I dash towards the edge of the dark forest, my heart roaring in my ears. The beach is in total chaos, dark slithering things hissing and biting at me no matter where I turn. It’s hard to believe that a place, two seconds ago so beautiful it made my jaw drop, was now full of nightmares and awful terrifying things. Juliet is screaming and cursing at the top of her lungs at an overly large snake that just seems to laugh back at her with glowing yellow eyes. Magowan’s eyes, I realize, which makes my heart speed up even more. Though it seems impossible, I force my brain to focus at the situation at hand, I need to help them… I can’t just stand here. I tear the knife I had grabbed from the boys’ tent out of my belt. I hold it out in front of me and turn just in time to see a huge black snake jump out of the trees on my right side. It lunges at me, but I twist away just in time, my knife narrowly missing its neck. The snake lands hard on the ground spitting and hissing at me viciously. We begin an endless dance, the snake launching itself at me and missing, and me slashing and missing. The snake is clearly not planning on going down without a decent fight. Finally, just as the snake rears up to strike, I throw the knife; hear a sickening thunk and the snake falls dead at my feet. My face is dripping with sweat, my muscles ache, but I have to keep moving. I grasp my knife; tear it from the dead snake’s body and turn towards my next victim. But the beach is empty, and everything is deadly quiet. All of the snakes are gone, and I stand alone. I rush to the edge of the beach to find nearly all of them retreating back into the water. Then I hear someone scream and my brains snaps to attention. “What happened?” I yell back. I hear Lizbet’s voice pierce through the trees, “It is Shane! I think he is dead!

“Isabella, would you please tell us the answer to number seven.” My teacher says. Part of my brain registers the fact that she’s called on me, but the other part, the majority, is still stuck daydreaming out the window at the beautiful sapphire sky. “Isabella!” She calls again. My brain snaps out of its daze and I look up, realizing that I haven’t heard a word my teacher has said. “Wha….” I say and then mentally do a face palm. The entire class starts snickering. “Please give us the answer to number seven.” My teacher repeats sternly. I look down at the blank sheet of paper sitting on my desk. Which class am I in again? Math? Or was it English? “I…uh…” The teacher sighs and begins to massage her temples. “Have you taken a single note this entire period?” She says and I stare at her blankly. She holds her hand out and I give her my blank sheet of notebook paper. “Isabella, what is this?” She asks. I look at her and raise my eyebrow. “A piece of paper…” I say and she glares at me. “Isabella, would you please exit the room for a moment please? Do not come back until you are ready to actively learn with the class.” I grab my backpack and leave the room. As soon as the door shuts behind me I turn and look at the door. Mrs. Birdie… I was in history.

           I leave school early, effectively missing the last two periods of the day. The walk home isn’t so bad, the air is warm, but it’s windy so it isn’t unbearably hot like it normally is where I live. The cars zip passed me as I walk along the highway. I live in a small town in Arizona, where the population is barely over two thousand. It’s nice at times, but it can get really lonely if you’re a friendless loser like me. When my house comes into view it’s all I can do not to sprint inside and throw myself on the couch. No one is home, but this isn’t a surprise. My dad disappeared before I was born and my mom is always working. It’s the only reason I get away with ditching so many classes. Once I walk in the door, I see a piece of paper with my mom’s handwriting sitting on the entry table. My name is written across it in big letters. I grab it, read it, and sigh loudly. She wants me to go to the store and pick up some things. Leave it to her to ruin my perfect afternoon. I grab twenty bucks out of her stash in the kitchen and leave again. Sweat immediately breaks out on my forehead and a glare at the sky, angry that the fantastic breeze has been replaced by the normal sweltering hot air. The store is about a mile away, so it usually takes me about fifteen minutes to walk. I wish we could afford another car, but I’m only sixteen and I don’t have my license anyway.

           When I first walk in, there is a blast of cold air that immediately cools me off and dries the sweat that’s uncomfortably dripping down my neck. There are people here, but hardly any. I look at the list and walk down each individual isle grabbing each item. Milk is the last thing on the list. That’s going to be a pain to carry home. I go the fridge stocked full of different kinds of milk and grab a random one from the corner. I feel the hair on the back of my neck stand up, so I turn slowly and scream at the top of my lungs. There is an old man standing in front of me. He looks absolutely ancient with a long curly white beard, a balding head with long curly white hair down the sides and glowing yellow eyes. His body is small and hunched over, but he is still tall enough to look me straight in the eye. His skin is cracked and wrinkled, it looks almost like leather. “You should watch yourself girly.” He says, his voice sounds like he swallowed a ton of gravel, or as if his throat is made of sandpaper. “I’m sorry.” I say, backing up against the milk fridge so I can get further away from him. He chuckles and looks at me almost as if he is sizing me up. “Interesting…” He whispers, and then turns and walks away. I’m surprised that the milk is still in my hand; my fingers are wrapped around it so tightly that my knuckles are turning white. I loosen my grip and take a deep breath. “You’re okay.” I whisper to myself. I stand up tall and walk towards the checkout lanes, praying that I won't see that man along the way.

Saturdays… I absolutely love Saturdays, it is the only day of the week that my mom is home, and we usually get to spend the day together. It’s nearly ten o’clock and I’m still sitting in my room listening to the mockingbirds whistle outside my window. “Isabel get your butt down here NOW!!!!” My mom screams up the stairs… that was unexpected, she hardly ever yells at me… uh oh. “Coming mom!” I say and run quickly down the stairs and meet her in the family room. She’s standing with her hand on her hip glaring daggers at me. “What’s wrong?” I say frowning. “Your school just called; do you want to tell me what’s going on?” My mom is a beautiful woman, she’s got blonde curly hair like mine, but her eyes are brown instead of blue which I think gives her a mysterious look… however when she’s mad, those brown eyes go rock hard and scary… just like they are now. I know I’ve been caught red-handed and my heart jumps into my throat. “Mom…I-“
“What? You’re sorry? Isabella I don’t want an apology, I want an explanation. Why have you missed so much school? 2 months, months worth of fifth and sixth period! You’re grades are going through the floor, and it’s to late now to make them up… Isabel, you have to redo your sophomore year!” I knew she had to find out sooner or later, but I hadn’t planned for what I was going to say when she actually did find out. “Mom… I can’t stand my fifth and sixth period! All of the kids make fun of me, and the teachers pick on me and… I just couldn’t take it anymore!!!” I yell back. My blood is beginning to boil, and adrenaline starts coursing through my veins. “Then why… why didn’t you tell me?” She asks. “Because mom! You’re never home, you’re always working and I didn’t know what else to do! I hardly ever see you!”

