She looked outside at the pouring rain and sighed. Heavy raindrops tapped loudly against the window pane, making it impossible for her to relax and drift away into her own little world.
Why was it so complicated? To even spend two minutes with herself without any distractions. A lost dream probably, a wasted wish that would never come true.
"Chloe! Dear its time for supper!", a familiar gentle voice startled her from the room below.
"Coming!".
Stretching a bit to get rid of the soreness of her muscles, she yawned and lowered her feet down into her favorite bunny slippers. Walking ever so gently as if gliding, she made her way down the stairs quietly towards the kitchen where her mom had set her favorite plate on the table, "Chocolate chip pancakes!",she cried.
Her mom nodded, "Well I will be going now Chloe, be a good girl, clean up and go to school alright?". The girl rolled her eyes, "Mom! Im not a little girl anymore you know?".
"Yes im sorry, will I see you later then?".
"Sure mom".
After another goodbye and kiss, at last Mrs. Anaya left the house.Chloe took a forkful of pancake as her thoughts drifted again.
"I suppose its better if I do something about this", she murmured as she gazed into a nearby mirror at her messed up hair. She stood up, washed the dishes and hurried upstairs to finish grooming herself.
She was halfway changing her blouse when she was interrupted once again.
"Hey there! Kinda late dont you think?"
Her muscles tensed and she could feel the heat spreading over her nose and cheeks. "Damien! How many times have I told you to knock before entering!". She lowered the blouse quickly but tangled her arms in the process and just managed to embarass herself more.
The intruder laughed a hearty laugh and approached the squirming girl. "Hey calm down, Ill be gentle...". She whispered under her breath but he could hear her clearly "Good because I wont be as gentle when Im free". He bit his lip to hold back another chuckle, knowing very well he was within punching distance. "Alright, now hold still". Working fast, he untangled her at last, smiling at the deep blush in her face.
"Chloe im sorry for this, I really am but I needed to see you". "What do you need Damien?" "Actually I was wondering if you could come with me to this art exhibit... you see im... well im participating and I wanted you to see my painting", he muttered, his latter confidence all but present.
"Ooh,nervous arent we?", she teased while a small smirk began forming on her lips. She wanted to get him back for seeing her half naked but the expression on his face was serious, so she decided to save it for some other time. "Fine".
"Woooo! Awesome! I'll pick you up at 8:00, is that alright with you?".
She nodded half heartedly,"Yeah".
*** "So Damien will take you tonight? Im so jealous! Can I tag along? Come on come on!".
Chloe tried to arrange her books but to no avail, her friend Gina's bouncing on the table was enough to scatter her belongings. She eyed her friend curiously, trying to determine how in the world two people,so different from each other could get along so well.
Gina was pretty, she had long red colored curly hair that went a little below her shoulders and her amber eyes held a beautiful glimmer. But sometimes she could be a pain in the ass because of her attitude.
On the other hand, Chloe had wavy golden hair that fell just a little above her waist and sparkling sapphire eyes. She knew about Gina's evident crush on her neighbor Damien and how she was always stalking him to get his attention. What was so special about him? He wasn't the least bit strong built, in fact he was pretty skinny, but sure he had the most charming smile and his short brown spiky hair only added to his cuteness. A girl magnet, and guess what? He was her best friend and she didnt see him that way.
"Hmm... maybe... don't you think you'll scare him away with all your attention?", she teased, half chuckling when she said the words. Gina ran a hand through her hair and pouted, "Aww come on, you know he's totally head over heels for me! I just wanna make his day".
"Hahaha maybe, but not tonight Gina, I think he wanted to show me something", Karina bit her lower lip in apprehension. "Sorry girl". The red haired girl sighed, "Yeah okay, go be that way!".
Both girls laughed and continued talking animatedly, in fact so animatedly that they failed to notice the handsome stranger staring at them from nearby shadows and the slight smirk on his face. "I found you Chloette", he murmured.
*** The dress was perfect.
It was a light beige with a design of pink and red flowers, and ajusted below the chest for a nice shaping. It was not too short or too long just perfect.
Chloe admired herself in the mirror, the dress made a nice contrast with the rose brooch holding her long wavy hair in a ponytail. And the bright red shoes she had bought earlier that day with Gina completed her outfit.
She looked great and yet she wondered why had she spent almost all afternoon grooming herself for a silly date with Damien. After all it wasn't the first or the last one, Damien and her were very close but not romantically.
That's when her thoughts were once again crushed by someone out there. Gasping from the abrupt breaking of her trance, she tried to hold her balance as the ground below her started shaking. What, an earthquake?
Loud screams and car alarms filled the air and Chloe foolishly poked her head outside to see what the racket was all about. Then she screamed in horror. Her neighbor's house was on fire, she could see the flames dancing over the couch and striving to escape from the windows. "Damien!",she screamed but received no answer. Below her, the other neighbors gathered in front of the burning house,some gathering water and some just to watch in horror as the place got consumed. Was Damien still in there?
"Damien!" , she cried once again in desperation trying hard to hold back her tears.
"Oh my dearest, you shouldn't be so loud. The neighbors might get mad at you". A raven-haired man of about her age called at her from a nearby tree. He was wearing a black outfit with red gauntlets for contrast. His emerald eyes looked evily at her, while his pale lips froze in a smirk. Bangs of his hair fell over his eyes, and the rest was tied in a ponytail and cascaded down towards his waist. That man sure looked from another world.
"Who are you?", she demanded. Although she sounded more scared than demanding.
Standing up on the branch, he bowed to her in a cynical way. "The name's Salem and you might call me your worst nightmare".
He sneered at her and then without warning, he jumped from the tree and started hovering right outside her window. Chloe gasped in shock, was this man for real?
"I came to collect you Chloette"
"Collect me? Are you crazy?"
Her eyes then looked right past at the flames behind him that now rose high in the sky. She pictured Damien, trapped in that inferno.
"Damien!"
Turning her back on the floating stranger, she dashed down the strairs and out towards the crowd of people. Looking from one side to another, she couldn´t find Damien or his family among the spectators. Tears began rolling down her cheeks as she tried her best to control her nerves.
"Chloe! Oh dear!"
