Enlightenment, p.2
Enlightenment, page 2
part #1 of The Immarian Lineage Series
I cringed as I saw my teacher hit her head on the floor, knocking herself out. Then guilt welled up inside me, but as quickly as I could, I hopped onto a seat and started pulling myself out. That was when something grabbed my foot, and I had a funny feeling I knew who it was. So, I did the only thing I could. I kicked her full in the face.
Hissing in pain, she fell backward, crashing into a metal chair leg.
Scrambling out the escape hatch, I slammed it shut.
The timing was perfect, as the bus had slowed considerably, the driver in a panic. I jumped off the roof and started to tuck and roll down the side of a hill by the road’s edge. I gasped as I rolled over a tin can before coming to a stop.
Wincing, I massaged my side and took several deep breaths while watching the exhaust and several twirling twenty-dollar bills trail away from the bus farther down the road, on its way to Boston.
A smile touched my lips. “I did it,” I said out loud in disbelief. “I’m free!” I shifted my bag into a more comfortable position and looked around at the wide-open plain. “Now what?”
Chapter 2
It was a little disorienting. I had put so much time and effort into thinking of a plan to get away, had spent long nights and boring English classes mulling the escape over in my head. And yet, I never thought of what would come next. I’d had ideas of things I might have to overcome, yet I had never even thought about what I would do first, or where I would go.
It was still early in the day, so I decided to cover a couple more miles before setting up camp. Honestly, I had no idea where I was, but I did remember seeing the bus pass a sign for Manchester. Not that that helped at all. The only Manchester I knew was the one my butler Cornelius cheered for when he watched soccer or, as he said, “The red devils play bloody good football, they do.”
Dusting myself off, I started walking in a northeastern direction, according to my compass, through a field of tall green reeds. The longer I walked, the more I thought back and realized just how strange the whole bus situation had been. Why couldn’t anyone see the blonde girl? It wasn’t like she was trying to hide. And how could someone’s eyes glow? Maybe she was an alien outcast that needed human flesh to survive, and I had been her prey … Somehow, I didn’t think that was right. Then again, what could she be? Maybe it had been a simple trick of the light? I didn’t think so, though. What kind of trick of the light turned someone’s eyes into glowing orbs of horror? So, for a while, I amused myself with other nonrealistic stories about how that blonde had come to be.
The sun was falling in the west, indicating late evening, when I finally stopped. I couldn’t walk anymore. I felt like I had blisters the size of pennies on my feet.
I threw down my bag and tried to put up my ancient, battered tent. It’d been a gift from my grandfather, who had used it himself when he’d been a kid. I had never been camping before and had no idea how complex a tent could be. The sun had just dipped past the forest off to my right before I even got the stupid thing up and, by that point, I was in a bad mood.
Then my stomach started grumbling. I hadn’t even realized I was so hungry.
I gathered some wood by the edge of the dark forest and soon had hot dogs roasting on a stick above a small crackling fire. I was proud of my fire; it proved that television really was better than school. Well, wilderness survival shows were, anyway.
My temper abated a bit just by sitting around a warm fire and winding down after a crazy day. It was so peaceful and quiet, very different from the city. I made sure to soak up the feeling.
Kicking off my shoes, I sighed with contentment as the flames warmed my feet while I lay back to look up at the twinkling red, blue, and white stars. I breathed in the free air deeply and smiled, my eyelids growing heavier and heavier with each breath that followed.
Although the night started off well, it quickly turned into one of the worst nights of my life. After putting out the fire the fun way, I lay in my tent, under a blanket that I ended up pulling over my head, and kept the sword beside me as I jumped at every sound. I almost had a heart attack just from a squirrel that ran by. Being all alone at night, in the middle of nowhere, next to a forest, could really freak someone out. You start thinking about things, bad things that made it so much worse.
Eventually, tiredness won over. Unfortunately, my dreams were just as bad. I dreamt about the blonde girl hunting me down with her glowing eyes that appeared to work like flashlights in the darkness. Her forked tongue whipped in and out of her mouth, trying to catch my scent.
