Chapter 11. An Invisible Allie

I was irked.

When Uccisore moved the shackles on my wrist upward so that I could write, he never checked to see if they were comfortable for me. I, on the other hand, just wanted him to leave and never mentioned it. Now I strongly regretted that action.

They were so itchy and awkward feeling! And have you ever been in a position where you can just barely reach something, but it's not enough to really help you, and the harder you try the more frustrated (and sore) you get?

That's what these were like.

I could touch them with my fingertips, but I couldn't do anything to free myself. They say practice makes perfect, so just how many people has this maniac tied up before? He's unnervingly good at it!

Anyway, though it also made writing feel a bit strange, I got it done. And after some time, I actually managed to bore myself.

I thought back to Ask Angelica, and wondered if anyone there really needed or missed me. No, I thought. My advice really never was perfect; excellent, obviously, but I guess I was never as professional as I thought. Maybe I just didn't put enough effort into it...

You know, it's amazing the thoughts that come to mind when you feel as though you're about to die. I realized that, sitting there alone, not knowing if Uccisore or a wild beast would get to me first. Personal, I hoped for the latter. Maybe that would screw up his plans, and Serenity and Nero could make a break for it!

They'd protect my family and friends until they'd left camp, and then split and continue the same game of cat and mouse with the shapeshifter until somebody won, hopefully Serenity. If she lost... Well, with any luck it'd be a little more fair.

Hmm... I wonder how long ago it was since Uccisore's last "drink..."

...

...

...

Wow.

I never knew the forest could be so beautiful! ...And boring...

"Angelica..."

"Huh?" I jumped, startled, and the chains chinked together as though protesting their rude awakening.

...

Guess I was hearing things.

"Annnnnngeeeelica!"

"Who's there?"

Something brushed my arm, and I flipped. I thrashed and struggled noisily, half hoping Uccisore would come back.

No! No more creatures! I've had enough!

"Angelica, stop. It's me."

"Who?" I demanded.

"Bean."

I froze. With a shaky voice, I tried to rebuke the disembodied voice.

"Bean crossed over,"

"The guys brought me back."

"How?" I gulped, though a tiny seed of hope had laid claim.

"Summoning."

"What?"

"Don't tell you've never heard of summoning us,"

"You... You mean that works, even if you... You've..."

"Yes. But I had to come willingly."

"Oh."

I felt the shackles shift to a more comfortable position, and felt movement inside of them as something began to scratch quietly against the metal.

"What's that?"

"Paper clip,"

"You can make others invisible?"

"Not easily, but yes. I can't speak for another, though."

"Another... Oh. Another ghost,"

He just grunted. I sort of felt like an idiot.

There was a click and a bent paperclip materialized and fell to the ground-Er-My lap, actually!

The shackles remained in place, but I felt the weights being removed and the chains soon began to slacken. There was a pause.

And then Bean quickly threw away the shackles, weights and chains, and yanked me unceremoniously to my feet. I was picked up roughly and felt an odd sensation in my toes. I looked down even as it spread. They were gone! And there went my legs... I worked so hard to keep those in shape, too.

It took a good five minutes, but eventually I had disappeared completely. It was disturbing to not know by sight where ones' own body was, even though I could still feel them.

We passed right through a tree. Literally. It was REALLY weird.

I'd have to remember to describe it in full detail for Dil.

But it had only been about two minutes of free flight when something rustled behind us. Bean sped up, and I didn't even have to ask.

My first thought was, Panthers don't belong in the forest.

My second thought was, OHMYGODLOOKATIT'STEETH!

I tried to comfort myself, knowing I wasn't tangible right now and he couldn't see or touch me, but with nothing more than the movement of air and, scent I guess, he seemed to know right where I was.

Oh, that wasn't very comforting!

I wondered briefly if he would hurt me when-If-He caught me again. Probably, unless he thought I was stolen back against my will.

SNARL!

...Yeah, I don't think he'll go for that.

We rose higher in the air, until I had to squeeze my eyes shut; partially for the height, and partially for the cold.

I had to concentrate on breathing, and the sound of my breath only made it easier for Uccisore to find us.

He was a raven now, rocketing after us. How could we possibly...?

"!"

We plummeted downward, straight into the earth itself. Uccisore followed.

And so I suppose we've reached my third thought, which was, WHYTHEHELLDIDN'TYOUWARNME, SHIT, THAT WAS TERRIFYING!

Ohhhh, I was SO done with creatures right then!

When we emerged from the ground, I think Bean was beginning to tire. I felt a few small branches whip my arms, legs, and face with a sharp sting, and imagined the sting I'd feel if those PANTHER teeth hit me instead!

I shuddered, and without warning, Bean dropped me.

Just like that.

I felt an overwhelming rush as I turned visible in the blink of an eye, and froze in terror as the newest out of place predator came at me. He was cheetah now, understandable, since he was in the middle of a high speed chase. He leapt, and changed in midair into a jaguar, which I only knew because time had miraculously and cruelly slowed down for me, as if to build up suspense before my death.

"This is it," I thought, and I tried to squeeze my eyes shut but they refused.

