Moon Demon By: Princess Ashley

Chapter 6: The Atrox's promise

There was darkness. Complete darkness. Serena could only see flashes of colors; sometimes she would see someone here and there. She could see Vanessa's mother, completely gorgeous and young again, and other people that Vanessa loved. Serena wondered briefly why none of the daughters were there. Then she saw them. She could see herself, rushing past her, crying her eyes out in loss. Jimena was a frequent visitor at the youth authority camp, and Catty didn't paint pictures anymore. But for some reason, Tianna wasn't there. Vanessa, for some reason, didn't want anything to happen to Tianna. Maybe it was just so Tianna could watch the other Daughters in pain from Vanessa leaving, or maybe something else.

Then, in the far edge of the Atrox's promise, there was Stanton and Vanessa. His arms were around Vanessa, laying on Vanessa's old bed while she clung to what looked like a red pillow, and Serena could see the word embedded into it. GODDESS. It was the pillow Stanton gave to her. Serena choked. Vanessa had wanted Stanton.

'Why does Vanessa want to make us so miserable?' Serena thought, her last one before she was snapped out of Vanessa's mind.

~

Vanessa could feel her thoughts swirling, and she had to grasp her head so she wouldn't loose her balance, putting one hand on Collin's shoulder as he looked at her with concern. She could suddenly see everything the Atrox had promised her, and then she knew that someone was in her mind. She looked around, and she could see Stanton standing behind the trashed up schoolgirl from earlier outside the Dungeon. Vanessa looked closer, and started to dig into the girl's mind. And she was there.

'Serena!' She thought. 'Clever disguise, Daughter.' She kissed Collin on the cheek before walking towards Serena.

"I thought Hector made it really clear that you were bench wax if you ever came near me again." She hissed, causing Serena to wince. Vanessa felt a slight pang of guilt. Serena used to be her friend, and that was causing her to be a little gentler than she would around any other person. But she was in Vanessa's way, and she had to make it clear that she didn't want anything to do with the Daughters.

"Serena, I'm going to say this one last time. Leave me alone. You can't convince me to become a Daughter again. You can ask Maggie. I can't become a Daughter again. The Moon has rejected me. If I go back, I'll have no memory of anything of you or anything. I'll be human, and that is far worse than being what I am now." Vanessa glared. She looked over at Collin, who was patiently waiting for her to return. She smiled, and turned back. "As much fun as this is, I'm going to have to ask you to leave, or I'm sure there are a lot of Followers that would love to have some fun with Daughters that are conveniently without their amulets." She reached behind Serena to take Stanton's hand, and pull him into one of the shadowy areas close to the speakers, and began to dance with him, glancing at Serena with a final warning in her eyes.

Serena almost cried. She walked over to Collin and took his arm, and back towards the Daughters, telling them the situation, and one by one, they left. All except for one.

The tall girl in baggy yellow cargo pants, and a clingy black shirt stayed behind as the others left. She slowly eased along the wall, getting closer and closer to Serena and Stanton when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned, and a boy with black clothes and piercings in his nose pulled her close to him. She recognized him as Tymmie. It looked like he had grown his hair back, and it was once again light blond with black roots. She smiled; he was cuter this way. She let him put his hands on her hips and pull her against him, grinding his own hips into hers. She felt wild suddenly. She slid her hands along his neck, feeling him getting enticed. He bent his knees, and so did she. His hands entwined hers, and he pushed his torso against her. She was panting from the heat in the hollow of his neck, and she could feel him shudder. She smiled and nuzzled his neck slowly, and his hands went down on her clenching thighs. She put her hands on his neck again, unaware that almost everyone in the Dungeon was watching there show, including Vanessa and Stanton.

Vanessa was smiling as she realized who the girl was. 'Not bad, Tianna.' She thought, pulling Stanton to the small clearing that Tymmie and Tianna had made themselves. It was only when they started to dance that Tianna looked up, and her heart almost stopped as she saw the look in Vanessa's eyes. Vanessa winked at her.

'Nice moves, Tianna.' Vanessa's voice trailed in her mind. She relaxed as she realized that Vanessa was only dancing with her. Vanessa ran a hand across Stanton's head as he turned, and he pushed her shoulders, and she pushed herself agasint his chest. He smiled, and reached his hands to touch her lower back, moving her body from one side to the other, in corespondance with his.

Tianna watched with as much amusement as Vanessa had been watching her and Tymmie. Tianna started to dance against Tymmie again. Vanessa and Tianna seemed to have been thinking about the same dance moves. They could have been Siamese twins at the way they made the exact same moves at the exact same time. It was very entertaining to the people around them though. One thing was for sure, both couples got exactly the release they were looking for in those dances.

~

"So, they wanted to know what the Atrox offered me." Vanessa said, more a statement than a question. Vanessa, Stanton, and Tymmie were walking Tianna back to her house after the party all night. Tianna was desperatly worried her foster parents were going to be mad at her. Tavio and Payasa were still at the Dungeon, and Vanessa had trusted them to get themselves home since Tavio was preoccupied with one of the newly turned Followers, and Payasa and her partner seemed to have found their way to the bedrooms on the third floor.

"Yeah. I didn't want to. It didn't seem to be right digging into your business. I'd be pissed if they were trying to figure out what I wanted most in the world." Tianna said, thinking about her own desire.

"Did they find out?" Tymmie asked, walking beside Tianna. He had gotten to liking her a bit. But Vanessa knew that Tianna would never become a Follower, purely for the fact that the Atrox was the reason her real family was dead.

"Yeah, Serena was in Vanessa's mind. She saw everything. It shocked her though, whatever it was." Stanton said, holding Vanessa's hand, while the other rested in his pocket. Even Tianna had to admit they looked good together.

"Anyways, that was fun. I want to do that again sometime." Tianna said, smiling up at Tymmie, and he seemed to get a mysterious glint in his eyes.

"Sure thing. There's always a party at the Dungeon. I'd leave the amulet home though. Someone might get offended." Stanton said, hand creeping up Vanessa's side. She squirmed in delight.

Tianna smiled. "So...are you two...? You know...an item now or....what?" She shrugged, egging them to give her hand answer.

Stanton and Vanessa smiled at each other. "I suppose. You could put it that way. An item." Vanessa thought, looking at Stanton who had a funny look in his eyes. She smiled again. "That sounds about right."

"Get a room." Tymmie muttered. Tianna giggled and kissed his cheek. He got a really big grin on his face. Everyone laughed. Looked like Tymmie had a new crush.

They stopped by Tianna's house. The windows were still dark, but then again, the sun going down. They had partied longer than thought they had.

"We'll see you sometime then." Vanessa said, and Tianna gave her and Stanton a hug, and then went to kiss Tymmie on the cheek again. He frowned, hoping have got one on the lips.

Vanessa suddenly spoke. "Hey! I'm planning on going to the mall tommorrow. I need to pick up some new clothes. Payasa is coming as well. You wanna join our little shopping spree? Everything's for free." She winked, and Tianna got her message. She smiled.

"Sure thing. When and where?"

"I'll meet you at noon then. That should give you some time to recover some sleep. We'll meet at the outlet mall outside Hollywood. You know, where we used to shop."

"Okay, seeya tommorrow!" She called, and walked into her house.

Vanessa smiled. "I think I make better friends this way." She stood on her tiptoes, and still barely managed to nibble on Stanton's neck. He groaned, and pulled her and himself into the shadows, disappearing in front of Tymmie.

He mummbled. "Stupid love birds." And he disappeared as well.

TBC