Loyalty Only To Me

Chapter Three

"Justice means minding one's own business and not meddling with other men's concerns." - Plato

The cell she was put in was more or less disgusting. Then again, she couldn't imagine any better from a place where the town put its nasty criminals. Earlier that day, she had told the inn keeper that she didn't do well behind stone walls and she was in that cell since noon. It was night. Late at night. If her foot hadn't been so injured, she would have been pacing impatiently and she was contemplating doing it anyway, but instead she sat on the stone-cold floor, whispering and conjuring spells over her ankle that soothed the pain, even only a little bit. No matter what position she held it in, it still stung and she was sure by now, under her black boot, her ankle was a muddy color mixed of red, blue, black, purple, and grey. When she attempted to move it, she could hear and feel the bones clicking against each other and she winced at the sound alone.

Had she been more adept at casting spells, she could have managed a decent pain killer. The ones she knew, however, only made it somewhat bearable.

Elise's head jerked up when the wood door to the building opened, scraping against the stone floors and causing a screeching sound that split her sensitive ears. That man from before, she had still yet to learn his name, entered the building with booming steps and he walked over to her cell. Her shoulders dropped and her expression darkened into a nasty glare. He dragged over a chair, the sound was loud and alarming, and he sat down right in front of her cell, arms crossed over his barrel chest.

"You're going to tell me what happened to the boys that went missing." He demanded in a hard tone.

She rolled her shoulders back and tilted her head back to rest on the wall behind her. "I told you," She began with an edge in her voice. How many times had she said it now? "I don't know. All I know is that they're alive. Believe it or not, Reapers can care about people who aren't dying." The girl paused for a moment, as if to consider the words she had just spoken. "But you would never believe that, would you?"

"Why would I?" He asked her incredulously. "You Reapers strut around doing whatever you want because Death doesn't follow you so long as you do his bidding. You take lives left and right. You're mere existence is an omen of death." The man leaned in as close as he could, almost pressing his face against the rusty bars that separated them. "You are a curse."

Her expression was bored, unfazed by his words because she'd heard them all before. However, that didn't mean they hurt any less. "Are you done?" She asked him bluntly, showing her feigned indifference through a jaded stare. The man puffed up like a pissed off feline, face becoming red. He was obviously unsatisfied by her smart-mouthed remark, probably having expected more of an affect from his words. It wasn't that she was completely unaffected – she was – but she just didn't dare give him the blessing of seeing such things. It was undignified and pride was something common among most Reapers.

Sighing, the man rubbed his face. He was probably exhausted; after all, this was his fifth visit. "I talked to that inn keeper, Barry. He mentioned that you had heard music playing last night, yes?" She blinked and that was the only answer she would give. He accepted it irritably. "Pipes is how you would describe it, wouldn't you, Reaper? Well, it just so happens that the boys who have gone missing said something of hearing pipes before they went off to bed, but strangely enough, no one else could hear them. No one else except you, that is."

Despite this news having interested her, her face remained impassive. This was interesting. So she wasn't going crazy? But, then why couldn't the others hear the music? The questions ran through her head as she tried to rule out every possibility. She was surprised that they went this far into investigating already. After a moment of silence and minutes of her watching the expecting look on his face, she tilted her head innocently and cocked her eyebrow. "And?"

Another aggravated huff came from the man and he scooted closer, clasping his hands in front of him. His frustration with the situation as a whole couldn't be any more evident. "And I want to know what you know of it, Reaper. Because of these reports, I have the right mind to suspect you guilty or at least associated with the guilty party who has taken the boys. I don't give a damn if you're a great and terrifying Reaper – if you think for a second your precious Death will cover you, he won't. For all I know, this could be all a plan to harvest souls for some demonic ritual-"

As much as she wanted to be interested, she wasn't. She found herself ignoring the man, sighing and running her hand through her thick black hair, now no longer covered by her hood. This is pointless, she thought bitterly and closed her eyes tightly, trying to fight through the head ache his presence brought. "I want to help you, I really do, but I don't think I can do so behind these bars, so instead, I'll give you what I know." She said, not caring that she interrupted whatever speech he was giving. "I have nothing to do with your children going missing. I did indeed hear pipes last night, but that is all I know of it. Your children are not dead, I would know it one way or another unless something completely abnormal happened to them which would take too long to explain. I can give you two choices: One – I stay behind these bars and break out whenever I feel up to the task, or two – you let me out and help you while I am still offering it."

