Chapter Twelve-Going The Distance

         I kept walking through the forest in no particular directions just as long as it was far away from the castle. It was difficult moving through the forest in the dark and I ended up tripping several times. My determination to get as far as possible made me ignore how frustrated that I got when I tripped every few minutes. The whole time I moved through the dark I kept looking over my shoulder wondering if I was going to come across any predators out here. I wasn't too sure what could be out in these forests but at the moment I would rather face that down then Lucia or Charlie.

         I was so focused on how far I could get during the night that I just barely noticed how clear the sky was. Each star seemed to shine brighter than any that I've ever seen before. The moon was bigger here than back home with its white light cutting through the tree lines giving some light for me to travel by. There was a shimmer across the night sky from where there was a milky way. I would admire how beautiful it was more if  I wasn't so busy trying to get as far from Charlie's castle as possible. The only thing that truly butted in to my mind as I continued moving through the forest was hoping I didn't run in to anything nasty out here. Katherine is right about how I wasn't sure what I would come across out here. For all I knew I could come across some kind of creature that I wouldn't know how to handle. Even worse there could be something out here hunting me right now that I couldn't see. If I stopped for a moment to worry about what could be lurking around me I was sure that I would probably have a panic attack.

           As the sun started creeping up I began to wonder if any one had noticed that I was missing yet. What would Lucia do when she came to get me for my lesson only to find that I'm not there? I didn't envy any one near her when she finds me gone. I most definitely didn't envy the person that had to tell Charlie that I was gone. Who knows what he would do to the messenger? As bad as I felt about what is going to happen when Charlie learns that I was gone my need to get as far away was stronger. I wasn't sure why Charlie needed me to create portals in to my world but I refused to help him. After everything that had happened helping him was the last thing that I want to do. 

