Tunnels

Chapter One: How Many Levels of Hell Are There Again?

By Saxifrage

I smiled nervously at Derek, who had agreed to help me, and gripped my large backpack tightly before slipping it on. I had stocked up on supplies incase I had to relive a few days alone before I had a chance to save Tianna. I also had stocked up on glow-in-the-dark/waterproof watches. I was going to need them. Currently, I had two snazzy looking ones strapped on my left wrist.

Once again, I found myself embracing the goddess in me. I hated to admit it, but without accepting who I am, how could I possibly save Tianna? So, I had dressed as a goddess should. Stylish and funky. Tianna would expect no less.

I had baggy, boyish jeans that had been stained with paint from when I had been working on a piece for an art show, and a zebra printed, sexy halter top that tied around my neck. My nails were painted green; my make-up was dark and thick, my lips a deep red. Green stones dotted my eyes and I had painted a moon swirled in smoke on the outside of my left ankle in red East-Indian ink, so it I knew it wouldn't wash off for a few weeks. My shoes were black running shoes that I thought I would need incase of a rough landing. The two watches I sported had cloth, checkered wristbands, one black and blue, the other black and pink.

And, after some hesitation, I had strapped both my mother's and my moon amulet around my neck. They sparkled innocently in the light.

I was ready to kick some butt.

"I'm ready." I informed Derek, squeezing his hand lightly. "What about you?"

"Yeah, I'm good to go."

"Do you remember what to do?" I asked the red head quietly, staring into his mourning blue eyes.

"Yes." I was about to start when I felt him tug on my arm earnestly. "Catty, if you can't bring her back… tell her I love her. That I've always loved her, and that I'm sorry."

"Don't worry!" I promised him with my famous cocky grin. "You'll be able to grovel to her yourself. I'll bring her back."

And with that, I began to take in his energy, trying to extend my grip on time so I could go back weeks. It was a trick I had heard about from Maggie once, but I had never had any guts to try it myself without someone, and Vanessa had refused. It was my only chance, now. Derek started to go slack against me as I filled with energy; I gently put Derek down as he slumped into a deep slumber.

He would be alright after a good rest.

And now, I was ready.

"See ya, Derek," I muttered, my old spark returning to me. This was it.

My eyes dilated, and I felt the rush as I fell into the Tunnel, cabbage-smelling air delightfully filling my lungs. I had never felt so much power before!

But then suddenly, I banged into something.

"What the–?" A startled scream left my throat as the tunnel turned white, and then grey, and then back to black. It was fading from white to black, back to white quicker than my eyes could keep track of.

Eyes started popping out of the walls, and hands reached out through time, trying to grasp onto me and pull me into their time…

Then I felt a hand hold mine gently. I turned and my eyes met a beautiful brown; I gasped and suddenly the chaos around me seemed like nothingness.

"Cute outfit."

"Tianna?" I asked her softly.

She looked worried, and she was surrounded by a light.

"Catty, let go." She told me. Her voice echoed in my ears. "Let go of your sorrow, I can't come back."

"What? Tianna, no!" I scrambled to keep her hands in mine. "Tianna, please you have to come back!"

"I can't." She said simply, a sad smile gracing her beautiful face. "I'm with Selene now, so I'm okay. But Catty, you're in trouble. There was a reason you weren't supposed to go back. A trick laid by the Atrox." I looked at her, confusion written in my eyes. "The others knew. They were trying to protect you."

"What trick?" I whispered. Anger whelled up inside of me, and my voice raised its level in volume. "What trick! Why won't you tell me!"

"I don't have time." Tianna was worried again. "Quick, take my powers!"

"What?"

She shoved something into my hand, and I felt a burn upon my skin. "I attained them from the Atrox, and purified them. Now you can take them."

"Tianna, wha–"

"Tell Derek, I love him too, but he needs to move on. I'll watch over his happiness."

Then, she was flying away from me, the light holding her disappearing. "TIANNA!"

"Remember!" She yelled, her voice getting faint. "Remember that Maggie's real name is Penelope!"

"WHAT? TIANNA! WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?"

She was already gone, and I was tumbling into the abyss, alone, and unable to get out of the Tunnel. The hands on my watch were spinning faster than I had ever seen them before.

I was beginning to think that I was stuck. Stuck like how Vanessa had always feared I would become stuck.

Pressure on my arm stopped me from my continual downward motion in time, and I looked and saw that a hand had caught me. A tug pulled on me, and once again I tumbled, but this time I landed on ground.

Blackness filled my eyesight as I heard people screaming and running to my aide.

That was the last thing I remembered.

--

The first thing I noticed was that I was on ground, but everything felt like it was spinning. It must have been an after effect from staying so long in the Tunnel… like when you spin in circles for a long while and then lie down… the room keeps spinning.

So I was just spinning away. Spin, spin. Whee! I read a poem about spinning once. Something about gyrating bugs? …Whirligig Beetles. Or something. I felt like a spinning beetle. Just spinning, spinning, spinning… In the darkness. Spinning darkness. Whee... Or maybe it was more of a rocking sensation? I couldn't be sure. I seemed to be a little out of it. But I was spinning. Or rocking. Just a little out of it.

