so I hope you enjoy, if you even remember what the story's about!
FERULTORVIS CHAPTER 4
confrontations
White. That's pretty much all she could see - all there was in this strange place. Swirling mists, ice cold breezes, all white. She couldn't really tell if they were there at all but it just somehow seemed fitting, seemed to set the scene nicely. Whatever scene it was that was being created.
Faintly in the background she could occasionally hear voices, murmurings that almost had meaning but were always just beyond her grasp. Not knowing where she was going - or if indeed she was getting anywhere at all - Lilli began to walk. For what seemed like hours she put one foot in front of the other but had no way of seeing her progress - there was no horizon, no landscape : just complete whiteness. Yet without knowing why she kept on going, as if drawn to a particular part of the never-ending expanse.
The boy looked to be sleeping, his body draped lazily on the ground, but in truth was very much awake. Waiting; watching. They had foretold this event, this moment of danger when all could fall apart and so he had come, as was his duty to the girl, to ensure her survival. He smirked, knowing full well that was only half his reason for inviting himself into this space in her mind. ~Hey, even guardian angels get curious once in a while~ he thought to himself before stilling himself, sensing her arrival.
Plodding in the relentless monotony of white nothingness Lilli asked herself for the hundredth time just *why* she kept on going and exactly where she thought she'd get. A spec appeared in the distance that at first she dismissed as wishful thinking - *anything* to break the constant white - but upon closer inspection turned out to be a body sprawled on the ground. ~Say *what*?! Hey I wonder if he's dead?~ For indeed he looked that way, completely bereft of motion and skin so pale in contrast to his jet black hair. She stood over him now and gave his body a thorough looking-over. ~Not bad; not bad at all. Actually, he's pretty damn hot!~ And he was, short hair gelled into spikes, smooth skin inhumanly perfect and seemingly tall and well built but not too stocky. ~All in all very easy on the eye indeed!~
Suddenly his cheeks flamed crimson, eyes opened and he sat up, one hand placed sheepishly behind his head in embarrassment. "Uhh... you might want to keep your thoughts down next time." He gave her a piercing look then grinned, pure mischief in his eyes. "Not that I didn't mind hearing them..."
Lilli was - quite understandably - rather surprised at these antics and released the tension the only way she knew how: she shrieked.
"You want to burst the other eardrum too? Just turn up the volume a little and I'm sure it'll work." He batted the air in a calming motion, "OK, I'm officially deaf now - care to stop screaming?" She did, instead looking at him with huge liquid eyes currently cobalt blue. He smiled and the sun rose shining serenely from soft grey orbs. "Much better. Now down to business: have you any idea why you're here? Or more to the point have you any idea where 'here' is?"
The boy stood and Lilli could tell that he was indeed tall and heart-wrenchingly good to look at. "Huh?" Not one of her better lines but she was too busy feasting her eyes to care about a small thing like conversation.
Another wicked grin. ~This might be more fun than I thought~ "Hello in there? Anybody home?" In response to his teasing her eyes snapped to attention, now a storming swirl of reds and oranges. "Good. So, back to my question: have you got any idea of what happened to you?"
"Uhh.. hmm well I was in this fight - kicking the crap outa the idiot too - and then these guys showed up and there were too many to fight and they beat me to a pulp... everything else is just blank." A look of extreme concentration, "Or maybe white... like here..." She looked into his eyes then, a thousand questions on her lips.
***
Suppressing multiple yawns a very sleepy-eyed eagle 'shifter stumbled into the kitchen, barely missing an equally foggy-minded werewolf trying to force a coffee pot to boil with glowering looks.
"Uh..." yawn, "...mornin' Loki," yawn. ~Dear god where's the cafeen?!~
"Mmph"
A rather large number of coffee shots later saw the pair slightly more conscious and even contemplating food, when an unexpected and disgustingly *awake* voice hailed from the doorway.
"Aren't we a lively bunch! 'Sup all?" Still looking like he belonged in some dark alleyway with a few adjectives synonymous with 'stalking' surrounding him, Zane Venari leaned on the door frame grinning wickedly.
~Definitely up to something~ Thought Lilli. "Don't you have a home to go to?"
His grin widened. "When it's all the way over there and you're in this big house all on your little lonesome? Nights are cold these days; ya never know, y' might need a little help warming up..."
