Dark Magic

Chapter 2

       Rei's POV

       White light blinded me. I squinted, trying to assess my surroundings. Where am I? How did I get here? I was in a field. The tall, silken thistle tickled my cheeks. I reached up and ran my fingers along the smooth stems. Realizing I was still lying down, I sat up. What I saw took my breath away.
       The meadow was alive with color, each flower a different shade of the rainbow. Tall, leafy green trees grew in a thick forest on either side of me. Just down a small slope, there was a glistening loch that reflected the color of robin's eggs. If I got close enough to the water's edge, I could see down to the bottom of the lake, the submerged dirt smooth.
       I could hear voices up ahead, though I couldn't pinpoint their distance from me. I shuffled forward a bit, peering down the grassy hill. A village. People bustled about, laughing and chatting. Though something felt different. This place... these people... they were oddly different. I couldn't really describe it, there was just something about all of this that made my heart race.
       Not listening to my head, I bounded down the hill. I know I'm outgoing, but this was just weird. I didn't know these people. I don't even know where I am or I got here. I slowed, cautious now. A slight breeze lifted golden strands from my shoulders. I surveyed the village. The little huts looked immaculately constructed. They looked oddly beautiful.
       My attention focused on a girl, whom looked about 17, 18, a bit older than me. The way her movements looked so clean, so elegant and graceful, fascinated me. Her smooth, ebony skin practically glowed. Fiery strands of hair were carefully braided down her back. Something pulled me to her, a magnetic force slowly drawing me in. My feet had a mind of their own now, taking one step, two. I reached the girl and stuck out a hand, however stupid it may have been.
       "Hi! I'm Rei!"
       She stared at me, barely any emotion in her dark eyes. Her head tilted a bit, as if she were somewhat confused. Didn't she know a proper introduction when she saw one?
       "What's your name?" I tried again. My hand was still outstretched, beckoning towards her.
       "What?" Her eyes reflected plain confusion now, and her gaze roamed over me, which left me with an odd tingling sensation.
       "My name's Rei. Why don't you tell me yours? Oh- oh... you must be shy! It's okay, I won't hurt you!" I tried putting on a reassuring smile. Finally the girl seemed to understand what I was getting at, and shook my hand a bit awkwardly, as if she had no clue how to attempt a proper handshake.
       "That's a pretty name. Rei. I like it. Oh, right- I'm Verena! I think that's right..." Her eyebrows knitted together in thought. Her smile was so breathtaking I thought I might cry.
       "Well... could you maybe... tell me where I might be? See, I was in my room, and then something weird happened and I woke up here- Wait, am I dreaming?"
       Verena laughed, a sound only God's favorite angels could possess.
       "You're in Sapphira, of course!" She stated as if this were totally obvious.
       "Uh, what? Sapph-a what?" I didn't know of any towns nearby mine that sounded anything remotely like that.
       "Sapphira. You do know of it, don't you?" Her voice was tinged with something I couldn't quite place, but it made me feel a twinge of fear deep down.
       "Um, no... Sorry. I have no idea what this Sapphira place is..." I spoke with true sincerity. I felt bad for being so utterly stupid.
       "Oh!" She gasped all of a sudden, as if she just realized something totally obvious, as if it had been right in front of her all along. "Of course, I should've known..." she was mumbling now, almost to herself.
       "Okay, I'm getting confused here, so..." I started to turn to leave, but she grabbed my wrist. Her grip was strong. Too strong for my liking.
       "I should've known you weren't fae! I can't believe I didn't notice it! Well, Sapphira is the realm of the fae, all ruled by the Seelie queen and Unseelie king." Verena looked at me expectantly, hoping I would understand what she was saying.
"Oh... um, what's a fae? Is it some sort of community? Oh- is it a cult?"
       "Faery. And what's a cult? Humans sure are interesting creatures. Anyway, the fae are the most powerful creatures here in Sapphira. They rule over everything, their word is law." Verena explained this to me.
       "Wait... does that mean you aren't... human?" My heart stopped. This couldn't be real. She had to be human. There was no way she wasn't.
       "Oh dear... I'm afraid this will take much more explanation than I thought... Perhaps Blaike can tell you, he's always been much better at explaining things than I." Verena took my hand and started winding us around the pathways of the town.
       "So who's this Blaike?" We passed by what appeared to be a marble fountain, the stone glistening in the afternoon light. Its crystal clear water shimmered and shone, and felt cold and smooth as I ran my hands through it.
       "He's a friend of mine. He knows our land's history better than I do, he's been here longer. Don't worry, I think you'll quite like him." She flashed a saccharine smile; mine was lame and awkward in comparison.
       She continued to guide me through the town square. Many people gave me strange looks, but their faces didn't betray their thoughts very much. Maybe they really aren't human. I considered this. I was in a strange place with strange people who didn't act the way normal people should. Or maybe I'm just dreaming. I pinched myself just to check, but the sharp sting meant this was all too real.
       We came to an abrupt stop and I careened into Verena.
       "We're here!" Verena's eyes shone with excitement. Jeez, is this guy a saint or something? I was never that excited to see a friend. I didn't think it was much to be excited over.
       We stood in front of a prim cottage. Ivy snaked up the sides, and a chimney topped the gray roof. Trees surrounded either side of the small house, and flowers and bushes lined the front beneath the windows.
       Verena beckoned to me; she was already at the front door. I must've been spacing out, I tend to do that a lot. I slowly trudged up to where Verena was standing. She knocked once, very softly. If I wasn't there to confirm she had knocked I probably wouldn't have even heard it.
       I heard nothing in the house. Weird. Maybe he's not home.
       "Are you sure he's- what's his name?"
       "Blaike. And don't worry, he's home. I can hear him inside, can't you?" Her gaze was piercing. It made my stomach do flips. "Oh, that's right! It completely slipped my mind. Of course you can't hear anything, humans don't have good hearing." Verena crossed her slender arms.
       There it was again. Human. Was she actually serious, or was this some kind of sick joke? I felt nauseous. My instincts were telling me to run, far away from this place and to never come back. Finally the door opened and I was met face to face with a dark, hooded figure.
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Stay tuned for chapter 3!