1. Mischance or chance?
Dark…everything around was dark. The sun was nowhere to be seen, a common thing these days…and they said Middle Ages were a dark and regrettable period. They obviously had no idea how the future was going to be, how bad it's going to get. Maybe they were right about magic…but then again you can't stop magic, it's everywhere, its part of everything. Especially now when everyone knows about it and fears it. People seem like they could care less about the person next to them, they could care less if someone dies right in front of them, hell, they might wanna rob them first. This is how bad things are…family doesn't matter anymore, friends betray eachother, people only care about their own interests and nothing else. Survival…yes, someone said this is the 'excuse' for their actions.
Surviving was not on her list…it didn't even make it to top ten. She knew how it was to have everything one day, then lose all that. Indeed, she had everything…but that was a long time ago. She had caring, kind parents, a big brother that used to look out for her, lots of friends…but not anymore, that was all gone, and all that was left were the memories. She shook her head to get ride of her thoughts. This wasn't the moment to go on a memory lane, no, now what she had to do was focus on her mission.
She was on a dark alley…..funny they're all dark now. Her mission was to follow and observe a high-level demon and she had done that for the past 2 weeks now. This demon has proved himself quite clever so she had to keep a low profile or else she would be seen and it wasn't the moment…not yet. In the past 2 weeks since she'd been following him, she found out that this demon, known as Krunk, has gained quite a few powers lately, therefore he represented a threat for her and the forces of good. Yes, good still existed, for as long as people will exist, there's always going to be good in them. Funny…about 10 years ago you could have said exactly the opposite of that…there are bad people and they're always going to be.
Herself and these powers of good had been fighting evil ever since it took over. Evil always existed, true, but now it seemed that it gained more and more territory and it was all because of a traitor. He was supposed to be the greatest force of good that ever existed and yet he turned out to be the opposite. He called himself a Lord…like he even deserved that title. He was nothing but a vicious, immoral, devious and disgusting person….no, not a person for a person would own feelings and he most certainly did not. He killed thousands of people and he still does. He craves for power and it seemed that magic destroyed any form of humanity that he had…if he ever did have.
Back to her mission, Isabelle narrowed her eyes, focusing on the demon she was following. He seemed like he was waiting for something…but what? Demons aren't exactly known to be patient so what was it that this demon was waiting for? Well, whatever it was it seemed important because by now the demon began pacing around. Suddenly someone shimmered behind his back and Krunk turned around. She tried figuring out what they said.
"Well? I have business to do so if he's too busy to meet up with me then maybe I should find someone else, someone more interested." Krunk said obviously upset that someone stood him up. His eyes were full of anger but the person, or rather demon in front of him maintained his calm.
"I don't think you know who you're talking about. Haven't you heard rumors about him? No one can mess with him…he's too powerful .My master sent me to tell you that something interfered but he wishes to make an appointment." the man dressed in black said. He had his back to Isabelle so it was impossible for her to recognize the demon. He seemed to be important since the Lord himself trusted him with such matters.
Krunk seemed to hesitate but he finally accepted, after all he feared the oh-mighty-Lord like everyone else these days.
"I agree. But tell him that this information is extremely important and that I'm sure he'll be very interested in what I have to say…after all it involves him." Krunk said smirking.
"Tomorrow night, Demon's bar. Be there." and with that the other demon shimmered away and not long after him, Krunk shimmered too.
"Damn it!" If only I could know what is he talking about…something that involves Wyatt? What is that supposed to mean? Fuck…Demon's bar…I cant even get near it without some demon sensing me…Still cursing in her mind, Isabelle decided to meet up with the others and tell them about what she found out and hopefully figure out a way to discover what Krunk meant by that.
Running through the long, seemed to be endless tunnel, Isabelle kept thinking about the information Krunk seemed to have. If only she could get into that bar…
Finally she reached what it seemed to be a dead end and said the secret password that would allow her to get inside, it was an incantation that no one else knew besides the group she was meeting with of course.
