Koutai: Surprised to see me again? So am I! Exams didn't kill me so yay!!!!!!!!!here ya go, the next chapter!
Farren sighed. "I don't know what I want. Sometimes death seems to be a better option, but life, even a controlled life, is too sweet to take away." Her gaze wandered and settled on Nick. "For him, the better option is life, even if it means giving up my own for him."
We were all stumped by her words, but Stella smiled. "You have a crush, don't you Farren?"
She looked up at Stella, her eyes lacking an emotion. "No, I do not. I am just planning for my own defeat."
FARREN'S POV
The group around me ran out of questions after I stated I was planning for my defeat. They excused themselves to talk quietly about me, downstairs, but I heard every word through the holes in the floor from the fire poles. I chose to ignore their absurd and freakishly accurate guesses about my past, so, instead of listening to them gossip about me like old ladies, I went to Joe's bed and sat next to Nick, who was still asleep.
I don't know why, but there was something about this teen that cooled my inferno of hatred I call my heart and warmed my icy wasteland that was my soul. Before I had met him, I thought life was just killing; taking lives so I could keep mine. I shut off all of my emotions when I was younger, I never felt happy, sad, or angry, all I felt was nothing. But now, emotions that I kept so well hidden and suppressed were coming to the surface and possessing my heart, mind, and soul, messing up my judgment, and changing my will, until I wasn't sure about anything anymore.
I gazed upon Nick's still face and recalled Joe holding him in the car, protectively and lovingly. My stomach clenched and my heart wept as I was, again, reminded that I had no one. No one to hold, or to be held by, no one to love, or to be loved by; I was alone. I will always be alone.
I looked at my lap, finally letting my tears, which I had been holding back for 17 years, overflow and spill over my eyes, pouring like rain. Not a whimper or breath escaped my lips as I sat and wept over things I could not change, things I wished were different, but could never be. On its own accord, my pale hand went to my neck, and pulled out a long chain, at the end was an elegant pair of silver angel wings, with a black gem that had a white dot in the middle, the star stone, connecting the two wings. I held it close to my heart, as if it would offer a module of comfort.
A hand went to my shoulder and I jumped and tensed, expecting an attack. But all that I heard was a soft chuckle.
"That's pretty. Where did you get it?" asked Nick, who sat up and scooted next to me. I looked at him, noting the lack of circles under his eyes and how steady his once shaking muscles were. His eyes sparkled a bit more than 2 hours ago and no longer was he as pale as death.
I smiled a little, but I am sure it did not reach my still moist eyes. "It was my mothers. She gave it to me before she was murdered. She told me that it would, someday, lift me up and help me complete my journey to the stars. It could give me a safe passage after death."
Nick looked closely at my face, but I did not meet his examining gaze; I had been interrogated enough for one day. I glanced up, and caught sight of myself in the window; my eyes were bloodshot from crying, my blond hair tangled with hints of dust and blood still hidden in it and my black tipped bangs were now crimson from dried blood. All in all, not too bad, but not clean enough to pass as normal, and definitely way too dirty to be sitting next to Nick Lucas.
But he did not seem to mind. He just sighed and ran his hand through his dark brown curls, his eyes contemplating something unknown.
"How did the interrogation go?" He asked, suddenly, turning towards me again. I shrugged.
"Ok, I guess. They have been downstairs for 2 hours now, talking and gossiping about me. The blond girl, Stella, keeps on betting on how long it will take for us to get together. Like that will ever happen."
Nick laughed lightly, and a genuine smile tugged on my lips, but it did not last, it never did.
"Can I ask you a question?" Nick asked, looking away from me.
"You just did, but you can ask another if your heart bids it." I answered. It was the answer my mother always gave to people when asked if they could ask a question. Nick smirked a little.
"What happened to my father? My real one…"
I looked at him, not wanting to answer. I couldn't cause him the pain of the knowledge that burdened me for all my life, I just couldn't. But lying isn't an option either…
"He…He was killed the same day as your mother, the same fashion, but with a torn heart between two loves, both of them destined to die."
Nick looked confused, which is good because he did not yet know the full truth of his family. He nodded eventually, before looking at me.
"What about you? Your mother was killed by them too. But why did they wait?"
I took a deep breath. "My mother was murdered when I was six years of age. She refused to hand me over to the council, to learn to be your killer, to be their puppet. She knew that she was only alive for that long so she could care for me until I was old enough to learn, and she was ready to die. They killed her in front of me, for my first lesson; what happens to those who don't obey. I remember the knife, her blond hair turning red from blood, and the light fading behind her deep blue eyes. I remember my name on her lips, and her love for me being her last words." I was unaware of the hot tears falling down my cheeks as I was lost in the memory of my mother's final goodbye. Nick pulled me into a hug, and in doing so, pulled me out of my heart break and back into an equally painful reality.
JOE'S POV
"Ok, so everyone clear on the plan?" I earned a few nods and I motioned with my hand for them to say it again. Stella rolled her eyes before speaking.
"We go upstairs and ask Farren about Nick's past, though we don't act like we believe her."
Macy piped up. "Then, we ask her about her clan and get the details about her so called destiny of killing. And I'd like to see her lay one hand on Nick, I will personally shoot it off with my arrows, or maybe a javelin…"
"Ok…moving on," Kevin stated, looking slightly green. "We ask her about hers and Nick's powers, its origin, who can get it, stuff like that. Oh, and we don't wake up Nick."
I nodded, proud of the group around me. I started walking up the stairs, the others following me closely. But when I got there, Farren was not where we left her. She was nowhere in my immediate range of vision. For the thousandth time this week, fear gripped my heart as I realized all the horrible things she could have done to Nick. Nick! I whirled around and took a surprised intake of breath.
