ItsukoAkatsuki: Hi everybody, sorry if the last chapter seemed short but the chapter before it was much longer than my normal 7, 8, to 9 thousand word chapters so it evens it out a little but that doesn't really matter. I hope you all had a great valentine's day and all reviews are helpful.
Tami's Attire: tamis_chapter_21_attire/set?id=72715892
Necromancer Chart: blood_ties_necromancy_chart/set?id=70099729
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Chapter 21: The Queen's Breakthrough and Lucas' First Lesson…
Breakaway by Kelly Clarkson
Hören Sie, dass thy Anruf, thy Namen die Zeit von Schmerz zu hören währenddessen ist…
I awoke to the sound of someone chanting; there were several voices and they were all deep and dark. I opened my eyes but my room was empty; there was no one here, not even Charlie. I groaned a little and turned to my side; closing my eyes and hoping I could go back to sleep but then something happened to me. I heard myself gasp as my eyes opened and the pain I feeling was exhorbitant. I was feeling pain in every part of my body and it even hurt when I breathed; I started sweating from every pore in my body. What the hell just happened? Where did this pain come from all of a sudden?. I laid there for a while but the pain was building; something was wrong so I had to get up. It took so much strength to push the blankets off me and I had to literally drag myself on the floor to get to my desk where my new iPhone was at. The pain seemed to be residing in my bones because even the slightest movement caused the pain to shoot up my spine; this wasn't a pain that was natural, this was something else. I bit my lip and tried to deal with it the best I could; I made it to my desk and used it to pull myself up so I could grab my phone. The pain was increasing with each passing second but I found my it and closed my fingers around it. I pulled it down and it slipped through my fingers and landed on the floor with a light thud. Ugh…of course…I pulled myself to it and looked down the contacts list for a specific number and once I found it I dialed it. There was a long pause until a woman's voice answered "hello?"
"Ms. Bennett…Sheila…I need your help…"
#
When I woke up again I was at Bonnie's house; attached to Sheila's medical equipment. Sheila had given me some morphine but I was still feeling the pain. Where did it come from…? All of a sudden…?
"Don't worry girlie; Lucas is coming…"
Lucas? He's still around? I haven't heard from him since the regaining my memories thing…his messages in the Book of Shadows stopped too…
My back suddenly arched when a shockwave of pain hit me. I was screaming in frustration in my head; why is this always happening to me of all people!?
"Necro-"
That was rhetorical…
Bonnie had gotten up with Sheila and she was calling everyone I think. I heard Elena's name and Stefan's but I didn't hear the rest of the conversation; I was fading in and out. Even though I still had morphine being pumped into my veins I could hardly feel it. Either it was working but the pain was getting worse or it wasn't working at all. Either way the pain was unbelievable; I had woken up and felt fine then two seconds later I get struck with this wall of pain. I tried to think of why but I couldn't come up with anything…except something that involved with being a necromancer.
"It might be your final transition time." I heard Zeboriah suggest but as much as that would explain why I was in so much pain I didn't think so and soon another voice came into my head to disprove that.
"No she's not. Move out of the way butch…" Lucas had arrived.
"Butch!? Why you little fucker-!"
I closed my eyes again as another wave of pain came my way. My breathing was starting to worsen because it was getting harder and harder to collect my breath. Oh great…am I panicking?
"Relax Tamara; what you are going through right now is mandatory"
Tamara? He's calling me by my real name now? And why is this pain mandatory? What the hell did I do?
"Another than being annoying? Never mind that; this is…how to explain it to where you'll understand...this pain is a preparation for your real transition that will happen in a few months"
So wait? By me going through this I'm not even transitioning so you're just doing this to make me suffer!?
"No you moron. Every Necromancer goes through this; you just have to deal with it. The better you deal with it the easier your real transition is. If you can't handle the pain then when the time comes of your real transition you'll stay dead. You have to be strong even if it's impossible…"
Wait a minute! Stay dead? What are you talking about?
Lucas sighed. "I wasn't going to tell you this until the time came but maybe it's better if you knew. In order to fully transition you'll have to die and don't forget this…you just can't off yourself. Someone else has to do it; only then will the transition happen and you'll change into your final Necromancer form but you don't to worry about that now. That isn't until a few months. The only thing you need to worry about now is overcoming the pain and isolation…"
Isolation? Why do I need to be isolated for?
"That's the first step. Isolation yourself from those who have strong feelings from you. I sensed your transition coming so I planted an idea in your head so you could break yourself up from your parents and that Salvatore guy"
As soon as I heard it from Lucas I wanted to jump from this bed and punch him in the face but seeing how I couldn't I just yelled at him instead.
It was you who made me fight with my Mom!? And break-up with Damon!? You bastard!
"Don't get pissed off at me; I was just looking out for the people who cared about you. If they see you in this kind of pain then it will hurt them more because you do mean something to them. I was going to have you get angry at Stefan as well but you managed to push me out but I made a strong enough impact."
You heartless bastard. You know I love my parents and Damon! How could you!?
"Don't you pay attention girl? I just said why I did it-"
-I don't care. It's my life and you shouldn't do something like that! Ohmygosh…I really thought that breaking up with Damon was inevitable but it was really you putting thoughts into my head!
"Actually I took control of your body but whatever"
I hate you! I can't believe you would do that!
"You don't hate me. You're just really angry and fueled by intense physical pain."
Bullshit! I do hate you! I made a promise to Damon that I wouldn't leave him but you made me do it…poor Damon…
I wanted to cry but not because of the pain. I opened my eyes again and Lucas was gone but I highly doubted he was really gone. Sheila had reentered the room and was looking at the machines and putting a wet cloth on my forehead. The nice cool cloth felt good against my, very scorching, head. She checked my temperature but I didn't know what it was because she didn't say it aloud. She disappeared from the room and all I could do was lay there and deal with the pain. Every now and then a wave of pain would come shooting up my spine and all I could do was bite my lip and hope it goes away.
