"So what do we do?" Lydia asked.
"I don't know." Grace sighed. She held her head in her hands. Kassidy moved forward.
"What do you mean? There has to be some way…I mean, right? We can get him back can't we?" She asked with worried eyes. Nobody answered. Ever since the park, Kassidy had been thinking and trying to figure a way to get Marik back. Tristin walked over and put an arm around her.
"He will most likely be kept there and tortured." Grace told them. Everyone was huddled in a group. Michael and Joey were sitting on the couch examining the group's eyes. Yugi was next to Lydia and Jesse. Jesse was full of tears while Zev licked her small hand. Grace and Pete sat at the table. Tea' was cuddled in a chair with a pillow.
"Tortured? For what?" Zev asked. Zev was the one that had been most taken back by the news of Marik's kidnap. Marik had grown on him and him to Marik. What Kassidy didn't know was that while she and Marik were separated for the four days, he had been visiting the demon. Telling him updates on the research and assuring him that Kassidy was all right.
"Why does any demon torture, Zev?" Pete asked.
"To get information." Grace said. Her red hair was hanging from and untidy ponytail and her eyes were droopy.
"Marik doesn't have information to give." Kassidy told her.
"Kassidy, think about it…Marik's been alive for how long? 500 years? Other then that what could he possibly want? He holds tons on information." Pete told her. Michael stood up and sat down at the table next to Pete.
"He's right…" Grace said. Kassidy shook her head.
"Did Halcyon say anything to you Kassidy? Give you any idea of what he might be doing?" Zev asked. Kassidy scrunched her nose up in thought. She could feel her body shake with uneasiness. She hadn't had time to think about that for the last hour.
"Well, he said something about a bride…needing my blood." She said slowly.
"Your blood?" Pete asked.
"Yeah, he said he needed my blood for some reason. He wanted me to…to be his bride or partner or something like that. He said he needed someone to rule with." She said. Michael looked at her peculiarly.
"You? But you're a hunter…" He said. Grace shrugged.
"I don't know why he wants you, but I'm sure he needs your blood so he can brainwash you or something." She said. Zev growled slightly.
"But why didn't he take Kassidy instead of Marik? It just doesn't make any sense." He snapped. Kassidy looked at him surprised.
"I think that it's better he got Marik then Kassidy." Michael said to him. Zev lowered his head.
"How can you say that?" Kassidy asked with a frown. "He was more use to us than anybody."
"I know that it's better to have a good hunter then a former evil demon." He said. Grace looked at him and then Kassidy.
"He's one of the only people that can help us." She said.
"That's the thing though Kass, he's not a person. He is a straight up, outa hell, vicious, unhinged evil creature. There's no other way to put it." He told her. She glared.
"What is it with you? You judged him before you knew him. He's not like that." She said.
"Oh yeah? I don't know why all you don't see it, but I do. He's been trouble since day one. I say he deserve what he gets." He spat.
"Michael." Grace said. Kassidy slammed her hand on the table in front of him.
"You need to shut your mouth! Don't say another word! You sit here and complain about him and whine about him saying he deserves it, but you haven't even given him a chance!" She yelled. He stood up quickly.
"He doesn't get a chance Kassidy! He is evil! EVIL! Can't you get it through your head? Why am I the only one who sees it? You know, I stood back and let you have your moments and let you do all this other stuff, but I figured it was just innocent stuff. I'd wait till you guys broke up and then you'd kill him, but you know what you didn't! You just stood there and pretended that nothing was bad about it! Pretending that it was ok for a hunter to be with a demon…I know I'm not the only one in this room who thinks that's bogus! I'm sure everyone in this room thinks that they are either in danger, or your insane." He said. Kassidy was dumbfounded. She looked at everyone around the room. They all had their heads down. She backed up to stare at every single one of them.
"So is that what you all think? Psychopath Kassidy? Not one of you had the nerve to tell me to my face?" She asked the group. Lydia looked up.
"We knew you wouldn't listen." She said. Kassidy furrowed her brows.
"Wouldn't listen? When have I ever not listened? An as far as danger goes…you know I wouldn't do anything to put you in harms way." She told them. Yugi looked up.
"You wouldn't huh? Kassidy look around you…god look at Tea'. Look at what happened to her." He said. Tea' shook her head and buried it in the pillow.
"Leave me out of this guys. Really, it's no big-"
"You think Marik had anything to do with that? God…I'm sorry, but I…I make mistakes guys, but-"
"Well, it looks like you made a pretty big one, Kassidy." Michael said. Kassidy turned to him.
