Chapter 2
I don't know when I finally stopped crying and actually fell asleep; all that I know is that morning came too quickly. The covers that still lay over my head, blocking out the sterile setting, weren't enough to block out the sound of someone knocking on the door. As the door opens I grip the blankets and try not to think too much about what the day has planned for me. I remember a time when mornings meant I would feel sick, too nervous to face the day ahead. Now I find myself in a similar situation. I don't want to be here, but no matter what I try to do to distract myself I see the Animus in my mind, beckoning for me to relive experiences that belonged to my ancestor.
"Ms. Chambers? It's time to wake up," I hear Cecil say quietly as he walks into the room. I don't bother peeking from the shelter the covers are providing, knowing I'll see a smile on his face.
"Go away," I state in a deadpan voice. I hope he hears the anger I'm struggling to keep bottled inside of me.
For a few seconds it's quiet again, but then I feel the blankets being ripped out of my grasp. The light blinds me and I forget my previous motive to keep my anger hidden. I sit up and glare at him with venom.
"Good morning to you too sunshine," Cecil replies to the glare. I frown as I see an equally tired face staring back at me. "You can't stay in here all day."
I feel like acting like a child and mocking his words back to him, yet the more mature side of my brain tells me not to; it might get me into more trouble. Even if I wanted to remain angry at Cecil I find that my anger is diminishing, mainly because of the look in his eyes. It's the look of someone who gave up on their dreams, that he was forced to be here like I was. I push that thought away and avert my attention away from the scientist before me; there really isn't a need for him to read my thoughts.
I stand up and sigh, "Good point. Say what exactly are you and the director looking for? Maybe if I knew then I could make this process go by quicker."
Cecil shakes his head, "I can't say. I'm sworn to secrecy. Even though you're a fellow Templar I'm still not permitted to tell," he explains as he studies me.
Thankfully my thoughts are hidden, my tiredness blocking all emotions of surprise from showing. I fall back into the memory that lingers in the back of my mind; the incident that led me on a search for a way to get closer to my mother. She believed in the Templar and devoted a majority of her life towards advancing the Order of the Knights Templar in any way she could. By the time I was born however her health had faded, leaving a frail, independent woman who was too stubborn to know when to quit. She grew so distant from the medication she had to take that I literally did everything I could to get her attention. When I joined Templar I was naïve and selfish, wanting only nothing but to keep my mom safe and to be as close to her as possible. However she never made it to see me turn fourteen. When I turned fifteen I ditched everything dealing with Templar. My passion for history disappeared along with my mom.
The main point that Cecil and Edward seemed to be missing was the time when I tossed out the teachings of Templar and all that came with the organization. It was as though I signed up for a school club, decided the club wasn't for me yet for some strange reason my name was still on the roster. They didn't seem to understand my motives for joining in the first place nor did they know that I wanted nothing to do with Templar.
They… don't know. They want answers… I want to leave…
A smile crosses my face as the idea implants itself in my mind, within the darkest crevasse it can find. It seems too simple to really be effective and I'm starting to wonder if Cecil or the director has caught onto the fact that I'm not a fan of Templar. If not… then I can turn this situation around so it can benefit me.
"Why are you smiling? A few seconds ago you were miserable," Cecil asks and interrupts my thoughts. The look on his face screams that he's shocked by my reaction.
"I'm thinking positively about this whole thing. I get to learn more about my ancestors, of a time I haven't ever really paid attention to," I explain, hoping to throw Cecil off my sudden realization. I know he's smarter than that and might question my happiness, but for some reason he never does. He smiles as well.
"Glad to see you're actually happy for once. I think this is the first time I've seen you happy since you came here three days ago."
I blink with surprise. Has it really been three days? Where were the frantic calls on my cellphone? Why hasn't my friends caught onto the fact that I've been kidnapped? They really must not care at all what happens to me… no wait. I trust them. They have to know by now that something is wrong. They just have to! Wait… I had a cellphone with me this whole time?