Elise glanced down at her still unbearably aching ankle and winced slightly before adding, "And you can help me with my ankle as it seems I have broken it."

Much to her disliking, but as she predicted, the man gave her a disapproving sneer as he stood up from his chair loudly. "I don't think so," He spat scornfully. "You can suffer and rot in here, Reaper." His thundering steps headed over to the door and left the building, a hard slam following in his wake. She let out an annoyed sigh, rolling her eyes. She wasn't all too sure about the rotting in a jail cell for the rest of her never-ending life, but she certainly was suffering.

With boredom playing in her head, and the pangs of numbing pain coming in waves from her ankle and up and down her leg, she was certain this night was going to be a long one. Whilst trying to keep her mind off her ankle, she found that her thoughts kept straying to a certain boy who seemed to plague her life as of recent events. And she only saw him three times, each very brief and always leaving her in a worse mood and, or situation than she was before. She didn't even know who the boy was! Peter, that's what he said his name was, but Peter who? For all she knew, he could have been a figment of her imagination.

She really was going mad, wasn't she?

To top off all the madness, her mind kept rolling in the questions. Was he real? If so, did he have something to do with the disappearances? How did he know she was a Reaper? Why was he in her life to begin with? The girl let out a frustrated growl and hit her head on the wall behind her, as if that could make the answers just pop out, but she was sure it did the opposite. Another pang of hurt washed over her leg, suddenly agonizing and almost making her black out. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to swallow down the pain as the injury continued to throb.

She huffed angrily. This is just absolutely great, Elise, she told herself scornfully. Damn this town, damn that boy, damn this stupid jail cell –

The curses continued to roll on out and she was sure she was probably saying them out loud as well, but she honestly couldn't give a damn if someone had heard her. She was sure no one was around to listen, but if there were, she was sorta hoping they would hear her. At least then, someone was acknowledged of her complete and utter annoyance at the whole situation. She wondered what would have happened if she just stayed in her room that morning, or at least kept her nose out of people's business.

OOO

Many Years Ago

"C'mon! Drink up, youngling!" A loud and brutish voice urged her as a rough hand shook her shoulder, snapping the girl out of her trance. She blinked a few times, registering where exactly she was and who she was with. She looked up to meet the two faces of a middle-aged couple, each having a much older look in their eyes than their appearances offered. They were the first other Reapers she had ever met and she was surprised they were paired together. It was to her understanding that Reapers were few and far between, but somehow she managed to run into two of them. How odd.

The woman, lean and strong looking, sipped her drink gingerly and moved to the left to lean on her partner. She smiled with pearly teeth, a kind gesture that was all but inviting and friendly. "It's okay," She assured the girl in front of her. "No one will judge you for drinking. Technically, you are of age. You just don't look it." Both of the older Reapers laughed at that. Earlier they had expressed that they have never even heard of a person as young as she becoming a Reaper. She wondered if they pitied her.

Elise eyed the drink, edging toward temptation. She hadn't had a right dose of alcohol in years. Being in the form of a girl barely the age of seventeen, maybe eighteen, wasn't always a favorable appearance. It made getting the things she wanted and being taken seriously very hard for her in the world were adults were the ones in charge. Realizing that this moment was a rare chance for her, she snatched the drink and brought it to her lips, throwing it back and drinking what she could. The taste was bitter on her tongue, but, God, she missed it. She had to put it down when she heard the two Reaper in front of her chuckling at her urgency for a drink. She threw them an embarrassed and guilty smile, sheepish in all shape and form.

