The Dimension Walker: The Pearl of Chaos
Summary: Avril Burgundy was just wanted to have a normal summer. She didn't ask to be sucked into her favorite cartoon, nor did she ask to end up in a camp full of special people! To make matters worse, an eight hundred-year-old sorcerer plans to escape and he's going to use the Pearls of Chaos to do it. Avril has to go on a quest to prevent the Sorcerer from escaping. But, something else lurks in the shadows. Something that's been imprison for centuries...
~Chapter Three~
~Enter the Dimension Walkers~
A/N: Now it's time to introduce Carrie and Natalia! :D I've change some things about them, including their full names (I SPENT SO LONG FINDING GOOD NAMES FOR THEM) and backstories (I HAD TO RETHINK AND REWRITE SO MUCH), which you will see later on. I also changed the location of Camp Walker.
(-Line-Break-)
Honestly, dealing with a human book was much better than meeting two, badass girls with a lance and a whip.
Let's backtrack, shall we?
I heard the voice again, saying that everything was about to change. Me being me said "oh crap" and I started freaking out. I stumbled back, landing on my butt. I started breathing heavily, gripping the sides of my head. The darkness felt like it was suffocating me and I felt as if I was all alone. But, I had to remind myself that my friends and Randy and Howard were there. I wasn't alone. But, I was still in darkness.
"Avril, what's going on?" Ally asked, scared.
"What happened to the Nomicon?" Randy asked.
"I...I..." I tried to say, but my voice failed me.
Fortunately (or unfortunately), the door burst open. A light filled the room. Ally and Alice turned their heads away. Randy and Howard winced, and looked away. I stared at the source of the light with wide eyes.
There were two girls, about the same age as me. One held out a glowing blue sphere and the other was pointing a glowing, white lance at me. I couldn't explain it, but they radiated a strong aura.
The first girl was about my height, maybe a few inches taller. She had curly, raven-black hair with dark purple highlights streaked throughout her hair. Her hair reached down to her waist, and seemed to be cut choppily. She had peachy skin, with freckles dotting her cheeks and nose. But, the freckles looked as if they were fading away. Her face was round and almost heart-shaped, and her round eyes were almond-shaped and rich, dark amethyst with black flecks. The girl wore a dark grey, short sleeved shirt that showed off her mid-riff, ripped-up, faded dark purple jeans, black motorcycle boots, and dark red leather jacket. She was slim and lean, with a few curves. The girl reminded me of those goth/punk girls around school.
The second girl was shorter than me by a few centimeters. She was slim, with an athletic build and a roundish face. Her skin was olive, with a tannish tint. The girl had long, medium brown hair with midnight-blue highlights streaked throughout her hair. Her hair reached past her shoulders, curling up at the ends. Her round, almond-shaped eyes were swirling pools of different shades of blue, mixed with black flecks. The girl wore long-sleeved, dark blue turtleneck dress, black jeggings, black denim vest, and dark brown boots. Around her waist was a steampunk-like belt with a golden whip haning on it. She wore a bronze clock pendant with matching bronze gear earrings.
"Oh hell no," said the first girl, her French accent coming on strong.
"I thought we were just picking up new campers," the second girl complained, revealing her light Italian accent.
"Apparently not, Natalia," the French girl scoffed.
"Don't you scoff at me, Carrie!" the Italian girl, Natalia, hissed.
"Fucking make me," the French girl, Carrie, challenged. "I can always tell your boyfriend your embarrassing little habits, like how you and your siblings predict who's going to date who at camp and try to hook them up."
"Non lo faccio!" Natalia hissed. Then, her cheeks turned pink and she narrowed her eyes. "We do not do that! Fanculo...we're just...err...see if they have chemistry...?"
Carrie smirked, and then returned her attention to us. She snapped her fingers, and Howard disappeared. Randy yelped, jumping back.
"What the juice did you do?!" the purple-haired teen exclaimed. "Where's Howard!?"
"Probably in class or in the lunchroom," Carrie said, waving her hand dismissivly. "Now...you're coming with us."
