Re: 100 Word Drabbles

by RenaYumi Sat Jul 21, 2012 9:46 am

Drabble: #33-- The Road Not Taken

He could have quit. His life was hard enough before this war and no one would have blamed him-- well I would have but not for very long.

He could have turned to the bottle, like his father. Drank away the stress. Stuck a needle in his arm, a pill between his bruised and tired lips.

He could have turned to bitterness and resentment. Let the fear and anxiety eat him way. It would have been so much easier that way. He could have blamed someone, but he didn’t.

He chose life. He chose us. And it made all the difference.

by **Snickie** Sat Jul 21, 2012 3:01 pm

Two paths met in the woods, and there I was, in the middle of the crosshair.

Then the visions came, of wolves and fear and the gnashing of teeth. An irrational fear overtook me, and I ran like mad.

What if I had run in the opposite direction? Run along that other path instead of that which led to the Hermitage?

Well, I suppose I wouldn't be fully human as I am now. And we'd know nothing about my father. Which means we wouldn't have the program to eliminate XANA.

In retrospect, I'm glad I ran to the haunted house.

by Soul Jelly Sat Jul 21, 2012 3:37 pm

#33 - The Road Not Taken
-

'Methods of Theoretical Physics' was, undoubtedly, Jérémie's favourite class.

Eager freshman, he sat front-centre of the lecture hall paying rapt attention; not so much to Ms Schaeffer's patient explanation of approximating definite integrals, as to how projector-light illuminated her hair, the brightness of her smile. Their eyes met; he ducked, blushing, behind his laptop.

Her father had declined work on some military project, or so the rumour went, to spend more time with his family. A choice which had, ultimately, give Jérémie an incredibly inspirational teacher.

And age gap be damned; after he graduated, he'd ask her out for coffee.

by Kittyclaw Sat Jul 21, 2012 11:18 pm

#33 The Road Not Taken (an opposite possibility to Snickies)

Her legs burn, paws pound the ground behind her, teeth snapping at her heels. The path ahead forks and she doesn’t have time to think, just bolts left, praying it’s not a dead end but he woods get really thick and she thinks she’s hopelessly lost—

Then she’s back at Kadic, having run a big circle. The wolves fade into shadows as she enters the courtyard.

She looks back only once, and finds herself overwhelmed by the feeling that she’s left something behind in those woods. Sighing, she heads for the dorms, intent on finding Jeremy.

The feeling fades away.

by xiaozanghou Wed Jul 25, 2012 7:30 pm

#33 - The Road Not Taken

What is that road? Not taken.

Time. Moves forward. Bit by bit. Line by line. Your failures. Forming a song. The mantas cry. The hornets cry. The boy cries. His friends cry. Your daughter cries. This was. All your fault. I.

Look back. And regret. I look forward. And I regret. This will happen again. You will lose her again. I will lose you.

Again. Your memory leaks. You can forget. Convince yourself. Humanity is not doomed. You overlooked a choice. There exists another road.

I remember.

There has always been only one road.

I cannot save us anymore.

by SeeMeInTheShadows Thu Jul 26, 2012 10:40 pm

Jeremie didn’t go to the factory that night.

But three weeks later, Odd did. Already Kadic’s resident loner and not even there for a month. Purple clothes, purple hair, stupid dog. Flirts with all the girls.

The factory had caught his eye his first day and he needed somewhere to run.

He discovers Lyoko and everything changes. He meets Aelita. She talks him through the code he needs to know.

Sissi follows him one day and Herve follows her. Theo somehow joins their little group. And later, William, the big brother Odd never had.

Everything works out alright.

He’s happy.

by **Snickie** Fri Jul 27, 2012 6:10 am

"Snakes are one of nature's most versatile creatures. Can anybody name one reason why?"

"Zzzzz zzz..."

"Odd?"

"Mmm.... Huh?"

"Answer the question."

"Ther was a queshun..."

"Okay, here's an easier one. What's two times fifty?"

"Uh..."

"Here's a hint. It's the grade you'll NOT be earning in my class."

