Lion in the Snake Hole

Chapter 12: Confrontations

Recap: “As the reptilian poised to strike, a sharp, clear voice rung out, stopping it in its tracks.

 

“Nā! Lǽfan hiere. Gān ǽgðer nǽfre cierran.NŪ!!!”

[‘No! Spare her. Go and never return. NOW!’]

 

Ariella’s loud, commanding, ethereal voice shocked everyone. In all her years she’d known her, Polly had never heard Ariella sound like this. Her brown eyes were bulging out of their freaking sockets!

The snake nodded contemptuously at Ella and gave one last withering look at Evangeline before disappearing completely.

“Ella?!” Polly looked at her friend, almost speechless bout what she had seen. “You’re a….you’re a…a-a Parselmouth??!!””

CHAPTER 12: CONFRONTATIONS

Ariella stared dumbfounded at Polly, her brow furrowed and her mouth open. “What?” She asked in a whisper. “What are you talking about? I can’t talk to snakes!”

“You-You said something to it, Ariella….” Polly swallowed and looked around nervously. “It was about to attack Evangeline and then you said….You said something but in Parseltongue.”

Ariella looked horrified from the broken crystal that was lying in shards across the floor to Eve. She had gone absolutely pale and was breaking out in a seizure. Hecatè Carello was holding her hands together, anxious if her friend was going to be okay.

Ariella swept her eyes over the classroom and its inhabitants in a daze, as if they were there but weren’t really there at the same time. It was almost as if she was hallucinating. But she wasn’t and she knew that. She locked eyes with Eve and passed out.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

The moment Ariella opened her eyes a spurt of dizziness overcame her and she shut her eyes, wishing for it to go away.

“Ugh.” She groaned, lifting her hand up to her head. She opened her eyes again, tentative for the vertigo to come back. It didn’t so she fully opened her eyes. Her blue eyes landed on three restless beings and Jake in a chair.

Jake, as soon as he saw Ariella was awake, called his twin and Kyle rushed to her side and gave her each a big brotherly bear hug that crushed her bones. “Oh, um, guys?” She wheezed out. “You’re suffocating me!”

Jake and Kyle took a step back but remained close. “Oh, my God, you’re alive, Ria!” Kyle breathed. He fidgeted and was about to give his little sister another hug before remembering that his big muscles tended to suffocate her.

Upon hearing her family nickname, Ariella laughed and soon, everyone was smiling. Devon and Natalie came forward once the boys had stopped fussing over her. They both gave her a gentle hug, grateful that nothing bad had happened.

“Ariella, you gave us a scare!” Natalie sniffled, her eyes red and blotchy from crying.