"You know, I could really go for a beer right about now."
"Thank you for that enlightenment Christopher," April snapped at me. "I'm sure that the world is a better place, and that we are better people for knowing that utterly useless fact."
"Sheesh, no need to bite my head off, I could settle for some sex," I joked, poking her in the rib.
Jalil turned around and gave me a dirty look, which I returned. After trudging through the forest for three days, no food and very little water, tempers were running high and we were all getting on each others nerves.
Three days, no food, little water? Sound like harsh conditions? You don't know the half of it, mister. How did four average Chicago teenagers end up wandering through what appeared to be the same forest that little red riding hood toddled off to see a considerably lupine grandma?
I laughed bitterly, drawing another strange look Jalil. "What's up mah nigger?" I joked. "You don't like this little home away from home? Speaking of which, General Davidous, where the hell are we?"
"People ahead," he grunted.
"Well let's go ask them where we are, shall we? I mean, come on, excuse me mister troll/god/immortal/alien/assorted people who would just love to chop my head off and use it as a football, but can you just tell us where we are? We might as well hang a sign above out heads saying 'Kill us! We've ignorant –"I shut up as David drew his sword, and Jalil palmed Excalibur.
Yes, we have an Excalibur. But don't expect the whole sword from the stone kind of thing. Really, it was just a joint venture between the mountain men and the Grouchos .That is, it's a Swiss army knife that we bargained with a Coo-hatch tribe to get altered from our dull, real world metal to the coo-hatch super-stuff, which can cut through a castle war if so you desired. And if the princess was hot enough.
We slowed and crouched down, wary. The crackle of a small fire carried to us, the faint glow visible through the dense foliage. David stepped in front, Jalil behind him. April and I, weaponless, hovered behind them, hoping desperately for some kind of success.
"I've said it before, ill say it again. I'd trade my mother, my little brother, hell, and my damn cable TV for an Uzi right now," I whispered.
David advanced quietly, one foot carefully placed before the other, testing if his weight would make a noise as it settled on the dead mast of the forest. When he was about five feet from where Jalil paced behind him, a voice called.
"Come forward, mortals, do not be afraid."
Our fearless leader turned around, meeting our eyes. Jalil shrugged, April bit her lip. It wasn't often we got a direct invitation to join a party in Everworld, and chances were that whoever it was was stupid enough not to mean us harm.
We advanced to the circle of firelight, and I was reminded of the last time this had happened.
**** Senna, sitting cross legged, her hands resting on her legs, palms up. Her eyes illuminated by the flickering dance of red and orange as she gazed into the burning coals, her face blank but tired as she thought... whatever the hell it was that witches thought ****
Here though, there was no Senna. But boy, if there was ever a rival for her in the weirdness stakes, this girl would win. She was bone thin, almost skeletal, and in the strange half light from the fire her skin seemed to be almost white, an ebony color so pale against her wild dark curls that is made you wince whenever she moved, as though she was made from the finest china that the slightest bump would crack irreparably forever. But it was...
"Holy Mary, mother of God," April whispered, crossing herself. I was moved to do a similar action of comfort: possibly hide under my bed for the rest of my life cowering.
Her eyes were large in her small, dainty face, framed by long dark eyelashes that only emphasized the problem. Her eyes were black, orbs reflecting your every move, boring into your very soul as though she could see you heart, see your thoughts, see the half formed emotions that never came to be, that you were too scared to admit even to yourself. They glowed from inside, a deep shadowy lumination that made you think of that darkest pits of hell.
"Good evening," she whispered. "My name is Melanie."
"Good evening," David greeted her, keeping his sword in hand warily. "My name is David, this is Jalil," he indicated towards the large black boy holding our pathetic excuse for Excalibur, "April," now to the slender, red headed girl beside me, a backpack of our meager possessions strapped to her shoulders, "and Christopher," now to me, with my haystack blond hair and leering face.
Dammit Christopher, this chick could be a freaking lizard for you know, stop ogling.
"I am aware," she replied with a nod. "Please, sit. You are tired, and hungry. I have food."
