Nina

Chapter Ten - Nina

The soil between my fingers covered the base of my hands as I sank into the ground. Flexing my fingers between the loose dirt I tried to follow Cyrus's instructions.

"Feel the earth. Feel the roots. What does it say?"

We've been outside, crouching on all fours. The late October wind is getting chilly and a breeze so fierce, it peels at my skin. It feels pointless.

"It's not working," I say ready to pull away.

He clamps his hand over mine. "Just try a little harder. Focus on the pain."

"I'm trying," I say between chattering teeth.

"Go deeper into your mind. Forget everything else – lose yourself."

Lose control. That's all I had to do. But I couldn't. My limbs ached and my head felt heavy. I dropped to the side and lay down, exhausted.

Cyrus leaned to, opposite me, inches away. I see why Hope would have loved him. He's attentive and beyond charming. Even the way he rests his eyes on me makes me feel something. Hell, it feels a lot better to what I'm used to at home.

No, don't think about home. It was never yours.

"Yes, it does take a lot out of you – new powers and all."

His eye travels down my body. Instinctively I look to find myself in those clothes which smelled like rotten garbage. It made me realise that I hated the way I look. They call me skinny Nina, or worse. It's not my fault I have my mother's dirty blonde hair or my anonymous father's dark eyes. "Something is missing. I feel powerful, but I don't look it."

He eyes snapped onto my face. "Do you have something in mind?"

"I've never owned anything pretty. Most of my clothes came from charity shops. It's sad to wear someone else's clothes; it comes with a lot of history. All I want is something of my own. Unique – I want to feel unique." I sat up, knowing what I want. "I want to wear a crown."

"A crown?" He repeats, tilting a head to the side.

"Yes, a crown. What a queen would wear to rule her people. Only I won't be a benevolent queen."

"You want to be a queen?" He nods slowly, a flicker of mischief in his pale blue eyes. "And what else?"

"I'll want a dress of course. A dress fit for a queen."

"Imagine yourself in what you want to wear and voila," he throws a hand in a dramatic fashion, "you'll be the prettiest belle of the ball."

I lift myself from the ground and stand up, feet shuffling slightly, getting my balance. I close my eyes and yes I see what I want. Not so much like the Evil Queen I envision, but something appealing. I imagine walking through those corridors, make a dramatic entrance in the assembly hall and have them all kneeling before me. All those who snared at me will soon quiver in fear.

I feel a tingle caress my arm. Tiny black spiders crawl down my shoulders and jump from my fingertips. I'm too petrified to move because I think back to the time Uncle locked me under the stairs and a black spider, with long dangling legs, hovered in the left corner. With every twitchy leg made me want to bang on the door, pleading for Uncle to let me out.

As the spiders continue to jump, more appear a foot pace away, all crawling over one another. A white thread like substance soon forms in a circle, continuing to rise up. A screech in the distance, followed by a flock of black birds, covers the light grey clouds. If the sun wanted to shine, its hopes are diminished. Above the tree tops, they circled, like a tornado they sped up and their feathers of rich black, ebony, and raven fell like ash around me. The spiders and ants on the ground passed each feather along their backs. A cone shape began to form, as a black hairy spider, poked its head from the centre, scurrying around the perimeter. I stepped in, removing my clothes, as the dress took form around my torso.

A hubbub of activity hummed inside the dress. A leg on an insect would crawl past my calf, and another would tickle past my waist. Now the feathers were carefully placed next to one another, gradually layering to build up a voluptuous skirt. The top part was a mixture of chestnut, copper and bronze leaves held together by the spiders' web.

Cyrus ran his fingers through my hair as he circled me. "Please forgive me if the crown is not to your liking."

Two perpendicular sharp horns on each end of the crown concaved. On the base, tiny obsidian jewels shined like a mystic moonlight, as Cyrus rotated it. With a proud smile he gently placed it on my head. Instantly it latched on. It didn't hurt, but felt as if I was wrapping an elastic band around my forehead.

I touched the sides, the cool metal hissed. "This won't fall off? It'd be embarrassing if it did."

"No mortal can remove it." He took a step back, inspecting my handy work. "You do scrub up well after a marvellous transformation."

"I wish had a mirror to see how I look."

"Trust my judgement." He took my hand. "Are you ready to try again?"

I take my first few steps back to the familiar hole. I crouch and push my hands in. I dig deeper, wrists lost inside the soil. I glance up at Cyrus; a reassuring look helps me concentrate. Maybe after I get what I want I'd find a way to bring him back. He deserved a life that was snatched away so soon. I hide a smile as I think; maybe he could have a life with me. No, I push that thought away, I must concentrate. I'm eager to explore what else I can do.

A loud snap makes me jump. My heart skips a beat. Cyrus doesn't seem phased as a small hook of a smile lingers.

"You're doing great."

Just behind him a tree, not too big, suddenly grows so fast, like a rocket aiming for the sky, splitting into two. I gasp at the sheer speed.

"Now imagine what you want the tree to do."

The ground shudders quickly because the smaller branches on the trees tremble violently. The split tree infused back again and shot back down, but I'm the one controlling it. So I let it go deeper. I pictured the motorway just outside of town. I want it to go as further back as that.

After a few moments, above the tree tops, the sky goes a shade darker and darker as I witness my powers growing. Like a glass of a snow globe, the tree that I split into two, made its way underground towards the outskirts of town. High above the sky disappears to bring eternal night.

Cyrus spins around, squealing in delight before returning to me, his hand holding mine. "Did you know? You are the visible personification of absolute perfection."

"I'm glad that you think so," I say, stepping closer to him.

"Are you ready?" He breathes deeply, waiting for my response.

I thread an arm into his and walk side by side, in perfect rhythm. My heart beat elevates as we approach the bent out metal gates. He stops close enough to the perimeter and waits.

"Forgive me, Nina. It's been so long since I've left the woods."

"Stay with me Cyrus Jones. Together we will get our vengeance." I glance up at the wood encased sky. "You see, Hatters Town has never experienced an earthquake. Now it will."

He strokes the base of my crown. "Lead the way."

A/N – oh no, it just got real. Nina, with her new powers, will be unstoppable. But can Cyrus really be trusted? 

Tap the star and leave a comment with feedback or predictions. This concludes Part Two. The next part will be available in a few weeks.