Original Stories Fan Fiction ❯ Chimaera ❯ Chimaera ( One-Shot )

First, I would like it to be known that there is attempted romance in this story. I am apologizing in advance if it is dull and unrealistic, for I have never had romantic feelings, so I do not know what people feel in these situations.

 

I am the owner and creator of both this story and the characters within. Do not take this work and claim it as your own.

 

Chimaera

 

 

 

At the Helios Tavern, it was an ordinary day. Nothing unexpected or unusual had happened in this city for a long time. I sat there next to my friend, Luis, within the tavern.

 

"So, how has life been treatin' you?" Luis asked me.

 

"Fine, as usual. What about you?" I said, taking a drink from my beverage after.

 

"Great. My son's five years old now, you know. He's growin' up to be a smart one."

 

Outside of the building, the night sky was dark; the street lights were the only things stopping the city from being completely black. No stars lit up the sky, and no moonlight was visible to drive away the ominous shadows.

 

The old bartender brought me out of my thoughts. He said, "Ryan, that'll be seven dollars."

 

I handed him seven ones, he took it without hesitation, and then he counted it to ensure that I had given him enough money.

 

The Helios Tavern wasn't well-known for its prices, but rather for the people who visited regularly. Most were fairly successful in their careers, and had a lot of wisdom to share. At first, I only came here because I liked it inside. But eventually I became good friends with Luis. He had a wife, a good job, and even a kid. He was a pretty cool guy, and he always had good advice to give when I needed it.

 

Suddenly, the bells that hung from the door jingled. I ignored the sound, and continued spending my time engrossed in my thoughts. A woman took a seat next to me. I didn't know what it was like in other cities, but here, it was rare for a woman to enter a tavern or any similar facilities. Well, except for the random girl that comes in once every couple of years and leaves without saying a word. Some people claim that it's a ghost, but I had never seen her before. I looked up at the woman, suddenly interested.

 

She had beautiful brown hair that went down to the center of her back, and she wore a black tank top along with ordinary dark-blue jeans. She looked like any other pretty woman. Her body was perfect. I thought that her personality probably sucked like all of the perfect-looking women I had met in the past, though, so I kept quiet.

 

Nobody else seemed to realize that she had even came into the place. She didn't order anything, either. She just sat there, twiddling her fingers. She probably noticed that I was staring at her, because soon she turned her attention towards me. Her eyes were a dark brown colour, and there was something about them that was out of the ordinary, but I couldn't put my finger on it. Her eyes were mesmerizing. I couldn't have looked away even if I had wanted to.

 

"What," she began, "do you like what you see, or is that a stare of disapproval?"

 

Her voice was soft and comforting. "I'm liking what I'm seeing... but I can't say I'll like what I hear," I told her.

 

"I'm not sure what you mean by that." She looked genuinely confused. I guess she didn't get what I was trying to say.

 

Moments of silence passed inside the tavern. She had looked away, so I was free from her spellbinding eyes. I became curious as to why she came here if she wasn't going to buy anything, so I decided to ask her.

 

"Hey," I said, "why are you here?"

 

She raised an eyebrow, and then said "I have as much of a right as you do to be here."

 

"That's not what I mean," I explained.

 

"Then what do you mean? At least attempt to make some sense," she ordered.

 

"Why are you here if you're not going to order anything?" I asked her.

 

Her enigmatic eyes caught me once more. "I don't have enough money, and the casinos are all closed by now."

 

I couldn't tell if she was really this stupid, or if she was just joking. "Why would you gamble if you don't even have enough money for one lousy drink?"

 

"Because I can ensure my victory."

 

"What?"

 

She pulled some hair back so that it rested behind her ear. "I cannot lose poker, because I can predict what they're thinking," she said.

 

Now, at this point, I was certain she was crazy. Although, I began to doubt my own sanity, because nobody else had heard her speak a word this entire time. I'm sure they would have said something if they had. "You can predict what a gambler is thinking?" I asked.

