chronicles of eden - act I (96 page)

"You however aren't even worth a go with, too bad for you," he said as he geared back with the sword. Specca trembled then looked down as she shut her eyes in fear.

"NO!" she screamed, thrashing around wildly as she shot up from her dream. She looked around franticly then quickly grabbed her glasses, shakily putting them on to seeing Triska and Squeak staring at her with surprise. The girls were sitting back in the cabin of the caravan as it rocked slightly while on the move.

"No what?" Triska asked. Specca looked at them with a stunned expression then over to see Daniel and Alyssa sitting in the front of the caravan, both of them looking back at the nixie that had suddenly screamed out in terror.

"Specca? What's wrong?" Daniel asked.

"You ok?" Alyssa asked curiously. Specca caught her breath and held a hand to her head.

"Bad dream. Very bad dream," she said shakily. Daniel smiled gently at her and nodded.

"Well you're safe now, Specca, you can relax," he said kindly. Specca nodded slowly and breathed out in relief.

"Oh my, that was a rather frightful one," she said worriedly.

"What was it about?" Triska asked curiously. Specca shook her head and looked down.

"I don't want to discuss it, I'd rather not think about it again," she said softly. Triska nodded and glanced to a few books that were lying next to the nixie.

"It's all those stories you read, and about monsters no less," she pointed out. Specca smiled slightly and glanced to the books.

"Reading helps me relax, Triska, and I'm well aware these are just stories. Besides, I feel in control of my own imagination when I'm reading a book, reading about such things doesn't frighten me," she said softly, the girl then freezing in place at realizing what she just said. Her own words seemed to echo in her mind, hearing what she said from her dream. She smiled nervously and let out a small laugh.

"What's so funny?" Triska asked. Specca shook her head and looked down again.

"Nothing, just…" she said quietly, then slowly looking back to the books near her. She hesitated for a moment then slowly reached out and picked one up, her eyes widening with surprise at the title.

"Wait…" she breathed out, the girl then quickly flipping through the pages. Triska and Squeak watched her curiously as the nixie shook her head worriedly.

"No… no no no… this… this can't be…" she said nervously.

"What's wrong?" Triska asked. Specca froze then glanced up to the girl from the book, her breathing quiet as she felt that bad feeling forming in her chest again.

"This book… it shouldn't be here," she said shakily. Triska just looked at her puzzled as the nixie looked back to the book. It was a story about a girl who was in love with her neighbor, but was too shy or scared to say anything to him. However one day when a few other girls tried to court him she went crazy, and murdered them violently to keep the boy she loved all to herself. It was a dark tale of corrupted love and sorrow as the girl killed anybody that got close to the boy, until finally she killed him out of insanity. Specca looked at the book with disbelief.

'This… this is another book I read at Ashwood… how… how did it get here? Unless…'

She jumped a bit and slowly looked up with wide eyes, realizing the truth as she felt that horrible feeling in her chest again.

"I'm still dreaming," she breathed out as she saw Triska glaring at her, the human having her dagger struck out at her side and into Squeak's neck. The ant girl was gripping her hand with a frightful expression, her squeak coming out as a gurgled whimper as blood spurted from her neck. Specca backed up against the wall with fright as Triska yanked out the dagger, the blade slicing out of the ant girl's neck with a slick crunch. Squeak dropped down with a thump as Triska smiled wickedly at Specca.

"Triska," Specca breathed out in horror.

"He's mine… mine…" Triska hissed as her eyes slowly glanced over to Alyssa. She lunged over and grabbed the witch from behind, shoving her dagger into the girl’s throat as Daniel looked over with surprise. Alyssa cried out hoarsely as blood spurted out from her neck, her arms flailing around before dropping at her sides.

"Triska! What are you doing?" Daniel cried out. Triska laughed erratically as she pushed the witch over the seat, the girl falling down in front of the caravan. As the ride bumped a bit from the witch's body being pulled under the wheels Triska grabbed Daniel and yanked him into the cabin, the boy landing on his back as Triska leaned down close to him with a deranged smile.

"I love you, Daniel, I LOVE YOU!" she screamed before she struck her dagger into his chest. He yelled out in agony as he struggled to push her off, the girl laughing maniacally as she carved upward with her blade. The razor edge sliced through his body and up into his neck, the girl pushing it down with frustrated growls and grunts as blood splattered around.

