My head hurts. Why dose my head hurt? I opened my eyes slowly. And what...am I doing outside? I lifted my head off the sticky grass slowly. I was in a field. I sat up completely, and looked around. The soft grass tickled my legs. Never before in my entire life have I seen grass so perfect.
I looked down at it. It was lush and green, each blade perfect. I stood up, and looked up to the cloudless blue sky. Birds few in formation across it. Something is defiantly not right here. Not right at all. Its just too...perfect. I took a few steps, looking around cautiously. But I was alone. Completely alone.
"Hello!" a small voice called out to me.
I stopped in my tracks, and looked over my shoulder. Nothing. I turned my head back around to continue walking and neatly fell down in surprise to be face to face with a small girl.
"Hello!" She repeated cheerfully.
"Wha-" I was bewildered. She hadn't been there a second ago! I know she hadn't, I had been looking in that direction!
"I thought you'd never get here!" She exclaimed excitedly. She grabbed my hand and started pulling me.
"Come on!"
"Come on where?" I asked, looking at her strangely as she dragged me to wherever she was taking me.
"Tea silly!" I looked around and saw a small white garden table, no father than three feet away. But...
"Sit!" She exclaimed. I practically fell on the small chair, feeling rather confused. I looked to the girl, who was busily stirring tea in a small porcelain tea pot with out a care in the world. She was wearing a crisp clean sundress with shinny black buckle shoes. Her long auburn hair hung around her round little face, which seemed permanently flushed with excitement.
I would tell you that she was cute, but something bothered me about her. Her eyes. I have never seen eyes like that before. They...I don't know how to describe it.... They looked literally like shattered ice.
"Would you like a cup of tea?" She asked, in a voice of a child trying very hard to speak formally.
"Sure." I replied shortly, accepting the tea although not drinking a drop.
"What fine weather we are having," She said conversationally, looking up at the sky. She sipped her tea absentmindedly, spinning the spoon around in it.
"Right." She looked to me, smiling happily.
"Um, where am I?" I asked her carefully. She tossed her head back and laughed and laughed.
"What a silly question! How can you not know where you are? You are right here!" She giggled again.
"And where is here, exactly?"
"You're funny! I like you!"
"Thanks."
"Would you like a sugar cube?" She asked, gesturing to a small bowl piled with perfectly square sugar cubes.
"No thanks."
"Oh but you must!" She insisted, widening her icy blue eyes.
"Ok," I let her drop two sugar cubs into my tea.
"Now, may I ask you a question?" She asked, tucking a piece of her hair behind her ear.
"Go ahead."
"How long is forever?" She asked. I looked at her strangely.
"Forever is a very long time I have heard, why?"
"Ooooh, nothing," She replied absentmindedly swinging her skinny legs back and forth under the table, "That's just how long you're going to stay."
Ooook! That's not a good sign! I rested my elbows on the table.
"And what do you mean by that exactly, little girl." My voice had a bit of an edge to it.
"You haven't drunk any tea!" She exclaimed, looking in my cup.
"Answer my question. What the hell is going on here?" She gasped.
"You said a bad word!"
"Yeah, I know a million of them, now, who are you and what do you want."
"Me? I'm your best friend!" I narrowed my eyes.
"Not really- I just met-" Suddenly the ground was on fire! I yelped and jumped on the small chair to avoid the flames. The crystal blue sky turned as black as night and the birds that had been chirping cheerfully twisted into the ugly shape of bats.
"What the hell!!" I looked over to the girl, who no longer looked cute, but completely and utterly mad.
"You are a bad friend!" Her voice thundered a hundred times its own volume, and shook the ground with each syllable. "You are my very best friend in the whole wide world! Understand?!?!"
"Ok!! Ok!! Were friends!!" I yelled over the noise. Suddenly the flames were grass and the sky was blue.
"Good," she said in a voice that was no longer loud. I shakily set my foot back on the ground, afraid that the flames would return and barbeque me, which would be such a bad way to go! I sat down.
