People aren't always what they seem. Both in real life and in our books or stories, people have more secrets than anyone is comfortable with admitting. Writing or reading is no escape from the lies, but it offers a new variety of lies that we can simply observe, instead of trying to fight against. Sometimes, it does offer an escape, when everyone just seems to get along. Here's a bit of both situations.
Will had rubbed sticky white goo all over her hand and then wrapped it in gauze. It itched, and she grew frustrated with it before he had even finished wrapping it. Mercy frowned, saying, “I don’t like the sunburn. I like going to the beach. Daniel, when was the last time you went to the beach? You must be too strong to do anything like that, huh? I bet there are more downs than ups to being powerful.” Daniel chuckled quietly, and put down his almost-statue. He looked at the pile that was Cindy and sighed.
“She should wake up soon. I suggest that you three get some sleep before she does, because once Cindy is rested, we leave. I’m going to explore a bit while you nap. I’ll be back in an hour, so be ready to leave by then.” He threw his bag over his shoulders and picked up his knife and flashlight. He had started to go through a narrow tunnel in the back right corner of the cave when Mercy stopped him.
“Daniel, is the Diamond in Blood Mountain? Or are we here for information? Do you have any maps of the tunnels, or are we going to be wandering blind?” Mercy lay down, using her bag as a pillow.
“Well, according to legend, the ‘exiled traitor’ guarding the Diamond lives underneath a ‘mount of death’ and that is one of Blood Mountain’s nicknames. And it also implies that the diamond is in the dragon’s dwelling place; here. I’m not sure if the dragon is an actual dragon, or if dragons really do guard stuff, or if that’s just a racist cliché, but it must have some guardian of some kind or it wouldn’t still be under the dirt after it was mined.
“Stories don’t say what powers the diamond has, or even if it has any, but people have been trying to get it for eons, so it’s most likely powerful in some manner or another. We are here to retrieve the Diamond, and get out as soon as possible. Too many rumors tell of too many monsters living down here. No one comes out sane, though, so no one can confirm any of the rumors.
“I have some books on this mountain with me that I’ve been meaning to read. I started one, it’s on all the mystical legends of the mountain, and it implies that there are entire cities in the depths of the tunnels. If that tale proves true, we may survive longer, but it could also mean we will die sooner, as well. The books on the Blood Diamond don’t say anything about a city being the location, but no one really knows, so it very well may be in one of them.
“None of the books have any maps in them, so yes, we will be wandering blind. But if we don’t get the Diamond to the council, you know what happens to us.
“What really discourages me is that no one has ever even seen it or the guardian. So we may just be chasing a fairy tale. On the bright side of that comment, we have enough rations to last us the entire month and then some. And if Nelly, may I call you Nelly, Cornelia? No? Oh, well, I don’t care. If Nelly here eats only in a smaller form, we should be good for a week after our due date. Now, I will go explore, you sleep. Then we will have a head start on our goose chase. Sweet dreams, cupcakes.”
Then he was gone, and Will stared at the spot where he had been, thinking on what he had said. On the ride here, Mercy had told him about a council of seven of the oldest vampires in the world. There were seven councils total; the Originals, the Dragons, the Vampires, the Shifters, the Walkers, the Fae, and the Mortals. She hadn’t explained what each race was, although he had figured out the Vampires and the Shifters.
Glancing at Mercy, who was blinking repeatedly with a confused look on her face, he lay down and fell asleep immediately.
***
Cindy awoke to Mercy and Chocolate Cake, or… Will. That was his name; he was the one who Daniel had kidnapped along with everyone else. They were talking quickly, in sharp tones, and the shifter she had smelled earlier was laughing at them. Cindy had been awake for a few minutes after Mercy had covered her… why had she covered her?
She had heard Cornelia’s name and knew, because Chocolate Cake and Daniel obviously weren’t nicknamed Cornelia, that the almost inaudible giggling in the background was coming from the Shifter.