Her mother, who had just arrived at the scene, hurried over to her and embraced her lovingly. "Im so glad you´re ok. The neighbor called and told me everything. I was so worried about you".
Chloe placed a hand on her mother´s cheek to calm her down, "Mom. Damien, is he alright?". The older woman lowered her gaze.
"Mom...?"
"Chloe I..."
The girl turned to look at the flames behind her, Damien´s house was almost completely covered in them and the firefighters hadn´t arrived yet. Without thinking, she darted towards the flames, avoiding the pieces of burning wood now scattered about and her mom´s anguished cries.
The door wasn´t on fire but the knob was hot. Chloe quickly gathered the folds of her dress together and used them as a glove for her hands.
It was an oven inside, furniture and walls crumbled and burned and the air was being consumed quickly. Covering her mouth and nose, Chloe hurried over to the kitchen where the fire had not spread yet and she was surprised to find Damien, huddled in the corner covering his head from the falling debris.
"Damien!"
At first he didnt answer. It wasn´t until she called his name for the third time that he dared to lift his head convinced he wasn´t hallucinating.
"Chloe...", he mumbled. His voice sounded raspy and damaged. She kneeled next to him and helped him to his feet, wrapping an arm around his chest for support.
"Lets get out of here, you just walk, I´ll guide you"
But as they made their way towards the exit, the ceiling gave away and a big chunk of burning wood began falling towards them. Chloe looked upwards and gasped.
The chunk was too big and their time was running out...
The first thing she was when she finally opened her eyes was a blinding yellow light that made her wish she didn´t have eyes at all. Voices at her side startled her. At last when she could finally adjust her view, she found the source of the voices.
Gina and her mother sat at her side in nearby wooden chairs. They eyed her curiously as she tried to speak to them but to no avail.
"Calm down dear, you were having a hard time breathing when we found you", her mother tried to calm her down. Gina smiled warmly at her, "Yeah and your clothes were kinda burnt. Are you feeling better now?".
Chloe nodded weakly and returned the smile. She then began scanning her surroundings. At first she thought she was in a hospital or something of the sort but now that she had taken a better look, the place looked different. It appeared to be one of those rooms from the old times, with wooden furniture, a mirror, cotton blankets of not so bright colors and no tv. She also spotted a bathroom, its once white floor a bit dusty and worn out.
"Wonder if the porridge is done already".
Gina stood up to leave but stopped halfway when Chloe raised a hand towards her. Finding her voice she called out to her friend, "Gina, where are we?".
Her friend eyed her at bit surprised. "Gina? My name´s Marlene". The girl raised an eyebrow. Seriously, why was Gina playing a stupid joke in such a situation? Sighing deeply, she turned to her mom who was busy sewing the folds of a dress. "Mom, please tell her to stop. Im not in a mood for games".
The woman lifted her head a bit and flashed her a smile, "Dearie, you´re confused. Go back to sleep and you will feel better after a bit. Alright?".
"Confused? What are you talking about mom? I was in Damien´s house when the ceiling fell. Im not confused, im scared! And tell me, how am I alive and where´s Damien?"
Mrs. Anaya and Gina exchanged apprehensive glances. "Dearie..."
"Stop calling me dearie! Im Chloe! Chloe!"
"Chloe... Look, I know you must have gone through a lot but please try to calm down"
"I won´t calm down until you tell me where I am and how did I make it alive, mom".
Gina bit her lip, apparently bothered. "Chloe, listen. We found you unconscious in the outskirts of the village. You were badly hurt but thanks to Mrs. Alaine´s healing powers, youré better now".
The girl scooted over to the edge of the bed and stood up, "Gina you don´t know when to stop. Im tired of your games". Gina shook her head, and shot her a pitiful glance, "Im not Gina, Chloe. And this woman is not your mother, she´s my mother. And Im sorry to tell you that if you continue acting like this, Im gonna have to kick you out of this place".
Chloe felt the anger boiling inside her, glaring deeply at Gina she prepared to give her a piece of her mind until she saw the dress. Gina was wearing a dress that looked foreign, it was light green with a leaf pattern and a black bow wrapped around the middle. The dress was so long, Gina had to lift it a bit when walking so as not to trip.
Chloe knew how much Gina hated wearing long dresses, not to mention she always said green made her look fat. Her mother was also wearing a dress but this one was salmon colored with golden patterns of waves on the sides. It was also very long and odd looking.
Wait, if this weren´t her mom and Gina. Where the hell had she ended at?
"So this place is called Ardara?", asked a now more calm Chloe while sipping her chamomille tea from a very beautiful china cup.
"Yes. Our world is called Ardara and this is the kingdom of Locke", answered the older woman as she placed a delicious looking vanilla frosted cake on the table.
At her side, the former Gina now called Marlene, licked her lips in anticipation, making Chloe smile a bit. So she was stranded in some sort of alternate universe? What an odd thing.
"Well I don´t know what happened to me but it appears im gonna be stuck here for a while", she said, shrugging.
"Oh, you´re welcome to stay as long as you like Chloe. We have plenty of space".
The young girl nodded, then took another sip but almost choked on it when she noticed a familiar person walking by just outside the window in front of her.
"Its Damien! He´s alright!"
Standing up in a flash, she bolted outside towards him and almost tackled him, were not for his quick reflexes and his dodging ability. She landed facefirst on the dirt, raising clouds of dust at her sides.
Damien raised an eyebrow questioningly while the two scared women ran towards her. "Chloe! ". Gina kneeled next to her while the woman bowed to Damien. "We are deeply sorry sir, this girl is sick , we found her injured so she isn´t acting in all her senses. Please forgive her".
The young man frowned, and glanced back at the girl on the floor, now rubbing her sore ankle. "Damien... You´re such an idiot, you made me fa...", she stopped when it hit her. Its true, this was not her Damien was he?
She glanced back at him who appeared to be studying her. He looked so much like him, his eyes, his hair, his features. However, this Damien looked a little bit more mature. He was wearing a black armor with a silver wolf carved on his back.
"You girl, what is your name?".
