Chapter 8

Fucking hell. I think I died, bypassed hell and came back alive again. That was the most horrifying experience I've ever had. As soon as Gaspard had finished his ritual speech, my whole body felt like it was on fire. From my scalp to my toes I burnt, slowly and at like 100 degrees. I wanted so much to move, to pour cold water over my blistering skin, but I knew better than to go against Gaspard's words of wisdom, especially in a situation where I don't know what's going on. It would've been naïve to do so, and at that moment of time I really couldn't afford to be naïve. So, there I stayed; completely still and trying to think of other things.

What felt like hours after Gaspard fell silent next to me, my vision began to blur at the edges. Slowly, my whole vision faded out to black and all there was was emptiness. A blank expanse in which I was the only entity. The silence in itself was deafening, and the fact I couldn't see made my head ache. Being completely alone is something I have never been, always there have been noises, people, objects that make me feel part of something real. Here, well lets just say that being real is not the problem. It's the doubt you put on yourself, the questioning about if you were real in the first place. If your whole life was a lie.

I should have known better than to doubt my own existence. My thoughts alone should have been validation of my existence. If I didn't exist then why could I think for myself? Have my own personality? Love, hate, eat and drink? As I said before, I should have known better. I waited there, just standing, just being. Believing I was nothing made me lost. Made my journey stop momentarily and veer off its path. I'd questioned reality, so it had banished me from itself. I suppose that was only fair. I mean, if I told someone they didn't exist, they would hate me and try and cut me out from their lives. So it looks like the same goes for reality.

Gaspard was nowhere I missed him. I wanted him near me. I wanted some sort of solid object near me, to dismiss my rising vertigo. And Gaspard seemed like the best option. He made me feel real, wanted and for some strange reason: loved. Wow, can't believe I admitted that.

"Oh god Gaspard. Where are you? I need you," I nearly cried, right there and then. I never cry. It's weak to show that sort of emotion.

"Alice? Alice!"

"Gaspard! I'm here!" as if anyone knew where 'here' was.

"I'm coming just keep talking to me, and I'll find you."

"Ok," I couldn't believe it. He was actually near me. The crying really worked. "Well, I don't know what happened back there, but whatever you did it seems to have gone wrong. No offence to you, but this wasn't your best attempt to impress me. I think the kiss was better to be honest. At least I enjoyed the kiss. This I do not enjoy."

I could here laughing somewhere, "so you enjoyed the kiss when I nearly could've turned you. But this you don't enjoy. Well I learn something about you all the time. Keep talking, I think I'm near you."

"You really do think too much. You don't know anything about me. Let me put it this way; I know as much about you as you do about me. And that equals zilch. Don't even think about arguing with me about this. We've only just met, and I don't think anyone could know me after only one day."

"Oh but you see," and there he was right behind me, "I can very easily get to know someone after only one day." The bastard was smiling. Fucking retard. "We have to get out of here."

"You don't say," I really couldn't keep the sarcasm out of my voice. "I'm not staying here any longer. If I do, then well, you'll have a mad woman on your hands." And I really meant that.

"I thought you were already mad?" innocent puppy eyes were staring back at me. I kicked him.

"Stop the flirting. You've already kissed me once, you're not doing it again anytime soon."

"Oh, we'll see." And for that he deserved another kick. Yay, pain flickered across his face. I caused a Vampyr pain.

"Come on, we have to go." With that he pulled me into the nothingness, our feet scuttling across blankness. Step after step we took, going straight the whole time. I still don't know how he knew where to go. It was all so... blank. But, I suppose Vampyrs have like a sixth sense about anything magyk.

We stopped after my feet had actually blistered and were bleeding. Although I didn't know that then. Gaspard whirled me around so that my back was facing him. He held me tightly with one arm and chanted quietly. My stomach lurched, threatening to bring up the Chinese I ate earlier. It wasn't a good feeling.

"Do you trust me?" I could feel his arm tightening around me.

"Of course I do," and I meant it, I was being the most honest I've ever been.

"Then you have to just close your eyes and let me take us to the Realm of Faeries. We'll get there this time. I promise." I felt the truth in that promise. I knew that he wasn't lying. So, I let him hold me and guide me towards our destination. I had to struggle to keep my eyes closed, everything screamed danger. I couldn't see, I was moving and being held by a Vampyr. But I trusted him, so fair play to keep my eyes closed.

"Alice? You ok? We're here." Eyes opened and... wow.

"I think I just found where I want to live." With you, I added to myself.