Lady Kristel watched Salem fall. She cried out in horror at the thought of losing him. Quickly she ran from the House of Dreams to the place where Salem had been. She saw that Kaptra was dead, so, it seemed, was Salem. Miri was crying by his side. Victory was as pale as a ghost, his hands trembling.
"Victory, Miri, Shinkokami, please, I need you to move aside. I must go after Salem, he doesn't know what he is doing!" Lady Kristel knelt down by Salem's side. A wolf ran out from behind the bushes.
"Kristel, what do you want me to do?" He asked her. Miri looked at the wolf, her eyes puzzled.
"Wildwind, I wish for you to get Jinxes Getratone and Mraya Salanei. I want them to be given to choice to come or not. Make it clear that Salem is NOT dead...yet," Miri looked up, her eyes full of hope. Lady Kristel knew that without Salem, the whole group would fall apart and maybe it would be the end?
"Hurry Wildwind, Salem's fate is in you hands!" Lady Kristel shouted after the wolf. He disappeared and Lady Kristel finally thought about how she could use Miri and Victory.
"Victory, I'll need you to try and jump start Salem's heart. Low voltage, Miri, I'm sorry there's nothing you can do for him. Unless... Would you look for him in the world of the wild? It is like limbo, yet it isn't nothingness. It's full of things horrible and dangerous," Miri bit her lip. She looked down at Salem, lying there, not breathing, no heart beat...
"I shall go," Miri said. Lady Kristel took her hand, holding it tightly. Miri took Salem's hand, it was cold and clammy. Miri closed her eyes and Lady Kristel cast her spell. All else was black...
Salem found himself in a dark place. It was cold and so dark. He could see a pathway. He began to walk along it. He felt himself get more and more tired the further he got. For some reason he kept going.
Kaptra was suddenly blocking the path. The leopard was bristling and snarling at something. Salem looked over his shoulder and realised he was snarling at him. Salem felt ice drop into his stomach.
"Kaptra!" He tried to call but the noise was lost immediately after the words had left his mouth. Salem tried to breathe but found he couldn't. He panicked and then realised that he didn't need to breathe.
He walked up to Kaptra. The big cat tilted it's head and stood aside. Salem walked passed him. Was he dead? He'd always thought death was a good thing, a place of rest. This place was... a wild place. There was no way of telling how far the road went, where it went or what you would meet?
"Salem," He heard a girls voice, it was calling from afar. It echoed into his ears, it sounded dreamlike... "Salem, I'm here," She said.
"Come back to me, Salem," There it was again. Salem felt her getting closer. He began to turn to look. He began to walk back up the path. Kaptra following behind him.
"Salem, please, I must find you," Salem recognised the voice now. Miri! He began to run. His lungs filled with air. He began to cough, spluttering badly. Kaptra beside him looked around.
"Where are we?" Kaptra asked. Salem kneeled down and hugged the big cat. He was his normal self again. But his question was almost impossible to answer.
"You are in the World of the Wild," Miri said. She came into sight from the mists that shrouded the road. Salem ran to her.
"Why did you come for me?" Salem asked. Miri looked up into his face.
"Because I couldn't let you die. You must come with me now Salem, before you start to die again. Kaptra, Shinkokami is waiting for you to return as well," Miri took Salem's hand, forcing him back up the road, Kaptra padded along beside them.
They went around the corner, if it was a corner, and saw a gateway. It was like a mirror, yet when they got close to it, they saw it was a window. Kaptra was pushed through. He slid through the glass easily. On the other side, they saw Kaptra stirring and getting up.
Mraya and Jinxes were there. Mraya pointed at Kaptra and said something. The sound was muted through the gateway. Jinxes rushed over, Lady Kristel shouted something and Jinxes drew back.
"Why did you come for me?" Salem asked again. He was looking at his friends through the glass.
"I told you," Miri replied. She was also watching them through the glass. Without realising they were moving closer and closer together. Salem took Miri's hand. She carried on looking forward.
"Is that the only reason?" Salem said softly. Miri turned to face him. She looked into his eyes.
"No, I came here because I needed to know something. Am I in love?" Miri, still with her body facing Salem looked away. Salem took her other hand, holding them up by his chest. Miri looked back.
"Do you want to be?" Salem whispered. Miri moved closer, her lips pressed against his. She moved back.
"If it makes me feel like this then, yes, I do want to be in love," She kissed him again and together they walked through the boundary...
Victory saw Kaptra start to stir and pointed it out to Jinxes, who rushed forward to use healing powers. Lady Kristel had stopped him, telling him to wait for Salem and Miri. There was a gap of about five minutes and Salem and Miri started to cough and splutter. Everyone sighed with relief.
Salem and Miri's hands immediately sprung together. Jinxes and Mraya smiled, Lady Kristel stood.
"I'll go and get Daphne. I may take sometime, so Jinxes, do what you can," Lady Kristel disappeared. Victory stared at where she had been. Something was wrong... He looked at Miri and Salem, both of them were beginning to awaken. Time to take my leave, he thought. He climbed onto Thunder's back and flew up high. No one noticed him leave.
Salem opened his eyes. He was alive! He saw Jinxes anxious face above him, he wanted to sing and shout and leap about, but he felt that if he did something would drop off.
Miri sat up next to him. She looked tired but still beautiful. Salem felt himself being lifted up by strong hands.
"S'alright lad, I've got ya," said Ethan. Psyche was over by Miri. Daphne was standing in the middle, chanting. Salem felt the pain in his limbs and head lessen. He stood on his own two feet. Miri stood up too.