Then I woke with a start as a stick snapped nearby and a thin material fell over my body. With a panicked gasp, I rolled over, tightly wrapped in the thin material, making it hard for me to move.
Oh no, she caught me, I thought frantically.
I started thrashing and yelling, desperate to get free, but it only made me even more entwined in the material. As I thrashed, my hand hit something hard. The hilt of my sword! Grabbing it, I swung wildly, slashing the material once, twice, three times, until there was a hole I could escape through.
As I scrambled out, I got to my feet, breathing hard with my sword raised, expecting the blonde girl to attack me.
There was no one there.
As an owl hooted somewhere in the distance, I looked down at the remains of what had trapped me and smacked my forehead with the palm of my hand as I shook my head. It was my tent … that had just collapsed on top of me.
***
The following morning, I felt like such a goofball. I might have lost the blonde girl, but at least I knew I could take on a tent.
After a breakfast of apple slices on burnt toast, I tried repairing the damage I had done with duct tape, but there were several holes, and I couldn’t find the pieces that fit there.
Twenty minutes later, I decided I had done all I could, so I packed my stuff up and ventured into the forest.
The forest was so full of life. It was amazing. Birds were singing cheerfully high up in the trees, plants of all colors bloomed in the morning sun, and squirrels chattered animatedly to each other, probably mocking me for last night.
Despite not knowing where I was, the forest was welcoming. Definitely not something I was used to. It wasn’t loud or polluted, and there was a nice, gentle breeze that passed through the trees, ruffling the leaves on their branches. Things were so calm that it just lifted my spirits.
I walked on, enjoying the wilderness and occasionally veering off course to take a look at an interesting plant or animal trail. Hours leaked by, but there didn’t seem to be an end to this forest. I didn’t let that bother me, though. Everything had an end, and it was just so different from New York. If I looked closely, I could see animal dens hidden under thick bushes with beautifully colored flowers or up high in the hollows of a tree. There was also a faint hum in the air of worker bees buzzing around, collecting nectar.
I walked on for another hour, not realizing the shift in the forest’s mood, too busy enjoying myself while the forest rapidly became darker and darker. My watch said it was only 12:40 p.m., and there hadn’t been a cloud in the sky this morning. However, now the sky was hidden behind a dense layer of dark green foliage.
In that instant, I felt claustrophobic, with nothing but tree trunks in any direction. And suddenly, that gentle breeze didn’t feel so friendly anymore. Even the birds and squirrels had gone quiet as the forest got darker still and the air grew close and compact.
My palms started to sweat as the forest continued to darken, but I walked on … at a slower, more cautious pace.
In a matter of minutes, the forest had gone from welcoming to “get the hell out,” like most female characters in chick flick movies. I checked my compass again, making sure I was going in a northeastern direction, and my heart started hammering when I saw the arrow spinning around like teacups at an amusement park.
This is really not good.
I decided it would be better to turn back, but I couldn’t … For some reason that I couldn’t understand, a wall of tall trees now stood behind me.
“You weren’t there a minute ago,” I said quietly.
The unfriendly breeze shook the branches and made them seem like crooked fingers reaching out to grab me. Their trunks creaked and groaned as if they were talking to each other.
Swallowing hard, I started to walk around them when, out of my peripheral vision, I thought I saw a tree moving toward me. When I looked directly at it, however, it was dead still.
Failing to remain calm, I looked around and realized I was almost surrounded by trees. The wind blew harder as leaves swirled around, and I saw, to my relief, a small gap between two trees. I darted in that direction, barely slipping through the gap. Then I spotted light up ahead, maybe five hundred yards away. I made a wild dash for it, blood throbbing in my ears. I jumped rocks, yet branches appeared out of nowhere hitting me several times and scraping my cheeks, which only made me run even faster.