"You haven't drunken any tea!" She repeated, sounding upset.
"Right, I'll get to that. First, who are you?"
"Me?" She giggled, "My names Cut."
"That's a weird name," I murmured.
"No its not! Don't be a rude guest!" She pouted. "It's not a weird name," she muttered to herself, then brightened, "Drink some tea!"
"I think I'll pass-"
"Your turning out to be a very rude friend! Drink it!" I looked at her critically.
Who ever she was, she seamed to have some sort of control of this place, where ever here was. I better play it cool and do what she says.
I brought the small cup up to my lips, expecting the liquid to be sweet; she had put a lot of sugar in it. But I found the liquid to burn my throat like acid. I gagged as I tried to spit it out, but it seemed to have a mind of its own and traveled down my throat anyway. I shut my eyes in pain as the tea burned my throat and nose.
"What the hell kind of tea is this?!?!" I asked, and was surprised not to get a response. I opened my eyes and looked around to find myself alone. And.... On a small dirt path surrounded by thick green bushes.
"What the..." I asked getting pissed at the randomness. I looked around my new surroundings. The tall bushes were cut into perfect walls, like a maze. A hedge maze? Yeah...it is a hedge maze. Why am I in a hedge maze? Did that girl send me here? Why?
I looked around. It can't be this easy, can it? Doesn't this little girl know about my powers? I used the tip of my fingers to try to light a branch of a bush. It didn't light.
"Hmmmm," I muttered to myself. I stood back and directed a blast of fire that could have melted a dumpster, but it didn't seem to affect the plant at all. By now I was getting somewhat frustrated and looked up to the sky. I tired to float out of the maze, but for some reason I could fly any higher than the top of the maze. Like some invisable forse kept me down.
"This is fucked up." I looked around, maybe at the end of the maze is how to get out of this weird place.
"Well, I'm not getting anything done standing around and talking to myself," I said, talking to myself.
I used the tip of my boot to draw a line in the dirt. There, know I know where I started. I was about to set off in an aimless walk when I remembered something. I had been in a hedge maze before....when I was really little.
I stopped in mid step and tried to remember what had happened. I had only been five years old, when my dad took me to a carnival of some sort. Yeah... and.... There had been a hedge maze. I had gotten separated from my dad, and had gotten lost. Of course the maze had only consisted of five walls and two dead ends, but hey, I was five! I was hardy toilet trained!! Anyway I remember felling so scared, I had just sat down and cried and cried. Then... an old man came up to me.
"Look," he had said taking my hand and placing it on one side of the wall, "If you follow one side of a maze, you eventually find your way out." I blinked. Yeah, that makes sense. Thanks random old man. I placed one hand on one side of the wall and started walking.
Who knows how long I walked. Hours? Who know, but eventually, I found myself right back at the line I had drawn in the dirt.
"Fuck!" I yelled, kicking the side of the hedge, which left my foot stinging. This is not possible! I followed one side! It isn't logical! There must not be an exit. There can't be. I sat down on the path, feeling a twinge of hopelessness.
I guess logic doesn't work here...I thought, looking at the hedges, logic is meaningless.
I buried my head in my hands. If logic doesn't work here, what will? I thought for a while, and then lifted my head. If logic doesn't work..... I crawled over to one side of the bush.
I used so much force and it didn't work, maybe it I do it gently...
I carefully inserted my hand into the bush, and it felt like.... A normal bush. I carefully pulled apart the branches and leaned closer to try to see through. Suddenly my body pitched forward and I fell out of the hedge. I swore I tumbled off a small ledge. I sat up in a daze and looked up. I was out of the maze.
"This is ever so fucked," I moaned, rubbing my head. I looked to my new surrounds. It was a forest. I stood up looking around. The trees loomed in all directions in the misty darkness, all looking exactly the same. I looked for something to follow, any clue as were to go, but I found none. I shut my eyes and spun around a few times, then opened my eyes and walked off in the direction that my spinning stopped.
