LJ Smith's NW series belongs to... LJ Smith! And her publishers. This is
just fanfiction, non-profit fun for me and for you. So don't sue me!
~Dances madly in a little circle~ Wow I am soo happy! Now I have lots of reviews!
Just a comment. This story seems to be ~rather obviously~ going towards becoming a Wildpower fic. I dunno whether this is boringly samey, or a good idea. Might spice up the main plot a bit, but I don't want the Wild Power issue to become the main theme. Your comments would be totally appreciated on this front. I don't want to spoil what's coming up in this chapter so I'll put some more at the bottom.
Anonymus: Well, if y'all keep reviewing, I'll keep up the writing (hint hint). And why is it that everyone always seems to go for the fit dragons? We'll soon have none left! Thanks for your flattering encouragement!
Neoen: Yeah, that is her natural personality, it's just that for the first few chapters she was depressed coz of leaving home and becoming an assassin and stuff. Now you get to see the real Ella... And all may be revealed about the blue fire in this chapter!
Persona: Heh, if I told you that, it would be giving the storyline away... See comment above for a bit more enlightenment, and thanks!
Dulce Ambrosia: Thank ya loads! As I sed to Neoen, Ella is naturally 'nastier' but her situation makes her seem less so at the beginning of the fic. I am thinking of putting in a prologue showing what Ella was like before her brother left and she had to go to Bleeding Thistles maybe.
*DO READ AND REVIEW!* is a (persuasive) telepathic message. Please take the time to review. I love it like I love water and air and light... Ooh, I went a bit poetic then!
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Ella rubbed her eyes wearily, as her vision slowly focused. She felt inwardly weak, but her determination to discover the truth about this crazy situation gave her a little strength. So many unanswered questions spun around in her head, obvious but ambiguous, ever tantalising. And what had just happened to her? What had she seen? Blue lightning, and a hazy loss of memory. But, there was no reasonable explanation for it all. Ella decided that she must have imagined it; she kept telling herself this over and over again. She must have imagined that blue fire.
She rose gracefully from her awkward reclining position on the floor, feeling every bruise and cut scream grumpily at her. Upon her wrist, blood flowed freely, though it was a shallow wound. Jo not been a tough fight, but Ella still felt those annoying minor injuries even as they healed. She stood, proud and unfazed, but fear still lingered within her.
But she had barely had the time to adjust to being lucid again, when she saw Jo, now conscious, trying to make a break for it, carrying John on her back in a fireman's lift. The Daybreaker. Ella simply crept up behind the retreating vampire, and kicked her hard in the back of the knee joint, causing her legs to collapse. The vampire fell face down upon the floor, and John tumbled to the ground beside her.
"Spill it," she said flatly, addressing Jo. John had been knocked out, so for the moment he was useless. But, he would have seen what had happened between herself and Aethelmaer. He would be able to tell her what had just happened... Ella's head still pounded unmercilessly. Her eyes had a burning glow in them, something half-wild, and very dangerous, as they glared at the Daybreaker vampire. But Jo simply ignored her, and Ella saw that she had other things on her mind right then.
Jo was kneeling upon the floor, next to the prostrate, unconscious form of John. Her hand tenderly brushed his face, and she whispered quietly to him, her dark head bent over his, almost touching... A strange sort of longing hit Ella, causing a tense, hard knot to form in her stomach. She swallowed thickly, feeling a surge of nausea overcome her. Of course, she told herself, trying to pretend that it didn't hurt. They were together. Go figure. Jo looked up, and Ella couldn't meet her cool grey eyes.
*Jealous, my pet?* Aethelmaer's voice sounded behind her, mocking and cruel, but weakened. How had he been weakened? Dragons were meant to be all- powerful, and he was a real dragon, that was certain. So who had stopped him from seducing and controlling her? But she carefully kept these questions hidden as much as she could. The truth often meant danger when you were dealing with secrets.
