden. Awake and aware but weak and unable to move. It took all the strength in my tiny body to drag him to the house. For days, my mom and I nursed the quiet man, who refused to go to the hospital, back to health. And as mysteriously as he came, he left. Now why would I bring him up in a book about my many, many imaginary friends? Because this was not the last time I saw this strange, strange man. I saw the man many times when I was young. I would catch sight of him out of the corner of my eye, coming in and out of the woods behind my house. Sometimes I would catch closer glimpses right before things disappeared. It was never anything expensive or important, usually just daily necessities like food and little scraps of clothing. And everywhere he stepped, flowers bloomed only to disappear shortly after. If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. When I told my mom about it she told me it was just a figment of my imagination and, as the man eventually stopped appearing, I slowly started to believe her. And so he faded into a simple joke between my mother and I whenever things disappeared or flowers grew in strange places without warning. It wasnt until a few years ago, long after my mother had passed away and even this in-joke between us faded from my mind completely, that I saw him again, one last time. On an utterly routine business trip to a faraway state, I saw him in a park sunbathing in a patch of flowers that looked strange and out of place. As I stared at him, trying to figure out why he looked so familiar, he woke up in a panicked state. The same panicked state he woke up in over 40 years ago when he lay injured and starving in my mothers garden. He looked exactly the same in every way. When I recognized him, I started to make my way towards him. A person riding a bicycle almost ran into me and I looked away for a moment. But when I looked back he was gone. When I finally reached where he had been laying all that was left was a patch of quickly wilting flowers. It was then that Rose Boy was born. Im still not entirely sure if the man was real or my imagination but either way I owe my whole career to him, my real life Rose Boy. Online ‘Diary’ Entry by Louis Forger I had the strangest one night stand last night. I was at the bar, looking to forget about Daniel for a few hours when in walked the hottest guy Ive ever seen. However his clothes were a bit dirty and torn and there were trails of blood coming from his nostrils. He had deep bags under his eyes and a swollen lip. Being the kind and compassionate man that I am, I bought him a drink. Or six. No matter how I needled him he wouldnt tell me how he got beat up and it took until the fifth drink for him to even tell me his name... Kira Thorn. Such a weird fucking name it had to be fake. While he wasnt very talkative, he went home with me easily enough. We stumbled out of the bar together, him leaning against my side. And thats when things started getting weird. Cause I couldve sworn I saw- and I wasnt that drunk- flowers sprouting out of the cracks in the concrete where he stepped. Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. But anyways, I got him home, helped him clean up a bit, and got him into bed. And god was he a good lay. Tight as hell and he cried and moaned and clung to me like a virgin. And I must have been good too because when I was done he passed out immediately. He slept through the whole night and the whole next day. Remembering the deep bags under his eyes and being the kind and compassionate guy I am, I carried him out to the couch and let him sleep. It was when he finally woke up like 24 hours later that he went from kinda weird and mysterious to downright freaky. He started screaming and crying hysterically in some language Ive never heard. And that dead houseplant Ive been meaning to throw away for ages suddenly came back to life and attacked me! It grew huge in an instant and slammed me into the wall. I ran away as fast as I could and only went back to my apartment hours later. By then my place was completely trashed and the guy was long gone. Eye of Creation (3) Perhaps he was running from the pain. Too many people hurt him, too few understood. Perhaps my gaze did not look warm to him. Perhaps to him, it held the same judgment, the same scorn. This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. So even when he could no longer fight against sleep, he still fought against me. But thats OK. I wasnt planning on taking him. Not yet, at least. Not while he feared me. Chapter 1: Vines Dont be a fucking wuss Oliver! My friend called back to me, but I wasnt looking at him, I was focused on the dark, decrepit building looming up over us. Ivy covered the walls and even seemed to spill into the windows through shattered glass. I was beginning to question if he was really my friend... Oliver, if you dont hurry up, Ill tell the whole school youre a fag! Travis called from the doorway of the haunted house. From this distance and in the dim light of that time between when the sun started setting and the streetlamps turned on it was hard to make out his features or expression. I took a deep breath and slowly made my way up the path to join him on the rotting porch. He handed me a flashlight. You owe me half the bet money, I muttered, turning on the flashlight. This terrible and only friend of mine, with his round cheeks that made him look chubbier than he was, his spiked black hair, and his brown, monolid eyes, grinned at me and pushed open the front door to the old, abandoned Clark house. It opened easily with a squeak, the latch already long broken. Travis held up his own flashlight and turned it on. It cast harsh shadows across his face as he said, only if you stay the whole night. Almost immediately after entering, I found the corner of the front room with the least amount of mold and cobwebs and sat down. Travis insisted on going exploring. Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. Do what you want, Im staying right here. I pulled my knees to my chest. Shouldnt we stick together in case of ghosts~? He wiggled his fingers and put on the stereotypical spooky voice for the word ghosts. I hugged my knees tighter and glared at him, shaking my head. Alright, fine then, Travis held his hands up, the flashlight pointed straight at the ceiling, and backed up a few steps before turning around and jogging up the steps, but I hear the living room is where the ghosts hand out the most, he called down, leaning over the banister before disappearing up the stairs. Travis! I called after him but his footsteps didnt stop bounding up the steps. I sighed and laid back against the wall, one arm wrapped around my knees and the other holding up the flashlight and shining it all around the room. It suddenly felt colder and I would almost swear that I heard whispered voices. I jumped to my feet and called out, Travis, as I ran up the stairs after him. There was a loud crack and I was halted in my steps as my foot went through a step and I was stuck. My heart pounded loudly in my ears and my leg wouldnt budge, Travis, help! Im stuck! The response I got back was Travis scream. Chapter 2: Ivy Covered Demon I grabbed the banister and braced myself, trying to pull my leg out of the hole. But the banister creaked and groaned under my weight and the wood splinters dug into my calf, not letting go. I could feel the blood running down my leg. Travis scream grew louder. With the sound of heavy footsteps, he came running into view, face pale. He ran right past me, barreling down the steps two at a time. I tried to reach for him, calling out, Travis, help! But my fingertips only snagged the hem of his T-shirt, not even slowing him down. Near the bottom of the stairs he slipped and fell, tumbling down the last few stairs and then laying still on the dusty, moldy carpet at the bottom, Travis! I reached down to the hole in the stairs and started tugging at the shards of rotten wood stuck in my leg. Just as I tore a piece free and tossed it aside, I heard footsteps coming down the hallway Travis had just come from, along with a strange rustling sound. I redoubled my efforts to free my leg, too scared to look up the stairs at what was coming. Why are you so loud? a hoarse voice asked from the top of the stairs. Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. I froze, the skin on the back of my neck prickling. The voice continued and the top stair squeaked, though I suppose I should thank you for waking me up. It wouldve been bad if I slept any longer. As he spoke the stairs creaked, he was slowly coming closer. I finally managed to wrench my leg free and, leaning against the rail, stumbled down the steps. Hey, why are you ignoring me? Are you deaf? something tugged at the back of my collar even though the voice still sounded multiple steps up. I hesitated briefly and heard the voice say, turn around and look at me or Ill kill you. Cold sweat dripping down my back, I turned around to see the most beautiful man Id ever seen- (Too fucking sappy. But its true! No it isnt, I looked like shit that day. Alright alright. How about...) Cold sweat dripping down my back, I turned around to see my future husband. (Better? ...Marginally...) Chapter 3: Mossy Footprints I turned around and met the piercing dark brown eyes of a devastatingly handsome man- (Devastatingly? Really? My love if you do not let me compliment you I will banish you from this room. You can compliment me just... make it... true! It is true! No, its not! I hadnt bathed in years, Oliver, years. I was filthy, my hair was greasy and matted, and I was covered in leaves. You looked like an ethereal fairy prince, like a god of nature ready to- Stop! Devastatingly handsome is fine just... continue. Good. Now where was I...) I met the piercing dark brown eyes of a devastatingly... handsome man. His simple shirt and pants were tattered and the vines climbing up his legs and winding around his torso, leaves sprouting through the holes in his clothes. Trailing behind him on the rotting wood floors were mossy footprints in the shape of his bare feet- (Were you really paying attention to my feet? Of course! They were so cute, all stained green. It really made you look like a fairy prince! Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. ... Are you blushing, my love? .... Im going to delete this while you sleep. Hahahaha you dont understand computers well enough for that. ...Just get back to your story. Hahaha ahem....) The man tilted his head to the side, his eyes still boring holes into me, and asked, why are you here? I couldnt bear to keep looking into those eyes, so I averted my gaze, staring instead at the mossy footprints as they spread and lost their shape, um, because this place is supposed to be haunted and- Out of the corner of my eye I saw him tilt his head the other way and lean in closer, do I seem like a ghost to you? I was tongue-tied, completely unable to speak. Though he wasnt touching me, he was close enough that I could still feel that he was physically there. However, there was something not quite ali-... human about him. He was like an ethereal fairy prince- (You cannot call me a fairy prince in the actual book. Edit that out right now. Kira! Stop interrupting. I have to edit everything you say out. Good. Then you wont forget to edit out calling me a fairy prince. Youre really frustrating sometimes, you know that? Yes. Its quite on purpose.) He was... ethereal, otherworldly, and utterly terrifying. When I took too long to answer he leaned in even closer, close enough I could feel his breath on my cheek, and repeated, do I look like a ghost to you? Finally, I managed to shake my head. But I am not a human either. Leafy vines began to wrap around my arms, just tight enough that I could feel them. Tell all you little friends to stay away from here... Or Ill kill them. He stepped back, the vines clinging to my arms, not letting go. I couldnt let the beautiful, inhuman man just turn and walk away, so as the vines fell from my arms I blurted out, whats your name? He stopped walking away, looking over his shoulder at me with furrowed brows. He stood in silence for what felt like minutes, the moss around his feet growing up over his toes. Finally, in a quiet voice he said, .... Kira Thorn. Chapter 4: Thorns in a Rose Bush Of course logically I knew I should stay away from the Clark House but once the rather deep gash in my calf healed I was back. Alone this time. Kira? Only silence answered me when I called out the fairys name. I carefully ascended the rotting steps, avoiding the holes as best I could. At the top of the stairs I called out again, Kira! There was still no response but there was moss under my feet that I followed to a closed door missing its doorknob. The moss around the doorway was thicker and starting to climb up the rotting wood and a vine of ivy was curling out of the hole where the doorknob should be. I tried to nudge the door open but felt some resistance. Logically I should have probably left then. But instead I put my shoulder to the door and pushed with all my weight until vines snapped and the door swung open. On the other side of that door was a garden. A large, colorful mound of flowers was blooming in the center with moss and dandelions covering the floor and vines climbing up the rotting walls. The roof was missing and the late afternoon sunlight was pouring in. And laying on that mound of flowers, his eyes closed, long, dark lashes brushing his cheeks, was the fairy. I stepped as lightly as I could in order to not destroy the beautiful scene. Once I reached the centerpiece I slowly lowered to my knees, peering down at his still, pale face. I bent down over him and pressed my lips to his cold, slightly parted- (You didnt kiss me while I was unconscious. Yeah but... you really looked like Sleeping Beauty or Snow White waiting for true loves kiss to wake you up. And everyone will think this story is fiction anyways- This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. I want it to be accurate though... Please, Oliver... Alright. Accurate it is. I love you. I love you, too.) I peered down at his still, pale face and slowly brought my hand up under his nose to feel if he was breathing. My pinky brushed his nose and his eyes snapped open, hazy at first and then sharply in focus. He grabbed my wrist with bruising force. Im sorry. I didn''t mean to wake you up. You again? Recognition dawned in his widening eyes, how long has it been? Uh... I hesitated, thrown off a bit by the question, like... a week. Kira used my arm to pull himself up. I suddenly felt far too close to him and tried to shuffle away only to be stopped by the vines wrapping around my legs. I told you not to come back at all. Do you have a death wish or something? Kira squinted at me, his voice a little thick with sleep as he spoke. The fairy sounded almost human. I brought some snacks! I blurted out, causing him to flinch backwards, eyes widening in confusion. I mean youre living in an abandoned house so I thought maybe you- I have everything I need. Kira waved a hand and the vines around my legs started dragging me back, tearing up the moss on the floor and staining my jeans green. I was tossed from the room, the door slammed behind me, shut too tightly for me to get it to budge. Logically, I knew I should stay far away from the Clark House but I just kept going back. Sometimes I didnt even make it far enough in to see Kira before getting forced out by plants. Once or twice I managed to sneak up on him. Despite his threats he never really hurt me more than a few bruises, scrapes, and splinters. (I didnt mean to hurt you at all... I know, love.) Weeks passed with me making very little progress on getting to know the strange being. And then the Clark House went up in smoke. Chapter 5: Deadwood Of course, logically, I knew running into a burning building was quite stupid. But as I watched the ivy shrivel and burn and smoke curl out of the window that I knew led into the fairys room, I couldnt stand idly by. Oliver! Ive already called the fire department! One of my neighbors, Mrs. Wight, had shouted at me from her yard across the street from the Clark house, hey! Oliver! What do you think youre doing?! I ignored her, running into the Clark house. I ran up the stairs, having long since mapped out the most stable way up them. Kira! I started calling for him once I was at the top of the stairs. I ran to his room, still shouting, Kira! I threw open the door