The Oracle (modern/fantasy)

[4Chiri]

It was raining. And school was on summer break. Everyone had expected to be able to go out, party or even travel...but the weather was so bad there were hundreds of delays...to some. Not many people enjoyed the rain. People walked around the dim streets rushing home with their umbrellas, hopping on the bus and hurrying around. But there was a different feeling in the air...not just the heaviness of the rain.


Something entirely odd was in the air.

 

[Alix Striker]

Erin stood outside her favorite book shop with a plastic bag filled with books and a dark blue umbrella in her hands. Her hood was drawn over her head and small strands of her auburn hair shot out from the dark grey striped hood. Her ears were plugged with her ear buds that played some Hans Zimmer Music.


Erin loved the rain, it was refreshing and calming to a point. She had always gotten exsited when a storm rolled in because it wasn't often that the refreshing bliss of the fall of water occurred. Erin hated how she had to dodge other's umbrella's in fear that the spines would poke her eye. being average height Erin was a victim of the eye attacking umbrella's of the short and average people in the city.

 

[4Chiri]

As the people dodged Erin as if she were some inanimate object, they continued trying to hurry out of the rain, wondering why she stood there so


complacently in this dreary atmosphere.


A light from the second floor of the bookshop flickered onto the road below, as if someone was moving back and forth and then staring out into the rain with a dark look.

 

[Alix Striker]

Erin didn't bother calling a taxi as she finally started on her trek to her apartment. Not too long ago she graduated from High School in a small town and now living in the city was a new adventure. She was attending the college in the area for an English major and a Bachelor's in Creative writing. Writing was the best way to use her daydreams outside of wasting time and had fallen in love with action fantasy stories like she had when she was a young girl. Many young girls dreamed about being the princess being whisked away by a charming prince but Erin wanted to be the hero in the stories.


Erin decided to talk the long way home by cutting through the park. It was empty to day not even the birds dared to sing from the branches. They were probably huddling together on a branch or in a Owl hole snuggling for warmth. Though Erin loved the rain she hated how her shoes and socks got soaked but it was her price to pay for the fresh weather.

 

[4Chiri]

"How many?"


"Three I think...there's one left...shut it and let's be done with this place."


A few voices could be heard in the air, watery sounds and disembodied.


"Hurry up before there's an accident."

 

[Alix Striker]

Erin head faint whispers over her music but she shrugged it off. She was in the center of the park and she bumped into a man with a dark long leather rain coat with the collar pulled up to cover his face from splashing rain and to keep him warm. Erin stumbled to keep balance her umbrella fell out of her grasp as she clutched her bag of books. The man seemed to be unfazed by her. "Sorry!" She called out to him before picking up her umbrella from the puddle. Under her umbrella she saw a leather bound hardcover book with yellowing pages, "HEY MISTER YOU DROPPED... your... book..." Her voice stopped and quieted as the man was nowhere to be seen, it was as if he were never there... Her cold hand clutched onto the book and she tried to wipe the water off the cover. It was no use leaving it to be ruined by the rain. Erin loved books and so she slid it into her back before returning to the route home.

 

[4Chiri]

"Hey Erin!" called a young girl, one of the newer classmates who was also majoring in English.


"going home?" she ran up wearing a bright yellow spotted poncho.

 

[Alix Striker]

Erin nodded, "Yeah, I got some books from ol' Jamies and now they should be safely placed on the to be read shelf in my apartment" Erin joked, " So what are you up to? Did you finish that project due tomorrow?" It was an average Sunday, the only day of the week the School wasn't hosting classes.

 

[4Chiri]

"Um, no..." she chuckled and fiddled with the buckles of her bag over her shoulder. The crinkling of the rain against her poncho was pretty noisy.


"and what's with you and books anyway, find a good one?" she rolled her eyes. "or are into those sappy romances?" Carrie was her name and she nudged Erin with her elbow playfully.

 

[Alix Striker]

Erin rolled her Bright green eyes and said, "I dont read sappy crap Carrie, I bought some old versions of fairy tales and some dark fantasy books." She explained, she Looked at her watch and sighed, "I got to go, I'm 'supposed to' skype with my parents in a few hours and I want a shower before seeing them. Caio~" She said walking off with a wave.


She had talked to her parents once a month on Sundays because they still lived in her small town, home town. She had no siblings so Erin knew that her parents missed her dearly. They supported her goals even if they feared for her future.

 

[4Chiri]

"h-hey wait!" she caught up. "lemme come with you, I've got nothing to do at my dorm, we can study together or something, isn't that what friends do?" she shook her head.


"Don't worry, I'll stay out of your 'skype' haha..." she giggled and followed behind anyway. "You know, your..bag is glowing, is your phone blinking or something?" she asked.

 

[Alix Striker]

Erin nodded allowing Carrie, she raised an eyebrow at her friend and looked into the bag to see the strange leather bound book glowing from the pages. She pulled out the book and opened it not knowing what was causing the Glowing. She stopped in her tracks toxic eyes glued to the page...

 

[4Chiri]

The book shimmered with strange lettering and intricate patterns and symbols. Carrie stared on in wonder.


"....um, where did you find that? You in some kind of cult or something?" she asked strangely while continuing to stare. She didn't want to look away...

 

[Alix Striker]

'What is this book and were in hell did it come from?' Erin thought before slamming the book shut.