The man, Alexander, still laughed at her despite his partner having quieted down and enjoyed her own drink. "It's quite a sight to see a little girl guzzling down alcohol like a fish out of water," He declared, his wide grin crooked and teasing. Elise immediately flushed at the statement.

"I was not guzzling!" She protested, unable to hide her own laughter that bubbled between words as she spoke. "I don't get to drink very often. You can't blame me," It was a feeble attempt at a defense of her dignity, but somehow it worked up against them, because they didn't seem to tease her anymore of it. Instead, the man grunted, amused by her claims.

"Gotta hand it to the lass," He said to his partner from the corner of his mouth. "She has a point." Alexander turned his head to the woman, his eyes shifting from the drink in his hand to her face as she watched him with an interested expression. "I don't know where I'd be without alcohol."

The woman, Leda, laughed, her voice hoarse and scratchy from age that did not appear on her face. "Well, you and I surely would not be together and we both would have gone mad in this business without a little something to relieve tension." She said jokingly, but the words lingered in Elise's mind.

Was being a Reaper really that bad? In that time, she had no doubts. If a Reaper didn't do their duty of harvesting souls like they should, then they were giving a much more painful duty: greeting the dead. And because she refused to really take lives, as she was still too new to the idea of it being a regular thing, every moment in slumber were haunted by dreams of people dying. Real people. It wasn't just watching, it was experiencing. It was as if she were dying, over and over again, dozens of times while she slept. She could feel their emotions, their pains, their relief, their loss. All of it. She was told that the dreams never really went away, even if she did harvest souls. After all, many people died and there were so few Reapers. They could not harvest every soul. So, maybe going mad in this 'business,' as Leda and Alexander called it, wasn't so rare. She had to wonder if she was going to go insane. Surely she would in time.

"So, kid," Leda's sharp-edged voice pulled her out of her thoughts and the girl glanced up from her drink. "You've been a Reaper for – what – ten years, you said?" She didn't even wait for an answer. "Right, well, tell me," The brutish woman slammed down her cup and leaned over to look at Elise closely, forest green eyes narrow and scrutinizing. "Have you even used your scythe yet?"

Elise's stomach flopped and she felt embarrassment and – for whatever reason – guilt creep up on her. It was strange. She felt like, by not having used the scythe, that she was betraying herself. It was, in fact, a part of her now. Instead of answering, she just shot the woman a shameful look and ducked her head into her cup, hoping she wouldn't be pressed for a verbal response. She really didn't want to talk about it. Leda sighed, pinching her nose. She couldn't tell if it was out of frustration. The woman breathed in and out, glanced at her partner knowingly, then took another drink from her cup. Alexander frowned.

"It's nothing to be ashamed of, Elise. We've all been in that rut, where you can't bring yourself to take a life, but its part of our job, you know?" He reasoned with her and she just pursed her lips, wondering how to reply. "If you ever need help-"

"I have." The girl interrupted abruptly, setting down her cup with a soft thud. "It's been a while, but I have. On two men. They were hurting this girl and I didn't know what else to do, so I…" She drifted off, unsure how to tell the story without more remorse bubbling up inside her. She could already feel that ever threatening knot form inside her throat. As Leda listened to what was told of the brief story, she looked at the girl pityingly. How could a girl so young get wrapped up in this Reaper business? Elise bit her lip and looked at the two of them, her brows tilted upward. She looked like a kicked puppy.

"That was three years ago." She told them, deciding not to really go into the tale.

Both of the older Reapers shifted, though it wasn't an uncomfortable motion. It was in an attempt to stall whatever response they had on their minds. Alexander spoke up first after exchanging a weary glance with his partner. "It'll get easier, Elise," He told her reassuringly and Leda nodded in agreement.

"It's hard, I know, but you can't let those dreams haunt you." She said and frowned, shrugging. "To be quite honest, I wouldn't know much about trying to cope with the whole Reaper thing. I did what I was supposed to and didn't ask any questions. Alex on the other hand…" She grimaced and nodded off to him.

