Ollie's POV during the events of chapter 15
My head hurt....my throat hurt....now that I thought about it my stomach hurt too. My eyes felt heavy and there was this horrible, stabbing pain in my back. God, what is this?
I heard a shout and forced my eyes open. Glancing around, I could see I was in my dorm room. I tried to blink my vision clear as I took in the blurred figures before me. It looked like maybe Dakota and Raven were there. I couldn't really tell, I just felt so tired. My eyes slid close again and I let my mind forget about reality. My body ached all over and my chest felt so taut with discomfort. Ugh, being sick is the worst.
I decided not to focus on my battered body right now and to instead try and force myself to sleep. If I sleep then I won't feel any of this pain and I might even be able to dream of better things. With that thought in mind, I tried to focus all my energy on relaxing as much as I possibly could. Don't think....just let yourself sleep. As I listened to my rather uneven breaths, I realized there were other sounds around me. I perked up my ears and tried to quiet my breathing as I brought my attention to them. Wind...yes I could hear the wind whistling through the tree tops, and even water babbling from a nearby creek. I strained to hear more but the wind was roaring now. I shivered. It dawned on me then that I felt chilly too. My body seemed to be resting on top of something cold and possibly wet. Wait a second...
I opened my eyes and found myself to be laying in a field of some sort. I cautiously peered up at the trees and foliage around me, completely baffled. Wasn't I just in my room sleeping? I slowly sat up and glanced down at the dew ridden grass I was sitting on. Strange...I looked over my clothing and realized that wasn't the strangest part. What exactly was I wearing?
I stood up and examined the blue button up shirt I had on and white silk waist coat drawn around my torso. Huh. My sleeves were rolled up and the top button of the shirt was undone to give it a more stylish look. I glanced down and took in the white jeans I was wearing next. I frowned. I don't think I've ever worn anything but regular blue jeans before. These felt quite...off to be wearing, as was the rest of this outfit, the most normal feeling thing being the black Converse on my feet. I don't even think these are mine. I certainly don't recall ever owning any of this.
There was a sudden snap of a twig behind me and I quickly turned around. I peered through the forest in the direction I had thought I heard the noise, but saw nothing there. Was it just my imagination? Snap! No! There it was again! I spun around to my left and trained my eyes on the forest floor. Was there something running around here? Suddenly, without any warning, a giant looming figure burst from the trees. I yelped in surprise and tried to take a step back before I tripped over something and fell straight on my ass. I winced as I glanced up at whatever jumped out of the forest.
"Wha...Dakota?" The person in front of me was definitely Dakota. He glanced down at me through the black framed glasses he was wearing. I didn't even know he wore glasses. They definitely looked good on him though I thought with a blush, staring back at his shining green eyes, but the rest of his outfit....
Like me, Dakota was dressed in a red button up shirt with rolled sleeves. However, he was wearing a black tie that was tucked neatly into a matching silk waistcoat, peppered with red and black diamonds. He was also wearing black jeans and red Converse, but that wasn't the most surprising thing about his appearance.
"Oi, is something wrong?" I asked as I stood up and brushed myself off. I noted his exposed wolf ears and tail with worry. Dakota mentioned before werewolves only reveal them when they lose control of their emotions.
"And also that..." I continued, pointing at the guitar he was holding. It was rather odd looking. The neck looked completely normal with strings running down its frets, but that's where the normality stopped. When it got to the body instead of the strings ending at the bridge, they looped around a giant clock face mounted into the base of the guitar. Roman numerals and two steady hands carefully displayed the time. Dakota suddenly whipped the guitar up and studied the clock face. His eyes widened in alarm before he swung the strap around his shoulder.
"I'm late!" He screeched as he bolted through the trees.
"Late? Hey, wait up!" I yelled as I chased after him. He was a quick little devil that was for sure. As I clambered through the overgrown bushes and wild underbrush with quite some difficulty, he breezed through them with ease. He was graceful as fuck the way he leaped and bounded over fallen trees and pass loitering rocks just waiting to trip me up. My lungs felt like they were on fire when I finally emerged into a small clearing of some sort. I was panting pretty hard, trying to catch me breath, as I scanned the area for Dakota. My eyes immediately fell on a giant boulder sitting in the middle of the clearing.
The Boulder was like none I had ever seen before with smooth, grey stone and the most intricate carvings of various monsters strewn on all sides of it. I realized the front of the boulder held a stone door left slightly ajar. I caught a quick glimpse of Dakota vanishing behind it before I raced forward.
"Dakota!" I yelled as I reached the entrance. Looking down, I could see a spiraling staircase leading deep underground. I hesitated feeling a cold, forewarning breeze rush up to meet me from the open door. The air smelt like moist earth, calming yet strangely final. I took a deep breath before hurrying down the endless flight of stairs. Torches lit the way as I quickly chased after Dakota.
"Dakota are you there?" I called as I reached the bottom of the stairs. I glanced around, finding myself in a circular room with three closed doors. Looking up, I could see above each door a symbol had been etched into the stone. I could make out a mountain face, a crescent moon, and a slumped weeping willow. I walked cautiously around, trying to open each door as I did, but found them all to be locked. Huh.
I heard a rattling and glanced down. There, I spotted a small door no bigger than my thumb embedded into the door with the moon displayed above it. I got down on my knees and tried this handle. It too was locked.
"I'm late!" I suddenly heard Dakota's voice call, though it sounded very far away. It was as if he were calling from somewhere below me and behind this door. I stood up and pressed my ear to the wood. Silence. I turned back around in search of something that could help me possibly pry the door open or pick the lock, when I noticed a small table sitting in the middle of the way. Hm, I didn't recall that being there before...
I walked forward and saw a small glass bottle resting towards the middle of the table. It looked like the bottles of oils Dakota had shown me before that his mom had made. Looking inside, I could see a little blue leaf floating beneath the brown cork. A tag was tied around the bottle.
"Drink me." I read aloud. I shrugged and popped the top before taking a small sip. I scrunched my face up and coughed slightly. This tasted very sour. Suddenly, a tingling sensation spread throughout my whole body. It prickled my skin and made me feel all warm and queasy.