"How could you even
consider
choosing them over me, Daniel? How? I loved you! I loved you!" she yelled out as Daniel coughed out blood, flailing about before dropping down limp. Triska yanked the blade out and looked to Specca with a twisted smile, the nixie backing up fearfully as she stared with shock.

"No… it's just a dream… it's just a dream… it's just a dream!" she screamed, watching as Triska laughed manically before lunging at her with the dagger. The human tackled her down and jammed the blade into her chest, the nixie crying out as she kicked around underneath the girl.

"He's mine… he's mine, you bitch!" Triska screamed as she carved upwards through the nixie’s body, the blade slicing through her flesh as blood poured out and formed into a puddle around her. Specca coughed out blood as she flailed around, watching with fright as Triska smiled devilishly down at her.

"TRISKA!" Specca screamed as she shot up from her dream, thrashing around in a fearful state. She stopped and looked around to seeing everything blurry nearby, the girl quickly grabbing her glasses and putting them on. Looking ahead she saw Triska and Squeak staring at her with surprise as they sat against the wall, the girls sitting in the cabin as it was moving along like before.

"What?" Triska asked startled. Specca breathed heavily and shook her head with fear in her eyes.

"Specca? What's wrong?" Daniel asked up front in the driver's seat of the caravan, the boy and witch looking back at Specca with surprised expressions as well after her outburst.

"You ok?" Alyssa asked curiously.

"Make it stop… make it stop!" Specca cried out as she scrambled back away from everybody, huddling up in a corner by the back wall as everybody looked over to her with wonder.

"Specca, calm down. What's wrong?" Daniel asked as he entered the cabin and slowly moved towards her.

"She's freaking out, Triska what did you do to her?" Alyssa asked looking to the human.

"I didn't do anything, she was asleep peacefully then she just screamed out my name," Triska said defensively while shaking her head.

"Great, she's having nightmares about you. That explains everything," Alyssa said flatly.

"What? Why, what did I do?" Triska asked in disbelief. Squeak moved towards Alyssa with a worried expression along with Daniel, the nixie screaming and shaking her head in terror.

"Make it stop, make it stop, make it stop!" she screamed. She looked down to seeing a book lying in front of her, the girl shakily grabbing it and looking at the cover. Her mouth quivered as she shook with fear, her eyes reading the title of the book. She threw it away and held her hands to her face as she screamed.

"Not again! Wake me up! Wake me up! Wake me up please!" she cried out as the book bounced past Daniel and the others, all of them watching the nixie as the clouds above started to turn darker. Slowly fog started to creep around the fields of tall grass and old trees that passed by, all while Specca curled into a ball and screamed in fear for what story from Ashwood she would be living out next in this endless nightmare.

"WAKE ME UP!"

*****

"Wake up! Wake up already!" Falla shouted as she shook the sleeping nixie franticly inside the caravan. Next to her Luna was trying to pry open Squeak from her curled up sleeping position, the butterfly girl straining herself to even budge the ant girl.

"Wake up, please!" she grunted before dropping back onto her rear, looking at Squeak with wonder as the ant girl slept quietly while tucked into a ball.

"I said wake up! Tell me what happened to Daniel! Tell me right now!" Falla yelled before she slapped Specca across the face. The nixie didn't even flinch or make a sound, seeming to be out cold in a deep sleep.

"They're not waking up, what's wrong with them?" Luna asked worriedly.

"What the hell is this, how can they all be so goddamned tired anyway?" Falla shouted as she looked between the sleeping monster girls with disbelief. She and Luna ran out of the cabin and looked around again while Lucky continued just look around casually while standing still. All that was seen around them were thick veils of fog while the sky above was dark and cloudy.

"What do we do now? They won't wake up at all. How are we going to find Daniel if we don't even know what happened here?" Luna asked while looking back down to Triska and Alyssa, the two girls sleeping quietly in the grass next to the caravan. Falla and Luna looked at the fog drifting around them cautiously, both of them feeling like there was something else nearby that couldn't be seen. Falla slowly shook her head then glanced to her sister.

