Writing Phobia [M-VL possible S]

[JJ]

[Size=1][B] Oneirophobia[/B]

[I]Secrets are dangerous things
They make people?s mind race
And sometimes brings
Things you never wanted in the first place.[/I]

?So damn true.? the man uttered from his corner.

?What would you know?? A woman sitting at the same table said.

?Like you even need to ask that Annette.? The guy said, letting his chair fall onto all fours again.

Annette was speechless for a moment. She didn?t know what to say, or how to react. ?I?I?m sorry Jake, it?s just?I wanted??

?Don?t feed me that bullshit line about wanting me to try and forget what happened. Look, he double-crossed me, left me in the rain with nowhere to go, and he killed her. He killed my sister Annette. You understand that? My fucking seventeen year old sister.? Jake said, with tears falling down his face.

Jake suddenly got up from the table, and ran out of the bar that he had been in. As the rain poured down from the sky, Jake?s tear soon began to combine with the already moving rivulets as they cascaded down Jake?s body.

He finally stopped as he entered the park. He noticed a bench, and sat down, still sobbing. As he lay down across the bench, the rain let up, and the moon slowly began to peak from its bed of clouds.

Jake suddenly sat up, as a form appeared from beyond the streetlight that the bench was under. ?Who?s there?? he called out, not expecting an answer.

The shadow stalked closer, and his gut began to shrink with every step he took. As the shadow quickly became enlighten, his cried out and huddled on the bench, pulling his legs up. ?You?re dead, you?re dead, Damnit, you?re dead??

?Good morning, all you losers who actually listen to this station. It?s six AM and that means that DJ Click is on. This morning I thought I?d start with a local favorite. 50 Cent?s Candy Shop sound good?? The radio blared.

?If he plays that song, I will personally go down to that station and kill him.? A voice said from the bed next to me.

?He won?t, it?s a joke.? I said.

?I can already hear you?re complaints, so no worries my faithful listeners, I won?t play it, yet. Instead, let?s bob around the bathroom to the sounds of Marilyn Manson.? The radio said, as I hit the snooze button.

?Rita, how ?bout we sleep five more minutes?? I said, pulling the pillow over my head.

?Nope, we got exams today, and besides, don?t you have a date for lunch?? Rita said, getting out of bed. She flicked her raven colored hair behind her, and let it fall onto the bed. She then turned for the bathroom and closed the door, slamming it hard enough to set my bed vibrating.

?Damnit, I want to sleep.? I whined as I got out of bed. I looked in the mirror, and sighed. My brown hair only reached to my shoulders, and my eyes were a muddy brown. I sighed again, and reached for my bedside table. I grabbed a hair holder, and threw my hair into a sloppy ponytail.

?Rita, you almost done?? I asked, knocking on the bathroom door.

?In a minute Jake.? She said, baning back.

?What the?? I thought, my name wasn?t Jake. I was about to say something back, but my mouth responded before me. ?Damnit Janine, hurry it up. If Dad finds out??

?What?d you say to me Seth?? Rita said, opening the door.

?I don?t know?? I said back, gloomily. I finally knew where those names were familiar from. My dream.

I shuddered, and turned my back to Rita, ?Look, don?t worry about it, OK??

?No, Seth, I should have figured. You?re keeping something from me, aren?t you?? Rita said, pointing her brush at me. ?Seth, I thought we promised, after what happened last year, we?d tell each other everything.?

?Rita?? I said, not knowing what to say. ?It?s all in a dream I?ve been having. A guy that lost his sister and everything else being stalked by someone or something that?s dead.?

Rita looked at me for a second, and looked down at the floor. ?Seth??

?You?re having the same dream, aren?t you?? I asked sitting down on my bed.

?Not exactly?? She said, sitting next to me.

?From her, Annette?s I mean, point of view, right?? I said, getting excited.

?Still not on target Seth.? Rita said, looking down at the floor.

?Not the shadow, is it? I mean, it couldn?t be the shadow. Why would you dream about the shadow?? I said, my sentences spewing out my mouth.

?Seth, the shadow, it?s not what you think it is.? Rita said, glancing at Seth. ?It?s Jake?s sister.?[/size]

Comments and critiques would really be helpful. Is this a good way to start a tale of twins in a world of shadows? (oOooh, foreshadowing)

[Hevn]

Nicey. I was a bit confused at first when the radio came but I understood it anyways. Maybe you should've made a separator thing or something. ^_^;

Mmm.. so it's going to ba tale of some sort? I'm not sure what the theme or plot of this story is or will be, but so far it's good so.. write more.^_~

[Who Am I?]

