Her & Him, liliana941 [book club reads txt] 📗

slipped the shoes off and threw them behind me. My eyes wandered around for something interesting but there was only the sea. I closed my eyes for the longest moment and when I opened them I found myself in a room filled with a hundred little kids. I blinked. What's going on? I looked around the room searching for Daniel but all I saw was dirty little kids. They weren't normal kids though. They were a mixture of street rats, children of broke merchants and farmers, and orphans. Most people considered orphans to be street rats because both didn't have parents but there was a huge difference. Street rats lived on their own, orphans had some kind person taking care of them. And street rats didn't have last names, most orphans did. The more I looked around, the more I realized what was happening. I was in my old school gym with my old schoolmates. We were having an assembly but I didn't know the reason. All I knew was that I was excited. " Christal, they gonna call you next," a little girl with dirty, blond pigtails exclaimed. Instead of being annoyed, I was happy to see this girl. Annelie! She used to be my friend. I automatically grabbed her hands. " You think so? I be the happiest girl on earth if they call my name!" I cried. The nine year old girl flashed me a toothless smile. " Definitely! You so talented on that flutey thang! Mrs. Halron can't can't pick you!" Somehow I understood everything she said. A small smile was pasted on my face. The lady Annelie referred to as Mrs. Halron walked to the front of the gym. She spoke loud and clear. " This award goes to my most talented and kindest student I've ever had. This student is very unique and I truly believe she has the power to change this world! And now, I am proud to announce that this years music award goes to-drum roll please." Every little kid, including me, pounded their little fist on their laps. The room was filled with curiosity. My heart beat quickened. Is it me she's talking 'bout? I wondered. I turned to Annelie, confused. " Why this 'ward so special? It just a stupid 'ward." Annelie looked at me like I was insane. " Sometimes it like you have two brains. You know we all want this 'ward cuz Mrs. Halron giving it out." I looked at " Mrs. Halron." I felt some kind of affection for this tall, brunette woman. And I felt determination to get that award in her hands. She's the reason  I  survive the night. I continue to fight to live just to see her. I was startled. Whoa! Where did that come from? I shook my head. I'm going mad. Mrs. Halron cleared her throat and said the winner. The name seemed to bounce off the wall. Christal. Christal. Christal. Christal. Annelie pushed me up. I started walking forth with a huge smile on my face. My schoolmates cheered me on even though some were jealous. I was half way there when there was a sudden noise of explosion. Not like the explosion of claps I got second ago but an explosion of.........a building. I felt something hot touch my arm. I didn't have time to look because the next moment I was in the air. Then with a loud THUD I landed on my side. I cried in pain but no one heard. I looked up and saw fire everywhere. Kids were running and screaming. Annelie was my first thought. I searched the crowd of kids running away, she wasn't there. I forced myself up, crying. My arm was broken, I knew that. I walked around, desperate to find my friend. My arm was hurting, badly. I tried to stop the tears but I was nine, I couldn't hold them back. My vision blurred. My legs were starting to feel like twigs now. Someone bumped into me causing me to fall over. The pain was unbearable. I screamed. There was two hands on me, then, helping me up. I wiped the tears away with my good hand and saw a boy standing in front of me. He was taller than me so I had to look up. He had chocolate brown eyes. I felt protected then. My lip quivered. " Boa, help me find Annelie!" My mind clicked. Boa! Of course those were his eyes! Little Boa grabbed my good hand and pulled me toward a door. " Is she over there, Boa?" Little Boa looked at me for a second then nodded. " Yeah, sure." I yanked my arm away. " You're lying!" I ran the opposite direction. Where most of the destruction was. Something told me Annelie was there and that something also told me to turn around and run. I continued to run to the chaos. Boa was still following me, I knew, but I could easily get him off my trail. As I got closer, I could feel an unnatural force. It was suffocating me. I choked and fell to the ground. I gasped for air. Air. The fresh air that had once filled my lungs. So clean.....unlike this...... I made a horrible realization. There is no air here! My chest tightened. I knew I was going to die. I frowned. I didn't remember my last breath...how sad to die without remembering your last breath. A tear rolled down my cheek and fell to the floor. Boa was suddenly above me. He grabbed me and carried me away from the fire. I watched the fire as we got closer to the wonderful air. Why are you so beautiful but dangerous? I asked the fire. It didn't respond( thank God). Finally, I could breath. I sucked in as much air as I could. I still watched the