"Oh..."

by Adventurer411 Fri Jul 27, 2012 10:07 am

Understanding

I can't remember ever having any respect for them.

Humans are vile and foolish. These smaller humans claim that I am killing the world—but what they don't understand is that they've already killed it.

I am rescuing it. They should thank me.

Perhaps they'll understand this one day.

---------------------------------------------------

I wonder why Xana hates.

Ever since I turned on the supercomputer, it seems like he's had it out for the world.

What kind of twisted being has a reason for trying to kill children?

Now that I think about it, I'm not entirely sure I wish to know.

by SeeMeInTheShadows Fri Jul 27, 2012 1:35 pm

They squeezed their eyes shut.

They didn’t need to see the way the fire raged outside of their window, or the people running in the streets. The end of the world was something humankind didn’t need to witness.

Instead, they held each other tight and said, in hushed voices, ‘goodbye.’

_________________________________________________________________

They grabbed each other’s arms and raced outside.

But in the midst of the absolute chaos, they lost each other. Then, even apart, the two fought and fought until they defeated nothing short of the Apocalypse. And were reunited.

They embraced tightly as the white light swept over the Earth.

by Kittyclaw Fri Jul 27, 2012 3:11 pm

“I’m sorry, Ulrich,” Yumi whispers, but she won’t make eye contact as she holds open the door.

“Please don’t do this,” he begs, even as he holds the suitcase in hand.

But she won’t turn back now.

His only option is to walk down those steps and never look back.
--
“Are you sure?” Aelita whispers, which isn’t quite the answer Odd was expecting. He takes it in stride, smiles bright, and says,

“Trust me, Aelita. There’s no one I would rather have. So,” he hefts the ring, still looking hopeful, and asks again, “Marry me?”

She smiles and says yes.

by **Snickie** Sat Jul 28, 2012 9:57 pm

"What?! How did that happen?! Are you sure you cut the deck correctly?"

"Hey, it's not my fault I had three of them in my starting hand."

"Yeah, right, Odd. You just did that so that I wouldn't beat you again like before."

"Sorry. Go back to start, good buddy."

by CarthagoDelenda Sat Jul 28, 2012 10:09 pm

Phone: Beginnings

Yumi held the buzzing mobile out over her guest's trembling hands. “Think it’s Jeremie again?”

"Probably!" Aelita smiled shyly, surprised by her own excitement. “That’s the fifth time tonight!”

“He’s excited, you know, that you’re here," Yumi said. "I’m surprised he hasn’t run over here yet!”

“You know, I wish he would. I miss him already.”

Phone: Endings

"You don't usually call this time of night," Aelita said. “Were…were you worried about me?”

“There’s never a time when I’m not,” she heard through her phone's speaker. “But you’re safe now, Aelita. You’re safe, and we’re going to move forward.”

“So I said...thank you, Jeremie. Thank you for everything.”

by Soul Jelly Mon Jul 30, 2012 11:48 am

#34a - Dark

"Not getting up today." Yumi's voice, muffled by blankets.

"I'm not leaving," Ulrich replied, settling beside the wall.

"Everything seems... bleak, and hopeless. Dark."

He remained, soothing balm on dampened spirits and awash in sunlight spilled from the window, and understood what she meant.

"Tomorrow will be better," he said.

-

#34b - Light

They watched raindrops race patterns down the pane as hands reached across the small space between them and fingers subtly intertwined.

She caught his eye, smiling a bright smile more splendid than any flash of thunder.

“You were right. Things look better today,” she told him.

“I'm glad.”

by Soul Jelly Mon Aug 06, 2012 5:01 am

#35 - Plague

It began with a slight cough and a burning itch on his forearm.

By nine thirty he was pale and bed-ridden, and by twelve p.m. the entire school was quarantined. The merciless spread of infection spared few, grinding the world to a halt; those not claimed by fever succumbed to panic.

They found two students in the abandoned factory across the river. His brown hair was matted over his face. The pale skin of her wrist hid a helplessly weakening pulse.

It was the fastest spreading virus in history, they said.

