A/N: Thanks for all reviews, please review this chapter!!
I only own Amaya and Grace
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The nightmares had plagued me since I'd been to my parents' graves and as usual I shot up into a sitting position, my breathing ragged and rapid. I buried my head in my hands as I forced down the flashes of my nightmare and my fear, I was shaking slightly as I climbed out of my bed and headed down the hall, tonight, I just wanted someone there for me, I wanted to have someone beside me.
Warren.
I padded silently down the hall to his room and slipped into it carefully, making sure not to make any noise, I slid between the covers beside him and he frowned slightly in his sleep before his eyes open and he looked at me through confused, dark, tired eyes.
"Rain, what are you doing here?" he yawned, "what's wrong?"
"Nightmare," I replied simply, "can I stay?"
"Yeah," he nodded, wrapping an arm round my waist and pulling me against him, "just don't wake me up, we have an important test tomorrow."
A small smile graced my lips as I closed my eyes and fell into a peaceful sleep, feeling safe and warm in Warren's arms and to think I used to hate him.
"Warren! Amaya's gone!" Will's voice yelped, interrupting my sleep and causing me frown slightly, Warren groaned slightly and pulled me closer to his bare chest, Will continued in a frantic tone, "Warren! Get up! Amaya! Rain's GONE!!"
"I'm right here fuckwit!" I snapped, sitting up and glaring at him, "so fuck off and let me sleep!"
"Rain," Warren groaned tiredly, yanking me back down and burying his head into my shoulder, "sleep, good, so sleep."
"But you guys have an important test that you can't miss!" Will cried, shaking me gently, "get up before mom looses it!"
"Get off," I growled, disentangling myself from Warren's hold and leaving the room for the bathroom to have a shower after kissing Warren softly, jumping away as he went to pull me back down.
An hour later we were all the bus, Layla, Magenta and I discussing the Spring Fling on Friday night, it was semi formal and girls were supposed to wear a dress.
"Yeah, Thursday after school for the outfit discussion," Layla nodded, "round Amaya's since my parents are away for the weekend and Magenta's have the flu and are contagious."
"Can we come?" Lash smirked over at us.
"Fuck off," I laughed, reaching over and whacking him over the back of the head, "you are such are perve."
"Meanie," Lash pouted.
"Layla, he's turning into you," I said deadpanned, "you have turned my best friend into a tree hugger who calls people meanies."
Everyone laughed and Lash flicked me on the back of the head, a yelp soon after told me Warren had hurt him in some way or another, I giggled and continued talking to the girls.
"No touching Rain," I heard Warren growl threateningly, "otherwise you'll be roasted alive, got it Stretch?"
"Mai! Your boyfriend's being mean!" Lash whined.
"Good, good," I said uncaringly, "have fun with that."
A whimper sounded as Lash poked me and Warren inflicted more pain on him, Layla had leapt out of her seat and was sitting on Lash's lap as she tried to save him from Warren's fireballs, he simply threw them at the visible parts of Lash's body and I laughed slightly.
"Warren, stop," I ordered, "don't kill him, he is my best friend after all."
"Fine," Warren shrugged, ceasing in vaulting fireballs at Lash.
"Dude, you are so whipped," Lash grinned, wrapping his arms round Layla's slim waist as she tried to get up, "you do exactly as she tells you to do."
"Lash, shut up," Layla sighed and he instantly silenced, "and let me go."
That he didn't do, though maybe it was because the seatbelts that held us in place when the bus flew strapped over her and she couldn't get out of his hold, I giggled slightly and Lash grinned happily as Layla blushed lightly.
"Aw, so cute," I cooed at them, then cursing as my bag tipped over and my books slipped out, "stupid fucking bag, stupid fucking bus."
"Punishment from god!" Lash cried dramatically, pointing at the books that were sliding over the bus, I glared at him and he silenced instantly.
The bus soon stopped and I began collecting my books with my friends, I paused on my open Hero History book as I saw a familiar pendant drawn on the page, my mother gave me that necklace for my sixteenth birthday, I picked up the book and stood, absorbing the information through wide eyes, a gasp escaped my lips as I finished and the book fell to the floor from my slack fingers.
"Found out I see, Amaya," a sinister voice chuckled in my ear and I was swung round, a hand clamped round my throat and I realised it was Laurent who worked for Them, "you escaped last time, it won't happen again."