“Don’t you dare blame this on me Isabel; you are too old for this… I trusted you, and you’ve broken my trust.”  I look at her straight in the eye. “Good… maybe now you’ll be home more than one day a week.” Then I turn and stalk up to my room. My heart stings with regret because I know I’ve hurt her, but I do my best to shrug it off and curl up in my bed letting the sobs escape me.

~*~

Right after the sun sets, my mom comes in my room to check on me. As soon as I hear her steady footsteps coming up the stairs, I lie down and act as though I’ve been sleeping for hours. She sighs loudly, and walks to the side of my bed. “I’m so sorry sweetie.” She whispers, then bends and kisses my forehead. “Good luck my sweet darling, be safe, I love you… remember, they cannot change you.” She says and then she’s gone, just as quickly as she came. I sit up the moment she leaves my room. Be safe? What could she have possibly meant by that? And who cannot change me? What in the world did she think I was doing? I shake my head and then realize that I really had to go to the bathroom… I’ve been sitting in my room all day. I wait for the hall light to shut off before I run to the door and fling it open. I shove my hands over my mouth to keep myself from screaming. The old man with yellow eyes from the store is standing in my doorway staring down at me smiling a clearly deranged smile. “Hello girly.” He says in his gravely voice. I take a step backwards and try to breathe normally. Tears spring into my eyes, and my heart is leaping in my chest. I have never felt fear the way I do right now. This night is not going to end well. “What are ya doing girly? Leaving?” He takes a step towards me and in response I take two steps back. “I’m not…. What are you doing here? How did you figure out where I live?” I ask, my voice shaking much more than I’d like. His smile widens until I can actually see his teeth which are brownish yellow and crooked, it makes me want to hurl. “Ah getting straight to the point are we? Good… that will make this a lot quicker. Isabella you strike me as quite the interesting girl… tell me, how do you feel about your current living quarters?” My heart jumps into my throat and I almost choke. He is going to kidnap me I think, and he glares at me. “I’m not going to kidnap you stupid girl, now answer my question.” How did he… my mind is spinning, and the room begins to twirl. “I-I love it here.” I say trying to sound sure of myself. I mean… I do love it here, right? “Do not lie to me Isabella; I very well know you hate it.” This is way too much, everything starts going grey at the edges. “Why are you here?” My voice is faint. He smiles again, and I almost keel over. “Ah a fighter I see… I knew you were a good choice; I’m not here to hurt you… I’m here to make a suggestion.” With that, the old man starts to flicker back and forth between the incredibly old crazy looking man, and a tall handsome young man with a lean lanky body. The only thing that was staying the same was his eyes. The air smells different, like sweet maple syrup. “Who are you?” I whisper, a small sound is the only thing I can muster up enough strength to make. I’m lucky I’m still standing. I’m dreaming… I must be. The flickering form lunges at me, and I’m too weak to move out of the way. In a split second he is standing right in front of me grabbing my shoulders. I scream and backpedal so fast, my knees buckle and I slam against the wall. “My name is Magowan.” He says, and even though he’s said it quietly, it seems too loud in the eerie darkness that is my room. My ears are buzzing, and my heart is pounding in my throat. I curl up against the wall shivering violently. There is power in his name. “What do you want from me?!” I scream. The silence has fled the room. With the buzzing in my ears, the pounding of my heart, Magowan’s name echoing through my room… the room is spinning… and then it all stops. I open my eyes and see a handsome man with yellow eyes crouching in front of me grabbing my shoulders. His voice remains as though he’s been eating glass his whole life when he says words that send chills up my spine. “Isabel… tell me, what if you could leave here, and go to a magical world… for the price of nothing?” I look up into his eyes, completely hypnotized by them. He whispers something so quietly, I don’t here it. “What?” I say, and he smiles. “Make a wish Isabella… make a wish.” And then, everything goes black.

I wake up to the sound of birds chirping, but it’s not the usual mockingbird screech that usually wakes me up. The sun is beating down on my face and there’s a soft bed of moss cradling my head and- wait… what? My eyes snap open and my brain immediately kicks into gear. Where am I? Wherever it is, it is absolutely beautiful. The sky is a bright crystal clear blue, with small puffs of white fluffy clouds stretching across the sky. I’m in a clearing by a beach with blue glassy water licking lazily at the flour-like sand. There are mountains in the distance reaching towards the sky. These mountains, are like nothing I’ve ever seen before, they are a deep shiny-looking black, almost as if they are made out of obsidian. I’m separated from them by a vast forest, full of dark trees that not even the bravest huntsman would dare to enter. I know I’ve never been here before, never in my life, but I feel a vague sense of familiarity spark through me, and then it’s gone, just like that. I must still be dreaming. I close my eyes and pinch my arm, hard, but when I open my eyes I’m still standing in the same place… odd. “Hello?” I call towards the dark forest. I hear something crash in the bushes to my right. I hear twigs snapping, a curse, and then a girl about my age dressed entirely in camouflage falls into the clearing. She’s on her feet quickly, looking at me with laser-like grey eyes. She’s gorgeous really, with short, pixie styled auburn hair, and a tall skinny body. “Who are you?” She says, he voice hard and menacing. “Um… My name is Isabel… I don’t really know where I am, but whoever you are, I’m on your side.” She raises and eyebrow, and then her face softens just a little bit. “Did Magowan send you here?” She asks. I swallow. “I think so? I… he came into my house last night and told me to… make a wish I think it was. I don’t really remember much of it.” She nods and gives me an understanding look. “That’s a yes then, and it means I can trust you. My name is Juliet, I was sent here about two days ago.” I nod and she gives me a sympathetic look. “Welcome to… this place… we haven’t named it yet. All of us are still kind of in the dark, but I’ll bring you to Marco and Lizbet, they might be able to help you a little bit more than I can. They’ve been here for a week just about.” I’m not really sure what to think and I have no other choice so I turn and follow her into the bushes she fell out of moments ago.

