The Rostical Users - Sceldrant's Comet

by Michael Rogers

  *Nobody raised their hands, causing Rachael to nod her head.*

  Rachael: "Okay, there are twenty two combatants. There are two ways of winning, when twenty minutes are up everyone is to line back here and whoever has the least amount of paint wins. Or if everyone is covered with paint before time is up then the last person wins. Any questions?"

  Teenager: "Yeah, why is a hot little chick like you running a place like this?"

  Rachael: "Why are you here? Do you have a permission slip from your parents or guardian?"

  Teenager: "..." *His friends giggled at him, causing him to look away in a defeated-like manner.*

  Rachael: "Alright, there is a first and second winner prize. We will issue out these white shirts." *A man started to hand out white shirts to everyone.* "And one last thing, play fairly. You all have thirty seconds to get ready after the buzzer. You will get disqualified if you leave the boundaries."

  Lance: *He squinted his eyes and stared at Rachael with confusion.* "Isn't she that chick from our work?"

  Ashton: "Yeah, Rachael has two jobs, she works here every Tuesday-"

  Lance: "Why?"

  Ashton: "Because her dad does office work, so she comes out to cover for him."

  Lance: "Wateva."

  Rachael: "Could I get all of you to position yourselves outside. Each person will be supplied with one litre of black paint, and don't worry it's user friendly."

  *All the players started to walk outside, causing them to scatter across the arena to hide.*

  Rachael: *She noticed Ashton and Lance.* "Hey, Ashton." *She walked up to them and smiled, brushing her hair back.* "And.. Lance."

  Ashton: "Hello, Rachael."

  Lance: "'Sup?"

  Rachael: *She noticed the sword and shield in their hands.* "Too bad guys."

  Lance: "Ah wateva." *He rudely grunted and walked outside.*

  Ashton: "Lance usually fails sometimes-"

  Rachael: "Fails sometimes? Hehehe."

  Ashton: "Haha, but when it comes to these type of things.. I always end up underestimating him."

  Rachael: "Okay." *She giggled and blushed.*

  Lance: *He glanced across the arena and noticed different shaped blocks.* (Where to hide?)

  *Speakers which were placed high on poles started to play music loudly.*

  Rachael: *Her smile faded, as she became alert to the music.* "You better get in position it's starting."

  Ashton: "Okay.. Oh and Rachael, thanks for letting us in." *He raised the shield, as he walked outside.*

  Rachael: "Hehe, of course." (Good luck, Ash.) *She pushed a button on a control box and a loud buzzing sound echoed throughout the arena.* "Begin!"

  Ashton: *He ran up to Lance who hid behind a stack of multi-coloured boxes.* "Are we teaming up?"

  Lance: "Was that even a question?"

  Ashton: "Okay it was, it will be better-"

  *Two teenagers ran across the opening and were shot from all angles.*

  Rachael: *The speakers which played the music, faded into silence.* "Out." *Her voice caused the two teenagers to walk back into the waiting area, as the music started to play again.*

  Ashton: (Their shirts were completely saturated within four seconds.) "Lance, what are you doing?"

  Lance: *He stuck out his tongue in concentration, as he wiped the paint all over his sword.* "I'm-"

  *A tall man appeared from behind Lance and raised the shooter, aiming it at Lance's head.*

  Ashton: "Watch out!" *He quickly moved in front of Lance and blocked all four paintballs with his shield.*

  Lance: *He spun around and jumped to the side, slashing the tall man across the stomach.* "Hah!" *He fluidly flicked his wrist and sliced the air in front of the man.*

  Tall Man: (I-I can't even read the flow of his strikes-)

  Lance: "Gah, ya lucky this is a foam sword." *He stared at several black slash marks, which covered his shirt.*

  Rachael: "Out."

  Lance: "How does she know when they're out 'n' stuff?"

  *Ashton pointed up towards the roof and revealed Rachael and several staff members, monitoring the area below.*

  Rachael: "Out, out, out."