         My eyes were burning from being up all night and I could feel the bags that had formed underneath them. My legs were sore while my back felt stiff from walking all night long. How exhausted I felt right now reminded me of the journey that I took with Will back when I first got to this world. This time though I was sleep deprived as well. With barely sleeping very much over the past couple of weeks my body wasn't in the physical shape it needed for all this walking I was doing. There was also the fact that my back was still healing from the burns that Lucia had caused. Physically my body felt like it was running on empty and was in need of a long nap as well as a big meal. As tired as I was I couldn't stop just yet. I had to keep going to get as far as I possibly could. The world around me seemed to tilted ever so slightly when the sun was fully up in the morning sky. At the moment the only thing that was keeping me from falling over was my will power. The drive to be free from Charlie was the only thing giving me energy to keep going. The need to be with my parents again kept each of my legs moving forward. I knew at some point I was going to have my body shut down to keep me from going any further because it needs to rest. I just wanted to get as far as I possibly could before that happened.
         I was pretty startled when I walked out of the tree line to come face to face with a river. The river was a good two miles across with no visible way across going in either direction. I was glad that the water moved calmly which meant that I could just swim across if I didn't find any other way across. I began walking along the river in hopes of finding a bridge or even a massive tree that had fallen across. I had barely walked a mile before I suddenly felt my legs give out from underneath me. My legs felt like they were lead surrounded by jello and each time I tried to stand up I fell back down. I could feel my heart pounding against my chest and as I was lying on the ground the world steadily began spinning. This was where my body was finally giving out saying that it needs rest. I was really hoping while I was out cold that I didn't have something or someone that would be a danger to me finding me.
         My heart rate sky rocketed when I saw something moving out of the corner of my eye. I turned my head to face the river. Climbing out of the river was a serpent that looked like it could be the size of a horse if not a little bigger. There were two small horns just above its eyes that were a very bright green. I watched as it pulled its self forward with two clawed feet. When it sudden spread out two massive bat like wings shaking water off them I could feel my heart skip a beat. It's grey scales glistened in the sun light as it's thin tongue darting in and out of its mouth. I really hoped that this thing was friendly. It took the creature a minute or two to notice me lying there on the ground. I steadily inched closer to me either thinking it has a free meal or was just curious about me. Black spots began dancing around my vision just as the creatures head was right over mine. When everything went black I was praying that this thing didn't decide to eat me.
        The whole time I was unconscious I kept seeing images of Charlie and Lucia. Each time I saw Lucia she was chasing me each time catching up to me before biting in to the back of my neck. I could physically feel the pain as her teeth punctured my skin. As she drained blood from my veins I could feel my body become weaker and colder. I was literally dying. The times that I saw Charlie I would see him standing over a massive pile of bodies blood sprayed across his face. I recognized several of the people that were in the pile in front of Charlie. I saw both Will and Liam each looking like they had been stabbed so many times that all their clothing was just a scarlet color. Even Liam's younger sister was in that pile her eyes staring wide open at the sky. I felt my heart drop when at the very top of the pile I saw my parents. They each had their throats slight and looked like someone had taken a meat cleaver to their heads. This couldn't be what's waiting a head of me. I refused to believe that all this death was going to happen.
         When I felt my eyes opening I was surprised to find that I was actually alive. I had blink a couple of times for my eyes to adjust to the low light. When I was able to see clearly again I saw that I was lying in a cave that had holes in the ceiling letting in shafts of light. I steadily sat up groaning slightly as I felt the sore muscles in my back and the scabs cracking on my back. Looking around the cave I saw several small bones scattered across the area. So the creature that had found had brought me back here but chose not to eat me. Why had it kept me alive? Was I meal it was saving for later? The bigger question was where was the creature.
         It took me a minute to get to my feet since my legs were still a little shaky. When I was sure that I was sturdy I took a few steps toward the entrance to the cave. I had only taken a few steps forward when the creature suddenly appeared. It looked at me for a moment or so before it moved a little closer to me. I could feel my heart pounding in my chest as it got closer. I wasn't sure what I was supposed to do. Should I fight it so I can get away or wait to see what was about to happen? I was surprised when it lowered its head at my feet and a couple of apples dropped out of its mouth. As soon as the last apple hit the ground I moved past me lying down in the center of the cave watching me. I wasn't sure what to make of this. Had this creature actually brought me some food? Was this just some kind of trick? Could I even be dreaming all of this?
         I made sure to keep my eyes on the creature as I bent down to pick up one of the apples. I noticed that as the creature watched me there were hints of intelligence behind those eyes. I very much doubted that there was a typical intelligence of a creature that lives in the forest. In fact it felt more like it may have the same intelligence level of a human. When I bit in to the apple I half expected it to be poisonous but all I tasted was it sweetness. Juice from the apple trickled down my chin and my stomach growled demanding more. In a matter of minutes I managed to eat every apple that this creature had brought me. Why would this creature want to make sure that I had food?
        The creature had even made sure to bring me my pack in here. I picked up my pack inching closer and closer toward the entrance to the cave wondering if this creature was going to let me leave. I sighed with relief when I was able to leave the cave without it attacking me. When I was a good distance from the cave I turned my back to walk away hoping that it doesn't come after me. I had barely walked a mile when I heard movement coming from behind me. Looking over my shoulder I saw the creature following after me. It wasn't charging after me like a wild beast. It seemed to be following me more like it was a lost puppy that had just found the human it wanted to bound with.
         "I've got the feeling that I'm not going to traveling alone for a while." I sighed.
         I jumped when I saw it shake its head as if it was answering no to me. "Can you understand what I'm saying?"
        It nodded its head watching me intently. We kept eye contact for a while before I sighed motioning my hand for the creature to follow me. I was really hoping that letting this creature follow me around wasn't going to be a decision I was going to regret. At least now I wasn't traveling alone but I wasn't sure if this thing was following me because it was hoping to kill me when I was watching. Then again this creature could be the equivalent to that of a dog back on my world that only really attacks people if they are provoked. Most dogs back home that are remotely vicious usually are that way because some human has mistreated them. I was hoping that this was the case this time around and that this creature wouldn't hurt me unless I hurt it first.
         I wasn't sure where I was any more but at the same time I was really hoping that I wasn't getting any closer to Charlie's castle. I may be lost right now at the same time I was glad I wasn't back there any more. I wasn't too sure how long I had been out cold for but it looked like me that it was only a few hours in to the day. I had only been walking for about an hour before grey clouds rolled in and a light rain began to fall. Even though it was raining I kept going thinking that at least it wasn't a full blown storm. I just kept my held down trying to watch where I was going wanting to keep going forward. The creature and I walked for several hours through the rain and by then I was soaked. I didn't stop till suddenly I heard the creature following me begin to growl deeply. Slowly turning around I saw the creature baring its teeth a deep rumble coming from its throat. I guess I had a made a mistake letting this creature follow after me.
         As I stood there wondering what I should do now I noticed something. The creature wasn't looking at me. It was looking past me at something that was behind me. Turning back around I wondered what could be there that was making this creature act this way. Sure enough looking around I noticed something that didn't look quite right. There was what appeared to be a gap between the rain and the ground. It seemed that the rain was hitting something else rather then the ground. There was definitely something there that was a danger to me and the creature behind me saw it before I did. Maybe I might not be wrong about the creature following me.
        I let out gasp when the creature jumped over my head it's wings spread out slightly. The creatures mouth was wide open showing two long thin fangs the length of my forearm that folded out like a cobra. I watched as it landed on top of the thing that the rain had been falling on. As the creature wrapped its self around the thing the air shimmered ever so slightly before what was there became visible. What I was looking at looked like a panther you would find in the jungle back home. I guess it developed the skill to become invisible as a way to survive and hunt prey. I watched as the two trashed around biting and clawing at each other. The air was filled with the sound of them snarling and growling at each other. In a way it sounded like they were throwing around insults in the process. All I could do was stand there watching with my jaw wide open the realization of the creature following me was trying to protect me right now. I finally shook my head knowing that I had to do something to help this snake like creature following.
         I pulled on the powers that Lucia had helped me in learning and pulled the water falling from the clouds in to a ball in my hand. I quickly pulled the water in to three separate orbs then quickly chilled it so they were all balls of ice now. I made sure to carefully aim before launching the balls of ice forward. One of the balls of ice hit the cat square in the face dazing it. The second hit it in the right shoulder and the third ended up going wide hitting a tree. All it took was that moment I dazed the cat and the creature managed to sink its fangs in to the cats neck. The cat let out yowl thrashing around several times before going completely still. When the creature was sure that cat was dead it released the cats neck letting it fall to the ground limply. The creature unwrapped its self from the cat coming over to my side as if it was checking to see that I was all right. I reached out my hand feeling quite nervous about this but I relaxed when it pressed its nose in to my hand. The creature closed its eyes and to my surprise it actually began making a sound that seemed like it was purring. After everything that I've been through it seemed like there was a chance that I may have found someone, even though its a creature, that has my back. Someone that isn't wanting me around because of something I can do for them.
        "Is it all right if I call you Cloud?" I wondered.
        A smile spread across my face when it opened its eyes looking at me for a moment before nodding its head. Together we continued on through the rain leaving the corpse of the cat behind for any hungry predators in the area still lurking by. At least now I wasn't traveling alone. Maybe this way I'll have a better chance of getting back home to my family. I wonder how they will react when they see Cloud. I could see my father going for a shot gun scared that Cloud would hurt his family. My mother on the other hand would most likely try to put herself between Cloud and me. I guess I won't find out till I actually get home and whether or not Cloud would follow me to another world.

