A/N: Wow, I managed two whole chapters in a week! That's got to be my new record! It might have something to with the AWESOME review I got today on my new first chapter. :) See, this is what happens when Firestorm gets good reviews! *cough, cough* ;) She gets inspiration and updates more. :)
Warnings: VERY VERY VERY DARK! Creepiness, angst, death, and evil taunts. This will probably be one of my nastiest chapters. This chapter will also be excessively L-O-O-O-O-N-G.
Disclaimer: Nid wyf yn berchen Wizard101. KingsIsle yn berchen arno. (Welsh for "I don't own Wizard101. KingsIsle owns it.)
Other randomness: A few new O.C.'s in this chapter.
-Alexandra-
We were only running for a few minutes before the ground disappeared. For a few seconds, all I could think was "We're going to die. Moira's got us." And then we slammed into a white stone floor. I felt like I was dying already-cold, wet, and in pain. Then, I heard a voice:
"Are you okay, Miss?" The voice was soft and British, not at all like the voice of Moira or one of her followers. Nevertheless, I leaped to my feet and had my wand out in a heartbeat. I was pointing the tip of the black skull at the speaker before I even realized who it was. "Oh! Goodness! I'm sorry to startle you, Miss." It was a Marleybonian dog, a German Shepherd dressed in a red uniform and a tan hat.
"Sorry about that." I said, relaxing instantly. I lowered my wand and looked around. We were in a big white church. The Marleybone Spiral Chamber. "Yes, I'm fine, but my friends . . ." I trailed off as I looked behind me. There were . . . SIX people there, not three! "Heather! Evan! Brooke!" I shrieked, running over to them. Slowly, my friends sat up. Each one's face had a different expression. Destiny was shocked, Erica was relieved, Ashley looked tired and sad, Brooke was angry, Evan was confused, and Heather's face was completely terrified.
"What happened?" Evan's face was blank.
"Moira captured us, that's 'what happened!'" Brooke hissed, her eyes bugging in rage. She scrambled to her feet and whipped out her wand. "Let's go. No one turns me into a zombie and lives very long."
"Wait, Brooke." Erica stood and placed a hand on her shoulder. While the Thaumaturge whispered calming words into Brooke's ear, I turned to Heather. She was still sitting on the floor, hugging her knees to her chest and crying silently.
"What's wrong?" I asked.
"It was terrifying in there, Alexandra," she whispered. "Everything was dark and cold. I couldn't see anything. It felt like there was no such thing as warmth anymore. I felt like something was possessing me; my arms and legs moved, but I wasn't moving them. My body was attacking you, while my mind was screaming for me to stop. I couldn't stop. I-if you hadn't ran away when you did, I would have killed you."
"Heather . . ."
"I think I should go home. I don't see how I can help you any more. I don't want something like that to happen again; I'd never forgive myself if I hurt you." I was shocked.
"Heather, I don't know what you're talking about. You're one of the most helpful people here; we would never have gotten this far without you." It was a lie, and she knew it.
"You don't have to lie to make me feel better." The Conjurer turned and started walking towards the Spiral Door, but Ashley stopped her.
"Heather Rosegem, stop walking right now or I will go up there and take the Spiral Keys. True, you may not be the most helpful people in the group, but you've got something none of us have: true, innocent, sincere compassion for nearly everything living. You're patient, and you can think logically, even in the craziest situations. Without those traits, we'd have a much more difficult time on this quest. Even Erica gets frustrated sometimes, and when she does, you're the one who keeps us organized! You're our friend; we don't care about your faults!" I'd never seen this side of Ashley before. I guess Donna's capture brings out strange qualities in all of us, I thought. Heather's face was amusing. Her eyes were wide, and her mouth was open in shock.
"She's right," I said, stepping forwards. "We're together on this, Heather. Everyone here is present because they're needed and wanted on this quest. Donna is my friend; I'm not gonna abandon the search for her. Are you?" She slowly shook her head.
"No."
"Well, then, come on. We've got a villain to track down and a friend to rescue." I turned back to the Marleybonian. "Did you see a tall man dressed in black, an albino girl wearing black, or a girl with chestnut brown hair and wearing red armor?"
"Not that I can recall, sorry." He shrugged apologetically. I groaned. We were stuck without a lead.
"Thanks anyways. Contact me if you see them and manage to escape. The ones in black, anyways, they're dangerous. Malistaire Drake and Moira Moonchaser. The girl in red is Donna Dragonflame, one of my best friends. My name is Alexandra Firesong. Guys, come on! We don't have a lead; we'd better get searching."
