Dante pulled up her head , sniffed and tried to wipe her eyes . She looked around the cave , wondering how long she 'd been gone . Were people looking for her ? She recognized Becky 's voice , but didn 't really want her to come in and see her crying . She heard footsteps and looked around as Becky 's face came into view . She looked scared but determined . " Hi there , " she said coming into the cave . Dante started to turn away , but then remembered the face in the pool . She looked up at Becky and said a small hi . She even tried to smile . " I 'm fine , " she said , in a bored voice . And then shook her head . This was going to be hard , but she needed to share her true self . She looked Becky in the eye . The other girl 's blue eyes looked kind , and concerned . " I 'm sorry , " Becky said . She came over and sat next to Dante , putting her hand on her shoulder . " I bet it 's really hard to move away and leave friends behind . I 've never had to move , and I think I 'd just die if my parents made me leave . " " Dante , " she said , " I 'm sorry about Carol . She just gets mean like that sometimes . I don 't know why , and I wish she didn 't . " " That 's o . k . , " Dante said , and realized that she really meant it . " I really am bad at sports and stuff , and it must have been frustrating for her when I just let the ball hit me . The least I could have done was gotten out of the way . Or put a mitt on my head ! " At that both girls laughed . " How did you know I was here ? " Dante asked . It didn 't seem like she 'd been gone long , or that anyone thought she had been missing . Time on Endolye must be different than time here . " I saw you come in here , and I couldn 't believe you were brave enough to do that . So I decided to follow you . I 'd like to be braver , so maybe if we become friends , I could learn that . " She smiled shyly . Dante looked at it for a moment , and then quickly opened her backpack and pushed it in . " Yeah , it 's just something I was working on , " she said . " It 's nothing , really . " " You know , " Becky said , " I 've always loved your house . I mean , I know people said it was haunted and all , but I just thought it was sad and lonely . I was so happy when they started working on it , and was glad to see that a real family moved in . " Dante felt a stab of suspicion . " You can come over and see the inside if you want , " she said , " but my brother won 't be there . And he never likes any of my friends . " Becky looked at her , puzzled , " Who cares ? I generally don 't like anyone 's brother ! But I would love to see the inside of the house . Who has the room in the tower part in front ? " Dante thought hard , but then decided to take the risk . She showed Becky her drawings , and Becky was impressed with them . They two girls agreed that Dante would try to teach Becky to draw , and Becky would try to teach Dante to play sports . Becky stayed for most of the afternoon . After Becky left , Dante sat on the bed in her room , thinking about the last couple of hours . She might actually have a friend here ! Endolye already seemed far away , and she wondered if maybe she had dreamed the whole thing . She pulled her backpack from the corner and opened it to get out her journal . She pulled the drawing of the feet from the top , and then opened the bag wider . A small gasp escaped her . Inside the backpack was a crumpled brown paper bag , an empty baggie with a few crumbs , and a small , tightly woven basket , a grooming set , and a pipe . She pulled out the pipe and blew a few notes . She felt her eyes tearing up . Back in the cave , the surface of the pool stirred slightly . Addis poked his head into the cave and looked around for a moment . Satisfied , he smiled before disappearing back into the water . Share this : TwitterFacebookGoogleLike this : Like Loading . . . Posted on May 29 , 2016May 30 , 2016Categories endolye , UncategorizedTags creative writing , endolye , fantasy , fiction , girls , young adultLeave a comment on Endolye Chapter 15 : Someplace like Home Endolye Chapter 14 : Rubbed Out Dante had curled up in a corner of the cave . There was enough light from the fire for her to see and write in her journal . She paused for a moment and saw movement close to the mouth of the cave . She looked up and saw Cory standing there , smiling , his hand outstretched . " I said , what is that ? " Lyria growled , and reached behind Dante to grab the journal out of her hand . She began flipping through the pages . " Isn 't this odd ? " she murmured , half to herself . As she was looking through the journal , a page fluttered to the floor . She reached out to pick it up . It was the picture of the monster from Dante 's dreams . She held it out to Dante . " Is this supposed to be me ? " she asked quietly . Dante shrugged , not wanting Lyria to know she was scared . Lyria leaned in so she could look directly into Dante 's face ; Dante tried not to cringe . " This is nothing like me , " Lyria said slowly . " This was just a stupid reflection in the water . A reflection - not even real ! I want you to fix this , and to make it look like me ! " Dante picked up the drawing and put in on the open page of her journal . She looked at the drawing and then at Lyria and realized she would need to erase the whole thing and start over . She looked at her pencil ; only a nub of the eraser was left . She sighed and start to slowly erase one of the claws . Without warning , Lyria screamed . Dante looked up and saw Lyria holding up her arm , looking at it in horror . Her hand was missing . Dante 's mouth dropped open . Dante looked down at her drawing . The claw that she had erased was indeed the hand that was missing . As quickly as she could Dante erased the other hand and started up the arm . Lyria screamed again and when Dante looked up she could see it was working ! Lyria now had no hands . She rushed at Dante who jumped up and began running around the fire in the cave . Although it was hard to do while she was running , she kept erasing the drawing . Soon Lyria had no arms , but she continued to run after Dante . Dante decided to make a break for the mouth of the cave , but as she ran toward it Lyria headed her off and bumped her , hard . The drawing and the pencil fell to the ground and Lyria dropped on top of them . Dante began pushing at Lyria , trying to reach under her , but Lyria was putting up a fight kicking and biting . Using all her weight Dante shoved Lyria aside and grabbed the drawing and her pencil . Lyria howled in rage but Dante was up and erasing as fast as she could . She began erasing the monster 's head , thinking she could stop Lyria faster that way . When Lyria realized what she was doing she tried to shout " No ! " but wasn 't quite able to get the word out before her head was gone . Dante kept erasing frantically , and Lyria kept disappearing . Dante 's eraser was almost gone , and starting to scratch the paper . She managed to erase the legs just down to the knees before she couldn 't erase any more . All that was left on the page were the monster 's feet and ankles . Dante looked up to where Lyria had last been standing . Two beautiful feet in beautiful shoes sat by the opening of the cave . Dante sat down heavily on the floor of the cave and stared at them in wonder . " Well , no , of course not , " she said . " I mean , normally , when you erase … . Oh well , never mind . My eraser is gone anyway , " she said , showing him the end of her pencil . Addis looked at it warily , as if it were a terrible weapon . " Look ! " Dante shouted . While they were talking they hadn 't noticed the feet slowly making their way to the mouth of the cave . They now made a dash for it , and although Dante and Addis rushed after them , they could see the feet disappearing into the woods . " Well , " Addis said , " I wouldn 't worry about it . They 're just feet . " They watched for a moment and then turned