"Our Plan Of Escape"
Loki, God of Mischief and MayhemJust when things were going to run my way for a change, a moody teenager rudely interrupted me; that looked at me as though she could have killed her sister to get to me. And I thought things were terrible between my brother Thor and I! Arista looks like she is in worse off-condition; there must have been many a catfight between them, while Arista still lived in the house.
Now, I felt sorry for Arista, because as I would later find, Alexandria was a bit of a snotty brat. It got so annoying, that finally Arista pulled me aside, and begged me to find a way out of this house, which was beginning to become more than she could handle.
Later, when the three of us sat down in one of the many studies that Arista had made, we talked for a decent amount of time.
"So, Ally, why are you here so early, didn't you wait for the rest of them?" Arista asked with a look of plain curiosity, flipping open a black, leather bound book. On the cover, there was a picture with a giant wolf with its mouth gaping open, lunging itself at the sun. I recognized the wolf as Fenris, the wolf that once tried to swallow the sun. She saw me looking at it and smiled.
Alexandria just glowered from over the other side of the room. She was rather upset to hear that I was off limits to her, and she wanted to change that. I would see how it would change in just a minute, or rather; it could change, had Arista not done exactly what to prevent it.
"Father says that I have to inform you that they will arrive at midnight, and that you should be ready for the meeting at that time. And as you know, I am the fastest flyer in the pack," She said with a large huff.
"And also the most inconsiderate, stuck up pup I have ever seen." Arista said with a snicker.
Alexandria rose, saying, " I am NOT a pup, anymore!"
Arista smiled evilly. " You are a pup, until you take the Ritual of the Black Moon."
"That is kind of why I came so early. You know the rules; a pack member of your blood, gender, and lineage must be your opponent, plus then we must duel until the sun sets. If your little boy-toy over there doesn't mind, I would like to challenge you. Maybe then I can have my Rite of the Moon, plus him as a consolation prize," Alexandria said with a roar of laughter. Arista, for the first time since we had met, turned pale and began to cling to me in fear and rage. I then became angry myself, and tried to restrict myself from turning into that all-green Dr. Jekyll that I was when angered. Arista raised herself from the loveseat we were sitting on, and as she did, her hands changed, and her claws slid from their hiding places within her hands.
"All right! But don't ever say I didn't warn you! Meet me in the Caverns, under the house! At 2:00! Just be wary that I do not kill you before you can ever get your Rite of the Moon!" Arista said.
"Don't count on seeing your precious Loki again!" Alexandria said with a sly smile, and with that, she rushed out of the room, with the speed of lightning.
As soon as she was gone, Arista sheathed her claws. I held out my arms, and she fell into them like a little child often does when frightened or tired. She began to bury her face into my chest, and I pulled her so that her entire body was lying on top of me. I smiled, and then thought of something to cheer her up. My smile soon became a devilish smirk that anyone with a bit of sense would see that I was up to something…
Arista spoke, " Loki, I know that face; you are trying to scheme something up. Tell me, and I won't hurt you."
"Oh, I was just thinking, that's all. Nothing to worry your pretty head about…"
"Loki, I just want to know what you are thinking. Is that at all the least bit horrible?"
"Yes. In a way…" I said with a little bit of excitement.
Arista smiled suddenly, saying, "What has my devilishly handsome, conniving, mischievous, genius, lover thought of now?" As she said this, she started to pull me over on my back, and stretched her body across me, so that she thought I couldn't get up.
"Arista it feels like you have gained some weight. Can't you…ohhhhh. In between the shoulder blades, please…" I said, as she massaged my back with the best technique that could never be done by the pros.
"Now, what were you saying about my weight, Loki dearest?"
"Perfect! I want to tell you, I will do anything, just don't stop baby," I said, not even at once thinking about what I said.
"Tell me."
"Well… I was planning on shape shifting into you, and we could scare the living hell out of your sister with it. It would be a well deserved lesson on her part…" I said with a snakelike smile.
"And some enjoyment on ours… Well done, my dear. But how do we escape her wrath?"
"Remember your promise to let me take you to Red Lobster?"
"All too well."
"Our escape route. Let's take my car. We'll 'lose em for good' in there. Ouch."
"Sorry. It's a rather brilliant plan, and I think we should do it," Arista said, rolling off me. She tried to raise herself from the floor, but I stopped her. I pulled her close to me, and kissed her for a long time. Arista was shocked, but then didn't hesitate to give me a little fire of her own.
Then, after I let her go, she rose, and I whirled in a tornado of magic, and I turned into a physical copy of her. After she turned around, expecting to see me the way I had always looked, but was strongly mistaken. I smiled, and she tried to scream. Realizing this, I went for her mouth, and blocked it so that she would not scream.
"Shhh. Don't scream, it's me!" I said in my own voice. I let her go, with a promise that she would not scream. Then I smiled at her, and she examined me all around.
"Do I seriously look that fat?" She finally spoke, out of curiosity.
