Information

Johnathen
Legacy Name: Johnathen

The Bloodred Legeica
Owner: Chii

Age: 13 years, 6 months, 1 week

Born: October 28th, 2010

Adopted: 9 years, 6 months, 4 weeks ago

Adopted: October 8th, 2014

Statistics

• Level: 1
   
• Strength: 10
   
• Defense: 12
   
• Speed: 16
   
• Health: 12
   
• HP: 12/12
   
• Intelligence: 0
   
• Books Read: 0
• Food Eaten: 0
• Job: Unemployed

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WIP WIP WIP DONT LOOK PLS

There are two sides to every story

I open my eyes to grey. Cold, hard lumps of grey and black. I run my fingers over their smooth surface and pick one up. A pebble. It slips out of my hand without my control. I feel exhausted and my vision is still blurry. I blink a few times for my eyes to adjust to the scene: black pebbles and white sand for miles and miles on either side of me. A few trees in the distance. If I strain my ear I can hear the city sounds. I feel the waves washing over my feet, pulling at them as they ebb back into the sea. I am soaked to the skin. My forearms, the left side of my neck and cheek covered with a layer of sand.

I roll onto my back. The movement stimulates a stabbing pain in my chest. It almost feels like an electric shock, completely catching me off guard. I clench my fists, waiting for the sharp pain to subside into a slow, dull ache. I lift my neck and peer down at my chest.

A six inch knife is protruding from my chest, right below my sternum, leaning sideways. It is just halfway in me, but still. Somehow it has been pushed through a button in my jacket, reducing the intensity of the stab wound by far. I know I should not try to pull the knife out since it will cause more blood loss. Unsure of what else to do, I delicately unbutton the first two buttons of my jacket to observe the damage underneath.

My T-Shirt is soaked with blood. I rip my t-shirt from the neck down. My skin looks red and irritated. There is more blood than skin. The wound is right below my chest and right above my stomach. I cannot guess the extent of the damage but the fact that I am alive probably means the knife has narrowly missed any vital organs. I should have bled out, as my attacker intended me to.

And that person is my wife.

I know it looks bad. I know it looks like I betrayed her but I would never do that. I could never hurt my wife. Let me start from the beginning.

~*~

Ten years ago
I was a typical college freshman. Big dreams, bigger ego. I was here for the ultimate reason: to make something of myself. I had set an array of goals. Things to do, places to see. Several milestones for self-accomplishment.

I never looked for love. Love found me. (Cheesy, I know, but I can't explain it in any other way.) When I met Liz for the first time, she was just a classmate, just a nobody in a class of nobodies. On our first day, I listened to her introduce herself politely just as I had listened to everyone else. The second time, Liz and I were put on the same team for a project, a project that I preferred to work on alone. I don't do well in groups. I listened to all their stupid ideas and pretended to care. Then I proceeded to go ahead and do it by myself. They didn't mind. Liz did.

"Did you even take what we suggested into consideration?" she asked me after our - my - presentation. Black hair, blue eyes, pretty face. I shrugged, she walked away, I moved on.
The third time we had any remote sort of interaction, ignoring all the looks I got from her between the second and third time, something was different. It's always the third time. Third time's the lucky charm or whatever.
Well, the third time left me with my partner for life.

It was the semester holidays and everyone was preparing to go home. The dormitory was loud, packed and messy. Nobody was coming to pick me up and I had nowhere to go. Two or three guys did invite me to their homes but I politely declined.I was determined to spend my summer in the library, crossing books off my long list of to-reads. I had just found a seat by the window and delved into my book when I was interrupted by a voice.

"A reader, huh?" I looked up and there she was: resting her palm on the back of my chair, other palm on her hip. She had an eyebrow raised with mock surprise on her face.
"Nah, just waiting for a hot girl to drop by. Seen any?" I replied, looking around the room, past her.
She gave me a look that said "very funny". We exchanged more witty banter but it was evident that we both found each other interesting.
She did not ask me why I stayed back for the holidays. I did not ask her. It was a silent agreement. We spoke about everything else but our pasts. I told her I wanted to be an writer for a reputed newspaper. My big city dreams. I couldn't help it, I didn't hold back and with her, I didn't feel like I had to. When I finished, she looked at me, point-blank and said:
"The world is yours. Take it."

I tossed in bed all night, recounting our conversation, laughing to myself thinking about all the jokes she had made and the witty counter remarks I had made. Nothing promising, I told myself. But I was still excited about the prospect of having someone who knows me and knowing someone who would have me. I was a loner up until now and suddenly, I was not. Just like that.

Four seasons of love and laughter is what it took for me to pop the question. I already knew she would say yes and she had. Ten times, really fast. Ten years later we were still happy. Still close. Until now.

A month ago
Some time in January I was in my office, going about my work, when I got an email alert. I ignored it for some time, finished my work, grabbed a sandwich and got back to it. The subject read "HI!!!". I almost deleted it thinking it was spam. It read:

Hi John!
I'm so glad I finally found your email address! It was so hard to get my hands on it! I'll explain everything face to face! Don't want to type it in an email for reasons I will explain to you later! Meet me at Sandy's this saturday at 9AM!!! It's just ten minutes from your place at the corner of Baker St! And please don't tell Lizzy! Plz, plz, plz! Thanks!