As I walked, I noticed something. There were not animals here. Only trees. I stopped at one, and examined it closely. It looked just like another normal tree. I reached out and touched its trunk. It shivered. I shrieked and sprinted off away from it.
Stupid trees!! Stupid stupid trees! I thought angrily. Why the hell- Then I heard something. I stopped and listened. There it was again. A distant howl.
"Hello?" I called into the darkness. Another spine chilling howl. Spine chilling howls are not usually a good sign when you are in a dark forest with shivery trees, but I was desperate for something, anything that might get me out of here.
I stood still, listening intently. Then I heard the sound of padded paws pounding the ground. They were coming closer. I waited expectantly. Then, to bright yellow eyes loomed out of the darkness.
"Hi." I said a little uncertainly, looking at the eyes, peeking out of the shadow. Then a green wolf slowly stepped out of the shadows. Beastboy!!
"Beastboy!!!" I called out happily, "Some crazy bitch sent me here! How did you get here?" He didn't resume his human shape or make any signs that he had heard me at all.
"Beastboy?" No reply.
"BB?" I asked in a small voice. The green wolf snarled at me, then leapt right at me! I stumbled back, falling down, causing the mass of muscle and fur to sail right over me. I yelped and flew into the air. He arched his back in mid air to land facing me. He lowered his head and snarled, then leapt at me again. This isn't Beastboy, it can't be. He would never do this. I started flying away from him, hoping he wouldn't follow, but he did.
I wove around the trees, hoping to lose him, but the faster I few, the faster he ran. He was damn fast for a wolf!! He was right at me, snapping at my feet.
"Get away! Stupid wolf! Stupid wolf who is pretending to be my boyfriend!" I panted out between breaths. He sank his teeth into my boot, and thrashed his head, unbalancing my flight. I was whipped in the air, and fell to the ground.
I watched in horror as the wolf pounced on top of me, I shut my eyes, hoping for him to kill me quickly, but he didn't. He didn't do anything at all. Just laid on me. I opened my eyes and heard him make a gagging noise, then was silent. I was suffocating under his great weight, but didn't dare to disturb him, but even after many minutes, he still didn't move. I pushed him off me and looked at his face.
His yellow eyes were dull and unblinking; his mouth was agape in a look of surprise. I looked closer, the smallest stream of blood was trickling out of his opened jaws. Then I looked to my own hand and found a white tipped ax firmly grasped in my fist. I shirked and dropped the ax which landed with a thud. What happened?!?! Had I killed him!? I didn't mean to! He just jumped on the ax...in my hand...
"I've just about had enough," I whispered, looking around desperately, "I want to go home."
But no one answered my silent plead, I was completely and utterly alone. I looked down to the wolf. Wait, is it breathing? I saw a little motion in its side, right near the gash made by the ax.
"What the-" I bent down. Something.... was.... wiggling inside the wolf. I think I'm going to be sick...
The wiggling became more pronounced and out of the ax wound, climbed a little white rabbit.
"Oh god-" Then I was sick. This is so messed up. I looked to the rabbit, which seemed quite unconcerned, casually grooming its fluffy white fur. Then it noticed me looking at it. It scampered off.
"Wait!" I called. Then I remembered something.
Follow the white rabbit.
I nearly laughed in realization, I was Naomi in wonderland! Dear lord.
Oh, never again will I leave the tower. I think I'll stay in bed for the rest of my life, thank you very much. I started sprinting after the rabbit. I will stay in bed all day, only eat and sleep. That's all. I want an early retirement.
I stopped running, panting heavily.
"Where did that little fucker go?" I asked, looking for the rabbit. I saw a speak of white jump out of a bush. Ah, there it is.
It stopped, twitching its little pink bunny nose. Then slowed its pace to a bunny walk. I followed it intently until we came to a small clearing. The trees parted away from the small clearing, allowing a few shards of light to pass through. I looked and saw the rabbit bound into the middle, near a thin rectangular...thing.
