Wicked Game
Chapter 3- Between Heaven and Hell
It was like she was weightless. Like her body no longer existed. Her mind was still sharp and stable, but she couldn't feel or see anything. The girl tried to call out, but her voice failed. And the scene around her was completely white. Rebecca tried to recall how she'd come to be like this, but came up empty handed. The last thing she remembered was screaming out in pain, and then, nothing. It was like someone pressed a pause button right when the scene was changing. Swift had no clue how much time had passed before color and shape returned to her. Without warning, she found herself standing in a field of lush grass, decorated with a few apple trees. Her body still felt weightless, but at least she could see herself.
"Rebecca." called a voice. It was incredibly soft, yet warm. Swift blinked a few times and a woman appeared before her, seemingly out of nowhere. She was an ethereal kind of beautiful. Dressed solely in white, with violet hair that matched that of her 'sisters.' Wise almond eyes caught Rebecca's own indigo ones.
"Who are you?" Swift asked, finally hearing her own voice.
"My name is Arella, young one." she spoke.
"Weird...that's my middle name."
"I know. You were named by my daughters."
"You're Raven and Falcon's mom?" Swift asked with indigo eyes wide and curious. Arella nodded. "But you're dead!"
"Indeed I am. Trigon's wrath did not escape me nor my home world."
"So if you're dead, how am I talking to you? Does that mean I'm dead too?"
"For the time being, my child." Arella sighed sadly. "This is what mortals call Purgatory. This is neither Heaven nor Hell, rather a holding point. Souls are stored here until it's decided what to do with them."
!
!
!
Argyle carefully strode behind Raven, Falcon and Bohusk. The garnet eyed sorceress couldn't shake the feeling that something was watching them. She wouldn't admit it to anyone, but she was scared. More so than she'd ever been. The force the Titans were dealing with was unlike any they'd faced before. AJ would jump at the least little sound anything made. Whether it be the walls settling, or one of the girls' boots clacking on the linoleum. Falcon noticed the strange behavior of her best friend and stopped short.
"Everything okay, AJ?" she asked, concern etched across her ivory features. Vanessa's call fell on deaf ears, not hearing a word the elder spoke. "AJ?" Falcon called, a little louder. AJ snapped out of her trance, but ended up knocking her best friend to the floor with a burst of red aura.
"Don't sneak up on me like that!" AJ screeched.
"Of course not." Falcon deadpanned, pulling herself up and straightening out her white cloak. "Cause calling your name like twice is considered 'sneaking'."
"What's got you so worked up, kid?" Bohusk asked. AJ looked up at the hazel eyed boy, and he could see the uneasiness clearly in the British Mage.
"I feel that thing watching us."
"I'm not worried about that right now." Raven stated. "Swift is our main priority."
The other three nodded in agreement, resuming their search. In ten minutes time, the four had searched the top half of the tower without any luck. Not even another clue to proving the girl was still alive.
"Ugh, I give up." Falcon moaned, falling to her knees atop the roof. "Unless the others have found her, I doubt she's still here."
"Didn't that demon say 'beware the dead hour of the red moon'?" Bohusk asked, his hands kneeding his girlfriend's shoulders gently. The violet haired girl practically purred in satisfaction. "So what is the red moon?"
"It's a lunar eclipse." Raven replied. "It's when the earth is between the sun and moon." Violet eyes widened in realization. "That's it! That bastard is waiting until me and Falcon are powerless!"
"What the hell you talkin' about girl?" the hazel eyed boy stared at Raven as if she'd grown a second head.
"Falcon and I draw power from the moon and sun. If the earth is between the two, we don't have any magic. That thing is waiting until the dead hour, when the eclipse is set to happen, to make it's final strike."
"Even if you two are powerless, there's still six of us left." AJ reasoned.
"Doesn't matter. You and Joy aren't powerful enough without Swift to seal away this strong of a demon. And since she's M.I.A at the moment, we're basically defenseless."
"Don't make us out to sound weak!" Argyle demanded, standing as tall as her five foot even stature would allow her.
"You know I don't mean to offend you, AJ." Raven sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "You and your sister are plenty powerful, I realize that. But without Swift's power to aid you, yours and Joy's magic isn't enough." Raven was then cut off by her comunicator. She flipped it open, barely making out Joy's face in the dark background.
"We found Swift." she whispered, emotionless. Raven knew the elder British girl was usually void of any emotion, but something told her there was a reason for it this time.