CHAPTER 38: One More Trial

I woke up in a dim room that was lit only by a bit of candlelight. My roots had beaded lace decorating them, which I considered odd. A look at a mirror across the room proved that my crystals and leaves were adorned with the exact same decoration. Just then, the room turned into an endless desert of white.

"Oh . . . oh . . ." I whimpered in fear as I realized that I was lost in a sea of white. I started running in no direction in particular.

I then bumped into a wall, which made me feel better. After all, I could trace an exit of some sort . . . right? I then started tracing more walls, remembering where I started. After an hour of this, I knew that this mysterious room had four white walls, none of which had a door.

"GET ME OUTTA HERE!" I screamed, pounding the wall desperately.

The wall reluctantly gave in, which turned the room back into the dim space that it was supposed to be. I ran outta there, and into a dining room of some sort. Not long after, an evil-sounding, female voice began to call out.

"Asavennia! Where in the hell are you?!"

Asavennia?! My name is . . . is . . .

I facepalmed, and let a few tears spill out of my eyes. How could I not know who I was? Was I a different girl-plant? Fear was threatening to kill me, but I wasn't about to let it do its evil bidding.

"Asavennia! Where the . . . oh!" a tall, intimidating Cattail came through the doorway.

Her eyes were a deep hazel that suggested being buried six feet under, and her face was in an ugly grimace.

I knew one thing for sure.

I wasn't getting outta here.

"So there you are, Asavennia. What the hell were you doing?" the Cattail snapped as she dragged me out of the room and into the hallway.

"Now . . . you know full well that you can't be in my private dining room!" she roared.

"What the . . ." I mumbled.

"Don't "what the" me, is that understood, you idiotic, good for nothing, messed up, slipshod walking winter?!" the Cattail roared.

"Yes ma'am . . ." I muttered.

"My name is Madam Srimalina, in case you don't remember, you idiot. NOW GO TO HELL!" she screamed as she grabbed a riding crop from a hook on the wall.

As it hit my head, it was more the shock than the pain that made me jump and grab onto a curtain that covered a window. Srimalina raised the riding crop once more, and I gritted my teeth in preparation for the blow.

WHACK!

Now, blood was running down the side of my face, and it dawned on me that this probably wasn't just a dream.

"Wake up! Wake up!" I muttered to myself as I repeatedly pinched myself, which did absolutely nothing.

Srimalina raised her riding crop once more and whacked me.

This hit succeeded in knocking me out cold.

"Elyssia? Elyssia?"

I heard a voice call my name. Somehow, that voice was soothingly familiar. I opened my eyes, and saw Peater standing there.

"I'm right here. It took a long time, but . . . I found you. We just have one more trial, and then we can get outta here!" he exclaimed.

I grinned. "Awesome! But wait . . . how are we gonna ―"

"I'll be in here with you, all right? Don't worry, we'll get outta this together." Peater assured me.

I woke up, and smiled for the first time since being here. It really is nice to know that you're not alone.

"Well, well, well. You're here, Elyssia. Though it ain't your birthday, it's Christmas, and this year's gift is death!" Srimalina snarled as she dug the claws at the tips of her leaves into my head, causing blood to drip down in miniature little streams.

"Peater! Peater, where are you? PEATER! PEATER!" I screamed.

"Elyssia! Elyssia! Where are you?" Peater responded. "In here, in this white room!" I yelled as fog started to build up.

"Come quickly, before I disappear forever!"

With those words, Peater came running ― no, sprinting over to me, which made the fog disappear. Srimalina, meanwhile, had gained a few centimetres in height. I knew that this was a form of evil, and it fed on fear, pain and anger, thus making it more powerful.

"Ugh . . . all this sentimental crap is making me wanna vomit!" Srimalina shrieked as she pulled out a knife and stabbed my head with it.

I didn't yell in pain, but I pulled the knife out of my head and threw it at Srimalina, which only made her gain more height.

"Elyssia, hold my leaf." Peater whispered.

I grabbed onto his leaf and held it as if my life depended on it. Srimalina shrank a little, but then her eyes turned as red as her tail.

"That's enough, Elyssia. If you're gonna be so damn ungrateful that you won't accept the gift of death, then I'll give you a better gift!" she growled.

With a stomp of her root, several snakes started slithering around my roots, threatening to bite me. I stomped on the snakes, and made them disappear. The red in Srimalina's eyes intensified, and she focused her eyes on me, which I couldn't look away from. I then felt as if all the life was being sucked away from me, which made me wonder briefly . . . until I saw a snowflake partly out of my chest, being pulled towards Srimalina. I looked at Peater, and he had a green leaf partly out of his chest.

"Our souls are being sucked out, Peater!" I gasped.

Suddenly a weird feeling overcame us. We started glowing, which made Srimalina gasp and fan herself. Then, we started uttering what seemed like a spell in unison.

"Reverte animas!"

Srimalina started to shrink again.

"Tibi non licet accipes animas nostras!"

Srimalina let out a shrill scream as her tail started disappearing.

"Tibi non enim permittitur, nunc et nos fiant unum sumus. Vos non potestis!"

After Peater and I uttered those last few words, Srimalina turned into a line that disappeared in a flash.

"We did it, Elyssia. We did it!" Peater laughed as he hugged me. I smiled and pulled away.

"We'll see each other again pretty soon . . ." I murmured as stepped back and closed my eyes.