taken [loki laufeyson]

3: realms

My heart is still beating quickly after he leaves. But I don't know why.

I feel terrified, like one wrong move and he'll kill me. But something about seeing him now triggers a rush inside of me, and I feel sick, but a good sick, like going on a really fast rollercoaster.

I take a deep breath and calm myself down. The feeling of excitement fades away, leaving me tired. I close my eyes and let sleep take me away and let the darkness envelope me in it's strangely comforting embrace.

My sleep is overcome with nightmares. The come and go too quick to be remembered, but slowly enough so that I may witness them in fear. I wake up at what I think is the next morning, drenched in sweat, hair matted, out of breath.

It's just a dream.

I tip my head back against the wall and close my eyes again. I picture the fear, stress, and all other emotions leaving my body, flooding out into the world to occupy someone else. The thought calms me and clears my head, ridding it of my nightmares.

I open my eyes again and yelp, surprised. Right in front of my cell, the dark man sits, watching me intently. His brooding stare pierces through the cell walls. He leans back against another wall behind him, arms crossed over his chest. In front of him, all the way on the other side of the cell, a small golden tray neatly piled with food sits on the floor. His emerald eyes flit down to the tray, up to me, the tray, and back again.

More cautious then scared, I stand and walk to the tray. I hadn't been hungry after being here ever before, but now that I see the food, my stomach growls like I haven't eaten in a month. And I haven't.

The man holds up one arm, snaps his fingers, and a small chair appears right as I get to the tray. He puts his arm down and continues staring intensely.

On the tray sits a plate that holds some kind of sliced turkey drenched in a crimson sauce with a heap of mashed potatoes on the side. On a smaller plate on the left holds a slice of bread, a small curl of butter on top. The tiniest plate on the right sits the cutest little dessert I've ever seen-- a vanilla custurd cookie cup topped with berries. Deep red wine in a golden goblet appears on the floor next to me.

I grab the fork that was balanced ever so gently on the side of the plate and dig in. The sauce drizzled on the turkey turns out to be some sort of wildly delicious berry sauce that tastes sweet and contrasts nicely with the savory meat. I drink the watered-down wine and crunch on the bread, all while the man stares down at me, his gaze softening as I eat.

"How is it?"

His unusally gentle voice brings my gaze up into his eyes. "It's good . . . Thank you." It's 100% better then 'good' but I dont trust him, not yet anyways, so I have to tread lightly. I don't know exactly what he is here for.
"How come I wasn't hungry before this?" I look back down at my food and nibble on it some more.

"You're in a place of immortal gods. Gods don't get hungry, and neither does anyone who enters. You don't have to eat, you won't die, but it's a good idea to sometimes." His gaze turns elsewhere, a small gesture of privacy while I eat. I finish quietly and dab a napkin on my mouth. When he sees that I have finished, he snaps his fingers and the mess disappears.

"So, who are you?" I blink at the odd question. If he is the one who kidnapped me, (and is apparently some sort of immortal god), shouldn't he at least know my name?

"My name is Alissa King," I say. "But most people call me Ali." I can feel my cheeks getting hot. Only my friends called me Ali. And my ex. Mixed emotions come with that thought. I push it away.