The Book of Wars

 

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Introduction

Desiree was an average sort of girl. She had no siblings and her parents usually worked a lot so she had the house to herself most of the day and night. She had so few friends that she considered herself a loner and she definitely didn't have a best friend.  If you saw her in a crowd, you probably wouldn't have been able to pick her out as the savior of humanity. She had brown hair and gray eyes and a little paler than most people, as her predisposition was to be inside reading than to go outside. However, behind her glasses, frumpy clothes, and unassuming nature was a brilliant mind and an almost desperate desire to be recognized and appreciated. All she needed was the right spark and the right motivation. This is her story and the story of all the lives she save.

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Natasha Quinonez

The first chapter was really short and feels unfinished. I think you should add more - a lot more. :)

Chapter 1

Why couldn't I get a lab partner that wasn't a total airhead? Desiree thought to herself for the twelfth time in the last five minutes. It was the second time the girl had asked the same question and Desiree was starting to wonder if there anything between her ears but air and hairspray. Unfortunately, Desiree already knew the answer to her own question. She was the 'teacher's pet' and her partner was the 'space case' and, since nobody wanted to work with either of them, they got stuck together. Desiree wished, again, that she could either strangle the girl or work by herself, but neither was to be the case. If she wanted to pass this class, she was going to have to swallow her pride and deal with it.

She was never more grateful when the bell rang. Usually, she would have been the last one out the door, but today she was among the first. She wanted to get across the street for a cup of coffee, her lunch, before the rest of the rush got there, and settle into her hidden spot. The only thing she stopped for was her notebook and her wallet.

There were only three people ahead of her in line and she counted herself lucky. She glanced around the store to see if anything drew her interest. It wasn't often that she got to study her surroundings, as her nose was usually buried in a book, but there was nothing here to spark her creativity. She ordered her drink and headed back outside, to go to the edge of the school grounds and her hidden place among the pine trees.

Among the trees, Desiree found her rock that served as a kind of chair. It was shaped very much like a beanbag chair and was kind of comfortable with a layer of pine needles as a cushion. She sighed as she sat down. She had yet to figure out how to get a table out here so she could set her cup down, but for now it was a good place to think. It was quiet here, and very peaceful, and on more than one occasion she'd fallen asleep here. Taking a sip of her drink, she balanced her notebook on her knee and opened it to her favorite page.

There were a lot of things that she had written here, dreams and daydreams, some weird ideas she'd had about creature creation, but her most favorite piece of written work was the page she had titled 'The Perfect Boyfriend'. She was fairly certain it would never come true, especially since he was almost the exact opposite of what she was, but it was a nice hope.

She was so absorbed in her book that she didn't hear the visitor to her secluded cove until a voice came from over her shoulder.

"Bit difficult to find the perfect boyfriend out here, don't ya think?"

Desiree squealed and promptly scrambled out of her chair. In the process, her notebook went flying as well as her coffee. Though her lunch couldn't be saved, her notebook could and she quickly clutched it to her chest. She knelt on the ground, staring up at the intruder into her sanctuary as she started blushing. "What? What do you want? Who are you? How did you get here?"

The stranger laughed and held up his hands. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." He held out his hands, blue eyes sparkling. "I'm Gabriel. Can I give you a hand up off the ground?"

"I'm fine," she muttered, picking herself up off the ground. Thankfully, it hadn't rained so she wasn't covered in mud or dirt, just needles. She brushed herself off, reluctant to let go of her notebook. She gave a brief, if longing, glance at her spilled coffee, but picked up the cup and turned back to him. "So... why did you follow me out here? Nobody... Nobody usually hangs around me." She tried not to let the sorrow creep into her voice.

He shrugged. "I dunno. You were going off on your own and seemed very set on your goal so I figured I'd follow you." He glanced at the cup in her hand. "Let me buy you another coffee, at least. I really didn't mean to scare you. I was just curious why you'd go through so much trouble to be by yourself."

She blushed, looking down at the ground. "I just... I like to come out here and think. I can't really concentrate on school and home is... well, let's just say it's not my favorite place to go." Desiree looked down at the cup in her hand, then back up at the stranger. She saw his blue eyes watching her and she blushed again. "No, that's... that's ok. I should probably drink less coffee anyway. Besides, lunch is almost over and we should get back." She double-checked her pants to make sure there weren't any needles stuck to her and started out of the trees.

"Well, if you're sure..." The stranger followed her out of the trees. "Y'know, you should really eat," he said, his hands in his pockets as he walked beside her. "And you should go out more. You're so beautiful, just a little pale." He grinned at her. "Besides, it's such a beautiful day." Then he waved and jotted down the hallway to his class.

Desiree stopped dead in her tracks, her breath stuck in her throat. Did he just... No, I'm imagining things now. Definitely too much coffee. She buried the thought that this guy, some stranger she barely knew and quite possibly the hottest guy she had ever seen, could think that she, a nerd with plain everything about her, was beautiful. She shook her head, knowing she needed to focus on schoolwork instead of daydreaming, and headed to class, putting the thought out of her mind.

