Selene jerked awake from her disturbing sleep. Michael looked at her in worry, his warm eyes curious and concerned. She looked around in confusion, and once she realized where she was, she leaned back, forgetting her wounds in that area. She winced from the pain, and inhaled sharply.
"Are you okay?" Michael asked, his tone anxious. "You were very jumpy in your sleep."
Selene sighed. "I can't remember much," she said slowly. "Just feelings, mostly." She looked away from Michael, trying to form her feelings and thoughts into comprehensive words. "I felt… scared, like I was drowning in fear," Selene described. "And so tired of fighting… and sad, and in pain, and I could feel like I was doing something that I wouldn't want to do. I felt all these things at the same time."
Michael didn't say anything, but his eyes were understanding and sympathetic.
Selene continued, "But the strangest thing… the strangest thing was that… it felt like it was in the future, like all of these feelings haven't happened yet."
That caused Michael to have a puzzled look creep across his face. "Are you sure?"
"Yes," Selene said, firmly. "I mean, they were just feelings, no images. But I could tell that they were from another time."
"How do you they weren't from the past?" Michael asked, stopping the car so he could concentrate all of his attention on Selene.
"I-I don't know," Selene admitted. "I mean, I know that they weren't from the past, but I don't know how I knew that."
There was a rapping on Selene's window. It was, curiously enough, Lucian.
"Hello," he said as Selene rolled down the window. "I thought it was you."
Selene asked, "Why were you looking for me?"
"Something's gonna go down," Lucian said unexpectedly. "Maybe not today, or even tomorrow. But something is gonna happen that would cause fear, sadness, pain, and turmoil."
Selene was shocked, as was Michael. "How do you know this?" she asked.
"Dreams, mostly," Lucian answered. "But there's also this feeling in the back of my mind, a feeling that—"
"—something's not right," Selene finished. She didn't want to admit it, but lately she had been feeling some sense of dread.
"Yeah, it was something that was bothering me, and I wanted to tell you just in case. Anyway, topic change: I did my test run."
"And?"
"Fully functional," Lucian announced proudly.
"What do we do now, then?" Michael asked.
"We get bait for the Death Dealers," Selene answered.
"Exactly," Lucian answered.
"I'll take care of that," Selene added. Lucian nodded and walked off in the direction Selene and Michael had come from. He disappeared around the block, and Selene let out a sigh of relief, something she was definitely not feeling.
Michael started driving, talking to Selene. "Lucian felt the same thing you did," he observed.
"Yeah," Selene said.
"I wonder how that works out," Michael said.
"There were legends that, as an immortal gets older, they get visions about the future. Vague ones at best, but still visions."
"And you think they're true?"
"Well, I seem to have them, and so does Lucian."
Selene didn't speak after that, and it wasn't until her and Michael were in the dojo that either of them spoke. By then, all of Selene's wounds were healed and both of them had fed.
"What's the plan, then?" Michael asked as Selene was reloading the weapons.
"Plan for what?"
"For our weapon of mass destruction," Michael said, indicating the conversation they had had with Lucian earlier.
"Well," she said, "I was thinking of maybe kidnapping a bunch of vampires and holding them for ransom, and then it's a trap for them."
"Sounds good," Michael remarked.
Suddenly, Damien, Marc, and Derek came running into the dojo. Damien got to Selene's office first, and he took a moment to catch his breath. He was visibly pale, more pale than usual. Derek and Marc reached the room shortly afterward, seconds after Damien did.
"Who won the race?" Michael asked, amused.
Selene added, "So much for slow and steady wins the race…"
"Selene, this is important." Damien's tone was so gloomy, his voice sharp and worried.
"And obviously bad news," Selene commented.
"Shit, Selene!" Derek screamed, startling Selene. Derek never lost his composure, and never snapped at Selene; something was definitely wrong.
"What is it?" Selene asked, unnerved.
"We've been doing some reading on Lucian's notes, the ones he left behind," Marc began.
"And according to his notes about Corvinus's abilities," Damien continued.
"He's not completely immune to vampires' and Lycans' weaknesses. That virus may not have killed him, but for some reason it made him weaker to some things." Derek finished.
"So, I'm not immune to silver and sunlight?" Michael asked.
"Well, you're a Hybrid, so we're not too sure about that," Marc answered.
