Yummy, a review. It's part of a writer's balanced diet.
transcendent: Why thank you so much. I hope you will continue to read, it would make me so much happier than I already am.
Chapter Five
I walked as slowly as I could to Raye's temple. I felt no need to rush to a place where I wasn't welcome. For all I knew, Raye was going to stab me or something as soon as I walked through the door. She hated me enough to do that and the others hated me enough not to care if she did. I sighed. Why was I doing this? Why was I going to put myself through this torture?
"Because you are the only one alive who knows the truth," Artemis told me soothingly. "Even if you refuse to admit it or tell them, what happened was not your fault." He was the only one that believed me my story. It felt good to have someone on my side, even if I wasn't.
"Yes it is."
"What could you have done?"
"I could have tried harder to stop her. I could have convinced her that there was another way," I closed my eyes and sighed again. "I could have at least stayed by her side."
"No, none of those things would have worked. Staying by her side would have killed you both, Serena was too stubborn to be swayed by anything you said, and there was no other way," Artemis said for the umpteenth time. "Why won't you tell them the truth?"
"Because they won't believe me. Besides, they don't want the truth, they want someone to blame."
"And why does that someone have to be you?"
"Serena's dead so I'm the only other option."
"You're being ridiculous, Mina. There is no need for you to take on the full burden of this situation. It isn't fair to you."
"Nothing is fair, Artemis. Not a damn thing."
"Would you want someone like her defending your back? She would go and hide leaving you totally exposed," I said angrily pacing back and forth in front of the fire in my temple. I was supposed to be sweeping, but I was busily venting my hatred of Mina to Luna, who was calmly listening. She'd come to live with me after Serena's death. She was abnormally quite most of the time, though understandably so. She loved Serena more than she would have admitted a week ago.
"I think you're overreacting, Raye. I don't think it was Mina's fault in the slightest," Luna told me. I think she was trying to calm me down.
"I don't know why you don't. You of all people should hate her more than I do. Well, you and Darien." Even though I said it, I didn't think that Darien had it in him to hate anyone.
"Artemis tells me differently and I believe him," Luna answered sadly. I think I was becoming more angry than sad as the days wore on. It was probably the opposite for everyone else.
"Of course he'll say differently. That bitch will say anything to get us to like her again."
"Raye, how sure are you of what you saw?"
"Very sure, Luna. She ran, damn it! Like the coward she is. She ran and hid behind a tree and started throwing those pitiful crescent beams." I remembered the night just as vividly as Mina claimed to remember it, maybe more so.
"Did Serena—did Serena look like she wanted Mina's help?" Luna gasped a bit when saying Serena's name, as though she was trying not to cry.
"She was screaming something, but I couldn't hear what she said," I admitted.
"Well, then how do you know Serena didn't tell Mina to hide? If Serena did use the crystal, Mina couldn't have stood next to her anyway."
"Why would Serena do that?"
"She didn't want Mina to get hurt."
"Wouldn't we have felt it if Serena used the crystal? We didn't feel anything but Serena's life force wink out."
Luna was silent for a moment. "You should just let her tell her side of the story anyway."
"I don't want to hear anything out of her mouth except 'I quit'."
"Oh, Raye. I hope you treat your enemies as badly as you treat your friends," Luna said softly.
"With friends like her, who needs the Negaverse?"
"I think you're being unreasonable."
"Well, you're the only one."
"I'm sure everyone feels the same way I do, they just don't want you to turn on them as well." I was shocked that Luna said that. It took me a second to reply.
"I would never turn on them!"
"You turned on Mina. And at a time when all of you should be closer together."
"I didn't turn on Mina. She abandoned Serena. Why can't you get that through your little cat skull?"
Luna muttered something I couldn't hear. I paid her no mind. I was not being unreasonable. First Lita, now Luna. Maybe everyone was afraid to disagree with me. No, Amy and Darien agree with me. I can always count on Amy. And Darien. I picked up the broom and began sweeping. We would find out soon enough what Mina had to say for herself.
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A/N: Yeah, that was kind of crappy, I know. What can I say other than they all can't be great chapters, even though I want them to be. Oh well. I hope I don't loose what little fan base I had.
P. Thunder