I stopped my mind from babbling long enough to notice the second and third things.

There were voices; I wasn't alone.

"What do you think we shud do?" The person's voice was slurred. He was obviously slightly drunk and sounded uneducated and British.

Wait. Bristish? Hmm… spin, spin, British man.

"Shud we tell tha captain?" A similar voice answered.

"Sheh's dressed kinda funneh. Maybeh she's a whore!" He was obviously excited about the revelation that I might be a whore. Hm. Spinning whores…

Oh, wait. That's not a good thing. Is it?

I tried to move, but with no luck. My strength was coming back way too slowly for my liking. If only I'd stop spinning! If I started to think a little clearer, it might help also.

"Well, if sheh's a whore, we best not tell tha captain, eh?" the other voice chuckled. " 'e'd just want 'er for 'imself."

"Yeah, you're right!"

Pause.

"Wha' do ya do with whores 'oo aren't awake?" Even my smooshed brain knew that this wasn't good. It muttered something to me about hell. I listened closely to my sanity and finally caught was it was saying. I took the opportunity to grasp it and possibly understand what was going on.

Me. Thought to be a whore by two men. Alone. Unable to move.

Oh hell. Oh double hell. Oh triple hell.

How many levels of hell were there? Seven? Yep. Seven.

I think.

Oh seven hells of doom. Why me?

Suddenly, I got my mouth working. Yes! Finally, a chance to tell them: I'm not a whore! "Uhh…" I groaned.

Okay, well, it was a start, and I was actually feeling like I might move a little. Just a little would be good at this point. And my mind was working again. No more thoughts of spinning. Minus that last one.

"She's wakin' up!"

My eyes fluttered open, and the first thing I saw were two dirty men staring at me eagerly. "Ah!" I yelled, started. My body jerked back, and my head hit a wall. I realized then, that I had been propped up in a sitting position against a door. I was in some sort of closet.

Maybe there were more levels of Hell than I thought. This was definitely one of them.

" 'ello!" The first one said. He was missing quite a few teeth and it looked like he might have been sporting a black eye under his deeply dirty and tan skin. "I'm Jonny Johnson, an' this's Blackeye Pete. We saved yeh. Even if you're a whore, we didn' think ya shud be out in da open on a pirate's ship."

I groaned a little bit at the man. Couldn't he see anything? "Not… a whore…" I grinded out, my voice raspy and barely intelligible. I did NOT look like a slut.

"No?" The other one asked, disappointed. "Oh, tha's a shame. Still prolly best dat the captain didn' see ya, o' course. 'e's a bit of a nutty."

I nodded at everything he was saying, not quite understanding him through his thick accent. Then something clicked.

Pirate ship?

"Wait – wha?"

Before they could answer my befuddled expression, a knock resounded on the door.

"Whatchoo two doin' in there?" Suddenly the door opened, I was blinded by bright light, and I immediately fell backwards. I felt the two men in front of me try to block this man from my view, not that I could see him or anything. Then again, maybe they were blocking him? I couldn't be too sure. I was still a little groggy, and the ground under me still seemed to be rocking.

"Ahhh, yeh've got somethin' good there. Let's take 'er to tha captain." I guess he saw me anyways.

"Damnit." They grumbled, and lifted me off the ground. I didn't have the energy to protest physically, but I did manage to mutter something about hygiene and a personal space bubble.

I blinked in the light, my eyes finally adjusting. I looked around the room – and realized I wasn't in a room. I was, indeed, on a ship.

"Where am I?" I mentally applauded myself on a full sentence.

The three men turned to me with their toothless grins. "The Black Pearl."

They said it so gleefully and proudly that I was left wondering whether I should know what a black pearl was or not. Weren't pearls white?

And wait! I was on a ship!

Crap.

Review Responses

SelenesSong: Yes, I know that Catty is being a little bitchy and inconsiderate to the other's feelings, but hey, you gotta give her some slack! Her friend just died. Wouldn't you be bitchy? And Catty's never really paid attention to right and wrong. If she thinks she can save Tianna by going through time, whether it's true or not, she will. No matter what the others say. Glad you liked it though, and I really liked that line, too. XD

ThePenguinAteMyHomework: Hold onto your butt… Things are gonna get crazier! You know how Catty is, and her plans never really work out. Hope you liked!

MaidoftheMer: All I can say to that is: "Thanks!" and "Mmmm… muffin." :)

Who Am I: Answer to correction one: That's kind of the point. Catty is an idiot and her rashness gets her into trouble, but we love her anyways. To Correction two: Kyle IS Catty's boyfriend. Look it up. Read the book again. I've fixed most of the grammatical errors, also.

A/N

I hope you liked the newest chapter! Sorry for the lack of updates; I don't know how long it will take me to update this or my other fics. And hope that this is more humorous than the first chapter was. I wasn't intending on having this fic be so angsty. Please Review!