"Oh God." I covered my mouth, feeling like I was going to throw up just as the room started to spin. It spun and spun making my nausea much worse. I squeezed my eyes shut, praying this would end soon. Finally it did. The feeling of my insides being swirled up passed just as quickly as it had come. I sighed in relief and opened my eyes. Wait...
I glanced around feeling confused. Everything seemed so much...bigger. No, it didn't seem bigger, it was.
"Oh Lord..." I breathed as I peered up at the ginormous doors around me. They could be whole mountains with my sudden small size. Did I drink a shrinking potion or something? Was this some kind of a joke left behind by Dakota? I looked to my left and saw the small door was now normal sized, or rather now I was the size to fit through it. I raced forward and tugged on the handle. Locked, right. Well now what? I glanced around the room frantically.
"There must be a way to..." I trailed off as I glanced back up at the table top. There, a silver key had been placed on the edge of the table.
"Wha--that wasn't there before!" I huffed. I know it wasn't there. I checked all over! How the hell am I supposed to get back up there? A sudden idea dawned on me as I did a mental face palm. Stupid, I'll just fly back up there and get it! With this thought in mind I gathered all the energy around me and focused on my core. I strained and pushed all the opposing forced around me outward and...! Nothing. Nothing happened.
"What?" I growled as I tried again. Poof, nothing.
"Why isn't it working?" I demanded out loud. Was there some kind of a block set up in this room? I searched the room again for something else I could use to climb the table, or break the door down with when I spotted a small table resting beneath the giant one. I walked over to this table and saw, resting in the same place as the bottle had been, a small cake.
"Eat me." I read from the chocolate icing piped out across the center of the cake. I sighed and took a small bite.
"God..." I felt the same nasea as before, only this time I didn't close my eyes as I watched the world get smaller. I grew and grew and my eyes widened in alarm as I surpassed my original height and just kept getting bigger.
"Fucking...!" My back hit the ceiling and I hunched over uncomfortably. I quickly reached down and grabbed the key before I snatched the small bottle back between my fingers. It now looked like something from a Barbie play set but I quickly poured what I could from it into my mouth. It was like drinking a single drop of water, but it must've worked as I began to shrink back down to a smaller size. I sighed in relief when I finally stopped shrinking. I held the key up in my hand triumphantly and marched back up to the door again. I successfully unlocked it and fist bumped the air before running forward.
"Sweet, now I can find Dako-"
Splash!
Can't breath, can't breath! I flailed my arms around as I suddenly found myself underwater. What the hell! I quickly regained my barring as I swam upwards. As soon as I broke the water's surface, I took a huge lungful of air. I coughed and sputtered, feeling tears sting my eyes with the sudden rush of water up my nose. I wiped my face and glanced around. I was in a hallway lined with more torches, though it seemed the hall was flooded with water. Or maybe this was another water way like the kind surrounding the school? I looked over my shoulder towards the way I had just come from and found it to be pitch black. I didn't even see the water I just somehow fell into it. Huh, things just kept getting stranger and stranger. I swam forward until my feet could finally touch the ground. I wadded through the last of the makeshift pool before I was just standing in a normal hallway again. I peered back over at the water with a frown as I wrung my sopping wet clothing out. I shook my hair out next and went to wipe my face again. As I did so, a drop or two of water clinging to my lips quickly passed through them to settle on my tongue. I made a face as I realized the water tasted salty.
"Why's it so salty?" I asked to no one in particular.
"That's because this water here is made from your tears." I jumped and quickly spun around.
"Uh...Anthony?" I asked uncertainly. I'm pretty sure the person I was looking at was Anthony, though he was dressed in a very weird looking costume. I stared curiously at the blue pattern for a while, then at what looked like antennas made from fabric wrapped Styrofoam popping out all over it. He had a hood pulled up over his head with giant googly eyes glued to the top of it. Once more, he was sitting on top of a giant mushroom, his arms crossed and looking quite grumpy.
"What...what are you wearing?" I asked. I really just had to know.
"I'm a caterpillar you dimwit!" He suddenly snapped, glaring up at me.
"A caterpillar?" Oh, ok. I could see that. "Why are you dressed as a caterpillar?"
"I don't know, this is your dream you tell me." He huffed just as irritably.
"Dream?" I repeated, confused. "What do you mean by-"
"Never mind that, did you hear what I said before?" I paused before finally nodding.
"You mean about the tears?"
"Not just 'the tears' your tears. That water you just swam through was all made from the heartfelt tears you shed." He explained.
"My tears?" I asked, taken aback.
"Yes, your tears." Anthony exasperated. I looked back to the blackened water. It was dark in this hall so all I could see was its inky surface with balls of fiery light reflecting back over where the torches were.
"You truly have been through many hardships and loneliness, haven't you?"
Alex...
I stiffened as a voice floated up through the water.
Don't leave me...please...
I took a step back as more voices began to emerge.
Mama...papa...don't go...I don't want to be alone!
Please come back soon.
I'm scared!
These voices were mine I realized with a jolt of shock. They held all the emotion from a very long time ago, when I was much younger and not as strong.
They all hate me, I'll never fit in here.
My voice had deepened now. This must've been from just before I transferred to Nightshade.
No one will ever accept me.
I'll always be alone.
Always.
I didn't like this. These memories, I wanted them to stay buried. I turned around and ran. I ran right past Anthony without another word and just kept going.
"You can only run for so long Oliver!" I heard Anthony shout after me. I ran faster, forcing myself to take longer strides. "If you don't face these things soon then..."
I didn't hear him finish. I didn't want to. I wanted to forget about the kind of person I was before I transferred here. I wanted to pretend the little ruse I had going for me back then was reality. I didn't want to be reminded of the truth. Eventually my lungs just couldn't take the strain of me running anymore. They seemed to burn more fiercely than normal, almost as if throwing a tantrum and demanding I walk and be lazy. Finally I did slow down, giving into my out of shape body's will. I was breathing hard as I continued forward.
"Late, late, late!" My ears perked up at Dakota's voice. I paused and watched him yank a door open a couple feet in front of me before quickly disappearing behind it.
