The Caged Bird

The Caged Bird.

As she belted the last note out, the audience remained silent and a hush fell over the entire auditorium. She slowly lowered the microphone as a smile crept over her face. She stood slightly hunched on the stage as she smoothed out her dress self-consciously. The bright beams of coloured light from the many spotlights around the hall temporarily blinded her and painted her pale ivory skin in an eerie hue of purples and blues. Her smooth silky black locks rippled as she fidgeted albeit nervously on the stage.

All of a sudden the silence that had fallen when she finished her performance was lifted abruptly by a loud chorus of booing and catcalls coming from the back of the auditorium. The laughter and insults echoed throughout the entire auditorium and slowly, like the spillage of water on a piece of paper, the laughter spread throughout the entire hall. Before she knew it the entire audience was laughing and booing her as she stood awkwardly on the stage, the microphone hanging loosely from her clammy hand. The laughter got louder and louder and as a red blush began to spread over her face, Robyn Lim quickly ran off the stage, the jeering of the crowd reverberating in her ears.

The next day when she approached her classroom apprehensively, she tried to hide her face behind the guitar she carried, embarrassed about her performance yesterday as it had resulted in her running off the stage due to the jeering of the crowd. She entered her classroom and quickly made her way to her desk at the back of the class, sitting down and placing the guitar in front of her in order to hide her face. The minute she set the guitar down on the table, the entire class shot amused glances at the small self-conscious transfer student. Robyn tried her best to ignore the piercing stares directed at her as she crossed and uncrossed her ankles nervously. Unfortunately, her attempt at camouflage was unsuccessful as a statuesque student made her way over to Robyn’s table. 

“Hey newbie, where are you from?” the golden-blond haired girl asked casually, “I’m Stacy by the way. Stacy Sterman.”

Robyn’s eyes darted up to the blue eyes of the tall Caucasian in front of her. She could not help noting that Stacy’s eyes were an icy shade of blue and glinted unpleasantly. Nervously stuttering, Robyn introduced herself and immediately averted her gaze.

Stacy flipped back her long blond ponytail, pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes at Robyn before replying the black-haired girl in front of her.

“Huh, where’s that? In the middle of China or something?” she caustically replied, cueing a loud burst of laughter from the rest of her Caucasian classmates. Smirking she continued to terrorise the already timid girl in front of her. Robyn felt a rush of indignation as Stacy continued to insult her race and looks. Enough was enough she decided and stood up to face Stacy.

“You think you’re so great don’t you? What right do you have to believe that your race is superior compared to mine? I cannot believe that you are so narrow-minded and I am utterly embarrassed to even have a conversation with such a racist, simple creature like you.” Robyn heatedly retorted.

Stacy was completely unaffected by Robyn’s argument and continued to smile coldly. Leaning back slightly she called out to one of her cronies who was animatedly watching the heated exchange.

“Hey Lauren, remember yesterday during assembly there was this girl who sang some song, is it just me or does she look surprisingly like the newbie.” This comment caused the class to burst out into even more laughter as Robyn stiffened and glanced down at her guitar. Lauren laughed sycophantically and nodded her head before agreeing with Stacy.

“Yeah, it’s like totally her.” Lauren agreed.

Stacy laughed coldly, and trained her icy eyes on Robyn’s. Leaning forward she slowly and deliberately said, “Oh, I think I should be the one to be embarrassed to be in your presence. The performance yesterday was absolutely horrifying. Here’s some advice, newbie, please just stop singing. You’re only embarrassing yourself. Oh and by the way, please just go back to where you come from. You can’t sing and never will be able to.”

Cackling loudly, Stacy flipped her hair and walked back to her seat as the entire class laughed themselves silly at her witty statement. The arrival of the homeroom teacher saved Robyn from any further ridicule and she only slumped further in her seat as tears slowly leaked from her closed eyes.