and looked at each other . " What ! " Dante couldn 't believe it . " You mean all this time we 've had the Khee with us ! Why didn 't you say anything ? " " I didn 't know . It was the pendant . You see Lyria came to ProGress some time ago , and we tried to help her . She had the power you 've seen over water , as well as other powers , and wanted to use them to take over Endolye . We tried to stop her , but she got away and used her power over the Wumpus . She was able to convince them to help her . " " Without Addis , our powers were lost , " the leader said . " We are the soul of Endolye , but if even one of our members is not with us , we are not whole and cannot function . By separating Addis from us , Lyria was able to start to control Endolye . The last thing we were able to do was make the portals vanish , so at least Lyria couldn 't start any wars between the tribes . It was only when you arrived Dante that the portals appeared . " She had so many questions , but was anxious to see her friends and make sure they were o . k . , so she nodded . Addis led her to a portal on the far side of the pool and she went through . When she was on the other side , she realized Addis hadn 't come with her . She panicked for a moment , and rushed back through the portal . Addis was there , smiling at her . " He 's a hero " Ori said softly , still looking down at Greff . " He swam down to the cave to get us , and helped us all escape . " Seeya didn 't say anything , but just laid his head back against the ground . " He got hit on the head very hard , " Ori answered , " and he hasn 't regained consciousness yet . We were all trying so desperately to protect Addis . Lyria wanted him . " " It 's a long story , but Lyria put that pendant around his neck , and he couldn 't remember who he was . She had convinced him never to take it off , and then sent him home with the Oralian Council member . She somehow interfered with the Council , so they didn 't know what they were supposed to do . Anyway , the Khee sent me back to help you . " Dante looked down at the lake . " The Khee said the Wumpus could help . Now that Lyria is gone , they shouldn 't be under her influence . " Dante just nodded and said , " It 's a long story . " She looked back toward the lake . " I need to go for help , " she said . " I 'll be back , " and she headed for the lake . When she got there , Pirrin and the others were standing on the bank . They seemed confused and dazed , but recognized Dante . When she told them Lyria was gone and she needed help for her friends , they quickly agreed to help . She led them back into the woods where her friends were waiting . It turned out that the Wumpus had healing skills , which Lyria made sure they didn 't use on anyone but themselves . Now that she was gone , they quickly helped the Non - Council members , treating Greff 's head , and straightening and splinting Seeya 's wing . They assured Dante that everyone would be fine , and that they would take care of her friends until they had completely recovered . They spent a few days with the Wumpus , which were completely different from any of the previous days they had spent . The Wumpus took wonderful care of them , and in a few days they were all feeling almost completely recovered . Addis hadn 't returned , and Dante thought about what Ori had said about the Khee not traveling . She knew they needed to return to ProGress , and hoped the portal was still there . They agreed , and she led her friends back into the woods . The portal was still there . They thanked their hosts for the care they had received . Pirrin and some of the others had accompanied them , and they brushed off Dante 's thanks . " I can 't tell you how sorry we are we caused all that trouble , " Pirrin said . " Usually our games are harmless . I 'd like to come with you and see if I can somehow help the damage I 've done . " Dante nodded and stepped through the portal , followed by Greff , Ori and Seeya . When they were all on the other side , they waited , but Pirrin never came through . After a few moments , Mirch emerged . She said simply , " I was the only one that could go through . The others just walked through to the other side . " The group looked at each and nodded their heads . They headed into the woods where Dante had first seen Cory / Lyria . Addis stopped , and then motioned for Seeya to follow him . One by the one the Non - Council members went with Addis toward the pool . When they came back they seemed to be the same , but Dante could tell something was a little different with each one . Addis didn 't respond , he simply motioned for her to follow him to the pool . She sat down her backpack and followed him . When they got there , he motioned for her to go out onto the walkway . She watched as he walked away from the pool . She stepped out onto the walkway and looked down into the water , expecting to see her reflection . What she saw shocked her . " But I am you . " The reflection spoke to her and she jumped back . She stepped forward again and looked into the pool . The reflection smiled at her . She stared into the pool , eyes wide . " I know . But everyone 's confused . That 's the part you don 't get . You seem to think that everyone else is sure of themselves , and knows what they 're doing . But they aren 't . They 're just not as honest as you are . " " Yes . This is who you are on the inside . Not many people see the reflection of their true self , and even fewer are able to show it to the rest of the world . " " First , learn to be true to yourself . Don 't worry about what others are thinking , and don 't get too hung up on what you see in the mirror . That 's the least true reflection of who you are . " " See , she didn 't think it looked like her , so I started erasing it . It 's kind of hard to explain … . " She paused and a gust of wind caught the paper and blew it out of her hand . " Oh no , I 've got it , " Dante said . The paper had blown into the pool , and she went out on the walkway . She leaned over the water but it was just out of her reach . She tried to reach just a little farther , and at that moment her backpack shifted and dropped in front of her . She lost her balance and fell into the pool . She expected to hear a splash and feel water , but landed with a thump on her back , her backpack hung up on her elbow and the drawing in her hand . " Oh no , " she whispered , feeling completely bereft . She was back in her special place in the rocks at home , with the pool of water next to her . She quickly stuck her hand in the pool , but the water went up just above her elbow and she could feel the hard , rocky bottom . " Dante ? " he asked , and then took a few steps forward . He walked all around the last spot she had been , but couldn 't detect a portal , or hole , or any other way she could have suddenly vanished . He wondered if somehow Lyria had taken her , or if there was something else going on they still didn 't know about . He went back to sit on one of the couches and put his head in his hands . Before the others could respond , the Wumpus were suddenly upon them without warning . Seeya shrieked and zipped off , and Ori and Greff were quickly captured . The Wumpus carried them , struggling , back to the cave . " Addis , " Ori said , sounding relieved . " I 'm so glad to see you 're o . k . " Addis opened his mouth to speak , but Greff interrupted before he could say anything . " What do you mean she just wasn 't ? " Greff asked , but Addis just looked at him helplessly . He snorted . " It must have been Lyria . " Ori shook his head thoughtfully . " I don 't think so . If Lyria had been able to summon us at any time , wouldn 't she have done it already ? " Pirrin walked over to him and shook him . " What do you mean you don 't know ? Lyria won 't be very happy she 's gone . You 'd better tell us where she went . " " No , " Ori said calmly , walking over and blocking