p class="MsoNormal" Chapter V/p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"A few months into the semester things were going smoothly for me. The school was very keen on preserving energy, so to set an example I switched all my electronics like my tablet, laptop, and phone to solar powered. It was free as well which I thought was so cool. It was nice how everything was nearly perfect. I missed my family but I had grown closer to Mae and the classes I helped teach were a joy to be around, I loved my class and the students had so much fun with me. To kick off the end of the semester we took a trip to a cave to collect rocks and minerals. The students were just as excited as I was for the trip. When we arrived I saw a towering hillside. Big but not big enough to be a mountain where were banners hanging above in with prayers on it. We all entered and stayed in groups each Teacher and each Teacher's assistant had a group. We were designated in the far corner of the cave to look for loose rock and minerals. We weren't allowed to chip or chisel at anything. I was told it was a sacred cave and to destroy it in any fashion was sacrilegious and blasphemous. It could cause a plague to sweep the land. Mae didn't believe it; most of the teachers didn't but it was their culture so they obliged. I squatted next to a student who called out to me/p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""Look at this I don't know what it is. It is very shiny" the student said with confusion. I looked at the foreign object it was covered in dirt, mud, and other minerals. I began to dust it with a brush. I after what seemed like forever I saw a metallic like tarnished bangle. It was aged so I knew it was an artifact not just something someone lost on a tour. As I go to touch it pulsed. I jumped, startled by the pulse of an inanimate object./p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""What?" the student asked looking puzzled./p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""Did you see that?" I asked her, she shook her head no, confused as to what I was talking about. I shrug and began to collect the bracelet placing it in my bag. The day went on without incident. When we returned to school I asked Mae to meet me in my apartment. When she arrived I explained what happened in the cave and how the bracelet pulsed. She looked confused and had no idea what I was talking about./p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""I don't recognize it, they said that cave was once a burial site for mystical creatures. Alas, those are just myths" she shrugged "does it fit?"/p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""I don't know" I shrugged "It never crossed my mind to try it on." I looked at it for a while then began sliding it onto my left wrist. It sat there and I marveled it. It was neat looking then it began to glow brightly and pulse once again "Mae do you see it glowing?"/p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""Yes oh my take it off!" she panics/p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""I am trying!" I say as I try to yank it off, but it wouldn't budge and instantly long ropes sprung from it; but they weren't ropes they, they looked like serpents. They shot up in the air knocking Mae down. Scared she backs into the corner "Oh my God MAE!" I call out then the serpents wrap around my arm and tighten. I attempt to pull them off and away but they forged with my skin. The glowing stopped and it looked as if I went and got a snake tattoo wrapped around my whole arm. I felt a burning sensation as my body felt numb. I collapsed to my knees. I was in so much pain and I couldn't bare it. I wanted to die right there. Mae approached me slowly./p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""Najah . . . "she paused "your eyes are violet and your hair it is lighter and has dark purple streaks in it. Your skin look at your arm!" she said in shock. I crawl to my living room and look at the reflection in my glass table. My eyes were a deep violet and my hair had lightened with the streaks. I touched my hair in a panicked fashion. It all felt like some bad dream. As my hands glided through my hair I saw claws, my neon blue manicured nails were extended into claws; so far out that polish didn't even cover the nails anymore. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""Take me to the hospital MAE!" I hollered panicked and scared of what was happening it seemed like something I had seen in a vampire vs werewolf movie./p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""I don't think that will do anything we have to take you back to that cave maybe one of the monks will help." Mae covered me with a blanket and put me in her car. I was in tears a complete mess so scared. We finally arrived and she helped me out and into the shrine outside of the cave. She explained what happened after I put on the bracelet. Before she could describe my appearance the monk held up his hand and removed the blanket. He looked me up and down then shook his head./p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""This cannot be undone. It is permanent" the monk said "I am sorry but if it called out to you . . . "/p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""Called out to me?" I interrupt him/p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""Those pulses were it calling to you. They say when an object calls to you it belongs to you, you are its owner." He turned to Mae "She mustn't tell anyone of this. Keep these things hidden. This is a form from a realm and time that is not to be meddled with. People no longer believe of this thus, their tolerance is non-existent." I shuddered as the words were told to Mae "Return in a week and we will have more information about the origin of this artifact."