by Katie Cherry
She immediately slows down and releases my hand before stopping and turning around. “What? How did I hurt you?”
“My… shoulder,” I gasp, clenching it between my fingers. It’s not dislocated- thankfully- although it had gotten close. The entire area aches, but I just roughly try to massage it out. It helps a little. “I can run… on my own now,” I say. “You don’t need to drag me. We got a really good head start.”
She looks at me a little despairingly, then merely shrugs. “Alright, fine. For now. If anyone comes up too close, though, I’m grabbing you again and high tailing it out of here. If your shoulder gets hurt, we can fix it at the hospital- which we can’t do if you are dead or captured. Okay?”
I stare at her. Way to think of the positive, I think, a grim smile sliding onto my face before disappearing in a flash. “Fine. …Whatever you say, oh guardian angel,” I add sarcastically.
She frowns. “You know I’m just doing my…”
“I know, I know… I’m sorry,” I sigh. “I just…”
She shakes her head. “Forget about it, alright? This mission is putting a strain on everyone. …Come on, we should go before they catch up.”
I nod, but am only able to take a single step forward before there’s movement in the bushes behind us. “Run!” Sierra screams. But I don’t run. Instead, I turn, pulling a small knife from my belt. I hate running. Especially when I can fight. My curiosity builds to a crescendo when someone races out of the bush.
I lower my arm with a sigh, sheathing the knife. “Chet,” I say, relieved. “How did you find…”
“No time,” he pants, stopping in front of me. He grabs my hand. “We have to go! Now! They’re right behind me!” Then he takes off, hauling me behind him. I race along with him, my heart pounding with fear that seems to have only just set in from when I woke up. He grabbed the same hand that Sierra had, but it doesn’t hurt since he’s going slowly enough for me to keep up. Sierra runs behind us, but I can feel her impatience as I stumble. Chet, however, patiently helps me back up and continues running. It’s easier to run without holding hands, but somehow the contact comforts me and keeps me from panicking. I don’t let go of his hand, and he doesn’t release his grip on mine either. I almost feel as though he’s linking me to the real world, keeping me from slipping into a land of hysteria that had been creeping in on me ever since we returned to that cursed castle.
When we went inside, I didn’t just feel the memories of pain. I felt… as though the walls themselves were emanating evil. The place made me feel sick, almost… in physical pain. I’ve secretly been on the edge of delirious ever since. I never mentioned this to the others, of course. Not only would they think I’m insane, but they would also send me back to the Village immediately. I would be of no use to anyone if they sent me to the hospital for insanity.
“The edge of the forest!” Sierra exclaims behind me, relief and excitement in her voice. “We’re almost-” her voice is cut off as a knife flies from behind her and buries itself in her leg. She goes down immediately.
She instantly lets go of my hand and drops to his knee to help her. I stare back as the blood squirting from the wound gets all over his shirt as he picks her up. Her face is bathed in tears, but she hardly made a sound. Brave Sierra…
“Go!” Chet yells at me. “I’ll be right behind you- I promise!” Nodding, tears streaming down my face now as well, I turn and run even faster than before, holding the journal tight to my chest with both hands. Each breath rattles in my lungs. My vision seems to all but disappear. The only thing I can see is my destination. My thoughts have narrowed to simply get out as fast as possible! I can’t worry about Sierra. I just can’t. There’s nothing I can do, and Chet promised to be right behind me as I escape this nightmare forest.
I close my eyes and keep running. My tears made everything almost too blurry to see very well anyway. My mind, unbidden, replays what just happened. The look of shock on her face as the knife pierced her flesh… Chet, so heroic, saving her; picking her up easily in those big strong arms… When did he get so strong anyway? He wasn’t nearly that strong when we first met…
Smack!
My eyes fly open in surprise. It takes me a moment to realize what the thing in front of my face is. When it finally registers in my tired mind, I breathe a sigh of relief and sink to the ground, my back to it. I made it… to the Village… I lean back against the house and close my eyes, trying to slow my heart back down to normal, as well as my breathing, which comes out harsh between my dry, cracked lips. I can feel my heartbeat in my stomach, as well as in my throat and head. It’s slowly giving me a headache, but I don’t have the luxury to care about it.
