Back to the Dream Page
Chapter 7
Juliet moaned. Her entire body ached and she was freezing. She tried to open her eyes but it didn't matter. She was surrounded by darkness. She would have been terrified, should have been terrified, but she was exhausted, drained by the pain. Slowly, she became aware of how she was situated. A wall supported her so she could sit up. Her wrists were bound tightly behind her back and her legs stretched out before her, her ankles also bound together.
She shook her head to try to relieve some of the pain and once her head was cleared of some of the fog, she struggled to get up. She bent her knees, slowly drawing her feet closer to her body. When they were close enough, she pushed herself up, inch by inch so she could stand up against the wall. She bit her tongue from crying out in the pain she'd just caused herself. The cry became reality though when a glowing red light shot out from the darkness and pinned her back to the wall where she crumpled into a ball.
The lights now turned on all around her and she blinked back at the sudden brightness. "Going somewhere?"
A woman's voice echoed in the giant room. Wait! Room? This is a gym! She looked around and found herself in her old high school's gym. "Who are you?"
"I am Cynthia, loyal servant to my master, the leader of the tenth division of the Nica."
"The who?"
"Don't mock me girl. Surely your boyfriend has told you about the great people of the Nica."
"Boyfriend? Nica?" Juliet shook her head against a pounding headache. "Look miss, I don't know what you're talking about."
She glanced up and vaguely sensed how much she'd angered the woman before her. "The name's Cynthia. Keep it in mind. You'll be screaming my name in hatred for a long time."
Is it my imagination or does she seem to be glowing? A red aura surrounded Cynthia and from her hands burst out a sphere of fire headed straight toward her. Juliet barely had time to brace herself against the pain before the ball hit her, pushing her back against the wall and knocking the breath from her. I didn't even have time to scream! Juliet's body twisted in agony as the rest of the shock coursed through her. Rasping, she asked Cynthia, "How did you do that?"
Cynthia sneered in return. "Like I'd actually tell you. I'm sure you have enough powers of your own to use if you wanted to. I still don't see why we need to get Lance when we have you."
At the mention of his name, Juliet tensed. What do they want with either of us? And then she realized it. I'm bait for a trap. No one knows I'm… I'm what? What in the world am I? She didn't try to think about that anymore. She needed to focus. "What do you need Lance for?"
"Are you really that dunce?" Cynthia looked bored. "He would have told you by now who he is."
"What? I only know one Lance and he's the same guy I've known growing up all these years. What in the world could you be talking about?"
"I'm only talking about your boyfriend Lance who leads many lives. One, he's your neighbor. Two, he's mega-star all around the world. Three, he's a training Lhaam warrior."
"A what warrior?"
The sound of doors crashing open startled both women and they looked toward the new incomer. "A Lhaam warrior," a deep, husky voice reverberated in the open gym.
"So you finally came," Cynthia smiled. "It's about time we met face to face. I was wondering what was keeping you. I thought you'd be here a lot earlier."
"Lance, no! Get away from here! They're after you!"
"I know Juliet, but I can't let them harm you." Lance hadn't even bothered to look her way; his gaze was fixed on the woman clad in a red, Oriental dress. Long, black hair framed her oval face. But it was her eyes that he focused on. Despite her Asian features, blue eyes flashed into his own pale green ones. "So what now Cynthia? I'm here. Let Juliet go."
"Not a chance. My orders were to take you and your girlfriend with me."
"Looks like the Nica are getting their wires crossed again. Juliet is not my girlfriend."
In the short pause that followed, Juliet found herself thinking about the comment he'd just made. For some reason… It hurt. Stop kidding yourself, kid! Both of you know that you weren't a couple. That thought didn't help ease the dull pain she felt.
Lance had taken his time, crossing from the doors to place himself at Juliet's side. Without taking an eye off Cynthia, he worked at Juliet's bonds until her wrists were free. He bent down further to undo the ties at her ankles when Cynthia finally grew bored watching and shot at him another of her fire filled Energy spheres. Immediately, Lance drew himself away from Juliet so she wouldn't get caught in the crossfire. His own icy-green stream of Energy shot out from a hand. Cynthia was able to dodge, the beam missing her by half a hand's length from her head. "Missed." Cynthia tried to laugh but her voice had betrayed her. He'd been too close.
"I'll make sure I won't next time." Lance replied back, smoothly.
Meanwhile, Juliet had quickly undone the ropes that had cut into her ankles and she stood, watching as her friend battled it out against Cynthia. Something inside her cried out to do something but what to do, she didn't know. Instead, she stood riveted to her spot, watching in horror as the two finally tired of this kind of battle and went for hand to hand combat. She marveled as Cynthia dealt her blows, half the time hitting their mark. Despite her success though, Lance dealt back two blows for every one he received. The only thing that had kept it from being a total loss for Cynthia was her agility. Juliet could swear she could almost feel the cat-like grace within that body of hers.