Marlene shifted uncomfortably in her position, exchanging worried glances with the older woman at their side. Chloe stopped rubbing her ankle and focused her attention back on him. "My name´s Chloe, Chloe Anaya"
"Chloe Anaya, I have an advice for you. Stay away from the Wolf Knights if you want to keep your head. Understand?", he replied smugly, crossing his arms over his chest.
Without waiting for her reply, he turned his back on her and walked away slowly. Chloe felt the tears building up in her eyes, tears of anger, confusion and grief. What the hell was this place? Would she ever be able to see her mom and Damien again?
"No... Wait!", she cried, extending his hand towards him. But as she did, something weird happened. Her palm felt warm and fuzzy, then it began glowing and out of the center escaped a pink ray of energy surrounded in a yellow haze. It lunged at Damien and hit him square on the back, sending him flying and crashing with a nearby tree much to everyone´s surprise.
"Oh my god!", cried Mrs. Marlene while her daughter placed both hands over her mouth in shock. "W-What?", Chloe raised her hand towards her face, inspecting it. Nothing out of the ordinary, but what was that?
"Ughh...", Damien picked himself up with some effort and dusted himself off. He then turned to Chloe who was still looking dumbfounded at her hands. "You... a magique?", he asked between gritted teeth.
"I... I don´t know what´s wrong with me!", cried the scared girl. Marlene took a few steps away from her, however, the mother took two steps closer to try and calm her.
"Chloe... ", she began but Damien interrupted her, "That girl is a magique! How could you not mention that to me?", he demanded. The woman lowered her gaze, "Sir I didnt know...".
He took out his sword that started glowing blue as he passed his energy to it. "Magique! You will now come with me calmly and if you try anything, you will die by my hands here and now".
However, this Damien was very scary and more with that weird glowing sword in his hand and the armor. Something inside her told her to run, run as quick as she could. Fear crept over her as realization filled her senses. She would be captured and killed for no apparent reason. This would be the end for her. And she had tried so hard to save his life just to receive this treatment. It wasnt fair.
"I don´t know what you are saying or what a so called Magik, is... but I know one thing Damien. And that is that im not going with you. She stood up, eyeing him directly, determination reflected in her cerulean eyes.
"Aaaaah! Help!"
Marlene was suspended in midair, a red aura surrounding her. She began squirming in panic, screaming from the top of her lungs.
Damien pointed the sword at her, "Release her magique or you will die right here". Chloe raised an eyebrow, "What? But im not..."
"I said release her!", he shouted, and then lunged at her quickly, far too quickly for her to dodge...
Chloe closed her eyes waiting for the final blow to hit her but somehow it didn´t. She heard a loud clash and grunting, wrestling somewhere close to her.
"What a dope! Are you gonna stay there with your eyes closed forever or are you gonna escape?"
That voice! She opened her eyes and recognized the same weird raven-haired man she had met back at her window, the one who had hovered outside.
He was still floating but this time, he was holding a small dagger in front of him, accurately fending off Damien´s attacks.
"Hurry Chloette!"
She nodded, and took off but not without glancing once more at Damien who was busy launching attacks at his opponent. "Damien...", she murmured.
Her bare feet carried her away as fast as they could, she could feel the wind blowing on her face as she left behind tree after tree. Her pace quickened, the air was colder. Quicker, quicker until she could feel the earth underneath her no more. Until the trees were not an obstacle anymore, only blue, the beautiful baby blue of the sky.
Wait, what?
She gazed downwards at the forest she had flown away from, at her own feet still carrying her over the clouds and away from Damien. She was flying!
"Dont get accustomed"
That voice again. Salem hovered right at her side, the smirk of his handsome face still there, teasing her.
"You!", she cried. But she had lost concentration so instead of screaming at him she screamed for her life as she plummeted downwards back to the trees.
Or at least that was until she felt an arm circle her waist and carry her back to the blue sky. She glared at her captor who still smiled mischeviously at her. "Hey is that your human way of saying, thankyou so much for saving me Salem?"
Human? Did he say human?
"Why is all this happening? What the hell did I ever do!", she cried as tears betrayed her eyes and fell freely over her cheeks. Salem frowned, he hated when girls cried, they made him feel guilty.
"Alright crybaby, I will tell you if you just shut the hell up!".
She reluctantly did as he was told, after all, he was her only clue and life support... at least for the time being.
"Not tonight Gina, I think he wanted to show me something," Karina bit her lower lip in disapproval and opened her mouth to argue but before she could, Chloe interrupted, "Sorry girl, " she said, with a slight shrug. The redhead sighed, she knew better than to pick a fight with Chloe, after all she was Damien´s best friend. "Yeah, okay whatever…"
Both girls laughed and continued talking animatedly, in fact so animatedly that they failed to notice the handsome stranger staring at them from nearby shadows and the slight smirk on his face. "I found you Chloette", he murmured.
*** The dress was perfect.
It was a light beige with a design of pink and red flowers, and ajusted below the chest for a nice shaping. It was not too short or too long just perfect.
Chloe admired herself in the mirror, the dress made a nice contrast with the rose brooch holding her long wavy hair in a ponytail. And the bright red shoes she had bought earlier that day with Gina completed her outfit. She looked great and yet she wondered why she had spent almost all afternoon grooming herself for a silly date with Damien. After all it wasn't the first or the last one, Damien and her were very close but not romantically.
She was starting to lose herself in deep thought when a wailing of a siren nearby brought her harshly back to reality. Gasping from the abrupt breaking of her trance, she looked around nervously and reluctantly poked peeked outside her window.
A huge cloud of smoke rose in the air right next to her house, it took her a few seconds to realize it was coming from Damien´s house. She screamed in horror as the flames rose higher and began to cover the whole house. The other neighbors gathered in front of the burning house,some gathering water and some just to watch in shock as the raging inferno took place. Was Damien still in there?
"Damien!" she cried once again in desperation trying hard to hold back her tears.
