I don't own any of the Tamora Pierce characters.
=The Fake and The Real=
Numair sat with Daine's head against his chest. She had no more tears, no more feeling. She radiated her sorrow and all he could do was hold her. He couldn't help her, make her stop feeling bad. Her eyes…it was like nothing he had ever seen. It wasn't as if her eyes were damaged…they just wouldn't work. But that hadn't made any sense. He had spent hours himself washing the blood from her eyes.
Animals--rats, birds, dogs, cats--they all wound themselves about the girl and tried to help console her. They purred around her skin, around her feet. They crawled on her lap, or sung into her ear. Daine petted one absentmindedly.
Suddenly, Daine froze. She became rigid as she realized something.
"What is it?" Numair asked as he felt the tremor run through her body.
"I see something."
Numair grinned. "Well, I thought you'd be happier if you did--"
"No, not like that. I see a small town. A town full of children…and a boy with silver blonde hair and blue eyes and a girl with dark eyes and hair. They look like they're in a forest…in the middle of nowhere."
===
It had been a week since they were captured by all those children. They had been shut into a poorly constructed prison. Kel sat idly next to the wooden bars and stared at the young girl who had begun to take watch of them about three days ago. She had long dark hair and equally dark eyes. Many of the children had called her the Lady and had treated her reverently. She must be one of the leaders.
Across from Kel, Neal and Yuki lay. They were asleep as usual. They probably don't want to deal with reality, Kel thought to herself. She sighed as a long strand of hair fell over Yuki's face. They looked so peaceful in sleep.
"Your friends sleep a lot," the Lady whispered from behind the gate. She was wearing her usual attire: a midnight blue tunic that fell just below her hips, a belt that seemed way too large for her, tight leggings and thigh high boots. She took a tray from a young child--who looked no more than 7--and slipped the tray of food into the prison.
Kel stared at the "food." It appeared to be old stale bread and a huge hunk of cheese. It didn't look too appetizing at all. Kel poked at it and sighed. "Eat up," the Lady smirked from her view point.
"I don't think so," Kel said defiantly. She got up and began to pace around the room. She hated being in here. She didn't know why they had kept her here and even worse, they hadn't said anything to inform her. She wasn't pleased.
"Um…" that was a new voice. Kel glanced up and saw that boy who had taken them in the first place. He seemed unsure of himself now, with his silver blonde hair swaying slightly and his blue eyes worried. "Aynah is looking for you. He told me to take over the watch."
The Lady bent down on one knee and whispered something that sounded a lot like: be strong. Adults are the enemy. Kel cocked her head at those words. What exactly did that mean?
The boy nodded and watched the Lady go. He turned back to the jail cell, but his eyes fell on Neal and Yuki. Nodding to himself, he disappeared for a few moments. What's he doing?
===
Alanna finally stirred. She opened her eyes slowly and immediately regretted it. Her head hurt as if a banshee had spent the past three days screaming into her ear. She pushed herself up from the bed and nearly fell out. A pair of sturdy hands grabbed her and studied her. "You okay?"
She glanced up into the a pair of eyes. "Neal?" she asked. Then her vision cleared. It wasn't him. It was Dom. He looked completely tired as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes. Behind him, one of the healers stood. Dom nodded to him and they left quickly. "Cedar is gone."
Alanna sighed and stood on her feet. It felt awkward. "Figures. She didn't look too fond of being locked up." As she was testing her first steps, it all came back. "Where's Daine?"
Dom shook his head. "She's with Numair, right now. Cedar caught up with her and," he paused and coughed as if something were in his throat, "blinded her. None of the healers could help and Numair is trying to console her."
Alanna fell back into her bed and stared unseeingly out a nearby window. "She also stole something from the castle records."
Alanna arched an eyebrow. "Why would that be important?"
===
The boy returned carrying a small bundle wrapped in blankets. He looked up at Kel and said, "Wake up your friends."
Kel stared curiously at him. She was about to ask why when she heard a soft cry from the bundle. It was Neal and Yuki's baby. Why was he doing this?
Kel went over and shook her friend's awake. "Hey. Hey, you have a visitor."
Neal opened his eyes and glanced out at the boy. His eyes fell on the baby in his arms and he swiftly got up. The boy opened the door and slipped the child into Neal's arms. Kel could see the joy in Neal, Yuki, and even the boy's face.
"She missed you," the boy said. "She'd cry at night and wonder where you were."
Yuki and Neal hugged the child and cooed at her. Realizing that they'd be busy for a bit, Kel knelt by the boy and asked, "Why did you do that?"
"No child should live without a loving family. If I didn't have Cedar, I'd go crazy. She's always there for me…" The boy suddenly grabbed his mouth and looked worriedly at Kel. "I said too much."
Kel couldn't help but smile. Whoever he was, he had the heart of an innocent. "Don't worry, kid. I won't say anything."
"So now we can leave, right?" Yuki asked as she played with her child's little feet.
The boy turned pale. "Um, please don't. You can't." He was about to take the child away when Neal blocked his path.
"And why not?" asked Neal. He looked on the verge of killing something.
Realizing his folly, the boy bit his lip and looked at Kel. "Please, I have to return the child before the Master realizes there's something wrong. If I don't, he'll know what I did and my sister…he takes all his anger out on her…and all because of me--!"