' When you find your passage blocked, All you have to do is knock.'
And with that a door appeared and she entered. There were three men, all in white robes and they all seemed to be expecting something, or rather someone.
"Are you okay? We thought something happened." One of them spoke.
"No, no, I'm fine. But the meeting didn't take place...I mean I didn't found anything new. Well except that they're gonna meet up tomorrow at Demon's bar and apparently they're gonna talk about something big. Why else would he bother to meet up with a demon that he most likely thinks he's insignificant?" she said.
"Yes, Wyatt wouldn't waste his time if this wasn't something big. We have to find out what all of this is about." another Elder said.
"Someone has to get in there...but who? It has to be someone that can't be detected." the third Elder said.
"I'll go. We can come up with a spell that masks my powers. I can say I'm a Phoenix. It's a good idea." Isabelle offered herself.
"No...It's not a good idea and you know it. In fact it's the dumbest idea you've ever came up with...well except for that time when you decided to sell your house. God I'm glad I taught you out of it." an Asian girl said entering the room. She was tall, fit, had short black hair that matched her eyes and she didn't seem pleased at all. In fact she was pretty pissed off at her friend's ‚death wish'.
"Sage, stay out of this. There's only one way to figure out what's this whole 'secret' that Wyatt desperately wants to know and that's going in there." Isabelle argued with Sage, the young woman who was her best friend. They had been friends ever since they were little girls and the events they've been through only brought them closer.
"I agree. But I don't think you're the one who has to go. I'll go." Sage said determined.
"What? No, I'll go. You're an empath Sage, how can you even think about going in there? You know those demons don't exactly have happy thoughts. No. I'll go and that's it." Isabelle said even more determined then her friend.
"And how do you plan on passing by as a Phoenix?" Sage dared her friend while the Elders just stood there watching the 'fight' between the two girls. Though they were best friends, they didn't seem to have much in common, starting with the physical appearance. While Sage's hair was all black, cut short and hardly covered her ears, Isabelle had middle length hair that passed her shoulders, with soft brown/auburn curls and blue eyes. Her skin was fair, she had high cheekbones, full pale pink lips and though her eyes were emerald, they held great sadness behind them...not to mention that right now they were narrowed due to Sage's last question.
"Well first of all that's why I need their help" she said pointing at the Elders. "I need to borrow the athame from you, you know, the one that sucks your powers. I need it to borrow some Phoenix powers."
"WHAT? Don't you think this is going a little too far? I mean going there is bad enough and now you wanna steal powers from a Phoenix? Do you have any idea who you're fighting against? I mean, yeah, sure, you're a great fighter but still..."Sage snapped. There was no way she was letting her friend do this all by her self. Sure, she knew Isabelle was a bit crazy, but now she's just gone nuts.
"Fine. Then you're coming with me. But not to the bar, just to find some Phoenix, got it?" Isabelle said finally giving up. "I'm gonna go and change. You go and grab the athame and I'll meet you back at the apartment. See ya." and with that Isabelle exited the room leaving Sage to roll her eyes.
Two hours after the conversation with the Elders, Sage and Isabelle were walking down a street, searching for the Phoenix they've been scrying for.
"God...can't we give up? Don't you think this is a sign? Like a 'let's mind our own business sign?" Sage sighed and threw her arms in exhaustion.
"What? Are you insane? I'm not giving this up. You can go home if you want to, but I'm staying." Isabelle said stubbornly.
"I'm not leaving you alone. It's just that lately you've been so busy all the time. All you do is demon hunting and that's it. I barely get to see you anymore and I miss ya, I miss our talks. We used to have fun but we don't do that anymore." Sage said with a sad look upon her face.
"That was a long time ago Sage. Now I feel like I don't have a reason to live anymore, that's why I go demon hunting all the time...I feel alive." Isabelle replied on the same tone." Wait...shh...I think that's our guy."