"Oh my dearest, you shouldn't be so loud. The neighbors might get mad at you". A raven-haired teen of about her age called at her from a nearby tree. He was wearing an open black linen vest which showed his toned chest underneath, decorated with golden threads that criss crossed the sides of the vest and joined at the center. Wrapped on both of his arms, black leather cords swayed with the wind and on his hands he wore some sort of leather gauntlets with the same golden pattern as his vest. His pants were loose and beige colored which reminded her of those she had seen once in arabian movies and they were tied at his waist by a black scarf. He leaned towards her, until his body was separated from the tree and his hands were loose at his sides. How could he do that? His emerald eyes that held a suspicious glint, looked at her with malice, while his pale lips froze in a smirk. Bangs of his hair fell over his eyes, and the rest was tied in a ponytail and cascaded down towards his waist. She noticed his boots, lightweight black boots with golden cords tied around them. Perfect for floating since they would´nt add more weight. Was he for real?, she wondered as she nervously kept glancing at him. "Who are you?" she demanded at last. Although she sounded more scared than demanding.
Standing back up on the branch, he bowed to her in a cynical way. "The name's Salem and you might call me your worst nightmare".
Without warning, he jumped from the tree and started hovering right outside her window. Chloe gasped in shock, edging away from the window.
"I came to collect you Chloette"
"Collect me?” “Are you crazy?"
Her eyes then looked right past at the flames and smoke outside. If her friend was still in there then he didn´t have much time.
"Damien!"
Turning her back on the floating stranger, she dashed down the stairs and out towards the crowd of people. Looking from one side to another, she couldn´t find Damien or his family among the spectators. Tears began rolling down her cheeks as she tried her best to control her nerves.
"Chloe!” “ Oh dear!"
Her mother, who had just arrived at the scene, hurried over to her and embraced her lovingly. "I´m so glad you´re ok. The neighbor called and told me everything. I was so worried about you!".
Chloe placed a hand on her mother´s cheek to calm her down, "Mom. Damien, is he alright?" The older woman lowered her gaze.
"Mom?"
"Chloe I..."
Without thinking, she darted towards the flames, avoiding the pieces of burning wood now scattered about and her mom´s anguished cries behind her.
The door wasn´t on fire but the knob was hot. Chloe quickly gathered the folds of her dress together and used them as a glove for her hands.
It was an oven inside, furniture and walls crumbled and burned .The air was thick and thinning, replaced by a dark cloud of smoke and vapors. Covering her mouth and nose, Chloe made her way to the kitchen where the fire had not fully spread yet and she was surprised to find Damien, huddled in the corner and trying his best to stay close to the ground and breathe whatever fresh air was left.
"Damien!"
At first, he didn´t answer. It wasn´t until she called his name for the third time that he dared to lift his head to convince himself he wasn´t hallucinating.
"Chloe...", he mumbled. His voice sounded raspy and damaged. She kneeled next to him and helped him to his feet, wrapping an arm around his chest for support.
"Let´s get out of here, you just walk, I´ll guide you"
But as they walked towards the exit, a part of the ceiling came off and landed right next to them. Chloe screamed and dodged it in time. She gazed upwards, chunks of the support cement were coming off quickly and even though they weren´t that thick, one strike of those could tear their heads open in half. “Damien we are gonna have to make a run for it, are you ready?” He nodded, panting heavily. “Ok. On the count of three… 1… 2…” But it was too late, the cement gave away and a huge piece just above them crumbled apart…
The first thing she saw when she finally opened her eyes was a blinding yellow light that made her wish she didn´t have eyes at all. Familiar voices at her side startled her. At last when she could finally adjust her view, she turned to the source.
Gina and her mother sat at her side in antique looking wooden chairs. They eyed her curiously as she tried to speak to them but to no avail.
"Calm down dear, you were having a hard time breathing when we found you", her mother tried to calm her down. Gina smiled warmly at her, "Yeah and your clothes were kinda burnt. Are you feeling better now?"
Chloe nodded weakly and returned the smile. She then began scanning her surroundings. At first she thought she was in a hospital or something of the sort but now that she had taken a better look, the place looked different. It appeared to be one of those rooms from storybooks, with beautifully carved wooden furniture, a mirror, cotton blankets of not so bright colors and no tv. She also spotted a bathroom, its once white floor a bit dusty and stained.
"Wonder if the porridge is done already"
Gina stood up to leave but stopped halfway when Chloe raised a hand towards her. Finding her voice she called out to her friend, "Gina, where are we?”
Her friend eyed her at bit surprised. "Gina? My name´s Marlene," the girl raised an eyebrow in wonder and confusion. Seriously, why was Gina playing a stupid joke in such a situation? - she thought with disgust. Sighing deeply, she turned to her mom who was busy sewing the folds of a dress. "Mom, please tell her to stop. I´m not in the mood for games”
The woman lifted her head a bit and flashed her a smile, "Dear, you´re confused. My name is Deidra and this is my daughter Marlene. “But don’t worry, I know you are still in shock so please go back to sleep and you will feel better afterwards, alright?"
"Confused? What are you talking about mom? I was in Damien´s house when the ceiling fell. I´m not confused, i´m scared! And tell me, how am I alive and where´s Damien?"
Deidra and Gina exchanged apprehensive glances. "Dear..." she started.
"Stop calling me dear! Im Chloe! Chloe!"
"Chloe... Look, I know you must have gone through a lot but please try to calm down"
"I won´t calm down until you tell me where I am and how did I make it alive, mom".
Gina frowned, apparently bothered. "Chloe, listen. We found you unconscious in the outskirts of the village. You were badly hurt but thanks to Deidra´s healing powers, you´re better now".
The girl scooted over to the edge of the bed and stood up, "Gina you don´t know when to stop. I´m tired of your games". Gina shook her head, and shot her a pitiful glance, "I´m not Gina, Chloe. And this woman is not your mother, she´s my mother. And I´m sorry to tell you that if you continue acting like this, I´m gonna have to kick you out of this place"
Chloe felt the anger boiling inside her, glaring deeply at Gina she prepared to give her a piece of her mind until she saw the dress. Gina was wearing a dress that looked foreign, it was light green with a leaf pattern and a black bow wrapped around the middle. The dress was so long, Gina had to lift it a bit when walking so as not to trip.
She knew how much Gina hated wearing long dresses, not to mention she always said green made her look fat. Her mother was also wearing a dress but this one was salmon colored with golden patterns of waves on the sides. It was also very long and odd looking.
Wait, if this weren´t her mom and Gina. Where the hell had she ended at?
