Priestess Aishisu: One review. One stinking review. Excuse me for being pissed, but I was incredibly popular as Priestess and not being reviewed just kind of ticks me off. Huge thanks to bizarro4!
"Cree."
The goddess kneeled beside Cree, dressed in a sleeveless gown of flowing white satin. The moon reflected on her beautiful face and her long silken hair. Her skin shimmered brown and pink in the flames, her eyes were cerulean, and she seemed to shimmer with moonlight. Because of the mixed lights, it was impossible to see clearly.
"You're still alive. Thank god."
She touched Cree's melted amulet, and immediately it was returned to its former magnificence. In an unearthly beautiful voice, she murmured, "It isn't your time to die yet."
Cree lost consciousness.
Cree and Chad's minds split apart, and they both gasped for breath.
"That...was...incredible," breathed Chad, gazing at Cree with evident admiration. "You have any idea who the goddess was? She was so beautiful..."
Cree gave Chad an irritated glance, and felt something inside her twist with jealousy. Then she gazed out of the window and sighed sadly, making Chad give her a funny look.
"What's wrong, Cree?"
"It's been six years since it was a full moon on July third," she remarked idly, and sighed once more. "When I was eight, on a full moon, July third, that creature came after me while I was with my mother. My mother jumped in front of me to shield me from a blast, and the flames burned her alive. Abigail—she was only four—saw. She's hated me ever since."
Chad stared at her. Just when he thought he couldn't pity her more..."I don't want pity," said Cree softly, obviously having heard what he said. Then her eyes narrowed slightly. "The shadow woman...why is she outside of the tree house?"
Chad, being the quick thinker that he was, had an immediate suggestion—"Trying to find out about you by sucking your sister's mind out?" Then he realized how stupid that sounded, but Cree didn't seem to think so.
"I have to stop him," she said, trying to get of the couch.
"No way," he snapped, pushing her back down with his good arm. "You can barely even walk. There is no way you're fighting that thing. Anyway, what does she know? If you're so worried, I'll go fight that thing."
"Are you crazy?" Cree snapped, then sighed slightly and focused on something as she got back up. Chad blinked as a very small box probably used to hold jewelry drifted over and snapped open.
There was a ring lying on the rich padding, made of what seemed to be pure silver. He picked it up, fascinated. There seemed to be inscriptions on the inside. "Oh ma–tear loon-ah...I can't read this, but I think it's Latin."
Cree used her abilities to slip it onto his finger, and he stared at her in puzzlement. She smiled, but there was a depth of grief in her smile. "It's a ring of protection," she explained, still with that sad smile. "It can guard you if I die."
Chad nodded, but he still didn't understand. "Why would you die? I know that creature is after you, but..." he trailed off, suddenly feeling very frightened.
Cree stared into his eyes, and the blue flecks seemed to stand out. Suddenly she rose up onto her toes and kissed him gently but very passionately on the lips.
When she broke away, they were both flushed and breathless.
"C–Cree, w–what—?" He stared at Cree, and was startled to see tears in her extraordinary eyes. Her lovely face, however, was filled with grim determination.
"Six years ago on a full moon, that creature killed my mother," Cree said in a peculiar, resolute voice. Her voice and expression were a sharp contrast to her tear-filled eyes. "Today I'm going to return the favor."
"What?! Cree, that's insanity! You could die!"
Cree sighed, but her expression didn't change. "I know I could, but that's a risk I'm willing to take. But just in case, I just wanted you to know that...I love you."
She smiled again, that same poignant smile. "Good-bye, Chad. I don't know if I'll see you again, but I hope I will. If I die, you'll still be able to see my face in the moon."
Then her molecules dissolved, and she vanished into dust of diamonds.
Chad fell to his knees and sobbed.
"Numbuh Five, why do you hate your sister so much?" Nigel asked. "I mean, I know she's a teenager, but I think you're going overboard. Numbuh Five? Are you even listening to me?"