"I did the same thing you did, kid. I stalled it and the dreams tortured me. I couldn't sleep and I wouldn't sleep until exhaustion took me under. Don't try and tell me you're resting easy, I can see those circles under your eyes," He said in a scolding tone, shaking his head at her. Elise seemed in shrink back into her seat, suddenly more interested in the floor below her than the advice Alexander and Leda offered. She still listened, however. "I was on the verge of just killing myself and ending it because I was so scared of killing. Then I met Leda,"

The blond woman smiled as he wrapped an arm around her, giving her shoulders a tight squeeze. "That's right." She confirmed, nodding. "And you know what I told him?" Her tone seemed to bring Elise back from whatever it was that she was doing. She looked up with big, pleading blue eyes. "Disconnect yourself. Don't stay in one place for too long and don't put your nose into other people's business. It's cold and it's lonely, but that's what Reapers are, Elise."

The corner of her mouth twitched slightly, but she still frowned, feeling helpless. "That's easier said than done," She muttered, a little disappointed. She didn't know what she expected, but she wanted to hear something a little more positive. Leda nodded in agreement and scooted close to Alexander. Elise watched this. "If we're so lonely and disconnected, then how come you two found each other?"

Alexander smiled crookedly and kissed the side of Leda's safe before facing Elise again, looking proud of himself. "That's something I told her." He said, chuckling. He must have been delighted to have one-upped his partner. "I told her that we should have at least one thing to cling to. One thing that will always be there no matter what, something eternal that will keep you sane. I found Leda and Leda found me." He said, looking into his partner's eyes lovingly before they shared a kiss.

The adolescent side of Elise began to show itself as she awkwardly shifted her gaze away. "Gag me," She muttered under her breath. Despite her slight disturbance and her vow to find a cute, immortal dog rather than a lover, she still took their advice to heart. After all, it wasn't everyday she got to meet another Reaper who knew what it was like to be burdened with such a role in life.

OOO

Present

She didn't even realize she was hearing the music until she began to hum along with it, having heard the same rhythm enough to know it by heart. Blinking out of her daze, Elise glanced around, suddenly turned very alert by the sounds that drifting in the air tauntingly. The restlessness she experienced the previous night came back and that certainly didn't help her ankle. If it were for that little detail, she would have instantly stood up and tried to break her way out of the cell – not that it would be a hard task.

The music drove her insane the longer she listened to it and she was reminded of how many times she had woken up the night before and paced around her room, trying to figure out if she were hallucinating or the dreams had something to do with it. Now that she had learned that not only was the music real, but it also had a part in the disappearance of people in the village, she was even more antic about it, fidgeting and moving restlessly. Eventually it got to the point where she had to do something, and whatever it was going to be, she already knew she was going to regret it later.

Elise waved her hand into a shadow cast by the torch that lit the room and black, smoky tendrils followed her fingers as she guided the shady substance over her ankle. The shadows reformed into a solid article around her ankle, a tightly bound brace that clenched around the joint to set the two broken bones back in place. The process was excruciatingly painful and she had to bring her cloak over her mouth to muffle her agonized gasps, doubling over in pain and squeezing her eyes shut as tears sprung up and spilled over her cheeks. She spewed forth quiet curses as she tried to work through the pain. In that small moment, she had entirely forgotten about the music until she was finally beginning to get over it all and the haunting tune served as a reminder of why the hell she would even think of trying to set her bones back in place. Stupid, stupid, stupid.

After her admittedly stupid decision was made and done for, she bit her lip and looked for something nearby to drag herself up to a standing point. The nearest object was the bars that separated her from the rest of the world and it was still a few ways away. Because of this, she had to drag herself close enough so that she could grab hold of the bars and hoist herself up, chewing on the inside of her cheek until it bled. She gasped out loud when she tried to apply any sort of pressure on her right leg and hissed quietly, cursing herself through clenched teeth. The girl tried to bear through the pain as she pushed herself off the bars and stood without help. Now, only to get out of that accursed cell.

