Writing Dusk Passion (I'm still working on the title)

[Lady Aura]

[FONT="Palatino Linotype"][CENTER][U]This is the first chapter of my own story that I plan on publishing on Quizilla. The title is still being worked on, because I'm not sure if it will suit the entire story. Anyway, I hope you enjoy it, and please if you have any helping comments, share them with me.[/U]

?Do it again!?

The blue-eyed brunette boy looked down at me. I looked down at the revived flower. The browned stem was now fully green, and the yellow petals had grown back in a matter of seconds.

?I? I don?t know how,? I replied quietly.

?What do you mean? You just did it.?

?Lyka! Get away from him!?

I gasped and looked toward the large courtyard. I wasn?t allowed out of it, but I wondered why Osamu, my bodyguard, didn?t want me around this boy. He didn?t seem dangerous at all.

?Lady Lyka, you have no reason to be around scum such as this,? Osamu hissed at me, glaring down at the boy. ?What is your name, peasant??

?I don?t have to answer to no higher-ups like y--?

?Silence!?

Osamu?s hand collided with the boy?s face, causing him to fall back onto the desert sand. ?Osamu!? I yelled, gripping his hand tightly with my small seven-year-old hand.

The boy growled to himself and stood up facing me. His shoulder-length brown hair was covered with dust. ?My name is Recks.? Recks turned to Osamu and spat on the ground in front of him before running off.

?Ghastly runt,? Osamu mumbled. He tugged on my hand before stepping toward the courtyard. ?Come, Your Highness. Your father summons you.?

He refused to release my hand as we walked down the large hall. Family pictures and mirrors were hung on the wall, and I watched my long blonde hair sway back and forth as I walked past the mirrors. My bright green eyes had dust rings around them.

?Yes, Father?? I asked as Osamu led me to Father?s study. My father, Kien Lytars, looked up from an old book. His gaze was harsh and I knew I was in trouble.

He stood up and crossed his arms over his chest as he walked toward me. ?You?ve been around a Ratrebe, haven?t you??

Ratrebe. I didn?t like that word. It was short for Ratrebevion, a poor, worthless person that lived under the city that my father was in control of: Xiyle City. The under-city was called Lower Xiyle, and most of the poor people lived under there. There were many orphans that found their way into Lower Xiyle, so I figured that Recks was an orphan since we was wandering above ground alone.

When I didn?t reply to my father, he said, ?I?ve hired people to play with you. Why must you ignore them and focus your attention on a useless Ratrebe??

?Father, can you please not call them that??

?Then what do you suggest I call them??

?I? I don?t know. But Father, the one I was around was nice to me. He liked it when I brought the flower back to life.?

My father?s face then became angry. ?What did I tell you about reviving things, Lyka?!? he yelled, slamming his fist down on his desk. Osamu flinched while I jumped.

?? I?m sorry, Father,? I mumbled, bowing to him.

?Don?t let it happen again. Also, if I see you near another Ratrebe again without Osamu around, you?ll never leave the palace again.?

?Yes sir!? Osamu said, standing up straight. He had always been a suck-up to the king.

The walk to my room was quiet. Osamu walked directly behind me, which made me feeling uncomfortable. Ever since I could remember, he was extremely strict and protective with me.

Anyone that saw him could tell he was a bodyguard. His frame was huge, most likely near seven feet tall. He had midnight black hair that was usually pulled back into a bun on very hot days. His black eyes always portrayed the fierceness he had within him. Like all the other dwellers of Xiyle City, his skin was darkened.

?We part here, Your Highness,? Osamu said as we arrived at my bedroom. I stood in the doorway, watching him bow. I really disliked when he did that.

?Have a nice day,? I halfheartedly muttered before closing my door.

My room was the typical young female room. Pink walls, extra large bed, pink pillows and blankets, pink flooring, and many stuffed animals. It was a shame that I didn?t like any of it. Father picked it all out for me, assuming that I would like it all.

I walked to the large window that was on the south wall. The sun was going down over the mountains, so it made them look as though they were on fire.

?Hey!? a muffled voice said. I looked down, seeing that Recks was on the grass. I opened my large window and leaned over.

?What are you doing?? I hissed. Osamu?s bedroom was right next to mine, so I feared that he was also looking down at Recks.

?Come outside!?

?I?m not allowed to be around a? I mean, I can?t come outside.?

Recks turned his head both ways, as if looking to see if anyone was coming. ?By the looks of this place, you?ve never been to Lower Xiyle. I can show you around there.?

?I really mustn?t??

?C?mon! Just jump. I?ll catch you!?