Chapter Eleven-Freedom

         Once again I wasn't able to sleep for a single minute but this time it wasn't because I was worried about having the same nightmare. This time my mind was whirling around in circles wondering what I could do to escape from here. There had to be a way out of this place. My mind kept playing through scenario after scenario trying to come up with a sure fire way to escape. Since my mind was far from being able to be calm I stayed awake all the way till my breakfast came in the morning. I ended up shoving down my breakfast eager to keep my strength up all the more now so that I could escape.

         When another knock came at the door I was surprised when Lucia walked in to the room. What was she doing here? Normally Charlie would come get me himself for my lessons with Lucia. Where was Charlie? My mind instantly stopped when I saw Lucia unsure of what I was supposed to make of this situation.

         "Instead of just sitting there with your mouth hanging open you could get up so we can get this lesson started." she snapped.

         "Y-yes." I said quickly standing up following her out in to the hallway. "Where's Charlie?"

         "He left on business. He should be back within a weeks time." she answered without remotely looking at me.

         I could feel my heart flutter with excitement hearing that news. With Charlie gone it might be quite a while before he learns that I've gone missing. I wasn't sure when I was going to get an opportunity like this. Within this week I had to get out of this place or I might very well be stuck here for who knows how much long. Learning that my parents are safe made the itch to run as far from here as possible all the stronger. If Lucia wasn't directly in front of me I would have bolted on the spot. If she saw me running away from here I wasn't sure what she would do to punish me for that but it couldn't be any worse than what she's all ready put me through. Then again I wasn't sure what I would do to Lucia if given the chance and the fact that the thought crossed my mind scared me. I didn't want to someone like Lucia or Charlie that would willing want to hurt another being no matter how much I hate them.