/p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""Ok, thank you" I bow to the monk and begin to make my way back to the car. Mae got in the driver's seat/p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""Hey don't be sad, we will fix this ok were will cover that arm and put on a wig we will get you through this. How about a burger?" she smiled as she grasped my hand./p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal"A few months into the semester things were going smoothly for me. The school was very keen on preserving energy, so to set an example I switched all my electronics like my tablet, laptop, and phone to solar powered. It was free as well which I thought was so cool. It was nice how everything was nearly perfect. I missed my family but I had grown closer to Mae and the classes I helped teach were a joy to be around, I loved my class and the students had so much fun with me. To kick off the end of the semester we took a trip to a cave to collect rocks and minerals. The students were just as excited as I was for the trip. When we arrived I saw a towering hillside. Big but not big enough to be a mountain where were banners hanging above in with prayers on it. We all entered and stayed in groups each Teacher and each Teacher's assistant had a group. We were designated in the far corner of the cave to look for loose rock and minerals. We weren't allowed to chip or chisel at anything. I was told it was a sacred cave and to destroy it in any fashion was sacrilegious and blasphemous. It could cause a plague to sweep the land. Mae didn't believe it; most of the teachers didn't but it was their culture so they obliged. I squatted next to a student who called out to me/p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""Look at this I don't know what it is. It is very shiny" the student said with confusion. I looked at the foreign object it was covered in dirt, mud, and other minerals. I began to dust it with a brush. I after what seemed like forever I saw a metallic like tarnished bangle. It was aged so I knew it was an artifact not just something someone lost on a tour. As I go to touch it pulsed. I jumped, startled by the pulse of an inanimate object./p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""What?" the student asked looking puzzled./p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""Did you see that?" I asked her, she shook her head no, confused as to what I was talking about. I shrug and began to collect the bracelet placing it in my bag. The day went on without incident. When we returned to school I asked Mae to meet me in my apartment. When she arrived I explained what happened in the cave and how the bracelet pulsed. She looked confused and had no idea what I was talking about./p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""I don't recognize it, they said that cave was once a burial site for mystical creatures. Alas, those are just myths" she shrugged "does it fit?"/p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""I don't know" I shrugged "It never crossed my mind to try it on." I looked at it for a while then began sliding it onto my left wrist. It sat there and I marveled it. It was neat looking then it began to glow brightly and pulse once again "Mae do you see it glowing?"/p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""Yes oh my take it off!" she panics/p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""I am trying!" I say as I try to yank it off, but it wouldn't budge and instantly long ropes sprung from it; but they weren't ropes they, they looked like serpents. They shot up in the air knocking Mae down. Scared she backs into the corner "Oh my God MAE!" I call out then the serpents wrap around my arm and tighten. I attempt to pull them off and away but they forged with my skin. The glowing stopped and it looked as if I went and got a snake tattoo wrapped around my whole arm. I felt a burning sensation as my body felt numb. I collapsed to my knees. I was in so much pain and I couldn't bare it. I wanted to die right there. Mae approached me slowly./p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""Najah . . . "she paused "your eyes are violet and your hair it is lighter and has dark purple streaks in it. Your skin look at your arm!" she said in shock. I crawl to my living room and look at the reflection in my glass table. My eyes were a deep violet and my hair had lightened with the streaks. I touched my hair in a panicked fashion. It all felt like some bad dream. As my hands glided through my hair I saw claws, my neon blue manicured nails were extended into claws; so far out that polish didn't even cover the nails anymore. /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""Take me to the hospital MAE!" I hollered panicked and scared of what was happening it seemed like something I had seen in a vampire vs werewolf movie./p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""I don't think that will do anything we have to take you back to that cave maybe one of the monks will help." Mae covered me with a blanket and put me in her car. I was in tears a complete mess so scared. We finally arrived and she helped me out and into the shrine outside of the cave. She explained what happened after I put on the bracelet. Before she could describe my appearance the monk held up his hand and removed the blanket. He looked me up and down then shook his head./p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""This cannot be undone. It is permanent" the monk said "I am sorry but if it called out to you . . . "/p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""Called out to me?" I interrupt him/p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""Those pulses were it calling to you. They say when an object calls to you it belongs to you, you are its owner." He turned to Mae "She mustn't tell anyone of this. Keep these things hidden. This is a form from a realm and time that is not to be meddled with. People no longer believe of this thus, their tolerance is non-existent." I shuddered as the words were told to Mae "Return in a week and we will have more information about the origin of this artifact."/p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""Ok, thank you" I bow to the monk and begin to make my way back to the car. Mae got in the driver's seat/p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal" /p
p class="MsoNormal""Hey don't be sad, we will fix this ok were will cover that arm and put on a wig we will get you through this. How about a burger?" she smiled as she grasped my hand./p