vii

We broke out in our separate ways and I couldn’t see anything out of the ordinary but I sensed a familiar feeling I had once before.

“Amora,” Fayette shrieked.

I ran in the direction of her voice, but slowed down when I realized she wasn't even here. In fact, I was the only one present, although I could hear Fayette's voice loud and clear as if she was standing right next to me … but she wasn't.

The sound of heavy breathing and the slight crunch of a footstep sounded behind me. I turned around feeling the same sense of time slowing down as the familiar creatures pounded me.

I couldn't locate my powers to fend them off as I was still weak from this morning. The ugly fish looking wolf held me down as the uglier more mangled slime-covered fish creature lowered their mouth to my arm. I watched in horror as the set of teeth grew twice the size of their normal state.

The set of teeth clamped around my wrist puncturing my skin and I immediately felt the excruciating pain from the sharpness of each tooth. That wasn't even the worst part, there was a hot liquid being injected into me, which felt like my innards got poured on by acid.

I groaned in pain as the venom coursed through my veins, “Fear not my child, the pain is only temporary. You're no good to us if we killed you now, you are rather too important in the future.”

I couldn't move. It felt like I was trapped in my own body chained to the ground. I wasn't sure what death felt like, but I could safely assume this was what it would feel like. My eyes roamed around the ugly creatures as they stood full height howling into the night sky, leaving me on the ground, “We'll meet again soon, Princess Amora.”

I held onto the creatures’ words as I let myself fall into a dark abyss.

“She'll wake up, in time.”

I was coming in and out of conversation for what felt like centuries.

Finally, my body regenerated, causing a mild blindness throughout the house. I woke up in a long gasp as my entire body lifted off the soft material, “That looked painful.”

My eyes shot open, regaining my breath as I looked around the room, “What happened?” They stared at me like I was foreign to them, “Words! I need words.”

Fayette looked at Constantine, she shyly played with her hair, “Amora, we can’t understand you.”

I still have no idea what she had said.

I looked at her with a raised brow, “Would someone please tell me what's going on?”

Perry began to brew up a spell as he chanted out, but as soon as he released it, there was a small wave that blasted through the room, knocking everything down in its path.

I sat up quickly and ran to Fayette first; she backed away from me, “Stay away.”

And suddenly I could understand her again.

“Fayette, it's me, Amora.” I stretched my arm out to touch her shoulder, she looked absolutely petrified of me, and I had no clue as to why.

Suddenly, I was struck with a zap, resulting in my anger to grow. I growled as I leaped into the air, crashing down on the attacker. I began to strike them with my claw-like hand as they struggled to get me off. That's when I felt the cool metal slap around my neck and I whimpered feeling the shocks electrocute me. I reached for the device around my neck as I rolled on the floor, growling, “Take it off!”

As if my prayers have been answered, the device was removed. I lay on the floor panting as I felt my body shift again, “Amora, I need you to focus.”

Trust me, I wanted to stay but I felt something brewing inside of me and it didn't feel right.

When I got back to Constantine's place, the feeling got stronger. It made me nauseated and dizzy as it felt like my innards were being shredded.

Like something was trying to escape.

I was coughing and sweating profusely as I grasped my stomach going in and out of my own body mentally, alarming me that something was clearly wrong with me.

I tried several attempts to use my powers, I at least wanted to get to my bed, but clearly my legs couldn't handle the simplest task. I had given up at this point and decided it was best if I laid down, whether or not the ground was uncomfortable; it was irrelevant at this point.

I drew my legs up to my chest, letting a pathetic 'Help' escape my mouth.

Perry found me on the ground as he helped me to my feet, “Should I call Constantine?”

I tried to focus on his mouth, listening to the words he had spoken but to no avail. I had no idea what language he was speaking and trying to decipher his sentence was merely impossible.

I snarled, “toggam, nwo ym no klaw nac I”

‘I can walk on my own, maggot.’ I snarled.

As if my body was attacked, I found myself speaking our language involuntarily, I had no idea what caused me to speak it instead of the language spoken here.

He disregarded my statement and proceeded to drag me in. He helped me to the couch and pressed his fingers to my forehead, “Sleep.”

I crash-landed into a realm much different than I had seen before in my life. The smell was absolutely horrendous; I had to cover my mouth from spewing my guts. I stumbled around in this foreign land coming in view stood a massive castle that had looked like it hadn't been maintained in centuries. As curious as I was, I pushed the double doors open, finding a group of disgustingly mangled creatures, most of which had a seemingly glowing blue slime residue. Seeing how neither one of the creatures seemed to notice me, I decided to approach them to get a better look.

The half scaled creature spoke, “Keep looking, we can't stop until we have found her.”

“But sir—”

He slammed his hand on the table before him, and then stood, “No, she is out there, defenseless may I add.” He moved around the table, eyeing his company while he twirled his thumbs, “Ladies and gentlemen, this is our time, our time to strike.” He made a fist, pumping it in the air, “Attack while her immortality is weak. It's now or never!”

I shouted, “What's going on?”

The crowd went silent and started looking around the room, “I sense her.” The scaled wolf-like creature spoke.

I gasped, hiding behind a nearest pillar knowing he probably meant me.

There was a sudden change in the atmosphere as everything slowed down, I got light-headed. I could sense someone or something on the other side of the pillar as I held my mouth shut in fear that I will be caught. My body stiffened as his face peered around the corner, smelling the air around me. His face was even uglier up close, layers of thin razor-sharp teeth filled his entire mouth, and his skin was scaled with different shades of brown, with what looked to be like mold growing on his right cheek. He had a dark mane that covered most of his neck along with a wolf-like snout. He sniffed the air in my direction, his mouth twisting into a sly grin.

Not once did his eyes open, but I knew he knew I was there from the repulsive grin he had when he sniffed me.

“Jasper, we must head out.”

He let out a low growl and continued to hold my hand over my mouth to keep myself from making any noise.

That sound was terrifying.

He left and I was glad that he was no longer in my presence; this was too much for me to handle. I needed a way out fast, this place was taking a toll physically and emotionally on me and I felt my body grow increasingly weak.

“Amora wake up. There has been a breach.”

I suddenly stripped from the foreign realm and slammed back into The Munds.

I nodded, “Think of something good in your life.”

I thought about my parents, friends, Constantine and finally McKenzie, but there was a nagging voice in the back of my mind that appeared to be louder.

I roared, “I can't.”

Fayette spoke, “Amora, please … it's for your own good. Try harder.”

“Okay,” I stated weakly.

I tried harder, focusing on the things I truly loved