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Description
I leaned up against the earth wall and tried not to think about the pounding, ceaseless pain that swirled around me. As long as I didn't move, it reduced to a dull ache. I concentrated on my breathing, but even that small movement hurt.
A sudden yell caused me to jerk my head up in time to see a boy hit the ground, having part-fell and part-rolled to the bottom of the Pit. He lay in a crumpled heap, groaning.
I couldn't believe it. "Ben?" I whispered.
My friend looked up, surprise etched on his face. "Zelda! Thank goodness I found you!" Awkwardly he pushed himself up, wincing as he did so. As he came into the light, I could see that his hands were bound in front of him. I noticed that whoever had done that had used magically reinforced rope so that he couldn't break free. They know he's a vampire, I thought worriedly.
Ben carefully squatted down next to me, sucking in his breath. "Oh, my God! What did they do to you?"
He was referring to the numerous deep cuts that covered my exposed skin. I shuddered, thinking of the silver knife that had flashed before me in the darkness. "I don't want to talk about it," I said quietly.
"Maybe there's something I can do to help..." I looked at Ben curiously as he pulled up the hem of his shirt and spat on it. "Vampire saliva has amazing healing properties." Cautiously he wiped the damp fabric over a gash in my forearm. I gasped at the feel of the rough cloth scraping over my hurt, but then watched in amazement as it healed, closing up until there was nothing left but a thin scar.
Ben continued tending to my wounds. "Vampires use their spit to heal the cuts they make in their victims so that they won't die of blood loss," he explained. "Obviously it's useful in other situations as well."
His hand hovered over my face. "Close your eyes." Obediently I shut them as he went over the deep gash in my forehead. "There. All done."
I smiled at him weakly. "Thanks, Ben. You probably saved my life."
"It was no big deal," he said dismissively.
Now that I was in no immediate danger of dying, I sat up and faced him squarely. Time for the fun part. "Okay, so what are you doing here?" I demanded. "Why are you in this alternate universe?"
"Well, Bobbie woke me up and told me that you had disappeared, so I told her to go and ask Grim if he knew where you were. She dragged me over to a door and flung it open...I guess it was the wrong door."
I scowled at him. "And how did you get her? In the -- Pit?" I left off what I was going to say. It was best not to pay attention to the predicament we were in, to pretend that we were just in the school small gym, talking before school, like any normal day. Except for one thing..."And what happened to Bobbie? Is she okay?" With virtually no magical abilities, she would be completely vulnerable to anything in this universe.
"I...don't know," Ben responded, looking at me steadily in the eyes. That vampire stare always creeps me out. "We were...separated in the fall."
"Oh, I hope Bobbie's okay," I said, more to myself than him. Then I said, "So what happened to you?"
"I think your alternate universe twin picked me up on her broom." He frowned. "She said that she knew people's souls from a single touch."
"Oh, a spirit seer. This can't be good," I muttered. Suddenly we were distracted by the thump of a falling body. We looked up as it lay on the ground, still and unmoving.
I paled. "Oh no -- Bobbie!" I tried getting up, but I stood too quickly. The world spun crazily around me and I staggered. Ben supported me as best as he could with his bound hands. "Are you okay?"
"I -- I'm fine," I said. "We need to get to Bobbie!"
"Stop panicking," he soothed me. "They wouldn't throw her in here if she -- " he couldn't say the rest.
"She might have serious injuries, anyway," I replied, shaking off the thought: But what if she is dead and they threw her in anyway?
I collapsed next to Bobbie, my knees shaking. "Whoa, Zelda! Be careful," Ben said, alarmed. "Are you sure you're okay?"
"I'm fine," I snapped. I thrust my trembling fingers under her chin and felt a wave of relief. "She has a pulse!"
"So she's just unconscious, then," said Ben from Bobbie's other side.
"I dunno about just," I muttered. "See there? It looks like she was knocked out with a heavy weapon." I pointed at an area on her head that was matted with dried blood.
"Ouch," Ben muttered.
"Benjamin Patterson?"
We looked up, and my gut contracted with fear. It was them -- the ones who had wielded the knife and forced magic-killing potion down my throat. And now they were here again. For Ben.
Two of them seized Ben by the arms. "You're coming with us."
"Hey," he protested, digging his heels into the dirt. He didn't need my look of terror to know that these men were bad news. "Where are you taking me?"
"Nowhere of your concern," one of them said as the other two tightened their grip on Ben. They started dragging him away.
"What? -- No!" Ben exclaimed, struggling wildly. "You can't -- " He threw me a desperate look. "Zelda, help!" he practically wailed.
I raised myself into a half-sitting position. "Let go of him!" I called, trying to sound braver than I felt. A glancing blow caught me on the ear and sent me careening to the ground. Spots and flashes of color danced before my eyes. Distantly I heard Ben scream. "ZELDA!!"
I didn't hear from him again.