When I was close to fifty yards away, I tripped over a root that just popped out of the ground and fell into a pool of mud. Yeah, I pretty much got mud in places it shouldn’t go.
As I wiped as much as I could off hurriedly, I looked up to see the light was gone and a huge maple in its place. Roots slithered like snakes and branches flailed every which way, like contorted hands, as it grew closer. Right then, I probably did the stupidest thing anyone could think of doing. I pulled my sword out of my bag and attacked the tree.
I swung my sword as hard as I could, but the maple somehow knew what I was doing. It caught my leg and flipped me upside down with a long branch. It didn’t even have eyes! How could it possibly do that?
As I hacked at the branch, roots spiraled out of the grounds and wrapped around my other leg and both arms. I knew I should have been freaking out, but all I could think was, Great, now I’m being beaten by a big ol’ tree. Why couldn’t it have been another tent?
A thick branch slapped my blade right out of my hand then hit me across the chest for good measure. White and red dots swam through my vision as I tried to breathe, and as the dots cleared, there was something I didn’t expect to see in a forest like this.
A girl. A girl with the blade of a dagger pressed against my neck.
“Who are you?” she asked fiercely, her green eyes flashing dangerously.
“Cut me loose, and we can talk after. This forest has a mind of its own!” I yelled, not noticing the trees had all stopped moving.
“We aren’t going anywhere until you answer me!” she shouted back. “Are you a Rayth, Gug, or some other foul demon?”
“A-a-a what?” I stammered, blood rushing to my head.
“Don’t play dumb with me,” she snarled. “Or the roots will rip you apart!”
“No, no, no, I’m a normal guy. I’m from New York, but I ran away, and I think someone or something is following me.” I could feel the roots lessen their hold on me, but only slightly.
“What’s following you?” she asked, eyes narrowed.
“I don’t know what it is. She is really hot, with a forked tongue, glowing green eyes, and blonde hair. I think she could be an alien!” I said, starting to feel dizzy.
Somehow, answering her question just made her even angrier. “Why did you bring her here?” she demanded, fists clenching as the roots pulled on every one of my limbs, and the bark cut into my skin. “I lived in this forest without fear for a whole year, and you, you worthless worm, messed that up in an instant!”
The roots pulled harder, and my eyes started to tear up from the pain.
“Oh, I’ve heard stories of her ferocity. Calling her a bloodthirsty killer is an understatement,” the forest girl stormed.
The roots were pulling so hard now that I couldn’t think or breathe properly. I didn’t comprehend her yelling at me or walking back and forth in agitation. Blood dripped from my wrists to the ground, and then the pain became so much that I blacked out.
Chapter 3
I woke up dazed and groaning, and it took me a while to try to take in my surroundings. I was lying down on something that swung gently, a hammock maybe, and I hadn’t a clue where I was, because there were no windows, doors, or any light at all to give me a clear view. It should have been pitch black, but I was somehow able to see. Then again, my vision was warped, as if I was looking through an infrared camera or something. It was just too weird.
As I rubbed my eyes, my shoulder shrieked with pain from the movement. Then memories of the forest girl and the trees rushed to the forefront of my mind. Had she dislocated my arm? Where was I? A twinge of fear started growing, which only worsened as my vision went back to normal and I realized it actually was pitch black.
I tried sitting up, but the swinging hammock jerked, and I crashed to the floor with a solid thump.
“Ow,” I groaned as I tried picking myself up with my rebelling muscles. Then I stumbled blindly forward, trying to feel my way around the room.
With my arms raised, I soon came into contact with the wall, which seemed to be one smooth sheet of wood, for it did not feel like brick or some other related material, and it was in a continuous curve. No matter where I felt, there was a lack of doorknob or anything allowing me to escape.
“Now what?” I muttered, stumbling back to the hammock. With no obvious solution, I just swung back and forth, wishing I had my belongings with me. It was impossible to tell how much time had passed in a place as completely dark as this. It could have only been minutes, yet it felt like hours.
