-Dark House-
1874
Tessa's footsteps slapped loudly against the wooden floorboards, her breath coming quick as she desperately willed her legs to move faster.
This is a dream come true! I will finally get to leave this wretched place!' Tessa thought as she tore around a corner, her agile companion gliding ahead of her.
Of course, in her dreams she'd always thought she'd be walking out hand-in-hand with her brother. Not rescued by some odd goat-human creature, even though she understood that the creature's intentions were good.
"My name is Synthia by the way, Synthia Underwood," Her liberator announced, she had a comforting low and musical British accent. "and don't you worry, I come from a long line of Keepers so you're in good hands now." Synthia slowed her pace to match Tessa's much slower one.
"A keeper?"Tessa asked her voice breathy from running, her fingers clutching instinctively around the package she was holding.
"Yes, a keeper. Chiron'll explain everything you need to know." Synthia answered.
'Chiron?' Tessa's mind buzzed with questions but none of them seemed to be close to getting answers.
"That's the exit." Synthia told her, they were standing behind a staircase in the main room, a room that Tessa had been in only when she was first escorted here. Not knowing the the way to the exit they had been stumbling through the house in what seemed like ages, Tessa's heart fluttered, like a bird trapped in a cage. So close, so close to freedom, she understood what authors meant when they said you could taste it. Freedom was sweet like a fresh breeze from the outside, sour like the sweat from the hard work to accomplish it.
"Now, now dearie, you do not truly think we would let you make such an easy escape?" a voice taunted from behind.
The taste of freedom had turned bitter, the was bird shot in the wings before it even left the ground. Tessa felt like crying. Mrs. Black and Mrs. Dark were standing there behind them in the hallway smiling triumphantly at the look of anguish on Tessa's face.
"Miss Grey please move behind me, I'll be damned if another half-blood gets hurt." Synthia said as Tessa numbly walked behind her before muttering under her breath. "I knew I should have stuck to basket weaving! No bloody kindly ones ready to chop my head off!"
"Do you remember what we did when we caught you trying to escape last time?" Mrs. Black warned, ignoring Synthia's presence.
Tessa shuddered skin prickling at the memory of the whip burning lines into her skin, the searing pain she was in afterwards. She hoped she would never experience that again.
"Yes," Her voice cracked and she tried again. "Yes, I do remember, but I'll never let you torture me again! Not even if I die trying!" She said surprised at how true the words were. She couldn't help but feel victorious at the look of shock on the dark sisters faces.
"I would have loved killing you but sadly I have orders from the Magister." Mrs. Black said recovering from her shock before her sister. "However he never said anything about any satyrsyou might bring along" Mrs. Black said eyeing Synthia with distaste. Before lunging at her, a scythe materializing in her hands.
Synthia was quick to react, pulling a flute out of her belt, raising it to her lips and drawing out a soft tune from it.
'A flute? Why is she playing a flute here of all times?'
Her question was answered because as soon as the first notes spilled out from the flute, Mrs. Black's scythe changed into a yellow sunflower in full bloom. Furious to be rid of her weapon Mrs. Black let out a low snarl, and charging at Synthia with her claws instead.
Tessa's her eyes widened at the disgarded sunflower, she had seen magic before but it was never something she associated with something as innocent as sunflowers. Magic was for torturing and pain, like how Mrs. Dark used it when Tessa was misbehaving, like when Tessa changed her bones felt like they were snapping and the awful pain she always in afterwards.
Distracted Tessa didn't notice Mrs. Dark had snuck up on her, magic crackling at her finger tips.
"Ow!" Tessa cried jerking away as Mrs. Dark's magic came to touch with Tessa's skin.
Stumbling backwards Tessa instinctively reached for her angle necklace, dropping the package clutched in her hands, pulling down on the angle until she could feel the chain digging into her neck. Tessa felt the pendant snap off the chain, her eyes widened as the angel grew longer and heavier until she was holding a golden sword in her hands.
"Miss Grey come- Oi! how did you get that sword miss?" Synthia asked, she had appeared at Tessa's side now that Mrs. Black was snugly tied up in a wooden vine clutching her the stem of her bright yellow sunflower tightly in her hands, enraged.
Before Tessa could answer, Mrs. Dark spoke out, glaring at them, standing a bit of a distance away from them. Unlike her sister she seemed to be more cautious about jumping right into a fight.
"Oh you think you're smart now don't you." Mrs. Dark snarled at them. "Running away from us like this." she said gesturing at the door. "But you'll remember that I made you what you are, without us you would still be a naive mortal. I showed you you're full potential. The Magister made you who you are." She laughed, a cold insane crackle. "You can't escape him you are his. So leave now little half-blood, and you shall be more vulnerable later."
Tessa glared at her, rage flooded her senses. This woman had made her feel like she was dying, like she was nothing, and now she was standing here telling Tessa that she owed her something. Tessa never despised someone as she did now.
She swung the sword at her.
The swing wasn't as she ha intended. The sword was lighter than she had thought and the grip molded in her hand like it was made for her. The balance threw her off and she cut Mrs. Dark's arm instead of her chest. It left a deep graze in her arm, blood pouring out on to the bright lemon yellow dress she was wearing.