         Today during my lesson with Lucia I had a pretty hard time concentrating on anything that I was supposed to be doing. All my mind seemed to want to focus on was my escape. As a result though I ended up reopening some of the burns that had been healing. I could feel the warm blood trickling down my back yet I knew better than to whine about it. The first time I moaned or whined about being in pain Lucia only hurt me all the more. Instead I had to keep it to myself and just shake it off when all I wanted to is get in to the fetal position crying. That sadly is the only second thing that Lucia has taught me outside of learning how to use magic. My tolerance for pain was very high now that my eyes didn't tear up any more and I barely registered pain on my face. 

         By the time Lucia said that the lesson was over I could tell that she was pissed off. My level of concentration was far from what she expected from me. I barely made any progress today in learning anything new. Lucia pretty much shoved me out of the room at the end of the lesson not caring in the slightest about the fresh burns on my back. I gritted my teeth in pain as her hand came in to contact with my back. I was barely out the door before she slammed the door shut behind me so hard that it echoed down the hallway. Today was a relatively short lesson because of how frustrated Lucia was with my progress today. So I made my way down to the kitchen to get something to eat as well as knowing that the cooks could help me with the burns on my back.

         As soon as I walked in to the kitchen I was hit with the wall of heat from the many ovens working at full blast to feed all the people that live here. The person in charge of the kitchen was a stout woman that looked like she could fall off a cliff and walk away. Her skin was a leathery tan color that went well with her curly dark brown hair that she held back with a simple bandanna. When I got to the kitchen was busy kneading a rather large piece of dough. As always she was covered in flour along with some other foods that splashed up on to her apron. As I walked in she looked up at me giving me a warm smile. She quickly directed someone to take her place before walking over to me giving me a gentle hug knowing about the burns on my back.

         "I see that you had another tough lesson with Lucia." she commented taking a look at my back.

         "I was having a hard time focusing today." I replied.

         "What was on your mind?" she wondered.

         "The fact that Charlie is gone." I answered.

         "Why would that make you lose focus during your lesson with Lucia?" she inquired as she led me over to a chair.

         "Because all I could thinking about was how I would get out of here." I muttered.

         "So you want escape from here in to a world you know very little about." She pointed out as she began applying a cream to the burns on my back that she uses on her burns.

         "I would much rather be wondering aimlessly then stay here." I stated.

         "I know you dislike it here but there are a great deal of dangers in this world that you've never dealt with let alone heard of." she said.

         "Katherine, I would much rather face down a charging bull than have to stay here any longer than I have to." I said looking her squarely in the eyes.

          "Are you completely sure about that to the point you feel it in your soul?" she asked.

          "Absolutely."

          "Then follow me."

