Chapter 9

OMG!

"E-Ethan?" I asked.

"Yes," Damon said.

Unbelieving I asked again, "I'm marrying Prince Ethan?"

"Okay now you just sound stupid," Damon scolded, "But for the last time, yes, you will be marrying Ethan."

This was too much. I had a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach, "I think I'm going to be sick."

Christopher looked at me strangely, "He's not that ugly."

"That's not what I meant!" I snapped.

Dustin cut in, "Well it doesn't matter whether you think he's unattractive or not. The point is that this is your foretelling. You will eventually marry Ethan."

"Okay, one: I don't want to marry anyone," I stated, "and two: I never said Ethan was unattractive." Actually the prince was quite handsome, cliché I know, but it's true.

Chris gave me a look that said I'm-going-to-make-this-situation-more-awkward-because-I-feel-like-annoying-the-crap-out-of-you, "So, you do think he's hot."

"His looks have nothing to do with me not wanting to marry him!" I shouted.

Jem looked confused, "Then, why don't you want to marry his highness?"

Being my stupid self I said without thinking, "The biggest thing that turns me off is that he looks a lot like Damon."

"Oh so now I'm ugly?" Damon hollered looking a lot more hurt than I expected him to be, "I got news for you girly, you're no prize yourself!"

I stood and slammed my hands on the table, "Ya know what? I'm sick of all of you! See ya in the morning!" Storming out of the kitchen I slammed the door to Alex's room and flung myself on the bed. There was no noise, so I tried to fall asleep. About 3:00 a.m. I was alarmed to hear my door open.

I pulled the blanket over my head. Damon pulled it off, "Get up. We're leaving."

My head was kind-of foggy, but I obeyed. Smoothing the wrinkles out of my dress and untangling my hair I trotted off after Damon as he walked down the stairs.

"Where are we going?" I yawned and plopped myself on the couch by Jem.

"The City of Flames," Damon replied stiffly, "where the first item you need to collect is."

"Here's the map of our kingdom," Dustin showed me a piece of paper that looked like this.

"What is this?" I asked.

"The map is magical. It only shows the city we're going to, that's the black dot." Dustin explained.

"Okay then, let's go!" Chris seemed to be the only one full of energy.

Jem had dozed off a little. He then rolled of the couch and landed face down in a starfish formation on the floor.

Dustin poked him experimentally with his foot, "Jemmy boy, it's time to get up."

"Ugh-so tired," he mumbled sleepily.

"I have a solution!" Christopher pumped his fist in the air, "Dustin you take his hands and I'll grab his feet." The two lifted Jem off the floor.

"You can't just carry him to another province!" I argued. Dustin and Chris looked at me than dropped Jem to the floor. The blonde boy didn't seem to mind, for he just curled up and went back to sleep.

Damon shook his head, "I don't care what you do as long as it gets us there faster than this."

"Well that settles that." Dustin and Christopher held Jem up once more and sort-of wobbled out the front door.

This will not come as a surprise to you, but the heroines are walking once again through the forest. A couple hours in Jem woke up and started to walk on his own. At about 8:00 a.m. I lost it.

"Agggh! There's got to be someway that's faster than this!" I exclaimed.

"Quit complaining," Damon scolded, "You're only slowing us down more."

"No!" I screamed.

Everyone froze. Damon slowly turned around to look at me, "What did you say?"

I narrowed my eyes, "I said 'no'. No, no, no, no, no, no, NO!"

"Oh, and I suppose you could find a better way to the City of Flames?"

"I bet I could."

"Well, fine then go!"

"I will!"

"I'll be waiting for your loser behind at City Hall!"

"Not if I get there first!" I challenged.

"Humph," Damon said, "Come on Dustin. We're leaving." Dustin followed reluctantly.

"Let's go Jem." I ordered, lightly pulling him along. Jem looked to be in a bit of a daze.

"Chris-" Damon and I started at the same time, then glared at each other. Taking hold of one of his arms we both pulled Christopher back and forth.

"He's coming with me!" I shouted.

Damon countered, "No he's not. He's sticking with me!"

"Does anyone care about what I have to say on this?" Chris asked.

We both let out a breath of air.

"Fine, I'll let him decide who he wants to go with," I stated.

"Alright." Damon dropped his other arm and we both stormed out in opposite directions.

By the time Christopher had realized what had happened. He was alone, "Uh guys? Where'd you go?"

"Stupid Damon," I grumbled to myself, "I hope he gets eaten by carnivorous breakfast cereals."

Jem looked at me with big, innocent eyes, "Uh, Miss Terra, are you sure it was wise to-"

"Yes." I answered.

"Well than I should inform you that we're going the wrong way."

Mentally kicking myself I turned to Jem, "Do you know anyway that we can get there faster than Damon?"

"There is one way…" Jem replied with a sheepish grin.

"What?"

"It's not exactly legal…"

"What is it?"

He motioned for me to follow him to a large oak tree, "I'll show you."

With a quick tap on the bark a tree door creaked open revealing a tunnel. The two of us crawled inside where whole bunches of little… elves were roaming around.

They all seemed to be bustling about carrying various items. To me it looked like the black market.

Jem walked up to a taller elf that was about a few inches shorter than me. This one was barking orders at all the other little men wandering around the tunnel.

Suddenly the head-elf spotted us, "Jemmy my boy! Where've ya been?"

"Around." He answered with a smile.

The elf dude peeked at me, "Ah ha seems little Jem's got himself a beauty."

