So…after that cracking (I’m trying to prolong the Christmas jokes for as long as possible) Christmas present comes the next surprise – a New Year surprise to be exact.
I hope this one proves to be a hit!
CHAPTER 1: ALEX
Cold.
I was so cold.
Pain.
I ached so much.
Alone.
I realised that there was no one else around me.
What the bloody hell was going on?
Slowly, I opened my eyes and wished that I hadn’t. The pain seemed to sense that I was waking up for, as soon as my eyes had somewhat adjusted to their surroundings, it hit me like a thousand lightning bolts. I cried out. God, I felt as if I had just been flattened by ‘Elmer’ the elephant. I had never felt such pain in my life before.
I lost consciousness.
When I eventually managed to open my eyes once more, I still felt awful. Nonetheless, this time, at least I was able to find the strength to try and sit up. The pain returned, as excruciating as ever.
Doing my best to ignore the thumping in my head and the screaming of my muscles, I was able to gather my bearings.
I didn’t like what I saw.
Mist surrounded me. The mist, which clouded my gaze, was like a white ghost. It circled my shivering body and made every hair on my arms and legs stand up on end. It was the kind of mist that manages to freeze your insides. It was the kind of mist that likes to play tricks on you. I didn’t like it.
The mist didn’t like me.
Stumbling to my feet, crying out as pain wracked my body, I suddenly saw things. I saw strange shadows and shapes in the mist, which haunted my nightmares and plagued my existence. Then, as clear as day, I saw Vladimir Alcaeus.
Vladimir.
OMG.
Vladimir.
I had never been so happy to see someone in all my life. I could finally get some answers to this bizarre mess of a situation.
“Professor Vladimir sir!” I shouted, so happy to see someone and that someone be Vladimir of all people. “Oh my god. I can’t believe it’s you. Thank god you’re here.”
Vladimir ignored me.
I tried again.
“Professor Vladimir,” I called out. “Please talk to me? It’s Alex. Alexandra Raven.”
Once more, Vladimir ignored me. Instead, he turned around and disappeared into the surrounding mist.
“No,” I cried and confused by the whole situation. “No. Professor Vladimir, don’t go. I…I need to talk t…to…you. Please…don’t leave me here all alone!”
Limping, I followed his receding figure. When I was sure that I was standing in the exact place he had been moments before, I reached out. I grabbed thin air.
No. No. NO! I thought, feeling tears trickle down my cheeks.
“Where have you gone?” I cried out, desperate for an answer.
The mist swirled about me, teasingly.
What’s going on? I thought, sinking to the floor in despair. No one answered these questions. Instead, I was left, once more, alone, with only the mist for comfort.
Suddenly, like I had noticed with Vladimir Alcaeus, I spotted another figure in the mist.
This time, I was positive it was Jasmine.
“Hey,” I yelled, getting up once more and staggering over to the misty figure. “HEY JAZZ, IT’S ME, ALEX.”
As I got closer to this figure, it stayed where it was, not moving. Then, at the last minute, when I was virtually in touching distance, the seemingly real figure of Jasmine turned around. She also disappeared into the surrounding mist.
The dreadful truth hit me.
OMG. I suddenly realised, clutching my head in my hands and sobbing. It was this mist. It was playing tricks on me.
It was using my mind against me.
“STOP IT,” I screamed, feeling my temper flare. “STOP…TEASING…ME.”
The mist carried on swirling about, filling up my senses, suffocating me.
I was going insane.
As I grew more and more exasperated, especially when I began to see other people I knew in the surrounding mist, like my parents and David, I panicked. What’s more, I acknowledged that I wasn’t at the academy anymore.
I was somewhere else entirely.
How had I got here? I thought. My breathing accelerated dramatically. Blackness engulfed my memory.
I cried out in frustration.
Where was ‘here’ anyway? Another thought consumed my mind, as I trembled in terror.
HELL. A voice from the deepest parts of my brain answered for me. You’re in HELL.
I screamed.
Everything went black.
Happy New Year!