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Seven – Thanks for reminding me about Five's sword. I'll put it in :D
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Chapter 21
Marina
I wake up slowly and groggily, not entirely sure what's going on. I feel absolutely great which is a relief considering I'm usually feeling terrible after teleporting…
Teleporting!
I sit up at once, looking around for the others but something's not right. I'm not on ashy ground with nothing else in sight. I can't hear Nine groaning and complaining about how sore his head is. I can't hear a thing. I can't see the others anywhere near me.
Instead, I'm in a bed in a stone room with rows of beds. There's a stream of light coming from somewhere, but it's not artificial light. My eyes focus on the room better and my heart stops when I finally realise where I am.
I'm back in Santa Teresa.
I sit up in my bunk bed, my heart hammering. I can see the other girls still asleep in their beds and from the dark night sky outside; I can tell it is still nighttime. I can see the same moon shining down into the room.
Why am I here? Is this a dream?
I look away from the moon and then muffle a scream as a face stares back at me from the window. A monstrous face with filed-off teeth and red eyes. It grins at me before slowly disappearing into the darkness.
Somewhere in the convent a door slams shut.
I whimper quietly and jump down from my bed, noticing I'm still in my jeans and jumper from earlier. What the hell is going on? Am I unconscious and having some twisted dream? Maybe Setrakus is screwing with my mind.
I shake the thought off and instead to decide to carry on getting the hell out of here. The others must be around here somewhere; I just need to find them.
I creep through the orphanage bedroom, until I get to the door. I take a deep breath, noticing in alarm that none of the girls are awake. There was always one or two awake at some point in the night. And why weren't they woken up by my half-scream?
I slowly open the door and creep out of the bedroom, terrified and creeped out. What is going on? Why am I here and not on Lorien? This must be a dream; that's the only explanation.
I slowly tiptoe down the corridor, my heart thumping in my chest. My knuckles are white and as I pass a small alcove, I notice a thick candlestick. I grab it, feeling better for the weapon in my hands. It might not be a gun or a sword but it's certainly heavy enough to do some serious damage.
I hear another door slam and then there's a really high piercing scream throughout the orphanage. The sound is filled with pain and fear. It's the kind of scream that would happen in horror films but this is all too real. The scream goes on for a long time and then breaks off.
Another door slams shut.
I duck into a nearby alcove, tears of panic in my eyes. I haven't been alone like this since the orphanage and being here inspires the same fear of being useless that haunted me all those years. I feel like the weak girl I used to be.
I hear footsteps running down the nearby corridor and I hold my breath, praying that I can't be seen or heard. I have no idea how to break out of this nightmare or how to conquer it. I feel useless and paralysed by fear. I don't even know if my legacies work but I'm too scared to test it out.
A woman runs past me and I react without thinking. I know her. I would know her anywhere, even when she's running in a panic and even when I'm half delirious in panic and terror.
"Adelina!" I call in a soft hiss. She turns at once, her face filling with relief when she sees me. She seems a little puzzled when she sees the candlestick but doesn't say a thing.
"Seven! We need to go now!" she whispers. She runs over and grasps my wrist. Her hand is like ice and dread floods through me, freezing me to the floor. I suddenly doubt her and I wish I'd stayed hidden. There's something off about her.
"I'm Marina, remember?" I say. Her face is filled with anger for a split second and then she smiles softly.
"Of course, Marina, of course" she whispers. There's the bang of a door in the distance and then the pounding of a heavy pair of boots comes closer to us. I freeze in panic and turn to her in horror.
"What do we do?" I beg. She's as white as I feel and then she drags me down the corridor towards the main entrance.
"We need to make it to the town" she whispers, her voice filled with fear but there's an edge I don't recognise. I'm shaking in fear and I don't feel like the girl I've become. I feel like the weak one who let Six do all the commanding and fighting. Also, seeing Adelina is seriously shaking me up. She should be dead.
We turn to go down another corridor when I furrow my brows. "Adelina, this isn't the right way" I whisper. She turns and smiles calmly. That's when I really begin to panic.
"Of course it is, Seven" she says, her voice filled with confidence and humour. I try to tug my wrist out of her grip but it's too strong and I'm too weak. She laughs cruelly and then she begins to change.
