Prisca's_Writing_Area

Title: An Embarrassing Moment
Characters: Casey Connor, mention of Zeke Tyler, Josh Hartnett
Prompt: any, any, mistaking a stranger for a friend
Words: 431

:::

His backpack over his shoulder, Casey stepped out of the house... and stopped dead. This guy, only some steps away, standing in front of the thrift store, looked just too familiar. The tight jeans, paired with a plain, beige-brown long-sleeved shirt. Sunglasses. Short cut brown hair.

Zeke! Casey's heart beat quicker. It had been a while since he had last seen him. Last autumn, a few days before he was moving to New York to attend Columbia. It had ended with a fight. He had told Zeke to adhere to their plans, although he had his difficulties understanding Zeke's decision to work as a mechanic instead of attending college. Zeke was clever, perhaps even more brilliant than he, Casey. But he could be so stubborn. Had told him that it was better to go their separate ways, better for both of them.

„It was cool to hang around with you after school,“ he had said, “but, c'mon, you and me, we are so different. Sharing an apartment, that would never work. I'm a rebel; you are the one with the brilliant mind and a future.“ And when he noticed tears in Casey's eyes, he winked. „Don't worry, dramaqueen, you will forget me the moment you reach New York.“

And he had been right, New York was great, and Casey enjoyed his new life. But he never gave up the thought that, together with Zeke, it would have been even more fun.

And now, he was here, in New York, near the Bronx. Next to the house where he was living. Casey licked his suddenly dry lips. He had never told Zeke the address of his tiny apartment in the basement, but Zeke had always been good at finding out other people's secrets. Maybe he wanted to apologize for his stupid behavior. Maybe he even missed him. Maybe he had changed his mind about staying in Ohio.

A grin turned up on Casey's face, and he forced it back. No, he wouldn't make it so easy for him; he deserved it if he kept him on tenderhooks for a while. Silently, he stepped closer and put his hand on the young man's arm. „Now, that's a surprise. What are you doing here in New York, dickhead?“

Zeke turned around, a light smile on his lips... and Casey stiffened.

This was … not Zeke! Oh shit! He blushed deeply. How embarrassing was this? Maybe the earth could open up and swallow him? However, this didn't happen, of course.

„Just a little bit of shopping,“ Josh Hartnett answered. „Nice to meet you!“

Title: Trapped in a Labyrinth of Infinity
Characters: Zeke Tyler, Casey Connor, mention of Deliah Profitt
Prompt: Yahtzee - picture of a girl in a labyrinth
Words: 566

:::

„Hey, geek boy,“

Casey barely looked up. “Hi!“

Zeke frowned, alarmed. „Okay, what's wrong?“

„I am fine!“

„No, you are not, don't try to fool me. What is it? A nightmare again?“

"Not exactly a nightmare." A deep sigh. „Do you think we can go visit Delilah today?“

Zeke kept quiet. Not how he had pictured spending the day. Visiting Delilah at the hospital would bring back lots of memories he preferred not to think about. Thoughtfully, he eyed his friend. He was pale; for sure, he hadn't slept well during the last nights. „Will you ever stop tormenting yourself?“ he asked. „It is not your fault what happened to her. It's actually no one's fault. No one was prepared for an alien queen, trying to take over the world.“

Casey shrugged. „If I hadn't hesitated... maybe I would have been at the swimming pool in time to save her, too.“

„If you had been there in time, you would be locked up at the hospital's lab with Delilah now.“ Zeke shuddered visibly; he preferred not to picture this. No one should be forced to exist like that; not dead, but neither alive. A kind of a zombie; Delilah was able to breathe, to move awkwardly. The sounds she made were not human; her eyes, hidden behind thick sunglasses because she couldn't bear daylight any longer, were dark and empty. She had nothing in common anymore with the pretty, smart cheerleader bitch she had been once. And no one, no doctor, no professor, no expert in the whole world had been able to help her so far.

To be honest, Zeke had never been a big fan of her, but even he felt miserable when thinking about her now. Maybe it would have been better if she hadn't survived that night. Better for her, better for the world. Better for Casey. Yes, he would mourn about her, but finally, he would be able to look forward again.

Now? The thought of Delilah tormented him every day anew. Although they had never been close friends, he had worked with her on the school's magazine, and she had respected him for his photography skills. Probably, Casey had saved the world when he finally, when everything seemed lost, stepped up against the alien queen. Everyone survived unharmed; even the infected people returned to their normal selves within a few days. Everyone but Delilah. Probably, she would continue to exist like a living dead until one day she would find salvation. And while everyone else called Casey a hero, he would never stop blaming himself for betraying her.

„It feels as if this is the place where I should be right now. She needs me!“ Casey looked at Zeke with his blue eyes wide open. „I know, you don't believe in this, but she calls for me in my dreams. She is still there, Zeke, and I need to reach out to her, to help her!“

:::

An endless, small way. High walls on both sides, built out of countless steel plates.

A young woman; brown hair, brown eyes, and glasses. Wearing a transparent, long dress. Her hands running over the cold, steely plates.

There was no escape from this labyrinth. She would wander around here forever. No past, no future. No memories.

Casey! Suddenly, a whisper in her mind. It got loud and louder. Casey! Casey!! Ca...sey!!!

Title: And one day, you will have to make a decision
Characters: Casey Connor
Prompt: any, any, past and future
Words: 267

:::

Casey stared at the envelope in front of him; the letter he had so much feared and longed for for weeks. The letter that would decide his future. Suddenly, he wasn't sure any longer if he wanted to know the answer. Maybe it had been a mistake to send an application letter to The New Yorker to volunteer there for six months, with the chance of finally getting a permanent contract.

He had dreamed of a chance like this for his whole life; leaving the boredom of Ohio behind, discovering the world, working as a photo reporter for a great magazine. A new life, a different life.

His parents had been willing to listen when he gushed about it, but he had always known that secretly they called it a pipe dream. Maybe they were right. A boy like Casey, grown up in Herrington, always a bit shy and nerdy, didn't suddenly become a famous reporter. Maybe Ohio wasn't that bad. He could go to City College in Columbus. He was smart, so he could find a job at the Herrington Post or maybe the Columbus Dispatch. One day, he could marry a nice girl, a house, a dog, and children. Casey knew his mother was dreaming about at least two grandchildren. Not the most interesting life, but not the worst, either.

With shaking hands, he grabbed the envelope again, turned it back and forth. Whatever the answer would be, it would change everything. He couldn't have both: the future he had dreamed about since he could remember, and the safety and familiarity that only Herrington offered.