The Difference In Capital Letters

Playing with Fire

  I awoke in a red room on a single bed with lovely red pillows with golden tassels. I sat up slowly and let out a hoarse scream. My legs were raw, the skin burnt off, and they were bent a little unnaturally. Oh great. I'm goodness knows where with broken legs, and no weapon in sight.

  Using the shadow under the bed I created a little wheelchair which I levered myself into. Judging from all the fiery colours in the room I think better of wandering around in something so clearly from another realm and decorate it loosely with fiery patterns to give it the impression of a fire craft. I'm soon sitting by the rather intricately-designed yellow doors. Maybe it's because whoever took me here thought I wouldn't be able to get out of bed that the doors are unlocked and I ease through rather quickly. I manage to lever myself out of the wheelchair and onto the banister of a really long and winding staircase. Thankfully I have no burns on the back of my legs so I manage to glide down to the very bottom rather easily.

  Only problem now that I'm down here is that I have no idea where they've hidden my stuff and where Kazi is, and to add to my problems I'm spotted by a surprised little girl with fiery red hair. As her screams echo through the vast halls I try and make a dash for it. I'm a little perplexed as to why she should be screaming, but there and then I must look quite a  sight.

  I take a quick look at myself and take note that my trousers have been reduced to short and charred shorts revealing fleshy wounds in their wake. My black hair is caked in blood and I can feel the scar across my face burning, but no time to be caring for looks - never have so why should I change now? I creep up behind a young lad with a cheeky face and pixie-like hair. His eyes are a wild orange and shine brightly, the shine dims a little as he looks at me but he obligingly leads me to my weapons and I dismiss him with a smile and a quick word of thanks. It hurts to walk but if anyone here wants a fight I'll give them the impression that I'm stronger than I am.

  I walk rather briskly through the double doors at the front - I can't go wandering these rooms for ages looking for Kazi and for all I know he's dead. I come to a halt a little way down a path as the place shifts and I find myself in the same room again - I think pixie-boy tricked me. How did he know which room I was in though? Unless it was someone else shifting the place - maybe fire boy found out. I mean he's a rather powerful child of Light, he's got the ability to manipulate darkness, ice, fire and water. I have those abilities but I haven't learnt them yet - he must spend hours practicing.

 I growl in growing frustration but just calmly walk to the door. I practically explode though when I realise that it's locked. I use the metal coil around my belt to pick the lock and I go and sit on the banister of a really long and winding staircase. Thankfully I have no burns on the back of my legs so I manage to glide down to the very bottom rather easily.

Only problem now that I'm down here is that I have no idea where they've hidden my stuff and where Kazi is, and to add to my problems I'm spotted by a surprised little girl with fiery red hair. As her screams echo through the vast halls I try and make a dash for it. I'm a little perplexed as to why she should be screaming, but there and then I must look quite a sight.

I take a quick look at myself and take note that my trousers have been reduced to short and charred shorts revealing fleshy wounds in their wake. My black hair is caked in blood and I can feel the scar across my face burning, but no time to be caring for looks - never have so why should I change now? I creep up behind a young lad with a cheeky face and pixie-like hair. His eyes are a wild orange and shine brightly, the shine dims a little as he looks at me but he obligingly leads me to my weapons

I freeze and shake my head - this happened a moment ago, but I must have failed last time to be here again. What's about to happen? Think Verity think! Pixie-boy is studying me with a slightly quizzical yet knowing look. It's him, he's about to trick me! I grab my weapons from the room and he turns to leave - I spring like an agile cat and point one of my daggers at his throat.

  He leads me out the front doors and around the corner of the building, he's only a few steps in front of me but when I turn the corner - he's gone and the place is shifting once again into that room, he can't have run off, but he's tricked me again.

  I sit on the bed with a sigh, but I notice the window is slightly open this time,  I grab the rope I keep round my belt and quickly drop to the ground below my window. I pull the rope over my shoulder and quickly hide behind a bush as I carefully fix my legs and my trousers. I wait silently as a group of gossiping girls stride past. I jump up as soon as they've gone and run round to the path once more.

  As I round a corner I bump into someone and fall over, my vision starts blurring a little but as I look up I can recognize those same pixie-eyes and smile. My head is throbbing really badly and I feel his arms lift me up and carry me up those same stairs AGAIN, as I'm laid onto the bed I hear a distant chuckle from pixie-boy and a few words:

'Weren't you ever told not to play with fire shadow girl?'

And then I'm out for the count for the gazillionth time.