Chapter 1: Training
"In the real world as in dreams, nothing is quite what it seems."
"Life without meaning cannot be borne.
We find a mission to which we're sworn.
Or answer the call of death's dark horn.
Without a gleaning of purpose in life, we have no vision,
We live in strife,
Or let the blood fall on a suicide knife..."
"Wormtail, come." A raspy voice commanded. A short a plump man nervously walked forward. "This is your task." The hooded figure pointed and the man eyes followed. He saw a dark room full of children.
"Children?" Wormtail asked. "What's wrong with them?"
"Useless children!" the voice behind the hood screeched. "What do I always tell you about children, Wormtail?" the voice asked, causing Marcellus to shake uncontrollably.
"They make our world worse." Wormtail replied numbly.
"Exactly," the voice said icily. "Now, I order you to kill them!"
Wormtail raised his wand and nodded. Sweat pored down his head.
"You don't have to," the voice said, but it still sent shivers down Wormtail's spine. He was not about to fail in the presence of his master. He was bound and determined.
"Avada Kedavra!" he shouted, pointing his wand at the closest child. There was a flash of brilliant green light. Wormtail watched it race towards the child. It hit the child square in the forehead and the child instantly keeled over, unmarked but unmistakeably dead.
"You see," the voice was speaking again. "You can do it."
"Avada Kedavra! Avada Kedavra! Avada Kedavra!" Wormtail shouted again and again, pointing his wand at the children in front of him, watching them die and then moving onto the next bunch. Finally, he approached the last one, which was huddled up in a ball in the corner.
"Avada Kedav –"
"Wait!" the voice roared behind him.
"What is it, Master?"
The hooded figure stood up and walked towards Wormtail and the child. The hooded figure squatted down beside the child, picked her up and studied her.
"Keep her. Take her back but do not harm her, do you understand me? You have done well, Wormtail, very well."
"Yes Master, thank you Master." Wormtail replied talking the child from his Master's arms.
"Remember Wormtail, do not harm her," the voice said again.
"Yes Lord Voldemort, no harm will come to her."
"Good." Then the two of them and the small child disappeared into thin air with a faint "pop" leaving nothing behind but a room full of dead children.
* * *
Crystal Brooks face was contorted in concentration. Sweat rolled off her eyebrows.
She took another stab at the neck at the one in front of her. She heard it slice through some flesh, right by the neck. She'd been doing this for eleven years; her teacher had found her when she was just six- years old. Ever since she could remember, Voldemort had told her one day she would "bring the world the justice they deserved."
She stabbed again, another cut, another drop of blood.
She listened to her opponent let out a cry of pain. Her vision was gone. Voldemort had put a spell on her which was to teach her to fight without sight. "Don't trust your eyes," he had told her once.
She could hear her opponent, his breaths were short, he was shaking, there were severe cuts around his neck and he was missing one arm and a leg.
Another drop of blood.
She heard a footstep and on instinct she moved to the side and brought the sword down and a second later there was a loud thump and a horrible scream of pain.
Voldemort had taught her to accept it. It was music to her ears. She had defeated her opponent.
"Excellent, Crystal. But please, cleaner next time, he's bleeding all over the floor."
"Yes Master."
"Vicoulus," Voldemort said and then Crystal was attached to the darkness. She could see again. "Turn him over."
Crystal bent over and turned the body over. What she saw caused her to stifle a cry.
"Recognize him?" Voldemort asked.
Crystal didn't say anything. She felt the anger building up behind her eyes. Yes, she recognized him. Wormtail was her caretaker. He stayed with her and looked over her night after night.
"You make me kill Wormtail," her voice had no emotion, no remorse or tone. Voldemort had taught her to speak like that.
"Make a kill, and show no emotion," he replied icily. "Are you angry?" He got up, walked over to the door and opened it. Two death eaters came in and removed the body. His voice used to scare her, but now it just annoyed her.
"No," she replied. She knew it was the right answer and she did not want to get on the wrong side of her master.
"Good, you have been trained very well" Voldemort replied. "Tomorrow we will test the full power and extent of your spells." He walked out of the room.
Crystal was left alone in the dark room. Her long platinum hair shifted from side to side as she shook her head. He had tricked her. Made her kill the one person who made her feel human and not just a killing machine. Used her as a human weapon, and Wormtail had seen her. He knew it was her, knew that she was going to kill him, yet he didn't say anything to her the night before.
Voldemort always seemed to pick someone that he thought was growing weak to be Crystal's practice dummy. But he had never taken her sight away before. Her breaths came in short gaps now as anger coursed through her.
Why did she put up with his torture and training?
"Because," a little voice said in the back of her mind. "He gave you life, he raised you, and you're his prized possession now."
But no one ever mentioned killing someone you cared about to become a prized possession. Yes, she was very powerful. She could kill something with a slice of a sword, a very well placed uppercut, mutter a few well chosen words and have all of the death eaters trembling on the floor before her. But never in her mind did she think that he would do it to her.
Tomorrow she would be armed with only her wand for protection. Tomorrow she would not have her sight taken away from her. Tomorrow, if her hunches were correct, she would be killing someone else.