~

Robyn wished that the next few days of her new school might no longer unlock even more insulting incidents but it was no use. Each day brought on another incident as Stacy had made it her goal to torture the transfer student. Over the days, Robyn began to slowly lose confidence in herself as she was constantly reminded of how she was inferior and could not carry a tune. The next few weeks were a living hell for Robyn and she began to long for the freedom she once felt in her own country.

The rhythmic strumming of the guitar allowed Robyn to slowly escape from reality and gave her shelter from the nastiness that everyday would bring. Music was her refuge and the only thing that kept her sane. Remembering her previous performances back home and the loud applauses and shouts for ‘encore’, she closed her eyes and began to sing. Her voice was melodic, smooth and flowed over multiple notes with ease but rough with lack of use. Suddenly as she was building up her voice and getting reading to belt out the start of the chorus, her voice squeaked and broke. Shocked, she repeated the last few lines of the verse and got ready to hit the chorus again when she dropped her pick into her guitar. Yelling in frustration, she retrieved it and re-attempted the song again and again. 

 Robyn had lost count of how many times she had failed to hit the correct notes and began to recall the various insults she had endured over the past few weeks. She screamed in frustration and tears began to stream down her face and she tossed her guitar into a corner of the room where is twanged its last twang. Clenching her fists in her dark hair she screamed out all the anger, loneliness, rejection, indignation, sorrow that she had felt over the past few weeks. The insults chased themselves around in her brain, constantly reminding her of what she wanted so badly to forget. She began to shake and her eyes began puffy from all her crying.

Raising her tear stained face she began to resign to her fate. She could not sing. She would not sing. She would stop fighting back. It was simply to exhausting and she did not want to do it anymore. Her eyes became glassy and glazed over as she slowly built a cage for herself, trapping herself in the mental cage that she built. She would no longer try to escape, to fight back, to be free, it was so much easier to accept that she was untalented as Stacy constantly emphasized. She smiled at the ceiling, her smile bordering on insanity. She sighed as she contemplated the fact that finally. Finally she was safe in her cage. Nothing could hurt her there as all the emotions she wanted to get rid of where outside the rusty bars, they could never reach her. She was free, so very free of them. She remained inside the prison, devoid of any emotions as she discarded them the minute she entered the cage. Finally. Finally she was safe. She felt happy. She realised that she was never able to sing in the first place. Singing was what had gotten her into this whole mess. She concluded that locking herself away from her singing was the safest thing to do, and so she did it.

 Robyn Lim had sung her last note.

This bird shall sing no more.

It is even considered living, if you feel better off dead?

Sinking

Shes drowning, her arms flail helplessly as she tries to grasp on to that faint shred of hope. Shes sinking even faster. A burst of bubbles erupt around her as she screams for help. Her cries go unheard and she kicks out even harder in a desperate attempt to regain somesort of control over the situation. Her eyes sting and theres no way to tell where the tears end and where the water begins. The water holds on to her, steadily weighing her down. Her eyes once so vibrant and youthful, cloud over with the emotions she tries so hard to conceal. In one desperate last ditch effort she reaches her hands up to the surface of the water. She opens her mouth in one last cry of help, the plea going unheard in the deep unforgiving depths. Her eyes beg for someone to save her,

'Help, help, help...'

Lets imagine the same situation, just a little differently.

Shes drowning, her body weighed down with all that she knew and lost. Her arms hang limp at her sides as she slowly lets the weight of all that she tried to save,drag her down to the murky depths. A faint, deranged smile graces her lips as flickers of insanity dance in her shaded eyes. The drop is much faster than she imagined. Before long, its impossible to see where the water ends. The surface is long gone and shes engulfed in pure darkness. The only light comes from the steady glint in her eyes. Her eyes once so vibrant and youthful, cloud over with the emotions she no longer bothers to conceal. Shes gone inside and she knows it. A lost soul, beyond saving. Shes lost in the darkness, and this time it doesnt matter. She doesnt care anymore. Shes perfectly comfortable in the darkness, drowning in herself.

