Perissa Trotter and the Game of Truths

Chapter 4: My Family Gets the Full Bull-Fighting Experience

Jove Proudfoot was running!

He told me he'd been in a car accident too when he was about six and lost his legs. He'd been using crutches ever since. He always told me I was the lucky one, that he'd come out with no legs and I just had a permanent scar.

But it seemed that he'd had goat hindquarters and hooves this whole time! Maybe there was no other car crash after all. Maybe I wasn't lucky one...

Well, I certainly would be if I didn't jolly well keep up.

When you're half asleep is hard to run properly, even with a giant bull-man chasing behind you but, for some reason, I was now wide awake. I saw my relatives trailing behind. Aunt Prudence looked on the verge of fainting. Uncle Hubert was wheezing like never before. Donald was glancing back all the time in extreme worry. Soon I realised that I was doing the same thing.

"Right, Perissa! Into the car!" yelled Jove. "Come on!"

"They're not going to make it!" I yelled back almost slowing down. "We have to do something!"

"Perissa, you're his target. We've got get you out of here!" he urged.

I was right up by the car. The Minotaur was literally right behind Aunt Prudence. My heart was pounding so hard for them all I felt it might literally just fly through my chest.

Jove had to actually shove me in the car to get me to move. He started up the engine and drove the vehicle with perfect ability.

"Wait, you can drive?" I exclaimed.

"Satyr degree number twenty-three. We all learn by the age of fifteen."

"Fifteen? Wait, how old are you?" I asked. No answer, Jove was speeding up the vehicle so we were almost out of Warmington already. The Minotaur was just out of sight by that point.

"Turn around! Turn around!" I yelled. "He's going to kill them!"

"It's you he wants; they can't pass through the magical veil anyway!"

"What veil? Who are you, Jove? What going on?"

But Jove just kept on going. Nothing I said could stop him.

So my ADHD kicked in. I punched him in the cheek and grabbed the wheel.

Of course I couldn't drive well, but I'd seen the basics, just turning the wheel to move around trying not to crash. I put my foot on the speed pedal and drove straight back toward the Minotaur.

I was too late. He had Donald in his hand raising him up. Despite his struggle I saw my cousin give in and crumble into golden dust, disappearing from the battle scene.

This time Aunt Prudence squealed so loud she probably woke up the entire Warmington. Uncle Hubert looked like he could have fought the Minotaur using only his boxing skills from when he was young. The Minotaur raised his axe, he had two axes but hadn't been using them, to slash him in half but I honked really loudly to get his attention.

"What are you doing?" yelled a struggling Jove.

"He wants me..." I said more confidently then I felt. "...well he can jolly well get me!"

I didn't know how to reverse, so I just moved forwards and spun the car. I lost balance completely but now I had the Minotaur focusing on me, not Uncle Hubert, not Aunt Prudence... not Donald.

I steered uneasily towards the beach. The first time I'd seen it and there was no time to admire the view. The Minotaur was in hot pursuit catching up quickly. Before I knew it I was near the sea.

I tried to brake but there was no time. Everything went black.

Ω Ω Ω

In a dream I saw the moment that Donald had turned into dust. I don't know what happened to the Minotaur or whether he went after my guardians. I seemed to be floating somewhere underwater surrounded by creatures I had never seen other than in stories, documentaries or even ever before.

I believe I saw a sea chariot dragged by what could only be horses with fish tails. Two women swam towards me and Jove closing our eyes.

I then saw Donald again trapped in this prison cell, except it was no ordinary cell. It was completely sealed with no doors or anything.

Donald was curled up into a ball. He wasn't shivering; I could feel the heat of the place even from where I was.

"Come and claim him!" boomed a metallic voice that made my headache. "He's waiting for you!"

That's what I remembered when I woke up.

I wasn't sure how much was a dream and how much was but none of that mattered. I was now in a brightly lit room in a comfortable bed. There was a boy next to me in an orange T-shirt and cardigan who seemed to be intently examining me. He was rather tall and his presence was quite noticeable, although he did keep glancing around like he wasn't meant to be there. As if on cue he handed me a square of food of some sort.

"Eat this," he told me. "You'll feel better."

My insides burned a bit, but the food tasted just like these chocolate cookies Donald use to buy me at school to get the taste of Aunt Prudence's packed lunches to go away. I wanted more, but that probably wasn't a good idea.

"Dominic!" yelled a woman's voice. "What's did I tell you about administering ambrosia yourself?" The woman in question was rather petite and looked about thirty-five. Her hair was bright ginger and tied back in a bun. Oh, and she did not look happy with Dominic.

"Don't worry, Madam Mudge," he said acting more calmly than he was letting on. "I calculated her dosage myself."

"You gave her too much!" exclaimed the woman, who was about half this boy's height and not the slightest bit intimidating. "For ten minutes underwater it's two cubic centimetres! Two!"

"She's been under there for at least twenty, if not more. Look at the Satyr that came with her," explained Dominic.

"Jove!" I exclaimed suddenly jolting up. Dominic gave Madam Mudge an I-told-you-so look.

"Calm down," he soothed. He still hasn't woken up. "I suspect he won't for another half-an-hour."

"Fifteen minutes," retorted Madam Mudge.

"Half-an-hour!" corrected Dominic.

"Fifteen minutes!"

"Half-an-hour!"

"Fifteen minutes!"

"Half-an-hour!"

"You're not even an Apollo child, much less a Paean child like me. I'm the one who know what goes on in the medical profession. I..."

"Wait, wait and wait!" I interrupted. "Apollo? Paean? Who are they, the Greek gods or something?"

"Yes, let me explain..." replied both of them. But before either of them could say anything someone else burst into the room and made everyone else go quiet.

"Mr Brunner!" I exclaimed as I recognised my Latin teacher. Well, at least partly. His top half was the same as I'd known him always; well-trimmed beard, solemn expression, etc. with the exception of his T-Shirt which said "World's best Centaur" on it. That leads on to the new part. I always thought him to be paralyzed from the waist down, but from the waist down he was a white stallion.

Yep, my teacher was a Centaur and my best friend was a Satyr. I could get used to that.

"Come with me, Perissa Totter!" he instructed. "I will now explain everything."