"Shut up. As if, dragon boy," Ella hissed aloud, without even bothering to turn round. He had tried to take advantage of her so sneakily, using his clearly superior powers to entrap her, and in Ella's book that was a major mistake. That meant that she was in the mood to argue and annoy. Even though she knew caution was the order of the day when dealing with individuals stronger than she was, Ella was far too angry, and emotional, to bother with all that rubbish. She blinked back tears, wondering why she was feeling so... abandoned. Totally adrift from reality. But inwardly she knew. It was because of John and Jo. How could John even like that Daybreaker?
Ella then noticed Yazmin run in, on the far side of the room. She looked daggers at Aethelmaer and John and Jo in turn. Katie, the little eagle 'shifter, came up beside her, and she was trembling in pure, unadulterated terror. Her mouth was wide open in total shock, poor kid. They hadn't seen anything, though.
"So, what are you planning to do about that Daybreaker vamp and that Daybreaker mutt of hers?" he smiled humourlessly as he came into her line of sight.
"They're both Daybreakers?" Ella didn't think John would be scum like that, but then, she'd been wrong about John before, hadn't she? It would make sense, because birds of a feather always flock together. "Did you read their minds to find this out? Are you sure?"
"Yes ma'am," he said tiredly. He ran his fingers though his dark blonde hair, and for a split second Ella glimpsed a few of his horns. She shuddered, wondering if she'd ever get used to the whole dragon idea. Even being a couple of metres away from him made her nervous; his undeniable presence and force were astoundingly unsettling.
"So what's your plan?" he asked.
Well, in case you hadn't noticed, you're involved too," she retorted.
"A salient point," he admitted, giving her a strange look. It was funny how... compelling his eyes could be. It was almost as if he recognised her from somewhere... As if he knew some deep secret about her that she was unaware of...
Ella forced herself to ignore him. Any vestige of the girl she usually was had completely vanished. She had gone into survival mode, if you like, and was now focused on the task in hand.
"Katie, go get someone to help us here," Ella called across the room to the dazed blonde. Shaken out of her reverie, Katie closed her mouth and swiftly changed into an eagle. Ella watched as the girl and bird slowing became united for one instant, in complete harmony, then the shift continued and she was then a proud bird of prey, her cruelly curved beak and unusually pale plumage glinting in the sun as she flew to find help.
She approached the pair on the floor, motioning for Yazmin and Aethelmaer to come too.
The three formed a circle around the Daybreakers.
Jo stood up, her chin stuck out in stubborn defiance.
"What a pathetic couple you make. One second at Bleeding Thistles and already your identities are unmasked. I would have expected more from you, but no one could expect a mangy mutt like him to succeed at anything," Aethelmaer said, breaking the silence. As Jo's face contorted with bottled- up rage, the dragon chuckled, his dark eyes as fathomless as ever. He was enjoying winding her up; that much was obvious.
"And I'd like to know just what you are doing in the heart of a Night World facility," Yazmin said, smiling wickedly.
"Indeed," said Ella dryly. She lifted her gaze to meet Jo's. Her eyes begged for mercy. Sadly, no matter what she felt inside, Ella was not a naturally merciful person. They were Daybreakers, so the simple logic of the matter was that they should be interrogated, then slaughtered as quickly as possible. Though, she admitted, she would make an exception for John.
She turned to Aethelmaer. "Could you influence her to tell the truth?"
"Only if you say please," he said, staring at her with hooded eyes.
Ella wanted to slap him. She promised herself that once this whole thing was over, she was going to get the truth out of Aethelmaer, the truth about the whole situation with the blue fire and the haze. Only two people knew, and he was the only one conscious for now.
"Shut up and do it, arsehole," she said disgustedly.
"Why thank you, my lady," he said with a self-satisfied smirk.
The dragon boy did it. He barely batted an eyelid, whilst Jo started to shake, violently. Even from where she was standing, Ella could sense the surge of dark energy emanating from him, focusing upon the grey-eyed vampire in the centre of the circle.
"Ella, do you really think it's a good idea letting him help?" asked Yazmin in an undertone as Aethelmaer did his stuff. "He's a dragon. It was a good thing that 'wolf came in here making such a noise, otherwise we wouldn't have known that he was even here. What did he do to you?"