Something slammed into him before his claws ever met my skin.

"Angelica, go!" Nero shouted, Serenity already dropping from the nearest tree to fight by his side.

A TRAP! Genius!

I scrambled away without a thought, but then felt guilty. I wanted to help! But, what could I do?

...

"You cannot drink of a werewolf and then a vampire in the same century. It makes you dreadfully ill, almost to the very brink of death..."

"Only by strength of heart and will to live alone did I survive..."

"NERO!" I cried. I had an idea!

"I told you Ange, RUN! GO! This place isn't safe for mortals like yourself!"

"It's not safe for you either!" I retorted, and ran forward.

"Angelica, what...?"

I hurled myself straight into the jaws of the beast.

If I died, I died grandly. If not, then this was going to hur-

"AHHHHHHHHHHH!"

A chorus of voices screamed in unison,

"ANGELICA!"

My vision flashed scarlet, then midnight, then back again. Red, and

black, black, and red... What was that? The black wasn't transitioning. And something... Something... I wanted that something... Light, perhaps? A window of light in this eternal, endless darkness? I moved toward it. Yes, how happy I would be to rest forever in that light!...

That's when I heard my name called again.

"ANGELICA!"

And I knew.

I knew where I was. And more importantly, I knew where I wanted to be.

No.

I halted, and began to shrink back from the light. Wait, was it still getting closer? All this time, had IT been moving towards ME, and not the other way around? No, we had always been moving towards each other.

No!

"Angelica!"

"Bean?"

"Pull back! It's not moving that fast."

"I can't!"

And then he was there with me.

"Believe me, I fought that light for some time. I know how hard it is,"

"I... I want to see it... My plan..." I turned my back to the light and strained against what now felt like sludge surrounding me.

I blinked weakly.

NERO!

Just as I'd thought, he and Serenity had lost it. They were recklessly snapping at Uccisore, who, in anger, suddenly clamped his jaws onto, and into, Nero's neck.

NO! Don't kill him!

Nero let out a yelp, and Uccisore's eyes suddenly widened. Had he done it? Had he really...?

Yes.

He released the werewolf without even trying to rip out his throat. His was much more concerned for himself, and the forbidden act he had just committed.

He shrank from sight, then reappeared several feet away as an eagle.

Serenity was on his tail feathers in a heartbeat, but Bean beat her to him.

The familiar entity materialized completely, and the eagle crashed into him. As they fell, he became a cougar, but Bean had already vanished and it was too late. Serenity transformed from bat to vampire and landed right on top of him, fangs tearing into his throat. He shrank again, (Coward!) but when he appeared again he was a human man once more.

Uccisore was NOT faring well.

He fell to his knees, startling Serenity just enough to make her halt. Nero had struggled to his feet, but couldn't support himself without the tree trunk behind him. Bean turned visible beside him and helped him take a few steps away.

Meanwhile, the psychotic once-human began to react badly to the incompatible blood. His back arched, and he retched. I watched, half dead myself, as he slowly slipped into death.

But he would not go quietly.

Of course, it might have taken days normally, but Serenity wouldn't allow for that. She was driven by revenge and morals. An unusual combination, I know, but it was true. She wanted vengeance, but she did not care to let her enemy suffer.

"Wait," I croaked. They all turned to stare at me, startled. Well, all except for Bean, who had already known I lived.

"I want to do it,"

"Ange, you can't!"

"Save your breath, Wolf-boy," I hissed, then hissed some more as I painfully sat up, hunched over, and crawled painstakingly slowly to the dying man. He growled at me and tried to lunge, but Serenity pounced on him and held him down.

"Weapon," I whispered. Nero sat down and silently gave up his pocket knife to Bean, who strode calmly over and gave it to me. It was already stained with the monster's blood. How fitting that it should finish it's job in another's hands.

I can't do this. It's murder!

I have to, he killed ME!

That doesn't make it right!

You were helpful before, now shut up!

I hesitated. No.

Bean grabbed a hold of the knife and forced it into the man's chest. I knew instinctively that it had impaled his heart, and watched in horror as the light left his eyes. He stammered, trying to speak, but failed. At the last moment, his expression changed, and he choked out,

"Forgive me... My fathers..."

He died, and the world went black with him.

BZZZT!

"...Is she alive?"

"I don't think so, hit her again."

BZZZZT!

"No, wait! Yes! Yes! Her heart is beating! SHE'S ALIVE!"

"Ughn..." I groaned, stirring slightly. A dull ache and then a few shots of pain brought me back to consciousness all the quicker.

I blinked.

And blinked again.

"...Nero?" My cheeks felt a little pink, but I wasn't in the right mind to feel embarrassed. Nero was alone with me in a hospital room. He sat in a chair besides the bed, holding and gently stroking my hand. He smiled kindly.

"You're awake." He murmured hoarsely.

"I'm... Awake." I muttered confusedly. "I'm, I'm awake. I'm alive!"

"Yes. Yes, you are." He stopped, then added in a barely audible whisper, "Serenity owes you her very life, you know,"

"I know," I grinned. "And I might want to take advantage of that... When I deal with creatures in the future!"

