“Why are you doing this?” I asked trying to look as innocently bewildered as I could possibly manage, hoping to lull my captor into a false sense of security before I attacked.
I had been trained to fight nightmares, after all. I guess my only downfall would be that my captor knew all the moves I could possibly throw at him. Warrick smiled sweetly at me as he tied the knots around my wrists.
“Do you really need to ask? I’m the only surviving son of Icelus and therefore heir to the entire of the Dreamlands. The only thing standing between me and my destiny is Morpheus.”
The voice of reason was small behind the madness of greed and I struggled to gather my thoughts. My gaze wandered over to where Ricky sat beside me, his eyes staring ahead blankly as if he were in a daze. There was no way on this earth we could work together to escape... he was just too far gone. I was all on my own there.
“Don’t even think about it
In all the movies I’ve ever seen about war, the actors and actresses always look so dangerously glamorous, dressed in their metal armour which glints in the sunlight as they ride on white horses and cut off the enemies’ heads with a quick flick of the wrist. I suppose that was the reason why I was so taken aback when we gathered together at the base of the Citadel’s steps and was forced to really experience it all. I had never realised that fear had a scent until that moment. Even though I knew I couldn’t die, I was terrified for the novices which had been yanked from the inner sanctuary and were now being controlled by Zara – mindless clones that had no control of their own bodies. Those who had worked their way out of the novice ranks and were trusted enough to control their own minds wore their facial expressions like masks, barely covering the bubbling mixture of exhilaration and fear which simmered just below the surface of their composure.
A noise across the hall drew our attention to the two figures who stumbled in, one aiding the other to walk across the marble flooring. I clutched Morpheus’ hand and drew him closer to me, realising who the intruders were. Lyssia glared at me but fact that she was clinging to her brother for support seemed to sap all of the threat from her gaze. Warrick didn’t even meet my gaze – in fact he almost appeared worried. Perhaps he was more scared of Hypnos than I had thought.The sound of the giant oak doors opening reverberated through the empty hallway, instantly directing our attention to Hypnos who motioned for Morpheus. I glanced briefly at Morpheus before we stepped passed his father into the darkened room.“Lyssia and Warrick, you will join us.” Hypnos ordered, a frozen edge to his voice.The siblings did as they were told, ashen faced and slightly trembling. Immediately I became suspicious.The room had been lit with thous
“Remind me why I let you drive?” Nik asked me with a queasy look on his face as he climbed out of the car and shut the door firmly behind him.“I’m not that bad!” I retorted, locking the car and heading toward the restaurant’s front doors.My brother snorted in disbelief and shook his head in wonder, still looking slightly green. The restaurant was rather full, even though it was the middle of the afternoon. Most of the patrons were teenage girls who had heard that a plethora of hot guys could be found inside the Aphrodite’s Haven. As we walked in the girls at the nearest table turned our way and chatted excitedly in hushed voices. I wasn’t deaf and knew immediately that they were drooling over my poor brother, even in his green state of affairs.“Am I glad to see you guys here!” Ricky muttered to us as we headed to the bar which he manned. “This place is a nightmare!”
"Callie! Get up, and don't make me come up there!"The voice filtered through the pillow which covered my head, interrupting the dream in which I was making out with the delectable Damon Salvatore from Vampire Diaries. Arg! It's always the good dreams that get interrupted and never the ones where you're being chased by giant bunny rabbits who want to eat your brains.I pried my eyes open and stared at the ceiling of my lilac bedroom. When I was younger the walls had been decorated with ballerina posters and dolls and, even though the ballerinas and dolls had faded along with my childhood, the lilac walls remained."Callista Natalie Georgiou, I'm not speaking again! You're going to be late for school!"Who needs an alarm clock when you have a mother? I dragged myself out of bed and grabbed the first items of clothing which I laid my hands on – a baby blue vest and a pair of jeans – tugging them on unceremoniously. With that done, I ambled into the bathroom. My hair was a mess of dark
Kayla and I lounged across her bed, nibbling potato chips and watching Gossip Girl re-runs on her sixty-two inch television, something which she had never really appreciated to its full extent. Her room was the complete opposite of mine, almost sterile in its cleanliness without a single item out of place. Anyone who walked into her room would believe that she had OCD... until you walked into her bathroom, that is. While her room was spotless, her bathroom was strewn with beauty treatments, make-up, and various paraphernalia, which seemed to grow in volume each moment you glanced at it.The only child to a cardiologist mother and a neurologist father, Kayla rarely saw her parents. In fact, she had been raised almost entirely by her grandmother, whom we both called Nana. Nana had moved in to help raise her granddaughter after her husband tragically died of cancer, something which she was still pretty sensitive about (who could blame her?). Niklos had always maintained that Nana had fi
Friday morning started with a bang, quite literally. As soon as we arrived at the Science class, Mr Porter, a short and balding man who wore his goggles to every class, exclaimed excitedly that we were going to be testing chemical reactions in the presence of oxygen."But first, I will assign you all chemistry partners."I looked around, praying that I would get the same partner as I did last year. Amy Adkins was gifted when it came to all things scientific, and she revelled in completing every task at hand, thus most of the year, I barely lifted a finger. Amy exchanged a glance with me and smiled as our eyes met . I guess she felt as if we had established a friendship of sorts, even though we barely knew each other on a personal basis."Adkins, you're with Parker."My heart sank a little bit. Oh well, it just meant that this year, I would have to pull my weight."Ballios, you're with Georgiou."I caught myself before I groaned. Eric Ballios, aka Ricky, was the quarterback of our foot
Chapter FourAt nine o’clock sharp Kayla and I walked through the gleaming doors of Carmel General Hospital. We were immediately assaulted by the smell of antiseptic cleaning detergent and the sights and sounds typically associated with hospitals. “Do you know where we’re going?” I asked Kayla, a little unsure of myself. “Mom said to ask for her at reception and she’d come to find us and show us around.” she replied, heading over to the receptionist. “We’re here to see Doctor Lana Cook.”The receptionist, in typical receptionist fashion, looked up at us from behind her desk before returning to examine her perfectly manicured talons. “Do you have an appointment?” “Yes, she’s my mother and knows that we’re coming.”The receptionist glanced up at us, unbelieving, before she picked up the phone and dialled Dr Cook’s office. Before our eyes the ice-queen melted and suddenly the receptionist was bubbly and welcoming, ushering us tow
I sat alone on a bench in the middle of the park, staring down at its peeling green paint and reading the names which had been scratched into it over the years. A gentle breeze tugged at my hair and the grey sky cast a sinister shadow onto the trees which lines the path, filling them with creatures only the imagination could see. There were none of the park’s usual patrons in view; no joggers stampeding their way along the paths or dog lovers taking man’s best friend for a walk and the sound of children’s laughter was notably missing. Strangely, this didn’t seem to bother me at all. Instead, I revelled in the solitude. A fine rain began to fall from the heavens, not enough to soak my clothing but enough to just dust my skin with its gentle caress. Ever since I was a child I had loved the rain. I used to sit by the window and watch it fall once I had given up asking my mother if I could play outside in it. Now, without my mother’s disapproving gaze, I raised my head to the skies, welco