My eyes are only closed for a few seconds before they fling open again. Chet! And Sierra! They were still in there! I leap to my feet and take a few steps back into the forest. I see something charging at me and instantly recognize Chet; Sierra in his arms. He’s covered in blood from her leg.
As they come closer, I notice that Sierra’s face is ashen. She’s lost a lot of blood… Chet stops beside me and gently lays Sierra on her back. Her eyes are closed. “Is she…”
“She’s unconscious,” Chet quickly answers. He takes off his shirt, then looks up at me a little sheepishly. “Can I borrow that knife of yours?”
“Oh, of course,” I say, trying in vain to keep the blood from rising to my cheeks. Hopefully it’s dark enough that he can’t see it, I think, handing over the knife. He swiftly slices a strip of the silvery fabric, followed by another. Handing back the knife, he then quickly covers and ties the wound before picking the poor girl back up.
“She needs to go to the hospital,” he states as he sets off toward the building. I stand there and watch him walk away, silhouetted by the large moon on the horizon. My heart skips a beat and I can’t help but think of a prince rescuing his princess. Then I turn and peer into the dark, menacing woods, malice seeping like a poison from among the trees. I shiver. As much as I’m itching to plunge back in there and rescue my friends, I can’t. Not only would I not be able to find my way back, but once I get there, I would just be sent away immediately.
Taking a deep breath, I spin on my heel and follow Chet to the hospital. I guess they will all just have to fend for themselves… I feel guilty, however, as my back turns to them and every step I take feels like I’m abandoning them.
CHAPTER SEVEN
A Deal with the Devil
Nathan collapses heavily onto the bed in the corner of the room. He absentmindedly runs his fingers along the lines of the white and blue quilt, feeling the silkiness between his fingers. For the first few minutes after Zarafa had left, he had stood stock-still in the same place, mind racing, trying to figure out how to get out of this new predicament until he had finally exhausted his mind and his fear. Once his panic had faded, he turned and examined ‘his’ new room.
The walls were mostly white, with little creatures painted in light blue along the bottom of the walls. The ceiling was white and had strange, interesting shapes and designs that he wasn’t sure were meant to be there or not. He had stared at that ceiling for a few minutes before tearing himself away. He could probably gaze up at it all day and not get bored, his imagination causing him to see different things every time he shifted his gaze.
Other than the bed, there wasn’t much in the room. There was a small table beside the bed with a simple alarm clock, a lamp, a pad of paper with a pen on it, a chest at the foot of the bed filled with clothes, and a chair in front of a small table in the corner opposite the bed. The wooden door was simple, but sturdy. The golden handle gleamed in the light. The handle seemed normal, but when Nathan had grabbed it, hoping to get out of the room and sneak away from the house, it had zapped him, throwing him backward until he hit the wall behind him. That was when he discovered that there was no escape from this strange place. He had picked up the device that brought him here, but it didn’t do anything. It seemed to be a one-way teleporter. Meant to bring him here, but not
allow him to escape.
He sighs and checks his watch. It was still another ten minutes until Zarafa had told him to join her in the kitchen. He didn’t know where the kitchen was, but he figured he could find it without much trouble when the time came- assuming he could even get out of the room. He lies back on the bed and gazes up at the ceiling again, looking at it without really seeing it. How am I supposed to do this? I don’t have Greg, I don’t have my backpack with my stuff in it, and my plan didn’t go how I wanted it to at all! I’m trapped in an enemy’s house with no plan and no way out… He sits up quickly. He could smack himself for being so thoughtless. My Gifts! I’m so stupid! How did I forget about my Gifts? I mean, I haven’t had the opportunity to use them for a while, but still… He shakes his head at himself. I can still shapeshift… or control the weather. That should be enough to get out of here. I may even be able to get some answers out of her before I go…
He’s just about to shift into a small snake to slip under the door when it abruptly opens, surprising him. He stumbles back and falls onto the bed. Looking up, he finds Zarafa at the doorway, smiling amiably. “Dessert is ready,” she proclaims, her voice sweet as honey. “Would you care to join me?” Her sparkling, unnaturally bright green eyes seem to make his brain freeze up. He struggles to make it work again. But when her smile grows, he seems to lose all ability to speak.