Jem's face went bright red, "No it's not like that. We just need a tunnel port that can get us to the City of Flames."

I nodded vigorously.

"Well why didn't you say so in the first place?" Elfie asked, "Oh and sweetheart, I'm Greg by the way."

Okay so Greg the elf, wow that sounds weird, led us to a circular hole in the wall. In calligraphy above it was written City of Flames First Class.

Greg smiled, "Alright get yer oversized behinders in."

I purposely wacked him upside the head for calling my 'behinder' oversized before getting in, sending the little man sprawling on the floor. His pointy hat a screw, Greg shut the door and the same whirring sound of the black hole started. Truth be told there wasn't much to see or hear considering I was screaming a good amount of the time as we were pushed, pulled, twisted, turned, and pretty much moved in every other way known to man. But finally we came to a stop.

Jem helped me out of the tunnel as I looked at where we were. Lots of buildings made of orange and red stone with flat roofs lined the streets which were bordered in bronze along with several statues of flame constructed of gold. People with fire-colored clothing sauntered about with a proud manner. A huge fiery volcano stood in the background. The best part was a large orange marble building labeled City Hall, and not a white haired boy in sight.

"We made it," I sighed, "The City of Flames."

Damon snarled to himself as he moved rocks with Dustin for a rugged shelter for the night. Who does she think she is? Ordering me around, that chick has a serious death wish if she has the nerve to cross me.

The small cave was finished and looked as though it would at least last them the night. It's too dangerous to wander around when it's dark, so the boys would reach the City of Flames in the morning.

"Hey," Dustin said, "I'm gonna go find us some firewood."

"Uh-huh, sure," Damon said padding up to the small pond outside of their shelter.

Dustin looked up from his small wood pile, "Is everything alright, Boss?"

Damon didn't answer; he was busy looking at his reflection in the pond. He traced the fire tattoo along his face. "'The biggest thing that turns me off is that he looks like Damon.'" He mimicked Scarlet's voice. I'm not awful looking… am I? he thought.

"You sure you're okay, Damon?" Dustin asked again.

It took him a while to respond, but when he did it was to ask something, "Hey Dustin-uh-I'm not, ya know, ugly am I?"

Dustin nearly dropped all of the wood he had gathered, "Why in Narnia would you care about that?"

He shrugged, "I dunno, it's just that Scarlet said…"

"Oh no, no, no, no, no," Dustin let his wood drop to come over by Damon, "Please tell me you don't have feelings for her."

"What? No!"

"Then why would you give a crap whether you're 'pretty' or not?"

"I don't know I just do okay." He sighed and plopped himself by the wood to start the fire. The two boys sat apart from each other as Damon stoked the flames looking depressed and lonely.

Dustin grumbled something about regretting this later before saying, "Well fine dude, yes, you are very handsome."

Damon looked up, "The 'very' was unnecessary."

"Would you shut up!" Dustin shouted, "I already felt gay enough having to sleep in the same cave as you!"

"You didn't have to answer if you didn't want to!"

"What? This is your fault for being all depressed about being unattractive!"

"SO I AM UNATTRACTIVE!"

"How should I know? I'm not gay!"

"That is up for debate."

Dustin's face went red, "I'M THE ONLY ONE WHO HAS A GIRLFRIEND!"

"So you finally admit that Alex is your girlfriend." Damon said with a sly look on his face.

The dark boy slouched and sighed, "This is going to be a long night."

Christopher fumbled for his footing in the night, silently cursing everyone for leaving him alone like this.

"I mean really," he complained to no one, "I don't even know where I'm going."

A rustle of a bush made him tense. Swiftly Chris pulled out his thin sword that gleamed eerily in the moonlight. Suddenly, a blueish/purpleish monkey sprang at him.

"AHHHHHH!" Christopher screamed as he tumbled to the ground. The monkey clung to his face as about a dozen more launched themselves at him. Somehow poor Chris ended up being carried by the monkeys.

They plopped him down on a rock ledge on the volcano. "Dear God," Chris breathed, "I'm going to be sacrificed by purple monkeys!" A small somewhat cute one padded up to Christopher and placed a leaf crown on his head.

He examined the plant on his head, "Wait you're not going to sacrifice me." The small monkey shook her head.

"You're going to EAT ME!" Chris screamed, "Why else would you put a ring of oregano on my head?" The monkey slapped her forehead. With a defeated look, Chris started flailing his arms and crying for his lance. The army of monkeys shrugged and copied his movements.

Immediately Christopher stopped. "Huh?" He said.

"HUH? HUH? HUH?" The monkeys chorused.

I get it they're worshiping me. Chris thought.

He got to his feet and made did the chicken dance, "Bock-BOCK!"

The army of primates even did the humiliating chicken dance.

"Oh," Christopher said, "so that's why people say 'monkey see monkey do!'" King of the Monkeys was lifted on to his people's shoulders and cheered on into the night.

"Wow this place is amazing!" I said feeling quite at home in my red dress.

Jem however stuck out in his white shirt and black pants. "Yes quite." he answered.

Both of us had decided to walk around the shops while we wait for Damon. Once it got dark out the streets were lit with hovering balls of fire. I was aware of people stopping and looking at me and Jem. Before I could ask Jem what was wrong some lunatic came sprinting at us screaming, "You're the one!"

"Oh crap," I grumbled, "Not again." Several more bystanders joined in with the guy, but to my surprise they grabbed Jem and raced off to the center of town.

"Miss Terra!" He called, "HHHEEELLLLLLPPP!"