"When did I start getting accused?" She asked. She looked around at the faces. "Oh that's right, it's all my fault, right? Everything that's happened so far is my fault. Well, I guess if I'm the one that gets us into the most trouble, maybe I shouldn't stick around." She said grabbing her coat.
"Kassidy…" Tea' began.
"No…I'm gone. Don't worry anymore Tea', you can sleep peacefully knowing that I can't do anything to put you in hazard." Kassidy sneered and walked out the door. Everyone in the room went silent.
"You shouldn't have said those things Michael." Grace said.
"Why not? She needed to hear the truth, then maybe she'll realize that she needs to start thinking with her head." He said. He looked around the room. His eyes locked on Jesse. She was huddled in the corner of the room covering her ears tightly. Her eyes were clamped shut and she was sniffling. He walked over and knelt down next to her.
She opened her eyes and stared at him a moment. There was a deep silence. Then Michael reached his hand out to her, but instead of scooting closer, she got up and ran down the hall. Michael seemed very surprised by these actions and looked at everyone else. Zev walked out of the kitchen.
"Did you really think she would have taken your side?" He asked annoyed as he passed Michael and went down the hall after Jesse. Grace stood from the table and silently walked back to her bedroom. Lydia did the same waving bye to Yugi and Tea'.
Joey sprawled out on the couch as Yugi and Tristin lay on the floor. Tea' closed her eyes and sighed. Pete stood from his seat and grabbed his jacket. Michael looked at him oddly.
"I better go find her." Was all Pete said as he walked out the door. Michael just sighed and leaned against the wall.
Kassidy made her way down the dark street. There were little noises and shudders coming from the bushes. She knew that it was just the wind, but she was so full of weariness that she was on cue to any sound and movements. She was angry, but mostly with herself. She didn't know why, but she knew it was all her fault.
With Marik gone and her friends mad at her, Kassidy didn't have anywhere to go. She hated being the hunter. She really did. One, she was only a teen. It shouldn't have to all be put on her. Two, she was responsible for her friends and had to keep a close watch on them, three…she got shunned for loving a demon.
She turned the next corner with a sigh and shake of her head. She felt so helpless and lost. She missed how it used to be. Before she was told about her destiny.
She remembered when she was little and she always took walks in the park with her dad, her real dad. She always laughed and smiled, while they slid down the slide and swung on the swings. She remembered that he always said he'd stay and be with her forever. 'What a liar,' Kassidy thought. Even though her dad was in jail, she still missed him. The him before he drank anyway.
The day Jesse was born, Kassidy was so happy. She had always wanted a little sister. Jesse fit that description perfectly. She never gave Kassidy any trouble. She couldn't remember ever having a serious fight with her sister.
Then she remembered the day that she found out that she was moving here. She was so mad at her mother. She missed her friends and other family. She hadn't thought about them much lately.
Finally she remembered when she first met Marik. She was so frightened of him and attracted to him at the same time. She remembered how he saved her from those three guys in the alley and then walked her home. After that a couple days later he climbed through her window to make sure she was all right. She remembered everything about him perfectly.
Kassidy turned the next corner. She was coming in close on her house. She decided she'd stay there tonight. It would be easier then renting a motel room.
"Hey cutie! How about a little dance for me and my friend?" A bold voice called from behind her. She turned around and saw two guys staring at her laughing. She shook her head and turned around and started walking. "Wait a minute, we asked you a question." She felt a hand grab her shoulder. She turned around and punched the guy in the nose. He fell to the ground and held his nose. It was bleeding through his fingers. "I think you broke my nose!" He yelled.
Kassidy silently turned around and began to walk again. She could hear the other man helping his friend up. She squinted her eyes and rounded into her drive way. It looked so deserted and old. She quietly walked up the porch and into the house. Someone had left the door unlocked. She stared at the doorknob.
Slowly turning on the lights, she looked in the living room for anything out of the ordinary. She couldn't find anything. She next searched the kitchen…nothing. Shrugging, she figured her mom forgot to lock the door. She walked back into the living room and sat down on the couch.
Kassidy turned the TV on and yawned. She turned it to the cartoons and leaned back in her chair. Laughing at the little cartoons, she soon felt herself closing her eyelids.
A couple hours had passed and Pete had been around the whole town…he had one more place to check, her house. Grace had given him a location once. He hurriedly ran around the block in that direction.
Kassidy woke almost immediately. There was a noise behind her. She didn't want to turn her head. The noise was getting closer. Then suddenly an arm wrapped around her neck. She lifted her hands to the arm and was pulled out of her seat. She jumped and elbowed the thing behind her.
