Why? Oh why did this have to happen to ME? –part 21
Okay, I know this took pretty much forever to update and I'm sure a lot of you have been using your imaginations to plan out my murder. Nonetheless I wanted to give you the best. I really hope all of you enjoy this new chapter. For those few who have reviewed, thank you so much for your continued support. I absolutely love every single one of your reviews. I read them at least twice if not more. I would really like to hear any suggestions or any complains that you may have. Like if you will like to see more love scenes between Remus and Emily or more interactions between Ephraim and Emily. I am all eyes and ears for all my lovely viewers.
…
X Sirius X
The stage is dark, the curtains are drawn, and a light flickers to life. A guy with black hair and gray eyes; stands in the light right, smack in the middle of the stage with a mike in hand.
Everything is silent. He lets out a breath, before a smooth even voice takes its place. "Ladies and Gentlemen, this is Mambo number five." As these last words leave his lips the place comes to life.
"One," fingers snap the audience gasps. "Two," fingers snap, a foot taps. "Three," eyes stare, lips curve, his smirk appears. "Four," the faint squeals are heard in the background. "Five," the stage is set. The stage shines with life. "Everybody in the car so come on let's ride..."
"To the liquor store around the corner."
"The boys say they want some gin and juice but I really don't wanna."
"Beerbust like I had last week."
"I must stay deep 'cause talk is cheap." Girls swoon.
"I like Angela," the light shines on a girl with wavy brown hair and charming smile. "Pamela," a girl with blond hair winks at the audience. "Sandra," a girl with black hair and a flirtatious smile waved at the audience. "And Rita," a girl with short black hair simply smiles a knowing smile with a hand on her hip.
"And as I continue, you know they're getting sweeter." At his smirk, the females in the vicinity melt.
"So what can I do? I really beg you my Lord." Shoulders shrug yet flirtatious smirk stays in place.
"To me flirting is just like a sport."
"Anything fly, it's all good let me dump it."
"Please set it in the trumpet."
"A little bit of Monica in my life," A girl to the right blows a kiss.
"A little bit of Erica by my side," gives a shy wave.
"A little bit of Rita's what I need," he twirls a girl around.
"A little bit of Tina's what I see," he blows a kiss to girl on the left.
"A little bit of Sandra in the sun," a girl in a sundress twirls in place.
"A little bit of Mary all night long," a girl with a finger on her lower lip sends a seductive smile.
"A little bit of Jessica here I am," he jumps down surprising a girl in the front row.
"A little bit of you makes me your man!" the girls in the background squeal in delight.
"Mambo number five." Suddenly the Marauders appear.
"Jump up and down and move it all around." The Marauders jumps up and down before linking hands to twirl around.
"Shake your head to the sound, put your hands on the ground." The Marauders shake heads in unison.
"Take one step left," Marauders move to the left. "And one step right."
"One to the front and one to the side."
"Clap your hands once and clap your hands twice"
"And if it look like this then you're doing it right."
"A little bit of Monica in my life,"
"A little bit of Erica by my side."
"A little bit of Rita's what I need,"
"A little bit of Tina's what I see."
"A little bit of Sandra in the sun,"
"A little bit of Mary all night long."
"A little bit of Jessica here I am,"
"A little bit of you makes me your man!" He turns to the side and points. The light shines in the direction he points when suddenly the music comes to a sudden halt. There standing with her arms crossed and glare, that can send a Dementor hiding under the sheets; stands Elizabeth. Everything goes silent before the sound of a mike hitting the ground and the back door swinging shut is heard.
"Sirius Black!" Elizabeth gives chase.
"Let the Story begin!" the Marauders chorus.
…
Remus's POV
I could feel my breath leave my body in short puffs. I had been running for so long that I was beginning to second guess myself. I had been absolutely sure that this was the way to go but seeing as we were getting nowhere made me rethink my earlier decision. My eyes darted from side to side. We had only been here for a short while and my body was more than wary of this place. Now, I knew what they meant by when they said that our lives would be at stake. My eyes swept across the dimly lit passageways to assess the others. From the looks of it the past couple of minutes had taken a toll on them. I wondered if it was thanks to my lycanthropy curse that my body was hardly affected. There were only ten of us left. The two people from the Taranis School had left the rest of us behind. In that short time we had lost two others one from the Durmstrang and another from Beauxbators. Everything had happened so fast it was a wonder how we were able to make it thus far.
