The Break-up
Stanton stood outside of Serena's house, watching the goddess with her friends, and a feeling rose inside him that he had felt many times before. It's gone too far with her. He didn't love Serena anymore; his love was for someone else who he could not have, yet. He looked around the room for the blonde goddess Vanessa and found her on the bed sitting next to Catty, who was painting Vanessa's nails a wicked red. The five goddesses were preparing for battle. The question was; who were they going to fight during when the moon was dark? Pacing, Stanton felt guilty for not worrying about Serena; his focus was on the goddess who had tried to save him as a child, from the Atrox.
A movement in the corner of his eye caught Stanton's attention and he turned to shadows. Jimena walked out of the back door and looked around, her gaze penetrating and daring something or someone to attack her. "I know you're here Stanton, Serena caught your thoughts, why are you worried about us?" Cursing silently he wondered what else Serena heard, then stepped out of the shadows. Jimena truly looked like a goddess, a revenge goddess anyway. She stood in a threatening pose; she never liked him being with Serena. Wonder what she'll think about me later on? Slowly the rest of the goddesses came outside. Jimena was wearing a pair of black jeans with a silver halter top, and silver heels, her hair done in messy curls. Catty was wearing a black dress with no sleeves and black heels, her long brown hair straight as a needle. Vanessa wore a black mini-skirt with a white kimono top with a red oriental flower pattern that had sleeves that went to her fingertips and a pair of black boots that went to her knees. Tianna wore a micro-mini skirt with a revealing black shirt with a butterfly on in with strappy black heels. Looking at Serena his breath caught, she wore a red dress with a black geometric Greek pattern around the hemming, and black leather flat sandals that wrapped around her ankles completed the look.
"What do you want Stanton?" Serena asked, her voice filled with a love that was unreturned, but he kept that thought locked away. He felt Serena try and penetrate his mind but he shook her out. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing's wrong, I was just coming to see you tonight, and I had plans for us but you girls are going out somewhere."
"Well duh, it's Planet Bang night." Catty said and gave Tianna a high five, and ignored the jealous look that Vanessa gave her. Stanton sighed, he forgot it was the night the girls go out and dance to Michael's music.
"Wanna come with us?" Serena asked and Stanton shook his head, frowning Serena looked at her friends who nodded. "You sure guys?"
"Just come by before they close okay?" Serena nodded and walked over to Stanton who took them both to shadows and disappeared.
Stanton pulled Serena out of the shadows next to an unpopulated area at the beach, and waited for her to get her legs back under control. "Stanton what's going on? You're hiding something from me and I want to know what it is."
Stanton stepped close to the goddess and kissed her softly then frowned, looking into her eyes trying to be serious, "I have to leave, the Atrox wants me to reside in Nefandus." Serena's eyes widened and she turned around, and Stanton could feel her anger, which only made things easier for him, pain and anger of any kind would give him more strength to do what he needed to do. "Serena, this doesn't mean that we have to stop seeing each other."
"Yes, it does." Serena turned back and stared at Stanton in the eyes, tears and anger filled them along with a hint of hate, "You're going to Nefandus, you're leaving me for a place I can't follow you ever! What's next Stanton, are you going to start preying on innocents again!?
"If the Atrox demands it."
"Take me back to Planet Bang now!" Nodding as if he were in defeat, Stanton took Serena's hand and obeyed her last wish from him.
Stanton stood at the back wall of Planet Bang with Vanessa in his arms, Michael had broken up with her the night before when he had found a hickey Stanton had accidently left two nights ago. "How did Serena take it?"
"Badly, but she thinks I'm going to live in Nefandus."
"Oh, so what are you going to do?"
"Re-locate, perhaps to a different part of L.A."
"Why stay in L.A.?" The blonde goddess looked up at him with a mischievous smile and Stanton kissed her. "Why not go to New Mexico, or something?"
"New Mexico, what's there?"
"I don't know; why don't we go find out?" Stanton smiled, catching the goddess' plans and kissed her softly on her lips, pulling her close to him, enjoying her taste and scent. "Let me find my darker self with you Stanton, let me accept the offer from our first fight."
"You want to come to my world?"
"More than anything," Stanton looked Vanessa in the eyes; she did not look away as Stanton pulled her into his mind and showed her the way to the Atrox. She was his now, forever.
Serena walked into her room and fell onto her bed crying, her head hit a piece of paper that crinkled under her and she got up and opened the note. What she found were the song lyrics for Afterlife by Avenged Sevenfold:
Like walking into a dream, so unlike what you've seen
so unsure but it seems, 'cause we've been waiting for you
Fallen into this place, just giving you a small taste
of your afterlife here so stay, you'll be back here soon anyway
I see a distant light, but girl this can't be right
Such a surreal place to see so how did this come to be
Arrived too early
And when I think of all the places I just don't belong
I've come to grips with life and realize this is going too far
I don't belong here, we gotta move on dear escape from this afterlife
'Cause this time I'm right to move on and on, far away from here
A place of hope and no pain, perfect skies with no rain
Can leave this place but refrain, 'cause we've been waiting for you
Fallen into this place, just giving you a small taste
of your afterlife here so stay, you'll be back here soon anyway
This peace on earth's not right (with my back against the wall)
No pain or sign of time (I'm much too young to fall)
So out of place don't wanna stay, I feel wrong and that's my sign
I've made up my mind
Gave me your hand but realize I just wanna say goodbye
Please understand I have to leave and carry on my own life
I don't belong here, I gotta move on dear escape from this afterlife
'Cause this time I'm right to move on and on, far away from here
Got nothing against you and surely I'll miss you
This place full of peace and light, and I'd hope you might
take me back inside when the time is right
Loved ones back home all crying 'cause they're already missing me
I pray by the grace of God that there's somebody listening
Give me a chance to be that person I wanna be
(I am unbroken; I'm choking on this ecstasy)
Oh Lord I'll try so hard but you gotta let go of me
(Unbreak me, unchain me, I need another chance to live)
I don't belong here, I gotta move on dear escape from this afterlife
'Cause this time I'm right to move on and on, far away from here
Got nothing against you and surely I'll miss you
This place full of peace and light, and I'd hope you might
take me back inside when the time is right
Serena read the lyrics twice before she realized what it meant, he was gone and if the right time ever came he hoped she'd take him back. Fat chance at that asshole. Looking closely she noticed that the handwriting wasn't Stantons, flipping the paper over she read one name: Zhai. Picking up the phone she dialed a phone number from a memory she didn't know she still had.
The next day Vanessa wasn't at school, her mom had called all her friends and couldn't find her daughter. Catty had the theory that Vanessa ran away because of Michael because since the break up she had been acting different, Tianna and Jimena thought followers took her. Serena agreed with Tianna and Jimena. Maggie didn't have any theories as to what had happened to the blonde goddess and sadly agreed that follower might have taken her, therefore weakening the rest of the daughters. Looking over at the other goddesses, Serena was glad that none of them could read minds too because she had called Zhai back the night before and planned on a 'get-together' after classes.
A/N: yes this story was originally posted on my account Lahara Willow, but ive decided to move all my stories over here to my main fan fiction account. Thank you all for reading J please review!