"She's not alone." The 'wolf's clipped tone and subtle shift into fighting stance bespoke his willingness to testify his statement with brute force if needs be. And considering his build, not to mention flaming hair and eyes, that was no idle threat.
The lamia lifted one eyebrow. "Reeeaally? Aww, isn't that cute - the lil' doggie's got a crush!" Every word, every movement dripping scorn, he picked up a tennis ball and threw it across the room. "Go fetch." And adding insult to injury he merely laughed when the enraged 'wolf snarled and hurled himself at his tormentor.
***
"Not so stupid after all. Care to take a guess where we are?"
"But... but how could *you* be here then? If I'm unconscious then what're *you* doin' in my mind?" Then she took a good look around herself, thinking ~damn poor excuse for a mind if you ask me - what's with all the white?~
"Indeed. Well truth to tell this is only one section of your mind. And as to why I'm here, well... I 'spose you've a right to know... They didn't tell me not to say anything anyway..." He grinned again, and Lilli found herself thinking ~does he ever stop smiling?~ and not minding one bit. "Well, so you know you're this strange mythical creature right? Who's been brought into the world three times, all three times when some momentous change was afoot. The difference now is, the first two times you were brought here by magic and bonds to a certain soul; this time you were sent here. So what's all this got to do with me? Well They knew you'd have a damn hard time of it this time round, seeing as previously when you were bound to that other soul sure you had to do its will, but it offered you protection from Their enemies... this time with no bonds those enemies could use you - no matter how hard you struggled - against Them. So that's where I come into this. What would be the first thing you'd say if you ever came face to face with your guardian angel? 'Cos that's what I am... of sorts..."
Lilli just gave him a blank, wide-eyed stare.
"Okaaay..... what'd be the second thing you'd say?"
"Uh.. are you *sure* about that?"
"Well, not quite what I was hoping for, but it's a reply nonetheless. Then you're 'sposed to ask me 'oh exalted one, how do I escape this mental prison?' and then I reply 'easily, my child. You remember what it feels like to be awake, I wave my magic wand, and you open you eyes.' Sound like fun?" He had to duck then, because Lilli threw a punch that had no air of 'fun' about it.
" 'Exalted one' indeed. But really, all I have to do is remember how to wake up?"
"Really." He performed a mock salute saying, "Catch ya later then," as he walked off into the distance.
***
"Stop! You idiots listen to me! For the love of god stop it!" But try as she might, Wren's screams died away unheeded in the fray of tumbling, beating, ripping and punching interspersed with the occasional gnash of teeth and swipe of claws.
Wherever the two boys went, destruction followed. Once Loki was thrown into a rather expensive (and now shattered) antique table, after which he got up and charged Zane through the dining room wall (yes through; not into, *through*). Each sported cuts and bruises aplenty, not to mention broken ribs and a few vertebrae here and there, which in true Nightworld style healed immediately - which meant, of course, that unless one met with wood or the other silver, the fight looked as though it would go forever. They both understood what it would mean to loose, and neither was prepared to give up the prize for something so frivolous as a demolished house.
To Loki Zane was a crude meddling vampire with no business sniffing around his lifelong love - the girl he grew up with no less. The intruder must be crushed, put in his place, not to mention made to pay for his insulting words.
To Zane it was a fight of life and death. His whole life, all his previous lives, had been defined by the darkness of his soul. Darkness that he'd previously worshipped and revelled in; darkness he'd not had a second thought about until *she'd* crashed into his life turning everything upside-down and planting that little traitorous thought deep in his mind that whispered maybe, just maybe, darkness wasn't all there was to life. And now that he'd found his light he wasn't about to let some upstart werewolf snatch it from him.
Wren didn't know what to think apart from 'ohgodohgodohgod'. The boy who meant more to her than almost anything else in the world looked determined to kill this near-stranger who nonetheless and contrary to all rational thought had wormed his way into her heart - who himself seemed all too eager to wipe Loki from the face of the earth. Her cries went unheard, her futile attempts to hold one or the other back were brushed aside. ~Goddess, what am I going to do? Heeeelp!~
"Really, you'd thing they'd have more sense!" Those words appeared like a lifeline, hauling Solaer's niece back from the brink of uncontrollable hysterics. With a click of her fingers the witch froze the scene, rooting lamia and werewolf to the spot - coincidentally catching Zane beating the 'wolf's stomach while Loki gnawed on his leg. Where's a camera when you need one?
