In that moment, with no way out, I knew I was going to die. Even as my hand weakly and pitfully tried to claw and force her off, I was still trying to win a losing battle. Vision quickly dimming, the oldest emotions were running through me. Not sadness, regret, or dismay like you'd think. No ,it was pure burning angrier.

How dare she try to kill me? All I did was her head for a baseball, insult her (I call it speaking the truth), and made her a punching bag. Is that so wrong? Especially when done in self=defense? What's this country coming to if you can't even smack someone in the head...for self-defense of course. She's just adding to my already messed up week. I really don't need this.

Anger growing, heart pounding, I screamed as she cut off the last of my air. Screams that were drowned out by the random raging of thunder and lightning. A freak storm had rolled in during my almost death. The cracking brutal storm lit up the late afternoon sky. Flashes here, thunder there, it shook the ground with fierce power and rage. Mirroring my own mood.

For some reason, the more it thundered, the stronger I felt. While Scaly appeared to be stunned, confused, and even a bit scared. As a child, I had always loved the roaring dragon like sounds of thunder and the raging crackle of lightening. There's just something so soothing about them. So when lightning struck a tree just several feet from us, I was completely unfazed by it. It provided the perfect distraction, as Scaly was startled by it enough to relax her grip.

Strengthened by the storm, I pried her hand off my throat. Than using her hand for leverage, pulled myself up and swing my body over her head. Landing, I delivered a swift kick to the middle of her back. Stronger than I thought, Sacly's body collicoled and temporary became one with the tree.

Storm still raging, I grabbed my bag and bo staff where it landed five feet away and followed the path of the lightning north. Great idea...not. It guided me right into a corner. A small cliff about seven or eight feet off the ground stood in front of me, while the open forest was to the back. A cliff to high to climb and a horrible crazed snake haired woman in the forest. Trapped like a corned mouse with no way out. And after my grand escape.

"Out of places to run girl." Again with the hissing voiced announced. "Come quietly and L won't go after your friend."

"Nope, no deal." Out of places to run, there were only two choices left. Go with tall, snaky, and freaky, and have a slight chance at scabbing Ethan. Or stay and fight. The answer was simple. "Sorry, but I've got a promise to keep to stalker boy." Raising the staff, I took three steps back. Enough space to attack or dodge, without being backed into a corner. "Now, let's dance. Your garbage breath is making me dizzy."

Howling in rage, she lept to attack, than abruptly stopped. "Through I smelled gorgon's breath." A bored sounding female voice said, "You've caused a lot of trouble. I've been hiking through this forest for three days trying to track you." She lept off the small cliff and landed gracefully between me and Scaly. "Your pretty bold, coming so close to the academy. How'd you get pass my seals?"

A new kind of rage filled Scaly, like everything up till now had only been a mild annoyance. "You're the hero bitch who killed my sister." Her words were more hissing than actual speech.

The girl, who had shoulder length light brown hair and wore a gothic black tight length dress, let out an annoyed sigh. "Do all heroes give off the same scent or something? Yesh, even a gorgon can't tell the difference between a candidate of Persus and Jason." From the annoyance in her voice, it's not hard to image her rolling her eyes. "But yes, I was responsible for the death of your other sister." She sounded bored again.

The gorgon, as she called it, charged at the girl, talons first and howling. The girl stood there until the last second, than parried the first talon with a weapon with a prong shaped metal baton, that had two extra curved prongs projecting from the handle. A second identical weapon, went to block the second taloned hand. However it was shattered by the gorgon's overwhelming strength.

Clicking her tongue in frustration, the girl used her other weapon to push the gorgon back, before kicking it in the neck. The blow snapped the gorgon's neck, paralyzing her. "Damn." The girl threw her useless weapon to the ground. "I just got these made." She appears to be more concerned with her weapon, than the hideous gorgon only footsteps away. "Yo!" It took me a moment to realize she was talking to me. "You're a candidate, must be for _______ to be causing so much trouble." She made it seem like I wanted to be drugged, kidnapped, and chased through a forest by some mad monster woman. . "The academy isn't far from here. Go that way until you come to a stream; follow it until you see some buildings. Don't stop for any reason." She pointed her free hand toward the forest. "Go now!"

