Curse of flames: Awakening (Book 1)

Lin, Focus on the mission... please

       "So, Lin. I don't know what to do, what is our next move?" I stare at Lin across the fire hoping he would have a response to my question with many answers. "Well, the first move is clearly to eat and gather some strength to continue on and-" "REST!? What do you mean rest? The quicker we finish this stupid quest the better.

       I don't want to lose anyone else, I have no more family." There was very little hope left in me after everything calmed down, but i had to continue on.

       "Beige I get it's hard, I never met my dad and well my mom- doesn't matter. Anyways, chicken or... tortilla ramen?" He holds the 2 flavors up and looks confused ahout the Tortilla flavor one and I don't blame him. We sat there talking over random things, gave me a few tips on random stuff like games or notes to instruments which was confusing while eating Ramen. "Now back to what I was saying before you interrupted me," He glares at me, "Quests this specific are meant to happen, we won't finish this quest for 2 months which sucks, so the best we can do is try. Our move should be to explore Spain for clues as to a maze or something that might help."

       So then began our adventure into Spain which took awhile to get to an actual city due to how deep in the forest we were in. The scenery of the forest was amazing with very little light shining through the tree and the glimpses I had of the sky were clear. Finally, we had come to a street and past it: a massive building. Cars moving a ton, some of the stores I could see were the normal Target or Walgreens. A few tiny shops like a dry cleaning store and a closed toy shop. But something must have caught Lin's eye cause his expression changed from the normal stoic face to a excited child seeing a new video game.
        He grapples my shirt collar and darts across the street making cars come to a screeching halt. When I could breath from being choked I looked up to see a Chocolate Store with the name: "Chocolateria de Amor."
   "Beige-do-you-see-that-chocolate-over-there?!?" He starts talking to quickly to understand anything and I just was way to confused to know what to say and my expression must've shown it.

       "....It's Ferrero Rocher Biege... it is the best chocolate ever, I don't want it. I need it." Inside was a mini chocolate fountain behind glass with a tiny waterfall behind it. And everywhere had boxes of chocolate, bars, chocolate donuts. Too much chocolate.

       The store was empty other than the clerk and this girl who was suspiciously walking around covering her face, I didn't like how she was acting so I kept an eye on her while walking around only to notice her quickly looking at Lin. Finally she saw me staring and put her head down and seemed as she was blushing cause I caught her staring at him.

       I ignored it laughing in my head as Lin was still staring at the wall of Ferrero Rocher chocolate and calling me over. As I walk over he speaks to me really excited saying, "This one." He was really giddy so I could help but laugh at him and agreed with him. We quickly finished going through the store and as we go back to get it the girl walked by the wall and 5 boxes completely vanished. "Hey, that's theft pu-" "MY CHOCOLATE!" Lin was really mad and the girl darted out the door. I started to chase her with Lin behind me.

       We chased through out the city in and out the back alleys, running through crowds just to catch the criminal who stole the chocolate. After awhile, we lost her and somehow Lin was far behind. When he caught up he had 2 boxes of the chocolate in his backpack sticking out, "What? Ons box isn't enough. Where did she go? Did you lose her?' Lin questions me acting like I should know. I shake my head as we stand in the open, faintly to the left of us in another back alley were screams of terror.

      Lin darts towards it and I follow and trapped in a corner was the girl still wearing the hood covering her face. But trapping her were 2 massive Griffins with their claws only a few inches away from her. Lin throws the shield he found in the library like a boomerang hitting and distracting one as he charged at it. The other griffin had it's focus no turned to me. I pull out my sword and start playing defensively. Every time it slashed at me I blocked until I found an opening. I stabbed it right in the underbelly and shot fire upwards while it was over me turning it into dust. I started to regain my balance and looked to find Lin. I run to his side as he tells me: "She got hurt and she's unconscious. She is going to be alright, but we need to set camp up right now so I can start." The tone in his face was very dead.

        Night fell and Lin pulled a piccolo out of his bag and started to play a tune. It was soothing and the cut on the girl back healed quickly while glowing golden. She jumped wake startled and her hood fell back revealing her face to Lin and I. She looked a little shorter than Lin, maybe 5'3.

       Her hair was long and a dark chocolate color (Why so much chocolate?). She wore black glasses and was actually really friendly. I turned to Lin who had a very shocked face with his mouth closed and his face was so red. I poke Lin and when he didn't move I started dying inside holding back the laughter. I turn back to the girl who Lin was clearly in love with and say "Ok, um wow. I'm Beige this is Lin, who is... something, maybe paralyzed, but definitely something. Who might you be?" I kind of leaned back a little as she fumbles with words,"Oh, yeah I'm Kyla, but I need to know. Are you a demigod?"

       Lin comes back to the world and explains as if he doesn't have to hide anything with her. Surprisingly, she actually was a demigod, to none other than Hermes. I wanted to tell her I met her dad, but that's weird. I say to myself: "5 souls told to stand." She had to be one of the 5 and since she knows our quest. Who now?

     Lin said he would take night watch and this marked the first time I ever saw Lin out of his sweatshirt. Kyla "stole" and slept in it. I tried going to sleep but it seemed impossible, so I decided to stay up with Lin to talk.. and tease him. "So Lin," I grin towards him, "Should we let her stay if she wants? How do you feel about the situation?"

       "I-I mean, like, if she wants then then who are we to stop her? Sh-she could be helpful to the team." He gets more red and I start laughing, "Oh my god Lin you just met her and you totally love her" "Well, she's beautiful okay?" "Then tell her" I start grinning holding in laughter to not wake Kyla up.

      "I mean, um... she's asleep and like I don't want to wake her up because that rude and and just be quiet." Then he turned around and went to sleep.   I wanted to be cruel and put him next to her but I just made it so he layed down in his spot and avoided the slap that would have happened. The next morning when Lin awoke he made me swear never to speak of this and I promised right before Kyla woke up.

       I decided to do a quick shopping trip and got some food other than Ramen to come back to see Kyla and Lin talking and sharing the chocolate. If I had a phone I would have taken picture, but Tashi had taught me that phones are useless only later to find out that the signal near a demigod was strong and attracted monsters. If only Tashi were here right now to see Lin. I start to enter our little camp site and stopped creepily stalking them and the both turned and Lin kept looking down, but I saw his smile. "So, Kyla decided she'd like to join and help us. Beige, she knows a few entrances to the Labyrinth in Spain," Lin says very quickly still eyeing Kyla from the corner of his eye.

       "Yes, I'd like to help, I haven't met people like you two before and I could use some company. I can also show some entrances to the Labyrinth," Kyla tells me reaching for another piece of chocolate. "So Kyla, where should we go then?" I ask our new friend and only to have Lin answer.

       "Somewhere like a chocolate store! So, um, that I can, um, think more clearly, yeah that's the excu- reason I was looking for" Lin looked down again to hide his face with the fedora he had bought. Kyla then chimed in with the following information: "Well, I don't see why there is so much rush, but Palacio Real is where we need to go, very much a place to go with someone you would share cho- information with. I-I remember a entrance there to" She turns away and starts walking. I make an excuse to go back in the alley and start laughing at the 2 who had just met. Kyla and Lin are going to make this trip way more enjoyable.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~AHHHH FINALLYY. I'm so happy to be posting again lol