The Boy Struggle - chapter 1

I closed my laptop with a sigh. It had been a while since I was last outside. My skin was in need of vitamin D. My arms and legs looked pale, almost like a ghost. The day was too perfect to stay inside. The sun was shining, kids were playing together, and there was a slight breeze. So, I decided to take a walk.

The air felt humid, but the breeze made it more bearable. Several kids across the street were playing tag. I exhaled and looked down the path of the sidewalk. A few of my neighbors were mowing the lawn and relaxing in lawn chairs reading a book. I began walking to the left. There was a dead end in that direction anyways. All I would have to do is turn back around and complete my course. It seemed simple enough.

Once I got closer to the end of the road, I saw fewer kids outside. It felt so lonely this far down the road. I looked around, hoping to see someone I knew. The sky had more clouds than it had earlier, except these clouds were darker. A low rumbles sounded off in the distance. “Great,” I muttered under my breath. Suddenly something jolted against my arm. I quickly turned around to see what it was. Except, it wasn’t an object, but a person with dark hair and wearing a hood.

“I’ve been looking for you,” he said. “Me? Why me?” I asked. “There’s nothing special about me. Now, can I please get back home? I think it’s about to rain.” The guy narrowed his eyes. He moved his hand out in front of him and a black hole with dark blue swirls appeared. “What is that?” I said. “It’s a portal, and you’re coming with me.” Immediately I began to struggle in his tight grip. I needed to escape somehow before he shoved me in.
Too late. He led me straight into the portal and we both entered into a creepy neighborhood. The world looked almost dead. “Where are we now?” I demanded. “We crossed into a different dimension. And that,” he pointed to a tall, dark house, “is your new home for a while.” I shook my head then looked at him. A sort of sadness and rage built up inside me. “Why did you take me here? No one knows where I am now. My mother will be worried sick. I need-” He interrupted me. “Calm down, will you? You’re kind of important right now, and that’s why you’re here.” “But what about my mother?” I continued. He shook his head and made a disgruntled sigh. “You’ll have to wait on that. Sorry. Now come on, we need to go inside.”

I shut my mouth and obeyed him. There was no use in fighting now. There wasn’t even a way back home, besides using a portal. Which, portals could only be opened by him, and I knew he wouldn’t open it again. Especially for me.
He led me into the house, which surprisingly looked modern. Everything looked nice and clean and neat. There was a boy with brown hair and a hood over his head sitting on a bar stool in what looked to be the kitchen. There was another boy in what seemed to be a living room. He had snowy white hair. The brown haired boy fixed his gaze on me. “So, you finally found her. Took you long enough,” he joked. “Shut up,” said the dark haired guy who brought me here. The white haired boy joined in. “Are you sure she’s the one?” “I’m certain.”

Right as he said those last few words, a girl with long, red hair and black horns walked in. “You found her. Good job Invictus,” she said. “Don’t mess with her Clarissa. We need her for something important,” said Invictus. I looked up at him, then at Clarissa, then back at him again. “Please explain to me. Why am I so important?” I said. “Don’t worry, you’ll just be a pet to them,” said Clarissa. “Clarissa,” Invictus warned. “Fine,” she hissed.

As I began to walk towards the living room, I heard Invictus call for the white haired boy. “Niveus, show her to her room.” He got up off the couch and looked at me with serious golden eyes. He was dressed in light armor. A giant sword with an eye placed near the hilt of the sword leaned against the wall right beside a television stand. His white hair elegantly swayed as he walked. “Alright, follow me,” Niveus said. So I did. I followed him through a dark hall way then up some stair. There was hardly any light at all. I had no idea where exactly where we were.

We finally reached our destination. Niveus opened up a door to a room and flipped the switch. My eyes felt strained as the light hit them. I rubbed my eyes to stop them from straining. When I opened them back up, Niveus was gone.
“I guess I can have some alone time now,” I said quietly to myself. “You sure about that?” came a familiar voice. A hand landed on my shoulder causing me to jump thirty feet in the air. “You scared me!” I shouted. “Easy, I just came up here to talk to you,” he said. Then he added, “My name is Vero. I’m a vampire. The dude with the black jacket is a demon, and the other one is an elf. Clarissa is a fallen angel. This whole dimension is made up entirely of Otherworlders. You happen to be part Otherworlder.”

I opened my mouth to speak but no words came out. I couldn’t believe that mythical beings existed. Feelings of both excitement and fright swirled around my body. “Y-you’re a vampire?” I stuttered. “Are you going to try and suck my blood?” “No, why would I do that? You’re important to us. Your magic abilities are very powerful. We need you to aid us,” he said.  “So that’s why you guys keep calling me important? What powers do I have then?” I asked. He put his right index finger up to his lips and pressed against them, then said, “I can’t tell you. Sorry. You’ll eventually figure it all out though.” I sighed and looked down.

Creaking sounds came from behind me, so I spun on my heels to see what it was. It was Niveus walking up the stairs. He looked worn and tired, ready to collapse. “Just checking to see if you were doing alright, but I see Vero has taken care of that,” he mumbled. “Goodnight.” He turned and walked down the hall. Niveus opened up a door to a room that was not too far from mine.

“As I was saying,” Vero continued, “you’re only part Otherworlder, but your powers are amazingly strong. There’s an evil nymph that continues to pester us and attempts to kill us all. The whole civilization.” I cleared my throat. “But, I thought nymphs were shy and reserved,” I said. “They are, but this particular nymph happens to be possessed.”

He walked into my bedroom, lights still on, and motioned for me to follow him. “This is our guest bedroom. Well, was. Now this is your bedroom. Fix it to your pleasing, make it feel like home.” Home, I thought. Tears tempted to fall, so I rubbed my eyes. I caught Vero staring at me. My face turned red and I looked away.  “Alright, well, call one of us if you need anything,” he left the room, turning off the lights as he did and gently closed the door behind him. The moonlight shone in through the glass of the window causing the room to have a faint white glow to it.

I sat down on my new bed, which was covered with a black sheet. I kicked my shoes off of my feet and slid under the covers. Tears began sliding down my face. Sadness wrapped tightly around my chest. I missed my mother and my house. I wondered when I’d be sent back home, but I soon fell asleep.