They followed him until he stopped and turned around. He must have been feeling someone was following him. He carefully scanned the dark alley, pulling an athame and holding it closely. The girls looked at each other and nodded their heads just before Sage made herself visible.
"Hello there. Cold night isn't it?" she asked on a sarcastic tone.
"For a pretty girl like you, I should think so." he said smirking then shimmered behind her and placing the athame at her neck. "Who do you work for?" he harshly asked looking around to see if there were others.
"Myself." she said before kicking him hard in the stomach and turning around to face him. By now he was angry as hell and launched himself at her, attacking her with the athame. Just when he was about to stab her, he stopped dead-tracks, his eyes wide opened. Isabelle stabbed him with the athame that was now sucking his powers and passing them to her.
"Well?" Sage asked after the demon was dead. "Did it work?" she continued.
"Let's find out." and with that Isabelle formed an energy ball in her hand while a smirk played on her lips.
"Hurry up. And take care okay?" Sage asked her.
"You worry too much." Isabelle said before shimmering away.
When she reappeared she took a moment to get herself into one piece. She never shimmered before and it was a strange feeling she took notice. Taking a deep breath she fixed her skirt and made sure she looked good before entering the so called Demon's bar. It wasn't exactly an original name, but then again demons aren't known to be very bright either.
Entering the bar for the first time she wasn't very surprised to see what was in there…demons fighting in a corner while other placed their bets, a pool table, and finally the counter. The music was very loud and you could hardly see in there. She took a seat at the bar and the bartender immediately turned his attention to her.
"Hello there, new around?" he asked. He was a big ugly fellow and he had big round earrings in both his ears.
"Yeah. So I'll have whatever you think is the best around here." she said as a matter a fact.
"Okay…let's see what you think about this one." he said and placed a glass full of a purple liquid in front of her. She took it and drank the whole thing from one sip.
"Well I'm impressed. Didn't think you'd make it." he said mocking her. "You're a Phoenix?"
"Yeah. I'm Astrid." she said obviously lying.
"Darneth." he said and with that he went back to whatever it was that he was doing. She turned around, searching for Krunk, but he was nowhere to be seen so instead she decided she may aswell have a bit of fun before he gets here. Isabelle or rather Astrid went to the pool table and grabbed a cue.
"One on one?" she asked a demon.
"You got it." and with that the game began.
Christopher Perry Halliwell entered the bar, looking for some fun like he always did when he was bored. Looking around he went for a drink and took a seat ordering one. While waiting for his drink, he spotted her…the amazingly beautiful young woman that seemed to be in her twenties, who was playing pool with a demon. Who was she? He never saw her before and he always came to this bar. She was wearing a short black skirt, matching boots and a very low cut red top. She had a killer body so he decided to approach her.
He took his drink and headed towards the table, watching her intently. The woman seemed to be winning and was now smirking at the angry face of her opponent. She was just one shot away from winning when she turned around with an annoyed look upon her face.
"Do you mind?" she asked Chris waiting for him to move so that she could take her shot, which he did of course. The last ball was in and Isabelle won the match but the other demon didn't take it too well…after all he got beat up by a girl. He was very angry and formed a ball in his hand, ready to throw it at her when Chris interfered and shot him a death glare. The demon flamed away and Chris turned his attention to the extremely attractive young woman that seemed pissed off instead of appreciative for what he did. She flashed him a look then turned away and went to sit at the counter, ordering a drink.
'The stranger' followed her and took a seat next to her at the bar, but he didn't even look at her, he seemed to ignore her which caused Isabelle to narrow her eyes in suspicion. He ordered a drink still ignoring her presence. Isabelle took a good look at this 'stranger' from head to toe. He was good-looking, in fact he was really hot. He was all dressed in black…black pants and a black shirt that showed his broad shoulders. He was taller then her, maybe a head taller then her, he had dark hair, green eyes and full lips that she found herself staring at whenever he took a sip. She quickly turned around dismissing every thought that she had about him. She was here on a mission, not for fun. Speaking about missions, she turned around and checked the bar but still no sign of Krunk, which was odd. Suddenly she felt a hand on her back and turning to her left she saw a demon with a mischievous smile on his face. He was big and strong too she took notice.
