Dreamcatcher [OLD]

Anora found herself sitting on the ground in shock. The crowd watching the execution backed away in alarm. The guards finally caught up and shot Tikaani with a tranquillizer. One wasn't enough, but after three he passed out. Just as he was losing consciousness, he whispered, "Kill me, not him..." 

The two boys were being dragged off the stage. The execution was postponed. In some weird way, Tikaani had redeemed himself and done the right thing. Somehow. Anora smiled for a moment, then remembered what happened. Oh, lord. He had said he was the murderer. What will happen to them?

A guard walked over to her. "Please come with me." He said in a stern voice and grabbed her arm. The guards wore wooden masks as well, but with numbers on them. This one said 14. "Are you 14?" She asked him as he dragged her along. "Yep!! How'd ya know?"

14 walked her back into the building. She could now see the setting more clearly, now that she was not chasing Tikaani at break-neck speed. The walls were all made of wood, the ceiling was arched, resembling an underground tunnel. All of the people wore wooden masks with symbols and numbers on them, all of them in black cloaks. They walked by wooden doors, with guards standing by them. She looked to the ground and for the first time ever found small creatures walking along the hallways as well, they looked like small elves or large insects, something of the sort. They were strange, and they carried papers along the path, skittering around the feet of the guards. 

He walked her to some doors, and nodded his head to the guards next to them. The door was opened, and Anora was thrown in. 

"Stay here until your partner in crime is interrogated," 14 glared at her through the slit in his mask and slammed the door shut. 

The room was bare, except for a small bed, table and chair. A small window offered some light into the room, but it was too high up to look through. Anora sat down on the bed and put her head in her hands. "What have I gotten myself into?" And started to cry. 

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Tikaani woke up tied to the chair in the same room he and Anora were interrogated in earlier. He struggled in the ropes, and they rubbed at his skin. "Untie me! What the hell is this!" He screamed into the darkness. 

Al's voice piped up. "We just need to ask you a few questions, that's all. Stop struggling." He sounded a lot harsher than he did the first time they had met. 

"Are you the murderer? Whether you lie now will determine how severe your death penalty is and whether that girl dies along with you. We'll spare her if you tell the full truth; and we'll be checking with mind reading later."

Tikaani gulped. 

"I... I did not kill anyone." 

Al laughed. 

"Well, well, well, I guess you really don't like that girl! Okay then, let's get it over with."

"Wait!! It's all a misunderstanding!!" Tikaani screamed. 

"We'll see," Al said, and Tikaani could almost feel the smirk on Al's hidden face. 

Guards approached Tikaani from all sides. They formed a circle around the boy and started chanting. 

Tikaani started frantically struggled to no avail.  Suddenly his efforts stopped. He stopped moving altogether, even though his mind was screaming at his body. Move! Come on! I need to get out of here! But nothing worked. Then he realized he wasn't alone with his thoughts. Someone was watching. 

"So you're a normal, powerless human who lied your way in. Somehow got into our world. Interesting. Very interesting." Al whispered, it seemed into Tikaani's ear. "So that boy Akane had helped you and you threw him under the bus. We were already going to execute him, so we believed you... it was all luck...hmmm..." Al was deep in thought. Tikaani tried to move to see if he could catch a glimpse of the mysterious figure, but he was still under control. 

"Now, what to do with you?" 

Tikaani gasped for air once he finally regained control of his body. He sat limp, tied to the chair. 

"This truly is a big question," Al continued thoughtfully, taking his sweet time. "I mean we can execute you all, but at the same time it would be great to know how you got here. A little science experiment, as I'll call it. But you are trespassers after all... maybe I should ask His Majesty."

"Really? Go that high up?" Asked a worried guard.

"Sure, why not? He and I are tight."

Tikaani found the strength to look up, and watched as a small black cat stepped into the light of the single lantern. He nearly fainted all over again when the cat spoke in Al's voice.

"Lets bring the two of them to the Oolah, and see what He has to say."

Tikaani was untied from the chair. He erupted from the spot, attacking the guards with all he had. "WAKE UP!! WAKE UP!!" He screamed, as i f it were a dream, but the guards easily broke him down and held his arms from behind. He now had a black, swollen eye from the guards' efforts.

"Sheesh, what a crazy kid," Mumbled Al and slinked past them. "Let's fetch the girl."

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Anora had been lying in the bed, crying, when she heard a bang on the door and a key in the lock. She shot up and sat, curled up in the blanket. 

A small black cat strolled in.

She stared at it, the green eyes of the cat bore into her skull. 

Then it spoke.

"Why hello there, Anora."

Anora screamed at the top of her lungs, hiding under the blanket completely. 

"What is with your reactions? Never seen a talking cat before?" Al said, annoyed. "I'm not that weird. You should see some of the other creatures here. Anyways, lets get moving."

"W-Where are we going?" Anora yelled from under the blanket.

"To the Oolah," answered Al.