Fear

Briar Elwood

Chapter III

A Stranger

“You know, Sass, if you’re not going to talk to me I don’t really see the point in staying over tonight.”

Sass looked up from her book later that evening to see Zoey sitting on a bench across from Sasira. She sighed, closed the book, mouth twisting at her friend.

“Well you didn’t have to tell Dad.”

Zoey shrugged. “I can’t say I’m sorry.”

Sass sighed again. “You need to lie every once and a while, Zoey, you know that?”

Zoey grinned. “So you’ve told me.”

Sass returned the grin and jerked her head to the stairs. “It’s getting late. Shall we head for bed?”

A Few Hours Later…

Many giggles and annoyed bellows from Elax to shut up, he was trying to sleep, Sasira and Zoey finally quieted down.

“I can’t believe we’re still so immature,” Sass muttered, turning on her side to get more comfortable. Zoey coughed to hide a laugh.

“We’re perfectly mature…except when we’re together.”

A few resounding cracks filled the air and Zoey shot up to a sitting position, glaring at Sass. The older girl cowered in her bed, shoulders shaking.

“Sorry,” she chocked through stifled chortles. “Forgot.”

Zoey harrumphed. “Yeah, whatever. You crack your knuckles too much you’re gonna get arthritis.”

Sass rolled her eyes, glad it was dark and Zoey couldn’t see it. Another crack filled the air. Zoey’s back tensed.

“I’ll kill you,” she hissed. Sass giggled. Crrrrack.

“I’m dead serious, Sass.”

“All right, all right, I’m done!” Sass protested, still chuckling. Zoey glared, eyes glinting in the moonlight from the window.

“You better be.”

Silence filled the room as the two friends settled themselves in to sleep.

CRRRRRRAAAAAAACK!!!!!

“Sasira Ked, I’m going to kill you!” Zoey bellowed, jumping out of bed and jumping on Sass’s. Sass sat up, hands raised defensively.

“It wasn’t me, I swear! That was too loud for cracking knuckles!”

Zoey saw the logic in this and sat down at the edge of the bed, frowning. “Then what was it?”

Sass shrugged, the familiar fear she had grown up with creeping up her spine. “I don’t know.”

Zoey and Sass held gazes for a brief moment before they both flew out of the room and down the stairs. Jaren was at the front door, opening it with a frown. The girls guessed he thought the sound had come from outside.

“Dad!” Sass hissed as the door opened to reveal a stranger. No one could be sure, but it seemed to be a man. He was extremely tall, over seven feet tall, and wore a black tunic and cloak. The hood was pulled over his head, hiding his face in shadows. As Sass stared at the frightening character with curiousity, Zoey felt a tug on her hand and looked down to see Elax had joined them to watch. The nine-year-old looked afraid and confused so Zoey knelt down beside him, wrapping an arm around his waist.

The stranger pointed at Sass, his hand covered by a black glove.

“Come.”

Despite the mystery of this man, his voice was quite normal. It was low and foreboding, but very human. Sass frowned.

“Come where?” she demanded. The hand fell softly to his side.

“With me.”

“I’m coming with her,” Jaren insisted, sounding determined yet knowingly scared. Zoey straightened.

“We’re all coming.”

The stranger didn’t look too happy about this but must have seen they wouldn’t be dissuaded so did not argue. All five of them suddenly raised up off the ground, causing a surprised squeak come from Zoey’s throat. As Sass watched her father’s expression, he seemed to become more and more apprehensive. She wondered if he knew what was going on.

The stranger turned and walked out the door and the rest of them found they were following him without doing anything at all. The man went directly to the center plaza, heading toward the hole. When he reached it, he didn’t stop but dropped from sight. Despite efforts to continue on, the other four followed down the ditch.

Slowing right before hitting the ground, they finally came to rest on the ground. Sass looked around her, observing her surroundings. They were in a large room, the walls stretching higher than the sky, it seemed, but there was no ceiling. There was a…lift in the floor, somewhat like a bridge, but more like…just a wrinkle in the ground. It was only in the middle of the floor, too. The stranger in black stood on the wrinkle and there was another person about ten feet to Sass’s left.

“Spencer!” she exclaimed, running to his embrace. “What’s going on?” she whispered. Spencer gave her a worried look.

“It’s the dream.”

A/N: Yeah, it’s shorter, sorry.

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