* * *
"Crystal!" Voldemort's voice shouted from the darkness. "I said Crucio! What is wrong with you today? You don't want me to remove your ears and supply you with new ones?"
Crystal trembled at the forcefulness of his voice. Sighing heavily, she raised her wand and pointed it at her victim, which was withering on the floor and muttered "Crucio!"
Instantly the sweet music of her victims screams filled her ears. "Stop it! Oh Lord! Stop it! Please stop it!"
Voldemort glanced over at Crystal with a raised eyebrow which contorted his face even more.
Now her victim was searing in pain and was starting to get mad, and to Crystal's surprise, she found it amusing. A smile started to form on her lips, and a moment later she left a pat on her back.
"Having fun?" Voldemort asked.
"Engorgio!" she yelled, causing her victims body to swell up to an alarming size. He was now huge, screaming and his face was red and about to explode.
Then, something snapped inside Crystal. Everything she had learnt over the years, her spell casting, martial arts, her skill with weaponry, she suddenly felt ruthless.
A wooden rod flew at her head and she whipped around and caught it in mid flight. She brought it down hard at the person standing in front of her. Her victim's arm was severed. He howled in pain and agony. She twisted around, waving the rod over her head and brought it down again but the man was on his feet breathing heavily. He ran towards her at a remarkable speed and pushed her back.
Throwing the rod away, she rounding and forced her palm in an upwards motion towards the man's nose, causing it to crush under the pressure. Completely insane, the man grabbed her around her neck at started to choke the life from her.
She pulled her wand out and yelled, "Locomotor Mortis!" His legs locked together and he fell down grunting in pain.
He grabbed the wooden rod and was about to throw it at her.
"AVADA KEDARVA!" she screamed.
Faster than she through it could happen, the man fell to the ground, dead. His body started to shrink back to its normal size.
Clapping, Voldemort came over to her, "You're ready, Crystal. Come with me, and I will tell you you're first – and last task."
Crystal looked up at him.
"First and last if you succeed the first time and if it is done right." He replied
"What is it Master," Crystal asked curiously.
The sinister smile on his face told her that it was going to be something easy. He had spent years training her. In all aspects of life she succeeded at. Flying, charms, studying, weaponry, she had excellent communication skills, very charming and she was even an excellent Quidditch player.
Her upbringing gave her a huge advantage. She laughed at pain, toyed with death and lived to be despised and hated.
Killing Wormtail had shown her that she was capable of everything Voldemort was, she smiled icily; she was just like her teacher...
"In the real world as in dreams, nothing is quite what it seems."
"Life without meaning cannot be borne.
We find a mission to which we're sworn.
Or answer the call of death's dark horn.
Without a gleaning of purpose in life, we have no vision,
We live in strife,
Or let the blood fall on a suicide knife..."
"Wormtail, come." A raspy voice commanded. A short a plump man nervously walked forward. "This is your task." The hooded figure pointed and the man eyes followed. He saw a dark room full of children.
"Children?" Wormtail asked. "What's wrong with them?"
"Useless children!" the voice behind the hood screeched. "What do I always tell you about children, Wormtail?" the voice asked, causing Marcellus to shake uncontrollably.
"They make our world worse." Wormtail replied numbly.
"Exactly," the voice said icily. "Now, I order you to kill them!"
Wormtail raised his wand and nodded. Sweat pored down his head.
"You don't have to," the voice said, but it still sent shivers down Wormtail's spine. He was not about to fail in the presence of his master. He was bound and determined.
"Avada Kedavra!" he shouted, pointing his wand at the closest child. There was a flash of brilliant green light. Wormtail watched it race towards the child. It hit the child square in the forehead and the child instantly keeled over, unmarked but unmistakeably dead.
"You see," the voice was speaking again. "You can do it."
"Avada Kedavra! Avada Kedavra! Avada Kedavra!" Wormtail shouted again and again, pointing his wand at the children in front of him, watching them die and then moving onto the next bunch. Finally, he approached the last one, which was huddled up in a ball in the corner.
"Avada Kedav –"
"Wait!" the voice roared behind him.
"What is it, Master?"
The hooded figure stood up and walked towards Wormtail and the child. The hooded figure squatted down beside the child, picked her up and studied her.
"Keep her. Take her back but do not harm her, do you understand me? You have done well, Wormtail, very well."
"Yes Master, thank you Master." Wormtail replied talking the child from his Master's arms.
"Remember Wormtail, do not harm her," the voice said again.
"Yes Lord Voldemort, no harm will come to her."
"Good." Then the two of them and the small child disappeared into thin air with a faint "pop" leaving nothing behind but a room full of dead children.
* * *
Crystal Brooks face was contorted in concentration. Sweat rolled off her eyebrows.
She took another stab at the neck at the one in front of her. She heard it slice through some flesh, right by the neck. She'd been doing this for eleven years; her teacher had found her when she was just six- years old. Ever since she could remember, Voldemort had told her one day she would "bring the world the justice they deserved."
She stabbed again, another cut, another drop of blood.