Limping and biting through sharp pains that rapidly shot up her leg, she stepped back and rolled her shoulders back, drawing in a breath before raising her arms to cross over each other airily. Shadows followed her motions and, despite wavering slightly, they solidified into blades as she swiped her arms apart. The ebony-colored blades whipped out and struck at the metal, cutting it all clean and the bars fell to the wooden floor with a loud clatter. The clamor was followed by alerted shouts that she had hoped she wouldn't have to hear. Now she was on a time table. Perfect. Casting the most miniscule of pain relieving spells on her ankle, she sprung into something of a jog – though it was pathetic because of her constant stagger – and left the building into the empty streets of the village. Having paused for a moment, she suddenly began to feel the drain of energy that using her abilities left her, as well as using what little magic she knew on her ankle.

Her head whipped around, trying to find any familiar markings that would help her find out where exactly she was and she was pleasantly surprised to find the familiar hanging sign of the inn she stayed at the night previous. It was only a dozen houses down from where she was and beyond it were the stables where her horse was. Having a horse would definitely make the task at hand easier on her. Quickly, she hid in the shadows as a group of angry-faced men ran past her - no doubt either in search of her or any missing children – and was they had passed, she stuck to the darkness that cloaked her as she hurriedly limped to the stables. Autumn air bit her skin mercilessly, but her already cold temperature fended off the sensation.

When she arrived at the stables, she was thankful that there was no lock on the barn doors for she knew already she was too exhausted and weak to conjure up anything to help her cut through at the moment. She pushed open the doors with most of her remaining strength and was about to limp over to the one stable she knew Calla rested in, but was stopped by a familiar figure waiting for her.

"Is it true?" Barry asked with a gruff and hard tone. She frowned at his appearance, having hoped for a clean and easy escape. The girl remained silent. "Is it true that you're a Reaper?"

She inclined her head, but kept her wintery gaze on him. "Yes." She answered quietly. The inn keeper blanched at her, speechless only for a moment.

"But- But how? How can a-a girl like you be such a barbaric creature?" He stumbled over his words as he flinched back. The title made her chest tighten painfully.

"Because we are not barbaric!" She defended, her voice rising. The shouts of the villagers nearby returned and her expression became desperate. "Please. I don't have a lot of time. I want to help you, help this village, but you need to trust me."

Barry scoffed indignantly and humorlessly. "Trust you?!" He threw her words back at her spitefully. "Says the demon hiding behind a child's face!"

"Barry, if I were truly a demon, do you think I'd be standing here, wasting my time trying to convince you otherwise?" She rounded on his sharply. "I could kill you, yeah, but I won't. You want to know why?" With an intake of breath, she paused and waited to see if he actually had any guessed. His face remained the same – hard and skeptical. "Because I don't want to. I don't want to kill. I never have wanted to kill." Her words were nothing but true and she hoped that Barry would believe in them and in the pain in her voice. Please believe in me, she pleaded silently.

For a second, she saw the hate and hardness flicker to something softer on his face and in his eyes as he shifted slightly. To her dismay, though, it reformed back into the cold glare he gave her before as quickly as the last had appeared. Silence filled in the gap between spoken and unspoken words. The shouts of the villagers were getting nearer and nearer, and she became more and more hopeless that she'd be able to escape that night. If only he would have trusted her.

Finally, Barry spoken, much to her surprise. "Alright." He said and she felt a weight lift off her shoulders and her breath caught in her throat. "I'll help you this once, Reaper, but you have to swear you'll bring those boys home. Got it?" He said as he walked over to the stall where her horse was. She gasped out the breath that she had yet to release and along with it came out the tension that riddled her body.

"Thank you," She told him gratefully as she followed him to the stall and walked in when he held the door open for her. Calla waited for her restlessly, already woken by the commotion and probably readier than ever to leave.

"Do you need your saddle?" He asked her, turning to get it off the ledge that it hung on, but she waved him off and proceeded to climb onto her horse bareback.

"There's no time. I can handle riding without." She said, her voice suddenly very serious. She imagined he was unfamiliar with this tone. Holding onto Calla's mane, the mare stepped out of the stall, as if lead by silent commands. Elise flinched at the shouts that sounded just outside of the stables. Calla stirred and snorted at her rider's unease.