the entrance to the tunnel that led out of the cave . " She just disappeared . Think about it . You 've had the cave sealed all this time , how could she have left ? " He turned to the Wumpus behind him . " O . k . , let 's go and find Lyria ! " He led them whooping out of the cave , and the opening froze solid behind them . Addis still sat on the sofa staring at his hands . Greff began pacing and Ori quietly sat down . " You are no fun at all , " Pirrin said , throwing himself down onto a couch between Greff and Addis . " You know what you guys need ? A party ! " Because they had been in the cave all day without food or water , they gratefully accepted what the Wumpus gave them . As they finished their meal the Wumpus began dancing around them . Ori looked over and noticed that Addis was nodding off , which seemed odd because the Wumpus were making a lot of noise . He went over to check on his friend . " So sleepy , " murmured Greff . And despite all the movement and noise , he lay down and was sound asleep . Ori looked at their empty plates and cups , and came to the terrible realization that they had been drugged . Why did the Wumpus want them asleep , and more importantly , why hadn 't whatever they put into the food and drink affected him ? He decided he might find out more if the Wumpus thought he was asleep too , so he curled up next to Greff , closed his eyes and made his breathing even . After a few minutes , he heard the Wumpus start to quiet down , and footsteps walking over to where he lay . A foot nudged him roughly , but he just relaxed and pretended he was sleeping . He heard Pirrin chuckle . They rest of the Wumpus laughed and Mirch replied , " Well , I had to do something . It 's been so boring not being able to swim , and Lyria won 't let me play anything but the fog game , so I had to do something so we could have some fun . Come on , let 's go ! " Once it was completely silent , he opened his eyes . If they were going swimming , there was a chance to escape . He looked at Greff and Addis , who were both in a deep sleep , and realized he had no hope of getting all three of them out of the cave . And he was starting to feel so tired . He just needed to lie down for a moment , just to get a little rest . He dropped back down next to Greff , and surrendered himself to sleep " Well , " he said , hands on his hips . " What 's all that about ? Certainly they can 't have left the others in the cave while they go swimming . " He began to feel frantic . He zipped back and forth , wondering what to do . The Wumpus had all gone to the far side of the lake , and were playing some kind of game in the shallow water . They were completely involved in what they were doing , and Seeya was sure they wouldn 't notice if he slipped down and back into the cave . He decided to take the risk to make sure his friends were o . k . He flew to the edge of the woods and hesitated a moment , realizing if the Wumpus saw him it would be all over . So he did something he hated to do - he walked . He made it to the edge of the lake unseen , and realized the water was much higher than it had been before . The only way to reach the cave would be to swim . " Oh dear , " he said , looking down at himself . " That water will absolutely ruin my ensemble . Not to mention my hair . I would look a fright . " He sat down on the sand and thought about what to do . He remembered Dante talking about her freckles , and all the times Addis had listened to him complain . He remembered Greff saying goodbye to Turra , and how Ori had always encouraged him along the way when they were making their journey across the valley . When the Bastahl still didn 't wake up he tried Greff and then Addis , but none of them even twitched a muscle . He zipped around the room in confusion . Should he stay ? Should he try to hide ? Or should he go ? And then he realized something else that worried him . Dante wasn 't in the cave . Why ? Perhaps she had escaped ? But that didn 't make sense , because she would have gone back to the woods and he 'd have seen her . Had the Wumpus done something with her ? Had Lyria ? He hovered above the sleeping figures and looked around the cave , hands on his hips . How in beauty 's name would he wake them ? He saw Greff 's basket lying on the floor . He grabbed it and zipped to the opening of the cave . He dipped it in the lake and had to walk back , lugging the full basket with him . It was quite heavy , and he had to drag it , grunting and pushing over to Greff , who he doused with the water . " Well , I just dragged that basket of water over here ! It was heavy and I couldn 't fly so I had to walk ! Never mind that now - I need help ! " Greff took the basket , went up the tunnel to the lake and filled it with water . He easily brought it back and revived Ori , and then Addis . They all sat for a minute looking at Seeya , who was so tired he was sitting on the floor of the cave . Addis simply stared , speechless . " Fine , fine , " the Oralian snapped . " I 'm a mess , o . k . ? Get over it ! I had to swim to get in here , and then I had to lug that heavy basket to get water in here to wake up Greff . I 'd like to see any of you do that and look any better . And yes , " he said , folding his arms across his chest , " I 'm frowning ! " Pirrin cowered as she raised her arms . He wasn 't sure what she might do , but he was afraid of her . She dropped her arms and said quietly . " All of them ? " When Pirrin nodded she turned her head and sighed . Then she looked back at the Wumpus . " I don 't care about the others , " she said , " I can take care of them . But you must find Addis - he cannot escape ! " Once they were safely back in the woods Greff began building another barricade . Ori began working on some traps they could put in the trees to help keep the Wumpus from capturing them . He couldn 't stand the thought of actually hurting anyone , so he made sure when the traps were sprung the vines wouldn 't be too tight or constraining . At that moment the Wumpus tried rushing the barricade , but several got caught up in Ori 's traps . Unfortunately , because the Bastahl couldn 't tolerate violence , it didn 't take the athletic Wumpus long to work their way out of them . When the first Wumpus head showed at the top of the barricade , Greff gave a great cry and grabbed four of the biggest branches he had and just began swinging . The Wumpus flew back with a howl . Ori hesitantly picked up a branch and stood ready . When the next Wumpus head showed over the barricade , he used the branch like a ramrod , quickly punching it into the Wumpus ' face . The creature howled and dropped immediately . Greff looked at Ori appreciatively . The front wall of the barricade came down and there was an army of Wumpus behind it , led by Pirrin . Ori shoved Addis behind his back and crouched down , his branch ready . With a shout Greff pushed into the crowd , swinging four arms at once . Wumpus flew both left and right with howls , but there were too many . Out of the corner of his eye Ori could see Seeya on the ground , one wing bent at a sickening angle . There were six Wumpus on Greff , and they were slowly bringing him down . Two of them wrestled one of the branches out of his hand , and began hitting him with it . The blows just bounced off the Brox 's back . " His head ! " Pirrin shouted , and before Greff could move , Pirrin brought one of the largest branches down with tremendous force on Greff ' head . The Brox crumpled . Ori was now trying to back out of the barricade , his head swinging from back to front to make sure the Wumpus didn 't come from behind , a branch in one hand , his other hand protectively on Addis . " It 's no use Ori ! " Addis shouted . " I 'm not going to have you all killed because she wants me ! " and he tried to step out from behind the Bastahl . Distracted , Ori looked down for an instant , and that 's when the Wumpus made their move . Dula made a grab for him , and Ori instinctively jumped . He landed lightly on a tree branch , but the trees in these woods weren 't strong enough . With a crack the branch broke and he fell on top of two Wumpus , knocking them out cold . Pirrin began to advance on Addis , who stood his ground . As Pirrin reached out to grab him , Addis tried to jump backward . The motion swung the pendant forward , and that was all Pirrin got in his hand . " Lyria will have to wait , " Addis replied , and fixed Pirrin with a stare so intense that the Wumpus froze in confusion . Then Addis took two steps forward , and the surprised Pirrin leaned back slightly . Addis then took one step backward . And vanished . " If she could do that , she would have done it before , " Pirrin snapped . He paused a moment . " Maybe there 's someone else here who can make people disappear ! " The Wumpus all began to look uneasy . Seeya groaned slightly , and Ori , still tied up in vines , was relieved that he was still alive . The other Wumpus began to whimper . He looked wildly at Ori tied up and at Gress and Seeya on the ground , and then said , " Stupid tribes ! We should have drowned you and iced you in and steamed you out of existence when we had the chance ! But no , Lyria wanted to come in and save you all and rule you all . Now what ! " " Greff ? " he called . No answer . He sighed . " O . k . , Ori , there must be a way out of this . Just think . And do it quickly before anyone else shows up . " Share this : TwitterFacebookGoogleLike this : Like Loading . . . Posted on May 9 , 2016May 11 , 2016Categories endolye , UncategorizedTags creative writing , fantasy , fiction , girls , young adultLeave a comment on Endolye Chapter 13 : The Battle Endolye Chapter 12 : Making ProGress Dante was standing on the shore of a beautiful island . The turquoise water made a soothing sound as it rolled up the soft , white sand of the shore . She stood looking around in wonder . There were large , leafy trees further up the shore and a soft , sweet smelling breeze ruffled her hair . She thought she must have passed through a portal , but was confused by the fact she hadn 't seen an arch and that Addis wasn 't with her . She sat down facing the water and ran the soft sand through her fingers while she tried to figure things out . She was also hoping that Addis and others would suddenly appear , and was fighting off her fear at being alone . It felt good to be on the warm beach , but she was worried about what was happening to the others , and that Lyria had found Addis . She hoped they were all o . k . After a few minutes of sifting the sand , she accepted the fact that no one else was coming . She stood up , brushed the sand off her hands and decided to look around . It seemed like a better idea than sitting and doing nothing . She looked back toward the trees and saw a path leading into the forest ; she didn 't remember seeing it before . There was something about it that made her want to head into the trees . She started walking and after a few steps turned and looked back toward the water . She wanted to stay and wait for the others , but she also wanted to know where the path led . She finally decided that if the others hadn 't come by now there was no point in waiting . The path led away from the shore and into the trees , which were very much like the trees in the forest where she had first met Seeya and Addis . The path twisted around the trunk of a very large tree and through two large rocks . On the other side of the rocks the landscape changed suddenly to a series of large boulders like those surrounding the pod where the Brox lived . She walked through the rocks until the path turned around a large boulder and she found herself surrounded by Bulu bushes . The path led through the Bulus and soon twas barely visible through the thick trees and undergrowth . The damp smell and feel of the jungle reminded her of the Bastahl , and she felt a little sad remembering everything that had happened and that she was alone without her friends . As she walked , a gentle breeze began blowing across the path . It lifted her hair and as it blew , she could hear a sound , almost like a voice whispering . Suddenly , the path ended . She stood , not knowing what to do , staring at the thick growth in front of her . She felt the hairs on her arms raise , and stood completely still . Again the breeze blew and she heard the faint whisper of her name . " Dante . " She drew in a sharp breath . It couldn 't be ! She didn 't trust this ; it was too easy . Maybe it was really Lyria trying to trap her . " Where are you ? " She kept looking into the forest , but couldn 't see anything . There was no answer . She waited and then tried again . She stood a moment , wondering what to do next . She turned , thinking she would walk back to the shore , but the path behind her had disappeared . She felt a moment of panic and said , " What do I do now ? " " But , " she began , and then saw off to her right a path leading through the growth . She was sure it hadn 't been there before . As she looked down the path she could see it led to a small clearing . She could hear the soft sound of water splashing , and walked slowly toward the sound . When she reached the clearing she could see a small pool in the center , into which a gentle waterfall spilled . It was round and surrounded by smooth , round stones . The ground around the pool was clear as though it had been swept . She walked slowly toward the pool , and when she reached the edge of it she could see a small slate walkway heading out over the water . She felt drawn toward it and was walking toward the edge of the walkway when a movement from the other side caught her eye . He just shook his head and tried to lead her away . But there was something about the pool , something she felt she needed to do . She pulled her hand away from his and walked into the clearing . She stepped on the walkway that went over the water . Cory quickly followed her , and before she could take a step he put his hands on her shoulders and turned her to face him . He bent forward as if to kiss her . Dante was so confused by what was happening , and so nervous at being close to Cory , she ducked her head so he couldn 't see her face . She looked down into the pool and saw her reflection in the water . And froze in horror . Because it wasn 't Cory 's reflection she saw next to her in the pool , it was the monster from her nightmare . With a cry she pulled away from its grip and tried to run . She kicked and screamed , but just like her dreams she was no match for the monster . It carried her easily into the woods , until they came to a cave . Dante kept hoping this was another nightmare and she would wake up , but when the monster set her down in the cave she knew it was all too real . The cave was lit from the inside by a small fire , and the monster rolled a stone across the opening . Dante cowered on the far side of the fire , sure she was going to be killed . But once the monster had rolled the stone over the opening , it turned to face her and she saw that it was really Lyria . " Dante , don 't be frightened , I don 't want to hurt you . I 'm just so disappointed that you ran away . Didn 't you like my house ? " Dante just stared at her . " What are you , really ? Why did you look like that outside , but now you look the way you did when we were with the Wumpus ? " " Well , " Lyria said , " it 's the Khee . They 've put a curse on me , and whenever I 'm on ProGress I appear like a horrible monster . But I 'm not ! This is who I really am , truly . " She took a step toward Dante , smiling , her arms open . " Ah , " Lyria smiled as she realized that Dante knew the truth . " Well , you just don 't understand . You see , the Khee kept helping the tribes govern themselves . But they made so many mistakes ! Think how much easier it will be for the them when they just have one