Sometimes i really feel like this. I feel like im drowning. And i don't even know where the dark ends and where the light begins. It feels like...choking on words i can't bear to say. Sinking much faster than expected. And there's nothing left to do.

I don't know where i'm headed.

I'm sick of feeling nothing.

It doesn't end does it.

How much further do i have to sink before i hit the bottom...

It crumbles. It all falls apart.

Cara twitched. She could see him instinctively gravitate to the flame-haired green-eyed beauty. Holding out some food and an extra coat he smiled warmly at her. One glance at his face and it was obvious he was besotted with her. She felt a twinge of annoyance and shuffled her feet, staring at the ground as she tried to make it less obvious that she was present. Peeking out from the dappled shadow of the forest canopy, she tried her best to remain concealed among the sturdy tree trunks as she strained to see or hear what they were conversing about.

"I'm sorry Lucas I can't except your gifts"

Cara could see Lucas run his hand frustratedly through his golden blonde hair as he tried to persuade her to accept it. Their voices became even more muffled and she was straining to catch what they were saying.

"No. You should be taking care of your mate! Cara deserves your gentle care and concern. I have Lucian, he'll take care of me."

Cara's interest piqued as she anticipated Lucas's reply.

"She can take care of herself. Besides, my duty to our nation comes first."

Cara froze.

She could feel her heart twist as she replayed his rejection over and over in her head. Unable to listen to the conversation anymore, she turned and fled further into the forest.

Tears streamed down her face as she tried to regulate her breathing and calm her heart down. She suddenly halted and closed her eyes. Thoughts raced furiously through her stunned mind.

'He never did care for you'

'He only acknowledged your presence because of his duty to Kiera and his beloved nation'

'You're nothing but just another obligation to him'

Cara never really was one of the strongest warriors at heart. She could not find the strength to stop the furious race of tears down her face. So she just let them fall. They fell to the soft forest floor with a muffled pitter patter.

~

I let it fall, my heart...and as it fell you rose to claim it.

If Only

She swirled the red liquid around in the beautiful crystal wine glass. The wine was a beautiful colour. Crimson red. Almost like blood. It was in a stark contrast to the clear crystal of the glass. Her dress flowed like a stream of water, gently moving with her as she crossed her legs. Surveying her surroundings she took a sip from the glass, her eyes never leaving the faces in front of her. She had placed the pictures of all the people that made an impression in her life on the glass table in front of her. As her level-gaze swiftly looked from face to face, she felt a twinge of regret. But still...it was worth it. Slowly, she drained the rest of the drink.

Red stains painted her mouth in a beautiful blood red colour.

She could feel her heart constrict in her chest and a gasp of pain escaped her painted lips. Agony laced through her body, starting from her heart and raced outward, ripping and tearing through her organs. The glass slipped from her white hand, smashing on the ground, the liquid spreading out like silk on the smooth wooden floor. Soon she joined the shattered remains on the floor, her body convulsing as she lay twisted on the floor her hands scrabbling at her neck trying to drive the burning pain from her throat. Her eyes wide open, pain clearly expressed in her expression. Her mouth wide open in a silent scream. Her body, cloaked in crimson silk shook as violent spasms wreaked her body. The poison swiftly coursed through her body as she struggled to keep the screams in. Black spots obscured her vision and she thrashed widely trying to clear them. Raising her knees to her chest she moved into the foetal position trying to ball herself up. Another wave of spasms shook her and her back arched in excruciating pain. Her breathes got fainter. Life slowly drained from her being as her flailing limbs became still, and her body shook no more. Lastly, her eyes became cold and hard. Slowly and suddenly, death clutched her as she took a final shuddering breath. Then she was no more. She was no longer in the world of the living.

