Alyssa's body ached, and she wasn't sure where she was, it was dark and damp, she couldn't see anything, Alyssa then heard someone groan beside of her, she tried to turn and see if it was Georgiana, but it hurt too bad to move. The last thing she remembered was trying to keep Charlotte away from her daughter, but she had failed miserably and for that she deserved to be in this dark pit.
"Georgiana, I'm sorry." Alyssa mumbled hoping that it was Georgiana beside her and not some other poor person, these psychos had kidnapped as well. That's when Alyssa heard the shuffling, and then a few seconds later felt someone place their hand over her own.
"Mother," Georgiana's voice said softly, "I should be the one apologizing, you've protected me like no else has and I should be grateful and not respond like a bitter ole harpy. If Will forgives you, than so do I." she finished and Alyssa felt the tears stream down her cheeks.
"L-Lass, I would throw my arms around you, but they have me chained up." she responded, emotion making her voice husky.
"It's ok; they have me chained up also." Georgiana replied, and squeezed her mother's hand tightly. "Do you think they will really hurt us?" she asked sounding like an unsure child, for once and that made Alyssa remember how young she really was.
"Lass, they took us out of our home and knocked us senseless, I doubt they'll stop at hurting us." she replied feeling awful, knowing Georgiana needed reassurance not the bluntness she was giving her, but why give the poor girl false hope, she wasn't stupid enough to believe it anyway.
"That's what I thought." Georgiana said bitterly. "I never did, like that Charlotte, she reminded me of a reptile and the way she would gaze at Will, almost like a hungry wolf I-it's disgusting…" she trailed off.
Alyssa gave a dry laugh, "I feel sorry for the man that marries that wretched harpy." she commented offhandedly.
Georgiana nodded snorted but was otherwise silent, and if Alyssa had been able to see through the darkness she would have seen the thoughtful look on her daughter's face, also she would have not have been as surprised with Georgiana suddenly said, "I wonder when, Will, will ask Lizzie to marry her."
Alyssa of course was taken aback by this; she hadn't expected something like that from Georgiana, considering they were locked in some sort of dungeon. "Well, Lass, where did that come from?"
"I don't know, the way they react to each other, sometimes you could swear they hate each other, but if the other gets hurt they are immediately at their side…I don't suppose their in love?" she asked thoughtfully, but Alyssa never did get to answer the question because just then someone very unexpected walked in, a person Alyssa had not seen in quite sometime and at the sight she drew in a sharp intake of breathe and Alyssa knew without a doubt, Georgiana and she, did not stand a chance.
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"Nothing?" Lizzie questioned Will, looking at him in disbelief.
"No, Elizabeth, there's not a clue left behind. Nothing, it's as if they disappeared into thin air." he sighed running his now very human hand through his hair.
"So, what will we do now?" Jane questioned from her place on the couch, looking up from where she had been staring at her upturned palms, when Lizzie had explained Will's mom, Alyssa was really Amanda, Jane had went into commando mode immediately and now with no trace of either one of them, she was hurting very badly.
"There's not much we can do." Will replied unhappily, "unless you have some sort of time machine, so we can fly back in time and see what exactly happened in this room." he commented sarcastically.
"That's it!" Lizzie snapped her fingers excitedly.
"Elizabeth, please explain, yourself." Will said slightly frustrated, at himself for not being able to do anything to help his mother and his sister and it was beginning to spill over.
"Yeah, Lizzie, what's it?" Jane echoed.
"Flying, Charlotte she can fly…so couldn't she have flew in here and have taken Alyssa and Georgiana, without leaving a trace?" Lizzie asked excitedly, hoping this theory would stick.
"Except, Charlotte could have carried only one person,' Will commented. "Even I can only carry one person while flying." he explained.
"So, she could of have had an accomplice," Jane tapped her forefinger to her chin in thoughtful gesture. "That carried the other person-"
"Or drove," Lizzie interrupted.
"Yes, or drove," Jane agreed, "but who would want to be her accomplice?"
"Catherine." Will offered.
"Or Jack," Lizzie suggested.