leader guiding them , making decisions on how things needs to run . " " How would they know ? You see what 's been happening - they can 't solve their own problems . They can 't even really exist completely without each other . I 'm just going to help them become whole . " " Anyway , it doesn 't matter . Soon the tribes will all be in my control , and they will all do my bidding . And if they don 't , they 'll suffer for it . Besides , I 'm going to show up and save them all . I 'll stop the rain , the fog , the steam . " " What others ? You mean that silly Non - Council of yours ? No , I 'll be making sure they 're out of the way . " She smiled at Dante , and suddenly Dante was more afraid for her friends than she was for herself . Dante thought about her friends , and realized suddenly how much she cared about them . No matter what , she cared about them . Without knowing why , she said , " Well , then , you can 't destroy love . " At that Lyria gave her a strange look . " Love ? They 'll all love me . That 's who they 'll love , " and with that she vanished . Dante was alone in the dim cave , with an impossibly heavy stone blocking the only way out . Share this : TwitterFacebookGoogleLike this : Like Loading . . . Posted on May 3 , 2016Categories endolye , UncategorizedTags creative writing , endolye , fantasy , fiction , girls , young adultLeave a comment on Endolye Chapter 12 : Making ProGress Endolye Chapter 11 : House of Lies They followed the lady through the woods , and as they walked she would point out different plants and trees , telling them which could provide food , which made good shelter , and even which flowers could be ground up and used as dyes . The group was so busy paying attention to the bark , roots , leaves and berries , no one was paying attention to the direction they were heading . After a few hours of walking through the woods , they came to a clearing . Lyria stopped and smiled . They were standing in front of a large stone house , with an arched doorway , gabled windows , and ivy growing up the sides . Dante thought it looked like something from a fairy tale , and while part of her wondered what the inside looked like , another part of her felt a bit uneasy . She realized she had no idea where they were or how far they had walked . Once inside they looked around in wonder . Inside , the house was lit by candles , which glowed against the marble floors and gave a golden light to the art on the walls . Lyria led them to a large room where a table filled with food was waiting . There was a small , screened area for Seeya , a rock chair for Greff , and a large purple chair for Addis at the head of the table . He sat his bag down and looked around . It was the first time Dante could remember that he hadn 't pulled something out of it . They ate quietly , Lyria passing them food and refilling their cups . She spoke softly , telling them how happy she was they were there , and that they could stay as long as they liked . Ori was interested in seeing the collection of herbs , plants , leaves and bark she 'd collected , and the medicinal properties she 'd discovered in many of them . Seeya had been chatting excitedly about the promise Lyria had made to show him how to use some of the plant dyes to enhance the coloring on his face and improve his skin . Lyria tried to engage Gress in conversation about a nearby stone quarry , asking him if he 'd go there with her to giver her some advice . The Brox had simply grunted and continued to eat . Lyria had smiled and turned to Dante , telling her she hoped they could be friends . " Sometimes I just feel like there 's no one who understands me , " she said , looking into Dante 's eyes . " Like I 'm alone , even when I 'm surrounded by people . I 'd love to have someone to just talk to about the things I 'm feeling and thinking , and I hope we can spend some time getting to know each other . " Dante couldn 't believe she had met someone who felt so many of the things she did . When the group finished eating Lyria smiled and said , " I hope you all enjoyed that . Why don 't I show you each to your room now ? I 'm sure you 'd like to get comfortable and get some sleep . " " No , really , " Dante said , turning to Lyria with a smile . " You 've been so wonderful , but couldn 't I stay with Greff ? I wouldn 't mind the company at all . " " Of course , " Lyria said , but she didn 't look entirely happy . They followed her through the house and she stopped at various doors , bidding her guests good - night as they entered . Dante and Gress were last , and Lyria paused a moment after they entered . " Well , " she said , " good night then . " Dante bid her good - night ; Greff remained silent . As soon as the door closed Dante turned , ready to ask Greff why he was being so rude , but he cut her off before she could begin . " What ? " Dante asked , sitting on one of the chairs . " Her finding us ? Bringing us here ? Feeding us ? She 's been so nice Greff , and really seems to understand us , and know just what each one of us needs . " " That 's just it , " Greff said , sitting opposite her . " How can she understand us so well ? It takes time to build relationships , Dante , you can 't get to know someone in a few hours . " " Don 't make the mistake of thinking you can get to know someone too soon . That 's what happened with the Wumpus , and although they were fun they weren 't very nice . I 'm afraid the same thing is true here . " At Dante 's shocked expression he said , " Look , we don 't know anything about Lyria , or why she 's brought us here . But I do know that she wants to keep Addis by himself , and she 's just too charming with all of her compliments . I don 't trust her . " " Well , " Dante began . The idea of snooping around made her nervous . What if they got caught ? " I guess if someone sees us we can just say that we were looking for food or something . " " Dante , how long do you think we can just stay here ? What are we going to do with our time ? Don 't you want to find the Khee ? The Lost Council ? You heard her - she 's doing everything she can to discourage us from leaving and make us want to stay . " They went slowly down the hallway , Greff stopping now and then to get a sense for where there was movement . A few times they had to scurry down alternate hallways , and after one particularly close call they ended up outside a door with a light coming from underneath . Greff pointed to the bottom of the door , and Dante held her finger to her lips . She leaned as close to the door as she dared . Inside , she could hear Lyria talking to someone . Her voice had lost its musical quality , and she sounded angry . " We didn 't know it was him ! You didn 't tell us ! " Dante looked at Greff , shocked . There was no mistaking the voice . It was Pirrin . Lyria 's voice took on its honeyed tone . " You 're doing a wonderful job with the games , " she said . " The Oralians are almost at the breaking point . Your sudden downpours of rain were the perfect way to wear down their resistance . And the Bastahl won 't be able to take much more of the heat . The Brox are a little tougher than I thought , but not being able to work is driving them crazy . You 've done just beautifully . And if it weren 't for Addis , we 'd be almost ready to make our move . " " Maybe , maybe not . He 's getting addled , they might think he 's just wandered off . At any rate , we 've got to move quickly . You all need to concentrate on what you 're doing with the games . It 's almost time for me to appear and save those poor tribes from the mess they 're in . Once I 'm there , they won 't need any more Councils . They can all just depend on me to do everything for them . Then I 'll have power over all of Endolye . " Dante backed slowly away from the door and turned to Greff , her eyes wide . He shook his head , took her hand and led them back through the maze of hallways to their room . She was