            The camp isn’t far, about a half mile, from where I woke up. It looks like a typical camp sight, but with only two large tents set up in the middle. Juliet points at each and says: “The one on the left is for boys, and on the right is for girls, I don’t want any mix ups, you hear me?” I nod. “Good, then welcome home, you need to get this through your head, you are not dreaming. No matter how badly you wish you were, you aren’t. This is reality; you have to learn to live with it.” I close my eyes and swallow. She is lying… I am dreaming, I’ll wake up soon. “Juliet? Have you returned?” Another voice calls from within the girl’s tent. Juliet laughs. “Yeah Lizbet, I’m back.” Then she turns to me. “Ignore the way she talks, she’s from somewhere in the eighteen hundreds.” …what? The girl, Lizbet comes into view. She does look like somebody from the eighteen hundreds. She is wearing a white flowy nightgown and has a long frizzy mane of orange fiery hair. “Oh! Who is this? How now my lady, have you just recently stumbled upon our humble quarters?” I blink and shake my head. That was a headache waiting to happen. “She says hello and asks if you just showed up.” Juliet whispers. “Uh… oh! Yeah… Hi, I just got here.” I say, sounding like a complete idiot. Lizbet smiles. “What be your name and century?”
“My name is Isabel; I’m from the year 2012.” I say a little more confidently. “Oh so you’re fairly close to me.” Juliet says. “What year are you from?” I ask feeling very strange. “2010.” I nod. “Marco, Shane! Get your lazy butts out here! Magowan has sent us another person!” Juliet shouts. “Girl or guy?” Someone calls back. “Girl!” Lizbet says giggling. “Awe man, Marco! Our reign of terror is over.” The same boy says. “I’m crying on the inside.” The other, Marco I infer, mumbles. Then they both come walking out. One of them is eccentric looking; he’s tall and lanky, with high cheekbones and amused looking brown eyes. He’s got bright blue short cropped hair. “Shane, 3151.” He says holding out his hand. I shake it and smile back at him. The other is tall, and very muscular. He has a tan face, and jet black long-ish hair with hard onyx eyes. “Marco, 1942.” He says his voice flat. I nod and he retreats back into his tent. “Ignore him.” Shane says, smirking off in Marco’s direction. “He’s kind of a party pooper.” Juliet laughs at Lizbet’s confused expression. “How is it possible for one to poop on a party?” She says which makes Juliet dissolve into a fit of giggles.

*~*

            After I get settled, which in this case is also known as looking inside the tent and laying the tiny blanket Juliet handed me on one of the mattresses, I decide to take a look around the camp. It isn’t much, two huge tents and a hearth in the middle with charred wood that must have been from the night before. Right in front is a small sketch which I immediately suspect is a map of the island. The place is essentially a small dirt patch surrounded by an endless forest. Shane is sitting on a log at the edge of the forest sharpening a stick with a long pointy dagger. He glances up, sees me, and motions for me to come over. “Hiya.” He says once I’m within earshot. “Hey.” I say and sit down next to him. “What are you making?” He holds the stick out in front of him. “It’s supposed to be a spear to make it easier to catch fish but it’s my first attempt.” He says. I nod. “Pretty good first attempt if you ask me.” He smiles. “Thanks…so, what do you think of the camp?” I shrug. “I don’t know… what am I supposed to think of the camp?” Shane chuckles. It’s a sound that makes me like him… almost immediately. “You’re supposed to say that it’s the most gorgeous thing you’ve ever seen in your life.” I shrug dramatically like I’d seen some of the popular girls do at school. “Well I don’t know about the most gorgeous…” Shane looks at the ground thoughtfully. “You’re right. You’ve seen me.” I burst out laughing and he smiles brightly at me just as Juliet comes walking out of the tent. Shane looks up at Juliet and their eyes meet. “What are you two up to?” She says jokingly and jogs over. “Nothing.” I say and stand up. “Shane was just showing me the nifty spear he’s been working on.” I say. Juliet raises her eyebrow, and I notice a steely look in her eyes. “Got it. Hey could you give us a minute? I need to talk to Shane for a bit.” I nod awkwardly and feel the familiar pain of loneliness sink back into my chest. “Um… yeah… sure.” Juliet cocks her head to one side. “Don’t get all butt-hurt.” I manage to force out a smile. “Course not. I’ll see you guys later.” They both nod and I walk away towards the girl’s tent. I’m not sure how I feel about this place yet.

After a week of being at the island, I fall into a sort of routine that is enough to help me make it through the days without too much thinking. I realized that the more I thought about things, the more grief-stricken and homesick I was. That mixed with the immense confusion I was still feeling was enough to make me want to pass out. With every passing day, my hope that I was dreaming lessened considerably and I began to think about my mother and the final words I’d heard her say almost constantly.

