The Counterfeit

three

The mutant flopped over, lifeless.

Jasmine stared in awe as the silver light, which she now made out to be the blade of a sword, was drawn out of the creature. The blood oozed out of it's neck, staining the rock below.

On top of the creature stood a raven-headed girl, one side of her face splattered in the blood of her victory, the other really quite pretty.

Jasmine observed as she wiped the blade on her pants and jumped down. She was so transfixed on the girl that she hadn't realised her surroundings had changed.

What had once been a dry, rocky landscape was now a humid, sweltering jungle. Vines dangled from tree to tree, the ground was muddy and wet and the air's scent was sickeningly damp.

Still being held captive by her rescuer, Jasmine finally acknowledged the change in scenery and after several minutes, she ripped her attention away and jumped when she saw the girl who'd slaughtered the creature centimetres away from her face.

She was staring at Jasmine suspiciously. Definitely not the vibe Hannah radiated. She was friendlier. Much friendlier.

Without a word of warning, the girl grabbed Jasmine's wrist and read the letters marked onto her skin. Her eyebrows knitted together when she saw it.
"Take her to the Quad."

The last thing Jasmine saw was the girl looking down upon her before her eyelids dropped to the impact of a rock.

-

Loud discussion woke Jasmine from her unconscious state. Her vision was a little blurry, but it came into focus within seconds.

She was in the centre of a perfect square bamboo hut. Rays of light shimmered through the miniscule gaps in the wood, reflecting off the faces around Jasmine.

Twenty or so people were sat in stands, over looking Jasmine and discussing amongst each other.

Confused, tired and hungry, Jasmine attempted to stand up but realised she was bound to a chair by her hands and feet. She groaned in annoyance.

At that, everyone's heads snapped up and all eyes were on Jasmine. Immediately regretting that, Jasmine forced a weak, awkward smile.
"Urm, hi?"

The people continued to stare at her. It was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Jasmine gulped, and began to feel queasy due to the tension between everyone. Still, no one spoke a word.

"Your attention, please."
All heads turned away from Jasmine and craned upwards to face a much higher stand in the centre of the others. A boy with bleach blonde hair stepped onto the stand, his intelligent eyes scanning the room. He couldn't have been older than anyone else here; fifteen or sixteen.

"What's the case?" He spoke again. A girl at the back of the lower stands arose from her seat. It was the same girl whom Jasmine had watched slaughter the creature.

She looked much cleaner than earlier and even prettier than Jasmine remembered.
"This girl appeared out of nowhere and almost exposed and destroyed us by leading a thurnak into our grounds."

The crowd broke out into whispers. Jasmine frowned, her jaw adjacent.
"Expose you? I don't even know where the hell I am."
"Please, settle down. What's your name?"