World Fail

Chapter 3: Twisted Lovers

"Skylar...Skylar is gone." My tail was bushed up in fright, swaying from side to side. Ellis tilted her head a little, studying my expression. "You sure she's not in the kitchen, or with Frida?" I paused what I had been doing - which had been anxiously dragging my claws through my hair. "I checked the kitchen...but not Frida's room." Stupid! You should have checked there before bothering Ellis. The witch sighed, setting down her spellbook. Stepping into the hall, she wrapped an arm around my shoulder and closed the door behind her. Without a word, we walked up to the fae's bedroom. Ellis knocked on the door, giving my hand a reassuring squeeze. I heard movement inside; someone was in the room.
"Who's there?" We both sighed when we heard Frida. At least they were alive...for now. I opened my jaws to reply, but hesitated. Being honest, Frida always made me nervous. I never knew how they were going to react to something. Thankfully, the witch handled it. "It's Lilith and I. We need to talk." The fae let out an irritated sigh, but opened the door. As usual, there was a fire in their eyes, but it died when they saw the fear in mine. "Lilith...what-" I interrupted, stumbling over my words. "Skylar is gone. I - I checked the kitchen, her bedroom...please tell me she's in here." Frida looked startled, glancing around. "She's not with me.." We all shared a look, glancing up and down the hall. Another one missing - hopefully not another one dead.
Still slightly nervous around the fae, I let Ellis do all of the talking for now. "We need to stay together." Frida began to protest, but the witch just held up a hand. "I know you don't like Lilith, but we have to put that aside for now. Finding the druid is more important." They rolled their eyes, but finally stepped out into the hallway with us. "We'll check the first Circle, but keep in mind, she might have retreated further into the Cairn." A strange little trio, we searched around the first Circle, but found no trace of the AWOL druid. We would have to venture into the second ring - the Undead Circle. None of us were very happy about it, but we couldn't just give up now. When we reached the door leading into it, Ellis had to practically pry her hand away from mine. "Ellis--" The witch sighed and looked at me. "Someone has to hold the door. You know the rules - we can't risk the door locking itself." Frida glanced at us, nervously tapping their foot. Making a sound close to a whimper, my gaze flickered over to the fae. I didn't want to go into the Undead Circle in the first place, and having the unpredictable fairy with me wasn't part of the plan either. The witch sighed again and gave me a quick hug, then shoved Frida and I through the open door. Almost immediately, a heavy chill settled over us. I glanced at Frida as they summoned moon-fire to light our way, a shiver running down my back. "Look Lil', I'm not happy about this either. But we might find her faster together." I knew they were right, but it didn't make the situation any better. At least...not to me. Making sure we stayed shoulder to shoulder, the fae and I travelled into the depths of the second Circle.
  I had lost track of time when I felt someone shove me. What the- Landing on my knees, I turned every which way, trying to locate the fairy. "Frida? Frida, where are you?" At first all I hear was my own voice echoing, then a quiet thud followed. We're not alone... My eyes finally adjusted, and I could make out a faint silhouette a few feet away. "Frida?" The figure turned towards me, making a 'go away' motion. Ignoring that, I crawled closer, trying to get the person's scent. It was of no use - the entire Circle had the stench of death and stale air. Getting closer, I saw the outline of a cloak. An elven cloak... I leaned a tiny bit closer, trying to see the face. "Skylar--" It was our missing druid! "Run.." She whispered. "Just go.." I wasn't just going to leave her -  grabbing her by the wrists, I arranged her on my shoulders and stumbled back the way I had come. Frida was still no where in sight... I hope they're okay. It was difficult to walk with the near unconscious druid across my shoulders, not to mention the cracked and uneven ground. Quiet whispers came from all sides as I struggled through the thick shadows, praying that I was going the right way.
  It felt like I had been carrying Skylar for hours - every muscle in my body was on fire with pain when I heard them. "Surfacers? Are those the 'friends' you're looking for." I heard a murmured reply, but I couldn't tell who was speaking. Letting the druid gently slide to the ground, I took a defensive stance. "Who's there?" I growled, trying to keep the exhaustion out of my voice. A little light formed, illuminating the trio strolling in my direction. Frida - and two tall females. "Frida!" Relief flooded through my body; the fae was safe. The light was coming from their moon-fire spell. But who are the other two?? I had never seen them here before - they must have come from a lower Circle. "Lilith, relax. The vampires are friendly; they feed off of animals." I gave them a once over, then knelt to pick Skylar back up. By the time the others reached me, I had her safely over my shoulders. "A Lycan in the second Circle...Curious." One of the vampires spoke, giving her fellow a little push. "What's it to you?" I snarled. The second vampire giggled, pushing her partner back. "Oh it's nothing dear! Just odd." Eyeing the pair, I started going in the direction that I thought the door was on. "Wrong way, dumbass." Frida called, smirking in the half-light. "The vampers know which way to go, c'mon." I hated following blindly, but with how muddled my senses were here, I would end up in the Feeders' Circle rather than the Nature Circle. Keeping one hand on my iron charms, I drifted behind the strange vampire couple.
   Finally, I spotted the door back into the first ring. "Ellis!" I called out, trying to draw her attention. "Lilith? Did you find her?" Was the witch's ringing reply. "Yeah! And uhm...some new 'friends'." When we got to the door, she raised an eyebrow. "So..you gonna introduce them?" She was referring to the two vampires flanking Frida. I opened my mouth, but was cut off by the taller of the two blood-suckers. "I'm Mary; this here is my girlfriend, Perri." Eyes wide, I glanced over at Ellis. Her only reaction to this was a sweeping look, having to tilt her head a little to meet Perri's eyes. They were a bright burning purple, with Mary's a crystalline blue. "Well, as long as they're not going to eat us, they can stay. We could use the extra help." I cut her a look, concerned at how easily she was letting dark-dwellers into our Circle. Ellis usually wouldn't be so open...we should at least keep an eye on them! The witch ushered everyone inside, then shut the Circle's door tightly. "C'mon. I'll show you around." I was confused, angry - and a bit hurt. Ellis was practically ignoring me! D-Does she blame me for Skylar's disappearance - and the vampires? I just kind of stood there as the group walked away, tears prickling at the edges of my eyes. The salt in them burned my eyes when I tried to wipe them away, only causing more tears to leave their burning tracks down my face. I traced a claw along the ward sigil on the doorway, then angrily scored my claws across the wood, ruining the symbol. Why is it always like this? Something happens, and they all abandon me! The only place I could avoid them was my bedroom, so I retreated in that direction. Hopefully, I could get some sleep before they found me. Who am I kidding? They won't even notice I'm gone! I gave a slightly bitter laugh as I entered my bedroom, locking the door tightly behind me and sinking into my plush feather matress. It would probably be days before anyone even thought about me - I might as well take a nap while I could.