Frustrated, Cynthia broke away and tried desperately to summon the strength for her fire. Knowing what she was up to, Lance ran up to her, grasping her hands tightly in his trying to prevent her from doing anything. Instead, he screamed back in pain as fire burst from within his cupped hands. He shrank back and she turned her attention to Juliet, noticing that she was now free.
"Going somewhere?" she repeated from an earlier part of their conversation. She shot out a ball of fire and Juliet cried in pain.
"I said leave her alone!" Lance yelled out, rushing back to Juliet's side.
Juliet looked up and saw Lance running toward her. Juliet screamed again, but this time not in pain. "No, Lance! Turn around!" It was too late though. He'd turned his back on the opponent and now a glowing orb of fire hit him square in the back, pushing him even closer to Juliet. Another globe of fire burst near his feet and he knocked into the wall a foot away from Juliet. "Lance!" She rushed to his side and drew his body into her arms, shielding him from any blows Cynthia may throw their way.
Weakly, Lance grabbed for Juliet's hand. "Jules, get out of here! This isn't your fight!"
"I'm not leaving without you!" Juliet cried back, shuddering as another fireball hit her, almost pushing her down on top of him.
"You're getting hurt!"
"So are you!"
"Juliet-" His eyes reflected the terrible amount of pain he was feeling.
She forced her other hand to cover his mouth. "You're like a brother to me, Lance. You've helped me before. Now it's my turn."
Pushing him away, Juliet forced herself to stand up and face Cynthia. "You've gone too far!"
"Really?" Cynthia snarled. "Who's to say so?" She crossed her wrists and sent forward yet another sphere of fire.
"No!" Lance screamed. "Juliet!"
Blinking back tears, Juliet fell on one knee, trying to block the flames with her own arms crossed over her head. "You and your kind have harmed my friends and family before." Her hands began to glow white and the fire that had been used to attack her now surrounded her hands before disappearing inside of her. A serene look came across her face and she slowly stood up. "You asked who says that you've gone too far this time?" Tall and poised she stood, arms down at her side, hands still glowing. She looked perfectly calm, the only emotion betrayed by her fire-blue eyes before her rage overtook her body. "I do."
Not impressed by Juliet's bravado, Cynthia began summoning up more Energy inside herself but it was too late. Juliet raised her hands high above her head as she closed her eyes. In between her palms, a white light glowed in the shape of a ball. From it, small bursts of Cynthia's own fire erupted. Just as quickly as the orb was formed, Juliet spread her arms wide, sending the Energy mix hurtling toward Cynthia.
Lance's eyes widened at the sight and attempted to get to his feet. He watched as the white firelight stretched into a towering wall and then bent to surround Cynthia completely. The roar of the fire mixed with Cynthia's piercing screams echoed in the room. "Go home," Juliet whispered to Cynthia. "Leave my friends alone." The white fire and Cynthia disappeared. No mark indicated that a war had just gone on. Juliet stood for a second longer. Then she collapsed with Lance barely getting to her in time to break her fall. "It's okay. I'm just a little tired," Juliet blushed, not daring to meet his eyes.
"Like hell you're just fine." Lance said angrily as he cradled her in his arms. He forced a hand under her chin and made her look up. Despite her fatigue, a trace of Energy still lingered in her eyes. Not liking what he saw, he went on, "You scared me half to death just now!"
"Lance, I'm fine!" Juliet struggled to get loose from his firm grasp but he just held onto her tighter, causing her to give a little cry. "Let me go!"
Lance shook his head angrily. "There's no way I'm going to let you go now. Especially now that you've proven that you've got Powers inside you."
Quickly, he got up, still carrying her like a child in his arms. He forced her into his car and immediately, they were off. He tore out of the parking lot and out onto the streets, soon even leaving those behind for the country road that led out of town. "Lance, where are we going? Why are you angry with me? Stop it! Slow down! You're scaring me!"
Lance checked his speed and slowed down. His body still shook with fury though, and it showed in his icy glare as he kept his eyes fixed on the road ahead of him. His hands gripped the steering wheel so tightly, his knuckles had gone white. And still, he refused to speak to her.
"Lance, what's wrong?" She turned in her seat to face him and after a few moments of silence, he finally glanced over at her.
Instantly, he regretted it. He'd been trying to fight the warring emotions inside him. He'd been angry. I was a fool to think that someone like Juliet wouldn't be able to fight for herself. To think that someone like her would need someone like me to protect her… It was a mistake. And how else would I have protected her? Cynthia was my equal… And how would I know that she didn't have help close by? They'd know I didn't have anyone to help me, not this deep into the country, not after they'd killed my parents. Lance winced at the memory. No, they'd know I was alone. And now that they've figured out what Juliet has inside of her… If they didn't know before, they do now and it's far more important that she learn who she is.
Faced with a decision on what to do now, Lance relaxed. The calm he'd found in the silence evaporated when he met her glare and he tensed once again. "I'm taking you somewhere so that you may understand what's going on because I sure as hell don't." The lie slipped easily enough but it still left a bitter taste. He hadn't lied to her before.
Juliet sat back, turning her head to watch the country pass. Life's changing way too fast. Can I handle whatever is coming?