Untitled Chapter 2

Bright light woke me from my slumber. Shouting and talking spooked me.1

“Get Raven. I’ll take Sam to her room. She needs more rest. And don’t let her know Raven’s gone. I don‘t want her to know yet. She’ll won’t be happy if she knew what my plans for Raven are,” I heard Leah say.2

No one replied but I figured he was talking to Jon. I was lifted up and pulled from the van. My mind was racing. I didn’t want to die. At least not for a while. The creaking of a door opened then closed.3

A moment later, the blindfold came off. I looked around to see a very old house surrounded me. The walls were broken. I could see the insulation inside. Jon was carrying me. He walked through the house and as I looked back, the house seemed new. Like it was magically fixing itself. I got shivers.4

A little while later, we approached a steel door. Next to the door, on the wall, was a keyboard with a handprint. On top of the keyboard was a small round disk. On the door, two barricades prevented entrance or exit. Jon typed in the code and put his hand on the pad. A moment later, the disk scanned his eye and the barricades lifted to open the door.5

He pulled it open and walked inside. The room had a bed on one side and a rug on the floor. Next to the bed there was a nightstand with a clock and lamp. He shoved me on the rug, pulling a knife from his boot.6

“This is your new home. Get used to it. You will get two meals a day, which include a glass of water and a snack. You will live in this room for most of your permanent stay. There are no windows and there is one light. You have sheets and blankets being brought up to you as we speak, so they will be here in a few moments. You can’t escape so please don’t try. And tonight, prepare for pain. Don’t obey me and you’ll be in hell. I’m not joking,” Jon explained, going to the door and returning a few minutes later with the sheets.7

He set them next to me and handed me the knife. I looked questionably at him but he said nothing. With me still helpless on the floor, he left. Falling over, I grabbed the knife and used it to cut myself free. Immediately ripping the duct tape off and spitting the cloth out, I grabbed the bed sheets and blankets made the bed. I looked around my tiny home as I curled up in my new fleece blanket. I drifted off to sleep but soon afterwards I was awakened by a very loud crash.8

I jumped up, throwing the blanket on the floor. The door opened and Leah walked in. He wore a black cloak, hiding himself under the hood. His vibrant red hair stuck out. In his hand, he held a gray platter, covered with a small salad and a glass filled with water. He set it on the nightstand and turned to leave.9

“Wait. What are you going to do to me? Please tell me,” I asked.10

“Like I said earlier, I’m going to kill you. But not yet. You have to pass three tests in order to live. They will occur when there is a full moon. That would be one test for one month. And they will be spaced out so you train for one month and then test. So you will live for at least six months. If you have powers or gifts, you will not be executed. But I doubt a stupid human like you would possess powers. Eat and Jon will be up in twenty minutes to get you,” he revealed.11

“But why are you doing this to me? What did I do to deserve this?” I asked, shaken by his words.12

“Remember last year, when you called me a freak? Well, that was a huge insult. I am no freak. I am the ruler of the legend, Sam. She is currently my slave. You two will meet. Only she will break you. Make you lose all control and eventually, you will worship her and die by her hand.”13

He laughed and turned to leave. When he was gone, I grabbed my small supper and ate it with pleasure. It’s been so long since I’d had a salad. The water tasted good; it felt refreshing to my dry lips. Jon came in twenty minutes later, asking for my platter. I gave it to him and then went to sleep. The dim light turned off as he left.14

* * * 15

Feeling re-energized, I made the bed and waited for something to happen. The pure silence aggravated me, making me want music. Music is my passion. 16

A knock on the door and Leah walked in. He had no food, which disappointed me. He was holding a pair of shackles; I guessed they were for me. He walked over to me and smiled. I stood up and walked over to him. He placed his hands on my shoulders and turned me so I wasn’t facing him. He grabbed my wrist and pulled it back to him, clasping the shackle around it. The cold steel made me shiver. He did the same with the other wrist. 17

Turning me to him, he clipped a collar around my neck. Attaching a length of rope to one of the hooks, he led me from my room. I stumbled but caught myself. He led me down the hallway, to another room. At first I thought it would be empty but I was wrong. He stopped momentarily, giving me time to take in the room.18

To the left of me, I saw a table with restraints hooked to it. All along the walls, there were long, skinning whips, and knives of every shape and size. To the right of me, there was an underground pool filled with inky blue water. I’m guessing it was about ten feet deep. Behind that, doing to the back of the room, a bed of nails lay next to a bed of coals, still hot by the reddish colors. In front of me, a rope hung from the ceiling with a pair of handcuffs dangling from it.19

With a slight tug, he pulled me toward the table. I took a deep breath and followed. I figure, the more I obey, and maybe the more he won’t hurt me. I hoped, didn’t happen. He unlocked my shackles and motioned for me to lay face down on the table. Slowly, I crawled onto the deathly cold steel and laid down. 20

Still holding the leash, he wrapped leather straps around my ankles and wrists. Next, he took the collar off and replaced it with a metal restraint, pinning my head to the table.21