"Nothing. Well at least I don't think he..." Ella stopped babbling. Did Yazmin really need to know? She would only worry herself. "I'm fine, but I agree, he is not trustworthy" she whispered back. "But, at this very moment in time we need him. Do you think we would be able to get any answers from them without him? Aethelmaer is our means of finding out part of what's going on."
"True," said Yazmin. "But that doesn't mean I have to like him."
Ella was about to reply, when she noticed Jo collapsing like a rag doll, falling to the ground.
"Hey, not too hard!" she exclaimed, realising what was happening. Yazmin had distracted her temporarily. "How is she gonna be able to talk in this state?" Ella said, annoyance clear in her voice as she caught Jo's limp body, stopping her from slamming into the floor, then dropped her gently upon it.
"It's only temporary," he said. It turned out that Aethelmaer was telling the truth this time. Jo soon scrambled up of her own accord. She looked very.... stoned. She couldn't stand still; she kept shifting her weight from one foot to another, swaying precariously. She had the most stupid expression on her face. One of mild insanity.
"Is she sane?" asked Yazmin, doubt plainly visible upon her exotic, cocoa- coloured face.
"Despite all appearances, yes," Aethelmaer said. "Do what you wish with her now. She cannot lie. She has got no free will whatsoever."
Yazmin's eyes widened, but she did not say a word, though she shuffled as far away as possible from Aethelmaer.
"What is your name?" Ella tried. She knew the answer to this one, so this would be a test of whether she was really being truthful.
"Joanna Black," she replied suddenly. No expression of emotion was made, her face as blank as a canvas.
"Seems to be OK," said Ella. "What was your mission briefing?"
"To infiltrate Bleeding Thistles and locate...." Suddenly, Jo's mouth snapped shut, and she fell to the ground. Ella started in shock.
*Behind you.* Aethelmaer 'pathed to her. Ella whirled round.
And there stood Daegan. Ella noticed Katie lurking nervously behind him, now in her human form.
"Ella, Yazmin, Aethelmaer, and Katie of course, thank you for locating these intruders," he said smoothly, his eyes now a brightly shining emerald green. He strode fluidly to the centre of the room. Behind him, a group of 4 'wolves filed in. Two of them picked up John and Jo, whilst the other two remained alert and guarded. Katie followed them, rushing to Yazmin's side. She was still terrified.
"They are Daybreaker spies, both of them," said Aethelmaer dispassionately. "Easy to locate. It was no challenge."
"For elite initiates like yourselves, I expected nothing less," said Daegan, smiling coldly at the four of them as his eyes changed to a shocking kind of electric blue. "I shall look forward to this evening." And with that, he swept out again, followed by his servant werewolves.
Ella stood, rooted to the spot. Why had she told Katie to get Daegan? She cursed her own foolish stupidity. Now they would never know why Daybreakers like Jo and John were at Bleeding Thistles. The Council would now possess all the knowledge, and it was true that knowledge was power. How could she be so idiotic? Wallowing in misery, she noticed Aethelmaer walking away, making for the exit of the room. Ella shook herself out of lethargy and hurried after him.
Ordinarily, she would not go looking for trouble, but she needed to know about the blue fire and the haziness. Only he would know. He had some of the answers to the questions plaguing her.
"Aethelmaer!" she called from the doorway, to his retreating back. He was just turning the corner. "Wait!"
Ella ran, following him. He had now actually rounded the corner and was out of sight. He'd gone.
As she went round the corner, she bumped into him, feeling a momentary bout of hazy dizziness as her flesh touched his. She backed away. So he had waited.
"We meet again," he said wryly, looking down at her with soulless black eyes, intimidating her with his cruel and laughing expression Ella stared back with her fierce blue ones showing cold, calculating fury.
"I need to know; how do you know me?" she said, faltering as he moved his face closer. Ella wondered just why she had gone to see him alone.
A smile tugged at his lips. "I don't know you exactly, but I did know am incarnation of you."
"Wha..." said Ella incredulously.
