A Kiss from a Rose on the Grave
Disclaimer:
I Do Not own any of the Shaman King characters, the place they live in, or indeed anything to do with them. I also do not own the Night World, or any of the principles of it- especially the soulmate principle. I do not own the song 'Kiss from a Rose' by Seal.
I do own my characters, and everything about them
That is Gul, Sparrow, Astrid, Fahd, Steren, Sher, Tierra, Lorccan, Shyam, Torqueo and Jasmine. I own where they live, etc.
!!WARNING!!
- IF YOU DO NOT LIKE BLOOD, OR VIOLENCE PLEASE STOP READING NOW. Or you should have stopped reading the last Chapter.
Chapter 3 - Discovering the Night World
Tierra the Raven sat down in the living room of the monsters. Or maybe not quite monsters...
"Cupcake?" The witch called Astrid offered a plate of butterfly cakes to the young girl. Tierra declined.
"So. You're here because you want to be... what was it again?"
"I want to be a vampire, so I can kill a vampire. One who killed my sister." The 13 year old shifted in her chair.
Astrid snorted. "Do you know the name of this vampire?"
"Gul." With this one word the entire house stopped moving. Astrid leaned forward in her chair as a small boy and another girl zipped into the room. The girl was blatantly a vampire. Tierra bristled, remembering her last encounter with a bloodsucker; it had been around two weeks ago. She'd found him feeding off children in a day-care centre but he was too fast for her and he had gotten away. That's when she decided to become a creature of darkness herself.
---
The pain was awful, having blood drawn out of her in long gulps. Tierra could feel it being sucked out from her heart, the searing dizziness shooting all the way up to her throat.
Just when Tierra was sure she was going to pass out from the pain Sparrow lifted her head up and stared at the girl.
Sparrow was now hauntingly beautiful, but it was an unnatural beauty- Evil was the only way to describe it. Blood was staining her lips, her slightly parted mouth showed long curving teeth, like those of a cat only more elegant- ending in the sharpest point possible.
Tierra felt Sparrow press her bleeding wrist to the younger girl's mouth. The young Raven took involuntary gulps of the sickly sweet fluid. It didn't taste like blood - it tasted like... nothing she had ever felt before. It was like a breeze in the night, the sound of tinkling bells and the body of wine all at the same time. But most of all it felt old, not old as in musty; old as in like a star, normal and natural and so ancient.
It was over too soon and the moment Sparrow pulled her wrist away Tierra could feel herself falling into a long sleep, full of darkness.
It was the night she died.
Horo Horo lay on the grass with his hands behind his head, speculating the last few days. He wondered about Pilika, she had left a few days ago to do something mysterious. Being a protective big brother he was worried for her, but glad that he had told Kororo to go with her.
Then his thoughts drifted to the new girl, Gul. She was quiet, but friendly, and he couldn't help but feel drawn to her. He had honestly never felt so connected to someone after only a few days. And then there was her looks. Horo Horo had never been too much of a vain person, but Gul was beyond beautiful. Her hair was a strange, wine red and when the light shone on it there were little highlights of blonde and copper, and an almost strawberry colour. Her eyes, more like a hunting animals than a human were an orange-green. Then her skin, she was so pale it looked like her skin was paper thin, like semi-translucent candle wax.
Despite this, there was something beneath the surface. Something strange. Horo didn't know quite how to describe it, but he was sure he wouldn't like it- when he found out. He remembered the time his senses had tingled strangely, just after she had entered the room. His instincts had told him to run. Primal instincts- back from the caveman times; like a fear of animals stronger than him.
So odd.
She's a mystery. Horo Horo smiled to himself and closed his eyes.
Anna sat on the floor in her room, books were scattered all over the room. Normally patient, Anna quickly scanned the pages stopping only at places she thought would be of use.
There was something wrong with Gul, something she couldn't quite put her finger on. Yes, she was a Night World member but Anna simply didn't know enough to be safe.
