Damsels In Distress

Chapter 1 "Why does life have to be so stupid?" She wanted to say boring, but it was definitely not that. A lot was going on. A lot she could do without, and she wanted a way out. But when you live in the middle of nowhere, that’s kinda hard, "I know Lorri, but you gatta relax. Just breath" said Dayna. She and Lygia had come to cheer her up a little, only to find Amy and Safire beat them to the job. But they welcomed the help. Lorri looked up on her wall. She had painted it herself. A fierce battle between a Dragon and a hero of old. But in Lorri's dreams, he wasn't just an ordinary hero. He was a mercenary, come to kill the dragons for pay. But someday, he would find a girl worth fighting for. "I wish we could go into that world" she said dreamily, staring into the picture. "That would be cool" said Dayna, imagining fighting the dragon herself. As Safire stared at it, it appeared… No, it couldn't have…but there! It seemed it was… moving? When she looked to her friends, they, too, had seen the movement. His head seemed to grow larger and the colours more vibrant. The smoke that arose from his nostrils filled the room, a gross experience. "What's happening?!?" asked Dayna as the ground trembled and they all lost balance, some falling some managing to stand quick enough. "I-I don't know!!" Lorri had to shout back, for the monster began to growl and snap its jaws. " What do we do!?!?" Lorri looked around for a means of escape, but the room had changed. In fact there was no room, for they were out side. But they weren't out side Lorri’s house, either. They were in the painted wall, everything as real as life. "Run for the trees!!" shouted Dayna, taking control. The others obeyed and ran close behind her. But the creature did not follow. It was fighting something.... or someone. "Lorri!! Your drawings cute!!" Exclaimed Safire. Lorri almost laughed, but looked instead. It was just as she had imagined. Just like Nick Carter! He did, in fact, look just like the young singer in every way. The blond hair, his height, and she couldn't see, but she was sure he had those striking blue eyes. "We gatta help him!" said Lygia. She picked up a large rock and, much to their surprise as well as hers, it hit its rather large neb (lol… meaning nose)."Oh, I did it!" she gasped with much delight. But 'It' was not delighted at all. It looked over, tears in its eyes from the pain, "You will never have the chance to do that again!!" it hissed, reminding them all of what they imagined the serpent who tempted Eve sounded like. "Oh, Dear" Lygia sighed, feeling very small as the huge beast came forward. "Now you will pay!!" It hissed, reaching through the great trees, bearing his huge, yellow teeth, stained with many victims blood. "No, now you will!!" came a voice from afar, and the great beast reared up with a shriek of pain. There was the Nick look alike, standing on the dragon’s neck, his sword pushed to the hilt into the titan’s rough scales. "No more Lizard Breath." he said, jumping off as it fell to the ground. The girls slowly moved out of the cover of the trees. He didn't appear to see them. He pulled his sword out of the dragon and began to wipe off the red/blue blood in the grass. "Um...that was... Amazing" said Lorri. She felt most comfortable around him, since she saw him in her dreams so often. But even she was shy. "No. It wasn't. Just another dragon" he informed her, not paying much attention. She sighed. "Well it was something to us. Our friend just about got killed!" "Yeah. And I thank you for the distraction, but you better get going. She has a mate" "She?" Amy asked, finding it hard to believe such a horrid, disgusting thing was a female. "Yeah. And if you think she was bad…" he shook his head. He finally looked up the five travelers of………well. Whether it was space or time, they did not know, but travelers all the same. "Well, if you really want to die, by all means, stay" "You wont protect us?" asked Lygia, confused. "I always thought the hero was to protect the fair damsels in distress?" He smiled. "I am no hero. Though I do believe you to be very fair in deed" "Are you mocking us?" asked Dayna, a little ticked at being called a damsel in the first place. "No. I never say things I do not mean. I don't lie. And I pity anyone who thinks they have to." he said. There was no tone of mocking in his voice. "Oh...Sorry" He smiled again. "Well, come on." he lifted his sword and picked up a pack that lay not far away. "Come on what?" asked Safire. "I have to save you, right?" he pointed to the dusty trail that, in a few miles, would lead up a might mountain. "I'm headed home, and you may follow. There are a few inns about on the way" Dayna looked to the other girls. She was ready and willing for and adventure. "Well, you think it would be okay?" Lorri looked up from their little football huddle to the young man, standing, waiting. "Well, if he's like the person I painted on my wall, he's just fine. In fact, he's really a sweetheart inside" "Well, this is your world, your painting, so I say we go" said Lygia, feeling more confident. She liked the fact that she had helped defeat a dragon, even if it was a small part. But in truth, if she hadn't done what she did when she did, we would not have much of a 'hero'. "Then lets get set for a really fun time, even if this is one of us dreaming" Said Safire. Amy looked worried, but inside, she didn't want to go back. Her prince might be waiting just up the road.

Chapter two The girls looked back to where they had first found themselves in this strange world. There, lying in the grass was each of their backpacks. "Who packed those?" Asked Safire. She was 17,and very beautiful. "Who cares is more like it" said Dayna, picking up her large, red backpack. She was a 17 year old with red hair to match her spunky attitude. "I just hope they'll have everything we need" said Lygia, 17, born two days after Dayna in the same hospital. She and Lorri always fought, Lygia saying Lorri was prettiest, Lorri saying Lygia was. "There heavy enough" complained Lorri. She was the youngest at almost 17,but she still had a week to go. "Are you damsels ready?" asked the young man, almost out of sight on the winding road that lead through the trees. "We're coming!!" Shouted Amy, grunting as she pulled her backpack on. She was the oldest, almost 18."This is gonna be fun!" But the 'fun' did not last long. Soon they were tried and hot under the sun that shone down, not out of the trees. "You girls need more training in survival. You couldn't last four days out hear on your own" "Maybe not on our own, sir. But we always work together. That is what friends do" said Lorri, very crossly. She was beginning to regret having painted him with such an arrogance. He laughed, "Well, friends are one thing I know nothing about" "One of many" she shot back. He was silent, but kept a smile on his dusty face. An hour passed with little or no conversation. The girls were too hot to talk "The inn is called 'The Mighty Mare'. I know one of the fellows that works there. I can get you a room for a fair price" Lorri's eyes became wide, as did Lygia and Amy’s. There was no way this place would take US dollars. They could not even be sure if this was the same planet, let alone country! They pulled their money from their pockets. Somehow, as mysteriously as there backpacks packing themselves, their money had changed. Amy studied it, and she had much training in history, but this form of money was like nothing she had ever seen. "I still don't know where we are" she whispered as they continued. “Your in Poema.” Said they young man with a smile. “Um… are we still in the U.S.? "Where? No. I have never heard of...U.S.? I think you all need some rest" Now they all were confused. Never heard of the U.S?!? They walked on, afraid to speak again for fear he might hear.