  *People chattered in the background.*

  Ashton: *He listened to the chatter with confusion.* (Talking? How are people talking-?)

  Lance: "I think them assholes have teamed up!"

  *A boy yelled in the background.*

  Rachael: "Out."

  *Two teenagers ran in front of Ashton and Lance, aiming the shooters at their faces.*

  Ashton: *His eyes widened in shock, as he stared at the water gun-like shooters.* "Oh no-"

  Teenager: "Oi, aim for their heads."

  Big-nose Kid: "Got it." *He pulled trigger and shot several paintballs at Lance.*

  Ashton: "Unacceptable!-" *He quickly stepped into the firing path and blocked all the paintballs with his shield.*

  Rachael: "The four of you over there, all out." *She pointed to a group of teenagers in the far back of the arena.*

  Teenager: *He continued to shoot paintballs at Ashton's shield.* "I can't see if we got them-"

  Big-nose Kid: *He watched strings of paint splatter off the shield.* "I can't tell either-"

  Lance: "Harh!" *He sliced the sword across the two teenager's back, as they focused their attention to Ashton's shield.*

  Teenager: "What-?!" *He glanced behind him in shock.*

  Rachael: "You're both out." *She watched the two teenagers whimper back into the waiting area.*

  Lance: "Humph." *He snickered child-like and sniffed under his nose.*

  Ashton: "Look out." *He ran past Lance and raised the shield.*

  Lance: "Wha-?" *He looked behind him and watched Ashton smear the paint from his shield, all over a player.*

  Rachael: "Out."

  Ashton: "Phew." *He turned around and sighed with relief.* "He was about to get you-"

  *Three players ran around Ashton and shot him in the back.*

  Ashton: "Ouch-"

  Rachael: "Out."

  Lance: (Ashton!)

  Ashton: "Haha, I will see you in the waiting area, Lance."

  Lance: "Yea, yea." *He quickly ran for another place to hide.*

  Ashton: *He slowly walked into the waiting area and noticed fifteen players on a long bench.* (So, that leaves six more players left.)

  Player: "Haha good game, Ashton but.."

  Ashton: *He plunked himself on the bench and sighed with exhaustion.* "But what, sir?"

  Player: "I don't think it's fair how five of them have teamed up though."

  Ashton: "Five of them?" (Then it's them and Lance.)

  Rachael: "Out... Out... You're out." *Her voice echoed and sounded static, due to the poor speakers inside. The players on the bench all looked up and stared at the next announcement.* "The game is now over!"

  Player: "Over? Already?"

  Rachael: "Everyone to the waiting area and the winner will be announced." *She walked down metal stairs from the roof, closely followed by the staff.* "Thank you all for playing." *She looked outside as the remaining players walked in.* "They're coming now."

  Ashton: (I wonder how Lance went?)

  Rachael: (How did he do that?) *She thought to herself in shock.*

  *Five players walked in with black slash marks all over their shirts.*

  Ashton: *He closely observed the smear marks on the player's shirts.* (Was that from Lance?)

  *The players on the bench started to chatter amongst themselves until Lance trotted in.*

  Lance: (Too easy-) *The players noticed no trace of paint on his shirt, causing them to gasp in disbelief.*

  *One of the five players took his shirt off in anger and threw it on the ground.* "It was five against one and we all had shooters." *He looked at the four players.* "You're all pathetic." *He stormed out of the warehouse.*

  Lance: (Pathetic alright.) *He chuckled to himself, as he walked over to Ashton.* "Let's go, I'm gonna head home 'n' get changed."
/>   Ashton: "Okay, let me quickly talk to Rach for a sec."

  Lance: "Wateva." *He rolled his eyes and took off the shirt.*

  Ashton: *He slowly walked up to Rachael, as she bent over a table and shuffled papers.* "Hey."

