Contest: Murder in a Land of Madness 2

Host: Mermaid1211

My dreams were full of Neveah.

I couldn't manage to run away from her, no matter what she followed and somehow, she always ended up dead. But I didn't know how. Jordan was there too, fighting with me. I don't know why he would do that. The images haunted me, but I couldn't seem to find the strength to wake up.

"Dai?" A distant voice questions, dragging back on my conscience. I curl my fingers into fists, circling around the dark clearing, searching anxiously for Neveah even as the voice calls again. A shocking cold spreads throughout me and my vision blurs. My foot catches and I lurch forward, falling face first into a puddle of sticky, warm liquid.

My body begins to shake and my breathing comes fast, slowly, my eyesight returns and I find myself staring into the lifeless eyes of my brother's sister. Dark blood pools around her stomach and I gag, attempting to shield my mouth and nose from the terrible smell of rot. But when I glance at my palms, all I can see is red.

So I scream.

I jerk, sitting upright on my bed and hugging my arms around my body protectively. Terror thumped through me, adrenaline running around inside me like little mice. Another ear splitting scream was lodged in my throat, but a warm hand on my shoulder brought reality crashing down around me.

And the dream washes away like words written into the wet sand on the beach as the waves crash over it.

I was in a white room with a girl and a boy standing over me, their intense, weary gazes trained specifically on me. The room was bare; save for a bed, table, chair, and a mini closet. Nothing else. Something cool brushes against my chest and I glance down, clasping my fingers around the locket tightly.

Jordan. I missed him.

I hadn't seen him in two days, just this room and the other people who lived here with me. I didn't like them, they were weird and scary. But I recognized one of them, a boy. I knew him, I'd seen him in photographs that belonged to Jordan. Except, I couldn't remember who he was.

"Dai?" I blink, pulling my legs tighter in and shuffling back on the bed to rest my body against the wall.

"What do you want?" I whimper, resting my chin on my knees and watching them carefully. Both had black hair and brown eyes, but I found myself staring at the girl's because it fell in stunning ringlets around her face.

"I'm Elizabeth, and this is Henry, we have some questions for you. Are you put for that?" The girl wonders, perching on the edge of my bed. I shrug one shoulder and stare past her shoulder, refusing to let my gaze meet hers. I wouldn't say anything until Jordan got here.

"Dai?" Henry questions, moving his face in front of my gaze. I shift my eyes away, ducking my head on my knees.

"No, I don't know." I mutter to no one in particular.

Jordan where are you? You said you'd come.

"Daianara, I need you to look at me." I curl my fingers around my arm, feeling the raised, uneven scars sketched into my skin. The burn on my palm brushes against my calf and I'm hit with a knot of homesickness. Jordan.

"Why?"

"Because someone got hurt and I need to know if you know anything about it." I frown, glancing up at Henry with my head tilted slightly.

"Who?" Henry smiles slightly and bends down next to my bed, resting his palm on the bedside table to keep his balance.

"Kirbi, did you know her?" I blink several times, letting the name roll around in my head and straighten my legs out before me, resting my fingers in my lap.

"No."

"Are you sure?" Elizabeth pipes up, her voice taking on a note of desperation. Henry throws her a warning look before facing me again.

"Dai, are you?" He asks. I nod, pulling my lower lip between my teeth. The only person I knew, or had any interest in paying attention to was the boy in the photographs. Everyone else was a blur in the background or a stain on the canvas. I didn't see or care for them, but I imagined I should. Maybe they could help me find Jordan.

"Yes, I don't know a Kirbi." Henry pinches his lips together and nods, sharing a brief glance with Elizabeth.

"Where were you last night Dai?" Elizabeth wonders, leaning forward a bit. I shrug, pulling a strand of my blonde hair between my fingers and twirling it around.

"I don't know, I went a lot of places last night. I had dinner and then I went to the room with the others and watched them, then I came here. Can I go find Jordan now?" I ask, looking at Henry while craftily avoiding Elizabeth.

It wasn't that I didn't like her, but I liked him more. He acted like Jordan; patient and understanding. She acted like Emily; abrupt and anxious. I didn't like that.

"So, you don't have any idea who Kirbi was or what happened to her?" Henry paraphrases, brown eyes searching mine for confirmation. I nod and kick my feet over the edge of the bed.

"Yes, I want to find Jordan now. Please?" I beg, tucking my hands under my chin. Henry and Elizabeth share a dejected look and climb to their feet.

"Sure, don't wander too far though." Henry advises, watching me as I scamper out of the room and twine my way down halls and through doors. I was on an adventure, one that hopefully led me back to Jordan.