The Pyle Inside

“No! Don’t touch me!” I shrieked. 

The hideous black snake lunged at me as fast and as vicious as a tiger. It’s only one inch away from me when I suddenly heard a voice.

“Alya, wake up! You’re having a nightmare!” said Veronica.

I jumped up with beads of sweat streaming down my face. I was on the verge of tears. Veronica hugged me right away, and I was immediately comforted. She was my older sister, and I looked up to her. I loved her, and I was able to call her my best friend.

“Thank you so much, Veronica,” I said with great appreciation.

     “What was your nightmare about?” she asked.

     “There was an enormous black snake chasing after me,” I replied.

     “I had the same exact dream,” she said, looking bewildered.

I looked at her with a speck of envy in my eyes. She was able to control herself so well, and not have a reaction to such an event when I still needed her help. Veronica started to lead me off my bed, grabbing my hand. I rolled my eyes at her because she’s always bossing me around. Suddenly, a glisten shined through our fingers, and the whole room started shaking. Startled, we let go frantically.

     “Woah, what happened?” I said.

     “I don’t know, let’s hold hands again to see if the same thing happens,” suggested Veronica.

I nodded my headed and grab my sister’s hand. Once again, the same thing happened, except we made the room shake even more than it did before. In a flash, we magically fell into two clear tubes. I was alone in one tube, and Veronica was in the tube right next to me. The space around us was as dark as the night sky. My heart beat a million times faster, and I started breathing without a stop. Not only was I trapped in a tube, but I also didn’t know where I was going. I swiftly glanced at Veronica. Her face was neutral, and it looked like she was not scared at all. I clenched my fists until I felt a warm liquid roll on my hands. I looked at them, and they’re smothered with blood.

     “BOOM!”

We crashed into the ground at the same time.

     “Alya, are you okay?” asked Veronica.

     “I’m fine,” I whimpered.

She wrapped her arms around me, and I was instantly soothed. I looked around, and we were somehow in a miraculous place. It had rainbows, green grass, unicorns, and beautiful cottages everywhere. It also smelled like cotton candy.

    “Welcome to THAAD. I am Lucy, the queen of this planet,” saed a voice beside me.

Veronica flung her arms off of me, and we turned at the same time to see who is there. An angelic lady stood beside us. She was so pretty that I couldn’t take my eyes off of her. She had blond hair, blue eyes, and a small nose. Her lips were red like blush.

“Who are you and why are we here? Why are we here, and who are you?” asked Veronica in a tight voice.

“I’ve already introduced to you guys who I am. You guys are here because I am fond of both of your personalities, and I’ve chosen the two of you to help me stop the evil villain Jack. He is trying to steal THAAD’s magical love stone to do evil deeds. If we don’t stop him now, he’s eventually going to become too powerful for us to stop.”

Veronica and I looked at each other doubtfully, a smile on our faces. We loved adventure, and this seemed like the perfect mission.

“We are in,” I said.

For the next few days, we spent our time training and developing new skills. Within three days, we were ready.

     Lucy said, “I have to go visit my friend today, so I’ll trust you two to guard the love stone.”

     After she left, Veronica said, “You can continue training, I’ll guard the keystone.”

At that, I was furious. I was mad that Veronica always considered herself better and stronger than me.

     Out of anger, I said, “Why do you always act like a brat? You are not better than me, alright?

Shocked, she glared at me and turned her back to me. My hands trembled with guilt. Five minutes later, a guy walked toward us. He has a thin, sleep-flushed face and a wry mouth. He was so striking that I couldn’t take my eyes off of him.  

   “Hi, my name’s Vincent, and I’m Lucy’s assistant,” he said.

    “Hello, why are you here?” asked Veronica.

     “I’m here to work with you guys, because I will be fighting Jack along with both of you,” he replied.

My stomach filled with butterflies, and I can’t help but smile shyly. He smiled back, and immediately shivers went through my body. Over the next hour, the three of us worked on our flying skills.

     When Veronica left to go to the bathroom, Vincent said, “You’re doing great!”

     “Thanks!” I responded with a smile.

     “You’re also really beautiful,” he said.

