It's All Fun and Games Til Somebody Dies

Chapter 19

Mikayla was falling into a new dimension, again.

At least this time she was able roll out of it gracefully instead of landing in a heap.

She stayed crouched down, ready to spring as she surveyed her surroundings. She was indoors this time. Somewhere with a stone floor and walls. A castle?

"Welcome."

Mikayla turned to see a boy smiling at her. He lanky and fair skinned. He had pale blond hair framing his face and a wicked smile.

The smile concerned her.

"Please," the boy said, "have a seat."

Mikayla recognized that voice. It was the same voice she'd heard yesterday on the cliff side.

"You," she hissed. She charged at him, but before she ever reached him he flicked his wrist and she disappeared, reappearing several feet behind him.

"The name is Damarion," he said. "And of course, I already know you. Mikayla Lee."

"You tried to kill me," she said.

His grin only deepened. "That's an exaggeration. If I tried to kill you, you would already be dead. I merely put you in a situation where you might die. But please, take a seat."

A chair slid from behind her, knocking into the back of her knees so that she fell onto it. The chair then slid forward until Mikayla was seated at a table.

Damarion took a seat across the table from her. Mikayla tried to stand but it felt as if some force were holding her to the chair.

"You seem quite restless," Damarion said.

"The last two times that I was transported to a new dimension, I was attacked by monsters," she said. "Forgive me for feeling a little ill at ease."

"I promise, there are no monsters here."

"Besides you?" Mikayla asked.

Damarion cocked his head to the side. "Am I a monster?"

"You murdered an innocent teenager," Mikayla said.

"I played a game with him," Damarion said. "It's not my fault he lost."

"Did he want to play?" Mikayla asked.

"I didn't ask," Damarion said. "Do go ahead and eat, the food is delicious."

There was no way Mikayla was eating any of this food. "If you had, I'm pretty sure he would have said no."

Damarion frowned. "But doesn't everyone want to have fun? And what better way to have fun than by playing games?"

"People don't like games where they could end up dead usually," Mikayla said.

"Interesting," Damarion said. "Maybe next time I will ask."

"You're not from my world, are you?" Mikayla asked.

Damarion took a bite of some sort of fruit that Mikayla didn't recognize. "No. I'm not."

"Is this your world?" Mikayla asked.

"No," Damarion said. "I could take you to my home. But you did say you were opposed to more monsters. I chose this destination because it seemed very romantic. Don't you think?"

"No." The location wasn't romantic at all. It wasn't a cute sort of castle like a Disney princess might live in. It was a gothic sort of castle and probably had a torture chamber in the basement.

"What would you have liked?" Damarion asked. "And why aren't you eating?"

"Not being brought here in the first place. I don't want your food. Besides, I just barely had dinner."

For the first time since she'd arrived, Damarion's smile faltered. "You don't like it?"

"No."

Damarion surveyed the table before him as if he was trying to decide where he could have possibly went wrong.

"Where are my friends?" Mikayla asked.

"Safe," Damarion said. "I am storing them in a very tame dimension. Clever, that little trick you figured out with the tether."

"Take me back home," Mikayla said.

Damarion stared at her. "But you just got here."

"And I want to leave."

"Is it the food?" he asked.

Oh, there was something so seriously wrong with him. Mikayla didn't even know where to begin.

"You don't like me," Damarion said. "I...I can change that. Just wait. I will prove it to you."

"I don't..."

He cut her off. "Yes, I will make you love me."

And then she was falling through the ground again. He'd had the courtesy to drop her on the bed this time. A moment later, Jess and Sadie landed in a tangled heap on her bedroom floor.

"Are you okay?" Sadie asked.

"Yeah," Mikayla said. "I just...I think I just went on a date with the murderer."