 

"Yes," she responded, "it's a special power I have. I can see into the minds of gamblers when they are gambling."

 

"Oh, really?" I said, doubting her.

 

"Yes, really," she said, sounding quite serious.

 

"I know of a casino that's open twenty-four hours, seven days a week. Let's go and see if you're for real."

 

She smiled. "Alright."

 

I stood up, and she followed me out of the Helios Tavern. "Whose car are we going to take?" I asked her.

 

"My car isn't here; I walked."

 

It was damp. The rain had finally stopped, at least, but it would not be forgotten until the water had evaporated. We got inside of my car, which was coloured white. It used to be red, but it's easier to see white in this dark city than it is to see red.

 

As I drove to the casino, we figured we should decide on an amount of times she should win in poker.

 

"It has to be more than two," I started, "because that could just be luck."

 

"Alright, but I don't think we should go over three. They will definitely get suspicious after the third, don't you think?"

 

"You're probably right. But that's okay, I highly doubt you'll end up winning three times in a row, especially when you're supposed to be proving something."

 

"You're acting as though my ability is not real."

 

"It isn't, though, is it?"

 

"Wouldn't it be strange for a liar to agree to something like this, and on top of that, to speak so confidently of it?"

 

She had a point. But I wouldn't believe her until I saw it with my own eyes. We soon arrived at the casino. It was brighter here than in other places in the city, because the casino's logo flashed constantly in an attempt to attract people. We walked inside and went over to the poker table. I stood a little ways away to watch.

 

The game that was being played previously had just ended, so the woman got to start right away. The first round went by quickly. The woman--and just now I realized that I never asked what her name was--had won. I was a little surprised, but she's just an incredibly lucky woman.

 

Second round. At one point, I saw her staring at the man across from her. Those mesmerizing eyes. The man couldn't look away. He was held in the same spell that I was when she first looked at me. His face remained expressionless, however. After a moment, she looked back to her cards. She laid them down, and she had a ten, a jack, a queen, a king, and an ace, all of the same suit. Now, I was no expert on poker, but that must have been good, because everyone else groaned in disappointment.

 

"A Royal Flush? You've gotta' be kiddin' me!" One man expressed his frustration irritably. The others didn't say anything, but their disappointment was clear from their groans. One man even left his cards at the table, stood up, and left the building.

 

"Keep in mind that you can always fold," the woman said confidently, and in an almost mocking way.

 

"No way am I folding. You've just been lucky. Your luck is about to run out, girl," the man said.

 

Third round. By the end, everyone except for the guy who talked so much and the woman had folded. The man laid down his cards to show that he had four of a kind.

 

"Well, whaddya' got, girl?" He questioned.

 

"A Straight Flush," she said, smiling as she laid her cards face-up on the table.

 

A look of disbelief grew upon the man's face. "No way. I quit. I ain't gonna' lose to this lucky bitch again." He got up and left.

 

I walked over to the woman again. She looked up at me and smiled as she said, "I told you."

 

I was still wondering if I should stop doubting her or not. That had to have been luck, right? Special powers and stuff like that didn't actually exist. I started to think that I shouldn't have let her set the limit to three rounds, but it was too late for that. Nobody else was left, and it's not like I could play against her; I didn't know how poker was played.

 

"Listen," she said, removing me from my thoughts, "will you go out with me?"

 

I was surprised by this, because it seemed so sudden and out of place. "What? Why?"

 

"Because," she looked at me with those beautiful eyes again, "that's the reason I spoke to you at that tavern. I've seen you around the city... and I really like you. You seem like a nice guy."

 

"A nice guy, huh?"

 

"Yes. So... will you?"

 

I thought for a moment, not sure if I should be trusting her. "I don't know. If that really wasn't luck, I'm not sure I want to be around you."

 

She looked down towards the ground, I could tell from her facial expression that she was really disappointed. I felt kind of sorry for her. If she thought that her power would make me want to go out with her, I imagine that she probably felt the same way with other guys she liked, and ultimately scared them off.