I didn't know how much time passed before I heard the door open and slam close. Is that…?
"Where is she?"
I heard Stefan's voice and then Sheila's. Is Damon coming? I have to tell him…
Everything faded to black there for a second and I was still. Nothing seemed to process in my brain and when it went away I started to really freak out. The machine monitoring my heartbeat started to make louder and faster beats; I clinched my fist in the blankets.
Sheila returned and Stefan was behind her. Sheila had some greenish liquid with her and with Stefan's help he managed to sit me up enough so I could drink it. I wanted to spit it out because it was so bitter but once it settled in my stomach the pain actually decreased somewhat. I started to relax a little more and Stefan let out a held breath; Stefan whispered something to Sheila but I couldn't make out what was being said. I hope it's nothing bad…
"Salvatore wants to know how this happened but Sheila doesn't really know yet. That tea she gave you was a powerful witch ointment but don't get used to it because it will be out of your system in no time. It works but it doesn't stick around for long." Lucas was back and when I opened my eyes he was crouching on the small nightstand next to me.
Thanks for the 411 but I'm still really pissed off at you.
"I don't care. You don't listen anyway…"
The room was getting brighter when Elena arrived and she shared Stefan's concern but I was guessing that Sheila couldn't tell them much. I was fading in and out of consciousness but the pain wasn't going away but at least it was weakening some. When I was awake I asked Lucas a question. You said this pain was a preparation. Is this the only time it will happen?
"No. It will happen several more times and each time it will be worse. Despite what happened yesterday I think it will be better if you stay at the Salvatore house…"
Did your plan backfire?
"Somewhat but I still strongly urge you to be short with everyone. It will help them…"
How can it help them Lucas? You said that they care about me…even if I started acting badly towards them it wouldn't make it any better…
"I'm not good at this. I didn't have anyone to rely on when this was happening to me. Besides, you're probably going to do the opposite of what I say anyway…"
It's not like I'm doing it on purpose Lucas. If this was such a big deal then why didn't you step in before all of this and keep me from becoming close to them?
"Because whether I like it or not this is your life and I can't step in it as much as I would like. Do what you want…"
Lucas disappeared again and I just rested; I fell asleep finally and I didn't wake up until the whole house was lit with sunlight.
The pain had receded a great deal but I was still feeling a little bit of it in my spine. I was able to sit up though and move around without waves of pain going through me. There was the sound of someone approaching and Sheila entered the room. She smiled a little when she saw me up and handed me some of that special ointment.
"…Thank you Sheila" my voice was still horse and I tried clearing my throat.
"It is good to see you up. Would you mind telling me what exactly was happening to you?" She put her hands on her hips.
"…Preparation of transition" I told her what Lucas told me.
"I thought so. I tried reading some books but none of them were specific enough about your condition; I even had the girls go online and see what they could find."
"I'm sorry if I worried you all but…I didn't know what else to do. It really freaked me out…" my voice was getting better and I was able to swallow without much force.
"Yes, worried is an understatement. Your heart rate was jumping up to one hundred and thirty; that's higher than a infants by ten beats and then it would drop down to twenty and then go back up again. Your temperature was ranging from normal to one hundred and six every thirty minutes. And poor Damon broke your wrist and four fingers by accident…"
I looked down and noticed my left hand was in a wrist cast. "You need to be careful when you move around. Your bones may still be weak; I'll prepare an ointment to make them strong again. Make sure to get some rest in case it happens again…" Sheila left the room then. Damon broke my hand…I forgot that even with broken bones I can still move them. Poor Damon; I keep doing this to him…I laid back against the pillow and sighed.
"This is what I was talking about-"
I don't care Lucas; I'm not going to talk to you about it…
Sheila must've told everyone that I woke up because the door opened and Elena, Bonnie, and even Caroline came in. I didn't see Damon or Stefan but I had a feeling they were in hearing range.
"How are you feeling?" Elena asked me.
"A lot better. Sheila's a miracle worker…"
"That's my Grams for ya" Bonnie grinned.
"So, what happened? I got a call from Bonnie and she said that something was seriously wrong with you…" Elena bit her lip in concern.
"It's hard to explain but…it was a preparation for my final transition."
"A preparation?" Bonnie exclaimed. I nodded; "wait, does this mean it will happen again?"
"According to Lucas; yeah…several more times actually and it will be worse each time"
"Lucas?" Elena asked. Great…now I have to explain Lucas…
Caroline stepped closer and looked down at the sheet of paper she had. "Sheila asked us to do some research about necromancers and I found something that said 'overseeing necromancers'. Is that who Lucas is?"
I nodded. "Yeah, but he can be a real pain in the ass. He's right here…crouching on the nightstand here…"
They all looked at the nightstand and I turned to Lucas. "Can you do something to prove that you're here Lucas?"
"Technically I shouldn't but at this point…" he used his boot to push the tea cup and saucer onto the floor where it broke into a bunch of pieces.
"Whoa…no way" Caroline went up to the nightstand and stuck her hand out. She couldn't see or feel it but she was touching Lucas' hair. "Get your damn hands out of my hair!" Lucas snapped at her but she couldn't hear him, I giggled a little.
"What did he say?"
I repeated what Lucas said and Caroline formed a fist and hit Lucas on the head. "You blonde bitch…"
"He's really there Tami? You're not making this up?" Elena seemed a little skeptical. "Yeah, trust me, I don't like being stuck with him either."
"Well get used to it…"
Someone approached the room because Elena snapped "get out of here Damon!"
"Wait…" I mumbled and I turned to see Damon at the doorframe; he wasn't entering and he had a blank face but I knew he was probably hurt inside. I wanted to get up but I doubted that I would make it far. "No, Tami, he broke your hand" Elena replied back; she wasn't happy.
"It was an accident and besides…" I lifted my hand and moved it around. "It doesn't hurt."