Her warning came too late, the gorgon had snapped her neck back and something told me she was none to happy. (Why weren't any of my kicks (attacks) affective?) However the sickingly sweet smile showing rows of fangy teeth said otherwise. Hand on my bow staff, I watched the gorgon, tensing for the attack that was sure to come. "Are you trying to get your powers drained or become a meal?" The usual bored expression on the girl, was replaced by a grim tense smile.

"You actually want to fight that thing alone?" I'm not one to back down from anything and prefer to see things through. That includes something as crazy as this.

"That 'thing'," she made air quotes, "is a gorgon. The younger one, but she's just as dangerous as her sisters. I have experience in this, you do not." She turned to look at me for the first time with her hazel eyes. "So unless you do prefer being food or a 'pet' in her statue garden. I suggest you run, fast. Gorgons always travel in three." If one of them was here and one was died, than that means one more is out there or have gotten to Ethan.

As if we weren't having enough fun, a second gorgon walked out of the forest. This one had more of a bluish-green scale color to match the coils of snakes nesting on her head. Her talons were at least two inches thick and long. "Knew I forgot something." The girl managed to look both serious and bored. "Forgot to cut off her head. See this proves I'm not a candidate for Persis, they never forget. Oh well, more fun." She shrugged, "If your gonna leave, do it now. IF not, don't move." She instructed me.

The two grogens seem to be having a sisterly moment, forgetting about us. The blue one appeared to still be recovering from resent injured. "Heroes these das don't know what their doing." She explained to her sister. "She left me there, thinking I was dead. Forgot the most basic rule nev-." Her ranting was cut off with a boot to the face. The girl had taken the chance to gain get upper hand.

As she was landing from her jump kick, he grey grogen grabbed her by the arm and tossed gothic girl like a stick. Gothic gal, crashed with a THUMB into the center of a tree. Her right arm was bent backward the wrong way. I'm no doctor, but one's arm shouldn't bend inward toward your stomach. (Yup, her arm's gotta be broken.) The grey grogen noticed this too and stalked over to her injured prey and began to slash at gothic gal with those fabulously dangerous talons of her's. Oh, surprise! Gothic gal's dress must act like some kind of armor. She protected herself with the long sleeve of her left arm. Acting as both shield and armor, the sleeve protected gothic gal against the worst of the grogen's attack.

Wanting in on the the 'fun', I was about to rush over, when Ms. Blue grogen blocked my path. "You should worry about youself." About to slashed, I ducked out of the way and dashed into the forest. Gothic gal had experience, as she'd said, in dealing with grogens. I, on the other hand, will not end up like the dumb bimbo in movies who's useless and gets herself into danger. So, I'm gonna help the only way I know how, annoying the crap outta people. If I can lead Ms. Blue away, than Gothic gal should be able to handle Scaly, even with a broken arm. Heck, just one kick from Gothic Gal had Scaly knocked out with a broken neck for several moments. While my kicks either amused or annoyed Scaly (a talent of mine.) From what I've seen of both me and Gothic gal fighting a grogen, she stands a much better chance than me.

That thought was out to the back of my mind, as I ran straight into a stream. Pain lashed through my arm and over my whole body, causing me to collapse. Ms. Blue, oh so kindly, stopped me from falling. Upon closer look, her seven inch talons tore through flesh, as she pulled me up. It felt like my arm was being yanked out of socket. So here I am, dinging by my limp bloody arm in front of the grogen. She actually licked the blood running down my arm, adirming her 'artwork' at the same time. "You time like an Olympian!" Her voice was high pitch, like she'd just gotten high off of my blod. "A powerful one to, but which one?" She took another taste. "To bitter for Aphrodite and to dumb for Athena."

"Hey!" I have just been insulted by someone with snakes for hair and scales for skin. Well, it time for me to kick up my annoyance power into full gear. "Your one to talk, having a bad hair year? Snakes have never been in style." Okay, that is one of my worst come-backs yet.

Unlike her sister, she didn't get enraged by my insult. In fact she smiled, a sharp toothy grin. "Talk while you can, soon I'll be feasting on your untrained godling powers. For now, a snack to tide me over. Stay still, this is going to hurt a lot." She lowered her mouth to my neck.

Closing my eyes, I prepared for more pain. Instead, a blood-curling scream filled the air. Ms. Blue's body was smoking and began convulsing, letting me drop into the water. For a moment, she stood unmoving. The second she tried to raise a taloned hand, a violent shock went through her body. This time, no sound escaped her, she stood perfectly still, as if frozen in place.

