Ayira The Princess #4
“We should probably blend in, so we don’t stand out too much,” she said as she began to take her shirt off. “If the games are today, we need to represent the school and look like actual fans.”
“Right,” I nodded, reaching in for my size.
It only seemed like a few hours passed, maybe even a day when we changed into our school uniforms. I buttoned up the white blouse to tuck into the maroon skirt while she wore a beige pleated skirt and white blouse.
Flipping the dark stringy length back, the ends of the strands teased my backside just beneath my waist. Maggie shoved her feet into the shoes provided before walking back out towards the seats as I followed.
“I really wish I had a phone,” she muttered. Leaning over the seat, she read some of the posters plastered against the train walls while I looked on the other side. “I just discovered this world and it’s already being threatened to be exposed because of me…”
“Not because of you,” I argued before adding, “and we are not going to let that happen. We just need to come up with a plan.”
A soft meow crept into the silence as I looked down the aisle. The cat sat by the door at the very end where another door was, calling for our attention. The lights flickered throughout the train as the cat meowed again.
“I think he wants us to get off and walk,” Maggie said before looking at me.
“Walk?” I questioned. “The entire way to Drew Collins? Are you serious?”
Maggie threw her hand on her hip as her eyes darkened to a deep red.
“Do you have a better idea? This train ain’t going nowhere no time soon unless you know how to drive it without drawing attention to us?”
The sound of the flame rising from my palm crackled as we walked along the dark tracks of the train tunnel.
The dim lights that were posted every few feet didn’t seem to be enough as Maggie and I walked together, side by side with the sight of a cat tail leading the way.
I took a deep inhale before exhaling as the blue flame grew a bit brighter.
The light bounced off of Maggie just in time to see her mahogany hair slowly turn white before my eyes.
She was indeed a different woman than before.
Her entire body looked like it was coming to life as strands of her hair slowly crept against her shoulders like vines.
“So what did Gaia say to you?” I whispered before looking around as I heard the echo. “What was it like?” She inhaled sharply. Her expression was grim for a moment. “And what was all that blood?”
“She made me drink from her–––”
“Drink from her?!” I shouted as the tunnel shook. Maggie wildly looked around while I almost snatched the blue flame away to glare at her.
“Would you keep your voice down?!”
“What kind of woman would make you–––”
“I don’t know how else to explain it, but I was feeding from my own self…
in a way.” Maggie put her hand out next to mine where the blue light bounced off her complexion.
She brought her fingers in as the blood-stained nails suddenly grew like claws, extending an inch out from its natural length.
I gasped, watching them retract as she quickly tucked her hands away.
“I’ve only ever seen Namir do that…Maybe Bellamy but his nails are already sharp–––”
“What did she do to you?!” I hissed.
“Again! Why are you so loud?!” She whispered back. “She didn’t do anything…I…I don’t think I can be what…I’m supposed to be unless I start to…”
“Drink blood,” I finished for her. I saw the fear and curiosity battle in her gaze like a violent dance. “You said vampires drink blood, and that you are one, but you don’t…”
“I don’t but…” She shook her head. “I’m still me. That will never change. I’m just a little more…”
The rumbling of the tunnel shook beneath our feet as I almost slipped on the train track. We could hear a horn blare off in the distance before everything settled. Nothing but the sound of our footsteps, a dripping noise and occasional squeal of a tiny mouse surrounded us.
“What do you mean, a little more? What all did she say? What did you learn about her?”
“Mmm…What about you?” Maggie asked instead, clearly wanting to change the subject. “What did the sun do in my absence?”
I stared at the flame in my hand with a twisted mouth.
“I need to see my sister,” I said. I didn’t want to admit what the spider told me, not yet anyway. My sister is the sun, and she is set to be queen if she isn’t killed first.
“Mmmm… Well it’s definitely as she said,” Maggie went on.
“Gaia said the water draws and talks to me. The sun will guide me, and the moon will always find me. The moon is bound to me for reasons that are completely her fault. You are definitely the sun in my eyes. I think we were destined to meet and go through this together.”
I stared at her, feeling my eyes swell with tears before raising my chin in the air. She had no idea it was really my sister, and not me.
“Right,” I agreed. “What is our plan when we go to the games? The spider said witches are planning on opening another door… How are we supposed to stop it?”
“This is why I needed my phone… I could call Souxie and warn her. They’re all going to be in danger of being exposed.
I could warn her and maybe she could come up with a plan.
I can tell Namir who is basically the face of the games…
I…How am I going to try and save anybody when I don’t even know how it’s going to happen? ”
“You are going to need a distraction,” I told her. “Something that can get everyone’s attention to warn them. Maybe people will react to your warning.”
“Maybe…”
We continued walking together. I squeezed my hand shut to relax before using my other hand to produce a small flame that grew with each breath.
The cat was still in front of us with its tail swishing about, balancing on the rail beam when it glanced over its shoulder to look at us.
Slowly, the cat focused forward as Maggie leaned in.
“How do we know this cat isn’t part of some witch plan?” She whispered. My eyes widened, curious as to why she would say something like that.
“What do you mean?”
“How do we know we’re not walking into a trap? Cats are usually familiars to a witch family or witches… The only cat I have ever liked is Quan and he talks shit for a living. This cat hasn’t said a word to us.”
“Maybe he cannot talk,” I argued but I felt my face fall with fear.
My cat talks to me, to everyone in the palace.
As a matter of fact, cats talking wasn’t all that uncommon.
They usually belonged to a local priestess in the area.
Most mythical beings I’ve met in their animal form, spoke.
Taking a deep swallow, I looked at Maggie who was already anxious when she grabbed my hand with the flame and immediately put it out.
We stopped walking.
“There is a door just a few steps back on our right,” she whispered. “Run to it. NOW!”
“What?!” I cried before stumbling over the railing to get to the thin walking path that lined the tunnel.
I used my hands to coat with blue flames to provide some sort of light before seeing the door that said MAINTENANCE on the front.
Maggie hurried up towards the leveled path before banging three times on the door.
As soon as we opened it, our bodies were shoved inside of the darkness before the door closed shut behind us.
We were thrown into a bright room that looked more like the opposite of the train tunnel.
The arched ceilings and the long benches filled with men and women in different colored shirts and shorts sat on the bench staring at us, dumbfounded.
I looked back at the door that was sealed shut before looking at least 20 people in a room.
Everyone’s expressions began to gawk in utter shock at the realization of who we are.
“What is this?” Maggie asked as she looked around the dome-like structure.
“You’re…you’re…Maggie Grey,” a man pointed as he stood up. “It’s really you.”
The man standing in the center with a piece of paper suddenly leaned into his shirt with his startled eyes on the two of us.
“We have to stop the games,” he muttered. “Maggie Grey and the missing Princess just–––”
“WELCOMMMMME TO THE ELEMENTAL GAMES OF THE UNDERGROUNNNNNND! LET’S MEET OUR ATHLETES!”
I looked back at Maggie just as the doors opened onto the field and bright lights.
You could hear the audience screaming and stomping their feet.
It felt like millions of people were here, the worst possible scenario for what was about to happen.
Nobody moved at first before someone shouted for everyone to run out onto the field.
“Go! Go! Now! Run out!”
“Somebody get security here! Now! It’s the fucking First Family here inside of the damn games!”