I looked at it more closely. It wasn't a thing, it was a mirror. It was a full length mirror, standing up straight and tall, being held up by nothing. The rabbit looked at me once more, before jumping into the mirror. I did a double take. Then a triple take. Then a quadruple take. Then whatever comes after a quadruple take.
The rabbit....jumped into the mirror. Oh great, this is fantastic. I stepped cautiously up to the mirror, and looked at my reflection. Wow, I am one sweaty girl. I made faces at myself, and the mirror mimicked them, just like another mirror would.
Follow the white rabbit Naomi! I reminded myself. I lifted a hand to the mirror.
Now do I really want to do this? I asked myself.
Of course not Naomi! I thought sarcastically, we can just go back to that gory wolf and dig around in its guts looking for more stuff! That would be ever so much fun!
I nodded my head in agreement with myself and placed one finger on the mirrors surface. It slipped right it. The mirrors surface made tiny ripples, just like when you throw a stone into a still lake. I slip my entire hand in. Hey... this isn't so bad.
I slipped my entire arm in. I tried to feel if there was anything in the other side, but felt nothing. I looked at myself in the mirror. Then I stepped into my reflection.
I was walking down a long hallway. It was so shinny and pretty, the walls and floor were all tiled with shinny silver tiles that scattered light in all directions. I pranced down the hall, looking up at the majestic chandeliers that hung from the ceiling. There were no windows, but why look outside when inside is so beautiful?
The hall stretched on so far, I was sure it would never ever end, and I didn't want it to. I walked and walked, my footsteps echoing.
"Hey!! Hey you there!" I stopped and turned around. An elderly janitor lady was walking behind me, swinging a mop back and forth in my path.
"You're leaving a trail of mud!!" She yelled accusingly. I looked down and saw that my boots were all covered in mud. I then looked behind me and saw muddy footprint behind me. The lady was mopping them up as I went. Had she been behind me all this time?
"Didn't you hear me? Take off your shoes!" I smiled apologetically to her and removed my muddy shoes. I was all set to walk down the hall when the lady screeched at me again.
"Look at your feet stupid! Jesus Christ! Am I talking to a wall?" I looked down and saw my feet covered in mud. How did mud get all over me? I took a step and left a muddy footprint. I tried to rub off the mud, but the more I did, the more mud seemed to spread.
How did I get so dirty?
I looked up to the lady who was fuming.
"How could you do this to me? How could you dirty my hall, my beautiful hall! Take off your feet!"
"I can't take off my feet!" I exclaimed in a voice that seemed rather distant, like it wasn't really me talking.
"Then I will!" She roared, swinging her mop around. But now it was no longer a mop. It was a white tipped ax. I yelled and started running. She chased me down the hall, which was no longer beautiful, and shinny, but dark and dirty.
My feet plummeted the floor as I ran, feeling the grime from the floor rub my feet. The tiles in the walls were now cracked and yellowed, as is they where hundred of years old.
"Naomi?"
I heard Robin!!! His voice was so distant, but I could hear it!
"Robin!!!" I cried out, "Robin! I'm in here!!"
"Naomi?"
"Help! Help me Robin!!"
"Help you how?" His misty voice sounded amused.
"She's going to chop off my feet!" I thought I was yelling, but my voice came out in a sleepy whisper. Robin's distant voice laughed and I toppled backwards, but for some reason, I didn't land hard. Quit soft actually.
I opened my eyes. I wasn't in a hall! I was in my very own bed! I breathed a sigh of relief. Wait... haven't I had this dream before?
"Isn't someone going to chop off your feet Naomi?" Asked Robin, who was standing beside my bed.
"Shut up." I said sleepily as he laughed.
"Who was going to chop off your feet?" He asked, as if it was the funniest thing in the world.
"You know, the janitor lady, I already told you." I muttered. God he was stupid.
"What?"
"I already told you. Geez Robin, you really are getting senile. And why are you waking me up again?"