“I… uh…”
She holds out a hand to him, a look of understanding on her face. “Come, then. I can’t wait to speak with you, Nathan. I’ve heard so much about you,” she continues, her soft voice compelling him to stumble forward the few steps to take her hand. She… she’s heard about me? He can’t help but feel a rush of pleasure that this beautiful- gorgeous- lady would want to talk to him so badly. He forgets how he got here, lost in the bliss of being wanted. He’s suddenly just as anxious to talk to her as she seems to be to talk to him.
She leads him into a large room. Her heels click as she leads him across the tile floor towards the large table. She pulls out a chair for him, and he sits. He’s still stunned and dazed as she seats herself across from him. Ringing a little silver bell that rests beside her plate, a couple of servants enter the room, bearing silver platters. The chime of the small bell helps to pull Nathan out of his trance. When the servants set down their burdens, they both bow to Zarafa and leave. She smiles at Nathan and gestures to the food before them. “Go on,” she encourages. “Try it.”
He tears his eyes away from her and looks down at the dessert. It looks like a small cake- but with a different consistency, more like that of cheesecake. “It’s strawberry,” she continues, picking up her fork with her long, delicate fingers. “My favorite. This came straight from Zilferia, you know,” she continues slyly, taking a small bite of the cake.
Nathan hesitantly picks up his fork as well. The texture of the food is moist, but not wet; the flavor sweet, and unlike any strawberry he’d ever had before. However, just like Zarafa said, it did taste like it was from Zilferia. It had the same calming and mind-clearing qualities as the rest of the food he had partaken of in the other realm. The small, delicate dessert is gone in a few more bites. After finishing the treat, Nathan feels refreshed and calm. He’s in control of his thoughts once more. Setting his fork down on the white tablecloth, he clasps his hands in front of him and leans forward a little. Locking his eyes onto Zarafa’s, he’s unaffected by her charm, too focused on what he’s about to say.
Clearing his throat, he glares at her. “Okay, now it’s time to answer my questions.” He pauses to see if she’ll object, but she just leans back in her seat and nods slightly. “How do you know who I am? What have you heard about me? How do you know about Zilferia? Why did you kidnap me with those… things… if you wanted to talk to me? What do you want to talk about? Does it have to do with Crystal-”
She holds up a hand to stop him, a smile tugging at her blood-red lips. “Hold on there. If you want me to answer any of your questions, you’re going to have to give me some time to talk,” she says, mirth in her voice. “I know who you are because of Alexander and Pearl Dragon. They told me all about you, and sent me to find you and speak with you. I regret that I had to use others to get to you, but unfortunately I cannot go into the sunlight in this realm without pain.”
Nathan just stares at her, not comprehending. “…Why not?” he asks.
She smiles teasingly. “Oh, come now. You aren’t even going to venture a guess?” He continues to stare at her blankly. She sighs as if disappointed. “I’m a vampire. Ever heard of us, Nathan? I’m fairly sure Thaddeus mentioned vampires- as did Vladimir when you first met him, I believe.”
He scoffs in disbelief. “A vampire? Seriously? You expect me to believe that? Vampires aren’t real. They’re only in movies and really bad books.”
She laughs. “Nathan, you’ve met werewolves and dragons- even a girl who could turn into a dragon- and you don’t believe in vampires?” Nathan’s mouth snaps shut. Well, when you put it like that… He groans. With everything I’ve seen… I doubt the existence of a vampire? Just the fact that she knows about Zilferia, has been there, and claims to be one, should be enough proof that she probably is one. He shakes his head.
Taking this as a sign of continued disbelief, Zarafa sighs. “Alright, I’ll prove it to you.” She opens her mouth. Held captive by the sight, Nathan can’t seem to tear his eyes away. Her teeth had become long and sharp- just like in the vampire movies. Her pupils had gone into slits like a cat’s. After a few seconds, the teeth shrink back to normal, and her pupils do as well. “Believe me now?” she says.