 

"Alright," I gave in, "I'll go. What type of place were you thinking of going to?"

 

She thought for a moment before speaking again, "I think a dinner would be lovely."

 

"A dinner? Alright. I'll even pay for the food, to make up for doubting you," I told her.

 

She smiled at me. "Really? That's so nice of you, thanks."

 

"What time should we plan for?" I asked.

 

"How about six-thirty?" she suggested.

 

"Sounds fine to me."

 

~~~

 

By the time I was driving back to my home, I realized that I once again had forgotten to ask for her name. At least she had done the same, it made me feel like my memory wasn't all that horrible. But then again, maybe she already knew what my name was. She had said that she saw me around before, so it's entirely possible that she heard someone call me by my name.

 

Anyway, things went on normally. I got to the restaurant she had suggested. It was called Restaurant Amalthea. I hadn't been there before, so I had no clue how good it was, but she seemed to know a lot about it, so I guessed that she was a regular customer.

 

She was waiting for me at the entrance to the restaurant. I couldn't tell what she was wearing yet, because I was too far away. But I could make out enough to tell that it wasn't what she had been wearing last night.

 

As I walked towards the building, I realized how cold it was. My skin stung from the cold wind. Winter was near. The next rain would likely turn to snow. Either that or a mixture of the two.

 

When she came into view, I saw that she was wearing an elegant scarlet dress that complemented her figure perfectly. She was dressed a lot more fancy that I thought she would be. This was more than just a dinner to her.

 

Once we were in earshot, I immediately asked the one thing I had continuously been forgetting to ask: "What's your name?"

 

She smiled and said, "That's no way to greet me, now, is it? But it's Anna, by the way."

 

The way she had said "Anna" seemed strange to me. It was different from how I had always heard it pronounced. It seemed like she had read my thoughts, though, because she looked into my eyes and explained it to me.

 

"It's the German pronunciation. My parents were German, and they pronounce it that way, so that is how my name is meant to be pronounced."

 

"Do people ask that often?"

 

"No, not really. But I feel that I understand you well."

 

"Understand, you say?" I was wondering if it was actually just her powers sneaking into my mind to read my thoughts, but she missed the point. She seemed to have a habit of that.

 

"Yes, now let's go inside."

 

Anna was a rather common name, for someone so unusual. I thought she'd have some crazy name that I couldn't even attempt to spell. But instead, she had one of the most normal names there are.

 

We found a seat and waited for a waitress to attend to us. As I looked through the menu, I became curious about the details of Anna's little "power".

 

"So," I started, "how long have you had this power of yours?"

 

"My power that creates illusions... I've had it for as long as I can remember. It seems to get stronger every time I use it."

 

"Wait, creates illusions?" Was her inconsistency showing that she was a liar and just damn good at poker, not to mention lucky?

 

"Huh?" She looked quite confused. But after a moment, she realized what I meant. "Oh, I meant to say that it sometimes causes illusions three years later. I apologize, I'm tired."

 

I had the urge to congratulate her for finally understanding something on her first try, but I decided against it. I don't want to be mean to her; that would be... well, mean. "So, if I see something strange in three years, I can blame it on you?"

 

"If you want to," she answered apathetically.

 

It sounded strange for her to sound so uncaring. She actually seemed to be completely detached from reality today. Maybe this was how she normally acted, though. How was I supposed to know? I had only met her a day ago.

 

"Is there something wrong?" I asked her.

 

"Not really. As I said... I'm tired. I was awake late last night looking forward to this day."

 

So she stayed up all night thinking about this date? Creepy. As worried as I was that she was some kind of crazy stalker, I found myself getting more and more interested in her by the minute. But why? This is the type of thing that should be scaring me away, not tempting me to learn more.

 

The dinner went nicely, and we both had a really good time. Anna still seemed out of it, but in the end it all turned out well. Despite the fact that not only did she spend a lot of my money by ordering really expensive food, but she asked for my phone number when we were ready to leave. Apparently, she "really, really, really" liked me. Could I say the same for her? I didn't know. I couldn't tell if I like her a lot, or if I was just fascinated by her actions and ability.

 