Nero blinked in surprise.

"You... Want to? I would think you'd hate us by now!"

"Believe me... You both owe me," I tried to sit up, but Nero pushed me down.

"The nurses won't want you hurting yourself anymore than that "Wild Beast" we encountered already did," He winked.

"What'd you tell them?"

"Well, let's just say, the police will be searching for some imaginary kidnapping murderers and their illegally obtained jaguar for quite a while,"

"Elaborate. I'll have to remember that!"

"As long as it explained the dead man with a random stab mark in his chest and the dying bleeding girl that was lying near his corpse, they didn't really care too much. It was making up a believable story AFTER that that proved difficult."

"And I was already thought missing,"

"Yes, the adults don't blame us anymore for losing you," He laughed, and absentmindedly clasped my hand.

"I'm not going anywhere," I reminded him. He glanced down and shrugged.

"Doesn't matter. I'd rather not waste what little time I have left with you,"

"What?"

"We're leaving."

"But... You and Serenity..."

"...Will be fine. Uccisore's dead. But there are still plenty of hunters out there, and I have no way of slipping into your society! Serenity, at the very least, could stage as a human by dating Dil and drinking small amounts of blood from your family annually, but me... How will I explain MY little 'problem?'" I thought about that for a moment.

"A dog," I decided aloud. "Get a dog,"

Nero burst out laughing, and even in my current state I felt pretty insulted.

"HEY! It's a perfectly reasonable explanation!" I argued.

"Except that I'm a wolf, not a dog,"

"Oh, yeah,"

"Can you imagine, though? Our lawn would have a sign that said, 'Beware of weredog! If bitten, consult witch doctor immediately!'"

We both laughed, and I continued trying to convince him to come with us. Unfortunately there would be no way to explain wolf howls in the middle of suburbia. We didn't even have a real wolf to get a license for in case Creature Hunters decide to snoop around.

"...Hey, Nero... Didn't Bean used to live here? I mean, not here, but at Camp Everwood. And Serenity too?"

"Sure. Why? Are you suggesting I help run the camp?"

"There are wolves around there, right?"

"Well..."

"And you could always come visit us! Besides, I think we ALL have reasons to come back to camp now! We could at least see each other once a year, and it'd be the perfect disguise,"

"Aw, are you going to miss me Ange?" He teased, but I could tell he was going to miss me, too.

"You're my friend now, even if you are a savage, man eating giant wolf thing,"

"And you're mine, even IF you're a spoiled, evil little mortal brat child," We grinned, and were still trading insults when Nero's father came to take him away. When we told him our idea, he looked relieved.

"Do you know how hard it is to constantly protect him from those Hunters? Especially the religious ones, they're all so thoroughly convinced he's "The scourge of Christendom," and "Demon Spawn" and whatnot,"

"A hideous, vile, bloodthirsty murdering menace?" I offered, smirking in the boy's direction. He pouted.

"No fair. I ran out of nasty things to say,"

His dad laughed.

"Yes, exactly that. Let's see them catch him at Camp Everwood! Needle in a haystack, my dear, needle in a haystack!"

"Where did that saying come from, anyway?"

"A neighborhood quarrel," Nero answered without hesitation.

"What?"

"A neighborhood quarrel! Between a witch and a human. The witch was sewing up her favorite cloak and went to get more thread; the neighbor's son came out with a big box of hay to refresh her chicken coop for her and accidentally spilled it all over the cloak. The witch was furious, turned him into a frog and told him she'd only turn him back once he'd dug through all the hay with his little webbed feet. Poor kid, took him hours to find that damned needle!"

"I'm surprised he found it at all!"

"Well, it was stuck in the cloak so the witch wouldn't lose it, but he still had to dig down to it as a frog! And actually, I think he started the original "Prince Frog" idea!"

"And let me guess... It was too embarrassing for him to tell the truth!"

"Precisely!"

"If you're done swapping random creature folk tales, we've got to go. I'll give you a minute to say goodbye, but we really do have to leave if you want to live at Camp Everwood,"

He left, and Nero and I were alone again. I could hear Nero's dad keeping the others out to give us some privacy.

"Thank your dad for me, Nero. He's a great guy, just like you,"

"Thanks. I'll do that."

"You know, you're really going to have to watch your back from now on,"

"I'm used to it,"

"No, I mean, watch yourself! 'Cause otherwise you won't stand a chance against me, Angelica, world's first half Hunter!"

"What?" He laughed, confused. "What's the other half?"

"Caretaker,"

"And how exactly will that work?"

"How hard could it be? Police officers do it all the time!"

"OH! That's what you mean!" He frowned. "But, why would you go after me? I haven't done anything!"

"Did so! I just haven't decided what!" He smiled and shook his head. Leaning down, he took my hand like a gentleman at a ball and kissed it.

"Pleasure to have met you... Angelica the Creature Hunter!"

(I FINISHED IT! And I currently have NO incomplete stories!

...

We'll have to fix that now, won't we? ;])