I turned around to look at the bedroom door. It was locked, so if Father or Osamu tried to come in, they would understand that I simply wanted to be left alone.

?You comin? or not?!? Recks yelled.

?Yes, yes! Just be quiet!?

Slowly, I gripped onto the side of the window and stood on the windowsill. It was two-stories down, but it seemed like it was much more than that.

?You do promise to catch me, right?? I asked Recks.

?Yeah, now hurry up. I think that big guy is coming.?

I closed my eyes tightly and exhaled. Three? two? one?

?See? I told you I would catch you,? Recks said with a smile as I opened my eyes. Like he promised, he had caught me.

?How old are you?? I asked, surprised by his strength.

?Ten. We have to hurry up, though. Let?s go.?

I yelped as he grabbed my hand and took off running toward the main city. The entryway to Lower Xiyle was a barred door with stairs behind it. I nearly tripped over my own feet as we descended down the steps.

?Oh my,? I whispered as I stood before Lower Xiyle.

It seemed to have a large circular center with hallway-like passages spreading out in many different directions. In the center, a small waterfall pushed water into the concrete ditches that were on the side of the passages. Many children were bending over the water and sitting on the edge, taking drinks from it and slashing each other.

Adults were seated in the middle, talking among themselves. They laughed and yelled just like the people above did.

Recks gripped my hand tightly and led me down a passage. It seemed as though shops were lined up on the sides. They were tiny, and barely had anything for sale. There were a few shops that had tables directly out the single small window. The tables only had two seats, and the window seemed to be for sliding the food out onto the table.

?So, what do you think so far?? Recks asked as he sat on a table, releasing my hand. I sat on the left seat and looked around.

?It?s? amazing? I didn?t think it was like this,? I honestly replied. Recks laughed.

?Most people picture it to be a trash heap. Living down here isn?t so bad.?

?What about your parents??

He shot a glance at me. ?My parents disappeared when I was five. I?ve been on my own ever since.?

?Oh, I apologize for bringing up the subject.?

?Eh, don?t worry about it. I don?t remember them much anyway.?

?Hey, Recks. You hungry or something?? a gruff voice said from behind us. I turned to see an old man, hunched over slightly. He had tired blue eyes, and his gray hair almost reached his mid-back.

Recks smiled at him. ?Actually, yeah. Two Shians.?

The old man looked at me. ?Who?s this??

?This is? my friend. Her name is Zeria.?

?Ah, she looks a lot like Princess Lyka.?

?I uh, get that a lot,? I muttered. My heart was beating extremely fast. If anyone found out who I really was, it would?ve raised a huge disturbance. People had often said that a person of my nobility should never walk on the grounds of Lower Xiyle.

The man walked off toward the back, and Recks looked at me. ?While you?re here, your name is Zeria, okay??

I nodded. ?How did you think of that name so quickly??

?I don?t know. You just seem like a Zeria to me.?

Recks jumped off the table when the old man came back with two plates. ?Here. Recks, when are you going to pay for the last plate I gave you?? he asked.

?Soon,? Recks replied as he sat on the seat. The old man walked off again and I looked at the food on the plate. It didn?t look good at all. It seemed to be leaves with a black sauce on it.

?Um? What is this?? I asked, poking it with the small fork that the old man handed to me.

?Just try it,? Recks said, his mouth already full.

I stared at the so-called food before picking it up with my fork. I whimpered as I put it in my mouth.

?Uh, you?ll get used to it,? he said with a small smile.

After swallowing my first and last bite, I pushed the plate to him. ?You can have it. I?ll continue to eat my high-and-mighty food.?

?Eh, whatever floats your boat, Princess.?

I watched him eat. He didn?t eat like I thought a normal Ratrebe would. Instead of just shoveling it down, he paused between bites.

?All right. Let?s go. I still have more to show you,? he suddenly said, snapping me out of my thoughts.

I jumped off the seat and grabbed his hand, which he extended out to me. With a smile, we walked off.

?Hey, Recks! You gonna pay or not?!? the old man shouted.

?Now is the time when we run,? Recks whispered quietly and started running. As we ran, we barely dodged people before we ran into them.

?What about the next time you see him?? I asked when we stopped. I was panting heavily, but Recks? breathing remained calm and quiet.

?Don?t worry about it. I always find some way around paying him. I?ve gotten away with so many meals.? Recks laughed quietly.

He was so carefree, seemingly oblivious to the troubles of the outside world. Even I, who was three years younger, was aware that many people were being killed in the war.

?There?s one more place that I want to show you,? Recks said, suddenly becoming serious.

?One more??