"Dakota!" I yelled as I jogged forward. I stopped at the door practically heaving. I hadn't exactly recovered from my running episode yet. As I stood there bent slightly forward and trying to catch my breath again, I noticed the odd handle on this door. It looked like a snake's head with glowing sapphires for eyes. Huh. I reached to pull the door open and as I did, I could've sworn I saw them blink. I paused. Nope, not even going to entertain that thought. Just my imagination, I convinced myself as I eased the door open and slipped inside another room.
I felt my eyes widen a little as I took in the elegant ballroom I was now standing in. The room was massive with golden banners running down the walls. Everything seemed to glow, wrapped in the warm candle light provided by what was probably the most beautiful chandelier I think I've ever seen hanging from the ceiling.
"Whoa." My voice echoed as I walked around, admiring this amazing space. It seemed like something straight out of a fairy tale book. The room was empty with nothing but the sound of my shuffled footsteps, but I could almost picture the amazing dances and parties held here from a different time.
Tap, tap, tap, tap!
I heard running footsteps and started to turn, when something massive suddenly rammed into me and took me to the floor.
"Of!" I groaned as my side slammed into the stone floor. I winced and tried to roll over, but found myself pinned beneath something heavy.
"What-" A hand slapped itself over my mouth as I tried to speak and my eyes widened in shock. I started to wriggle around, trying to break free, as panic started to overtake me.
"Shhh! Stop moving!" I paused as Josh's face came into view. I scrunched my brows in confusion. Josh? What...?
"I'm going to remove my hand now, but you better stay quiet. Alright?" He gave me a stern look and I nodded. Somehow I felt like I was about to get raped or something. Funny, this is the second time now I've felt this way around this kid. He took his hand away from my lips and I breathed a sigh of relief. I glanced down at his muscular body pressed closely to mine and blushed.
"Um, wh-why did you tackle me just now?" I stuttered as I tried not to focus on how perfect his body felt against mine, or how I could feel his rock hard abbs through his shirt.
"Because you were just waltzing into enemy territory like you were in LaLa land or something! Get your shit together warrior!" He snapped. I paused and slowly looked up at him.
"Enemy territory?" I repeated, though I was also still stuck on the 'warrior' part of that sentence.
"Yes. You almost gave yourself away to them!"
"Them...I hate to break it to you Josh, but we're the only two in here." He scrunched his face up in confusion.
"Josh? That's not my name." Now it was my turn to make a face.
"What? Yes it is." I retorted.
"No my name is Dee, and this is Dumb. We're the Tweedle brothers." He replied, jerking his chin towards something behind me.
"The wha..." I tilted my head back and came face to face with Dawson. I sucked in a breath, not expecting us to be in such close proximity. He was laying down on the ground in front of us, his face so freaking close to mine I could smell the mint on his breath.
"And we're not the only ones in this room. They're all here too." Josh continued. I followed his gaze and felt my mouth gape open as suddenly the entire ballroom was filled with hundreds of people.
"But...but..." I shook my head as I watch sets of young men and women partner up and begin to dance around the room. They were all wearing masks that showed off there crimson colored eyes. The men were wearing black tuxes, while the women wore red velvet dresses. I frowned at the cheap looking material. It kind of ruined the effect, but nonetheless everyone looked marvelous as the spun and twisted their way around the room. They all looked like they could be teenagers, but with the way they shared small glances and smiles with each other, I felt like they could be much older too. Like they had a sort of timeless appeal.
"It doesn't look like they've noticed us yet." Josh breathed with a hint of relief. Dawson nodded his head vigorously beside us.
"I still don't understand what's going on." I admitted, still trapped beneath Josh's smoking body. He suddenly leapt to his feet and hauled me to mine. I nearly tripped but he quickly caught me.
"Alright look, we need to blend in so just act natural. You got that warrior?" He said, giving me a hard look.
"My name isn't 'warrior'. I don't know why you keep calling me that. It's Ollie, remember?" I replied a little hotly. Then I got a good look at his clothing.
"What are you-" I quickly covered my mouth to suppress the laughter threatening to break loose. I pressed my hand further into my lips as my eyes began to water. Both Josh and Dawson looked like matching clowns with their dorky tuxedos. They both wore gold jackets with bright blue bow ties and a white button up shirt underneath. Their slacks were fire engine red, leading to some snazzy looking black dress shoes covering their feet. They both looked so hilarious that my body shook with contained laughter. It took everything I had not to bust out in their faces. They both exchanged confused looks before glancing back over at me and titling their heads to the side. I don't know why, but the synchronized movement made everything even more hilarious and I spun around as a few giggles escaped me. Finally I calmed down, taking a deep breath before turning to face them again. Both Josh and Dawson were similarly built and held the same exotic look from their shared werewolf race, but they weren't brothers. However, dressed like that it might've been a possibility.
"Is something wrong?" Josh asked a little peeved.
"No, no it's nothing." I assured him, chuckling to myself.
"Good. Now let's get going!"
"Get go--ack!" Josh suddenly latched onto me and pulled me into his chest. I barely had time to blush before he started dragging me across the room. He quickly placed one of my hands on his shoulder while he grasped the other tightly.
"Um I don't-" I tried to inform him I didn't know how to dance as he attempted to get in line with the other couples, but my words fell on deaf ears. He just smoothly trailed me along, following everyone else accordingly.
"Now remember warrior, we were sent here on a great mission. We're here to scope out this putrid race and report all the information we can get on this fiendish kind to the alpha. Never forget, vampires are werewolves greatest threat! Don't let your guard down." I felt myself blink repeatedly just completely lost as Josh eyed everyone around us suspiciously. I stumbled along, not doing a very good job at this waltz thingy everyone else was doing so perfectly. I gasped as Josh suddenly flung me to the side and spun me back into him before bending me over his outstretched arm. I looked forward at the sudden upside down world and to my surprise spotted Dakota. He weaved in and out of people, almost like he was gracefully dancing between them, before he burst from the crowd and sprinted toward another door. Josh suddenly pulled me back upright and as soon as he did, I bolted across the room.
"Wait!" He yelled after me. I tried to maneuver my way forward just as easily as Dakota had, but unfortunately I'm not that coordinated as I roughly bumped into someone.
"Sorry." I mumbled as they turned their fury on me.