"But, me on the other hand…" Selene began.
"If Lucian's notes are correct, our weapon of mass destruction may kill you, too," Damien finished.
"But I can stand in sunlight, and I'm fine with silver."
"But if we shoot you and leave the silver bullet in you, or if we cover you with irradiated fluid and left you like that, we don't know what might happen," Derek said.
Michael was still a step behind everyone else. "How would our weapon hurt Selene, though? It's not the same as covering her with irradiated fluid."
"That was just an example," Marc answered. "The way the weapon works is that it concentrates the sunlight into one strong beam, stronger than the usual sun ray – which is why Sonja burned so fast. Usually, if you leave a vamp out in sunlight, they take a while to burn. But Sonja burned so much quicker because the beam was so strong. That's why it's so deadly. Once you get in its path, you're a goner. Which is why if Selene is anywhere nearby—"
"I might get killed," Selene interrupted.
"So then we don't use you in our plan. We can kidnap a few vamps and hold them for ransom by ourselves," Michael offered.
"No, it won't work," Selene said immediately. "The vampires don't trust anyone else. I'm the only one they might trust enough to fall into the trap."
"You don't know that," Damien retorted.
"Yes, I do," Selene snapped. "When I was a Death Dealer, we trusted rogue vampires before we trusted Lycans."
"Well, you're not a Death Dealer anymore, are you?" Damien responded.
Selene became visibly upset, something she almost never did. She raised her eyes to stare at a spot on the wall, concentrating on calming herself. Sensing he had struck a nerve, Damien tried to make it better.
"Selene, I didn't mean – I'm sorry."
Selene sighed and walked out of the room. "Thanks for your help, guys," she muttered as she left the room.
Michael followed her out, giving Damien a dirty stare on the way out.
"I-I didn't mean to—" Damien began, but stopped. "Aw, fuck." He sighed.
"You're really in the shit," Derek commented.
Marc shook his head. "You don't think before you talk, do you?"
"I-I just… I was just looking out for her…"
Derek gave him a sarcastic thumbs-up sign. "Well, good job."
Damien sighed, walking out the room, sulking. He bumped into Selene and Michael in the hallway. He turned to go in the opposite direction, but Selene called after him. He walked back, and Michael still looked pissed.
"Look," Selene said. "I'm not happy with you. In fact, I'm pissed off beyond belief at you. I may act like your friend, but regardless I am your superior, and the lack of respect you exhibited today showed me that I may have to knock you down a couple of notches." She sighed. "But we need to stay strong in a time like this. We may not get along, but we have to be able to trust each other. I trust that you were looking out for my best interest. But I don't agree with how you went about it. So while I may trust your intentions and thank you for looking out for me, I say 'fuck you' for what you said to me back there. Because you had no right to say that about me. I trusted you with how I still feel a struggle to abandon my past, and I don't like the fact that you used it against me like you did."
Throughout the whole thing, her voice remained calm and controlled. Damien just nodded. Damn, did I make a mistake, he thought.
"We will proceed with my plan for kidnapping some vamps and using them for ransom," Selene continued.
At this, Michael spoke. "Selene, I don't think we should—"
"Do you have another plan? No one else here can get through the security systems of the Death Dealers, and remember: I don't trigger the alarm for Lycans. You and almost every other Stealth Shooter would, but I don't have a trace of Lycan blood in me." When Michael didn't answer, Selene resumed, "I'll take care of the kidnapping, but someone needs to drive the car."
"I'll go," Michael volunteered.
"Fine," Selene said. "We'll do it tomorrow night, after a good day's sleep."
They started to walk away, but Damien called, "Selene!" She turned around slowly, reluctantly. "I don't know if it'll help," he said, "but I'm sorry. I really am."
"It doesn't," Selene stated flatly, but then added, "but it's nice to hear."
Selene sighed as she lied in her bed. Michael was deep in sleep, but Selene couldn't, not without her mind wandering to her past life as a Death Dealer.
I feel so lost. If I kidnap a bunch and promise the Death Dealers their release in exchange for something, we'll never be able to pull a stunt like this again. But if we don't do it now, we may never get this chance again. I miss life in Ordoghaz. I didn't have Michael, but sometimes I think it's better that way…
No! How can you say that? Michael's the best thing that ever happened to you!