I stared at it incredulously. I automatically assumed it was a girl, a teenager. She spelled 'please' as 'plz' and that wasn't even the part that scared me the most. She knew where I lived, she knew my wife's name, and she assumed I would happily go meet her at the place and time she chose. She hadn't even left me with a name or a number. It was probably some low-life attention-seeking reporter trying to catch a break and get a recommendation from me. I had to admit, I have had people trying to gain my attention through ridiculous e-mails and letters but this was a first.

For some reason, I "forgot" to mention it to Liz - meaning every time I saw her I remembered it but I swallowed it down. I convinced myself that it was nothing important and if I ignored it long enough, it would go away.

Two days later, on Friday, I got a reminder from the same person.

"See you tomorrow! Sandy's at 9! - M"

M? What does that even mean? I told myself to ignore it but by 8:30AM on Saturday, I was fibbing to Liz and making my way out the door. I felt bad, I had never lied to her before. I knew it was going to come back to bite me in the future but I promised myself I would just go, see what they want, tell them to never contact me - or my wife - again and be done with it.

Sandy's was a little street cafe that had a capacity of 10, in total. I picked a table and sat down, feeling slightly anxious. Curiosity killed the cat. I looked at my watch: 8:45AM. I ordered a coffee and waited. A few minutes later, I felt a tap on my shoulder.

A girl stood behind me. Black hair, blue eyes, pretty face. She was an exact replica of my wife when we were in college. Slowly standing up, I gaped at her, making sure I wasn't seeing things. It was certainly a blast from the past.She smiled at my expression and began to explain herself:

"Firstly, thanks for coming." She slid into the chair across me and thrust her hand across the table, knocking down the ketchup bottle. I shook her hand numbly, still standing, as I watched her replace the bottle with her other hand.

"My name is Marcy. I'm Lizzy's younger sister. Well, half-sister, like thirteen years younger... Oh, please, just sit, it's alright!"

I smiled politely and sat down, gathering myself. It took quite a lot to make me speechless but this had done it! Liz's half-sister.. who would have thought!

The girl went on rambling about how she had come to find us but I still could not shake the fact that they looked so alike! I thought about Liz for a second and how ecstatic she would be. She had no ties to any of her family. Her mother had died and her father had remarried. Liz had told me that her history did not bother her too much but I knew it did, the same way mine bothered me. The girl was still talking. She was very animated in her words and actions - knocked down the ketchup bottle - again!

"Wait, wait, wait," I say, interrupting her. "Let me get this straight: you're Liz's sister and you're here to meet her?"
She nodded eagerly.

"Well, I'll take you to her right now!" I was glad it was a simple matter. Well, not simple but simple enough. I could go back to being myself with Liz and not have to worry about anonymous emails and secret meetings.

"Nooooooo!" She placed her hands on her head, exasperated, as if she was dealing with a brainless toddler.
"I want to surprise her! I don't want to just... crash into her life I want her to, like, know I'm really interested in her. Don't want her to think I'm just here for, like, a place to stay, or, you know... money" She smiled, sheepishly.

I couldn't help but smile. The whole situation was a little tiresome to me but I couldn't deny her. She wanted to make my wife happy so I would help her. Also, I always knew those puppydog eyes would be the death of me. I had lost a lot of battles to eyes that looked very similar. I threw my hands up in resignation and leaned back.
"Sure, what would you like to know?"
She smiled and clapped her hands, excitedly, about a hundred times.

Most of the time we communicated through emails and phone calls. She was not bad once I got to know her. She was studying in Japan, she and Liz shared a dad and when he was dying, she learned about Liz and me. She even had a letter from her dad for Liz. It was a little overwhelming at first and I did doubt her ulterior motives for some time but she assured me she did not want to stay with us. She just wanted to know her sister.

The hardest part for me was lying to Liz. I started avoiding conversations with her, went home so late that we had no choice but to go to sleep before she could ask me where I was or who I was with. Sometimes, she tried to ask me about my whereabouts and activities to a point where it irritated me so much I would yell at her and lock myself in my office.

I told myself it was alright but I could not miss the disappointed and dubious looks my wife gave me. In one month, we had already drifted away from each other.

"We have to tell Liz. Today." I told Marcy after I had answered all her questions for the day. She took down notes about Liz in a small notepad that she carried around everywhere.
"Not yet, John. On Valentine's Day." She promised, shutting the notepad with a snap.
She looked at me for a minute and suddenly slipped off one of the beaded bracelets she wore and jiggled it in front of me."Here, I want you to have this."
I gave her a quizzical look. She shrugged an said:
"When my sister meets me, we're going to get along and you're never going to see us again. I assume you'll miss my awesome company and you can look at this and cry yourself to sleep."
I laughed, pocketing it. It was her way of saying "thank you for bringing me to my sister". Later, it went into my bedside drawer and I dismissed it completely.

