Islands of Illusion

From the viewpoint of anyone to see this chain of Islands, it's a simple tropical paridise. Beautiful trees and plants, tropical fruits, hot springs and gorgeous beaches. Along the beaches, and paths, there are a number of wonderful establishments, such as hotels and restaurants. There's even a thin river that provides a safe path from one side of the Island to the other, however, it may be unwise to travel too far from that path, for it is rumored that the Island has ways of fooling the mind, and altering perception. The illusion of the thing a person wants most is said to lure people deep into the forest, where they will never be seen again. However, noone on the island can name a single person who has disappeared. Perhaps they truly are only rumors? Or is there something deeper going on here?

Finally, a vacation... Spencer thought, as the cruise ship docked on the Island. It had been a whole year since his trip to the Bahamas, and he was completely unsatisfied with that trip. Sure, it was beautiful, and relaxing. But it was in no way intellectually stimulating. That's why he decided to try this Island chain this year. He had heard rumors that there were all kinds of mysteries that took place here. Now THAT sounded like an adventure! Even the chance that he may not return was only further encouragement. Grabbing his suitcase, and dropping it off at the hotel, he wasted no time going off exploring. He immediately began asking villagers about the rumored disappearances, and the secrets of the forest. However, he always got the same response. Noone could name a single person that had disappeared. This was quickly turning out to be a let down. But Spencer decided to investigate himself. He took the path past the tourist sites, and when he was sure noone was looking, turned off the trail. He wasn't sure what he was looking for, but if there WAS any secret to these woods, he would find it out here, not in the midst of the city...

So long the Serpent had slept. Her last meal had kept her satisfied, and able to slumber for months. However, the disturbance of another entering her territory had awakened her, and it was time, yet again, for her to feed. As she arose from her extravaggant bed, she smiled, looking around at the damp cave that held it. "Looks like I have a visitor..." She said, with a smile. Her tounge flickered at random intervals as she spoke. "I hope it's a man this time. Oh how I've missed the taste of a man..." Delicate feet hit the stone ground, and made their way over to a small lake, where the woman washed her face, and examined her reflection. She watched, as her tounge flicked from her lips, taking in the scents in the air, before she made her way to the upper level, and out of the opening. Kneeling down, and placing her palm against the ground, it would be easy for her to locate her prey. There were no humans in her territory, so it was easy to pick up on one. "Ssssoutheast.." She said, stealthily making her way toward her target. When she set eyes on him, a devious smile crossed her flawless face. A man... This would be fun indeed. A reptilian pattern appeared in her eyes, and the appearance of the forest would begin to change. Should she show this man his greatest desire, or his greatest nightmare? Once she made up her mind, the image of dozens of nude women would appear around the man. They would be bathing in the lakes and hot tubs, sitting in the trees, even mud wrestling. She wouldn't try to lead him anywhere just yet. She needed to get him under full hypnosis first...

"Let's see what's REALLY out here..." Spencer said out loud. He had a habit of talking to himself when he was alone. "Probably nothing more than empty rumors." Illusions, and people disappearing. It was just the type of thing that you would see in a movie. But if it was real, he would be just the one to solve the mystery. His eyes would be his greatest asset. They maintained an odd, lime green swirl as he walked through the forest. One might say this was his "natural" eye color. It often attracted the interest of women in his general vicinity, but that wasn't their only benefit... As he walked through the forest, off the beaten path, his first observation was how much beauty people who followed the trail were missing out on. Amazing creatures, exotic plants... None of them would see any of this. But then, he would observe something MUCH more appealing. Beautiful women.. Everywhere! none of them wearing a shred of clothing! They were all laughing and playing, as if they had not a care in the world! Were these the people who went missing? No... That wouldn't make sense. If women just found out that they loved this place, they wouldn't just come here and not tell their loved ones... Besides, it was only a few miles from the town. There was no reason they would have to leave for good. Also, someone would remember them disappearing.
Deciding to investigate this on a deeper level, Spencer closed his eyes, and took a deep breath. He opened his eyes in order to take what may be his last look at the women before him, then his eyes began to change. The swirl of lime green that held his irises became a multicolored mass, and his vision changed completely. Surely enough, when this occured, he could no longer see the women who were playing among the forest after all. He could still hear their voices, however, for while he was able to see through illusions with his eyes, his auditory senses had no such ability. He walked out into the center of the area he had been observing in secrecy, and smiled in excitement. "So there really is a secret in this forest! There really are illusions!" He could barely contain himself. This would be the adventure of a lifetime!

