Amethyst Skies
Part 2
By Dog-Demon-Emiko
Chapter 21: Not That Innocent
They weren't giving up, I realized that two days ago. They had managed to throw another child in my cell, this one smaller-maybe four years old. My jaw was clenched as I huddled in the corner, inhaling the scent of mildew and moldy plants. Anything was better than the blood I could smell pulsing behind the child's bruised and swollen ankle. I drifted in and out of consciousness often, trying my hardest to ignore the hungers. Above me they were celebrating constantly, always speaking of plans for me.
What about the plans I had for myself? I wanted to go to college to study Martial Arts Philosophy. I wanted to open my own bar and be a bar tender. I wanted to have a small apartment in a rural setting in a cool climate. I wanted to be able to visit Alan and his sweet talking Spanish fiancee when he got older. Maybe I could even have a fiancee of my own one day...
Keith...he was dead. I wish tears could have dripped down my face. Without thinking I raised a razor sharp finger nail to my cheek and dragged it down slowly. Skin split and tiny droplets of blood formed. That was more like it.
It was funny how the words 'future' and 'fiancee' made me think of him. I missed him. I missed the glow of his smooth copper skin and his dark eyes. I missed his silky hair and low voice. I missed his pine smell and large soft hands. And to think, I would never see him again. Something fell just then. Although it was internal I could still hear it crash and break into pieces. Something told me no, don't believe it. But what else did I have to lose?
I was a free spirit, something that could never be tamed. I had closed my heart because of fear that someone would break me. I had just never been that strong of a person within my heart. As I got older I only managed to do a dam fine job of covering it up rather than closing that gap. Up until a few weeks ago I was invincible, unbreakable, and unattainable. But the one time I had opened my heart to an outsider he was snatched from me, leaving bleeding and gashing marks in my chest.
A few weeks ago the thought of me crouching in a corner of a cell in a sewer held captive and being forced to do something I didn't want to do was absolutely laughable. I was a soldier, I could take what ever you threw at me and throw it right back with the same force if not more. But who knew; who knew that all it would take is a few deaths and a tiny dark cell to have me balled into a corner clinging to what was left of my sanity.
The grate turned and the familiar light appeared on the walls and floor. I waited for the sound of a plop and a grunt or a crack and a cry or another child being dropped in. Instead I heard a swoosh and silence. I didn't turn to acknowledge the vampire, I didn't need to to know he was staring at me.
"You have not fed yet. Why not?" It was Caius. I knew their voices now, well two of them anyway. Marcus had yet to speak, or even show expression on his face.
"I refuse..." I had to break off to hide the dryness in my tone. My voice sounded hoarse and cracked. Caius laughed coldly, the sound sending chills up my spine.
"For how much longer half-breed? Your stubbornness will kill you." I shrugged. I heard a shuffle of some odd kind of material as it thumped to the floor. There was no warning-I couldn't sense it. It cracked through the air and burned across my back. I let out a startled cry and whipped around, growling. The pain burning into my bleeding back only fueled my anger that this vampire dared to strike me.
"That's it half-breed, get angry!" he growled. I rushed him, preparing to take him down. He side stepped at the last minute and gave me a push to my back, sending me forward even more. The whip cracked across my back in the same spot. I let out an enraged hiss and faced him again. The look on his face was sick glee. He was enjoying torturing me, enjoying my pain and rage. I rushed him again.
It was the same thing over and over. I rushed him, he dodged, and cracked the whip across my back in the same spot. The only thing that shocked me more than his accuracy was his the fact that he hadn't reached my spine yet. The wound was getting deep and I didn't know for how much longer I could ignore it.
The force of the whip dug in for a sixth time. I fell to my knees with a grunt and struggled to stand. Caius laughed at me.
"Give in half-breed. You don't even know what your fighting for. I can see the uncertainty in your eyes. Don't make this hard on yourself, I don't want to kill you." I snorted. Of course he did, but his coven wouldn't like that very much.
As soon as I had gotten to my feet I was on my back, a large and cold hand around my throat. I cried out as my wounded back slammed to the floor, blood splatting under me and my head cracking on the stone. I let out a desperate roar and scratched at his face. My nails did nothing to damage his paper-like skin. He backhanded me, my head snapping around with the force. He leaned in an inch from my face and bared his pearly teeth.
"You will learn respect, half-breed. I went easy on you today. Don't push me." He squeezed my throat harder before letting it go. I laid there, gasping for breath as he vanished through the hole in the roof and covered it behind him. I didn't move. I laid in a puddle of my own blood...wait, that child's blood. I licked my lips, it wasn't enough. They must've been purposely feeding me child so I didn't become to powerful. I closed my eyes and drifted away.