Natalia clapped her hands, and the glowing orb burst into mist. A wave of tiredness washed over me, and my eyes started getting heavy. Ally and Alice fell to the ground, ending up hugging each other. Randy collapsed next to the mystery boy, the one I saw with glowing red eyes. Crazy that I realized it was a boy at the moment I was about to pass out.
I looked back at the two new girls. They looked at me, and their jaws dropped. The purple-eyed girl, Carrie, said something, but I couldn't hear what she said. I fell to the ground, and my vision went black.
/break\
The last thing I wanted was to wake up in the middle of the woods, tied to a tree.
My eyes fluttered open, and I found myself in a forest clearing. I was standing up, leaning against a tree. Ally and Alice were next to me, passed out. I was about to walk off when I was suddenly stopped by something. I looked down and saw ropes around my torso. I growled, and tugged. I was tied to a tree. In the middle of the woods. Flipping, freaking, fucking fantastic.
To top things off, the two girls that kidnapped us were sitting in front of us. The French girl, Carrie, was sharping her lance while the Italian girl, Natalia, was stroking the fire. Randy and the mysterious boy were lying at our feet, out cold. We were held captive by two girls who were the same age as me.
'Great,' I thought. 'How bad could this get?'
"You'd be surprise," Carrie said as she sharped her lance. "And yes, I just read your mind. Don't freak out, enfant."
"Carrie, she's not a kid," Natalia scolded, pointing the stick she was using to stroke the fire at Carrie. "She's the same age as us. Don't be un idiota."
"I am not an idiot, Natalia!" Carrie hissed. "If anything, you're the fille coincée qui inquiète beaucoup trop!"
Natalia gasped. "How dare you, you spericolato, cagna testardo!"
"You take that back!"
They started arguing like an old married couple, slipping into French and Italian from time to time. Even though they were speaking two different languages, they seemed to understand each other perfectly. I watched them, raising a brow and holding back my laughter. Something in my gut told me that they were probably really close friends or really close sisters. They reminded me of when I argued with Ally and Alice.
Speaking of Ally and Alice, they woke up as Natalia and Carrie started arguing. Ally's eyes went wide, and she was about to speak when I kicked her in the shin. She let out a sharp yelp, and glared at me. I stuck my tongue at her, and looked back at Carrie and Natalia.
"Okay French girl and Italian chick," I said, rolling my eyes. "You can talk about your problems later. I would like to know who the hell are you people and why did you kidnap us. And how did you make Howard disappear? And where did you get those awesome weapons?"
"Oi," Carrie said, standing up. "One question at a time." The purple-eyed girl walked over to me, and glared right into my eyes. "First off, who are you?" she asked.
"Who are you?" I countered.
"I asked you first," Carrie hissed.
"I'm the captive," I argued.
"Just answer the goddamn question!"
I scoffed, glaring slightly. "Avril-Drew Claire Burgundy-Hood," I said, scowling.
My mom wanted to keep her maiden name, so her and my dad decided that they would just go by "Burgundy-Hood". Mom still kept her maiden name and dad still got to call his wife "Mrs. Burgundy". Though, most of the time I didn't use "Burgundy-Hood". I only used it for important documents and when reciting my name to family and family-friends. I would've used "Burgundy", but something in my gut told me to use "Burgundy-Hood".
"Carolina Laurette Crescent," Carrie said. "Huh...you're a Hood. That explains it. Now, who are your friends?"
"Alison Monica Σοφία," Ally squeaked, nervously.
"Alice Madeline Kingfisher," Alice chirped.
"A Kingfisher," Carrie said, clicking her tongue. "And a Σοφία. Three major clans...holy fucking shit..."
"Language, Carrie," Natalia called out, rushing to Carrie's said. "Sorry about my friend's...personality. I'm Natalia Oriana Campana."
"Wow," I said. "Your name rhymes and your friend's initials are 'CLC'."
"We are quite aware of that," Natalia sighed, rolling her eyes. "Now that we are all aquainted with, I guess we should explain some things."
"Yeah," Ally said, nudging Randy and the boy with her foot. "Who's this guy, anyway? He doesn't look like anyone from the show."
"Avril?" Alice asked.
"He was lying in the spot the Nomicon was," I said, uneasily. "I...I think that's the Nomicon."
