Sorry for anyone who saw the really weird way this uploaded. I have no idea why it did that! Sorry!
A VERY SPECIAL THANKS GOES OUT TO merendinoemiliano FOR LETTING ME KNOW RIGHT AWAY HOW BADLY I MESSED UP THE FORMATTING! THANK YOU!
Chapter 6
Carla
How to begin to describe my dream? Not a nightmare. Nightmares were terrifying, but you usually knew they would never happen. No, it was much more real and frightening.
I felt my body go weightless on my bed, a feeling so much different than just falling asleep. Suddenly, I saw the ceiling begin to grow closer, as I drifted up. Shaking my head at the impossibility, I turned, and startled as I saw my own sleeping form below.
'Great. I'm dead,' I thought. But that wasn't it, either. As I looked down at myself, I didn't look like a ghost. From my waist down, I was still clad in the briefs I had worn to bed. But my arms were replaced with shimmering, golden wings. I was a hybrid of myself and some kind of bird. [No, Samuel, not a chicken. More like an eagle or a hawk. Because I read a book on birds...Will you let me tell the story, please?!]
Looking around the room, I knew I wasn't dreaming, because I don't dream in color. I certainly don't dream in all five senses. The room smelled faintly of the jasmine candle which had been left beside my bed. I could hear the carbonation bubbles pinging in the can of ginger ale I'd opened on my nightstand. A cold wind ruffled through my feathers, and I realized the windows were open.
Leavin the safety of the room seemed ill advised, especially after what happened today, but a strong current pulled me out of the room like a leaf in a storm. The lights of the mansion faded below me. The skyline of New York blurred and disappeared. I shot through the mist and darkness, strange voices whispering all around me. My stomach tingled as it had earlier that night on Amos's barge. Then the mist cleared, and I was in a completely foreign place.
I floated above a mountain, barren except for a few scattered trees. Far below, a grid of city lights stretched across the valley floor. Definitely not New York. It was nighttime, but I could tell I was in the desert. The dry wind made the skin on my face was like paper. And I know that doesn't make sense, but my face felt like my normal face, as if that part of me hadn't transformed into a bird. [Fine, Samuel. Call me the Carla -headed chicken. Happy?]
Below me on a ridge stood two figures. Despite my irradiance, they didn't seem to notice me. I looked down and I realized I wasn't glowing anymore. In fact I was translucent, barely showing up in the dark shadows.. I couldn't make out the two figures clearly, but what I could see was enough to recognize that they weren't human.
Staring harder, I could see that one was short, squat, and hairless, with slimy skin that glistened in the starlight—like an amphibian after shedding its skin. The other was scarecrow like; tall and skinny, with rooster claws instead of feet. I couldn't see his face very well, but it looked red and moist and...well, let's just say I was glad I couldn't see it better.
"Where is she?" the toad-looking one croaked nervously.
"Hasn't decided on a permanent host yet," the rooster-footed guy chided. "Until then, she can only appear for a short time."
"You're sure this is the place?"
"Yes, fool! She'll be here as soon—" A fiery form appeared on the ridge. The two creatures fell to their 'knees', groveling in the dirt, and I prayed like crazy that I really was invisible.
"My lord! I mean, my Lady!... Uh, Sire?" the toad fumbled. Even in the dark, the newcomer was hard to see—just the silhouette of a woman outlined in flames.
"You may call me 'My Lady'. Master would be even better. What do they call this place?" the woman asked. And as soon as she spoke, I knew for sure she was the one who'd attacked my Mom at the British Museum. All the fear I'd felt at the museum came rushing back, paralyzing me. I remembered trying to pick up that stupid rock to throw, but I hadn't been able to do even that. I'd completely failed my Mom in the face of one woman.
"My Lady," Rooster Foot said. "The mountain is called Camelback. The city is called Phoenix."
The fiery woman laughed, but it was devoid of any warmth, coming out as more of an evil cackle. "Phoenix. How appropriate! From the ashes of this pathetic world, I shall be reborn. And the desert so much like home. All it needs now is to be scoured of life. The desert should be a sterile place, don't you think?"
"Oh yes, my Lady," the toad agreed fervently. "But what of the other four? Will they not try to stop you?"
"One is already entombed," the fiery man said. "The second is weak. They will be easily manipulated, and if not, eliminated. That leaves only two. Admittedly more irksome, but they will be dealt with soon enough."
"Er...how?" the toad asked, glancing at Rooster Foot with apprehension. Whomever those other two were, they must have scared the creatures more than the fiery woman glowed brighter.
"You are an inquisitive little tadpole, aren't you? Perhaps, too inquisitive" She pointed at the toad and the poor creature's skin began to steam.
"No!" the toadie begged. "No-o-o-o!" I could hardly watch. I don't want to describe it. But if you've heard what happens when cruel kids pour salt on snails, you'll have a pretty good idea of what happened to the toadie. Soon there was nothing left but a smoldering pile of flesh. Rooster Foot took a nervous step back. I couldn't blame him.
"We will build my temple here," the woman said, wiping off her hands. "This mountain shall serve as my place of worship. When it is complete, I will summon the greatest storm ever known. I will cleanse everything. Everything."
"Yes, my Lady," Rooster Foot agreed quickly. "And, ah, if I may be so bold as to suggest, my Lady, to increase your already formidable power..." The creature bowed and scraped and moved forward, as if he wanted to whisper in the woman's ear. Just when I thought Rooster Foot was going to become fried chicken for sure, he said something to the woman that I couldn't make out, and her face twisted into a maniacal grin as her flames burned brighter.
"Excellent! If you can do this, you will be rewarded. But if your hubris precedes you..."
"I understand, my Lady."
"Go then," the woman said. "Unleash our forces. Start with the longnecks. That should soften them up. Collect the younglings and bring them to me. I want them alive, before they have time to learn their powers. Do not fail me."
"Never, my Lady."
"Phoenix," the fiery woman mused "How fitting." She swept her hand across the horizon, as if imagining leveling the city. "Soon I will rise from your ashes. It'll be such a happy birthday, to me."
Alright, so hopefully it uploads correctly this time! Was gonna say, sorry for the short chapter, I'm on vacation trying to relax before college and I'm sharing a room with two other people so not a lot of privacy. Will update soon, and maybe start a new series of oneshots. Let me know any ideas for this or other fandoms. Constructive critisism and reviews are always welcome.
THANK YOU AGAIN merendinoemiliano !
-Cat
