Found; a prequel to Lost

Here is the finished version of the story I called Thorne back in August of last year. I finished it, delelted it, rewrote it, and repeated that process about seven times. I thought that its name needed to be changed, and I finally decided to use the title it has now, 'found', because the companion, the long story is to be called Lost. Lost is still in the first stages, and hopefully it will be posted up here in the next year. The chapters in this novella switch between two different narrators.

 

Just a little side note, this short story follows one of my favorite characters I have ever had the pleasure of creating. Stated simply his name is Casey Clark Saetren. He has a twin named Tosia, who is the other narrator in the story. His mom and his dad divorced as it says somewhere in the story, because of mistreating of his kids. Clark is one of my favorite characters, because he is one that has a ton of depth. I could write stories with him in them, about him, around his world all day. Another thing to note is that this story deals with the Unforgivables as they go through this trial and become UFs. (I will explain later). I think I have rambled long enough. (Its 4179 words)

 

Read on, if you wish.

Found

By Nicole Fleming





1

The world whispers. Many differing languages but it is never quiet.
The wind whistles through a vast canyon; a butterfly flaps it's wings
in the middle of a rainforest. At this same moment the coastal ocean
waves wash a piece of red glass up onto a white sandy beach, with some
grasses farther back before a cliff, a ladder whacking against it,
leading up to an immense yard, with many trees, surrounding a
magnificently big house. The house stands alone, the next nearest one
a few miles down the long winding road leading Into town.

The slight breeze carries two sets of laughter, a boys and a
girls. They are running along the wave line, and they both fall to the
ground, lying next to each other. The boy looks at her in awe, still
catching his breath.
"What?" she whispers at him. At first glance they look nothing
alike. The boy with dark black hair, and bright green eyes is the talk
of the school, especially since both the boy and girl just moved here.
All of the girls in the halls swoon over him, but he doesn't
acknowledge any of them. The girl on the other hand has white blonde
hair, and is a genetic miracle, with one green eye, and one brown.
They are twins.
"nothing," the boy responds, "I just wish I were born with eyes
like yours."
"no you don't Casey. You don't want to be known as a freak,"
the girl says, hugging her knees to her chest, her
beautiful-fitted-short-sleeved-knee-length-white dress flowing
slightly in the breeze. The boy, Casey reaches out to touch her arm.
"Tosia," he says, " you are not a freak, you are just special."
he rubs her back soothingly. The two twins sit watching the the waves:
they don't notice the stranger/intruder approaching them.
If they had, they would have ran. They would have seen the
figure, and would have been able to do something; left something for
the authorities to track them by. But they didn't see the figure. In
reality, one second they're there, the next, they're gone with no
trace.



2
The world is always moving. You can't change it's course, nor can I.
It rotates on it's axle giving us day and night. It orbits the sun,
giving us the different seasons, we cannot alter this. The only way
we can alter the way the earth moves is by changing how it whispers,
or changing courses of it's whispers.
~
The van rumbled noisily down the road. The bag over my head was
stifling, and it was so thick I felt it so hard to breath. For me a
person whose claustrophobic it was not an ideal place to find myself.
The van ran over a bump and I felt another body bump into me. With my
hands tied behind my back, and ankles tied, hyperventilating I was
suprised that I held back my scream.
We hadn't seen the man or woman approaching, and for the hours
or days we were in the van, we had been on smooth roads, with other
cars. I had started counting as soon as I had woken up when we got off
of the smooth road. It had been
three-hundred-seventy-nine-million-twenty-seven-thousand-nine-hundred-ninety-nine
counts since leaving the road. In all that time the other body has
continued to thump against me, and hasn't made a single noise. I had
long since moved into a sitting position, wondering where the people
were taking us. The uncertainty had stunned me into a fearful silence.
I just hoped that if the body next to me was Tosia, that she would
somehow get out of here; soon.