Certain incidents had aroused Anna's suspicion. For instance- the hysterical girl screaming at Gul in fear. The necklace. The beauty. The mysteriousness.
It could only mean one thing.
Anna's eyes stopped roving in disbelief. She had found what she was looking for.
'In this world there is a secret society of creatures, the association of the Night World. The Night World is not a place; it is an organisation, an association, made of all of the creatures of darkness. These creatures being Witches, Shapeshifters, Werewolves and Vampires.'
Vampires. That's it! Anna carried on reading.
'One way to test if a person is a vampire is to cut them with an iron knife, if it injures them they are not vampire. If the wound heals before your eyes they are a vampire. For the only way to kill a vampire is with wood, or by burning.'
Anna cringed. I don't think I like the sound of that.
'Another, less violent way of testing for a vampire is to shine a light into their eyes. If you get a shine back, similar to that of a cat, they are a vampire.'
Perfect. Anna closed the book with a new resolve.
Oh, how Gul hated science. She was sitting with Anna, who was behaving very strangely this morning.
The teacher scribbled something on the board.
Testing the senses.
He then turned around and spoke to the class. "Today we will be performing a few experiments. Around the room you will see various apparatus to do the experiment with. Please sort yourselves into groups of four, or three and record your findings."
---
Anna looked at the laminated card in front of her.
Nervous system reactions.
Hit someone with a ruler just below the knee cap and see what happens.
Do you know why this happens?
Anna turned her gaze to Gul and Horo Horo, who were trying out the experiment.
Gul was perched on a chair with one leg crossed over the other. She was looking at Horo Horo suspiciously.
"Hit me just below the knee, not on my knee, nor on my shin."
Horo Horo drew back his arm looking like a stirker about to his a baseball. Gul closed her eyes.
"Yeoow!"
"Sorry! Let me try again."
"NO! Ow, Stop it!"
Horo Horo was randomly slapping the ruler any old where, until he actually found the right place and Gul's leg shot up to hit him on the chin.
"Sorry." She said not looking the least bit sorry. "It was my reflex." She said dryly.
Horo Horo rubbed his red chin. "I get to do the next one."
---
Anna stopped in her tracks when she saw the next card.
Sight testing.
Shine the lamp into someones eyes.
What happens?
She grasped Gul's arm.
"Whoa! What's the big hurry?"
"Just come here!"
Horo Horo pouted. "I want to do this one. To Gul."
He reached for the lamp before Anna could get it.
Gul was slightly alarmed. "Why don't you do it on Anna?"
Anna shook her head.
Then, before either of the girls could react, Horo had shone the light into Guls eyes.
It hurt her.
Anna saw. There was a definite flash.
So did Horo Horo.
Anna had been thinking about the best way to confront Gul.
She decided on Art, as there was so much noise, no one would be able to hear them. The lesson had started, and as Gul went off to get some glue near the end of the lesson, Anna filled Horo Horo in on her findings.
The moment Gul sat down she knew something was wrong. Horo Horo was looking at her strangely, and Anna had a closed, strained expression on her face.
Gul closed her eyes.
Oh Goddess. They know
"I know you know that we know. I can see it in your eyes." Anna looked very strained now.
Horo Horo spoke up "Why didn't you tell us?"
Gul didn't talk for a long while. When she did, it was soft and cracked in the middle.
"People treat me different when they know."
The bell went and Gul swept off before any more words could be exchanged.
Gul walked through the park, book and bag less. She folded her arms across her midriff and started thinking.
Now I'm going to have to move again. I'm going to call Circle Daybreak and request a new school. Then someone is going to have to erase the memories of my new friends. I'll miss Steren, and Shear and Fahd. Come to think of it, I never did find out what was wrong with Steren...
I'm never going to find out now.
I'm even going to miss Anna and Horo Horo.
Gul smiled. He's such an idiot. She thought fondly.