Barry looked between the dark-haired girl and the doors behind them that lead to the village. The ones they stood infront of lead conveniently to the outside of the village and eventually the forest. "You need to be quick, Reaper. I don't know if they'll pursue you into the forest." He said unsteadily and she could tell he was nervous and she knew exactly why.

"I'm sorry if this gets you into trouble, Barry," She said genuinely, looking down on him. The man glanced up at her and grimaced. "I'm sorry for everything."

"Just get those boys back, Reaper." He ordered her and she was a little disappointed he didn't accept her apology. Barry smiled sadly. "Be careful, Elise." The use of her actual name was a nice sign that maybe he had forgiven her for the trouble she'd caused and she felt a little better than she had before. After an exchanging of short nods, Barry hurried over to the doors and pushed them open.

Music floated in the air, bearing greeting for the mare that dashed out of the stables and into the woods beyond the village. The moment she could register a distinct direction the tune was drifting from, she tugged at Calla's mane, causing the mare to stop, her head snapping up suddenly as the mare turned toward the direction that Elise willed. Calla's hooves were powerful on the ground as she ran, beating like drums and the force vibrated throughout the rider's body. Cold, stormy eyes were narrow and determined as she looked through the darkness of the forest, trying desperately to find the source of the music. Elise at the heat of the moment, couldn't differentiate between the reasons why she was so hell bent on finding the music's origins. Whether it was because she wanted to find those missing children, or because the music was driving her into insanity, she didn't know.

Calla's sleek body weaved through the forest, dodging trees and ducking below low branches. The mare was going at lightning speed and Elise could hear her heavy breathing as she dashed forward. She didn't expect for her mount to suddenly stop, skidding to an abrupt halt. The motion caused Elise to jerk forward and she was flung off of the horse; before she knew it, she was soaring through the sky and then crashing down on the hard forest floor in the middle of the clearing she'd just entered. All the air in her lungs was suddenly pulled out of her with a loud, "Oaf!" Pain struck every nerve in her body.

Her long cloak had spilled in a black pool around and on top of her and she had to pull it back so she could sit up. She looked at Calla accusingly. "Calla!" She called after the mare, but she had remained just outside of the clearing, rearing back and kicking her legs up in a sudden fit. Elise scowled at the horse, shaking her head. Stubborn creature, she thought dryly with an equally sarcastic sneer. She stood up and brushed off her clothes to rid them of any dirt, glanced around a few times to make sure her surroundings were clear. After checking all angles and corners, she turned her blue gaze on the mare.

"Calla, get over here!" She commanded sternly. Calla, being the bull-headed creature she was, stamped her front hoof as if she were a child throwing a fit and did nothing to come near her rider. Elise's expression darkened and became even more impatient with the horse. "Calla!" She called in a threatening tone. Still, Calla didn't go near her. In fact, he promptly turned away and ran the opposite direction.

"Wait! Calla!" She was only half-tempted to follow after her and took a few steps forward to peer into the darkness, hoping that maybe her horse would turn around and return. She didn't. "Ugh!" The girl threw up her hands in forfeit and turned around. She figured she'd just have to walk, then. "Stupid horse," She growled under her breath as she began her hike. Though, her angry strides were short lived before something stopped her.

The bend in the atmosphere and rustle of leaves had her stopped in her tracks and frozen, eyes wide to take in the blackness around her. The wind began to howl abnormally, however it was a sound she was already acquainted with. Shifting to a defensive stance, her eyes narrowed as she watched the sky illuminated by several little lights and the silver luminescence of the moon. She searched the skies as if she were scanning a book, her pupils going back and forth, back and forth. Then, the creature made its appearance.

Though the sighting was brief, she could make out the unmistakable glow of white eyes and a black form branded into the air, free from restriction. The creature swooped down after her and she dived down just in time to roll out of the way. Her hand slipped over to the dagger on her belt and she unsheathed it. Crouched low to the ground, she searched the surroundings above her for the being that had just attempted to attack her. She could hear her heart beating like a drum, panic surged through her, and she clutched her ankle with her free hand to somehow suppress the pain that pulsed from it.