I’d wake up early each morning to find Shane sitting on his log working on his spear that was actually beginning to turn out quite nicely, and he’d smile and wave me over. We’d talk for a bit before he’d stand up, run to his tent, grab a knife and ask if I’d like to come with him to catch some fish for breakfast and hunt down some new firewood. I’d always say yes, he’d laugh, and then we’d trudge out together down to the creek that ran in a deep trench and was full of silver sparkly fish. Shane was my very first friend I realized, and in that week, I became closer to him than anyone I’d ever known. Through our time together, I came to realize that he was crushing pretty badly on Juliet, and from what I’d seen, the she liked him back at least as much  and sometime’s they’d go down to the creek and kiss and talk and do boyfriend/girlfriend things. But Shane insisted that although they did things like that, they weren’t really together. “It would never work.” He says. “I’m like one thousand years older than her. And if we go back, I’ll have to live knowing that the girl I was with, has been dead for like, over a thousand year which is both ew and really sad.” I could understand that. But if they really weren’t together, I thought, they wouldn’t be kissing by the creek. After my time with Shane in the morning, the five of us would gather around the small hearth and cook then eat some fish. Marco would finish first, and then go off to scout around the island to see if he could find a way home. Lizbet would finish second and go out to gather things for lunch. Then Shane would go and clean the knives and work on his spear some more while Juliet would take me out to the area behind the girls’ tent and teach me how to use a weapon. “You’ve got to make the knife an extension of your arm.” She’d say. “Become one with it. The person you are fighting is your partner… dance with them now.” It was easy for me to imagine, and apparently, I was a natural. After that, Lizbet would be back with a somewhat decent snack and we’d all eat around the hearth again. Afterwards, the boys would go out to the beach looking for more firewood and Lizbet and I would sit and talk while Juliet went out searching for fish. She told me all about her life at home, her husband and two kids, and what it was like to be a girl back then. I told her about my life of going to school, and having next to no friends. She was shocked when I told her that I wasn’t married. “But you are beautiful!” She gasped. “Boys should be lining up across town to get your hand.” It took a while to explain to her that in the 21st century, marriage at 16 is pretty much unheard of.

“Hey guys I’m back!” Juliet’s voice called out through the forest. She was holding up six sparkling fish that I’d never seen before. “Pretty successful night, wouldn’t you agree?!” Both Lizbet and I nod. “Oh Juliet how grateful I am for your wonderful abilities!” Lizbet says and the curtsies. I raise an eyebrow and step forward to help Juliet get the fish strung in between two trees so they could drain before the boys came back. “What… no curtsy?  I have to say I’m disappointed.” Juliet says as soon as Lizbet is out of earshot, putting a hand on her hip. I shoot her a glare, but I’m sure my eyes are sparkling with laughter. “Oh! My apologies miss.” I say and then grab the sides of my jeans and curtsy. Juliet bursts into laughter. “You’re adorable.” She says between giggles. In that moment, the feeling of loneliness disappears from my chest, and I feel happier than I’ve felt in a really long time. We walk back to the hearth and sit down. The fire is just beginning to die out and the first chills of the night are beginning to set in. “Those stupid boys had better hurry up.” Juliet says wrapping her arms around herself. “It’s going to be freezing soon.” I nod and look towards the forest hoping to see Marco and Shane coming through the trees. “Do you think they’re alright?” I say. Juliet shakes her head. “We won’t know for a few hours I guess. But by then, it’ll be late, and here? Sleep is important. We’ll eat the fish raw now, and then go to bed, and if they’re not back tomorrow morning, I’m going to look for them.” I nod in agreement. “Tomorrow then.”

~*~

            Sleep didn’t come easily that night. In fact, it didn’t come at all. The eerie noises that came from the woods were enough to keep the adrenaline coursing through my veins. Not to mention the freezing cold that seeped under the thin material of my blanket and into my ever pore. I got out of bed early the next morning, my muscles aching with grogginess. Juliet and Lizbet are not in bed which tells me they’re outside, and the dead silence tells me that Marco and Shane are still nowhere to be found. I slide out of bed and fixed my rumpled clothing to where it’s at least presentable and step outside. Sure enough, both girls are sitting curled up on the log at the edge of the forest staring at the empty hearth. “They never came back last night did they?” I say. Both of them shake their heads. “Juliet, I am frightened for them.” Lizbet says. Juliet puts her hand on Lizbet’s shoulder. “We’ll find them as soon as we can.” She says, but her tone tells me that she’s worried as well. “We need to go search for them Juliet. Right now. ” I say. Juliet looks up at me with a start, and gives me a look that tells me she isn’t used to being told what to do. She nods anyway and takes a deep breath. “In the boys’ tent under Shane’s pillow is a knife. Go, grab it, and pray that you won’t need to use it.” I follow her orders, and sure enough find a long razor sharp knife under Shane’s pillow. I jog back to Juliet who now had Lizbet standing beside her; Juliet holds two knives identical to the one I am holding. “You ready?” Juliet says giving me a pointed look. My heart jumps into my throat and I take a deep breath. “Ready as I’ll ever be.” With that, we were off. Juliet was fast, so she led the way, sprinting through the forest at top speed. I managed to keep up, but Lizbet was having trouble. She lagged behind the both of us breathing hard. “Juliet!” I shout. “Slow down! Lizbet can’t keep up!” Juliet casts a hurried look over her shoulder and stops completely. “You didn’t have to stop completely.” I say after I catch up to her. I’m breathing hard, and my adrenaline is going insane. “Yeah I did. She’s got to catch up… the beach is right there anyways.” I turn and look. Sure enough we’re only a few feet away from the sand. When Lizbet reaches us, she’s breathing hard, and sweat is pouring down her face. “You ok?” I ask. She swallows and nods rapidly. “Alright guys. I don’t know what we’re going to see out there, but no matter what it is, we’ve got to stick together ok?” Juliet says. I nod. Lizbet coughs. “Let’s go.” Juliet says gravely.