"But, why would Charlotte want my mother or Georgiana?" Will questioned, while managing to destroy their theory in one sentence, and he watched as Lizzie's and Jane's faces fell, which made him feel terrible, but they couldn't accuse someone of kidnapping without reason.
"Hmm?" Lizzie said thoughtfully and then stared right at Will, but it was as if she wasn't seeing him. "Will, you're the answer."
"Elizabeth, I am inclined to believe your losing your mind." he commented confusedly.
"No…no let me explain," Lizzie raised her hands as if to block their doubts, "Charlotte, she's always been obsessed with Will-"
"But how does that give her a reason for wanting to kidnap, my sister and mother?" Will, forever the skeptic asked, while crossing his arms and tapping his foot, impatiently.
Jane being insightful saw that both Lizzie and Will were worried and tired, so knew a fight was unavoidable if she didn't say anything. "Will, Lizzie, it's late we should get some rest and take a look at the theory of Charlotte being the kidnapper, tomorrow morning in a new light." Jane suggested, hoping that this time no one would argue with the peacekeeper, for once.
"I agree." Lizzie yawned, while shooting Will a look, and Jane being so relieved that no one was arguing with her suggestion, didn't notice.
"Yes, it's late. I need to head home anyway." Will nodded his head, making his long hair fall into his eyes, which Lizzie found very endearing.
"No!" Lizzie said a little too loudly and drawing weird stares from both Jane and Will. "I mean, Will there's really no reason for you to head all the way home, when your just going to have to come back in the morning…right?" she said in a lowered tone.
"Yes, Will, you should stay?" Jane urged as well, knowing Lizzie was so much better off with Will here, than when he was gone, and just wanted what was best for her sister.
"Okay." Will agreed, "Besides if whoever kidnapped Georgiana and my mother comes back I would like to be here to protect you two." he said to both Jane and Lizzie, but his stayed on Lizzie's face longer.
"Jane, you can go to bed and I'll show Will to his room." Lizzie offered, while giving her sister a look that said please just go along with it.
"Okay." Jane nodded, "I'll see you, guys in the morning." and with that she left the room and was gone.
"Elizabeth, while I may not be able to read minds, I am smart enough to know when you really need to talk to me. So what's going, on?" Will questioned, while walking over to where she was standing and taking her hands into his own.
Lizzie took a breathe before beginning, it was so strange feeling as if she was inclined to talk to someone, tell them everything, and maybe that was what having a relationship was, being accountable to another person. "I want to talk about, me being able to read minds." She gave him a half-hearted smile. "Will, please do not tell Jane any of this. S-she might go into shock, she's been through a lot discovering that vampires exist and I haven't even told her about the whole cursed thing yet."
"Elizabeth, it's okay, I know someone who can explain everything." Will, said with a mysterious grin.
"Who?"
"Charlie, of course." he gave her a silly grin, which was strange on his usually grim face.
Lizzie's face dropped, "that could turn out really bad." she warned, feeling really bad about the idea of Jane seeing Charlie, it seemed Jane was finally over him and just shoving him back into her life, without the apology he needed to give, it just didn't seem right.
"Or it could turn out really well." Will argued.
"I don't know if Jane's ready for that, yet. She just seems to be getting over him." Lizzie explained, releasing Will's hands and frowning thoughtfully as tired to picture a meeting between those two and couldn't help, but seeing a huge fight.
"They both want to get back together." Will said crossing his arms and staring Lizzie down.
"How do you know, what Jane wants?" Lizzie demanded, with an arched brow and wondered where Will got off telling her what her sister wanted.
"It's obvious to me, she's missing him as much as he's missing her." he informed her, and leaned over to look her in the face, which sent a spark through Lizzie, but she refused to let this show.
"Who are you, to force them together." she argued, "besides, why should she give him a second chance after what he did?" Lizzie demanded, annoyed.
"You did." he replied with a white, pointy toothed, grin, as he looked her in the face.
Lizzie felt her face burn, at his reply, and said the first thing that popped into her head. "I feel short."
Will smiled at how small she was compared to him, so leaned over even more and breathed into her ear, "that's because you are." and then he kissed her gently.
