by Neko » Tue Jun 26, 2007 6:05 pm
Chapter One: Lights in the sky.
Unlike most kids her age, Madelyn preferred a quiet library then the mall. It wasn’t that she was an outcast or that she didn’t have many friends, she simply enjoyed the company of a good book rather then the company of a person most of the time. She was a girl of few words and few ambitions. Her parents owned a book store in town and she spent most of her time engrossed in the inventory. Peter Pan, Alice in Wonderland, Narnia, Harry Potter, and The Enchanted Forest Chronicles were her friends through the long lazy days of summer that she spent in her family’s shop. No one really knew why, but Madelyn didn’t like going outside if she could help it. No one thought it strange enough to worry over, but her mother always fussed about it not being healthy for a young girl to spend all her time behind a book.
“Go and find a nice boy,” She used to say half teasingly. “Preferably one not on the cover or inside of a book.”
Maybe no one in her family liked to recall the incident or maybe they really didn’t remember, but when Madelyn was five…she came very close to dieing. It happened during a family reunion that was being held at the local lodge up in the mountains. Twilight was falling fast and everyone’s grills were well lit and already had sizzling meats and aluminum wrapped veggies on them. Her Uncle was busy telling her teenaged cousins proper grilling techniques while her Aunt and Grandmas were fussing over her baby cousin, Felicia. Madelyn, along with her eight year old cousin Derrick and his brother Jason went off to play in the clearing near the camp. What game they partook had been long forgotten but for some reason, Madelyn looked up and saw a shining light in the sky.
“Look!” She said smiling as she pointed to the object of interest. Both boys looked up to see the falling light.
“It’s a falling star!” Derrick announced and turned to Madelyn. “Try and catch it Madelyn.”
Despite the fact this suggestion was of pure jest and was simply for the benefit of entertaining little Madelyn with the image of catching a star, the consequences of his words would have world shattering effects unforeseen as the three children gazed up in awe as the bright light fell towards them. With a slight realization that something was very wrong as the light seem to be heading straight as them, Derrick pulled his little brother away and called out to Madelyn to follow him. The light grew closer and closer-brighter and brighter…until…Disobediently, little Madelyn reached out with her hands to catch the light, but her hands missed closing around the star. Instead the bright light hit her squarely in the forehead, knocking her backwards to the ground. When the bright illumination cleared, the child lay motionless on the ground, blood gushing from a penny sized hole in her forehead.
That was ten years ago.
Madelyn underwent an emergency surgery to find whatever it was that hit her, but nothing was ever found. She survived and the only remnant of the event was a small, nearly invisible light patch of scar tissue on her forehead-roughly the size of a penny. Her Father often jokingly called her ‘Harry’ whenever he saw her fussing over it. Once in a while her small scar would itch or feel weird, sometimes even burn, but most often it was out of mind and didn’t bother her. Despite this, she obsessively used flesh colored foundation to hide it. The event that had given her the mark haunted her dreams for years. Having been a decade prior, she had gotten use to it, but there was no ridding herself of the phobia that if she ever dallied too long out doors the same event could repeat itself…and next time she might not be so lucky; which would explain why she was so nervous about the Family Reunion this year. Deciding well in advanced she would stay in camp under the wooden canopied pick nick area, Madelyn made sure to bring a bag of books to keep her occupied.
“Aren’t you excited?” Her Father asked from the driver’s seat. Madelyn looked up from her book.
“I’m excited about seeing everyone,” She replied but added bitterly. “It’s just the ‘out-door’ part that bugs me.”
Her mother made a sound. “You need to get out more honey. You can’t live life from behind the pages of a book. Besides, some fresh air will do you some good.”
“If I wanted some fresh air,” The young girl replied under her breath. “I’d go get some Fabreez.”
The layout of the camp site was much like the last one several years ago. Everyone was already getting into the festivities and food was being prepared. Uncle Ben’s over the top RV took up the entire left side of the site, BBQ already set up and blazing, and Aunt Cindy brushing out the bright blonde hair of a now 10 year old Felicia. Hordes of laughing children ran around the crowds of adults as they stood and chatted while a dog yapped happily along with them. Madelyn twitched at the recollection of playing with Derrick and Jason in a similar fashion all those years ago…
“-elyn? Madelyn?” Snapping back into reality, Madelyn looked into her mother’s face from the backseat smiling. “Are we back from Neverland yet?”
Madelyn made a face and got out of the car, book bag swung securely under one arm. The smell of charcoal, lighter fluid, and pine trees asserted her senses as she stepped out into the open air. Even just standing there she could feel the apprehension begin to creep along the inside of her skull.
