*~Forever More~*
A/N: I'm back! Sorry for not updating sooner!! Also,in case you didn't know,this fic is based off of The Forbidden Game trilogy by L.J Smith.
*~*~*~*
chapter 4: In The Heart Of Evil
*~*~*~*
Trembling,Pan desperately tried to stay calm. *Okay. There has to be a way out of this place. Darren will play by the rules,I'm sure of that.*
Blindly,she searched for a button,any kind of switch,that could somehow get her out of there. Worriedly,she glanced over her shoulder.
The Shadow Men seemed to be closing in on her somehow,coming at her from all directions. Seeing absolutely nothing except the hungry eyes,Pan did the only thing she could.
She screamed.
And then,as suddenly as they had appeared,they vanished. The room was changing now,and Pan realized she must be in the second room of the mansion.
*They disappeared on their own..but why?*
"It was just to show you what exactly I'm capable of doing."
Pan whipped around,only to find herself staring into the eyes of Darren. He smiled and bowed gracefully,and Pan noticed he had changed his clothes. Now he wore a tight blue t-shirt and blue pants,that seemed to be the exact color of his eyes. The silver metallic cuff had been replaced with a blue one,and the dagger earring now had a sapphire stud glowing vibrantly.
He looked breathtakingly beautiful,as always. "Oh? So you rescued me,then?" she asked.
His smile widened. "You could say that. But don't expect me to do it again."
Pan smirked. "I don't."
"Good." He opened his palm,and suddenly,a single rose appeared in it. "For you."
The rose was unlike any other Pan had ever seen. It was purely white and had tiny,glowing specks on it,that appeared to be crystals.
She felt drawn to it and merely nodded. "Um,thank you." She closed her eyes and took a whiff of the sweet aroma that was surrounding it.
"You know,when I said I'd been watching you my entire life,I meant it. Every single second,I know what you were doing and where you were."
Suddenly,Pan seemed to realize what exactly he was saying. *Every single second? But there are things I don't want him to see..such as when I'm taking a shower or changing my clothes! And he saw me with Trunks..*
Darren grinned. "Yeah. I did."
"You IDIOT!" Pan managed to say through clenched teeth. "You.."
Darren didn't reply. He just kept coming closer to her,with those same hungry eyes.
Before Pan knew what was happening,she found herself wrapped in Darren's arms,kissing him as she had never done before. She was running her fingers through his hair,and he held on to her tightly.
She wanted desperately to let go,but felt attracted to Darren at the same time.
It was Darren who pulled back.
Pan frowned,blushing deeply,trying to make sense of the situation. "You..You did that,didn't you?"
"Oh,no,Panny. I can't make you do anything. You kissed me by your own free will."
Pan wasn't convinced. *But how could he have made me do that? I half wanted to anyway,but he couldn't have..unless..*
"The rose. There was something in that rose I smelled,wasn't there?"
He grinned. "You're a smart girl."
Pan made a mental note not to accept anything from him anymore. "God damn you! Darren,listen to me. There are plenty of other girls out there,why me? How the hell do you know me?"
"You'll know by the end of the game," was all he said. "But I guess it won't hurt to give a little hint,now will it,Sunshine?"
*Sunshine.*
It shocked Pan so much that she began shaking.
"Calm down,Panny. But,oh,look at the time,I've got to be going. I'll see you next time." He paused. "And oh,jeez,don't just sit there crying! Here,wipe your face. And remember,time's ticking by!" He disappeared with those words.
Pan stood,clutching the handkerchief he had given her. It seemed pretty normal. But still,you could never be too careful with Shadow Men,so she stuffed it in her pocket and used her sleeve to wipe her tears.
*He sounded like he actually cared.*
Was it possible? Someone as cold as Darren actually caring for a mere human? Shadow Men didn't have feelings,she reminded herself. Or did they?
She pushed those thoughts out of her mind and concentrated on what Darren had called her just before he left: Sunshine.
Only one other person had called her that in all her life,and that was her Grandpa Goku. He was gone now,and memories of him still hurt.
*But,* Pan thought, *I think I'm beginning to understand this situation a little better now. Grandpa Goku.*
But she couldn't think of what had happened on that dark night anymore,for it was her worst nightmare. And anyway,the clock was ticking,as Darren had said.
She pulled open the door of the room a bit hesitantly,letting herself out. Pan realized she was back in the hallway,and someone was calling her name.