She turned and saw a demon. She sighed and kicked his stomach. The demon was knocked to the ground. Kassidy kicked his face.
"I'm tired, I'm grumpy, and I'm not in the mood." She said as the demon got up. Kassidy sent him a forceful kick that knocked him across the room. The demon shook his head and stood coming at her again. "Man, they really don't learn."
She punched his face twice and then kneed his left side. The demon grunted and punched her face. Kassidy didn't fall to the ground; instead she sent a solid punch to his jaw line. The demon punched her stomach and then her face. Kassidy fell to the floor, but quickly got up and kicked his stomach.
He fell to the floor instantly and Kassidy knelt over him, punching his face every three seconds. The demon was getting to the point where he couldn't fight anymore. Blood oozed from his face as Kassidy continued to punch him, harder and harder each time. Finally the demon was knocked unconscious and she let him go to race upstairs, where she grabbed her dagger. When she came down she saw someone else in the living room.
It was Pete looking at the demon. Kassidy walked over and he turned around to gaze at her. She ignored it and plunged the dagger into the demons chest, with in seconds the demon was gone. She stood up and walked into the kitchen, where she pulled out some orange juice. Of course they didn't have apple. Pete walked in after her.
"You really did a number on him, didn't you?" He said. Kassidy looked over at him and shrugged.
"I wasn't in the mood to fight." She said. Pete shook his head.
"It sure as hell didn't look that way." He said with a smile. Kassidy walked over and sat at the kitchen table. Pete followed.
"What are you doing here Pete?" Kassidy asked tiredly. Pete shrugged this time.
"I wanted to make sure you were ok…thought you might come back again." He said. Kassidy shook her head and frowned.
"Nope. I ain't going back." She said taking a drink of the juice.
"Kassidy, we need you there." He said.
"Not according Michael. You guys are better off without me anyway." She said.
"No we're not…we need another hunter there."
"You guys have more coming. Remember there is twelve all together."
"They're not coming." He said. Kassidy stared at him.
"What? What do you mean they're not coming?" She asked quickly.
"They are not coming…they can't. The Seekers told us."
"But we need all the help we can get."
"I know this, you know this, but they don't care." He said.
"What kind of council are they? Don't they care about the world?" Kassidy asked. Pete shook his head.
"Obviously not." He said. Kassidy stood and put the glass in the sink and grabbed her coat.
"Ok, I'll come back…but, I don't know…just don't bring up Marik for a while okay?" She asked softly. He nodded and stood up. He followed her out the door.
"Can I ask one question?" Pete asked her. Kassidy nodded and walked off the porch down the driveway.
"Sure."
"If you had to, I mean, if your friends were in danger…would you do anything to put them out of it?"
"Of course." Kassidy told him. He nodded. "What brought that question up?"
"Oh, nothing." Pete said. Kassidy didn't buy it.
"Pete…what?"
"Well, Grace and I have this theory about why Halcyon stole Marik."
"And?"
"What if Halcyon stole Marik…to make you weak?" He asked.
"I'm not following you." She said blankly.
"I'm saying, what if he stole Marik to, umm, to…"
"Pete! Just spit it out!" Kassidy said aggravated.
"Okay, to take away his essence." Pete said. Kassidy darted a look at him.
"His essence? You really think he'd do that?" Kassidy asked.
"Maybe. It certainly would throw you off track…wouldn't it?" Pete asked.
"Pete, I have to tell you something."
"Shoot."
Kassidy told him about earlier today and about the present and feelings. She told him about wanting to make love to Marik and how the dreams were throwing her off. She told him about the pain that has been running through her hearts and body since Marik's disappearance and how she'd do anything to get him back.
They rounded a couple more blocks and finally came to Grace's drive way. Pete opened the door for Kassidy and yawned. Kassidy smiled and walked in. It was pitch black in the living room. Kassidy could make out the outlines to three sleeping people. She saw that Zev and Michael were in the hall in front of her room. She squinted confused and looked at them.
"Jesse locked herself in the bedroom when you left." Zev said.
"Really?" She asked him. She looked at Michael, he had his head down.
"Yeah…we haven't heard a peep from her, but have tried to get her to come out." He said. Kassidy nodded and knocked on the door.
"Jesse, sweetie? It's Kassidy. Can you open the door?" She asked through the door. There wasn't a sound. No shuffling or whimpers. "Jesse open the door…come on, I need to go t sleep too, and so does Zev." She said and tried to turn the handle. It was locked.
"Jesse, Kassidy's back. She's out here with us." Zev said. There was a slight shuffle from inside the room. Kassidy could barley hear it.