And on Lyoko, all of the towers glowed white.

by SeeMeInTheShadows Mon Aug 06, 2012 3:48 pm

Odd coughed with a sickening wetness and Ulrich did what had been hammered into his head for months upon months.

He calmly stood up and left the room, walking to the infirmary that was now for nothing more than decontamination. He would bunk with Jeremie while it was confirmed or denied if Odd was sick or Sick.

And when it was discovered Odd was Sick, Jeremie’s room was where he stayed.

Odd was the last case Kadic had before the antibiotic and vaccination was released, but by then it was too late. He was just another name on the memorial.

by Adventurer411 Tue Aug 07, 2012 9:03 pm

Aelita couldn't help the giggle that escaped. Jeremy's strange look brought forth more until she was laughing uncontrollably.

After a few moments, Jeremy gave up appearing disturbed at her laughter and grinned. "Why are you laughing?"

"I don't know! I'm just so happy," she said between giggles, fingering the necklace she had received earlier with many blushes and smiles.

"Everyone seems to be," Jeremy remarked.

"Well, it's Valentine's Day. For a lot of people, happiness is spreading like the plague."

Jeremy looked disturbed once again at her mention of the plague, but once again gave up and grinned as the 'infection' spread.

by Dr. J Tue Aug 14, 2012 2:52 am

It's late, I'm tiered, and I just watched the first season of Code Lyoko in one sitting. Here is the result.

Deep in the bowels of Sector 5, something was rumbling. Gears were grinding, and platforms were shifting. Time was up.

She almost made it...

Almost is a simple word.

A word with lots of meaning, at least to one Jeremie Belpois.

"Damn Carthage, Damn Franz, Damn it all."

Time was up, and it was over.

Nothing to do now, but wait for the inevitable.

Waiting. Alone.

Forever Alone.

Scipio.

Another simple word.

Also full of meaning.

Meaning of friends.

Aelita.

Gone.

Ulrich.

Gone.

Yumi.

Gone.

Odd.

Gone.

All gone, save Jeremie Belpois.

Scipio.

Deep, and damnable meaning.

Waiting.

Regretting.

Scipio.

by **Snickie** Tue Aug 14, 2012 8:39 pm

First they were of wolves and elves.

Then more surfaced: men in black and the mysterious man named Franz Hopper.

After recovering her memory, they became recollections of her childhood, the most prominent being the day she and Franz went to Lyoko.

Before and then long after XANA was gone, she repeatedly witnessed her father's sacrificed to defeat XANA.

Ever since returning to Earth, Aelita's nights were often plagued with nightmare after nightmare. Her screams plagued the girls' dormitory, and Aelita became plagued with a sleep-deprived Sissi.

But she could always count on Jeremie and friends to cheer her up.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

"How can anybody participate in Gym on an empty stomach?"

"Your stomach isn't empty. You ate three bananas and five croissants at breakfast this morning!"

"That was just a warmup. I need a triple-sized helping of eggs and a pound of bacon to hold me over until lunch." Rumble grumble grumble rrrrgh. "See what I mean? How can I be expected to make it even a quarter of the way through the hour with my stomach crying like this?"

"You know, Odd, it's a wonder you're not morbidly obese with how much food you eat."

"Shut up, Aelita."

"Just sayin'."

by Soul Jelly Wed Aug 15, 2012 11:28 am

#36 - Rumble

-

His world was shattering, a terrifying Armageddon of fallen buildings, glowing eyes, rumbling like thunder.

William had failed at being a hero; Yumi had disappeared, he hadn't seen Odd or Jérémie; even Ulrich was lost somewhere in that chaos.

He clung to Aelita, his body covering hers against falling debris, but his was the one shaking. Gently she pried herself from his grip and her lips grazed his skin, reassuring, bringing life back to the pallor of his face.

With one last glance back, she too ran, to once more wash away his fears with the sweeping reversion of time.

by SeeMeInTheShadows Sat Aug 18, 2012 7:56 pm

They watched as Odd laid in his bed, tossing and turning the day away. Under their lids, his eyes darted back and forth and his mouth formed a constant grimace of pain.