As he pulled away she felt herself pull him back, and then Lizzie buried her face into his icy chest, and breathed deeply. "Will, I'm so worried about Georgiana and Alyssa." she peeked at his expression and saw him looking at her with an emotion that can only be described as loving.
"I know," Will, sighed as he ran his free hand over her hair, "so, am I." He finished, realizing how soft her hair was, which made him smile gently down at the top of her head.
"I need to show you, the room you will be staying in." Lizzie commented, his t-shirt making her voice muffled.
"Yes, you do." Will agreed with a nod of his head as Lizzie let go of him and took a step back, her eyes managing never to leave his face.
She then turned and motioned for him to follow her down the hallway.
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Lizzie lay in bed watching the weird shapes the shadows made, such as the tree branches that looked like bony fingers trying to get in her room, or the dresser that appeared to be a boxy ghost. Darkness distorted everything, that's why if it stayed in a person's soul for too long they became strange and inhumane. Lizzie wondered if that was what had happened to Charlotte and Catherine, if they let the darkness reside in their souls for too long and that's what made them ugly people.
Lizzie sighed and rolled over there was no sleep for her tonight apparently, there was too much on her mind, Will, Georgiana, Alyssa, the fact she couldn't tell Will she loved him, it refused to release her mind and let her sleep. So Lizzie finally climbed out of bed and walked out onto her terrace, where the wind was blowing softly.
Lizzie lifted her pale face to the warm breeze and sighed at the release it gave her, something she needed, release. She felt so full of sadness, confusion, hurt and worry as of late, it was becoming a very big burden, and she needed release.
That's when she heard it, a voice muttering. Lizzie peered out into the darkness and that's when she saw it, Charlotte's now very beautiful face staring at the house with a look of pure rage and hate, she then spotted Lizzie staring at her and the look she gave Lizzie said that she was going to hurt Lizzie, very badly, and there was nothing Lizzie could do except wait for the pain to begin.
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Catherine held a flashlight; up to her face so both Alyssa and Georgiana would know who was in the dungeon with them, a small act of mercy that was highly unusual for her.
"Catherine!" Alyssa and Georgiana gasped simultaneously, and Catherine felt some sort of pity for the two ragged people in chains, Georgiana had a cut over one eyebrow and dried blood was crusted on her right eyebrow from the cut, and she had dirt streaked on her face, while Alyssa had a blacken eye, her lip had been cut and there was a large scratch that stretched from her eye to the bottom of her cheek.
Catherine sighed it was going to be impossibly hard to get them ready for the ball or The Meeting, is what they should call it, but the cursed were a picky bunch and they wanted it to be referred to as a ball.
"Where are Charlotte and Jack?" Alyssa demanded interrupting Catherine's thoughts, "and where are we?" she asked before Catherine had a chance to say anything.
"Charlotte is unavoidably detained, as for that lazy bum, Jack Wickem; I have no idea and truthfully don't care. As for where you are, your in my dungeon, but rest assure the rest of my home is not so nearly as dismissal." she replied, crossing her arms and began to tap her foot, as began to form a plan of what she needed to do to Alyssa and Georgiana.
"What are you going to do to us?" Georgiana shouted out suddenly, managing to catch Catherine off guard and make her give a slight yelp, which did not please her at all, vulnerability wasn't her style, not at all.
"Why, my dear, I'm dressing you and your mother for a ball." she replied through clenched teeth, trying to control her annoyance at the wretched girl and her snobbish mother.
"Oh-no!" Alyssa gasped. "Catherine, what day is it?" she questioned her eyes filled with horror, and it mad Catherine grin sadistically, as she realized Alyssa knew what happened at the full in the beginning of every August.
"Four days before the first of August and the full moon." she replied and patted her tight bun and looked down at her now grime covered heels, which irritated her, she had really loved those, but no matter.
"Catherine, surely you wouldn't agree to endorse the ridiculous idea of the cursed sacrificing a human, for a nonexistent chance of being fully human?" Alyssa asked horror filling her pale empty face.
