EIGHTH BLOOD
Chapter 2: Castaway
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Octavia opened her eyes and groaned. She dragged herself into a sitting position and examined her surroundings. The bottom of the well was damp and murky, but fortunately, there weren't any ghosts. What had she been thinking? She was lucky she hadn't broken any bones.
Using the ivy as a ladder, she scaled the stone walls and climbed out of the well. Having worked up a sweat, she shed her jacket and tucked it under her arm. The well-house looked emptier than it had when she'd first entered it. And cleaner. How very bizarre. She marched towards the doors and pulled them open.
The shrine was gone. She was in a field surrounded by trees. She blinked in surprise. How long had she been out for?
After taking a few calming breaths, she did a lap around the well-house. It looked the same, although it seemed newer and less authentic. Could it be a replica? Why would someone go through all that trouble to recreate a well-house? It was probably another dream. Of course it was. Buildings didn't get picked up by tornadoes and thrown into other worlds in real life. None of this was real. It couldn't be.
She tied her jacket around her middle and strode away from the well-house. After an hour of navigating the wilderness, she spotted a light in the distance. She followed it to a clearing, where a small fire was burning. A two-headed horse was sleeping next to the fire. Its body was covered in scales instead of horsehair, and there were paws where its hooves ought to be. There was also a toad-like imp who was dressed like a noble, and a girl with flowers twisted into her dark hair. She was dressed like a princess.
Octavia froze as one of the horse's heads whipped towards her and glared. She swallowed thickly as its pale eyes narrowed. She turned to make a run for it but had her path blocked by a man—no, by a monster.
He had a mane of silver hair and the eyes of a snake. His cheekbones bore two magenta stripes and he had a waning moon tattooed on his brow. He was stunning, but his beauty was dangerous. Octavia had read enough stories about the fair folk to know their tricks. He wouldn't fool her.
"What are you supposed to be, then?" she asked, and gasped.
That wasn't English.
The creature's eyes thinned to slits. His gaze was calculating and eerie. Although she felt incredibly uncomfortable, she balled her fists and pressed her mouth into a tough line. She wasn't about to back down from a figment of her imagination, no matter how creepy it was.
"I asked you a question."
No response.
"Hello? Are you deaf?"
"I am not," he answered finally. There was no mistaking it. He was speaking Japanese, yet she understood him perfectly. It was unsettling.
"Great. Could you tell me where I am?"
"No."
"What do you mean no?"
"I mean I will not. Now, be on your way, human."
"So you're not human? I figured as much."
He didn't answer.
"What are you, then?" she mocked. "A werewolf?"
His brows lifted slightly. "No," he said.
"Is no the only word you know?"
His mouth twitched, and she swore she saw a flash of fangs.
She folded her arms. "Listen. I don't know what's going on or how I miraculously learned another language in one night, but I'd kind of like to get back to where I came from. Can't you just point me in the right direction so I can 'be on my way'? Or is that too hard for your dumb animal brain?"
He didn't like that last part.
"Sesshoumaru-sama?" Octavia turned to see the girl standing beside the two-headed horse, gazing at them sleepily. "What's going on?" she asked, her big brown eyes blinking the sleep out of them. "Who's that woman?"
"Everything is under control," 'Sesshoumaru' told her. "Go back to sleep."
She nodded and laid back down wordlessly, and before long, she was asleep. The two-headed horse continued watching her with its glowing, monstrous eyes, making Octavia shudder under the weight of its gaze. It was looking at her like she was something it wanted to eat.
"Leave this place," said Sesshoumaru.
"Gladly," she answered. "As soon as you tell me which way to go."
His eyes darkened. "I have had quite enough of you, human. There is a village to the east. Now, leave."
How rude.
She frowned at him. "Congratulations. You've been useless."
He arched an eyebrow. "How so?"
"How am I supposed to know which way is east, genius?"
"The stars are out."
"So?"
He studied his claws. "How disappointing. Typical human woman."
"I'd watch your mouth if I were you," she threatened.
"Why should I when you don't control yours?"
She unfolded her arms and turned her back to him. "Fine. I'll find my own way," she muttered.
"You do that."
She could feel his eyes on her as she stormed off, fighting the urge to throw a shoe at him.
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The sun had risen hours ago, but Octavia had yet to find her way back to the well-house. Her skin felt hot and sweaty, and she'd skinned her knee by tripping over a fallen log.
A twig snapped somewhere behind her. She swivelled around and saw the two-headed horse standing on the overgrown path. The girl was riding on its back, and the imp was awake this time, holding a large wooden stick that was three times his size.
"Are you following me?" Octavia asked them. It still felt strange to hear herself effortlessly speak Japanese.
"We saw you walking in circles," the girl answered. "We thought you could use some help."
"I could've used it last night, but your friend basically told me to get lost."
"You never told me we were defying Sesshoumaru-sama's wishes!" the imp shrieked.
"Don't be silly, Jaken-sama," the girl said, smiling sweetly. "I bet Sesshoumaru-sama wanted to help but was too busy protecting us."
"That doesn't make any sense at all!"
The girl ignored him and climbed down from the horse's saddle. "I'm Rin. What's your name?"
"Octavia."
"That's a pretty name."
"Thank you. So is yours."
Rin blushed. "That's nice of you. Your eyes are pretty, too. I've never seen a human with green eyes before."
Octavia hesitated. ". . . Are you human, Rin?"
Rin surprised her by laughing. "Of course I am. What else would I be?"
"You tell me."
"Are we sure she's human?" asked the imp. "I have a bad feeling about her."
"As opposed to what?" Octavia prompted.
"Well, you could be a youkai, for all we know!"
"A what?"
"You know, youkai. Monsters, spirits and demons," replied Rin. "Like Jaken-sama and Ah-Un here."
Monsters, spirits and demons.
"But none of those are real!"
Rin's brow creased. "What makes you say that?"
"They're just stories. They don't actually exist."
"Sure they do. Look around you. They're everywhere."
Rin pointed up at the branches. Octavia followed her moving finger and saw creatures from fairy tales hiding amongst the leaves. Three-eyed birds, two-tailed reptiles, and winged monkeys. It was unreal. It was terrifying. It was beautiful. She spun her head around, staring up into the green canopy and studying the vast array of lifeforms before her. Monsters. Real monsters.
"This isn't a dream, is it?" she mumbled. "Fuck."
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