Gemini

Chapter 19* Humans, as a general rule, do not go in Soups

Chapter 19* Humans, as a general rule, do not go in Soups

I have been falling for quite a while when I found my voice and started to scream.

And I don’t mean that as a good thing. I don’t like screaming. It makes your voice go all hoarse and croaky and it doesn’t sound good. My limbs flail uselessly in the air, searching for something to grab on to, and I can practically feel my pupils dilate in the total blackness.

My whole body is hot with anticipation of hitting the ground. There must be a ground. Probably a hard, solid one that’ll break all the bones in my body and crush whatever’s left to pieces. It figures, because my luck had the tendency to turn around when I needed it most. The air is freezing, but I don’t really have the energy to care about that.

Then a deep voice sounds in my mind. Humans?

And then I hit something, finally. I’m just really lucky that it is soft and fleshy, so much so that I practically bounce off it. Sam is next to me, out of breath and winded. I can just make him out in the dark.

“Sam?” I croak huskily.

“Kayla,” he says, breathing hard. “Are you okay?” He scrambles over and I scoot closer to him, pressing myself into his side because I am off-my-rocker terrified.

“Did you hear that voice?”

“Yeah,” he says. “It said: Humans?”

“Do you think it’s Gemini?”

“Aha!” exclaimed the same voice. Giving a shout, I squeeze closer to Sam who wraps a protective arm around me. “I see you know my name!” The ground starts to shake and tremble, practically ululating below us and being very unstable. After a few moments it stills and hardens into smooth, unmarked flesh.

“Sam,” I say calmly, “I think we’re sitting on a giant’s hand.”

He looks at me sideways. “Stay close, Kayla. Remember what we came for.” I bear his words in mind and shut my eyes, steadying my breathing. The mission came first. We had to win over Gemini or the death of the world would be our fault.

“Good-” Morning? Evening? I didn’t know. “Hello, Gemini. Thank you for saving us,” I say formally. The giant, whom we still cannot see, gives a booming laugh that echoes all around… wherever we were.

“Ha! I made you fall in the first place! But no matter, no matter! I so very rarely get human flesh.”

Pausing, I give Sam a worried look. “Uh… what?”

“Human flesh,” the giant says matter-of-factly. “To boil. All I ever get in this muck as toads and rats that are all skin and bones. No flesh at all! You two will make a very nice change.”

“I’m sorry,” Sam speaks up, “I think you’re mistaken. We’re not here to be food, we’re here on a diplomatic mission.”

The giant gives a sort of uncaring whistle, and suddenly I feel myself rising and moving. “Where are we going?” I cry.

“Soup pot,” the giant replied. “Dinner.”

Ah, hell. Giving Sam an exasperated look, I let him handle matters and sit back, drawing my dagger to get ready to stab the giant’s hand should anything go horribly wrong.

“Gemini!” Sam shouts, doing his best to retain his balance as the giant lumbered along. “Please hear us out! We were sent by the Resistance! You have to help us defeat your brother, Zeus!”

“And why should I do that?” Gemini says, amused. “Zeus never did care for me. Neither did the humans. I’m by myself. In fact, I enjoy my solitary existence. Please, care nothing for me.”