Ally and Alice stared down at the boy in shock. I looked too, so I could get a good look at boy.
He looked a year older than us and Randy. He had pale white skin, milky and creamy. His eyes were almond-shaped and I remembered his eyes were black as obsidian. He had messy, fiery-red hair that brushed over his shoulders. He wore a ninja suit like Randy's, except the markings were different, and a black cape with a high collar. Around his neck was a pendant in the shape of the Norisu Nine symbol.
"Yeah," Carrie said, looking over at the boy. "That is the Nomicon."
"He is the real First Ninja?" I asked.
"What? No," Natalia scoffed. "The Ninjanomicon is a magical book that can take different forms. He has infinite knowledge and kept all the history of the Fifth Realm."
"...Excuse me?" Ally asked. "Fifth Realm?" She blinked for a few moments, then shook her head. "We're obviously being punk'd, I just know it."
"Seems pretty extravagant if we're the ones being punk'd," I muttered.
"Seems legit," Alice shrugged. "I mean, we're in a motherfucking cartoon for God's sake! Randy looks the way he does in the bloody show! No amout of makeup could do that!"
"Don't be a crazed fruitloop!" Ally hissed. "It's probably Patricia and Hailey's way of embarassing us on live national televison."
"...Fruitloop?" Natalia asked, raising her brow.
"It's a Danny Phantom reference," Ally said, pouting. "Haven't you watched it before?"
"No," Natalia said slowly.
Ally gasped, and started rambling on and on about Danny Phantom. I took a deep breath, struggling against the ropes. How was I supposed to get us out of these? I didn't have my Swiss army knife on me, and I was pretty sure the knot was hidden.
The ruby eyes of my skull ring glinted, reflecting the fire light. I looked down at it, smiling slightly. I remember I got it when I was six on Christmas. It was a faint memory, but I had spent most of December with my uncle Ade and aunt Persefone. They weren't really my aunt and uncle. Uncle Ade was my dad's closest and best friend. But, I insisted on calling them my uncle and aunt since I loved them so much. When they took me home, Uncle Ade gave me my two most favorite Christmas presents: the skull ring and my pet husky, Shadow. I never saw them again after that. Mom said they moved back to Italy because of Uncle Ade's family issues.
Why I was thinking about my past was beyond me. I tended to think about small, non-important things at the worse possible times.
The ruby eyes started glowing, and the ring hummed lowly. A dark aura surrounded the ring, sending chills up my spine. Carrie and Natalia froze. The French girl raised her lance, while the Italian pulled out her whip. Ally and Alice looked at me, staring down at my ring in shock. Even Randy and Nomicon started stirring. I looked around, confused.
"What?" I asked.
"AD, look!" Ally exclaimed.
I looked down and did a double take. In my hand where my ring once was, I held a large sword. The long, sharp blade was made of black iron, with traces of gold, bronze, and silver fused in. The handle of the sword was silver and bone-like. Carved into the blade of the sword were screech owls and poplar trees. The sword gave off a dark glow, with a death-like aura radiating off it.
Blinking out of my confusion, I quickly managed to hack off the ropes. Ally and Alice tumbled, but managed to regain their balance. They rushed to Randy and Nomi, helping the boys up. I pointed my sword at Carrie and Natalia, narrowing my eyes. Carrie raised her lance, her dark purple eyes flickering like fire. Purple and black sparks burst out from Carrie's hands, making the lance glow. Natalia's dark blue eyes flickered like a candle, blue and black sparks came off her hands too, making her whip glow.
"Look," Carrie said, calmly. "You don't want to do this."
"Hell yeah I do," I growled. "You kidnapped me and my friends and then tied us to a damn tree!"
"You don't understand," Carrie pressed on. "We're doing this because we're trying to protect you."
"Protect me from what?!" I shouted.
"Many things," Natalia cut in. "Monsters, scientists, gods..."
"What the fuck does that mean?" I asked, angrily. "Is this some kind of fucking joke?"
"Hell no," Carrie scoffed. "You have no idea what's going on. But, you need to know you're a-"
Suddenly, the fire went out. From the shadows of the forest, glowing gold and black eyes peered out. Carrie and Natalia lowered their weapons, their eyes locked on one spot. I looked back, and saw a figure step out of the shadows.