"Let her go," numerous voices ordered coldly and Laurent was hit with a fireball, I fell to my knees, shock pulsing through my body, no way was that book right, no way could you place human souls into animal bodies, it just wasn't possible, it was wrong.
"Rain, you okay?" Warren asked softly, kneeling beside me, he took my face in his warm hands and made me look him in the eye, "Rain, answer me, are you okay?"
"The book, it said that you can place human souls into animal bodies and the pendant, my mother gave it to me on my sixteenth birthday, the red one, the green one, the one that supposedly places the souls into the animals, I think The Ruby Triangle have it, that's Them, if the book's right, maybe my parents' souls are in the lions bodies and they're not really dead," I rambled, hope flooding me.
Warren POV)
I listened to Amaya talk rapidly, not really getting any sense form what she was saying, her blue eyes were alight with something I'd never seen before.
"Maybe my parents' souls are the lions bodies and they're not really dead," she said quickly, she was filled with a hope that couldn't come true.
"Rain, you know your parents are dead," I said gently, rubbing her smooth cheek with my thumb slowly, "they're not alive."
"But the book said that you can transfer souls into an animal's body if you had the right pendant," Amaya protested desperately, "and that guy, Laurent, he said 'found out I see', maybe my mom and dad's souls are still alive, Warren, that would explain why they were so protective."
"Amaya," I said firmly, "they're not coming back, not matter how hard you hope or wish, I'm sorry, but they're dead and not coming back."
A tear escaped one of her eyes and I pulled her to me in a hug, "what if they are?" she whispered, though I could hear the doubt that she tried so hard to hide, I stroked her dark brown hair soothingly.
"They're not, Amaya, they're not," I muttered, "I'm sorry."
Warm tears hit my neck and her shoulders shook slightly as Powers appeared, "what on earth happened here Mr Peace, Mr Dawson, Mr Stronghold, Mr Lumen, Mr Matthews, Miss Green, Miss Andrews and Miss Stronghold?" she asked, boy, that was a lot of names.
"Guy attacked Amaya, one of the ones who kidnapped her last month," Lash answered, Amaya just continued to cry silently into my shoulder, her small frame trembling as her hope left her.
"And I take it she's found out about the soul switching process," Powers sighed, "which is the reason she's so upset."
I nodded, rubbing Amaya's back with my fingers in small circles, whispering softly into her ear and trying to reassure her everything would be okay.
"Mr Peace, take her home, you two can do the Mad Science test another time," Powers ordered, "Ron will give you a lift, won't you Ron?"
"Of course, ma'am," Ron said instantly, nodding to Powers.
"The rest of you get into the school, you can see Miss Stronghold later," she continued.
"I am not leaving Amaya, she's like my sister," Lash growled defiantly, "and when she's upset I refuse to just leave her with Peace, even if he is her boyfriend."
"Now Mr Dawson!" Powers snapped, "I don't care, right now I'm sure she wants as little people as possible seeing her like this!"
Wow, Powers was right, Amaya hated people seeing her break down, I was usually the only one she let her defences around, sometimes Lash and Will since they were like her brothers.
"Stretch, just go," I said quietly, Amaya's sobs becoming audible now as she clung to my leather jacket tightly, it hurt me to see her so distressed, "now, all of you, I don't care if you're cousin, best friend or any of that shit, just GO!"
They all nodded and left slowly, Lash sending Amaya one last worried look before letting Layla pull him gently away, Amaya had jumped slightly at my shout but had relaxed back into my arms soon after, her soft sobs sounding a thousand times louder than should in my ears as I lifted her carefully into a seat and held her in my lap.
"I'm sorry," she said tearfully, wiping her tears as the bus took off, "I know they're dead, but I wanted them back and it seemed like they could come back to me if the book was right, I'm sorry."
"I don't blame you for wanting them back, Rain," I replied softly, stroking her silky hair gently, I gulped slightly, "I want my mom back, I just try and get through each day as easily as possible and you make it easier Rain, seeing you smile and hearing your laugh, it just makes it easier."
She lifted her head and shot me a watery smile before resting letting her head fall onto my shoulder, "I love you," she whispered almost inaudibly.
"I love you too," I murmured into her ear, kissing her cheek, leaving my lips lingering there for a second, "I love you too, Rain."
The bus soon stopped and we got off it, my arm wrapped securely round Amaya's waist as she smiled and said thank you to Ron who waved it off like it was nothing.
