Mallory Is Medusa

Chapter Six

Mallory woke up extremely disoriented. She didn't remember falling asleep, and she didn't even recognize where she was. She was leaning against the roots of a giant tree, one with a width so large that she wouldn't be able to wrap her arms around it if she tried, which was on a bit of a raised platform, so that her legs were dangling into the water. Sitting to her right was her backpack and the bag she'd been carrying.

"Ben?" she called out, rubbing her eyes. Mallory looked around, spotting all of Ben's things lying behind another root to her left.

She stood up, brushing off her pants. The swamp was eerily quiet, and there were sunbeams leaking in through the leaves that showed bugs and dust floating in the air. There was a soft breeze and it brushed against her skin, leaving goosebumps behind.

Mallory swung one leg onto the root and started to climb. It was a magical experience for her, being able to climb those massive roots in the beautiful air. A week ago, she never could have dreamed about doing something like that. Instead, she'd be dreaming about the next book that her mother would bring. A vast difference.

She had to hold onto the trunk to the tree to steady herself once she got to the top of the root. All around her she could see the gently swaying swamp waters and the giant trees growing all over. There was a little path of stones in the water to her left that led from the tree she was at to the next. After seeing that first path, she began to notice little paths leading from each tree.

"Ben?" she asked. She didn't see him anywhere. It was possible that he'd just left her there, alone to die in the swamp. She wouldn't be that shocked actually, it seemed fitting for a monster like her.

He'd left his stuff though. That was enough to let her know that he'd intended to return. So, that was enough to inspire her to look for him.

Mallory couldn't really remember how she'd gotten to this area, or any of the events leading to it. The last thing she remembered was Ben and her leaving the cave and walking for a little while longer. After that, there was nothing in her mind.

Her stomach growled as she slid down the root. She walked over to her bag and pulled out a box of crackers. She ate a handful of those as she started around the base of the tree, which sloped into the swamp water.

It came up to her waist, and that was the shallow area. No wonder there was a need for stone pathways. She waded over to the first stone and climbed onto it. There was a thin layer of moss growing on it, and it made a squelching noise as she stepped.

She hopped from stone to stone, almost falling into the water at one point because her foot landed on a slippery section. There was still no sign of Ben, and she didn't want to get too far from their things.

"Oh, I see." It was Ben's voice, that's for sure. She heard it from behind the tree she was headed for, and she kept moving forward. "Are you sure? She doesn't seem to be a threat."

Mallory halted so quickly that she almost tripped and fell into the water. A threat? She knew immediately that he was talking about her, and he was probably talking to someone who had authority, because Ben did not have the same happy go lucky voice that he did when he spoke to her.

The truth hit her like a ton of bricks. She was still a monster, and would continue being a monster until it was proven that whatever was going to happen at the temple had worked. They were afraid that she was going to slaughter Ben in his sleep. To be honest, sometimes she was terrified that that was going to happen. She had no control when the monster inside of her, Medusa, came out.

Mallory took a step back, shaking her head. She had been so stupid. She let herself get too comfortable and she was surprised that her monster hadn't come out yet. Until Medusa was taken out of her body, Mallory was a monster with no reason to be liked.

She didn't have any fancy party trick or a cute voice. She probably looked like a swamp monster having not showered in a few days and having never brushed her hair. Besides, she'd never even been to school, so she probably wasn't nearly as smart as anyone in the real world. It was like she was a child with a knife and everyone around her was watching to see if she was going to use it. She felt hopeless in her own body.

Mallory went back to the first tree, curling up back down next to her backpack. It was exhausting to consciously know that you're a monster, she thought. There wasn't a lot she could do now except wait to go to Alabasan to get cleansed. After that, she'd have to figure out if she was going to be the second cleansed monster to leave.