I remember my first days as an elf. They were happy, yet sad. I no longer looked the same. I become strong, stronger than Sarah. This made me the strongest person I had ever known. The first few days were filled with pain, not emotionally, but physically, I was constantly testing my limits, to see what I could then do. I also felt guilty for doubting Sarah so much, but she said to worry about so I didn't. I return to the story.
When I first came to, everything was a little blurry. Like when you first wake up from a deep sleep. I watched a breeze blow through the green leaves above me, sunshine peeking through gently. I raised myself up on one elbow and looked around, everything looked different, clearer.
Like before it was blurry and now it was perfectly clear. The memory of what had happened came to me then. I knew my arms and legs had broken, yet when I examined them, they were whole. I heard footsteps, Sarah stood behind me. "How do you feel?"
I held up my hands and looked at them. They were not my hands. They were, well, elegant. My hands were not elegant. Yet these hands were attached to my body, and my body had changed. I was thinner and longer all over. I looked up at Sarah, "what happened?" She smiled, "you are now an elf."
I stood and looked down, the ground seemed far away. Sarah looked up at me, wait, she looked up. I used to be the one to look up. Sarah smiled, "I bet you want to see what you look like." She handed me a mirror. I hesitated a moment, afraid of what I might find, swallowed, and then looked at my reflection.
I was beautiful! My hair was now blonde like Sarah's. Everything about me looked better. Even my eyes looked better, though they were now snake like and green, just like Sarah. Sarah tossed me some clothes, "go change, your clothes don't fit anymore." After I had changed Sarah prepared a breakfast and we ate. Suddenly Sarah began to talk, "Jake I have kept some things from you that now I think you need to know. First is our plan. In a few days a portal is going to open in Montana. We don't know where it is. My brother, you, one other, and I are the only elves left in this world. The Alukai know this and want us bad. There is a town on the other side of this mountain.
We will catch an airplane there which will take us to Washington DC. Once in DC we will contact my brother who has been spying on the Alukai, once we are with him, we will find the last elf, who is our guide to the portal, and leave this world forever. But for today and tomorrow I will teach you how to fight so you might defend yourself should you need to."
I nodded and stood. Sarah led me to the edge of the clearing. "Jake, before we begin, there is something that I have that is yours." Sarah removed a small bundle from the pack. "These were your father's, Jake" There were 4 black knives, each razor sharp. I took them with care, "why 4?" Sarah smiled, "they are for throwing, if you keep them up your sleeve, you will always have an unexpected weapon."
Sarah then showed me how to position the knives out of sight but in easy reach.
After a moment of getting used to the knives, my only keepsake of my parents, Sarah took up a fighting stance, "alright Jake, time to learn to fight, remember, and you must think to win a fight. Blind punches do not work." With that Sarah took a swing at my face. I would like to say with my new elf speed and grace that I dodged to blow, but that would be a lie.
Sarah's fist connected with my face. "Wow, you've got a strong ar-oof!" Sarah did not stop fighting as I had expected her to, instead she swung her other fist into my gut. I sank to my knees winded. Sarah looked down at me, "an Alukai will not soften his blows, so why should I?" I stood and put on a cocky smile, "I wasn't ready yet that's all, that will not happen again."
No sooner had the words left my mouth than Sarah's foot collided with my head. I woke up a few minutes later. Sarah was sitting on a stump. "What was that for?" I yelled. Sarah smiled at me and said, "I'm sorry did I hurt the little boy?" she began to laugh. I grew angry, "let's go again." I blocked the first punch, but got kneed in the stomach.
The day wore on. I believe that I was knocked out about 10 times that day. Sometimes I got in a lucky hit, but never made it away without getting hit worse. At the end of the day Sarah called out, "let's call it quits, you are just not a fighter, don't worry I can protect you I guess." she said this trying to tease me.
I grew angry. As she turned to leave I yelled out, "one more time!" Sarah turned, "What are going to do Jake? Hit my fist with your head?" She turned to go again. "Coward!" I spoke with an even voice. Sarah turned, anger in her eyes. "Alright, fine!" Sarah ran at me.