Nick was sitting up on my bed, holding Farren closely, not an inkling of fear, anger, or anything but empathy in his eyes. He was gently stroking her hair and I realized the girl was crying weakly into his shirt. He whispered something to the girl and she nodded to an unheard question, and se said something of her own. Nick's eyes snapped up and gazed at us, like a hawk watching its prey.
We moved forward and his eyes followed every one of our movements, it was really unnerving. Farren glanced uncaring at us, her eyes red and puffy. We all sat on the bed, around the two, and I noticed Farren avoiding all of our gazes, as if ashamed of something. Nick still starred at us, his eyes grave with terrible knowledge.
"Are you ok Nick? You had us pretty worried." Macy asked her cheery attitude cutting through the tension in the air. Nick smiled and looked at her.
"I'm fine Mace." For once, we all believed him. Farren was about to say something, but closed her mouth as Nick's gaze, which she couldn't have possibly seen, hardened.
"Ok, enough chit-chat. We need to know a few things." Stella said, interrupting the silence. "First, Farren, why do you have to kill Nick, second, this whole clan thing, we don't understand it, and third, what are the powers all about?"
Nick blinked at her questions and Farren just looked at her, like she was insane. Nick and Farren both sighed and shook their heads and Farren spoke first, her voice monotone and bored.
"I have to kill Nick because it was the only reason for my life; I thought I made this clear. I was trained to kill him since I was six; it is what I always had to do. Anyway, we both come from the dying and unknown clan of Ignotus, which literally means unknown. Creative, I know. Anyway, this sect was created 2100 years ago, when the first Son and Daughter of the stars fell to earth. They set the rules for their descendents and those rules have been followed ever since, but not by our choosing. Ok, at the age of 17, Children of the Stars receive their powers. It 'awakens' inside of them. Normally, this happens in a controlled environment with our clan, in a human less room with a ton of things we can blow up. If the child lives through the awakening, they now posses the power of pretty much the entire universe, with some limitations of course." She looked at us, as if expecting us to contradict her.
"How many have died from the awakening?" Stella wondered, out loud. Farren looked sadly at her.
"9 out of ten are killed, torn to shreds from their own emotions." She said, her voice not echoing the sadness in her eyes.
"So, why do you need to kill Nick?"
Farren sighed, getting the meaning of Macy's words. "900 years ago, there was a rebellion with a girl who could not control her awakening. The other children of the stars were shown the evil of my clan and fought back. They killed all but 10 clan members, and themselves. Ever since, we have been called Children of Chaos, servants of the devil, bringers of destruction."
Nick entered in for the first time, his head angled down so he was talking to the blankets and not our faces. "My real mother had the one teen that stopped herself from aging take me away from the village, when I was just minutes old. Kaya, the immortal girl, brought me to the hospital room, where your real brother was born. But, it was an unseen miscarriage, and she made the swap, making everyone believe I was your blood brother."
Farren took over again. "But when Kaya returned to the village, my father and Nick's mother were tied to poles, on top of a pile of wood. Kaya was tied next to them and refused to give away Nick's location. The three were burned to death and my destiny was set."
Silence. That was all that surrounded us. Silence brought on by shock and disgust at what these people put Farren through and the hold they have on her now. But now we understood, we knew why Nick didn't consider himself to be our brother, we knew why he seemed distant from us now, and we knew the reason for his doubts.
"Farren, you are wrong." I stated, quietly, but forcefully enough to gain the attention of those around me. She looked at me, confused. "You told us Nick has never been, and will never be our brother. You're wrong."
"Joe..." Nick started, but I cut him off.
"Nick will always be our brother, blood or not. We've lived with him all of our lives, we've helped each other through the good and bad times, and we have always been there to tease him. We love him and nothing can change that, not the past, present or future. He has always and will always be our brother." Though I was speaking to Farren, my words were directed at Nick. Farren nodded, like she understood. I finally looked at my younger brother.
He had tears in his eyes, but of joy and he smiled at my words and I felt my face rearrange itself so my smile matched his. His arms went around me and Kevin and I imagined how much weight must have been taken off his shoulders from me saying the truth that my heart gave me. Kevin and I hugged him back with equal strength and Stella and Macy joined in as well. Farren stood up and walked towards the window, but I could have sworn to see pain behind her blue eyes from our embrace.
"Hey, Farren. You hugged me earlier, so why not now?" I asked, drawing unwanted attention to the girl that looked like she wanted to disappear. Only Nick didn't stare at her.
"That was different Joe and I am sorry for that moment to weakness. I needed the comfort and you were the first person in my sight. This is a family moment in which I have no part in, and you ruined it by drawing attention to myself."
I winced from the cold indifference in her voice and watched her shake her hair out, and all of the grime in it vanished.
"Now, before my clan shows up here, we need to leave, so you aren't in danger."
Kevin, Macy and Stella looked at her, like she was insane. Nick's gaze remained on his hands, which were on his lap.
"We?"I asked, dreading the already known answer.
"Me and her." Nick suddenly said his voice filled with conflicting emotions of sadness and determination.
"No." I said putting everything I had into one word. I would not let my little brother leave my sight again, even if it meant risking my own neck. My heart could not take it if he vanished again and this time, maybe forever.
"Foolish," Farren stated. "You're giving your lives away."
"Like you are planning to do?" Kevin said, without missing a beat. Farren looked away and Nick looked at her in surprise.
"That is different and not the point. They will kill you without a second thought. Is that what you think Nick wants?" Farren suddenly stiffened along with Nick, both of their eyes empty and wide, as they starred behind me.
I opened my mouth to question them, but another piercing voice beat mine.
"Touching, but you are too late."
Koutai: I love me a good cliffhanger. Until next update!