I glanced at him with mesmerized eyes. He stared back at me, and I have a twinkling feeling on my shoulders. He leans in, and within a minute, I felt his soft lips against mine. Not knowing what to do, I gently placed my arms on his broad back. The kiss lasted for a minute, and I enjoyed every moment of it. After the minute’s over, he leaned away, and we continue to stare at each other.

     “Do you want to be my girlfriend?” he asked tenderly.

   “Of course I do!” I said a little too happily.

When Veronica came back, she’s confused about why Vincent and I have a close connection.

     “Why are you two so touchy?” she asked finally.

     “It’s none of your business, you brat,” I replied.

Her eyes lower to the ground, and her shoulders droop. A single tear streams down her face. Over the next few hours, we’re exasperated by each other. While Vincent went to his room, Veronica and I each stood on the opposite side of the love stone.

Suddenly, the wind started howling, and a wizard-like human appeared above us. He zoomed down as fast as lightning and grabbed the stone. It all happened too fast for us to react. On the way out, he snatched Veronica with him, and she screamed like a lunatic. I panicked and pace back and forth.

     “What happened to the love keystone, and where’s Veronica?” asked a voice beside me.

I turned around to see Lucy walking towards me.

     Chokingly, I replied, “I think Jack stole the love stone and took Veronica along with him.”

Her face turned white, and I know that I have to fix this.

     “I can go fight him. You told me that I was strong enough to do so,” I said loudly.

     She said, “No, you don’t understand. You will only be strong enough when Veronica is with you. That’s the reason why Jack had to take her. Now, you have no way to stop him.”

Tears streamed down my face, and it soon drenched my shirt. I really missed Veronica, and I’ll do anything to get her back. I swallowed hard to prevent any tears from coming back.

     “I still have to go. Even if I fail, I’d have at least tried,” I say.

Not waiting for a reply, I zoomed out of THAAD using my wings and make my way to Jack’s home in the icy mountains. When I arrived, my heart is racing. All I wanted to do is curl up into a ball, and wait for someone to tell me that everything is alright. I knew that’s not an option, so I troed my best to walk into his mansion confidently.

     “Welcome, Alya!” said Jack.

     “Give me back my sister and the love stone,” I said with a quivering voice.

     “You’re so demanding for a young girl! Well, you’ll have to fight me before you can claim any of those things,” he replied.

Suddenly, he puts his hand over his face and rips off his mask. I fall back when I see Vincent appear in front of me.

     “Vincent, why are you here?” I asked.

     “HAHAHA! You must have never guessed that I was pretending to be your boyfriend!” he exclaimed.

     “What?! I refuse to believe this. I swear that I felt a connection in between us!” I insisted.

     “That was all fake!” he shouted.

I choked back tears. Just when I’m about to give up, I thought of Veronica. I quickly stood up and launched a ball of fire at him, but he made it disappear with a bucket of water. We continued fighting like that for a few minutes, and I started to get tired. When I’m not paying attention, five sharp thorns of ice flew at me. I moved away as quick as possible, but it was too late. All of them stabbed me right in the stomach, and I fell to the ground. With a mocking laugh, he continued to shoot ice thorns at me. I felt the sharp pains enter through my body, and I saw the blood on my arms.

I couldn’t feel any part of my body anymore, and I knew that I couldn’t make it. I started thinking of Veronica, and how much I loved her. I recall the times when she protected me from the mean girls in my school, and how she always knew what to say when I was sad. Hot, burning tears form in my eyes. Suddenly, Jack is no longer able to shoot anything at me. A lightbulb clicked in my head, and I knew what Lucy meant when she said that only Veronica and I together can be powerful. It was the power of love that can last forever. As long as we loved each other, no force of evil could defeat us.

     “Oh Veronica, I love you so much!” I said loudly.

Jack fell to the ground. My eyes watered as I think of her kindness and patience to me throughout the years. I continued to try to express my love.

     “STOP!!!” Jack screamed as he is dissolved into dust.

Veronica appeared with the love stone in her hands. I ran up to her and gave her a big hug. I now realized how much my sister meant to me, and I promised myself that I would never hurt her again.

     When we released our arms, we say in unison, “I love you.”