?My house. That way, if you ever need me for anything, you know where to find me.?

I stared at him for a few moments, stunned that he was so committed to me already. He tilted his head curiously.

?Hm? Why are you staring at me like that?? he asked. I smiled and shook my head.

?Never mind. Anyway, we should hurry before someone realizes that I?m no longer in the palace.?

?Oh, right! Come on. Follow me.?

The walk wasn?t long at all. Before I knew it, we were standing in front of a door. There were no windows, or anything to make it seem like someone was living in it.

?Is this? it?? I asked. Recks nodded and opened the door.

?It doesn?t seem like much, but it?s home.?

The inside wasn?t very surprising. A bed was in the west, and a dresser stood at the foot of it. On the other side of the room, a table and a chair stood. A large box was under the table, probably holding food. There was another door, which led to the bathroom.

As we walked in, my feet quietly clanked against the metal floor. I sat on his bed, which was more comfortable than I thought.

?When would you like me to take you back home?? Recks asked, sitting on one of the chairs.

?When people begin to fret because my father can?t find me.?

He smiled and glanced around his home. ?Like I said before? if you ever need anything, you know where to find me. Even if you don?t want to play with the people that your dad hired.?

My head quickly turned to face him. ?How do you know that my father hires people to play with me??

?I was sitting right outside the window when he was yelling at you and the bear-man.?

?Recks, are you some sort of thief??

He laughed. ?In a way. I?m a pickpocket. I just followed you because I thought bear-man was going to hurt you.?

?Oh, well, thank you for your consideration. I really must go home before anyone finds out that I left.?

?Right. We?ll take the shortcut.?

I followed him outside his house and to another shack. There was a ladder on the side, and I became curious when he started climbing it. Looking up, I saw that it led to a circle with three holes in it.

?Don?t worry,? he said, looking down at me. ?It leads to a forgotten sewer opening in an alley. We?ll just run from there.?

I gave him a disbelieving look before following him up the ladder. When we were out of the opening, I looked around. The alley was dark even though it was only a few hours past noon. The palace was far, but we knew exactly where to go since it was visible everywhere in the city.

?Ready, Princess?? Recks asked, holding out his hand.

?I thought my name was Zeria,? I mumbled and grabbed his hand.

?That?s your Lower Xiyle name. Okay, on three we run. One? three!?

I yelped as he took off running, dragging me along with him. ?You forgot to say two!?

When we arrived at the palace, he took me back to the lawn that was in front of my bedroom window. He pushed me on the ground, which scraped my knee. ?Sorry, but I have to make it look like you fell,? he whispered and plucked a handful of grass. He wiped the grass in my hair and on my clothes.

?Princess Lyka!? a loud voice called. They were already looking for me.

?Come back to Lower Xiyle whenever you want, Princess,? Recks said with a smile. He bowed to me before running off.

?Princess Lyka, are you okay?!? Osamu asked as he ran to me.

?Yes. I seemed to have fallen out my window,? I whispered, pretending like I didn?t know what really happened.

He sighed and easily lifted me up. ?I hope you grow out of this clumsiness by the time you?re old enough to take the throne.?

I looked down at my knee when I felt something crawling down it. A small stream of blood was nearly at my ankles. Recks had shoved me harder than I thought.

Osamu watched me carefully. ?Princess, you may do this one time. I shall not tell your father.?

?Do what?? I asked as my gaze moved up to his face. I had to tilt my head back all the way to fully see his face.

?You?ve already done it,? he replied with a smile.

I noticed that I didn?t feel the blood move anymore. As I looked down at my leg, I saw that it didn?t even look like I had a scrape of any size.

?What did you do?? I asked Osamu in amazement.

?I did nothing? You did it yourself.?

[/CENTER][/FONT]

[Sekusen]

Epics. You get +1 internets. :D
Little you could do to make this better, at this point

[Lady Aura]

[CENTER][FONT="Palatino Linotype"]You sure it's not too... epic?
And I'm starting to see the same-ness it has to XII... Ugh. Mistake on my part.[/FONT][/CENTER]

[quote name='Sekusen']Epics. You get +1 internets. :D
Little you could do to make this better, at this point[/QUOTE]

[Sekusen]

Either way, I want to see more.
But wait for more comments, either way.

Did I say either way too much?

[Lady Aura]

[CENTER][FONT="Palatino Linotype"]Either way, you're right. But, I think I'm going to start over. It seems like Final Fantasy XII too much.[/FONT][/CENTER]

[quote name='Sekusen']Either way, I want to see more.
But wait for more comments, either way.

Did I say either way too much?[/QUOTE]