There are times when I'll have moments of sheer stupidity… this has proven to be one of those times. It seems strange that I still have my cellphone and no one bothered to take it away from me. Maybe they forgot or something… at the moment I don't care. I hold back the urge to reach into my pocket or start looking around the room frantically for my cellphone; I know that would instantly tip off Cecil. Instead I begin to walk out of the "guest" room.
"We can't keep the director waiting," I state as I glance at Cecil's curious face.
As I step out of the room I feel awkward; the sterile setting that occupied my room now occupies this room as well. It's a large laboratory scene with a large window that reveals the world outside, a place that I have never been to nor really care at the moment to know. Everything from the desk and chair that sits in front of the window to the Animus machine that is located in the middle of the room is white. The only thing that disrupts the room of white is what the director is wearing and the light blue glow of the Animus.
The director is wearing a black suit with a blue checkered tie hanging from his collar. He looks as if he's about to go to some place fancy but I know that is only a guise that he's taken particular interest in. If there is one thing I found out about Edward Higgins is that he loves suits with a fierce passion, something that oddly enough has earned some respect for me. There's just something about suits that make me think that whoever wears them must be a professional. It isn't until I hear Edward's voice that all respect instantly burrows out of sight.
"Well it's about time you woke up," the director coldly says.
I sigh; I really hate that voice. It's cruel and a sound I rather never hear again. I still can't believe I've listened to that kind of voice for this long. I bite my tongue to ensure I don't say anything stupid or offensive and walk to the Animus. I sit down and watch Cecil make his way towards the controls for the Animus.
The scientist's stone gray eyes glance at me and he gives me the okay to lie down. As I do so I start to feel nervous again. How long will I be here for? What are they looking for exactly? I guess there is only one way to find out and I can only hope they find it soon. The screen for the Animus appears before me and I watch as I enter Anwen Chamberlain's past.
XXX
I'm met with a blinding light when I first enter the memory; after my eyes adjust to the brightness I can see a large, extravagant room that appears almost like a ballroom. The scene of people dancing with their partners, of numerous colors of dresses flowing gracefully from one partner to another seems so harmonious. The music that lingers in the air is classical and very beautiful as the combined sound of violins, cellos, and a grand piano creates a song that would lift anyone's spirits. While there are many people ballroom dancing I can see a young lady in a sky blue dress sitting in a chair, waiting patiently for someone to approach. She must be Anwen Chamberlain.
Her chestnut hair is tied in a braid and her pale blue eyes watch everyone dancing quietly. She seems so out of place compared to the other women who seem stuck up and snobbish with her kind eyes and with how she's fidgeting out of nervousness. She averts her attention from the carefree dancers to her hands that are struggling to keep still in her lap; I can't help but wonder why her nervousness is so much like my own.
She isn't nervous for too long, not until a young man approaches her; his ink black hair is slightly longer than the other men's and his golden eyes seem fierce when they spot Anwen. As he approaches I can tell by Anwen's happy face that the man is Archelous.
Archelous walks over calmly with confident strides, but as he takes Anwen's hands gently I can see he's actually very careful around her as though she'll break if he isn't cautious. Anwen smiles and stands on her tiptoes and kisses him on the cheek; yep I think I understand where I got the shortness from.
"Anwen, why aren't you dancing with the others?" he asks as he glances at the dancers.
"I didn't come here to dance," she replies nervously, "You remember that someone invited us here and will be here at any moment."
Archelous nodded, "That's correct; however no one said you couldn't have a little fun."
As if on cue the song changes to yet another classical song but its more upbeat and Archelous leads Anwen to the dance floor. If I didn't know any better I would've sighed and not bothered watching the duo dance; Anwen seemed so awkward standing up that I knew this couldn't have ended well. As they started to dance however I realize that I shouldn't be so quick to judge; Anwen and Archelous are dancing with each other as though they are one person. Their movements are fluent and graceful and the other dancers soon join in, but nothing can compare to those two. For a while I'm mesmerized by their dance… at least until I see a gentleman approach them.
