I am number Ten

CHAPTER 8

            It was the first time I had been on something that flies since I was five. It feels a bit scary but also very exciting. I sit by myself with my backpack on my lap. Inside contains my Chest, extra sneakers, first aid kit, water, my latest cell phone and passport, my sketchbook and something to entertain myself. I tap the top of my bag as I wait anxiously. Part of me wants to get into the air and part of me wants to stay at the place I know as home. Annie and I have never travelled by plane before because Annie was always scared we'd crash or run into Mogadorians.

            We've had no trouble so far. We waited a few days before heading to the airport. We hoped that no Mogadorians followed us. For extra measure, we both changed our appearances. I cut my hair and dyed it blond for the sake of a disguise. I also have green contacts in, a colour I often wished my eyes had been. Annie was good with technology and forgery, I was an expert in disguise. I had studied many magazines and analyzed how con artists avoid detection. I spent a wad of money on the most advanced makeup kit of all time. 6 different colour contacts, 9 blending skin tones, 11 hair dyes and tonnes of normal makeup were just some of my tools of the trade. It travelled with me all the time and I knew how to make myself look different. It was an extra precaution that we took so no one would recognize me.

            I kept staring at the aisle, waiting for Annie to board. We'd agreed I'd go on first and she would bring up the rear. I anxiously rustle through my backpack and continuously tap my legs.

            Finally, Annie's face appears and I relax a bit. She takes the seat behind me and I stare out the window at the wing and wait for sleep to take me.

             I shut my eyes and let the turbulence of the plane take me far away from here. I listen to the turbines and I breathe deeply. Then I drift off.

            When I open my eyes again, I'm standing in a beautiful field against a rose coloured sunset. Large hills accumulate behind me and in the distance, I can see a vast forest. I don't know how I know it but this is Lorien. Just some feeling I get when I think about home. I walk slowly along as a breeze picks up and rustles the grass all around me. The gentle breeze also picks up the folds of my white skirt and I feel like it's going to carry me away. I continue my journey and stop to pick a wildflower from the grass. I slowly pull it into my hair when I hear my name.

            I see a boy in the distance. I can't identify him easily, I squint over and I start to run. The breeze continues to pick up my skirt and I feel as light as a feather, almost as if I could take off. I reach the boy and warming glow fills my body. I feel my face flush slightly as the boy smiles back at me. We need not speak for we understand each other. I reach out and try to grasp the boy's hand but I can't.

            All of a sudden the sky becomes dark and the wind is gusty. I stare in horror as the beauty I embrace vanishes in some black hole. I turn to the boy and I see his eyes grow dark. He smiles at me, evilly and he begins to shake. He face contorts and he becomes larger. His eyes become almost red and a purple gash appears on his neck. I have to stand back as this man grows and towers over the darkening sky. He bears a sword in his hand and I notice a number of assorted tools on his belt. I stare at his bulging chest and notice three pendants glowing brightly. I recognize the symbols and my stomach knots tightly.

He now stares down and me and shows his ugly, yellow teeth.

You can see that the truth can be dark he says to me in a voice that chills me to the bone.

        He steps aside to reveal a boy...No, the boy I knew from childhood, only he is taller and built up more, about my age. Our eyes meet briefly before he disappears again. He looked neither sad nor happy, sullen in a way. I sensed mixed emotions that were mostly dark and menacing.  The figure shows me a girl, young, less than ten at least; she stares at me with dark eyes that match the figures. She smiles wickedly at me but I feel something else in him.

Beware of the truth the figure roared, for it will reveal the future.

I hear my name at a distance and I search for the voice. The girl and the figure have vanished and I am stuck in a swirling cloud of darkness. I fight my way out towards the voice but I see no avail. I make one last attempt to fight.

            My eyes fly open and I sit up in my seat. I'm drenched in a cold sweat and my bag's on the floor. I wipe my face and turn to find Annie next to me.

"You were pretty intense there," she said softly, "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine" I lie and pull myself together. "It's just the pressure change"

"We're descending right now so get your stuff together"

I obey and hold on to the seat grip as we touch down in Argentina. The captain's voice comes over the P.A. and I undo my seat belt. I reach up and touch my pendant. I drop it as it is sizzling hot. I look down and it appears to be glowing slightly. As I walk off the plane behind Annie, I can't shake an ill feeling in my stomach that this is all just beginning.