[COLOR=Orange][SIZE=1]Wow! The sister's ALIVE! Very interesting please continue!!

A bit confusing but a great topic. Can that guy see like the future or something?

[SIZE=3][B]Continue!!![/B][/SIZE]


[B]-Who Am I?[/B][/SIZE][/COLOR]

[JJ]

[Font=Arial]Strawberries: Yeah, see, that was a test, and you passed. ^__^

I have no idea: This is why I?m posting! ^__^

[B]Monophobia[/B]

[I]Keep it there and keep it well
Never give someone a free ride
Somehow time always tells
The part you kept inside[/I]

?His..his..sister?? Seth asked looking surprised.

?Yes. She?d been trying to find him, because she had survived what happened.? I said, watching Seth.

?But the fear he felt. Rita, I?ve never felt such a feeling. It?s like you?re heart is being stabbed by a hundred needles at the same time. It?s like having your skin eaten off by some evil purple demon. It?s like?? Seth said, starting to get flustered.

?Wait a second. What?s this crap about a purple demon?? I asked, my curiosity getting the better of me.

?It just something he thought of, I don?t have a clue.? Seth said, looking down at the bed again.

?It just sounds so out there, it?s real. You know?? I said, getting up from the bed. ?We?d better get ready to go. The bus?ll be here in 30.?

?Right.? Seth said, still seeming to be in a trance. ?I need to use the bathroom.?

I let him go, and went into my closet to pick out an outfit for today. Pink and white? Red and Blue? I went through my entire closet and sighed. It seemed like I could never find anything to wear. Even though I had a closet full of clothes, today needed an extra kick.

I finally picked something out, and went downstairs to pick up some breakfast and wait for Seth. He came down right after I did, and he seemed to have cleared up, but I could see that the dream was still hung low over his head. I frowned slightly, and then perked up again. Seth had a date.

I don?t know why I was so happy about it. It?s not like it?s any of my business what goes on in Seth?s life, but this was the first real big thing he had done since last year. I smiled, and walked out the door, trying to see how well Seth was paying attention.

He rushed out the door behind me, and I giggled. He looked at me funny, but I just returned the look. He chuckled and started to pick up his pace, leaving me behind. I just shrugged it off, and continued at my pace, enjoying the early morning breeze. It had been a real cold winter, and then, spring had brought the incredibly hot temperatures, so the nice weather was an opportunity everyone took advantage of.

I finally got to the bus stop, and Seth was already deep in conversation with his friend Reid. I sighed and sat down on the bench, looking around for my friend Rachel. Her carrot colored hair was impossible to miss, even in a crowd. I gave up my search and settled on just putting my headphones in my ears. I hit play, and the sounds of Manson began to serenade me.

?No life baby!? I sang aloud, winning the stare of Reid and Seth. I waved and smiled, and turned away to blush.

Doing anything that draws attention to me is something I don?t normally do, and when I do, I turn redder than a cherry tomato. Once again, it seemed like Seth?s date had a bigger impact on me then him. I banished that thought to the back of my mind, and concentrated on the music.

It seemed like doing that made the time go faster, and in no time, the bus had shown up. Getting on seemed impossible, because if you weren?t one of the first twenty or so people, you had to stand the whole way there. I took one more look around the area for Rachel, and sighed, as her orange hair was nowhere to be seen. I pushed my way into the crowd, and got on the bus, securing myself a two-person seat. I left my bag there until the bus pulled away from the stop, and I realized that Rachel wasn?t coming at all. I lifted my bag up, and I was surprised to see Seth sit down next to me. He had been the first to get on the bus, and I had assumed he was sitting with Reid.

?Rita?? he said, looking down.

?What?d you do Seth?? I asked, exasperated.

?I..well?I?? He said, starting to turn red.

?Spit it out!? I practically yelled at him, getting a look or two from people.

?I broke off my date with Alyesia. I can?t do it.? Seth said, getting ready to stand up. ?And don?t try to get it back on track Rita. I have my reasons for canceling it.?

All I could do was stare at him. He had set this date himself, and now he was kicking it? What was Seth trying to hide from me? ?Damn all this secrecy. I can?t believe he still wants to hide things from me.? I said to myself, getting off the bus in a huff. ?We?re twins, we should be able to tell each other everything.?

Somehow, my words always come back to slap me in the face, and this time was no different. Almost as if he had heard my silent lament, Seth turned around and shot me a dirty look. I shrugged and walked into school, sighing when Seth was out of hearing range. Today had started bad, and it didn?t seem like it was going to get any better. I sighed again, and opened the doors to the school.[/font]

Sorry 'bout the wait. I had this already typed, I just forgot about it. >.< Hope you guys like it.

