The Keeper Exams

Chapter Thirty-Three - When Friendship Fails

User: infinitywordlover

Name: Crysalis

Realm: Deadly Desert

A soft wind blows through the sand dunes scattering the tiny particles of sand, shifting and rearranging them again and again and again.

It's an ever changing landscape and everyday there's something new. Today, it's a new meal.

I wave my hand and a pile of sand shifts into a small mound. I crouch behind it breathing quickly scanning around for any sign of danger. Finding none, I flick my fingers concentrating on the blazing, dancing feeling of fire.

My fingers grow hot and I place them slightly above the sand imagining what I desire. A moment later a spark jumps from my palm and a streak of fire blazes across the sand. A sliver of clear glass forms in its wake and I pick it up smiling.

The edge is jagged and deadly and the blade tapers to a sharp point, and it glints beautifully in the sun casting a sharp of light on the sand below it. I whip it around slashing and stabbing at the air, my blood filled with adrenaline and I grin.

"Best one yet."

My eyes narrow against the blazing sun scanning the sand for any sign of my prey- a snake.

A faint scar on the sand is all I need and I'm off. My feet pound through the sand hurling up clouds of dust in my wake.

The snake coils threateningly, it's hooded head arched back to strike. I take a deep breath digging my toes into the sand calming myself, and then I aim and I fire. The shard of glass spins through the air, end over end, and making a low whump whump whump noise, and it sinks deep into the neck of the snake.

It flails and writhes for a couple seconds, but then it's still.

"Looks like I'm just in time for lunch," a voice says to my right and I jerk upwards.

An amazing sense of happiness spreads through me and I launch myself at the figure, Sabrina.

"Oh my gosh! You're alright!" I squeal.

"Yup, and so are you!"

She hugs me tightly, and my encircle her body as well.

"I can't believe we just happened to find the same island!"

"Yeah, I guess we just got lucky."

"Really lucky," another voice says, and as I turn around my grin grows even wider.

"Loira!" we scream, and launch ourselves at her hugging her tightly.

"We haven't seen you in soo long!" I scream.

"Yeah! and I can't believe you separated from us in Stage 2!" Sabrina adds.

"Who did you partner with?"

"Woah..." Loira says smiling holding her hands up slightly overwhelmed.

"I partnered with Luke,"

"Who?" Sabrina asks.

"The one with the curly dark brown hair?"

"Oh him!"

"Yep."

We settle down into amiable chatter as I fry the snake with my fingers. It sizzles lightly sending a tangy crisp scent into the air. Loira sniffs deeply and smiles.

"You know all barbeque smells great, doesn't matter what kind." She wrinkles her nose. "Even snake."

I laugh. "Well, food's served!" I slice the snake into three sections and lob them towards Loira and Sabrina. They dig in and we just sit and eat for a while until, I lean backwards smiling at the sky. My smile slips off my face in a heartbeat, as I take in the sight above me.

Glittering letters shimmer and shift above me bobbing and drifting as if they are clouds, but it is clear they are not.

Loira and Sabrina glance up as well their faces filled with confusion.

"What is that?"

I just shake my head. Slowly the letters arrange into three words, and all our grins fade. 'Only two survives'.

"No! NO!NO!!" Sabrina yells slamming her fist into the ground. "This cannot be happening.I can't and WON'T kill any of you. You're my friends."

"I would rather kill myself," I mutter.

"Same."

"Well, it looks like we're not lucky after all," Loira sighs.

"The opposite actually."

" Well, I am not killing anyone. I refuse," I say flatly and plop back into the sand. "I mean what can they do about it?"

"They can kill you," Sabrina says quietly.

"Well we can postpone this right?" Loira asks.

"What do you mean?"

"The sign only showed up when all three of us got together, so if I leave. They'll have to wait until the three of us gather again, which hopefully will be never."

"I guess," Sabrina says doubtfully. "This seems too simple though. It feels like they would've thought of it before hand."

"It doesn't hurt to try."

Loira takes one step, then two and then she's sprinting away from us. It seems to be working but suddenly, there's a shift beneath my feet and I scream out,

"Loira, NO!!!"

But it's too late, the earth swallows her whole. We scramble to the spot where she had disappeared but nothing I do can make the earth obey me. She's gone.

Tears spill from my eyes, and I scream in sorrow. "Loira!!" I sob. Arms encircle me and I look up to see Sabrina hugging me, her eyes filled with despair.