Aelita clutched Jeremie’s hand so tightly he was losing circulation, but he was clenching his other hand into a fist just as strong.

“What’s happening to him?” she whispered.

Jeremie shook his head. “I don’t know.” And he didn't. They had found Odd bleeding in the forest and only later did they see the bite wound.

The next full moon, Ulrich comes to them in a blind panic.

by Dr. J Sat Aug 18, 2012 9:43 pm

She said it was actually spelled U-Mi. It stood for "Uploaded Material Interface. Xana said that her father, Waldo Schaeffer was responsible. Regardless, she was missing a vital part of herself. Waldo Schaeffer had done terrible things in the name of science.

Xana had done his best to help, but Waldo was elusive, and he ruled over the Virtual World like a tyrant.

They had their victories though, as the virtual girl leaning against Jeremie could attest.
Jeremie paused from his coding to pull U-Mi closer, cherishing her humanity. With Xana's help, and some luck, they would not have to fight much longer.

by Soul Jelly Sun Aug 19, 2012 2:38 am

Alternate
-

Blok, forward, two spaces.

He issued the silent command, watched with satisfaction as it was obeyed. On the dim screen, they moved. Those children, who he often wondered about, and the platform that connected them all.

Frantic typing, sweat on his brow, but all for nothing, as his monster army fell and the all-too-familiar words flashed his doom upon the screen.

Aelita: Code: Lyoko

At 1PM (lunch hour over), he closed the browser window. Paperwork sat incomplete on his desk. His coffee was cooling.

And he continued to be bested in an online game by a bunch of nerdy kids.

by **Snickie** Mon Aug 20, 2012 8:14 pm

His athletic ability wasn't exactly great to begin with. He wasn't smart. He wasn't exceptionally attractive looking. Not compared to his roommate Odd.

Therefore when he had gone out for the soccer team, he was accepted, but only really as a bench-warmer. And even so, they didn't let him do much at practices, so he never improved.

Consequently, at the state finals competition, when Theo had sustained an injury to the knee that rendered him unable to play, there was little hope that they'd win.

Ulrich miraculously pulled through, scoring the goal that broke the tie.

For once, he succeeded.

by **Snickie** Sat Aug 25, 2012 8:19 pm

Picture

They'd just returned from the hospital, smiles wide as the English channel on their faces.

"Isn't this wonderful?" she gasped excitedly. "We're gonna be parents!"

"I know, my love," he responded, smiling.

The pinkette suddenly bolted up the stairs, murmuring happily. He followed her and found her in the nursery, her forefingers and thumbs forming a rectangle in front of her face towards one corner of the room.

"Picture it, Waldo. We'll put the crib here, and her dresser there, and I was thinking a rocking chair right there..." She prattled on.

They couldn't wait for their new baby.

Aelita.

-=-=-=-=-

Dark Instinct

Something in him just wanted to end it all.

These close calls. The frequent trips to Lyoko. The returns in time to the same monotonous lessons and the same annoying antics from Sissi. The grief his parents gave him as an indirect result.

He couldn't do that to Jeremie, though. He'd kill him for essentially killing Aelita, and even if she did wake up after the supercomputer was restarted, he wouldn't be allowed in the group again.

He couldn't just stop going, though. He'd still relive everything, minus Lyoko itself.

The silver blade was looking more appealing by the day.

by Dr. J Sat Aug 25, 2012 10:31 pm

Plague

Herbs to ward the breathing.
Heavy robes to ward the body.
Beaked Mask, to inspire fear in the superstitious and desperate.

The Good Book, to administer last rites.
Leaches for the living, fire for the dead.
So armed, Father Jeremie Belpois opened the door, and stepped out daily into Hell on Earth.

Jeremie was one of the unlucky ones. He was immune.
Herr Stern had been lost early. His wife, as well. At least they had gone together.
Signor De'Larobbia, also gone, and with him, the hope, and false cheer.

Jeremie forced himself to forget Sister Schaeffer.

Memories that happy had no place in Hell.

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100 Word Drabbles