Skin and Bones
One
O N E
I blink. All I can see is green, brilliant and vibrant. Beautiful. I sit upright, squinting as I look around. I’m in some kind of field where the grass, when I finally manage to stand, comes to the top of my thighs.
I look down at myself to see that I’m still dressed the same as I was before. And that means I’m not wearing shoes.
“Great.” I mutter.
And then nothing matters because I get a sick feeling to my core, something’s wrong. I glance around and my eyes skip straight past it the first time around. My head jerks back just to see it come scuttling towards me.
I don’t know what ‘it’ is. It’s unlike any animal I’ve ever seen before. It looks like some kind of reptilian animal – maybe a snake? But it has legs. Six of ‘em. Its tail sits completely upright, its skin is scaly and glistens – and its eyes are huge and white with a tiny dot in the centre.
Its tongue flickers out from between its mouth I rushes forwards, the speed of its movements surprising me.
The noises coming from the animal – despite the fact that it’s no bigger than a house cat – are loud. A kind of wet snuffling that might have sounded like an animal if it wasn’t so other-worldly.
I take several steps backwards but before I can turn and run. I trip over something and with an audible ‘oof’ I drop, my back aching in response.
My first instinct s to scream – but in my head a crystal clear voice breaks through. “Don’t.”
So I bite on my tongue. The thing is in front of me now. I struggle to sit up and watch how it pauses in front of me, tongue flickering out, scenting the air, eyes staring into mine.
Then a hand shoots towards it from no-where, literally, wrapping tightly around the things next and throws it away – far away.
Then another arm wraps around me and lifts me upright, the abruptness of the move making my sway slightly.
I find myself face to face with brilliant green eyes, tanned skin and an easy, relaxed smile. His hair is short and curly and he’s at least several inches taller than myself.
“You alright girl?” He asks, his voice friendly.
I nod helplessly, more confused than I’ve ever been in my life.
“The name’s John, John Edwards – and you are?”
For a moment, I find myself phsycially incapable fo speaking. “Oh, uh Irina. Irina McCarter. What was that?”
He shakes his head and sighs, his arm dropping from around me. “A Critter.”
I stare at him, my face slack and devoid of anything as I try to understand.
“A bug.” He says in an exaggerated tone.
“That was a freaking bug?” I gasp.
He eyes me up, suspicion lurking within those eyes, eyebrows drawn together. “Well obviously.”
“Where am I?” I ask, confused again.
“So firstly you failed to recognise a common Critter and now you don’t even know where you are?” He says sceptically. “We’re in the Bodantis.”
I feel my upper lip curl slightly as I stare at his handsome face. More confusion. What the hell’s happened? “Where?”
“Bodantis – the Realm of Demons.” He says as if it’s obvious.
“I have no idea where that is! What are you on about?”
“Do you at least remember how you got here?” He asks in exasperation, throwing his arms up into the air.
I remember the TV, the noise, the man... his touch. His voice, the whispered words – telling me to sleep. Something must have been evident in my face because his eyebrows mash together.
“What’s wrong? What happened?” He asks worriedly.
“Do you believe in...” I struggle to find the right word. “Magic?”
“Of course.” He scoffs.
“What?” I gape.
“Well obviously I believe in Magic – I am a being of such.”
“A – a – a what.?”
“I’m a Werewolf. What about you?” He asks curiously.
I find the words refusing to exit my mouth. It opens and shuts several times before I can choke out the word. “H – human.”
He jumps back as if I have some kind of disease. “A human?” He hisses, spitting the word out.
I rub a hand up my arm, surprised at his reaction. “Uh, yeah?”
“Humans are forbidden from entering this Realm – you shouldn’t be here!”
“Why?”
“It’s against the law! How’d you get here?”
So, I tell him exactly what happened to me. And afterwards we both sit, me slightly shaken, him slightly disturbed.
“This isn’t right. Do you remember any of the foreign words he was saying?”
“Glaciers? Uh, maybe not. Terra was one. I remember that for sure. I had a dog called Terra once. Do you think it was a reference to her?”
He shakes his head, smiling a slightly amused smile. “I doubt it.”
“Could have been.” I mutter.
“Any others?”
“Beast... beast... something. Beastie? Beastia? Something like that.”
I look across at him to find his staring outwardly, mouth a hard line, eyes grim.
“Do you know what it means?”
“I think I do. I’m not sure.”
“Care to elighten me?” I ask in expasperation when he refuses to talk any more.
“I think it’s a spell to... sort of, free Magic, power. Did he... did he cut you in any way? Did he spill blood?”
I shake my head.
“Good, good.” He sighs in relief.
“What does this mean?” I ask quietly.
“It means that you shouldn’t be here!” He growls, standing suddenly, grabbing my hands and jerking me up.
“But I am!”
He looks at me. “I don’t want to have to do this, but I’m going to have to. Forgive me.”
I take a step back, my heart beginning to beat faster in my chest. “What... what do you mean?”
He reaches a hand forward and before I can skip out of his reach, presses a finger to the centre of my forehead. Before I can blink in response, I feel the darkness tide over me and once more, I’m dragged in.