"Either way; she's recovering right now so go away" Caroline walked up to him and closed the door in his face. Don't do that Caroline…
"I have a few more questions to ask you…intense light can kill you?"
"Intense light can make your powers weaker but it can't kill you; it hurts but no death"
I repeated Lucas and Caroline marked that off on her paper.
"Holy water?"
"Burns; no death"
"Wood stake to the heart"
"A wood stake to the heart can kill practically everything except an original vampire or a werewolf; you would need silver for that one."
"Can you talk to the dead?"
"Yes but only if the dead approaches you"
When I repeated that a tense air went through the room especially with Elena. Why do I have a feeling they'll exploit that some time?
"You could've said no"
"Can you summon daemons?"
"No; no one can summon a daemon but a daemon himself or…unless you're the grandmaster of Inferno then that's different"
"Hmm…then what about this chart I found?" Caroline came closer and handed me something that she had printed out. I closed and reopened my eyes to get a better look of it. The chart looked like someone had just used a sharpie to draw it out but it looked interesting to me.
In the middle was the word 'Basic Necromancy' and then there were four arrows that each pointed to another word and they were: 'Voodoo, Zodiac, Hallow, and Hellenic'. By each of those words were a number; Voodoo had one, Zodiac had eight, Hallow had three, and Hellenic had two. Voodoo and Zodiac had similar seals, as it showed, while Hallow and Hellenic had similar traits. Voodoo and Hallow had masked forms, whatever that meant, while Zodiac and Hellenic had bone forms. I really couldn't understand what it meant but Lucas' attention seemed to pike.
"Memorize this because this is very important" he told me.
Why is it important?
"This is a basic chart for the different types of Necromancers. There are four different kinds as you can see…the Voodoo, Zodiac, Hallow, and Hellenic. The numbers represent how many there are still alive today."
Then what am I?
Lucas put his finger on Voodoo. "You're the last Voodoo Necromancer in the entire world; that's not sealed away that is."
I'm a Voodoo Necromancer? How typically since Louisiana is known for the people who worship Voodoo…
"Your parents were Voodoo and so was their families."
Are they all dead then?
"Dead or sealed. You're the only one around which has a lot of us very interested in you"
Us?
"I'm not the only Necromancer in Inferno right now. They watch over you but they don't do anything; I wouldn't be surprised if you didn't hear them pray every now and then."
Actually…I think I've had heard before. They were chanting…
"Yeah, they can get loud sometimes but never mind that. I want you to hold onto this; it may become useful to you later on. I'll explain more of it later…"
I folded up the chart and handed it to Lucas; he put it in his trench coat.
The door to the room opened and Sheila and Damon barged in and started to remove the medical equipment off me.
"Hey, what are you doing?" Elena stood up. Sheila turned to her but didn't say anything.
"We're moving to the Boarding House…Pearl and Harper are here…" Damon told Elena when Sheila didn't.
"Pearl and Harper?" Caroline looked towards the front room.
"Bonnie. I need you to take Elena and Caroline to Elena's house while Stefan and I provide a long enough distraction so you can't get away." Sheila explained and nearly tore the tubes connected to me off.
"Wait…I'm not going to leave you here by yourself Grams" Bonnie replied but Sheila gave her a look. "Do what I tell you to do"
Bonnie still didn't want to do it but eventually she gave up and led Elena and Caroline out the backdoor.
Sheila soon left the room and Damon tucked the blankets around me before lifting me up. I took that moment to apologize. "I'm sorry about everything Damon"
He gave me a reassuring smirk. "Don't worry about it; we can talk about it later and for the record…I'm sorry about your hand"
"It's okay; I know you didn't do it on purpose." A look of pain went through Damon's expression for a second and he kissed me on the forehead.
"You don't have to worry now because I'll protect you…"
#
Sometime during the ride to the Boarding House I passed out because I found myself waking up in Damon's room. I waited for a little while to see if anything was still hurting but the pain was completely gone. I sat up and moved around; I even took off my hand cast, I felt some stiffness but otherwise no pain. Thank goodness…and what was Pearl and Harper doing at Bonnie's house...? I looked around for Damon or anyone else but I didn't see anyone. I took up and nearly swayed on my feet but I managed to get myself standing and I was heading to the door but when I opened it the scene in front of me changed.
Everything became black and white and depressing. I recognized it as soon as I entered; Purgatorio…but how did I get here? I didn't draw a door…
"You don't have to; I pulled you in" I turned and saw Lucas walking up to me. "You pulled me into Purgatorio? Why?"
"Because it's about time for your first lesson."
"My first lesson?" I followed after Lucas who was starting to head downstairs and out of the house.
"Yes; I do have to teach you, you know? And the first thing I want to show you is that there are some places here that can only be accessed in Purgatorio. They can't be entered by any other means except this one. I've known the man who looks after it and he's taught a lot of my students well. Remember to show respect…"
Lucas slammed his cane down and a sudden smoke emerged and swallowed us up. I covered my eyes just in case but the smoke disappeared and we were somewhere I had never seen before. It looked like downtown Richmond but the streets were completely empty and the cars were thrown about on the street in different directions. It looked almost apocalyptic but among the black, white, and gray I saw something shining in the distance.
It was a store…a bookstore to be more exact. The building was built with bricks and it was in full color unlike the rest of the world. Lucas led me to it and turned around before going inside. "The man you are about to meet is an old friend; his name is Seth and although he won't look like it he is a feared daemon so show respect"
"I heard you the first time"
"And none of that"
We entered the building and I realized that I was wearing different clothes; I was wearing the same shorts, hoodie, and shoes that I wore when I first came into Purgatorio. I had realized it when my bare feet didn't touch the tiled floors. There were several rows of books, candles, rocks of all sizes, and different plants growing all around. It was a nice little shop but I was a little fearful of the man that owned it. I heard the name Seth before when talking about a daemon. Seth was supposedly a dragon-like daemon that was the master of fire and desserts but when we approached the counter I was shocked to see a small, elderly, looking man behind it.
