Chapter 11: Playing With Destiny.

Sebastian looked over his bedroom balcony to stare at the people below. He peacefully watched some of his friends train the guard hyenas. It was at that moment Sebastian spotted Rachel harvesting some of the crops used for trading with the locals. There was something about her that captivated him. He couldn't take his eyes off her; to him she was breathtaking. His mind was so focused on Rachel that he didn't notice his father behind him.

"She's something isn't she?" Shere Khan finally spoke. Sebastian jumped out of his skin at the unanticipated interruption.

"Um… er… who?" Sebastian stuttered, caught off guard. Shere Khan just smiled. "So… dad, um… why have I deserved this honour of your presence?"

"I have a mission for you."

"Yippee", Sebastian said sarcastically. "What is it this time? Clean the toilets without passing out from the stench?"

"I want you to make Venus fall in love with you."

"What? Why me?"

"Cause you're good at it. Don't act like I haven't heard about your love life. You're good with females… God knows why. I've heard exactly how many girlfriends you've had."

"Did you just compliment me?" Sebastian said in a cynical tone. Shere Khan didn't answer. "This has something to do with Vasha doesn't it?" Sebastian asked. Shere Khan grunted in reply. He had forgotten how well his son knew him. "Dad, why can't you and Vasha get along? Sometimes I wonder who you hate more; the State Mutants or Vasha".

"You know that Vasha and I go a long way back. I can't agree with her, yet I can't get rid of her either. We've been through too much to do that."

"So how does Venus come into all of this?"

"Vasha and I settled a bet this morning. If I can get Venus to trust us, and turn her against the State Mutants, then I win the bet. If I win the bet, not only do I have Venus on our side, but I also gain control over Vasha's servant Rachel, which I'm sure that you won't object to, Sebastian."

"And if you can't get Venus to trust us?" Sebastian asked.

"Then Vasha gets to personally kill Venus." Shere Khan answered. Sebastian sighed.

"I don't like what you're planning to do", the younger tiger commented.

"Why?"

"Because you're playing with destiny! Don't you see? It's Venus' destiny to join the boys. You won't win; neither of you will win. Just kill Venus now and let it be over with," Sebastian protested. He feared what could happen in the future, that destiny would alter, would change into something so unpredictable that no one will know what will happen next; not even the 'Book of Mutants'.

"Destiny can be changed so that it will be in our favour, my son. Venus will be my greatest victory."

"Why does she have to fall in love with me? Why love? Why can't we just be friends or something?"

"What can give more trust than love? It's simple really. If she falls in love with you, then she'll want to stay. She'll believe anything you tell her. Anything we tell her. Love is blind Sebastian. Love is very, very blind."

*****

"… This is the main staircase… and when we walk up here and along this corridor, we'll be in what we nicknamed the 'East Wing'". Sebastian commented. Venus obviously had trouble finding her way around Shere Khan's fortress/mansion. Naturally, Sebastian was more than happy to act like a tour guide and show her around the place. Venus admired some of the ornate gas lamps hanging above as she walked down the corridor. The two of them then turned into the next hallway, the one she was in last night when she had been captured. She shuddered when she saw the room where the book had once lay. They walked to a door, two rooms up from Shere Khan's sleeping quarters.

"This is where you're going stay", Sebastian said, opening the door to the room. They stepped inside. There was a rather large elaborate bed on the right side of the room, and a dressing table accompanied by a chair on the left. Straight ahead was some curtains, dividing the room from the balcony. "You're more than welcome to look around. It is, after all, your room now," Sebastian said smiling, trying his best to make her feel welcome. She nodded a 'Thank you' before smiling back. Venus walked over to the curtains, pulled them open, and stepped outside to absorb her balcony's view. The mansion's swimming pool was right below, rippling serenely with the gentle breeze. Large, strong vines stretched up the wall and curled over the balcony's railings. Venus could see for miles. The mountainous peaks common to the nation of Lesotho filled the landscape; she could even see the snow on some of the mountain summits.

"Do you like it?" Sebastian asked, now standing beside her.

"It's beautiful…" she whispered.

"I've seen prettier things than this," Sebastian whispered back, looking at her. She noticed his gaze and turned to face him. She was confused by his comment; she wasn't sure what he had meant by that, whether he was talking about her, or about the scenery. An awkward silence endured. Sebastian finally spoke. "Sorry that your room hasn't been cleaned and that your bed hasn't been made yet. Someone should be along to do it…uh…"

The door to the room opened and Rachel walked in carrying the bed sheets. Sebastian's heart was so overwhelmed that he'd forgotten what he was going to say to Venus. He managed to squeak out a 'hi', which resulted in a quick yet polite 'hi' from Rachel, too busy making the bed to do much else. He completely forgot about Venus, and watched Rachel with feelings of love for her. Venus all too easily noticed the way Sebastian was looking at the mutant black-backed jackal. Sebastian suddenly remembered his mission and mentally shook himself back to reality.

"So… um… Ve… Veh…"

"Venus?" Venus suggested.

