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Chapter 34. Write a Novel Challenge.

by Joli LindbergJune 14, 2020

Drip, Drip, Drip.

Neina stood there, paralyzed with fear, regret and anger. The sound of Charlotte’s blood dripping onto the cobblestone path seemed to multiply in both sound and speed.

This has got to be in her head, she would never hurt her best friend, right?

With a shaky breath she whispered, “Charlotte?”

Hot pools of tears started to run down Neina’s face as she made her way closer to her injured best friend, hoping, begging, that the cut to her face wasn’t as severe as she imagined it to be. That did not work for her. Charlotte’s cheek was completely cut open, with her teeth visible through the sinews of her cheek muscle and blood pooling out.

The air between them became heavy, and time seemed to stop. In an act of pure desperation, Neina began to try and cover the wound with her cardigan. As her best friend slumped lifelessly, Neina began rummaging through her purse to find her phone to call the police, the ambulance – she didn’t care, as long as it could help her friend from dying! She struggled to focus, once the phone came into contact with Neina’s shaking fingers.

As the ground around them started to crack like glass, a ball smashed through it. They were plunged into a sea of darkness.

“No no no no no no, not now, why now!?”Neina yelled as she began to fall into the void of darkness. Her heart began to ache at the thought of Charlotte dying in her arms.

Why had she hurt Charlotte? Why was Charlotte there to begin with? How could she have done this to her best friend? Why is the world doing this to her? The panicked thoughts started to soar through Neina’s mind as she frantically tossed herself around within the bottomless pit she was still falling into. She desperately looked for her best friend in the dark and endless void.

A moment of relief washed over her for a second, once Charlotte came into site. She screamed for her best friend, in the hope that she would answer. She was just falling as if she was just a lifeless doll cut from the strings of life. No matter how hard she tried to close the distance between her and Charlotte it felt as if gravity was only pulling them apart. The air around them stopped and now it felt as if they were floating in air.

“Charlotte!” Neina yelled “Please answer me, please tell me you’re alright even if your lying … just show me that you’re still alive, please!”

The sounds of Neina’s sobs filled the void, as her tears started to fall once again.

‘I suppose that’s up to you’ Janus’s words echoed through the void. A sudden moment of realization lifted her up, but why? It felt as if she was circling close to the answer, even if in her hearts of hearts, she knew she had … nothing.

“Think…” a voice echoed through the dark empty void. Then it hit Neina. “This isn’t real…”

Suddenly, a figure draped in all-black swathes of material with only her mouth showing, appeared in front of her. Her presence alone made Neina tremble, but her aura felt motherly, warm and loving. She started to move closer to Neina. Every instinct in her body told Neina to run, but why was she so anxious? Was it because she knew she was in Mors world now? Or was it because Charlotte was still hurt? It was, probably, a combination of both.

The silence was broken by the woman.

“The mind is the most sensitive part of the body and soul. One mere word can send it down a dark train of thought,” the voice said with a sinister grin. “So many people fail to realize it. So tell me dear, what makes you so special?”

Her mind went blank. Every part of her body felt as if it were on fire, screaming at her to get out, to run. The woman sighed and walked to Charlotte. It was then that Neina realized that she was now walking on air. But that wasn’t the part that scared her. What scared her was how normal it felt.

The woman started to laugh hysterically before being able to compose herself and fill the air with her sinful sneer.

“Poor, pitiful child. The world plays a cruel game with you.”

Game? What does she mean game?

Every second that passed only put Neina down another path of questions.

Neina noticed that the woman was picking up Charlotte and starting to drag her away.

“Wa..wait what are you doing with Charlotte?” Neina asked, fear tracing over every ounce of her body.

She had to do something.

Charlotte was helpless, lolling in the arms of her cloaked captor. She needed to get her to help, but, as she reached out, the woman just continued to walk away, ever further into the consuming darkness.

No….no no, she’s taking Charlotte…. I have to get out of here, I HAVE TO HELP CHARLOTTE!

Neina’s mind reeled.

Then, suddenly, everything became uncomfortably bright and the sounds of yelling echoed within her head.

“Neina…..Neina wake up!”

It was Frankie, yelling. She jolted awake. “Hey are you alright? You passed out at your desk while working on Prophecy Tower. Do you need to see the doctor again?”

Neina started to look around trying, desperately, to make sense of the situation.

And then it hit her. She wasn’t in Mors World anymore. Well, at least, it didn’t feel like she was.

It took her some time to reply to Frankie. “Yes, I think I was just working a bit too hard,” she croaked. Then it hit her: Charlotte!

“Have you seen Charlotte?” she pleaded in a barely audible whisper.

Concerned and confused Frankie replied that she was in her office.

Neina rushed around the office, but as luck had her, she couldn’t seem to remember where Charlotte’s office was. It was as if she was in an alternate dimension. The office looked the same but she had lost all recollection of how to navigate her way around the once familiar place. Defeated, she sped her way back to her desk, in hope of finding her there.

Suddenly a familiar scent grazed Neina’s nose. “Neina?” She slowly turned and, as if all time had stopped once again, she was filled with an overwhelming feeling of happiness, relief and, then, disappointment. With a few shaky breaths she finally spoke …

“Ryder?”

For further information on the Write a Novel Challenge by SchoolsCompared.com and WhichSchoolAdvisor.com, please click here.

To read Chapter 1, click here.

To read Chapter 2, click here.

To read Chapter 3, click here.

To read Chapter 4, click here.

To read Chapter 5, click here.

To read Chapter 6, click here.

To read Chapter 7, click here.

To read Chapter 8, click here.

To read Chapter 9, click here.

To read Chapter 10, click here.