"…Oh…Lucas Von Astein; I thought I wouldn't see you again so soon…"
"It's been two hundred years Seth"
Seth took one of Lucas' hands in both of his and something past between them that I couldn't point out. Seth then turned to me and smiled; I almost trembled.
"You must be…hmmm….you must forgive me; my memory isn't what it used to be…oh, I remember now, you are…Tamara?"
I nodded and bowed my head respectively. "Yes sir. It's a pleasure to meet you"
"Bah…you don't have to be so formal with me. I'm glad that you came; I foresaw you coming so I've just been waiting here. I don't get much customers these days ever since most of the Necromancers were sealed away." He shook his head and picked up an old man's cane and walked from behind the counter. This guy is a feared daemon? But he's so nice…Lucas hit me on the head before I followed him.
Seth went into the row of large books and pulled a few down and handed them to me. The books were heavy and really old; it was almost hard to read the titles because of how worn they were. One of them read 'History of Necromancy' and the other read 'Herbs and Potions for Beginners'. I feel like I'm in Diagon Alley…
Seth went to the end of the row and stood on a footstool to get to the books on the top. He moved some around and blew all the dust out which was a lot more than I expected. Man this place is really old…I mean no disrespect Lucas I added that quickly so Lucas wouldn't hit me again.
"Ahh…here we are…" Seth came off the stool and handed me a decent sized book. This one was literally falling apart; the title read 'Speaking to the Dead; Handbook of the Deceased'
"Those books should help you out a great deal. There are some spells you can do that won't snap back at you and will help prepare you for the bigger things. The herbs and potions can help with injuries and symptoms; there's even a few poisons in there…" Seth laughed and squeezed my shoulder. "…and finally that handbook for the dead will help you when you speak to those who have departed. It also help you point out dead people from living people; which is probably why you haven't see any dead people in a while. They are good with blending into the environment…some of those poor souls don't even know they're dead"
Seth went down another row, to a plant, and took out a small baggy and some tweezers. He clipped off a few leaves of the plant and put them in the baggy before going to another plant and doing the same. "Some fresh herbs for you; believe it or not but plants grow much better in the afterlife than in the living world. Leave a few pots of herbs in this world and check them the next day and they'll be fully grown; I promise you" he handed me the baggy. "Thank you very much"
"Don't thank me yet I'm not done with ya" he laughed but it turned into a cough. We went into another row and this one had candles; he pulled a bunch of different colored candles and handed them to me. "Candles help intensify powers; the aroma that comes from candles can calm the spirits and it also lets you know when a spell has been completed. Stay away from the white candles though; white candles can get mixed up with holy candles and that aroma can weaken your powers and your energy." I paid attention to everything he was saying.
We were heading by the counter when Seth stopped at a large barrel of rocks; the rocks were huge and beautiful. I saw a giant piece of pure diamond in there; there were all kinds of different gemstones in there. Seth stuck his hand in there and pulled out a large, round, moonstone, some round amethyst, and finally a raw piece of aquamarine. "Hold onto these; you're going to need them" I balanced the books in my arm and took the stones. He went to the counter and I put everything up; I stuck my hand in my pocket but Lucas stopped me. "Allow me…we don't use the same currency as you humans do"
Lucas pulled something out of his coat pocket and put it on the counter. There was some bronze coins, a silver one, and then a bunch of eyeballs. "Eww…you have eyeballs in your jacket?" I took a step back…
Lucas rolled his eyes. "Eyeballs aren't the worst thing in my coat right now"
Eww…that's nasty…Seth took the coins and the eyeballs and put them in the cash register like it was normal. How am I going to carry all of this…
Lucas touched my back and I felt a weird stretching feeling and by some means he had my leather bag. "Where did you get that?"
"Summoning; I used your scent. You'll learn how to do that eventually…"
I put everything away as Seth disappeared under the counter. As soon as I was finished I looked over the counter to make sure he was okay; he had an old man's body after all. As soon as I peeked over he came back up with a pipe and some weed, as it appeared. "It was nice to meet ya kid; you're more than welcome to come back whenever you need some supplies. Here…I'll even give you a portable seal…" He handed me a cloth that had a seal drawn over it with a few symbols in the corner. "Put that on the floor in your closest so no one will see it. You go into the circle and seal it up with sand or salt and it will transport you here. It's easier than walking…"
"Thank you for all of this…"
He waved a hand at me. "No need to thank me. It's what I do; feel bad for the Necromancers back in the older days. They didn't have convenience like this…" he laughed and coughed again but went back to smoking his pipe. "Try not to kill this one Lucas!" Seth yelled as we began to leave.
"Don't forget this place; it will be rather useful to you in the future. Seth has many other stores sent up around the world in case you were wondering. Some of them are in the real world so if you want to show that witch girl one of these places you can. It's mostly made for Necromancers but witches and warlocks use it too."
"So was this what you wanted to show me? Are we going back now?"
"No, there's another place I need to take you but before that we need to take a detour; this is where my first lesson comes in. Step closer…" I walked up to him and he slammed his cane down again and the smoke came back. I managed to keep my eyes open this time and I felt a little dizzy with the swirling smoke. When the smoke cleared away I found myself looking at a school; we were no longer in Purgatorio. My clothes went back to the blue and black tank-top and the gym shorts I had worn to bed last night; my toes curled in the grass.
"What is this place?"
"This is Wade Elementary school or should I say…what's left of it. This school may seem like just another abandoned building with a tragic story but this place, and everyone inside, was once the victim of a Necromancer attack gone bad."
"What do you mean?"
"This is my first lesson and most important one. Not all Necromancers are as kind and forgiving as you. Some of them live only for vengeance and human life means nothing to them. A young Necromancer tried to do a spell here and it backfired; bringing a living Hell to all the children and adults here. The place was later condemned and the Necromancer who caused it was sent straight to Inferno. That's why you need to be careful when you are using spells. Sometimes they can do terrible things; even if you didn't mean to, and you'll be sent to Inferno for eternal suffering…"
"Would that be you?"