But was he worth trading in for that life? You had a goal; hunt them down and kill the off, one by one. It was a very successful campaign. And it ended so early; pity, I lived for it.
Now what do I live for? Do I live to kill the rest of my race? What is 'my' race?
Selene sat up in bed, and walked into the balcony area. She sensed someone behind her, and knew who it was.
"Why didn't you tell me?" she asked the person behind her.
Lucian stepped forward from the shadows. "Tell you what?"
She turned to face him. "That the thing that killed Sonja could potentially kill me, too."
"I don't know," Lucian said, running his fingers through his short hair. "I guess I was so set on killing most of the Death Dealers, I forgot—"
"'Forgot'?' That's bullshit and you know it."
"Those notes were made over 200 years ago. Are you telling me you remember everything that happened so long ago, Selene?" His voice was iced.
Selene didn't answer. She just stared off into the night.
"Are you still going through with it?"
Selene breathed in the night air, letting the cool, summer air hit her face. "Yes," she eventually said. "Yes, I am. Because I don't care if I die."
"But someone else might," a voice from inside said. Selene and Lucian turned around, and it was Damien. "Look, he said slowly, "what I said before was outta line. But I was just looking out for you. I don't want you to die."
"I don't want me to die either," Selene responded. "But I don't want to let that stop our centuries of planning."
"Well, maybe you should," came another voice from inside. It was Michael.
She couldn't believe her ears. "What did you say?"
He sighed, joining Damien and Lucian's side. "I'm saying that I think we should reconsider the plan. I don't want you to get hurt."
"None of us do," Damien added. Then he looked over to Lucian. "Most of us, anyway."
Selene was appalled. "You're saying that after so many years of planning, you want to have doubts? Second-guess?" When no one answered, she shouted, "I can't believe this! I have risked my life time and time again. I was a Death Dealer!" She gave Damien an angry stare. "And I may not be anymore, but I'm a Stealth Shooter. I have put my life on the line so many times, what's one more?"
"Because," Michael replied, "you've never gone out of your way to do it before."
"Bullshit!" she cursed in anger. "Bullshit, and you know it, Michael! I put my life on the line on purpose so many times, and you know it. I risked it all for you countless times in the first two days I knew you, and I've done it even more since."
"This is different," Lucian said quietly. Selene glared at him.
"How?"
"Because this time, you're not risking it for someone you care about. You're risking it for a bunch of vampires that are only going to be used as an example," said Damien.
"Yeah," Lucian agreed.
Selene looked for help from face to face, but none was forthcoming. She turned.
"So all of you think we shouldn't go through with it."
"We're not saying that," Lucian said.
Michael stepped forward. "We're saying that maybe you're so dead-set on getting revenge on your own kind that you're not thinking this through."
"And maybe you shouldn't be a part of the actual plan," said another voice from inside her quarters. Derek and Marc were now standing in the doorway to the balcony. Derek was the one who had spoke.
But now it was Marc's turn. "Someone else should do the kidnapping."
Selene stamped her foot in frustration. "We went over this! I'm the only one who can get close enough to—"
"Yeah, but maybe you're too close," Damien interrupted.
She was at the end of her rope. She pivoted, and tried to figure out what to do next, whether it was rational or not. Michael reached out to touch her shoulder, but Selene maneuvered away from him. She stared into his eyes and realized that it was the same as all the others; they all thought that she should be removed from her position to make decisions. Fuck that, she thought. She spontaneously flipped over the balcony railing, and landed on the lawn below.
The lights of Nueva Esperanza glowed in the gloomy night. "Selene!" called voices above. She ignored them, and walked to the gate. She smashed the electronic lock, and it sent a bolt through her body, but she kept walking through the minute pain. The voices grew more urgent, getting closer and closer. But she sped up her pace, and took a bunch of dizzying turns, so that even she didn't know where she was.
The voices began to fade, and eventually stopped altogether.
She was vaguely aware she was in a forest, and as time passed, the sun began to show in the horizon. She leaned against a tree, hours after she had left the sanctuary of Nueva Esperanza – or what she thought was sanctuary. Then she cried, cried and sank to the ground and continued to cry.
Because in 200 years, she had never felt so alone. So horribly and terribly alone.
A/N:
Longest chapter yet... wipes brow Phew
Let me know what you thought. I live to serve. XD
KATEB819
