Destiny

Chapter 3: I will never think of trees the same again

It took me a moment to process what he had said. I mean, I thought it was him, but I didn't really think that could be my principal. That ugly, gray, zombie-squid thingy couldn't actually be my principal, right? Well, now that I think of it, he totally could be. But he can't be! But zombie squid aside...

I stare at Kort. "What do you mean? This isn't possible. Every law of nature, physics, or any other law of humanity made says that no one can turn into a monster!!! And why do you look so calm? THERE IS A ZOMBIE SQUID OUTSIDE MY SCHOOL! And what do you mean you know? WHAT IS HAPPENING TO MY LIFE? And how do you look like this happens to you everyday?"

He ran his hand through his hair and blew out. "Well, it kind of does."

I stared at him in shock. "I am so lost."

Jaquellen looked at me. "Yeah, it's kind of a lot to go through, right?"

I stared at her even more. "Wait this stuff happens to you too? But how...this can't be...Why...? No, this is impossible! Monsters do NOT exist! My life cannot turn all Percy Jackson on me right now! But it won't. Because I am dreaming. I will wake up and not be here. WAKE UP SELF!!!!!!!"

Kort gave me a sad smile. "I know. This is hard. But you'll get through it. Don't worry. We are here to help." He grabbed my hand that had fallen in shock and gave me a sweet smile.

"Alright, enough you two love birds," Jaquellen said. "We have a serious problem."

I glanced at her nervously, ignoring the "love birds" part. "What do you mean?"

She glanced over her shoulder, and I almost blanched again. Mr... whoever he was, was standing there, just staring at us, his fangs bared and murder in his eyes. Not creepy at all.

She looked at Kort. "You know he'll track us. We need to change him back," She said. He nodded. Then she looked at me.

"We'll need to get you to safety. I don't think that the board would appreciate us bringing you to them in pieces." I waited for her to smile or do something that would suggest she was kidding, but she just looked back at Mr. Roy/ Squid-zombie thing.

"What's the board?" I asked, trying to keep my panicking at a minimum.

"It's like our government," Kort told me. "They come up with the laws and deal out punishments and other officially-stuff like that. But like here in America, they don't rule completely. They're just there to keep the peace. Although lately..." He stopped talking. I was really curious, but I decided not to push it.

He cleared his throat. "Anyways, Jaquellen is right. We do need to get you to a safe place, and away from the squin. That's the creature over there," he added when he saw my confusion.

He looked at Jaquellen. "Can you pull her under while keeping the cave up and fight at the same time?" He asked. Pull me under? I thought.

Jaquellen thought for a moment. "Yeah, I should be able to. But not for long. We'll have to act quickly." She looked at me. "I need you to run into the forest a few layers of trees in. Whatever happens, stay still and don't panic! You will be totally fine."

I looked at her and took some shallow breaths. "I'm panicking," I said. She smiled at me.

"You'll be fine. Trust me, I've done this a lot. This is the best way to keep you safe," she said. "Now go!"

"I looked back at them one last time, then took off. I raced through to the small forest next to Birchtrude. I ran to the second row of trees and stopped, looking around. I panted and then looked through the trees to where Kort and Jaquellen were still standing. I saw them talk quickly, and then Kort disappeared. I gasped, trying to process what just happened. But I didn't have much time before a giant tree root wrapped around my waist and pulled me under the ground.

I screamed and tried to kick free, but it held fast. I remembered what Jaquellen had said about staying still and not panicking. Don't panic. Don't panic. DON'T PANIC! But that was all I wanted to do as I was sucked through the ground faster than a race car. I tried to open my eyes but my face was getting pelted by dirt. Just as I was getting ready to try and break free again, I stopped moving. The tree released me, and dropped me on the ground. "Oof," I said as I hit the floor.

I shook off the dirt from my clothes. I blew the hair out of my face and stood up. I rubbed the dirt out of my face and looked around. It was dark, so I took out my phone and turned on the flashlight. I held it up. My jaw dropped to the floor.

I was in a cave that was carved out of the dirt. I was right next to a giant hole in the wall. I was in awe at how this giant cavern had held up with all of the trees pressing down on it. I could see their roots weaving in and out of the ceiling and walls. There were hundreds of holes in the wall, some 3 times bigger than a car, others the size of a grasshopper, and everything in between. I walked over to one of the holes, angled the light at it, and looked inside. It was pitch black. I walked back to the center and stood there for a second, but then realized how crazy this all was. A statue had exploded and everyone blamed me for it. My crush and best friend were out fighting some monster that was apparently my principal. And now Jaquellen had supposedly pulled me underground into a cave in the middle of the forest.

This was just getting weird.

I felt a shiver run down my spine. It was surprisingly cold down there. "Hello?" I called out. It didn't echo and died the second the second it left my mouth. I went to one of the holes. "Hello?" I said again, louder this time. It was eerily silent. "Okay..." I said. I looked around again. There was no way out except for the holes. I debated whether or not I should try to climb out through one. I decided against. If the monster thing, what had Kort called it? Oh, right, a squin. If it was still out there, then there was no way I was going back until it was gone.

After a few minutes of waiting, I heard something coming through one of the holes. I gasped, and looked around for something to fight with. But it being a cave made of dirt, had nothing. I stood as far back from the noise that I could, hoping it wasn't my seriously creepy principal. But it was just another root. Well, not just a root. A magic root that sucks you through secret tunnels in the wall. It grabbed me around the waist and took me through a different hole than the one I came from. I was a little more ready this time, but it was still very scary. It took me up, around, sideways, and up some more until I burst through an opening in the forest floor. It was thrown up into the air, and I am sure people heard my scream from Europe. But the root caught me, and sent me gently on the ground. It disappeared back into the hole as fast as it had come, and the opening in the ground closed.

I sat up and looked around, wondering where the heck I was. I knew I was in the forest, but how deep in? I stood up and started walking around.I looked up. It was pretty dark, as the tops of the towering pines had grown very close together. I saw a tiny bit of blue in between the trees, but it was dark.

I heard footsteps coming from the trees and I whirled around. Kort and Jaquellen emerged from the trees, panting. Jaquellen flopped on the ground, exhausted. Kort bent over, also panting and tired. I rushed over to them. "Are you guys okay?"

Jaquellen looked up. "Yeah, it just took a lot of energy to hold up the cave. But I'm good."

I stared at her. "Wait, so you actually did make that cave? How-"

"Later," Kort cut me off. "Right now we need to get somewhere safe. Do you have your waihona?" He asked Jaquellen.

She sat up, reached into her pocket and pulled something out. "Yep."

"Great," he said. I looked at it. I was expecting something magical like a wand or something, but it was a lollipop, one of the ones you beg your mom for as a kid. Kort turned to me.

"Its a lollipop," I said. "Great."

Kort laughed. "Not quite. This is a waihona. It will take you wherever you want, except forbidden places" he explained. "Tell it where you want to go, and it will take you there. Although, it takes a little getting used to."

"What are the forbidden places?" I asked. He looked at me seriously.

"You don't want to know. They are forbidden for a reason."

I shrank back. "Sorry," I mumbled.

"No, don't be sorry. You're curious, that's a good trait. But I don't want you to regret anything," He said. "And learning what's in the forbidden places is a big cause of regret."