"That would be me."
"What did you do?" I leaned away from him.
"Oh you know…slaughtered an entire town because no one taught me and the rights and wrongs of Necromancy. My punishment wasn't that bad though because no one had taught me that; this boy was different and now he's really suffering for it."
"Didn't you have a Necromancer watching over you?"
"No, because that was before we started to take responsibility for ourselves"
I didn't know whether to feel bad for Lucas or not. I was still angry with him for taking over my body and breaking up with Damon but I felt a little sting of sadness despite myself. I was always too tenderhearted sometimes and I knew that might be used against me someday.
"Well now; let's stop wasting time and go inside so I could show you. Because you are a Necromancer you'll have a stronger reaction to this place than normal people do; you may even see the some of the lasting dead who have yet to move on"
"And I should help them right?"
"No…not that kind of dead people…lost souls"
"Lost souls?"
"Yeah, you'll know them when you see them. They're completely white and they can fade in the darkness; it's very hard to see them but that glow points them out. Don't let one get to you because if they do they'll suck out your will to live."
"Suck out my will to live? So I'll become a zombie?"
"A suicidal zombie yes so don't let them grab you because if they do you won't be able to get away."
"How do you stop them?"
"Simple…you kill them"
"What!? I can't kill someone…"
"Well technically you already have but no one is holding that against you and frankly it's either that or die so make your choice. And don't worry…you won't go to Inferno for killing them; in fact, you are doing them more good that way."
"How can killing them be a good thing?"
"They don't have to suffer the pain anymore…lost souls are the ghosts that have to constantly relive what happened to them…over and over again; it never ends. Those children have to keep reliving their death until someone puts an end to it by killing them…again."
"Do they at least go to Heaven?"
"You mean Paradisio and no…no one really knows where they go but it's not there and it's not Inferno. Some of us believe they are reborn but there's no proof of anything" he shrugged and went up to the front doors of the school.
"Now…let's go"
#
Stefan and Elena came into the Boarding House. Stefan and Sheila had managed to shake off Pearl and Harper in time so they could get away; it seemed like Pearl just wanted to talk instead of fight but Harper had different plans but at the end they were able to escape with no injuries. "We have to do something about them before they hurt anyone else" Elena told Stefan as she took off her jacket and came into the living room. "Yeah, I'll call Alaric later and get a plan of action set up…"
There was the sound of someone running down the stairs and Damon emerged. "Don't you two ever answer your phone?" He looked pissed and worried at the same time.
"What's wrong?"
Damon stopped and a strange look went past his face. "…I can't find Tami."
Stefan crossed the room to Damon and nearly glared at him. "What do you mean you can't find her!? Where did she go?"
"I don't know; I put her in my room and went downstairs for just a second and when I came back the door was open and she was gone."
Stefan's anger flared up and he grabbed Damon's collar. "Can't you keep your eye on her for just a minute!?"
"Hey, you two, knock it off…it's not going to help us find Tami. Come on…let's look…"
It took an extra second for Stefan to realize Damon but he finally did and cursed under his breath before disappearing.
#
"This place is rather creepy on its own" I commented as we walked through the halls. The school wasn't really cleaned up so there were open lockers and papers scattered all about. I hadn't seen anything that looked like a lost soul but I was starting to see faded bloodstains and I shivered.
"How many people died here?"
"Over a hundred. This was a popular public school…over a hundred children and about sixty adults; including the security"
"How awful…and a Necromancer was the cause of all of this?"
"Yes. Which is why I brought you here. So you can learn what happens when you abuse your powers for evil. Take in every sight and smell; let it serve as a reminder for you"
I walked into a new hallway and everything looked normal but all of a sudden the bell rang and I almost jumped a foot in the air. After the bell rang I heard the sound of doors opening and children laughing and talking.
"Can you hear them?"
"Yeah; almost like…they're here right now. Like they're running past me but I can't see anyone."
"Places that have a strong impact on them, like this school, can sometimes have memories still incased on the walls. It's called liquid memories; even though this place is abandoned you can still hear it behave just like it was still running. Anyplace that had children in it can leave a strong impression; try not to be afraid of it…even if the laughter becomes screaming."
There was a long hallway and the sounds from before were starting to fade away. I heard a different sound now and it was more unbearable than the sounds before. It was the sound of a child, an infant maybe, crying. As I went down the hall I started to hear it more in one room but the first door I went to was barricaded.
"Like I said before. They didn't really clean up much…"
I went down the hall until there was another door that led to that room and I opened the door slowly. The crying was getting louder and I was sure that it was coming from this room but I pulled the door open and all I saw was desks and blood spots. I entered the room but the crying baby had suddenly disappeared and it was quiet again. Yeah, this is really creepy…
I turned around and exited the room. I went down the long hallway again until I stopped at a board. There was a bunch of kindergarten drawings on it; some were finger painted while others were drawn with crayon and markers. I touched one that had a picture of some cookie monster and I felt a little pull from it; like I could feel the energy that was put into it. it was a weird feeling but it still affected me all the same. Over one hundred children were killed…how terrible…there's not a word strong enough to describe it…
Looking at the drawings were making me tear up but before I stepped away from them I heard…a distorted sound.
It was loud enough to catch my attention but I didn't see anyone. I stepped away from the board and walked down the hallway until I came to two closed doors. I opened them and there was another long hallway but after stepping through the doors the entire scene changed.
There were bodies littering the ground…most of them were children while there were some adults; teachers and staff. I covered my eyes as soon as I saw them and I didn't want to look at them. I heard that distorted sound again and I peeked from behind my hands. Way, down the hall, was a body that was moving. I don't know what got into me but I found myself making my way towards it but before I got close to it the body was pulled down the next hallway. I didn't hesitate as I went around the corner but the hallway was empty. No blood, no bodies, nothing. I looked back at the hallway I had just came from and it was the same there. All those bodies of children and staff were gone and there was only faded blood stains in their place. Am I seeing things or is this…the liquid memories?