Instantly Archelous stops dancing at the sight of the man and Anwen glances and becomes nervous. The man approaching has long dark brown hair with equally dark brown eyes; he's wearing a strange hat with a cross design on it, and his outfit isn't like what the other gentlemen are wearing. He must be important or at least that's the impression I get when I see Archelous shake the man's hand with a guarded expression.
"Pleasure to meet you sir," Archelous says in a confident tone.
"My name is Perkin Warbeck. Are you the lovely couple I invited here?"
Perkin Warbeck? That's a name I'm not familiar with at all but it has a nice ring to it. I knew I should've paid better attention to history class… or did we even learn about this in history? You know what? I'm just confusing myself trying to remember so I'll just stop thinking and pay attention to this scene.
Anwen curtsies and quietly introduces herself, her voice barely audible with the music playing in the background.
"Yes sir. My name is Anwen Chamberlain… and this is my husband Archelous Chamberlain."
Perkin Warbeck smiles and replies, "Well its very nice to meet you both."
There's something about how he finishes that statement that makes me feel like he wasn't addressing both of them but only one of them. Archelous glances at Anwen.
"Perhaps we should go somewhere more private? So we don't draw attention," Warbeck says as he observes the dancers. He begins to lead the way out of the ballroom; Archelous follows holding Anwen's hand the entire time. When the trio make it outside Archelous kisses Anwen on the cheek and whispers, "I'll be inside if you need anything okay?"
Anwen nods and watches as her husband makes his way back inside. That means Warbeck and Anwen are alone to speak. I can tell from Anwen's serious expression that the time to have fun has disappeared and has been replaced by a more pressing matter.
"I have heard many great things about you Anwen. You are one of the more successful members of Templar and I have a mission that needs to be fulfilled tonight," Perkin Warbeck explains, "I need a traitor of Templar to be eliminated."
"A traitor is here of all places?"
"I was shocked too when I heard about the man coming to such a lovely occasion. He means no good though, he is trying to give our secrets to the Assassins."
Anwen shivers as though the word Assassins is heartless and cruel; she seems to understand the pressing matter.
"I suppose no one is expecting a woman to take his life then," she states in an obedient tone.
Warbeck shakes his head and stares up at the sky, "Kill him by any means necessary."
Anwen glances at her dress and takes out a needle, it seems more like a hypodermic needle that is used with syringes and it's my turn to shiver. I have a feeling that the needle isn't there just for show, and she begins to walk away.
XXX
I blink out of confusion; did I just skip forward into the memory? That must be the case because the once calm dance floor is filled with people trying to get out; the soothing music is replaced with terrifying screams. I see Anwen as one of those people. She was probably the one who caused the hysteria that's come over the room. I catch Anwen glancing behind her at the one motionless body lying on the floor; the man couldn't have been any older than thirty and his eyes were wide with shock and appall.
Just from my perspective I couldn't tell if Anwen did anything but I try to forget the sight of that needle; I have a slightly… major fear of needles. If there's one thing I know for certain is that she probably used the needle to kill him but in a matter that would be overlooked, something Perkin Warbeck would've wanted from his trained killer. Looking at Anwen as she starts to whimper I can't really believe that she did that. It freaks me out that Anwen can be a killer and still act like she has a conscious.
Archelous rushes through the crowd towards Anwen and he holds her as she starts crying; maybe she didn't kill that guy… it's just a thought but she genuinely looks scared out of her mind at the moment. Archelous seems to be hiding his fear with his calm demeanor as he guides Anwen out of the building and onto the streets. He keeps stroking her hair and keeps whispering the same thing over and over again.
"It's okay… you didn't do anything. He just fell over… it'll be okay," he repeats to her as she starts sniffling.
Archelous watches her and sees Perkin Warbeck approach them, "Is she okay?" he asks as he sees Anwen rubbing her eyes.
