Chapter 31: The Promise
May was running as fast as she could to the docks. By the time she got there, it seemed to be too late.
She heard rumors saying that Double D and a few other cul-de-sac kids had been spotted preparing to sail away. She ran to the docks but failed to make it in time. She could see a large schooner sailing away into the horizon, no doubt the one with them.
She kicked the ground. She may have already lost her chance to see Ed again.
"What do I have to do?" she asked.
She proceeded over to the docks to look for another boat.
"I'm going to follow you if I have to swim!" She shouted, with her fist in the air.
"That's your problem. Too violent…"
Her eyes widened. May quickly turned around but saw no one near her.
"Who's there?" She asked.
There was no response.
She rubbed her head and continued looking for a boat.
"I must be hearing things." She sighed, seeing there was no boat anywhere on the docks.
"Fine then, I'll swim!" she said. She took a deep breath and walked over to the dockside. Then closed her eyes and exhaled. "That water's murky…"
"Don't follow those fools! Don't be stupid!" The same voice from before snapped.
May instinctively turned and punched behind her but hit nothing. "Who's there!?"
She turned back and prepared to dive in again. "I must be going mad. I've got to find Ed before I crack."
She took one last deep breath, the dove into the water. It felt terribly dirty, from boat fuel and the overall nastiness of Rougeport.
She surfaced and took a gasp. "Nasty…"
She could still see the ship in the distance. She started swimming. It was hard for her in such dirty water to get anywhere.
But nothing would make her give up. She tried to kick harder with every stroke.
As she swam, she noticed the ship seemed to be getting closer.
"I'm gaining on it?" She asked.
"You're a fool. Get out of there before I have to do something you'll regret!" The same strange voice said.
"Shut up!" May shouted back.
By now she had gotten considerably far from Rougeport harbor. It seemed to be shrinking. The calling of seagulls could be heard as she swam but she began to get tired. Not only was she disgusted by the water, but she also hadn't eaten in a while, and she felt sick.
"Ed…" She sighed as her swimming began to slow down.
She suddenly jerked to an abrupt stop. She had to flap her arms in the water to prevent her face from touching murk again. She looked to see why she had stopped: something had got caught onto her shoe.
She saw something round penetrating the surface of the water.
"What the? Did I get stuck on a buoy?" she asked.
She suddenly felt a sharp pain on her foot. "That's no buoy! That's a monster!"
It was a circular floating creature, with enormous fangs and menacing eyes. It had small fins.
"AH!" she kicked and kicked until the monster released her.
"Now look what you have gotten into!" The voice said mockingly.
"Who are you?!" she shouted.
She was losing sight of the schooner but she was in a far worse situation than that. More of those fish-monsters were circling around her.
"AHHH!" She shouted in terror. "Help!"
"Will you come with me?"
"Whatever, help!" She shouted.
May heard the sound of a sinister laugh. She felt freezing cold, and quickly fell out of consciousness…
"She's coming to…Take your positions…"
May woke up. She felt freezing cold, and drenched. Not to mention dirty.
Her location was unknown to her. It was a very dark area. It seemed she was inside of a chamber. She was lying on a hard stone floor.
She got to her feet. "Where am I?"
"With us…"
She turned around and saw three pairs of eyes. Two of them were glowing, one blue, the other yellow. The third set of eyes were red, though these didn't glow.
May held out her fists.
"We've come for you." The same voice from before said.
"Are you working for the guys who kidnapped me and my sisters?" She asked.
"I shan't lie to you. We are the same ones. But why do you care, your sisters where trash."
May decided she had enough of it. She still had the gun from the X-Naut she managed to steal it from. She aimed it at the eyes.
"Please? You think you can harm us? You probably can't even touch us… Your just as helpless as your foolish sisters!" The voice said.
May began to rapidly fire the gun. Bullets and lasers ricocheted off the sets of eyes crashing into the walls of the chamber. Smoke picked up as the noise of the gun grew deafening.
"AHHHHHHH!" May kept a long-sustained shout as she rapidly continued to fire the gun.
After about 10 seconds, she stopped yelling and stopped firing. Her breathing could be heard echoing in the chamber. She waited for the dust to fade away… and the sets of eyes waited there as if nothing happened.
"WHAT!" May shouted.
The three sets of eyes approached her. As they did, the rest of their bodies appeared. Two of them she recognized: Beldam and Marilynn, two of the three shadow sirens she saw one before in the fortress. The third guy was under a white sheet, though she didn't recognize him.
Beldam approached May at a quick speed. May continued firing the gun until Beldam was in point-black range. May connected a punch at Beldam. She didn't even react. It was like punching a rock.
May shouted and attempted to punch Beldam again. This time, Beldam held out her hand and caught the punch in it. As Beldam twisted her own arm, she started twisting May's. She screamed and fell to the floor. Beldam picked up May's gun and held it to her face.
"Do you really want it like this?" Beldam asked.
"Do your worst." May said, closing her eyes.
"What?" Beldam asked. "No attempt to break free? No determination to see your love again? Pitiful. I thought you were different then your foolish sisters."
"How did you know about Ed?"
"That doesn't matter. I'm glad however, that we are finally getting down to business." Beldam said, removing the gun.
May got up. "Why should I do any business with you? You've kidnapped my sisters!"
"But do you need them? Face it. All your life, you've been their inferior. They have treated you like garbage. You should be glad you're free from that now." Beldam said.
"Who do you know this?" May asked.
"Not any matter." Beldam said sinisterly. "What you should care about is seeing your beloved Ed again." Beldam held out her arm for a shake. "We can help."
"Why should I agree?" May asked.
"Because I saved you from death. You owe me!" Beldam snapped. "I know where Ed is. I can reunite you with him. If you do what I say…"
"I don't trust you." May said.
"All is to be expected. Trust takes time to build." Beldam said. "But no one has time. Even now, Ed's in terrible condition. One only knows how long he may last here."
May looked worried. "I'm listening."
Beldam held out the gun. May took it back into her hand.
"See?" Beldam asked. "Trust merely takes time."
"What do I have to do to get Ed back?" May asked.
"Patience, May." Beldam said. "Before you get into any condition to see him… you must first train with us. Learn new techniques. You are strong…"
She held out her hat, showing a bullet hole.
"But not good enough to get to him. Come with me… and I can perfect you. Make you stronger, make you faster, make you smarter. I can give you the power you need to get to Ed… and all will be right." Beldam reached out her hand for a handshake.
May looked at it questioningly.
The other two figures didn't move at all, but just continued to watch the conversation.
May slowly reached out her trembling hand and shook Beldam's.
"Good… come, we have much to work on." Beldam said. They let go of their hands.
"Where are you going to take me?" May asked.
"You shall not ask questions." Beldam said as they walked.
May nodded. They walked over to a set of doors. Marilynn and the white-sheeted one opened the doors, revealing light behind it.
"When we proceed out of these doors, you shall call me "master." Come." Beldam said. She walked into the light and out of view. May followed Beldam into the light. Marilynn and the white-sheeted one nodded to each other, then followed behind them, shutting the door and restoring darkness to the chamber…