          I got up from my chair to follow Katherine out of the kitchen wondering what it was that she wanted me to see. One of the good things about making friends with someone in the kitchen is that there is so much noise going on that you could have a private conversation. The number of times I've been in the kitchen I've watched them yell at each other to try and get anything across to each other. I was very sure that none of the other cooks overheard anything that Katherine and I talked about. Katherine led me through a set of heavy wooden doors that led in to the pantry where all the vegetables and meats were kept that Katherine cooked with. She led me through some shelves to the very back of the pantry. I watched as she took a firm grip of the a part of the shelf and with a huffed pushed on it. I felt my jaw drop when I saw the shelf swing forward like a door revealing a long passageway behind it. This had been here the whole time and Katherine had waited till now to show it to me. The question was where did this tunnel end at?
         "This is a tunnel that the servants use in case there is an attack on the castle. It goes underneath the whole place and then opens back up at least three miles away from the castle walls." she explained.
         "Is this the only way out of the castle without being seen?" I wondered.
         "That I know of yes." she answered. "At least this way you'll be able to get a good distance between you and this place before any one notices you are gone."
         "I'll need that because the moment I'm discovered missing I'm sure that Lucia will hunt me down." I sighed.
         "I really wish you would reconsider doing this. There are things out in this world that can be more dangerous than Lucia." she pointed out.
         "Tell me this. Are there things out there more dangerous than Charlie?" I asked.
         "No."
         "Then I'm taking this one chance I'll have to get away from here." I declared.
         "Just be careful and don't let any one out there know that you're from another world. I'm sure people won't hesitate to get a reward from Charlie to give you back to them. It's been known for years that Charlie is looking for someone special from your world and that he'll do anything to get his hands on that person." she warned.
         "Thank you."
         I helped her close the door before making my way up to my room. I immediately got to work pulling one of the pillow cases off. I went to the dresser pulling out the pair of trousers that I managed to get a hold of in the time I had spent here. I quickly changed in to them knowing that it would be difficult to run in a dress. I put together some more spare clothes just in case the ones I'm wearing get damaged in my travels. Before leaving my room I peaked my head out the door checking that the hallway is clear. When I was sure that there wasn't any one around I made my way back down to the kitchen. I was extra careful this time to make sure that no one saw me. It was current that someone would get suspicious of me walking around with a pillow case full of clothing. I nearly ran in to several guards but managed to duck out of sight just in time. Just as I was rounding the corner to the kitchen I quickly took several steps back. Peering around the corner I spotted Lucia talking to some of the servants that looked like they were terrified to be near her right now. She was yelling at them about how there were some parts of the castle that had been neglected.
          I could feel my heart pounding in my chest. If she saw me right now I knew that I would most likely end up in a cell locked up so that I couldn't ever get out. I took another look around the corner again holding my breath that she wouldn't spot me. When I saw that Lucia was walking in the opposite direction with the servants following her. I held my breath all the way till I couldn't hear or see her any more. When I finally let my breath out I felt a little light headed for a few seconds. I quickly made my way in to the kitchen where Katherine was waiting for me. She had actually cleared out all the cooks so that none of them witnessed me leaving through the passage. She had even put together food for me to take with me so that I wouldn't starve. I was even surprised when she had a pack for me that I could carry over my shoulder. It would definitely be easier to move with a pack than a pillow case through the woods.
            She led me back through the pantry to the passage way opening it for me once more. She gave me one last tight hug before pushing me through the passage way. Katherine quickly closed the passage behind me before someone walked in on us. Thankfully the passage way was light by fire burning in bronze brackets mounted along the walls. I quickly walked along the passage wanting to make as much progress as possible before I was discovered that I was gone. I knew if I ran I would only just wear myself out before I got very far. At least at a fast walk I'm making progress steadily.
            I lost track of time as I made my way down the passage. I kept moving thinking only of how much distance I could put between me and this place. If they did end chasing after me like I'm sure they will I'll fight tooth and nail to keep from coming back here. As soon as I stepped out of the passage to find myself in the middle of the forest that surrounded the castle it took me a moment to process it all. I was actually out and was free. Now I just had to make sure it stayed that way till I figured out a way to get home where my parents were waiting for me.

Chapter Ten-Bluffing

         If Lucia was pleased that I was finally able to make small objects fly around the room she didn't show it. She went right on to teaching me the next part of her lesson. She started out with having me move around several objects at once giving me targets to hit to see how well my control is. When she seemed satisfied with what I was doing she moved on to something new. It seemed like she wanted to see if I could do all the basics when it comes to magic. Moving items with your mind seemed like such a very basic thing to do when  it comes to magic. Now she was wanting me to create illusions. That proved to be far more tricky than I thought it would be.

         Each time I tried to created a mirror image illusion of Lucia it seemed to be fractured and blurred. It felt like I was trying to look at an image through rippling water. This most definitely didn't please Lucia in the slightest. Sure enough as soon as she realized I wasn't doing things to her standard she activated the circle electrocuting me. If I could make the illusion slap her I would. By the time she finally ended the lesson I was very sure that my hair and clothing was smoking slightly. I managed to make the illusion clearer by the end of the lesson but it was far from perfect.

