Memories like knives//Asher

[Nikolas James Shadows]

Nik silently rode his horse down the path. The birds were singing, quite loudly too, and the trail was shaded by the trees hanging over it. His horse was quiet, and there was no one else on the trail. That meant Nik was left alone, and as was usual when he was alone, memories uninvited began to surface.

”Niclae! Niclae, what are you doing?” asked the small, 10 year old Nik. Even after all these years, Nicolae’s nickname, given to him by Nik when he was only 5, still stuck. Nicolae was 16 at this time, an adult to young Nik’s standards. And Nicolae was doing just what any adult would do.

“I’m leaving Nik. I’m going to America, going to see more of this world of ours. I promise I’ll visit soon, Nik, and I’ll bring you a present too. It’ll be okay, Nik, it’s not like I’m going away forever, I’ll be back. One day it’ll be you leaving.”

The words stung the small child. Nik turned on his heel and ran, ran all the way outside and to the forest that surrounded their house. Tears streamed down his small face, and his body began to shake as great sobs racked his body. Niclae couldn’t leave! he thought. Nicolae was everything the young boy had, everything the young boy wanted.

When Nik went back to the house hours later, Nicolae was gone.

Oh Nic, where did you go? You said you would come back, you said you would visit me, then I never saw you again. Why did you desert me, Nic, why did you abandon me?

More memories sprang up. The days he had spent with Melanie at the front of his mind. Nik had found everything he had wanted in a girl in Melanie, and he had spent most of his days with her, away from his house. But then the greatest memory, the one Nik tried his hardest to forget came up. This is what took everything from me. This is what took my life, this is what took my future, this is what took my girl. This is what killed me inside, leaving me a hollow shell of what I used to be.

Nik, 15 years old, sitting in the parlor, as far from the end of the room where his parents where as he could possibly be. They had abandoned him, just as Nic had. They when he was born, they who never once paid him any attention. It was just the same as if they had thrown him out on the streets. Nik had long ago accepted the fact that Nic had abandoned him, left him to die in this hole of a house, this broken family.

A storm raged outside, the wind howled, thunder crashed. It was as if nature was trying to punish someone. Then smoke began to fill the room, first unnoticeably, then Nik’s parents began to cough as it filled their lungs. Nik jumped up wildly, knocking his chair over. Without even a backward glance at his parents, he crashed down the hall to the stairs. Halfway down, he saw the fire that burned through the first floor, consuming the beautiful manor. Recklessly, Nik ran for the window before him. It was the only way out, and still flames consumed it. It was a wild leap, yet Nik made it. Landing outside, he ran for the alleyways around him, his hands screaming in pain. He found a puddle and plunged his hands in. The fire that had covered them hissed as it departed, and Nik screamed aloud in pain. He looked at his hands and regretted it. Black, shriveled, seared flesh was all that remained. The fire had boiled the flesh straight off of his hands. Nik had been lucky to escape as he unscathed as he had.

Looking back, Nik saw the beautiful manor he had called home crash to the ground as the flames greedily consumed it. He knew that people of the town had set the house on fire, purposefully trying to kill those within. Why they did, Nik would never find out.

Fires…Nik shuddered. They were the one thing Nik would never again like to be around. He looked down at his hands, covered by his black gloves. Looking around to check that no one was there, he pulled them off. His hands were no longer black, but they were scarred. They were red as a beat, and pain washed through them with every heartbeat.

WORDS! 751
STATUS! complete
TAGS! Asher
NOTES! nothhinngggg
INSPIRATION! The Killers
CREDITS! Template By arro @ Caution!
Pic By PIC CREDIT GOES HERE
LYRICS! "If You Can't Live Without Me,
Why Aren't You Dead Yet?" by Mayday Parade

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[Asher Quinton Strayhorn]

you walk around like you dont know me
HOW COULD YOU BE SO HEARTLESS

Fire. The thing that destroyed his family, his life. Yet it was his strongest element, his forte. Ash didn’t get it – was it some cruel joke played on the whims of whatever god that lived above? He didn’t know, or understand, and probably would never. Little tendrils of flames dripped down his arms, and onto the forest floor below him. He was riding a large, brindle mare. Her name was Calamity, completely opposite from her nature. She was a sweet mare, only ever striving to please. The forest was quiet, birds singing softly. Memories began to flood into his mind, terrors that he’d wished he’d forgotten a long time ago.

A large Irish country manor roasted in flames. The screams of a little infant boy and his parents could be heard above the roar of the flames. Flames that engulfed Ash’s home, his family, his livelihood. Only one other person was immune to the fire, his sister, Finndabhair. She was next to him – pulling him away, or trying to. He was fighting her, screaming, trying to get away from here. Anything to rescue his family, but he was too late.

The screams and already gone quiet, their authors silenced. Forever. Ash stood there, at loss for words. Feeling a hand on his shoulder, he turned. It was Finndabhair, concern in her eyes-something rare. He let her led him out, into the night. Authorities had investigated the fire, but no explanation had ever been formed. He’d often wondered if it had been Finn, but dismissed it early on after the fire.

Coming out of the memory, Ash blinked, slightly dazed. Sorrow and pain washed through him, and he clenched his jaw. Regret at not getting there in time had been with him every day of his life. Ash looked up, scanning the trees. Elementals had better senses, and physical capabilities beyond that of ‘normal’ humans. No one knew why, but it’d always been that way. He’d heard a noise up ahead, but he couldn’t see the origin. Easing his mare forward, Ash peered through the trees. Up a couple hundred yards was a boy on a horse, another student here. Ash stayed where he was, only sending a fire beast to inspect. It was a deer, and it formed in the direction opposite of Ash, on the other side of the boy. It stared curiously at the boy, its flame bodydripping fire, fire that didn’t burn the ground.

notes ?! sorry it took so long
words ?! 407
tagg ?! nikolas
wearing ?! OUTFIT ?
credit ?! REAL SLIM SHADY !? @ Caution 2.0
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[Nikolas James Shadows]

Nik let his gloves fall in his lap. His horse was grazing on the grass around him, but Nik didn’t care to make him move. Let him rest, it wasn’t something you always got, as Nik knew quite well. His hands were throbbing, but they were starting to feel a little better now that the cool air was washing over them. He let out a sigh, glad that he had the chance for his hands to rest and cool.

Then, out of the corner of his eye, Nik saw something move. He looked around, seeing the burning deer. Flames dripped down its body, wrapping around the deer’s form, dropping to land on the grass below before being absorbed by the ground. Nik watched it curiously, wondering why the things the flames touched didn’t burn. He swung the house around to get a better look at it, cradling his hands to his chest.

WORDS! 152
STATUS! complete
TAGS! Asher
NOTES! nothhinngggg
INSPIRATION! The Killers
CREDITS! Template By arro @ Caution!
LYRICS! "If You Can't Live Without Me,
Why Aren't You Dead Yet?" by Mayday Parade

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