new chapter. this chapter was extreamly easy to write. now its getting on to the adventure part of the story and Gudna is pernouced 'good-na' remember that.

When the crows cleared, Victor saw that he was in a room that looked very much like Elder Gutknecht's. There were books every where and there was a podium. Where was he? He knew he was in the Land of the Dead, but where in the Land of the Dead? He looked down at Scraps who was by his right side. Scraps looked just as confused as he was.

Victor looked up to the podium to see an old skeleton (not quite as old as Elder Gutknecht) sleeping on it. Dead people sleep? That's probably where the term 'rest in peace' came from.

"Um…Excuse me …sir?" Victor said in a quite voice but probably loud enough to wake him up.

The skeleton stirred a bit, then slowly lifted his skull and stared at him with wide eyes, shocked. Well he had no eyes, but Victor knew he could still see.

"How are you here…and your living…" the skeleton asked dumbfounded in a deep, ancient voice.

"I'm Victor," he said introducing himself. "Um…where am I?" he asked nervously. This was the first time Victor had struggled for words since he had met Emily for the first time. Were there two different lands for dead people? This guy obviously didn't know about him and Emily. Scraps was confused too, which made Victor more nervous.

"You're in the Land of the Dead," the skeleton replied shocked and confused.

"Yes, I know that, but where in the Land of the Dead?"

"You mean you've been here before?" he questioned bewildered.

"In the Land of the Dead yes, but here…"

The skeleton sighed calmly and said "Well we have a lot to talk about, don't we?"

"Yes," Victor said agreeing.

"Well you've introduced yourself," the skeleton began. "I'm Elder Gudna, and you, Victor are in the north ruins of the Land of the dead."

Ruins? Apparently the Land of the Dead was a lot bigger then he had thought.

"So you're an Elder. Like Elder Gutknecht?" Victor asked.

Elder Gudna's jaw dropped. Literally. It fell to the floor with a clang. Elder Gudna bent down, picked up his jaw, and reattached it.

"You…you know my brother?" Elder Gudna asked stunned,

Elder Gutknecht had a brother? Since when? Well he had only been in the Land of the Dead for about one day. Did he really expect himself to know everything?"

"Um…yes," Victor answered.

"How do you know him? How did you even get to the Land of the Dead? You're living…"

"A dead person brought me to the Land of the Dead the first time and my deceased dog," Victor said motioning with his hand to Scraps. "Brought me this time."

"How exactly did this all happen? Dead people don't just bring living people to the Land of the dead. Dead people shouldn't be in the Land of the Living at all…" Elder Gudna said still so confused.

Victor really didn't feel like explaining in all and now that he was back in the Land of the Dead, he wanted to get back to Emily as fast as he could so he said. "It's a long story. I just need to get back to…" back to what? What part in the Land of the Dead was it? Since Victor didn't know he said "To where your brother is. I need to get there as soon as possible."

"Elder Gutknecht' tower? Where so far away from there…It would take weeks to get there by foot."

Victor's heart plunged into his stomach. Weeks? It would take weeks to get there?

"Couldn't you do a spell to transport me there?" Victor asked hopefully.

Elder Gudna shook his head no and said "The only spell that transports is the Ukrainian haunting spell which takes people who are in the Land of the Dead up to the Land of the Living and the Romanian bântuit spell, which takes dead people who are in the Land of the Living back to the Land of the Dead." ('bantuit' is Romanian for haunted)

Victor sighed. He had to be optimistic. He was closer to getting to Emily then he would be in the Land of the Living.

"How long do you think it would take to get there?" Victor questioned.

"Well since your living, you need to sleep. So…" Elder Gudna started.

"I will not sleep." Victor said. "I will only sleep when I pass out from exhaustion."

"With no sleep? At all? Well with no sleep it would probably take about…at least two weeks."

Ok. Two weeks…that wasn't that long…

"Why are you in such a hurry to get back there any ways? A young man like you should be in the Land of the Living…at your age probably getting married."

"Like I said, it's a long story. I just need to get back. And I can't do that without your help." Victor said. What if Elder Gudna didn't go? Victor would need him to show him the way because Victor would have no idea where he was going.

"Well…It would be nice to see Elder Gutknecht again…"

Victor grinned and said "Oh, thank you! Thank you!"

"Hmmm…you're living. You're going to need food and water…Oh! I know!"

Elder Gudna turned around and started searching through a shelf of books he had behind his podium. After a few seconds he pulled out a small, dark green book.

He laid the book down on the podium and opened it. He started flipping through the pages trying to find the right page.

"Here it is. This spell will make people who are living not need food or water for a whole month. That is way over the time we need for the trip."

"Ok," Victor said.

Victor felt the excitement burning up inside of him. In two weeks he was going to see Emily. He felt that everything was going to be alright.

Elder Gudna walked over to a cabinet and pulled out a clear red-orange bottle. He handed Victor the bottle and said. "After I say the spell you drink this. Not all of it, just a sip. Ok?"

"Ok."

Elder Gudna did the spell and when he was done Victor rose the bottle to his lips and drank a sip. It didn't really taste like anything. Victor didn't feel any different.

"Did it work?" Victor asked.

"Yes it worked. The spell won't make you feel hungry or need food so that's why you don't feel any different."

"So…When do we leave?" Victor asked.

"Right now," Elder Gudna replied.

hope you liked the chapter. ill probably have the next chapter up tomarrow. ill right it during my journalism class which is my elective :) well i did get the journalism teacher pissed at me today and if she see's me not doing what im supposed to be doing i dont even want to know what she'll do...she's also the history teacher and lets just say even though she SUPER short. shes like 4.5'' she is certianly scary. she got mad at me today and made me read a whole chapter in the history book. i think she was suprized that i actually knew were we were because i had been drawing Victor Van Dort with a pony tail and other stupid sketches like that in my history note book the whole time XD