Oasis: Zarah and Royalty

4: And nightmare continues

As my eyes slowly opens, I am first exposed to the bright light of the day and then I become aware of the fact that I am no longer in the interrogation room which is the last things I remember. My head is a little fuzzy and out of place from trying to think up what's happening around me. From what I'm seeing which is the bare ground with some parts of it covered with fresh green grass, the only explanation for me being able to see this is that I'm being carried upside-down, probably on the shoulder. Why do I feel like I'm in the woods?

Where am I being carried to?

Who's carrying me?

How am I even outside the interrogation room?

This surrounding is so unfamiliar and I fear that I've been abducted and probably going to be killed. There is no sign of life around as the place is covered with green grass and trees, futher backing up my suspicions of us being in the woods.

I begin to struggle to get free, kicking my legs, "Put me down! Put me down!" I say, kicking my legs aggressively and screaming loudly, but whoever is holding would not budge.

"You heard the girl Vixan put her down." I hear a voice say from behind me in a scolding manner to the one carrying me.

I raise my head up at once and I see a man that looks so familiar and I begin to wonder if we have met before. His hair is a long, straight black hair, his face bare of any facial hair, his skin toned, fair and glowing and his cheekbone high. He's definitely an attractive man. His eyes are colourless which is very weird and the first I've seen and he's wearing a black armor, girded at the middle with a white belt and a sword at his side in a black holder.

I don't know why but this feels so much like déjà-vu.

My brain immediately begins to do a recess, trying to recollect the memory that I may have forgotten and then it hit me, he was the man I saw in the interrogation room, after the unexplainable death of the detective that was trying to kill me, only difference is that one had a half white and black coloured hair.

The man who just spoke gives me a weird look, "I think she can not only hear me, she can see me as well Vixan." He says, sounding half thrilled half startled.

"I told you she was a witch." Comes the reply of the one holding me, still not feeling inclined to put me down.

"Who's a witch?" I demand wondering how we got to this point.

I remember him in the interrogation room and I remember he said he came on the orders of his Lord to kill me.

My breath seizes in my throat and I begin to struggle more aggressive than before, kicking and hitting the back of the one carrying me with my hands as hard as I can.

"Put me down! Put me down now!"

I fall off his shoulder eventually and hit my hand hard on the ground and my bones makes a c***k sound and I know he didn't put me down like I demanded, he threw me off his shoulder.

"Son of a b***h!" I cry out in pain and I raise my head to glare at him, but I stop on my track when I see that they are not one but two looking the same except for their different hair colour, one having a complete long black hair and black armor on and the other having a complete white hair and white armour on. Both are practically the same face, around 6ft4 tall, and it's obvious that they are well build as well.

Someone is messing with me.

The white haired stranger was the one I met at the interrogation room because I still remember the arrogant and command his embodied, but his double having a black hair I haven't seen before and he look much nicer and warm and his eyes looks somewhat mild.

And the nightmare continues.

"What's happening here? How are you now two? And your hair! Who are you?"

"He's Vixan and I'm his conscience." He reply, his eyes glints of a yellow shade and a smile appears on his face. "I'm so glad you can see me, it's really nice to talk to someone other than him."

My eye brow pull together in a deep frown, not understanding a thing of what he's saying. "Excuse me?"

He nod and signals for me to calm down with his hands, "It's harder for humans from earth to properly process us and things we do, here let me explain-"

Vixan raises his hand and as if under some sort of compulsion, his conscience becomes quiet.

I turn to him still greatly confused and needing explanation. "Look this all can be sorted out, I am a professor of mythology at the University of Abuja and I know you too aren't bad guys, I can pay you any amount you want and I'll never say a thing to anyone, please just take me home." I say, trying out my negotiation skills.

He doesn't reply instead he unwraps a rope from his left hand side and moves to where I am on the ground. I begins to kick and struggle with him and I kick him across the face and I see him grit his teeth so hard the muscles in his jaw flex and I dread the worse. He tackles me on the ground and overpowers me before binding my left hand and when he's done with the first, he proceed to the right like some common prisoner.

Well that negotiation didn't go as planned.

I know going back home to a normal life is now a pipe dream. I am still the suspect for the death and disappearance of my parents and will never be able to go home without being caught.

"Is this really necessary? I'm prisoner to two tall and strong men, what harm can I possibly do you both?" I asks but he meets my question with completely silence and instead glares at me and when he's done he gets off me and steps back before roughly pulling me up.

"I'm barefooted, I can't walk barefooted." I point out. I wasn't wearing any shoe when I was arrested yesterday and I wasn't wearing any shoe in the interrogation room either, so it's not much of a surprise, but it is going to be impossible to walk through this forest barefooted.

"If you prefer being carried, don't hesitate saying it." Comes Vixan's smug reply.

My brows pull together as a frown settles on my face. "Do I look like a baby to the both of you?"

"The question should be how are you able to see the both of us? Humans aren't supposed to see our conscience, but you do, so what powers do you have little witch?" He says before pulling me onto my feet and dragging me along with them.

What exactly is this crazy man talking about?

First he accuses me of seeing his conscience and the process to ask about powers? "Powers? Witch? Who do you think I am, a character in a Marvel movie or something?!"

"You asks many foolish questions girl!" He barks out, his eyes flashing with the red shade again and I'm having a feeling that he is getting angry, but why would he be angry at me, I haven't done anything to him, have I?

I realise I haven't given an answer to his accusations about me having powers. "I am not a witch and I don't have any powers! If I did I wouldn't still be your captive would I? I've gone through hell since yesterday my parents were taken and I don't know where they are and then I was arrested by the police and accused of killing them and then the detective who was asking questions tried to kill me, and then you came and tried to kill me as well." I remember being cut yesterday and my bonded right hand goes to hold my left arm which was slashed during my struggle with the detective and I see it has healed up and I wonder how long I was out; it must have been weeks already because I remember the cut being deep and wouldn't have healed up except for a miracle or special treatment and most importantly, time.