"Wanna have some fun?" he asked her grinning, his hand on her waist now.
"No thanks, I'm here for business." she harshly replied, wanting to stand up but the demon wouldn't let her. Oh great, this is just what I need, a fight…fuck it.
"I said I wasn't interested so fuck off." she snapped, trying to pull away but he was too strong.
"Come on, I know how bitchy Phoenix's are." he insisted. Man, was he determined or what?
"No, now I suggest you let me go before I kick your ass." Isabelle said angrily, now pushing the big guy away with her hands. Unknown to her, Chris was watching the whole scene and he was rather amused to say at least. He decided not to interfere since she wasn't too pleased the last time he did so. She caught him staring and she couldn't believe the amused look he had upon his face…he could help her, not just stay there and watch, but no, there he was, still staring.
Isabelle shimmered away then reformed behind the demon. The demon was confused at first but then he turned around only to be greeted by a punch.
"Fuck." Isabelle cried in pain as she was holding her hand. He was big, there was no doubt there. As she was still holding her hand, the demon took this as an opportunity and formed a fire ball in his hand ready to throw it at her but she expected this and used her telekinesis to throw it back at him, causing him to blow up. Looking around, Isabelle decided to get out of there quick, before someone noticed that she used telekinesis, which was not a power that a Phoenix would have. She failed to notice the surprised look upon Chris's face who decided to follow her so he orbed after her only to find himself on a dark alley, no surprise there…but the girl was nowhere to be seen.
He narrowed his eyes trying to see through the darkness and he didn't expect the hit that caused him to fall on his back. He looked around but still…there was no one there so that meant that the enemy was hiding. He got to his feet, brushing away his clothes and preparing for a fight. Chris heard a noise coming from his left so he turned quickly only to be greeted by a punch straight in a face. By now he was angry and using his whitelighter power he sensed a presence next to him so he waited patiently for he opponent's next move, and when that came, he grabbed his arm, switching it at the enemy's back and pinning him against the wall.
Isabelle was taken by surprise and didn't have a chance to react so she thought it didn't matter anymore, she might as well show herself. Still pinned against the wall Isabelle went visible and saw the 'stranger's' surprised eyes when she did so.
"Well hello again." he said mockingly.
"Get off me." she demanded him.
"Or what? We're gonna play hide-and-seek again? You know as interesting as that was I think I'll pass, it's not fun if you don't know who you're fighting against. But this…now this is what I call fun." he said grinning widely at her and by that making her even more angry then she was. "So you have invisibility…that's not a very common power, you know? And it's not a Phoenix power either so I just have to ask you" he said getting closer to her and whispering in her ear "Who or rather what are you?"
Isabelle found his closeness a bit disturbing because he made her heart beat faster, something she didn't like at all seeing as she was always sure of herself and not an easy person to intimidate.
"Aren't you gonna answer?" Chris said gazing into her eyes, eyes that were looking, no, more like staring at him with interest.
"Well maybe if you let go you might just get away alive." she said challenging him. Chris only laughed in her face which made her look at him in bewilderment. "What is so funny? I can take you down, you know, just let go and I'll prove it." Her boldness made him step away smiling, letting go of her arms.
"Ready?" she asked taking her position.
"Come on. Let's not fight. I just wanted to-"Chris wanted to say something but she cut him short, kicking him hard in his abs and letting him gasp for air. When he looked at her she only raised her eyebrows, as in saying 'don't say I didn't warn ya', which caused Chris to glare at her. So she actually wants to fight…okay then that's what she'll get.