~~~

 

I woke up to the sound of my phone ringing. It was still pretty dark, so I had some issues figuring out where exactly the phone was.

 

"Who is it?" I asked.

 

"Hey, there's a craft show of sorts going on nearby. I was wondering if you were interested in going with me." It was Anna.

 

I stopped to look at my digital clock. Three forty-five in the morning.

 

"Do you even know what time it is?" I questioned groggily.

 

"Oh, yes, that's right. I didn't even think of what time it was. I'm sorry. Do you want me to call you back later?"

 

Was she crazy?

 

"No, don't bother. I'll go, whatever, just let me get back to sleep."

 

I was about to hang up, but then something hit me.

 

"Wait, how do you have my number?" I interrogated.

 

"You gave it to me yesterday, silly," she laughed.

 

She quickly informed me on when and where it was, and then said goodbye. I began to think that it may have been a mistake to give her my phone number, but it was too late for regret. Once she had it she was free to call me constantly. I would get over it, right? She wasn't a crazy, obsessed stalker type of person, right?

 

...right?

 

~~~

 

A few weeks had passed. She continued asking me to go places with her, and I did. I guess it was fun, but I'm certain she was enjoying it a lot more than I was. Anyway, today was the day of the craft show she had wanted to go to so badly. It took place in a tall, old building. There were a ton of rooms, and all of them were filled to the brim with people and their art.

 

We decided to just go through every room -- or rather, she decided. In the first room, there were a bunch of plates and cups that I had no interest in. Anna, on the other hand, seemed surprised that people actually made this stuff by hand. She was all over the people selling the stuff, asking all sorts of questions.

 

After looking through a couple of rooms with various things, such as paintings, sculptures, photographs, and even carved wood, we came upon a room that mostly had jewelry. Like with all of the other rooms, she spoke to every last person in the room about their art. And then she came upon an old woman who was selling only one thing. It was an ugly necklace of sorts. Anna seemed really interested in this one.

 

"Wow, that is amazing. Can you tell me about it?" She inquired.

 

The old woman smiled warmly. "Certainly. It is one-hundred percent sterling silver. It is in the image of a serpent swallowing its own tail -- a symbol known as the Ouroboros."

 

Looking back at it, it did look a little bit like a snake. I thought it was just really bulky for the sake of some popular new fashion or something. I never did understand what that stuff was all about...

 

"It's very beautiful," Anna told the woman after a moment of hesitation. "Do you make other things, too?"

 

"No, this is all that is left of my works. The price is quite small considering what it is made out of. Are you interested in purchasing it, young woman?"

 

"I would love to," she began, "but I don't have nearly enough money."

 

"We can just go and get more, and then come back," I said, winking in an attempt to get my meaning across. Maybe that was a bit too obvious to the people around us, but even if we were to tell them about Anna's power they would never believe us.

 

"No, we can't! By the time we get back, it will be gone!" She argued.

 

"Yes, this is a one of a kind piece. There will never be another one like it in the world," the old woman said.

 

Whatever. I decided I'd buy it for her, and make her pay me back later. She was thrilled, and put on the necklace as soon as she was allowed to. As we were leaving the place, she seemed much happier than before. With good reason, I suppose, but I felt it was worth noting.

 

"You know you're going to have to pay me back, right?" I asked.

 

She stopped walking and her face changed to a serious look. "No, I didn't."

 

"Well, now you do."

 

"No, I can't."

 

I turned to look back at her. "What do you mean you can't? You must have won a ton of money from those three rounds of poker where you were showing me that you weren't a liar, right?"

 

"Well, yes, I did, but the thing is... I already spent that money."

 

"Spent it? On what?" For some reason, I wasn't even angry at her. Why?

 

"On that dress that I wore to our date... I'm sorry. I really wanted to impress you, and..."

 

She looked really upset. But still, I felt no anger.

 

"I'm so sorry. Please, I'll make it up to you one day, I promise. Just don't be mad."

 

I wasn't mad at her. How could I be? Especially for something that was so... flattering. She liked me enough to waste all of her money, so why shouldn't I return the favor?

 

"It's alright. You don't have to pay me back," I told her.

 

"Really?"

 

"Really."

 

Was I being too nice? Maybe. I was beginning to realize what my feelings for her meant. I knew at that point why I was never scared or angry at her, and why I was so interested and went with her to all of these places.

 

But it had only been a couple of weeks. Something like that couldn't develop in such a short amount of time, right?

 

... or maybe this was what they called "love at first sight."

 