She wasn't. The Spanish/Asian/African American girl was staring out the window. But eventually Numbuhs' 1–4 had badgered her enough that she whirled around and snapped, "Exactly six years ago to date on a full moon Cree got attacked by some shadow creature her psychic powers must have created and Numbuh Five's ma defended her. She was burned alive. It's Cree's fault, so she deserves to be burned alive too! Now quit badgering Numbuh Five!" This said, she turned to glare out the window again and her jaw dropped.
Numbuhs 1–4 glanced at each other, not seeing Abigail's stunned expression. Everybody pointed at Hoagie, and he groaned and timidly tapped Abigail on the shoulder.
"Come on, Numbuh Five. I really doubt there's a such thing as a—" his jaw dropped and he motioned to the others, with a frightened little squeak: "Shadow...creature..."
"Where are you going?"
The shadow creature turned and watched with feral eyes as a glimmering light drifted downward, taking shape. In moments, Cree Lincoln was recognizable.
She drifted a few inches off the ground, radiant under the light of the full moon, seeming like a goddess in the sleeveless white satin sleeping gown. Her expression was one of fearless determination.
"Goddess...you're here."
Cree's eyes narrowed. "Every spirit that's ever visited me has called me that. Tu es dea, Filia Lunae. That was the only explanation I ever got. That I was a 'Daughter of the Moon.' Why do they call me that? Why have you been after me all my life, and why did you kill my mother?"
"You are Lecta—the Chosen One. You are the one who can tip the balance between darkness and light, and darkness knows that your heart is pure. I was sent to destroy you, and I thought I had succeeded. You died in the fire! How did you save yourself? How did you survive, Goddess? How can you live when you were dead?"
Cree's jaw set, the amulet beginning to shimmer. "I don't know how I survived. But I know one thing—you won't be so lucky!"
Blazing light fired from the amulet, and the creature did a graceful flip to dodge it. It/she aimed a kick at Cree's head, but Cree did a flip as well and used her power to levitate just before she hit the ground.
Without giving the creature time to react, she flipped back and landed a kick. Unfortunately, she was hurt as much as the shadow woman. However, she didn't show this and instead flipped back and landed on her feet (still not touching the ground.)
"Is that the best you got?" she taunted, feeling stronger than she had in almost two months. She really was a daughter of the moon—she always felt strongest when the moon was full. She wondered if she would survive this. Maybe she might.
"What are we gunnu do? What are we gunnu do? What are we gunnu do-ooh?" wailed Nigel, panicking. Abigail grabbed him by the collar and slapped both his cheeks.
"Snap out of it and get Numbuh Five a big mirror," she snapped.
"Huh?" Nigel replied stupidly.
"The only thing which can beat that monster is moonlight. Now get the mirror!"
The Kids Next Door sprinted out of the room to find the hugest mirror in the tree house.
Chad gasped for air, bracing his hands on his knees. That's the last time I run all the way up hear right after crying my eyes out, he thought ruefully, and glanced up.
Cree was fighting the shadow creature, and was holding out better than he had expected. Though he knew it must have pained her whenever she made contact with her, she didn't show it. And her movements were so skillful, so fluid...
If the scars hadn't been so obvious in that nightdress, you would never have suspected she had nearly died. In fact, you might not have believed she was even human.
He had seen those moves before...suddenly he remembered.
Numbuh Eleven...
Numbuh Eleven had been the best fighter in the Kids Next Door. When he was twelve, she had been scheduled for decommissioning. Unfortunately, no one could hold her long enough to either tie her up—actually decommissioning her would be a miracle. He had been sent to get her, and had been awed by her skills. She had been a slim, graceful African American with dreadlocks and she had beaten him in less then a second without even using a weapon.
So she got away.
"All right," said Nigel in a puzzled but serious voice. "We have angled the mirror correctly. One tiny push and that creature will be bombarded in moonlight. Should we push it now?"
"No," replied Abigail, watching her sister from under her red cap. Her dark eyes were focused and calculating, and she didn't seem at all fazed by the fact that her sister was flying in the air and fighting a shadow creature and light was shooting from her fists the amulet her mother had given her when she was born. "We have to wait until the time is right."
"We'll be grandparents by then!"
"Shut up."
