Living Fiction - Ch. 1 - Springtime (Patreon)

For the longest time, Yang just stared. A light breeze rustled through her hair, the sound of waves breaking on the sand drifted past their ears, a seagull called out in the distance...and Yang stared.

“Um, what?” she finally asked, waving one of her arms as she did so.

Mortally embarrassed might be a good way to explain what Blake was feeling right now. That, and extremely concerned. A few seconds ago she’d only worried about making a good impression, but what type of impression could this possibly be?

She'd wanted the opportunity to talk to Yang for more than a few minutes at a time, and the universe had granted her wish. Too late, she wished that they could spend time together in a way that wouldn’t make her look absolutely insane.

“We’re in the book,” she repeated. Again, Yang stared back before scoffing in disbelief.

“You’re messing with me, right? Like, this is just...a joke…”

That might be what Yang wanted to believe, but as she spun in a slow circle she surely answered the question for herself.

If this was just a joke, it was one of the most elaborate ones Blake had ever heard of - not to mention, pretty near impossible to pull off. How could someone so abruptly transform a college library into a field of blooming wildflowers that ran all the way to a cliff towering above a bright, blue sea expanding across the horizon?

That would be just as impossible as stepping into a novel…

“I’m sorry. It’s not a joke.”

Watching Yang’s eyes search far and wide for a familiar landmark, Blake remembered what it felt like the first time she experienced this confusion for herself. It was abrupt, jarring, and more than a little scary - along with being unexpected, surreal, and downright unbelievable.

“It’s ok,” Blake added, stepping forward and hoping to calm Yang down as her eyes darted this way and that. “We’re not stuck here. We’re only here for now.”

Fortunately, Yang was still composed enough to hear Blake’s words and respond.

“Ok, so if we’re not stuck here, then you know how to get out?”

When Yang shot a questioning glance her way, Blake took a deep breath and nodded. “We can get out, we just need to wait -”

“Wait for what?” Yang interrupted, spinning in another circle and throwing both hands in the air when all she found was blue sky, flowers, and an endless ocean. “How is this even possible??”

“We have to wait for the end of the chapter,” Blake explained before she remembered something that nearly made her groan out loud. “We have to wait for a few chapters…”

“A few? How many’s a few?”

“Seven…”

Having set all seven bookmarks in place, Blake had locked them into the sequence of chapters they were about to embark upon. Leaving would be easy, but only after the seven chapters ran their course.

Honestly, she hadn’t known that it was even possible for a second person to join her on these journeys. Not that she would’ve offered the experience to anyone in the first place because explaining the situation would make her sound crazy, and then that person would look at her exactly like Yang was right now.

“I don’t...get this...” Eyes darting around the beautiful spring landscape, Yang ran one hand through her hair. “We were just in the library.”

Trying to figure out how to respond, Blake spotted two people off in the distance. Not exactly how she’d anticipated this happening…

“I know this will sound…” Blake raised her hands and skipped the word - Yang knew what it was. “But several months ago I found this set of bookmarks - a special set of bookmarks. When I put them in a book and tap the title, I can experience the chapter in person - like this.” Blake waved her hands at the meadow they were currently standing in. “And if I use more than one bookmark, it will play through the chapters one-by-one in the order I decide.”

Again, Yang stared while the explanation slowly settled over her.

“So we’re...in the book…”

“Yes.”

“Because...you have bookmarks that let you do this…”

Again, Blake nodded her head and responded with a clear, “Yes.”

Running a hand through her long, blonde hair, Yang chuckled and shook her head. “Ok…” she muttered to herself while looking out over the sea. “So the hot girl at the library has magic bookmarks…”

Unsure that she heard that correctly, Blake tilted her head to the side and asked, “What?”

“So you have magic bookmarks!” Yang repeated in a louder voice. “That’s...uh, unexpected. But cool. I guess…”

There were worse ways Yang could be taking the news. She could be running for the hills while screaming her head off, or she could be angry that Blake had allowed this to happen at all. Not that this was remotely close to anything Blake had wanted to happen ever. Admittedly, she should’ve been more careful, but she never would’ve guessed that Yang would try to pick up the book.

The lesson had been learned - a bit late - and now they’d both live through the consequences.

