Chapter Eight- Part One

What was so special about this pen?

Irene Albion

I failed.

I remembered entering the portal, leaving all my new friends behind only to be rejected and sent back. When I entered, a chill walked up my arms and settled in the crook of my neck. Unwelcomed to the darkness, I was thrown back.

Again, I tried and tried until I was forcefully thrown out and was forced to hit my head against the walls with a strong thud.

The Reaper burst in after hearing the noise. The place was sent into chaos as lightning struck originating from the portal itself. The smoke enveloped itself before burning blood red. Once it was clear the portal was unstable, everyone ran to escape through the lone exit. I didn't know who was holding me until we were outside in the shaking catacombs, debris falling around us just like that night the Knightmare came. I looked around to the best of my ability with my obscured sight of red. Not an Aether creature in sight.

"Hurry, escape up the stairs!"

Lightning flashed.

"We're trying!"

Thunder crashed.

"Down the corridor. Go!"

We kept running.

Rubble surrounded us, falling like hail and hitting the floor around us with a huge bang. Heavy thundering footsteps echoed as they beat the ground.

Boom, boom, boom.

They didn't stop.

I could briefly open my eyes now, shaken up from banging my head against a wall. Above me, I looked at the world's scariest face, but right now I was the most relieved I've ever felt. Medina was the strongest, built like a body of muscle. If anyone could carry me to safety it was most definitely him.

He held me tight as he leaped over cracked and crushed stones, around us the old labyrinth of aged history fell to shards, collapsing in on itself as a hurricane of power swept the place dry. Taking everything down with it.

If only my escape had worked, then this mess wouldn't have happened.

No, stop it. These self-pitying thoughts weren't going to help us out of this mess. Instead, I clung onto Medina as he turned left and I offered to be his eyes. At least I could save his back the same way he saved mine. Though, I won't be as helpful.

Something was amiss.

I struggled. "Stop moving."

Medina yelped. "Are you mad?!"

"Just listen to me, old man," I yelled, "Stop it."

He did.

Just as I anticipated. The falling of debris had stopped along with the deafening roaring. I could finally breathe. I extended my hand forward, and in doing so I felt that wretched, sickening feeling recoil back only to be stuck between my hand and the wall of broken stone. As if taking a form, the ickiness circled itself until it was a living, beating pulse of life. Unlike with the Knightmare, where I felt nothing, I could feel the ripples of disgust and fear undulate like waves. The closer I got, the faster it beat.

Behind me, I heard a ruffling of footsteps and then felt Archie's hand hold my shoulder strong with the will to protect me. Quietly, she directed, "Irene, get away."

I protested against her touch. This Aether energy rejected me, it was trapped within my grasp. How could I let it go?

"Irene." This time the worry in Archie's voice was evident. I looked at her, keeping my arm outstretched only to find her face contorted with…fear. I scanned the faces of the others and sure enough, they looked frightened.

Were they afraid of me?

I couldn't stand how no one spoke so I took it upon myself to curse the silence and break it once more. "This Aether is rejecting me. Go on now and do your job."

Go on, exterminate it.

Archie, without missing a beat, lunged for the ball of energy, wrapping her ribbon around it nice and tight. Tighter and tighter until the Aether struggled and dissipated into the air, like nothing ever happened.

Actually, what just happened?

The Reaper's slow, exaggerated claps resounded around us. Like a pitiful laugh, it echoed miserably. It took an immense amount of self-control to stay put, from the faces of the others I could tell the same. As he waltzed forward, my eyes looked down scared. Scared was normal, scared was something to keep me safe and yet my insides were screaming to run.

"Bravo Shifter," he chorused.

Archie snapped. "Your appreciation isn't wanted."

"Well, I for one appreciate the noble bravery displayed before my eyes. However, care to tell me what exactly happened in there?"

"You're the all-seeing noble one, deduce it for yourself," huffed Archie.

"Oh, how you test me, Archie."

"I wouldn't be testing your height if I were you."

He cracked a knuckle and I could feel a bead of sweat fall from my chin. Physically, I wanted to stop Archie from digging herself a second grave, Mentally, I was cheering her on.

He cleared his throat before continuing, "Clearly things went sideways."

Archie looked as if she were to pop a vein. "No shit Sherlock."

As much as I'd love to watch Archie murder the Reaper, I couldn't have anyone dying again (if that were even possible), not at my hands nonetheless.

I interjected, "Now now, let's calm down before someone ends up losing a hand or two."

As if this were a comedy, they both glared at me in unison. It was like lecturing stubborn siblings who refused to listen. It was infuriating. I was half expecting them to point fingers and declare the other one for 'starting it first'.

I gave in and looked at the two of them who clearly had a better grasp of the situation than I did. "What happened?"

The Reaper spoke easily. "For starters, the Aether actively chased and hunted you. Clearly, your presence has aroused suspicion as most anomalies do."

I arched a brow pointing at the wall behind me as I inquired, "And what happened in there…"

Archie replied this time. "The Aether rejected you at the last second. It is still speculation, but I believe something was controlling it, and now we're left with no way back to Earth."

Still confused, I probed, "Meaning?"

"Meaning," The Grim Reaper finished my sentence, "that something doesn't want you leaving Grim."

I bit the inside of my cheek, "That's absurd."

"You act like wandering the land of the dead isn't."

It was a lot to take in. I was stuck, caught in some complex plan involving literal dead people and some unknown plane of power. It hadn't really hit me yet, that I couldn't go home. Couldn't read Grandpa's lamentable literature, see the scorn on my mother's face or see the college building one last time. I was here, stuck in Grim.

So why was I happy?

"Anyway, unless you're all interested in suffocating down here let's make our way above ground," finished the Reaper. "Shall we?"