Hey people! Amieva here with an update of Living Myths! I'm glad this is in such popular demand, but I'd like to address a few issues that have popped up.
As I've said before, I don't claim to know everything about anything. There was a point made that Agatha blew out a candle when she was supposed to have used a snuffer, or pinched the wick. Well, sorry about that little fluke. Shit happens. Agatha's dead now. Karma bit her in the ass for blowing out the candle.
It's been four years since I stopped practicing Wicca. I had no clue what I was doing then, and I guess I have no clue what I'm doing now. Please excuse this simple fool for having Agatha blow out a candle. Next time, I'll remember the snuffer.
You keep asking me about all these different characters, "where are they? What's happening to them?!" Please trust me enough to know that I know what I'm doing, alright? If a character isn't in this story, then I don't need them in this story. Chances are they'll show up eventually, so get off my back.
Please, read this new chapter and love it or hate it.
Disclaiming everything.
"Eel- Elly-..."
"Ilyanna." the blonde Russian girl aided her new teacher in learning how to pronounce her name. The teacher smiled and nodded to her in thanks. She stared over her the sea of desks and curious eyes before her. She absently shifted her weight back and fourth between her feet.
"Class, this is Ilyanna Rasputin," the teacher made sure to pronounce the strange name carefully, "and she'll be joining us for the rest of the year." the friendly woman turned to her and prompted her to say a bit about herself.
Ilyanna was hesitant about speaking. Her English wasn't great, and she didn't want to give the other students an excuse to pick on her. "I am threeten - nyet - thirteen. I come from Russia to live away from family." she mentally screamed at herself when she overheard a few giggles come from the class.
The teacher shushed them quickly before putting on her sweet face again. "Well, that's wonderful! Class, today we are going to learn a bit more about Russia in our Social Studies lesson." she turned to Ilyanna, "You can sit down now, dear. Take a seat beside Rahne. She's the red-haired girl in the back."
She did as asked, and quietly walked to the back of the classroom. She dropped her backpack beside her new desk and slumped into the seat. The scary part was over, now she could slink into the background and let the class forget she existed.
However, the redhead, Rahne, watched the new student with interest. There was something different about her that she couldn't put her finger on.
A boy on her other side decided to have a bit of fun with her. He leaned over in his chair and poked her in the arm "psst!" Ilyanna glanced at the boy quickly before going back to pretending she was somewhere else. He would not be ignored, and poked her in the arm again. "Hey you, I'm talkin' to ya!"
Rahne growled deep in the back of her throat, emitting a feral sound close to that of a wolf protecting its territory. "Back off, Dougie. The lass don' wanna talk to ye'." she snarled.
Dougie gulped, seeing the wild, angry look in Rahne Sinclair's eyes, and retreated back to his books.
Ilyanna watched the scene play out with wonder. She glanced at Rahne, who had also gone back to her reading. She leaned over a bit in her seat. "Thank-you." she whispered gratefully.
Rahne looked at her out of the corner of her eye. She gave her a quick reassuring smirk and went back to her work.
He looked very businesslike indeed, with his large hands steepled in front of his face and his black eyes narrowing menacingly. A man had to be stoic when dealing with these creatures of the night. Especially this one in particular.
"It 'azz been a long time, Bastion, mon ami." a deep, raspy voice hissed from the other side of the table.
The Head of the Hunters' Guild smirked at being addressed in such a way. "Yes, Monsieur St. Croix." he replied. "I'm afraid I've been rather busy for the past few years."
The high-backed leather chair that had been facing away from Bastion turned slowly, and its occupant revealed himself from the shadows. Long silver-mauve hair hung well past the man's shoulders and fell partly over his dark face. "So I 'aff 'eard." he grinned. A set of vicious looking fangs glinted in the dim light of the room. "You haff veeded out several veaklings from our dvindling numbers. Your organization has been a great asset to me. Dare I say zat you haff saved my life."
"Yes, well. You paid me enough, otherwise I don't care if your cold corpse burns and your last breath is used to cry out in agony." Bastion leaned back in his chair and stroked his silver goatee. "Which brings me to our latest contract agreement. If you remember, Marius, that deal we made?"
With a movement so quick and fluid, Marius St. Croix was on his feet and standing at the window of his 'war-room'. "Deal... Ah, d'accord. Half now and ze rest upon delivery. I remember zat." he cocked his head to the side and smirked deviously at Bastion. The light of the almost full moon reflected off his chiseled vampiric features and made his pale eyes seem even more eerie and mystical. He was horrific and mesmerizing at the same time. "Vhat about it, Monsieur? Vhat iz eet zat you haff to report?"
Bastion was unaffected by the vampire's charm. "The location has been cleared. It is now unclaimed territory."
Marius clapped his long hands together. "Magnifique!" he practically glided as he walked past Bastion's seat and threw himself onto a satin, antique couch. "You haff done vell, mon ami! Expect ze last transfer of funds in to your account vhen I arrive to claim my new 'ome-" he sighed contentedly as he leaned his head back over the back of the couch and closed his eyes, "-It has been so long since I last tasted American blood. Your people have a certain Joie de Vivre zat I haff been hard-pressed to find anyvhere else. The tourists are sparse, now zat zere is zat pesky rumour about a ghost haunting zis area." He looked up at the silver-haired man and smirked. "If I vere not so vary of ze contraptions you keep hidden in your black suit, I vould hug you, Monsieur." Marius chuckled at his little joke, noticing that his humour was lost on the senior Hunter.