"What happened?" asked Jinxes. Miri looked at Salem and, to everyone's surprise, started to cry.
"A Ninja was sent from my father's palace to come and take me back. He tied up Salem's familiar-" Jinxes interupted her.
"That's when he ran out of the test!" Mraya gave him a look that told him not to interupt.
"Yeah, and then-then he was about to kill Shinkokami. Then Salem stood up and the Ninja went after him. And Salem set the familiars free. The Ninja cast a spell on Kaptra to make him wild, but at the same time threw a throwing star at Salem, so he couldn't intercept the spell. The Ninja didn't realise that Kaptra might be weaker than a normal snow leopard and the spell killed Kaptra. Killing Salem in the process."
"Victory had killed the Ninja before Salem dies though. Then Lady Kristel appeared and told us that the only way to get Salem back was for one of us to go to the World of the Wild. I went through and got him back." Miri ran into Salem's arms, burying her face in his shoulder. Salem conforted her as best he could.
"So you guys know what it's like to be dead?" asked Mraya. Salem shook his head. He looked down at Miri and all understood. Miri was upset, that she could only cause trouble for them all here. That she wouldn't be able to stay much longer. That she would lose all she had gained in the past week.
"C'mon," Psyche said. "I think it's best that you come inside, it's getting chilly. It may be best that you sleep in your own rooms tonight. We don't want anyone to know what happened here tonight. I'm sure that Salem and Miri won't either?"
The whole groups wandered in. Miri and Salem at the back, talking in whispers.
When they got to back to Dreamer's Academy they all agreed to meet in the girls bedroom in an hour. Salem and Miri had walked off together anyway. They promised they'd be back, they just wanted to talk about something.
Jinxes and Mraya grinned. They knew what they were going to talk about. And they liked it! It would probably make them the hottet couple in the school! Jinxes then announced he was going to his room, leaving Mraya to clean up the girl's dormitory.
"Salem? I don't think that this will work," Miri said, once they were in the library. Salem looked at her, shocked. Was she going to always do this to him?
"W-why?" He asked. Miri found a little section at the back, where no one was sitting.
"Because, if we get into this and I have to leave then-" Miri stopped. Salem sighed.
"Then you should have left me to die, Miri. I can't help this feeling. Love is an element, and once you have it, you don't lose it. Please, Miri, I promised I'd never love because something like this would happen," Salem stood up and looked through the bookshelves. He wasn't really looking for a book, it was just that the librarian had seen him and was frowning.
"Why did you promise never to love? How did you know?" Miri asked. Salem sagged. He felt something stirring in his memory. Something he'd buried, something he'd ran from for years.
"Everyone I've ever loved has died, or gone away. Now I'm in love with you you're leaving. You wonder why I promised not to love? Because my heart breaks everytime you're sad, lonely, depressed. I can't help it!" Salem held his face in his hands. Miri took his hands.
"Then I will stay. I see now that I must. I didn't know if you felt the same way, and now I know you do, well, I'm staying here, no matter if my father comes and gets me myself!" Miri and Salem sat there for a long time, staring into each others eyes, and wishing for better circumstances.
Jinxes walked into the dormitory to find Victory sitting staring at nothing. Jinxes had thought Victory was weird but no that weird. Victory looked up as Jinxes walked in.
"Hello," He said. "Can I ask you something?" Jinxes looked at him, since when does the great almighty Victory talk to me? He thought. Jinxes thought it polite to reply though.
"Shoot," He said. Victory paused a while. He looked down at the floor, then back up again and then out of the window. Jinxes saw he was sweating.
"Do you think- Would- If I asked Mraya to the ball that's gonna be held, do you think she'd say yes?" Victory stuttered. Jinxes looked as though someone had just kicked him in the legs.
"Why?" He asked. Although it's really obvious! Jinxes thought. He has a crush on her. But I've never seen him this worked up before. As though, as though he doesn't wanna ask her...
"Well, she'd probably say yes, if she isn't going with someone else," Jinxes said suggestively. Victory lay back on his bed.
"Are you going with her?" Victory asked. Jinxes was saved from answering by Salem walking in. Salem looked tired and just threw himself onto the bed.
"Been having fun?" Jinxes asked, wanting to change the subject from his love life.
"About as much fun as you did when Miri turned into a porcupine and made you into a pin cushion," Salem replied, jokingly. "I wouldn't say it was fun. Just nice, I guess," Salem lay staring upwards, Victory did likewise. Jinxes was tidying up.
"Jinxes why don't you sit down?" Salem asked. Jinxes was underneath his bed, trying to get an illusive sock, that didn't have a partner.
"First Friday of every month we have room inspection. That means that, like usual, everyone's in a rush to tidy their rooms on the Thursday. Last year I had a room to myself, so I was alright, but this year, I'm sharing a room with the most untidy person in Acad," Victory said. Salem hadn't heard him talk like that before. Was he finally loosening up?
"Hey! I heard that!" Jinxes said from under the bed. Salem laughed. Jinxes tried to get up to fast and hit his head on the bed. Both Victory and Salem laughed.
"Very funny! Ha ha ha!" Jinxes said sacrastically. Victory sat up.
"I haven't cut loose like this for a while," He said. "Maybe this year might be alright? And half the girls will be following Mr Salem over there. I might finally be able to actually have friends!" With that Victory walked into the bathroom.
"Wait til he finds out that I'm not single..." Salem said, still grinning. Jinxes threw his pillow at him.
"Stop smirking you evil, evil person!" Jinxes laughed. Salem picked a feather out of his hair, both boys started to laugh.