"Empty Rumorssss eh?" Kadira whispered to herself from her hiding spot, as she watched the man from a distance. He had interesting eyes... Quite the attractive man, he was. She would have to have some... fun... with him, before she consumed him whole. Yes, she would have to indeed. She watched as he eavesdropped on the women for a few moments, a grin on her face. "Got you..." She said quietly. But then, he reacted in a way she hadn't expected. He walked right out into the middle of the group of women. That wasn't the surprising part though, perhaps he was just a bold man. She liked that... But his words were what took her by surprise. Could he see through the illusions? No, that couldn't be it... If he could, how did he know they were there? Perhaps he assumed them to be an illusion because the situation was simply too good to be true? That must have been it! But she would have to test it to make sure. An intense glare from her eyes, and the women would begin to crowd the unnamed man, surrounding him and moaning "A man!" They would appear excited to see him, as if they were about to enact his wildest dreams and fantasies. Kadira would once more sit back and watch, in order to observe the mans reaction to said predicament.

Spencer was almost in a state of awe. The state of mind that coming across a Harem such as the one he found would put most men in, he achieved under the discovery that it wasn't real. Ironic indeed, but that was the type of person he was. Driven by adventure and curiosity. The confirmation that an illusion was presented before his very eyes was proof that at least SOME of the rumors surrounding this island were true. It possessed him to want to investigate further. He had almost drowned out the sounds of the women at play in his excitement, however, the excited shrieks of the no longer visible women brought him back to earth. Dispelling his occular ability momentarily, returning his eyes to their normal color, in order to see exactly what was going on, he found himself surrounded by the mass of excited, possibly arroused women. His eyes widened, and he couldn't help his bodys reaction to such an erotic sight. "I can see how people get lost here now..." He said, turning around to get a full view of all the women. "I probably shouldn't look at this for too long." he decided. "It's like the forest knows that I'm here..." He then reactivated his ability, concealing the illusionary women from his sight. He then took a seat on the ground and began to think. What if following the women would lead him to the rest of the missing people? Wait... What missing people? No one in the village missed anyone. What if there WERE no missing people? What if it was just a tourist trap? The squealing of the women, however shook him from his concentration. "I can't think like this!" he yelled in frustration. Perhaps it was time for him to go back to the hotel and consider his next move, where he could think in silence. "I guess I'll go back now. I need to decide on my next move..."

Amazing... He could really see through the illusions... Kadira looked on in amazement as the man sat down in the center of the women, and didn't seem to pay attention to any of them. She had never witnessed such a thing. How would she get him back to her "house" if she couldn't put him under hypnosis? But then, the man let out an outburst that caught her attention. He could still hear them! So he wasn't completely immune to her illusions after all. Not only that, but he believed that the forest itself was the one casting them. He hadn't considered that it could be the work of a person. This could work to her advantage. He could turn his ocular abilities on and off... How could she use this? But then a sudden realization came to her. He was leaving! Needing to act immediately, she screamed loudly, and began running down the hill toward the man. This was a risky move indeed. She had never shown herself to a person who wasn't under hypnosis before, but she had to have this man. She had to taste him... She had to consume him... When she got closer to the bottom of the hill, she fell, and began tumbling down toward him. When she reached the bottom, she scrambled to her feet, and ran behind him, a look of terror in her eyes. Her breath was labored, and she was trembling. "Help! There are giant rats after me!" She screamed. As she put on this act, she created the illusion of a pack of rats, each two feet in size or bigger running in their direction. Behind the mans back, she grinned evilly. This was ingenious. He would natually protect the woman, clad in nothing but a skimpy black swimsuit. Then she could lead him home by getting "lost" in the forest. Dinner would soon be served...

