Chapter Eight

Ordin glanced behind him after Trexila disappeared. His eyes moved right and left, then around the area, to see if she had fallen or gone a different way. But no, she was gone. She'd been acting strange in the moments before her disappearance and he could only account that for the fact that she was a slipper. It had to be that she slipped. That was the only way he could make sense of it. Or maybe she teleported without him.

'No, Ordin. Don't think like that. Trexila seemed like a nice, whole being. She wouldn't just leave you.' He rolled his eyes at his inward battle. With a groan, he continued to push himself through the thick bushes and trees that made up the woods he had escaped into. Thinking back on it, only a mere hour since Trexila had gone, the archers didn't look like skays. They definitely didn't look like the rebellion though. Non-committals? But why would they have their arrows out? Non-committals were supposed to be passive to the war.

So if not skays, not the rebellion, and not non-committals, that could only mean one thing. Hunters. Slipper hunters. The ones that got slippers, killed them, and somehow captured their powers. They knew right where Trexila was taking them, or so it had seem. They wouldn't of been waiting for just any slipper though. That would of been a waste of time. And also, there were a lot of them there. Hunters went in small packs, not large.

None of it made sense! Nothing seemed to fit. And as Ordin began another inward battle, he failed to notice three people, dressed in all dark clothing, appear just a few feet from him, holding wicked looking knives out towards him.

"Well, well. Look what we have here." His eyes snapped up at the voice, free etched over his already worry-worn face. And as he took in the appearances of the people infront of him. Another feeling washed over him. The feeling of--

"Well look who finally decided to wake up." Trish Ellis was smirking down at me, her arms crossed in slight annoyance. My heart was a race horse in my chest and I was sure that if it was quiet or brighter down here, everyone would be able to hear and see it.

I'd just closed my eyes for a moment when they image started to appear. I was seeing from inside Ordin, I could hear his thoughts, feel his emotions. But I was snapped out of it before I could find out if he was safe or not.

"Trish." I nodded to her, trying to be polite, and forced. It felt like my stomach had been stretched and tied into knots. Half because I always felt uncomfortable around Trish and half because I was still worried about Ordin.

"So you are finally eighteen, huh? And how does that feel?" She was a four months older than me and two months younger than Drake. Perhaps she has forgotten that she was once seventeen too.

"Feels the same as seventeen."

With that, I moved past her and towards the other side of the basement where Lissa was challenging Klyne to a paper ball throwing contest. And was dominating over him completely.

"Ooh, in your face you Brit! Hey birthday girl. Saw you with the she-devil." I laughed and sat down between the two of them and then turning so I was laying across them, legs on Klyne's lap and head on Lissa's.

"You okay?" I smiled over at Klyne and nodded a bit.

"Where's Drake?" I glanced at Lissa when I asked the question, knowing she would of been paying attention to his movements more than Klyne. She skimmed the room and then frowned.

"He had been just beside the food table with Kris Wright, the soccer player with the mohawk. I didn't see where he went."

I lifted myself up a bit and glanced towards where I had been nodding off earlier. Trish was gone as well.

"I know I should trust Drake, and I do, but I don't like those two being alone together."

Klyne made a show of popping his knuckles before sweeping my feet off his lap and standing up.

"I'm going to go look for the host. I'll be back." With a wink, he disappeared towards the stairs, to go search for Drake and Trish.

"I wouldn't be worried that Klyne will say anything. He may act like an idiot, but he knows when to be discreet."

I nodded a bit, knowing this to be the truth. But that didn't help my anxiety any. Drake alone with Trish. Trish alone with Drake. Ordin possibly alone with people that may kill him.

A few minutes later, Drake appeared in my line of sight. He looked around until he spotted me, smiled, and headed over. I sat up, making a quick face to Lissa, and smiled back at him. After plopping himself next to me, the music stopped (thanks to Klyne though I didn't know it at the time) and someone yelled out "Presents!"