Before I could come up with an answer I heard that distorted noise again and I went down the hallway but halfway the scene changed again and everything became black and white. I am in Purgatorio again…I walked down the hall but there was this sudden wind and the locker doors flew open and trash cans and other objects came flying at me. I covered my head with my hands but nothing touched me. After the noise died down I moved away my hands and now the light above was flickering. The creep vibe I was getting now was enormous but I could to continue forward.
I heard different distorted sounds and doors were opening and closing around me. The lights continued to flicker and there were distorted noises coming from everywhere. There was a bunch of piled furniture against a door but it all moved to the left side and I nearly screamed. The distorted noise was louder and when I looked at where the furniture had come from I found the source.
There was a ghost flickering in the corner and I couldn't see features because it was constantly flickering but it was emitting a bright light and it had the most creepiest distorted moan. The lost soul was fast because he moved away from the corner and soon he was right at my face. I jumped back and hit the wall. I can't let him touch me but I don't know how to fight him…
The lost soul was getting closer and moaning; I closed my eyes and braced against the wall.
Get away from me…
"Erhalten Sie weg von mir" I felt the words come out of my mouth before I could realize it and the lost soul shrieked and exploded into a ball of light. The distorted moaning went away and other than the humming I didn't hear the lost soul. Is that it?
"That's it but sometimes it won't be that easy. That lost soul let his guard down on you but now the other lost souls know not to. They'll be coming for you as you progress so stay sharp."
I decided to run down the hallway and since this was Purgatorio I had shoes on my feet so I didn't have to worry about stubbing my toes. I was at the end of the hallway when I heard the distorted noise again. I looked in the classroom to my left and saw the lost soul go to the other side of the room. I opened the door and saw him in the corner. He growled at me before coming at me and I stood tall and said "fortgehen, weggehen!"
The lost soul exploded right before getting close to me. I heard some distortion down the hall so I quickly left the room and ran towards the end of the hall but suddenly the hall opened up and I nearly screamed with the sight. The lights were flickering but I could see that the entire hallway was covered in blood. It was everywhere and there were bodies all around. I closed my eyes and covered them with my hands and trembled with the horrible sight.
"There's more coming…You are a Necromancer; death is nothing to be afraid of…you need to shake it off" Lucas told me but I was easily startled and just seeing all that blood made me want to curl up in a ball and hide. I heard loud distorting and soon there was another lost soul appearing. "Get him before he gets you"
I forced my eyes open so I could see him. He came at me and I closed my eyes and chanted "gehen Sie weiter von meinen Augen!"
This lost soul had a louder yell and soon he exploded from my eyes. I stood in my spot and felt the cold chill go up and down my spine as he exploded. Bright white dust floated to the ground and another moan shook me from my daze. I ran past the bloody hallway and jumped into the computer lab through a broken window. I heard the sound of two doors opening and closing but there was another lost soul in the corner. The only door was barricaded so I would have to jump out of the window that led to the opening and closing doors but first I had to take out this lost soul.
"Sterben!" I felt some power well up into me and I yelled it out with my eyes closed but I didn't hear it explode. I opened my eyes and saw that it had dodged my attack and was coming at me. "Don't stand there like an idiot! Move!"
It came rushing at me and I jumped out of the way. The lost soul turned around and came at me again; I was in the corner this time so I knew I could hit it this time. I closed my eyes and yelled it again "sterben!"
I felt it touch my cheek, just the slightest touch, before it exploded and I almost sunk to the ground. I was shivering; that lost soul's touch was ice cold and made my entire body shiver; I saw a flash of images that didn't make sense but I shook it out of my head and jumped through the window and the doors stopped moving.
It was almost like everything seemed to stop then because the humming went away, the lights stopped flickering, and there was no more distorted sounds. I still hesitated when I opened the two doors but the only thing behind them was a corner of the hallway that led to the back of the school. "Finally" I exhaled and started for it but someone had appeared and picked me up.
"Get away from her! She's mine…" my voice was caught in my throat and the man dropped me on the floor. This man was wearing a police uniform and holding his head like something was wrong.
A red light appeared from the other hallway and what happened next scared me the most.
The man was thrown into the wall and then pulled onto the floor where his body was completely shredded into nothing and what was left was sucked into the hallway where the light was coming from. Everything had turned blood red, dark orange, and blurry as the scene unfolded. I stayed against the wall and watched in shock as these…tree roots…appeared and the man was ripped to shreds. The scene soon ended and the hallway went back to normal. I was slow in getting up and I looked down the other hallway where the light had come from but all I saw was a blood stain and a black haze that soon disappeared. What the hell was that!?
"That was judgment, Urteil, what you just saw was Mestophales casting judgment on that man. That's what happens here. When you see a light in the sky that means someone is going to Paradisio but when they get ripped away like that then they are going to Inferno. You can also tell by the color of their eyes. If they have blue eyes then they are marked for Paradisio but when they are red then they are marked for Inferno; grey eyes are undecided."
"What did that man do? He was talking about some woman?"
"Not some woman; a little girl…pedophile" Lucas sounded disgusted. "Rapist and child molesters get the worst of punishments because they take advantage of people with innocent conscience and puts them in a world of Hell."
"People like Erick?" I felt sickened when the images of that night passed through my brain.
"Yeah, sort of…he didn't do the deed so he's not able to be punished yet but I have little doubt that he won't try it again…maybe not with you but someone else"
I shook my head in disgust and then made my way out of the school. I saw a door in front of me and when I went through it there was a blinding light and then I was back in the real world and outside the school.
"Thank goodness…that was scary."
"I'll admit I'm a little impressed. You surprised me; I didn't think you would do so well but you did, good job."
"Thanks…I guess. Can we go home now?"
