Chapter Five
"Cleaning up is going to be the least of your concerns," came Sasuke's voice. It came from outside the porch.
Alucard lifted himself into a sitting position, the debris crumbling off of him. Shakily, I climbed out from underneath him and took in the state of the porch. The wooden beams of the ceiling were exposed with only one or two panels still clinging loosely to the beams. A fine dust coated every surface and everyone. Through the torn screen, I could see a tree had impaled the side of the house. Tree branches and flower petals floated in the waters of the pool. The pavement surrounding the pool was cracked and heaved up, shattered pieces of earth peering out from underneath the broken shards of pearl colored concrete. Among the dust and debri shards of glass winked in the sunlight.
A shambled wall of fallen trees laid beyond the pool. The towering pine trees that had encased the house like the walls of a fortress had come down in the supernatural earthquake.
One by one our group climbed over the bits and pieces of destroyed furniture. I stepped over the bent blades of the fallen fan, trying to be mindful of the broken glass and exposed nails. I was barefoot. Thanks to the etherlike substance Alucard was made of I hadn't sustained any scrapes or bruises or cuts during the calamity. I couldn't say the same for the others.
Heero had bright red cuts on his face and arms. His red t-shirt had been torn and ridded. Blood mixed with dust covering his tan skin. His movements were stiff and jerky. Blood trickled from a bruised cut on his lower lip.
Baron Draxum's kimono was also covered in dust. He had a nasty shallow cut on his forehead that disappeared into the deep maroon hairline. His hair had come less from its manbun and toppled haphazardly around his inhuman face. He used his vines to move tree branches and larger pieces of wood out of the way.
Thranduil walked with an noticeable limp. The white of his eyes showed as he took in the extent of the destruction in a dazed stupor. The thick elven fabrics of his robes protected his body from any visible damage.
Alastor offered me a hand to help me over an fallen tree trunk as we followed the group to catch up with Sasuke through the myriad of upheaval earth, toppled trees, and boulders that jutted out of the ground, their underground hiding places exposed to the light of day. Despite all the damage done during the supernatural earthquake, his appearance remained clean and unaffected. The only noticeable clue that he had endeared the strange calamity with the rest of us, was his mused red fire engine hair with its deep maroon dyed tips.
Dust clung to scraps and cuts on Sebastian's face. There were rips in his vests and white-button up. Some of the rips were stained with blood. I'm guessing, he couldn't careless at the moment whether he looked like hell or not, as he moved gracefully over fallen tree trunks and around the cracks of open earth to come and stand by Sasuke.
Vast barren sunbaked rock spanned out in all directions. Baked brown met with the green at the edge the plot of land the house sat on and expanded towards an flat plain of never-ending rock underneath a bright blue cloudless sky. Hot sunlight beated down on our faces as an sun hung high in the sky.
"The barrier is gone," Sasuke said, looking towards the endless horizon of baked earth. He stepped out onto the rocky terrain.
"What is this place?" Baron Draxum asked, his voice breathy and bewildered.
"An hellish barren land of rock and dirt," Thranduil said poetically. "So this is what existed beyond the barrier."
"Either that or we've been transported to some alien realm," Sebastian suggested, thoughtfully. "The vastness and flat terrain goes for a long while. Even my senses cannot detect any signs of life or of civilization."
"Neither does mine eyes," Thranduil replied quietly and mournfully. "If we are in some unknown realm, I'd dare say we won't last long here without fresh water nor wooded areas to hunt and gather food. I'd say our mysterious abductor keeps adding more stakes to this perilous game of theirs. You might want to rethink your theory on our abductor being a matchmaking entity, vampire."
Alucard chuckled. "Maybe. Or maybe they wish to simply see how we all fair here, and offering us a glimpse of what might happen if we don't follow the rules of the game."
Alastor hummed. "A plot of green in the middle of nothingness…." His ears twitched and swiveled as the sounds of cracking and groaning wood came from behind us.
"Now what?" Baron Draxum exclaimed as we all turned our attention back to the destroyed house and fallen trees and shattered green earth surrounding it.
The earth beneath us feet shifted and everyone jumped onto the sturdy rocky terrain outside the plot of land the destroyed house sat on. The shattered green earth melted back together. The trees groaned as their hulking girths lifted themselves up and reconnected with their shattered bases, the splintered wounds knitting itself together. The broken pearl pavement of the patio around the pool rumbled as the upheaval pieces shifted and shuffled themselves until they laid flat again. The zig-zagging cracks along the concrete patio retreated, disappearing until none were left.
"No fucking way," I heard myself uttered as some of the fallen trees didn't knit themselves together, but levitated up into the air and headed towards the house pulled by invisible strings. The house pulled itself apart, exposing its wooden skeleton and nerves of wires. The fallen trees stripped themselves of their branches, leaves spiraling up into the air. The sound of an unseen axe chopping and cutting the trees into pieces.
