Hey Jammers! Cuteypie here, bringing you all the third chapter of the Ready or Not series! Before I go any further, however, there is one thing I would like to make mention. I haven’t posted a chapter in TWO WEEKS! I do explain this in the AJMV below, but I’d also like to post it here. The first week, I was away camping with no data or Wi-Fi. The second week, I actually had my work space flood, causing me to have to devote most of my time to cleaning up and reorganizing. I am still on the lookout for a new desk, so I have been using a makeshift cubby as one. But now that that’s all cleared up, let’s get into the chapter!

I ran for what seemed like an eternity. The only new things I was passing were different kinds of trees. After awhile, I threw my hands up into the air, walked over to a tree, slumped down, and huffed. 

“This-this is hopeless!” I exclaimed, out of breath. I looked up at the sky, noticing the flock of birds flying together. That’s when an idea popped into my head. 

“Here goes nothing.” I said, flicking my wrist. Instantly, wings sprouted onto my back. They were a beautiful red color. I smiled, making a mental note to show that off to mother. I took off into the sky. 

“Jamaa is a beautiful place. I don’t know why mother hates it so much.” I said to myself, noticing all of the colorful flowers and green grass that filled the land outside of the forest I called home for the last twelve years. 

“This is definitely a change of view from what I’m used to!” I exclaimed, landing to take a better look at this new change of scenery. 

“Growing soft, are we? I thought you’d be weak.” I heard a deep voice laugh. I frantically searched around for the source, but came up empty-handed. 

“Are you even a phantom?” The voice roared. I tugged on my ear in frustration. 

“Who are you?” I called out. 

“Oh, Mariah. You clueless, little wolf.” The voice taunted. Who was this guy?

“How do you know my name?” I asked. 

“Trust me. I know a lot about you. Destroyer? Ha!” The voice screeched with laughter. I stomped my foot. 

“At least I’m not a coward hiding from a kid. Show yourself!” I demanded. The voice laughed. 

“You really think I’m a coward, granddaughter?” The voice called out. Granddaughter? 

After a few moments of thought, I gasped. 

“The Phantom King?” I shrieked. Suddenly, a large phantom with a shiny, gold crown appeared in front of me. He was about ten times the size of my mother in her true form! 

“In the flesh, little one. Say, can you even become a phantom yet?” The king asked, laughing as he did so. 

“Not yet.” I muttered. I see where my mother gets her snobbiness from. I sulked down with sadness. Why was everyone so judgy about me not being “all powerful” yet? I’m still just a kid! 

“Yet your mother gave you the Destroyer Bracelet? Hatchi is still definitely unworthy.” The king shook his head in disbelief. 

“What?” I questioned. 

“Oh, nothing. Can you even do anything?” He asked snarkily. I huffed at his attitude. 

“I can actually. I’m off to Jamaa Township to prove it, your majesty.” I snapped back. The king’s eye widened but retracted after. 

‘And what is that?” The king asked. I took a deep breath. 

“I am simply going to Jamaa Township, causing havoc, having the Alphas come to the rescue, and freezing them in time with the freezing spell!” I exclaimed, proud of my handiwork with coming up with evil plans. It must come naturally when all you do is read and think about how you’ll prove yourself to your people. 

“You really think it’s that easy? You’re naive.” The king told me. 

“At least I have a plan. When was the last time you tried to attack on your own and not have your minions do your bidding?” I retorted. 

“I’d watch your tone. I can destroy lands in a moment.” The king boasted. 

“Can that large body of yours fit that obnoxious ego of yours?” I snapped. The king growled. 

“Enough! Your plan is decent, but you aren’t strong enough to pull it off.” The king informed me. 

“Let’s see about that.” I smiled, turning my back on my grandfather. When I turned to see if he was still there, he had vanished. Pfft. Coward. 

I began to make my way back on track, taking note of the beautiful scenery below and above me. The clouds made interesting shapes, the flowers blew around in the cool breeze, the water was a beautiful, crystal blue. Wait, water? I stopped dead in my tracks to observe my location. A map would’ve been pretty useful right now! A mile or so away, I could faintly see a colorful swirl far in the horizon. 

As I flew closer towards the strange object, it came into view. It was a wickedly long waterslide in the center of some sort of a beach land. 

“So this is Crystal Sands.” I said, landing behind a large building. I flicked my wrist, my wings disappearing as fast as they had come. I fluffed my dress, fixed my hat, and strutted out to see the world I was shielded from for so many years. 

There were animals of all different kinds running around, swimming, and chatting. I watched in awe as two little otters swam around, diving for toy fish. It all felt so right to me. But I knew I couldn’t stick around. I had to prove myself. I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and continued along a path to Jamaa Township. 

Read Chapter FOUR now!! https://www.animaljamarchives.com/home//ready-or-not-chapter-4

Thanks for reading! Jam On!