"Sorry!?" The person demanded, hissing violently at me. The boy I had run into was very cute. He was tall with silky blonde hair and a gorgeous face. I noticed as he bared his fangs at me that two silver cuffs were circled around his canines. Two lovely, aquamarine colored stones were embedded in the side of them. Quite the contrast to the blood red eyes glaring viciously over at me now.
"Yeah...sorry." I repeated as I stumbled back. He stalked forward as if closing in on his prey. I noticed as he did this other vampires copied the movement. I glanced back behind me and saw the door wasn't too far away. I decided to take my chances and made a run for it. I dashed forward just as a superfluous of hisses erupted behind me. I reached the door and yanked it open. I felt claws tear through the air around me but managed to duck through the doorway and quickly slam the solid chunk of wood shut before any could harm me. I sighed in relief but immediately whipped my head around to see where Dakota had went. Of course when I looked he wasn't there. I sighed and continued walking forward.
I had once again wound up in a narrow hallway, however this one wasn't as brightly lit. There were only a few torches every now and then. For the most part there was nothing but the shadowy hall to follow. I trailed my fingers along the walls as I squinted through the dimness for the next set of torches. I began to feel a little uncomfortable. This stretch of shadow was a little unnerving. I picked up the pace as I continued along. I really did hate the dark. As I moved forward, I noticed the hall became full of what looked like fog. It clung to the stone floors and gathered around my legs as I walked. Huh. Suddenly I became very confused. At first there was just the one hallway to follow, but now, as if appearing before me from the fog, was an entire maze of passageways. I glanced around completely unsure of which way to go. I searched desperately for any sign of Dakota, but there was none to be found. A small trickle of fear began to run through me. What if I was lost? What if there was no way to get back? I spun back around but everywhere I looked was exactly the same. Just a never ending chain of interlinked corridors leading God knows where. My breathing began to come out in shallow pants. Oh God...am I having a panic attack now?
"Lost?"
"Gaw!" I jumped and flew straight into a wall. My head smacked the stone with a loud whack before I groaned and slumped to the floor. I held my aching skull feeling the bulge already forming on my forehead.
"Buhaha!" Laughter pierced through my ear drum and I winced as I turned around to glare at the culprit.
"June." I seethed. He was leaning heavily against one of the walls, laughing his little ass off. He had his arms wrapped around his sides as he continued to mock me. I was a little more than pissed, but somehow his smiling face and the sound of his laughter melted my irritation away. Once more, I was a little distracted with his appearance. June was the only one I had seen today wearing normal clothing. Well, almost normal. The black jeans and dark purple shirt were normal at least, as were his matching purple Vans. The odd part about his appearance was one, the black collar around his neck, and two the cat ears bobbing up and down on top of his head. I glanced over the collar, feeling it odd for June to be wearing one like he was a pet, but became increasingly more interested in the cat ears on his head.
"I think I wanna...touch 'em." I mumbled to myself. I reached out and seized both his ears between my fingers. He immediately stopped laughing and stiffened a little. Huh, these felt very soft. They were a silky black color, the same as his hair, and blended into where they attached to his head perfectly. I rubbed the velvety limbs gently and found them to be in fact real. But June was a vampire so how...?
"Purr..."
I paused and looked back down to June's face. His eyes were closed now and he seemed quite content to be having me fondle his ears this way. The vibrating purr coming from the back of his throat being a good indication. He suddenly opened his eyes and my breath hitched at the gleaming red color. It was beautiful, just like shining rubies. I could slowly feel myself losing touch with reality. I just loved gazing into these eyes...
I quickly snapped out of it and shook my head furiously. I took a step back and dropped my hands from his head with a blush. I heard him chuckle and glared over at him.
"How many times have I told you not to sneak up on me?" I demanded.
"And how many times have I told you that you simply don't pay enough attention?" We glared at each other for a moment before he held his hands up in defeat.
"Alright, alright. No need to give me such a hateful look." He sighed. I crossed my arms and looked away.
"I'm not giving you a hateful look." I muttered like a stubborn child.
"Really?" I jumped as his face suddenly appeared directly in front of mine. He grinned and my eyes widened as he laughed, then seemed to just completely disappear. His body looked like it was melting into a black mist before there was nothing left besides his glowing red eyes and the silhouette of his gleaming fangs.
"What...?"
"I see," June began as his eyes floated upward through the air, "But you did look a bit mad just now." His body suddenly swirled back into view and I stared up at him in shock as he sat cross legged on the ceiling. He looked down at me, his hair falling all around him. He could be a bat in this situation, which was certainly more sensible for him to be than a cat. I didn't notice it before but suddenly a tail popped out from somewhere behind him and started swaying through the air.
"But then again," He suddenly continued as he stretched and sprawled out across the stone plafond, lacing his fingers behind his head, "We're all mad here." I stared up at him in awe.
"How...how are you doing that?" I asked. He raised a brow at me.
"Doing what?" His hair and clothing hung on him as they reached for the ground. I blushed when I noticed I could look up through his shirt at his exposed abbs. When I caught a glimpse of his tattoo I coughed and averted my gaze. For some reason I found his tattoo to be really sexy and that just made me all the more flustered.
"That...laying on the ceiling as if it were the ground." I replied a little embarrassed.
"Oh, well you see," He began, sitting up before suddenly vanishing again.
"It's a little trick I've picked up through the years." He finished, breathing in my ear. I whirled around in alarm, in time to watch him completely evaporate and dance out of being.
"By the way," He called out directly behind me. I spun around again and saw him leaning against the wall, his arms crossed and a pleased glint in his eye. "Dakota went that way." He pointed and I stared through the corridor he was directing me to.
"Oh, thanks." I mumbled, not sure what else to say. I looked back over to him but he had disappeared again. I waited, glancing around the hall for any sign of him, but figured he must've gone. I shrugged and continued down the path he had pointed out to me. I walked along the curving hallway, glancing over the never ending stream of torches in thought.
"I wonder how far-"
"JUNE!"
Wham!
"Ugh!" For the second time today I was mercilessly tackled to the ground.
"Finally! I'm so glad I found you!" A happy voice called out above me. I looked over my shoulder and all I could see was a flurry of fiery hair. Could this be...? Suddenly they pulled back.