"Wait a moment. I haven't seen any of the people you're looking for, but there's something suspicious going on here. Citizens have been reporting seeing an odd black shape running around the city, and there have been disappearances. That shape may have something to do with the ones you're chasing."
"Okay. Where has it been seen most recently?"
"It was last sighted by Deirdre and Desmond Dreadful of Chelsea Court. They live at Number-"
"57. I know." I interrupted. "I know their daughter, Penny. Thanks for the help." We left the church.
"That's not good. A black shape appearing, and then disappearances? Penny's parents could be in danger." Destiny said, clearly concerned. I nodded.
"The last balloon leaves for Chelsea Court at nine. What time is it, Erica?" She glanced at a huge clock mounted on a pole.
"Almost 8:45," she replied nervously.
"We'd better hurry, then, if we want to get to Digmoore Station in 15 minutes! Heather, you've been here the most times out of us all; can you lead us there?" The Conjurer nodded uncertainly.
"W-we're at Wolfm-minster Abbey. We have t-to turn r-right." Her stutter was getting worse. We turned left. "K-keep going straight until you s-see Felicia W-worthington. She's the c-crafter."
"We'd better run." I decided. We ran. Heather was in the front, leading us uncertainly. A few minutes later, we came to a small, gray brick building. The light brown curtains were fluttering in the breeze, and there were pansies growing in the window boxes. A dog in a dress and a bonnet was sitting on the doorstep.
"Hi, F-felicia," Heather called, waving to the dog. She waved back as we ran by her.
"You'd best hurry, Heather! The last balloon leaves in five minutes!"
"How'd she know where we were going," I asked her.
"Remember when I stayed here for a year to fight the cats?" I nodded. "I wasn't used to the train system or the layout of the city, and I was ALWAYS late for my balloon. Felicia ended up teaching me how to get around faster."
"Got it." We ran into Digmoore Station just as a bell rang, marking 9:00.
"Is the balloon still here?" The frog at the desk nodded, pointing towards a platform. There was a sign that said "Chelsea Court" and a green balloon car was waiting there.
"Be careful, wizards! Marleybone is dangerous at night," the frog called as we ran towards the balloon car. I gave him a thumbs up over my shoulder as I jumped onto the car.
Strangely enough, my friends and I were the only ones on the car. Usually, all Marleybone balloon cars were filled, even the last ones of the night. I wasn't complaining; the normally-packed wooden benches were empty, and I was actually comfortable for once. The seven of us sat close together and plotted.
"We've got to be ready. Moira could attack at any time. She's death with life as a secondary school, so nothing can boost her. Our only hope is to use all the other schools against her. Erica, can you use your balance stuff? The only wizard type we don't have is Balance."
"Sure. I'll be right back." She went to one of the bathrooms to change. A few minutes later, she returned, dressed in light Krokotopian robes dyed white and blue. I couldn't help but smile in amusement, thinking of what Donna's comment would be. Those clothes are weird looking! They're Ice colors, but summery robes! I could almost hear the Pyromancer's voice.
A few minutes later, there was an announcement: "Attention passengers! We will be stopping at Hyde Park in a few minutes. You may depart from there if you wish."
"Why are we stopping at Hyde Park? This balloon isn't even on that route," Heather wondered aloud.
"I'll go find out." Evan stood and walked towards the front of the balloon. He returned a minute later and said, "There are two wizards stranded there, and they sent a distress call to the balloon."
"That would explain it," I said to myself. "Thanks, Evan." He nodded.
Five minutes later, the balloon slowly started to release air, drifting down towards the Hyde Park Station. I could see two figures standing on the platform. As we got closer, I could tell that they were about the same height, probably around the same age, too. We landed, and they boarded the balloon car, waving and saying thank-you's to the pilot. The two girls took seats in the back of the car.
"Hi. I'm Alexandra. Who are you?" I asked.
"I'm Chelsea Dayriver level 28 Theurgist, and this is my friend Liz Thundereyes, level 38." I detected a touch of smugness in Chelsea's voice, like she felt I was below her. I glanced at my friends skeptically, and eventually, Ashley was the one who did our intro's.
"Hi, Chelsea and Liz. I'm Ashley, and these are my friends: Erica, Heather, Brooke, Destiny, Evan, and Alexandra. We're all Legendaries." I could just see Chelsea's thoughts of superiority disintegrate as soon as she heard the word "legendary." Erica gave me a look.