"Oh wouldn't I?" Catherine asked with a gloatingly cruel grin. She knew that when the full moon landed on August first, the people that had been cursed and mutated, by scientific experiments came together at the invited place and had a ball. They believed that if they sacrificed a human to the evil forces that had made what they were, it might be so pleased it would turn them back to their fully human form. So after the ball they took one of the few humans that had been invited, and did…well the deed and Catherine was now indorsing this idea because of the payment Charlotte had offered. The death of her sister Alyssa Darcy.
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Lizzie waited as Charlotte floated down from the sky her face going from rage to an empty mask, but this still didn't scare Lizzie, if Charlotte let her rage keep controlling her, Lizzie was allowed to read every thought that crossed her mind and now her thoughts were running along these lines.
What does he see in her? I am so much more beautiful and alluring than that fat sow! Well I now have her ex in my back pocket; I'll soon have her current there as well…just as soon as the ball is over and done with.
Lizzie was confused, what did Charlotte mean by a ball? And was Jack in the league with Charlotte and Catherine? But Lizzie didn't ask any of these questions because doing so, would reveal her newly found talent.
"Elizabeth, how have you been?" Charlotte questioned in a clipped tone.
"Fine," Lizzie replied in an overly polite tone. "So how has the kidnapping business been treating you?" she slipped out with out meaning to.
Charlotte grinned cruelly. "I wondered how long it would take you to figure out that it was I that kidnapped your paramour's sister and mother." she surveyed her perfectly manicured nails as if she couldn't get enough of them.
"Will, is not my paramour." Lizzie snapped, "Do even know what the word means?" she asked clenching her hands tightly trying not to slap Charlotte across her perfect face.
Charlotte eyes moved from surveying her nails to Lizzie's less than perfect face, and gave her a knowing smile. "A lover, especially one in a relationship with a married person." she rattled off as if reading from a dictionary.
Lizzie didn't have anything to say to this, so they faced off, neither turning their eyes from the others face. Lizzie felt numb inside and out, knowing Charlotte had Georgiana and Alyssa, locked up somewhere and she was admitting it in a boastful manner to boot.
While she was busy with her own thoughts, Lizzie forgot to read Charlotte's own, so when suddenly spoke with a, "Elizabeth, I'm not here to fight." Lizzie had no idea what Charlotte had up her sleeve and reading her mind was now futile because she had somehow composed herself, and none of her emotions were running rampant.
"So, Charlotte, what are you here for?" Lizzie practically spit out, she was so peeved.
"An invitation," Charlotte replied with a cool smile, as if they were in a game of cat and mouse and she was the cat.
"What sort of invitation?" Lizzie was forced to ask, and hating this vulnerable emotion that was consuming her. She didn't like this feeling of being the weaker of the two, the only time she felt like this was with Will, but she trusted him and knew he would never take advantage of that, while Charlotte on the other hand was whole different ball game.
"A ball at Lady Catherine De Burg's estate, of course" She stretched out the name to sound superior and intimidating, but Lizzie wasn't falling for it in the least.
"And what on earth gave you the idea that I would go to anything that witch was giving?" Lizzie asked crossing arms and glared at Charlotte angrily.
"Oh, this is a very special party," she replied and waited for a reaction from Lizzie and apparently she saw what she was looking for because she continued, "it involves, Georgiana and Alyssa, also about a thousand of the cursed and mutated. They're looking for a sacrifice and I kind of promised Alyssa would be that sacrifice."
To say the least, Lizzie's jaw dropped, when Charlotte had finished. Lizzie wasn't even sure she had heard correctly, but Will saved Lizzie from having to respond because it was then he appeared moving himself in between Charlotte and Lizzie, his fangs gleaming angrily in the moonlight, and his eyes two flaming green orbs.
"The Full Moon, Ball." he growled in a low angry voice, and gave Charlotte a glare that would have set a weaker person screaming and running for cover.
"Oh, William, I'm surprised you know of it. Considering you, have only been one of us for a year." Charlotte giggled a girlish laugh that was strange coming from such a cruel mouth.
"Charlotte, you've only been cursed for a month if not less." Will answered with a calmness he did not feel and prayed that his voice would not betray his anger. "How would you know anything about it?'