~~~

 

I wanted to be with Anna more, just like she wanted to be with me as often as she could. We spent a lot of time together after that day, going wherever we wanted to. If something interested us, we'd go and find out about it. Together.

 

Maybe I was just being stupid.

 

But I really enjoyed the time we spent together. I knew that Anna could tell I was warming up to her. She was pleased, I know that much. We grew a lot closer during the time that followed that day. A lot closer.

 

No, I wasn't being stupid. This was real, and we both knew it. That's why I decided I was going to propose to her. I worked a lot more than usual for a month and a half, but I just couldn't wait any longer. I had to marry this woman who stole my heart, and I had to do it as soon as possible.

 

I sold my car to finish paying for the diamond ring I wanted to buy her. Of course, that was a stupid decision. But I felt that we could just use her car if we had to go somewhere, and I could buy a new one eventually anyways.

 

The day I proposed to Anna was amazing. It went so perfectly. I was confident that she'd accept, because I had known how much she liked me for a long time now, and I knew that she had grown to love me, just as I had grown to love her.

 

Just as I thought, she accepted cheerfully. She didn't hesitate even for a second. She had been waiting for that moment.

 

This wasn't like the other times when I was younger where I had a small infatuation and thought I loved someone. No, this time... it was for real. But like anything else that was precious, it could be shattered in an instant. And that is exactly what happened.

 

I had just come back to my house after buying a couple of things that I figured we'd need for the wedding. We had moved in to my house a while back, because Anna's family lived at her home still.

 

The moment I walked in the door, I saw red liquid on the floor. It was blood. I immediately dropped the bag I was carrying and quickly followed the trail of blood. My mind was racing. If something had happened to her, I didn't know what I would do, or if I would even be able to handle it.

 

I found her in the hallway, a pool of blood forming under her body.

 

"Anna!" I yelled, running to her side.

 

She slowly moved her head so that she was looking at me. Her skin had lost all colour, and her eyes now looked as though she had aged significantly. They were gray and lifeless. Her once-mesmerizing eyes had lost their luster.

 

"What happened?!" I asked desperately.

 

"The man... from the shadows... he is no longer here," She struggled to say.

 

"I'll call the police! Stay here and don't move! Just stay alive, okay?!" I told her.

 

I was about to run into a room that had a phone, but I heard her make a weird squeaking sound so I turned to look back at her to make sure everything was alright.

 

"I already did," She whispered just loudly enough for me to hear.

 

So I stayed with her. I was probably going to have blood all over my clothes, but I didn't care. Why would I have cared? All that mattered at that time was Anna. I grabbed her hand. I could check her pulse this way, as well as provide comfort.

 

"I love you," I told her, "and you're going to be alright. The police will come, and you'll get to a hospital, and..." I could feel her pulse was becoming weaker by the moment.

 

"You know... that I love you, too," she stated weakly.

 

I couldn't talk anymore. My thoughts were becoming a nonsensical blur. I knew she was dying, and I knew that there was nothing I could do to stop it.

 

"Hey... I never... got your name..."

 

Those were her final words to me. Her swan song.