"Thank you for that enlightenment Christopher," April snapped at me. "I'm sure that the world is a better place, and that we are better people for knowing that utterly useless fact."
"Sheesh, no need to bite my head off, I could settle for some sex," I joked, poking her in the rib.
Jalil turned around and gave me a dirty look, which I returned. After trudging through the forest for three days, no food and very little water, tempers were running high and we were all getting on each others nerves.
Three days, no food, little water? Sound like harsh conditions? You don't know the half of it, mister. How did four average Chicago teenagers end up wandering through what appeared to be the same forest that little red riding hood toddled off to see a considerably lupine grandma?
I laughed bitterly, drawing another strange look Jalil. "What's up mah nigger?" I joked. "You don't like this little home away from home? Speaking of which, General Davidous, where the hell are we?"
"People ahead," he grunted.
"Well let's go ask them where we are, shall we? I mean, come on, excuse me mister troll/god/immortal/alien/assorted people who would just love to chop my head off and use it as a football, but can you just tell us where we are? We might as well hang a sign above out heads saying 'Kill us! We've ignorant –"I shut up as David drew his sword, and Jalil palmed Excalibur.
Yes, we have an Excalibur. But don't expect the whole sword from the stone kind of thing. Really, it was just a joint venture between the mountain men and the Grouchos .That is, it's a Swiss army knife that we bargained with a Coo-hatch tribe to get altered from our dull, real world metal to the coo-hatch super-stuff, which can cut through a castle war if so you desired. And if the princess was hot enough.
We slowed and crouched down, wary. The crackle of a small fire carried to us, the faint glow visible through the dense foliage. David stepped in front, Jalil behind him. April and I, weaponless, hovered behind them, hoping desperately for some kind of success.
"I've said it before, ill say it again. I'd trade my mother, my little brother, hell, and my damn cable TV for an Uzi right now," I whispered.
David advanced quietly, one foot carefully placed before the other, testing if his weight would make a noise as it settled on the dead mast of the forest. When he was about five feet from where Jalil paced behind him, a voice called.
"Come forward, mortals, do not be afraid."
Our fearless leader turned around, meeting our eyes. Jalil shrugged, April bit her lip. It wasn't often we got a direct invitation to join a party in Everworld, and chances were that whoever it was was stupid enough not to mean us harm.
We advanced to the circle of firelight, and I was reminded of the last time this had happened.
**** Senna, sitting cross legged, her hands resting on her legs, palms up. Her eyes illuminated by the flickering dance of red and orange as she gazed into the burning coals, her face blank but tired as she thought... whatever the hell it was that witches thought ****
Here though, there was no Senna. But boy, if there was ever a rival for her in the weirdness stakes, this girl would win. She was bone thin, almost skeletal, and in the strange half light from the fire her skin seemed to be almost white, an ebony color so pale against her wild dark curls that is made you wince whenever she moved, as though she was made from the finest china that the slightest bump would crack irreparably forever. But it was...
"Holy Mary, mother of God," April whispered, crossing herself. I was moved to do a similar action of comfort: possibly hide under my bed for the rest of my life cowering.
Her eyes were large in her small, dainty face, framed by long dark eyelashes that only emphasized the problem. Her eyes were black, orbs reflecting your every move, boring into your very soul as though she could see you heart, see your thoughts, see the half formed emotions that never came to be, that you were too scared to admit even to yourself. They glowed from inside, a deep shadowy lumination that made you think of that darkest pits of hell.
"Good evening," she whispered. "My name is Melanie."
"Good evening," David greeted her, keeping his sword in hand warily. "My name is David, this is Jalil," he indicated towards the large black boy holding our pathetic excuse for Excalibur, "April," now to the slender, red headed girl beside me, a backpack of our meager possessions strapped to her shoulders, "and Christopher," now to me, with my haystack blond hair and leering face.
Dammit Christopher, this chick could be a freaking lizard for you know, stop ogling.
"I am aware," she replied with a nod. "Please, sit. You are tired, and hungry. I have food."