In A World of My Own - Book One

I can't believe I fell asleep! Not only did I fall asleep, but I slept all through the night and by the way the sun looks in the sky, halfway through the day. Damn it. I have no idea what "schedule" we're on, but I'm pretty sure we're way behind. I swiftly leap to my feet, eagerly looking around. 

I mean, we got places to be and people to -

Wait, all this "we" business puts into perspective how alone I actually am, Vyndren is nowhere in sight, or for that matter, neither is any living thing. 

The entire floresta is eerily silent, even that mini waterfall has ceased to flow, the dark boulders are just slick with water as if it had rained recently. I frown and look around; the flowers have receded into the ground again. So weird. 

"Um, hey...?" I timidly call and take a couple steps forward. I startle at the sight of my hair tumbling down before my eyes, it's blonde again! OMG! And my skin as returned to normal too! I think excitedly as I look my hands and arms over. "Alright," I silently congratulate myself.

Now I bolt over to the still pond and peer down at my reflection beaming back at me; all messy blonde curls, flushed cheeks of glee and giddy blue eyes. I'm me! It's funny because the other night, when I didn't recognize myself, I thought that I looked pretty but now that I had a chance to miss my old self...well, I think I'll never call myself a hopeless in the beauty department anymore. Am I pretty enough to be called my icon's double? Hmm...next time I see Taylor Swift, I'll let her be the judge.

I blow my bangs out of my eyes as I scan my surroundings, where's Vyndren? Where could he have gone? "Hello?" Silence returns to me. I unexpectedly shiver, but now start walking, unsure of where to go, but I know I gotta get the heck out of these woods.

I lose track of time, jumping at everything that stirs in the cryptic silence, but now as I pass a massive tree hunched over a rabbit-hole, I hear something. I frown, it's almost like the whisper of a person, I cautiously take just a step closer, waiting for it to speak again, and to my alarm, it does.

"Alice..."

Creepy as -

Suddenly something pale gray shoots out of the mouth of the rabbit-hole, I scream as a thin hand grabs my ankle and it pulls so hard -impossibly hard for such a skinny arm- that I fall to the ground and smack my head on the moss-covered ground. 

My scream is cut short as everything fades in and out, my eyes rolling groggily in my sockets. 

I feel myself being dragged through the small opening of the den and feel hard and sharp rocks tear through my dress and skin as I am pulled into a small, round cave beneath the tree.

I am so dizzy, I feel like throwing up, but I somehow manage to keep it down and now force myself up to my elbows.

Now I scream bloody murder. 

One of the Vampires I had electrocuted earlier hovers over me, it's still fully phased and its burnt, ragged wings completely encompass us in the cave. I can see all of its bones as if it is nothing more than some leathery flesh stretched over a skeleton, its veins look like ropes withering beneath its skin and its secodont fangs are grotesquely out of proportion, hanging out of the mouth as the Vampire screams shrilly.

It lunges for my face with a screech, and I just manage to roll to the side before its fangs crashes through the space I was just occupying. I'm still screaming as I thrash to get away from it. I frantically hurl everything from rocks and stick as it as I desperately try to crawl out of the cave backwards.

I wildly kick at its face and manage to slam its jaws shut as I drag myself farther out of the tunnel. The emaciated Vampire savagely seizes my ankles and wrenches me closer again.

"No!" I cry, landing a kick to its forehead before it can bite me. 

It wrenches its hand back, its nails slice my tendon and blood flies into the air, some even sprays my face.

I scream yet again with pain and horror, but the creature seizes my wrist now and yanks me into it, hissing savagely. I punch it right in the face, again and again and again and we fall back on the floor.

The Vampire's wings are beating madly at the air and make horrible scraping sounds on the sharp, stone walls as we struggle. Dirt and rocks fall all around us. The Vampire's face is covered with its own black blood and my bright red blood from my busted knuckles that keep bouncing it head off the ground. Its fangs snap as it tries to bite my fist and now I yank my hand back. 

It hisses again but moves so swiftly, I don't even register it till now its has its hands around my throat and slams me against the adjacent wall so violently, my vision briefly goes dark.

I'm vaguely aware of it throwing me to the floor and seizing my hair, pulling it away from my neck.

Life and energy instantly rush back to me and I frantically kick it off me again and now hurl myself down the tunnel, madly crawling up towards the opening of the rabbit hole. 

I clutch one of the sharp rocks beneath me tightly in my bloody hand a heartbeat before the Vampire rakes its nails over the backs of my legs. The skin rips and blood gushes up from the long, thin wounds, I'm still screaming.

I frantically drag myself back to level ground, dripping with my blood and the Vampire's.

I scramble to my feet just as the Vampire bursts out of the opening and spreads it wings. Our blood flies off them. In a split second, I take in the Vampire's Bloodmark, it looks different than Vyndren's. This Bloodmark is right below the Vampire's throat, it's of a skull with flames shooting out of the sockets and its long fangs looks like blood trickling down the Vamp's chest. I wonder what the significance of that its.

Now the Vampire leaps towards me with a hiss. I ram my fist with the jagged rock poking through my fingers under the Vampire's jaw and the impact actually sends the monster staggering backwards, the rock intombs itself deep under the creature's chin. As it screams, I see part of the rock poking through the bottom of the thing's mouth while its forked tongue flies around.

I scream back with rage, fear, disbelief, and horror. "I'm not on the menu anymore!"

Suddenly my Dark Rider -at long last- springs from the shadows, briefly landing on the other Vampire's back with his curved sword under its jaw before he vaults over its head, his sword decapitating it as he lands in a kneel before me. He flies up to his feet and quickly catches me in his arms as I sway. The beheaded body of the Vampire crumples to the ground a few paces away as Vyndren carefully lowers me down before I fall over. 

"Adara! I'm so sorry. I should have never left you. I... oh, Adara." His brow is furrowed with pain as he looks me over.

I stare at him for a few moments, struggling to connect the wires in my head to make myself speak. "Vyndren?" I manage to say. "Don't...blame yourself. I can take care of...myself these days, remember?" I smile weakly.

"Adara, this...I.... No," he grabs my hand and squeezes it reassurance. "You're gonna be alright, I swear." He shakily promises. He closes his eyes and presses his forehead against mine, holding me against him tightly. His icy cold skin actually feels very soothing, and my throbbing headache fades away. "Adara... Damn it," he hisses and clutches me tighter.

I close my eyes slowly and sigh in relief. I'm safe now finally. Incredibly enough, here in Vyndren's arms I feel like nothing bad can happen to me, crazy, isn't it?

"Adara, don't close your eyes. You can't. You must look at something. Don't go. Please, please, Adara. Don't go," he sounds so frantic and desperate to keep me present but I'm already slipping away. "Adara? Adara!"

Now I don't hear anything...