Moon Demon
By: Princess Ashley
Chapter 2: Point of Grace
Maggie sat in an old wicker chair by the fire, her chin in her fist, her elbow resting on the arm of the chair. Her eyes showed she was deep in thought. The Daughters were sitting on the couch, with the exception of one, the one that they were pondering over. Nothing was said, and it was all quite except for the smacking and cackling of the fire, that sent inconsistent shadows over their faces.
Catty's eyes were bloodshot. She had not even finished crying yet, and her hands were shaking from the coldness she felt. Jimena had covered her with a blanket, and Catty's head now rested on her shoulder, trying to get warm. Tianna had a vicious look on her face. She was leaned forward, elbows on her knees, and chin on her fists. She was angry because this was the first time she felt defeated since she lost her family to the Atrox. Serena's face glittered with the flame, her eyes dancing with it. She had a lonely look on her face. Jimena's head rested on Catty's, her eyes closed, and her arms crossed. She was too tired to think.
Maggie finally looked up at the Daughters, her face was forlorn. She looked at each one of them. She understood their grief. She had seen a lot of her daughters fall to the Atrox. There was at least one in every generation of them that would leave the crowd to join the darkness. And the funny thing was, she knew that it would be Vanessa. The first time she had seen Vanessa, she could already tell that the Atrox already haunted Vanessa in her dreams, and their mark was planted on her soul. The Atrox had taken Vanessa's father on the night the ring circled the moon, and Maggie knew that something would happen the next time. She just hadn't expected it to be Hector.
She released her head from her hands, and stood walking to stand in front of the remaining daughters. They all looked at her as if she were going to start scolding them for not being strong enough to get through the barrier to save Vanessa. But they were no ready for the calm, soft tone that Maggie gave them, or the words she spoke.
"This is not over." She said, her tone was vaporous, and her eyes were gentler than they had ever seen them. Maggie somehow knew these things, and they were more than eager to learn what she knew. "Before the end of your generation, Vanessa will show her face again. But you must understand the seriousness of this. Vanessa has become a demon. Worse than a follower, more powerful than even the Prince of the Night." She didn't miss the sharp look on Serena's face. "Now she is one with Hector. But just because she is a demon doesn't mean that she wasn't once a devoted source of light and love. You must make her see that."
She looked around, as if she were lost, and then continued again. "Right now, she thinks that you are resentful towards her; that somehow Tianna took her place when she finally found Catty and became a Daughter." Tianna looked surprised, and then sadness took her as she realized that she might have been the reason Vanessa made the choice she did. "Now I don't mean that this is your fault. Vanessa made the choice to leave because it would save you, not destroy you. If she had not gone with Hector, you all would probably be dead now, and the demon would have destroyed the line of the Daughters. Never have all the Daughters been killed at once. Vanessa's choice was for the best, and was the best choice there was at the time." Maggie took a breath. "But now, darkness had permanently entered her. When she does come back, she will not be the same Vanessa you used to know.
"Vanessa's hope was lost when she became a demon. And now that she is as powerful as she is, the Atrox will try to use her to get to you. You must stay away from her when she comes back. I know that you are missing her even now, but for your own safety, you must stay away till we know what the Atrox wants her to do. Is that clear?" She said, firmness in her voice, which made everyone know that she would not argue on this matter. It was Maggie's 'my way or the highway' tone.
Everyone looked at each other. Jimena and Serena looked skeptical. Tianna took a look that said that she would do anything to try and make it up to Vanessa. Even if it meant staying away from her. Catty's distant stare didn't change when she spoke. "When is Vanessa going to come back?" Her tone was flat.
Maggie looked out the window into darkness, the ring around the moon was fading, and she wished she could have seen Vanessa's face one last time. "I don't know. But the Atrox wanted her for some reason, and I don't doubt that she will be back and soon. The portal closed before they could destroy you so the Atrox must have a plan to come back on that mistake. Hector didn't convince her as fast and the Atrox hoped he might, so no doubt they will try again, and they will use means that are beyond your skill to fight. I don't know what to expect, but it will have to be the worst. Never has a Daughter gone as far to become a demon to save her friends. Vanessa had a very strong heart to do what she did."
~
Vanessa's feelings of unease slowly vanished as she felt herself being carried into the vortex between time and space. The only difference between earth and here was that time was nonexistent. That and the fact that she remained a floating figure in the middle of all the darkness, flying past the stars. She didn't need a space suit, because she could breath rather freely, there were no worries in her mind because all conception just seems to fade away, and the only thing that mattered was herself. She had nothing else to worry about, except maybe where she would go first.