I've only seen this happen once before and that was in New Mexico after Eight had been stabbed. I watch in horror as Adelina grows taller and bigger, her gentle face transforming into a cruel one. I stagger back, the candlestick still in my grip.
"Hello Seven" Setrakus Ra muses. I gasp, trying to conjure up my legacy of mind control to help me out but there's nothing. I can't do a damn thing.
"Where's Adelina?" I ask shakily. He laughs and then gestures to the right. I flicker my eyes to the right and then scream.
It's Adelina, lying on the ground with blood around her. I want to run over to her and make sure she's alive; even though it's obvious she's dead. Her glassy eyes fix on me as one of her arms reaches out towards me, unmoving.
"This was your fault Seven" Setrakus taunts. "She always dies because of you. You're a curse. This is what you do; kill the ones who love you" his poisonous words seep into my mind and infect me. I begin to listen to him, hating the words but recognising the truth.
"Join us Seven" he continues. "You need us and we need you. Join us" That sudden offer of joining the mogs makes cold reality hit me like a bucket of cold water and I shake my head at once.
"Never!" I hiss before swinging the candlestick towards him. It's so fast and hard that it hits him before he can react and he's sent stumbling back. His jaw makes a sharp cracking sound and he screams in pain.
I use the distraction and run.
I race through the convent, every shadow an enemy. I'm terrified and am bolting like an animal being hunted. I make it to the huge doors when a mog lunges out at me. I use my candlestick to try and kill it, but it just stumbles back laughing.
I burst out of the doors and then race down the path towards the town. I can hear the sound of vehicles behind me, as well as the howl of pikens. I'm speechless in terror but I keep running. I feel useless and weak and-
"Marina!" I turn to see Eight nearby, looking confused by my state of terror. I sob in relief and throw myself at him in a half-mad delirium. Finally! A familiar, wonderful face!
"Eight! We need to go!" I pant, tugging on his hand to leave. He furrows his brow in confusion as I desperately try to pull him away.
"Nothing's wrong. Marina, what's going on?" he asks. Before I can answer there's the sound of a gunshot and then Eight staggers back, his chest stained in blood.
"W-what?" he gasps. He reaches out for me, his face tragically confused as he stumbles forwards. He tries to say something but blood spills out of his lips and he crumples to the floor.
I can only stand there in shock as Eight dies, twitching on the cold ground. I can't make a sound, can't scream or sob or anything. I can only watch the love of my life die.
"See?" I turn to see Setrakus Ra there, a smug smile on his lips as Eight breathes his last breath and then stills. "You only cause people to die for you. You're useless, pathetic, weak" he taunts.
"No" my lips are numb but I manage to say something. My whole body feels numb but I have to fight. That's what Eight would have wanted. "No, I'm not"
My voice sounds feeble even to me.
Setrakus laughs. "Everything's your fault. Adelina died because of you, Hector, Eight… they all die because of you and your weakness. If you weren't so useless they'd still be alive"
"No" my voice is stronger and I stand straighter. I draw up on the remainder of my strength. I can't let him win anymore. I have to make Eight and everyone proud. "You're wrong"
Setrakus snarls in rage. "You're weak and pathetic-"
"No!" I shout. I feel so strong now, like I could win anything. "I'm strong and I can fight. I was chosen to fight you and I'll make everyone proud. I am number Seven and you're nothing"
He roars as if in pain and then everything around me dissolves. The surrounding countryside blurs into nothingness and I hear a loud roaring in my ears before I black out.
I wake up a short while later, lying on dusty ground. I feel terrible and exhausted, as though I've fought a huge battle. I look up and look around, seeing nothing but bare ground.
I'm on Lorien.
I lie back on the ground wearily, finally realising what I was experiencing. It was the challenge we'd been warned about. It's our worst fears. We had to finally face them and only if we're strong enough can we beat them.
I did it. I beat my deepest, darkest fear: the fear of being a liability.
I smile wearily, ignoring my pounding head. Now I know why we had those challenges. What's the point of trying to win a war if we don't believe in ourselves? But I've proved that I'm strong enough to fight my inner demons.