"Eleanor, that was your name. You were human back then though; it's nice to see you've gone... up in the world, so to speak," he chuckled.
"What, like Old Souls... Am I an Old Soul?"
"Well, not any more. Lamia don't have souls."
"But I did... Wow...." Ella was slightly shocked. That did explain a lot. "So you knew me, right? How did you know me?" Ella asked. She was surprised that Aethelmaer was putting up with this inquisition so easily, and decided to make the most out of it.
"Like this," he said, and he lifted his hand. Ella fought the instinct to grimace and back away as he gently stroked her cheek. Feeling his touch, Ella got the sense of falling, of haziness clouding her vision, but with clarity at the same time. Suddenly, she felt visions, memories raining down into her brain, She jerked away, staring at him with accusing eyes.
"What was that?" she yelled. She was scared. Ella had never felt so... naked. "What did you do to me?"
"Nothing. It was meant to be," he said resentfully, his tone laced with sarcasm. He returned her gaze, and it was one of anger. "I never even dreamt that you would return. If I had realised..."
Ella was totally confused. So, she changed the subject. "Did you see that blue fire?" Ella no longer cared about convention or etiquette. She had just stumbled on to shaky territory with Aethelmaer and there was no way she was going to continue the conversation willingly.
"Of course I did," he said mockingly, bitterly, scornfully. "It came from you. You knocked me out with that blue fire of yours. You know what that means, don't you? You're a Wild Power. One from the twilight to be one with the dark. That's you, Ella. You're the one. And I am your soulmate." He grabbed onto her arms, as if he was trying to shake the truth into her.
His fateful words echoed in Ella's ears. She couldn't escape them. It couldn't be. But in her heart of hearts, she knew the grim truth. It was true. Tears of rage filling her eyes, Ella tore from his grasp and ran down the hallway, her midnight blue eyes almost black with inescapable misery.
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Hee hee! Ok, was that too stupid? Tell me, I can rewrite things! Is this becoming dull? Stupid? Idiotic? Feel free to tell me, I can take the misery and shame... -_- But hey, if you want to be nice, I'm not stopping you! ^_~ PLEASE REMEMBER TO REVIEW! Please?
~Dances madly in a little circle~ Wow I am soo happy! Now I have lots of reviews!
Just a comment. This story seems to be ~rather obviously~ going towards becoming a Wildpower fic. I dunno whether this is boringly samey, or a good idea. Might spice up the main plot a bit, but I don't want the Wild Power issue to become the main theme. Your comments would be totally appreciated on this front. I don't want to spoil what's coming up in this chapter so I'll put some more at the bottom.
Anonymus: Well, if y'all keep reviewing, I'll keep up the writing (hint hint). And why is it that everyone always seems to go for the fit dragons? We'll soon have none left! Thanks for your flattering encouragement!
Neoen: Yeah, that is her natural personality, it's just that for the first few chapters she was depressed coz of leaving home and becoming an assassin and stuff. Now you get to see the real Ella... And all may be revealed about the blue fire in this chapter!
Persona: Heh, if I told you that, it would be giving the storyline away... See comment above for a bit more enlightenment, and thanks!
Dulce Ambrosia: Thank ya loads! As I sed to Neoen, Ella is naturally 'nastier' but her situation makes her seem less so at the beginning of the fic. I am thinking of putting in a prologue showing what Ella was like before her brother left and she had to go to Bleeding Thistles maybe.
*DO READ AND REVIEW!* is a (persuasive) telepathic message. Please take the time to review. I love it like I love water and air and light... Ooh, I went a bit poetic then!
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Ella rubbed her eyes wearily, as her vision slowly focused. She felt inwardly weak, but her determination to discover the truth about this crazy situation gave her a little strength. So many unanswered questions spun around in her head, obvious but ambiguous, ever tantalising. And what had just happened to her? What had she seen? Blue lightning, and a hazy loss of memory. But, there was no reasonable explanation for it all. Ella decided that she must have imagined it; she kept telling herself this over and over again. She must have imagined that blue fire.