[Gavin]

[SIZE=1]Interesting, most interesting.

A fascinating read, I wasn't exactly sure what to expect from the title but I am pleasantly surprised and most keen to read more of this. The first chapter from a psychological stand point was very interesting, I like the idea of part of the story playing out in the dreams of Seth and Rita, that and the dream character's themselves are fascinating. I look forward to the next chapters. [/SIZE]

[JJ]

[Size=1][B]Eremophobia[/B]

[I]Flirting with time is unsafe
When things that are hidden
When the things that chafe
Are brought and blindly bidden[/I]

Seth sat down at his desk and waited for the bell to ring. I knew he was waiting, because I was watching him. It was a bad habit I needed to break, especially since he actually might notice I was watching. I laughed at myself quietly and looked at the clock. The second hand seemed to move slower with every tick as I waited for it. The sound that meant we were impression here until 3:30.

The sound came fast, and scared me, even though I was ready for it. I jumped slightly, then settled back down as a burly, balding man walked in the door. ?OK class, today??

I was already bored, and flicked a note at the back of Seth?s head. I may have feelings for him, but I?m not going to let that get in the way of our friendship. I had written, ?So, you going out l8er?? and he had replied, ?No, I ended it.?. I was shocked, but in my eyes, this could also be a good thing.

?So, you got other plans?? I wrote back.

?Yeah, I wanted to talk to you about that.?

This just wasn?t happening. I couldn?t believe it. Was he really about to ask me out to lunch, or something?

?Shoot.?

?You don?t have any plans today, right??

?Nope.?

?Well, you wana go to lunch??

I couldn?t believe it. The guy I had been crushing on all year. The one I would watch as we sat in class. The one I always tried to stand behind in the lunch line. The guy that I would watch in the locker room. The guy I loved. He was asking me out.

?Sure. This friendly or something more??

I saw him scribble an answer down, but just then, Mr. Gildig saw it, and confiscated the note. I silently cursed the pudgy man as he waddled away, and tossed the note in the trashcan. I looked at Seth, but he just shrugged. I guessed he meant, ?Sorry, I?ll talk with you after class.?. Or, so I hoped.

The rest of the class seemed to take forever. The clock hands slowed down, and every word Mr. Gildig said seemed to take twenty years to say. I was about to fall apart from the anticipation, when the bell rang. My heart began to flutter as Seth walked over to my desk and nodded at me. We walked out of the class together, and as soon as we were out, he said, ?The answer is you?ll just have to wait and find out. Meet me by the fountain outside at lunch time.? Seth said, turning away and jogging to his next class.

There was still three periods to go before lunch. For about twenty minutes, I was worried about it being a friend thing, but I think he would have said it up front if was. I tried my hardest to concentrate, but my thoughts kept wandering to Seth. The way he flicked his hair behind his ear when he was bored. The way he twirled his hair as the teacher blabbed on about some subject he wouldn?t need for his future job. Most of all, I thought about the way his eyes seemed to sparkle in the sunlight. I loved Seth?s eyes, and I?ve always thought that they were the main reason I fell for Seth.

Before I realized it, the lunch bell had rung, and I was rushing through the halls to meet Seth. Papers seemed to not want to stay in my binder, but at this point, they weren?t important. It seemed like I was on top of the world, and nothing was going to bring me down. I walked over to the fountain, where Seth was sitting, and his hand trailing patterns idly.

I crept up behind him, and set my hands down on his shoulders firmly, all the while saying ?Boo!?

He jumped about three feet in the air, and came down almost landing in the fountain. I grabbed him and held him long enough to keep him from falling into the fountain. I?ve never held Seth like that, and it seemed like everything had stopped in that moment. For a second, I thought he was going to lean up and kiss me, but the illusion was shattered when he pulled himself up.

?Thanks for the save.? He said, smiling. ?You hungry??

?Of course.? I said smiling back. There was no need to rush things.

I took his hand in mine, and we walked towards the street. From there, I let Seth lead me through the side streets and alleys. He wouldn?t tell me where we were going, but I figured it was somewhere romantic. I sighed, and Seth looked at me, but I just shrugged it off, and we continued walking. After about ten minutes of walking we arrived at the restaurant.

I gasped as I looked at the name. It was my favorite Sushi Bar. The Chopped Fish. I kept myself from squealing as we walked in. The host seemed to know we were coming and took us to a private table. I could have died happy at this point. The chef came and took our order, and we were then left alone. I looked at Seth, and I noticed him looking back. I almost involuntarily leaned forward, and he did too. Before I realized it our lips had touched, and I was in heaven.

