Chapter 3: The Flower's Cage

As Sumi woke up from the floating cage where she was sitting, she noticed she wasn't in the tavern anymore.

"Where am I?" She asked to no one in particular. Then all the memories of what had happened, came flooding back, the bad feeling she had felt when they landed, the girl choking her in the kitchen, the cloud that took her away. Sumi almost cried when she had remembered everything. I have to get out of here. She thought as she tried to pull at the bars of her cage, until she realized that was a very bad idea as she noticed the dark pit beneath her cage. She saw a pair of eyes watching her from the shadows, until she recognized those eyes, those blood red eyes. That girl!

"Who are you? What have you done?!" Sumi shouted as she tried to pull at the cage, no longer paying attention to the pit beneath her.

The girl grinned a Cheshire wide smile and giggled at the sight of her careless moving.

"Wouldn't do that if I were you." The girl laughed as she circled her cage.

Sumi tried to break the cell using the poison in her nails but it wouldn't melt no matter which poison she used. She was relieved it wouldn't melt, later on since, she noticed if she melts it she'd end up falling.

"Oh." The girl cooed. "Tired already, flower?"

Sumi shot her a glare but the girl didn't care she just smiled even wider.

"What do you want from me?" Sumi muttered as she slumped onto the bars of the cage.

The girl went right in front of Sumi and giggled and suddenly her face went blank and serious.

"What I want--you can't give me." The girl said as she lifted her gaze to the flower, and laughed a malicious giggle. Before she flew back to the top of the cage.

"Son of a bitch." Sumi said quietly. Dianna, Hara, and Emily would be surprised if they heard her say that. They weren't used to her saying those kinds of words. Sumi looked around at her surroundings nothing but shadows and the pit she was hovering above. Wait a minute--she thought. I recognize this place--its the gate! It's the gate to the underworld! Sumi thought to herself eventually she had noticed it was dark out already since lamps were magically lighting up around her but, not enough to check if what was below was indeed the gate to the underworld. She suddenly felt hungry thinking that right about now she would be having dinner back at the tavern, but she was still as crafty as always. She dug inside her pocket for a pouch and a packet of seeds, she pulled them out and she put the pouch just in front of her and sprinkled a little on to her hand and put a seed just on top. Before she put her hand outside the cage and dropped it, she could hear the dirt and seed hit the ground. As she got a small flask of water from her other pocket and sprinkled it on the same place she dropped the seed. If this is the gate, dragon plants should grow in about 20 minutes. She thought.

Sumi waited out the time by surveying the area around her, she noticed that the place--now that it was lit up--looked like an observation centre. It had long railings around the platforms that circled the dark crater beneath her. Why would there be something like this here? She thought. As the hours went by the dread that had been boiling inside her ceased as it turned into fatigue. She was tired. Tired enough to fall asleep, And she did.

As Sumi opened her eyes, she found herself inside a room instead of the cage she was in. She recognized this room, it's White and gold doors, it's red velvet curtains, and it's silk canopy bed. This was her room, only not in the tavern. She was in Belrinya castle.

"How did I get here?" She asked to no one in particular. There was wooden silence, Suddenly she heard cries, Screaming, and explosions coming from the outside. She poked her head of the window and saw her kingdom in a way she couldn't even imagine. In chaos, it was in ruins. She could see bodies of people lying there lifelessly, she could see houses that have been there for decades be destroyed in a matter of seconds. Sumi almost cried on the spot before she had felt something nudge her slightly. Sumi's eyes darted wide open as she hyperventilated. "It was a dream--" As she looked around to make sure she hadn't seen what she had just seen. She scanned the area, she saw someone she hadn't seen there before, maybe because it was too dark before or he just arrived. He was near 5'2 in height, his hair was actually a bit longer than the normal it was even longer than the collar of his shirt, and his front bangs covered part of his eyes, and he looked a bit too thin to be a guard, he looked like Hara or even Emily could knock him out in a second. As they met eyes she could see a sparkle in his hazel brown eyes, they locked eyes for a second, before that girl appeared again, right behind her. Sumi stumbled against the bars, before she could realize who it was.

"You." Sumi's Ruby eyes glared at her, the girl almost grinned before she had heard what Sumi had called her. "You." who's "you"? The girl thought.

"Hey!" The girl frowned, a fake one. "My name isn't 'you' or 'that girl'!" Sumi's face was full of disinterest, it was clear she didn't give a crap about what her name was. "Am I supposed to care?" Sumi scowled. "But its more convenient for you to tell me."

The girl smiled almost sincere looking, except Sumi knew it was nowhere near sincere. "Olivia Azhelana." The girl grinned, but her attention turned to the boy in the corner. "His name's Eli."

Eli. Sounded like a name perfect for him, to be honest. It sounded like he looked. He had shaggy bangs, long hair, hazel eyes, and a white collared shirt. Sumi thought. She turned her attention away from the two as she stared down the empty pit beneath her, and the floating girl above her. Her eyes threw a quick glance to Eli again, before looking away, suddenly her face went apple red. "Well, now that we all know each other, that means that there'll be no more trouble." Olivia's grin reached her eyes. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have business to take care of." As a storm cloud emerged right under the girls feet and took her away, leaving not trace of her presence--aside from the small plumes of smoke--that eventually went away.