It was a girl, probably eighteen or nineteen years old. She looked like a living flame, flickering as if she was going to disappear at any moment. Her skin was a pale grey, faintly glowing in the moonlight. Her eyes were black, soulless orbs that looked like black marble. She had no pupils or irises, which totally creeped me out. Her long, pitch black hair floated around her head as if she was underwater. She wore a flowing, black dress with flame-like wisps floating at the ends of the skirt. Her hands and legs were wisps, and strange, black-and-gold tendrils came out from her back.
"We have to go," Natalia said suddenly. "The Shadow Fairies can only appear at night, and they're our only guide to the Walker Express."
"Go?" Alice asked. "Excuse, but where are we going? And what the bloody hell is the 'Walker Express'?"
"No time," Carrie said hastily. "We gotta go now."
Ally and Alice quickly got Randy and Nomi to their feet, both boys still drowsy. The mysterious "Shadow Fairy" started floating off, with Carrie and Natalia hurrying after her. I looked at my friends, who just shrugged. With a groan, we started running after them.
/break\
We ran for what felt like hours. In the dark, the trees looked the same and the ground was hard to see. The moonlight provided some light, but it wasn't enough. The only light we had came from the glow of my sword, Carrie's lance, and Natalia's whip. Even the "Shadow Fairy's" strange tendrils were glowing dimly, too. Natalia had told me they were the Fairy's wings.
"Strange wings," I mumbled.
"Different kinds of fairies have different designs to their wings," Natalia said. "Shadow Fairy wings are tendrils of shadows, Water Fairy wings are made of water and help them swim, and Fire Fairy wings can make a great sheild.
"Awesome," Alice said.
We kept going, trying to keep up with the Shadow Fairy. From time to time, Randy would try to speak but he would quickly fall back into unconsciousness. Nomi was awake, and running along with us. But, he didn't speak a word. Could a book talk? It was a magical book, so I assumed it could talk normally in its human form.
The Shadow Fairy finally stopped, pointing at something ahead of us. In front of us was a train station, with old-timey trains and conductors wearing old fashion uniforms. Teenagers and little kids were going to ticket counters, or waiting at platforms with lots of luggage. The strange thing was that it reminded me of the train station from Harry Potter. Only, the train station looked like a ghostly scene. The Shadow Fairy smiled, and disappeared without a trace. I looked over at Carrie and Natalia, giving them a questioning look.
"This is Dimensional Travels trainstation," Natalia started to explain. "It was created to help make dimensional travel faster, easier, and quicker. The trains can create portals themselves."
"Dimensional travel," Ally said. "Yep, you are a crazed fruitloop."
"Why does it look...ghostly?" Alice asked, completely ignoring Ally. "Is for aesthetic reasons?"
"No," Natalia chuckled. "It's for making sure mortals and cargo won't stumble upon it. Only Shadow and Ghost Fairies can find it, so that's why we needed to hurry. Shadow and Ghost Fairies have to rest during the day."
I looked back at the trainstation, watching the teens chatting with one another and the little kids jumping around. They seemed so excited, yet so nervous. It only made me wonder where they were heading, made me wonder where we were heading. I glanced down at my sword, seeing the blade glint in the moonlight. In the back of my mind, I slowly started to believe what Natalia and Carrie were telling us.
A loud train whistle echoed throughout the station, and a old-fashion steam engine train pulled in Platform #4. Teens and kids started hurrying towards the train, handing their silvery tickets to a middle-aged man in a conductor's uniform. Human-like wisps grabbed the luggage and helped put them on the train. From inside the train windows, I could see the teens and kids pile into seats.
"Come on," Natalia said, guiding us to the train. "Carrie and I already got our passes, so we don't need tickets."
Without another word, we all hurried onto the train.
/break\
"Oh porca puttana!" Natalia exclaimed. "If you shut up, I will tell you, okay?"
I smirked evilly. During the train ride, I pestered Natalia again and again to tell me what was going on and what she and Carrie were. Carrie had taken Randy to the sleeping car and stayed there to speak with Nomi. Ally and Alice were sitting in front of us, rummaging through their bags. I sat next to Natalia, my seat near the window.