She rose gracefully from her awkward reclining position on the floor, feeling every bruise and cut scream grumpily at her. Upon her wrist, blood flowed freely, though it was a shallow wound. Jo not been a tough fight, but Ella still felt those annoying minor injuries even as they healed. She stood, proud and unfazed, but fear still lingered within her.
But she had barely had the time to adjust to being lucid again, when she saw Jo, now conscious, trying to make a break for it, carrying John on her back in a fireman's lift. The Daybreaker. Ella simply crept up behind the retreating vampire, and kicked her hard in the back of the knee joint, causing her legs to collapse. The vampire fell face down upon the floor, and John tumbled to the ground beside her.
"Spill it," she said flatly, addressing Jo. John had been knocked out, so for the moment he was useless. But, he would have seen what had happened between herself and Aethelmaer. He would be able to tell her what had just happened... Ella's head still pounded unmercilessly. Her eyes had a burning glow in them, something half-wild, and very dangerous, as they glared at the Daybreaker vampire. But Jo simply ignored her, and Ella saw that she had other things on her mind right then.
Jo was kneeling upon the floor, next to the prostrate, unconscious form of John. Her hand tenderly brushed his face, and she whispered quietly to him, her dark head bent over his, almost touching... A strange sort of longing hit Ella, causing a tense, hard knot to form in her stomach. She swallowed thickly, feeling a surge of nausea overcome her. Of course, she told herself, trying to pretend that it didn't hurt. They were together. Go figure. Jo looked up, and Ella couldn't meet her cool grey eyes.
*Jealous, my pet?* Aethelmaer's voice sounded behind her, mocking and cruel, but weakened. How had he been weakened? Dragons were meant to be all- powerful, and he was a real dragon, that was certain. So who had stopped him from seducing and controlling her? But she carefully kept these questions hidden as much as she could. The truth often meant danger when you were dealing with secrets.
"Shut up. As if, dragon boy," Ella hissed aloud, without even bothering to turn round. He had tried to take advantage of her so sneakily, using his clearly superior powers to entrap her, and in Ella's book that was a major mistake. That meant that she was in the mood to argue and annoy. Even though she knew caution was the order of the day when dealing with individuals stronger than she was, Ella was far too angry, and emotional, to bother with all that rubbish. She blinked back tears, wondering why she was feeling so... abandoned. Totally adrift from reality. But inwardly she knew. It was because of John and Jo. How could John even like that Daybreaker?
Ella then noticed Yazmin run in, on the far side of the room. She looked daggers at Aethelmaer and John and Jo in turn. Katie, the little eagle 'shifter, came up beside her, and she was trembling in pure, unadulterated terror. Her mouth was wide open in total shock, poor kid. They hadn't seen anything, though.
"So, what are you planning to do about that Daybreaker vamp and that Daybreaker mutt of hers?" he smiled humourlessly as he came into her line of sight.
"They're both Daybreakers?" Ella didn't think John would be scum like that, but then, she'd been wrong about John before, hadn't she? It would make sense, because birds of a feather always flock together. "Did you read their minds to find this out? Are you sure?"
"Yes ma'am," he said tiredly. He ran his fingers though his dark blonde hair, and for a split second Ella glimpsed a few of his horns. She shuddered, wondering if she'd ever get used to the whole dragon idea. Even being a couple of metres away from him made her nervous; his undeniable presence and force were astoundingly unsettling.
"So what's your plan?" he asked.
Well, in case you hadn't noticed, you're involved too," she retorted.
"A salient point," he admitted, giving her a strange look. It was funny how... compelling his eyes could be. It was almost as if he recognised her from somewhere... As if he knew some deep secret about her that she was unaware of...
Ella forced herself to ignore him. Any vestige of the girl she usually was had completely vanished. She had gone into survival mode, if you like, and was now focused on the task in hand.
"Katie, go get someone to help us here," Ella called across the room to the dazed blonde. Shaken out of her reverie, Katie closed her mouth and swiftly changed into an eagle. Ella watched as the girl and bird slowing became united for one instant, in complete harmony, then the shift continued and she was then a proud bird of prey, her cruelly curved beak and unusually pale plumage glinting in the sun as she flew to find help.