"Jesse…Jesse open the door." Kassidy said wobbling the knob. Michael stepped up and knocked on it.
"Come on Jess." He said. Kassidy looked down at Zev.
"Jesse, please." Zev said scratching on the door. There was a long pause. Then out of nowhere:
"Kassidy!" Was screamed from inside the room. Kassidy's eyebrows shot up. "Help! Zev! Kassidy!" Kassidy began to bang against the door and wobble the knob furiously. There was another scream. Kassidy stood back and brought her foot to the door. "Kassidy!" She brought her leg up again. It hit the door a little harder. The door was almost open now. She hit it once more, finally the door flung open.
Kassidy couldn't believe what she saw. There in the room holding Jesse was Marik, but he was different…he looked, angry and hurt. Kassidy walked in the room silently. Everyone else stayed at the door. Marik had his hand over Jesse's mouth and was growling with Rage. He was in demon form and was looking very ready to attack. A tear flowed down Kassidy's cheek.
"Marik?" She tried to make sure it was him.
"Hey Kass. How ya been?" He smiled. Kassidy didn't like this smile. It was cold and dark.
"What are you doing?" She asked. "And why'd you just call me Kass? You never call me Kass."
"I don't know. I just thought I might give you a nickname, that's all…as for what I'm doing, I don't really know. See I jumped in here expecting to see you, but instead a got the midget." He said. Kassidy looked back at the other three. Zev walked up beside Kassidy.
"Marik, how did you…I mean, why are you…" Zev couldn't finish.
"Oh hey pooch." Marik said. Kassidy shuddered.
"Marik, let my sister go and we can talk about what it was you came looking for when you got here." She tried to stay calm and think what was happening isn't true.
"Talk? Who said anything about me wanting to talk?" He asked with a chuckle. "I just thought I'd take you up on that offer you made earlier today. You know the one I'm talking about sweetie, don't you?" He smiled. Kassidy felt herself flush red and stare in disbelief at him.
"I don't know…what you're talking about." Kassidy said. She could feel Michael's and Pete's gaze on them.
"Oh sure you do." He said bending down next to Jesse's ear. She was whimpering and closing her eyes in terror. Marik smiled and licked the young child's ear slowly. Kassidy felt like throwing up. She held her shaking hand to her mouth and closed her eyes. "What's the matter Kass? Don't you like me anymore? Don't you want to show me you love me?"
"I don't know what's gotten into you Marik, but I know we can help-" Kassidy was cut off by Marik's laughter.
"Help me? I don't need help. I'm seeing things clearly now. Things have never been so lucid in my life." He said laughing again. His laugh was different as well. It was evil and loud.
"Marik, give us the child." Zev said. Marik looked down at him seriously.
"Maybe I've decided I'd rather have her than Kassidy. Maybe I desire her. She is cute, isn't she?" Marik said running his fingers through the small girl's hair. Jesse had tears coming from her eyes.
"Marik! Hand her over, cause you sure as hell don't want me to come over there and get her." Michael yelled pulling out his axe. Pete pulled his knife out. Kassidy looked around at them. Lydia was there too, with her metal fans. Grace looked shocked as the other three came over and stood at the door. She looked back at Marik, who was now releasing Jesse. His smile was still planted on his face as he looked at Kassidy.
"Are you scared? I do love it when your scared Kass, your so cute." He said. Kassidy looked up at him as Jesse ran behind Michael.
"Get out of my face." She said with her teeth clenched.
"Awe, no affectionate hug before I go?" He asked spreading his arms out and walking toward Kassidy.
"Don't touch me." She said, "And don't touch my sister." Marik frowned.
"Don't be so serious Kass. That could get you into trouble someday. Not to many people are gunna want to hang around with a person who has a bad attitude." He told her with a smile.
"I said get out. I don't ever want to see your face again." She said and pointed toward the window as the tears built up in her eyes.
"Don't cry Kass, it's pathetic." He whispered. Kassidy flung her hand up and punched his left cheek.
"I said get out!" She yelled. Marik held his cheek and his smile widened. He walked over to the window and stopped.
"I'll see you again real soon, babe…and when I do, I expect a warmer reception." Marik said and hopped out the window. Kassidy felt her knees go numb as she knelt to the floor and freeze. The others stared at her. She felt sick to her stomach.
AN: UH-OH! This is bad. The evil Marik's back! What's gunna happen now? Well in order to find out your gunna have to review so I can start on my next chappie! Oh, some of you haven't read the real chapter twenty because this one went up on accident, anyway, if you read the one called Christmas (chappie 20) you should find out a little more. I would also like to take this time to thank everyone that has been really supportive of this story.