         I was feeling quite restless when I finally left Lucia's lessons. Instead of going back to my room I wandered down to the kitchen getting some food. Even though I was up all night I didn't feel the slightest bit tired at the moment. Rather then going to my room where I would lie there staring off in to the distance I began wondering around the castle once again. I just kept walking and walking without really picking any certain direction hoping that I might find something useful around here. I soon found myself walking through the lowest part of the castle that was at least a good couple miles underneath the surface. I very rarely come down here since this was where Charlie kept his prisoners. No matter where I was down here I could hear them moaning in pain. I could feel my chest clench every time someone screamed from behind the walls. I didn't want to see let alone imagine what kind of torture these people have gone through. Every time I was down here I was always tempted to help each and everyone of them escape. The problem was I wasn't too sure how to get myself out of here let alone someone else as well.
          I turned around a corner coming to a complete stop when I found myself in a hallway that dead ended only after a few feet. At the end of hallway was a grotesque statue of a skeleton who's broken up armor revealed flesh still hanging on the bone. Held in the skeleton's out stretched hand was a severed head with mouth gaping open and eyes rolled in to the back of its head. Of all the places that I've seen down here I have yet to see any kind of art work down here let alone a statue like this. Why was this one statue down here? There had to be a reason besides it looked good against the decor.
         Walking up to the statue I wanted to get a closer look at this statue. I looked over every inch of the statue in hopes of finding some hidden catch that would reveal some doorway. I spent a good ten to twenty minutes praying that I would find something. It seemed like there wasn't a single flaw in the statue that would hint at a possible hidden door. After another thirty more minutes I still hadn't found anything and I wanted to just burst in to tears on the spot. Rather then crying I ended up balling my fist up and slamming it against the stone wall as hard as possible. I was completely started when I felt the stone give underneath my fist sinking several inches in to the wall. I nearly jumped out of the skin when the skeleton statue along with the wall moved back before moving aside to reveal a spiraling staircase. I was so stunned by what I saw that I nearly didn't register what was happening. I quickly walked forward looking up the stair way that was light by flames dancing in bronze brackets.
         I steadily began climbing the stairs curious as to what was at the top. As I climbed I could hear the grinding of stone on stone as the skeleton statue slid back in to place closing the entrance. I attempted to count the number of steps I had climbed but I ended up losing count after the two hundreds. The stairs seemed to have no end to them and after a while I felt a little dizzy from walking in so many circles. When I got to the top finally I was surprised when I found myself at a dead end. I was hoping that it would have led outside so that when I could escape I had a way of getting out. All there was in the round room was a painting of a woman sitting in a high back chair with a stern look on her face. What was the point of all this?
         I was just about to make my way back down the stairs when I noticed something out of the corner of my eye. Turning around I got a closer look at the painting hanging on the wall. There seemed to be a fine dust that shimmered ever so slightly in the torch light with in the paint its self. What was the point of putting what looked like either glitter or diamond dust with in the paint? I jumped back when the painting suddenly fluctuated after my fingers ran across the surface. The surface of the painting continued to ripple as if it was made of water the colors blending together till you couldn't tell what the painting had once been. The colors continued to blend till the painting was pitch black before the painting finally stopped moving. With a sudden flash of light that blinded me for a moment the black vanished living the portrait clear. I was surprised when I found myself looking at another room on the other side of the painting. I placed my hand against the painting surprised when I found myself touching what felt like glass.
         The room had a fireplace in it with a roaring fire similar to the one back in my room. In the center of the room was a round table with five high backed chairs. Only three of the seats were taken at the moment. One of which was by my so called instructor Lucia and sitting on her left side was Charlie. I felt my jaw drop when I saw one of the seats was taken by Marcus. When had he gotten back?
         At first I thought about running straight back down stairs not wanting to find out what Charlie would if he saw me standing there. I stopped in my tracks when I saw him look squarely at me and didn't react in the slightest. Was it possible that this was a one way mirror like the police back home used for interrogations? If so this was going to be an opportunity I might never get again. This might me my one and only chance to find out if Charlie is actually bluffing about my parents being watched or not. I might even learn something that could help me escape from here or even something I could tell Will and Liam that they could use against him.
         "What took you so long in returning?" Charlie asked Marcus.
         "Between having to travel here on foot and trying to lose Will and Liam in the process was not easy. I assumed you didn't want the two of them finding there way back here so they can take your precious portal maker." Marcus pointed out.
         "Fair enough. You've yet to tell me what happened to your partner Gordan that I sent with you through the portal." Charlie said lacing his fingers together watching Marcus expectantly. "I assume you had him stay behind to watch the girl's parents like I ordered."
         So he does have my parents under surveillance after all. This only means if I do try to escape or do anything to go against him he'll just have this Gordan person hurt maybe even kill my parents. I was stuck here now whether I liked it or not. The last thing I wanted to do was to get my parents killed because of something I did. I don't know if I could handle knowing that I was the reason why my parents are injured or worse dead.
         "That's just something else you need to add to your lists of reasons why you hate Will. Moments after we walked through the portal Will came barreling after us. During the fight with him Will threw Gordan off a thirty story building. Needless to say Gordan did not survive the fall so no he is not doing as you ordered." Marcus explained.
        "So at this very moment there is no way to guarantee her cooperation." Lucia sighed.
         "I'll worry about that. As far as she knows her parents are in real danger if she goes against me. As long as she believes that she won't be going anywhere." Charlie said without any worry in his voice.
         "How much longer will I have to teach that maggot?" Lucia wondered.
         "Until she learns to open portals. For my plans to work we need her to create the portals between her world and ours. You will continue training her till that time." Charlie ordered.
         "Very well but doesn't mean I have to enjoy it." she groaned.
         "You might have her advance more if she didn't have to spend so much time healing from your methods of teaching." Marcus pointed out.
         "I have been getting very good results using my methods for centuries." Lucia snapped.
         "Like I said just don't kill her." Charlie pointed out standing up. "We'll speak more tomorrow."
         With that last comment both Lucia and Marcus followed Charlie out of the room. I stood there for several minutes my mouth hanging wide open in shock. My parents were perfectly safe this whole time and I allowed Charlie to manipulate me in to believing otherwise. I wanted to wrap my hands around Charlie's neck all the more now. I could feel my entire body shaking from anger my fists clenched so tightly that my knuckles had gone white. Without really thinking I slammed my fist against the stone wall. Pain sheered through my hand upon impact. When I pulled my fist back there was blood running down my fingers from open gashes on my knuckles. Being here seems to be bringing out the worst in me. I needed to get out of here as soon as possible before Charlie corrupts me any further.
          As I slowly began to make my decent down the stairs I began thinking about possible ways to escape here. Now that I knew my parents were safe I had no reason to stay here any longer. The sooner I got out of here the better. The last thing I wanted to do at this point is become like Charlie or even help him. He's the last person on both worlds that I would ever want to help.

