of a lever, a rock to push; anything. I rolled my eyes at myself when I found nothing. I mean, this wasn’t an Indiana Jones movie…there were no heart-stealing nine year olds down here. Unless you counted Nadia, and I definitely wouldn’t put it past her.
I found a very suspicious-looking trunk that sat against one wall, but it was locked with something more than your normal combination lock. Besides that, the cavern was completely empty. I sighed in frustration and heard another low moan escape from Finn. I sat down next to him and attempted to wake him once more.
“Finn! Open your eyes! We need to get out of here!” I called to him over and over. An unsteady breath rattled from his lungs and his confused eyes cracked open. His entire body stiffened at my presence and he fought against the vines to move away from me.
“What kind of sick joke is this?” His voice was a gruff whisper, barely audible.
“Finn, it’s me - Stasia!” I pulled him back towards me, which was alarmingly easy to do.
“Stasia?” he stared at me for several seconds, as an inner war waged inside of him on whether or not I was real or an illusion. As something seemed to click, his eyes softened and then widened in panic.
“You have to leave!” he managed through a painful sounding cough. “You can’t be here!”
“I’m not going anywhere until I get you out of here,” I scolded him with conviction.
“She’ll drain you, too,” he pleaded with me. “You have to leave.”
“Drain me?” Had she morphed into a vampire? That would be my luck.
“Our abilities…” he coughed and moaned again, “…don’t work...down here.”
His eyelids fluttered and fell closed as his body relaxed and succumbed to unconsciousness once again. My heart sank into my stomach.
“Finn!” I begged him, tears beginning to burn behind my eyes.
“Well look who came to join the party!” Her piercing voice was like nails on a chalkboard. Scorching anger flamed in my heart and I whirled around right as Nadia materialized before me.
“What have you done to him?” I demanded and moved towards her, my rage inflamed with adrenaline.
“I’ll do whatever I want with him. He’s mine ,” she growled, as the gray smoke lifted from her skin. A blood chilling smile spread across her lips, “And now - so are you.”
A pair of white vines erupted from the ceiling, wrapped around my body and slammed me into the wall of the cave with a sickening thump. Almost without thinking, I closed my eyes and imagined my bed, the sheets, the darkness, the feather pillows beneath my head….and waited. It wasn’t working.
“Aw,” Nadia pouted cynically, “didn’t Prince Charming tell you? Your pathetic abilities don’t work down here.” She smirked, knelt down, and her golden eyes bored into mine as she continued, “You’re welcome.”
The vines squeezed tighter, making it incredibly hard to breathe. For good measure, she slapped me across the face with a smug grin. As I felt blood trickle from my nose, I smiled right back at her.
“You hit like a girl,” I laughed, trying to buy some time while I racked my brain for a way to escape.
“I could rip your pathetic soul in half with the flick of my finger. Don’t test me!” she fumed; her features darkening into a cross between malevolence and hysteria.
“Where is your soul, Nadia?” I asked, genuinely
I found a very suspicious-looking trunk that sat against one wall, but it was locked with something more than your normal combination lock. Besides that, the cavern was completely empty. I sighed in frustration and heard another low moan escape from Finn. I sat down next to him and attempted to wake him once more.
“Finn! Open your eyes! We need to get out of here!” I called to him over and over. An unsteady breath rattled from his lungs and his confused eyes cracked open. His entire body stiffened at my presence and he fought against the vines to move away from me.
“What kind of sick joke is this?” His voice was a gruff whisper, barely audible.
“Finn, it’s me - Stasia!” I pulled him back towards me, which was alarmingly easy to do.
“Stasia?” he stared at me for several seconds, as an inner war waged inside of him on whether or not I was real or an illusion. As something seemed to click, his eyes softened and then widened in panic.
“You have to leave!” he managed through a painful sounding cough. “You can’t be here!”
“I’m not going anywhere until I get you out of here,” I scolded him with conviction.
“She’ll drain you, too,” he pleaded with me. “You have to leave.”
“Drain me?” Had she morphed into a vampire? That would be my luck.
“Our abilities…” he coughed and moaned again, “…don’t work...down here.”
His eyelids fluttered and fell closed as his body relaxed and succumbed to unconsciousness once again. My heart sank into my stomach.
“Finn!” I begged him, tears beginning to burn behind my eyes.
“Well look who came to join the party!” Her piercing voice was like nails on a chalkboard. Scorching anger flamed in my heart and I whirled around right as Nadia materialized before me.
“What have you done to him?” I demanded and moved towards her, my rage inflamed with adrenaline.
“I’ll do whatever I want with him. He’s mine ,” she growled, as the gray smoke lifted from her skin. A blood chilling smile spread across her lips, “And now - so are you.”
A pair of white vines erupted from the ceiling, wrapped around my body and slammed me into the wall of the cave with a sickening thump. Almost without thinking, I closed my eyes and imagined my bed, the sheets, the darkness, the feather pillows beneath my head….and waited. It wasn’t working.
“Aw,” Nadia pouted cynically, “didn’t Prince Charming tell you? Your pathetic abilities don’t work down here.” She smirked, knelt down, and her golden eyes bored into mine as she continued, “You’re welcome.”
The vines squeezed tighter, making it incredibly hard to breathe. For good measure, she slapped me across the face with a smug grin. As I felt blood trickle from my nose, I smiled right back at her.
“You hit like a girl,” I laughed, trying to buy some time while I racked my brain for a way to escape.
“I could rip your pathetic soul in half with the flick of my finger. Don’t test me!” she fumed; her features darkening into a cross between malevolence and hysteria.
“Where is your soul, Nadia?” I asked, genuinely
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