Helpless, I saw him walk over to the wall and pull down a long, thin knife. The black handle fit his hand perfectly as he gripped it with ease. I tugged against the restraints, knowing it was no use.22

“What are you going to do with that? What am I in this room?” I screamed, suddenly afraid.23

“Shut up. This is a rough test, to see how much pain you can withstand,” he said, thrusting the huge knife through both of my knees.24

I tried to suppress a scream but it was no use. He quickly pulled it out, leaving me in my own pain. A whimper escaped me, showing my fear. I saw him set the knife down and return to the wall. I suddenly didn’t like the wall or this room very much. 25

He grabbed one of the skinny whips. At the end of it, there were glass shards that stuck out a few inches. He cracked the whip, the sound echoing throughout the room, making me sick. Letting it fly, it hit my back with a dull thud. The glass pierced my skin, making me yelp. Another hit, tears dotted my eyes.26

I begged for him to stop but the more I begged, the harder he hit me. With my back bleeding, blood dripping off from my back, onto the table and into a small puddle on the floor, he threw the whip on the floor. He pulled out a small key. Unchaining me from the table, he forced me to sit up.27

A knock on the door and Jon walked in. He was holding two glasses of water. I guessed one for me and the other for Leah. He handed them both to Leah. Shocked, I started to protest. But Leah forced a glass into my hand.28

“Drink. And don’t complain,” he said, holding onto the other glass.29

He turned his attention to Jon. Speaking in a different language, they talked while I drank the water. It was cool and refreshing on my dry throat. I set the glass on the table next to me and waited.30

“Oh….you’re done. Here, drink this,” Leah said, surprised at the empty glass.31

I grabbed the glass, this time gazing into the water. I’m paranoid, give me a break. Sighing, I downed the glass, setting it next to the already empty glass. Jon nodded and left the room, leaving me alone with Leah.32

“Feeling better? I hope so. We are nearing the end of our big test. I need you to go stand by the pool. I’ll be back in a minute,” he said, heading to the back of the room.33

I stood but soon fell over. My broken knees were not a good sign. I instead tried to crawl over to the pool and waited. He returned a few minutes later, holding a pair of handcuffs, two buckets and a bag of cement. He set the buckets on the floor and the bag of cement next to them. Walking over to me, he pulled my hands behind my back. I heard the lock click, wondering where the key was.34

“Okay. Now that you won’t escape, I’ll tell you about the test. I’m going to put your feet in the bucket, cover them in cement and put you in the water. Well, it’s not really water, it’s acid. The acid is rigged to change color in accordance with what’s in it. Species wise that is. There are many types of species in this world. I narrowed it down to three that you could be. You are either a shapeshifter, which means you can turn into animals. The second one is a shadow, able to move in and out of shadows along with some other cool powers. Last but not least is dragonite. Depending on what you are, the acid will turn a different color. Understand so far?” Leah explained.35

“Umm….okay. I guess. I mean it’s not like I have to get free right?36

He didn’t reply, making the suspense show the answer. He motioned for me to stand and put one foot in each bucket. I did as he told, the buckets halfway filled with water. My feet barely fit in them. He set the bag of cement down next to me.37

“Don’t struggle. It’ll only make this worse. This exercise is called, the key of death. If you have a power, of any sort, they’ll show up in the pool. The key to the handcuffs is in you. You just drank it. If you don’t have powers, there is no need to panic. I will pull you from the pool and heal your wounds. Then Jon will escort you to your room, were you’ll eat lunch. If you have powers, you will be forced to use them to escape from the pool. Or should I say, the acid? Any questions?” he said, smiling. 38

“Yes. Can I puke the key up now? Is there any other way to escape this nightmare other then dying?” I shouted, unable to move my feet.39

Looking down, I could see the cement harden around my ankles. The brown and silver goop froze, looking like a marble countertop. A few seconds later, he pulled my arms behind me, locking the cuffs around my wrists. I opened my mouth to protest but he already had the duct tape on my mouth.40

“No. I’m sorry but there is no other way. We’ve done other ways in the past but people tend to fake those. I truly am sorry. I might be able to find a way for you to go back to your home planet. Now, to explain the colors. Green means that you are shadow, yellow is dragonite, and red is shape shifter. If the waters neither of these colors, we will do one more test to make sure of the answer. You have to be completely submerged in order for this to work. Do you understand?” he explained, gripping my shoulders.41

He picked me up and carried me over to the pool. Dipping me into the pool, he smiled and plunged me completely under. I could feel the acid eat away me, tickling and numbing my skin. I looked around to see the acid changing colors. Flashing red, then blue then back to red. Then it went back to blue and flashed some more. Blinking blue, it slowly faded into a white. 42

Animals, I could turn into animals. Images of animals flooded my brain, all moving at the speed of light. My brain, overloaded, searched my memory for every possible animal it could. Panicking, I tried to break free but the handcuffs prevented me from barely moving. Ii felt my legs slam into the bottom, guaranteeing my prison. Slowly losing my air supply, I continued to struggle. The only thing I could think of was a dolphin. They could swim; a dolphin had all the necessary equipment to get me out of this mess. 43