grateful for his ability to find his way around . " We 've got to get all of us out of here , " Dante said . " She 's behind all the problems in the tribes ! She wants to take over Endolye . " They quickly gathered their things and Greff led them through the hallways , remembering which doors had opened . Ori came easily . Seeya was reluctant at first , until Dante told him Lyria was behind the rain , and then he was more than ready to leave . The only one they couldn 't convince was Addis . They had all gathered in his room , arguing with him behind the closed door . " Well , she can probably tell us where they are . Anyway , we should just ask her about all of this . I 'm sure she can straighten it out . " Dante was beginning to feel desperate . " O . k . , Addis , " she said , " now I know something is wrong if you 're thinking you can just ask someone else what to do . We 've got to get you out of here . " " Now ! " he said , and they all rushed out . As they were heading for the front door , Greff froze . " Someone 's coming . From the left ! " " Not a wink , I 'm afraid . It 's all the excitement at being in such a beautiful place . I didn 't want to wake the others , and Greff is so sensitive to movement , so I just popped out here to have a look around . I hope you don 't mind . " " No , I don 't think so , " she yawned . " I 'm actually just now feeling a bit tired . I think I 'll head back to my room . " " Yes , well , alright , have a lovely sleep . " And she smiled and put her hand on Dante 's head . Dante forced herself to look straight into her eyes and smile . She waved and went down the hall and back to her room . She thought for a moment , and then went to Greff 's bed and put the pillows under the covers to make it look like the Brox was there sleeping . She got into the other bed , turned away from the door , forced herself to slow her breathing , and waited . Sure enough , it wasn 't long before she could hear the doorknob turn . She kept her eyes closed and her breathing even . She felt relief when she heard the door quietly shut , but quickly panicked when she heard a key turning . She was locked in ! She got up and tried the door to be sure , and then went to the window . She didn 't see anything or anyone , so she opened it just a crack . She was on the third floor and knew she couldn 't jump . She took the bed sheets and knotted them together , then tied them to the bedpost . They didn 't quite reach to the ground , but she was able to climb down and drop the rest of the way . She landed softly , and was off and running to the trees . She got there and saw Seeya waiting . " Oh thank goodness ! We just didn 't know what to do ! " and before she could answer he zipped off . She sat and waited for him , catching her breath . In a few moments , he was back . She found the others hiding not far from the gazebo . Addis had stopped struggling , and was sitting next to his bag looking a little confused . She went to him . He nodded slowly . " I 'm fine . I don 't know what came over me . It 's the oddest thing ; I just didn 't want to leave . But I 'm o . k . now . Thank you for getting me out of there . " " There 's no time ! " Greff 's voice was urgent . " She 's going to be making her move , and once she finds out we 're gone , she 'll waste no time ! Our families are in danger . " Ori shook his head . " I don 't think we should wait . She 'll be looking for us . We should go now while we have the element of surprise . " After a moment they all nodded , and headed back to the side of the lake where the Wumpus had their cave . Greff built a small barricade that was closed in on three sides so they could keep watch . Seeya was trying not to fall asleep and hoping he wouldn 't look too tired when Pirrin suddenly appeared in front of him with a smile . " Oh but you 'll have so much fun if you join us , " Pirrin gave a whoop and the woods came alive with Wumpus . They rushed the barricade and Dante felt herself being picked up and pushed aside . There was so much noise and she couldn 't see . Suddenly they all ran off and Dante looked around wildly . Ori and Gress were doing the same . Addis was gone . " I 've got to go and get him , " Dante said . " I know they 'll let me in , and I can probably get them to trust me . They think I like them , or they at least think they can get me to like them . " She looked from Greff to Ori to Seeya . She could tell that none of them liked it , but they knew she was right . After a moment , Ori bowed and she knew she needed to go . She walked to the edge of the lake , and it became fog . She walked slowly and carefully toward where she knew the cave was , putting one foot directly in front of the other . She kept waiting for the fog to change into water , but it didn 't . She made it to the cave and paused , sure it was a trap . After a moment she went inside . In the big room she found Addis sitting by himself . As she was talking she could feel the room getting colder and she sighed . They were trapped in the cave , but at least they were together . She looked around . " It was you who brought us here . It was you who insisted we come this way . I didn 't even want to head to the mountains . I told you it was dangerous . And I was right , wasn 't I ? " He fingered his pendant . " Whatever happens , it 's going to be your fault . This is probably what happened to the Lost Council . They probably disappeared under the ice . " She just stared at Addis . The impact of what he said , and the stress of the last several days were too much . She felt tears welling in her eyes . Share this : TwitterFacebookGoogleLike this : Like Loading . . . Posted on April 26 , 2016May 3 , 2016Categories endolye , UncategorizedTags creative writing , endolye , fantasy , fiction , girls , young adultLeave a comment on Endolye Chapter 11 : House of Lies Endolye Chapter 10 : Cold as Ice They followed the Wumpus around the lakeshore to a spot where large rocks jutted out of the water . Pirrin and the others jumped into the water and Dante followed . Addis quickly pulled some swim fins , a mask and snorkel out of his bag and followed , trailed by Greff and Ori . Seeya was able to fly just above the surface of the water , watching the swimmers below . They swam toward a cave in the water and went in ; Seeya was just able to clear the top . The water in the cave was only a few feet deep , and the travelers followed the Wumpus up a small incline , and then down a sloping floor . Unlike the Brox burrows , the walls seemed to be made of mud , with bit of straw and sticks coming through . Dante could see Greff studying them intently . As they walked she could hear the sound of music and laughter getting louder and louder . They reached a large room with walls sealed in mud , full of Wumpus , playing instruments and dancing . And he danced off toward the other Wumpus . One of the Wumpus jumped up off the floor , quickly grabbed Dante by the hand , and began swinging her in a wild dance . She was laughing and trying to catch her breath . Addis , Greff , Seeya and Ori worked their way into a corner of the room , where they tried to remain inconspicuous . She laughed along with them . She was very giddy and having a very good time . Everything she said was funny , and everyone seemed to like her . The only thing wrong was her friends in the corner . They didn 't seem to be enjoying themselves at all , and Dante wasn 't sure why . Everyone else basically ignored them . The party went on and on . Dante was given food to eat and water to drink , and she kept dancing . She felt that she was making so many friends , she wasn 't sure she ever wanted to leave . Finally , she found herself curled up on a couch with two of the Wumpus , Dula and Mirch . The three girls had all promised to be lifelong friends , and then Dante fell asleep . The cold woke her . She was shivering , and sat up to look around . She didn 't see Seeya , but