Killing Setrakus will be easy compared to that…hopefully
"I can do this" I stagger to my feet as I begin to look for the others. "I can do this. I am Number Seven"
Xxx
Six
I sit on the ship, watching the stars streaming past outside. It seems as though in the ten years that the Loric have been on Earth that the mogadorian technology has really improved. They've managed to create a ship that travels between Earth and Lorien in a week, instead of a year. It probably also helps that they use harmful fuels instead of the natural ones the Loric used to get to Earth.
"How do you like the view?" Setrakus asks, leaning back in his throne-like chair, a smug smile on his face. We're in the main cabin whilst the rest of the troops are camped out in the levels below us. There must be about 1000 mogs on this ship, which I find incredible considering the size of the ship.
"It's pretty cool" I admit. I can see some of the famous stars that I saw from my window on Earth up close. "It's an impressive ship" I add. Setrakus grins as he takes a drink from his glass. I think it's the mogadorian version of the energy drink.
"It is" he nods proudly. "It's also a battleship" he continues, going on to explain the different function the ship has. I pretend to be interested but I just can't focus on what he's saying.
"What did you mean earlier when you said the Loric had to face something before facing us?" I interrupt. His face tightens but he doesn't say anything about my rude interruption.
"They have to face their greatest fears" he says, his face thoughtful. I furrow my brow in confusion and relief at him finally telling the truth.
"But why? And how do you know?" I ask. Setrakus smiles grimly, looking proud of himself.
"When you set a charm in general, there's always a few hours after it's set where it's vulnerable to change" he begins. I'm confused at his direction but listen in, interested. "Any other Loric can interfere with the charm to change it to their advantage" he adds. I bite my lip.
"Is that why they're not set often then? Because they can be dangerous?" I ask. Setrakus nods, leaning forwards, his monstrous face split in a grin.
"Exactly. Charm making is very hard and it's almost impossible for someone to set the right protections surrounding those subject to the charm. Unless you're a very skilled charm maker, then it's very hard" Setrakus explains. I nod and bite my lip.
"So you interfered after the charm was set by Loridas to make the Loric children have to face their greatest fear before facing you?" I ask. Setrakus nods, grinning cruelly at me.
"It was a last defence" he laughs, taking another sip from his drink. "When I learned of the charm, I interfered at once and set my own small charm so that the ones who never died would have to face a challenge before killing me. I had hoped that they would be killed by their challenge before they had to face me"
"Was it hard?" I ask curiously. Sometimes I forget just how powerful he can be. "Was it hard to interfere?" Setrakus turns thoughtful, pursing his vulgar lips.
"Yes" he finally says. "It was almost impossible. They were already so far away and although Loridas wasn't the best at setting protection around the charms, the defence wards were still strong. I had to break through them before adding my own charm" he explains. I nod, looking out of the small window again.
"More like a curse" I say absently. Setrakus smirks with a shrug.
"Yes, I suppose it is" he muses proudly. I bite my lip as I look outside, feeling serene as I gaze at the ancient stars. They're stunning against the dark backdrop of space and I suddenly feel so lost out here in the wilderness.
"And what if they win the challenge?" I ask. Setrakus shrugs, but his eyes become darker.
"Then they're stronger than I thought but they'll still be exhausted" he shrugs and I know that's the end of this conversation.
The small communicator on Setrakus' belt buzzes and he lifts it up to listen. He nods once, mutters something in Mogadorian, before getting up and leaving. I breathe a sigh of relief to be alone and I take a long drink of water.
You know this is wrong the voice is back again with a vengeance but I try to ignore it.
No it's not. This is the will of the Beloved Leader I reply at once, quoting the only bit I've learned so far of the Book. The voice mentally snorts and I almost want to grin but I don't.
Oh right, sure the voice is sarcastic. What about the Loric? You think this is fair on them?
I furrow my brow as I think over that statement. This voice in my head is sympathetic towards the Loric but I have no idea why. I should be on the mogs side and this voice is a traitor.
Who are you? I finally ask. Why are you in my head?
There's a long silence and I think for a moment that the voice isn't going to answer but then it finally does.
I'm your conscience. I'm you.
Before I reply or deny anything, the door opens and Setrakus walks in, dragging a teenage girl with him. She has a kind of emo style, with black clothes and dyed hair. She's swearing at him, especially when he chucks her down on the floor. She's handcuffed and can't free herself.
