I Swear I Am Not Crazy. Right?

Chapter Eighteen:

“Megan!” Marie screamed.

                I may not have hit the ground in a bone crushing way but I did hit the ground pretty hard. Rave had used wind to try and slow my fall which worked at least a little bit but it still hurt pretty damn bad when I landed on my back. I had to have fallen at a pretty fast rate even with the help of Rave. After all that was a high wall and with him using the wind so late after I had started accelerating, and me not having anything to catch the wind in to help me slow down, it’s really surprising that I didn’t die. My head hurt the worst though with the force it hit the ground with I wouldn’t be surprised if it busted open on the ground.

“Ow.” I moaned as I sat up and rubbed the back of my head feeling the sticky wet blood.

“Are you okay?” Maria asked.

“Well, yeah, I’m not dead.” I said.

She helped me up and I got a little light headed. Marie brought out her first aid kit and checked me over. Apparently I twisted my ankle and I did bust my head open a little and I had a lot of random cuts and I would have a lot of sore bruises tomorrow. I was lucky that was the extent of my injuries though. I could’ve been worse than Isaac after all.

“So what did you see?” Maria asked while Marie put on what I hoped was the final Band-Aid.

I was starting to feel like a mummy.

“We’ve made progress although less than I would like. Oh, and I saw these little black things in the sky. They’re either really little or really far away.” I said.

“Probably just some birds.” Marie said shrugging.

“That’s what I figured.” I said.

“So I’m willing to bet that we won’t be getting out of here any time soon. I mean if we’re as far away from the end as Megan says we are then we aren’t making it out if here by nightfall.” Isaac said.

“That’s true but there’s got to be a quicker way than what we’re doing now.” Rave said.

“Do you know if there are any short cuts?” Marie asked the fairy.

The fairy looked away and bit her lip worriedly.

“What’s wrong?” Marie asked her.

“There are short cuts but all the short cuts are dangerous and I don’t want to use them.” She said looking at Marie as if she was about to cry.

“That’s why we were half way through in much less time without her. We were on our way towards the end in a faster way.” Derek said shaking his head at the fairy.

“So her big betrayal was not taking you guys through the dangerous short cuts to get you out earlier?” he asked.

“Trust me it’s a bigger betrayal than it seems to be. We needed to get out of there quick and with how slow we were going with her it would be days before we got out of there.” I said an angry bite still in my words.

“So what? Maria could grow food it’s not like starvation was a factor.” He said.

“There were other things to consider. The war for instance. The longer we were in there the longer Emperor Peter had to build up an army and think up ways to stop us. He knew we existed he just didn’t know who we were by name or what we looked like. All he knew is there was a group getting ready to stop him and his plans. A lot of what we had to do involved timing and time was being wasted in this maze.” I explained.

“Megan, I’ve been trying to tease you too much instead of focusing on what I should have been focusing on. We’ve drifted from the point of these meetings and it’s starting to show. These were all delusions. There is no Emperor Peter and there is no fairy and there is no maze.” He said.

“I was kind of hoping I had changed your mind by now. It’s real. You say it’s a delusion and you have reason to believe it is, but, I know it’s real.” I said.

“Can you please help us use the short cuts?” Marie asked putting a hand on each of the fairies shoulders.

The fairy shook her head quickly and her eyes got wide with fear.

“We should just go on our own then. We’re getting nowhere by following her.” Isaac said sighing loudly.

I knew there was a reason I didn’t trust her but I guess even though she was holding back, her intentions were good. I don’t completely blame her for wanting to take the safer route but we really need to get out of here.

“Hey, fairy, what’s your name?” I asked.

“Alice.” She answered sounding choked up.

“Alice, I understand that you don’t want to get hurt and that you don’t want us getting hurt. I’m the same way; I’m always taking the safer way out. Hell, I didn’t even want to be here but I did it anyway. I came because one I got on the ship not knowing they were going to take off, two because I was tempted by a cool looking ship, and three because it was the right thing to do. Now, you won’t be tricked into taking us anywhere and you won’t be tempted in any way but will you please take us through the short cuts because it’s the right thing to do?” I asked.

She stayed silent for a moment thinking it over and then looked me in the eyes with a huge smile.

“No.” she said and started skipping off again expecting us to continue following her.

“She kind of reminds me of you.” He said.

“What?” I asked.

“She’s so…sassy. The way she smiled and said no just reminds me of how often you smirk and talk back and make sarcastic comments. She seems like a younger you.” He said.

“I was so not like that when I was little. I was actually a really good kid who was a girly tomboy. I would put on my best dress and then go play in the dirt. My mom hated it when I did that. Anyway I was nothing like her or like I am now.” I said smiling fondly at the memories of my mom telling me what I was like as a little three or four year old.

“You probably miss your family don’t you?” he asked softly.

“Very much. I’ve been away from them for a very long time.” I said sadly.

“You know the sooner you accept help and let us help you the sooner you see them again.” He said gently.

“I know.” I said looking away.

“Then why don’t you?” he asked.

“Because I don’t have a problem and if I were to ‘accept your help’ what I would really be accepting is letting you guys brainwash me.” I said adding some extra venom to my voice.