Part Three: Evil

Chapter Nine: Stolen!

Ariel's head pounded. Her back and left arm felt funny, sort of prickly. Her eyelids fluttered as she tried to come to. Everything that had happened came rushing back to her. The impact of her earlier fall made her gasp then. She sat up quickly, realizing that that was a serious mistake. Things around her father's office blurred and spun. Her head felt like liquid. Was she going to fall apart?

Taking deep breaths, her body hunched over for a few minutes, the moment of liquidation passed. She laid a hand on a chair to steady herself as she climbed to her knees. What if she had a concussion? Wait, then it would have already been bad to have been passed out. Her head took another trip just thinking about it. She wasn't going to be able to stand. With a slightly irritating pain, she slipped into the shadows, traveling to Gissele's.

Tiberius took one look at the half-awake girl lying in the middle of the hallway floor, frowned, and picked her up as if she were nothing. She knew that she was indeed not "nothing", but at the time, she lacked the heart, or the ability, to say a word to Tiberius. She rested against his chest as he carried her into the bedroom.

"Oh my!" Vange cried, taking one look at Ariel's pale complexion and assuming the worse as she usually did.

"I'm fine," Ariel growled, waving a hand at the younger girl. "My brain was jostled, but I'm fine."

Tiberius set her down gently on the bed. "Are you sure?"

"Of course." She sank into the springs, letting one arm fall over her face, her nose in the crook of her elbow.

"Oh, baby. What happened?" Gissele crooned, coming closer to the bed.

"Tymmie. He knows, oh, he knows! He knew about Orlando's power. Oh! Orlando! He took Orlando," Ariel cried. A few tears welled up into her eyes as she scrunched her legs up closer to her body.

"Ariel, you have got to calm down. Now. Tell me what's going on," Gissele said, her voice firm and to the point.

Ariel gave a dry chuckle. "Well, apparently, I am going to help plunge the world into darkness because I am the catalyst to Orlando's dark power."

"Wow," Evangelina whispered. Ariel moved her arm out of her face to look at her.

"Yeah. Tymmie… I've always wondered why he kept trying so hard to get me to join him in the Infidi. I guess I know now. I…It kind of hurts to know that he never cared about me as his daughter, just as a way to make sure his goals were met."

Vange climbed onto the bed, taking Ariel into her arms. "Forget Tymmie. He doesn't deserve to know you."

Ariel hugged her. "Yeah?"

"Yeah, Ariel," Gissele assured, taking the younger girl's hand.

"No, oh no," Ariel growled. "My guardian was stolen! We have to get him!"

"No," Gissele firmly told her. "You need to relax. What happened after Tymmie told you these things?"

"I was going to take Orlando away from there when Tymmie attacked me. I guess I blacked out from the attack. I banged my head pretty hard, judging from the pain."

"You need to rest then. No protests. I doubt Tymmie will hurt Orlando, and you know that's true, too."

"Gissele…" She whined.

"She's right," Vange agreed.

"Tiberius?"

Tiberius didn't say anything, as was his "usual" way, but he gave her a tiny smile, letting her know that Gissele had won.

"But, Orlando…" She sighed, curling into Gissele's lap.

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Orlando snorted. They had him locked in such a tiny room. Like he could have actually escaped from a bigger room. He paced the tiny room. Heat built up under his skin. It was just like being enslaved all over again.

He pushed his back up against a wall, feeling pressure build in his bladder. No bed, no toilet. He had to relieve himself somewhere before it ended up on him. Sighing, he walked to a corner, dropping his jeans.

When he finished, he made his way to the opposite wall. Ariel, he thought, I'm your protector, but I need you to protect me now, protection from your father.

He was missing her now. He reflected on their kiss earlier that day. An entire day was all it took to disrupt the life he was working for. His entire existence depended on the pixie now, frighteningly enough. That really was a frightening thought. They just needed each other, pure and simple.

He smiled wryly at that. She had said that she didn't need help. Too bad for her wishes. They were stuck now.

Forever helping, he laughed silently.

"Ariel, you ignorant girl, where are you? I really do not wish to stay this night, or any night, in this dungeon-like room. I hope you're okay out there. I know you hit the ground pretty hard. Don't be hurt.

"Pandora, what were you thinking, putting us together, disrupting our plans to keep our darkness out?" Orlando wasn't sure why he was talking to himself, but it made him feel better as time passed.

He yawned. He was tired. Taking off his shirt, he rolled it up. He lay down, using the shirt as his pillow. "Ariel, wait until I wake up to rescue me," he whispered. "I want to remain dignified in this."

His eyes closed, and his breathing became slow and deep. Sleep, however, did not come to him. Finally, he just opened his eyes, rolled onto his back, and stared up at the ceiling.

When would they come for him? He really meant the Daughters of Mischief when he thought this question, but at that point, even Tymmie would have been tolerated. He sighed. What would happen to him in the near future?

It made a tiny shiver run down his spine. He knew exactly what was going to happen to him soon.

AN: Just for an update, there are now seven chapters remaining, including two more parts and an epilogue.

Next Up: Before the big showdown, three people want their views to come across. Get ready to see through the eyes of Gissele, Evangelina, and Tiberius.