"Didn't I say..." Keegan trailed off in the middle of his lecture as he glanced down at me. He seemed taken aback for a moment there before a look of utter rage filled his face. Like June, Keegan was dressed in semi normal clothing. He had some black jeans and a faded grey faded shirt on. Consequently, he also wore a collar around his neck, only his had silver studs protruding from it. The other similarity he held with June were the animal ears on his head, except his weren't from a cat. No, he had drooping dog ears, almost like a blood hound.
"Oi." He called and suddenly a long, silver blade was being held to my throat. "Why do I smell June all over you?" I swallowed, unable to form a sensible sentence with the sudden malice in Keegan's voice. He looked like he seriously wanted to kill me. At least his blood red eyes suggested so.
"Um, w-we were just talking a moment ago." I managed to spit out. He pressed the blade closer to my throat.
"Where?" He demanded. I pointed down the way I had just come. He looked down the hall before giving me a suspicious look.
"If I don't find him, I will find you. And when I do, I'll tear you limb from limb. Got it?" I bobbed my head up and down, completely petrified as he stood, then ran off in a very animalistic way down the hall. I slowly sat up and reached for my neck. Oh God...I think I just saw my life flash before my eyes.
Suddenly I heard laughter. I paused and strained my ears as the laughter floated down the hall to greet me. It sounded fairly familiar. I picked myself up off the ground and started back down the hall. Looking ahead, I could see I was quickly approaching a brightly lit room. I paused at the end of the hall and peered around the corner. From where I stood, I could see a long stretch of table sitting in the middle of another circular passage way. The table had a white cloth draped over it, and sweets of every kind littered the space.
"HAHAHA!" I turned to see someone sitting at the end of the table, banging their fist against the wood as if they had just heard the funniest thing in the world. Their head was thrown back so I couldn't get a good look at their face, but I knew the person was a girl. She was wearing a maroon colored jacket with a flurry of buttons sown all over it. Some were round, others square, but all looked old and rather antique. A huge gold ribbon had been tied around her neck, the tails spiraling down the front of her white blouse. She sighed and leaned forward, and that's when I noticed the giant top hat fitted around the crown of her head. It was the same maroon color as her jacket, but with a black ribbon tied around the base of it. Feathers and a few playing cards were tucked beneath the black cloth. Her hair was a wild disarray of crazy curls, each dyed an extremely vibrate shade of the rainbow. The ends seemed a little frizzy, probably from whatever she used to curl it. She seemed to notice me then and peered up at me from beneath the brim of her hat. It took me a moment, but I'd recognized her lively green eyes anywhere.
"Megan?" I asked, a little confused.
"OLLIE!" She screamed. I winced as she flew out of her chair, the legs screeching painfully across the stone floor in the process. I shuddered as she bounded up to me and wrapped her arms around my neck.
"I missed you SO much!" She gushed, tightening her grip. It felt like a boa constrictor was slowly squeezing the life out of me.
"Can't breath...Megan...air...!" I choked as my throat closed up.
"Oh, right." She released me and I staggered back while coughing and rubbing my now bruised neck. It was then that I noticed the puffy black shorts she was wearing, with suspenders hanging loosely at her sides. White tights with red roses on them glided down her legs into some pretty cool looking black combat boots with red ribbons for laces.
"You should have told me you were stopping by!" She then chimed as if she hadn't almost killed me just now. "I would've made tea!" She giggled before hooking arms with me and dragging me over to the table.
"Oh well, I guess we'll make do! Everyone this is Ollie! Ollie this is everyone!" She stopped in front of a series of chair all pulled up to the table and containing some sort of stuffed animal.
"This is March. He's pretty cool. You can take a seat beside him!" I glanced at the stuffed bunny she had pointed at. He was wearing a mini waistcoat and was slumped slightly forward on the table with a dopy looking grin. The seat next to him was vacant and Megan nearly pushed me into it as she sat back down in her original spot at the head of the table.
"So Ollie, what brings you here?" She asked as she went to work on a tea set in front of her.
"Oh, well I was looking for Dakota and thought he might've come through here." I replied in a daze, watching her hands as she produced the strangest things seemingly out of thin air and stuffed them into the tea pot.
"Dakota? Dakota..." She played with his name as if trying to remember who he was. I watched as she stitched her brows together in thought while cracking an egg and throwing it into the pot, shell and all. Next she ripped up some colorful construction paper and blew it all over the place like confetti before carefully grabbing a few pieces and tossing them in the pot as well.
"Hm, sorry I can't remember any Dakota's right now. Do you like sugar?" She asked, changing subject.
"Um, yes?"
"Good!" She grabbed another glass pot and starting shoveling spoon full after spoon full of granulated sugar into the kettle.
"And this!" She tossed in a pocket watch she had plucked from her side before whistling. As if on command, a stream of hot water fell from the ceiling and into the kettle. I looked up in amazement, trying to find the source of the water before it suddenly stopped. Megan clicked a porcelain lid on top of the pot and shook it around a couple of times before scooping a mess of tea cups scattered across the table into her arm.
"One for you and one for you!" She chimed as she poured the tea and skid the cups across the way to her stuffed animals.
"And one for Ollie!" I accepted the steaming cup with an awkward half smile, not really wanting to try this random concoction of hers.
"So, uh, do you at least remember seeing a guy with a guitar running around here?" I asked as she began to gulp down her tea.
"Did he have wolf ears?" She asked before wiping her lips and pouring herself another glass.
"Yes, yes he did!"
"No can't say I have." She replied curtly.
"Oh." I sighed, losing my enthusiasm.
"But I did see a bear." She hummed, her eyes gleaming with some unknown emotion.
"A bear?" I asked, raising a brow. She nodded her head.
"Yes a bear. A whisper in fact."
"A whisper...?"
"Yes, did you know," She began, leaning closer to me, "That..."