“I never said I wanted to come, yet you just swooped me up and plopped me in the middle of your fantasy world! It may come as a surprise to you, but I don’t want to be here! This is why we broke up. You are controlling and ignorant to what anyone else wants!” Will was saying.
“Don’t you change the subject, William! You had no choice in whether you came or not in the first place, so I didn’t bother asking. And I broke up with you because you are human and you are stupid! You never listened to me. I dated so many guys last semester I didn’t even recognize you at first. I didn’t even know your name. Going on six dates is not a relationship, anyway, so it shouldn’t even matter why I ‘broke up’ with you!” Mercy had her back turned, facing Will, but her wings had torn through and Cindy suspected her eyes were red.
Cindy sat up, saying quietly, “When was the wedding?” and Cornelia burst out laughing uncontrollably. Cindy hadn’t thought her comment that funny, but she noticed just afterwards that Daniel had emerged from a tunnel in the back of the cave and said the same thing at the same time as Cindy had.
Mercy whirled around, and Will and Daniel looked at her as well. She sat up slowly, and then reached a hand up to her face.
“Did something happen to my face? What’s wrong? Will, don’t you just smell lovely today. Care to join me for a snack? Mm, didn’t think so. Well? Is anyone going to tell me why you are all suddenly obsessed with my appearance? Is my beauty just too much for your weak minds?” she smiled slightly, then remembered what had happened the previous day.
“I see. Yes, well, you are all going to forget about my little indulgences yesterday and we can get this party started. Anyone care to tell me why I am in a cave? And Daniel, be a dear and tell me next time you want to invade my territory without permission.
“Mercy? Why in the world am I wearing your midget clothes? Ugh, blue does not compliment my hair at all.” She stood, and that seemed to break the spell encasing the others. Mercy smiled at her last comment and handed Cindy her bag.
“I’ll fill you in on the way. We’re going to get the mystical legendary Diamond. Did you know it was Daniel in Paris?” she put her arm around Cindy and led her to the tunnel.
“Boys, stay here until we’re changed.” She pushed Cindy through first then came in herself. The tunnel was wide enough for comfort, and the entrance was small enough for privacy. Perfect for a changing room. Cindy frowned at what Mercy had said about Paris. She looked at her dubiously.
“It couldn’t have been Daniel in Paris; he isn’t the type to do something like that. Oh, is that why we’re getting The Rock? So Daniel can join council again? Damn him, he always ruins everything. I thought we were just going for the hell of it. Can you help me with this? You know your clothes don’t fit me. You’re too short. Much better, thanks.” Cindy dressed, and Mercy put her loaned clothes back on, and then gave Cindy her still-damp ones. They chatted for a few more minutes, then laughed as they heard Daniel comment on their ‘sheer womanly slowness’.
Laughing, Cindy and Mercy stepped back into the main cave. Chocolate Cake was sitting against the wall of the cave, near the entrance, throwing rocks out and watching them fall the long distance to the ground. Daniel was standing deeper in, his tiny piece of wood spinning and twisting in his hands as he chopped off tiny bits. The Shifter was clinging to the ceiling, in the shape of a bat. It snarled at her and dropped down to sit on Cake’s shoulder, shaping into a tiny yellow bird and nuzzling into his neck. He looked up, then stood, smiling at Mercy slightly. His eyes moved to Cindy and widened. Satisfaction filled her, and she moved her hip out to the side just a bit.
“Hi, I’m Will, we didn’t really meet. You’re Cindy, right? Um, yeah. You… look better today. I mean, you didn’t look bad yesterday, but today, I mean…you, um. Yeah. I’m just going to stop now.” He nervously dropped his eyes as Cindy watched in amusement. She was used to that reaction, but it was funnier every time.
“Charmed, Choc… er, Will. Lovely to make your acquaintance.” She smiled brilliantly as he looked up again, and his eyes found the floor once again. She turned to Daniel, who was watching the scene with just as much amusement as Cindy. “Just one question for you, Daniel.” She flashed a smile, earning an equally brilliant smile in return.