"Yeah, Venus. How could I forget such a nice name? Though I'd hate to leave you, I must go for I have some little things to do for my father. If you need me for anything what so ever, then I'll be in my room, just down the hall," Sebastian recovered, trying to sound charming. Venus saw right through it.

"I'm sure I'll be fine", Venus replied, hinting that she won't visit Sebastian at all.

"Ok then. I best be going," he announced. 'What happened just then?' the tiger wondered as he exited.

"I'd watch out for that one. I know for a fact that every girl he's dated, has lived to regret it," the jackal said, fluffing the pillow. Venus smiled in response. The jackal looked up from her work and smiled back. She extended her paw, which Venus shook. "The name's Rachel," the jackal introduced.

"Venus."

"Ah! So you're the one who caused all the commotion last night. Heard quite a bit about you. It's like you're famous or something," Rachel commented while smiling. Venus gave a nervous giggle. "So, you from around here?" Rachel questioned.

"I don't know. I've lost all my memory. I can only remember from yesterday's events," Venus said softly, head looking down at the floor.

"That's a shame. I'm sure it'll come back eventually, once you see someone or something familiar to you".

"Yeah… you're probably right," Venus sighed. Her expression changed as she tried to lighten up a little. "So… what's it really like to work here?"

"Are you now one of Shere Khan's servants?" Rachel asked. Venus nodded. She felt slightly ashamed that she was servant, but she extremely glad that she still had her life. Rachel seemed to be quite open and honest, hopefully someone Venus could finally trust. Venus had already started to plan her escape. She was hoping that Rachel could be the one to help her out, give her some pointers if possible.

"Working here's alright I suppose. If you're kind to everybody; or at least act like you're kind, then you go far. But if you don't obey, or try to escape… then you face the consequences."

"What are the consequences?" Venus asked uncertainly. Rachel looked around before leaning in closer to speak to Venus.

"I shouldn't really be telling you because you're new around here, but there are a few horror stories about what happens to servants that escape. I heard that one female servant escaped once. She made it over the boundaries walls, but she was soon recaptured in Ikhaya Labantu. When she arrived back at Shere Khan's fortress, she was raped, then tied to a pole in the middle of the courtyard in Ikhaya Labantu for three days straight; a reminder of what happens when people disobey the mighty Shere Khan."

"Oh my god… what happened to her? Does she still work here?" Venus didn't really want to hear anymore, but something inside wanted to listen, hoping that the story had a happy ending.

"The story goes that after the incident, she couldn't live with herself anymore. She tried to escape again but died in the process. She lost her grip and fell to the ground while climbing down some vines. She was knocked unconscious, and left to the mercy of the hyenas that were patrolling that night." Rachel said with a tone of despair. Venus gulped in worry. There was a sad pause as Rachel reflected on what she had just told Venus. "The moral of the story is… don't escape. I'm not going to tell anyone if you plan to, just if you plan to escape, then plan to leave the country as well because they'll find you. It may be a while, but they will find you Venus".

There was a slightly longer pause this time. "Have you ever tried to escape from Shere Khan, Rachel?"

"I've been here long enough to learn that escaping is pointless if it isn't timed or thought out correctly. Lately I've been reading through some of Vasha's shinobi books, hoping to find some sort of spell or at least some spiritual refuge."

"Shinobi books? What's shinobi?"

"A shinobi is someone who can use magic and control and alter chi energy, something like that. If you get good at it, then you're able to do some pretty cool stuff".

"Can I have a look at those books?" Venus asked with slight enthusiasm.

"Yeah, sure! You're welcome to read them. It's pretty interesting. I can bring one or two over here, or you could visit my room. My room is situated in the 'West Wing'. Know where that is?" Rachel invited warmly. She had taken a liking to this girl, maybe it was because she was an innocent, not a mutant with evil ambitions behind every thought like seemingly everyone else in the place.

"Yeah. Sebastian showed me earlier."

"Oh, ok then. I'll show you where my room is exactly after I finish doing my chores."

"Thanks", Venus said with a slight smile. Rachel returned the smile back.

Author's note: Well obviously I'm back in Australia after having an amazing time traveling around in the USA. I had two goals… get TMNT merchandise, as you can't buy any in Oz! (Australia) and to survive… an American high school! I managed to complete both goals (but I couldn't find a Donatello figurine!) We spent 5 days in LA (including Tijuana, Mexico) and did all the theme parks, like Disneyland, Knotts Berry and Universal Studios. 2 days were in San Francisco and the last 10 days I was staying with my host family (who used to be TMNT fans!) in Seattle (3 days were spent flying!). If any of you ever get the opportunity through school to go on one of these exchange student programs then I highly recommend it. It is loads of fun… but don't with your best friend as some people on the trip got tired of them. It is a once in a lifetime experience as you do things that normal tourists wouldn't do. You gain a better appreciation of the country you're staying in, as well as your own country. I found the trip very rewarding and was well worth the cost.

P.S. If you're an Aussie and want to know the conversion, then here it is. (American = Australian) Jello = Jelly. Jelly = Unseeded jam. Jam = Seeded jam. Got it?