"Be nice, Alexandra," she whispered.
"Make me," I whispered back. Meanwhile, Ashley and Destiny were talking to the younger girls.
"So, why are you headed to Chelsea Court?"
"We're just going home for the night. We were fighting the cats in Hyde Park all day."
"I remember when I was sent here to fight for a month. Those were SO hard to fight."
"Yeah. Why are YOU going to Chelsea Court?"
"We're tracking two people and a shadow. Have you seen a tall man dressed in black, or maybe an albino Necromancer?" Trust Destiny to turn the topic to the quest. She was good at getting back on topic, I had to admit.
"Nope. Nothing. Are you actually gonna track the Shadow? People say that as soon as you see the shadow, you disappear. With some, their bodies are found days later, and some are never found."
"Creepy, but ghost stories can't scare us away. We've got to find out what it really is." Ashley sounded confident, but I heard her voice waver. She was just as worried about the shadow as everyone else. I was a tiny bit nervous, but hey! It was a SHADOW. I dealt with things from the dark every day of my life. One more shadow would be no problem.
When we arrived in Chelsea Court, Liz said goodbye and left. Chelsea, however, stuck around.
"Can I come with you?" She finally blurted out.
"Why?"
"I-well-I want to fight something harder. The cats are easy, but until I get to Magus, I can't go to Mooshu . . . my world."
"Uh . . . I guess so . . . Alexandra, what do you think?" I regarded the young Theurgist warily. She was only 16, two years younger and less experienced, and she was only level 28. Our work was dangerous. Then again, she would be with seven Legendaries. There couldn't be any harm in bringing her along, and besides: she was an extra healer.
"Okay, I suppose. Just-make sure you don't get in our way. We've got serious work to do that concerns the safety of the Spiral. One slip up and you're going back to fighting cats."
"Okay. I'll be helpful, I promise." I nodded, satisfied.
"Come on, then. We'll explain what we're doing on the way." We explained about Malistaire-and more importantly, Moira- to the black haired, blue eyed girl. She listened silently the whole time, while Heather navigated us through the winding Court. After nearly 10 minutes of walking, we arrived at Number 57. It was a big place, made of brick that looked gray in the night, but could have been any color. It was at least four floors high, and there were six stone steps leading up to the wide black door. Under the tiny peep-hole was a gold 57 and the name Dreadful, and there was also a gold knocker, a simple loop of gold with a skull in the middle. There was a light in the window, so I knocked. I heard footsteps, and the door was opened by a teen-aged girl. She was tall, with copper colored skin and dark gingerbread brown eyes. Her hair was glossy and black, and it fell to her shoulders. The girl was wearing a black dress with gold buttons down the front. I recognized her immediately.
"Alexandra Firesong? Is that you?" She asked. Her voice wasn't as squeaky as it had been, but she still had a thick British accent. I grinned at her.
"Hello, Penny."
"Oh, gosh! Alexandra, I haven't seen you in years! How have you been?"
"Pretty good, and you?" I replied, hugging my friend.
"Oh, pretty good. Come in, come in! Erica, Destiny, Ashley, Heather, Brooke and Evan, right? And who's this? I've never seen you before." Penny stared at Chelsea.
"Penny, this is Chelsea Dayriver. We just met her today, and she's coming to help with the quest we're on."
"Quest?" She sounded confused. I explained what had happened with Malistaire.
"Oh, poor you! That's awful! I'll miss Sylvia; she was such a nice lady."
"Yeah," I muttered. "So, can we talk to your parents? We heard that they saw the black shadow." Penny's face fell.
"I thought you'd get to that eventually. Come with me." She led us into a parlor of some sort. The walls were wallpapered gold, and the carpet was soft blue. The room was lit by dim lamps and a few candles. The place looked warm and inviting, with the exception of the person sitting on the couch. It was a woman dressed in a long sleeved, high collared black dress and hood. Her long black hair was tucked partly under the hood, but most of it hung messily around her shoulders. Her brown eyes were cast at the floor, and her hands were clasped together tightly. It was Mrs. Dreadful.
"What happened?" Erica whispered.
"She's been like this for a few days now. I'm not sure what happened, to be honest, but before she went quiet, she was talking about a shadow and Dad getting taken," Penny whispered back. I nodded.
"Destiny, do you think that you can heal her?"
