Dream Eater

Chapter 20: Second Stage

The night was starting to creep upon me.

 Shadows of animals and many other unidentified creatures made their rattling sounds around, filling the air in rhythmical waves.

 As for me, there was nothing else but to accept the law of the forest and keep myself on the right track. Believing or not, everything seemed similar so I couldn't just quit and return back to the beach. Oh I wished I've stayed there. 

But no! Following my own stupidity I had to...I had to do what exactly? I tossed another dry branch and it turned out to be a snake. It hissed at me, staring with those dull black eyes. "Get lost!" I tried to shoo it off. As in on cue, the snake rattled it's tail and left. Moments later small droplets of rain started to descend from sky, following by a loud thunder from the south... or wait was it west or maybe east? 

Sighing, I sat on the ground which was by now slippery and wet. I picked a small rock and tossed it in a puddle. As I threw another one, a sizzling lightning bolt hit it and with a loud bang made a huge hole where it landed. 

What the? I jumped up, looking at the sky. There were storm and rain, but lightning? None!

Another one zapped the tree to my right, but this time it didn't came from above. It came straight ahead from that hideous bush over there. Like someone was actually directing it to hit the spot. But that would be nonsense right? I mean lightning bolts don't care where they hit without being directed.

Besides wielding such element would be ridiculous! But how would you explain Sandy and Amadeus then? 

As it could read my thoughts, another one passed beside me. Coincidence or not, I had to move as far away from here. I dashed ahead passing one tree after another, listening the thuds my feet made on the endless puddles and mud. 

Left or right? None it matter now, because it all looked the same! Trees, bushes, grass, ugh! To make it even worse, a downpour started. The visible parameter was shrinking so I had to stop and take a better look of the area.

 Time to act like Tarzan. I grabbed a nearby branch and held tight. I tried to swing on the next one, but the thickness of this one didn't try to warn me not to do it, so I "gracefully" ended on the ground. Completely drenched and covered in mud, I tried again. This time watching to what I was holding on, step by step, I managed to climb a tree...Almost.

 Looking down I've noticed how high it was. Well look at that. The peak was at reach of my hand, but some hidden force came in to deny it and snapped my enthusiasm like an expression of a person when he/she sees nightmare entering their dream land.

 The mighty tree was splitting in half. But the weird part that the crack started somewhere at the bottom and progressed upwards in the blink of an eye. Both side were falling and I had no other choice, but to wait. 

The land was getting near and once I hit the ground, it wasn't quite what I was expecting to be. Instead of terrifying pain and broken bones, I fell into a soft fabric of sand and rolled a few meters. And just like that I was back on the beach. 

But this time, I felt a shift. A disturbance of some kind. And I was right! Sand beneath my feet started to move, trapping me in place. My attempts of getting out were narrowed down to a minimum, but I had to wriggled out somehow.

 "I was not meant to be food for sand" I was complaining to no one in particular, yet a voice responded.

 "Now that would be terrible!" she tucked a strain of her blue hair behind ear and smiled viciously. Blossom. Well, there goes my chance of getting rescued.

 "You know, I would appreciate some help here" I pointed at sand. 

"Oh sorry, I forgot!" Another voice broke the spell and sand stopped swallowing. Not today, my friend, not today! "Thanks Joey!" he wiggled his pierced eyebrow, "No sweat!" I took a deep breath and glanced at both of them. What were they up to. 

"If you are planning to kill me, go ahead" Joey seemed surprised while Blossom's eyes dilated creating two black orbs. At least she knew what she wanted. sparkles started to fly out of her hands. So she was the one who caused those lightning. 

"Element wielders" I whispered. "Yeah, but it's not that bad. Actually it's pretty cool. Look!" Joey tried to justify. He made a motion in a shape of letter S and sand started to move. He looked at me searching for the approval.

 "Mhm and that part were you all want to kill me? That is pretty cool too?" Got them! 

"Just passing the stages, once you reach the ending you will realize that this wasn't in vain" Blossom clarified. "Passing stages?! Oh I'm sorry, I'm just going to bleed to my death while all of you are experimenting with stages" I spat, "I'm sick of everything and it's all getting way out of hand!" 

Blossom zagged a bolt right beside me. She and Amadeus were starting to get on my last nerve with their attitude. "Sick of what exactly? You have no idea how important you are in this whole operation" Operation? "You know when I saw you, I though maybe... it will get better from here. Maybe we could go back. But you are not the same person, you used to be Mare! You are not even a half of person you were. And now you are nothing! A complete zero!" Blossom clenched her fist and turned her back. 

Joey lightly taped her shoulder, "Give her time" he was trying to reassure her into something unknown to me. She looked at me, her eyes transforming back to green "Prove me wrong" 

In a blink of an eye, picture shattered once more, leaving me alone all over again. 

"Wait...Wait!" My voice traveled trough the emptiness of space. Prove me wrong. But what was I doing wrong? I closed my eyes and my hand automatically drifted upward making a strange slide motion.

 Prove it! Small voice, barely audible barked the command and I was about to listened it when a loud purr stopped me.

 "Oh, you must be Alice!"