Click to view
She looked outside at the pouring rain and sighed. Heavy raindrops tapped loudly against the window pane, making it impossible for her to relax and drift away into her own little world.
Why was it so complicated? To even spend two minutes with herself without any distractions. A lost dream probably, a wasted wish that would never come true.
"Chloe! Dear its time for supper!", a familiar gentle voice startled her from the room below.
"Coming!".
Stretching a bit to get rid of the soreness of her muscles, she yawned and lowered her feet down into her favorite bunny slippers. Walking ever so gently as if gliding, she made her way down the stairs quietly towards the kitchen where her mom had set her favorite plate on the table, "Chocolate chip pancakes!",she cried.
Her mom nodded, "Well I will be going now Chloe, be a good girl, clean up and go to school alright?". The girl rolled her eyes, "Mom! Im not a little girl anymore you know?".
"Yes im sorry, will I see you later then?".
"Sure mom".
After another goodbye and kiss, at last Mrs. Anaya left the house.Chloe took a forkful of pancake as her thoughts drifted again.
"I suppose its better if I do something about this", she murmured as she gazed into a nearby mirror at her messed up hair. She stood up, washed the dishes and hurried upstairs to finish grooming herself.
She was halfway changing her blouse when she was interrupted once again.
"Hey there! Kinda late dont you think?"
Her muscles tensed and she could feel the heat spreading over her nose and cheeks. "Damien! How many times have I told you to knock before entering!". She lowered the blouse quickly but tangled her arms in the process and just managed to embarass herself more.
The intruder laughed a hearty laugh and approached the squirming girl. "Hey calm down, Ill be gentle...". She whispered under her breath but he could hear her clearly "Good because I wont be as gentle when Im free". He bit his lip to hold back another chuckle, knowing very well he was within punching distance. "Alright, now hold still". Working fast, he untangled her at last, smiling at the deep blush in her face.
"Chloe im sorry for this, I really am but I needed to see you".
"What do you need Damien?"
"Actually I was wondering if you could come with me to this art exhibit... you see im... well im participating and I wanted you to see my painting", he muttered, his latter confidence all but present.
"Ooh,nervous arent we?", she teased while a small smirk began forming on her lips. She wanted to get him back for seeing her half naked but the expression on his face was serious, so she decided to save it for some other time. "Fine".
"Woooo! Awesome! I'll pick you up at 8:00, is that alright with you?".
She nodded half heartedly,"Yeah".
***
"So Damien will take you tonight? Im so jealous! Can I tag along? Come on come on!".
Chloe tried to arrange her books but to no avail, her friend Gina's bouncing on the table was enough to scatter her belongings. She eyed her friend curiously, trying to determine how in the world two people,so different from each other could get along so well.
Gina was pretty, she had long red colored curly hair that went a little below her shoulders and her amber eyes held a beautiful glimmer. But sometimes she could be a pain in the ass because of her attitude.
On the other hand, Chloe had wavy golden hair that fell just a little above her waist and sparkling sapphire eyes. She knew about Gina's evident crush on her neighbor Damien and how she was always stalking him to get his attention. What was so special about him? He wasn't the least bit strong built, in fact he was pretty skinny, but sure he had the most charming smile and his short brown spiky hair only added to his cuteness. A girl magnet, and guess what? He was her best friend and she didnt see him that way.
"Hmm... maybe... don't you think you'll scare him away with all your attention?", she teased, half chuckling when she said the words. Gina ran a hand through her hair and pouted, "Aww come on, you know he's totally head over heels for me! I just wanna make his day".
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"Hahaha maybe, but not tonight Gina, I think he wanted to show me something", Karina bit her lower lip in apprehension. "Sorry girl". The red haired girl sighed, "Yeah okay, go be that way!".
Both girls laughed and continued talking animatedly, in fact so animatedly that they failed to notice the handsome stranger staring at them from nearby shadows and the slight smirk on his face. "I found you Chloette", he murmured.
***
The dress was perfect.
It was a light beige with a design of pink and red flowers, and ajusted below the chest for a nice shaping. It was not too short or too long just perfect.
Chloe admired herself in the mirror, the dress made a nice contrast with the rose brooch holding her long wavy hair in a ponytail. And the bright red shoes she had bought earlier that day with Gina completed her outfit.
She looked great and yet she wondered why had she spent almost all afternoon grooming herself for a silly date with Damien. After all it wasn't the first or the last one, Damien and her were very close but not romantically.
That's when her thoughts were once again crushed by someone out there. Gasping from the abrupt breaking of her trance, she tried to hold her balance as the ground below her started shaking. What, an earthquake?
Loud screams and car alarms filled the air and Chloe foolishly poked her head outside to see what the racket was all about. Then she screamed in horror. Her neighbor's house was on fire, she could see the flames dancing over the couch and striving to escape from the windows. "Damien!",she screamed but received no answer. Below her, the other neighbors gathered in front of the burning house,some gathering water and some just to watch in horror as the place got consumed. Was Damien still in there?
"Damien!" , she cried once again in desperation trying hard to hold back her tears.
"Oh my dearest, you shouldn't be so loud. The neighbors might get mad at you". A raven-haired man of about her age called at her from a nearby tree. He was wearing a black outfit with red gauntlets for contrast. His emerald eyes looked evily at her, while his pale lips froze in a smirk. Bangs of his hair fell over his eyes, and the rest was tied in a ponytail and cascaded down towards his waist. That man sure looked from another world.
"Who are you?", she demanded. Although she sounded more scared than demanding.
Standing up on the branch, he bowed to her in a cynical way. "The name's Salem and you might call me your worst nightmare".
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He sneered at her and then without warning, he jumped from the tree and started hovering right outside her window. Chloe gasped in shock, was this man for real?
"I came to collect you Chloette"
"Collect me? Are you crazy?"
Her eyes then looked right past at the flames behind him that now rose high in the sky. She pictured Damien, trapped in that inferno.
"Damien!"
Turning her back on the floating stranger, she dashed down the strairs and out towards the crowd of people. Looking from one side to another, she couldn´t find Damien or his family among the spectators. Tears began rolling down her cheeks as she tried her best to control her nerves.