"I found it in the rain earlier..." Erin said, "I dont study occult things Carrie, come on... I'll make you some hot cocoa to warm up..." Erin lead the way into her apartment building and to the top floor where her flat was.

 

[4Chiri]

She blinked a few times.


"Uh, yeah...yeah! That sounds good....yeah, cocoa..." she mumbled and followed close behind. "So, you just found it? Maybe it's some stupid prank from those damn frat boys...you know...the jocks."


Carrie followed up into the flat and took off her poncho and boots, wearing a simple sweater and jeans underneath. She shook out her short black hair and put on her thick, round yellow glasses. She was pretty 'out there' when it came to fashion, and pretty skinny, no more than 5'5".


"...maybe you should just throw it away. Bad juju or something." she peered out one of the windows to the rainy street below and sighed. "yeah....just get rid of it."

 

[Alix Striker]

Erin shrugged and put her books away and tossed the strange leather back into her room, "To that cocoa..." she said entering the kitchen, "Feel free to look at my library... I'll make cocoa..." She turned on the stove and filled the kettle with water. She set up two mugs and dumped cocoa powder into it. She put some half and half into the cup with a splash of peppermint flavoring. While waiting for her water she went into the living room and grabbed a book off the shelf.

 

[4Chiri]

She went to the bookshelves, filled with books upon books.


"Wow," She breathed, "maybe next time I'll come to your place instead of the library." she said and pulled one from the shelf.


"So, you like fantasies...magic and dragons and all that crap right?" fingering through a few pages, skimming over the words she grinned. "too bad all these cute guys in these stories don't exist, right? What if it was all real...I don't think I could handle it." she continued looking over the books, but couldn't help but keep thinking about that strange leather back.


"So what are you gonna do with that weird glowing book you have in the back?" she asked.

 

[Alix Striker]

"Dont know yet, but I will never through out a book unless it was moldy and producing spores." Erin said grabbing a book on a medieval war, a darker version of Romeo and Juliet really, "I love the idea of adventure and the science of magic in the realms behind the pages." She said, Erin poured the scalding water into the mugs and handed Cassie a mug, "Maybe the book in the back will have some one looking for it and I could return it... if not then I would keep it on my shelf as decoration seeing as I can't read it." She sat on the sofa and sipped her drink.

 

[4Chiri]

She sat down and stared into her drink for a moment with a small sound of gratitude. She sat down in a small plush chair.


"You're not at all worried about what the hell it is?" she shivered, "what if the CIA come raid your place or something...what if it's radioactive and we end up dying due to overexposure?" she worried and took a sip.


"Maybe the history section in the school archives can tell us something?" she shrugged.

 

[Alix Striker]

"I'll worry about it when I need to, now shouldnt you be working on the project? I will deal with it sometime this month." She said sipping her cup and opening her book, "I don't have room on my plate of worrying to stress over a strange book. I'd more be interested in translating it but I don't currently have the time." Erin wasn't one to quickly worry about things such as this, curious maybe but not so worried one bit.

 

[4Chiri]

She shrugged.


"....yeah, yeah I guess you're right. I wonder what it says..." she sighed and pulled a few books from her bag, and some papers. She began to read over some things and managed to get a few notes down.


Hours easily passed late into the night, Carrie stretched and yawned a few more times than usual, but nearly done. But at least the rain stopped, leaving behind a clean scent in the air, cool and moist and calm in the dark night.


She sat up from her books and yawned a fifth time, straightening her glasses.

 

[Alix Striker]

Erin checked the clock on her desk having already talked to her parents and was now just finishing up the novel she picked up before the call. It was late and she thought it harsh to kick Carrie out of the apartment to head back to the dorm. "Carrie, If you don't want to walk home you can spend the night on the couch." She offered to the girl. Erin stood and stretched as she turned off the desk lamp. She replaced the book on to the shelve and collected the now cold and empty mugs to deposit in to the sink.

 

[4Chiri]

She thought.


"Thanks...I didn't mean to force myself in on your privacy." she said apologetically.


"I'll be out bright and early! Promise!" she smiled.


She put away her books and supplies and sat on the couch with a sigh. She didn't think she'd be over this long...she had no extra clothes but it didn't really matter. it was only for one night.


"You know...that computer science major kid..uh what's his name, Alan, has a crush on you." she chuckled. "except he'd rather program websites than read a book....and he's waaaay shorter than you. he's a total nerd." she teased.

 

[Alix Striker]

"I dont Date guys shorter than me." Erin said bluntly not really caring who had a crush on her. All her high school years she avoided dating or getting involved with that kind of drama. "I'd rather date someone I think is worthy to marry, that's all dating is really, preparation for finding an eternal lover..." She grabbed some blankets out of the linen closet and sighed. She cared for only finishing her degree and then maybe look for love after. She had to stay on task or she would never become an author like she dreamed.

 

[4Chiri]

"oh." she said with a shrug. "...what kind of guys are you interested in anyway then? I've never seen you with anyone since I've known you." she sighed.


She stood to stay more but instead yawned. Then froze up for a moment.


"...um....I think that book is doing something funny again..." she said and pointed to the back room. the glowing was more powerful. an odd shimmering light peeked through the cracks of the door and the wall.


"...I can't believe that doesn't freak you out..."