Part Three: Dissolve and Decay

Chapter Nine: Trapped!

Blaze couldn't explain it. She could only figure that whoever had followed her had used her power against her in a trap. She could have been stuck there, in that eleven o'clock bubble, if it hadn't been for Conrad and Blaze's quick thinking.

"My parents are gonna kill me. They already think I'm in some bad shit," Blaze complained, fingering one of the braids by her ear.

"We'll figure out something to say," Conrad reassured, smiling softly at her.

"Is it 'we' now?"

Blaze cringed. She was utterly trapped. Trapped, trapped, trapped. She let go of Conrad's hands, turning to face Hailley. "Hail. Please!"

"We've been worried about you—"

"I was in a sort of time bubble—"

"And here you are—"

"I couldn't get out—"

"With him of course—"

"There's something wrong!" Blaze screamed, trying to catch Hailley's attention from her ongoing rant.

Hailley stared hard at her. "Of course there is. You just can't leave him alone."

"Look, Hailley. I like Cameron. I don't belong to you," Conrad pointed out.

"Stay out of it!" Both girls screamed in unison.

He seemed startled and took a step back. "Whoa."

"Whatever. I don't care if you belong to me or not, Conrad. It's all a part of the rules girls live by. It's betrayal," Hailley spat. She snarled at Blaze, flipping her blonde hair behind her shoulder.

"The only betrayal here is your attitude towards your friend. It's obvious that they like each other," another voice drawled.

Blaze sighed. No. She couldn't handle it. No more people, claiming she was one of them, but sure enough there stood Ariel and her own assorted posse.

Conrad's eyebrows perked up at them as he looked at her. "Friends of yours?"

"You could say that," Blaze whispered.

Hailley bristled at the words," And who are you?"

"I'm Gissele, Blaze's friend," the woman replied, throwing her head back in a haughty expression even Hailley couldn't match. Blaze could see Conrad's blonde eyebrows go back up in amusement. Gissele flickered her eyes at Blaze and Conrad, showing them the dark violet of her pupils, even in the night.

Ariel grinned at Blaze, taking her hand. She spoke in a low voice," We wanted to make sure everything was okay. Torrie tipped us off."

Hailley sighed, looking Blaze over Gissele's shoulder. "Looks like you easily replaced us."

"Hail…" Blaze called after her friend.

"Blaze, let her go," Ariel advised as Hailley turned tail, running away.

"What do you want from me?" Blaze cried.

Conrad touched Blaze's shoulder. "Who are you guys?" He directed his question, actually, to a foursome of girls. But hey, who was watching language use here?

"She already has a protector!" The third—and unnamed—girl cried out into the night.

Ariel stepped back and stood with Gissele and the other girl. She glanced them over and realized why Torrence described these three as she did. The third girl had to be Evangelina, the one she called and elf. The pixie, the fairy, the elf. Gissele was small and beautiful, busty and curvy, her hair wild and fluffy and strawberry blonde. Evangelina was tall and very thing with a small and cute face, her hair long and light, bordering between brown and blonde, while her eyes were an interesting navy blue.

"A…protector?" Blaze asked slowly, looking over her shoulder at Conrad. Ariel had called Orlando her protector. She said that that was what the girls called them, but that they were really the "box". Pandora's Box…

"Don't," Ariel commanded, understanding what was going through the girl's head at the moment. She nodded, listening to her. What other choice did she have?

Evangelina huffed, crossing her arms. "I don't get it."

Gissele patted her shoulder. "Calm down, sweetie."

Conrad leaned in closer, whispering in Blaze's ear. "What exactly is going on?" Blaze could smell his scent, a mixture of cologne and the sea. Why did he have to smell so good?

"My protector, Ariel? Him!" Blaze finally exclaimed, biting down all she truly wanted to say. If Conrad was her Pandora's Box, had she already opened it? By kissing him…Did she destroy the Daughters of the Moon with a mere kiss?

"What the fuck is going on?" Conrad demanded, tired of his questions being ignored.

Blaze held her head in her hands. She was responsible for the end of all hope. Chosen One. Chosen to let Darkness reign. What have I done? Blaze cried out in her head.

"I can't handle this!" She turned on the four of them. Why did they have to enter her life? Why did Torrence allow herself to be caught up in the Pandora Daughters' affairs? She had been so completely content. So content…

A cool hand touched her temple and soothing sensation filled her. It was like when she was a kid and would take a bubble bath, the warm water soothing her kinks out. She breathed out, a heaviness lifting from her shoulders.

"Take it easy, pretty girl," Gissele said, her voice soft and hypnotizing, relaxing Blaze. It was Gissele's white hand on her brown skin. "It seems complicated now, I know. But we've been through it. Think of Torrie. Or think of your poor friend here. All our protectors got word from out Mother. I guess he didn't."

Conrad was being a good sport now. To him, these girls were probably speaking from drug induced stupors. But still, he was willing to stand at Blaze's side.

"Cameron," he begged.

She turned to look at him. "I'm sorry, Conrad. I can't do this right now."

"I just want answers, Cameron…"

Me too…

"We can't give you those," Ariel said apologetically. She frowned and looked at the moon, touching her pendant.

Conrad frowned in return, touching Blaze's cheek with his fingertips. She took a deep breath, She realized that if he was her protector, her "box", she just couldn't avoid him anymore, but right now, she just wanted to go home. "You'll get answers, Conrad. I promise. I just… I need time to think," she begged the other Pandora girls and him.

Ariel nodded. "Of course. Here. Take my number." She held out a slip of paper to Blaze. "In case you need us."

Blaze took the paper, shoving it into her pocket. "Yeah. I'll do that."

"I'll walk you home," Conrad offered, looking hopeful.

Ariel grabbed his arm, shaking her maroon head. "No you don't. Go home, lover boy."

That was the last she heard of them as she made the trek home, trying to think up excuses to tell her parents in hope for leniency on her punishment for coming home after curfew.

Next Up: Sometimes, your friends are not the best people to confide in. I wonder why…