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Kai's POV:

Murder

I can't seem to tear my eyes away from Scarlet's, no matter how much I want to. Her head is lolling listlessly to one side, and her mouth is curved in a dreamy smile. Her black eyes regard us without actually seeing us. I know that we could be jumping around her waving our arms and she wouldn't see a thing. I know because my dad wouldn't see a thing. She's trapped inside her own head, just like him, with that weird illness. The only difference is, I think I know what's caused it.

"What did you do to Scarlet?" I ask the strange woman furiously.

"Oh, you don't need to worry about your friend." She says with a nonchalant wave of her hand. "She'll be fine. If Selene cooperates of course."

Thorne frowns with confusion. "Who?"

The woman ignores him, instead turning her attention to Cinder. "My, my, you do look like Channary!"

Cinder doesn't answer, only glares at the woman furiously.

"You know, it's horribly impolite to ignore someone who's talking to you." Suddenly, she laughs, a high, cold sound. "But look at me, lecturing you on manners when I haven't even introduced myself! I am Sybil Mira, Head Thaumaturge to Queen Levana."

"Are we supposed to know what any of that means?" Thorne asks.

"Well, a simple Earthen such as yourself wouldn't know, but the fairy, elf and of course Selene will."

As she speaks, Sybil gestures elegantly to Iko, Cress and Cinder in turn. Iko and Cinder just scowl and clench their fists, but Cress's big blue eyes are stretched wide with confusion and fear.

"Wha-but I'm not a fairy!" she stammers, "O-or and elf! And my name isn't Selene!"

Sybil smirks at her, like she's enjoying the blonde's terror. "For an elf you are remarkably stupid if you honestly think that pathetic display of fear is going to convince me. But I'm not here for you." She turns her cold smile onto Cinder. "I'm here for Selene."

I step forward and grab Cinder's arm. I've heard enough. "Come one Cinder, let's go." This lady's obviously insane. Let's just get out of here and call the police."

She looks at me, her brown eyes shining with fear. Don't blame her. This maniac's convinced that she's someone named Selene.

But before we can take even a step, Sybil whistles, a high-pitched, piercing noise. I don't put much stock in it. Until I hear the howling.

Long low notes slice through the air, growing louder and more jumbled as more voices join the song. Thuds and snaps punctuate the sound like a grim percussion, and hungry eyes gleam from the shadows.

I scan the circle of wolves, trying to ignore the gaping jaws full of knife sharp teeth and the claws scraping impatiently against the dirt, but every time I spot a gap a new wolf arrives to fill it with their own savage forms.

Sybil smirks at me, cold amusement dancing in her grey eyes. "Did you honestly think I would let you go that easily? I still have business to finish with Selene after all."

"What business?" Cinder demands.

"The business of your revolution. Such antics are highly irresponsible. People might get hurt."

As she speaks, Sybil brings out a wicked dagger from the pockets of her white jacket.

As one being, we all take a step back. But she doesn't direct the dagger at us. Instead, she hands it to Scarlet, who takes it dreamily and… holds it up against her own neck.

I feel all the colour leave my face. She wouldn't slit her own throat, would she? Proud, fierce Scarlet wouldn't commit suicide just because some crazy lady told her to. Not if she knew what she was doing, at least. But her blissful smile doesn't falter a bit as the sharp metal brushes against her pale skin.

Another wolf arrives, bigger than all the others, and closes the last gap behind Sybil. Its sharp green eyes are fixed on Scarlet. I guess it can sense that she's the most likely to die at this point.

Cinder fixes Sybil with a fierce glare. "Leave Scarlet out of this! She hasn't done anything!"

"Yes, a true shame when innocent lives are lost." Sybil nods in mock sorrow. "But she could live to see another day, if you would only call off your revolution."

"Cinder's not part of any revolution!" I burst out, "She's not Selene, whoever that is. She's just Cinder! She works as a mechanic in a machine shop and goes to school with us! You've got the completely wrong idea!"

Cinder flinches and Sybil chuckles, smiling at me like I'm a small child. "Oh poor, poor naïve Earthen. I believe it's you who's got the wrong idea."

I open my mouth to retort, but Iko places her hand on my shoulder, shaking her head sympathetically. "It's no use Kai."

"Yeah, this lady thinks that she's an alien or something. No reasoning with that type of person." Thorne agrees.

Sybil ignores us, instead smiling sweetly at Cinder. "So what will it be Selene? Terminate your revolution, or have the blood of an innocent on your hands."

Scarlet presses the knife harder against her neck and dark drops of blood run along the blade.

The large wolf growls.

Cinder is shaking, looking at Scarlet, then Sybil, then the wolves, then the rest of us, then back at Scarlet.

I don't understand her confusion. Just humour the lady and say you're going to call off the non-existent revolution! Then maybe she'll finally let us go. Maybe. She's obviously insane after all.

"Having a hard time deciding?" Sybil asks mockingly, "Let me make it easier for you."

Scarlet lowers the knife from her neck, and I breathe a sigh of relief. But just as I finally allow myself to relax, Scarlet places her hand flat on the trunk of the tree she was leaning against.

The large wolf growls louder and starts slowly stalking forward while his fellows stare at him with what I could almost swear was confusion.

Without looking back, Sybil says, "Patience my dear pups, you will feast soon."

This just makes the big wolf growl louder.

Scarlet adjusts her grip on the knife and raises it so it is hovering directly over her smallest finger. My throat closes up with fear and I step towards her, to stop her, to restrain her, I don't know. But before I can get any closer, her smile never breaking, Scarlet brings the knife to her finger.

A maddened roar of rage suddenly forces me to look away from Scarlet, who now has blood pouring freely over her hand, just in time to see the large wolf pounce on Sybil. Her shriek of terror attacks my ears, and I find myself unable to look away as the wolf sinks his teeth into her neck, tearing away at her flesh. Blood trickles from her mouth as her eyes, so alive with fear mere moments before, turn hollow with death.

The other wolves howl with rage and throw themselves at the larger wolf who, with a final glance at Scarlet, bounds away from its victim's carcass and into the darkness cast by the trees, the savage barking of the others gradually fading as they chase after it.

I release a breath I didn't know I'd been holding and look at the other's faces. Cress has gone deathly pale and her entire body is shaking uncontrollably. She looks like she'll faint any second. Thorne is staring at Sybil's body, unable to look away from the still-bleeding gash on her throat. Iko has managed to tear her gaze away, and is resolutely keeping it that way, unwilling to acknowledge the grotesque scene that just took place. Cinder on the other hand, still hasn't succeeded in that front. She has her hands pressed over her mouth, and her legs are quivering slightly. Her tan skin has lost all its colour in light of what she was just forced to witness.

I reach out, intending to put my hand on her shoulder, when a loud retching lets us all gratefully snap our attention away from Sybil's body.

Scarlet has hunched over, and is hacking and coughing sporadically at the ground. Finally, with a final retch, a stream of black slime pours out of her mouth. She retches again, and out comes more slime, coating the once cheerful blades of grass.

Eventually, she unsteadily straightens, blinking blearily. She reaches up with her bleeding hand to wipe the last remnants of the slime from her mouth. She glances down at her hand and freezes, her big brown eyes wide with shock.

"WHAT THE HELL HAS HAPPENED TO MY HAND?"

A/N: Well, that was… exciting. (sorry if you were eating when you read this)

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