3
The world is always raging. From the waterfalls to the waves crashing
on a beach. A volcano erupting to a forest fire randomly starting
across the world. The way the world rages is a natural course that no
one can change. The way the world rages changes the way the world
whispers.
~
"It was just a dream!" I yelled for the seventh time finding
myself jumping awake in bed since we were attacked on the beach. I
couldn't help but to see the Scene over and over of my brother being
taken. I didn't know why they only took him, but it was the way it
was. I did get my fair share from the men, I guess. I was nearly
beaten to death. I was lucky that a kid from my high school was
walking along the beach when he was. For he was he one who called the
ambulance, and had never left my bedside. Even now, he was sitting in
the chair next to my bed sleeping quietly.
I didn't even really know him, no one really knew him. I didn't
even know his name, so I had taken to calling him T. It suited him
somehow. I slumped back into the uncomfortable hospital bed and stared
at the heart monitor, the soothing beeps lulling me into a half sleep
state. T stirred next to the bed causing me to look at him, and
attempt to smile.
"Your parents called last night," T stated with a hint of an
accent on his tongue bluntly, "they wanted to talk to you, but you
were sleeping, so they just told me to tell you they are coming to see
you today." T stood up and walked over to the door. He started to open
it, when he heard me move into a sitting position.
"thanks for everything," I said, "but i was wondering who you
are, I mean I have seen you around before, but no one really knows
you." he smiles and turns back to me allowing the door to close behind
him.
"I've never had an interest to get to know anyone before you,
Tosia. You wonder who I am, yet I sit next to you in most classes. If
you look back, you will learn my name. It was always right in front of
you." Upon saying that cryptic message, he turns and leaves. Only
about thirty seconds later my parents burst through the door, my 2
year old little sister in tow. Casey hadn't met her yet. For he and
father didn't live with us anymore, but he and I still found ways to
spend critical bonding time together.
I was more concerned for him than I, for I was well taken care
of and was being guarded. But casey was out there somewhere with
potential killers, while I was here safe. He was out there, and in
more danger than most other kidnaped kids, for he was the son of the
king of the Elementals.




4
The world moves. It never stops. It's movement is in two directions ,
providing the one thing we can always count on. The world is always in
motion, and as Newtons first law states that an object in motion will
stay in motion unless another force stops it. Though the world doesn't
seem to have a force to stop it. Just like the world moves the species
on it are moving all the while as well. That is what frightens me. For
you can never guess their intentions.
~
The car stopped after I had lost count, due to numerous times
of dozing. The trunk door to my left was opened and a pair of strong
arms pulled me out of the car dropping me on the ground. I heard a
gruff male voice talk to another person," get that stiff out of here,
go ditch it in the river, I don't want it in the pile." I hear another
set of footsteps and a grunt as the second person lifts the dead body
of the other person in the trunk and slinks off. I know it's not my
sister, by the way the. Man grunted. She is light he wouldn't have had
to grunt to pick her up.
The bag remains on my head as I am pushed forward, which i assume
means walk forward. I walk blindly along being led by the stronger of
the two kidnappers, it seems. After about five minutes, I am stopped
by my captor, and the bag is removed from my head. I study my captor,
a lean girl with fiery red hair, and bright green eyes. Her face
looked like one that knew what I knew; what it was like to get beaten
for our wrongdoings.
I had never told anyone. For my father was a well known and liked
man, so even if I had no one would believe me, that is except maybe my
mother. I never knew why she left, only that she could not get us
both, my fathers lawyer was too good to let that happen.
I quickly glanced down, knowing that that is what kidnappers
liked, it made them feel empowered. She gripped my arm tightly as her
companion, a man returned. Je gripped my other arm, and I was dragged
along effortlessly to a house in the near distance. A quick glance
around me tells me that I am surrounded by trees. Trees that grow in
mountains I realized looking down. The ground was slightly muddy as if
it had just rained, and I looked down, clenching my eyes closed. I was
scared. I didn't want to admit it but I was. I wasn't sure if I could
get out with my hidden self coming out.




5
The world knows fear. Or at least it's inhabitants do. We live in fear
that one day natures kiss will come cart us away to another world. Or
that another species will attack us and kill us. Or that we may get
sick. No matter your current situation, we all live in fear.
~
Fear had crept into my heart, I knew that Casey was scared. I had
been home for about three hours, and had only recived that amount of
sleep. I woke up and I hurled. I couldn't get the image out of my
head. I knew it hadn't happened yet, I had the gift of foresight;
seeing things before they happen. Even though I knew it hadnt
happened, it still made me sick to think about it.

I hadn't told my parents about the dreams, they would have
worried too much. Not even Casey knew completely. It had to do with
what I was... Ugh, I didn't know who I could trust anymore. That was
what just scared me.
I climbed out of my bed, and opened the door. My mother was asleep
down the hall, father having left with the cops hours ago. I wondered
if this was his doing, the custody hearing coming up soon and all. I
sigh as I tiptoe across the hall into my brothers room. His bed sits
unmade the way it was the night we had snuck out to the beach. He was
staying over here for the first weekend in seven months, having been
gone with dad the prior months. He had been in a foster home when mom
found him. Fresh bruises coated his skin, shed told me when I had come
home to him sitting at the kitchen table. He wore a blue hood and a
pair of jeans, but nothing else.
When I saw him then, I knew that he would be happy. He never told
me much about what happens when he was with dad, but he was happy, at
least whenever he sees me.
I climbed up onto his bed and hug his pillow to my chest,
letting my held back tears flow freely. I missed my brother, and
worried about him. I wanted him to be ok. I wished he would be ok. I
needed him to be ok. For I dot know if I could last much longer if he
didn't turn up soon.