I just waited and waited until finally my patience broke and I jumped out of the hammock, leaned my shoulder in, and crashed right into the wall, hoping I could break through the wood.
Nope.
Cursing myself, I sat down hard on the floor, rubbing my bruised shoulder with one hand and trying to stem my newly acquired bloody nose with the other. Feeling defeated, I just sat there and waited in the timeless room. At least I sort of had company. Well, my stomach was talking to me.
Eventually, I started to nod off, and as my eyes drooped lower and lower, a small dot of light hit me in the chest. Confused, I looked up and directly opposite me, where I assumed the wall was. A tiny hole appeared, which was too bizarre because it wasn’t there a second ago. Then the hole grew bigger and bigger until a grown man could have walked through to the outside, which sang with songbirds and smelled of fresh air. That was my ticket out!
Hauling myself to my feet, I was cast into shadow as the forest girl stepped into the room, saying, “I need to speak with you.”
“The feeling is mutual,” I said angrily, clenching my fists, though my voice was hoarse. “Kidnapping is kind of a big no-no.”
Ignoring me, she turned on her heels and walked off.
I do not like her, I thought as I grudgingly followed her outside, preferring not to stay in that room any longer.
Once the early morning sunshine hit me, I felt much better and physically more rejuvenated. That’s also when I realized that the room I had been held prisoner in was the widest tree I’d ever seen. It looked almost unnatural how the trunk bulged outward.
As I looked around, I noticed that I was in a clearing in the middle of a ring of trees with a similar door-like holes in each of them.
“Okay, listen here, you.” She glared at me, and the first thing I noticed about her were her eyes—bright green yet cold and dangerous. Then was the bow across her back and the dagger at her hip. “First of all, you are a slimeball and an idiot and—”
“Actually, I’m Alec.” I grinned at seeing her face turn red with anger. “And besides being a mugger and a kidnapper, who are you?”
“Thea,” she snarled murderously. “The one kind enough to not have your limbs ripped off.”
I gulped nervously, having been threatened before, but not like that—a real threat. I could tell she meant it, too, by the way she gripped her dagger.
“Oh, good, it seems I have your attention.” She smirked. “So, let me fill you in. While you have been all comfy and cozy in that room”—she pointed toward the tree that had been my prison—“I have been on guard to save both our skins. Although, why I bothered staying for you is beyond me.”
“Comfy?” I asked. “I was not comfy! And don’t blame me for being stuck in that damp old tree; you’re the reason I was stuck in there for so long. And what exactly are you on guard duty for, Miss Tarzan?”
“For the monster that is following your disgusting scent!” she yelled.
“Monster …? Monsters aren’t real!”
“Oh, you have no idea.” Her eyes narrowed to slits. “I’ve had enough experience to know what is and what isn’t real in life.”
I snorted. She barely looked fifteen; how much life experience could she have?
“Have you ever wondered why humans lose their keys or socks that should just be in the drier?” she sneered. “All those people who have gone missing, like Amelia Earhart. And there have actually been many other events that have happened throughout history that are the direct cause of one or more monsters meddling. Monsters bully humans, and humans don’t realize it. Only a select few can.” She looked at me distastefully. “Sadly, you seem to be one of them.”
“You’re crazy!” I yelled. There was no way monsters could possibly exist.
Growling in irritation, she chucked her dagger into the ground at my feet, causing me to yelp in surprise. “Why do you think millions of kids believe monsters are under their beds or in their closets? Hmm?”
“Uh … horror movies? Wild imaginations?”
“No! They are actually there, but only people who can believe in monsters can see them. Humans are a joke to monsters.” She seemed to really want to make me understand, like it was vitally important, but it just didn’t make sense. And why should I possibly believe some random chick who lived alone in a forest? Heck, I shouldn’t even have been talking with her. I should have been reserving her a room in the loony bin. “Monsters are criminals! They do the most heinous acts. They steal, they kill, they devour. And that Morta is real and very dangerous,” she finished.