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Chapter 2

After school, Desiree was heading toward the door while lost in thought. She had managed to put the stranger out of her mind for most of the afternoon, but now she couldn't help thinking about him again. Why had he followed her to her secret spot? Why had he said she was beautiful? Even thinking about it now made her blush and she needed to put it out of her mind before it got to be too much. To that end, she got her book out of her backpack and flipped it open to her latest page, pushing the door open and heading outside.

"So. Where do you go after school if you don't like to go home?"

"Gah!" Desiree jumped again, a blush on her cheeks as she glared at the stranger. "You are way too sneaky. Get a bell or something. At least that way I can hear you coming." She shifted her backpack on her shoulder and tucked her book under her arm before flicking a strand of hair over her ear. "Mostly just to the park for an hour or so. Then it's home to do homework and housework." She studied him, frowning slightly. "Why the sudden interest? Don't you have something more important to do or somewhere more important to be?"

He shrugged, grinning at her. "I think it'd look a little weird if I walked around wearing a bell like a cat. As for the interest, it's because you're the only girl here not throwing herself at me. It's refreshing. Besides, you're far prettier than those fake Barbie dolls."

Desiree nearly choked again. "Okay, once was a fluke. Now, I'm sure the caffeine is catching up to me." She shook her head, her cheeks feeling like they were on fire. "No more coffee for me for a while," she muttered to herself as she headed for the park. She couldn't believe that a handsome guy like that was interested in someone like her. She even pinched herself to make sure she wasn't dreaming, but all she got for her troubles was a sore red spot on her arm.

"What are you babbling about? Hey!" He had followed her and grabbed her arm, his thumb drifting over her arm. "What did you do that for?" He asked, looking up.

"Because this can't be real." Desiree was still blushing. She shook her head, but didn't pull her arm away from the stranger. "There is no way, on this planet or another, that a guy like you could be even remotely interested in a girl like me. Therefore, I must be dreaming. So, I pinched myself." She frowned slightly, looking down at her arm. "Not that it worked, apparently." The red spot was gone, as was the brief bit of pain she'd felt. She shook her head. "Doesn't matter. Point is, this is either a dream or a coffee-induced hallucination. Either is easily remedied. Can I go now?"

He frowned at her. "Do I look like a dream to you? Or a hallucination for that matter? What is it that makes you think so ill of yourself? You're a beautiful person, both inside and out. I don't know why anyone else can't see it, but I do. So how does that make me the bad guy?"

Desiree shook her head. "I didn't say you were the bad guy, but I'm not blind. I've looked in the mirror. I know what counts as attractive and what doesn't and this," she gestured down at herself,  "is on the complete opposite end of the beauty spectrum." Then she realized something that had been bugging her all day and she took a step back when she thought of it. "Wait. This is the first time we've ever really spoken to one another. You hardly know me. I could be... some horrible monster on the inside. You're not some weird stalker... are you?" He still held on to her arm, but she had a little more space between them now.

"Well, maybe I don't like what society counts as attractive. Maybe I like this," he told her, mimicking the gesture she had made with her hand. "And I hardly doubt you're a monster. You spoke to me when you barely knew me, didn't hit me or chase me away." He let go of her arm, taking a step back and stuffing his hands in his pockets. "And no, I'm not a stalker. I'm just... friendly." He gave her a crooked smile. "You just seemed like you were pretty nice, considering you weren't hanging out with the rest of the shallow girls."

As much as she wanted to, and knew she probably should, be suspicious of this good-looking guy taking an interest in her, she just couldn't get over the fact that this hunk liked her. It was unfathomable, but she was still a girl. "All right. I'm sorry for being all... weird. It just..." She shook her head. "Never mind. Anyway, if you want, I don't mind some company for a while. As long as you don't, like, flip out if I do anything weird." Her stomach was starting to clench and she counted herself grateful that it hadn't rumbled and made itself a nuisance.

He laughed and Desiree found herself wishing she hadn't agreed to let him hang around. "I promise, I won't run. I'm Gabriel, by the way. What's your name?"

"Desiree."

"Well, Desiree, you really should eat something during the day. Just having coffee can't be good for you."

She made a face at him and shook her head. "I had breakfast and I'll have dinner. I'm just not usually all that hungry come lunch time." Granted, her breakfast had been meager since she'd accidentally slept late, and dinner would be whatever leftovers were in the freezer, but that was private information. She'd already shared a lot with him without knowing his name. "It's not that far to the park. You don't mind walking, do you?"

"It's not my favorite form of transport, but I'll live," he said with an almost secretive smile.

"Well, it's never bothered me before now." She watched him out of the corner of her eye as they walked down the street. God, he's gorgeous. I must have finally done something right to deserve this. Whatever it was, though, I have no idea.

They made small talk as they walked and she learned that he played guitar and was an artist, as well as playing the occasional sport. It made Desiree wonder just how long he'd been standing there, looking over her shoulder, since he seemed to be describing everything she wanted in her 'perfect boyfriend'. She did tell him a little about what she liked to do in her free time, including the sketches in her notebook and her writing, and he actually asked to see them. Of course, feeling silly, she told him no, but he just smiled and made her feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

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