He nods dumbly. To think, he’s sitting with a real vampire… who could probably easily tear out his throat. Swallowing, he pushes this thought away. If she wanted to eat him, she would have already. “The King and Queen sent you?” he confirms.
“Yes.”
“…To talk to me. Why did they do that? Thaddeus could have just contacted me with my watch,” he says. Her eyes immediately flick to his wrist.
“I see. Well, they wanted me to come in person, I suppose. Besides, I am also not here just to talk to you. I’m here to accomplish a task I’ve been assigned.”
“And what would that be?” he inquires, curious.
Zarafa smiles. “That’s actually why I need to talk to you. I need your help, Nathan.”
He frowns. Something just wasn’t right about this vampire lady. “…Where’s Crystal?” he asks.
Now she frowns. “What? She’s in Second Earth. Why would you ask me that? Do you really think I would do anything to the Princess?” She sounds hurt, but Nathan is unaffected.
He stands. “I wouldn’t put it past you. After all, you just kidnapped me. And Crystal’s been kidnapped and tortured a lot. Besides, I don’t trust you. I have a feeling you’re just trying to say what I want to hear. You know that I trust Alexander and Pearl, and you’re using that against me.” He starts walking away. “I’m leaving. After I contact Thaddeus, I will ask him to confirm your story. If he doesn’t, I’ll know you’re lying.”
He turns to see her standing, a look of panic flashing across her face so quickly he almost misses it. “No! Wait… I… I can prove it!”
“How?” he asks incredulously. She closes her mouth and thinks. He folds his arms. “You have ten minutes before I leave. Convince me, or I know you’re just lying to me.”
Her mouth tightens into a firm line. “…Can I have a little longer? I’ll see if I can contact Pearl or Alexander for you. They can back me up.”
“…Very well.” He goes back to the table and sits down, arms still folded. Zarafa leaves. He can hear talking in another room for a few minutes, then silence. After a few more minutes, there’s more talking.
Zarafa comes back into the kitchen, hands on her hips. “I got Alexander for you. You’re just lucky he was there.”
Nathan nods and follows her into the next room. In the center of the small room is a raised square emitting blue light. Standing in that light is a
hologram of Alexander Dragon. “Nathan,” he says, relieved. “I’m so glad Zarafa found you! Nathan, I need you to trust her. I really did ask her to help me with something. …Something that I’m hoping you’d be willing to also lend a hand with.”
“Where’s Crystal?” he asks. “Why don’t you ask her to help?”
He frowns, a sad look in his eyes. “She’s still on Second Earth. I was going to ask her to help as well, but she is having a hard time without her dragon part or her Gifts. She’s still trying to get used to the loss. She can’t help.”
“Well, how can I?”
A tear falls from the King’s eye. “Nathan, you know about me and my family. You know about Crystal and Hunter… and you’ve heard the sad news about Rex.”
“Yeah…”
“Nathan, I need you to help me find Rex. Crystal would try to help if she knew about this, but she can’t. Not in her condition. Please don’t tell her about this. It’s far too dangerous for her at the moment.”
“Dangerous? Why is it dangerous?”
“It’s nothing like what you had to go through in the Games,” he assures. “It would only be dangerous for her because she’s in such a weakened state. You, however, have both of your Gifts, do you not?”
“Yes…”
“Good. Nathan, I need your help to find Rex before Patrick does. He would either kill him or take him just as he has Hunter, and I can’t take that. …Crystal deserves to have at least one of her brothers, don’t you agree?” Nathan’s heart softens at this. It was true, Hunter was brainwashed by Patrick, leaving her alone. Crystal did deserve to have a brother who didn’t betray and hurt her.
“What do I have to do?”
<<
Zarafa smiles triumphantly as she leads the boy back to his room. He had been completely won over by the hologram and no longer suspected anything. He may not have been blind and dumb enough to trust her at first, but he trusts her now. Her grin widens as she recalls her quick thinking that saved the almost ruined plan.