The Power of Recollection

Chapter 1

It was my first day at Madison High School and to say I was nervous was an understatement. I couldn't really remember what it was like to be in a school. A proper school full of people. I can't really remember much of my past before today. I just recall waking up in Fosters Adoption Center and that's all. My caretaker won't really tell me how I ended up there, everyone just says I got into an accident and just appeared here. Oh well, it's not like I know any better right?

So, back to the present.

I pushed open the glass doors and was greeted by a gust of air which blew my auburn hair around my face. Madison High School was for lack of better words, incredibly drab. Apart from the glass doors which displayed the view of the forest outside the school compound, the rest of the things in the hall were either gray or green. How boring. I made my way to the office on the left to get my schedule. I had no idea what awaited me inside those doors.

"OMG A NEW KID HEY HI HOW ARE YOU? WOW I LIKE YOUR HAIR! WHAT'S YOUR NAME? MINES CASSIDY, NICE TO MEET YOU!!"

A loud, overly-enthusiastic voice greeted me when I stepped into the office and I felt the air leave my lungs as something crashed right into me. Momentarily dazed and slightly deafened by the cheery greeting I received, I stood there for a while trying to regain my bearings before searching for whatever had nearly deafened me.

"Oh, do you think I yelled too loudly? Oops. Is she alive?"

I blinked.

Right in front of me was a rather petite girl. She was slim with shoulder-length spiky white blond hair streaked with teal. Her face was deathly pale, her disconcertingly pale grey eyes rimmed with black liner and sparkly purple eyeshadow. She grinned widely, her rose tinted lips curling up making her look almost devilishly mischievous.

"Oh look she's alive."

I blinked again.

The girl let out a laugh which sounded more like an evil cackle. Stepping back, she held out her hand to me.

"Hello there, I'm Cassidy."

I eyed her outstretched, semi-gloved hand.

What am I supposed to do?

For the first time since I entered that office there was silence. Her grin slowly faded and she eyed me with confusion.

My insides churned with anxiety. What am I supposed to do?

A curtesy may be appropriate.

Huh?

My body moved as if possessed. Stretching out my right hand gracefully, I lifted my long, ruffled skirt a few inches off the ground and curtseyed. Bowing my head to show my respect, I waited a few seconds before straightening back up.

I was greeted with a snort of laughter which quickly progressed into a loud cackle of raucous laughter.

Frowning slightly, I leaned my head to the right in confusion. Hmm did I not curtsey low enough?

Cassidy was gasping for breath her semi-gloved hands grasping the sides of her waist and she bent over in fits of laughter.

Ok, I thought, she is officially insane.

Wiping tears from her eyes, she stopped laughing and stood staring at me. I took advantage of the momentary silence to further scrutinize this strange person. She was clad in a short sleeved black shirt decorated with splashes of neon pink and green. Her shirt was mid thigh and shredded unevenly at the bottom. Her shiny black tights were artfully ripped revealing purple netting. A silver studded belt wrapped around her hips dangling thin silver chains. Her shoes were the only things that weren't black. Ankle high white shoes with pale yellow stars decorated her feet. I followed the movement of her hand as it moved up as she raised her right hand and pointed at me. Lowering her voice to what I believe she thought to be a spooky other worldly voice, she whispered, "What woooorlldd are you froooom. Greetingsssss, I am Cassidyyyy of theeee Madisooon High Schooooool. Weeee welcome you amongst usssss."

I officially concluded that this girl was completely off her rocker. Bonkers. Nuts. Crazy. Insane.

Then she burst out laughing again. Moving towards me she slapped my back and proceeded to wrap her short arm around my neck.

"Just joking, don't worry you'll fit right in."

I let out a huff of relief. Ok maybe she wasn't that crazy.

