deCEIVED (Book 2)

1: Michaela

It has been weeks since the young "hero" referred to as Poison Ivy discovered her unique powers, and to be honest, it has been quite entertaining to watch her fight in a war that I haven't even begun yet. Phoenix has been a very useful pawn in my game, distracting his daughter with his pitiful love, but now he can't even remember her, thanks to me.

But now that the fun part has passed by, it is time for me to get serious and find a way to get my hands on that interdimensional rift.

I have already seen Gemstone, Pine Tree, Shooting Star, and Sixer's ways in which they could possibly be useful to me. But they just aren't enough for me anymore. I need more "puppets," and I think I know just who my next target will be...

x•x•x•x•x•x•x•x•x•x•x•x

I freaked out.

I didn't know why this was happening to me. Why was my foot in a cast? Why was everyone's arms bandaged? After all, this was all just a bad dream...right?

"What's wrong, Michaela?"

My best friend, Stephanie Trigger, stared at me for a minute or two, her sapphire blue eyes widened and her wavy, long crimson hair swaying a bit. I didn't know how to respond due to how exhausted and afraid I was. But I had to say something, or else she would think I was having a seizure.

"I just had the craziest dream," I moaned, "Bill tied everyone to a tree, set the trees on fire, and then erased my dad's entire memory of me."

Stephanie bit her lip and nervously glanced at my other best friend, Tiffany Hassibor. Tiffany shook her head slowly, her white-blonde fishtail braid moving along with her head, and mumbled with caution, "That wasn't a dream, Michaela."

I put my hands slightly above my ears and screamed at the top of my lungs.

Devon Brody, another friend of mine, jumped back and whispered something odd to my boyfriend, Nathan Rogers. "How many Dream Pills did you give her?" Devon asked Nathan huskily.

"I didn't give her any Dream Pills," Nathan replied. "after all, you can't expect me to force-feed my girlfriend something in her sleep, especially if I'm giving her medicine. That's creepy and outrageous, and I would never do that to her."

"Well, that perfectly explains it! You gotta give her something, Nate, she's acting bonkers!" Devon insisted.

"Remember what happened the last time I gave her a Dream Pill, Devon?" Nathan shot back. "Besides, she's acting this way by choice. Giving her a Dream Pill would only make her feel worse."

"Yeah, Devon, you should know that by now, you idiot," Tiffany snapped.

If there is one person Tiffany can't stand, it's Devon. He used to have a crush on Tiffany, and he probably still does, but whenever he tries to tell her how he feels, he will end up insulting her or breaking her down to tears- sometimes, he will even do both.

Sometimes, it's easy to understand why they don't get along very easily; Devon is extremely laid back, and takes practically everything for granted. I have to admit, he has a great sense of humor, and he can be somewhat charming at times, but he's really witty and doesn't always know when to stop being arrogant.

Tiffany, on the other hand, is as stiff as anyone can be. She's very serious, and it can take a lot of effort to make her laugh. She never takes anything for granted, and she is so selfless that she erased her own sister's memory of her just to keep her safe. Although she is kind and compassionate, she won't let you offend her without fighting you, and I am talking from actual experience.