Dreams & Reality
Why do girls have to be so pretty? Itās not that I mind, because I donāt, butā¦it always throws off my cool groove.
CHOICES is the first book in the Chronicles of a Hero fantasy series. This is the story of Wendell P. Dipmier, who Iāve been writing about since 1990. I hope youāll join me on this new adventureā¦.as I tell the honest, complete story of this amazing 17 year old, exclusively on Life of Fiction.
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Chapter 9
Have you ever been dreaming and then realized it WAS a dream?
I donāt usually remember dreams, so this was new to me. The movements, the emotions, it all felt soā¦real.
I know Iām still considered a kid, but I believe that who you are comprises the tiny choices you make. Not just in a day, but throughout your life. Those seemingly insignificant things we do from day-to-day, especially in how we interact with others, make a difference. You choose to go forward when you could have gone back. To push forward when you could have easily given up. To stand up one more time than you are knocked down. Small choices add up.
Good or bad, they add up.
Those who discover who they truly are, who learn what makes them unique...are the ones who choose to do the right thing. Even when faced with painful choices, the choose the right thing. Not because they get a reward or recognition.
ā¦but because itās the right thing.
Sad thing was, no matter how many times I called out, she kept running. Typical Monday for me, if weāre being honest. āWait!ā I shouted again. āDonāt go!āĀ
She dropped the purple light into the pouch flung across her shoulder. Her long, dark curls bounced across her tunic as she quickly vanished around the corner.
The sudden darkness nearly swallowed me.
Iām forced to slow down, and I clenched my eyes closed so my vision could adjust. The light from the scattered torches was barely enough to tell me what I could already smell ā it was damp and dusty down here. The moisture also makes the stone floor slippery.
āYou need to hurry,ā Doubt grunted.
Working on it!
The cellar was a veritable maze. Sheād lose me if I wasnāt carefulā¦so I sprinted. We were taking a beating in the battle outside. Boulders smashing into the castle proved it. Its foundation shuddered under the soles of my feet.
Our enemyās trebuchet were relentless. Their bombardment echoed through the corridors. Dust, dirt and pebbles fell from the mortar onto my head and shoulders, getting into my eyes. I had to blink through the coughs.
āPlease! Let me help you!ā I called out again.Ā
āCome on, Wendell,ā Doubt says. āRUN!ā
When I finally caught up, she was cowering at a juncture in the tunnels, eyes wide like a cornered rabbit.Ā
She screamed.
Okay, I may not be the most handsome guy around, sure, but screaming in terror was a bit much toā¦
āSheās not looking at us,ā said Doubt.
Thank goodneā¦oh, wait.
Hunched over, a robed figure materialized, drifting in from the blackness of the halls with tattered cloth hanging from a boney figure beneath. A pungent smell swallowed the air up. Rotting flesh. It was so strong; I gagged.Ā
Thatās when I catch a flash of movement along the floor.
Hundreds of insects ā cockroaches, flies, earwigs, and things I canāt identify ā scatter across the tiles. Things left behind with each step the figure takes. Footsteps of decay.
The figure hisses. Arms outstretched towards the girl, it ignores me.
Jerk.
She recoils from the bug-guy, screaming.
Tha-THUMP-Thump.
My reaction is instantaneous. Reaching out with my hands, I grip the air in front of me. I look at the torches on either side of the hallway. White light flared from my chest, the Ithari blazing beneath my tunic. I could see and feel the flames of the torches. Warmth rippled beneath my skin, traveling from my chest out through my limbs to my fingertips. We become one, Ithari and I.
One heart. One mind.
Answering a silent call, the fire leapt from the wall, expanding and swirling, splitting into giant fingersā¦and into hands. Flames extending from my being, mimicking every movement I make. Clapping my hands together, the burning extensions of my will snatch the robe, yanking it away from the girl and holding it fast.
Shrieks claw at my ears and spine as the creature shakes, trying to escape my grasp. I hold it fast, squeezing my palms tighter. Smoke billows from my fingers of flame, rolling up along the ceiling in all directions. I can feel the will of this creature clashing with my ownā¦a magic seeking to protect itself. To escape.
I donāt let it.
Instead, I hold this being fast until the screaming stops,ā¦and thereās nothing left but ash.
āOh yeah,ā Doubt hums, āThe Wendellizer has saved the day! Uh-huh, uh-huh, uh-huh.ā
With self-assured bravado, I roll my shoulders back as I stand upright. Changing my focus from the torches to the girl, the flaming extension of my will fades. Pleased with myself, I prepared my āPrince Charming Smileā (practiced, of course), and turned to the girl.
Her features are revealed to me in the torchlight. A rumpled mane of long, dark curls frame the gentle curves of her face, and her dark chocolate eyes locked onto mine. She has perfect lips, an upturned nose and a smile that causes my heart to skip a beat.
*sigh*
Make that two.
Why do girls have to be so pretty? Itās not that I mind, because I donāt, butā¦it always throws off my cool groove.Ā
āYou saved me!ā she coos, batting her doe-eyes at me. Jumping to her feet, she side-steps the pile of ash and draws close. Those full lips part in another intoxicating smile and I, um, what was I doing?
āDude, youāre being cool,ā Doubt reminds me.
Right. I smile back. āYeah,ā¦ā but that doesnāt sound rightā¦ āI mean, āWhy yes, I did.āā
āThatās better,ā Doubt whispers. āConfident.ā
She reaches out, her fingers intermingle with my own. Without warning, my knees go weak, wanting to buckle under me. I keep it together.Ā
Barely.
Her touch is so soft, her skin warm, even in this dank cellar. I just smileā¦because, wellā¦I have no idea what to do next.
āThank you,ā she whispers, drawing closer.
āYou are SO my hero right now!ā
Shut up.
āSorry.ā
Those full lips could utter complete nonsense and Iād turn to butterā¦
āAn old apple shoots pineapples with a machine-gun.ā
Ooooo, say it again!
She steps closer and wraps her arms around me.
āWow, ohhhhHHHH WOW!ā
She lays her head on my chest.
I bite my lip.
Hard.
āOw.ā
Too hard.
Sheās so close I can feel her breathing and Iām all too aware of her against me. It takes all the willpower I have not to panic. Iām not sure what other teenagers do, but my body canāt decide whether to collapseā¦or melt.
Luckily, someone decided for me.
She looks up into my eyes, reaches her hand around my neck, and pulls me closer.Ā
āWE HAVE KISSING ACTION!ā Doubt shrieks.
Dude.
āSorry,ā he whispers.
Closing her eyes, she opens those beautiful lips and whispers,ā¦
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