Rising Shards

Oka’s Nightmare

Oka wandered through a desolate store. She couldn’t see outside, but it felt like it was nighttime, the fluorescent lights felt ominous. Gasps of smoke passed around her. The store shelves were lined with boxes that had her classmates’ faces on them. She desperately looked through them, feeling a deep need to collect as many as possible before anyone else could take them. When she saw one with Zeta’s face on it, she desperately grabbed it, but as soon as she held it, she could see Zeta walking away with someone.

“Zeta!” Oka yelled.

Zeta didn’t hear her. She kept walking, floating maybe. As Oka sprinted after her, feeling like she was running in tar, Zeta flickered out in an icy glow with a wave of wind and fog, only to reappear seconds later.

“Sorry about that,” Zeta said, suddenly beside Oka. “This is not a good spot to talk. I’ll be clearer in the city, and hopefully the weather’s better there than this store too. You think you can hold out until then?”

“I’ll…I can try.” Oka said, suddenly aware it was raining inside. A blast of dizziness hit, and Oka’s arms felt warm. Zeta watched as Oka turned her arm around. The blood on her hand made her nearly pass out.

“Oh…you’re hurt.” Zeta said.

Oka squirmed at the sight of her wound, a crimson cut down her left forearm.

“It’s supposed to be a burn,” Oka said. “It was from…from when I burned her…"

A drop of rain landed on Zeta’s nose, leaving it invisible until she wiped it away.

“Oka…I can’t stay much longer. The rain’s gonna wash me away. And I don’t have the time to say anymore except hold on.”

“Don’t go…” Oka said. She sat down in the muddy sand, or collapsing, she covered her wound the best she could. The now pouring rain prevented Oka from looking at the cut for long. She pleaded as she faded away drop by drop, her voice becoming more disconnected.

Ovie and Jeans appeared beside Zeta, and each put a hand on her shoulder as they took her away.

“Just hold on,” Zeta said. “With whatever you have left. Please.”

Each bullet from the sky still stung when it got to her arm. Zeta, Jeans, and Ovie melted in the rain. Oka reached out to Zeta, and the two’s fingertips brushed before the rain washed the last of her away. Oka was alone again.

Lillia’s Nightmare

Lillia sat in a fancy waiting area, enjoying her time by herself in the two-seat row by fiddling with the touchpad between the chairs, a glossy white display with colorful lights on it. It took a bit to swipe through the tutorials for people who don’t exist, but eventually Lillia had found the display to call real people in. She scrolled through, unsure of if she should call for Ko or Naomi, who each had a page on the display.

Someone grabbed her arm. It was Oka.

“You’re my friend. I can’t let you get hurt.” Oka said. “Please, don’t…Lillia!”

A friendly tone came out from the speakers. “Go get yourselves killed,” A woman’s voice said. “If you make it out, I’ll find you.”

Oka glared furiously at the speakers.

“Well, we can do something.” Oka said, holding a fist up.

Lillia nodded. The two smashed the touchpad, which shattered to the ground. Everyone in the room looked up in their direction.

Oka vanished, and Lillia was in line now. Ahead of her was Naomi. Lillia knew she had a secret with her, a note with her true feelings on it. She knew she could only give it to one of them.

She was too nervous to take it out on the train ride to the building for fear of someone else reading it. She couldn’t remember the train ride itself, but she knew she had been on a train.

“Loneliness solution,” Naomi said. “But not the right one. Right one is behind you. Behind those letters. So maybe you don’t need a relationship application?”

“What?” Lillia said. She took out the paper. It was a relationship application, like she said. Naomi smiled and looked at Lillia, waiting for her response.

“Naomi, I’ve been planning for a long time. I love you. I’ve been having feelings for you since…since a very long time. Please, would you sign this?”

If everything else was ruined, Lillia could at least have this. Please let me have this one thing. Lillia handed Naomi the paper.

Naomi looked at it, then looked back at Lillia. Her smile faded.

“No.” Naomi said. “Never with you.”

Lillia had felt burning, crushing embarrassment before. Her words added the kind of anger to the mix that makes every action a million times harder to do and overrides any parts of the brain that say something is a bad idea. Naomi started to walk away.

“You don’t get to…” Lillia pointed.

Naomi took the relationship application from Lillia’s hands. She ripped the paper up and let the pieces float slowly down in front of her, a tiny snowstorm of Lillia’s failure.

“Don’t get to do what? Get away from me, Lillia.”

Naomi left, as the last bits of paper fell at Lillia’s feet.

“I wouldn’t have done that to you.” Someone’s voice said from behind her. Lillia recognized the voice. But she couldn’t turn around. The line wouldn’t move, and neither could Lillia.

Kalei’s Nightmare

Kalei ran towards a waterfall, pursuing a flash of orange. She could get closer, but not enough to save her. It was Nikki, being pulled away by shadows.

One of the shadows snaked around Kalei’s body, reaching her ears.

“You don’t care.” It whispered.

“I care!” Kalei screamed. “I cared about her more than anyone!”

Kalei tried to run faster, but the shadow’s appearance had changed, to a beast with claws and a twisted body. Within the body was a mirror, and Kalei saw herself as a monster. She shut her eyes, not wanting to see anymore.

“Turn this crap off,” Kalei said. “This is just Terina…I know it’s something you’re making me see. I can do it, just. Just let Nikki go.”

“You can’t save her,” The shadow whispered. “How can you save her when you don’t even know yourself?”

Kalei yelled, tearing at her monstrous form, finding her old self under it. She tore at the floor, at the shadow, the ground, the waterfall, all of it ripped like paper. Nothing but white lay under the world, and Kalei continued to tear, until she was away from the twisted place, and floated in the nothingness.

“I know I don’t understand it yet,” Kalei said. “I know I don’t get me. But I’m figuring it out. Right? That has to count for something. I’m farther than I was with it. I’m not…hiding it anymore. As much?”

Silence answered her.

“Do you want me to say it?”

Shapes began to form, and she saw the waterfall again. She saw Nikki again, getting pulled away by the shadows. Kalei started to run after her.