Chapter Nine-Eureka

         Weeks went by without any real success in me making that darn ruby hover. I was now in constant pain from the number of times I've been electrocuted. With the number of times that Lucia has hurt me with the lightning there were now burns on my back appearing. When I went to bed I would have to either lay on my side or my stomach because of how painful it was to lie on my back. Each night Charlie would come to my room to put something soothing on the burns on my back. As repulsive as it was to have him touch me the last thing I needed was to get an infection from the burns on my back. At the rate I was going by the time I managed to escape from here I was going to have quite a few scars on my body.

            Even now as I was lying on my stomach in bed listening to the rain hitting the glass on the balcony doors I just wanted to scream. I was so tired of Lucia hurting me just to get me to somehow manage to use magic. I was tired of Charlie pretending to be nice to me as because there was something he wanted from me. As crazy as it sounded I was beginning to miss Will even though he wasn't the most welcoming person. Being here I missed my parents all the more. I thought about them constantly really hoping that they were all right. I kept having nightmares about how I would get home just to find them dead. Each time I had this nightmare I would wake up gasping for air my body covered in a cold sweat. I knew that I needed to get some sleep but I don't want to close my eyes only to have that nightmare again. I usually just end up passing out because I can no longer keep my eyes open. Tonight with the thunder outside it made it pretty hard for me to fall asleep. The storm raging outside at least made sure that I won't be having that nightmare any time soon.