"Chloe! Oh dear!"
Her mother, who had just arrived at the scene, hurried over to her and embraced her lovingly. "Im so glad you´re ok. The neighbor called and told me everything. I was so worried about you".
Chloe placed a hand on her mother´s cheek to calm her down, "Mom. Damien, is he alright?". The older woman lowered her gaze.
"Mom...?"
"Chloe I..."
The girl turned to look at the flames behind her, Damien´s house was almost completely covered in them and the firefighters hadn´t arrived yet. Without thinking, she darted towards the flames, avoiding the pieces of burning wood now scattered about and her mom´s anguished cries.
The door wasn´t on fire but the knob was hot. Chloe quickly gathered the folds of her dress together and used them as a glove for her hands.
It was an oven inside, furniture and walls crumbled and burned and the air was being consumed quickly. Covering her mouth and nose, Chloe hurried over to the kitchen where the fire had not spread yet and she was surprised to find Damien, huddled in the corner covering his head from the falling debris.
"Damien!"
At first he didnt answer. It wasn´t until she called his name for the third time that he dared to lift his head convinced he wasn´t hallucinating.
"Chloe...", he mumbled. His voice sounded raspy and damaged. She kneeled next to him and helped him to his feet, wrapping an arm around his chest for support.
"Lets get out of here, you just walk, I´ll guide you"
But as they made their way towards the exit, the ceiling gave away and a big chunk of burning wood began falling towards them. Chloe looked upwards and gasped.
The chunk was too big and their time was running out...
***
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"Shhh, you will disturb her"
"Who cares, we need her awake!"
The first thing she was when she finally opened her eyes was a blinding yellow light that made her wish she didn´t have eyes at all. Voices at her side startled her. At last when she could finally adjust her view, she found the source of the voices.
Gina and her mother sat at her side in nearby wooden chairs. They eyed her curiously as she tried to speak to them but to no avail.
"Calm down dear, you were having a hard time breathing when we found you", her mother tried to calm her down. Gina smiled warmly at her, "Yeah and your clothes were kinda burnt. Are you feeling better now?".
Chloe nodded weakly and returned the smile. She then began scanning her surroundings. At first she thought she was in a hospital or something of the sort but now that she had taken a better look, the place looked different. It appeared to be one of those rooms from the old times, with wooden furniture, a mirror, cotton blankets of not so bright colors and no tv. She also spotted a bathroom, its once white floor a bit dusty and worn out.
"Wonder if the porridge is done already".
Gina stood up to leave but stopped halfway when Chloe raised a hand towards her. Finding her voice she called out to her friend, "Gina, where are we?".
Her friend eyed her at bit surprised. "Gina? My name´s Marlene". The girl raised an eyebrow. Seriously, why was Gina playing a stupid joke in such a situation? Sighing deeply, she turned to her mom who was busy sewing the folds of a dress. "Mom, please tell her to stop. Im not in a mood for games".
The woman lifted her head a bit and flashed her a smile, "Dearie, you´re confused. Go back to sleep and you will feel better after a bit. Alright?".
"Confused? What are you talking about mom? I was in Damien´s house when the ceiling fell. Im not confused, im scared! And tell me, how am I alive and where´s Damien?"
Mrs. Anaya and Gina exchanged apprehensive glances. "Dearie..."
"Stop calling me dearie! Im Chloe! Chloe!"
"Chloe... Look, I know you must have gone through a lot but please try to calm down"
"I won´t calm down until you tell me where I am and how did I make it alive, mom".
Gina bit her lip, apparently bothered. "Chloe, listen. We found you unconscious in the outskirts of the village. You were badly hurt but thanks to Mrs. Alaine´s healing powers, youré better now".
The girl scooted over to the edge of the bed and stood up, "Gina you don´t know when to stop. Im tired of your games". Gina shook her head, and shot her a pitiful glance, "Im not Gina, Chloe. And this woman is not your mother, she´s my mother. And Im sorry to tell you that if you continue acting like this, Im gonna have to kick you out of this place".
Chloe felt the anger boiling inside her, glaring deeply at Gina she prepared to give her a piece of her mind until she saw the dress. Gina was wearing a dress that looked foreign, it was light green with a leaf pattern and a black bow wrapped around the middle. The dress was so long, Gina had to lift it a bit when walking so as not to trip.
Chloe knew how much Gina hated wearing long dresses, not to mention she always said green made her look fat. Her mother was also wearing a dress but this one was salmon colored with golden patterns of waves on the sides. It was also very long and odd looking.
Wait, if this weren´t her mom and Gina. Where the hell had she ended at?
***
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"Yes. Our world is called Ardara and this is the kingdom of Locke", answered the older woman as she placed a delicious looking vanilla frosted cake on the table.
At her side, the former Gina now called Marlene, licked her lips in anticipation, making Chloe smile a bit. So she was stranded in some sort of alternate universe? What an odd thing.
"Well I don´t know what happened to me but it appears im gonna be stuck here for a while", she said, shrugging.
"Oh, you´re welcome to stay as long as you like Chloe. We have plenty of space".
The young girl nodded, then took another sip but almost choked on it when she noticed a familiar person walking by just outside the window in front of her.
"Its Damien! He´s alright!"
Standing up in a flash, she bolted outside towards him and almost tackled him, were not for his quick reflexes and his dodging ability. She landed facefirst on the dirt, raising clouds of dust at her sides.
Damien raised an eyebrow questioningly while the two scared women ran towards her. "Chloe! ". Gina kneeled next to her while the woman bowed to Damien. "We are deeply sorry sir, this girl is sick , we found her injured so she isn´t acting in all her senses. Please forgive her".
The young man frowned, and glanced back at the girl on the floor, now rubbing her sore ankle. "Damien... You´re such an idiot, you made me fa...", she stopped when it hit her. Its true, this was not her Damien was he?
She glanced back at him who appeared to be studying her. He looked so much like him, his eyes, his hair, his features. However, this Damien looked a little bit more mature. He was wearing a black armor with a silver wolf carved on his back.
"You girl, what is your name?".
