Tea kept running.
And running.
The rocky shore seemed to be never ending, and it probably was too. Skidding to a halt, Tea turned away from the water as it came crashing at her with a roar, and thunder rumbled ominously. Lightning illuminated the darkening sky, and Tea knew she had to keep going. But this time she started up, away from the shore, and hopefully toward a beach house with someone in it. But at the rise between beach and land there were no houses, just long stretches of green plains.
"What?" She whispered, turning backward to find the ocean and the roaring lightning was gone.
"Welcome to the outskirts, and the place of the first of your many friends." Noah's voice whispered, and Tea twirled around trying to find him. "Oh, don't worry about me. I'll only interfere when I want to, so good luck little Tea!"
"Who's here, Noah?" Tea demanded.
"Oh, would that be any fun? You'll figure it out." Noah's voice laughed, and then disappeared.
"Just great." She sighed, and started walking forward.
"Tea!" A bubbly voice called, and with a start Tea saw MG flying toward her, DM a pace behind her.
"MG!" Tea shouted back happily.
"Oh Tea, isn't today wonderful? King Noah has kept everything wonderful out here, and he even got me and DM together." MG smiled, and Tea's smile slowly deserted her face. MG was under Noah's spell, she thought he was a good guy, a good King. That just wasn't right.
"Listen, we gotta get out of here, we have to get back to Earth." Tea said urgently, trying to tug MG away from DM. "And when did DM get pulled into this virtual nightmare?"
"Nightmare? Are you all right, Tea? This is paradise, not a nightmare. And DM has always been here, just as we have always been here." MG told her curiously.
"No, MG, no, this is anything but paradise. This is a trap! This isn't real!" Tea said, shaking the magician's shoulders.
"What is wrong with you? This is paradise, this isn't a trap! Why would you even think that?" MG demanded, ripping herself away from Tea.
"Think hard MG, think back to earlier. Do you even remember Rek or Wen? Mr. Saew? Don't you remember DM's idiocy? You were trying so hard to get his attention, and you ran outside the barrier and were Taken. Why can't you remember?" Tea explained in a rush.
"I-I don't understand what you're saying! We have always been here, haven't we DM?" But Tea could see a hint of remembrance flood the magician's eyes, and Tea knew she had to keep pushing.
"No, we have never be here. DM does not love you, and he never has."
"Yes he does! He loves me with all his heart!" MG yelled at her, and Tea smiled in response. In one of her science classes, Tea had learned anger can help stimulate memories once forgotten, and she was hoping that MG was mad enough to remember what she was going to say.
"No, he doesn't. You let me set you and DM up on a date, and he thought it was all a joke. You ran away from him, and then you were Taken." I said quietly, but as firm as I could.
"I-I-" MG struggled as the real truth and Noah's truth competed in her head, and Tea hoped beyond hope that the real truth would prevail. "Tea?" MG asked confused.
"This is a cage, this is all fake." Tea whispered as MG sank to her knees. "Remember, MG, remember, please M. You gotta remember."
"I-I think I remember. Mr. Saew,...he was my...guardian. Yeah! And Rek and Wen were his children, and I was hopelessly in love with DM, but he didn't see me the way I saw him." Turning her head, MG turned to look at the love stricken DM behind her. "Do we have to go? This place...it's wonderful." She whispered.
"I know, M. I know." Tea whispered, helping MG stand up slowly. "But we have to, we don't belong here." Lightning rocked over the meadow, and suddenly Noah was standing before them.
"You." He hissed. "You think you can make them all remember? Not everyone is a muddled as the Little Magician Girl right here. You won't be able to convince the others, and now you'll pay." Noah laughed maniacally, and snapped his fingers.
"Tea!" MG cried, and she disappeared.
"MG! What did you do to her?" Tea demanded, looking at the man in front of her like he was Domino's most hated citizen.
"Oh, I took her home. Isn't that what you wanted?" Noah replied, and started walking away.
"Home? What do you mean home?" Tea demanded in a small voice.
"Oh, the real world as you call it."
"You let her go." Tea realized.
"Hm, it made you happy. Now good luck on the others, because I can promise I won't be letting the others escape my grasp just as easily."
"I'll get them all, you just wait Noah. Once I get all my friends back together we'll make you pay." Tea promised.
"Oh, I'll pay? I doubt that, I control the game here, not silly little you. Good luck, but riddle me this:
The next in line
To be lost or find
Follow the road to a silly little city.
Where humblance abides, and cards are many,
Will the next child reside."
"That doesn't even rhyme!" Tea retorted.
"I control the game, Tea. Let's just see how you fare then." With a wave Noah was gone, but a long winding road rose up in his place.
"Just great, really just great." Tea muttered and started for the road.
"Tea." A dark voice rumbled behind her, and turning Tea found DM with dark red eyes and a staff pointing in her direction. Not to mention it was glowing, and static was shooting off it.
"Oh no." She whispered, and started running. DM was right on her trail, and the lightning shots coming right at her didn't really help her situation. "Leave me alone! What did I do?" Tea yelled as she dodged behind a tree to avoid becoming crispy. Tea bacon wasn't good bacon. She thought as she ran. DM suddenly stopped, and let his wand drop down to his side. With narrowed eyes, he watched her flee and then melted back into the trees. Tea didn't really care why he stopped, but she wasn't stopping. And she didn't want to go back and find out, so saying thank you over and over in gratitude she kept going.