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xp_logsMaya sneaks out during lunch to get some fresh air. And somehow ends up in way over her head.
Maya stepped out the back door of Bayville High gym where she'd been getting some lunch time cheer practice in and took a deep breath inward. It was always the same, every moment outdoors was like the opening up of the world. No longer confined in small spaces, she could stretch herself out, become taller within as she released the tension that marked her and drove her to such heights of anger throughout the day.
She could feel the breeze on her face as a cold wind settled a light dusting of snow against her eyelashes before it melted instantly.
Coming from a much warmer place, she still found herself ill prepared for just how cold it was here.
Across the field stood a small figure. A little boy, about ten years old, wearing a t-shirt and a pair of jeans - not exactly mid-February attire. But the boy couldn't feel the cold anymore.
He couldn't feel anything.
He watched as the girl stepped out, completely alone. And something close to satisfaction - as close to the emotion as he was capable of feeling, at least - welled inside him.
She was prey, now.
That was weird, far as she knew there weren't any kids visiting 'big school' today - and she certainly hadn't heard of any of the teachers doing a 'bring my brat' to school day.
"Hey! Kid! You lost or something?" she called out, starting toward him across the field. "You shouldn't be out here all by yourself."
She was coming. Good. The boy raised his head as if to respond to what she said, then slowly backed away, feigning fright at the big stranger who was approaching him. That usually got them.
Great, now she had to deal with some shrinking violet who probably escaped from their parents or something and didn't have a clue where they actually were. She slowed down, holding up her hands in a consoling gesture and attempting a reassuring smile - not exactly something she was an expert at.
"Look, I'm not gonna hurt you, kid. Just - come back here and we'll find your folks - pretty sure they'll be at the front office by now anyway."
Maya could picture it now - some woman clutching at pearls and screaming about her little Tommy and how could fate be so cruel while the Dad looked on with a stupid look on his face as if he didn't know what the hell to do with a panicking woman. Like you didn't treat a panicking woman like you treated anyone else who was panicking. God she hated adults - they were so useless.
The boy paused as if considering this...then stepped forward, holding out a hand for help.
Maya rolled her eyes, of course he'd want to hold her hand - didn't anyone ever teach kids anything these days?
Fine, whatever - she'd play the hero. She reached forward and gasped his hand.
"Come on, kid. Let's go find your folks."
The boy smiled, his tiny fingers closing around hers...and the world around them warped. The color was sucked from the landscape, the trees seeming to decay as if time was moving around them, the sun dimming in the sky...
If Maya had known any really good swears at that point she would have used them extensively - instead she tried to extricate herself from the child, tugging on his hand fruitlessly before moving onto panicked struggling once that didn't work.
"Let go of me, you little freak. LET GO!"
The whole transition took about twenty seconds, and they didn't take even one step. But when it ended, they weren't standing behind Bayville Charter High School anymore. The landscape before them was grey, the sky dark, as if rain clouds had rolled in. The building they were standing behind was crumbling and falling apart, cars on the street overturned, light poles falling over. And as they stood there, more children came out of the trees, their eyes completely black.
She belonged to them now.
Maya stepped out the back door of Bayville High gym where she'd been getting some lunch time cheer practice in and took a deep breath inward. It was always the same, every moment outdoors was like the opening up of the world. No longer confined in small spaces, she could stretch herself out, become taller within as she released the tension that marked her and drove her to such heights of anger throughout the day.
She could feel the breeze on her face as a cold wind settled a light dusting of snow against her eyelashes before it melted instantly.
Coming from a much warmer place, she still found herself ill prepared for just how cold it was here.
Across the field stood a small figure. A little boy, about ten years old, wearing a t-shirt and a pair of jeans - not exactly mid-February attire. But the boy couldn't feel the cold anymore.
He couldn't feel anything.
He watched as the girl stepped out, completely alone. And something close to satisfaction - as close to the emotion as he was capable of feeling, at least - welled inside him.
She was prey, now.
That was weird, far as she knew there weren't any kids visiting 'big school' today - and she certainly hadn't heard of any of the teachers doing a 'bring my brat' to school day.
"Hey! Kid! You lost or something?" she called out, starting toward him across the field. "You shouldn't be out here all by yourself."
She was coming. Good. The boy raised his head as if to respond to what she said, then slowly backed away, feigning fright at the big stranger who was approaching him. That usually got them.
Great, now she had to deal with some shrinking violet who probably escaped from their parents or something and didn't have a clue where they actually were. She slowed down, holding up her hands in a consoling gesture and attempting a reassuring smile - not exactly something she was an expert at.
"Look, I'm not gonna hurt you, kid. Just - come back here and we'll find your folks - pretty sure they'll be at the front office by now anyway."
Maya could picture it now - some woman clutching at pearls and screaming about her little Tommy and how could fate be so cruel while the Dad looked on with a stupid look on his face as if he didn't know what the hell to do with a panicking woman. Like you didn't treat a panicking woman like you treated anyone else who was panicking. God she hated adults - they were so useless.
The boy paused as if considering this...then stepped forward, holding out a hand for help.
Maya rolled her eyes, of course he'd want to hold her hand - didn't anyone ever teach kids anything these days?
Fine, whatever - she'd play the hero. She reached forward and gasped his hand.
"Come on, kid. Let's go find your folks."
The boy smiled, his tiny fingers closing around hers...and the world around them warped. The color was sucked from the landscape, the trees seeming to decay as if time was moving around them, the sun dimming in the sky...
If Maya had known any really good swears at that point she would have used them extensively - instead she tried to extricate herself from the child, tugging on his hand fruitlessly before moving onto panicked struggling once that didn't work.
"Let go of me, you little freak. LET GO!"
The whole transition took about twenty seconds, and they didn't take even one step. But when it ended, they weren't standing behind Bayville Charter High School anymore. The landscape before them was grey, the sky dark, as if rain clouds had rolled in. The building they were standing behind was crumbling and falling apart, cars on the street overturned, light poles falling over. And as they stood there, more children came out of the trees, their eyes completely black.
She belonged to them now.
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