Ketone

It began with a Ten-tailed monster, created by witchcraft and magic. The Witches were awed by the creature’s power. Its ten tails held the power of nine other animals, a lizard for the first tail, a phoenix on the second tail. With an owl for the third, a lemur at the fourth. The furious power of the ox was the fifth. The dark heart of the wolf sat at the sixth and at the seventh tail sat the eagle. The self-centred but kind cat was the eighth and finally, the cunning but honest fox at the ninth. These combined powers made the perfect weapon.

Rachel opened a door at the back of a large alley and walked down the stairs. The music was booming now, almost like it was calling Rachel to dance. Rachel smiled and opened another door at the end of a hallway. Purple, red, green, pink and every other colour was beaming from the lights. Rachel opened the door and smiled some more. Around her, people were dancing, laughing and drinking… juice. So they weren’t illegal. That was good too, that way Rachel could tell her mum and she’d be okay with it.

Rachel pulled at the skin gently. It was a small pinch, causing some pain, but Rachel knew the mark would still be there. She sighed and ignored the annoying mark before opening the book again. Reading the first poem, a Haiku, Rachel began to hum the right tune…

Taking away love, The wolf screams and shouts your name, And his six tails turn…

Now you stare with fright, As he opens his large mouth, And swallows your life…”

“Where am I?” Rachel demanded. “Who’s there?”

A deep chuckle that sounded like thunder sounded through the golden bars of the cage. “Inside of you, idiot girl.”

“Well, if you kick any harder you’ll break the bars and I can escape.”

“Escape from where? This cage?”

“Ha-ha, very funny. I’d say this is a freaky dream.”

“You’re not dreaming, Rachel.” The voice was stronger now, closer. “Come a little closer and look inside of the bars.” The voice chuckled.

“No. Just come closer.”

Rachel began to edge closer when a shape became visible from inside the bars. The shape was a wolf, with six long tails swimming around. The wolf’s eyes were crimson red, just like Rachel’s.

“A six-tailed wolf?” Rachel asked.

“The one and only, Rachel. Now, let’s look around this area a little bit, yes?”

Rachel looked down at her wrist. There was no mark. “It’s gone. The mark; it’s gone!”

“No, it isn’t.”

“I… can see me. It’s like you’re a mirror!”

“Not entirely. You have my eyes. The eyes are my window to seeing outside of this cage. Put it this way: When you look at me, you see yourself because you are looking at your own eyes.”

The wolf laughed. “I know; it makes no sense. But look behind you.”

Rachel slowly turned around and as she did so, she could see the brightest glow around her. The glow was making a solid shape and the shape looked far too familiar to Rachel. She looked down at her arm and then held it up to the light, where the mark was beginning to form. Rachel dropped her arm and sank to her knees.

“It’s known as the Sealing Mark. Wraps around the palm of your hand and across and down the centre of your chest to end in a spiral going into your bellybutton, where the soul remains tied to me. We’re connected with magic. Intriguing, isn’t it?”

“This is a nightmare. You don’t exist, none of this exists!” Rachel screamed and ran to the glowing door, where the mark was beginning to take its shape more.

We’re connected with magic. The wolf’s words rang in her mind.

“It can’t have been real,” Rachel muttered. “It can’t have been…”