‹ Prequel: Promise Me The Stars
Status: This story is on hold right now as i'm in the process of editing the prequel Promise Me The Stars. Check it out for better chapters!

Rocks Painted Gold

Sins of Sorrow

I dived to the left, barely missed smacking my head into a cactus, but the monster missed me too so I was okay with it all. I stumbled up quickly and turned so my back wasn't facing it. My fighting instincts came back with a rush of adrenaline and my weak body was gearing up for a fight. I had learned the nearly hard way that my body wasn't as strong as Forest's was, purely because I hadn't used it enough. It was like a newborn baby, it needed to learn and grow. I was just a twenty-two year old stuck in that body.

"What the hell are you?!" I yelled, dodging it again.

It went flying past and I tackled it from behind, as much as I didn't want to even touch it. The thing hissed and I jumped back, thus losing my grip on it.

"What..." I trailed off as it stood, looking taller then before.

"You know what you monster thing? I don't know what you want, or why you're in this god forsaken field. But if you just start walking the other way I won't tell a soul about what happened here today." I suggested. I really wasn’t in the mood to fight with some insane thing in a field in Colorado.

It made a noise, something between a growl and a howl. It made my blood run cold and I glanced back, calculating if I could get up the hill and to the highway faster then the thing. The chances of that happening were little to none and I tapped my hand against my thigh trying to think of something that could possibly get me out of this situation.

Just as I was about to give up on living any longer the monster turned, took a few fast steps, and took off back where it had come. I stood there in shock, my mind not registering much until I felt a hand on my shoulder. I spun, grabbing the arm, and preparing to break said arm when my left eye was blinded by the barrel of a gun.

"I just saved your life and you're trying to break my arm? I don't think that's the way it goes kid." A gruff voice said.

I let go of the man's arm and the gun was removed from my head. Thus having the reel of my life come to an end and I was taking a step back from the guy.

"You were here with two other people weren't you?" The older man asked.

He had the whole rough cowboy look, a dusty faded leather cowboy hat, a matching jacket, and dirty clothes. He resembled a hobo with his graying beard and sunken in face. Well I don't know if hobos have beards and sunken faces but they have dirty clothes.

Well I take that back, I’ve seen many hobos in California with beards and sunken faces.

"Yeah, they ran that way." I said pointing towards the hill they had disappeared over.

"Did they see it?"

“Yeah I guess. Not up close like me though.” I stated uncertainly. There was something in the way he said it that made me think he would kill us all if we’d seen it.

“Good, you didn’t see anything. It was just a crazy runner trying to play prank on you, got it?” the man asked, who I had dubbed Cornelius for some crazy reason.

“Yea got it.” I said.

“Now get the hell out of here before you get a permanent home in this field.” He didn’t have to tell me twice before I ran. This having a real body thing wasn’t shaping up to be what I expected.

The walk to Forest’s house was long, lonely, and boring.

’This is what Forest would have felt like if you wouldn’t have come.’

I jumped at the voice but realized that it was my conscious talking to me. I don’t know what I would have done if I had started getting some insane dude in my head like Forest. I would probably do something stupid like stab myself in the ear with a razor. Don’t ask on my fucking logic.

The house looked eerily similar to the one in Byte City and I took a step back, shocked and almost couldn’t breathe. Had we somehow been in Byte City the whole time, was Forest actually still in a coma? The paint wasn’t chipped, the grass was cut, even the window out front was fixed and I could almost see into the living room.

“Scary as hell isn’t it?” Forest asked. I glanced to my left and spotted Forest sitting on the sidewalk, how had I missed that?

I took a seat next to him and sighed, looking back at the house that seemed to sneer at me for some reason. Like it didn’t want me there now that it could see who I really was. Was I a disappointment to the house? Did it not like what I turned out to be? I know I felt that way about myself on some occasions.

“Makes you doubt anything that’s happened after I woke up. What if I’m still asleep and my mind is just fucking with me? My mind is cruel Shadow; I know that now from experience. My mind is the cruelest thing that I could ever encounter.”

I couldn’t think of anything to say, what could I say to that anyway? I had been in his mind, Forest thought of me as just one of his minds cruel tricks. Hell, I am just one of his minds cruel tricks. And his cruel mind has tricked me into thinking that I wasn’t a part of him but I am. I always will be just another little figment of his imagination that became real in some universe. That’s just another fact that made me think that Forest is still in a coma, me. Me being real and the things that just happened in that field.

“Where’s Kylie?” I asked quietly, my voice sounded hoarse and I cleared it subtlety.

“In the house looking through some old pictures I gave her. I was in there for awhile, but I couldn’t stand it anymore. I feel like it’s mad at me, the house I mean. Like my mother is in there glaring at me from every corner because she hates what I’ve become.”

I looked back at the house again, why was I feeling the same thing? Was it true; was it his mother in the house? If so why would she be mad at me? Does she hate me for what I did to her son? What I turned him into? A person that fights with the world on a daily basis whether he knows it or not?