"What the hell.." Sumi chuckled quietly. There was dead silence until, the cage felt like it was moving, Sumi heard a giant creak, she couldn't tell where it can from, but it was somewhere near. Her cage had creaked open. . .

The boy stood there, face as blank as a page without letters. He had moved the cage towards him, near the platforms.

"What-what are you doing?" Sumi stammered, as she tried to read his emotions, for the first time she couldn't tell the intention of the person in front of her. Curiosity? Threat? Or even better--heroism? Was he saving her? That was what she thought, until his face finally made a change, only slight, barely noticeable, his face suddenly flashed an emotion. Sadness. It was clear he wasn't there to save her, if Olivia knew him, it was clear she trusted him. "I was given orders to give you food until I am told not to." He said. Sumi was amazed, his voice was almost exactly how she imagined it. Soft, and yet had a stern and strong side to it, but it still sounded like a boy's voice. Just, not like most. Damien, Martin and Mizusaki's voice was lower than his, and all the other girls voices were higher. Why the hell is he even in my mind right now? Sumi asked herself, She finally snapped out of her gaze, to find Eli patiently waiting her reaction, she nodded slightly but enough for him to know her answer. He opened his palm near the cage, and an orb suddenly enclosed around his palm, his eyes turned night black and a full meal appeared in front of Sumi. She was surprised to see her normal meal sitting in front of her, carrots, potatoes, rice with black sesame seeds, and some steamed fish, with a side of wine. Eli floated the cage back to its original position and went back to the area he had been standing in. His eyes looked empty like he had just seen the great of hell, Sumi wondered what had happened to him, How he came about here. She was used to having chats while she was eating, but since she had no one else to talk to aside from Eli, who had only been keeping a close eye on her from his platform, she decided it was better than dead silence.

"How did you get here?" She finally asked, as she stuffed a potato wedge in her mouth. There was silence before Eli breathed a sigh and spoke.

"I'm not allowed to tell your that." His voice was stern this time, as if a guard to his post. Sumi pouted quietly as she continued her meal, but she couldn't stop her curiosity and asked a different question.

"Were you kidnapped as well?" She asked again. Eli's face was still blank, when he answered her this time.

"No." He said. "No, I wasn't." Sumi's face was still in a bit of loss, she was confused. She was always curious.

Sumi finished her meal and Eli did the same thing all over again, bring the cage near the platform, open it, and make the tray disappear. Sumi was not one to be taken lightly, and she saw this as an opportunity to escape from her cage. As Eli was in a--sort of--trance Sumi jumped over him and landed on the platform behind him. He didn't do anything, he tilted his head sideways, enough for him to see her and watched her next move, as if playing a game of Chess. Strange. She thought.

"Are you not gonna come after me?" She asked, as she prepared for a fight.

"Don't need to." He said blankly. Sumi glared at him, as if daring him to stop her. But, as soon as she started running, it was as if she had passed out, because her sight went black. She felt someone carry her back to her cold metal cage. It felt as if forever had passed, before she had woken up. As she struggled to stand back up on her two feet, she saw Eli standing there again. Dammit. She said to herself as she fell back on her two knees. Her head was spinning as if she had been drugged.

"Seems like my sleeping spell was stronger than I thought." He said. This time Sumi was annoyed by that voice, that stern voice, she shot him a glare and turned away.

"How long have I been out?" She asked him as she rubbed her forehead.

"Just about 4 hours."

"Shit--" Sumi's knuckle slammed again the floor of the cage. Until she noticed, this place, this wasn't the gate. If it were her plants would've grown already. Great! My last chance gone. Tears misted Sumi's eyes, before she realized she couldn't cry here, not here not now. Her emotions couldn't get in the way of her rational thought. He probably wouldn't take the risk of that happening again, so he'd probably give me my food from there. Ugh! When did it get this complicated? When was it when I was still running around the dormitory with Dia, Hara and Emily? Sumi sighed.

Sumi decided it was the right time to study, since she inevitably can't go anywhere, anyways. She took out her small notebook from her pocket, surprised that they didn't take it away--or they did but they realized it was all notes--she opened it up and started studying what would be in her entrance exam. (Even though it's 2 months away.) She smoothed her dress thinking about her 7 cats she had at home. Seri's probably putting prince in a dress right now. She laughed at the thought. Prince was a Cute little calico cat, and was one of her eldest cats, an old one sure, but still one of the cutest, he was given to Sumi on her 14th birthday. As she ticked and reviewed answers from her notebook, Olivia came back in a dramatic cloud like she always does. "My, my, my. Studying are you?" Olivia cooed. "As far as I know, Lilion boarding school's entrance exam is still in 2 months."

"Know something I don't?" Sumi hissed, as she flipped pages and corrected her position. "A lot of things actually." Olivia shot back as she sat on top of the cage. Sumi rolled her eyes at her, it was clear she was trying to piss her off, she wouldn't take the bait that easy. Olivia eventually got bored and decided to leave, she hated being ignored. But this time she was being ignored for all the right reasons. Sumi had, of course, hated her. How could she not? She kidnapped her, trapped her in a cage above a pit, and left with a boy of all things.

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