As she stealthily weaves between the throng of monsters, Claire tries her best not to become too enraptured by the subterranean culture she's trying so hard to escape.
To her left, a stall selling trinkets catches her eye and she moves closer to inspect the strange objects on display. Tiny statues in chiseled stone line one shelf, accompanied by tiny crystal figurines that Claire assumes are either ornamental or used as pieces in some kind of strategy game. She swiftly moves on after a close encounter with a flailing stone limb and her invisible head.
The next stall is occupied by beasts the size of mountains, each standing at least eight foot tall, even when slouching, and Claire suspects these are the battle hardened warriors of the species. The setting reminds her of the sketchy tattoo parlour down the street, but instead of ink, the artists wield hammers and chisels, carving intricate patterns into their customers stone skin.
After having no luck in locating the exit, Claire tries to think outside of the box. If the species were so well hidden, they obviously rarely used the passageway, so all she had to do was search in the spaces that looked more abandoned. Moving away from the crowd of trolls and into the open, she notices an alley connected to a staircase. This had to be it; it had to lead to the surface.
Breaking into a sprint, Claire tackles the steps, three at a time, gripping the fur cloak for dear life so that it doesn't fly off in her dash to freedom. Halfway up the stairs, the stone structure morphs into a crystal spiral and she can see how high she has left to climb. Taken aback by how deep underground the city was located, Claire pulls herself together for the home straight.
When she finally reaches the top, her heart sinks. Bleary-eyed, Claire places a hand on the smooth stone sealing her inside. Resting her back against the offending wall, she sinks to the floor, depression setting in as she admits defeat. It was a dead end.
She'd be stuck here forever.
Her soft sniffles fill the silence as she no longer tries to suppress her tears. The flannel of her pyjamas absorb the drops as they drip from her chin and she rubs her sleeve over her damp eyes. The sound of a car engine joins her sobs, she jumps up in surprise and feels the magical blanket slips of her shoulders.
It must lead to the surface, all she has to do is find a way through the stone wall. Cracking her knuckles, Claire feels a familiar energy eminating from the stone barrier and deduces that an enchantment must have been placed on the entrance to keep out unwanted guests.
Summoning magic from deep within, her subconscious supplies the trigger word. "Open sesame," she whispers.
A blue glow outlines the shape of a door and carves a frame into the wall, then folds in on itself and twists, separating into smaller shards of rubble. In the gaps between the fragments, a magical blue light shines through and it swirls faster, creating a fleeting pattern before imploding, revealing the cool night air, a blanket of concrete and a delapidated hatchback.
The light of the headlamps temporarily blind her, but conveniently masked her extraordinary departure from Trollmarket.
Fatigue penetrates her muscles and she drops to her knees. Still shielding her eyes, she didn't see Strickler until he was right beside her, but by then, it was too late.
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"Claire... I know I'm the last person you want to talk to right now, but..." Jim presses his head against the door frame and sighs despondently. "But you can't ignore me forever." He was glad he'd left Not-Enrique at the arena or he'd never get a word in above the changeling's derisive laughter -- even he can tell he sounds like an idiot. "Claire..." he asks again, still refusing to admit defeat.
He almost walks away, but notices the scruffy drapes over one of the front facing windows have been drawn. Maybe now that Claire has seen things for herself, she'd be willing to listen.
Against his better judgement, he pushes against the worn oak of his bedroom door. The first thing he notices is that his chest has been moved and a new set of deep ridges have been added to his collection of scuffs decorating the room's floor.
Everything else is right where he left it, except the unavoidable loneliness that had briefly dissapated while Claire had been in the room.
Throwing open the door -- so hard the hinges whine in protest -- and diving under the bed, Jim hastily scours the room for any sign of the girl, but it's as if she was never there. Putting his dejection aside, Jim grits his teeth, anger consuming him. Balling his fist, he punches a hole in the lamp shade. She was gone. He should have known better than to leave her alone. She could be in danger and it would be all his fault.
"Shit!," he curses. "Claire is gone." Surveying the room one more time, he adds to no one in particular, "And she took my blanket... for some reason."
A/N: I hope you enjoyed that chapter and if you did, don't be a silent reader! Thanks to my beta midnightpansy!
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Juliet and The Hunter (Hiatus)
FanfictionThe world believes Jim Lake is dead. It's better this way - he can keep his loved ones safe from a distance, but fate has other ideas... Something is attracting dangerous magical creatures to the sleepy town of Arcadia Oaks and it falls on Jim to lo...