"How'd you escape? It's not like Jade to leave something half finished.' There behind the grogen stood he sexist boy I've ever seen. Dark blonde hair, tall, lean, and the greenest eyes ever. Now, I'm not the type of girl to be struck dumb and speechless at the sight of a cute, or in this case, very hot guy. But I will admit in this very rare special case, I, Valerie "Veil' Hart, was indeed speechless and staring at this very find guy. Maybe there is something to this whole damsel in distress thing. Look at Sleeping Beauty, she got a great nap and handsome prince. Not that I'm shallow or anything.

He finally noticed me, a big lump on the ground. "Close your mouth, you'll attract flies." His first words out of his mouth to me and it's something rude. "What are you doing out here anyway? You know your not allowed beyond the seals."

My attraction to him died quicker than it had started. At less with Ethan, he knew how to be sarcastic, and not flat out rude. "That things' 'sister' kidnapped m and Look out!" While we were talking, the grogen had recovered. My unprince-charming, had walked over to me in that short time, leaving his back unguarded, open for attack. Like now for example, two talon hands aimed for his exposed neck. One swift sweep at his legs from my staff, had princey-boy flat on his back.

Surprised by my quick movements, princey-boy didn't have a chance to recover. As I was pinned to the ground on one knee, practically over top of him, my one good arm was holding my staff trying to keep the grogen away. An awkward position this is, struck between a grogen and almost sitting on some guy I just met.

The grogen easily shattered my bo staff like a twig. The force from it knocked me off balance and falling to the side. During this time, princey-boy had managed to grab the grogen's leg. A field of static electricy built up in his hand, growing brighter before traveling up the grogen's leg and disbursting. There was an ear prieceing sheirk, as the current fired her from the inside out.

Again, the grogen went limp and appeared unconscious. Thinking it safe to move, princy-boy let go go the grogen and rolled from under here. The two of us stared at her until an all to familiar voice called my name. Ethan came strumbling out of the forest, gothic gal was rigtht behind him, cradling her injuried arm.

"Did you kill her?" Gothic gal, cringed as her injuried arm brushed against a tree.

"No just barbuced her." My unknight in shining armor, replied. "What are you doing here Jade? I thought your patrol ended for today."

So gothic gal is the girl Jade, he mentioned earlier. Jade pointed to Ethan with her good arm, "I was heading back, when he ran like a mad man into me. He said his friend was fighting a grogen, which is when I ran into bluey here first and later her younger sister. That reminds me, we should send some of the healers out here. They've been complaining about not having enough grogen's blood."

As they talked, Ethan wondered over to me. "So you didn't die. Good now, I can pay you back for that stalker comment." Good one. Ethan knows how to make light of a situation. He helped me to stand up and braced most of my weight, since I was slightly dizzy from blood lose. "You don't look so good."

Thank you, captain obvious." I tried to shove him, which only successed in making me topable over. "You try fighting a grogen, or whatever those things are, and walk away without a scratch. Uck! My head.' Swriling spots of purple and orange danced in my vision, making the world spin and twirl. 'Ethan, why do you have seven eyes?" The words came out slurred.

"Did you hit your head?" Ethan asked half amused and worried.

"I w..was fighting a gro..gon.."

The slurring of my words snpped the other two out of their conversation. Jade rushed over and held my chin up so she could look into my eyes. 'Her eyes are beginning to haze over." She quickly checked my body for wounds. She now held some part of my body up to inspect, my peg maybe? No, that's not attached to my shoulder. "She been cut by the grogen's claws. Don't know if any of the blood got into the wound. She could also just be loopy from blood lose."

Everything had blurred into one messy picture and the voice all sounded alike. "We still can't take any chances. Let's get her to the infarmy." This was a male's voice.

"Can she even walk? She seems really out of it." This could've been Jade.

Strong arms gripped my waist and back, than lifted me off the ground and held me close. I didn't protest every part of my body sighed in relief. "I'll take her and the other new kid. Stay here and guard our guess, I'll send someone to come help." Everything else trailed off, as I nestled against the chest of the one carrying me. The smell of oak and peppermint greeted me, as I drifted off. For the second time today, I passed out.