The Keeper Exams

Chapter Two - Who's the Monster Now?

Maris Gold

I opened my eyes groggily and looked around. I was in a forest, giant trees towering over me. The sun was almost directly above me, I think it's early noon. I pushed myself up off the ground and looked around for a weapon.
I don't know what is happening, I don't know where I am, I barely even remember who I am.
Maris Gold. My mind remembers. Maris Gold is your name.
"Alright brain, if you remember who I am, where are we?" I asked myself. My brain burned in response and I glared at nothing.
Well screw you too.
I found a sharp stick and continued looking around. Everything in me was screaming you need to survive, survive this Maris.
I looked down at what I was wearing, trying to see if there were clues as to why I was here. I was wearing a pair of plain black workout pants, a black tank top, and black sneakers.
"Very dark," I muttered. "Am I an emo kid?"
I heard shuffling in the woods and instinct told me to turn into a monkey and launch up the trees. "Don't be ridiculous- onkeymay...what the hell?" A tail sprouted from my back and I climbed up the tree slowly but assuredly, using this new appendage as balance. "What the hell?" I pulled it in front of me and rubbed it softly. It certainly felt real.
A girl burst into the clearing and looked around in a panic. Her bright blue hair was filled with twigs and leaves. She looked around and fell to her knees for a moment to catch her breath. "Everesay." The tail faded away and slowly started to understand what I could do. "Iderspay." Sticky substance spread from my hands and I wrapped it around the tree branch then jumped down. The webbing slowed my descent and I landed right behind the girl. I quickly wrapped the webbing around her and she struggled violently. "Who are you?!" She opened her mouth but no words came out. "Answer me!" She shook her head rapidly and I screamed in frustration. She was able to pull her hand from the wrapping and rubbed her neck. "You can't talk?" She nodded.
"Oh," I lifted the stick and went to cut her down. Sorry. Suddenly a man slammed into me and was about pound my skull in with a rock but I threw him to the side and frantically looked for my stick. The man and I both stood up slowly. "Who are you?"
The boy ignored me and ran at the girl hanging on the tree. "No! Igertay." Claws grew from my fingers and I swung at the boys chest. I was able to get my claws deep into his chest but he shoved me aside and spoke under his breath. Wings sprouted from his back and he launched up into the air. Before I could react he spun the webbing around the girls neck and snapped the branch. She was hung and she twitched violently for a few minutes before going still. "No!" I cried. I cut her down quickly and pulled the webs off her. "Everesay." I started CPR and tried desperately to bring her back to life. "You monster!" I shouted. He stayed up in the air and then started flying towards me. I waited till he got close and then covered the girl with my body. "Orcupinepay." Large spines grew from my back and I heard the boy land on me with a sickening gurgle. I closed my eyes as he gasped for a air for a few seconds and then went silents. Blood trickles down the spines onto my back and I cringed at the coolness. I whispered the reverse and he slid off, when I looked at him, hundreds of small holes pierced his skin. I looked back at the girl and went to restart CPR.

She opened her eyes and grabbed my neck in her hands and flipped me over, trying to strangle me. She spit at my face and I was barely able to through the girl off, her spit hitting my shoulder instead. I screamed in agony as it burned my skin and could barely mutter the words that I think saved my life. "Izardlay." Scales formed on my skin and the acidic spit slid to the ground. The girl lunged at me again and I punched her in the jaw with a strong right hook. She collapsed and I pinned her down.
"Hey hey!" I begged. I couldn't do it again. "Please I'm not going to kill you!" The girl looked me up and down slowly and drop of the boys blood dripped onto her forehead. "Please don't make me have to kill you." The girl stopped struggling and I got off of her. The girl jumped back and held her hands out defensively.
"I'm sorry," I whispered. "I'm sorry."
The boy's blood was still on my back and I looked at my hands in horror.  Tears streamed down my face and I stood up slowly.
I should bury him
You don't even know them, a voice in my mind said. They tried to kill you, show no no mercy.
I walked back over at the dead boy, a kid my age lying before me.
I got on my knees and wiped my eyes.
"Can you help me bury him?" I asked the girl. She looked from me to the body and then nodded. "Adgerbay." I started digging with the force of a badger and the two of us worked on creating the grave until the sun was way past set. I wiped my sweaty forehead. "Everesay." I gently lowered the the boy into his grave and pushed the dirt back over them. I looked around for rocks and stacked them as funeral markers near the upturned soil. I sat back and pulled my knees into my chest. The girl sat next to me and pushed her blue hair out of her face. I pushed my own purple hair and thought of the boy. He had blond hair, though it was now matted with his own blood. Red, I will dye my hair red to honor him. Something told me that was what I do.
I just killed a person. I am a murderer. I wanted him to stop attacking me, but I didn't want this, I didn't want this to happen. The girl laid down and started snoring quietly.
My head started to feel foggy and I laid down to try and get some rest. I shivered in the cold darkness and I prayed for the sun to rise quickly. A single haunting phrase echoed in mind as I drifted off.
Who's the monster now?