On Valentine's Day, I woke up feeling relieved. I turned over to Liz but she was already out of bed. I showered, got dressed for work, grabbed my lunch off the counter top and kissed my wife.
"Wait up for me, I have a surprise for you!" I told her before leaving. I knew Liz had planned something for tonight but whatever it was, it was nothing compared to what I was about to reveal to her.

I took the day off to prepare Liz's surprise. Marcy and I rented Sandy's for the night to host a little private party. By then, most of the people who frequented the restaurant knew who Marcy was. This made me feel less guilty about meeting a girl half my age three times a week. People knew me. They knew Liz too. I did not want them to judge us.

By the time we were done, the place looked like every teenage girl's dream date setting. We added string lights and dimmed the other lights, lace tablecloths with more lace bows on the chairs, flowers (Liz's favourite was red roses), champagne and even a prepared specially prepared menu with all of Liz's favourite food. I could picture her cute frown as she struggled to decide what to choose. Most of it was girly and Marcy's idea.
"I want Lizzy to feel young and in love! I want her to feel it!" She kept saying this to everyone who was helping to set the place. I could see how much she adored her sister.

When I got home, there was a note on our front porch. I picked it up and recognized Liz's handwriting. It was written on a pink paper with pink glittery ink. Cute.

"You spend all your time cooped up here, but today I was in there, dear"

A treasure hunt for me. Looks like Liz had planned her own surprise. I knew she was talking about my office. I went into the office and looked for more pink papers. My hand accidentally touched the computer's mouse and the screen came to life. There were words on the screen.

"I put a little something sweet on your favourite thing to eat!"

I followed the clue to our kitchen and I smiled as the smell of the honey roast wafted towards me. I walked over to the oven and knelt down. The next clue was stuck on the oven door:

"We share so many laughs and meals here, all along I thought 'No need to fear.'"

I frowned at the clue. It spoke of the dining room but I did not quite understand the second part. I just assumed Liz was running out of things to rhyme about. I found the clue under one of the plates set on the table along with roses and scented candles.

"We share the same bed but not the same drawers.. why, John?"

Our bedroom. I snorted. This one didn't even rhyme. Silly Liz. I ran upstairs and opened my bedside drawer to find the next clue:

"We started our lives in a basement and in the same place, we're starting a new one"

The basement. I knew what Liz meant by this clue. When we first moved in together, Liz and I had rented someone's basement. We had nothing but a bed, TV and mini fridge. From there, we had moved up to where we were today. An uphill struggle with Liz supporting me all the way.

I ignored the second half of the clue and opened the door to the basement. Liz had to be hiding in here somewhere. I went down the stairs and turned on the lights. There were two neatly wrapped packages. I looked around and could not seem to find Liz so I began to unwrap the first package. A velvety, navy box with a gold ribbon. I opened the box and found the most beautiful watch inside. It was the gold pocket watch I had spent hours admiring in the shop window of a dingy old antique shop. I had forgotten about it a few years ago but Liz had remembered.

"Oh, LIZ! It's beautiful! You're crazy! I can't believe you would get me this!"
I did not know if she could hear me but I wanted to swoop her up in my arms and hug her. I was utterly moved by the sentiment. I looked at the other package. It was soft and shapeless. I opened it and a T-Shirt fell into my hands. I held it up by the sleeves. It read:

World's #1 Dad. World's #1 Dad?
I reread it a few times trying to get the words to sink in. It couldn't possibly mean... No..

I heard a shuffle behind me. Liz was standing there, her eyes fixed on me. My eyes immediately moved to her belly. The slightest bump. I was going to be a DAD! We were going to have our first baby! My eyes began to well with tears. How had I not noticed this before? I had been waiting a long time for this moment.

In one swift movement I hugged my wife, burying my face in her neck. Almost immediately, I felt a sharp pain in my chest. I cried out, pushing Liz away, staggering. I couldn't breathe, the pain was too much. I touched my chest and felt the thick liquid on my trembling fingers. Blood.
I looked up at Liz. She looked cold, distant. Her eyes were dark and pensive. She threw something at me feet. The bracelet that Marcy gave me. I took a step forward, reaching out for her but I fell to my knees. Writhing with pain, I rolled onto my side, the tips of my fingers barely scraping her feet. She stood there for a while, watching me drift away. As everything began to turn black I remember thinking: I have always loved those delicate ankles.

~*~

Everything else is a blur but from where I see it, she tried to kill and dispose of me. We probably went on a boat ride last night when she dumped me into the sea. I cannot believe it. I'm alive. I'm weak and bloodless but alive.

I think I am taking advantage of my situation so I slowly, painfully, make my way towards the city. I just want someone to notice me so that I can drop down on the floor and sleep.

Sure enough, I see astonished faces as I make my way through the beach, towards the beach-side cafes. Someone is taking a picture. Someone is dialing frantically on their phone. A few people rush to me.

I let go. I fall asleep, hoping I'll wake up to see Liz's face. I need to explain to her. I just want her to give me a chance, to hear me out.

I just want to come home, Liz..


Originally coded by: dreamsky
Story: Chii Overlay: Emi