I rolled my eyes sarcastically, and said "Let me just tell you something… You. Are. NOT. Fat. Nor do I ever want to hear that from you again. So please: Stop being a Knuckle-head!"
She gave me a playful smack across the face in response, and then said, "All right, Lieutenant Loki, how do you manage to do that?"
"What?"
"Shape shift."
"Darling… I'm the freaking God of Mischief! Why, didn't you believe me when I told you before?" I told her.
"No, not really…"
"Now do you believe me?"
She looked at me oddly, for one moment, and then looked down at her feet. I knew that I had accidentally hit something.
All of a sudden, she let her claws slide from her hands, and the next thing I knew, I had her claws in my stomach. I gasped, and pulled her hand out. Blood splattered to the floor, by the cup full. I closed my eyes, and cursed in the Old Norse Language, watching the blood as it spilled to the floor. Then, the blood flow ceased, and new blood replaced the lost blood. I frowned, after raising my head again.
"What in Odin's name was that for? " I said with disdain, shock, and a hint of anger.
She blinked. She gazed into my eyes, her catlike pupils larger than two saucers, her purple eyes blank, but somewhat deep with emotion. Already I felt self conscious about the way I had just blurted out my last words without a lick of concern. I tried to speak, but I just felt I couldn't. The silence felt like a thousand knives tearing my heart out. Then, like a small river, tears raced down her cheeks. She raised her blood-covered claws, and lifted her clean hand to her mouth, in shock of some unknown kind. Then, like a small, innocent, child, she forced herself to speak, a timid, soft sound.
"I… I am sorry. I… thought… I thought that if you really were who you claimed to be, that you would survive easily the loss of blood and the punctures in your stomach that I would create. I meant no terrible harm… I only wished to know the truth…"
"Why not just believe me? Have I yet told you a lie?" I said, my temper slowly rising.
"Because I didn't believe you when you told me you were a god… Loki, I'm sorry, my tourniquet," She said, falling to the floor in grief.
I turned back into Loki, and walked over to her. I kneeled so that I was eye level with her. Then, I gently took her face in my hands, and lifted her chin so that I could look into her eyes. I brushed the tears away, and tugged on her hair playfully to show that I wasn't angry. She opened her eyes, and I gave her a toothy smile.
Arista laughed, and I made my face into the most pitiful puppy face in the world. My eyes sparkled, and I frowned.
"Oh, you poor thing…" She said, her British accent flaring up.
"Do you believe I am what I say I am?" I asked.
"Loki, God of Mischief, I do believe that you are who you say you are. I am so sorry that I did that to you. Here, I can get rid of that scar," She said lifting my shirt off. There, on my stomach, a pink scar stretched lazily across me. She licked her hand, and rubbed it across the scar.
"Eww, what's that for? -" I started, but she cut me off. Then, all of a sudden there was a tingling feeling in my skin, in the spot that she had placed her spit. I looked down, and saw that the cut was completely healing up. Then there was nothing there but a memory.
"See? Can you forgive me?" She asked.
I laughed, and then said, " I've already have, Arista."
Then, she rose to her feet, and walked into me. She wrapped her arms around my waist, and I did the same for her. I put my hand on the back of her head, and pulled her close to my chest. Then I ran it through her hair.
"So, does this mean that I-"
"Do me a favor, Loki darling: Don't push it. You are doing well now, why ruin it with one of those comments? The time will come, I promise."
"Ok," I replied.
Arista sighed, and turned her head. " I don't think plan A will work. She notices everything, including your powers. She is still young, and may believe in you more right now, and is probably looking up everything in the world about you in our library. I have given it a little thought; Why not fly out the bedroom window, and come back for the car the morning after our ron-de-vou at Red Lobster? If I could make the full wolf transformation I could probably carry you, and a suitcase with clothes and a change of clothes for when we go out. Does that sound ok with you?"
"Sounds all right. Where are you planning on staying, and how long?" I asked.
"Just for a week, the time that it will take for Alexandria's temper to cool down. Unless you want to hide longer. The place I was planning on staying was in Fringe City, at a hotel somewhere in there…" Arista said.
I raised my eyebrows, and asked, "Fringe City?"
"Yeah. I have been there when my brother, sister, and I went to the Museum of Art and History. I have a friend there by the name of Tonia Avery. She's married to the famous Tim Avery, that creator of that really cool cartoon with the dog and the baby that fight for their father's attention. Tonia is an old college friend, and I have not seen her in almost 7 years. Why? Is something wrong with that?" She said.
"No…Nothing is wrong with it…" I lied.
"Can we do that? It is almost a perfect place to hide, since I haven't been there in a long time. Nice, quiet, and beautiful…"
"Right. Uh, I don't see anything wrong…" I lied again. She smiled, and I smiled back.
'This is going to be hell,' I thought brazenly. And I thought of all the chaos I had caused.
'When we get there, she will just love the skeletons left in my closet…' I thought sardonically, and said, "Right. When do we leave?"