He picked a rom-com! How amazing was that? Instead of a terrible horror movie that would keep me up at night. I have to admit I wouldn‘t mind a nice action movie. Snuggling up under his arm made up for the cheesy lines I had to endure.
When the movie was over, we went to a small diner in town. I couldn‘t shake the feeling there were eyes burning holes in the back of my head. When I turned all the customers were occupied with their meals or had their noses stuck in the evening paper.
Alfie demanded all my attention, though it didn‘t quiet my anxiety. I couldn’t check because Alfie had claimed my mouth as his own. He didn‘t care who saw him devour my lips. Like magic released into the dark sky to give birth to stars as so were the explosions taking place inside me.
When it was over the fire still burned. We hadn‘t touched our food. He guided me out of the diner, the night was still young, but the party was over on Alfie’s part. I felt like a damp dog locked outside its owner‘s house.
He brushed his lips against my cheeks. Leaving me near begging for more.
‘I should get going.’ His lips rested on my neck, his hand caressing my thigh.
Our bodies pressed together his sweet unearthly scent would fuse to my skin. He peeled away from me. He placed his hands either side of my face. I exhaled. I was glad he stopped. A pan of guilt smacked me. This wasn‘t how I wanted to give myself up for the first time.
‘Thanks for a wonderful night.’ I slipped out of the car.
The neighbours had to be peeping out of their windows. I felt as hot as a baking tin straight for the oven and as red as a blood-soaked floor.
I ran to the door. My heart hammered in my chest with each second, I stayed under the watchful eye of the moon. My legs threatened to buckle.
‘Rocky!’ I knocked.
I pushed on the door, though it didn‘t swing inwards. Did Rocky really lock me out? I frowned and tried the handle again. It wasn’t locked. I rammed my side into the door and I felt a wood shift.
‘Rocky!’ I cried.
I rammed my body into the door, the wood budged enough to allow me to slip in.
‘What the heck?’ The little kitchen table bared the door. My limbs froze as the situation of my home registered in my mind. The chair had toppled over, my dishes shattered in the kitchen.
‘Raquel!’ I darted to the room.
Blankets and mattresses lay in disarray. No sign of my sister. I fished out my phone and dialled her number. The Beyonce ring tone sounded in the other room. I followed the music to the kitchen. I picked up the pink covered phone. The screen had been bashed in.
‘No, no.’ I trembled as I called Stella.
The phone rang and went unanswered. I dialled again and met the same.
‘I need you, Stella.’ Tears fell down my chin. They took my sister. Sera was right. I should have been more careful. Rocky‘s gone.
I paced the disarrayed room. Someone had broken in. Did I call the police? No, I called my best friend‘s mom. I had to have walked the entire trailer park before Sera and Stella arrived. I held out hope she got away and was hurt in the grass. Rocky wasn’t anywhere.‘Where have they taken her?’ I sobbed. Stella rubbed my back.
‘I knew this would happen, I told you girls, now they’ve gone and taken my Rocky.‘ Sera blew her nose into the blue scarf around her head.
‘Who are they? Didn’t you see who they were, a symbol or something?‘
Sera shook her head, ‘I only saw their evil, but there could only be one place they could have taken her.’
Sera and Stella shared a knowing glance. I stood.
‘Where… where have they taken her? Tell me I have to find her!’
Stella gripped my hand, ‘Mom thinks they took her to the Mage Dimension.’
I shook my head, ‘The what?’
‘It’s the place where all creatures of magical origin live in peace and freedom. It‘s not the most peaceful and free place at the moment.’
‘Why? How come you never told me about it, Stella?’ I crossed my arms. My bloodshot eyes fixed on them.
‘I didn’t think you needed to. Gosh, Arti I was going to eventually.‘ Stella cringed.
‘Whatever! Take me there so I can get my sister back.’
‘It won’t be that easy sweetheart. We shouldn‘t talk about it here. Let’s go to my house, who knows what they left behind.‘
I grabbed my coat. Maybe if I had been there, we would have fought together. I should have been careful. I closed the door to my tattered home. Every little thing we worked for gone, stolen.
Sera locked the door behind us. She ushered us upstairs.
‘You’ll have to go to the mage dimension and find her. I have some contacts that can help.‘
‘What if she’s been taken as Hera‘s slave.’ Stella said and gasped.
‘Now, now don’t be negative. If that‘s the case you’ll intercept.‘ Sera hissed.
‘Okay, how do we get there? Open a portal in the woods and make a sacrifice to appease the spirits?’
‘It’s not that deep babe, just take the closet.‘ Sera blinked.
‘Oh right.’ I chuckled.
‘You have to be careful girls. I don’t want to lose another one of you, the image dimension isn‘t what it used to be.’
I stared at the blue closet door. The path to a new world, the unfamiliarity didn‘t matter. All I needed was to get Rocky back.