She swept past the Milky Way, bringing herself to be in the middle of the moon. Anyone who looked up at the full moon from earth would see her small silhouette. She imagined with a smirk the people would think they were having an ET moment. She smiled and back flipped and zipped through the universe, watching everything go by in a blur. She could make out all the planets yet to be discovered, all of them beautiful in their own way, covered in greens, blues, purples, and pinks. 'This is my kind of torture.' She thought.
She zipped back, looking at the moon from a distance. No one would ever see the moon as she was seeing it now. She felt a pleasant ache flow through her. She opened her arms, closing her eyes and letting herself twirl through it as it spread through ever inch of her being. She opened her eyes as she felt the familiar power rise in her body. It was the same thing she felt when she held the paper lanterns, when snuck off to be with Hector, when Stanton had held her close and asked if he could convert her, the blackness behind her when she was in his memories. The Atrox.
She smiled wickedly, feeling tightness wretch through her body as the Atrox took her over, giving her the comfort it had promised, what she wanted more desperately than she wanted anything else. Her body was warm, and her skin went artificially cold. Now she understood why the Followers all were cold, but they never seemed to mind. The Atrox's warmth was warmth that surpassed all others. She would never feel coldness again.
"Vanessa." A voice was behind her.
She turned and found Hector there, his eyes glowing, and only the top part of his body shown as it looked like his bottom half was concealed behind a cloud that blended with the background in space. She smiled at him, and looked down, she to was only a top half.
"This is what it feels like to be favored by the Atrox. Never ending warmth, nothing to worry about, and nothing to obligate you except to fore fill your own desires. The Atrox is more powerful than anything you will ever feel. That is why most people want to convert. The Atrox takes away all feeling of insecurity and lets you live on your terms." He explained, and then looked to his left. She followed his gaze to a shooting star, that whisked past them, and she could feel the warmth of it as it past, and headed off, past the earth into space. "Do you regret your decision, Vanessa?" He asked, softly, touching her arm.
She looked back at him, and smiled. "I've never felt more alive." And they were off, surrounding the plants with their spirit, and then off again, exploring things that they knew no one would ever see any closer.
TBC
Chapter 2: Point of Grace
Maggie sat in an old wicker chair by the fire, her chin in her fist, her elbow resting on the arm of the chair. Her eyes showed she was deep in thought. The Daughters were sitting on the couch, with the exception of one, the one that they were pondering over. Nothing was said, and it was all quite except for the smacking and cackling of the fire, that sent inconsistent shadows over their faces.
Catty's eyes were bloodshot. She had not even finished crying yet, and her hands were shaking from the coldness she felt. Jimena had covered her with a blanket, and Catty's head now rested on her shoulder, trying to get warm. Tianna had a vicious look on her face. She was leaned forward, elbows on her knees, and chin on her fists. She was angry because this was the first time she felt defeated since she lost her family to the Atrox. Serena's face glittered with the flame, her eyes dancing with it. She had a lonely look on her face. Jimena's head rested on Catty's, her eyes closed, and her arms crossed. She was too tired to think.
Maggie finally looked up at the Daughters, her face was forlorn. She looked at each one of them. She understood their grief. She had seen a lot of her daughters fall to the Atrox. There was at least one in every generation of them that would leave the crowd to join the darkness. And the funny thing was, she knew that it would be Vanessa. The first time she had seen Vanessa, she could already tell that the Atrox already haunted Vanessa in her dreams, and their mark was planted on her soul. The Atrox had taken Vanessa's father on the night the ring circled the moon, and Maggie knew that something would happen the next time. She just hadn't expected it to be Hector.
She released her head from her hands, and stood walking to stand in front of the remaining daughters. They all looked at her as if she were going to start scolding them for not being strong enough to get through the barrier to save Vanessa. But they were no ready for the calm, soft tone that Maggie gave them, or the words she spoke.
"This is not over." She said, her tone was vaporous, and her eyes were gentler than they had ever seen them. Maggie somehow knew these things, and they were more than eager to learn what she knew. "Before the end of your generation, Vanessa will show her face again. But you must understand the seriousness of this. Vanessa has become a demon. Worse than a follower, more powerful than even the Prince of the Night." She didn't miss the sharp look on Serena's face. "Now she is one with Hector. But just because she is a demon doesn't mean that she wasn't once a devoted source of light and love. You must make her see that."