Only a few moments before…
"Welcome to the Tower of Babylon. Your task shall be to make it to the top of the tower and to obtain one of the prizes located at the top. You will only be allowed the use of your wand. The tower has five floors, each floor will test your strength, intelligence, resourcefulness, and your skill as a wizard or witch. You will have five hours to complete your task. Best of luck!"
The crowd began to cheer for its contesters. All twelve contestants made their way towards the main gate. In front of them stood a tall tower built from gray stones. The tower looked old and daunting. Its walls were covered in green moss with vines growing out from the stones. The moment they reached the top of the steps, they were greeted with the loud sounds of the stone doors moving across the pavement. Once the doors opened the twelve, tentative and confident, feet stepped forward. The moment all twelve stepped inside was the same moment that the stone walls shut behind them. They were greeted by darkness and the welcome of an eerie silence.
Out of the corner of my eye I see Ephraim, take a step forward. The moment his right foot hit the stone, the torches on the walls ignited with life. The fire revealed a large empty hall with long pillars to support the roof. On the opposite wall, two large statues stood to indicate the entrance of a passage that will lead them further into the tower. The empty hall seemed innocent enough but something told him that it wasn't necessarily the case.
Before he could voice his concerns the girl standing on his right decided to voice her own thoughts.
"Is there a reason why we are standing around, wasting time?" She was from the Beauxbators Academy, if memory served well, her name is Heather. Seeing no response from the rest of us, she proceeded to huff in annoyance before continuing. "Fine, if none of you will, then I will. Step aside cowards. I'll show you how a real witch does it."
"I don't think you should-." Before I could finish, she had already taken a step forward. Before any of us could react, the stone tile she had been standing on, only moments before had vanished from right underneath her. She would have been a goner, if James hadn't caught her in time. She let out a gasp in surprise.
"I-I didn't know." She looked quite shaken by what had almost happened.
"And that is exactly why you won't last much longer." The condescending tone had come from the girl named Nichole. She was from the same school as him (Ephraim).
"So what do you think we should do Moony?" It was James.
I looked in the direction of the stone tiles. My eyes swept across the room, trying to find some sort of clue as to how to get across. Out of the corner of my eye I catch Ephraim bending down to examine the tiles. That's when I notice the different symbols engraved into the tiles. I frown when I realize that I don't recognize any of the symbols.
"Have you figured it out yet?"- Nichole is looking at Ephraim waiting for him to answer her question. Instead of responding he steps forward onto a square. A few are shocked that he hasn't fallen.
"How did he…?"- Heather
"Its Ephraim," Nichole said it as though it was the most obvious thing in the world. Without looking back she follows after him. The rest of us follow soon after. We go one at a time, we are unsure as to how many are aloud per tile. We decide not to risk it so we go a line. We go on any tiles that have similar symbols. We are barely half way when we suddenly hear a sound.
"Everyone stop!" I warn them but only a few heed my warning. Ephraim being one of those who didn't, continued as if I hadn't spoken. The girl Nichole continues to follow after him.
"I'm not waiting around until we run out of time. I'm following them." – Heather she was the other one who refused to listen. Before I could tell her to stop, it happens. Right before us the stones begin to move, sliding into a new position on the floor. In a way it looked like a giant snake with its coils moving in a circular pattern. A moment was all it took for Heather to make a false step and to fall into the abyss. Ephraim seemed to have predicted this ahead of time and had made sure to get to the other side as fast as possible.
The rest of us proceed at a slower pace, from the fear of stepping on a wrong tile. Then the tiles came to a halt and all of us let out a breath. Just when we were about to proceed at our regular pace is when we hear it, the unmistakable sound of stone breaking. That's when all the pieces of the puzzle fall into place. I finally understand why there was a time limit. Why we are only allowed five hours to complete the task. It all made sense now why there are only five floors in the tower. Each level has a time limit and we have just reached it. We have run out of time. That's when I saw it, the walls and the tiles started to cave in.
"RUN!" Prongs bellowed. He's right we have to run or it's all over. We all ran, some attempted to stop the ground and walls from crumbling, but none of the spells worked. It also didn't help that pieces from the roof also seemed to be collapsing. Using my wand I quickly use a levitation spell to prevent a large part of the ceiling from collapsing on top of us. It wouldn't last long but it would be enough to get across. The girl from earlier had been right. We had wasted too much time and it had cost us.
In the last second we jumped through the door and onto solid ground. We made it just before a stone wall came down with a thundering crash. The dust causes us to cough. I stand up slowly as the rest of the debris settles down. We had lost someone but the rest of us had made it through. It was easy to see that both Ephraim and Nichole went on without us. After all, this was a competition and there can only be one winner.
