Alexis had been hiking with her friend Marshall when they came to a fork in the path.
On a tree was a sign that said 'Here be Ferries.' Alexis laughed out loud, "Look at that sign, Marshall! Isn't it hilarious?"
Marshall grinned. "Yeah," he said, "Whoever made it clearly doesn't know how to spell fairies. F-A-I-R-I-E-S."
They both burst out laughing. "How about we go and see the 'ferries'!" Alexis said.
She started walking down the path and Marshall followed.
"Woah! What's that!?" Marshall exclaimed.
Alexis looked in the direction he was pointing. "What's what?" She asked.
"That!"
Alexis squinted. "I don't see anything. Are you trying to trick me?"
"No! Why would I do that? Agh, come on. I'll show you what I mean." He grabbed her hand and started to pull her off the path.
Alexis started to protest, "I don't think we should go- Wow!" Her words were stopped by an enormous cavern on the side of a small cliff. It little sparkly stones made it glitter. "Are those-"
"Diamonds? I think so! They don't look like that fools gold stuff."
"How did I not see this?" Alexis whispered. Then something caught her eye. "Is it glowing down there?" She asked Marshall. She turned around. "Marshall?! Where are you? This isn't funny!" She started to bite her nails. "Marshall! Stop playing pranks please!" She started to panic. Where could he be!? She thought. Oh, what am I going to do? "Marshall Alexander Gretchen! You come out here right now!" She yelled.
Did he go farther into the cave without me? She wondered. "I'm coming down there, Marshall!" Her voice echoed off the shiny walls. As she trudged the wall's crystals disappeared, and soon it was pitch black. She walked towards the odd glow, and in no time at all new why it was glowing. Her breath caught in her throat. Little blue butterflies were flying everywhere. They seemed to be stars against the now black cave. Several started to flutter around her head, but the closer she looked, the lesser they looked like butterflies. "Are you . . . , fairies?" She asked one of them. It flew up to her cheek and kissed her, and then it nodded. Several of the fairies chirping at her and flying behind her. "Go further?" Alexis asked. They all nodded. "O-Okay," she stammered and continued walking.
Suddenly, a fairy squealed as loud and clear as day. Alexis covered her ears to block the shrill sound. "What is it?" She said over the loudness. The fairy stopped its ruckus and flew over to Alexis's ear. "Imagine there are magical worlds through mirrors guarded by ferrymen. Beware of your friend. He holds danger. And watch out for the stairs."
"Wait, what stairs? What's going on? What do you mean Marshall holds danger? Do you know where he is?" But the fairy had already flown away. "Ugh, thanks a lot." Alexis mumbled. She continued walking. She walked. And walked. And walked. "Will this ever end!?" Alexis said to no one in particular. Her voice echoed through the cavern. "I can't even see!" Well, her walking ended, but then she wished it hadn't. A faint light from somewhere above lit up a never ending staircase. Alexis went wide-eyed and muttered to herself, "I wish I had never wished for walking to end, because now I get climbing." She sighed, "I better start."
While she climbed she tried to count the stairs, but she gave up at step 1041. Her leg muscles burned, and her breathing became labored. She looked at the passing stairs as she moved along. All of a sudden, the stairs stopped. For some reason her feet expected to find more stairs, making her move forward. Alexis looked up just in time to bump into something. "Ow," she rubbed her nose softly and her eyes focused on a very intricately designed mirror. Its glass looked more like ice than glass. In fact, when she reached out to touch it, she found that it was indeed glass. When she ran her finger over it she found that her fingertips sank into it. "Huh, " she muttered. She put a bit more pressure on her hands and they completely sank in. She gasped. She walked forward a bit and was sucked into the vortex.
She tried to scream, but no sound came out. She couldn't breathe, and she felt like thousands of pounds of ice had fallen onto her. She squeezed her eyes shut hoping that when she opened them the nightmare would be over. Abruptly, the air rushed into her lungs, making her gasp. Her eyes shot open, and the scream her vocal chords had been looking for came out. She was free falling straight from the sky, and the ground was hundreds of feet below her. As it grew nearer she shut her eyes closed again and couldn't help imagining her lifeless body surrounded slowly melting ice. No, don't think like that! Her head screamed, which was kind of hard since that was about to happen. No Alexis! Die bravely! So much for self advice.
