02 - Three Moons (1.2k words)

Nivi and I wandered through the dimly lit streets, our laughter filling the night air when a sudden, piercing pain in my neck jolted me to reality. My fingers instinctively found a dart in my skin, which prompted me to look up in the direction of a building from which the dart should have come from."Crap," I muttered under my breath, realizing instantly what was happening,"Run, Nivi!" I hissed, shoving her away with whatever energy I could muster. "Get out of here! I'll catch up to you!" But deep down, I knew that was a lie; my legs were already betraying me, refusing to move as dread settled in.Figures clothed in black jumped out from the shadowy alleyways and vans, their movements sharp and intent on me. As the world around me started to blur, rage boiled inside.Damn that old man and his twisted games!But Nivi, with fire in her eyes, wasn't having any of it. "Like hell I'm leaving you!" she spat out defiantly, "I've always been an open book with you, shared every stupid, little detail of my life, and here you are, living some kind of double-agent life! You think you can keep me in the dark? Think again! I will uncover every mystery, every hidden truth about this life you've kept from me. Watch me!"I saw Nivi, her face etched with fear and determination, trying to fight them off as I was dragged inside the van, to save me. "Don't be stupid, Nivi! Don't fight them! Just go back to the dorms! I'll be fine!" My voice was slurred, the words barely escaping my lips.The last thing I saw before darkness enveloped me was Nivi being manhandled into a van by the road with me.'You've really done it now, you maniac! Pulling Nivi into your sick world too?! I swear, I'm going to kill you next!'A stream of curses flooded my mind.· · ─────── · ⊱❈⊰· ─────── · ·Waking up earlier than expected, my senses immediately snapped into high alert. The throbbing pain at the back of my head was a stark reminder of the situation, but I pushed it aside, focusing on the task at hand. The interior of the van was dimly lit, casting a shadow over Nivi's unconscious figure.Silence was my ally as I crept towards the front, where the driver was focused on the road, momentarily glancing at my backpack beside him on the passenger seat. The confrontation was swift as we fought for control, each of us vying for the upper hand. Just as victory seemed within my grasp, the steering wheel wrenched itself with a mind of its own, sending the van spiraling toward the guardrail.My eyes widened when I saw what was coming at us. With every ounce of strength and resolve, I lunged back towards Nivi, who was still slumped over, unconscious but alive. I shielded her with every fiber of my being, ready to deflect any damage.The world around us erupted in chaos as the van collided with another vehicle, the sound of crunching metal filling the air. My heart pounded in my chest as the van teetered precariously on the cliff's edge, the vast, dark ocean stretching below us, threatening to swallow us whole.The crash had been jarring and disorienting, but it provided a moment of chaos I could use to my advantage. The door flung open, and hands reached in, intending to drag me out and back into the world I was currently so desperately trying to escape from-my father's world.But I wasn't about to let that happen. Not again. That's the mantra I've always repeated to myself right before spectacularly failing to uphold it.Gripping Nivi firmly, I made a split-second decision.Turning towards the front of the wrecked van, I spotted our only escape route through the shattered glass of the windshield. In a moment fueled by sheer willpower, I kicked through the remaining shards, creating an opening for us to pass through.With Nivi clutched tightly against me and the backpack strapped firmly to my back, I took a deep breath and leaped, diving out of the van and into the open air. For a moment, time seemed to stand still as we fell, the ocean rushing up to meet us.The cold water enveloped us in an icy embrace as we plunged into the depths below. Kicking hard, I pushed us towards the surface, desperate for air.As I finally gasped for breath, my relief was short-lived. The moment I opened my eyes to gauge our surroundings, expecting to see the cliff's edge from which we had just plunged, I was met with an impossible sight.There was no cliff, but a flat beach, and...The night sky was dominated by not one, but three shimmering moons, each casting a unique glow over the landscape.Confusion twisted my features into a frown. The cold, salty water around us suddenly felt different, almost alive with an energy I couldn't explain. I quickly shifted my focus to Nivi. Laying her on the strange shore, I began to do CPR.After a tense moment that felt like an eternity, Nivi finally coughed, expelling water from her lungs. Relief washed over me, almost as tangible as the water we had just escaped. As she lay there, slowly regaining her senses, I collapsed beside her, my own body giving in to the exhaustion that had been building up.The adrenaline that had fueled all the fighting and swimming was waning, leaving behind a deep fatigue. But even in my worn-out state, my mind was racing, trying to piece together our situation."How...?" The question died on my lips; fear and wonder surged through me as I took in the alien landscape. While catching my breath, a sudden movement caught my eye.Across the unfamiliar terrain, a dark silhouette appeared. At first, it seemed distinctly human, a male figure standing tall against the backdrop of this alien night. My heart skipped, afraid it might be one of my father's men again.But before my eyes, the figure began to change, morphing in a way that defied all logic and reason. The outline of the man twisted and elongated, his limbs contracting as his body took on a new form.In mere seconds, the human shape was gone, replaced by that of a...snake? Large and imposing, its red scales reflected the moonlight in a mesmerizing dance of light.My breath caught in my throat, words failing me completely. The transformation was seamless, a fluid shift from man to beast that left me questioning the very nature of reality in this place.Nivi stirred beside me, but I could only stare, transfixed and speechless, at the creature that now slithered gracefully across the ground where a man had stood moments before.'Maybe if I play dead, it'll ignore us,' I considered, the idea sounding more like a desperate hope than a viable strategy.'If that was an animal, I'd just yell like a banshee to scare it off. But nope, that was totally a person just a second ago.'My fingers brushed against the blade at my side, its cold metal a small comfort. The thought of launching a surprise attack if things took a turn for the worse lingered in my mind.