"She'll be fine; she just got scared when the guy dropped dead in front of her."
I felt the urge to glare at Archelous rise as he said that; how can you tell your wife that it's okay he fell over then say in front of her that he was dead? Did he care that Anwen looked concerned when those words came out of his mouth? He probably didn't notice… probably for the better.
"Oh my, that sounds like a horrible experience. Would you like to talk about it?"
Anwen took a few deep breaths and began to shakily explain what happened.
"After our discussion I saw the man just standing by himself near the entrance and I saw how nervous he seemed. I put the responsibility onto myself to make him feel comfortable with his surroundings so I led him towards the dance floor. Suddenly he just dropped onto the floor. Then as people would usually say, hell broke loose."
Warbeck frowns at that explanation, "Archelous was it? Would you mind getting Anwen something to drink? That may calm her down."
Archelous glances at Anwen and nods. When he's out of sight Anwen sniffles again.
"Is that the whole truth?"
"Yes, I wasn't the one who killed him… I wanted to get him in a crowded area and do it there, but he was killed before I could get him onto the dance floor. Someone else killed him," Anwen states. She doesn't seem too upset by missing out on a kill but she does seem relieved that the traitor was killed.
"Was there someone there that seemed out of place? Perhaps someone else was there to kill him too."
Anwen shrugs slightly, uncertain about how to answer that. She glances down, "I failed you, I'm sorry."
"Don't apologize, the traitor is dead either way… we'll have to figure out who killed him however and that won't be an easy task," Perkin Warbeck states as he watches Archelous approach with a glass of a red substance. Wine I'm guessing.
"Thank you dear," Anwen whispers as she takes a sip of the wine. She stares at the glass and doesn't talk for a while. Even Warbeck is silent.
"Will you two be okay for the night? I have other things to attend to before the night is over," Warbeck asks in a concerned tone.
Archelous nods as his arm holds Anwen, he doesn't seem to be the comforting type but what small gesture he does seems to be working to calm Anwen down. Warbeck nods, bows then leaves the two alone.
Anwen frowns and I can hear her thoughts as though I'm part of her mind.
"Who could've killed him? Who could've been that quick and have been that successful?"
As her thoughts were being voiced Archelous was guiding Anwen back to their estate, apparently Archelous didn't like the idea that someone took a man's life while Anwen was there. Archelous' expression was hidden by his bangs but one could almost tell that he was angry. He had it under control though and Anwen didn't seem to notice or if she did then she didn't want to acknowledge the look. As they approach the entrance to the small house Anwen hugs Archelous.
"Please don't be angry. I'm okay… sure that man is dead but at least I'm okay. Please don't be angry at the person who did this. Things happen for a reason and for some reason I wasn't killed but that man was," Anwen says quietly, trying to calm him down.
Archelous listens to her soothing words and he hugs Anwen back after a few minutes of silence. He doesn't seem angry anymore and I wonder how she learned to do something like that. Usually whenever someone was angry with me I left them alone to vent then we'd apologize later; Anwen did something I wouldn't have had the guts to do and her attempt was successful. Archelous smiles at his wife and walks inside.
Anwen is about to follow until she turns and looks around; she frowns when she sees nothing but the air she breathes.
"That's strange… it almost felt like someone was watching me," she thinks as she glances around one last time. She sighs, "It's probably nothing but my fear getting the best of me."
She turns and walks inside, the door closing quietly.
XXX
I groan as the screen disappears and I sit up. I glance around the room and see that the window that once showed a beautiful morning light has been replaced by an afternoon glow. I rub my temples and I feel a headache starting.
"Why did you stop?" I ask Cecil as I see he's the only one in the room at the moment. "I want to see what happens next."
"This is a process that can't be rushed Ms. Chambers-"
"Call me Sen… it sounds better than the formal way you've been addressing me."
"As I was saying, this is a process that cannot be rushed… Sen. Plus you have been in the Animus for four hours now and you need to eat something otherwise you'll pass out," Cecil explains as he seems to be typing out a report.