Without warning, I felt the changes begin. Glancing down, I saw a rubbery gray skin ripple up my legs. At the end, the long fins where forming, my toes meshing together. I looked at my arms, feeling them squish and my bones melt, becoming long gray flippers. I could feel my organs disappear, move then reappear, smaller then before. My nose became longer, shrinking then growing, looking like a long skinny tube. My eyes slanted to the side of my head. Teeth formed in my mouth and my tongue become long and slimy.44

Feeling the rubbery skin all over, I arched my back, feeling the dorsal fin grown until it reached it’s full height. A tiny blowhole appeared in front of my dorsal fin, filling with acid. I looked down to see the handcuffs and empty buckets floating, suspended in the acid.45

I kicked off, swimming towards the surface. Although the acid slowed me down, I still moved halfway gracefully through it. I broke through the water, letting as much as acid out of my blowhole as possible. Amazed at myself, I swam to the edge and greeted Leah with a laugh. Then it hit me. How do I change back?46

I looked at Leah and opened my mouth. To my surprise, I could speak, which made me chuckle. Fatigue sapped away my remaining strength. I could feel myself changing, changing back into a normal person with nose and fingers, no rubber or fins. I gripped the edge of the pool with my fingers, barely holding on.47

“Nice. You did pretty good. I’ve had a lot of people go in that pool but none have ever become a dolphin. Hey, are you okay? You don’t look so good,” Leah said.48

I nodded and let go of the edge, floating into the middle of the pool. At that moment, drowning was the least of my problems. Turning into animals, that was a different story. I glanced at Leah and his frowning face before the inky acid engulfed me. I heard a yell and a splash before I felt something grab me. Assuming it was Leah, I pulled away but he continued to pull me in.49

He lifted me out of the pool and laid me on the floor. A few seconds later, I felt him slap me, making me groan. He laughed and while I breathed, I felt him leave my side. I sat up, just in time to see him thrust the knife in my stomach. Clutching my now bleeding stomach, I glanced up to see his foot connect with my face.50

I fell over on my side, moaning in agony. He laughed some more and I heard the sound of a sword hitting the floor. I pulled the medium sized knife out of my stomach and held it in my hand. As he kicked my ribs, I let the cool silver slide across the thin layer of skin on my wrists.51

My arms fell limp to my side, a quiet cry escaping me. He stopped kicking me and looked over my body. He saw the small growing pools of blood around my hands and kneeled next to me. With my eyesight fading, I felt him take my wrists. I tried to get away but was too weak. A few moments later, I felt my strength returning to me. Confused, I looked at him.52

He smiled and let go of my wrists. I looked at them to see them healed. No blood, no cuts, no scars; the skin looked brand new.53

“You are the only one in at least a thousand years to beat me. No one hardly ever does that and lives. Oh and I healed your cutting scars. A warrior like you should have no ties to their past life,” he said, wrapping my legs with chains.54

Making no motion to stop him, I said, “But if they don’t remember those things that have been done to them, how will they fight? They will have lost the will, the urge that fuels their passion.”55

“You make a good point, hence the reason that I didn’t erase your memory. Now, your not fully healed, I’m not that nice. Jon will take you back to your room and then Sam will come and fix you up a little,” he said, grabbing my wrists and snapping the cuffs into place.56

I laid there, feeling every muscle in my body tense and relax, waiting for the next attack. Jon entered and walked over to us. Leah handed him a rope, which he attached to my handcuffs. With a gentle tug, he pulled me along the floor, my blood making it easier to slide upon. I watched Leah for a second as he looked around the room. Exhaustion took its toll on me, slowly forcing me to sleep. The last thing I saw was Leah glaring at me. 57

I opened my eyes and looked around. Jon hovered over me, holding a knife in his hand. Throwing the knife, it landed a few feet next to my head. He bent down and I felt the handcuffs come off. He moved and I felt the weight on my legs lighten, hearing the chains clink together as he put them in a pile on the floor.58

“Never let your guard down. Sam will be in a couple minutes. If I were you, I would grovel at her feet for forgiveness. You owe her that much after you hurt her like that. I’m going to heal your wounds but don’t you dare try to hurt me or I’ll reverse it,” Jon said, placing a hand on my shoulder.59

Drowsiness gripped at me but only for a moment. When I awakened from the little trance, I had no injuries. He got up, looked once more at me and left. The knife sitting on the floor beside became my new best friend. I picked it up and cradled it in my hand. Touching the blade with my finger, fresh blood ran down the tip of the blade. I smiled and stood. Retreating to the corner next to my bed, I let the silver run across my skin.60

New artworks sprang to life, the new blood creating a small pool next to me. Tears mixed with the blood as thoughts raced through my mind. Who knows when Sam would show up.61

“Might as well get it over with. It’s better then living,” I thought to myself.62

I placed the tip of the blade on my left wrist and gently pressed. A wave of blood crashed onto the floor, followed by my limp wrist. I moved the knife into my motionless hand and pointed it at my right wrist. Making a small cut, I collapsed on the floor, waiting for the end.63

“Raven…Raven!” I heard someone shout as the last of my strength left me and I passed out.