Marlene shifted uncomfortably in her position, exchanging worried glances with the older woman at their side. Chloe stopped rubbing her ankle and focused her attention back on him. "My name´s Chloe, Chloe Anaya"
"Chloe Anaya, I have an advice for you. Stay away from the Wolf Knights if you want to keep your head. Understand?", he replied smugly, crossing his arms over his chest.
Without waiting for her reply, he turned his back on her and walked away slowly. Chloe felt the tears building up in her eyes, tears of anger, confusion and grief. What the hell was this place? Would she ever be able to see her mom and Damien again?
"No... Wait!", she cried, extending his hand towards him. But as she did, something weird happened. Her palm felt warm and fuzzy, then it began glowing and out of the center escaped a pink ray of energy surrounded in a yellow haze. It lunged at Damien and hit him square on the back, sending him flying and crashing with a nearby tree much to everyone´s surprise.
"Oh my god!", cried Mrs. Marlene while her daughter placed both hands over her mouth in shock. "W-What?", Chloe raised her hand towards her face, inspecting it. Nothing out of the ordinary, but what was that?
"Ughh...", Damien picked himself up with some effort and dusted himself off. He then turned to Chloe who was still looking dumbfounded at her hands. "You... a magique?", he asked between gritted teeth.
"I... I don´t know what´s wrong with me!", cried the scared girl. Marlene took a few steps away from her, however, the mother took two steps closer to try and calm her.
"Chloe... ", she began but Damien interrupted her, "That girl is a magique! How could you not mention that to me?", he demanded. The woman lowered her gaze, "Sir I didnt know...".
He took out his sword that started glowing blue as he passed his energy to it. "Magique! You will now come with me calmly and if you try anything, you will die by my hands here and now".
***
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However, this Damien was very scary and more with that weird glowing sword in his hand and the armor. Something inside her told her to run, run as quick as she could. Fear crept over her as realization filled her senses. She would be captured and killed for no apparent reason. This would be the end for her. And she had tried so hard to save his life just to receive this treatment. It wasnt fair.
"I don´t know what you are saying or what a so called Magik, is... but I know one thing Damien. And that is that im not going with you. She stood up, eyeing him directly, determination reflected in her cerulean eyes.
"Aaaaah! Help!"
Marlene was suspended in midair, a red aura surrounding her. She began squirming in panic, screaming from the top of her lungs.
Damien pointed the sword at her, "Release her magique or you will die right here". Chloe raised an eyebrow, "What? But im not..."
"I said release her!", he shouted, and then lunged at her quickly, far too quickly for her to dodge...
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"What a dope! Are you gonna stay there with your eyes closed forever or are you gonna escape?"
That voice! She opened her eyes and recognized the same weird raven-haired man she had met back at her window, the one who had hovered outside.
He was still floating but this time, he was holding a small dagger in front of him, accurately fending off Damien´s attacks.
"Hurry Chloette!"
She nodded, and took off but not without glancing once more at Damien who was busy launching attacks at his opponent. "Damien...", she murmured.
Her bare feet carried her away as fast as they could, she could feel the wind blowing on her face as she left behind tree after tree. Her pace quickened, the air was colder. Quicker, quicker until she could feel the earth underneath her no more. Until the trees were not an obstacle anymore, only blue, the beautiful baby blue of the sky.
Wait, what?
She gazed downwards at the forest she had flown away from, at her own feet still carrying her over the clouds and away from Damien. She was flying!
"Dont get accustomed"
That voice again. Salem hovered right at her side, the smirk of his handsome face still there, teasing her.
"You!", she cried. But she had lost concentration so instead of screaming at him she screamed for her life as she plummeted downwards back to the trees.
Or at least that was until she felt an arm circle her waist and carry her back to the blue sky. She glared at her captor who still smiled mischeviously at her. "Hey is that your human way of saying, thankyou so much for saving me Salem?"
Human? Did he say human?
"Why is all this happening? What the hell did I ever do!", she cried as tears betrayed her eyes and fell freely over her cheeks. Salem frowned, he hated when girls cried, they made him feel guilty.
"Alright crybaby, I will tell you if you just shut the hell up!".
She reluctantly did as he was told, after all, he was her only clue and life support... at least for the time being.
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"Not tonight Gina, I think he wanted to show me something," Karina bit her lower lip in disapproval and opened her mouth to argue but before she could, Chloe interrupted, "Sorry girl, " she said, with a slight shrug. The redhead sighed, she knew better than to pick a fight with Chloe, after all she was Damien´s best friend. "Yeah, okay whatever…"
Both girls laughed and continued talking animatedly, in fact so animatedly that they failed to notice the handsome stranger staring at them from nearby shadows and the slight smirk on his face. "I found you Chloette", he murmured.
***
The dress was perfect.
It was a light beige with a design of pink and red flowers, and ajusted below the chest for a nice shaping. It was not too short or too long just perfect.
Chloe admired herself in the mirror, the dress made a nice contrast with the rose brooch holding her long wavy hair in a ponytail. And the bright red shoes she had bought earlier that day with Gina completed her outfit. She looked great and yet she wondered why she had spent almost all afternoon grooming herself for a silly date with Damien. After all it wasn't the first or the last one, Damien and her were very close but not romantically.
She was starting to lose herself in deep thought when a wailing of a siren nearby brought her harshly back to reality. Gasping from the abrupt breaking of her trance, she looked around nervously and reluctantly poked peeked outside her window.
A huge cloud of smoke rose in the air right next to her house, it took her a few seconds to realize it was coming from Damien´s house. She screamed in horror as the flames rose higher and began to cover the whole house. The other neighbors gathered in front of the burning house,some gathering water and some just to watch in shock as the raging inferno took place. Was Damien still in there?
"Damien!" she cried once again in desperation trying hard to hold back her tears.
"Oh my dearest, you shouldn't be so loud. The neighbors might get mad at you". A raven-haired teen of about her age called at her from a nearby tree. He was wearing an open black linen vest which showed his toned chest underneath, decorated with golden threads that criss crossed the sides of the vest and joined at the center. Wrapped on both of his arms, black leather cords swayed with the wind and on his hands he wore some sort of leather gauntlets with the same golden pattern as his vest. His pants were loose and beige colored which reminded her of those she had seen once in arabian movies and they were tied at his waist by a black scarf. He leaned towards her, until his body was separated from the tree and his hands were loose at his sides. How could he do that?