"Who's this?" I ask, rising to my feet. I can almost sense the interest of the voice in my head so I try to block it out.
"A traitor. The sister of Adam" Setrakus snarls, kicking the girl. I've been told briefly about the traitorous mog Adam, so I know that this girl must be just as bad.
"Oh" I don't know what else to say so I just stand there, unsure of what to do. It's not like I can really do anything anyway.
"She's coming with us to fight against the Loric" Setrakus grins, settling down on his seat. The girl, Kelly, tries to struggle to her feet but she's too tightly tied up. I can see the pain and fear in her eyes.
I suddenly realise with a sense of horror that we both have more in common than I thought. We're both completely under the control of Setrakus and only our usefulness is keeping us alive. I settle down in my seat, fear filling my body with ice as I try to control my feelings.
Suddenly, more than ever, I really want to get to Lorien and find out what's going on. I want to know whether I really am the experiment Setrakus says I am.
And if I'm not, what am I?
Xxx
Five
"Five, Five wake up!"
I groan and shake my head, wincing as it scrapes against the rough floor. I feel terrible; like a truck has hit me several times. I want to shut my eyes again and sleep more but I'm awake now.
"Nine?" I moan quietly, my eyes slowly fluttering open. I'm filled with confusion as I notice stone walls around me and a sickly blue light in the corner of my vision.
I try to get up but when I move my arms, they're tugged sharply down to my sides again. I look and see the thick manacles locked around my wrists. I'm covered in bruises and when I shift a little, pain races through me.
"I'm not Nine" I look up finally at that voice and I feel as though my heart stops. In front of me is Christina, looking as rough as I feel. How is this possible? How is she alive and how are we here? I feel tears build up in my eyes as I tug desperately on the handcuffs but they won't budge.
"What's going on?" I ask, my head whipping around. What's happening? I feel useless and worse, terrified. I've never felt so scared and hopeless in my life before.
My one hope is that the others might be around. They might come and rescue me from this hellhole. The mogs must have found a way to keep Christina alive and now are torturing me mentally on my own planet by building this base here.
They really have no limits.
"We've been captured" Christina whispers. I finally take in the fact she's here and I'm overwhelmed at how happy I am that she's here. It's so wonderful to see her face again and I feel tears well up in my eyes. Yet at the same time, I feel horrible paralysing dread seep through me. Why has she been kept alive for so long?
"I've missed you so much" I whisper. She smiles, tears streaming down her cheeks, as she fidgets on the cold floor of this cell.
"I've missed you too" she whispers. I can hear shouting from the corridor outside and the clanging of cell doors slamming. I wince and cringe into the wall of the cell.
"The others will save us" I say, determined. Nine will come for me and then we can kick some ass together, just like old times. Once I'm out of here, I'll show the mogs who not to mess with.
"The others?" Christina frowns. "But they're not here…."
She's cut off from speaking when the door opens with a sharp clang and mogs march in. There are about three of them, all heavily armed paired with horrible smirks. I want to get up and kill them all but unfortunately I'm not really in the position to do that.
The lead mog heads over to a tray of lethal looking instruments and I begin to sweat, freezing at the sight of those knives and god-knows what else. I tug violently on my restraints but I can't do a thing.
"Oh, these aren't for you" the mog snarls gleefully at me, selecting one and going over to Christina. "These are for her"
He drags the knife down her cheek and she tenses, clenching her jaw. Drops of blood appear, gently rolling down her cheek like tears. She's breathing quickly and squeezes her eyes shut.
"Don't" I beg, my voice raw. This is like my worst nightmare being played out and I can't do a thing. This is what I tried to avoid all those years ago but now I can't do a damn thing.
"Why not?" The mog drags the blade along her other cheek. "It's fun" he laughs and the other two mogs join in with vicious cackles.
"I'll do whatever you want" I beg, tugging on the manacles again. "Just don't hurt her" I plead. The mog laughs and then transforms, his whole body shaking and twitching.
I can't watch but at the same time, I have no choice. My eyes widen with horror as my enemy, Setrakus Ra, appears in front of me, a grin on his face. Christina has gone white in fear and pain and terror races through me. This has always, always been my greatest fear: seeing someone I love being hurt.