“My goodness! Maddie! You’re so big!” Before Madelyn had a chance to react to the sudden noise, she was squeezed into a bear hug by Uncle Ben as he came striding up to their family car.
“Hey,” She managed to say as she returned the hug.
“Ben, how’ve you been?” Madelyn’s father asked reaching out to shake hands.
“Can’t complain Richard, can’t complain,” Ben replied and turned to her mother. “Hello Julia, how’s the shop doing?”
“Well enough,” Her mother replied.
Madelyn made her way to the pick nick area and sat down on one of the tables. Pulling out a large volume, she began to read. Not too long into the third chapter a voice interrupted her processions. Looking up she saw a young boy, two years older then she.
“Hey Maddie,” It was Jason, a grown up Jason. He was in swimming trunks, slightly damp, and he had apparently died the tips of his hair blue for some reason. There was no denial that he’d grown to be a handsome young man. “Wanna go swimming?”
“Didn’t bring my suit,” She said.
“That’s OK,” He replied. “You can barrow some of my clothes to swim in if you want.”
Madelyn shook her head. “Nay, I’d rather read.”
Jason made a face as he looked over the large volume in her hands. “What is it?”
“Lord of the Rings,” She replied. “It’s all the books in one. I’m on book two.”
“I could never even get through the Hobbit,” Jason said sitting next to her. “What else do you have?”
Madelyn set her bookmark between two pages and set it aside as she pulled her book bag closer and pulled out the literature she’d brought. Most was Fantasy though she did bring Steven King’s IT. Jason picked this volume up and began flipping through it.
“I’ve seen this movie,” Jason said. “Scared me to death when I as a kid. I’ve only seen the ending once. ”
Madelyn smiled. “The book’s better.”
“Isn’t it always?”
For the next half hour or so the two cousins found themselves talking about books and other various interests. While Madelyn’s hobby was books and reading, Jason’s apparently was photography. He disappeared into his camper to retrieve a collection of his. Gazing through the album, Madelyn found herself awe struck. They were beautiful. Black and White photos of flowers, children playing in a field, and one of a balloon rising high into the sky were among her favorites.
“Want me to take your picture?” He asked. “Sun set is a great time to take pictures, the lighting is so interesting.”
“Nay,” She said.
“Come on!”
“I don’t-”
“Pleeeeaaaaase?” Madelyn found herself giggling at the face he made. He was very good at making puppy eyed pleas.
“Alright,” She replied, half smiling.
A few moments later, Jason returned with an impressive looking Camera in one hand and a tripod in the other. “Let’s get some forest shots.”
Despite the increasing apprehension of possible special debris knocking her out again, Madelyn found the courage to follow Jason into the woods. They wandered around for a time until Jason finally announced that he was satisfied with the set up and light. He took a couple pictures of Madelyn leaning against trees, gazing out into the sun, and other various poses. After the first few photos however, Madelyn began to really get into it striking funny and over exaggerated poses.
“Look at miss high-fi model here,” Jason laughed as he took photos of Madelyn making ridiculous poses like the ones in fashion magazines. “Give it to me baby!”
Laughing, Madelyn leaned against a nearby rock. “That’s enough, Jason.”
“Awe, c’mon!” He said. Ambling over to where she sat on the rock, Jason joined her, leaning back. “Ok, we’re through then. You’re actually pretty photogenic y’know.”
“Yeah right,” She said.
“No really,” He persisted. “You are. You have a good complexion, comes out good in the lighting.”
Madelyn looked around her and for the first time, realized night had set in. The sky was littered with tiny bright lights that made up the Milky Way. The same image that so much of the world had been deprived of in recent decades due to pollution shown brightly before the two teens…Madelyn began to panic.
“Aren’t the beautiful?” Jason asked gazing into the heavens fawningly. “They’re so bright; it feels like you should be able to reach out and grabbed them like sand. Of course they’re billions of light years away, but still…hey are you OK?”
Looking over, Jason saw Madelyn looking up into the sky anxiously.
“I’m fine,” She said hurriedly. “Let’s just get back OK?”
Jason sat up to look at his cousin and with a certain amount of understanding, nodded. “Sure.”
Getting up to collect his camera and Tripod, Jason felt a twinge of guilt for having brought her out there. He knew she had lingering fears of the incident when she was younger, but he had hoped if he got her to have some fun, she would shed the silly fears. It seemed as if only his brother and he recalled the incident. Derrick had felt bad for a long time about what happened to little Maddie and Jason shared the feeling. They had seen first hand the horrible incident in which a streak of light fell from the sky and pierced the five year old child’s skull, leaving her unconscious on the ground in a pool of her own blood. It was terrifying for the two young boys. They made their way back to the camp in silence, both walking side by side not saying anything to each other though Jason felt as if he should. Madelyn spun her hair around her finger as she walked; a nervous habit she’ picked up. Nervously glancing up every once in a while, she studied the sky with a good amount of apprehension.