She listened to her opponent let out a cry of pain. Her vision was gone. Voldemort had put a spell on her which was to teach her to fight without sight. "Don't trust your eyes," he had told her once.
She could hear her opponent, his breaths were short, he was shaking, there were severe cuts around his neck and he was missing one arm and a leg.
Another drop of blood.
She heard a footstep and on instinct she moved to the side and brought the sword down and a second later there was a loud thump and a horrible scream of pain.
Voldemort had taught her to accept it. It was music to her ears. She had defeated her opponent.
"Excellent, Crystal. But please, cleaner next time, he's bleeding all over the floor."
"Yes Master."
"Vicoulus," Voldemort said and then Crystal was attached to the darkness. She could see again. "Turn him over."
Crystal bent over and turned the body over. What she saw caused her to stifle a cry.
"Recognize him?" Voldemort asked.
Crystal didn't say anything. She felt the anger building up behind her eyes. Yes, she recognized him. Wormtail was her caretaker. He stayed with her and looked over her night after night.
"You make me kill Wormtail," her voice had no emotion, no remorse or tone. Voldemort had taught her to speak like that.
"Make a kill, and show no emotion," he replied icily. "Are you angry?" He got up, walked over to the door and opened it. Two death eaters came in and removed the body. His voice used to scare her, but now it just annoyed her.
"No," she replied. She knew it was the right answer and she did not want to get on the wrong side of her master.
"Good, you have been trained very well" Voldemort replied. "Tomorrow we will test the full power and extent of your spells." He walked out of the room.
Crystal was left alone in the dark room. Her long platinum hair shifted from side to side as she shook her head. He had tricked her. Made her kill the one person who made her feel human and not just a killing machine. Used her as a human weapon, and Wormtail had seen her. He knew it was her, knew that she was going to kill him, yet he didn't say anything to her the night before.
Voldemort always seemed to pick someone that he thought was growing weak to be Crystal's practice dummy. But he had never taken her sight away before. Her breaths came in short gaps now as anger coursed through her.
Why did she put up with his torture and training?
"Because," a little voice said in the back of her mind. "He gave you life, he raised you, and you're his prized possession now."
But no one ever mentioned killing someone you cared about to become a prized possession. Yes, she was very powerful. She could kill something with a slice of a sword, a very well placed uppercut, mutter a few well chosen words and have all of the death eaters trembling on the floor before her. But never in her mind did she think that he would do it to her.
Tomorrow she would be armed with only her wand for protection. Tomorrow she would not have her sight taken away from her. Tomorrow, if her hunches were correct, she would be killing someone else.
* * *
"Crystal!" Voldemort's voice shouted from the darkness. "I said Crucio! What is wrong with you today? You don't want me to remove your ears and supply you with new ones?"
Crystal trembled at the forcefulness of his voice. Sighing heavily, she raised her wand and pointed it at her victim, which was withering on the floor and muttered "Crucio!"
Instantly the sweet music of her victims screams filled her ears. "Stop it! Oh Lord! Stop it! Please stop it!"
Voldemort glanced over at Crystal with a raised eyebrow which contorted his face even more.
Now her victim was searing in pain and was starting to get mad, and to Crystal's surprise, she found it amusing. A smile started to form on her lips, and a moment later she left a pat on her back.
"Having fun?" Voldemort asked.
"Engorgio!" she yelled, causing her victims body to swell up to an alarming size. He was now huge, screaming and his face was red and about to explode.
Then, something snapped inside Crystal. Everything she had learnt over the years, her spell casting, martial arts, her skill with weaponry, she suddenly felt ruthless.
A wooden rod flew at her head and she whipped around and caught it in mid flight. She brought it down hard at the person standing in front of her. Her victim's arm was severed. He howled in pain and agony. She twisted around, waving the rod over her head and brought it down again but the man was on his feet breathing heavily. He ran towards her at a remarkable speed and pushed her back.
Throwing the rod away, she rounding and forced her palm in an upwards motion towards the man's nose, causing it to crush under the pressure. Completely insane, the man grabbed her around her neck at started to choke the life from her.
She pulled her wand out and yelled, "Locomotor Mortis!" His legs locked together and he fell down grunting in pain.
He grabbed the wooden rod and was about to throw it at her.
"AVADA KEDARVA!" she screamed.
Faster than she through it could happen, the man fell to the ground, dead. His body started to shrink back to its normal size.
Clapping, Voldemort came over to her, "You're ready, Crystal. Come with me, and I will tell you you're first – and last task."
Crystal looked up at him.
"First and last if you succeed the first time and if it is done right." He replied
"What is it Master," Crystal asked curiously.
The sinister smile on his face told her that it was going to be something easy. He had spent years training her. In all aspects of life she succeeded at. Flying, charms, studying, weaponry, she had excellent communication skills, very charming and she was even an excellent Quidditch player.
Her upbringing gave her a huge advantage. She laughed at pain, toyed with death and lived to be despised and hated.
Killing Wormtail had shown her that she was capable of everything Voldemort was, she smiled icily; she was just like her teacher...