"Luna, I don't think we're alone out here."

*****

Triska yawned as she held a hand over her mouth, sitting in the driver's seat of the caravan while holding Lucky's reins. The horse was running along a dirt road at a brisk pace, with fields of tall grass and old trees passing by while the sky above was starting to get cloudy. Small wisps of fog were beginning to creep through the landscape as Triska looked around with a calm expression. She glanced back to seeing the others sitting inside the cabin, with Daniel reading his monster book while Specca and Alyssa were sitting on either side of him looking at the book as well. Squeak was sitting across from them, sitting on her legs with her abdomen sticking out to the side, and watching the boy with a gentle smile.

"This is amazing, Specca, I can't believe you wrote all of this from memory alone," Daniel said as he turned the page.

"It was nothing, Daniel, really. I'm just glad to be of some service to you," Specca bashfully said, holding a hand to her cheek with a soft blush. Alyssa looked at the nixie with a dull glance then up to Daniel as she scooted closer to his arm.

"But, Daniel, I know about lots of monsters too. I was going to be your guide out here before she was, remember?" she asked holding onto his arm and bouncing up and down with a pouty smile. He chuckled as he looked over to her while Specca gave the witch a dull glance.

"I know, Alyssa, and I'm still thankful you're out here helping us as well," he said kindly. Specca smiled bitterly at the witch then held onto Daniel's other arm.

"Don't be jealous, Alyssa, it's nothing against you personally. It's just Daniel needs a more
knowledgeable
guide out here in the wilderness," she said arrogantly. Alyssa held in her growl as she forced a smile, holding Daniel's arm tightly.

"I'm not jealous, Specca, I'm
glad
you're with us on this trip. And I absolutely don't mind protecting
you
as well from other monsters and bandits, after all I
am
Daniel's guardian out here," she replied through bared teeth. Squeak pointed to herself with a dull expression and squeaked a few times, once again being ignored as Specca and Alyssa kept staring at each other with forced smiles. Triska was just looking back at them with a raised eyebrow while Daniel was trying to keep his eyes on the book and not the obvious tension between the two girls.

"For your information, 
Alyssa
, I don't need your protection. Daniel's the only protection I need out here," Specca said proudly.

"I am?" Daniel asked nervously, glancing to the nixie. She nodded and rested her head on his shoulder with a gentle sigh.

"Yes, I only truly feel safe when you're near. If it wasn't for you I might have perished in Ashwood during that monster attack, you're a real knight in shining armor, Daniel," she said softly. He smiled curiously as the nixie looked at him with adoring eyes. Alyssa growled then hopped onto Daniel's lap, hugging him close as she shot Specca a glare.

"That's nothing, Daniel saved my life by fighting off a bunch of wolves, he nearly died trying to save me. If anything he's
my
knight in shining armor," she asserted firmly.

"Hey, get off of him, both of you!" Triska said looking back to the girls with annoyance. Alyssa looked over to her as she clung to Daniel's chest.

"Excuse me, Specca and I are having a private conversation, do you mind?" she asked simply. Triska growled loudly then gasped, her eyes widening as she stared at something. Alyssa looked at her puzzled then over to see Daniel holding Specca close and kissing her, the nixie's head being held by his hand as she stared at him with surprise. Squeak stared at the sight as her jaw dropped while Alyssa trembled in shock.

"D-Daniel?" she stuttered in disbelief.

Daniel kissed the nixie then leaned back, with Specca staring at him with a deep blush.

"Daniel…" she said under her breath.

"I had no idea you felt that way about me, Specca, why didn't you ever tell me?" he asked gently as he slowly ran his fingers through her hair. Everybody watched with surprise as he held Specca with his arm and brought her over onto his lap, knocking Alyssa off as he kept his eyes fixated on the nixie. Alyssa tumbled back then shakily sat up as she stared with disbelief while Squeak and Triska slowly shook their heads with mortified expressions. Specca looked up at Daniel as he held her with both of his arms, her head resting against his shoulder as she held onto his chest.

"Daniel… I…" she said quietly.

"I'll always protect you, my beautiful nixie," he said as he pulled her close to him. She gasped quietly as tears started to form, her tail twitching as she clung to him tightly.