Greff and Ori were on the floor on a pallet under a blanket , and Addis was asleep in a rocking chair next to her , wrapped in a warm quilt . Still shivering , she moved closer to him , trying to get some of the quilt over her . Addis woke up . Addis yawned . " I don 't know , " he answered . " They pretty much come and go as they please and they don 't generally tell me what 's going on . " Addis just looked at her . " Well , that was last night . Now it 's this morning . They aren 't here , and they 're not going to be showing you how to fish . " Addis was folding up his quilt and put it on the chair . Dante gave him a curious look . " My bag doesn 't seem to want to cooperate with me right now . " he said . " And you 're so cold because you 're basically buried beneath the ice . They 've frozen the lake . " " How do you know ? " Dante asked , starting up the path toward the opening . It was dark , and she had to feel the way along with her hands as she walked . Sure enough , it got colder and colder , and the entrance was blocked with ice before she reached the top . The shadows stopped moving and there was laughter from the other side . Then the shadows kept moving . Dante felt her way back down into the chamber . Her movements had awoken Greff , and his stirring had interrupted Ori 's sleep . They were both looking around sleepily when Dante got back . " Oh I don 't know what they call it . One of their dumb games . They take this little thing and scoot it along the ice . They try to keep it away from each other , and occasionally break into fights for no reason . " " Because they do what pleases them . " Greff finally spoke and he sounded cross . " Don 't you understand ? They 're not going to help us , they 're not your friends , and they 're not very nice . " Dante was shocked , and remained silent for a moment . Greff looked at her and then began pacing . " It 's just that we came here to do a job , and you seem to have forgotten that . We 've spent all this time together getting here , and now you 're just taking up with them because you 're having a good time - without even considering how this might be for the rest of us . " He turned to her . " Have you even noticed that Seeya isn 't here ? Aren 't you the least bit worried about him ? " Dante quickly looked around and realized Greff was right . She felt terrible that she hadn 't noticed . In a quiet voice she asked , " Does anyone know where he is ? " " No , " Addis said standing . " He went off so he wouldn 't be sleeping in front of the Wumpus . They kept laughing at him for no reason - I think they realized it bothered him . " Dante began to feel worse . The Wumpus had been bullying and mean to her friends . How could she think they were so much fun ? Maybe it was just that they had made her feel like she was one of them . But , she thought , who would want to be like that ? Why would I want to be one of them ? She looked around at her friends , Addis standing next to his bag , Greff glowering , and Ori looking at her with sympathetic eyes . These were her real friends , and she needed to remember that . " Guys , really , I 'm sorry , " she said . " It 's just that where I come from , no one invites me to parties , and I guess I just , well , I was just stupid . " She felt tears starting to well in her eyes , and turned so they wouldn 't see her cry . Ori walked over and put his arm around her . " Dante , you understand their nature now , don 't worry . We 're still your friends . If we would abandon our friendship because of an incident like this , we wouldn 't be much in the way of friends , would we ? " Dante looked up and smiled gratefully at the Bastahl . Addis interrupted them . " Come on , " he said , " I think they might be coming back . " They started walking up the tunnel as a crowd of Wumpus came thundering down on them . They had reached the surface and the lake was a swirling fog . Although they couldn 't see , Dante knew the shore had to be in front of them , so began walking in a straight line . The fog cleared as they reached the shore , but Pirrin was waiting for them . As soon as they were all on the shoreline , the lake turned to ice . There was a far - off howling from the Wumpus in the tunnel , and the lake turned to steam . The others raced to the surface , and it began raining . Dante simply sat on the ground in the rain . " Well then , " she said , " we 're just not going to play . We 'll just sit here and wait . We 've got all the time in the world . " The others followed her lead and sat . The Wumpus ran around them , yelling , jeering , and taunting , but they didn 't move . Dante assumed her most bored expression . The rain stopped , the sun came out and the lake reappeared . Pirrin stood in front of the group . " Fine , " he said , " you 're boring and stupid anyway . Just for that , we 're not going to tell you about the Water Maiden or the water games she taught us . " And with that he ran off , followed by the others . " Well , she 's just divine , " Seeya said . " Long flowing hair , impeccable taste in clothes , and a voice just like honey . She seemed so happy to meet me , and was so interested in hearing all about our journey . " " Oh not much , " Seeya said hurriedly . " Just that we represented certain tribes and were looking for the Lost Council , and kind of hoped to meet the Khee . You know , no biggie . " Seeya put his hands on his hips . " Well , I 've just told you , she was delightful . I don 't see what all the fuss is about ! " " Oh whatever , " Seeya said , " you don 't get it , she was nothing like the Wumpus . She was refined and we had the loveliest conversation . She gave me some amazing tips on how to keep my skin supple . " " Well , I don 't know . We never actually discussed that . She was mostly interested in where we 'd all come from , the tribes we represented . Of course , " he said turning to Addis and Dante , " she was most interested in the two of you , since we don 't know what tribe you 're from ! She kept asking me to describe you , but well … . " he trailed off . Addis looked thoughtful for a moment , and then said , " I think we 're in danger . Well , maybe not . I don 't know I 'm just not sure . " " Let 's get out of here , " Dante said . " Let 's just keep moving because we 've got to find a portal , or the Khee , or something . I just don 't want to be here anymore . " " Stop . " Addis stood a moment . " He does this when he 's excited . He 'll figure it out in a minute . That we 're not behind him . " Sure enough , Seeya soon darted back to where they stood . He was breathless . " Sorry , I just got so excited . I 'll try to be sure you 're keeping up . " And he darted a few feet , hovered to make sure they were with him , and then darted off again . They followed him along the shore of the lake that was across the pass down from the mountains , and away from the Wumpus cave . They reached a large rock formation and he turned inland . " Maybe , " Dante said , but somehow she didn 't think that was it . She was starting to feel apprehensive and wanted to turn back . She reached out for Ori 's hand . He looked at her in surprise , but didn 't say anything and gave her hand a reassuring squeeze . Seeya flew further in to the woods , and then stopped . There , in the middle of the trees , was a gazebo . It had been made to look like part of the woods , with natural branches and leafy coverings . " After I flew out to eat last night , I couldn 't get back in , " Seeya explained . " They turned the lake to ice , and I didn 't see the need to wait around until they turned it back to water . So I decided to try and find a place to sleep . I don 't know why I came in this direction , but I did . And I found this , " he said , pointing to the gazebo . " It seemed like a good place to spend the night , so I went in to make sure it wasn 't , you know , dirty or anything . I was checking it out when the Water