'Or death,' my inner voice points out to me.

"Am I dead?" I ask quietly, although deep down dreading the answer.

I am not sure if I dread being death, but I've always imagined that the afterlife would be a place of love, peace, happiness and freedom, this is the opposite of that. So if I'm still a prisoner in the afterlife, bound with my hands and being dragged along by some men I don't know, to a place I'm not so sure about, then that would be the worse fate that could ever happen to me.

"Not yet." The one called Vixan simply replies.

"Why not, because from what I've observed," I raise my healed arm which I remember had a deep cut before to them to further prove point. "It's been days already so why am I still alive?"

"Erm, it hasn't been days, it was only yesterday." His conscience begins to speak for the first time in almost five minutes of aimlessly walking through the forest.

"That doesn't make any sense," I blurt out, "how do you explain my healed arm?"

"He healed you." His conscience replies, sounding a little delighted, "he didn't want to at first but I was able to make him reconsider." He states proudly.

I shake my head, "That's not possible, he can't possibly heal me, even if he was a doctor it would take time, unless he's a magician or some kind of god."

"He's a born Lord of Oasis, it's a natural gift given to the Prince when they are born."

"Oasis?" I echoes and begin to chuckle, clutching my stomach as I try to stem the flow of laughter, "You almost had me there. Yeah I've been trying to make sense of everything that has been happing in the last ten minutes. You, being his submissive twin, but claiming to be his conscience and he, talking about powers and witches, then you claiming I've been healed because he has some type of magical powers he was born with, which is completely absurd. Telling me he's Prince and Lord of Oasis when everyone know that Oasis is a story book for kids and young adults is hilarious."

They stop walking and the both of them turn to me, their eyes red and staring at me with dark intent and I think I may have overstepped.

"It's not a laughing matter, Oasis is our home, Vixan is prince of Oasis and a Lord of the realm, harnessing all the powers of the Kings who came before him and having the ability to wield these powers. And I'm not his submissive twin, I'm his conscience and he healed you because the ability to heal is one of his many gifts. I've always been fond of you, but I don't think I like you anymore."

This is just like the story book, except it's not a kids book.

Is this even real?

Are they real?

The smile on my face vanished and I realised that everything I've taught as a story might be real.

"Oh s**t!" I mumble and I lose the strength in my body and I fall back to the ground and my eyes grows weak and blurry and I see Xivan and his conscience standing above me from its dimness before they finally close.

The huge Christmas tree is glittering with it's beautiful lights and standing behind my mom, dad and Sean as we prepare to take our annual Christmas photo. We are all wearing the Christmas sweaters I got for last week, only four of them were left and I was fortunate to get them. Sean being the showoff went out yesterday and got himself a matching beanie to go with it, but anything that'll spice up the Christmas photo is always welcomed.

"Zarah, hurry up!" Dad beckons to me from beside the Christmas tree where he, mom and Sean are.

"Common sis, I don't know how long I want to keep waiting to take pictures when I know food is in the kitchen!"

I roll my eyes, "Considering the amount of food you will be eating today that smile should be realer and wider." I tell him before running over after setting the timer on the camera.

He narrows his eyes at me, "I deserve those food, I've worked myself up at the university and I need to regain my strength!"

"If you're looking to feed only yourself, then Christmas is not for you."

He makes a face at me, sticking his tongue out as well and the picture shot is taken in that moment.

The realization of what just happened dawn on him and his eyes widened "s**t!" He exclaims, "we have to retake it!"

"Mind you words Sean!" Mom scolds, frowning at him.

He shakes his head, "You don't understand mom, we have to retake it!" He complains, not willing to give up that quick.

"We have always saved the first picture taken together on Christmas day no matter how bad they were Sean and that tradition is not going to change anytime soon." I point out in the friendliest voice I can find. "At least when you see this picture in ten year's time, you will know exactly what it was you were doing at this particular time." I say, cracking up a bit.

"It's not so funny August, retake the photo again!" He whines, but I shake my head. "that was not my best face Zarah, we have to retake the photo, there's a smile I've been practicing for weeks now and it's what I want to use for the photo."

"Then save and perfect it for next year's Christmas photo!" I stick my tongue back at him. "I promise I won't show it to your future children." I say, unable to stop myself from laughing and dad and mom laughs as well while Sean glare daggers at me.

"Bring the chin chin over I want to have a taste." Dad says happily.

"Me too," mom adds, chuckling quietly beside dad.

I walk over to the dinning table and pick the bowl of chin chin, but as I turn back to them, I freeze as I see mom shredding away like a burnt piece of paper and my heart begins to beat hard and fast in my chest. I look to dad, wondering if he's seeing what I'm seeing, but I realise the same thing is happening to him.

I run over to Sean who hasn't been affected and take him by his hand, "Sean common, we got to get out of here, something's not right,"

"What's wrong sis, you're scaring me." He says, admitting to his fear. "What happened to mom and dad?"

"I don't know Sean, but you have to trust me okay?" I say, but as I make my way towards my room, Sean let go of my hand and I turn to him and I see him shredding away from the tip of his hair.

He looks terrified and it breaks my heart. "Zarah what's happening?!" He call out, helpless and completely overcome by fear.

I run back to him and try to take his hand, "I'm here, we'll figure this out!" I try to assure him but that doesn't stop him from shredding away from me "No, no no no!!!!" I cry out.

"WAKE UP!" I hear a loud voice command and my eyes opens again.