            The beach was dead silent when we stepped through the trees. The aqua-marine water was lapping at the sugary white powder. I can see a faint outline of footprints leading towards the mountains but these are the only disturbance in the sand. “Juliet.” I say, and nod towards them. She nods and begins to follow them. We walk for fifteen minutes, and there still isn’t a single trace of them anywhere besides their footprints. “Marco!?! Shane?! Hello?!!” Juliet calls. We’re greeted with nothing but silence. “Something is very wrong about this.” I say. Juliet nods, and gives me a serious look that rattles my bones. “Lizbet, you go on ahead a few feet… Isabel and I are going to stay back a bit and get ready to fight. This is definitely Magowan’s doing.” Lizbet nods and jogs ahead. “Take out your knife, and follow me.” I do as she says, and she leads me towards the water. “I’ve been picking up clues.” She says once we get to the ocean’s edge. “We walked right into a trap. We’re going to be attacked.”
“Then why’d you send Lizbet ahead?” She gives me a pointed look. “She can’t fight. That’s the thing with the 1800’s… she’s already married and has children. I’d rather die and leave behind only my mother and father, than have her die and leave behind a husband and children.” I nod. “That’s very noble of you.” She gives me a sad smile. “Of us actually… Alright. Let’s get this show on the road. Magowan’s followers, we’ve seen your signs, and we know you’re there. Come out you cowards!!! Show yourselves!” Juliet shouts into the wind. There’s a loud hissing noise, and right before my eyes more snakes than I’d ever seen before slither up out of the water. “Isabel, go to the forest’s edge and fight off whatever I miss ok?” I’m hesitant to leave her alone. “Go!!!” She shouts, and with that I’m off like a rocket. I dash towards the edge of the dark forest, my heart roaring in my ears. The beach erupts into total chaos, dark slithering things hissing and biting at me no matter where I turn. It’s hard to believe that a place, two seconds ago so beautiful it made my jaw drop, was now full of nightmares and awful terrifying things. Juliet is screaming and cursing at the top of her lungs at an overly large snake that just seems to laugh back at her with glowing yellow eyes. Magowan’s eyes, I realize, which makes my heart speed up even more. Though it seems impossible, I force my brain to focus at the situation at hand, I need to help … I can’t just stand here. I tear the knife I had grabbed from the boys’ tent out of my belt. I hold it out in front of me and turn just in time to see a huge black snake jump out of the trees on my right side. It lunges at me, but I twist away just in time, my knife narrowly missing its neck. The snake lands hard on the ground spitting and hissing at me viciously. We begin an endless dance, the snake launching itself at me and missing, and me slashing and missing. The snake is clearly not planning on going down without a decent fight. Finally, just as the snake rears up to strike, I throw the knife; hear a sickening thunk and the snake falls dead at my feet. My face is dripping with sweat, my muscles ache, but I have to keep moving. I grasp my knife; tear it from the dead snake’s body and turn towards my next victim. But the beach is empty, and everything is deadly quiet. All of the snakes are gone, and I stand alone. I rush to the edge of the beach to find nearly all of them retreating back into the water. Then I hear someone scream and my brains snaps to attention. “What happened?” I yell back. I hear Lizbet’s voice pierce through the trees, “It is Shane! I think he is dead!

Juliet and I glance at each other nervously, and then sprint towards Lizbet’s voice. She’s kneeling in the sand next to a lifeless pale body. “Shane?!” Juliet screams and adds a burst of speed that sends her shooting ahead of me. She skids in the sand next to him and puts her ear to his chest. “His heart... where is it?! Why isn’t it there?! Shane wake up!!! You can’t leave me you loser you can’t!” I jog up to her. “Where’s his heart Isabel? Where is it?” Tears are pouring down her face now and her voice is choked. I squat down and put my hand on her shoulder. “Let me look Juliet.” She backs up slowly and sits in the sand hugging her knees to her chest. There are two deep puncture wounds at his throat, and his eyes are staring glassily at the sky. His skin is nearly gray already. I put my head to his chest and am greeted with nothing. Just the sound of Juliet’s sobbing in my ears. I sit back up and feel my own hot tears spring into my eyes. Even in death, he has an eccentric look about him, and it’s almost too much for me to bare. “He’s gone.” I whisper. Juliet cries out in despair. “No! Please no!” I look down at him, and my heart jolts with pain leaving me hollow. My very first friend is lying dead at my feet. Juliet falls on top of his cold gray body sobbing, and then she lifts his body up and shakes him hard. His head lolls back completely limp and I have to look away because if I don’t I might do the same thing.
“Where is Marco?” Lizbet says. It dawns on me then that we’ve all been so focused on Shane’s lifeless body that Marco is still nowhere to be found. I shake my head and look up towards the forest just in time to see three dark shapes moving toward us. “Juliet…” I start and she takes a minute off of looking at Shane’s lifeless face to look up. “I’ll kill them.” She hisses getting to her feet. “All of them.” Lizbet jumps and grabs her arm. “You do not know their standing Juliet. They could be with us.” Juliet tears her arm away. “You don’t know that. And even if they were, they didn’t do anything to help us and they could very well be the reason that Shane is d… not here.” I shake my head and throw my arms around her. “Juliet, please. Think for a moment. We’ll wait until we at least have a word with them, and if something… anything is suspicious, I’ll let you tear them to shreds.”
“Let me?” She laughs bitterly, “I’d be shocked if you could hold me back.” I look at Lizbet. “Lizbet, stay up here with her and um…” I trail off looking at what was once Shane. Lizbet understands however, and gives me a knowing look. “I will do as you say. If something is to go amiss, signal me in whatever way you are able.” She gives me a nod and then takes my place behind Juliet. I smile at her gratefully, and then jog down the dune. There are three men walking towards me, and as I get closer I can make out two short fat ones on the outsides and a tall lean one in the middle. Once I’m within earshot, I scream out at them for help. They keep walking without breaking a singe stride. “Please! One of us has been killed! We need help please… I mean you no harm.” My voice is coming out in choked desperate sobs. And I fall to my knees. They don’t stop until they’re within a few feet of me. The two on the edges are almost identical, with grotesque pudgy faces and black beady pig eyes nearly swollen shut. Their heads are almost completely bald with small tufts of fuzzy orange hair and long curly beards down to their bulging waists. The worst part is their outfits which are merely tight black pants suspended with twine and white shirts that look as if they hadn’t been washed in months. These two make the boy in the middle seem like the most beautiful person I’d ever seen in my life. However, I felt as if even the most beautiful boy back home would make him seem that way. He’s tall and lean with high cheek bones and long muscled arms. His hair is braided in a long golden braid all the way down to his hips. His eyes are striking; almost like a cat’s, glowing green and full of emotion. My breath is gone within seconds. I realize then that I’m still sitting on my knees staring up at them, tears still leaking down my face. I’m mortified, but I feel frozen. “Who are you?” The man on the right says. His voice is nothing like the way he looks. It makes me think of an angel’s song, and almost immediately I’m willing to sit there for the rest of my life and listen to him speak. “Enough Slaking. She does not strike me as the kind that is going to be hard to deal with.” Says the one in the middle, his voice is deep and he has an unfamiliar accent.  “Yes sir.” Slaking says. This time, his voice is like gravel being put through a blender and I wince. The tall one kneels down on one knee so he can look me in the eye. “What is your name?” He says. I stare at him, so shocked out of my wits that I’m unable to say anything. “I promise,” He says quietly, “I’m not going to hurt you.” I give him a look that I hope isn’t as desperate as it feels. “I’m Isabel. Me and my friends were sent here a week ago and my friend was just killed by one of Magowan’s minions and another one of them is missing. I don’t know who you are, but please, help us.” The boy’s face transforms from an easy smile into a look of shock. “You girls are part of the five sent here?” I nod. He stands up quickly and draws his sword. I yelp and try to jump to my feet but fall backwards onto my butt. He looks at me quizzically and then laughs. “Goodness, for one of Magowan’s minions, you sure are clumsy… he is losing his touch.”
“I’m not a minion!” I shout. “Go up there and talk to Lizbet. The five of us are stuck here. I’m not a minion I promise. I mean you no harm. We just need help.” I say beginning to sob. I hadn’t realized how desperate and scared I’d been until now. My adrenaline is dying out fast and my muscles are aching. The man puts his sword back in its sheath and glances at the two fat men at his sides. “Slaking, Malmoor, go fetch the two above, and bring them back to the village. I’ll bring…Isabel was it? Back and get them in to speak with my mother as soon as possible. If it is possible, revive the man whom they are with.” The two nod and begin to trudge up the sand dune. “Come Isabel, and don’t bother putting up a fight. I feel as if I can trust you but I am unsure. Do not give me a reason to think otherwise.” I try to stand, but my muscles are too exhausted and I fall back into the sand. I get up again completely mortified and shake myself off, ignoring the screaming pain in my legs. “Sorry.” I say, and he nods gruffly. “I must also apologize, but many precautions need to be taken before I can grant you my trust. The fact that Magowan sent you here is reason enough for me to be suspicious. Please try to understand.” I sigh deeply and give a short nod. “Do you at least trust me enough to tell me your name?” I say shocked at my sudden debut of courage. He gives a half smile. “Terrance or Prince Terrance if you prefer my formal name however, once we enter the village you are to address me as Prince only.”
“Yes sir.” I say. Prince, of what? I wondered. I thought that Magowan ruled this place. “Do not address me as sir.” He says laughing, “I’m barely older than you.”
“Seriously?”