"The house is rebuilding itself," Heero stated in awe.
"It appears that way," Alastor remarked.
"I believe the house is adding onto itself," Sebastian observed as the grounds around the house shifted and expanded. Earthly rumbles mixed with the creaks and cracks of wood frames pulling themselves apart. Steady claps of wooden beams connecting to other wooden beams echoed through the air.
"I've witnessed a lot of spells and manner of transformations, but a house that tears itself apart and then rebuild itself bigger and better is definitely something new," Baron Draxum admitted.
"Sebastian, are you behind this?" I couldn't help, but ask. Sebastian was able to bring the Phantomhive manor back to its former glory within a blink of an eye when he and Ciel first started their contract together.
Sebastian scoffed. "I cannot take credit for what is happening. Our host is obviously flexing their muscle and showing off."
Alucard smirked.
Sasuke took a step back as grass began sprouting underneath our feet. Daisies and dandelions and clover appeared among the grass. He moved with it until it stopped yards away from where the rest of us stood. He knelt down and peeked a flower and examined it between his thumb and forefinger. "The chakra pulsing through these plants is like nerve ends inside a nervous system."
Sasuke turned, pushing the curtain of black bangs that hide the eye taken over by the Rinnegan. His other eye shifted to the Sharingan. "They run all the way back to the house. The amount of power it's taking to rebuild and add-on has to come from somewhere."
"It's being funneled in from outside this dimension," Alucard said with a grin.
Sasuke glanced at Alucard. "The energy extends off the house and raises several kilometers above it. If we can track it to its source, we'll find the one responsible for all this."
"We are at the hands of a capricious force," Thranduil remarked in annoyance. "Why go through so much effort in imprisoning seven males of various races and one human female together under the same roof and then violently eject us onto some barren forsaken rock? It creates barriers and then destroys them. Creates a house and then destroys it and then restories it to a far larger and different form."
Alastor hummed. "Capricious entities are puzzles within puzzles themselves. To try and find logic and reason behind their games is flirting with madness itself." He walked casually towards the edge of the green property. "We'll have to stay on our toes. I'd say the game may be like a carnival ride meant to disorient its players and keep them guessing."
"Someone is going to have to go out and scout ahead," Sasuke replied. "The more we can learn about where we are the better we can plan. I'll go and see what I can find, while the rest of you head back and see what has changed."
"Splitting up might not be a bad idea," Baron Draxum agreed. "Although I'd advise against going alone. We need to split into teams."
"If you plan on venturing into those vast wastes, I'd suggest, Mr. Uchiha, you gather supplies like water and food first to take with you," Sebastian said, eyeing the ninja and then turning back to the house.
The house had finished knitting itself back together. The wooden siding was replaced with adobe and brick. The house expanded out on either side from its center further than before, but remained two stories. The garden that once had taken up only an archer of land had enlarged and stretched out several yards in all directions. The pine trees were gone and so were the hedges. Oak and sycamores and willows along with more Magnolia trees and Elm were scattered along the edges of the garden. Their foliage full, green, and healthy.
"I'll go," Heero volunteered.
"You're going to need experience out in the wilderness," Sasuke remarked.
Heero gave him a confident look. "Back in the war, I spent a lot of time traveling on my own. I had to navigate my own way across Europe. I can handle myself."
"Fine," Sasuke replied.
"I'll go as well," Baron Draxum said. "You'll need a warrior alchemist. I want to analyze the chemistry of the rocks here and see if they could tell us anything about where we're at. If there's any wild life out there at all, it's better to have three people than two in case things turn for the worst."
"So it's settled. The five of us will stay behind, while the three of you go out and do some reconnaissance," Sebastian replied.
"I wonder if it would be wise to split up the three more vicious members of our group. Surely, having three demons under the same roof is folly. Perhaps one of the men should stay behind and one of the creatures of darkness should take their place," Thranduil suggested, giving Alastor, Sebastian, and Alucard a suspicious glare. "Who knows what kind of nefarious plots they might conspire together."
"Or perhaps, you just don't want to be left alone under the same roof as three powerful denizens that go bump in the night, oh Great King," Alastor taunted with a grin. "After all, you obviously find myself, Mister Sebastian, and Mister Alucard revolting and rather deal with someone else than having to be forced to endure our company."
"I'm more concerned about the human woman's safety. Humans rely on the company of other humans and being the only human left under the roof with myself, and three creatures of darkness would be ill advised," Thranduil countered.
"You think they're going to harm me or take advantage of me?" I asked. I wasn't sure whether to be honored Thranduil was thinking of my well being or if he was actually covering up his own discomfort spending time under the same roof as Alastor, Sebastian, and Alucard. Either way, his concerns were legit.