"Pan,there you are," a voice was saying calmly.
Pan froze. She knew that voice. *Bra? But where?* She could hear her clearly,but there was no one in sight.
"Bra? Is that you?" she called out. Receiving no reply,Pan began to worry. She went further down the narrow corridor,and there stood a blue-haired girl that was supposedly Bra,and upon seeing Pan began to move away slowly,motioning for her to follow.
"Bra! Bra,wait up!" Excitedly,she ran after the figure,only to be led to a closed door.
"This is my nightmare," the girl said solemnly,motioning towards the door. "Let's go."
"Wait a minute," Pan frowned. "Where were you while I was gone? You're okay,aren't you? Did you see Darren again?"
Bra gave a laugh that chilled Pan to the bone. "Let's go," she repeated,and shoved Pan through the door.
They were alone,both of them. And then they came,five tiny elf-like figures,with blood-red eyes and claws.
"Oh,Lord." Pan gasped,and watched as they ran up to her,evil grins on their faces.
"Do not have fear," one of them said in a squeaky voice, "We mean no harm. We are the Elsi,the highest kind of Elf. We wish to take you to our King."
Warning bells rang in Pan's head. Something about them wasn't right,and she sure wasn't going to go anywhere them. She had no intention of meeting this King,whoever he was.
She glanced at Bra. Bra seemed at ease,and even had a strange smile on her face,as if she found this amusing. Pan worried about her,and wondered if Darren had poisened her mind or something.
*But that's so unlike Bra,* she thought. *She would never accept anything from him. If that's not it,then what is going on?*
"We're not going anywhere." Pan said.
"We'll go. Take us," replied Bra,at exactly the same time.
The Elsi shared looks with one another,and nodded at Bra. "The blue haired one is wise. She knows she should do as the Elsi say. Now come,His Majesty is waiting for you both."
He snapped his fingers,and everything went dark.
*~*~*~*
Pan didn't feel the slightest bit foggy or unbalanced as last time. She guessed that the elves' powers weren't as strong as Darren's.
"Come. The journey is long." said one of the Elsi.
*Journey? I thought we were here already!* Pan took a closer look around and saw that they were in a beautiful place,truly exotic. There was green grass and tall trees almost everywhere,surrounded by flowers,that were growing here and there. Tiny houses,*For the Elsi,* Pan guessed,were in a large circle in the middle. The whole place seemed to be right out of a fairy tale.
They began walking,with the Elsi leading and Bra and Pan following a safe distance away.
"Why'd you do that,Bra?" Pan whispered quietly. "This is dangerous. And you know,they couldn't have taken us by force. Darren said no one here can make us do anything." *But they can think of ways to tempt us,* she thought,thinking of the kiss.
"Adventure,Pan," Bra shrugged carelessly. "This'll be fun."
Pan shook her head,sighing. "I thought this was supposed to be your worst nightmare. You scared of fairy tales or something?"
"No. I don't know why i'm not scared yet. Maybe it's the Elf King."
No one said anything after that for awhile. Pan dreaded going to the Elf King,and Bra seemed to be enjoying herself.
*Something is definitely not right about her,* Pan thought with certainty.
"We are approaching the village of the Merlin folk." the elf spoke suddenly,and fell into step beside Pan. "We don't trust Merlin. No one does."
"Why not?" asked Pan.
"They are not good," The little one spoke, "Some say they contact evil spirits."
"They steal from the elves. They drink. We cannot trust folk like them."
Pan wondered what they were if they weren't elves,but kept her mouth shut. She would find out soon enough.
"So," she said casually, "Can you tell me about your Elf King?"
"Oh,no,no,no! We are strictly forbidden to speak of His Highness to a newcomer,especially if they're human."
"Shiva," The tall one said nervously,nudging the smaller one,"We aren't supposed to speak of the Merlin either,remember? We shouldn't disgrace them."
"Oh,no,no,no! What have I done?" Shiva,the small elf,fretted. "You won't tell,will you? I beg of you,they'll take me to the Shadow Men!"
"Hey,I won't,don't worry. But-"
"Shhh." The tall elf placed a finger to his lips. "We are in Meridell."
Almost instantly,two extremely beautiful young men approached them. Pan noticed that although they were breathtakingly handsome,neither had blue eyes like Darren.
*Maybe only Shadow Men have blue eyes,* she thought. *These guys have green eyes.*
"Stop." One of them spoke, "Who are you,and why do you come to Meridell?"