I dreamed. I dreamed that I was walking in Port Angeles with Keith. We were hand and hand while he was chatting away about things I couldn't hear. He was just mute; I didn't ask him to repeat it. What ever he was saying was making him happy so I relished in that fact. But then he stopped and stared dead ahead. There was a crowd of vampires coming toward us like a swarm of locusts, almost blocking out the sky. None of their eyes were focused on me. He pushed me behind him, making me fall to the ground.
'I love you,' he mouthed, and he transformed. The army of vampires surrounded him, climbing on his back and overtaking him right before my eyes. I tried to fight through them but it turned out to be no use. Under the pile of clothes all the vampires had wore there was nothing. I ran as fast as I could to my house, arriving there in seconds. I shouted for mom even though no sound came from my lips. She came downstairs as if nothing was wrong. I embraced her, sobbing over Keith. She petted my hair and mouthed something else to me. I grew frustrated at the silence and asked her to repeat what she had said.
Before she could the front door shook, then the whole wall. Suddenly it exploded and the army from before came rushing in. They grabbed mom away from me and pulled her into the wave of hands and claws.
'RUN!' she mouthed. But I couldn't. Arms had grabbed me around the waist. I turned to push them away to see Edward, smiling proudly at me.
'Don't worry, I'm here.' he said silently. He paid no heed to the crowd behind us, ripping my mother to shreds. He only embraced me as I struggled and screamed. Out of the corner of my eyes I could see the pile of clothes. Out of that pile, mom's hand was sticking out. A silent call for help.
My eyes snapped open. I couldn't breathe. I looked at my surroundings and tried to calm myself.
Mom, I wish I could speak to you. She would always be the one to tell me that no matter what I was I was someone. She had always told me she'd love me if I was a human or vampire, or both. She'd always made me feel special. She pushed me in ways no other has. I don't think I would be here today if she hadn't.
Sometimes I did get tired of it just being Mom and I. Alan and Sarah were there to, but we always had to hide ourselves. I wondered all the time when mom would get sick of using the 'weak bladder' excuse to go to the bathroom and cough up what ever she had eaten that night. She had done it for two years. I was tired of being alone. Maybe that's why I clung to Keith the way I did? But I had no one to cling to now. Vampires killed mom and Keith. They killed them because Edward exposed us. For what, over me? He didn't even know me!
My hands were shaking and it wasn't because of the cold floor. I let our a roar filled with pain and anger. He had come into my life and took everything from me now. Like an exchange of everything I had for him. Why couldn't he just stay where he had been? Why couldn't he have just left us alone?
My body moved on its own when it stood. My fist flew into the wall, one of my feet following. A tangle of vines on the wall became Edward's face, and I became conscious then. I spun in the air, landing a kick right where his ear should have been. It knocked off and flew into the wall. I was on it before it could bounce onto the floor. My hands tore it to shreds and then pulverized then into pieces, my fingers bruised.
It was his fault. He killed my family and he was the one who would pay for it. I would make sure of that.
The sound of the grate scraping was becoming familiar. It was Caius again. He looked to the child which was still lying in the corner, apparently sleeping.
"Still disobeying orders?" He shook his head in mock disapproval. I growled and braced myself. It came at me in a flash. I reached out to grab it unsuccessfully. The rough skin of my had turned red with irritation. Caius recovered from his attack and lashed out again. I ducked, using it as a disguise to take a step forward. He lashed out for a third time. This time I put my hand up, letting it wrap around. The tip still whipped the back of my hand but I held tight.
As we stared each other down I started to shake. I couldn't control myself. Something inside of me was yearning to be let loose. It was as if I had pent up energy from years decades. I winced as the energy circulated in my arms and hands, making them become hot. Caius's face was still hard but his eyes betrayed his wonder.
There was to much energy, I couldn't contain myself. I was going to explode if I didn't move and soon. I gave a yank of the whip. As expected, Caius didn't budge. But it did rocket me forward. I drew my other arm back and threw a hard punch. Something happened that neither of us expected.
The energy in my arms balled until I couldn't stand the heat, and then it left my skin in a display of fire. Caius, who had dodged to the right, was caught in the wild flames. His shock was perfectly clear as his paper-like skin and snow white hair turned to black crisp in front of my eyes. He threw the whip at me, the handle hitting me in the eye. I stumbled back a step, my hand covering my left eye. I growled. The energy was coming back again. I unraveled my hand and picked up the handle of the whip. Fire consumed it completely, and I lashed out with it before it burned totally. It sliced through Caius's throat, ending his screams. His head fell to the ground, deep red eyes wide with shock.