Cree dodged a blast of black fire and shot white light from her palm. Her training had never come in handy more, not even in the fire. The pain of fighting in her condition was unbearable, but as long as she didn't lose her focus...
Out of the corner of her eye she noticed a familiar figure a few feet down (she wasn't that much above the ground, just a few feet as I said) and about eleven feet behind her and gasped.
"Chad?"
Taking advantage of the momentary breach in her defenses, the shadow creature blasted her right in the stomach and she tumbled, hitting the ground and being pushed backwards about seven feet. Abigail seemed to think this was when the time was right, and the Kids Next Door focused the light of the moon on the creature.
"Cree!" Chad cried, sprinting forward and plunging to his knees beside her. He touched her arm and tried his best to use the healing powers she had showed him. According to her, that should be his strong point (she claimed she could see abilities through auras.)
Cree's eyes opened, and she smiled weakly at him. "You came," she murmured as he helped her up. It was impossible to tell what she was thinking.
"Did you really think I was going to let you go that easily?" he asked with a tiny smile. "If you're really going to fight this thing, I'm going to help you."
"Are you crazy?" she snapped.
"Hmm..." he pretended to think. "Well, I'm about to risk my life for a goddess who happens to scare me out of my wits at least half the time and has the most incredible powers in the world, but also can barely stand without help. So yeah, I guess so."
Cree's lips twitched into a half-smile, and she lifted an eyebrow at him before sighing in acquiescence. "Fine," she groaned, then muttered, "Stubborn ass."
This only made him laugh.
The Kids Next Door gripped the mirror tightly as the shadow creature tried to blast through the moonlight. They didn't realize what they were really doing—They weren't weakening the creature, but they were distracting it.
"Come on!" screamed Abigail. "Keep trying! This has to work!"
The creature laughed. "Do you children believe you and your magical item can beat me? You can't!"
"They can't," murmured Cree.
"But we can," finished Chad.
Before anybody could react, their energies fused. A stream of purple light blazed out, striking the creature and taking it by surprise. The creature tripped back, then laughed and shot out its power.
The attacks met, both burning and sparkling as they struggled against each other. Cree turned her head to the Kids Next Door and yelled, "Point it at me!"
The Kids Next Door (who had been struggling to hold up the mirror) stared at her, surprised.
"Do it!!" Cree shouted, and they immediately complied.
As soon as the light hit Cree, it amplified by a million. Molten silver danced through her, her eyes blazed cerulean. She didn't even seem like Cree anymore.
When she lifted her arms, the light from the moon (not the reflected light from the mirror) streamed down as well. She pointed it at the creature and sent the light soaring at its chest.
The creature screamed, trying to fight back. A few more moments and it would be dead. Cree suddenly caught sight of herself in the mirror and gasped.
Knowing it would die anyway, the creature sent all its energy at Cree and she fell backwards. Chad sprinted towards her, but she didn't move. The creature laughed, and he clenched his teeth. Blue light gushed from his fist, hitting the creature. Cree had wounded it too much—it uttered a final shriek and died.
The Kids Next Door were frozen for a moment, then Abigail sprinted towards Cree and fell to her knee beside Chad. "Sis!" she cried. "Wake up!"
Cree shook her head. "I'm already dead, Abigail." Her voice didn't sound like hers. She turned her head to Abigail and Abigail was startled to see tears in her eyes.
"I'm sorry about Mom," she whispered, and gazed up. "There's one more thing I must do."
The fire was blazing as the building crumbled, and a limp form fell to the ground. It was burnt and mutilated beyond recognition, but its face was still recognizable. As Chad and the Kids Next Door watched, a shining spirit form of Cree rose from the limp body in Chad's arm and walked towards the body on the ground.
She kneeled and said something they couldn't hear, touching the molten lump of silver on the body's chest. The lump glimmered, and the body became recognizable again.
"It isn't your time to die yet," the spirit Cree murmured, rising up. "But it is mine."
She shut her eyes and she as well as the strange world vanished, leaving the tree house. The body in Chad's arms went cold.
Priestess Aishisu: Waahh!! All right, if you didn't notice:
1) Cree was the goddess
2) The monster is dead
3) Cree is dead