I had a matter of seconds before she would be upon me. I would not lose this time. I could not lose this time. My mind filled with determination. I faced Sarah. She was still coming at me, I readied myself. My mind filled with sheer determination to win. All else faded. I concentrated only on this. Then it happened. Time appeared to slow. It kept slowing until Sarah was hardly moving. I took a step forward and too the side. I stepped further to the side. Sarah's eyes were not following me. I walked slowly behind her. I looked around. There was a bird flying, its wings stuck in mid flap. The gentle breeze had stopped flowing. In the distance I spotted something yellow. I glanced back at Sarah. She still had not moved. I walked to where the yellow thing was. It was a snake. I remembered it from an animal planet show. It was a Copper Head snake. It had its mouth open. Its head starting to raise into the position it used to strike. There was a small field mouse in front of it fleeing. The fangs were curved and white. The yellow scales were glistening in the sun. It was supposed to be very poisonous. I did not feel like seeing if I had immunity to snake poison so I returned to where Sarah stood. She still had not moved. I stood directly in front of her and waved my arms. "Helloooo!" I shouted.
There was no response. What was happening? I sat on a nearby stump thinking. Then I noticed it, time was starting to speed slowly up. I ran over to Sarah. She still had not shifted from her course at where I had stood. I picked up a branch and held it strait in front of her head. Time came back to normal. Sarah ran into the branch. Instantly clothes lined. She passed out, I had won.
Why had time slowed down? I knew I had somehow done it. But how? I sat on a stump and waited for Sarah to wake up. After a moment she came to and sat up. "What happened?" she asked while rubbing her head. I laughed loudly, "I slowed down time and let you run into a tree branch."
Sarah stood up swaying a bit. A trickle of blood ran down her cheek. I instantly felt regret, "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to hit you so hard!" Sarah waved it off, "forget it, I have been beating you up all day." We returned to the camp and fix a little something to eat. Sarah asked me many questions about what had happened. I answered all happily.
I was happy she was taking more notice of me than usual. After a while Sarah jumped up and shouted "I got it! I know what you did!" "What?" "Well my father used to tell me stories about the elf world and he said some of the greatest warriors could use this ability called elf sense.
The warriors would move incredibly fast, but they claimed that everybody else just became slow. Also while using elf sense they became incredibly strong." I thought about this for a moment. I stared into the fire, "Jake?" I looked up, "yeah?" Sarah shifted uncomfortably on her seat on the ground. "I am sorry for what I said earlier, you know, about you not being able to fight. Well since you can use elf sense that makes you like an elite fighter."
I sat there for a minute stunned. I thought that this was the girl which nothing could bother. "It's ok, you know I really couldn't fight, I just got lucky. Besides I should be thanking you, if you hadn't of said those things nothing might have happened, besides you're the first real friend that I have ever had." My voice choked up.
Sarah looked at me, "after the stuff I have put you through you consider me a friend?" She looked touched, "yeah, what else would I consider you? You're not my enemy." Sarah smiled, this time a smile of friendship, my heart warmed. "Well we should get to sleep" Sarah said. I nodded. We laid down on opposite sides of the fire.
I awoke sometime later. There was a horrible stench in the air. I sat up and looked over at Sarah. She was asleep but not for long. Sarah suddenly jumped up, "Alukai!" she hissed. She ran to me, grabbed my hand, and started to run. I grabbed the silver gun case. "What is going on?" we continued to run. Sarah started to say something but her voice was drowned out by a guttural roar in the distance.
I stopped, "we aren't going back to camp are we?" Sarah looked at me with frightened eyes, "come we must flee while we can!" she turned to run but I stayed put. "The knives are still in camp" I whispered. Sarah turned, she saw what I was about to do, "no" she whispered.
It was too late. I was running back to camp. In the distance I heard another roar, it was closer. Finally I made it back to camp. I ran to the tree where my father's knives lay. The stench in the air was awful. I bent down to pick up the knives, I saw Sarah staring at me fear in her eyes.
I looked up; an Alukai was in the process of swinging a machete at my head. There was nothing I could do. Another Alukia stepped out behind Sarah swinging a machete. My heart and mind filled with determination. I would not let that thing, kill her. I slipped into elf sense not a moment too soon. The machete stopped an inch in front of my nose. I stood up strait and elbowed the Alukai in the face. His entire head collapsed. I turned to the Alukai behind Sarah. I looked at one of the black daggers in my hand. They were for throwing right?
I hefted one then let it fly at the remaining Alukai. Right as the dagger struck the Alukai's chest I came back to normal time. The Alukai flew back against a tree with a sickening thud. I suddenly felt fatigued. I was out of breath. Sarah caught my hand and we ran.