  Rachael: "Oh, hey." *She faced him and blushed.*

  Ashton: "I know Lance somehow won, but he-"

  Rachael: "He's bored and wants to go home?"

  *They smiled and awkwardly giggled.*

  Ashton: "Well, I better go-"

  Rachael: "Bye." *Her face became redder.*

  *Ashton and Lance casually left the warehouse, covering their faces due to the sunlight which shined in their eyes.*

  Ashton: "So, how did you do it?" *His car lights flashed, as he unlocked the car.*

  Lance: "Do wat?"

  Ashton: *He opened the door and placed his hands on the steering wheel.* "How you were able to take them all out?"

  Lance: "I dunno, it's just a game."

  Ashton: "They all teamed up against you."

  Lance: "I know." *He spoke on his breath, as if he didn't care.*

  Ashton: (Lance being Lance.) *He sighed and started to drive towards Lance's house.*

  *Four new looking cars, drove past at double the speed limit passing Ashton.*

  Ashton: "Look at that." *He grumbled with frustration, as the cars swerved into the other lane without indication.*

  Lance: *He watched the drivers force two other cars off the road.* "I know! Look how kool their cars are-"

  Ashton: *He tightly gripped the steering wheel, as he watched the cars drive out of his sight.* (What was the point of that...?)

  Lance: *He recognised the area and his street.* "Hey... Thanks for today aye?"

  Ashton: "That's alright, thanks for coming." *He indicated and pulled over to the side of the road.* "I'll see you tomorrow?"

  Lance: "Yea, yea." *He jumped out of the car and made his way to the front door.*

  Ashton: *He watched Lance wave his arm above his head like a child, causing him to drive off.* (I can't wait until Lance becomes a manager, then we can work together again.)

  Lance: "Gah, hello?"

  Kairi: *She slowly opened the door with uncertainty.* "Lance? Hello? Why didn't you use your keys?" *She unlocked the screen door and opened it.*

  Lance: "They got bent somehow." *He walked into the house and instantly smelt roast, causing his stomach to growl.*

  Kairi: "Dinner will be ready shortly, so please don't leave." *She yelled down the hallway, as Lance closed the door behind him.*

  *Lance's room was as messy as a teenager's. There were clothes scattered on the floor and cables tangled from his electronics. He had stacks of DVD's and games. He also had a wooden table with all sorts of crystals and piles of spiritual magazines. The room was dimly lit.*

  Lance: *He sighed and sat on the end of his bed.* (There's nothing to do.) *He looked around with a bored expression and his stomach growled again.*

  *An hourly alarm beeped, causing Lance to moan with boredom.*

  Lance: *The bed squeaked as he leant up and walked to the living room.* (I shouldn't have come home so early-) *He jumped on the couch and changed the channel on the TV.*

  Anchor Man: "And now Mrs. Hambridge will be giving us an update on Sceldrant's Comet."

  Mrs. Hambridge: "Thank you. Now that Sceldrant's comet is closer to Earth we're able to grasp more information from it, we have also gathered the most intelligent meteorologists and have found some interesting findings relating to the comet."

  Lance: "Not the news again."

  Mrs. Hambridge: "Firstly, I have been receiving emails asking the same question and well let me tell you all, that there is no chance of the comet actually hitting us. Next we believe the comet may cause some disturbances in the weather as the comet emits an abnormal energy signature our computers can't register."

  Kairi: *She made noises in the kitchen, as she took the roast out of the oven.* (Almost ready-)

  Mrs. Hambridge: "We also have pinpointed that the comet will be viewable around ten 'o clock at night, local time."

  Lance: (At ten, aye?)

  Mrs. Hambridge: "Once again, you'll be able to see all of the comet's glory if you pop down to the local library or public schools, as we're allowing people to freely use the telescopes!"

  Anchor Man: "Thank you Mrs. Hambridge, we will continue the interview after a short message."