His emerald eyes that held a suspicious glint, looked at her with malice, while his pale lips froze in a smirk. Bangs of his hair fell over his eyes, and the rest was tied in a ponytail and cascaded down towards his waist. She noticed his boots, lightweight black boots with golden cords tied around them. Perfect for floating since they would´nt add more weight. Was he for real?, she wondered as she nervously kept glancing at him.
"Who are you?" she demanded at last. Although she sounded more scared than demanding.
Standing back up on the branch, he bowed to her in a cynical way. "The name's Salem and you might call me your worst nightmare".
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Without warning, he jumped from the tree and started hovering right outside her window. Chloe gasped in shock, edging away from the window.
"I came to collect you Chloette"
"Collect me?” “Are you crazy?"
Her eyes then looked right past at the flames and smoke outside. If her friend was still in there then he didn´t have much time.
"Damien!"
Turning her back on the floating stranger, she dashed down the stairs and out towards the crowd of people. Looking from one side to another, she couldn´t find Damien or his family among the spectators. Tears began rolling down her cheeks as she tried her best to control her nerves.
"Chloe!” “ Oh dear!"
Her mother, who had just arrived at the scene, hurried over to her and embraced her lovingly. "I´m so glad you´re ok. The neighbor called and told me everything. I was so worried about you!".
Chloe placed a hand on her mother´s cheek to calm her down, "Mom. Damien, is he alright?" The older woman lowered her gaze.
"Mom?"
"Chloe I..."
Without thinking, she darted towards the flames, avoiding the pieces of burning wood now scattered about and her mom´s anguished cries behind her.
The door wasn´t on fire but the knob was hot. Chloe quickly gathered the folds of her dress together and used them as a glove for her hands.
It was an oven inside, furniture and walls crumbled and burned .The air was thick and thinning, replaced by a dark cloud of smoke and vapors. Covering her mouth and nose, Chloe made her way to the kitchen where the fire had not fully spread yet and she was surprised to find Damien, huddled in the corner and trying his best to stay close to the ground and breathe whatever fresh air was left.
"Damien!"
At first, he didn´t answer. It wasn´t until she called his name for the third time that he dared to lift his head to convince himself he wasn´t hallucinating.
"Chloe...", he mumbled. His voice sounded raspy and damaged. She kneeled next to him and helped him to his feet, wrapping an arm around his chest for support.
"Let´s get out of here, you just walk, I´ll guide you"
But as they walked towards the exit, a part of the ceiling came off and landed right next to them. Chloe screamed and dodged it in time. She gazed upwards, chunks of the support cement were coming off quickly and even though they weren´t that thick, one strike of those could tear their heads open in half.
“Damien we are gonna have to make a run for it, are you ready?”
He nodded, panting heavily. “Ok. On the count of three… 1… 2…”
But it was too late, the cement gave away and a huge piece just above them crumbled apart…
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"Is she ever gonna wake up?"
"Shhh, you will disturb her"
"Who cares, we need her awake!"
The first thing she saw when she finally opened her eyes was a blinding yellow light that made her wish she didn´t have eyes at all. Familiar voices at her side startled her. At last when she could finally adjust her view, she turned to the source.
Gina and her mother sat at her side in antique looking wooden chairs. They eyed her curiously as she tried to speak to them but to no avail.
"Calm down dear, you were having a hard time breathing when we found you", her mother tried to calm her down. Gina smiled warmly at her, "Yeah and your clothes were kinda burnt. Are you feeling better now?"
Chloe nodded weakly and returned the smile. She then began scanning her surroundings. At first she thought she was in a hospital or something of the sort but now that she had taken a better look, the place looked different. It appeared to be one of those rooms from storybooks, with beautifully carved wooden furniture, a mirror, cotton blankets of not so bright colors and no tv. She also spotted a bathroom, its once white floor a bit dusty and stained.
"Wonder if the porridge is done already"
Gina stood up to leave but stopped halfway when Chloe raised a hand towards her. Finding her voice she called out to her friend, "Gina, where are we?”
Her friend eyed her at bit surprised. "Gina? My name´s Marlene," the girl raised an eyebrow in wonder and confusion. Seriously, why was Gina playing a stupid joke in such a situation? - she thought with disgust. Sighing deeply, she turned to her mom who was busy sewing the folds of a dress. "Mom, please tell her to stop. I´m not in the mood for games”
The woman lifted her head a bit and flashed her a smile, "Dear, you´re confused. My name is Deidra and this is my daughter Marlene. “But don’t worry, I know you are still in shock so please go back to sleep and you will feel better afterwards, alright?"
"Confused? What are you talking about mom? I was in Damien´s house when the ceiling fell. I´m not confused, i´m scared! And tell me, how am I alive and where´s Damien?"
Deidra and Gina exchanged apprehensive glances. "Dear..." she started.
"Stop calling me dear! Im Chloe! Chloe!"
"Chloe... Look, I know you must have gone through a lot but please try to calm down"
"I won´t calm down until you tell me where I am and how did I make it alive, mom".
Gina frowned, apparently bothered. "Chloe, listen. We found you unconscious in the outskirts of the village. You were badly hurt but thanks to Deidra´s healing powers, you´re better now".
The girl scooted over to the edge of the bed and stood up, "Gina you don´t know when to stop. I´m tired of your games". Gina shook her head, and shot her a pitiful glance, "I´m not Gina, Chloe. And this woman is not your mother, she´s my mother. And I´m sorry to tell you that if you continue acting like this, I´m gonna have to kick you out of this place"
Chloe felt the anger boiling inside her, glaring deeply at Gina she prepared to give her a piece of her mind until she saw the dress. Gina was wearing a dress that looked foreign, it was light green with a leaf pattern and a black bow wrapped around the middle. The dress was so long, Gina had to lift it a bit when walking so as not to trip.
She knew how much Gina hated wearing long dresses, not to mention she always said green made her look fat. Her mother was also wearing a dress but this one was salmon colored with golden patterns of waves on the sides. It was also very long and odd looking.
Wait, if this weren´t her mom and Gina. Where the hell had she ended at?
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