The sound of laughter drifted past them then, and Yang immediately perked up and sought out the source of the noise. Turning away from the ocean, she quickly caught sight of the story headed their way.

“Wait, there are other people here!”

“They can’t see us,” Blake said before Yang tried to call out. “They’re characters in the book, and we’re only observers.”

With wide eyes, Yang watched a man and his small daughter race across the meadow. The young girl skipping through the wildflowers was wearing a pretty purple dress, with a matching purple ribbon holding back her white-blonde curls. She was barefoot, but the soft grass posed no threat to her tender feet. It was her light giggle that kept breaking across the field, interrupting the sound of the ocean with ease.

Her father was still youthful and vibrant, unable to keep a smile from his lips as he chased after his daughter. In one hand, he was holding the flowers she’d given him earlier, which he would put in a vase on their kitchen table when they eventually made it home.

As the pair drew closer, Blake sensed Yang stiffen in anticipation.

“Are you sure they can’t see us?” Yang asked, her voice hardly above a whisper.

“I’m sure. They can’t see, hear us, or come into contact with us in any way.”

Blake’s words were proven correct when the little girl raced right by them - running so close that Yang took a hasty step backward - and stepped on Blake’s foot in the process.

“Ouch -”

“Oh crap. I’m so sorry!” Extending her arms, Yang looked like she wanted to help Blake - while also intently watching the little girl race away from them. Meanwhile, Blake waved off Yang’s concern over her foot – which would survive the unfortunate trouncing. At least that answered the question of whether the two of them could come into contact while in the stories…

“Violet!” the man called out, taking long strides to catch up. “Remember - not too close to the edge.”

Dropping her arms, Yang turned and gawked while he also rushed past without acknowledging their existence - which was exactly the way it should be seeing as how the two of them didn’t exist in this realm.

“We’re observers,” Blake repeated. “They’re not going to notice us.”

Mumbling what sounded suspiciously like an expletive under her breath, Yang shook her head and looked at Blake in amazement.

“How are you so calm??”

Calm? Blake certainly didn’t feel calm right now, as her heart raced with both worry and concern about the unexpected situation. She’d wanted to talk to Yang, not force her to participate in something that Blake herself could hardly explain.

“Well, I’ve...done this before,” she managed to respond, opting for an honest answer. While Yang continued to stare at her, Blake smiled and tried to think of a way to save the situation.

The two of them were stuck together until the chapters ended, so maybe Yang would be willing to watch the stories unfold? Although, if Blake had known she would have company, she would’ve chosen a completely different set of plotlines for them to experience...

“Do you want to see what they’re doing?” she asked anyway, gesturing towards the seacliff before quickly adding, “Or we can stay right here until the chapter ends. Whichever you prefer.”

As the offer hung in the air, Blake watched Yang come to a decision, lightly furrowing her brow while staring after the characters who had recently passed them by.

“We’re stuck here anyway, aren’t we?” she eventually asked. When Blake nodded, Yang nodded in turn. “Ok...then...I guess we should check it out.”

“You don’t have to -”

“Nope,” Yang cut Blake’s last effort off with a shake of her head and a bright smile. “Freaking out over here is the same as freaking out over there. You might as well get to watch your story while I do that.”

Considering the circumstances, the response was surprisingly thoughtful. It was so thoughtful that Blake initially wondered if Yang was merely being sarcastic. But when there was no follow up other than the warm smile, Blake took the words at face value.

“Umm...ok. Thank you.”

With a small smile of her own, Blake walked towards the sea while Yang fell into step beside her. The ocean breeze stiffened the closer they drew to the edge of the cliff, bending the spring flowers under its force before easing and allowing the gentle plants to stand straight again. 

It was while they walked that Blake felt the clear lack of comfort that came with being near a person who was essentially a stranger - a stranger that she’d been sneaking glances at for quite some time. Fortunately, if Yang was uncomfortable it was impossible to tell while she looked in every direction in amazement. Taking a deep breath, Blake sighed out the pleasant, fragrant air. Flowers and ocean...two peaceful, wonderful scents that partially eased her heightened state of apprehension.

In front, walking close but not too close to the ledge, were the two characters that had passed earlier.

“What are they doing?” Yang leaned close to Blake to ask the hushed question as they neared the edge of the cliff themselves.