I'm going to have to put up with another year of the same lessons in school for all eternity. Unless I could make a fake I.D.
Hmmm, I might talk to the agents about that.
I'm getting kind of fed up with school. I must have every qualification possible now.
Gul sat down on the grass by the lake and closed her eyes, soaking in her surroundings for the last time.
---
"Little fierce one, Lorccan. Go now and prove your worth."
The dragon spoke into the shapeshifters mind. Lorccan swelled with pride, at the recognition of his master. Maybe in the new world order he would have a high up place in the system, maybe he could make something out of himself- instead of just being the small one.
Lorccan snivelled and crept slowly out of the bushes.
Gul could hear soft footsteps shuffling up behind her. Someone was trying to creep up on her quietly- and doing a very bad job of it.
Gul could feel her mouth curving into a smirk.
'Achooo!'
Gul shot up and turned around, drawing the carefully stashed dagger from her arm band. The hilt was made of iron, while the blade was made of silver. There was a matching dagger in the armband on her other arm, but with a blade of wood. Both blades had intricate patterns of twisting roses carved in on them.
Wood would kill a vampire, while silver would kill werewolves and shapeshifters.
"Lorccan." Gul said. She surprised herself at how calm she was.
The boy smiled. "Long time no see, sweetheart. We all miss you very much you know." His voice dripped with sarcasm.
"That's a shame." Gul kept her face blank and her voice malicious.
Lorccan laughed. "You haven't changed a bit!"
Gul sneered "Neither have you."
"On the contrary, my dear, we've changed more than you could possibly imagine."
Lorccan was preparing for a fight. Gul could see him shifting into a stance.
Then he shifted. It was quite possibly the most disgusting thing Gul had ever seen. He didn't even shift properly- he still stood on two legs.
In the half and half form he'll have the speed of a Jaguarundi and its weapons, while keeping human sense. And a voice box, unfortunately.
Without warning, Lorccan dashed past Gul, who sidestepped at the last moment.
That was close.
Gul semi-crouched and let the vampire in her take over. She felt strong, and ready for anything.
She feinted to one side, causing Lorccan to twitch, and then dashed in to slash across his face with her silver knife. He yowled in pain and anger, and leapt forward to try and catch her face with his claws.
Gul parried his whirling paws with her knife and other hand. Lorccan snarled and bit down on the unarmed wrist.
It should have healed, but it didn't. How on earth? Gul thought as she leapt back and clutched her hand to her chest. There was a gaping wound, he had really bitten through the flesh.
Gul could feel the heat rise up in her body; her vision became clouded with red.
She slashed desperately forward, driving him back towards the water.
Lorccan bent down and head butted her in the stomach. He used her recovery time to shift fully. A Jaguarundi. A small russet coloured feline about 2 feet long.
Now the vile little creature with evil eyes shot forward, but the cloud of anger hadn't passed over Gul. She drove him away, so his back was facing the lake.
Quicker than lightning her leg shot out, she kicked him on the chin and he fell into the water.
Drenched and drowning he splashed about, trying to get back to ground.
Cats hate water.
Gul felt exhausted. She frowned.
I've fought worse fights than that before- why do I feel so tired.
Gul turned around to briefly see a face that would haunt her dreams for the rest of her life.
A man stood there, he looked in his late 20's but then... he didn't.
His silver-white hair blew back from his forehead to show 4 little stubs of horns. They weren't what you think of as horns. They were... soft and furry like the buds of horns you would find on a calves forehead.
But the eyes. They were white. Pure White. No pupils, no irises. Zip.
The man bared his teeth in a hungry smile. They were sharp, all sharp-not just the canines. The upper lip folded back more than was humanly possible. And they were dripping with a hideous yellow liquid. It smelled sickly-sweet, like manure, and caramel. Gul willed her body to faint. If I'm going to die- let happen when I'm unconscious.
She was hit by a wave of pure darkness and hatred. It was radiating from the man.
Thankfully, she fainted.