"Magic doesn't work on whispers!" She was suddenly screaming. I opened my eyes and found myself laying on the cold, stone floor. I blinked and lulled my head to the side as I glanced up at Megan. Her face looked panic stricken, her eyes wide in terror. I blinked again and again feeling so damn out of it and wondering what in the world she could be staring at. I slowly followed her gaze and watched as a huge ass bear paraded it's way over to us. I felt my own eyes widen then as a wolf jumped to the side and flew into it's legs. They tumbled around for a moment before the bear quickly captured it in it's teeth. The wolf yelped and clawed anxiously at the bears head as it's teeth sunk into it's sides.
"W-What...what's going on." I didn't understand at all what was happening. My eyes flew around the room taking in the sudden scene before me. I noticed Raven and Anthony standing off to the side looking out of breath, across from them were two wolves. I recognized the silver one as Josh. Another darker haired wolf was limping over to him. I heard a sudden intake of breath and turned. June was behind me, holding an injured Keegan in his arms while staring over at the bear in alarm. I heard another high pitched yelped and looked back to the bear. The wolf looked like it was about to be snapped in two by the bear's powerful teeth. Wait...that wolf, could it be?
I struggled to stand and as I did, I gathered every ounce of raw energy around me. I didn't have time to think as I raised my arms and used all my focus to concentrate that energy into my palm. I've only used this technique once before, and my father warned me to only use it when I desperately needed to. I figured this situation called for such tactics and fired. The mass of energy sailed forward in a destructive beam of light, ramming right into the bear's side. It roared and immediately dropped Dakota to the ground.
"No one...messes...with my...friends!" I heaved, gritting my teeth and preparing for another attack. Just doing one of these was difficult enough. Two was nearly impossible, especially in this state, but I gave it everything I had to create another bullet.
"This technique has the nick name hellfire bullet." My father's voice rung in my head. "Your mother only allowed me to teach it to you in case you need to defend yourself. I agree that it's great for self defense, but someday Ollie you might find something worth protecting that's above yourself. When that time comes, remember this technique."
I exhaled slowly, finding my resolve. Whisper's were in a sense, a form of dark energy. They had no solid body to call on and only certain spots of 'hard energy' that could be felt. Of all these spots, the head was the biggest and easiest to identify. To expel a whisper meant to send a shot of one's own energy into these hard locations. The opposing forces will cause the whisper's nonexistent body to vibrate then completely disappear as the energy keeping it's self together is displaced. I took aim.
"Fuck you!" I screamed before launching what energy I could gather forward. I watched as another column of light pierced its head before the bear let out one last mighty roar and bust out of being.
I dropped my arms, breathing heavily as I glanced down at Dakota. I had never seen him in his wolf form before, but I just knew it was him. Those beautiful, topaz colored eyes were unmistakable. Unlike Josh, his fur was a warm chocolate color, the same as his usual hair. It ran in messy tangles all over his body, flipping up randomly in some places. It was kind of cute. He flashed me a wolfy grin, his eyes glowing with gratitude and pride. I could almost see Dakota as a human smiling and giving me a thumbs up. Suddenly my exhaustion became too much for me and I collapsed on the ground.
"Ollie." June...this was June's voice. I struggled to open my eyes and could see a hazy image of him.
"June." I whispered as I reached up to grab a hold of him. I wanted to know he was there, to have something tangible in my hands that let me know he was really there. I couldn't really see his face. Everything was fuzzy. I saw his lips move, but no words came out. I thought I felt something press against my forehead before I blacked out again.
"Oll...ie...Ollie...OLLIE!" I felt someone slap my cheek and my eyes flew open. I immediately sat up and turned my head every which way. I was back in the circular passage with Megan and all her stuffed animals. However, the table had been turned over and the tea set shattered to pieces all across the floor. I peered down at March who had wound up face first in a squished chocolate cake.
"What happened?" I finally asked, turning to Megan with an inquiring look.
"That stupid bear is what happened!" She fumed, "It was chasing that Dakota person and nearly had him too until they crashed into the table." She glanced over the wreckage with remorse.
"Wait, it was chasing Dakota?" I asked in alarm, jumping to my feet. Megan nodded.
"Yes that stupid wolf boy you mentioned before. He ran that way." She pointed down a corridor and I took off. If it was chasing after Dakota then he might be in serious trouble!
"NOOO!" I skid to a stop as a scream blasted down the hall. It sounded like...I grit my teeth and ran as fast as I could to the end of the hall. I stopped and looked frantically around. My gaze instantly fell on the broken guitar sitting in the middle of the way. My eyes widened when I recognized it as the one Dakota had been carrying around with him earlier. The clock face had been smashed and pieces of glass lay in ruin around it. What had happened?
"Do you wanna know what happened?" I jumped when June had once again popped out of no where directly behind me. I spun around with a glare, poking at his chest.
"Stop doing that." I hissed. He chuckled and titled his head to the side.
"If you wanna know what happened, you could always ask the duchess." I shook my head.
"Who?" I demanded. He looked pass my shoulder and nodded his head. I turned back around and refrained from jumping when there was suddenly someone else there. Wait a second...Raven? She was dressed in a long, flowing ballgown as black as the night. An under bust corset with laced black ribbon was settled around her waist, while the rest of her dress just barely covered her chest and slipped off her shoulders. A sapphire studded necklace hung delicately around her neck, matching the equally expensive looking earrings secured around her lobes. Her hair was pulled out of her face and the short layers were pinned back by a lovely silver hair piece, one with birds twisting through the ore. All and all she looked not only elegant and sophisticated, but sexy as hell. She gave me a flirtatious smile, followed by a knowing wink.
"Who's the duchess?" She asked coyly, "Why, I am." She walked slowly forward with a certain sensual sway to her hips, her heels clicking against the stone floor. I swallowed as she stopped in front of me, popping her hip out and giving me a lusterous smirk. Raven was usually intimidating, but seemed much more fierce in this moment than she ever had before.
"Do you wanna know what happened to your little friend Dakota?" She cooed, moving closer. Ok this getting very weird now.
"Yes." I replied with a nod. She grinned.
"Well I'll tell you then, but first...turn around three times and bark." I paused.
"What?" I finally asked. She smirked, taking a step back and crossing her arms.
"You heard me, turn around three times and bark." She pointed a slender finger in my direction and swirled it through the air in demonstration. I set my jaw in determination.
"No." I stubbornly replied. Her eyes lit up like she enjoyed the back talk.