“Yes, my beauty? What is it? We must be quick, though, because we have less than twenty seven days to navigate the whole of the underground labyrinth.” He gestured to the tunnel in the back of the cave. Cindy’s smile fell.
“It’s actually about that, darling. You see, I was just wondering what the hell possessed you to go to Paris and completely—“
“We don’t have time for that story now, dear. Let’s move. I have much to tell you of my research on our, er, project. Ladies first.” His pupils had grown large, turning most of his eyes black and showing anger, and he gestured to the tunnel again. Cindy looked at him curiously before slinging the tiny bag she’d packed and strutting over to the hole.
Mercy had already gone in and had watched the scene from inside. She helped Cindy through then walked down the left path of the fork at the end of the hallway. Cindy opened her mouth to ask how Mercy knew which way to go, when she noticed light indents in the wall, leading down into the darkness.
“What’s down the right tunnel?” she asked instead. Daniel’s voice was close behind her when he spoke moments later.
“It’s a dead end, eventually. This way goes on for miles before branching again.” His words were clipped short and sharp. He spoke with precision, as if choosing the words carefully before letting them out. He was still upset about her question. Touchy.
They followed the path for a long time in silence after that, until it grew almost too dark for even the vampires to see. Daniel was pulling out a flashlight when Cornelia, back in human form, spoke.
“Batteries and electricity won’t work down here, not anymore.” Daniel bit his lip.
“I have torches, but only enough for a day or two. Why doesn’t electricity work, miss helpful?”
“There is something here. I … I can’t tell what species, but it doesn’t want us down here. Do we have to keep going? Okay. If we’re just walking, I can help with light. I should be near the front, though, for everyone else to see.” She glanced at each member of the group, assessing them with narrowed, thoughtful eyes. She sighed.
“I’ll need a ride, and since I don’t trust any of the vampires present, William, would you mind me riding your shoulders? Thank you. This form may appear a little… unusual. Don’t look me in the eye when I’m in this form. And, um, that’s it. This is really random, I know, but, I’ve never actually tried this before and this is my first opportunity and it’s kind of, um, forbidden in my culture to try it so it’s going to make it so much more fun. I like doing stuff forbidden ‘cause I like being kind of – sorry. Okay.” She took a deep breath and smiled. Then the air around her turned a sickly pink color, then reddish, then orange, and a series of gradual changes until it shone a brilliant yellow. It was bright, and soon Cindy looked away because of the pain. Bright light wasn’t a favorite of vampires.
When the light dimmed enough for her to see again, a large snake-like… thing was sitting across Will’s shoulders. It was glowing with a gentle yet bright yellow-ish light. It… she, had silvery-white scales, and would have looked like a normal silver snake, save for the glowing and the face. The face was the part that really creeped Cindy out. It consisted of a human-ish essence and two slits for a nose, with eyes that burned with white light, a pitch black slit down the center, like a cat’s. Cindy looked away from the fiery eyes quickly, the girl’s warning playing over in her head. The snake-thing’s mouth moved, and the words that came out were slow and low pitched. Creepy.
“Awesome. Totally, completely, absolutely awesome. The person I bought this shape from said it was rumored to have been the shape-shifters’ original form. From when we all lived in swamps, used our light to attract prey, then when they looked us in the eye, they froze and we could eat them while they just sat there, helpless. All the internal systems seem functional, and now I really, really want to try hunting in this shape. I wonder if…” she trailed off, and then the pink light started up again. When it dimmed this time, Daniel whistled. Cindy swore. William gaped and Mercy sat down on the cold tunnel floor, one hand covering her mouth.
Cornelia laughed and jumped up and down. She wore a human shape, but the scales, glow, mouth and eyes were the snake’s. She wore a dress of thin, golden shining fabric, which shimmered when she moved. Her voice was light and bubbly, and when she moved her skin, or scales, rather, a quiet ring sounded as her silvery-golden-shining-scales bumped into each other. Her glowing silver scaly face wore a huge grin, and she pushed aside thick dread-locks of glowing silver hair.
“I think I just discovered medusa!”
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