"We are the Elsi,and we wish to pass through by orders of the Elf King." Shiva replied calmly.
The men seemed surprised upon hearing 'Elf King.' "And who are the women?" The other asked.
"The Elf King has specifially requested for these two." The tall elf replied.
The two men shared looks,then nodded. "You may go."
"But," One man said smirking, "Leave the women here."
"What!" Pan and the elves cried out.
"We're taking them to the King!" said Shiva,outraged. "How can we?"
"We don't like 'his royal highness'," the men replied. "And he's done this to the Merlin folk before. You know the Merlin always get revenge."
"Hello?" Pan spoke angrily,shaking a fist at him. "Don't we have an opinion? A choice? Who are you to make our desicions for us?"
"You would be wise to keep your mouth shut,you worthless peice of trash. The desicion is most definitely not up to you."
Pan opened her mouth to object,seething with anger. *Who do they think they are? I'll show them!*
But Shiva shook his head violently. "Be quiet. You are lucky to have only gotten harsh words out of the Merlin."
"Yes,she is,isn't she?" The men glared at the elves. "Go! And ask your king how he likes it when he gets a taste of his own medicine."
The elves hesitated. "He'll be very angry-"
"And so will we,if you don't leave this very minute."
With a look of regret,the elves vanished.
As soon as they did so,Bra vanished with them.
"Bra!!" Pan screamed. "What did you do to her?"
"If you must know,that was not really your friend. We have the real Bra. The copy was made just so you'd come to Meridell."
"Oh,great," Pan muttered. "And you're taking me to her?"
"Not exactly."
"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Pan,alarmed.
"Your friend is having 'fun' with one of my friends," The man said,smiling.
*Oh,no.*
*Bra always said how she was scared to death of rape.*
*It was her worst nightmare.*
"You..you lousy son of a-"
"Shut up! I don't want any crap,got it? You give me any trouble and you'll be in the same situation Bra's in right now."
Pan gasped softly. "Where are you taking me?"
"Into our Shadow Room."
*~*~*~*
A/N: Ooh. Next chapter,Pan tries to rescue Bra! But will she make it out of the Shadow Room? And what is the connection to Goku?? And more on Darren! Please review!
A/N: I'm back! Sorry for not updating sooner!! Also,in case you didn't know,this fic is based off of The Forbidden Game trilogy by L.J Smith.
*~*~*~*
chapter 4: In The Heart Of Evil
*~*~*~*
Trembling,Pan desperately tried to stay calm. *Okay. There has to be a way out of this place. Darren will play by the rules,I'm sure of that.*
Blindly,she searched for a button,any kind of switch,that could somehow get her out of there. Worriedly,she glanced over her shoulder.
The Shadow Men seemed to be closing in on her somehow,coming at her from all directions. Seeing absolutely nothing except the hungry eyes,Pan did the only thing she could.
She screamed.
And then,as suddenly as they had appeared,they vanished. The room was changing now,and Pan realized she must be in the second room of the mansion.
*They disappeared on their own..but why?*
"It was just to show you what exactly I'm capable of doing."
Pan whipped around,only to find herself staring into the eyes of Darren. He smiled and bowed gracefully,and Pan noticed he had changed his clothes. Now he wore a tight blue t-shirt and blue pants,that seemed to be the exact color of his eyes. The silver metallic cuff had been replaced with a blue one,and the dagger earring now had a sapphire stud glowing vibrantly.
He looked breathtakingly beautiful,as always. "Oh? So you rescued me,then?" she asked.
His smile widened. "You could say that. But don't expect me to do it again."
Pan smirked. "I don't."
"Good." He opened his palm,and suddenly,a single rose appeared in it. "For you."
The rose was unlike any other Pan had ever seen. It was purely white and had tiny,glowing specks on it,that appeared to be crystals.
She felt drawn to it and merely nodded. "Um,thank you." She closed her eyes and took a whiff of the sweet aroma that was surrounding it.
"You know,when I said I'd been watching you my entire life,I meant it. Every single second,I know what you were doing and where you were."
Suddenly,Pan seemed to realize what exactly he was saying. *Every single second? But there are things I don't want him to see..such as when I'm taking a shower or changing my clothes! And he saw me with Trunks..*
Darren grinned. "Yeah. I did."
"You IDIOT!" Pan managed to say through clenched teeth. "You.."
