When the clock strikes 12 [On Hiatus Indefinitely]

Chapter 4

I woke up in a dark, confined space with a dull pounding in my head. For the first few seconds, I thought that I was in the old cellar in the basement of the Salvatore Boarding house. But then I remembered the tornado and the boarding house breaking down right in front of my eyes and mainly that creepy black mist that had leaked out of it.

As I heard the click-clacking of heels grow louder and louder, I realised that whoever had trapped me here was coming closer and closer to me. I quickly checked my pockets to see if the stake was still tucked into the back of my jeans and the wolf’s bane was safely kept in my pocket-it wasn’t. Whoever had kidnapped me had made damn sure to empty my pockets in advance.

I looked up as the sound suddenly stopped and a shadow fell over me. The figure was wearing a cloak that camouflaged her very well in the darkness. I could only see the figure’s beautiful blue eyes that looked as clear as the sky and her black hair that was darker than any shade of black that I had ever seen.

Then her face twisted into a cruel, evil expression and I saw the last hint of warmth leave her eyes to let the coldness take over.

I squirmed uncomfortably in the small prison cell, feeling naked without any of my usual weapons to back me up. Now I just felt like a normal human. But thankfully I had my vervain wristwatch still tied around my hand, so I knew that I hadn’t been compelled.

“Who are you?” I asked the figure and heard her manic laughter in response.

“I’m the Evil Queen,” she responded, “who rules the Land of Fairy Tales.”

I looked at the woman standing in front of me and tried to match her with all the evil characters in the stories that I had read. There had only been one queen so beautiful and equally cruel.

“Snow White,” I suddenly said and those blue eyes turned to look at me with shock as I continued, “You’re her evil stepmother.”

I saw a hint of relief spread across her features, “Well you got that right,” she muttered, rolling her eyes.

Now if somebody would have said this to me a few years ago, I wouldn’t have even considered listening to them, but after everything that I had been through, this was almost too easy to believe. That didn’t, however, mean that I wasn’t surprised. Putting the pieces of the puzzle together, I roughly made out that her magic was what had pulled all of us into this fairy tale book but why and how were the two main questions that I needed to find the answers to.

“Why have you brought me here?” I decided that asking her the questions would be the easiest way.

“You mean from your world to ours?” she laughed a deep, dark laugh. “Don’t worry, your friends are out here too.”

I looked up at her and then looked around. Were my friends locked up in these cells too? “Where are they?”

“Oh no, I have not held them captive like you,” the Queen laughed. “They are out there, playing the vicious game that I have planned for them,” she pointed outside the window.

“Then why have you kept me here?” I asked, afraid to hear her answer, “What are you planning to do with me?” Why me!

“Don’t worry,” the Queen said, “I have just kept you with me for some leverage and to threaten the rest of the players playing my game. Once you cease to be of use to me, I will then decide whether to kill you or send you back to your own world.”

Oh great, I thought to myself, so now I’m going to be the weak, defenceless girl. I shook my head, and just when I thought that things couldn’t get any worse.

“But why me?” I asked, curiously. She could have taken a better leverage to threaten everyone with, she could have taken Elena. That would’ve had everyone doing exactly what she wanted them to do. Hell they would’ve even jumped straight into a fire if it meant that Elena would be safe and unhurt, I thought bitterly.

“Because you are not a part of that game,” she said, “you never have been.”

“And what is this game that all my friends are playing?” I asked.

The Queen smiled sinisterly and walked away without another word. I couldn’t help but stick my tongue out at her back as she disappeared through the thick metal door.

“Ugh, what a bitch,” a familiar voice said to me. I squinted my eyes in the darkness and saw a slight silhouette of the figure talking to me.

“Yeah,” I nodded my head in agreement, “She kind of reminds me of you,” I added with a slight grin.

“Well, that is no way for a damsel in distress to talk to her saviour,” I could hear the smirk in the figure’s voice.

“I am not a damsel in distress,” I said gritting my teeth, “but I do sort of need help with these chains,” I admitted, holding up the chains that were cuffed to my hands and legs.

The figure immediately got to work, ripping away the prison door before freeing me from the cuffs and chains.

“Thanks,” I said, giving the figure a quick hug before retrieving my weapons. The Queen had kept them on the table outside.

“Wow, somebody really needs to teach this evil step mommy how to be evil,” the figure said looking around.

“Is there some sort of a guide for that or would you like to stay here and teach her?” I asked sarcastically.

The figure sighed, “Just shut your mouth before I change my mind about saving you and decide to put you back into ‘captivity’.”

“I hate you,” I mumbled as we walked over to the only door in this smelly room, “Gosh someone also needs to teach this woman how to keep her house clean.”

So we opened the door, not knowing where it would lead us, but hoping that it would lead us away from the Queen’s Palace and not deeper into it.