She approached the pair on the floor, motioning for Yazmin and Aethelmaer to come too.
The three formed a circle around the Daybreakers.
Jo stood up, her chin stuck out in stubborn defiance.
"What a pathetic couple you make. One second at Bleeding Thistles and already your identities are unmasked. I would have expected more from you, but no one could expect a mangy mutt like him to succeed at anything," Aethelmaer said, breaking the silence. As Jo's face contorted with bottled- up rage, the dragon chuckled, his dark eyes as fathomless as ever. He was enjoying winding her up; that much was obvious.
"And I'd like to know just what you are doing in the heart of a Night World facility," Yazmin said, smiling wickedly.
"Indeed," said Ella dryly. She lifted her gaze to meet Jo's. Her eyes begged for mercy. Sadly, no matter what she felt inside, Ella was not a naturally merciful person. They were Daybreakers, so the simple logic of the matter was that they should be interrogated, then slaughtered as quickly as possible. Though, she admitted, she would make an exception for John.
She turned to Aethelmaer. "Could you influence her to tell the truth?"
"Only if you say please," he said, staring at her with hooded eyes.
Ella wanted to slap him. She promised herself that once this whole thing was over, she was going to get the truth out of Aethelmaer, the truth about the whole situation with the blue fire and the haze. Only two people knew, and he was the only one conscious for now.
"Shut up and do it, arsehole," she said disgustedly.
"Why thank you, my lady," he said with a self-satisfied smirk.
The dragon boy did it. He barely batted an eyelid, whilst Jo started to shake, violently. Even from where she was standing, Ella could sense the surge of dark energy emanating from him, focusing upon the grey-eyed vampire in the centre of the circle.
"Ella, do you really think it's a good idea letting him help?" asked Yazmin in an undertone as Aethelmaer did his stuff. "He's a dragon. It was a good thing that 'wolf came in here making such a noise, otherwise we wouldn't have known that he was even here. What did he do to you?"
"Nothing. Well at least I don't think he..." Ella stopped babbling. Did Yazmin really need to know? She would only worry herself. "I'm fine, but I agree, he is not trustworthy" she whispered back. "But, at this very moment in time we need him. Do you think we would be able to get any answers from them without him? Aethelmaer is our means of finding out part of what's going on."
"True," said Yazmin. "But that doesn't mean I have to like him."
Ella was about to reply, when she noticed Jo collapsing like a rag doll, falling to the ground.
"Hey, not too hard!" she exclaimed, realising what was happening. Yazmin had distracted her temporarily. "How is she gonna be able to talk in this state?" Ella said, annoyance clear in her voice as she caught Jo's limp body, stopping her from slamming into the floor, then dropped her gently upon it.
"It's only temporary," he said. It turned out that Aethelmaer was telling the truth this time. Jo soon scrambled up of her own accord. She looked very.... stoned. She couldn't stand still; she kept shifting her weight from one foot to another, swaying precariously. She had the most stupid expression on her face. One of mild insanity.
"Is she sane?" asked Yazmin, doubt plainly visible upon her exotic, cocoa- coloured face.
"Despite all appearances, yes," Aethelmaer said. "Do what you wish with her now. She cannot lie. She has got no free will whatsoever."
Yazmin's eyes widened, but she did not say a word, though she shuffled as far away as possible from Aethelmaer.
"What is your name?" Ella tried. She knew the answer to this one, so this would be a test of whether she was really being truthful.
"Joanna Black," she replied suddenly. No expression of emotion was made, her face as blank as a canvas.
"Seems to be OK," said Ella. "What was your mission briefing?"
"To infiltrate Bleeding Thistles and locate...." Suddenly, Jo's mouth snapped shut, and she fell to the ground. Ella started in shock.
*Behind you.* Aethelmaer 'pathed to her. Ella whirled round.
And there stood Daegan. Ella noticed Katie lurking nervously behind him, now in her human form.