6
The world knows friendship. The world has many inhabitants that
practice this talent. Many people have lots of practice while others
don't. Friendship is the life line that helps you get out of bad
situations. The thing that most people count on is their friends.
Friends are vey reliable.
~
I look around as they dump me in the basement. There are at least
ten other kids with me. We all have the rope burns on our wrists, so
we were all taken. I don't talk to the others and in return they don't
talk to me.
It took me a day to find where the putrid smell was coming from.
The only door that wasn't locked led into a room where rotting
carcasses lay strewn. They were the bodies of kids, and there were at
least forty. I choked back the bile I felt rising in my throat, and
turned around. I saw one of the other kids standing behind me. He had
auburn hair, and bright green eyes, he introduced himself as sparrow,
explaining to me that it wasn't his real name, but it was the name of
the person he had become as soon as he saw the bodies, nine months
ago.
"We try not to talk with people who don't know what their future
could hold, because if you know your greater bound to helping us
figure out how to escape." he said, in a friendly tone, much like my
fathers lawyer, I thought. I nod, "what is your name?" he asks
politely.
"Clark." I say, knowing that like him I was a new person, with a
desire to escape. We walk over to the others, where the food supplies
lay. They explain to me that after the first month if I don't get out,
by them taking me, I have little hope to get out unless I escape.

That's what got us moving. Five months had passed, after I got
put in the basement we had monitored all of our captors movements,
their hobbies, likes, shower schedule, and mail, or tv time. We knew
that we were all small enough to crawl through the vents, and knew the
air shafts like the backs of our hands. I found the exit a day ago,
the only exit, it let out above a fast flowing river. I had tested it,
and knew that it led back the direction of the smooth road. I also
knew if we timed it right we could all escape, tonight. When I got
back to the others they were all putting little packs together, in
case we got separated. I plugged in the light bulb we packed with C-4
before we all dove into the air shaft and scurried as fast as we
could.
We reached the exit and I being last got out just before the fire
from the explosion blasted out of the pipe. We all lay on our backs,
and were effortlessly pulled down the river by the water, away from
the house in the dark of the sky, the moon being full added the last
little pinch of magic to our escape.
The sun rises a while later and we all lay washed up on a bank
of a river next to the freeway right by my town. I slowly rise, my wet
clothing sticking to me where it's still wet, and crusted hard where
it dried over night as I slept on the bank. J wake the others and we
continue down towards town. The traffic on the road is very little, SO
we walk in a wall, jumping and hooting for joy, letting ourselves
smile for the first time In many months. A little while later as we
are walking I hear the siren of a police car and glance behind me. I
see the head sheriff from the police unit and wave. He pulls over and
gets out of his car, looking at all of us. We all must look like
scruffy homeless kids, knowing where and how we had lived.
After looking at me, after the others his eyebrows
raise,"Casey??!" he says. I stare at him, wondering who he was talking
about, for I had been only called Clark for the past six months. I
finally registered my previous name as he asked about who the others
were.
"it's a long story. And if you buy us all food, and let us get
a goodnights sleep and we will tell you." I say as we all pile into
his car, the seven of us left.

After he buys us food at the nearest taco bell as we sit at one
of the tables, we eat like we hadn't seen food in a long time, which
if I were being completely honest we hadn't. We may have eaten the
entire stock of tacos before we all sat back satisfied. Sparrow was
the first to speak. And we all jumped in here and there, telling our
parts, or fixing others words in the vague areas of their memories. We
eventually get out the whole story, and the sheriff looks at us in
awe. I didn't realize it, but the sheriff must have called my family
at some point, but I didn't notice them enter and they didn't
recognize me while I was talking and laughing with the others. As us
seven were joking around, the sheriff stood up to go talk to my
family.