She looked around, as if she were lost, and then continued again. "Right now, she thinks that you are resentful towards her; that somehow Tianna took her place when she finally found Catty and became a Daughter." Tianna looked surprised, and then sadness took her as she realized that she might have been the reason Vanessa made the choice she did. "Now I don't mean that this is your fault. Vanessa made the choice to leave because it would save you, not destroy you. If she had not gone with Hector, you all would probably be dead now, and the demon would have destroyed the line of the Daughters. Never have all the Daughters been killed at once. Vanessa's choice was for the best, and was the best choice there was at the time." Maggie took a breath. "But now, darkness had permanently entered her. When she does come back, she will not be the same Vanessa you used to know.
"Vanessa's hope was lost when she became a demon. And now that she is as powerful as she is, the Atrox will try to use her to get to you. You must stay away from her when she comes back. I know that you are missing her even now, but for your own safety, you must stay away till we know what the Atrox wants her to do. Is that clear?" She said, firmness in her voice, which made everyone know that she would not argue on this matter. It was Maggie's 'my way or the highway' tone.
Everyone looked at each other. Jimena and Serena looked skeptical. Tianna took a look that said that she would do anything to try and make it up to Vanessa. Even if it meant staying away from her. Catty's distant stare didn't change when she spoke. "When is Vanessa going to come back?" Her tone was flat.
Maggie looked out the window into darkness, the ring around the moon was fading, and she wished she could have seen Vanessa's face one last time. "I don't know. But the Atrox wanted her for some reason, and I don't doubt that she will be back and soon. The portal closed before they could destroy you so the Atrox must have a plan to come back on that mistake. Hector didn't convince her as fast and the Atrox hoped he might, so no doubt they will try again, and they will use means that are beyond your skill to fight. I don't know what to expect, but it will have to be the worst. Never has a Daughter gone as far to become a demon to save her friends. Vanessa had a very strong heart to do what she did."
~
Vanessa's feelings of unease slowly vanished as she felt herself being carried into the vortex between time and space. The only difference between earth and here was that time was nonexistent. That and the fact that she remained a floating figure in the middle of all the darkness, flying past the stars. She didn't need a space suit, because she could breath rather freely, there were no worries in her mind because all conception just seems to fade away, and the only thing that mattered was herself. She had nothing else to worry about, except maybe where she would go first.
She swept past the Milky Way, bringing herself to be in the middle of the moon. Anyone who looked up at the full moon from earth would see her small silhouette. She imagined with a smirk the people would think they were having an ET moment. She smiled and back flipped and zipped through the universe, watching everything go by in a blur. She could make out all the planets yet to be discovered, all of them beautiful in their own way, covered in greens, blues, purples, and pinks. 'This is my kind of torture.' She thought.
She zipped back, looking at the moon from a distance. No one would ever see the moon as she was seeing it now. She felt a pleasant ache flow through her. She opened her arms, closing her eyes and letting herself twirl through it as it spread through ever inch of her being. She opened her eyes as she felt the familiar power rise in her body. It was the same thing she felt when she held the paper lanterns, when snuck off to be with Hector, when Stanton had held her close and asked if he could convert her, the blackness behind her when she was in his memories. The Atrox.
She smiled wickedly, feeling tightness wretch through her body as the Atrox took her over, giving her the comfort it had promised, what she wanted more desperately than she wanted anything else. Her body was warm, and her skin went artificially cold. Now she understood why the Followers all were cold, but they never seemed to mind. The Atrox's warmth was warmth that surpassed all others. She would never feel coldness again.
"Vanessa." A voice was behind her.
She turned and found Hector there, his eyes glowing, and only the top part of his body shown as it looked like his bottom half was concealed behind a cloud that blended with the background in space. She smiled at him, and looked down, she to was only a top half.
"This is what it feels like to be favored by the Atrox. Never ending warmth, nothing to worry about, and nothing to obligate you except to fore fill your own desires. The Atrox is more powerful than anything you will ever feel. That is why most people want to convert. The Atrox takes away all feeling of insecurity and lets you live on your terms." He explained, and then looked to his left. She followed his gaze to a shooting star, that whisked past them, and she could feel the warmth of it as it past, and headed off, past the earth into space. "Do you regret your decision, Vanessa?" He asked, softly, touching her arm.
She looked back at him, and smiled. "I've never felt more alive." And they were off, surrounding the plants with their spirit, and then off again, exploring things that they knew no one would ever see any closer.
TBC
