Dreams or Reality?

Chapter 30: "Surprised?"

CHAPTER 30: "Surprised?"

Seconds.

It took the swirly blue vortex just a few seconds to suck us into it's own pretty self. I couldn't make sense of anything. A glimpse of blond hair, Sam? Jenna? Katrina? Chris? A flash of denim jeans, somebody's shoe and a scream from a familiar voice. This was my fault! The vortex was for me and only me, it had to have been, and now I had people here who didn't know what was going on, Sam, Mel, Jenna, Val, Tom, Mick, Chris, Katrina and even Katrina's friend, Madeline. The vortex had us all.

It seemed to never end yet go between one heartbeat and the next. Which one was true, I didn't know. When the ten of us finally were spat out, we were somewhere I'd never been but I knew I recognized. All around us was nothingness. We had landed in a large circle of hard-packed dirt but all around us spread the sandy dunes of a desert.

A desert, without heat.

There, standing on a podium, that was ridiculously out of place, was Serquin. He smiled at me and my blood felt poisoned again, which is to say, like tar in my veins, weighing me down.

Originally, we had all landed in various stages of on our backs and buts. No one landed on their feet but by the time I stood up, so were Madeline, Val and Tom. I took a quick damage look at everyone. No one was screaming, shouting, or crying. That probably means, nothing worse then a few bruises.

I glanced at myself, some blood on my leg.

Some blood on my leg?!

It was seeping through my bandages onto my jeans, the fall from the vortex had reopened the cut on my thigh from the bird's beak. I turned to Serquin. "You!" I seethed, venom in my voice. "You said a week! I still have a day! Why the hell did you have to do this now?!" I didn't mean to say that. It just kinda slipped out.

"Ah," he said knowingly, "My bitch of a daughter filled you in, didn't she?" he infuriated me.

"So what if she did?! You went back on your word!" Serquin clearly wasn't used to being addressed angrily by female teenagers who wanted to rip his head off for everything he'd done.

The look on his face was priceless.

Those who had listened to our little exchange were looking at me with identical 'What the hell?'  expressions. I didn't give any explanation. Serquin now looked calm and composed

"They do say to never trust an evil man," he said dryly.

"Bastard." personally, I feel that I should be rewarded for going that long without swearing at him. On top of that, Sam and Mel were doing excellent jobs of containing their laughter.

Not.

"Your grandmother did the same thing." Serquin didn't look threatened at all, he looked amused and I realized why the look on his face bothered me so much.

It was the look Demetri had when he was amused.

"What?" I snarled, knowing he wanted me to say it but wanting to know anyways.

"She used anger to hide her fear, it's working for you about as well as it worked for her," he grinned at me and I mentally consulted what name to call him next, "which is to say, quite well, too bad it's obvious you're terrified." I just glared at him and he mock glared back.

"What I wouldn't do for popcorn right now," Sam whispered to Mel, but she was right behind me and I heard her. I burst out laughing. The comment was so Sam. I could tell this disgruntled Serquin.

"You remember the phone-call?" he asked.

"Twelve words," I whispered, sobering immediately. He smiled evilly, actually, just assume he always smiles evilly unless I say otherwise.