7
The world knows time. It knows when to have each season happen. It
knows how long it takes for a day to pass. The world has the time set
for things, because otherwise it would be in chaos.
~
We had been looking for Casey for half a year now, my birth
father not even helping. My mother was fine with this for it would
help her gain custody over him. T had mysteriously moved to the USA
with his family last month, so I had been almost fearful to hope too
much. I just wanted Casey to come home.
We got the phone call late on the first day of the seven month
from the sheriff. My mother and I were sitting on the couch, and my
step father had answered the phone. I knew something was up as soon as
he had rushed into the room where we were, tugging a coat on.
"they found him," he spoke, and we hopped up, pulling on our
coats and shoes, "alive, with a band of six other kids." we didn't ask
questions as we drive down to Taco Bell where the sheriff's car was
parked outside. We parked our car and entered. The sheriff stood and
came over upon seeing us. We looked at the kids he had been siting
with, all smiling and joking around, looking like they had been found
in a ditch on he side of the road.
The sheriff tells us that it's not his place to explain the look
of the kids, it's just a miracle that they were found. I look at the
group, trying to pick Casey out. He ring-leader Clark kept laughing at
things the others said, and Sparrow, the kid sitting next to him was
cracking all the lighthearted jokes. I heard the others names as well,
and they were all very strange. I didn't see my brother, but then
again it had been six months, I wondered if he would recognize us.
The Sheriff turned around the the kids and said, "Casey, your
family's here," I watched as all the kids looked around, wondering who
Casey was. The kid that they called Clark slowly stood. The others
just watched as he stepped away from them. As soon as he was three
steps away from them, they started laughing again. I couldn't fathom
what was so funny, but as soon as he stood up, my eyes couldn't leave
my brother. In that moment I knew this was him.
The acceptance and love that only a mother can express, was
clear on my mothers face as she walked up to him after he had stopped
and wrapped him in a huge hug. He kinda looked awkward there for a few
moments before he hugged her back. My stepdad went over and hugged him
too
I hung back, I was scared. I didn't know what had happened and wasn't
sure if he had changed at all. I did t want that, but I knew I would
want my brother back no matter what.
He let go and they clung for another few seconds. His eyes met
mine and as my parents let go of him I ran up to him, the thoughts of
what happened to him still swimming in my mind. I jump-hugged him and
he caught me, and cried into my neck. It was the first time I had seen
him cry; ever.




8
The world supports family. The world supports tons of creatures
that live amongst their parents. These creatures flourish, and live
off of what nature has to offer. These creatures take nature for
granted, when really, nature is their mother too. She provides them
with food to survive, and gives them a nice place to live. The world
is our family.
~
It had been a week since moving back in with my mother. The daylight
would take some getting used to as would the huge meals. I could only
manage a few bites before I was full. Sleeping in a bed, would also be
a big adjustment. They didn't know, but I had been sleeping on the
floor every night, waiting for them to fall asleep, before entering
the half awake stage that had been sleep for me the past seven months.
The only thing I could count on were Tosia's constant questions about
what had happened.
I would always answer vaguely, not wanting her to know that I
had lived in the dark damp dingy cellar, with carcasses of kids. I
told her mainly about getting captured, and the ride to the house
where I was kept, and the escape. She would marvel at my stories, and
would repeatthem to our two year old sister, peace. After a while, my
name, Casey was getting used too much. I was no longer him, and he no
longer me. I said as much to Tosia and asked her to call me Clark. Not
knowing the reason behind this, she complied and asked why. I only
replied with a curt thank you and went about my business.

Time flew by, and soon it was summer, everyone had taken to
calling me Clark, and everyone knew my story, besides certain facts I
had left out. The police caught the captors, and the other kids
families were contacted, and they were picked up and driven, or flown
back to their homes, via private entourage.
The day that they were to be sent off, my mom dropped me and
Tosia off so I could bid them all farewell. I hugged sparrow, as his
mom approached us. He had cleaned up well, all had. He hugged his
mother and looked back at me.
'" You'll stay in touch, right?" he asked before he was going
to let his mom drag him home.
"as long as you reply," I answer smiling at my friend. He
returned my smile and left. It seemed like minutes later when in
reality it had been hours of 'good byes,' an 'see ya's ' I stood there
alone, with my sister waiting for me on a bench around the corner as I
approached the last of the kids. Her beautiful long, now bleach blonde
hair, landed just past her shoulders, and her forest green eyes with
the baby blue sky above the green, made my breath catch when ever I
saw them. I approached her, and she wrapped me in a tight hug. I think
I would miss her most of all.

"good bye Clark," she says as she let's go and a black car
pulls up. As the driver, her older brother by the looks of it gets out
I give her hand a squeeze.
"I think I am going to miss you most of all, Serenity.
Thanks for having been there so I could meet you." I sigh, "no that it
was a good thing to be kidnapped or anything, but--" I stop as she
looks up at me.
"thank you for saving me," she smiles, let's go of my hand,
turns around and runs to the other boy. He helps her into the car and
they speed off. I watch them disappear into the distance until I can't
see them any more.
Serenity. I knew that I had feelings for her, but did she
share them? I glance back one last time and go to my sister. As we
head home I ask her a question.
"Tosia, any chance the sky would weep?"
"if the clouds would let it rain, yes." I smile and look up
into the sky as the clouds start to release rain. I let the rain fall
on me. Loving every second.




THE END
Of the Beginning