Kel rested a reassuring hand on the boy's shoulder. She knew what had to be done. "It's okay, but let them have their daughter for a few more seconds. It's been awhile, kid."
The child nodded. "And it's Cedric, not 'kid.'"
Just as Kel turned to Neal and Yuki, another figure entered the room. For a moment, they all stood still. They could barely breath as the figure stalked into the light, looking at the child and then at Cedric.
"How could you? Why?" The Lady's face grew angry. She was about to rip the child from Neal's grasp when she looked into the face of Yuki. Her hand began to shake as Yuki's eyes clashed with hers. "Y--you…?"
Yuki stared blankly at the child. "Do I know you," she asked.
The Lady tried to hide her face as if she were embarrassed. "You're a Yamani…"
Yuki narrowed her eyes and smiled in realization. "Akane?"
===
He hit her in the stomach and she stumbled back. "You were suppose to kill the Lioness and the Wild Mage! Not knock out one and blind the other!" His voice roared in her ear as she tried her best to hold back the tears. It wouldn't do her well to have the Master see her cry. She was suppose to be the best, to be his protégée. "You're a failure!"
===
Daine blinked. She could see a man. Darkness surrounded him, almost as if wouldn't let go of his skin. She couldn't see his face, but she could see his arm. There was a tattoo; it was a picture of a snake wrapped around a heart.
Suddenly, his arm came down as if it were hitting her. She winced as she told Numair this.
===
Cedar readied herself for the next punch but it never came. "Maybe your brother would do a better job."
"You promised you'd leave him alone if I did everything you asked! I got you the damn paper filled with the names of new healing mages. I got that damn Animal Mage to not spy on us. I got the lioness to 'fall' as you put it. I did everything so you just leave him alone!" Cedar's throat hurt. She didn't know how long she had kept screaming.
The Master stared at her. He grabbed her by the throat and swung her against the wall. "Don't talk to me like that. EVER! Don't think you can keep going on like you are. You were my first subject…"
Cedar shrunk away. She knew she didn't have long…but she never thought that her end would be soon. She had been the first successful victim of the experiments, but now it was taking it's affect…And she still hadn't found a place for her brother to live…to get away from the life of a gang…to not follow the path that she took. She chocked back a sob and raised her head to meet the Master's eyes.
"Now, tell me, did any of your blood hit the Wild Mage?"
"No." She lied.
"Good. Now get out of here."
Cedar stared at the Master defiantly for a moment. A plan was slowly formulating in her head…it had to be done, otherwise this might happen again…and this time to an innocent child. She nodded slowly and left the Master to himself.
The master glanced over his shoulder. "Talcon." The cat like creature emerged, licking her arm. "Kill her."
=End Chapter=
^__^ Sorry it took so long to update. However, I'm grateful for everyone who reviewed. Thank you so much. Anyway, the following is like those X mangas from CLAMP where it shows how a person became a certain way. Again, this idea is from CLAMP. Oh, and if you don't like evil don't read it.
=The Lady=
Her parents were angry; they always were.
But this was the last straw.
Honestly, she hadn't meant to break her mom's precious vase. It wasn't her fault that her hands were so small, so very tiny that it could barely hold onto anything.
She felt her mom's slap against her face. "Why can't you do anything right?"
Akane rubbed her cheek, shock appearing on her face. How could she be blamed. She was barely 4 years old and they had given her that heavy vase!
Her father walked up to her and frowned. He never paid attention to her unless he was angry, just like he was now. He nodded as if confirming something in his head. "You're a disappointment."
How can he say that! He's the one that pushed me in the first place! He made me loose my balance.
They weren't even her real parents. They were just her aunt and uncle who had taken her in. They were mad at her because she was half Yamani and half Carthak. She was a freak, someone that no one could ever love. She was a disappointment. She was nothing.
She ran up to her room and heard the sneers and laugh of her aunt and uncle. She could feel the tears forming on her cheeks. "NO!" she cried out. "I won't let them get to me! Not ever!"
Staring outside her window, she saw the still night calling out to her. It would just be easier, she thought to herself. Finally, she raised one foot over the railing and jumped. It wasn't long before she hit the ground and she began to hobble away.
===
She past by her only friend's house. Yukimi, she thought to herself. She knocked against the door, but heard no answer. The young girl tried to remember where Yukimi could be. She knocked again, but there was no answer.
Her young mind cried out: EVEN YOUR FRIENDS ABANDON YOU!
Akane stomped off. She didn't feel like anything anymore. She was tired of everyone and tired of life. This was it. She was going to jump into the ocean and end her miserable life.
Then, she heard something behind her. She turned around and stared at a tall boy with a tattoo on his arm. He smiled at her and held out his hand. "Lost, kid?"
Akane nodded. She walked closer to the friendly boy, unsure of what was happening. He handed her candy. It was the first sweet thing that anyone…except for Yukimi…had done for her. She ended up sitting with the tall boy and telling him everything.
He sat quietly, listening to her words. Finally, he said, "I can offer you a place to stay. Somewhere where you'll belong. Just follow me."
Young Akane stared touched her cheek. She could still feel her "mom's" cold, stinging slap. She then looked at the half eaten candy.
It would just be so easy…
Slowly, she nodded. "I'll follow you."
=End=