"I'll try my best." The Theurgist pulled out her wand and cast a healing spell on Mrs. Dreadful. The woman shuddered and looked up, her eyes sad and empty.
"Hello, Mrs. Dreadful. I know this is going to be painful, but can you tell me about seeing the shadow, and your husband getting captured?"
"We-my husband and I- were walking home three nights two of us saw something dark flit across a window, and then it disappeared. While we were walking by an alley, something grabbed Desmond and pulled him in.I was knocked unconscious and woke up here." Deirdre shivered and went silent. I nodded.
"Thank you so much, Mrs. Dreadful. We'll get your husband back, don't worry. "
"You will? Oh, thank you, Alexandra!" Penny exclaimed. "I'd come with you, but I have to take care of my mother. The alley they were near was only about a minute's walk straight from here."
"Thanks, Penny. We'll bring your dad back soon, I promise. Chelsea, can you stay here? I don't want you running into something that might be deadly."
"No. I'm coming," she replied stubbornly.
"Chelsea, we're going to attack a shadow that kidnapped Mr. Dreadful! It won't be afraid to take you, too!"
"I don't care. Nothing you can say will make me change my mind." She folded her arms and glared. I sighed.
"Okay, fine. Come. Get yourself killed." I said, turning and opening the door. The eight of us departed for the alley.
I immediately knew which alley it was: the one with the bones in the front. Chelsea shrank back, staring at the bones in shock and horror.
"Having second thoughts?"
"N-no, not at all. Let's go." She acted like she was going to step forwards, but I pushed her back a little.
"Stay in the center of the group. It's too dangerous to be in the front or back. Destiny, come with me at the front. Erica, Evan, guard the back. Brooke, Heather, Ashley, take the sides. Chelsea, STAY IN THE CENTER." I stepped forwards into the dark tunnel, holding my wand in front of me cautiously. Nothing. I continued nothing. Feeling slightly braver, I walked several steps forwards, and my friends followed. We walked all the way to the end of the tunnel. Standing on top of a box, illuminated by the moon, were two people: one was a boy dressed all in white, the other, a girl wearing all black. Moira.
"I hope you've got a grave dug, Moonchaser." Brooke snapped, glaring at Moira. In her eyes was a light, a kind of rage that I'd never seen before. I watched Moira's face closely, trying not to let my extreme rage take over my mind.
"What? You want me dead? Come on, Brooke. Your friend didn't seem to have this much fight in her."
"What did you DO to her? Where is she?" I yelled, practically picturing Moira's body being burned, ever . . . so . . . slowly . . .
"Lady Moira, are you sure this is a good idea?" The boy asked nervously.
"Shut up, Arthas. I've already done the job; you can't persuade me otherwise now. Are you really sure you want to see her, Alex?"
"AlexA-N-D-R-A. ALEXANDRA. Not Alex," I growled, "and yes. Let her go." Moira sighed.
"Oh, well. Don't say I didn't try. Arthas, remember this. I DID try and dissuade them. By the way, did you like my poetry? It was on-the-spot improv. I'm rather proud of that little thing myself."
"You're stalling."
"Oh, I suppose. Here's your friend." She reached up and pulled on a cord. Something large made a "thud" noise as it hit the ground, clearly dropped from the ground. I inspected closer, and promptly screamed like a girly-girl that had just seen a mouse. The thing was Donna's body, with hand prints encircling her collapsed throat and a look of terror on her childish face. Donna, the most immature, innocent, childlike of us all had been murdered.
A/N: DON'T KILL ME! *Shrinks into a little ball* Firestorm sowy. She had to kill Donna because it was a plot device. Please tell me that ONE of you saw that coming! . . . pretty please? Oh, well. Here's my attempt at being sane: I really am sorry for killing Donna, to those of you who like her. I had other reasons for killing her besides just the plot device thingy. :( I'm planning on letting her live in Liar, Liar (that's Donna's back story, by the way) or possibly doing something from her point of view after her death. Think about it this way: now Alexandra gets to kick Moira's butt . . . possibly. Anyways, there will be a fight scene by SuperYuuki next chapter. Tear Drops 1221, how did I do with Liz? Sorry her appearance was so short; let me know if you want her to appear again. BelleshippingGirl, same thing. How did I do with Chelsea? She will definitely be in future chapters.
Okay, Firestorm's done now. She's gotta go write happy stuff before she starts crying . . . *sob* : ...( (That's my crying face)