"It's fortunate for you that you have such quick reflexes, Reaper." A deep voice echoed in her mind and every muscle in her body went taught as she tried to look for its source. "If you had been anyone else, I could have ripped your shadow right out of you." The black mass hovered over the ground tauntingly across the field. Its white eyes were mocking.

Slowly, Elise rose to stand up tall, her hand still clutched the dagger, and she hissed when she tried to put pressure on her ankle. The Shadow chuckled as she winced quietly under her breath having seen the pain that she was going through. "Your ankle hurt, little Reaper?" He jested and she could hear the sneer in his voice.

Elise forced herself to bark out a hoarse laugh and she smirked. "You got a big mouth for a Shadow." She spat sourly. She knew she had to play her cards carefully. Her experience with Shadows was minimal, but she knew all too well that Death despised them. All because when they ripped a shadow from someone, that person's soul no longer belonged to Death. Shadows weren't meant to exist, but somehow, a long time ago, they were able to become completely separate beings from the creatures they were once bound to. It was the Reapers' job to rid the world of any that crossed their paths.

In other words, their hate for each other was practically instinctual.

"And you're quite bold for a little girl." The Shadow retorted easily.

"You'd know well not to call me a little girl, Shadow!" She snapped angrily and her eyes flashed dangerously. "Now, tell me, were you responsible for the disappearance of those boys? Did you steal their shadows?" The girl demanded the answers. Her voice echoed in the forest. The Shadow stood still, looking away and not responding to her question which only made her angrier. Her heart pounded in her ears and her chest rose and fell in a rapid rhythm.

"Tell me!" She screamed at the Shadow and his head snapped back to her. His white eyes burned into her and she flinched back. Why was she acting so weak against this Shadow? Her only shot at not getting killed was to be intimidating and she was doing the exact opposite. Calm down, Elise, she told herself, exhaling through an open mouth, hoping that it would calm her beating heart. Both of them stared at the other, waiting for either to make the first move.

Seconds, minutes, hours, years? She didn't know how long time had passed before it happened and when it did, it was so sudden that she didn't even have enough time to register what it was. The Shadow launched itself at her and before she could duck out of the way or muster up the will to retaliate, he knocked her down onto the forest floor, effectively pushing her a few yards away from where she was before. Her dagger slipped from her grasp and fell too far away for her to grab immediately before the Shadow struck again. Black wisps jumped to her aid as the Shadow flew after her and formed a jagged and wavering glove around her right arm. Claws formed on her finger tips like talons on a bird.

Gathering her bearings, she pin pointed the Shadow and charged after it with her hand ready to tear apart the creature. When she hit him, she had expected the claws of her glove to pierce the creature, but they didn't. Instead, the claws were deflected and her eyes widened in both shock and terror. With this diversion of her attention, the Shadow took the opportunity to throw her across the field once again. She didn't have the energy our the wits to brace herself for the impact, and the force of her fall hit her like a tidal wave, all the air in her lungs was forced out which left her choking on nothing.

Gasping for breath, she was left to wonder why the Shadow hadn't tried to kill her yet. It was obvious it was toying with her. It had to have known that in her state, she was in no condition to fight back. She watches helplessly as the shadows on her arm dissipated into thin air, leaving her unarmed. She could feel the Shadow getting closer to her as he spoke cruelly toward her, "Are you not even going to try to use your scythe, Reaper?" How could she? She could barely muster enough energy to lift herself from the ground.

Closing her eyes, Elise braced herself for another attack that she knew was bound to happen. Then, a voice barked out at the Shadow – a familiar voice. "Enough!"

No. It couldn't be that voice. It couldn't be him.

Frantic, she opened her eyes, but didn't dare look up to confirm her fears. There was pain everywhere now, soreness all the way from her already broken ankle to the places she was sure were going to bruise. Her head was pounding and there was an unbearable ringing in her eyes, but even that couldn't drown out his voice as her spoke in a commanding tone.