 

~~~

 

The police had come and gone. They took her body and left, saying that they would catch the killer no matter what, and that I shouldn't worry. They also must have decided to clean my carpet, because by the time I pulled myself together and left he hallway, the trail of blood had disappeared.

 

Now, it had been three years since I first met Anna, and one year since the day she died. I had no intentions of dwelling on the past forever. I can't say that things felt right, though, because not only did they never find her murderer, but she was never even listed in the obituaries.

 

I decided I should pay a visit to the Helios Tavern. It had been a long time, after all. In fact, the last time I was there was the day I met Anna. Anna... I couldn't get out of my mind. Even now, I still thought about her and compared everything to her. Would this ever end?

 

I was happy to see that my good friend Luis was there. He seemed surprised to see me, but also happy.

 

"Hey, it's been awhile. How've you been?" He asked me.

 

I sat down next to him and said, "I've been to heaven and shoved back down to hell all in a short amount of time."

 

"Is that so? What exactly happened?"

 

"You know that girl who came in here last time?"

 

"What girl?"

 

I assumed that he didn't ever notice her. That would make sense, since I did remember him not even hearing her speak.

 

"There was a girl who came in the last time I was here, and she told me something. So--"

 

"No there wasn't. That was no girl, that was the ghost that comes here every three or so years," He interrupted.

 

I looked at him for a moment, wondering what I should say. What would convince him that he was wrong?

 

"And besides," he went on, "she didn't say a thing."

 

"But she did," I argued. "I heard her talking to me."

 

"That's what they all say... Everyone who has been followed out by that ghost says the exact same thing."

 

I was getting pretty angry at him now. She was real, she had to have been. I didn't just imagine all of that. I couldn't have. All of the time I spent with her... that was no dream. How could he say things like this?

 

I was pulled out of my thoughts abruptly when a woman walked into the tavern and took a seat between me and some guy I had never met.

 

A girl, in this place? I looked at her, and she had the exact same hair as Anna did, except this woman's hair was up in a pony tail. I noticed something bulky clinging to her neck.

 

The snake necklace I bought for her. How could she have it? That was a one of a kind necklace.

 

"Hey, you," I said in an attempt to get her attention.

 

She turned to look at me, looking as though she had just been interrupted. Her eyes were the same as Anna's.

 

"How did you get that necklace?" I demanded.

 

"This? Oh, this was a very lovely gift. Thank you for noticing."

 

"That's a one of a kind necklace. Only Anna had it, and she's dead now. Are you some kind of graverobber?!"

 

The woman who looked exactly like Anna looked offended.

 

"Excuse me, this necklace was given to me by my mother, and my name is Jessica, for your information. If you keep making such horrible accusations I will call the police!"

 

The woman went back to speaking with the guy on the other side of her. I could see her lips moving, but no words came from them. Soon, the man got up and walked out, and the woman, "Jessica," walked out after him.

 

I wasn't sure what to think. This had happened before. A woman who comes in and follows after the first man to leave without ever saying a word. She comes every three years or so.

 

I remembered Anna's words from our date. In three years, it causes illusions? What I'm experiencing now is an illusion, even though many other people have been affected by it before?

 

A certain thing she said echoed in my mind.

 

"My power that creates illusions..."

 

What was she? She wasn't any ghost, and she definitely wasn't dead. She was a thief and damn good actor who had a supernatural ability to make us see things that were not happening.

 

I was furious. I wanted her dead, despite all of the love I had felt for her previously. It was all an act, a way to get me to buy her a couple of really expensive things. I wanted to go to the police, but they wouldn't believe me. They'd probably think I was crazy and send me to an insane asylum.

 

She was a creator of chimaeras and a chimaera herself, in a different sense of the word. I didn't care that I would be going to jail for it, but I was going to kill this chimaera to bring an end to this stupid cycle of her selfish desires.

 

She was going to pay with her very soul.

 

 

 

 

 

I realize that I am probably in need of constructive criticism, so please leave a review and tell me what I must improve upon. It would be greatly appreciated.