  *A mysterious advert caused the screen to glow aurora colours, catching Lance's attention.*

  Kairi: "Din-Din's ready, hun." *She sliced the roast onto three separate plates.*

  Lance: "Shh this kool show is on!! I'll be there in a second!"

  Kairi: "Okay, please make haste before it gets cold." *She walked over to the table and placed the dishes in their respective places.*

  TV Advert: *The advert showed pictures of products and a map on how to get there. It played on a continual loop with a voice over.* "Don't miss our one-day-opening! Spirit attachments, curses, unwelcome guests, we specialise in all that stuff. We will be opening at eleven in the morning to one in the afternoon. If you're into this type of stuff, this is a must see!"

  Lance: *He sat on the edge of the couch due to excitement.* (I really want to go, but Ashton's stupid manager thing is on tomorrow-)

  Kairi: *She noticed Lance stare at a blank screen, which caused her to look curious.* "Lance?"

  Lance: *He unintentionally ignored her, as he grumbled deep in thought.* (I always feel like I can sense strange things and all that stuff so, I want to check this out. I don't even want to be a manager, I'm only doing it for Ashton.) *He sighed to himself with frustration.*

  Kairi: "What was all that about, hun?"

  Lance: "Some stupid thing." (Sorry Ashton but I really want to go to this store.)

  Kairi: "Lance, it's getting cold." *She sat down and grabbed a knife and fork.*

  Lance: "I'm comin' far out." *He got up and hobbled to the table as he plopped himself onto a chair.*

  Kairi: "Luna, come on! It's getting cold!" *Her voice caused the sounds of a door opening in response.*

  Luna: "Sorry, mother." *She walked out of her room dressed in all black and covered in dark make-up.*

  Lance: (That thing is my sister-) *He watched Luna drag her feet to the table.*

  Luna: *She noticed Lance staring at her, which caused her eyebrow to twitch.* "Wat are you lookin' at?!"

  Lance: "Did ya take so long 'cause you were cuttin' yourself a little longer than usual?"

  Luna: "So, Lance, have you seen any more ghosts lately or tryin' to summon a character from one of your stupid games?" *She smirked.*

  Lance: "Wow, was I wrong? You took so long because you had to glue your face together because it broke when you tried to smile?"

  Kairi: "Lance, enough!"

  Lance: "What about her?" *He pointed at Luna like a child.*

  Kairi: "She is five years younger than you, you should know better-"

  Lance: "Yeah thanks for dinner, I'm off to bed, aye." *He pushed the chair back and made his way to his room.*

  Kairi: "But you haven't eaten anything?" *Her voice slightly echoed down the hallway.*

  Lance: "I'm not hungry anymore." *He slammed the door behind him and took a few steps into his room and yawned.* (Looks like I used more energy at that paintball thing than I expected.) *He yawned again and lay down onto the bed. He fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.*

  ----------

  *The alarm buzzed and woke Lance from his slumber.*

  Lance: "Grr." *He moaned and peered at the clock.* "Quarter to eleven!? Oh snap, I'll be late for the opening!" *He jumped out of the bed and quickly changed.*

  *Sounds of cars driving by could be heard outside.*

  Lance: *He opened the front door and started to run down the street.* (Luckily this place is near me.)

  Woman: *She watched Lance run across the pavement.* (I remember him at Fast Food Enterprise, horrible service-)

  Lance: *He stopped
and panted, as he tried to catch his breath.* (Crap, I want to be there when the store opens, so all the good stuff doesn't get taken, argh.) *He thought to himself as he jogged across a park.* (It should be around here somewhere.)

  *A swirl of wind drew Lance's attention to a large tent.*

  Lance: (That must be it!) *He jogged around the tent and tried to view the line.* "Huh? No one is here...?" *He sounded disappointed as if his efforts were all for nothing.*

  *A wrinkly lady with a huge presence cautiously walked up to Lance.*

  Lance: *He stared at her hazel eyes and long black hair.* "Umm, can I help ya?"