"I thought I told you I need her unharmed!" He snapped furiously, his voice closer now. "It's bad enough she went and broke her ankle!"

That wasn't exactly my fault, her stubborn thoughts replied silently. The black spots in her vision made it hard to see anything, so instead of wasting her time trying to, she closed her eyes. Shutting them tightly, she tried to banish the throbbing in her head.

"Go. I've got what I came here for and the boys are ready." He was the one who took the boys? "We leave when I'm done with her." The last sentence that the voice spoke made a shiver go down her spine. She didn't want to know what being done with her entailed and she didn't want to find out any time soon. Feeling the presence of the Shadow leave, its heavy atmosphere dissipating as quickly as it appeared, Elise rolled over on her stomach and used what little strength she had to push herself up and lifting her torso from the ground. She twisted and turned to face the boy who walked closer to her.

Deep down her knew it was Peter, but she didn't want to be right. She felt what little color that was in her face drain and she stared at him with wide eyes. He knelt down to her level, his expression apologetic, but she wasn't buying the act. "I'm sorry," He said. "I didn't mean for you to get harmed. My Shadow was only meant to watch you."

"It was you." She forced out weakly, all efforts to sound intimidating resulted in failure. "You sent the Shadow? You kidnapped the… boys?" Between those two words, she let out a pained groan and tried not to heave. Weariness began to take over her body, but she was still fighting for consciousness.

"Shh," He silenced her with a concerned expression but she doubted he was concerned at all. "You're in pain. You should rest, Lobelia." Peter ordered her quietly, though she could catch the mischievous glint in his eyes as the corner of his mouth twitched into a smirk.

Her hands balling into fists, she forced herself to look back up at him. "But…how?" She was sure it was the pipes or something, but still she had more questions than answers. Elise hated not knowing things. The girl was about to speak with him again when the fuzzy black spots began to dominate her vision. She felt dizzy and tired. The world around her twisted and swirled and bent and swayed. Something other than exhaustion was dragging her under and she only heard soft words as she began to lose all sense of consciousness.

"I said sleep, Elise."


Author's Note:

Things got a little exciting didn't they? I didn't know whether or not to end earlier in this chapter or go on to as far as I did, but I figured that I didn't want to go at the pace that I was before. I wanted to make the chapters a little longer and play with my pacing. I kinda want your input on how fast and/or slow the story is going. I feel like so far it's going pretty slow so far, but maybe that's just me? I definitely am going to be quickening up the pace just a little bit in these next few chapters since I already have them pre-written, but depending on your answers, I'll see what I can manage to be comfortable with you guys while still keeping the story comfortable for me to write.

Also, from this point on, I will be probably updating every other Friday. I would update every Friday, it would make sense since I'm a little ahead in writing, but I want to spend a little more time working on some other projects as well as space out my posted chapters and my pre-written chapters. This just makes everything comfortable for me as a writer. :)

And, oh my gosh! I'm loving the feedback I've gotten so far from my readers. I appreciate every review, favorite and follow that this story gets and it makes me so happy, really. You've no idea the excitement I get when I get an alert in my email about it. It's just amazing! So, thank you guys so much for taking your time to read my story and review, favorite, and/or follow. I'm so excited for this story and I hope you guys like it and enjoy the ride with me.

I want to know how you guys feel about the Reaper concept so far! Do you guys have any questions? I'll be glad to answer any to a certain extent (i.e. spoilers, etc.) Speaking of which, I gotta start working on review replies….

Anyway, so, here's your little sneak peak for the next chapter:

"You have no idea where I belong. Take. Me. Back"

"Not going to happen. I will, however, bring you back to the camp one way or another."

"I'm not going anywhere with you."

"Then where will you go?"

Yeeeeeee-up! Hehe! Now, I hope you guys enjoyed this last chapter. Please do leave a review, it really helps me write, and, hell, favorite and follow if you want! And with that, I must bid you lovelies adieu! See ya'll cats in the next chapter!