I blink. All I can see is green, brilliant and vibrant. Beautiful. I sit upright, squinting as I look around. I’m in some kind of field where the grass, when I finally manage to stand, comes to the top of my thighs.
I look down at myself to see that I’m still dressed the same as I was before. And that means I’m not wearing shoes.
“Great.” I mutter.
And then nothing matters because I get a sick feeling to my core, something’s wrong. I glance around and my eyes skip straight past it the first time around. My head jerks back just to see it come scuttling towards me.
I don’t know what ‘it’ is. It’s unlike any animal I’ve ever seen before. It looks like some kind of reptilian animal – maybe a snake? But it has legs. Six of ‘em. Its tail sits completely upright, its skin is scaly and glistens – and its eyes are huge and white with a tiny dot in the centre.
Its tongue flickers out from between its mouth I rushes forwards, the speed of its movements surprising me.
The noises coming from the animal – despite the fact that it’s no bigger than a house cat – are loud. A kind of wet snuffling that might have sounded like an animal if it wasn’t so other-worldly.
I take several steps backwards but before I can turn and run. I trip over something and with an audible ‘oof’ I drop, my back aching in response.
My first instinct s to scream – but in my head a crystal clear voice breaks through. “Don’t.”
So I bite on my tongue. The thing is in front of me now. I struggle to sit up and watch how it pauses in front of me, tongue flickering out, scenting the air, eyes staring into mine.
Then a hand shoots towards it from no-where, literally, wrapping tightly around the things next and throws it away – far away.
Then another arm wraps around me and lifts me upright, the abruptness of the move making my sway slightly.
I find myself face to face with brilliant green eyes, tanned skin and an easy, relaxed smile. His hair is short and curly and he’s at least several inches taller than myself.
“You alright girl?” He asks, his voice friendly.
I nod helplessly, more confused than I’ve ever been in my life.
“The name’s John, John Edwards – and you are?”
For a moment, I find myself phsycially incapable fo speaking. “Oh, uh Irina. Irina McCarter. What was that?”
He shakes his head and sighs, his arm dropping from around me. “A Critter.”
I stare at him, my face slack and devoid of anything as I try to understand.
“A bug.” He says in an exaggerated tone.
“That was a freaking bug?” I gasp.
He eyes me up, suspicion lurking within those eyes, eyebrows drawn together. “Well obviously.”
“Where am I?” I ask, confused again.
“So firstly you failed to recognise a common Critter and now you don’t even know where you are?” He says sceptically. “We’re in the Bodantis.”
I feel my upper lip curl slightly as I stare at his handsome face. More confusion. What the hell’s happened? “Where?”
“Bodantis – the Realm of Demons.” He says as if it’s obvious.
“I have no idea where that is! What are you on about?”
“Do you at least remember how you got here?” He asks in exasperation, throwing his arms up into the air.
I remember the TV, the noise, the man... his touch. His voice, the whispered words – telling me to sleep. Something must have been evident in my face because his eyebrows mash together.
“What’s wrong? What happened?” He asks worriedly.
“Do you believe in...” I struggle to find the right word. “Magic?”
“Of course.” He scoffs.
“What?” I gape.
“Well obviously I believe in Magic – I am a being of such.”
“A – a – a what.?”
“I’m a Werewolf. What about you?” He asks curiously.
I find the words refusing to exit my mouth. It opens and shuts several times before I can choke out the word. “H – human.”
He jumps back as if I have some kind of disease. “A human?” He hisses, spitting the word out.
I rub a hand up my arm, surprised at his reaction. “Uh, yeah?”
“Humans are forbidden from entering this Realm – you shouldn’t be here!”
“Why?”
“It’s against the law! How’d you get here?”
So, I tell him exactly what happened to me. And afterwards we both sit, me slightly shaken, him slightly disturbed.
“This isn’t right. Do you remember any of the foreign words he was saying?”
“Glaciers? Uh, maybe not. Terra was one. I remember that for sure. I had a dog called Terra once. Do you think it was a reference to her?”
He shakes his head, smiling a slightly amused smile. “I doubt it.”
“Could have been.” I mutter.
“Any others?”
“Beast... beast... something. Beastie? Beastia? Something like that.”
I look across at him to find his staring outwardly, mouth a hard line, eyes grim.
“Do you know what it means?”
“I think I do. I’m not sure.”
“Care to elighten me?” I ask in expasperation when he refuses to talk any more.
“I think it’s a spell to... sort of, free Magic, power. Did he... did he cut you in any way? Did he spill blood?”
I shake my head.
“Good, good.” He sighs in relief.
“What does this mean?” I ask quietly.
“It means that you shouldn’t be here!” He growls, standing suddenly, grabbing my hands and jerking me up.
“But I am!”
He looks at me. “I don’t want to have to do this, but I’m going to have to. Forgive me.”
I take a step back, my heart beginning to beat faster in my chest. “What... what do you mean?”
He reaches a hand forward and before I can skip out of his reach, presses a finger to the centre of my forehead. Before I can blink in response, I feel the darkness tide over me and once more, I’m dragged in.