Darren didn't reply. He just kept coming closer to her,with those same hungry eyes.
Before Pan knew what was happening,she found herself wrapped in Darren's arms,kissing him as she had never done before. She was running her fingers through his hair,and he held on to her tightly.
She wanted desperately to let go,but felt attracted to Darren at the same time.
It was Darren who pulled back.
Pan frowned,blushing deeply,trying to make sense of the situation. "You..You did that,didn't you?"
"Oh,no,Panny. I can't make you do anything. You kissed me by your own free will."
Pan wasn't convinced. *But how could he have made me do that? I half wanted to anyway,but he couldn't have..unless..*
"The rose. There was something in that rose I smelled,wasn't there?"
He grinned. "You're a smart girl."
Pan made a mental note not to accept anything from him anymore. "God damn you! Darren,listen to me. There are plenty of other girls out there,why me? How the hell do you know me?"
"You'll know by the end of the game," was all he said. "But I guess it won't hurt to give a little hint,now will it,Sunshine?"
*Sunshine.*
It shocked Pan so much that she began shaking.
"Calm down,Panny. But,oh,look at the time,I've got to be going. I'll see you next time." He paused. "And oh,jeez,don't just sit there crying! Here,wipe your face. And remember,time's ticking by!" He disappeared with those words.
Pan stood,clutching the handkerchief he had given her. It seemed pretty normal. But still,you could never be too careful with Shadow Men,so she stuffed it in her pocket and used her sleeve to wipe her tears.
*He sounded like he actually cared.*
Was it possible? Someone as cold as Darren actually caring for a mere human? Shadow Men didn't have feelings,she reminded herself. Or did they?
She pushed those thoughts out of her mind and concentrated on what Darren had called her just before he left: Sunshine.
Only one other person had called her that in all her life,and that was her Grandpa Goku. He was gone now,and memories of him still hurt.
*But,* Pan thought, *I think I'm beginning to understand this situation a little better now. Grandpa Goku.*
But she couldn't think of what had happened on that dark night anymore,for it was her worst nightmare. And anyway,the clock was ticking,as Darren had said.
She pulled open the door of the room a bit hesitantly,letting herself out. Pan realized she was back in the hallway,and someone was calling her name.
"Pan,there you are," a voice was saying calmly.
Pan froze. She knew that voice. *Bra? But where?* She could hear her clearly,but there was no one in sight.
"Bra? Is that you?" she called out. Receiving no reply,Pan began to worry. She went further down the narrow corridor,and there stood a blue-haired girl that was supposedly Bra,and upon seeing Pan began to move away slowly,motioning for her to follow.
"Bra! Bra,wait up!" Excitedly,she ran after the figure,only to be led to a closed door.
"This is my nightmare," the girl said solemnly,motioning towards the door. "Let's go."
"Wait a minute," Pan frowned. "Where were you while I was gone? You're okay,aren't you? Did you see Darren again?"
Bra gave a laugh that chilled Pan to the bone. "Let's go," she repeated,and shoved Pan through the door.
They were alone,both of them. And then they came,five tiny elf-like figures,with blood-red eyes and claws.
"Oh,Lord." Pan gasped,and watched as they ran up to her,evil grins on their faces.
"Do not have fear," one of them said in a squeaky voice, "We mean no harm. We are the Elsi,the highest kind of Elf. We wish to take you to our King."
Warning bells rang in Pan's head. Something about them wasn't right,and she sure wasn't going to go anywhere them. She had no intention of meeting this King,whoever he was.
She glanced at Bra. Bra seemed at ease,and even had a strange smile on her face,as if she found this amusing. Pan worried about her,and wondered if Darren had poisened her mind or something.
*But that's so unlike Bra,* she thought. *She would never accept anything from him. If that's not it,then what is going on?*
"We're not going anywhere." Pan said.
"We'll go. Take us," replied Bra,at exactly the same time.
The Elsi shared looks with one another,and nodded at Bra. "The blue haired one is wise. She knows she should do as the Elsi say. Now come,His Majesty is waiting for you both."
He snapped his fingers,and everything went dark.
*~*~*~*
Pan didn't feel the slightest bit foggy or unbalanced as last time. She guessed that the elves' powers weren't as strong as Darren's.
"Come. The journey is long." said one of the Elsi.