“They’re just talking,” Blake answered, her own voice a whisper even though she knew there was no need for such a quiet tone. But with Yang whispering, it felt awkward to speak any louder in response.

“- then make dinner with Mommy!” the little girl was saying, picking her way along the edge while her father held her hand.

“That sounds like a good day,” he replied, smiling down at her. “But what about Rusty? I thought you were supposed to spend time with him.”

“Do I haveeee tooo?”

When he laughed at the whine, Blake smiled and motioned for Yang to stop as the characters did the same. Turning towards his daughter, Violet’s father knelt down on the ground so he could look up into her eyes. Her lower lip was stuck out in a pout, but he only smiled while sliding one of the wildflowers she’d picked into her hair above her ear.

“Rusty will be very important to you one day,” he said, situating the purple flower in place before tapping the tip of her nose. “The more time you spend with him now, the closer you’ll become and the better the future will be.”

“But he doesn't like me…”

“But he will like you. You just need to be patient - give him time to get to know you better. Let him see how sweet and kind you are.” Reaching out, he lightly tickled Violet's sides and got her to smile as she tried to wiggle away. Thinking long and hard about what her father said, she eventually nodded her head.

“Ok...then I’ll spend time with Rusty, too.”

“Good girl,” he replied, standing up and reaching down to take her hand once more.

“Wait,” Yang whispered, nudging Blake’s arm. “Who the hell is Rusty??”

“You’ll see,” Blake answered, smiling at Yang’s miffed expression. But the story was moving on without them, so they hurried to catch up.

This was one of the first free days he’d had in a while, and Violet’s father was happy to spend the time ambling aimlessly with his favorite person in the world. With his many other responsibilities, it wasn’t often he had as much time as he wanted to devote to his daughter.

“I still can’t believe this,” Yang muttered while she and Blake trailed behind the pair. “We were just in the library...now we’re chillin’ at the beach.”

On Blake’s part - she’d just been at work, prepared to venture through another few chapters on her own, and now she was strolling through a field of flowers with the most popular girl on campus - who, up until a few minutes ago, had had no idea this was even possible.

“I know it’s pretty shocking, but it will be ok,” Blake said, doing her best to provide reassurance. When she earned Yang’s gaze in response, her heart did a little flip in her chest as she quickly turned her attention back to the two characters strolling in front of them.

Everything would be ok...once the chapters ran their course. Until then, Blake would do her best to shepherd Yang through this experience. On the plus side, she was finding it much easier to think of things to say now that she felt compelled to keep Yang from flipping out.

Pausing up ahead, Violet’s father looked towards the water while his daughter stopped by his side.

“Can you smell the air?” he asked. Lifting his nose, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath before exhaling with a sad smile. “Spring is here.”

“You have to leave soon…”

Watching his expression fill with sorrow at the words, Blake’s own heart cracked with sadness. Violet was looking down at the ground now, unwilling to meet her father’s gaze while she gently kicked one foot across the ground.

“You know it’s my duty,” he said, swallowing thickly as he thought about leaving his family once again. “But it will only be for the summer, and I’ll be back before you know it.”

Violet took her father’s reassurance in stride, breaking into a smile as she hopped around to stand in front of him.

“When you get back, Rusty and I will be best friends!” she exclaimed, beaming at the words she knew would make her father smile with pride.

“Are you sure about that?” Reaching down, he picked her up and held her comfortably at his side while looking up into her eyes. 

“Extra positive! Then I can come with you!" she said, excited about the idea even though it made him pause.

"One day...yes,” he replied slowly. “But before then, you need to grow stronger - you and Rusty together.”

Convinced, she nodded her head with as much conviction as a child could muster. With Violet in happy agreement, Blake caught Yang’s eyes and found that she was watching the entire interaction with her brow creased in concern.

“What happens in the spring?” Yang asked, again whispering as she glanced at Blake before turning back to Violet. “Why does he have to leave?”

“Can I see Ember?” Violet asked before Blake could answer, happily kicking her legs while held in her father’s arms.

“Ember?” he repeated, giving her a playfully curious expression. “What on earth would you want to see her for?”

“To see old Rusty!”

Laughing at the response, he carefully set Violet on the ground and turned his back to the ocean.

“One day, this will be you and Rusty,” he directed down to his daughter before closing his eyes in concentration.