"Oh, is that so? Well then I guess you'll never know what happened to your friend." She airily replied as she turned to leave. Glass crunched under her heels as she passed Dakota's guitar. I wavered as I stared at the destroyed instrument. The neck had also been snapped in two and there were unmistakable claw marks running across it's frame.
"Wait!" I suddenly called. She paused and turned a cheek in my direction.
"Yes?" She sweetly replied. I sighed as I slowly turned around three times.
"Woof." I grumbled. June snickered behind me and I glowered over at him. Raven smirked and turned back around.
"As I recall," She began, "A bear was chasing after him." I stopped my glaring and turned my attention back on Raven.
"But then..." She trailed off and she tapped her forehead, as if trying to jog her memory.
"Yes...?" I prompted, trying to coaxst the rest of the story out of her. She sighed and shook her head.
"It's no use...I need you to squirm across the floor like a caterpillar now." I narrowed my eyes and clenched my fists.
"Now you're just messing with me." I accused. Her eyes widened in fake shock.
"Why, me? Never. I just simply can't remember certain things unless I have something entertaining going on in front of me." This woman was indeed a duchess. Whitty and quite used to having things go her way. I scowled at the ground before slowly lowering myself to my knees. I blushed as June grinned down at me as if he were having a jolly old time, before I sighed and started scooting myself across the floor, all dignity gone. Raven chuckled.
"Oh yes! Dakota made it here before he turned around to use his guitar as a weapon against it." She continued. I pushed myself off the ground.
"And then what happened?"
"Hm...maybe if you hop around the room like a kangaroo I'll remember." I groaned in frustration, my face on fire. I took a deep breathe and steeled myself before prancing around the room like an idiot. June burst out laughing and I stopped, feeling utterly humiliated.
"That's right, he tried to hit it but the bear tore his mock weapon out of his hands and he ran away." Raven continued, a pleased expression on her face.
"Know which direction he ran off in?" I asked, mentally preparing myself for whatever torture she had in store for me next. She looked thoughtful before a sly smirk filled her lips.
"I might...but first, give my little kitty cat a nice big wet one on the lips." I froze, taking at least ten mental steps back.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa." I began, shaking my head furiously, "I'm not kissing June." I insisted, reaching my last straw. She shrugged.
"Well then, I must really be on my way. June." June walked carefully forward glancing back at me with mixed emotion. He seemed rather excited by Raven's plan, but at the same time he looked a little guilty. I bit my lip and mentally kicked myself over and over again. I just wanted to know that Dakota was ok. Was that so much that I was asking for?
"Wait..." I sighed, already feeling the blush erupt across my face. They stopped and Raven glanced back at me, waiting. I hesitated, praying Raven would just be nice and tell me where he went. When she made no move to tell me I shuffled tentatively forward until I was standing in front of June. I looked to the floor, refusing to meet his gaze. Come on man, just do it! I quickly reached up and grabbed June's face before pulling him down to me. Our lips met and I squeezed my eyes closed, completely hating myself in that moment. I wanted to enjoy this, to pay attention to the way June's lips felt against mine, but this was too humiliating so before he could react I shoved him back and dropped my gaze. I huddled into myself feeling like one giant pile of blushing mush. Raven laughed and I felt so goddam irritated I was almost tempted to use a levitation technique and force her to act out a bird for me. I didn't look up at June but I watched in my peripherals as he reached up and scratched the back of his neck, looking like he regretted going along with Raven's joke.
"Oh that was good." She finally said, still trying to calm down her laughter. "He went through there." I glared at her and then looked to the door she was pointing at. Above the door an iron outline of a spade had been struck into the stone. However, someone had painted a red 'X' over it. I furrowed my brows as I looked at the red heart drawn above it. Huh. I walked up to the door and gripped the handle.
"Be careful Ollie." June called from behind me. I didn't say anything and pulled the door open. The room on the other side was dark. Archways of glowing hearts stood in front of me, providing the only light. They created a small tunnel, beckoning me forward. I shut the door and followed the lit path. In between each set of hearts, I caught a glimpse of the space surrounding me. Old fashioned arcade games had been knocked over and piled on top of each other on one side. I glanced to my right and could see a series of doors. Some were closed, other's just barely hanging onto their hinges. The archway curved around what looked like an abandoned boxing ring. Everything here looked abandoned now that I thought about it, covered in a thick layer of dust. Finally the archways stopped and I stepped out into an open area.
Flash!
I grunted as a sudden spotlight enveloped me.
"Well, well, well. Look at this circus act we have going on here." I looked up and saw that there was a massive throne position above me. It was resting upon a pillar that looked like it was made from stone hearts. A stair case lead to the main attraction. A boy sat there, high above me. Just a white waistcoat with blood red hearts racing down the front of it covered his torso. His exposed arms showed off some impressive muscle, as was what I could see of his chest. He was wearing white jeans with more hearts embroidered down the sides of it, leading to some bright red Converse he had on his feet. He held a gold scepter in one hand, a ruby heart displayed at the end of it, with a matching crown resting on top of his head. I paused as I met his gaze through his dark fringe. I knew these eyes. I remembered the distinct blue and green color, but from where I was unsure. My mind felt all muddled in that moment.
"Bow down to the king of hearts!" Someone called to my left. I turned and suddenly there were hundreds of people around me, all kneeling on one knee. I was even more surprised when I saw all my friends were here too. Anthony, Raven, Megan, Josh, Dawson, June, and even Keegan were there. Where had they come from? I noticed we were the only one's not kneeling. Not only were we not kneeling, but everyone had a hard look in there eyes and a disgruntled feel to them as they glared up at the boy with mismatched eyes.
"I think you know why we're here." June shouted, moving forward.
"Oh I bet I do." The hoity king replied, propping his elbow up on his throne and dropping his face into his palm.
"Cure Ollie, now." I paused. Cure Ollie? But I felt perfectly fine.
"I'm sorry but I can't do that."
"Yes you can." Raven interjected. "Give him back." Give who back?