They began fighting, without using their powers just martial arts. The fight was pretty balanced, Chris hits, Isabelle hits back and so on until they broke apart, breathing pretty heavily.
Chris just stood there, waiting her next attack which of course came and it was Chris's time to raise his eyebrows when he looked her up and down, her foot on his shoulder.
"Cute." he simply said but soon found out that the remark costs him. Isabelle used her other foot and kicked him hard, knocking him at the ground, near her seeing, as the hit caused her to fall as well. As they were both lying there, all sweaty and breathing heavily, Chris turned his head to his left, looking at Isabelle.
"You know, I only wanted to know your name. So this is what a guy has to get through if he wants to know your name?" he asked grinning.
Isabelle rolled her eyes and turned to her right "You should try asking for my number." she replied grinning as well. Chris then did something unexpected that took Isabelle by surprise, therefore without any time to react…he pulled himself on top of her, his hands on her waist.
"What do you think you're doing?" Isabelle asked harshly.
"Well I suppose it's about time you tell me your name 'cause I doubt it's Astrid." he said smirking.
"Well I suppose I won't." she said in the same manner.
"Oh, but you see, you have to" Chris said on a flirting tone. What the hell is he doing? Is he flirting with me? Isabelle thought to herself. "You have to, 'cause I found you to say at least intriguing." he continued.
He was inches away from her, gazing from her eyes to her mouth and Isabelle bit her lower lip in nervousness.
"I'm Chris." he softly said, still on top of her.
"Isabelle." she answered. She was nervous…his hands were on her hips and his nose now touched hers. She couldn't run, no…she didn't want to run. He was captivating, attractive, his green eyes were sparkling and his breath burned her skin. She just wanted him to kiss her, she just wanted him to stop with this torture.
She's so beautiful…God I just wanna kiss her, taste her alluring lips…Chris thought to himself and not wanting just the thought, he closed the small distance between them, capturing her soft lips into a sweet kiss, barely brushing his lips against hers like he wanted to remember the taste of her lips forever.
Isabelle was too lost in the kiss to even think about how wrong all of this was, but as his hand moved under her top, she quickly broke the kiss and pushed him off her, lifting herself up from the ground and leaving a very confused Chris to recollect himself.
"What?" he asked trying to find out what happened there…one moment they were kissing and the other one he was on the floor and Isabelle was looking strangely at him, with disbelieving eyes.
"I can't believe you did that!"
"WHAT? You're saying that like I was forcing you when you kissed me back." Chris said as he was pulling himself up.
"No I wasn't. Why would I go around and kiss a guy I don't even know? It's simple, I wouldn't! And you were on top of me so that's a pretty unfair advantage I would say!" she yelled back at him.
"Yeah, but you were enjoying every second of it and don't try to deny it!" he yelled back.
"I won't even bother to deny it 'cause you're simply not worth it!" she snapped back. Okay…that's it! This woman is so infuriating! Chris thought then grabbed her arm harshly and turned her to face him, forcing her to gaze into his eyes before kissing her softly at first but when she resisted he began kissing her more passionately.
Isabelle resisted the kiss strongly at first but after a few moments she gave up wrapping her arms around his neck, in his hair as one of Chris's arm was around her waist and the other one on her face, caressing it softly.
Isabelle was too lost in the kiss that she failed to notice that Chris orbed them to his apartment, in his room. When they broke apart she was pinned against the wall yet again, but this time she enjoyed it. She looked around noticing they were probably in his room and Chris looked at her expectantly, waiting for her to decide whether she wanted to go all the way or not. He soon got his answer as she kissed him, wrapping her legs around his waist and pull away to give him a wide grin before leaning forward to kiss him again, a kiss that he gladly returned.
With Isabelle in his arms he slowly began moving towards the bed, hitting some of his stuff in the process but succeeding to find the bed in the end. He gently placed her on his bed, still kissing her and he placed himself on top of her only stopping for one second to look into her beautiful green eyes before kissing her again, going all the way…