"I suggest we stick together if we want to make it out of here in one piece." I needed to know who I can trust. I knew it was a long shot but if I could get at least a few of them on our side it would be enough; the more of us working together, the higher our chances of survival.
"I don't see why not."Shrugged Alexis, the girl from the warrior school. I was surprised by her response I figured she would be one of the first to refuse.
"The same goes with me. Besides this tower gives me the creeps." Raven, the one that goes to the same school as Alexis.
"Count us in." It was the boys from Durmstrang.
"Same here." Rebecca and Mathew from the Ice school.
"I would prefer not to end up like Heather."Natalie from Beaxbators.
"What do you have in mind?"- Alexis
"Well…"
We had moved on to the next floor together as a group. In that floor we were encountered by numerous traps. There were moments when I thought we would fall into a trap or worse die but we had managed. We had worked together to get through. To say it was difficult would be an understatement. Alexis and Raven had been quick in dispelling the traps hidden in the walls. Rebecca and Mathew had helped us get past the floor with thin ice. James and I did our part with the poisonous snakes. Unfortunately we had lost another person. We had lost Ian, from Durmstrang, when he had fallen into a trap. He didn't get hurt but he wasn't able to proceed like the rest of us. He had fallen into a glass prison. We had tried but nothing worked, anything anyone did was sent back.
We were standing at the entrance of the third floor. I moved forward with caution. After everything that happened there was little that could surprise me. The room was pretty bare except for the eight boxes that circled the hour glass that stood in the middle room. The hourglass sat on top of a peddle stool.
I proceed to the other side. It didn't take me long to realize that the door was locked. Not even a spell will help me unlock it.
"So the key is in one of these boxes." – James pointed at the boxes with a look of uncertainty.
"It would best to decide which to open first. We don't exactly know what's in there or what might happen." – Natalie
"She's right. We'll there are eight boxes and we are down to fifty minutes. One of them holds the key. Which should we open first?" – I look at the rest.
"Let's open this one." Natalie was pointing to a small wooden box with swirl patterns. It has a similar carving pattern as the one on the door. "It looks like the door." True, but it could also be easily a trap. There was only one way to find out.
"Open it." With slow tentative hands she lifts the lid revealing a small toy.
"You've got to be kidding that's it! I thought we would at least get some giant monster to come out. I almost had a heart attack. In that case let's open them all-." – Alexis
"Wait!" The toy had begun to play a tune on its own. If there was one thing I learned since entering the tower was that not everything is what it seems. Just as it finished its last tune I was proven right. I was getting sick and tired of being right.
The toy broke apart to reveal large insects that jumped out and sprang towards us. It wasn't until Seth arm went limp at his side; that we realized that their stings could paralyze. "Everyone move back!" There had to be something that could stop them. I just had to think of something.
"Accio!" I call out. Instead of seeing the insect become ash, I see them grow in size. They apparently like fire.
"They're surrounding us." – Natalie
We were running out of time.
"Forget this! Mobiliarbus!" James had used his wand on one of the peddle stools to smash the bugs. It wasn't the most pleasant sight but at least it was effective.
"Disgusting! Was that really necessary?" – Natalie
"We should hurry. We don't have much time left." I grabbed the nearest box and opened it. There was a good chance it would unleash something dangerous but at least it was better than waiting for it to happen.
"What is it?" – Rebecca. I was surprised, she hadn't spoken much. She didn't seem the talkative kind. "Drop it." I dropped it. Even though she didn't yell, I still felt compelled to follow her advice without question. It was a good thing I did because it that moment the box had began to disintegrate into smoke. It was like some invisible acid had been in the box. The acid proceeded to eat through the stone floor, slowly spreading.
"Open the other boxes! We have to find the key now!" I saw everyone scramble trying to reach a box. "Everyone towards the door!" My warning had been too late Seth had been trying to reach the box on the opposite side. There was no way he could reach us now.
"I have the key! Here catch!" he had sent a small purple key flying towards us. James managed to catch it. "Go on ahead!"
"You still have time. You can-." I tried to say but I was cut off by him.
"It's alright. Just make sure you win Lupin." - Seth
…
Ephraim's POV
"What did you say to him?" I was a little surprised to hear the anger behind her question. I knew she would be upset but she had never reacted this way before. This side of her excited me.
"Emily, what makes you think I said anything," from the look on her face I could see that she didn't believe me one bit. If it were anyone else they would have believed anything that came out of my mouth even if it was a complete utter lie. Still she knew and that's what made me smirk.