Frustrated by the noise, Spencer was prepared to head back to the hotel. However, before he was able to take a single step, he was interrupted by an ear-piercing scream coming from behind him. Turning around, and looking up the hill, he saw the woman running down the hill. More attractive than any of the illusionary women from before, and barely wearing more clothes than they, he was in awe. The odd part though, was that she was visible. He shouldn't be able to see illusions with his powers active. He blinked a few times, and by the time his eyes refocused, she was on the ground. No, this woman was no Illusion. He confirmed that as she struggled to take a position behind him. "Rats?" What was she talking about? Looking up the hill, he deactivated his abilities once more, and surely enough, there was a mass of giant rodents running toward them. He nodded his head then. "Don't worry. They aren't real." He told her. "I'll prove it." He began running up the hill to where the creatures gathered, and they ran through him as if he were nothing but air. "See?!" he yelled, as he slowly walked down toward the woman. "You're safe now." he said. "I'm Spencer. What's your name?" It was a bit odd that this woman would be out here all by herself. No normal woman would be wandering out here, he thought. Especially at this time. The sun would be going down soon. Something was definitely off...

Just as she expected, Spencer saw right through the illusion. He couldn't, however, see through the woman who stood right before him! It was a wonder she had never thought of this before! Her breathing still heavy as the man came down the hill, she nodded her head, as if to say she understood that it was all an illusion. "I'm Kadira." She told him, dropping to her knees to exhibit exhaustion. "Thanks for saving me!" her smile was bright as day as she looked up at the unsuspecting man. He would make a delicious meal... "What are you doing here?" She asked in a curious voice. She would make him comfortable through everyday conversation, before getting him "lost" and leading him to her home. It was perfect.

"There was never anything for me to save you from." Spencer said with a smile. He realized what was strange in that moment. He could see the rats that were scaring her, however, she didn't seem to see the Harem of women that were apparently designed to catch his attention. He wondered why that was... However there was no way for him to tell for now, so he would worry about it later. "Do you mean what am i doing on the Island, or out here?" He didn't give her a chance to answer him before answering both questions. "I'm on the Island on Vacation. My ship just came in a few hours ago. I'm out here exploring. I heard that people saw strange things in the forest, and i wanted to see for myself. I guess I'm a bit of an amateur detective." He said with a laugh. "Anyway, I was just getting ready to head back to the Hotel. I'm staying in the Sheraton. What about you?"

"I guess you're right. Well, thanks anyway" Kadira said, with a nervous smile. Through that smile, however, she was examining the man. Something was bothering him. But what was it? Of course! She came down running from the rats, but she hadn't reacted to her original illusion of the women! How could she have been so stupid?! Mentally, she cursed herself, but her face never once faltered. She raised back up to her feet and brushed her self off. What should she do? Should she mention them now? No, that would only bring about more suspicion. Instead she should just act as if she couldn't see them. That way, it would just appear that the "Forest" could show its illusions selectively. After all, due to the Harems extended presence, it would seem the forest couldn't tell that Spencer was immune to it's images. It showed him the rats, thinking that he might be afraid, however, there was no way a woman would be bothered by the group of women. There was no reason to show her. It was perfect!. "I'm here on vacation too! Yeah, I think I remember seeing you on the ship." She said. Using her abilities of persuasion, she would attempt to alter his memory, so that he would remember seeing her on the ship at some point as well, however, with his ability to see through illusions, it was a risk. But it was possible, considering that he couldn't rid himself of the auditory illusions. "I'm staying at the Sheraton too!" She exclaimed, clapping her hands happily. "Let's go!" She said, before she started marching off toward her cave, as if she knew she was going the right way..