“Seriously.” He chuckles. We’re trudging through a part of the forest now that I’ve never seen before. It’s definitely creepier than the small part that surrounds our camp. It looks as if someone had drained the place completely of color. The trees are a neutral gray, with a black filmy moss bleeding from the branches. The leaves are a mixture of dark gray and black and although there is no wind, sway back and forth making the branches clack together. The sky is hardly visible between the leaves. The floor is covered with a thick fog that covers my feet completely. “Wh-where are we?” I say. Terrance takes a deep breath. “This is the dark forest. It’s extremely dangerous if you don’t know where you’re going because it’s like a maze. You’ll find yourself out here for hours and before you know it it’s dark and you’re about to be eaten by an animal or crushed by one of the trees.” He says and I frown. “The trees…”
“Move.” He finishes. “Yes. The trees move. They’re enchanted. We had to hide our village deep inside the forest so that we aren’t found.”

“How many of you are there?”
“You’ll see.” I cough and kick at the dirt with my shoe. We come up to a solid rock wall covered in vines. And I frown. “Now what?” he looks at me sympathetically. “This is the part where the not fully trusting you comes in. I can’t allow you to see how we get the rest of the way.”
“So what are you going to do to me.” He places his hands on the sides of my face and looks me straight in the eye. “This is the part where I need you to just trust me.” I frown. “What do you mean?” I blink, and lightening fast he puts his fingers over my eyes. “I’ll see you when you awaken sweet Isabel. Sleep well.” That’s the last thing I hear before everything goes black.

I wake up in a small room warmer than I’ve ever been before in my life. I lift my head up to see that I’m in a circular room with a door directly in front of my bed which is also circular, and I’m underneath warm clean sheets and lying on a real actual pillow. I sit up and realize that I’m still in my grimy sweats and smell like a dirty river full of rotting compost compared to the pretty floral scent of the room I’m in. There’s a knock on the door before an older woman walks in carrying clothes and towels. “Good afternoon dear I was told you’d be waking up around this time. I’m sorry for my sudden barging in.” She smiles at me apologetically. “It’s fine.” I say and slide out of bed. “How long have I been out?”
“About a week perhaps. We had to use a stronger sedative on you because you kept looking dangerously close to waking up in the middle of us trying to get you here.” A week!! My God… I wondered if the others had woken up recently. “The others have been up for a few days. But worry not. You will all go into the queen’s court together.” I wondered briefly if that meant I’d get to see Terrence again. The thought of Terrance brings a rush of excitement and anger. He put me under; he had no right to do that without telling me first. But then I remembered his eyes…oh his beautiful eyes, and my heart speeds up in a different, much less angry way. “Um… where am I exactly?” I say. She chuckles. “That my dear must remain classified until we are aware that we can fully trust you.” I sigh exasperatedly. She gives me another sympathetic look. “Your bathing room is just beyond that door. Bathe, and then change into these. Lara will be in after you are done to fix your hair. Magowan never had the best accommodations for his um… guests?” She says quickly laying a blue-ish satin square at the edge of my bed along with two white fluffy towels, and then leaves the room. I stretch and then make my way to the “Bathing room”. All it is, is a single white porcelain tub, yet nothing has ever seemed more beautiful in my entire life. I rush to the tap and turn it on. The steaming clear water is enough to make my hands shake with excitement. I can’t wait to be clean.

