Damsel

The Blight

Ella Bee

"One." The alien voice inside Ella's mind said.

"Two." It went on, tone a whisper of impatience.

"...Three!"

With that number, ironically, three things happened at once. One, Ella was abruptly aware of her body; the cold, clean sheets beneath her fingers, her vertical position - she was laying down -and the painfully bright glow of an overhead lamp, aching in her temples. Two, she sat upright. As quick as a whip, Ella snapped to a sit, everything clicking on like a flipped switch. She took in her surroundings. Leland stood out first; he was leaned casually against a windowsill, a hand resting under his chin, staring...staring at the humming wind and snow on the other side of the room...no...where the room should be.... He was collected, the essence of indifference, giving her a quick and careless once over before he watched the rubble that used to be the kitchen blowing in the freezing, black night.

Just another day in the life of the Shadow Shifter. No biggie.

Infuriating.

Two –no four other people were huddled in the small bedroom, a petite girl with short, spiked hair like polished red springs, sitting on a rustic looking rocking chair across from Leland, drawing the blade of a dagger across a gray stone she held on the tip of her crossed knee. Two men, who, to Ella, were identical in appearance, stood on either side of the bed, one fixing a piercing scowl on Ella, the other watching her, a picture of indifference, as if he had somewhere to be and couldn't believe Ella was keeping him. But it was the third man –well, boy, if she were specific that caught her attention. He stood with importance, shoulders high, face handsome and unforgiving all at once. Perhaps what struck Ella most was his resemblance to Leland, still as striking and slender, although his features were not as exotic or compelling and there was keenness to his generally kind grin, like something rotten rested just beneath his clean, shiny surface.

The third and most important thing that happened, which occurred so suddenly it practically slapped Ella across the face, was her instant understanding of the situation at hand. The only situation Ella was versed to have any say or opinion of knowledge. She was a captive again.

"Is it money you want?" Ella immediately stated, not knowing where it came from. "I'm afraid my parents are short on funds, but I'm sure if you try they might-"

The laughter stopped her. It didn't bother her that these four strangers found something hysterical in her statement, more than that, she found it terribly curious. In fact, now that Ella's mind settled down a bit and the initial shock over, her eyes were beginning to notice more than a few inconsistencies that raised her suspicions. For starters, she wasn't bound in any way; no rope or string in sight. Neither was Leland. That wasn't right; she always had her hands or legs tied, usually to an object keeping her in a particular place and sometimes to a particular person. Then she saw how the small framed girl held her foot to her knee, was as if she were guarding the space between Ella and Leland and her dagger whooshed in perfect sync with the hum of a radiator, meant to inspire fear, like the matching steps of an incoming army. They didn't mind if she moved, fine, but keeping Leland from her? She wasn't there prisoner, but they didn't want her going anywhere either. So, what did that mean?

Leland was escape. Evasion his specialty – a fine art. He could get out of any situation, no matter how bad without inclination or effort, hindered by nothing. He had no kryptonite and could shift, instantaneous, at will. So why wasn't he shifting? Why was he here?

Ella trembled with a shiver. Her mind was trying to play catch-up. The cabin? The explosion? Where was she "What...what happened?"

Ella didn't know whom she was asking, seeing as how she looked at all five of them, but it was the youngest of the boys, eyes flat and dark that answered.