I left the metal behind. I groaned as the nurse pulled the band aid around my shoulder. I was lucky it was only an arrow to the shoulder. Queen Hera‘s forces were none too underestimated. I learned that the hard way.I pulled a black shirt over my head. Anyone would think a mage queen challenging a kingdom of gods was foolish. Hera was determined to bring down the Olympiad. Zeus‘ army was equally determined to destroy her. Hera better pray she died in battle because nothing could be worse than the wrath of Zeus.The woman with long golden hair bowed. She gathered her things then vanished. I had been summoned by the goddess herself. I took the stairs to Zeus‘ personal floor, where only his legitimate wife and son lived. I walked the hall lined with tall women dressed in white satin, holding bowls of fruit.Each maiden flawless with hair that caressed the floor and a blank stare. Never to be touched by any man, simply to stand and be
‘This is the mage dimension?’Stella and I stepped out of a rat-infested alley. No squeaky-clean streets, no golden lanterns. One flickering lamp post lit up one street.‘Well, the more rugged part of the dimension.’‘You’re telling me,’ I muttered. ‘So, where do we start?’The roads were lined with hut sized brick buildings, each one with steps leading up to the front door. Most of them were double storey.‘Mom said to go to Calista’s saloon. Difficult people to deal with, they don’t take anything seriously.’ She rolled her eyes.‘What is it like?’ I rubbed my shoulders.‘It’s a ghost plaza, but they always have information if you can get them to take you seriously.’Great, at least we had a place to start.‘How come you never told me about this place? It isn’t much, but why didn’t yo
Rubble rolled off me. What the hell was that? Hera’s soldiers are getting stronger, this one chose the wrong challenge. She peered her head to see where my body landed in the building. Without drawing my wings, I shot into the air. Landing behind her, I grabbed her hand.She growled. Her fist burned bright amber. I pulled back, the scent of burning flesh smacked my face. She thrust her legs forward. I hurled a ball of light that flew into a building. The two-storey apartment blew up, bricks and wood collapsed into the alley.She turned around her brown eyes fixed on me before she slammed her wrists together. Another flamed arrowed shot at me. I raised my shield. The arrow cracked the centre of my protection. The collision sent my feet sliding in the gravel.‘Stop! I haven’t done anything wrong.’I stared at the building she hurled me through and cocked my head to the side. She bit her lip. I fisted the soil beneath me and pulled my
The one time I use my powers I land myself in shit. Thank goodness Daylen and Marcus didn’t rat me out. I didn’t come here to end up in jail the more time I wasted the more the more ground I lost on Rocky. I still couldn’t put my finger on why Daylen helped me he seemed intent of getting rid of me earlier. I hoped I wasn’t getting into something worse with these two.After the door slammed shut and a few more minutes of hiding I emerged from the room. Daylen slouched on a stool by the bar with a glass in his hand and Marcus seemed to be pondering something in the living room.Daylen looked like any washed up sailor after whatever confrontation he had. His pearly white suit was ripped and brown, yes that was my fault. He unbuttoned his shirt, revealing his defined caramel toned chest. He had the brightest shade of brown eyes I’d ever seen.He looked up when I fully set foot in the living room. His hair wasn’t as curly as
Thousands of creatures lived in the mage dimension, others more populous than the next. Artemis could be a rare creature from the sea. I wanted her out of my head.Her hair stuck in my mind like her baked blueberry scent. Her hair had tiny loose curls, it was so dark it almost looked blue. She held power I couldn’t let Hera possess. I couldn’t allow myself to get sloppy and let her fall into my bed either. Things got messy when sex coupled with obligation.Artemis needed to stay away from my head. I had a court meeting to attend and all my attention had to go to the situation at hand. I was either early or got the wrong date. No one was ever late for these things. Solaris would have their heads.I tucked my notepad under my arm and pushed the door in. No guards stood outside and no voices came from inside. Although, a single woman stood staring at the tallest throne on the wall.‘Only the strongest ever sat on that
‘Look at the time where is he?’ Stella tapped her foot.I groaned, ‘I have no idea.’‘We can’t keep waiting. It’s getting late.’Her foot tapping was playing on my nerves. We’d been waiting for Daylen to show up for hours. The sun was setting and not even a letter of explanation popped up.I shook my head and paced to the door. He played me. He promised he’d help me find my sister and he wasn’t anywhere to be found now. Something more flashy must have popped up and he decided I was as good as a carton of expired milk.‘We should just go. We’ve wasted enough time as it is.’‘Yes, first you need a disguise.’‘Why?’‘You’re not from here and you need to look like you fit in. We’re not chopping your hair, but it has to go in a braid. You need leather lots of it. If anyone asks
‘How much do you trust this guy Stella?’ Alfie asked the second we walked out of the bar.‘He’s insane!’ I stalked ahead of them.‘I was told he’s a very reliable source and it makes sense. Arti! You’re special, you’re not a mage, you’re goddess! It’s so cool.’I shook my head. It couldn’t be. I couldn’t be, what did that mean for Rocky?‘No, Stella it’s not. It’s confusing and we didn’t get anything on Rocky.’She scratched her head, ‘Right. We should go back.’‘No, it doesn’t feel safe. There are places I hear kidnapped victims are held. Not nice places of course.’ Alfie said.‘No, kidding, but that will take forever.’‘Have you tried a locator spell?’Stella and I exchanged glanced.‘Would it work?&rs
Who would have thought she was in the mage dimension? Of course it was the work of lovely queen Hera. It excited me to think how the mad queen would suffer when I overtook her. Because I now had what she needed to fuel her war! I’d work faster than she ever could.After I left Artemis and Stella I went straight to my castle in Hemingway. Very soon the dusty forsaken castle would be the most feared fortress in the mage world and Olympiad. I burst into the throne room I claimed months ago. It was also the military room.‘Your highness, Hera’s soldiers have been defeated in the Fae Kingdom. The dark Fae are still putting up a wall.’ Turner my general said.‘Bring them down they’re either with us or against us. They had their chance.’I reclined in my throne. I wanted my seat to be greater than my mother’s. She’d pay the most for everything. For my fall, for her sins as well as mine!‘Tu