My heart jumped painfully, sending me to my knees. Venom seeped over my growing fangs. I groaned in hunger, I needed to feed. A whimper in the corner attracted my attention. My eyes found the child, its eyes wide with fright, cowering the the corner nearest to Caius's bleeding and charred head. My eyes locked onto the thumping vein in his neck, his heartbeat pounding wildly. It called for me, it called for my fangs!
"No!" Someone yelled above me. I snarled, whipping around wildly. Someone I did not recognize leaped through the hole in the roof.
"Alec don't!"
"Demetris this is Caius!"
"And that is his killer!" Both faces whipped towards mine. I was crouched, ready to spring. My eyes were on Demetri, the vampire kneeling so stupidly through the hole in the ceiling. I sprung before either of them could move. I burst through the hole, slicing up with my claws. They caught Demetri by the throat, tearing it out. He screamed, but I let him.
I used my ears to navigate out of this place. I had been right the first time to a greater extent. They weren't only keeping me in the sewer, they lived down here. The walls were stone and cold. Water dripped from the ceiling and rolled off the walls. The floors slanted upwards, leading me up towards the city. I pushed through grilles to keep going. I ran down a dark hall and through doors. There was a ding to my right, I moved into a dark corner and stood perfectly still. Two vampires walked in, a woman and a man. Both their clothes smelled of the night air. I sneaked through the doors before they closed and listened. I could hear the sounds of cars and people talking. It was below me. I pressed the button below the floor I was on. The doors opened, the sounds were still below me. With a growl I closed the door before anyone came. I pressed the next button and waited impatiently. It revealed what looked to be a lobby of some sort. The mood was like a dentist office, business-like with far to much brightness. A human looked to me, shocked. I snarled and he backed away cautiously. I burst through another door and came to meet the Italian night.
I inhaled the air, letting it fill my lungs and sweep the stench of blood and mildew out threw my nose. The night sky was beautiful and clear. The chime of the elevator was behind me along with the sound of multiple footsteps.
She was just here, I can smell her!
How can we take her if she killed Caius?
I leaped forward, charging up the inclining alleyway and through a stone archway. I sprinted through a huge square with a fountain flowing beautifully in the middle. I charged south across the empty square and into another alleyway. I looked around to try and find the city outskirts or something but a great stone wall blocked my view.
I jumped onto the roof of the building next to me, then another a bit taller. I got a head start and pushed off the roof with all my might.
If I wasn't being chased by a group of insane vampires I would have enjoyed flying over the cobblestone roadway and out of the city. Or so I thought. I landed on my feet but didn't calculate my landing correctly. I was leaning to far back which resulted in me slipping forward and falling off of the other side of the wall. I twisted my body around and managed to land of my hands and feet, sending a shock to my shoulders.
I looked at the wall behind me, craning my neck to see the top. About four heads peaked down at me angrily. They can't beat that!
The confidence that I had was squashed immediately when they jumped down from the wall. What part of me thought that they wouldn't leave the city, I really didn't know. But as soon as I saw their feet sailing over the edge I took off once more.
It seemed that outside of Volterra was completely country side like how everyone imagines Italy. I ran east and then dodged north into the forests. I could hear them on either side of me. They were growling with excitement for the chase. Dammit, I was only making this fun for them!
Something sailed over my head, landing directly in front of me and making me crash into it. I fell on my ass with a loud thump. Hands shot out and grabbed the front of my tattered shirt, hauling me up into the face of a coal-eyed vampire.
"Thought you were pretty smart didn't you?"
She'll pay for killing Caius!
"Alec be careful!" Demetri warned.
"This is the one that killed Cauis?" a woman said in disbelief. I growled, I was tired of being ignored. I called for the power in my hands, feeling it swirling and turning like a trapped and angry dragon. Something on my face made Alec drop me onto the ground in the middle of the four vampires.
"Her…hands!" I heard them speaking but I didn't understand them. My brain wasn't processing anything at the moment. But I could see the orange glows that were my hands. I looked into the eyes of each and everyone of my would-be-captors and smiled.
Guys (and girls) I'm soooo sorry! I actually forgot to update! I worked Friday night until nine then had to go back to work Saturday from seven to four and then I had stuff to do after that! And then I thought "I updated, right?" thinking I updated at school when I forgot they blocked this site at school and argh!!! But I'm still going to update Friday night maybe? I work then too so I don't know how much time I'll have. But I'm so sorry!!!