Excerpt: Tales of Verity

A bright flash of light flared through the curtain drawn windows, scaring away the pitch black darkness for but a brief moment. Fifteen year old Alena sighed, rolling onto her back to stare at the ceiling laced with dark shadows, outlined by the flicking lights from beyond her windows. She counted away the seconds away the seconds in her mind before the low rumbling of thunder echoed through her room.

She laid there in silence, encased in her warm blankets as she listened to the soft patter of rain from above. Normally such a sound would be soothing to one's ears, but on this night however, it was what kept her from entering the world of dreams.

Another flash of lightning flickered brightly, once again casting eerie shadows upon her walls.

She quickly took a pillow and pressed up against her face, blocking out what she could of the inevitable thunder to follow. It came and it went, and the room was once again left in silence aside from the steady fall of rain and...footsteps?

Alena removed the pillow from her face and sat up, staring warily toward her bedroom door as they drew near. However, they stopped.

Through the darkness, she could hear the door knob twisting as her door slowly creaked open. A split second of light illuminated the room once more, revealing the silhouette of a small figure standing in the doorway, staring right back at her.

Alena blinked in surprise as the figure's identity sudden registered in her mind. "Marina...?" She flicked on the lamp sitting beside her bed and squinted as the sudden light made her eyes sting. The girl did the same. "What are you doing up?" she asked her once her eyes adjusted.

"I...I couldn't sleep." The girl admitted quietly. She flinched as another round of thunder rumbled just outside.

Sighing, Alena placed her pillow back behind her as she reclined back. "Don't worry, it'll pass soon." She assured her. She shifted onto her side as she brought the blankets up over her shoulders. "Now go back to bed."

"But--"

"You'll be fine, I promise." Alena reached out for the lamp once more and extinguished the light with the flip of a switch. "Now please, we both have a school in the morning. Let me sleep."

Marina didn't even make an effort to speak after that. Alena finally closed her eyes as the silence settled into the air, hoping to force herself into a slumber. After a moment, she could hear the door gently click shut. However, even in the darkness, she could still feel those glassy eyes set upon her. She breathed a long sigh.

"You're still here, aren't you?"

"Y-yes..."

Alena threw the blankets up over her head, suppressing a groan of frustration. "Look, Marina, I don't care if you stay up, but I need my rest. What is it you want?"

Marina hugged herself nervously, clinging to the sleeves of her night clothes. "Um, could I stay here with you...please?'

"No."

The girl was taken aback. "W-why not?"

"First off, this bed is too small." Alena replied tersely. "Second, you have your own. Go back to it."

Marina bit her lip. "But...it's too dark, and I keep hearing strange sounds, a-and..." Her grip tightened considerably as another flash of lightning flared through the window, casting more shadows upon the walls. "P-please, just until the storm's over...?"

Alena sighed and sat up, bundling the extra folds of the blanket at her lap. "Okay okay, fine. But just until--" Not another word was needed for her offer to be taken up. Following a loud sudden crack of thunder, she cringed, uttering a mixed cry of shock and pain as a sudden weight collided into her. The girl climbed over her lap, taking a seat at her side as she snuggled into the covers.

"H-hey, don't get too comfortable. This is just until the storm's over, remember?" Alena reminded her once the throbbing in her legs had begun to die down. Marina merely nodded in response.

Reaching over to the nightstand, Alena turned the light back on, illuminating the room, and scaring away the mysterious shadows. She stifled a yawn as she leaned her head up against her headboard--the need for sleep was finally beginning to catch up to her. "Why do you always have to come to me for this stuff?" she muttered, though more to herself then to Marina.

"Because you're my sister. We're supposed to help each other, aren't we?"

"Um, well, yes, but there are other people in this house too you know. You don't have to come to me every time." she pointed out, breathing a small sigh.

Marina frowned, clutching a section of the covers in her hands. "But...I don't know them like I do you or..." She trailed off, griping the blankets tighter as she crouched down as her watery eyes became hidden behind her bangs."I want to go home..." she muttered in a soft whisper.