Tessa's eyes widened she pulled her sword away appalled at what she had done. She sprinted out the door, Synthia following quickly behind her, goat legs moving much faster than Tessa's human ones.
She forgot the letters she had wrote to her dear brother. The only thing that connected to her old life, left in the shadows of the place she hated the most.
~0~
As they rode the scenery changed around them. The houses around them changed, from grand mansions the became squatter and shorter, seeming to huddle together for warmth amongst their thin walls.
They were going to the slums.
Out of all the times Tessa had dreamed about coming to England -even in the captive of the Dark sisters because she wasn't truly in England, yet.- pictured herself at the gorgeous monuments her brother had told her about in his letters, the ones that were described in wonderful writings in poetry. Now she was faced with reality, the terrible disgusting slums of the glorious London were spread out for her.
As Tessa hopped off the wagon they had taken a ride on, this particular alley wasn't unlike the others they had passed, but it held a certain aura to it.
It was familiar, comforting somehow. It was home.
"This is the entrance" Synthia told Tessa, they had walked up to a stone wall at the end of the alley
"it's a disguise?" Tessa asked her curiosity peaking.
"Yes," Synthia answered her lips tilted in a small smile. "We only have to step through the wall and we will be in the camp."
Tessa's lips parted in awe, she wondered how it worked. Was it a disguise? or a doorway? or-
"Miss Grey?" Synthia asked already stepping towards the solid looking wall.
"Coming!" Tessa answered snapping out of her thoughts, scurrying towards the entrance.
As Tessa stepped through the wall the scenery changed, it was no longer the dingy, damp dark ally way slum but a field with a sparkling clear lake nestled in it. Along the rim of the lake were thirteen houses, all of them seemed to be made from different materials, and had all seemed to be made by someone who couldn't decide on one design. Tessa could see that one was entirely made from metal and another was looked like a green house, she could even see plants growing inside, but there seemed to be beds hanging from the celling a draped across the floor amongst the plants.
"Those are the houses," Synthia said. "You will be living in one of those once you get claimed."
"I don't want to live in that one." Tessa said pointing to a rusty red one with spears and swords sticking out of it. "Why are there even swords here?" Tessa asked feeling worried.
"The weapons are for sending the kindly ones back to Tartarus, where they came from." Synthia answered with a practiced ease.
"Like a Telkhine?" Tessa asked. The Dark Sisters had made her change into one once, it was one of her later changes. The creature was terrible, being in it's skin was sensitive, like she was being blasted with winter air even in the heated air of the sister's office.
"Where did you learn that from?" Synthia asked.
"The Dark Sisters had one to make weapons." Tessa lied, she didn't want anyone to know about her powers, even though Synthia said that there were people like her here there was some gut instinct that was choking off the words before they could even form.
"We should go see Chiron." Synthia said not noticing Tessa's lie.
~0~
They were inside the lobby of the first house, the marble flooring was worn but polished, the beautiful crystal chandelier was clean and sparkling but the candle holders were full of burn marks that showed it's years. The room was clean in a loved way, expensive and used.
"Chiron!" Synthia said her voice had gone high and her cheeks flushed red, her hands running up to smooth down her braid of auburn hair.
'Synthia must have a fancy for this Chiron bloke.'
Tessa smiled and jumped when she turned around to find herself facing rather nonhuman legs. attached to the legs was a human man he seemed to be a age and was wearing a smart looking suit. It was expensive but used, much like the room.
"Are you a satyr too?" Tessa asked using the word that Mrs. Black said and hoping it didn't mean something offensive.
Chiron chuckled. "No, my child I am a centaur, although I am rather not like my brethren." He frowned slightly at the thought. "You my dear must be Synthia's new assignment. Come let me introduce you to the camp."
~0~
By the time the presentation was over and Tessa had her fill of answers, it was sundown and all the other children who were playing out in the fields were all running towards a large one story building on the side of the lake. Tessa had asked
"Where will I be staying to night?"
"The Hermes house I suspect, unless you already know your godly parent?" Chiron answered good-naturedly.
Tessa felt her throat close up in fear the words Eidolon flashing through through her mind, from an overheard conversation that the Dark Sister were having in their horrible office in the damp hallway.
"She is mastering her power quickly" Mrs. Dark had said appreciatively. "The Magister will soon congratulate us.
"Yes, and we will also have her father, a great Eidolon's favor as well." Mrs. Black added sounding smug.
"No, I don't know my godly parent." Tessa lied guilt flooding her body.
'You've only been here for two minutes and you're already breaking their trust.' Tessa thought glumly.
"I'll let Sophie show you the rest of the camp." Chiron said. Tessa blinked, she must have missed some of the conversation because standing in front of her was a young girl. The girl -Sophie, Tessa assumed.- around Tessa's age and had thick chocolate brown curls that were forced into tight twin braids. Her skin unlike Tessa's that had lost whatever small amount of color it had possessed during her time at the dark house, was a dark healthy tan, making her smile standout from her face.
"Come, I'll show you the rest of camp." Sophie said beckoning her with a hand.