"Again, I-"
"Don't even try it." Josh snapped. "We know you have him. Unless you give Dakota back to us Ollie won't wake." I slowly shook my head as I tried to process everything I was hearing. What exactly was going on here? The king paused and tilted his head back and forth thoughtfully for a moment. Suddenly he snapped his fingers and a massive guy sitting at the bottom of the staircase stood.
"You've met my friend here haven't you? He goes by Knave." Knave, as he was called, was dressed like a knight that closely resembled a playing card. He wore white armor like he was from medieval times, but the whole front of his suite contained a very carefully done design of a Jack of Hearts. Two battle lances, one facing up the other down, dawned the beginning of the beautiful mural, seemingly worked into the metal with colorful hues. They were placed side by side with an intricate, swirling pattern filling the space behind it. In the top left corner, as well as the bottom right hand corner of this design, a cursive 'J' twisting through the metal, as we two large hearts. It was a beautiful piece of work to say the least. Looking up I could see Knave's face was covered by another piece of armor. All you could really see was his dark brown hair and deep, almost black eyes.
When he stood, he immediately turned to his right and walked back behind the enormous pillar holding the king's throne. He returned a minute late, dragging behind him a kicking and screaming Dakota. My eyes widened.
"Let me go you oversized piece of meat!" Dakota screeched.
"Dakota!" I yelled. He momentarily stopped his escape attempts as he met my gaze. His eyes seemed to widen in alarm then.
"Ollie! What do you think you're doing here?" He demanded, seeming pissed all of a sudden.
"Well," I began not exactly sure myself what I was doing, "I'm here to save you?" It sounded more like a question, but really at this point in time it still was. He scoffed.
"Idiot! That's what I'm was supposed to be doing by leading you away from here! What's the point if you just show up and get captured?" He huffed. I blinked.
"Leading me away? But-"
"Enough!" A booming voice interrupted us. I glanced up just as the presumptuous king stood.
"If you want your little friend back, then June my dearest little Cheshire Cat, I suggest you give me some of your blood." I furrowed my brows. Blood? What? I just couldn't keep up anymore.
"No." June replied in determination as Keegan began to growl at his side.
"Oh well then." The king replied with a smirk. He snapped his fingers and then the strangest thing occurred. I immediately fell to the floor and felt this horrible sensation of being burned alive. I screamed as a searing, fiery pain exploded across my body. I opened my eyes and the images flashed back and forth between two scenes. I saw Dakota and Josh staring down at me in their wolf forms in one, then back as humans in another. Raven in her ball gown, then back in a school uniform. June and Keegan as a cat and dog, then as normal vampires. I couldn't tell which set things I was seeing was reality or not. Everything just hurt. I felt so confused.
Suddenly the burning sensation intensified and I screamed louder. The sound ripped from my throat, leaving it feeling dry and scratchy. God, what's happening? I squeezed my eyes closed, sucking in a shaking breath. Everything just hurt so fucking much! In the middle of all this my dark vision began to be filled with light. I still felt like my entire body was being buried in hot coals, but through it I could see something. I wasn't sure what. It looked like maybe a person was there. I felt hands wrap around my face. Despite being in such pain, I could feel comfort. I heard words, but couldn't piece them together into a sensible sentence. The whole sensation was just rather odd. I felt like something that had been suppressed inside me was slowly moving to the surface of my mind. It didn't take the pain away, but it distracted me from it.
"Soon..." I could hear an indistinguishable voice say very, very gently. "You'll know the way soon..."
And just like that, the pain was gone. It melted away back towards the center of my back and then completely vanished. I cracked my eyes open and could see light. What looked like white flower petals danced before my vision until my exhaustion took over once more.
The next time I opened my eyes, I found myself staring up at the ceiling of my dorm room. I glanced to my left and right and found I was laying in my bed. The room was dark so I assumed it was still nighttime. Luckily someone had flipped my lamp on so I wasn't sent into a panic attack immediately upon wakening. I slowly sat up. My head still hurt a little, but not that badly. Over all I felt much better. I was still a little tired and felt like I could just sleep for a few more days, but it was manageable. I peered over at Dakota's bed and was surprised to find him not in it. However, Raven and Megan had made themselves quite comfortable, sprawled across his comforter in a mess of tangled limbs. I found Dakota below them, slouched down on his futon. Josh and Dawson were there too, looking like quite the hot messes. Their eye black was smeared down their cheeks, probably from sweating so much, and their hair was a wild disarray of tangles. It looked like they had come straight here after playing a game. Dakota looked much better compared to the two of them, but still very tired. The three of them were squished together on the small bench and I couldn't help but smile at how cute they looked. Dakota was turned away from Josh like he smelt bad, but was still leaning into him. I hoped this meant they were making some progress at actually becoming friends instead of fighting each other all the time.
Looking to my right, I could see Anthony and Mimi were curled up together on the window seat. They managed to snag the pillows off Dakota's futon and use those for support. Anthony looked adorable cuddled up with Mimi, his glasses hanging off his face and his scowl momentarily gone. I chuckled as I looked to my futon. As I expected, June and Keegan were there. June was laying sideways, his legs kicked up across Keegan's lap. He had his hands laced behind his head and an adorable look on his sleeping face. Keegan had his hands placed on June's legs and his head titled back, resting against the wooden part of the bench as he slept. I noticed a sword was resting at his side, looking very sharp and dangerous. I'll have to ask him about that later, but right now I just felt so giddy and happy I could die. I was still unsure exactly why everyone was here like this, but it made me feel so damn blessed that words could never properly describe it. To have made so many caring friends in such a short amount of time was a miracle in it's own.
"Thank you." I whispered to all of them as I laid back down. I pulled my blankets around me securely and fell back asleep with a huge grin on my face.
AN: Well this was supposed to be another short chapter like I had done with 7.2, buuuut it kind of grew into just another chapter in it's own. If it helps, my chapters are usually just short of 20,000 words and this one is 10,000 words :D that's like half of what I normally write so it's gotta count for something right? :D Lol anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter. Make sure to VOTE and COMMENT my lovelies because I love reading all your wonderful feedback, and FOLLOW me for more updates. Or you know just cause you like to support me and make me feel loved ;) Also if you have any more ideas for another .2 chapter let me know :) I'll probably be doing them around every 7 chapters or so, just for fun lol