         I kept staring in to the flames that were roaring in the fireplace trying not to thinking about the lesson with Lucia I was going to have to endure tomorrow. I wasn't sure if Charlie's instruction to not getting me killed was going to be followed for much longer. At the rate she was going she was probably getting quite a bit of pleasure from electrocuting me so often. There were times that I was very sure that I saw her smiling as I laid on the ground squirming in pain. I would just walk up to slapping her across the face if I wasn't sure she would most definitely beat me to a pulp for doing so. I didn't need any more injuries than I all ready have right now.
         Knowing that I wouldn't be falling asleep any time soon I slowly rolled out of bed to go sit before the fire. I had several small rocks I had found while sitting underneath the willow. Ever since Lucia had began to use her torture tactics to teach me to use magic I've been trying to do it in my spare time. Maybe when I finally am able to at the very least be able to make a small object hover she'll stop using that damn circle. So on nights that I can't sleep I sit here staring at these little rocks praying that they will just twitch at least.
         Why are Charlie and Lucia so determined to get me to learn how to do this? Lucia said that she was able to see that I was capable of doing this including creating portals between our worlds. Yet before about a month or so ago I thought that magic only happen in stories and the movies. I thought that magic was something you believed in only when you were a child because you thought Santa and the Tooth Fairy existed. How was I supposed to do something that I wasn't even sure was real a short time ago? At the rate I was going I probably won't be able to see my parents for years if even ever again. I was even more sure that Lucia would probably kill me before I saw my parents.
         I was so focused on thinking about my parents and what they might be doing right now to try to find me that I nearly missed something important. It took me a couple of moments to realize that the rock I was trying to get to hover was actually steadily floating just a few inches above the ground. I was so startled that I gasped the rock falling back to the floor. Just as the rock clattered on the ground I felt something in the pit of my stomach clench as if something was closing. What was that? I focused my gaze back on the rock searching for that spot that had just closed in my stomach praying that I had finally figured it out. I wanted to jump with joy when I felt a sense of relief from the pit of my stomach. The rock shakily lifted off the ground to hover steadily once again. I couldn't believe after everything I had finally gotten it. I was actually using magic for the first time ever. Now the question is could I actually do what Charlie believes I can do. If I can create a portal to my world I'm going home the first chance I get. When I get there I can at least protect my parents from whatever Charlie tries to send after me.
         With that moment of discovery I ended up staying up all night lifting and moving around that little rock. I even attempted a to lift a few of the furniture in the room. Turned out the heavier something is that harder it is to lift. I broke a pretty big sweat just trying to lift the rug on the floor. I guess this was like any muscle in your body, you have to work to be able to lift heavier weights. By the time the sun was finally coming up I could make the rock dance around the room with ease. I was still practicing when my breakfast was brought up to me. I hadn't even realized how hungry I had become till I smelled the fresh cooked bacon and my stomach let out a loud growl. I was just finishing up eating when the door to my room opened again and Charlie walked in. Without hesitating I sent the rock flying across the room aiming it straight for between his eyes. The rock was nearly a blur as it moved across the room. I was very much disappointed when Charlie moved fast enough to catch the rock in his hand grinning at me the whole time like a kid in a candy shop.
         "I knew Lucia would be able to teach you how to use magic." he said. "She'll be most definitely pleased to be able to progress your training further."
         "In other words so she can torture me further." I sighed.
         "Her methods may be crude but she in the end did get the results that I was hoping for. Now all you have to do is learn how to open the portals." he smirked.
         "Yet I still don't believe you when you say my parents are being watched. For all I know you're just bluffing in hopes that I will continue believing this charade." I pointed out.
         "You willing to take the chance that I might be bluffing? I am many things my dear and I most definitely someone that plans for every scenario." he said leaning in close to me.
         I could feel my hatred for Charlie coiling around in my stomach and in that moment I lashed out at him for the first time. I sent my hand flying across the air trying to just hurt him any way I possibly could. Sure enough he caught me by my wrist still smiling at me. Holding on to my wrist he yanked me out of my chair so that I was standing up a hairs breath between us. I could feel my heart pounding in my chest wanting still to hurt him. The whole time he just smiled down at me as if he knew something I didn't. Having him this close to me made my stomach turn threatening to throw up everything I had just ate. How could someone grow up to become so twisted of a person?
         "Don't forget this one bit of advise. I'm the last person you would want to offend or to do anything against me. I may be nice now but I won't hesitate to punish you no matter how much I need you." he said his smile so cold that it felt like I had just fallen in to a frozen river.
         "Do you mind letting me go." I snapped.
         When Charlie finally released my wrist it was throbbing from how tightly he had been holding it. I could even see traces of new bruises beginning to form around my wrist. I unwillingly began following Charlie as he took me to another lesson with Lucia. I needed to know for sure whether or not my parents are in danger. The sooner I figured that out the sooner I'll be able to get out of here and run as fast as I possibly could from here. All I wanted now was to be home with my parents more than ever and as far from Charlie as I possibly could.