~*~

I stare at my own reflection in the small mirror attached to a desk that sat in the corner of the “bathing room”. I had forgotten what it felt like to be clean. The absence of my grubbiness felt strange to me. It almost made me feel  too vulnerable, which was strange considering I’d never been able to go more than a day without taking a shower. However, my reflection was startling me more than anything else. My face had always been on the rounder side. I had chipmunk cheeks that were usually flushed pink from the intense heat that comes with living in Arizona, and a pale round face that combined with my blue eyes made me look too innocent. Now however, looked like an entirely different person. Since arriving here two weeks ago, I’d gotten into the habit of constantly wearing my hair up in a pony tail instead of letting it hang in my face which had given the sun leeway to browning my skin and banishing any pale or redness. Because of the strict fish and herb diet I’d been forced to succumb to, my cheeks had hollowed out, and were now sharp lines underneath my eyes giving me an exotic look. I stare at myself for a while longer before there’s another quick know on the door and a petite woman whom I immediately match as Lara walks in. She’s pretty to say the least. She has bright icy blue eyes and jet black hair that fell in feathered pieces around her eyes. “You must be Isabel.” She says smiling, “I’m Lara, I’m here to fix you up before you go and speak with the queen.” Her voice is soft, melodic, and laced with a certain accent that I recognize from Terrence’s voice. I look down at myself in embarrassment, realizing that I’m still wrapped in my towel. Lara giggles and sets a small purse on the desk next to me. “You are wiser than your friend to remain in your drying cloth. The dresses the queen requested are very…um…difficult to put on.” I smile and raise my eyebrow. “That must have been Juliet… she doesn’t strike me as the type who wears dresses often.” Lara takes out a silver comb and begins to run it through my damp hair. “You are correct in saying that it is. We had to cut it off of her and retrieve a new one.” I laugh out loud. “I’m never going to let her live it down.” Lara smiles and continues brushing. “Yes it was quite comical. Now can I ask a favor of you? I’d like you to stand up, close your eyes, and count to ten.” I frown but push the chair back and stand up slowly. I let my eyes flutter closed and count to ten slowly. I feel my skin tingle slightly and I flinch a bit before relaxing. I open my eyes and am greeted with an empty room. “Lara?” I say. Silence. That’s when I realize that my hair isn’t wet nor is it hanging in my face, and I’m no longer in my bath towel. I whirl and run towards the mirror. The girl who stares back at me is me, yet she’s not. She’s got my blonde hair and my blue eyes, but the rest is entirely different. She’s wearing a soft baby blue gown with a sweet-heart neckline and no sleeves. The top is tight, and embroidered with silver swirls. The bottom flows down like a waterfall in different parts. It’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. I run my fingers down the skirt and breathe deeply. I hear soft footsteps and a soft gasp from behind me and I whirl around to find Terrance standing there. My heart skips a beat and then speeds up. “I came to escort you to the queen’s quarters um…” He trails off. I smile and nod. “You’re not going to put me under this time?” He winces and shakes his head. “No… I’m sorry about that.” His eyes are so desperate and pleading, I melt, but instead of falling down on my knees I smirk. “It’s alright.” Something about Terrance’s presence causes all of my insecurity to fade and be replaced with a confidence that caused me to hardly recognize myself. He lifts an eyebrow up and holds out his arm and I look at it hesitantly. His eyes dance with amusement. “Do not be afraid of me, I won’t bite you. As I said, I’m here to escort you, not hurt you, y…you look great by the way.” I roll my eyes. “Don’t sound so full of yourself; you’re just here because you had to see me again.” I say with a smirk, purposely avoiding his compliment even though my heart has been driven wild. He raises his eyebrow and motions to his outstretched elbow. I take it and he leads me out the door. The smell hits me before the sight, and when I finally see and manage to believe what I’m looking at, I nearly collapse with complete and utter awe. It’s a meadow, but it’s more beautiful than anything I've ever seen before in my life. It’s made up of every flower imaginable and the only place not covered in flowers is the pathways that web their way through the area leading to different houses exactly like the one I was just in. The houses look like massive acorns that were shoved into the dirt until only their upper halves show. The smell is more amazing than anything I’d ever smelled at home, and I close my eyes, breathing the incredible fragrance in. It makes me think of the first hours of summer vacation, or laying on a beach with my face tilted towards the sun, listening to the surf batter away at the shore. I’d give anything to bottle it up and keep it forever. “Pretty amazing huh?” Terrance says. I nod, unable to manage words. He chuckles and pulls me forward dragging me back to earth. “Come on, let’s get going.”

He leads me to another round house, but this one is nearly three times as large as all the other ones. “This is it?” I say, and he nods. I place a hand on the door handle, but before I can turn it, Terrance places a hand on my shoulder. “Isabel?” He says. I turn around and he grabs both my shoulders, looking me straight in the eye. “Yes?” I say. “Don’t be nervous. It could arouse suspicions. I trust you, I don’t know why but I do. I’m telling you now, don’t be nervous.” I look at him. “I’m not nervous.” I say. He nods. “I believe it. I’m just saying to be careful.” I nod and then give him what I hope is a reassuring smile. “I have nothing to hide Terrance, come on.” I shake away from his grip, turn the handle, and walk inside.