The bliss seemed to last forever, and not even the waiter bringing us our food distracted us. I finally broke the kiss, with the words, ?The foods here.?

We ate, payed, and left. The day was magical, and I didn?t realize the time until I looked at my watch. We had skipped the entire afternoon. As we boarded the bus, I tried to think of something to say to Seth before we parted. Nothing came to mind before the bus stop, and our eventual parting. I waved, he waved, and I walked back to my house.

Before I had a chance to open the door, I felt someone pull me back. At first I thought it was Seth, so I turned around ready to kiss him, but instead I received a punch to the face, and a baseball bat to the back of my head. I was dead before I hit the porch.[/size]

[Revelation]

[size=1][color=#191970]Might I say that this is a complex series of stories but an amazing one at that. You are quite the writer, ^.^. I'm looking forward to the next part, whatever phobia it may be.

By the way, it's outstanding how you placed this together, how you put the characters in a bind, if I may say. Well, congrats congrats and I'm looking forward.[/size][/color]

[JJ]

[Font=Arial][Size=1]
[B]Soteriophobia[/B]

[I]The truth is hardest
When you keep it
Hidden like the artist
Who ends in fit[/I]

?You moron. You lied to me. To my face. You lied to me.? Rita said, staring me in the face. ?You took Reid out, when you knew, YOU KNEW, that there was a chance that this would happen.?

I just sat on my bed, not saying anything. I knew she was right, and I really just wanted to cry on her shoulder. Sadly, I had lost that after I what I did last time. It seemed like what happened was the only thing on my mind as of late.

It had all started with the dreams. Dreams of a city on fire, people screaming, knights on horses riding and killing everything. They had seemed to plague my every living moment. The pain and sorrow was real, and I could feel it. Every swish of the sword felt like a deadly wind, every man that died with his family watching, the pain and anguish felt by everyone. It became unbearable, and I attempted suicide without talking to anyone about it.

I had the whole thing planned out. The family would head off to their Saturday activities and leave me at home. From there, I?d tie up a noose, and hang myself from the rafters in the attic. From there, it could be days before they found me, and I know that it was a full proof plan.

I didn?t equate Rita coming back to the house early. I also didn?t equate the fact that the rafter would give out under my weight, sending me sprawling to the floor and gasping for breath. Of course, Rita heard the noise and came running, seeing me with the noose around my neck. She panicked and called the police, and I wound up in an institution for a week.

After I came back, my parents treated me differently. Anytime I asked a question, or tried to start a conversation up, I was treated with a wall of coldness. I hated it, and turned to Rita for comfort, who was always there with a open shoulder to cry on. She understood and listened to my problems with great enthusiasm. She was even the one to encourage me to go back into my social life and attempt to date people again.

I finally got the courage to ask someone out, and things seemed to go pretty well. She was found using the five points of contact, and she actually wasn?t all that bad. We had the same tastes in music, and we shard many of the same opinions in world affairs. We could sit for hours in a café somewhere and just talk about stuff. To me, it was some of the best time I ever spent living.

The time seemed to fly, and before I knew it, school was over. She and I began to see even more of each other, sometimes the entire day seemed to be filled with various activities. From taking part in local protests, to just sipping coffee and discussing books, we stimulated each other mentally, and I think that was what I needed.

As the summer slowly trickled away, my parents began to warm up to me again. They greeted me warmly, and began to treat me like a part of the family. Simple gestures such as hugging me, and smiling at me made all the difference in the world. It seemed like things were falling back into place, and my life had finally taken order. We even started going out as a family for dinner on Friday evenings.

Of course, like any perfect setting, it wasn?t going to last. My girlfriend enjoyed sounding her opinion a little too much, and it had lead to her death.

I?ll never forget the day her brother came to the door. His face was tear stained, and his eyes were redder than a tomato. I answered the door, and through sobs, he told me what had happened. At first, the only thing I could do was to put my hand to my mouth, and invite the boy in. I got him a box of tissues, and a coke, and sat down on the couch next to him. We never really were very close, but as I began to break down, we hugged each other.

Rita was the only other one home at the time, and as soon as she heard me, she knew what happened. This at the time didn?t strike me as weird, because I was weeping the loss of my best friend. Her brother left, and Rita and I just sat on the couch, not knowing what to say. Every once and a while, I?d sob on her shoulder, and she?d pat my back and rock slowly back and forth. We sat there until our parents returned, who upon hearing the news, immediately began to comfort me as well.