"Again? Naomi... never mind. I'm just here for the chip."
"Potato chip?" Robin rubbed his tempals
"No Naomi. Not a potato chip. The holographic chip. You barrowed it, remember? We need it today!" I sat up and arched my eyebrows.
"What the hell are you talking about? We already used it. Yesterday, remember?" He stared at me.
"No.... we need it today. Naomi, you need to completely wake up, you're not making any sense at all." He stood up.
"Just find it ok?" He left the room. I sat dumbly. Hadn't this already happened? Maybe it was a dream... I stood up and yawned widely. I knelt beside my bed, finding the chip in a second. I already knew where it was.
I sat down on my bed, thinking. Was the little girl real? Was it a dream?
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
"Are you okay Nomi?" Asked Cyborg as we piled into the T-car after leaving a very limp Starfire at the lab, "You been acting really strange today."
"No, I'm ok."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes! I've lived with my self for almost fifteen years! I think I know when I'm ok!" I snapped. He looked hurt, and turned away, and put the key in the ignition.
"How did you know that Starfire was going to get paralyzed?" Asked Beastboy curiously, "You seemed to know that even before it happened. Are you in cahoots with Cordata?"
He meant it to be funny, but I didn't even bother to pretend to laugh. I just sat down and looked out the window. Everyone noted my tension and was silent. Then I saw Ice. I didn't follow him this time.
Why would I? Just let myself get captured by the little girl all over again?
No thank you, I prefer my day to not include being knocked unconscious and having no idea where I am when I wake up.
But what if the day just repeats itself over and over? A little voice whispered in the back of my head. What if that little girl did something to make the day repeat again? I'll be trapped! We have to get to the core of the problem, you know that. Stupid little voice in the back of my head, it's always right. It's like having Jiminy Cricket lodged in you noggin.
"Cy stop the car." He slammed on the brakes and looked at me.
"What? What's wrong?"
"I think I'll stay with Star tonight." I scrambled over Raven who once again took the liberty of pushing my ass out of the car.
"Ok just be sure to-"
I shut the door and started walking down the sidewalk. I rolled my eyes up to the sky, knowing exactly what was going to happen, when it was going to happen. I stopped at the ally, and kept in, hiding behind my trusty dumpster.
"Well, that's to bad, isn't it?" The raspy voice said once more. There's my cue. I stepped out.
"What the hell are you doing Ice?" I asked in a board tone. He turned and looked at me in shock. He dropped the man he was holding by the throat and yelled at him in French as he scrabbled off.
"Icy not b' doing noting."
"Shut up Ice! I'm not in the mood! I'm having a seriously bad day!!" He arched his eyebrow.
"Icy is having bad day too. It start when little girls interrupt Ices personal business."
"What is your personally business?"
"Wouldn' y' like t' know?"
"As a matter of fact, I do want to know, right now if you please." Then Ices eyes went wide, looking behind me.
"Don't tell me. Something's going to smack me in the face." I said, turning around. And sure enough, I was soon being dragged down the street aging, blinded by my own blood. Then knocked unconscious.....again.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
I looked into Cuts crystal eyes.
"I am getting really sick of this bitch."
"What are you talking about?"
"I have relived this day, no less than three times by now. I meet you, then get thrown into a bush, ax Beastboy, then I follow a white rabbit into a mirror and the day starts over."
"Yes," she giggled, isn't it fun?"
"No, it is not fun!! Are you insane!?!?" I exploded, "I am seriously about to crack. I'm going to get very violent on you." She gasped,
"Oh no! My friend is unhappy. Tell you what; I'll give you a hint."
"Yes, that would be very nice of you." I groaned, slapping my forehead with my hand in frustration.
"Ok, here it is," She giggled, "Ohhh, can I make it rhythm? Just like a real clue?"
"Knock yourself out." She sat for a moment, tugging on the end of her sundress.
"Ok, got it. Here it goes!" She took a deep breath.