Maiden arrived . " Addis was turning in a circle looking around . " This doesn 't make sense , " he said . " Why would this be here ? I don 't understand what 's going on . " He seemed distressed , so Dante dropped Ori 's hand and went to stand beside him . " I 've been so wanting to meet you all , " came a soft , lovely voice behind them . They spun around . There , standing before them , was a beautiful woman . She was dressed in a flowing robe that shimmered when she moved and looked like light on the lake . Her long dark hair curled in waves over her shoulders . She had pale skin and green eyes like crystals . Dante thought she was the most beautiful woman she had ever seen . " And you 're Ori , " she said , bowing in the Bastahl tradition . Ori did not bow back . " Ah , " she smiled . " A skeptic . You mind is keen and you wish to understand before you accept . That is a commendable trait , and I can see that you are the only one of this group who possesses it . " " And you , " she said , turning to Dante with a smile . " I 'm guessing you 're Dante . I don 't know where you come from , but I sense such a warmth from you . " She held out her hand and Dante took it , " I hope we can be great friends , " she said , and put her other hand on Dante 's head . Dante felt a flood of warmth , and could understand why Seeya had trusted her . Surely she must be able to help them . " I don 't think so , " Greff said immediately . The others looked at him in surprise . The lady raised her eyebrows slightly . " But why not ? " " So , " Seeya said , turning to Greff , " you can stay here by yourself if you like , but I 'm going to get comfortable . For this first time in days ! " and he motioned for Lyria to lead the way . The others began to follow . Share this : TwitterFacebookGoogleLike this : Like Loading . . . Posted on April 18 , 2016April 18 , 2016Categories endolye , UncategorizedTags creative writing , endolye , fantasy , fiction , girls , young adultLeave a comment on Endolye Chapter 10 : Cold as Ice Endolye Chapter 9 : Over their Heads " Where are they ? " Seeya said quietly . He was right . Below them , on the other side of the mountain was a valley with a large lake , the water sparkling in the sun . There was a small shoreline on the side nearest the mountain , and on the far side of the lake were more trees . On the left the lake wound out of view around the mountains , and on the right it appeared to enter the mountains through an underground cave . They looked at each other and came to agreement . Dante sneaked a peek at Addis who hadn 't said a word . He was looking down at the valley with a troubled expression , but didn 't argue . Dante was disappointed that they had come this far and no one had been there to meet them when they reached the summit . What if they never found the Khee ? They hadn 't seen any more portals , so she wasn 't sure what they would do once they reached the lake . Going down the mountain was much faster than going up , and by late afternoon they had reach the near edge of the lake . As they stood there , Addis reached into his bag and pulled out folding chairs . The group sat , wondering what to do next . Dante couldn 't sit still , so she got up and wandered down the shore of the lake a little . " Don 't go too far , " Greff called after her . " We don 't know if we 're alone here . And if we 're not , the inhabitants could be dangerous . " She had turned to smile at what she thought was Greff 's overly cautious attitude when she suddenly heard whoops of laughter , and was instantly surrounded by a pack of creatures laughing and shoving , and moving so quickly they all seemed like a blur . When they finally stopped Dante could see they were four lizard - like creatures , with long muscular limbs and big eyes full of laughter . Despite their sudden appearance they certainly didn 't seem dangerous . In fact , their laughter was so infectious , she found herself smiling . " We are the Wumpus , " the tallest one said with a deep , mocking bow , " at your service . My name is Pirrin . And who might you be ? " " I 'm Dante , " she answered , and for some unexplained reason they all burst into hysterical laughter . She found herself laughing with them . Greff stepped up next to Dante and faced Pirrin . He grabbed her wrist with one hand and flung his other arm in the direction of the lake ; she was suddenly looking at solid ice . She gasped , but before she could ask a question she found herself being pulled across the ice at a furious pace . As she tried to keep her feet under her she could see the other Wumpus were " skating " with them , their legs gliding over the ice , their feet never leaving the surface . She could hear some shouts coming from the bank behind her and felt her hand beginning to slip - or was Pirrin letting go of her ? She was suddenly scared of crashing into something at the speed they were going and shouted , " I can 't hold on much longer ! " Dante looked around ; she was now in the middle of the lake by herself . Trying to steady her breath , she began swimming back toward the shore . The water pulled at her legs , which were already tired from the walk down the mountain . She rolled to float on her back , and then began to backstroke . She knew it would be getting dark soon , and tried to keep down the panic that was starting to rise in her chest . She realized she wasn 't going to make it , and began to sink . Just before the water closed over her head she felt herself falling , and landed on the dry ground with a thump . Winded , she sat up . She was surrounded by a thick fog , just like the fog in the Brox hollow , and could hear the laughter of the Wumpus all around her . She got up and began walking in a straight line . She bumped into one of the Wumpus , who quickly spun away from her . " Take me back to my friends , " she said . " No , " Dante said . " You 've pulled me across the ice , nearly drowned me , and then knocked the wind out of me . I 'm not having fun . " " Well , we must change that at once . " Dante was suddenly swung up off her feet moving at a fast pace . She could feel the movement of the Wumpus as it ran , carrying her . The others were running along shouting . They reached the shore and they were instantly out of the fog , the lake sparkling behind them . Pirrin dumped Dante on the shore next to Addis . Dante didn 't say anything , but went to stand next to Ori , who put his arm around her . Seeya darted over to where Pirrin was standing . Dante noticed he stayed just out of the Wumpus ' reach . The Wumpus all smiled . " It 's nothing , " they chorused , laughing . Dante found she couldn 't stay mad at them - they all seemed to be having so much fun , and they seemed to want her to be having fun with them . She ran to join the circle , and danced with the Wumpus around Greff . They moved on to Addis , laughing at his cross look under his umbrella , and at Seeya trying to hover next to him so his hair wouldn 't get wet . Addis had his bag firmly in one hand , and held the umbrella in the other . His wouldn 't look at any of them , and as Dante watched him studying the ground , she suddenly didn 't think it was quite so funny . She could see the shocked expression on Ori 's face , and the disapproving glare of Greff . She stopped and turned to Pirrin . " Well , all right , if you say so . " The Wumpus stopped dancing , and the rain stopped . Before them the lake sparkled in the sunlight . Dante stood with her hair dripping , looking at Addis . He very stiffly folded his umbrella , and placed it back in his bag . Seeya looked up cautiously , and Greff moved over to stand next to Ori , looking over Addis ' left shoulder . Looking at her friends , the group who had picked her to be their leader , Dante felt ashamed of herself . " I 'm sorry guys , " she said , " I was just having so much fun . They really do make me laugh . Can 't we just stay one night ? "