"Don't lie to me." My smirk widened at her condescending tone. It would be a lie to say that I didn't enjoy riling her up. Still that wasn't what I came for. I needed her to understand. It didn't matter if she didn't choose me as long as she understands what she means to me.
I watch her silently before responding, "I simply offered him a challenge which he accepted." I could see as she watched me intently with those large brown eyes. I could feel my hand twitch. It was just too tempting. Just a simple tug of her wrist, that's all it would take to devour her lips.-
"Ephraim, are you listening?" No, I wasn't and I wasn't planning on starting now. I simply cast a glance in her direction before proceeding on to the fourth floor. I would have preferred to do this on my own but for now I have to put up with her. "We should hurry before they catch up."
It didn't matter to me if they caught up or not. The only thing that mattered at the moment is staying focused on my goal. As I reached the door, it opened to reveal a dark room. The first thing I took note of was the complete silence. Every muscle in my body tensed. This floor would be the hardest; there was no doubt in his mind about that. Still that only made things a bit more interesting. The floor was covered in a type of checkered patterned tile, black and white. On the sides there are black windows aligned across the walls. Instead of seeing the night sky all you can see is pitch black. Taking slow measured steps as my eyes continued to assess the room for any sign of movement. Behind me I could hear the hurried steps of Nichole.
In between the windows stood marble statues of warriors. As soon as my foot hit the tile located in the middle of the room they moved. The statues had come to life. I let a small smirk grace my lips. The fun had just begun.
"Ephraim look out!" I had seen them coming a mile away. This was nothing to someone like me. There was easily ten soldiers and all them seemed to able to repel all forms of magic. Still if there was one thing I learned over the years is that everything has a weakness.
It didn't take long to figure out the appropriate spell to stop them in their tracks. Still the entire ordeal took too long for my liking. I had spent about twenty minutes dodging them at the same time trying to figure out how to get rid of them. It had been difficult but I had succeeded. The moment they stopped in their tracks that last door opened; the door that will lead me to the finish line. With long confident strides I opened the final door.
I was greeted by a brightly colored room. The rays of the soon were coming through the windows giving it a nice glow. That's when I see it a few feet in front of me. I line of egg shaped stones. The stones looked like giant jewels just waiting to be found. I reached out and took one. I took the golden colored one, some how it felt right to choose this one. It was evident that we are only allowed to take one. On the right side of me I see as Nichole takes a tentative step forward before reaching out to one of the stones. It doesn't come as a surprise as I see her reach out for the silver colored one.
It doesn't take us long to exit the tower. We are greeted to sounds of cheers. My eyes dart around in search of one and only one person. I catch her gaze and I can't help but marvel in the way she looks with the setting sun behind her. I felt a familiar swell in my chest; the one I would get when my father would pat my back for doing something that made him proud. I felt it, not from the abundant of applauses that the crowed threw my way but because she had seen me. She had watched and I had shown her what I could do. There was no doubt in my mind that she was impressed I could see it in her expressive eyes. That was another thing that I loved about her; her eyes would never lie to me, they were incapable of lying. I will let her see what life would be like if she chose me.
It didn't take long before the rest came out. They had made it just in time. A total of eight of us had made it out. Four of the contestants had either been stuck or had simply not made it out. Luckily they had made it out of there with their lives. The four who had failed had been sent to the medical wing. I doubted they would be waking any time soon.
"Well done champions! You have succeeded your first task. As the rules state Ephraim from Taranis shall receive the honor of first place for the time being. As for the last contesters you shall be granted point for your quick thinking and teamwork. To celebrate we shall have a carnival of sorts. Make sure to enjoy yourselves. Oh! And before I forget, the trinkets you have obtained have two purposes. One, it serves as a clue to the second task and its second purpose, that you must figure out on your own. Let the celebrations begin!"
…
"A person shall seek the approval of the many while the champion shall seek no further than from the ones they love." – unknown
Authors: note
Okay, before you mutilate me, I would like to say that in my defense it takes a while to come up with these stories. Yes, I do have what you would call an outline of my story but I don't actually have anything explicit written down. Therefore what I write takes time. Anyways I ended it in a sort of cliffhanger because I know a lot of you have been waiting a while. I will try to write the next one very soon but it will be a bit difficult since I'm in the middle of finals and all. Anyways I hope all of you like this. The next chapter should have the festival and the beginning of task two. By the way I think I like task two better than task one. I hope you all liked task one. I worked really hard in trying to make it interesting. At the same time giving you an idea of what Ephraim is like. Oh, and please REVIEW! (that was a long authors note *sweat drop*)