As the four of us sat on the couch, a silence fell upon the house that hadn?t been heard since I returned. The silence was deadly, and breaking it was even more. I broke off the family support circle and headed up to my room. There, I lay on my bed, my face buried in the pillow. Every once and awhile, I?d let out a sob, but for the most part I lay thinking.

It in a way was my fault. I had encouraged her to voice her opinion and make it heard. I had told her to start the protest against the protesters of an abortion clinic. I had helped her start the group PAP (Protesters Against Protesters) and recruit the members. I even got the information on the protest. I had told her that I couldn?t come today due to plans with Rita, and I had already felt bad. Her death was a serious blow to me, and it inevitably brought the dreams back.

The dreams of war were ong forgotten, and I guess I should have been thankful, but with what I saw, the things I felt, I?m still not sure.

About a week after her death, a visitor came, brining nothing more than a warning and more depression.

?The pain and suffering one person can feel, is nothing to joke about. Feelings can eat at you, cause you to rot away emotionally, and cause destruction on everyone else around you. They are powerful feelings, that if not taken care of, can leave ugly consequences on the timeline. What you see, are those feelings. Your gift is a dangerous one. Watch out for yourself.? She said, still standing in the doorway.

?So what I?m seeing what people felt?? I asked, looking at her skeptically.

?Watch out for your sister. She?s got the gift as well. Yours is stronger, but hers will causes problems. With that, my debt has been repaid. Good day young one.? She said, turning away.

I didn?t think much on it, because the dreams were just flashes of red, which I figured for anger or for blood. It wasn?t until I had the dream with the brother and sister that I ever really began to imagine the impact the woman?s words had on me.

The dream, was totally unbelievable. A boy, having sit and watch his sister eaten alive by some demon, it was unbelievable. The pain of seeing her flesh being ripped from her body and devoured was too much for the poor guy and he passed out, leaving me in the dark as well.

It wasn?t until I saw Rita wake up soundlessly screaming that I ever wondered about anything. I walked over to her, and she grabbed me crying, ?It ate me, it ate my skin.?

I knew what she was talking about, and I knew what I had to do. I told Rita about the woman, and she nodded. The woman had also come to her, so it was apparent we wouldn?t see her again. I still tried. For a week, I searched everywhere. I didn?t find her, of course.

So we let the dreams happen, talking about them and making sure to keep each other informed when something changed. So was how things functioned until today?s dream. I don?t know why, but it just didn?t seem important.

Then, today happened. Reid died, killed by a baseball bat, just like her. It was not a coincidence, and I had a feeling that these deaths were connected with the dreams, and that if I could just figure out where the dreams came from, and why we see what we see, then maybe, just maybe, I could find a way to get rid of them.

?Rita, I?m sorry. I know that I should have just let everything drop, but I didn?t OK! I made a mistake, you of all people should respect that.? I said, standing up.

?When you put a friend?s life on the line, it?s not just a mistake. It?s so much more Seth..? Rita said, trailing off.

?Look Rita, I didn?t think about whatever the hell?s going on would seep into the world like this.? I said, looking down.

?You idiot. Your dream just seemed to prove something. We aren?t actually seeing things in our world. Not the past, not the future, but the worlds beside us. That war, I looked it up. It never existed. The brother and sister never were. I?m not sure if we go there, or if it?s chance, but when we dream, it?s of things that we shouldn?t be able to comprehend, but we do.? Rita said standing up. ?I think we have to actually interfere with things if we want to live normal lives again.?

?Why? Why should we help them? Our problems are just as big as everyone else?s, and we deserve some help too.? I said, still on the bed.

?We got it, that old woman was all I needed to open my eyes. I should have stuck with my first impression. She even hinted at it. Seth, we have to help these people!? Rita said, walking over to me. ?Are you going to help me, or not??

?I..? I started, not knowing what to say.[/size][/font]

Notes: Thanks everyone for the compliments, but this time around, I'd love for someone to reallt comb through this chapter, because I'm not so sure about it. Things that don't make sense, errors, anyting like that.

I would be ur slave for only 15 dollars then. ^_^

[Hevn]

[COLOR=#DC9B99][SIZE=1]Now we're going somewhere. lol

I have to say the previous chapters made me a bit confuse about what's happening in the story. The way you did it, it's like there are short stories about Rita and Seth that I don't really know where it's going. Now I see the plot.

The visitor really mystifies me, especially when she said 'With that, my debt has been repaid'. I'd like to know about her more.

I love this chapter because it showed and explained a lot. *nods*[/SIZE][/COLOR]