Chapter 21: Dante

                                    

                                          
My mouth hung open as I stared at the man who had just declared himself to be Dante. He had light brown hair with streaks of gold within it, and eyes the color of jade. He smiled and waited patiently for me to calm down. I walked up to him and vigorously shook his hand, well, forearm. Surprisingly enough he felt as real as Ari or Bastian did, not like a ghost.  
                          
"Ohmygod I can't believe that I actually get to meet you!" I almost shrieked.
                          
"I am glad that I get to meet you as well Lucinda, you show great promise." He said taking my fangirling in stride.
                          
"I love your writings so much, I've read them all at least a hundred times." I said.
                          
"Oh, those old books? I was never very proud of them..." Dante seemed very humble.
                          
"How? They are so ahead of their time with the imagery you used. I could never write something like that." I said.
                          
"But then again you have never seen hell yourself." Dante said tapping his index finger to his well defined chin.
                          
"No but I have a clear picture of what it looks like from your books!" I said with a smile.
                          
"Inferno doesn't do the actual hell justice." Dante frowned.
                          
"Well she will be able to see quite soon," Bastian said from behind me. Jealousy filled his voice.
                          
"That she will," Sadness filled Dante's voice. "Shall we begin?"
                          
I looked over at the sunless woods, shadows seemed to lurk around every tree. "I say lets get this show on the road." 
                          
"Lucinda," Ari said my name. "Lucinda wait."
                          
"What is it Ari?" I asked.
                          
"We," He said motioning to his brother and sister, "Can not follow you through these woods."
                          
"Wait so you aren't coming?" I was slightly peeved.
                          
"We can't enter this way. We will have to find you in the city of Dis." Ari reached for my hand. He brought my hand up to his lips and planted a small kiss on the knuckles.
                          
"Come, brother. We must make haste if we are to get there on time." Namir said. 
                          
Ari let go of my hand, and it dropped to my side. He turned and followed after his siblings. With each step he took away from me the cold, dead feeling of having my emotions gone came back. 
                          
"Thank God he's gone," Bastian said.
                          
"You may want to watch your mouth in a place like this," Dante said. "You might attract some unwanted visitors." 
                          
"Oops,"  Bastian said looking down at the ground.
                          
"Let's go now guys. The sooner we get my emotions back the better." I had walked into the beginning of the woods, trees arched over us menacingly. 
                          
The first thing I noticed in the woods, was the fact that it was extremely cold. Like the type of cold where you can see your breathe, and the wind on your face feels like pin pricks. I wrapped my hands around my body, hoping to conserve whatever body heat I had. The second thing I noticed was that no matter where I turned, everything looked the same. There weren't any other paths to cut up the replicas of dead trees, even the thorn bushes seemed to be expertly places in the same exact spots. The third thing I noticed, was that we were being followed. 
                          
"Lucinda are you okay?" Dante asked. "Are you cold?"
                          
"Yes, extremely. Aren't you?" I asked him.
                          
"I am dead," Dante replied.
                          
"Oh yeah," I said feeling stupid. I leaned closer to Dante, placing my face close to his ear. "I think something is following us."
                          
"Oh of course," Dante said. "Do you not know what lurks in these woods?"
                          
"No, it was never in your book." I said.
                          
"Those who attempted to have long life, but then eventually died live here." Dante said. "I was glad that I had Virgil when I descended hell myself. The creatures who reside here are ravenous."
                          
"Ravenous? Oh gosh." I knew what lived here...there was no way that I wouldn't know.
                          
"Wendigo's," Bastian said from behind me.
                          
"You would be correct my lad." Dante sighed.
                          
A large twig broke from behind the group. A large woman with stringy blond hair stood there. Her sharp teeth shown through the torn skin of her cheeks. 
                          
"Olivia," I breathed.
                          
"Long time, no see little witch bitch." She sneered.
                          
"Oh God," Bastian said.
                          
"You really should stop saying that," Olivia said.