Andy went to campus, waiting outside Arie's office. Soon, she saw her twin approaching. She smiled, "How was class?"
"Alright. Some of these kids don't seem to want to pay attention, but most of them are okay."
Andy chuckled and waited for Arie to put her bag in her office. They then left the English building and started heading for the dining hall.
Soon, Andy stopped walking, "Something's wrong.." She looked around and noticed there weren't any students on the normally filled path. As if on cue, several men appeared and surrounded them. Andy noticed their badges labeling them part of Branch. "I'll go with you if you leave her alone."
"We don't just want you. If you have all this power, who knows what she's hiding?" He reached out toward her. Andy started muttering a kill spell but was soon knocked unconscious by a tranq dart.
Arie was asleep the whole time, not waking up once, unlike Andy who had no idea how long she had been there, but like her previous times, she just remembered waking up over and over with scientists standing over her. She tried to fight against them but was soon knocked out again.
An explosion rocked the building from outside as the door flew inward off its hinges. Several leopards ran in, jumping toward the scientists with growls.
The ones nearest Arie were savagely torn apart before one of the other scientists shot it down. He had a second to triumph before the other two tore his throat out.
A tiger and wolf raced in behind, attacking anyone left on their feet. A few minutes later, all the animals reverted. Leo and Jade quickly knelt beside the third leopard, revealed to be Kenji as Tet and Kiba tore the restraints off both women.
Andy woke slightly, blinking an eye open. Once she saw her boyfriends, she knew she was safe and passed back out.
Arie woke, finding herself in the infirmary. She looked around in confusion, wondering what happened.
Kiba gave her a small smile. "How are you feeling?"
"Alright.. What happened? One minute I'm being attacked on campus and the next thing I know I'm here?"
"Branch reared it's god forsaken head again. We rescued you two last night."
"Branch?"
"The scientific arm of the military. They are a bunch of sick fucks who get their jollies experimenting on us." Kiba scowled.
Arie nodded slowly, "Why did they want me though? I'm not military?"
"Andy has been a target for years. Now her twin is here. They want to see what makes you tick as well as add things. We have all been experimented on at one time or another."
"I shouldn't have visited you and given you your memories back... I'll just cause you problems." Andy answered as she pushed herself up out of bed. She then looked at Kiba, "How long this time?"
"You'll be glad to know only a few days." He sighed, looking over at a bandaged and unconscious Kenji. "Everyone is alive."
Andy nodded slowly.
Arie stared at Andy in shock, "You seriously wish you hadn't found me?"
"If it would have kept you safe, yes. Maybe I should do a memory spell so you forget me again." She headed out of the infirmary.
Tears filled Arie's eyes and she let out a quiet sob.
"Dammit Andy.." Kiba muttered sourly. "I'm sorry she said that."
"I don't get it.. I mean, yeah I got taken, but I don't even remember anything. It's not that big of a deal, you know? So why...?" She wiped at her eyes.
Kiba grimaced. "The very idea of you being taken is anathema to Andy. Add to it the fact we have no idea yet what Branch has done to you, if anything. It kills her that she couldn't protect you. To her, your safety is everything." He gave a fleeting grin. "She gave herself up once to a psychotic necromancer just to keep us safe."
"She never told me about that, or Branch.. How much don't I know about her?"
Tet gave a pained look. "Probably a lot. She tries to avoid discussion of Branch at all costs, even among us."
"Do you know what happened to her?"
Everyone in the room grimaced as Tet reluctantly nodded. "Partly because we know what it's like and partly because we've been with her a few times this has happened."
"I doubt I can get her to tell me about it.. Will you tell me what you know so I can understand her?"
Tet paled at her question. "Trust me, you do not want to know."
Arie sighed, "Could you tell me some of the kinds of things has Branch done? Like what could they have done to me?"
"They could have done what was done to Daiki. Or could have turned you into a shifter like us. Or worse, done both at the same time..like Andy." Tet's voice was soft and pained.
"She's never really mentioned that. I know she's a witch and necromancer, and she mentioned something about being a panther, but I thought maybe she had a spell like I do to become a raven?"
Kiba raised an eyebrow, but said nothing.
Tet shook his head. "No spell, Arie. She was made a shifter and a vampire. She's also had brainwashing attempted, along with us being used as leverage so she would work for them."
Arie frowned, "How does she stay sane after all that?"
"Are any of us sane? We stay here even after being freed from our servitude. Would you consider that a sane act?" Kiba stretched his arms as he looked at her.
Arie raised an eyebrow, "You must like it somewhat then. And at least she gets to be the doctor she always wanted to be."
"Admittedly furball here is an adrenaline junkie. But it goes deeper than that. We're family and only family understands. We share everything. Our happiness, our pain, our frustration with the world who doesn't know we exist and if it did would probably hunt us to extinction." Tet ran a hand through his hair. "Andy hates to see anyone in pain. It hurts her more when it's who she considers family. You're even more special to her because you're actual family."
Arie nodded quietly. "I grew up knowing about magic but I never realized the world was this against us. I can't imagine how much harder it is for her being so many things.."
"Being a witch is nothing to most people. An alternative religion, a party trick to amuse your friends. Being "non human"? That's the dangerous thing. They might even come to an understanding of shifters. But vampires? Can you imagine anyone but a Goth accepting them?" Kiba frowned. "Bad enough they were lied to. But Daiki, Jack, Zal and your sister would be burned alive if they were ever exposed. Hell, there's been enough supernatural creatures after us, imagine all of humanity.."
Arie sighed, "I know she mentioned she has a thing against vampires.. Why is she against them if she is one?"
"Other than the fact that they have hurt all of us, how about they refuse to leave Tet the fuck alone?" Daiki leaned against the door lazily.
She raised an eyebrow, "Why him?"
"I used to be a combination vampire shifter. My mother was captured by Branch and forced to bear children. When they finished with her, they killed her. She just happened to be the vampire Queen. Guess what that made me?" Tet gave a small smile.
"So how are you no longer a vampire?"
"Andy rewrote my dna. But the vampires don't accept it. Their plan is to have one of my mother's vampire children bite me and have me reborn a full vampire with her dna restored. We've been fighting them for years now."
Arie sighed again, "Sounds like you guys live such exhausting lives.. No wonder she makes you party and take off days."
"Hell, those have gone wrong spectacularly a few times." Kiba snickered. "Though honestly having to grade Stitch's work is probably more exhausting.."
Arie let out a small chuckle. "So can you tell me more about that psycho necromancer you mentioned earlier?"
"Seltain? Not much to tell. He was obsessed with power. Wanted to strip Andy's from her. He's Jun's dad of all things. Even tried to take him over completely once. Andy killed him."
Arie nodded, "I should probably go check on her, shouldn't I?"
"Might be a good idea. She hasn't always been good at coping."
Arie pushed herself out of bed and headed down to Andy's room, knocking on the door before opening it. "Daka?"
Andy was lying in bed, curled up in blankets, tears streaking her face.
"Daka, I know you want to protect me. But I'm here for you. I'm your sister, I want to be in your life, danger and all."
"You might have been fine this time, but what about the next? Branch always comes back..."
"It'll be alright, I'll find a way to deal."
"I'm sorry. You probably think I'm just throwing a tantrum.."
Arie shook her head, "You've been through a lot, haven't you? I might not know all of it, or understand exactly how you feel, but I understand you need time to figure things out and need to deal with things in your own way."
Andy gave her a small smile, "Thanks.."
"Any time," Arie wrapped Andy in a hug and ran her hand through her sister's hair.