"Mirror mirror on the wall, who will be the last to fall? It is not your reflection, it is only a deception. Don't claim defeat, mirrors repeat."
She looked at me excitedly,
"Did you like it?" I thought for a moment.
"Yeah.... I think I did." Then I drank the burning tea.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
And there goes the bunny in the mirror I thought in mild interest, having already witnessed this seen five times already. But now I had a hint, a hint I hoped would help. I stepped up the mirror. I looked into the mirror and was shocked to realize that I had no reflection.
All these times I had been so busy to get through the day I didn't take the time to realize it was gone. It's weird, looking into a mirror and not seeing you looking back.
Wait. I stepped into my reflection, did I not? I became my reflection....and mirrors can only repeat... repeat my day. Go Naomi!! Way to use that noodle! I rubbed my temples. Ok, so I stepped into my reflection...now how do I get out?
I pondered this for a moment. Then I picked up a moderately sized rock from the forest ground and hurled it into the mirror.
It shattered.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
"Little girl?" I didn't open my eyes.
"Little girl! Wakey wakey!" Ices face loomed over mine.
"What the fuck do you want French fry?" I asked dozily.
"Oh, and the sweet princess lives!" He said sarcastically, "Now get up."
I stood up shakily, my legs feeling like rubber. I shot my hand out to the side wall of the ally for support.
"What happened?" I asked, rubbing my eyes.
"It be Cut." Ice replied calmly. Cut? CUT!!
"I know Cut!" I yelled, making my head throb, "Shes that demented little girl!"
"Oui." I looked to Ice, who smiled at me.
"Repeating day, non?"
"How did you-"
"Y' always tink y' are soooo special. Y' not de only one she mind messed wit. She wanted y' t' b' her friend?"
"Yeah."
"It b' worse when she want y' t' b' her boyfriend." I laughed in spite of myself.
"Where is she?"
"Dere." I looked over my shoulder to see a very old lady.
Her gray hair was so thin over her head, patches of scalp shown through. Her gaunt face looked absolutely skeletal, and her weathered skin was stretched so tightly over her skull, that it looked like one cut might tear it all off. Her arms were nothing but sticks, attacked to her upper body that hung limply by her body.
The only thing that let me know that she was alive was her eyes. The shattered ice like eyes. Or....maybe a shattered mirror.
She looked at me, as if she was determining whether to knock me out again. Damn, for an old lady, she can kick the shit!! Then I remembered from Cuts rhythm.
Who will be the last to fall.
Well it's not going to be me bitch, I thought as I vines sprouted from the ground. She yelled out in a raspy voice, so raspy is sounded like a guy. She thrashed once, and then seemed to lose all her energy. So, she has no physical energy, only physic.
"Good job," Ice muttered to me, "Icy don' b' liking dat hag around anyway. I don' know why Slade hired her. I'll make up some shit t' Slade about non being able t' save her."
"Ok, you do that then."
"Right. I will."
"Bye... I guess."
"Bye." He walked off, not looking back. I turned my attention to Cut.
"Would you like some tea dear?" She asked in her raspy voice, and then laughed nastily.
"No, would you like a kick in the ass?" I flipped open my communicator.
"Who are you calling?" she asked suspiciously.
"Oh, nothing important. Just a confinement center for you to rot in for twenty years. You know, nothing big."
"Its no use, you know." I looked to her.
"And what is no use, may I ask?" I asked.
"In a few months....nothing you do will matter." She replied her face resembling a smiling skeleton.
"What do you mean?" She laughed a hissy sort of laugh,
"Call your jail, girl. I can wait a few months."
StArRy- I am back!!!! So happy!!! I got home and do you know what I saw? Thirty two reviews waiting for me! MTSC review for ever chapter in all my stories! Thank you! And I must say, I was disappointed in this chapter. I meant it to be a little choppy, just because I could go threw each day five times, but I think it is too choppy. Oh well, tell me what you think. Review!!