Spencer decided that Kadira must have been unable to see the women that surrounded them. It made sense, after some thought. The forest was attempting to lure people in for some reason. Anyone might be afraid of rats, but this woman probably would have little reaction to a large group of other women. Of course, this was all speculation, but at the least it was a strong hypothesis. Kadiras statement about seeing him on the ship deterred him from his thought process, as he tried to remember if he had seen her. Suddenly a memory hit him. He recalled seeing the woman sitting in the hot yub on the top deck of the ship. She was beautiful... She had on a gold two piece, and seemed to glow in the sun radiantly. It was a wonder he hadn't remembered such a sight immediately upon seeing her, but he supposed it was a bit of an intense situation.
"Yeah, I think I remember seeing you too." he said, not wanting to sound as if he had been staring at her on the ship. He may have been a thrill seeker, but he was still a man, after all. Then she said that she was also staying in his hotel. What an odd coincidence! But an exciting one nonetheless. Perhaps he would have someone to relax with while in town. Someone so attractive would definitely be nothing to complain about. "Wait!" he yelled. "You're going the wrong way. The hotel is back there." He pointed in the opposite direction, then walked over to a tree in the direction in which he pointed. "I marked the trees i passed on the way here in order to ensure I wouldn't get lost." He pointed to a mark in the tree carved in by a knife. "Come on. It's this way." he said, extending his hand to the woman to help her up the hill.

Dammit… The serpent thought, as she found herself in quite the predicament. The man wasn’t lost at all. He knew exactly where he was. And she couldn’t use Illusion to hide the marks on the trees because he could see through her illusions. Not only that, but she had no choice but to go with him. She rarely left the forest, as her powers weren’t quite as powerful outside her territory. Though she had visited the beach of a few occasions. But now she had no choice. If she opted to stay, he would realize something was strange, and worse, he may spread the word about the woman who was out in the woods. For now, she would have to go into town with him. “Oh.” She said, turning around with an embarrassed smile on her face. “I guess I should be more careful. I’ll end up getting us lost!” She took the mans hand as he offered to help her up the hill, then she placed her arm in his own, walking in close proximity with him toward the town. With his adventurous spirit, he would go back out to the forest on his own, and she would be there with him when he did…

Spencer smiled as Kadira turned to join him after practically sprinting off in the wrong direction. She was so CUTE! But then, with that sense of direction, she could really get herself into a bind. She was lucky she ran into him. Or maybe he was the lucky one... His face turned a deep red as the woman put her arm in his own, walking with him as if she were his prom date. Taking slightly deeper breaths, he managed to return to his normal color, hopefully before the ebony woman could notice. "So how did you end up out there in the middle of the forest anyway?" He finally asked, as they approached the city. The Sheraton Hotel was tall and easy to see, even from the outskirts. It would only be a few minutes until they reached the front door. When they did, Spencer reached into his back pocket, and pulled out his keycard. He then began to look Kadira over, searching her for a purse. "Um... Where are you keeping your key?" he asked, realizing that, with her curves, there was no way she was hiding a flat key on her person.

Kadira chuckled, as she noticed the man turning red. Perfect. Why hadn't she thought of using her own image sooner? They walked through the forest, and she looked at the marks on the trees as they passed them, silently cursing the man for being so prepared. But she had targeted him, and he WOULD be her meal... His question was sudden, but it didn't catch her off guard. Thinking quickly, she replied. "Well, I was sitting on the beach, and I decided to take a walk on the path. I was walking for a while when I thought I heard a waterfall, so I went off the path to see if Icould find it, but instead, the rats started chasing me, and I got lost running from them. Then I ran into you..." Her voice, and face matched her story perfectly. Even without using her powers, she was a master of illusion. But that didn't change the fact that she was in deep shit. They would be in the hotel soon, and she didn't know what to do once they got there. She had never been in a Hotel before. And when they got there, Spencer proved just how right she was. She watched as he pulled out his key card, and her eyes widened as he asked where hers were. She didn't do this because she didn't know what to do, however, she did it to put off the idea that she had forgotten it somewhere.