‘Where are you?’
Madelyn stopped dead in her tracks, heart in her throat. A voice had spoken to her…but from within her. In her mind she could feel a probing presence almost as if it were looking around in her skull. The sensation wasn’t the least bit pleasant and it was horrifying.
‘Where are you?’
The Voice again!
“Madelyn?” Jason said looking back, seeing his cousin standing a few feet behind him. “Something the matter?”
Looking up, Madelyn gave Jason a pleading glance. “Did you hear that?”
Jason didn’t reply right away, instead he listened for anything that may be the source of her discomfort. “Nope.”
“You don’t hear that?” She asked unbelieving and suddenly grasping her ears as a sharp pain shot through her. “But it’s so loud!”
“Maddie?” Jason said worriedly as he walked over to her and put is arms around her. “Are you in pain?”
‘WHERE ARE YOU?!!!’
With a painful squeak, Madelyn collapsed to the ground and huddled into a ball. “J-Jason it hurts! Make it stop!”
Not knowing what to do, Jason picked up his cousin and began to run. Panic was shooting through his brain as he ran. Whatever was happening to Madelyn it looked serious. Fearing she could be having a brain aneurism he pushed his legs faster and harder…and then the world exploded in his face. A large explosion erupted before him, sending him and Madelyn flying backwards. Landing hard, Madelyn looked up to see Jason staring in awe at the blazing crater before him.
‘There you are…’
Panicking, Madelyn turned around and looked every which way for the source of the voice. There was nothing there. Nothing she could see…
‘Look upwards little one…’
Freezing from her frantic glancing, Madelyn found herself slowly raising her head up. And what she saw chilled her so deeply that she suddenly bean questioning her sanity. Hovering just above the tree tops, glaring down at her, was a large dark being. Easily twenty feet tall, the being suddenly began to descend. As it closed in, the fire from the explosion gave light to the otherwise dark figure. Black…metal skin…bright yellow eyes…
Madelyn transfixed her eyes so intently on the robotic being; she didn’t hear Jason yelling for her to run. Pulling her to her feet, Jason force her into a run. They didn’t get far. A giant metal foot blocked their path as it smashed unmercifully into the Earth. Madelyn stared into the yellow eyes. Those horribly yellow eyes…With a horrid realization, Madelyn watched as the figure reached forward with a dark hand towards them. Jason pushed her away, yelling something. Large finger grasped around Jason and lifted him up.
“NO!” Madelyn screamed. “Don’t hurt him!”
The dark being regarded her for a moment before turning and re-depositing Jason onto the ground. Turning back, the being took a couple steps, closing the gap between Madelyn and him. Madelyn shut her eyes as tightly as she could and squeaked indignantly as the hand of the robotic being closed in around her, picking her up with a noticeable gentleness.
‘I am sorry little one…’
Madelyn let out a cry as the being jumped back into the skies, the G-force heavy and pushing her back into the giant’s palm. Madelyn grasped onto the metallic thumb desperately as the wind roared in her ears.
‘PUT ME DOWN!’ Madelyn pleaded within her mind.
‘I cannot…’ Came the reply.
When the rush of wind and the pull of momentum ceased, she looked up into the giant robot’s face.
‘You can hear my thoughts?’ Madelyn thought, frightened.
‘I can.’ He nodded. ‘I can hear the voices of all the keys.’
‘Keys?’ She thought dumbly. ‘I’m human, I’m not a key!’
The robot’s face suddenly saddened. ‘Unfortunately you are. And as such it is my mission to retrieve you and bring you back to my Lord.’
Madelyn felt tears swelling up in her eyes. ‘Why? Why are you doing this? Please, let me go! Please.’
Madelyn flinched away as the other hand loomed near her and began to gently stroke her head like you would a pet mouse.
‘If there was any other way,’ the voice soothed. ‘I would…but there is more at stake then just you or me. Everything has been endangered because of us.’
With that, the robot transferred Madelyn to his other hand and with his newly free hand, reached down to his leg and opened a compartment. Taking a strange circular device from within, the robot sat his human captive in the center. The rotating gear on the bottom of the metallic disc began to spin and illuminate. Madelyn gasped.
‘Keep still.’ He warned.
Before she could do anything or reply, a glass shield rose up from within the groves upon the disc, encasing the human girl inside. Eyes wide and heart pounding in her ears, she began to cry.
“What did I do?” Madelyn sobbed aloud, pressing her hands and forehead against the glass.
The robot didn’t answer her.
