Darkrise: Dawn of Darkness

Wednesday     I woke up all sweaty and warm with my hair almost strangling me. I reached for my phone to check my messages and the time; it was noon already. I’m not a sloth or anything; don’t get me wrong. I usually wake up early for school, but today was different because I’m suspended for talking back to a teacher. I DID wake up early today; it’s just that I have nothing to do but sulk and ended up falling asleep.     I took a quick shower. My mind wandered as the cold water rinsed the soap and suds off my skin along with all my grogginess. I couldn’t help but think about all the schoolwork I missed because of my suspension. It’s part of the school rules that missed activities during suspensions automatically receive a failing score.     It’s the last quarter of my junior high school life, and I got suspended. Way to close the school year, Cass. I guess th

Wednesday     There I was, locked up in my room, shuffling my tarot deck in the dimness of the night. This is the only way I could cope with all the crap that’s happening in my life. My brothers were arguing again, yelling, cursing, and mocking each other. I held back my tears as the idea sank into me: I was an orphan. Yes, I had my brothers, but they didn't feel like family anymore, not for a long time.     "If only you have listened to mom when she was still alive, you wouldn't be as useless as you are today!" my brother Seth barked.     "Well, if you weren't too obsessed with that whore you're seeing then you'll find more time to take care of this family!" replied my other brother Arthur.     "Don't call Sarah a whore because she gave a damn about me more than you, and you call yourself family?" scowled Seth.     "What about Lowan? I'd

Wednesday     The evening was dark and I was on my way home. School was once again wearying. At times, I want to give up and say, "To hell with all this." Expectations can be a huge burden to carry. Being the only child, I had to be perfect, I had to excel, I had to be the best, and I had no right to complain. Being the supreme student council president, I had to be the person everyone can rely on, I had to be responsible, I had to be diligent, and again, I had no right to complain.     I love my parents and I know that they love me too, but most of the time, I feel like they only love me because of my achievements; they love the person who I'll become or rather who they want me to be. My teachers are no different. They only like me because they rely on me, because they benefit from my hard work.     “Little miss, we're home," said Pietro, the most compassionate person I know, also our chauffeu

     Monday
     Before I tell you my name, I'd like to inform you that my grandparents were the ones who named me and they named me after a flower; yes, they were hippies. My name is Rose Lalic. Maybe you're wondering why I'm complaining about having such a nice name for a girl. Yeah, if only I were a girl. When I'm at school, I go by Ross so people won't make fun of me. It's difficult being a normal skinny teenager let alone being called Rose.     It's Monday and it's sunny; it was the first day of 12th grade, and I was really excited because aside from the fact this is the first day of my last year in high school, Ms. Reina said there'll be some students transferring to our class today. Some students; plural. Not a lot of kids get into our special section. I don’t want to brag, but I’m some kind of a whiz. We’ve retained the special class since 11th grade without reshuffling with the oth

Cass     He plans to raise hell. The thought echoes in my head. I just got home from our little trip from the mystic brook and I couldn’t sleep. The idea of Tartarus surfacing to earth is devastating. Last year, I was just a normal preppy debate team president; now, I'm still a preppy debate team member only with a longer job description: an evil-fighting darkling in search of a way to stop hell from rising, saving humanity in the process while keeping a secret from my teammates. Everyone would have hated me if they knew the truth. That keen butler had to be curious. Before we all parted ways, he realized something. Yes, there are seven deadly sins, but why are there eight darklings? (Excluding Maura of course; she can't de-soul) Everyone panicked and became suspicious of the eighth sin, thinking he or she must be an impostor and working for Moros. I got really nervous. What if they find out I was the eighth? Noah unknowingly saved my sassy butt fro