"You coward" I hiss angrily. "What have you done to my planet?" Setrakus laughs as he saunters over, flicking the knife up and down in his hands. I fix a glare on my face but I can feel cold dread filling me and making me numb.
"I've done nothing to it" he laughs but there's a puzzled light in his eyes. "But I'll do something to your little Cepan over there" he laughs.
Before I can reply or beg, he flicks his wrist towards Christina. The dagger goes hurtling through the air and then slices into her shoulder. Her head droops, as blood soaks into her clothes and she gasps for breath.
"No!" I scream, straining against my restraints. I thought I'd avoided seeing her being tortured all those years ago but it seems as though I was always going to have to see it.
"Please no!" I beg harder, tears streaming down my face. Setrakus laughs as he goes over to Christina, kicking her swiftly in the side before plucking the dagger out of her shoulder. She groans in pain.
There's the sound of explosions outside but nobody slams down the cell door and comes to our rescue. Where are the others? Where's Nine? I would have thought he'd be doing anything to help me… unless he's in the same situation as me.
"You see there's nothing I want from you, no information or legacies" Setrakus taunts as he goes over to Christina. I sob harder, wanting to close my eyes and turn away. He's trying to break me and to my shame I can feel it working.
"This is simply a form of fun" Setrakus taunts. There's a sudden sharp bang on the door and then it opens, revealing two more mogs. They're dragging someone into the room and I freeze when I see who it is.
It's not the strong, headstrong Nine I've gotten to know and love. This one is covered in cuts and bruises but the worst thing isn't his injuries. It's the heartbroken sobbing.
"You killed her" he sobs, his shaggy hair hanging around his face. He needs to cut it, I notice absently. "You killed her you monsters!"
"Nine, I'm right here" I say, relieved he's here. I don't understand why he's sobbing about them killing me though; I'm right here.
"Who are you?" he asks, his voice raw. Ice floods through my veins and I stare at him shocked as he's chained against the wall like me. I can't even move, just breathe and stare at him in shock.
"You killed her! You killed Maddy!" Nine yells in anguish. The ice freezes around my heart and I suddenly realise what this is. This isn't reality; this is a nightmare and I have to face all of my worst fears.
It's my challenge. The one I need to face to beat Setrakus. And if I can't beat my inner demons, how am I supposed to beat the mogs?
I close my eyes and take deep breaths, trying to clear my mind. I picture Nine and I together, and not in this dreadful cell. I try to imagine Christina, as she was, not this terrified version of her.
"You can't beat me" I say steadily, my eyes still shut. "We will fight you and we will win. This won't make me weak, it's made me stronger than you'll ever know. I'm Number Five and you're nothing"
I open my eyes to see Setrakus Ra stumbling book, his eyes wide open and his mouth slack. He tries to say something when there's a screeching noise and an explosion of sound. I shut my eyes, holding my breath.
Things suddenly calm down and I open my eyes, looking around. I'm not chained up, but lying down on bare soil. I smile at once, despite the tears rolling down my cheeks. I'm here, I'm on Lorien and I beat my challenge.
I sit up, ignoring the woozy feeling, and stagger to my feet. I'm dressed in the clothes I wore back on Earth and I grip my daggers in reassurance. I look around and the grin when I see a girl nearby. She's tall with dark hair and I know her at once.
"Marina!" I call. She turns to me as I run to her. I don't even hesitate when I see her and I throw my arms around her in a huge hug. She muffles a sob as she hugs me back. I know at once that she's faced her challenge and like me, she beat it.
"We've done it" I sob, pulling back and sniffing. "We've done it, we need to find the others"
She nods, trying to appear strong too, but on the inside, we're both as fragile as glass. We might have won against our challenges but they've opened up some pretty deep scars for us.
I shake it off and decide to look out for the others. I need to focus now otherwise we won't win.
I hope you enjoyed! Also, I hope you guys like the idea of them having to face their personal demons as a challenge. I wanted a different kind of fight, so hopefully it was all right. I'd also love suggestions for the challenges Eight, John and Ella will have to face (I've done Nine's)
Please review!