to his room, the next cry of his name dying on my lips when I found the room empty. Running into a burning building was foolish. Running into a burning building to save someone that wasnt even there was downright moronic. Kira? I called again, less sure. The other end of the hall was engulfed in flames. I ran back to the stairs and found the wood burning away the safe path down. I crouched, trying to get under the smoke but there was nowhere to go. You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. I was going to die. I hugged my knees to my chest and curled in on myself, hiding my face. I told you to stay away, ya damn idiot. I looked up as vines wrapped around me, barely able to see Kiras face through the greenery and smoke. The vines were strong, lifting me easily. The vines carried me down to the ground floor and out of the back door, surprisingly strong and steady. The vines released me and I found myself sitting at the edge of the woods behind the Clark house, staring at Kira. He crossed his arms over his chest, now, what the hell would possess you to run into a burning building? I thought maybe you were still inside. Kira pinched the bridge of his nose, Im not human, there is no need to worry about me. You have weird plant powers that doesnt automatically mean youre flame resistant! I stood up only for Kira to immediately push me back down and loom over me. A bush was bursting from the ground under his feet, enveloping his calves and nearly reaching his knees. I dont need your help, leave me alone! His hands were held in shaking fists. He looked down and away, never come back. Roses bloomed in the bush by his feet. No. Chapter 6: Houseplant (Is this really what you''re going to call this chapter, Oliver? Why? Is there a problem, my little houseplant? If you try to bring that pet name back, I swear to the Eye I''m not bringing it back, I promise! It''s just a good title for the chapter. If you don''t like it when it''s done, I''ll change it, ok love? ok.) No matter how handsome he was, my mother was not going to allow Kira to stay in my room. To her he wouldn''t be a magical fairy but a delusional and dangerous homeless man. Especially with how wary Kira was of showing his plant magic to any other humans he would interact with consistently. But luckily my mother was hardly ever home to begin with. Getting Kira into my house that night was beyond easy- (Wait are you just going to skip ahead like I agreed to go with you without a fight? No? That wasn''t very convincing Ahem.) Getting Kira into my house that night was beyond easy convincing him to come with me in the first place not so much. (Better? Better.) He narrowed his eyes at me. Backlit by the flames of the Clark House, he looked more like a demon than a fairy, "what do you mean, no?"This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. I got to my feet and stepped as close as I could, the rose bush growing around his feet blocking me from getting as close as I wanted to. I was surprised he waited. He could''ve wrapped me up in vines and disappeared never to be seen again but he waited. I opened my mouth to answer, flinching and nearly biting off my tongue at the sound of a loud crash inside the burning building. "Well I don''t think I''m coming back here cause I don''t think you''ll really be here anymore after" I gestured at the blaze, ". that. But I don''t plan on leaving you alone." Kira tilted his head to the side and for the first time since I met him I felt that I was in danger, "why?" "Cause I think you''re lonely." The thorny bush grew explosively, cocooning Kira in leaves and blood red roses. "I do not need your concern. I-" Whatever Kira wanted to say next was drowned out by the wailing of fire truck sirens. Kira stepped out of the rose bush, cursing under his breath. He looked back at the fire fighters coming out of the truck, then he lowered his center of gravity, clearly about to bolt. I reached out to stop him, only managing to snag his shirt as he started to run, tearing off a scrap. "Hey, wait!" I jumped over the roses and chased after him. At first, he ran for the open fields behind the Clark House, towards the woods but when he looked back and saw me following him, he turned back into town. I was never very fast but somehow I kept up with him, so close behind he was forced to take multiple turns to try and shake me, even running past the fire fighters as I called after him. Dandelions sprouted under his feet with every step, even through the cracks in the asphalt Eventually, Kira started to slow down and then finally collapsed in one of my neighbors backyards. He fell down face first then rolled onto his back, chest heaving. Little dandelions popped out of the ground all around his prone form like a chalk outline, turning white instantly, their seeds blowing away in the wind. "Wow you''re really out of shape." Through pants, he said, "fuck you, kid." I slowly inched closer, "with the Clark House gone, I bet you need somewhere to stay." I held a hand down to him. Kira glared at my hand and didn''t take it. "Once again. Not human. I don''t need a house." "Then why were you staying in one?" As if to bolster my argument, there was a distant crack of thunder. Kira flinched slightly at the thunder- (Did not) Kira flinched slightly at the thunder, his glare changing into more of a grimace. "At least, tonight? My parents aren''t home." He hesitated for a bit longer, but when another crack of thunder split the silence, he slapped a hand into mine.