I sigh and continue to rub my temples, this headache sucks and it isn't until I remember that I haven't eaten anything since a day ago. My stomach growls to remind me and I giggle slightly.
"So where's the director?"
Cecil looks at me but his fingers still move efficiently and fluently across the keys as though he doesn't need to see the keys to know what he's typing, "He went to get us lunch. I think the cooks were preparing spaghetti and Italian bread for us to eat."
"That's my favorite," I remark happily. Then I recall why I'm here, "Did I reveal anything important?"
Cecil shakes his head, "Nothing that we're looking for."
I frown, "Oh."
He catches my disappointment, "Don't worry. After you eat and get a nap in then we'll start the Animus up again."
I smile, for some reason I'm not bothered by the fact that I'm being used for their personal gain; in fact I'm curious to find out who murdered that guy. Obviously Anwen didn't do it so it leaves me wondering and surmising who could've done it without Anwen knowing about it.
I hear a door open and I see a tray of food being brought in by three cooks and the director is following them. One of the cooks hands me a tray and I can't help but wonder if I've seen that face before. The cook's hazel eyes watch me and I observe how he looks a lot like my friend Billy back from college… actually now that I look at the other two cooks one of them seem familiar as well. I blink and remember there's food on the tray that sits on my lap. I lift a fork and start to eat, the cooks observing the scientist and the director. They don't seem to really pay any attention to me, as though they're looking at anything but me… I find this strange but I don't call them out on it as I fill my face with spaghetti and Italian bread. Once the food is gone I sip the mixture of beverages and my eyes widen.
The beverage is the one I make at college… or would've made had I been at college; it's part cranberry juice, part orange juice, the rest is sprite with a touch of ginger ale. I glance at the cooks and the feeling of familiarity is back. One of them seems to understand my surprise, the one that… hey that cook looks a lot like my friend Mikey… wait… WHAT?
"Is there something wrong Sen?"
Edward gives Cecil a strange look at the nickname and I stare at the cooks. I shake my head and smile, "Nothing is wrong… this meal is flawless," I reply. "The sauce is sweet, the beverage is amazing. I want to meet the genius that thought of this beverage mixture."
The cooks seem relieved and they wait as the director and the scientist finish their meals. They collect the trays and walk back through the door they came through. I desperately wanted to ask who they were… but I felt that might tip the duo off that something was wrong. I smile at Cecil, "So after I take a nap then I can use the Animus?"
Cecil nods and watches as I stand up quickly and run into my room eager to not only go back to using the Animus but to find my cellphone. I hear the door shut behind me and lock. I start searching the room and after a few minutes I find the cellphone underneath the bed. Grinning I grab it, the feel of a track phone raises my hopes and as I open it to call someone I frown. At that precise moment my hopes die and I put the cellphone back under the bed and fall onto the bed. The screen was cracked to the point I couldn't tell what I was doing… I know only one person who had a cellphone like that. It was my friend Jake… which means… HE HAS MY PHONE! SHIT! No wonder why no one bothered to take the cellphone away from me. It's fucking useless!
I sigh and keep whispering every profanity I know until I get tired of doing that. I stare at the ceiling and start to think, "This isn't my ceiling… this isn't college or home. This is like a prison that wants nothing more than to torment me with false hope. I bet those two cooks that look like Billy and Mikey aren't even them… here I thought I was going to be saved."
At least I learned something halfway through the day; I must've done something right if I earned a meal like that for lunch. I didn't realize it until I was lying on the bed but I'm exhausted after using the Animus and filling my stomach with food. My eyes feel heavy and I try to keep them open for as long as I can. Soon the white room fades under the blackness of sleep.
Here's chapter two of Creedless. I hope you all enjoy it.
I would like to thank StrifeOkami and Grey Spectre Warden Boom for their time in reading through this before I post it. I appreciate it and also read their fanfics, they're pretty good.