"Alright," I said. "Now, start talking."
Natalia sighed, rubbing her temple. "Let us start with the basics," she said. "The world you live in is not the only one. You come from the Reality Dimension, sometimes referred to Realm Zero. The Reality Dimension is where it started. There are nine realms, each containing infinite amounts of dimensions and alternate dimensions, timelines and alternate timelines, and universes and alternate universes. I, myself, still do not understand the complexity of it all. All I know is that there are gods at work. Gods known as the Primordial and Primevial gods."
"And," I said, "what are you?"
"We are known as Dimension Walkers," Natalia stated. "Dimension Walkers are a race of people with divine, immense powers and have the ability to travel through dimensions. The gods had created us at first. They gave us our powers, and we called them our Power Class. As time went on, new Power Classes were discovered. We don't know how they are created, but we do know that they are Dimension Walkers."
I nodded. "So...you think me and my friends are Dimension Walkers?"
"Think?" Natalia chuckled. "We know. Dimension Walkers can sense other Dimension Walkers' auras. When we sense your aura, we can also know what your Power Class is. For example, your friend Ally is a Giver. Givers hold all the knowledge and wisdom in all of the Nine Realms. They are intelligent, crafty, skillful, and sometimes wise beyond their years."
It made sense. Ally was super smart, and was basically the most crafty of the group. She designed amazing clothes, complex weavings, and created models of amazing buildings she wanted to build one day. Ally had a thirst for knowledge, spending her time with her nose in a book and doing research. Me and Ally would joke around, saying she was like a daughter of Athena from time to time. Giver seemed to fit her very well.
"What about Alice?" I asked. "What's she?"
"A Rabbit," Natalia said.
I covered my mouth, quickly muffling the laughter coming from my mouth. Natalia glared at me, but her face remained calm. She cleared her throat, signaling me to stop laughing. It was strange, seeing someone my age act like an adult.
"For your information," Natalia huffed, "Rabbits create the Portals, which we call Rabbit Holes. They look like regular rabbit holes, only much bigger. Rabbits also harbor a curse. They are...somewhat insane. Ever heard of the saying 'madder than the Hatter'? Well, it was started by some Dimension Walkers insulting Rabbits. Rabbits never mind, however. They...embrace it, actually."
"Sounds like Alice," I said. "But, why did you saying 'three major clans' when we told you our names?"
"The Σοφία, Kingfisher, and Hood clans are part of the Thirteen Clans, which you will learn about once we get to camp," Natalia told me.
"Camp?" I asked. "What camp?"
"Camp Walker," the Italian girl said. "There are two camps for Dimension Walkers, known as Camp Walker and Camp Hood. These camps are where Dimension Walkers go to so they can train and learn to harness their powers."
"Awesome," I said.
Natalia rolled her eyes, and turned towards the window. The rest of the train ride was silent, save for passengers talking and the rumbling of the train. I looked down at my lap, letting my mind wander. Many thoughts passed through my mind, some despressing and others not so depressing. I thought about my family and how they were fairing, and I thought about this camp that we would be arriving at soon. I heard snippets about Camp Walker from the other passengers, saying we were going to some remote, woodsy area in Oregon, near the ocean. There was a small town called Ocean View, where Dimension Walkers lived and attended camp. I vaguely remembered my mom talking about how her and her family visited a place called Ocean View.
The train soon stopped, and the train whistle rang loudly. The intercom crackled to life, some passengers had to cover their ears due to the static. I covered my ears, wincing at the loud noise. Natalia didn't seem affected; she just sat quietly and looked out the window.
"First stop," the intercom announced. "Welcome to Ocean View, Oregon! Welcome campers, new and old, to Camp Walker!"
Somehow, that relived my nerves. If only I knew that things were going to get even more complicated once I settle into camp.
...
Translations:
French
*Enfant = kid
*Fille coincée qui inquiète beaucoup trop = uptight girl who worries way too much
Italian
*Un idiota = an idiot
*Spericolato, cagna testardo = reckless, stubborn bitch
*Oh porca puttana! = Oh for fuck's sake!