Thranduil would never stand a fair chance against any of them in a one-on-one fight. Elves were immortal, not invincible. They could die from violence. Besides healing magic, I wasn't sure what kind of magical gifts Thranduil inherited from his Noldor blood, but if I had to place money on who would walk away from all out fight to the death between him and the others, I would be betting on the latter.
"They are creatures of darkness. It is within their very nature to do harm and corrupt the world around them," Thranduil replied.
"So you're saying you wouldn't be able to protect her from the three of them if they decided to target her," Heero stated solemnly.
"I am a king of noble birth. Noldor blood runs through my veins. My father's blood connects me to the light of the immortal isles, but its power has dulled over the centuries. I will do my best to ensure her safety, but I cannot be everywhere," Thranduil conceded.
"I cannot speak for the others, but as for myself, I see no advantage in harming the woman. She's the key to all of this," Alucard said with a smirk and placed a hand on my shoulder. "You can be assured I have no intention of killing her."
"Taking advantage of the fairer sex tastes like spoiled meat to me," Alastor said with a dark grin. "I would never take advantage of a woman without her consent."
Was that supposed to be reassuring?
All eyes fell on Sebastian.
An evil grin graced his lips. Sebastian's red eyed gaze met my own slate gray eyes. "I think your concern is misplaced. You may want to make sure Miss Wilder swears not to do anything rash while you're away like throwing herself at myself or the others. After all, she did refer to my very being as "walking sex." I'd venture a guess and say her own inner properties might become askew over time."
Okay, color me not impressed. "Troublemaker much. Just because I referred to you as 'walking sex' doesn't mean I'm going to spread my legs for ya anytime soon," I replied flatly. "I've been single for the last six years. Impulse control is my speciality."
"You were in hysterics two days ago when you first arrived and since then appear to be ruled by your emotions so do forgive me if I am distrustful of those statements," Sebastian countered mockingly.
"Dude! I am a normal human being with normal human emotions," I shot back. "Most people would freak the fuck out in my situation. Anxiety and emotional break downs are different kind of beasts than a sex drive!"
"You need to control your emotions," Sasuke's voice pierced through the growing tension between Sebastian and me.
I turned to him, stunned and more than a little hurt by his words.
"You're letting that guy rile you up," Sasuke continued. "He's right about your emotions being in control. You can't get upset every time something goes wrong or someone belittles you. People take advantage of those who openly display weakness. You need to get a grip on those emotions and master them. Don't let them control you."
I kept my gaze lowered. Sasuke's words pierced through my wounded heart like a hundred arrows. He saw me as weak. As a liability… "People keep telling me to develop a thick skin. You're not the first and definitely won't be the last. I'm not some trained ninja or soldier. I'm an openly expressive person. To hide my emotions away would be like denying a part of myself."
"It will get you killed," Sasuke told me harshly. "You're in a dangerous situation, surrounded by dangerous people. You're not in your world anymore. Don't make excuses, using your emotions as a crutch."
I flinched at his words and the tone of his voice. Yes, the situation was different, but the words he used and hurled at me mirrored several other instances in my life where people judged me for being overly sensitive. Tears began to gather in the corners of my eyes. I wanted to hide them. Crying would only prove his assumptions right.
I chose to remain quiet, biting back sharp acidic responses on the back of my tongue.
"If you want to survive you need to adapt and quickly," Sasuke told me sternly. It felt like he only saw me as a disgruntled child and not a grown woman.
We all headed back to the house. Many of the fixtures present before the supernatural earthquake and teleportation had been restored. The length and width of the rooms had expanded. The furniture arrangement shifted, but the color schemes and original signature pieces remained the same. The location of the rooms had shifted slightly, but were relatively in the same locations.
The biggest difference was the number of bedrooms. Before the supernatural event, there had been a total of eight bedrooms. One for each of us. Now there were a total of sixteen bedrooms! It looked like we might be expecting some new additions.
I found myself being grilled by the others about who else was on my list of fictional love interests. I had a number of crushes over the years, but nothing that remained steadfast like the eight characters present before me and even then, out of the eight, I'd have to say only four of them carried the honorable title of being my all time favorites and undeniable biggest obsessions. Although, that was quickly changing.
My self esteem was never very good. It increased over the last six years since I decided to go back to college and stumbled upon the realization I actually liked working with kids. They didn't terrified me as much as I once thought. Now though, that hard won increase was eroding away since I had been deposited in this ridiculous situation. My recent exchange of words with both Sebastian and Sasuke left a bitter taste in my mouth.