"Ella, Yazmin, Aethelmaer, and Katie of course, thank you for locating these intruders," he said smoothly, his eyes now a brightly shining emerald green. He strode fluidly to the centre of the room. Behind him, a group of 4 'wolves filed in. Two of them picked up John and Jo, whilst the other two remained alert and guarded. Katie followed them, rushing to Yazmin's side. She was still terrified.
"They are Daybreaker spies, both of them," said Aethelmaer dispassionately. "Easy to locate. It was no challenge."
"For elite initiates like yourselves, I expected nothing less," said Daegan, smiling coldly at the four of them as his eyes changed to a shocking kind of electric blue. "I shall look forward to this evening." And with that, he swept out again, followed by his servant werewolves.
Ella stood, rooted to the spot. Why had she told Katie to get Daegan? She cursed her own foolish stupidity. Now they would never know why Daybreakers like Jo and John were at Bleeding Thistles. The Council would now possess all the knowledge, and it was true that knowledge was power. How could she be so idiotic? Wallowing in misery, she noticed Aethelmaer walking away, making for the exit of the room. Ella shook herself out of lethargy and hurried after him.
Ordinarily, she would not go looking for trouble, but she needed to know about the blue fire and the haziness. Only he would know. He had some of the answers to the questions plaguing her.
"Aethelmaer!" she called from the doorway, to his retreating back. He was just turning the corner. "Wait!"
Ella ran, following him. He had now actually rounded the corner and was out of sight. He'd gone.
As she went round the corner, she bumped into him, feeling a momentary bout of hazy dizziness as her flesh touched his. She backed away. So he had waited.
"We meet again," he said wryly, looking down at her with soulless black eyes, intimidating her with his cruel and laughing expression Ella stared back with her fierce blue ones showing cold, calculating fury.
"I need to know; how do you know me?" she said, faltering as he moved his face closer. Ella wondered just why she had gone to see him alone.
A smile tugged at his lips. "I don't know you exactly, but I did know am incarnation of you."
"Wha..." said Ella incredulously.
"Eleanor, that was your name. You were human back then though; it's nice to see you've gone... up in the world, so to speak," he chuckled.
"What, like Old Souls... Am I an Old Soul?"
"Well, not any more. Lamia don't have souls."
"But I did... Wow...." Ella was slightly shocked. That did explain a lot. "So you knew me, right? How did you know me?" Ella asked. She was surprised that Aethelmaer was putting up with this inquisition so easily, and decided to make the most out of it.
"Like this," he said, and he lifted his hand. Ella fought the instinct to grimace and back away as he gently stroked her cheek. Feeling his touch, Ella got the sense of falling, of haziness clouding her vision, but with clarity at the same time. Suddenly, she felt visions, memories raining down into her brain, She jerked away, staring at him with accusing eyes.
"What was that?" she yelled. She was scared. Ella had never felt so... naked. "What did you do to me?"
"Nothing. It was meant to be," he said resentfully, his tone laced with sarcasm. He returned her gaze, and it was one of anger. "I never even dreamt that you would return. If I had realised..."
Ella was totally confused. So, she changed the subject. "Did you see that blue fire?" Ella no longer cared about convention or etiquette. She had just stumbled on to shaky territory with Aethelmaer and there was no way she was going to continue the conversation willingly.
"Of course I did," he said mockingly, bitterly, scornfully. "It came from you. You knocked me out with that blue fire of yours. You know what that means, don't you? You're a Wild Power. One from the twilight to be one with the dark. That's you, Ella. You're the one. And I am your soulmate." He grabbed onto her arms, as if he was trying to shake the truth into her.
His fateful words echoed in Ella's ears. She couldn't escape them. It couldn't be. But in her heart of hearts, she knew the grim truth. It was true. Tears of rage filling her eyes, Ella tore from his grasp and ran down the hallway, her midnight blue eyes almost black with inescapable misery.
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Hee hee! Ok, was that too stupid? Tell me, I can rewrite things! Is this becoming dull? Stupid? Idiotic? Feel free to tell me, I can take the misery and shame... -_- But hey, if you want to be nice, I'm not stopping you! ^_~ PLEASE REMEMBER TO REVIEW! Please?