*Journey? I thought we were here already!* Pan took a closer look around and saw that they were in a beautiful place,truly exotic. There was green grass and tall trees almost everywhere,surrounded by flowers,that were growing here and there. Tiny houses,*For the Elsi,* Pan guessed,were in a large circle in the middle. The whole place seemed to be right out of a fairy tale.
They began walking,with the Elsi leading and Bra and Pan following a safe distance away.
"Why'd you do that,Bra?" Pan whispered quietly. "This is dangerous. And you know,they couldn't have taken us by force. Darren said no one here can make us do anything." *But they can think of ways to tempt us,* she thought,thinking of the kiss.
"Adventure,Pan," Bra shrugged carelessly. "This'll be fun."
Pan shook her head,sighing. "I thought this was supposed to be your worst nightmare. You scared of fairy tales or something?"
"No. I don't know why i'm not scared yet. Maybe it's the Elf King."
No one said anything after that for awhile. Pan dreaded going to the Elf King,and Bra seemed to be enjoying herself.
*Something is definitely not right about her,* Pan thought with certainty.
"We are approaching the village of the Merlin folk." the elf spoke suddenly,and fell into step beside Pan. "We don't trust Merlin. No one does."
"Why not?" asked Pan.
"They are not good," The little one spoke, "Some say they contact evil spirits."
"They steal from the elves. They drink. We cannot trust folk like them."
Pan wondered what they were if they weren't elves,but kept her mouth shut. She would find out soon enough.
"So," she said casually, "Can you tell me about your Elf King?"
"Oh,no,no,no! We are strictly forbidden to speak of His Highness to a newcomer,especially if they're human."
"Shiva," The tall one said nervously,nudging the smaller one,"We aren't supposed to speak of the Merlin either,remember? We shouldn't disgrace them."
"Oh,no,no,no! What have I done?" Shiva,the small elf,fretted. "You won't tell,will you? I beg of you,they'll take me to the Shadow Men!"
"Hey,I won't,don't worry. But-"
"Shhh." The tall elf placed a finger to his lips. "We are in Meridell."
Almost instantly,two extremely beautiful young men approached them. Pan noticed that although they were breathtakingly handsome,neither had blue eyes like Darren.
*Maybe only Shadow Men have blue eyes,* she thought. *These guys have green eyes.*
"Stop." One of them spoke, "Who are you,and why do you come to Meridell?"
"We are the Elsi,and we wish to pass through by orders of the Elf King." Shiva replied calmly.
The men seemed surprised upon hearing 'Elf King.' "And who are the women?" The other asked.
"The Elf King has specifially requested for these two." The tall elf replied.
The two men shared looks,then nodded. "You may go."
"But," One man said smirking, "Leave the women here."
"What!" Pan and the elves cried out.
"We're taking them to the King!" said Shiva,outraged. "How can we?"
"We don't like 'his royal highness'," the men replied. "And he's done this to the Merlin folk before. You know the Merlin always get revenge."
"Hello?" Pan spoke angrily,shaking a fist at him. "Don't we have an opinion? A choice? Who are you to make our desicions for us?"
"You would be wise to keep your mouth shut,you worthless peice of trash. The desicion is most definitely not up to you."
Pan opened her mouth to object,seething with anger. *Who do they think they are? I'll show them!*
But Shiva shook his head violently. "Be quiet. You are lucky to have only gotten harsh words out of the Merlin."
"Yes,she is,isn't she?" The men glared at the elves. "Go! And ask your king how he likes it when he gets a taste of his own medicine."
The elves hesitated. "He'll be very angry-"
"And so will we,if you don't leave this very minute."
With a look of regret,the elves vanished.
As soon as they did so,Bra vanished with them.
"Bra!!" Pan screamed. "What did you do to her?"
"If you must know,that was not really your friend. We have the real Bra. The copy was made just so you'd come to Meridell."
"Oh,great," Pan muttered. "And you're taking me to her?"
"Not exactly."
"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Pan,alarmed.
"Your friend is having 'fun' with one of my friends," The man said,smiling.
*Oh,no.*
*Bra always said how she was scared to death of rape.*
*It was her worst nightmare.*
"You..you lousy son of a-"
"Shut up! I don't want any crap,got it? You give me any trouble and you'll be in the same situation Bra's in right now."
Pan gasped softly. "Where are you taking me?"
"Into our Shadow Room."
*~*~*~*
A/N: Ooh. Next chapter,Pan tries to rescue Bra! But will she make it out of the Shadow Room? And what is the connection to Goku?? And more on Darren! Please review!