When she was 10 feet above the very hard ground, something took hold of her shirt and propelled her back into the sky. Alexis opened one eye, surprised to see the ground becoming farther away rather than closer. Am I flying? No. I must be dead already. My spirit must be floating up. But how come I don't see my body on the ground? She squirmed in the air and was finally able to see what was lifting her. A short squeal left her mouth, "Dragon!" It's enormous silver wings push air down, making her hair flutter everywhere. Very sharp talons gripped around her body. She felt like the fish prey of a hungry eagle. She took deep breaths and tried to steady her breathing.
The dragon in all its silver glory flew to an old wooden bridge and sent Alexis sprawling on it. She sat up and spit wood splinters out of her mouth. "Thanks a lot!" She said angrily to the big beast sitting in front of her. It's enormous, cartoon-like, brown eyes seemed to bore into her very soul. It's scales shimmered, making it look like it was swimming in rainbows. It sat there for a little while longer, and then it flew off.
Alexis stared at the slowly disappearing speck in awe and surprise. "Uh, ok. What just happened? I have to be dreaming." She pinched her arm. "Ow!" She yelped. "Ok, so I'm not dreaming. What do I do now?" She new she was supposed to be looking for someone or something, but she couldn't quite grasp it. "Marshall!" She said, surprising herself after several minutes of severe thinking. She rubbed her forehead where a headache was starting to form. "Where could Marshall be?"
"You found it!" Someone said behind her.
Alexis screamed and clutched her chest to face Marshall's grinning face. "Marshall!" She scolded, "Don't just sneak up on me like that!"
He just grinned wider, "Sorry." He sure didn't sound like it though. "Come on! I found something!"
"What more is there to see?" Alexis grumbled, "I saw everything from a very scary birds eye view."
Marshall laughed. "I saw. That's why that dragon went to get you. I sent it."
"So . . . You knew this place was here?" Alexis asked, confused.
"Hard climb wasn't it, huh?"
Alexis scowled. "You could've just come with me, and maybe I wouldn't have nearly died several times."
Marshall just shrugged and repeated, "I want to show you something."
"Fine!" Alexis threw up her hands, as if surrendering. Marshall smiled and grabbed her hand, tugging her off the bridge. "Where are we going?" Alexis asked after a few minutes of walking.
"It's a surprise." He wiggled his eyebrows.
"Please don't do that! It's creepy!" The motion reminded her of what the fairy had told her. She shook off that feeling of dread trickling down her spine. He would never betray her, let alone, hurt her!
He led her to a blue bush and pulled out a small brown box. "Open it, " he said.
"Um, OK," she took the box and pried it open with her fingernails. She gasped as dark mist floated up. She accidentally inhaled some and coughed. It tasted like smoke. She blinked it out of her eyes. Her eyelids seemed became heavy. She collapsed onto the ground.
Marshall stood over her. He was grinning maliciously. "They will be so proud of me. I have captured a Wanted at last."
He said more, but Alexis had gone unconscious.
She dreamt of horrible things. Wolves chased her. People died. Some were things she wished she could forget, but she couldn't. People were lost, rejected, and harassed. They were chased by unworldly beasts, and they were tortured.
Her eyes opened slowly. Everything was blurry, and she felt like she had a wet sandbag on her shoulders. Her wrists were bound to a tall wooden post. "Marshall?!" She called. She called out his name again and again. Hoping he would hear. Hoping he would care. She let her tears fall. "So this is what betrayal is," she whispered to herself.
She needed a hero. But who? Who could save her now? It dawned on her. She needed to be her own hero
"Paige?" Paige looked up from her desk. Her classroom was empty except for her teacher. "Paige, your detention is over. Is your paper done?" Paige nodded, stood up, left her story on her desk, and left quietly.
Sorry it's so long!
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