The Call Of The Syrenium

II. Cat Food and Pretty Eyes

You know that feeling when, there's that last jar of nutella sitting on the shelf of a store, and all the shoppers eye the bottle as if it was the last jar of nutella on the entire planet, and the world was coming to an end. Yeah, I felt like that tiny bottle of nutella. Cornered.

I tried to get out of the alley but the Buffy clones had parked the SUV such that it was blocking any escape.

Two guys in leather jackets approached me, slowly stalking, grinning at their helpless prey. Me. The girl who apparently resembled a tomato.

"Oh! Look at that, the wittle girlie is scared," said Buffy Clone One, grinning at me, like I was a piece of raw meat, dangling in front of a starved, rabid dog.

"Girlie, don't piss your pants, I don't want my car seats to get soiled, try to hold it in till we take you to Titius, he's the one you should be afraid of." said Buffy Clone Two.

"Hey, bumheads, what makes you think I'm scared. I ain't gonna go down without a fight," I said with whatever ounce of courage I had left, my hands trembling, as they slowly approached me.

I need to distract them. They don't seem too bright. Just keep them talking Aria, till you think of a plan.

"I'm sure I can take you on. Come on! Come at me! Show me what you got, Buffy Clones." I yelled, jumping on the ball of my feet, trying to seem intimidating.

"You're going to regret it, girlie," said Clone Two.

And he and number One charged at me as I backed up, into the alley wall, at the dead end.

A voice in my head, whispered said, "Duck."

I did as I was told. The two men who were coming at me, missed me by a few inches, punched the wall and yelped in pain.

So long, suckers.

But they retaliated fast. I was now standing right in the middle of two very angry and very pissed, towering clones.

"Hi guys, I didn't mean to do that." I said slowly. "Can we try to have a civil conversation, like decent human beings?"

They lifted their arms and again, readied themselves, to knock the living daylights out of me.

Maybe not.

Again a voice said," Duck, bank left, then run."

If it hadn't been wrong all this time, there was nothing wrong in following instructions. I did exactly, what I was told. I ducked, banked left and ran for my life.

The fists never met my face, instead left two crumpled brawny men, in agony on the floor.

I am such a bad-ass.

I sprinted out of the alley and ran to the nearest building. As I neared the building, a silhouette of man jumped off the roof.

A suicide! Like now! Didn't I already have enough of drama going on!

At first he fell gracefully, gliding through the air like a professional acrobat, but then turned in mid air, slightly miscalculating angle such that he was falling head first into solid ground.

Then the man, started screaming, "Amara, please help."

Again from above, a silhouette of a large cat, bounded off the roof, falling gracefully, caught the flailing man in the nick of time, and landed as gracefully as cats can get.

I put my necklace back on and tucked the heavy book in my satchel. Then I backed up from the weird pair, hoping that the didn't see me.

I am in shock, this a dream. And I probably won't remember it by tomorrow. Just get home, and drink some chamomile tea, and sleep blissfully.