We step inside a foyer made entirely of cherry redwood. “How….” I start, but Terrance silences me by laughing. “It’s enchanted, you’re inside a castle really but we make it look like an average house so it takes up less space. It’s like the endless purse trick.” I don’t even want to think about how that’s even remotely possible so I nod and continue walking. There are huge portraits of the island all over the walls, but not a single picture of Terrance or his mother anywhere. We zigzag through hallway after hallway; all of them seem identical except for the different placement of doors. Finally we step into a bare hall way with one giant red door with gold edges at the very end, the two ugly men from before stand guard and glare at me as I enter. “Slaking and Malmoor do not trust the human.” The one to the left says his voice once again like his throat is coated with sandpaper. Terrance rolls his eyes. “You guys don’t trust anybody.” Then he pushes past them and leads me into what can only be the throne room. The room is nearly impossible to describe because of its immense beauty. It hardly looks real. The walls and floor are a shimmering rainbow of every color you could possibly imagine while the throne is enormous and silver. Lizbet and Juliet are standing in the middle of the floor, mouths agape. “Guys!” I say, unable to contain my excitement. They both turn around. Lizbet breaks into a smile. “How now Isabella? What is up?” I laugh at her attempt at “modern” speak. Juliet on the other hand looks like a complete and utter mess. Her eyes are red and puffy underneath the make up, and she’s lost the confidence in her stance. She doesn’t smile, just stands there holding herself. She looks unbelievably broken, and I almost burst into tears just looking at her. The sight of her brings back the reality of what happened, and the sadness hits me like a wave. She nods in my direction and then turns back around. Terrance squeezes my shoulder gently and encouragingly before he leaves me standing next to Lizbet. I hear the doors open from behind me, but the only thing that comes through them is Slaking and Malmoor and my breathing that so recently hitched in my throat comes out in one big huff which draws giggles from Lizbet. I hadn’t realized I was so nervous until now. “The queen requests all three of you individually as to make sure that you are all telling the truth. The other two must leave and return when contacted.” Slaking says and Lizbet looks up at me with wary eyes. I grab at her hand as encouragingly as I can. “We’ll take the one on the right.” Malmoor says and both Lizbet and I look at Juliet who goes rigid. “It’ll be alright Juliet. You shall see.”  Lizbet says and we are both led out of the room.

~*~

Time passes slowly, and as Lizbet goes in second I’m left standing outside the door alone wondering where Juliet is. My imagination starts to run wild, conjuring up horrible torturing done to those who’ve crossed this kingdom and shivering as the face of Juliet appears in each torture device. Then I shake my head. Juliet is fine, and I will be too. The door swings open suddenly, and Slaking pokes his ugly head through the door. “You’re next.” He says. I breathe deeply and enter the room. I walk in towards the back of the big silver chair and all I can see is the top of a woman’s head and white blonde hair falling like a waterfall and pooling at the floor. I walk as briskly as I can, but my legs feel as if I’m trudging through quick sand. I am only able to calm myself when I see Terrance at his mother’s side. His back is to me, but the mere sight of him slows my pounding heart. I take a deep breath and walk around the side that Terrance is standing on to face his mother. She’s the kind of beautiful that is completely impossible to describe. Her posture is regal, and her eyes appear soft and kind but underneath the fluff is a rock solid layer of steel. She wears a glimmering blue dress with no shoes. “Hello Isabel.” She says once I’m standing front and center I curtsy quickly, not knowing what else to do. I see Terrance try not to laugh and I make a note to myself to kill him later.
If there is a later.
“Hello.” I add on to my pathetic curtsy. “Do not be nervous if you have nothing to hide.” She says. She stares down on me, her eyes challenging. She’s testing me, and now the ball’s been thrown into my court. I take a deep breath and look her in the eye. “I’m sorry ma’m, its not often I speak to queens at home. I just wasn’t sure how to react.” At this her eyebrows raise and she smiles. “You’re different than the rest.” She says. For a split second, I lose my edge, “Wh-what do you mean?” I say in a much meeker voice than I would’ve hoped. She smiles, tilting her head down to look at me right in the eye. “You know a challenge when you see one.” At this I pause again, completely thrown off by her sudden acknowledgement. “I want you to relay to me exactly what happened to you before you arrived here.” She says and I nod and begin the story of what happened to me two weeks ago in full colorful detail, the flickering form, yellow eyes, the fear and disparity, and the request for me to make a wish. She nods during all of it, listening intensely without making a sound. Terrance’s eyes soften and flash during different intervals in my story and at the part in which Shane dies; I swear I see a tear slip from his stunning eyes. When I’ve finished, she clasps her hands and folds them in her lap. “Thank you Isabella,” she says, “you are free to go now. I am going to need to talk this over with my advisors.” She nods towards a new door that I haven’t noticed before. I turn to walk away, but freeze suddenly, clenching my fists at my sides. Before I can hold it back I whisper bitterly, “What happened to me?” The silence that follows is thick enough with tension that you could’ve sliced through it with a knife. “Isabella I…” I cut her off before she can finish, “Yeah, neither do I.” With a deep breath, I continue to walk towards the door. I jump as a strong hand clamps onto my shoulder and immediately I recognize Terrance’s long slender fingers. “What?” I say. “I’m going to take you home.”
“To camp?” I say sounding and feeling more terrified than I have in days. I realize then that I am fearful to return back to the last place I saw Shane alive. “No, we’re required to keep you here until Slaking, Malmoor, and my mother can discuss what happened to you.” We step out into the warm sunny afternoon, and I lift my face to the sunlight. “Prince?” I say, and he looks at me. “Yes?”
“Do you trust me?” I say turning to him and biting my lip. He pauses dramatically, and all I can hear is the rhythmic crunch of our shoes in the dirt. If he doesn’t I’m not sure what I’ll do. “Yes Isabel, I do.” A wave of relief crashes down over me and I’m nearly positive that I’m going to crack and sob right on the spot. He stops and turns me to face him “There was never a time when I didn’t.” He says his voice nearly a whisper. And this time, unable to hold anything back, I sob. He stands in front of me awkwardly not knowing what to do.

It’s funny because I bet all of you out there in my fellow audience expected him to wrap his arms around me and let me sob into his chest and then in a drastic turn of events, lean me back, say some spectacularly romantic line that makes every girl swoon with forever alone-ness and then kiss me. It’s also funny because for another split second, I thought so too. But instead, he stood there awkwardly, two feet away from me while I cried my eyes out in front of him like a complete in utter moron. This in fact, dear audience is a great time to realize that the fantastic romantic moment we may have just not had was AKA ruined.
Let’s all forget the fact that I just expected him to kiss me.
On with the story.

As my heavy sobbing gradually slows, I look up at his face completely mortified. I expect to see only pity but instead I find only a soft smile. “Let’s get you back to your room, you seem extremely tired.” I shrug and walk the rest of the way to my room with him in silence.