The Bookmark: Posthumous Publication

Noah stepped forward, a cruel grin spreading across his face.

"Wow, so this is what they call a 'dumb genius, huh'?" He sneered. "She's dating someone who bullies you and yet you still completely trust her? If I were you, I would've stayed the hell away from her. Poor Luck, is this what they call stockholm syndrome?" he taunted, his voice dripping with contempt.

The wind howled through the empty space, the sky heavy with clouds, as if the world itself held its breath, waiting for something to happen. Both my fists clenched, there was no one left to call for help, no one left to trust.

They shoved me, a rough push to the shoulder, followed by a sharp kick to my knee, the cold metal railing dug painfully into my back, reminding me how weak my body was, but still the cold metal railing was nothing compared to Natalie's betrayal.

Noah laughed, his voice mocking. "She told me everything, you know, about how your little parents, kicked the bucket, and how your grandma turned into a coin collector just to feed you and your poor little sister. If I'd known that, maybe I wouldn't have bullied you. I've got a conscience, you know." His friends burst into laughter, the sound ringing in the stillness.

Finally, Natalie looked at me, her gaze filled with something…inbetween regret and doubt, I couldn't tell which.

"Why?" I whispered, barely able to breathe.

She opened her mouth to answer, but before she could speak, Noah closed it with a kiss, sealing her silence.

I turned away, the betrayal burning through my insides.

Noah's voice cut through the air like a knife. "I have a plan, Luck, I could have some fun with your sister, you do know who my father is right?. After I'm done with her, your old lady, won't ever have to worry about paying school fees, ever again. I doubt she has that much time left, if she continues to work her frail body to the bone, she'll end up kicking the bucket too, like your parents. You wouldn't want that, would you. So what do you say, deal?"

A flicker of rage surged through my veins. Something inside me snapped. Before I knew it, I was charging forward, my fists clenched, teeth gritted so hard, they might've cracked. My punch landed on Noah's face with a sickening thud, but it was short-lived. Noah's foot connected with my chest, sending me crashing to the railing.

As if the railing was waiting for this moment, the bolts, unscrewed, sent flying towards the ground. The grey sky opened up, and it began to rain, as if it had also waited for this grand scene, then came the fall, tumbling toward the grey sky, body weightless, heart pounding.

The world spun, and in that brief moment, I caught a glimpse of their faces, Noah's, Natalie's, everyone's. The fear in their eyes, frozen in place, smile curled on my lips. Look at that, I had finally done it.

*flash*

My eyes took a picture, that would forever stay in this mind of mine.

Late, but still lady karma had finally caught up with them, I raised my middle finger, as if I were the hero in some movie, defying them with my last act of rebellion.

The thought flickered in my mind like a lightning strike. "Fuck, I'm dying, huh?".

Just when I thought I was close to escaping this hellish school, just when I thought I was about to reach my dreams.

My thoughts spiraled, what about Grandma and Sis?

They'd be devastated, how would Grandma even afford the funeral? She'd be forced to work herself to the bone.

The ground was nearing fast. I closed my eyes, preparing for impact, I heard a sound, like pages of a huge book flipping in fast motion, behind me

Then, boom. It was as though a tomato had slammed into concrete, only louder, a sudden crash. But there was no pain, when I opened my eyes, it was just complete darkness.

Had I gone blind?, I had to rub my eyes, just to make sure. Then a sound of swords clashing, screams filled the air, when I opened my eyes again, I found myself in a strange place, the light dim and the air was thick with an unnatural tension.

Then bodies of both humans and what seemed to be monsters, littered the battlefield. A group of four people was injured, while three fought furiously in the middle. One of them shone like the sun, his sword glowing with heat and light. The other had hair as white as snow and eyes glowing like red hot coal. The way they wielded their swords was almost a dance, fluid, graceful, and terrifying.

They were fighting a man with dark, twisted horns, whose power seemed to rival theirs. I felt something in my chest, a strange, almost sympathetic connection to the horned man, as if I could feel his pain and fury, the dark rage consuming him.

The two fighters pressed on, overwhelming him, until the horned man was on his knees, his arms severed. The one who shone like the sun stepped forward, his sword raised. It was clear what was about to happen.

The horned man looked at me, and for a moment, our eyes locked. He said something, I couldn't quiet hear, but I could read his lips: "Now it's your turn."

Then, in a flash, the horned man's head was separated from his body.

Before I could even process what had just happened, a new sound reached my ears, hoofbeats, echoing like the thunder of a storm and then, the sounds of conversation, followed by cries.

I blinked, trying to make sense of it all, only to realize that someone was holding me. A beautiful woman, she resembled a princess straight out of one of those fairy tale movies, the kind where everything ends with a "happily ever after." She was dressed like one too, she held me in her arms. It seemed as if we were in a fancy car. I tried to speak, but only infant cries escaped my lips, the woman gently pulled down her dress, revealing the curve of her collarbone gently exposed her breast, in, my mouth it went.

"Hey, I'm still just a high schooler, you know?" I tried to protest, only to notice the tiny, hands possessed, they were baby-like.

Panic gripped me. What the hell is happening? Did I die? Is this what they call reincarnation? But I never encountered a truck...

The woman smiled, brushing my cheek. "Isn't he just the cutest little thing?"

Another woman, dressed in a maid's uniform, leaned in. "He's the most adorable child I've ever seen, ma'am," she said, her face not showing a hint of emotion.

"The woman cradling me smiled softly and whispered, "Our little Arthur Romaeus van Wolfhard, the second.'"

Then it hit me like a freight train, "WHAT THE Fuck, DID SHE JUST CALL ME!", the name the woman had spoken, was a name, I created, how was this possible.

Panic surged through me. This couldn't be real, but the world around seemed to be, I died and had been reincarnated as my own creation and the terrifying thought struck me, "Please don't let it happen."

The sound of horses neighing in distress filled the air, then, as if the world itself held its breath, there was complete silence. The woman cradling me slightly, could only be Sushila, the mother of Arthur Romaeus van Wolfhard the second

"What's happening?" Sushila muttered.

I as Luck the author, or rather, as Arthur, knew what was about to happen, "OH, FUCK!", I screamed but all that came out was the helpless cry of an infant.