CHAPTER 9
Okay, the plot is starting to pick up now. Hopefully I'll be able to get the chapters out quicker now. Thanks for reading!



That wolfish smile was back on Julian's face. His eyes sparkled. "Oh, it's a good game."

"Don't cheat with me, Julian. I don't have any friends you can use as bargaining chips."

Julian's eyes widened innocently. "Cheat? I *never* cheat."

Orchid restrained the urge to burst out laughing. " Oh no, you just bend the rules, right?" She snickered.

"So are we agreed?" Julian extended his hand.

"I hope you know I'm only doing this to put you in your place. But yes, we're agreed." She took his hand and shook it. Then she gasped. As soon as she touched his hand she felt as though she was falling into a huge, black hole. *Have I fainted?* she wondered as the sunlight was replaced with darkness.

"Here we are." Julian's rushing water voice spiraled out of the gloom. Orchid shielded her eyes as a bright light burst before her eyes. She blinked several times, then squinted at her surroundings. She found herself in a rather bland-looking place. She felt as though she'd tumbled into a world of nothingness.

There seemed to be no walls or borders anywhere; only a never ending darkness made less dark by the strange, bright light that seemed to rise up from the foggy ground itself. She could make out twisting, shadowy forms in the distance, and then there was Julian again, a light in himself. No shadows covered his face. His white hair shone as though it was immersed in moonlight. His eyes were bluer than ever.

"Where are we?" Orchid wondered what kind of game this could possibly be.

"We are in a plane between your world and mine- between Earth and the Shadow Realm."

"Uh-huh. So....what's the game?"

"This *is* the game." Julian actually sounded excited. "This world is the playing field, and you are the player."

Orchid stared at Julian, wondering if he'd gone off the deep end.

"The rules are simple," he continued, ignoring Orchid's look of confusion. "You have an hour to play. If, at the end of this hour, you are still in this world, then you go home. You keep the ring. You win. However, if you fall into *my* world before the time is up, I win."

"And what exactly do you get if *you* win?" Orchid mentally kicked herself for not asking that before. He might want to hurt her as well as take back the ring.

"I'll tell you when I win."

*[If] you win,* thought Orchid. *Stay in this dump for an hour. That sounds easy enough....but I wonder what could make me end up in [his] world?*

"Oh yes, I almost forgot. Julian waved his hand and Orchid jumped as at least ten dark, menacing figures rose instantly out of the ground. "These are my helpers." Julian's smile was now pure evil. "They will try to force you into my world. They won't kill you, but I can't guarantee their complete good behavior, so I'd be careful if I were you."

Orchid stared at the figures nervously. They were shaped like men, but they were totally devoid of features or expression. They were covered in black from head to foot. Even their faces were hidden in some sort of dark cloth. They stood rigid and unmoving. Some of them held weapons. Orchid swallowed with some difficulty.

"You have five minutes to hide. Then they'll come after you." Orchid had never heard Julian sound this happy.

"You had better play fair, Julian." Orchid didn't need to read his mind to know he had a way of leaving our certain truths when it came to explaining games.

Julian stared at her mischievously. "Oh, I will play fair." There was something in his voice that made Orchid even more nervous. "In fact, I'll start right now. You see, my games have always been designed by humans, played by humans, and it seems to me that you have a great advantage over humans. Doesn't that seem unfair to you?"

Suddenly Orchid felt as though someone had zapped her with electricity. She looked down at her hands in horror. A wide, thin band of wood circled each wrist. Wooden shackles. With wood touching her constantly, especially in this form, she wouldn't be able to use her vampire strength at all. If they stayed on too long, her other abilities would fade away as well. She would practically be....*human*.

Already Orchid could feel her power draining away. She glared at Julian in fury. "You can't just...."

"You have five minutes to hide," he interrupted her. "I'll see you in an hour, one way or another. And with that he disappeared. Melted right into the shadows. For a few moments all Orchid could do was clench her fists and hold back a scream of rage. This wasn't "fair" at all. How was she supposed to fight like a human when she had been raised as a vampire? She had always depended on her powers to survive, not the weak instincts developed by those without such powers. That was the way things were *supposed* to be!

Yet throwing a temper tantrum wasn't going to help much now. If anything, she really needed to get going. Julian's minions were still frozen in place, stiff as boards. Would they really come alive and try to hunt her down? It took all of her will to force herself to run from anyone, but it looked as if this time running was her only chance of winning. Hoping that her speed had not yet been deterred by her restraints, she dashed into the foggy darkness.