- - - - - - - - - -
Ezra rushed up the hill away from his friends laughing all the while whilst thinking about what he planned to do tonight. He had finally decided to make him and Anna official, he slicked back his blonde hair whilst thinking about how this night would end with her accepting, rushing into his arms and promising to be only his forever.
Before it didn't seem like that big of a priority and he was actually planning on making Anna his girlfriend when high school was over. However, he had heard that some guy, that the people he talked to didn't recognise, had walked Anna home after school today.
He figured he could kill two birds with one stone.
All Ezra had to do was walk up the hill, bump into this guy, hit him a couple times until the guy started hitting him back, beat him up so he would never come near Anna again and ask Anna to be his girlfriend whilst making himself look like a hero.
It was a perfect plan...
- - - - - - - - - -
I began my trek back through the town so I could get a later bus back home when I spotted that asshole bully Ezra. We get closer and closer to walking into each other's path. I'm not worried too much I mean Ezra has more important stuff to do than pick on me right now. So I just walk by trying not to make eye contact.
The next thing I know my back is hitting the floor and he's walking towards me. He goes for one of my legs I try to move it out of the way but it's in vain he uses his raw strength to break it. In the real world this is the worst pain I have ever experienced but I've experienced worse with the Written Word. After kicking me in the ribs a couple times he goes right up to my face and tells me to stay away from Anna and punches me in the face until everything goes black...
"I mean the guy is such a weakling! He went down too easy! Thankfully I noticed that he was going to hurt me otherwise I don't know what would have happened!"
"It just doesn't seem like the kind of thing he would do."
"When did you start hanging out with this weirdo so much anyway!"
"Shut up! I think he's waking up."
I open my eyes slowly and realise I'm in a super large bedroom, lying on soft sheets and Anna is so close to me and touching my face with a worried expression. I must be in heaven!
Anna leaves my side and goes to talk to a guy that I instantly recognise as the guy who jumped me, Ezra. This must be the other place then!
I lift myself out of bed surprised at my own strength and point a finger at Ezra. Both Ezra and Anna are equally as shocked that I am now back on my feet.
I feel my shirt rub against my ribs so take it off and when I do they look even more shocked. I instantly close the gap between me and Ezra, I grab him by his neck before hitting him in the throat and nose. I push him onto the white carpeted floor which now has specks of red from Ezra's nose.
"You jumped me randomly on the street! I was just walking!" I grab my shirt and my shoes and leave.
- - - - - - - - - -
Anna approached a struggling crumpled Ezra with fists clenched.
"Did you really just attack him without a reason!" She yelled at Ezra. "Get out!"
The floored Ezra who had been struggling to breathe picked himself up and left.
Anna couldn't get it out of her mind, when Owen was coming to she was starting to believe that Ezra had been telling the truth. That Owen had attacked Ezra and he had to defend himself.
But now she couldn't get the picture out of her head of him rising up, pointing at Ezra, ripping his shirt off and putting a complete stop to his lies.
She knew they were lies now because if Owen had attacked Ezra then he wouldn't have been able to stop him.
She woke the next day and she could still smell Owen on her pillow. She opened the curtain and looked down at their front gate, the front gate where Owen had hugged her. She walked to school, the same route she and Owen had walked yesterday. No matter what she was struggling to push him out of her mind. She was starting to think she may have been too harsh on Ezra yesterday when she saw a part of the pavement that had had blood on it, she decided she should check on Owen first and see how he is feeling and then deal with Ezra.
She headed to Ms. Gladys' class fully expecting to find him sitting there but as the class went on he never showed up. She looked for him at lunch but his friends said they hadn't seen him either. She had a sinking feeling in her stomach that grew worse as the day went on. What if he had decided to go to a different school because of yesterday.
She walked home by herself but stopped before she reached her gate. There was a person standing there waiting wearing all black. They had their face covered and were just standing there on their phone. She tentatively got closer and the hooded figure looked up from their phone and gave a warm smile. That was the last thing she saw...
- - - - - - - - - -
I had been having a rough time since yesterday.
Splitting headache, full body pain and I'd been forced into using a one time skill on Ezra which lead to me being captured.
I'd been tied to a chair and had tape covering my eyes and mouth. I really hoped I wasn't about to have my organs harvested.
I tried to make out my surroundings it was hard to see most of it but I could make out a bunch of paper that had been pinned to a wall, I could see a bed, a window and a door, all from the slits in the closet I had been shoved in.
I tried using analysis or written word to try to come up with some way out of this...
[Countdown until skills become usable again: 4hrs]
It had been this way ever since yesterday, ever since I used the skill [Damage Sponge], a one-time use skill that was way too high-Level for me because it not only put a stop to every skill for a whole day but it also said it would broadcast my location to a nearby enemy.
All in all, it was still pretty worth using just to beat someone more powerful than me. It felt good to actually stand up for myself for once.
[Countdown until skills become usable again: 3hrs]
I wonder how worried everyone is that I'm gone, or even if anyone is actually worried.
Let's face it my parents work too much to notice my existence, plus they only fawn over my older brother anyway. My friends might miss me if I hadn't been acting so strange lately.
This seems like a weird moment to have some self-reflection but things have been so hectic lately it feels nice to take a moment to myself.
[Countdown until skills become usable again: 2hrs]
I need to stop moping around. I need to stop trying to rely on this system. I mean sure it feels otherworldly every time I Level up or use a skill but it's not like it's improved my life. It may have given me a nudge to change but the only one I can rely on to change my life or survive one of its hellish trials is me.
I try to take stock of what I have with me; my phone, my house keys, a pen, some money, my rubber band bracelet, my trousers and my socks.
What I don't have; a shirt or shoes.
Its no use I can't manage to untie myself or even get the tape of my mouth so I'll have to try and figure out my plan for later on after I escape.
[Countdown until skills become usable again: 1hrs]
Taking stock of what I know, I know that the system told me the enemy would be nearby so chances are I'm probably surrounded by fields or forests.
I have no knowledge of fighting or even how to survive interrogation.
So my best options are either to find some way to run or try and turn on the charm, I really don't want to try the last option. Or if I can get my hands untied and get something with weight into them I can try using my accuracy to knock them out with a good throw.
[Countdown until skills become usable again: 30mins]
The door opens finally letting light into my closet and my eyes try to adjust to make out my captor, or hopefully my rescuer.
"Did you really think you would get away with ruining my world?"
I now see that my captor is a stocky redhead with freckles and massive bags under her eyes.
"I'm really sorry I couldn't be here when you woke up! I was really hoping to take the day off so I could have a whole day before your skills came back."
She rips off the tape on my mouth without a moment to consider my pain.
"Hey there, how you doing? Come here often?" I decide my only option is the worst one, turning on the charm. So I flash a grin whilst saying this in my most suave voice.
"Do you really expect me to believe you don't know who I am?!" She seems both sad and incredibly furious.
"No but I'd love to, how about you untie me so we can get to know each other a little better?"
"Definitely not! Now tell me what you did!"
"What do you mean what did I do?"
"You beat my novel as a character who was supposed to be completely in the background until he dies!"
After showing I didn't understand a bit more she told me that she was the writer of 'My Sweetheart Psycho' and she also possessed the Written Word but she was a writer instead.
"There are more of us! That's really cool!" I exclaimed genuinely happy I wasn't the only one going through this torture.
"Yes it is now tell me what you did before I write you dying with no chance of escape!"