Sasuke's accusation of me using my emotions as a personal crutch echoed through my mind as I wandered down the new downstairs hallway. I meandered from one new room to the next. Like when we first arrived, the closets, wardrobes, and dressers were empty, giving me no clue who might pop up next.
I blinked tears out of my eyes and wiped my nose. During times of high stress in my house, my parents often felt I used my depression and anxiety as a crutch. An excuse for me to feel sorry about myself and blame things on.
You're a lot stronger than you think you are, a voice whispered to me in the back of my mind.
I stiffened and looked around the room I was in. It was the same voice I heard when everyone had cornered me on the patio. Great, another voice invading my mental space.
Go upstairs to your bedroom. There's a surprise waiting for you, the voice whispered softly in my ear.
Should I humor the disembodied voice that could more than likely be a product of my own subconscious? The voice felt like it was separate from my own thinking mind, but I knew from experience that disembodied voices could be auditory hallucinations created from too much dopamine or reflected a suppressed feeling escaping the confines of my subconscious.
To go upstairs or not to go upstairs, I thought. It was probably another misfired message between neurons, but for some unknown reason, the urge to check the room I chose to spend the last two days in tugged deep in my chest.
I retraced my steps back to the staircase in the front foyer and headed up them. Carefully, I counted the number of doors, trying to remember which room was it I stayed in. I peeked in a couple of rooms, checking to see if they were the room I slept in. I caught a glimpse of Sasuke standing shirtless in one of them.
Despite the harsh advice he gave me earlier, my heart ached for him upon taking in the wrapped stump that was all that was left of his one arm. It made me wonder what he might be thinking at the moment. He was no longer in his universe, but some alien realm. I noticed he was holding a light purple shirt in his hand. I was kind of curious on how he dressed himself with only one arm. Did he struggle getting dressed? Or did he use jutsu to help get himself dressed?
"What?" Sasuke demanded. I stiffened. He turned towards the door. "I know you're there."
I backed away from the door and was just about to walk away and not say anything. His words still hurt and I was a little resentful of them. "Um… Sorry. Just looking for my room."
I turned on my heel and shuffled off continuing my search. Two doors down I found the room I had been sleeping in. I found the sketchbook I had been using that morning, along with the mechanical pencil waiting for me on the nightstand next to the bed, but that wasn't the only thing sitting there.
My heart skipped a beat. Laying next to the sketchbook and pencil was my I-pod. Shakily, I walked over to the nightstand. I sat down on the edge of the bed and reached over and picked up the rectangular device in its blue casing.
A part of me felt a release of weight on my shoulders, while the other part struggled to understand how my I-pod appeared in the room. Tears flowed from my eyes. My throat tightened, choked with emotion as the device reminded me of the world I left behind.
My parents… My job…. My car… My students… My life. I lost so much in the last two days. I was so far away from the world I knew.
I pressed the button at the bottom, not sure if the I-pod was charged or would even play any of the music I had downloaded back home. The screen lit up. I entered my passcode and the home screen popped up.
I sniffled and swallowed thickly. I wanted to bawl like a baby, but knowing Sasuke was two doors down stopped me. I drew in a shaky breath and tapped the music app.
I scrolled through the albums and then through the sections with all the songs. Would it work in this world? I knew it shouldn't. There was no internet here. No radio waves to carry digital information from the satellites and apple servers to the device in my hand.
I tapped Shuffle. "Growing Pains" by Alessia Cara filled the quiet of the room.
My breath became caught in my throat. It worked?! Excitement bubbled inside my chest. It fucking worked!
Oh thank you! Thank you!, I thought sending my thoughts out to the mysterious entity or universal force that allowed me this small luxury.
I bobbed my head to the music filling the room and mouth the lyrics. Tears rolled down my cheeks.
"A Million Dreams" by the Greatest Showman came next. The sweet dreamy sound of the piano and the rise in beat as the young actor's voice, who played the young P.T. Barnum filled the air.
I let out a sob. I gripped the I-pod tightly. Such beautiful, lovely music. Such a wonderful small gift I was allowed to have in this dark uncertain time where I was surrounded by people/ characters I had cherished for years, but who seemed to view me as an annoyance, an liability and just some overly emotional human woman.
"Let your tears fall" by Kelly Clarkson came afterwards. Her deep powerful voice sang to the pounding of my own heart.
"Here I am", one of the songs Byran Adams composed for the cartoon movie "Spirit" followed next.
Music was the language of the soul. A vehicle like art and writing that allowed a person to express themselves. Music helped inspire my writing and my art. It soothed my nerves. It guided me through meditation. It gave me an anchor during the darkest of times.
I didn't know how long the charge would last. There hadn't been a PTS cord next to the I-pod on the nightstand, but at the moment, it didn't really matter. Right now, I simply allowed myself to breathe, to cry, and let the music carry me away.