A Missing Ring

The Trickster of Tricks

Andrea stamped out the fire the next morning, she took a quick peek at her phone which said 9:54 in the morning, it should give us just enough time to find this stupid gem. Andrea became annoyed with her friends again, they really thought I was asleep.

She took what they said seriously, it made her seem like she didn't have a choice anymore. Her life was a line filled with her destiny others had already created, she felt like she would never have a choice. And to finally 'understand' her... she didn't know how to feel about it, an awful mood for a serious mission, just hide it like you always do.

"So which direction do we have to travel first?" Asher asked, stretching his arms in the air and removing their protective shield. "We have to travel west, so we are traveling away from the sun" Andrea told him and grabbed her chain as usual.

"Did someone wake up on the wrong side of the bed?" Ryker asked, placing his wand in his pocket.

Andrea got up close to their faces, "I'm fine, just know that my destiny and feelings are none of your business" she walked off already through the long grass. "Oh come on you know that isn't what we meant, you have had a choice of your own '' Asher took his steps carefully through the field of flowers and grass. "Oh yea? When?" "When you decide whether or not you will attempt to stay good or let the powers overcome you, that is a huge decision".

"Well everyone knows the answer to that one, I haven't made a choice ever since I came to Black Academia, becoming a defender, going on a mission. It was all told for me to do, I couldn't say yes or no" Andrea broke some branches under her feet.

"You chose to be friends with us, even if they are simple choices you still have them, like if you want to turn evil you can, and no one can stop you" Andrea chuckled at Ryker, "Yea I will never be doing that".

They walked for the next hour and after a while, arrived at a mysterious, dark building. It looked like a home; a castle-mansion in a dark academia theme with 2 floors. A creepy entryway that had to be walked across a swampy looking water. All the trees didn't have their leaves, and all the bushes didn't have their circular pattern. There were no lights in the home, each and every window was dark grey and showed darkness within each and every room. "We have to go in there to find the Black Snake?" Asher was shocked, "It's the Bathen's gem, no surprise it was in a creepy location, let's just go in and get it over with".

They walk across the creaky, dark wooden bridge with a black railing. Cautious with each step they took and to see if any pieces were rotten and would fall under their feet. "Shoot! Gosh this bridge is going to be the death of me" Andrea stepped over a sensitive patch.

They all walked off and continued on the path of brown and dark gray pebbles to the dark brown door with a black handle. Andrea used the powers of her own to open the two grand doors in front of them and into a dark hallway, but with no frames to enter anywhere else.

Andrea grabbed her flashlight from her chain, detached it herself, and turned it on. "What kind of place is this, there are no stairs, it's just a straight hallway?" Andrea questioned as she walked in front of the boys. She took the first steps in the house, "Come on now, and I thought you guys wanted to come".

"We're coming don't worry" Ryker and Asher both looked around in confusion as the doors shut right behind them,

They both tried to get the doors open, "We're trapped inside! They won't budge" Asher tried to pull on the handles. Andrea and them saw a flash of light, and then a light from the roof shined on, and they wished they didn't open their eyes.

Snakes... black serpents, about 5 of them were all guarding a staircase and only slithered closer to them. "Andrea get back!" Asher yelled and slammed her back into the door. "First lesson while being on a mission, don't squeeze yourself into a closed space, we won't be able to dodge if they pounce at us!" Andrea yelled.