These writings weren't really inspired by anyone, but if there's one person I would like to thank it would be A.M.C. Theaters. The amount of writing that she does for those like me who eagerly wait for her updates is astounding and awe inspiring. She is "awesome" and so are her stories. I can only hope I can be as faithful to my readers (if I have any) as she is.

Chapter One

Steffanie

The intent storm held it's commanding forces high; a slow unwavering mass of black rising ever higher, ever closer. Chaos versed panic in an ultimate battle of skill and strength. A scene devoid of peace; the huge ocean liner proportionately tiny against the brooding swath of waves. Crowds scurried from every which way, bumping and trampling any lost straggler.

The monstrous wave kept building and building, looming higher above the close-to-wrecked ship. The ship I just happened to be on. My eyes shot to a teen in the middle of the chaotic crowd.

"There is no question, I am not the only one about to die," I pushed the unwanted thought from my mind and looked away. She was just one insignificant girl. She had nothing to do with me and she was no relation of mine, so why was I so concerned for her. I clung to the rail for dear life and something inside me ripped away my voice yelling some sort of female name. To my absolute surprise this same girl looked up just in time to see me being ripped from the boat as it lurched forward, being splintered apart. I had a sudden flashback of my orphanage years and then of the juvie sentence and why I was here, of the destroyed classroom, the unexplained flood of water, and of my desk … completely dry in the middle. The hard cold slap of icy sea slammed me back to reality and I realized were I was with full force. I saw a splash above me as someone fell in. My mind banged into sudden focus as I shot upwards to the girl, whom I was surprisingly not surprised about seeing, but just as I was about to touch the surface, chains of molten hot something snapped behind both me and her and shot to my arms. It stung my flesh burned against its tough hard skin. Bubbles slipped from my mouth as I screamed in terror. I was being pulled downwards. No, I could not die like this; I would not die like this. I was being reeled in farther, farther, farther down; my energy being quickly drained by some hard, strong power. I fought to keep consciousness until it became too much for me to bear. I gave one last pleading look into the surface before darkness engulfed me and I blacked out.

Sarah

I watched in complete horror as the gigantic wave kept building and building. Someone screamed my name and I whirled around staring at a strangely familiar, gorgeous teenage girl. The Captain started screaming, "Abandon-Ship," just as the phenomenally large wave crashed down on top of us. Needless to say, the ship was splintered into a thousand pieces and I was thrown a couple hundred feet overboard. The icy cold water slapped me in the face bringing me fully awake and shoving the air out of my chest... I coughed and gasped frantically, trying to get a hold of some air, But I had no time before a second wave, bigger than the first, crashed down on top of me. Wet seaweed entangled my arms and legs pulling me down. I suddenly was sleepy. I fought for one cruel moment before my body collapsed. Blackness engulfed me as I sank deeper and deeper into the enormous jaws of the laughing sea.

Stephanie

"Get up, yaw filthy woman!" I moaned in painful surprise as I was kicked, hard and then, a hand so filthy that it felt slime covered, curled around my arm, seizing me so suddenly, I again, yelped in fiery pain. I was still only half conscious as he pulled me up and I was half dragged across a filthy wooden floor. I quickly realized that I had been blindfolded, gagged, and chained hand and foot with an icky substance that tasted like wet cement and reeked of dried urine. I heard the prison door creak open in front of us, at least I assumed it was a prison door. A sudden filth at my side told me that I was being pushed along a long corridor covered with some sort of fungus coral. My hand went up to grasp my ever trustworthy crystal pendant. It was a cut and polished creamy white quartz on a simple silver chain, but it meant more to me than anything that I had ever been given. I had found it inside my brother's desk right after he died. The gag fell off and I stopped short.

"No I am not going anywhere! Not until someone tells me what is going on! Not until someone-!"

Reaction was swift, like a serpents strike. My captor struck me hard across the face. I fell onto the gravel.

"No prisoner speaks without permission," he shouted in my face, "You'll make no demands here, woman. Your old life has ended. If you do what you are told you will eat. If you speak when you are spoken to you will drink. If you disobey you will be punished swiftly and harshly. Understand?"

"Yes," I said softly as I looked downwards. He pushed my gag back over my mouth and proceeded forward. Another door was opened and I started to remember what had happened and where I was. I was officially now freaked out, but, surprisingly, my pride had had a sudden boost and was more powerful than my fear. I wouldn't let on about how scared I was. Suddenly, and totally out of the blue, I was hoisted back a little and then thrown across a hard but spotlessly clean floor. I waited for a few minutes until I heard a voice say" Is this… it?" He was only speaking but that in and of itself made me want to tremble. In fact I was slightly trembling.

"Yes, master." My captor replied as if groveling on the floor, which he was.

"Bring her to me!"

I was immediately seized right above my elbows on both sides and roughly dragged forward.

I heard footsteps coming closer to me.

"Blindfold!" the creepy voice commanded.

My blindfold was then ripped of my face with such ferouisity I would not have thought possible and another hand pulled my head back by my hair. I saw many things all at once: gold leafed pictures in silver frames, intricately cut jeweled designs, satin windows. Then, I saw a man dressed in dark black green silk and velvet with gold embroidery at the edges, for the first time, a man, who I knew, right then and there, was an enemy to all my standards, all my values, and all that I held dear, not that I'd had anything to care about since Brandon died. It shaped everything and instead of fine handiwork I saw the blood and sweat of thousands of humans… wait, why did I say that? I mean prisoners, such as myself.

I struggled against my captors but was held firmly in place. The Evil King, for that is what he seemed to be, stroked me gently on the cheek as if admiring a great gem and I could feel twisted lust coursing through it like a pulse. Then, faster than light, he swung around and backhanded me hard against the face. I would have twirled in a half circle before falling to the ground, but being held as I was I took the full force of the blow and blood trickled down from my nose to my chin. One hot tear rolled down my cheek as a guard seized my head and pulled it back into place. He didn't even try to hold back the satisfaction he felt, seeing my tear.

"What do you want!" I questioned, my gag having been pushed down by his blow.

"I want to know the location of Latisha, where you, nymphs, reside!" he yelled in answer, as if it should have been obvious," And you WILL tell me."

This … Evil King motioned towards a dark opening in the wall. I looked towards it just in time to see a shaded figure walking out. He had a slight limp could see a disguring scar running from his white eyes to disappear under the tight neck of his tunic In his hands he held an iron rod that smoldered red at the top and was pointed and a whip braided from some kind of sea weed, actually, it looked remarkably like the sea weed that had been used to bind me in the first place.

"You see," he started, motioning to the guard who had taken me here," I know your kind. You are too proud a race. You in particular. You would never reveal the truth unless someone else was in danger."

I turned to see a well-formed young man, with a hood over his head, pulling something behind him and none to gently. For a moment I was distracted by the man's assured gait, his physic, his- no, it wasn't anything that I could see. It was more like he was from the backround of a well-remembered memory, but a part I had never paid attention to before and now couldn't quite recall. But all thoughts of the guard died when a realized his cargo and puzzled the kings words with them. He was pulling … a child.