'where can i find a key?' she asked herself, as her mind raced through the possibilities. This was a place where people came and stayed for a few days. They didn't actually live here, so there must be a center that provided them. She looked over at the help desk, and waved over the man behind the counter. "Excuse, me." She started. "I think I lost my key on the beach. Is there anyway I can get it replaced? My name is Kadira Foster." With Spencer to her back, her eyes took on their reptilian form, as her power of influence took over, forcing the man to set up a room for her, and give her the key. she looked at it for a moment. Room 312 "Thank you SO much!" she said to him. She then turned to Spencer and smiled sweetly. It would be possible for her to lure him to her sroom, and consume him there, but there were too many issues with that plan. She had no luggage or clothes there. It would be suspicious. And after she ate, she usually fell asleep for months, so she needed to lure him back to the cave. She took his arm once more and walked with him to the Elevator. "You're going back out there tomorrow, aren't you?"

"A waterfall..." Spencer repeated. He couldn't recall seeing or hearing a waterfall. In fact, he was positive there wasn't one. Not between the hotel and the area where he ran into Kadira anyway. But it was more than possible that the sound of running water was used to lure Kadira deeper into the forest, where the illusions were stronger. This was just a guess, of course, but considering what he had experienced that evening, it was more than possible. All of this only added to the mans excitement, as he thought of what it could mean to solve this
'mystery'. He would be a legend! He grinned as they walked into the hotel, and he pulled out his key card. That grin turned into a small chuckle as he saw that Kadira had forgotten her card key. It was a mistake that he had made as well, so he probably shouldn't have been laughing, but he couldn't help it. His laughter was quickly replaced by silence. No... Speechlessness would probably be a better word. As Kadira walked away, all he could do was admire her figure as she did so. He had been in close proximity with her since her appearance in the woods, so this was his first time getting a full image of her body all at once, and it was... well... He couldn't come up with a word for it... He could only watch in awe, as she walked away, leaned across the counter for her key, and walk back. Could he really be sure this wasn't an illusion as well? It was almost too amazing to be real. He got in the elevator, and pressed the 2 button to make his way to his room. "Three, right?" He asked, before pressing the button anyway, knowning she was on the third floor. "Yeah, I'm going first thing in the morning."

Kadira could feel Spencers eyes on her as she walked toward the counter. She didn't have to be a master of optical illusion to feel them. It was almost a burning sensation, like he was looking through her. This made her grin as she gathered the key to the empty room, and walked with Spencer to the elevator. His confirmation was all she needed from him. She could have stated that she was joining him, but that may have resulted in his refusal due to it being "too dangerous." It would take a bit of charm to guarantee his approval. "Can I go with you?" She asked, offering him her best "puppy dog" face. "I want to learn the secret of the forest too." She twisted her torso back and forward, pushing her chest out slightly as she took a step closer to him, big hazel eyes staring into his own.

A child like figure watched the two from within the confines of a distant tree, his eyes set against the darkness. The creature well versed in magic could see the happenings betwix the male and female, knowing the female was a tricky one and the male wanting to learn of the island secrets. Though the creature had resided there for some time even he didn't know its deeper truths. "Maybe I should follow them, who knows what treasure await this place." It thought to itself, with somber eyes he continued to watch fighting back the urge to pick with them and ruin what seemed to be a good mood between them; but why bother when the island will tear them apart anyway. "Ah forget it, I'll see if they will notice my spell. . . I wonder how far they will get before their ends." He murmered quietly, whilst he allowed his left hand to slip into his left pocket.

From within he retrived a small dagger, that gilttered in the darkness using it as a catalyst for his spell. His eyes closed shutting off his view of the world, his mental energy directed toward the dagger and from there the couple. "Spiritus tempus et lux, et facta est super me manus meas ad falsum hostem. Sic fiat semper." He said calmly, the effect of the spell near instant as it surrounded the two in a thin layer of a magical aura, warping the space around them to give off the illiusion that they were still within their confined spacing when in fact they were transported to the entrance of the forest that lead to its deeper paths.