It was then I noticed that there was another girl with Cassidy. She looked much tamer compared to the former. Long wavy golden blond hair framed her face trailing down to her elbows. She wore a faded dark green shirt with baggy army patterned pants. She had on similar shoes as Cassidy but the stars were bright green instead. She was around my height and of average build. Smiling warmly at me, she waved and introduced herself as Bree. Reaching over to the office desk, she took the schedule from the office personnel on duty who looked almost bored, as if such enthusiastic greetings were an everyday occurrence. I hoped inwardly that it wasn't. I didn't think I could last at this school if I was deafened everyday.

Handing my schedule over to me, Bree grabbed my arm on my left which was thankfully Cassidy free, and towed me out of the office thanking the lady at the desk before using her free hand to shut the door.

Well, looks like my first fifteen minutes went well.

"Well, welcome to Madison High! Don't worry too much about Cass, she isn't on crack. You'll get used to it. And what did you say your name was?"

Bree had a mellow voice. She didn't speak too fast or too loud. Thankfully.

I allowed myself a small smile.

"My names Keira. Keira Regan."

Random Oneshot

Nellie knew it was foolish to feel jealousy. But as she watched Jordan give Janice a gentle hug and a lingering kiss on the cheek, Nellie could feel the acid-like sting of jealousy. Not that she'd ever admit it. She found it difficult to drag her eyes away from their blatant display of affection. She quietly watched them flirt and tried to suppress the vomit that threatened to spill out of her mouth. She wished she could excuse herself from the table but that was hardly an option she realised, staring sulkily at the plate of fried rice before her. The dish, so painfully tantalising moments before, now had the appeal of a muddy sock.

It was as if the whole world was oblivious to her discomfort. She squirmed awkwardly in her seat and absent mindedly chased a few grains of rice around her plate with a spoon. She kept her eyes to her plate and held her tongue. It wasn't supposed to be like this she bitterly thought.

Jordan was supposed to come ALONE to the lunch table Nellie shared with Delilah and speak to her. They would talk and laugh and inject happiness into Nellie's boring day. But nooooooo, now the only feelings she felt were sharp, stinging stabs of pure jealously hinted with envy.

It was going to be a long lunch.

FSB- The First Fight

She winced as he slowly washed the dried blood off her arms. Letting go of the knife she was gripping so hard, the blade slicing into the pale skin of her palms, more sticky liquid oozed out off the gash and onto the floor.

Her knees were hurting, she had been kneeling in that position since the battle that had happened some time ago.

The fact that she had won still hadn’t struck her yet.

She could still remember the sound of her opponents last strangled scream when she had driven the knife in as hard as she could, gasping for breathe and trying to still hold on to her fading consciousness. When she watched her fall to the floor twitching and jerking, her mouth open and streaming blood, her eyes rolling back into their sockets, her hands scrabbling for the hilt of the knife which stuck out of her chest. Eventually she had gone still. Nothing but an empty husk of the warrior she had once been.

Katarina could still feel her burning gaze full of accusation when she finally breathed her last breath. After she had defeated her, Katarina could not remember how long she had knelt by that girls side, sinking to her knees and watching not with sadness or regret or guilt, but with a mixture of odd curiosity and happiness as the former warrior’s life faded away before her very eyes.

Forever Second Best

It was the same old song that she used to hear years ago. The same whimsical melody, slow and somewhat comforting. Filling her with a sense of nostalgia, she remembered all the things she associated with that song. Her parents dancing comically along with it…that was before her mother stabbed her father…Jordan singing it to her when they were children and everything was alright…a time which no longer existed the minute he set eyes on her would be best friend…and it reminded her of the time when Jace had hummed it to her in an attempt to get her to calm down. It was one of the only things she could remember of that life. She was a different person then.

She did not know whether to feel happy or sad, it was safe to say that she did not feel anything at all. It was a relief that she no longer pined pathetically for Jordan, something she did practically every day back then. Back then when she was still human. But now, now things were different she thought, a cruel smile playing on her lips.