"I want to show you something," Amaya smiled as I followed her into the house, Ron had conveniently dropped us off right outside, she took my hand and led me up the stairs to her room, "I never show anyone this, so you have to promise not to tell."
"Okay," I said slowly, leaning against the doorframe of her bedroom as she went her dressing table and picked up a jewellery box.
"My mom gave it to me for my sixteenth," she said quietly, opening the box, "she told me that it held great power and that I was never to wear it in case its power took over, I used to look at it everyday, trying to figure out what its power was, I stopped after mom died, hurt a lot and reminded me of her."
A small frown made its way onto my face as she pulled out a red necklace, on the blood red chain was a scarlet semi circle that seemed to have been snapped in half, it had a jewel embedded into it that seemed to glow like fire but as Amaya touched the pendant gently, it flashed all different colours, electric blue, ice blue, cerulean, red, green and grey.
"Rain, what is that exactly?" I asked, "why did it flash like that?"
"It's a necklace," she giggled, watching the pendant swing back and forth avidly, "and it always does that when I first pick it up."
The glows were getting brighter and Amaya wouldn't stop staring at it, her sapphire eyes glazed, the glows were more like flashes now and I yanked the necklace from her hand and shoved it back into the box, slamming the lid closed, Amaya blinked blearily up at me before falling into my chest, her consciousness leaving her.
"Rain," I said worriedly, she laid still in my arms, I picked her up bridal style and placed her carefully on her bed, the only sign of life was the steady rise and fall of her chest, her face was blank of all emotion as she slept, I brushed a stray strand of her hair from her face and sighed slightly, "what's wrong with you Amaya?" I whispered, using her name which I didn't usually do.
Silence echoed loudly round the room as I watched her sleep, frightened something might be wrong with her, why had she just collapsed like she did? Thank god her aunt and uncle aren't here, they'd probably blame me.
Amaya frowned slightly in her sleep, I sighed and started leaving the room, I couldn't just watch her sleep, that's creepy and weird, and she might hurt me if she woke up and found me in her room while she was sleeping.
"Pietro," Amaya's soft voice mumbled, "Pietro."
My body froze with my hand on the doorstep, okay, who the fuck was Pietro? My girlfriend was not supposed to say any guys' name in her sleep but mine, I'd let Will and Steve Stronghold's names go since they're family, who was Pietro?
"Pietro," Amaya whispered, she sounded sad, "don't leave, come back Pietro, don't leave me again, please come back, I need you, please don't leave."
"Rain, wake up," I said gently, moving to her side and shaking her as she frowned and began looking scared in her sleep, was that possible? Obviously since she was doing just that Warren, duh, oh god, I'm turning into Lash and Amaya, they said 'duh' quite a lot recently, "Rain," I repeated more urgently.
She shot up, panting and tears in her sapphire eyes, "he left again, I miss him," she said tearfully, "I just want him back, he disappeared when I was fifteen, I want Pietro back."
"Who the hell is Pietro?" I asked, harsher than I meant to, my jealousy seeping through, yes I admit I'm jealous.
"Her big brother," Josie Stronghold's voice said from behind me, I swung round as Amaya buried her head in her arms on her bent knees, Josie smiled sadly, "they were really close since they were only a year apart, he disappeared suddenly when he was sixteen and she was fifteen, no word or note, Amaya knew he was taken since he wouldn't go without saying goodbye to her, she never gave up hope he'd come back to her until her parents died."
"Pietro, maybe his soul's inside one of the lions," Amaya muttered, grabbing her bag from next to the bed and pulling out her Hero History book, she flicked through the pages and stopped on the page with the picture of her necklace, "it says the red half releases the captured souls, all I have to do is hold in near the lions, then the captured soul should be released."
"Rain, it might not be," I said softly.
"I know," she smiled sadly, lifting her eyes to look into mine, "but I have to hope, right? I've been waiting two years for him to come back, now I'm going to try and get him back, I've at least got to hope and try."
"I guess we're going to the safari," I sighed.
"Not without some food, you two have been through a lot, Principle left a message on the machine," Josie laughed lightly at our confused looks.
Amaya and I nodded, then followed her downstairs, Amaya clinging to my hand desperately, wanting to know I was there for her, I squeezed her hand gently and shot her a quick smile.
A/N: Was it me or was Warren OOC?
Anyway, please review and sorry for the wait, it took me ages to get this right, I've been wanting to write this chapter for ages!!
Hope you liked!!!