Description
I leaned up against the earth wall and tried not to think about the pounding, ceaseless pain that swirled around me. As long as I didn't move, it reduced to a dull ache. I concentrated on my breathing, but even that small movement hurt.
A sudden yell caused me to jerk my head up in time to see a boy hit the ground, having part-fell and part-rolled to the bottom of the Pit. He lay in a crumpled heap, groaning.
I couldn't believe it. "Ben?" I whispered.
My friend looked up, surprise etched on his face. "Zelda! Thank goodness I found you!" Awkwardly he pushed himself up, wincing as he did so. As he came into the light, I could see that his hands were bound in front of him. I noticed that whoever had done that had used magically reinforced rope so that he couldn't break free. They know he's a vampire, I thought worriedly.
Ben carefully squatted down next to me, sucking in his breath. "Oh, my God! What did they do to you?"
He was referring to the numerous deep cuts that covered my exposed skin. I shuddered, thinking of the silver knife that had flashed before me in the darkness. "I don't want to talk about it," I said quietly.
"Maybe there's something I can do to help..." I looked at Ben curiously as he pulled up the hem of his shirt and spat on it. "Vampire saliva has amazing healing properties." Cautiously he wiped the damp fabric over a gash in my forearm. I gasped at the feel of the rough cloth scraping over my hurt, but then watched in amazement as it healed, closing up until there was nothing left but a thin scar.
Ben continued tending to my wounds. "Vampires use their spit to heal the cuts they make in their victims so that they won't die of blood loss," he explained. "Obviously it's useful in other situations as well."
His hand hovered over my face. "Close your eyes." Obediently I shut them as he went over the deep gash in my forehead. "There. All done."
I smiled at him weakly. "Thanks, Ben. You probably saved my life."
"It was no big deal," he said dismissively.
Now that I was in no immediate danger of dying, I sat up and faced him squarely. Time for the fun part. "Okay, so what are you doing here?" I demanded. "Why are you in this alternate universe?"
"Well, Bobbie woke me up and told me that you had disappeared, so I told her to go and ask Grim if he knew where you were. She dragged me over to a door and flung it open...I guess it was the wrong door."
I scowled at him. "And how did you get her? In the -- Pit?" I left off what I was going to say. It was best not to pay attention to the predicament we were in, to pretend that we were just in the school small gym, talking before school, like any normal day. Except for one thing..."And what happened to Bobbie? Is she okay?" With virtually no magical abilities, she would be completely vulnerable to anything in this universe.
"I...don't know," Ben responded, looking at me steadily in the eyes. That vampire stare always creeps me out. "We were...separated in the fall."
"Oh, I hope Bobbie's okay," I said, more to myself than him. Then I said, "So what happened to you?"
"I think your alternate universe twin picked me up on her broom." He frowned. "She said that she knew people's souls from a single touch."
"Oh, a spirit seer. This can't be good," I muttered. Suddenly we were distracted by the thump of a falling body. We looked up as it lay on the ground, still and unmoving.
I paled. "Oh no -- Bobbie!" I tried getting up, but I stood too quickly. The world spun crazily around me and I staggered. Ben supported me as best as he could with his bound hands. "Are you okay?"
"I -- I'm fine," I said. "We need to get to Bobbie!"
"Stop panicking," he soothed me. "They wouldn't throw her in here if she -- " he couldn't say the rest.
"She might have serious injuries, anyway," I replied, shaking off the thought: But what if she is dead and they threw her in anyway?
I collapsed next to Bobbie, my knees shaking. "Whoa, Zelda! Be careful," Ben said, alarmed. "Are you sure you're okay?"
"I'm fine," I snapped. I thrust my trembling fingers under her chin and felt a wave of relief. "She has a pulse!"
"So she's just unconscious, then," said Ben from Bobbie's other side.
"I dunno about just," I muttered. "See there? It looks like she was knocked out with a heavy weapon." I pointed at an area on her head that was matted with dried blood.
"Ouch," Ben muttered.
"Benjamin Patterson?"
We looked up, and my gut contracted with fear. It was them -- the ones who had wielded the knife and forced magic-killing potion down my throat. And now they were here again. For Ben.
Two of them seized Ben by the arms. "You're coming with us."
"Hey," he protested, digging his heels into the dirt. He didn't need my look of terror to know that these men were bad news. "Where are you taking me?"
"Nowhere of your concern," one of them said as the other two tightened their grip on Ben. They started dragging him away.
"What? -- No!" Ben exclaimed, struggling wildly. "You can't -- " He threw me a desperate look. "Zelda, help!" he practically wailed.
I raised myself into a half-sitting position. "Let go of him!" I called, trying to sound braver than I felt. A glancing blow caught me on the ear and sent me careening to the ground. Spots and flashes of color danced before my eyes. Distantly I heard Ben scream. "ZELDA!!"
I didn't hear from him again.