And in a matter of seconds, I was surrounded by wrapped presents, bagged presents, and some presents with just a piece of paper taped to it with my name and who it was from. Some were serious presents like a photo album from Joanne and some were funny like the pair of jeans with 'Hott Ass' stitched all over it from one of the girls on the volleyball team.

Trish handed me a perfectly wrapped box and told me to open it when no one else was around. Pretending to be sincere, I thanked her and promised to open it up tomorrow.

The rest of the night went by too quickly. We talked, played a few card games, and then people either left or found a place to crash for the night. Lissa, Klyne, Drake and I would be in his room and everyone else in the guest rooms or the in the living room. Rodney, Will, and half the football team got the basement to themselves. And Trish got the upstairs couch.

After we got dressed into comfortable clothes, we got into our respective sleeping spaces. Lissa on floor on the right side of the bed, me laying on the right side of the bed, Drake on the left side of the bed, and Klyne on the floor on the left side of the bed.

Lissa was the first to sleep, followed by Drake and then finally Klyne.

I sent up a quick prayer, that I wouldn't get caught and that I'd find Ordin, and let myself start to drift.

My body was being tugged in what felt like five different directions. I bit down on my lip so that I wouldn't cry out. I didn't know why this was so painful, it had never hurt before. Then when I was sure that I was about to just tear into little sections, it stopped. I opened my eyes and looked around. I was a few feet from the woods where I had disappeared before and no one was near. There was a wicked looking moon straight above me, emitting an almost red glare.

I stood up, slowly, and started towards the trees. It was going to be hard to find Ordin but I had to.

Branches ripped at my face and exposed arms as I tried to fight my way through the trees. And then I tripped over a raised branch. I glared at it to see that it wasn't there anymore. I bit my lip, fear and worry starting to knaw at my insides. I was in a strange land at night getting attacked it seemed like by trees.

I heard a giggle as I fought to stand up, my body already protesting the action. I tensed and looked around but saw no one. I launched myself into a standing postion and felt my eyes go cross afterwards. The giggling stopped and then I heard a gasp. I glanced around and finally found the source. A girl wearing a green dress stood leaning against one of the nearby trees. When our eyes met, she made a noise and the branches began covering her.

"No, wait!" They slowed down, but didn't stop. I took this as the okay to continue talking.

"I'm looking for someone who came through this way. I don't know how long it has been. His name is Ordin." At Ordin's name, the branches ripped away and she marched towards me. She was a head shorter than me and glared at the inconvience.

"You are that slipper that left him, aren't you?" She was angry. Angry may be an understatement, actually. I winced at the words.

"I didn't mean to, honestly. I was pulled back to my world. I came back as soon as possible to try to find him."

She waved a hand at me and started back towards her tree.

"Go all the way through, straight from here, and you'll come to an opening in the trees. Be careful when you cross through though."

"Why?" She giggled and then the branches wrapped around her and she disappeared. Once she was gone from sight, the tree began sinking into the ground. Eyes wide at what I had just witnessed, I began walking straight until I got to the opening. It took what seemed like forever to find it though.

I crossed through the opening after taking a deep breath, thinking I'd just end up in the clearing that was visible between them. But instead, I landed feet first in what looked like a little town. It was dark but the reddish moon was gone and a pale white moon replaced it.

I didn't know what to do, or what to expect. Another obstacle I'd have to cross was to find out where that little tree dweller sent me and why. I had to find Ordin, not play games. This was a setback.

"Halt!"

Seven men appeared around me, pointing the same wicked knives from my images earlier at my throat. I swallowed and tried to think of something to say.

"I come in peace."

And then I fainted.

--

A/N: I know I should of updated this sooner.
Sorry for the wait.
I'm going to try to start getting out atleast one every other day.
Buuut, Saturday is Prom and I have a lot I have to do before then.
I'm working on chapter nine right now so that will be up tonight.
Review and let me know if you like it.
And to the people who point out that my chapters are short;
Yea, and they aren't gonna get longer unless I want them longer.
Sorry.