"Nope. There's still one thing I have to show you and this one is important."
I groaned. "Aww…"
Lucas came to me and dropped his cane just like before and smoke surrounded us.
When the smoke disappeared a beautiful scene was before us. We were somewhere in the mountains, standing in a green field.
"Where are we?" I felt the warm sunlight on my skin and it felt great.
"The Himalayas"
"The Himalayas! Why are we here?"
He pointed up to one of the chains of mountains. "Up there is a Necromancer safe house"
"A safe house?"
"Yes, there used to be several safe houses but most of them got discovered and raided by the Vatican so there are only a few left. That one up there is the oldest one and has never been discovered. If you are ever in any kind of trouble with the Vatican or anyone you can go to these safe houses and hide out for as long as you need to. This one is the home of the oldest living Necromancer…Elder Ming-hoa."
"Elder Ming-hoa" I tried the name. "How old is he?"
"Older than me. He has been alive for…four thousand human years. He's seen the world grow up to what it is now and he is the master of Expression. The Vatican is aware of his presence but Elder Ming-hoa is a peace loving man so they have no reason to go after him; besides, they wouldn't stand a chance against him. Enough talk; let's get going…"
"Up the mountain!?"
"Yeah, you are going to climb it by the means of the stairs"
"Stairs?" I didn't see any stairs but I had no choice but to follow him and once we were at the base of the mountain a row of stairs seemed to appear and they went straight up the mountain. "Whoa…" I gawked.
"These stairs only appear for Necromancers; there is a spell on them to only appear for us. Come now; we have a lot of walking to do…"
Lovely…
#
I had never been so tired in my life but the stairs kept going up and up. We had been walking up these stairs for what seemed like forever but there no was end in sight. I wanted to ask 'how much farther?' but I knew Lucas would probably insult me so I kept my mouth shut and kept walking up the stairs. This wasn't Purgatorio anymore so I was stuck walking up these stairs in my bare feet and every now and then I would step onto a pebble or something sharp. I cursed under my breath but kept going; I couldn't stop now. The sun was high in the sky but the wind was blustering cold and it would strike me like a thousand needles but we hadn't even gotten to the snow yet.
Lucas was always ten steps above me but at least he would wait for me before continuing on. It seemed like forever until a wall appeared and the steps finally ended. The house appeared to be of Chinese creation and the whole scene was stunning in beauty. There were Sakura trees on the flat land and the grass was so green. There was a small man-made lake with large fish swimming around in it; a fountain set up in the back. The only scene was like…right out a movie and I couldn't stop looking at everything even when Lucas pushed me forward.
We came up to the house and Lucas laid his hand flat on the sliding door before sliding it open and entering inside. I wiped my feet off the best I could before entering in respect to the Elder's house. The room inside was warm; there were Chinese lamps set up all around and there were candles lit giving the room a heavenly smell. There was a man that was seated on the floor in an orange robe but I couldn't see his face because he was looking away from us.
"…Lucas Von Astein…I was beginning to wonder when you would finally come to me."
"Elder Ming-hoa" Lucas bowed his head and I did the same quickly. "Forgive me but as much as I wanted to come here I-"
The man held up a hand to silence Lucas. "I don't want to hear your excuses. A man does not need a reason to climb a mountain when in life climbing mountains is essential. You didn't come up here because you knew I would treat you no different than your father but despite your desires for power you are dissimilar than him. You have some patience…although it's nothing to speak admirably about and you think you always need reasons to do something. That is why you are always alone Lucas; you will never find happiness thinking that way but at least you do some good by bringing this girl to me…"
Elder Ming-hoa turned then and I saw his face. (AN: Imagine James Hong sitting there in a monk's robe; if you don't know who he is then look him up because he is awesome) Elder Ming-hoa had a soft face with a kind smile and despite being four thousand years old he didn't look no older than eighty-three but still in very good health. A question formed in my brain and I said it without thinking, "I thought Necromancers were immortal?"
"Yes they are but some of us still age; just very slowly. My Father was a Necromancer but not my Mother so I age every forty-eight years but unlike you…both of your parents were Necromancers so once you ascend you will stay young and immortal." Elder Ming-hoa answered for Lucas. His voice was very soft towards me and I felt so calm around him; he didn't seem like some dead talking hellraiser like Lucas made other Necromancers seem out to be but just knowing how I was proved that not to be the case. I had the strongest urge to sit down on my knees across from him and listen to whatever he had to say but somehow I suppressed.
"You are…Tamara Caruso? Or do you prefer Tameryn Copperfield?"
I took a step forward; "you can call me Tami…if that's okay?" I was pretty nervous so it sounded like a question. I could feel his energy pulsing off him.
"You don't have to be nervous around me. I am very happy that you came; I don't get many visitors here"
"You have a very beautiful home; the view must be nice" I felt myself lighten up a little and he chuckled. "Yes, I find it very…peaceful."
Lucas seemed uncomfortable and I could see it with the way he kept shifting from one foot to the next. Me, on the other hand, found this place to be like something from one of my dreams as a child.
"I sense a great deal of light in you; despite the darkness that has followed you from your past. You seem genuinely kind and caring towards other people which is rather rare in Necromancers. Our upbringings haven't always been the best but you are no different but yet you do not let your mind wander on revenge." The way he talked about me made me think he had been watching me for a long time and I could only nod my head like a moron.
"It brings me a lot of relief; my last two guests were not…as I was hoping they would be but now that you have arrived I feel much better. May I see the stones?"
"The stones?" I asked, my mind was in a tizzy from all of this.
"Yes, the ones you got from Seth dearie"
"Oh…" I opened the top flap of my leather bag and pulled out the large stones and handed them to him.
"Moonstone, amethyst, and aquamarine. Seth choose well; he must see the innocence in you as well." Elder Ming-hoa stood up and walked over to the nearest table. I couldn't see what he was doing but after a moment came back and the stones were gone but in their place was a leather chained bracelet with three stones connected to it. He had somehow combined the stones together and carved them into small shapes and put them together in a bracelet.