Trying not to laugh the witch mended the damaged rooms and finally came to a stop directly in front of the culprits (who, being able to move nothing but their eyes, were totally without escape from her withering glare).
"Was that really necessary? Did you truly think my niece would fawn over whichever one finally managed to beat the other to death? Zane? What did you think she'd say for crying out loud?! 'Oh you battered the last breath from my lifelong friend - you're so wonderful!' Or Loki try this one on for size, 'your the greatest thing on earth! You killed my soulmate! Oh I love you so much!' "
It took a while for the import of her words to sink in, but when it did you could literally feel the room suck in its breath in surprise - it was a good thing the boys were held in place by Solaer's spell otherwise they'd have fallen flat on their faces.
As it was Wren was having trouble remaining upright. "What did you say?" Her voice was relegated to a mere whisper. "Aunt, repeat that for me would you?"
"Didn't you know? Zane's your soulmate dearie."
"Th-that's what I thought you said..." And she promptly sat down hard on the ground.
Deciding now would be a good time to under her spell, the boys followed suit - though the lamia still managed to fall flat on his face. For a full ten minutes no-one moved, Zane and Wren staring at each other in disbelief, Loki looking about as close to tears as he'd ever come in his life and Solaer quietly laughing at their folly. Zane opened his mouth to say something (though in his present condition about all he was capable of was a small squeak) when he was cut short by a groan that quickly turned into a shriek and was ended by a thump...
***
"Ooohhh.... man, that *hurt*!" came from a suspiciously Lilli-like lump on the workroom floor.
Her aunt and the werewolf rushed in, one blanching at the door (not expecting her to have recovered so fast) and the other having great difficulty holding back peals of laughter.
"I - I - are you all right?" Loki finally managed, though he remained staring from the door rather than lending her a hand (in typical male style).
With no small effort she turned her head spitting out, "Oh I'm fine thanks - I mean I only woke up from a coma to then fall off the bench onto a *wooden* floor! The least you could do is help me up... or are you planning to let me lie here and rot?" Now she was looking at the rest of her body, which was stubbornly refusing to listen to her. "Why can't I move?"
Under Solaer's stern gaze Loki rushed over and lifted the girl onto the table so gently she found herself thinking 'pity I can't feel anything' and making the twinklings of a plan form in her aunt's mind.
Meanwhile back in the living room Zane and Wren were still lost for words, though a small smile was beginning to creep up the lamia's face as he stared intently at his soulmate. "So..."
"Uh..." And that was the problem. She just didn't know what to do. She was supposed to be overcome with a passion so great she couldn't keep her hands off him, wasn't she? ~But I barely know him! I dunno if I even *like* him...but still...~
Zane was in no doubt of his mind, and having finally found his feet was scuttling forward, leaning in for what was meant to be the defining moment of their relationship - their first kiss. Well it would have been, but Wren quite abruptly pushed him back (without skin touching skin) and stood up with all the haste of a woman coming to her senses and realising just *what* was looming in suggestively at her.
"What was that for?!" Back to his usual arrogant self, all traces of shyness gone. Brushing off his (rather tattered) CK shirt he drew himself up to his full height, oozing indignant shock.
She started subtly moving backwards. "Well... it's just that... well... I hardly know you! And... and I think we should take this slowly... be friends first... perhaps? And - and if we were friends, m-maybe you'd s-stop looming over me like that?" She was now flush against the wall and having nowhere else to go was slowly sinking towards the ground.
For a second the scene held - tall, impossibly gorgeous vampire, eyes burning, leaning over the helpless-seeming girl - but then Zane did something very rare - he thought, and in so doing saw that if he wasn't careful he'd run the risk of loosing her completely. So he sighed and with that sigh the air of if-you-fuck-with-me-don't-expect-to-live-terribly-long kind of danger melted, the inhuman light fled from his eyes and he was just an average boy suffering from that pain most feared by the male species - a woman's rejection.
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well, so I hope y'all liked it, but even if you didn't could you still give me some feedback? I haven't written in literally 5 months so I realise it's gunna be scratchy, so any tips at all would be welcome.
p.s. i'm not sure if i'll be able to get the next chapter out for like 6 weeks, cos i've got my final exams coming up that finish, funnily enough, in 6 weeks. I'll try, but i'm not promising anything, k?