Escape (Book 1 of the Gods' series)

Chapter 6

I was at a fabulous ball, I was wearing a big poofy cream dress that went to the floor, I saw Dylan and Aaron and Jess, they were all twirling around and around. Someone was dancing with Dylan, I could only see bits of her before my vision was blocked by other big poofy dresses, her black hair was curled and bouncing with every move she made, she had a plum coloured gown on that wasn’t all poofy like mine was, it was smooth and sleek and floor length and it hugged the curves of her body perfectly, he was laughing at something. I finally figured out who the woman was, it was Nyx, I tried to shout, but there was no voice within me, I then tried to run, but the other people at the ball created a protective circle blocking me out, and closing in on Jess and Aaron, Nyx and Dylan, the partygoers suddenly turned into savage dogs with eyes that glowed red like blood caught in the light of the sun, their teeth were sharp and saliva dripped from their mouths, they were jet black like a winter night, I looked at Nyx and she shot me a grim smile as she signalled to the dogs and brought out a knife from her dress, the dogs pounced on Jess and Aaron and She struck Dylan in the chest with her knife, I finally managed to let out a scream.

“Charlotte? Charlotte are you ok?” My eyes were foggy as I opened them, I was in the obstacle course, thing, and Dylan was cradling me looking at me with a worried glint in his clear green eyes, it was just a dream, I told myself. “D-Dylan? What happened?” My voice was all croaky and I felt like I had just rolled down a hill of rocks. “Well, I was just talking to Aaron ‘cause he was asking if he should get the next key, and just as I said ok you started screaming and crying, I thought you were in pain so I woke you up. I’m glad Aaron told me to stay here with you now.” Dylan said as he stroked my hair, well, not stroking it but caressing it, like it was an ancient painting and if you didn’t handle it right, it would collapse. “So, what happened in your dream? Was I in it?” Dylan said smugly, obviously joking, but he was there. “Actually, yes. Um, we were all at a ball –me, you, Jess and Aaron- and you were dancing with Nyx, and I was in the corner watching. When I realised who it was, I tried to shout you, but I couldn’t, my voice wasn’t there. And I tried to run, but the other people there turned into savage dogs and killed Jess and Aaron, and Nyx, well she, um, she stabbed you. And I screamed.” I could feel myself blushing, I should’ve lied, told him no, but how could I lie to my boyfriend? (Hee- hee, still sounds good) Dylan didn’t laugh at me, he just smiled a crooked smile that made my heart race and my palms sweat, he was so perfect. “Well, I’m not dead and Aaron isn’t, and I couldn’t care less about Jess. And just so you know, I will never replace you with Nyx, or any other girl for that matter. You are all I could ever ask for, sweet, kind, friendly, funny. My parents always used to say we would be together someday.” Wow, um, wow, that was sweet! He was mine and he said he would never replace me! And that I was all he could ask for, wow.

“Hey lovebirds, got that key. That is,” Aaron calculated the simple math in his head, “4 keys, I think.” I got to my feet, trying not to elbow Dylan as I did so, “I feel ok now, so I’ll get one of the keys.” I knew which one and I couldn’t not get it, it was put there for me. “Are you sure, I don’t want you getting hurt. Again.” Aaron spoke with such tenderness in his voice it startled me, “Yeah, I agree with Aaron, I can’t have you getting hurt.” I was already running to the edge of the ledge when Dylan said that, I was running towards the pool of piranhas, my toe hit the edge and I jumped, diving, above me I heard Dylan and Aaron both shout at the top of their lungs “No!” but I couldn’t just undo the dive I was in, just before I hit the water I turned, into a piranha, it was weird because I could hear the other piranhas talking, saying “What the-“,

 “Who is that?” and the smarter ones saying, “What is that?”

The piranhas started circling me, I glanced above me, through the water and saw Dylan and Aaron looking for me through the water, Aaron was the first to realise I was a piranha, then he whispered something to Dylan, he breathed a big sigh of relief, or was that the bubbly gasp of the piranhas? I don’t know why they gasped, but they did, one spoke, by her voice she was female, “You are a shape shifter of the Gods.” It wasn’t a question; it was an answer to a question that was never asked. “Yes, and you are in my way, so move, all of you.” I acted confidently, but I really wasn’t, to be truthful I was scared to death. A chunkier piranha of the pack swam towards me, his voice was deep and rough “Or what, freak?”

“Or else I will turn into a different animal and eat you all alive.” The piranhas turned and swam away, except the female who talked earlier, “I must warn you,” she said timidly “You mustn’t stay here for long, the woman will send it out to get you, then we will all die.” She swam off.

What was she on about? ‘The woman will send it out to get you.’ I ignored the thought and swam to the key, as I was swimming, I noticed all of the piranhas hiding in little alcoves, what was going on here? I picked the gold coloured but copper tasting key in my mouth and started to swim to the surface when I heard a muffled crash, I thought it was from above so I waited for a bit, but then I heard the piranhas shouting but trying to keep quiet, “No! Don’t stay still! Go, go up! Surface! Get out of here!”

I turned behind me to look at what the piranhas were fretting about, before me was a huge monster, it was green and scaly, it looked like an alligator, but way, way bigger, and, as well as it’s scaly -frankly disgusting- body it had a long tail, it was pale green with veins of dark green mixed in. My eyes looked up to its face, its eyes were red and in slits, it’s teeth were razor sharp and yellow (Someone hadn’t brushed their teeth in a while- oh wait, it wasn’t a shape shifter.) with blood stained onto them. It snapped its teeth and started to swim toward me, eyes blazing. Oh no!