“Get ready,” Blake said, nudging Yang forward so they were standing right beside their main characters.

“Ready? Get ready for what?”

Nodding towards the sky, Blake found that the end of the first chapter was swiftly approaching - swooping down from the clouds and closing fast. It started as nothing more than a black dot, but that black dot grew bigger and bigger, expanding as long wings, a bony head, and a scaly tail came into view. In no time at all, that little black dot became a massive creature that plummeted to the ground in front of them.

“Holy sh-!” was all Yang got out as she stumbled backward - nearly tripping herself if Blake hadn’t reached out and grabbed her arm at the last second.

Violet squealed with excitement as the creature landed before them, causing the ground to tremble beneath their feet with a reverberating thump.

“What the -!” Yang exclaimed while Violet’s father took her by the hand and led her over to the new arrival. “That’s a freaking dragon!”

It was a dragon - and Blake never got tired of seeing them in person. They were different from novel to novel - they came in all kinds of different colors, shapes, and sizes. Some were massive creatures that seemed too large to fly, some were small, sleek, and perfect for aerial acrobatics.

This particular iteration towered above them - its wide, leathery wings folded against its dark-amber body while waiting for her bonded human to approach. Razor-sharp claws dug into the ground with ease, and a long tail was covered in a line of sharp, bony scales that ran all the way to the tip. A colossal, horned head swung this way and that - a ceaseless pattern that seemed to be a restless search for enemies.

“It is,” Blake replied, taking a step towards the creature only to be stopped when Yang grabbed her by the arm.

“Are you freaking crazy? That thing’ll snap you in half!”

“Maybe, but we’re not a part of the story, remember?” When Yang stared in surprise and refused to drop Blake’s arm, Blake nodded towards the dragon with a reassuring smile. “Come see.”

“Emberrrr…” the man cooed to the beast, raising one hand to touch the side of Ember’s head. “You remember Violet, don’t you?”

“She’s not scared, see?” Blake said, gesturing towards Violet, who was standing fearlessly by her father’s side while Ember sniffed at her shirt.

“She’s pretty!” Violet said, reaching up to touch the dragon only for it to jerk its head back.

“Woah, woah there. Slow movements, remember. Nice...slow...movements...” Taking Violet’s hands in his own, he guided her as Ember slowly approached for another attempt.

“Look at her…” Blake mused, taking in the burnt red-orange scales and wings. Ember shifted then, her giant claws sinking into the ground as she resituated herself. “Isn’t she beautiful?” Blake asked, turning around and finding Yang staring at her like she had two heads.

“Will Rusty look like this when he’s bigger?” Violet asked, her hand successfully grazing the scales on Ember’s head.

“Probably a darker red,” her father answered, patting the top of Ember’s head and giving his best friend and traveling companion an adoring smile. “But yes, he’ll look much like this.”

Feeling a presence by her side, Blake turned and found that Yang had finally joined her.

“You’re not scared?” Yang asked, turning towards Blake.

“No,” she answered easily. “We have no reason to be. We’re not part of this story - observers only, remember?”

When Yang looked impressed by the answer, Blake gestured for Yang to follow and walked to the front of the dragon. Ember’s head was laying on the ground now, flattening the grass while Violet and her father knelt down on one side.

“Does she know?” Violet asked while touching the tip of Ember’s nose. “That she has to leave soon?”

“Yes. She can sense the change in the weather, too. She knows we’ll be leaving the isle soon.”

Violet frowned at the thought, but she quickly brightened when an idea popped into her head.

“Will you fly her?”

“If you promise to sit right here and not move,” he answered, nodding when Violet immediately plopped down amongst the wildflowers.

Patting Ember’s head, he walked past Yang and Blake and used the single rung strapped around the dragon’s middle to boost himself up into a saddle. He hardly settled in before the beast took to the skies, a heavy wave of wind blowing across Blake as powerful wings propelled the creature and its rider skyward. Blake watched the dragon fly over the meadow, admiring its grace in the absence of true beauty.

“That’s a freaking dragon…” Yang said under her breath, still staring after the faint, dark shape as it did intricate cartwheels in the sky.  For her massive size, Ember was still able to move quite deftly in the air. Prompted to fold her wings, she could drop quickly before spreading them out and instantly sending herself skyward one more. Through these rapid changes in elevation, sleek dips, and sharp turns, Ember and her rider showed themselves to be both skilled and agile - true forces to be reckoned with.