“I’m sorry,” I didn’t know I said it out loud but I guess when your head overworks itself you don‘t really know what the rest of your body is doing,

“I’m sorry I fucked up your son. I didn’t mean it, I didn’t know anything but anger and hatred towards him, towards you. I was confused and young and I needed time to grow because I was new to the world and had no idea what the hell was going on. Why I was strapped to your kid or why nobody could see me but him. I just wanted to cause chaos and calamity but I couldn’t being the way I was so I fought Forest and made him miserable at best. And I’m sorry for it all, for causing you all trouble. I know now that I’m just a stupid idiot that can’t comprehend what this world is on its best days, can’t see all the good in the world, can only see the bad because I’ve only had the bad. But I’m learning, slowly I’m learning through Forest and through Kylie. I want to see the good someday and have somebody see the good in me Nessa. I wish it was you that could have seen me. You would have thought I was good when no one else did, even when I wasn’t you would have seen the good hidden in me…”

“You can call her mom…” My head snapped to Forest and I stared at him. His eyes were watering but he was staring across the street, acting like nothing was wrong, “You can call her mom, she would have wanted that.”

I looked down and stared at the seam where the cement and asphalt met. My arms wrapped around my stomach in a tight hug and I was leaning down, my head on my knees. I couldn’t breathe, my eyes burned and the line blurred into a black and grey mess.

“I would,” I couldn’t choke back the sob that caught in my chest, “I would have wanted that too.”

I sat on the curb and cried, I cried for real and I cried hard for the first time in my life. Forest wrapped his arm around me and I couldn’t help but lean into him.

“It’s going to be okay Shadow. Feel that? The way the house doesn’t feel like it hates us? I think she forgives you. Maybe she even forgives me too. And Shadow?” I looked over, wiping my eyes and trying not to cry anymore, “I forgive you too.”

That started another wave of tears and I couldn’t help but be slightly angry at Forest for saying that. They were forgiving me and I did such horrible things my whole life to them.

"Let’s go inside now why don't we?" Forest said.

“Yeah, I could use a drink.” I mumbled. Forest laughed and we both stood and headed into the house.

We reached the door and Forest pushed it open, revealing the grey carpeting that covered the hallways and living room of the whole house. I walked past Forest as he turned to shut the door and headed for the living room.

“What took you…” Kylie looked up from the stack of pictures she held in her lap but trailed off when she saw my tear stained face.

She sat the pictures down by her crossed legs and carefully stood up, her eyes never leaving mine.

"What's wrong?" she asked quietly, walking over and placing her hands on my biceps, "What happened with that thing?" she looked curiously at my face and I shook my head.

"I'm not crying because of that thing. I..." I trailed off and realized I couldn't very well explain it all. I couldn't explain my emotions to her, or my thoughts, or the actions I took. So I just shook my head and pulled her into a hug.

"I just can't be alone anymore." I murmured into her ear, placing a kiss right under it on her neck.

"Don't worry," She whispered, "I'm here to stay."

“Okay guys, I know you love each other and all but lets do something to get our mind off all the drama.” Forest stated as Kylie pulled away from me.

“Lets, I found some pictures when you were a kid Forest and I swear to god you’re so adorable it hurts.” Kylie gushed, clasping her hands together and jumping slightly just thinking about it.

“Oh god,” Forest groaned, “Why did I give you those pictures?”

I laughed and followed Kylie as she dragged me over and pulled me down onto the ground next to her before she picked up a stack of pictures and started showing them to me.

“I’m going to see if there’s any food in here.” Forest mumbled as he started for the kitchen.

“Find me something to drink! My lungs are fucking shriveling in here!” I yelled after him.

“Yeah yeah whatever!” he called back. I smiled slightly and then angled my head down to look at the pictures as I slipped my arm around Kylie’s waist.

“I remember that one.” I said flicking at one of the pictures.

“You do?” Kylie asked, looking up at his face.

“I just said I did didn’t I?” I asked. She frowned and guilt flooded my chest.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean that…” I said before sighing.

“It’s okay.” she said quietly.

I hugged her tightly and we ended up on our backs on the floor.

“You’re so weird Shadow.” Kylie giggled.

“I know I…just don’t know how to act around people I guess.” I sighed and shrugged.

“Don’t worry about it. You can learn through me alright?” she said as she rolled onto her side and placed her hand on my chest.

“Yeah.” I smiled and turned to place my lips on hers. I may not be able to do everything right, but I’m pretty sure I’m good at kissing.

“Am I a horrible kisser?” I asked.

“Am I?” Kylie shot back.

“I asked first.” Kylie laughed and sat up.

“No, you’re not a horrible kisser. Did you kiss people while you were in Forest’s mind?” I laughed and shook my head.

“Two words,” Forest cut in as he stood in the doorway, “Byte City.”

He threw me a bottle of water and walked over to hand one to Kylie.

“Byte city?” Kylie asked.

“There’s Ramen on the stove and we have a couple of hours until Uncle shows up. So sit back and relax, it’s story time.” Forest stated, sitting on the floor across from us. I couldn’t help but laugh at Forest but got ready to tell the story nonetheless.
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So the ending might be crap but I was just brain dead and couldn't think of anything to write after Shadow's scene in front of the house. So sorry if the last bit is crappy as hell.

But aside from that, I have nothing written after this so if I decide to do a preview then it'll be awhile...therefore meaning there probably won't be a preview because I need to choke another chapter out by Thursday, meaning I have to step my game up and get writing!

A nice big thank you to the following;
Spoileddxbrat
caligirl1605
sins-97


And hope you all like this chapter since Shadow cried more... For some reason him crying is extremely adorable in a way to me. I feel bad saying that but it's true. Now off I go to make Ramen noodles because i'm starving!