"I've done my research." she retorted as she moved gracefully to his side and ran a long thin finger down his cheek. Will flinched from under touch and shudder to think she had the brazenness to treat him as he was hers.
"So then you know, you must be a cursed or mutant for over a year before you can be invited?" Will posed the question superiorly, while Lizzie watched this uncomprehendingly, she was in shock from the fact that Charlotte had agreed to let anyone be sacrificed, she always seem envious, or possibly misguided, but not that evil…right?
"Not if you're the one giving the party." Charlotte said with a dazzling grin that would have sent any man, but Will, to his knees, but he had eyes for one person and one person only, Elizabeth Bennet and no witch was going to change that. "So, will you come? Because I'm afraid if you don't…" Charlotte pressed herself up against Will and whispered seductively in his ear, "your Mother will die!"
"No!" Will roared furiously, and grabbed Charlotte by her long thin neck, her feet dangled in the air, but she still didn't seemed fazed by his sudden outburst, in fact she was calm and collected, not a sign of fear on her. "Give me one good reason, I shouldn't kill you?" he asked in a low tone, his rage had consumed him and Lizzie was hearing every thought in his head.
I hate her; she's nothing more than a witch a horrible terrible wench that needs to die! I wish I could have protected my mother and my sister, I wasn't here with them. And then he thought something that made Lizzie blush. But Elizabeth, she was-is more important, there was no stopping me from going to her, and I'll never regret that, because I love her.
These thoughts made Lizzie come to her senses, and she knew what she had to do. "Will, please release Charlotte." she commanded softly and Will so shocked by her request did as she asked. "Thank you." Lizzie murmured as she walked over to where Charlotte was sprawled out on the stone terrace.
Lizzie got down on her knees, and looked at Charlotte as she never had before, with the eyes of the non judgmental and the innocent and saw a person who had be hurt repeatedly and given power, was finally lashing out.
"Charlotte," Lizzie whispered her eyes never moving from Charlotte's face, "could I be the sacrifice in Alyssa's place?" something in Charlotte's eyes snapped and she was back to her normal cocky self, she muttered a few words that Lizzie couldn't make out, and then as if having the need to prove it, grabbed Lizzie by her arm and jerked her high into the air.
"Always the martyr, aren't you?" Charlotte sneered spitting in Lizzie's face, "you could never have left well enough alone, and you need to kill yourself to prove your good enough for Will, didn't you? Always showing me up, well if I dropped you now, there would be no martyrdom for you, only a sad accidental death, and I suppose, Will, could be hypnotized to believe you killed yourself rather dying than spending the rest of her life with a monster!"
Lizzie's eyes shifted downward and she saw how high up they really were and she felt the breath leave her chest, and then she looked into Charlotte's eyes and saw the intent to kill, insanity pure and simple, and Lizzie knew she was going to die, because Will was frozen to the ground, and Lizzie had no doubt Charlotte was the cause for it. It was the words she had muttered, and they must have hypnotized Will. So she was going to die.
Charlotte cackled, pulling Lizzie from her thoughts. "So, before you die, what do you have to say for yourself?" she asked with a hapless grin.
Lizzie said nothing, she no longer had the strength to come up with some snappy comeback, like in the movies she had seen, because when you finally realize your going to die there are no words to express how you feel.
"Well, then, good-bye, Elizabeth." Charlotte said with a grin and released Lizzie's arm.
Lizzie fell through space and a moment seemed to be an eternity, but her thoughts were mostly revolved around Will and Jane. How she never told Will she loved him and how she never had let Jane know she was the best sister a girl could hope for, but all she could do was close her eyes and waited for impact.
Ooh, a cliffhanger. So you know the drill review and I will update very soon. Another thing if you guys want you can make cursed people and mutants for me to use, and if you do just be really creative and I will give credit where credit is do, so here's an example of how I want the form to look, either pm it to me or just put it in along with your review.
Name:
Curse/mutation:
Background of Mutation/curse, who gave it, who they gave it, etcetera:
Looks:
Personality:
Clothes:
Anything extra you might want to add:
Okey doke let me know what you think.
Love
Waiting in the wings.