fire. It was hypnotizing. People kept running around it, some through. I watched in horror as I saw two dirty, blond pigtails catch on fire. Annelie! She screamed and fell to the ground. A man stood near her, frowning. He had black hair and eyes. He was very tan. He looked like he was thirty. I squinted and noticed he had a scar on his forehead. Was he evil? Yes! He's killing Annelie! But how? I somehow knew the answer. Magic. I cried as Boa took me farther away. The pain of seeing my best friend die was far more worst than my arm. I closed my eyes. This isn't happening! When I opened my eyes, I was staring at the sea. I gasped. Daniel watched me. " What's wrong?" My bottom lip quivered. " It's real! It's all real! There is sorcerers around here. One of them has black hair!" Daniel stared at me. " What? How do you know this?" " 'Cause I've seen it with my own eyes! You have to believe me!" He grabbed my shaking hands. " Okay, I do." " You do?" He nodded. " Is this sorcerer evil?" The memory of Annelie's burning head came to me. I nodded, sadly. Daniel walked to the sailor. " Turn this ship around." " Yes, sir." Daniel walked back to me. " You said the sorcerer had black hair?" I nodded. The man's looks were slipping from my grasps but I remembered his black hair. " Christal, do you believe this sorcerer could be my father?" " I don't know," I responded, weakly. " Then describe him." " I can't." " Why?" " 'Cause I can't remember." " Then how are we suppose to know who's the sorcerer?" " I'll know when I see him." The carriage kept bouncing. I looked at Daniel. I just finished telling him all I could remember about the flashback. " I'm sorry about Annelie." " It was years ago. I hardly remember her." " Did Mrs. Halron die?" he asked, gently. I slowly nodded. " They said she suffocated." " What happened after that?" " The school wasn't repaired so they had to minimize the students that could attend. Ages seven to twelve." " So you don't attend school?" " No, but I do sometimes- not all the times- volunteer to help in fund raisers. Like in the talent show I played my flute and raised up about one hundred dollars." " Oh! That reminds me!" Daniel searched in his suit. He took out a long case. It was small enough to fit in his suit pocket though. He handed it to me. " Open it." I held the case. " What is it?" " Open it and see." I clicked the lock open and stared at silver objects. " What are they?" Daniel smile and grabbed the case. He took out the objects and started to connect them. I watched him with wonder. Daniel connected one more object and gave me the silver stick. " A flute?" I cried. He smiled. " Since you lost your old flute, I thought this one could replace it." I smiled sadly at Daniel. " Mrs. Halron gave me my old flute." " Oh, I'm so sorry, Christal. I didn't-" " No, don't apologize. Thanks for the flute."I kissed him on the lips and observed the flute. It was heavier than my old one. It was probably custom made. I put the mouth piece to my lips and blew. A beautiful sound came out. I laughed. " Play a song," Daniel commanded. I put the flute back to my lips and blew again. I flexed my fingers and began playing a simple melody. Then when I was use to the flute, my fingers moved on their own. I closed my eyes and continued blow. The song had a fun beat but the words were sad. Annelie use to sing the song to me. She was a talented singer. Her voice always touched my heart. One day when Clare was sick and Boa forced me to go to school. Annelie sung me a song that said:No need to worryeverything will be alrightjust close your eyesand you'll see sun light.The dark is goneso don't you crydon't you cryI swear if you do, I might die.Don't you worrywe have it allmaybe not moneybut each other,Christal. She used to sing that over and over until I smiled. It was short but her little voice carried it on forever. A year after she died, I learned the notes and played the song when I was sad or worried. It wasn't the same but sometimes I could hear a little girl far away sing the song along. " That's beautiful," Daniel interrupted my thoughts. I put the flute down and nodded. Daniel glanced out the carriage. " We're here." I shivered as I got out the carriage. We heard noises coming from the back so we headed there. The king was seated along with a man with long, black hair and the General who took my girls. A soldier with a gun stood near them. There was a stage in front of them. Daniel dragged me down to them. Somethings wrong. The King smiled at us as we approached. " What happened? Why are you home so early?" " Father-" Daniel was interrupted by a gun shot. The soldier with the gun smiled and put it down. There was a thud that followed. I looked around. What the- I froze. On the stage was the corpse of a street rat. It was a young boy, maybe ten years old. He wasn't moving and blood was starting to flow out his head. I turned back to the King. He was laughing. I shook my head, disgusted. Before I could speak, a girl  screamed from behind me. " Uncle Royce, this girl is a street rat! Kill her now!" We all turned to face the girl. She had long, dark, curly hair that covered most of her petite body. She was truly beautiful but her voice was harsh.