She didn’t merely change her appearance over the last few years. Now her universe revolved around somebody else. Jace. The sound of her saying his name out loud in her head filled her with a tinge of longing that made her shiver. The very thought of him made her insides feel like they were melting. The feelings she felt were so much greater in intensity than the feelings she had ever felt for Jordan. Jace was her life now. He was the only reason she managed to succeed and climb and claw her way to the top.

Gazing at the masses crowded below her she felt an overwhelming surge of accomplishment. At last, she was finally the best! The best there would ever be! The days of being second best to everyone else were over. There was no better feeling in the world than the one she felt right now. She had so much power, she could feel it coursing through her veins and giving her strength she never before dreamt of possessing. The day she had first met him, she could not help but feel entranced by his beauty and the aura of power he carried with him. He had stolen all of her in that one moment.

~

He was beautiful. But in a strange, a bit too perfect way. She noticed how his long dark lashes brushed the tops of his high cheekbones which stood out in his angular face. His skin was a gleaming pearly white, illuminated and almost glowing in the moonlight. Dark black hair, almost as dark as hers, fell into his eyes and around his face in a casual manner, framing his pale face and contrasting greatly with his too pale skin. He seemed so still she would have thought him a statue if she hadn’t noticed his slight, measured breathing. His hands resting in his pockets, he was leaning on the metal gate of the cemetery, pale skin glowing and dark hair blending in with the darkness of the shadows surrounding him.

 And then he opened his eyes.

She was mesmerised with the dark red of his left eye which contrasted with the pale gray-blue of his right eye, both of which regarded her in a cool manner.

The odd colour of his eyes did not faze her, or for that matter, strike her as unusual at all. She was too busy committing to memory every detail of him. He was so beautiful but his stillness did unsettle her slightly.

At that moment, she remembered briefly wondering how she looked like to him.

And then he moved so incredibly quickly, he was a mere blur amongst the shadows, his lanky body vanishing from the spot in front of her. Disappointment rushed through her being as she felt the crushing weight of her thoughts.

I wasn’t good enough for him was I.

Bitterness seeped through her and she gritted her teeth and tried to tear her eyes from the vacant spot in front of the gate.

She moved back and came to a shuddering halt when she felt someone’s body pressed up against her. She could feel his breathing, in tandem with hers, as he pressed himself even closer against her back. His hands moved slowly to hers and clasped them gently, in a way restricting her movement and binding her more to him. She shivered, but not with fear, but her body trembled with the sudden wave of desire which shot through her as he pressed his lips to the exposed skin at her shoulder.

“You must be Katarina. I was waiting for you.” He whispered against her skin.

She felt her stomach clench as another strong wave of desire rocketed through her body. His voice was the most wonderful thing she had ever heard. Low and husky he seemed to seduce her with just two sentences.

How pathetic.

She ripped her hands out of his and swung round to face him.

“Who do you think you are?!” she whispered in barely concealed anger.

His perfect mouth transformed into a smirk as he introduced himself.

“Well, no need to be rude. I’m Jace. And you’ve taken your time.”

Her mouth gaped open. This-this beautiful creature had been waiting for her?

“What are you?”

“That depends on who you are.”

She frowned, a crease appearing in between her brows. Why is he talking in riddles? How annoying!

“That means nothing to you. I’m leaving.”

His smirk grew wider and he took a confident step to wards her.

“On the contrary, that means quite a fair bit to me. You see,” he paused, gauging her reaction before continuing, “I’ve been wanting you to come with me for quite a while now. But that would be impossible if…you were still human.”

At this she froze.

This guy was raving.

Sure he was gorgeous but oh man was he creepy.

Without a warning she turned and ran for the gate. She thought she heard a sigh from behind her but she didn’t turn back and ran as fast as she could all the way home.

~

As he watched her speed off out of the cemetery, he couldn’t help but let out a loud sigh. He had been watching her the entire time she was mentally analyzing him. She would not know it of course but the various emotions that flitted across her face reminded him of a stack of flashcards being turned at an incredible speed.

She was beautiful.