"Wear this always and it will help you preform spells. This is liquid Expression in the stones…" he put the bracelet on my right hand. "Liquid Expression?"
He nodded. "Liquid Expression is raw energy that you can use without having to take from yourself and it will never run out; it will weaken but it will never run out." His fingers moved to my ring. "Just like this ring. You have worn it for a long time so your energy has been absorbed by this ring which makes it your weapon when you need it the most" he reached for my necklace and looked at it, "the same with this"
"When you need them they will appear. Necromancers have the ability to put life in things that are dead and without knowing it you have given this items some life and they will repay you for that." He tapped my head and then went to sit back down. "Thank you for your visit but if you do not leave now then your friends will be very worried; they are already worried but they will become more worried. Thank you for coming…it has been a wonderful visit and if you ever it this house will be open to you…and you as well Lucas; if you should ever need it."
Lucas seemed surprised but he nodded his head all the same. "Thank you Elder Ming-hoa; we will be leaving now…come Tamara"
I didn't want to leave but I did want to go home. I wanted to talk to Damon mostly and apologize for everything. When I get back I'm going to give him the best kiss I can muster…
Elder Ming-hoa suddenly laughed. Huh?
"You are very fond of that vampire boy; my apologies but that has brought some warmth to my heart. I can assure you…he might do the same when he sees you" he winked at me and I mashed my lips together so I wouldn't giggle. I bowed my head again and then followed after Lucas.
I felt anxious but I knew exactly what I was going to say when I saw Damon again.
#
The smoke disappeared and we were back in Mystic Falls. The sun had set and it was getting dark but I wasn't too far away from the Boarding House. "Thank you for all of this Lucas" I was still a little angry with him about yesterday but other than that I was grateful. Whether I wanted to think about it or not he did give me the powers to save my life he watched over me when no one did; he even summoned a future me to give myself hope and that did mean a lot to me. He simply nodded like it meant nothing and I wasn't sure if it meant nothing to him or not. I couldn't remember much of Lucas from back then but he seemed to be no different than how he was now. He acted like he was superior to everyone else and he was a little cocky but he did have a heart somewhere. He may still be cold to me now but one day I bet I would see a softer side of him but for now he was same old Lucas.
Lucas disappeared after I started walking back to the Boarding House and I didn't hear a single peep from him for the rest of the night.
#
The front door to the Boarding House was unlocked and I opened the door to see the living room empty and the house was quiet. Is anyone even here?
"Hello?" I called but I didn't hear anyone so I went upstairs to Damon's room but it was empty. I went to the nightstand where my phone was left lying at and I dialed his number. He picked up on the first ring and his voice sounded worried "Tameryn, where the hell are you!?"
"I'm at the Boarding House. I can explain everything I promise…"
There was a slight pause. "I'll be right there"
I didn't have to wait long before I heard the front door open and Damon coming up the stairs. I got up to open the door but he came through it faster and caught me in his arms. He didn't say anything and just held me for the longest time before he pulled me away and asked me "where the hell have you been!? Pearl and Harper come knocking and I find you gone…where did you go!?" Damon looked angry but he looked concerned as well.
"I was pulled in Purgatorio by Lucas. He took me to some places and taught me my first lesson as a Necromancer. I'll explain everything…"
Damon listened to the whole story with a fixed expression and once I was done he sighed and took me back into his arms. I heard him whisper "…don't do that to me again"
I felt a sting of sadness hit me when he said that and I immediately felt terrible. I also needed to tell him that me breaking up with him was Lucas and not me. I hope he believes me…
"Damon, there's something I need to tell you about-!" I couldn't finish my sentence because Damon had pressed his lips against my own. I instantly let my guard down and kissed him back; wrapping my arms around his neck and pulling him closer. This is great…
He finally pulled away but he still held me. "…If it's what you want then…"
"No! you didn't let me finish. I didn't want to break up with you but Lucas made me do it. He thought that isolating-"
"-Isolating? I'm starting to dislike this Lucas guy…" his velvet smile appeared. "…thinking he could take my girl away from me. He's dead the next time I see him."
I giggled a little. "He's already dead Damon and he can't be seen by anyone but me"
That didn't seem to faze Damon at all. "Well then, you'll just have to tell me if I'm hurting him at all…" I laughed at his answer and gave him a kiss which he caught with his own lips.
"But…I can understand if you didn't want to be with a guy like me. There's nothing good about me; I can promise you that" his voice was low but I shook my head and gave him a smile.
"I don't think so. The way I see it; there's a lot of things about you that's good. I know it because I'm in love with that part of you but even if you are what everyone says you I would still be with you because not everyone is perfect but you're perfect enough for me. I don't care what anyone thinks; whether it's Stefan, my parents, or Alaric, or anyone. I know who you are, Damon Salvatore, and I love you whether the world likes it or not; even if you don't"
He seemed a little hesitant with my words so I continued, there was one more thing I needed to say.
"I made a promise that I would never leave you and I'm going to keep that promise for as long as I live…or until you don't want me to"
He shook his head then and stopped me from talking with another kiss and this time he brought me closer to him and didn't let me go even as we pulled away. "To be free for all of eternity…and to spend it with just one other person" he started to say; his fingers brushed the hair away from my cheek.
"I'm glad that I finally found you…my lost little girl"
I felt a tear come up in my eyes but it wasn't from sadness but happiness. I knew that our future was going to get rougher and there might be times that will pull us away from each other but at this moment I had never been happier.
Damon looked into my eyes and repeated those three little words he had said so long before "…I love you"
I felt more tears of happiness come through my eyes and I wiped them away with a stupid grin.
"For eternity?" I laid down beside him in his bed. I was turned towards him and he had my hand in his.
"For eternity" he promised and he pulled me back to him and for the first time that day I felt myself going into a peaceful slumber.
TBC…