After several minutes of aerial acrobatics, which the three of them watched with joy, fascination, or shock, the beast slowly turned towards them - and gained more and more speed as it swept across the plain.

“Uh…” was all Yang got out as Ember bore down on them at a remarkable speed, not diverging from the collision course.

“Duck,” Blake said, ducking her head as the dragon whizzed a mere foot above them, sending a sharp breeze across the meadow before using those strong wings to propel back into the air.

While Blake and Yang looked after Ember in surprise, Violet laughed joyfully while her father showed off his tremendous flying capabilities. For such a young girl, she already had big plans for her future - plans that grew larger every time she saw her father fly.

Swooping through the air in a lazy circle, Ember landed in front of them a short time later and Violet’s father quickly disembarked.

“Good girl,” he whispered, patting Ember’s side before walking to his daughter. “How was that?” he asked, earning himself a round of enthusiastic clapping.

“I wanna be just like you!” Violet said, raising her arms in a gesture that begged to be picked up.

“Do you?” he asked while giving in to her silent request. “That means you’ve got a lot of work to do.”

“But you’ll help me!”

“I’ll help you for as long as I can,” he replied, smiling up at Violet before giving Ember one last pat on the head. “Say goodbye to Ember, for now.”

“Bye Ember!” Violet immediately said, throwing in a wave at the same time. With her presence no longer needed, Ember propelled herself skyward and headed back the way she’d come.

“Now let’s go home and see what your mom’s up to.” Carefully stopping down with Violet held tightly in one strong arm, he picked up the flowers she’d collected earlier that day before the two of them set off for their home. They didn’t make it very far before they faded away as if erased by the wind.

But the rest of the environment remained, leaving Yang and Blake standing in the field of flowers by themselves.

“Uh…” Yang said, staring at the spot where Violet and her father had just vanished from.

“The characters always disappear first at the end of a chapter,” Blake explained, turning to Yang and trying to read her expression. “Are you still freaking out?"

“Yes.” Yang nodded but grinned regardless. “But I didn’t get eaten by a dragon, so I think I’ll survive.”

“You’ll survive. I’ll make sure of that.”

It was an empty promise considering that survival was the only way this could work out, but Yang smiled anyway - looking as happy as if Blake had just pledged to fight by her side in the upcoming war. But the expression lost a bit of its luster when she looked around.

“Where are we, by the way? It's beautiful.”

“An island called Marsai,” Blake answered. “Fictional, of course.”

“l think the dragon gave that away.” After glancing around the wide-open plain, Yang shook her head.

“Ok,” she said, turning to Blake with a growing smile. “You have my complete attention now. I mean, not that you didn't before - just, you have it even more now.” Pausing completely, Yang appeared bewildered for a few seconds before carrying on. “Not like, a weird amount of attention or anything. Just a regular, healthy amount...”

Watching Yang talk herself into a deeper hole than she’d started with, Blake chuckled at the briefly flustered behavior. Yang always seemed so calm and carefree - it was pleasantly surprising to discover that there was a side of her that was infinitely more relatable, stumbling over words and finding it difficult to make sense. Of course, it took an unexpected trip to an alternate universe that contained dragons for that side of her to come out...

"So," Yang added, clapping her hands together and putting that moment of inelegance behind her. "Do we hang out here forever, or is there something we need to do?"

"We’ll eventually move forward. Shouldn't be much longer..."

As Blake spoke, the world around them shifted and blurred as if it was being slowly erased by some unstoppable force. The sun lowered and the flowers disappeared. The sound of waves was replaced by evening crickets. The ocean darkened until it vanished from view completely.

Eyes wide, Yang watched the environment change in front of them. It was only when the next chapter was fully formed that she turned to Blake with a thoughtful expression.

“You know…I always knew there was something different about you.”

Temporarily taken aback by the comment, Blake reluctantly smiled when she realized Yang only meant the bookmarks that had led them here - not that she, personally, was different in any way.

“I hope it’s not a bad kind of different?” she asked. Any concern she might have had disappeared when Yang laughed.

“Definitely not bad,” Yang answered, shaking her head for emphasis before glancing around at the dark woods surrounding them. “But...what’s next?”