As I reached the sliding glass door, I saw through to the interior of the room. Kalina and a woman with shoulder length black hair were by the control board. Kalina was rummaging through some papers and the other woman was staring directly at me with wide eyes. I gave a slight head-bob in acknowledgement, but otherwise remained in my spot, a little weary about the flare in her hand. All I had to do was for Cyrus, who was never late to an appointment, so I had little to worry about. I distractedly watched Stone bounce in its spot while I idled where I stood.
That's when things got really ugly, really quickly. A scraping noise sounded from behind me and I turned to see who was approaching. I was quite surprised to see Dana making her way down the hall, half looking at me and half staring at the woman holding the flare.
"I didn't expect to see you so soon, Dana." I greeted warmly, my smile a little stiff with tension. I knew the expression she had on her face; she wanted to take that other woman down, for good. However, I couldn't allow Dana to do so, as I needed her for other purposes.
"Neither did I; why were you standing there, just now?" She asked, obviously just as suspicious of me as I was of her. My eyes slightly narrowed; while we were stuck in our respective cells and had nowhere to be, her questioning had been an acceptable form of a conversation starter, but now it was a set up for a challenge.
"I'm waiting Cyrus out; and I need to make sure that woman is kept safe and alive." I stated bluntly, my frown deepening as hers did.
"That's not going to happen, Iris; she's mine." Dana retorted just as bluntly, officially setting my temper off. I tilted my head to one side, smirking to myself and noticing a few other ghosts clustering around to see what was going on.
"Oh, no, I don't think you understood me. She's going to be an essential part of the plan." I said with an almost unnoticeable amount of poison lacing my words. I frowned; why was I being such a bitch to someone I considered a fair companion? It was either because of stress or the fact that I was being watched.
Are we in high school, or something? I wondered idly, my brittle expression returning to a sincere one at the flip of a switch.
"I don't care for her either way; I just want to be able to get out of this hellhole, in one piece. Afterwards, it wouldn't matter to me if you kebabed her, but not before." Dana did not seem to appreciate the fact that I was calling her out in front of the other ghosts.
I guess it's a Black Zodiac thing; I really couldn't give a damn. I mused, my attention zeroing on her as she opened her mouth to retort to my chiding.
"Listen, honey, just because you're Royce's new arm candy doesn't give you any right to try to boss me around." I stared, stricken, as she smirked nastily at me. I had been unsure and insecure about all kinds of things, since the Torn Prince had hinted at anything, and Dana knew it. It stung like a slap to the face and I would get revenge.
Seeing the stunned expression on my face, Dana's smirk grew, as she obviously thought she had won.
"Now, step aside." I took a step forward, my frown not wavering in the slightest.
"Step around me." I challenged, rolling my eyes as the crowd shifted in excitement of a catfight. The Jackal was, apparently, on parole as he stood in the back of the crowd, Horace towering immediately next to him with his arms stiffly crossed. Gritting my teeth in aggravation, I looked back at Dana, who was confidently moving towards me with a firm grip on her knife. The moment she got within arm's reach, I grabbed her by the hair, whirled her around to the farthest wall, and bashed her head into it. I then promptly returned to the original spot I was standing in.
"I," I said with acid dripping in my voice, "am no one's 'arm candy.' Try harder to remember that and we won't have this problem."
"Bitch!" Dana snarled, rubbing the dent I clearly left in her head. She, apparently, wasn't too pleased with me. I gathered this when she rushed me and stabbed me in the side. My dress tore and a large gap displayed the vicious scars the dog attack had left behind. The Jackal began to giggle stupidly to himself while I started to see red. The satisfied smirk Dana held on her face didn't last very long.
"Once again, one of you Black Zodiacs goes too fucking far." I spat, mending my dress with the brush of a hand. The water surrounding me began to ripple and turn dark like the ocean at night and I was rapidly losing my composure. She was about to retort to my comment, but I didn't give her enough time to, as I flickered out of existence for a short moment(I had been practicing this move ever since I saw a certain psychopath do it), before reappearing directly in front of her. Letting a small smile slip over my lips at seeing her shocked expression, I felt a whisper of a laugh escape my throat, before rounding on her.
I'd prefer not to describe what occurred while Dana was at my disposal, but I will say two things: One, our audience drew back from the sight of her. Two: she would never be able to open her mouth to insult me, ever again.
I stood there, shaking with my breath heaving from the aggression I had just exerted, and the others got the hint to leave.
Unfortunately, I had very little time to recover, as I felt the tip of a cane poke me in the center of my back only a few minutes later. I allowed a sarcastic smile to spread across my lips as I was prodded away from the door.
"Good to see you too, brother. Red really is your color." I remarked, taking in the red stain that went halfway down his white button down shirt and wishing I could make actual blood take its place.
"By the way, I see that potion of yours only half worked." It was true; the tell-tale signs of death were stuck to him like glue. I took particular notice of the unexplained draft that caused his tie and the hair remaining on his head to flutter without assistance.
"Iris." He retorted, still pointing his cane at me as the doors behind him slid open. He didn't say anything else on the subject, but I knew he was equally as disappointed as I was that it had only half worked.
It shouldn't have worked at all. I mused dourly. Stone was cowering behind me, so when the cane cracked against my skull, nothing much was done to try to prevent it. I fell onto my side and continued to remain silent as I was repeatedly kicked and hit with the cane, all the while ignoring the hushed tirade he had launched.
"If you don't stay out of my way-blah, blah, blah-dire consequences-blah." I giggled slightly as his enraged expression and rolled onto my back to avoid another cane jab.
"You have a funny face." I noted airily, rolling over again and lunging at his leg to bite his shin. I heard a thump before it occurred to me that I couldn't move. I was still conscience, however, and heard the other woman in the control room screaming, the noise proceeded by another thump, and then the tape of spells playing throughout the house. I stared up at the ceiling, my blank face wanting to scowl when Cyrus and Kalina came into my line of vision.
"What did you do to her?" Kalina asked, obviously unaware of the fact that even ghosts can be debilitated, even for a short while.
"I forced her into a state of reverie. Now, go fetch the book." After a flurry of footsteps rushing around me, a series of feminine screams rang out, much to my grim satisfaction.
Of course; just throw another life away, after you've finished using the person. I seethed, slowly regaining my facial movements as my head cleared. I laughed. I laughed so hard that the rest of my form became functional much faster than I had expected. My attention instantly turned towards the unconscious woman lying on the floor. I didn't trust my legs, so I quickly crawled towards her, relieved that I was immune to the spell sounding from the tape recorder. I tentatively shook her once, then harder a second time, growling in annoyance when she merely mumbled incoherently. I eventually used what little water I had left to splash her in the face. I slipped out of the room before her eyes were open.
"Stone," I said, "stay here and keep an eye on her. Make sure she stops the tapes." It rolled in what I knew to be a nod and I petted it goodbye, before moving down the hall, my ultimate destination being the nearest staircase.
Sorry for the day late update-again. I have a habit of getting stomach viruses at the most inconvenient times. I do hope you enjoyed this chapter, though.
Thanks,
Jess