Stuck in the Past - Chapter Three

I pounded my fists against the door as tears threated to fall down my cheeks. When I stopped, I rested my forehead against the door. The doorknob clicked and I stumbled away from it as Lucero swung the door open and he stepped inside, smirking. "You'll do anything so long as I don't harm your lovely little friends, hmm?" He sneered.

I glared at up at him but finally nodded as my eyes dulled. I didn't have any other choice but to give in to him. If I didn't listen to him, he'd torture the others. I couldn't let that happen. I'd just have to suffer through whatever he wanted until they got the ship repaired.

A gasp escaped my lips as he suddenly rushed towards me, dipping me back like a dancer would, holding me suspended with his arm wrapped around my waist. I was forced to hold onto his shoulders by instinct. He smirked down at me before tilting his chin up and then leaning down to kiss the exposed skin of my chest. The second his lips touched my skin, I felt out of breath. Something weird was happening. What was he doing?

Gasping for breath, I finally managed to shove him away. He laughed and tilted his head back, letting out a long sigh as I collapsed to my knees. What in the world had he done and why was I so weak all of a sudden? I looked up at him in confusion as he turned back down to look at me. "My, my… You tasted much better than I thought. So much power…" He exhaled heavily in bliss.

"What… What are you?" I stammered.

"I told you, my dear, it is a surprise." Lucero laughed and vanished through the door again.

I leaned down on my elbows and fought back tears that wanted so badly to spring forward. I clutched my chest. What had he done to me? I jumped when the door suddenly opened and Leena stood there, shaking. "I am so very sorry miss. Please, you have to forgive me." She begged.

I stood up shakily and looked down at my hands. "I… I can't…" I stammered, unable to speak. I tried to summon the winds, concentrating harder than I ever had before, summoning all the strength left within my body to produce at least one measly puff of air. It wasn't possible. Nothing happened. The room was full of stale, stagnant air.

Collapsing to my knees, my hands shook and tears streamed down my face. Leena stepped over to my side and took arm. "You must return to your room, my lady." She ushered. I stood and followed behind her, moving without thinking about it. This would be how I put up with Lucero, it seemed. I would be a living doll. Without the winds or any way of fighting, how could I stand against him to protect the crew?

Leena helped me up the stairs and back down into the room where I had changed. She left the room after helping me out of the dress and into a nightgown. I lay on the bed, staring out the window. Surely the captain would be coming to fetch us soon?

I looked down at the bracelet latched onto my wrist. I noticed now that it was etched with strange runes. I growled and clawed at the bracelet, drawing blood from my wrist but the band refused to budge or even scratch.

Yelling in frustration, I pulled my legs beneath me Indian-style and took a deep breath. I rested my elbows on my knees and began to meditate. My concentration broke, however, when I noticed that I wasn't even able to levitate during meditation any longer.

My eyes closed as I fought to concentrate but it was useless. The harder I tried, the more the bracelet burned against my skin. I was finally distracted when I felt something furry brush against my leg.

Fear embraced my heart and I hopped to my feet, falling backwards in my haste as my eyes fell upon the fuzzy thing. It was a jet black cat sitting on the bed, a short tail flicking slightly behind it. The cat looked down at me with the brightest amber colored eyes I had ever seen. It was like a sphinx with the regal pose it held on the bed, sitting up with its head held high, its large ears alert.

I stood, eyeing the cat that almost refused to blink as it gazed upon me. "Who are you then? Are you one of Lucero's kitties?" I mused aloud with a sarcastic tone as I sat down on the bed. The cat leapt up onto my lap and I noticed that its tail wasn't just short for its kind. The last third of its tail was missing. "Oh, what happened to you tail?" I continued speaking to the cat as if it could really reply and I reached out to run my hand along his back.

The male cat began to purr and rubbed against my hips. I smiled and curled up in the blankets. As my eyes closed, I felt the cat curl up against the small of my back and I slowly drifted off to sleep with his warmth at my back.




I opened my eyes to find the room where I slept filled with steam. Sitting up, I noticed that the cat from before had gone and instead stood in the doorway. I stood and started to follow the cat. As it led me out into the hallway, I became aware of the fact that the halls were devoid of people and instead full of a strange kind of mist.

"Come on, come find me little nymph. Or should I call you the little werewolf?" A voice taunted me.

Spinning around in confusion, my eyes searched for the speaker. When I couldn't find the voice, my feet continued to follow the cat through the halls, down the main staircase, and through the door of the dining room that Lucero had left me. The cat ran through the now opened door in the far corner and I followed, pausing in the doorway before making my way down the narrow staircase.

"Hurry up, little wolf, or you'll lose track of the cat." The same voice urged and I spend up a bit. As I rounded the first corner, I noticed that the pathway was much darker than the one I had just left. I walked carefully down the set of stairs and soon found myself in a strange kind of dungeon that smelled horribly like dirt and something…metallic.

I stepped further into the room and was surprised when lights flickered on, revealing the boy from the mirror. He smirked at me when a blush crept into my cheeks. Immediately, my mouth began to speak for me without my brain telling it to talk. "Who are you? Why were you watching me in the bath?" I demanded.

"Why concern yourself with what is unimportant?" He quizzed, stepping closer and he held out his hand. "Come here." He beckoned.

"Why?"

"Would you just come here?" He asked, rolling his eyes impatiently before flexing his hand. I continued to stare at him for a long time but finally took a step forward, my bare foot tapping on the dirt floor. His impatient smile grew a bit warmer and I finally took in his face.

He was handsome but not in the way that Haden or Kyran had been. He had a round face with an arrow straight nose and shoulder-length black hair that looked soft as silk, the color of which only complimented his incredibly tanned face. His eyes were blazing ice blue and drew me in, making me feel safe and warm. But the smirk on his face was playful, teasing, and that confused me. Overall, he had a thoughtful and elegant face but his eyes and mouth were separate, playful and childish. This person, he confused and intrigued me at the same time.

Finally, I placed my hand above that of the boys but, when he went to grab my hand, the world around us shook. At first I thought it was something like an earthquake but instead the boy sighed and drew away from me. "Well, that certainly is annoying. Oh well; we shall meet again my dear." He smirked as my vision grew hazy and I finally let my close.

I blinked when my eyes opened again, I sat up quite abruptly, nearly smacking my forehead into Aslansa's nose but he jumped back in just the nick of time. "What the heck? Why are you so jumpy all of a sudden?" He asked loudly in confusion.

I rubbed my head and sighed. "I'm sorry. I was having a…strange dream." I said vaguely but my memory slammed into me like a wrecking ball – the ship! "Is the ship finally repaired?" I demanded frantically.

Aslansa's face fell and he shook his head. "No, that's why Captain Chen wanted to talk to us about." He said. "You should get dressed and come down to the dining room. That's where he wants everybody." Aslansa smiled and left the room, closing the door behind him.

I pressed my elbows to my knees and held my head in my hands. "Was it really only a dream? Is he even real?" I whispered aloud, frantically trying to decipher the dream. But nothing had happened, really. All I knew now was more of what the boy from the mirror looked like and… and he knew I was a nymph and a werewolf. How could he know such things? The werewolf soul within my body hadn't spoken or taken control of my body in weeks.

Then again, Lucero seemed to know that I wasn't human too. Was it so obvious that I was so unusual?

"What in the hell am I supposed to be?" I whispered horribly.