1Summary:
A new challenger approaches! With this new challenger, we see that darkness creeps along the horizon and threatens to come crashing down on the world as it is known. In other news, we come to find out why Kate is so desperately eager to hang out with the Striders, and the truth becomes a little less murky.
WARNING: referenced child abuse
Notes:
Holy wow geeze! Look at this... Would you just look at it?! A chapter the next day... with more words! Don't get used to it. The chapter update I mean.
The first chapter had a significant lack of words, and it was not up to my standards length-wise. This one has a little more to it, but it's still bluh. Everything is all or nothing with me these days... Anyway, for those of you who stuck around to read this, enjoy the show y'all!
A mysterious figure stands before a large panel covered in switches and buttons. The mysterious being happens to be responsible for hashing out a diabolical plan to destroy humanity. Currently the mysterious being is about to press the beautifully shiny button that will surely begin the damnation of this wretched planet ruled by apes who call themselves humans. The being prefers to call them stupid.
The being raises it's hand with a giddy smile adorning its face. It pauses for a moment of suspense, hardly able to believe that its plan has finally come to the beginning of the end. A manic yell that begins hysterical laughter erupts from the being as it's hand finally slams down onto the button. The power shorts out. For a moment all is silent, and the being's mouth is stuck in mid laughter. A few shouted obscene words and phrases fill the room. The buildup had been absolutely perfect, but the power just had to cut out.
The being goes to investigate the fuse box, grumbling along the way.
Video games at the Strider's apartment was cut short today when the power suddenly went out and didn't come back on for the next twenty minutes. You had decided to ask for another lesson in katana wielding because it was the perfect time. You thought their ninja skills were awesome and hoped to one day be even a tenth as good as them. That lesson had been your second, and Dirk had found your lack in skill very frustrating, as he did the last time. You are a brand spanking new student to the Strider dojo, and you are certainly lucky be that because the dojo isn't even in business.
The lesson had gone well from your point of view, you suppose. You'd graduated to learning how to swing the katana; granted you had to do it in slow motion, but it was still progress in your eyes. Nonetheless, the lesson was cut short as you had ended up scurrying off of the rooftop when Bro had gotten home. Those strifes were pretty intense, and being up there during a Strider strife was heartstopping. You had decided that migrating back into your apartment would be a good move seeing as no one would be home at your place. And that's where you stand now. In the apartment doorway. That was open when you got there. Oh shit.
You close the door as quietly as possible before tiptoeing through the apartment, being sure to grab a few Tiger Milk Bars from the cupboard as you go. You make sure to keep an extremely watchful eye out for any movement, as well as a very strained ear for any sort of sound. All seems quiet for now, so you relax a little bit. With your relaxation, however, came a momentary laxing of your grip on the four energy bars in your hand. You don't notice until it's too late. You take a belated dive for the energy bar, but it hits the ground with a deafening slap and the crinkling of the wrapper. Your hairs stand on end as you freeze up, your hand hovering over the fallen energy bar. Movement sounds from one of the rooms in the hall, and it's quickly followed by an incomprehensible voice, which is your cue to get to your room asap. You quickly scoop up the fallen bar as you launch yourself into the hallway and into your room. You catch the silhouette of a gruff figure in the doorway to the other room.
Just as you shut and lock your door, you hear a garbled yell and something slams into the door, eliciting a yelp from you. You need something to hold the door in place in case the lock doesn't hold - it's seen too much abuse and you wouldn't be surprised if it shattered right now.
The mysterious and heinous being responsible for the power outage has deemed that said power outage was caused by an insufficient amount of power and has thus come to the conclusion that a more powerful power source is needed. The being decides to call in a shipment of a certain type of rock with highly concentrated amounts of energy stored inside. He is put on hold and nearly throws his communication device out the window.
This is not his day.
You lay awake on your bed in a tight ball in an attempt to feel safe. You made sure to shut your bedroom door tight and had placed a chair under the doorknob just to be sure that you won't get caught tonight. You don't want to be here right now; you wish you were with the Striders. Even being out on the streets is better than being at home. You're trying so hard not to cry; as long as you don't make noise to remind him of your presence, he'll surely calm down and pass out without remembering you're here. Surely you'll make it through the evening, as long as you don't make a sound. Though despite his earlier lapse in focus, that hope seems futile, especially when you hear him walk up to your door in his stumbling manner. Of course he'd head for your door.
You've turned to stone awaiting with pointless hope to hear his feet trail away, but tonight seems like a less than lucky night for you. Something slams so hard against the door that it shudders as if the hinges will come apart, and you're sure you just heard glass break too. You violently jump and scream. He screams your name and begins pounding the door in a rhythmless fury. You begin to sob, trying to keep your sound to a minimum as you squeeze your eyes shut and will away the bad things. You hope desperately that he'll just go away, that he'll forget about you and go pass out on the couch, or better yet in his own room. If he does pass out on the futon, it won't hinder your dinner too much seeing as you prepared for that by stashing some snacks in your room.
You really don't want to be here right now.
Surprisingly, with a new lengthened record, it takes an hour for the old fart to pass out. He'd alternated between roaming the house and pounding at your door while screaming your name. Now you can plainly hear the loud snoring of a drunken man; you're almost certain he passed out on the couch. You will have to delve into the snack bank for now because you won't risk him randomly waking up while you're in there.
Your name is Kate Higgerbottom, and you've just escaped the wrath of your father.
Notes:
So, that was a little heavy.
I tried to make it not so heavy, because it would have taken away from the previous chapter's tone and I wanted to introduce this fact into the story without straight up jarring every reader of this story. I feel I was successful.
I most certainly did not want to introduce Kate's home-life with a beating; that would have been pretty upsetting if I do say so myself, and the upsetting part isn't supposed to some until later when waste particles hit the wind propelling device. Sooo, look forward to that! I guess... Also, pleeease let me know what you think of this story. I can't tell if it's going good or not.