Bastion stood and gathered his jacket and briefcase into his arms. "I'll be seeing you in New York, Marius. I hope the building suits your needs."
Marius sat up and nodded to him. "Adieu, Bastion. I vill be looking forward to eet."
She held her head up with the butt of her hand pressing against her cheek. But even that was futile in Wanda's attempt to stay focussed on the chemistry lesson going on around her. She wore her big hooded sweater, though the room was a comfortable temperature, and she felt like she was sitting in the hot sun on a summer's day. She figured it was likely a fever and she was burning up.
"Agatha!" Wanda burst into the old woman's room with a big smile on her lips and the broach pinned to her tee-shirt. She was met with what she feared the worst. The room was empty. Even the bed was bare of any of Agatha's comforters. She stared in shocked silence, the feeling of horror emerged from the deep depths of her stomach.
She stared blankly at the chalkboard as the words leaving the teacher's mouth went right over her head. Coming down with a fever would only be icing on the cake.
Ororo had run in after her. Wanda turned on her mentor and, with tears in her eyes, began shaking. "Where is she?! Did you take her to the hospital?!" Wanda began walking out of the sparse bedroom, but Ororo grabbed her by the shoulders firmly and held her in one place. "Wanda-"
A flying object knocked Wanda out of her replay of the night she got home from Russia. She looked down at a crumpled up piece of paper as it bounced off her desk and landed on the floor beside her. She waited until her teacher, Dr. McTaggart, turned away and spoke to the other side of the class. Wanda bent over in her seat and retrieved the piece of paper. Uncrumpling it, she found that it was a note written beside a crude drawing of herself in a skimpy bikini with a pointed hat and a long green nose, tied to a stake, and being set on fire. The note read 'Hear ye! Another witch-bitch has been found and punished for her crimes against the human race. It was a mercy killing, since she had no life and was butt-ugly. Thank God she died a virgin!'
Wanda scowled at the piece of paper as she heard low laughter coming from the other side of the room. She saw Simon Williams high-five one of the other guys before breaking down in a fit of snickering. She crumpled up the paper angrily and tossed it into the garbage. She wasn't going to put up with this shit today. Wanda already felt bad enough as it was.
After several minutes of not paying attention to the lesson, Dr. McTaggart announced that they were to get into lab groups and work on the day's assignment.
Wanda pushed herself from her desk and joined her lab group. Carol smiled sympathetically to her as she tossed her binder onto the counter.
"I heard what happened, Wanda." the blonde star-athlete said in a soft voice. "I'm really sorry-"
"You don't have to be." Wanda replied coldly as she pulled the Bunsen Burner and the flint out of the cupboard under their sink.
Wanda practically tore her Book of Shadows apart, looking for a spell that would bring her back. Ororo stormed into her room and grabbed hold of her wrists before she could toss her book into the wall.
"I can do it! I can bring her back!" Wanda cried desperately. "I just need a spell-"
"NO!" Ororo barked. "It doesn't work that way, Wanda! It's too late, she's gone!"
"I can do it! I did magik! My spell worked before"
"Amanda told me about that, Wanda. I'm very proud of you, but believe me. You CANNOT do this!" Ororo was pulled down with her as Wanda slumped to the floor.
"Why-"
That was the weakest and most pathetic Wanda had felt for a long time. She hated feeling weak and helpless. Wanda glanced at Carol quickly. She had said she heard what happened. Wanda had a guess at who told her.
Pietro.
"Hey sis-"
"Pietro." Wanda cut her twin off and continued to tie her gym shoes at a slower pace than she had been before.
"What's the matter, Wanda?" he asked innocently, though he already knew the answer.
"Nothing!" she snapped. Wanda shot him a glare and saw that he wasn't going to let it go. "Why do you care? Did you find out about some Brother-of-the-Year award or something?!"
His expression mirrored hers. They really did look alike when they were angry. "Cut the crap, Wanda! Excuse me for caring! I just wanted to know how you were doing!"
"Awesome! Never felt better in my entire life!" she snapped back.
Pietro let out an annoyed sigh and rubbed his temples. "Sis, I know you-"
"Don't go all philosophical on my ass, Pietro. I might be forced to kill you." She stood up from the bench and began to walk away. Her brother grabbed her arm - a very dangerous move on his part - and forced her to look at him.
"You should come back home." he said softly. "Don't look at me like that, Wanda! I'm serious. Father told me he wanted you to come home, this morning."
Wanda scoffed. "YOU cut the crap, Pietro! Father doesn't give a shit about me, and we both know that!"
"People change-"
"Not HIM! He just wants me to go back because he can't stand thinking that I might actually be happy!" she yanked her arm out of his grasp. "All he ever cares about is his own agenda! I'm not an athlete, so I don't matter to him! You and our father can continue to live your wonderful Wanda-free lives. You keep winning your trophies, and then He can take his pride and joy to the Olympics."
And Pietro probably blabbed to the entire track team. He'd do anything for attention.
Wanda began copying down the notes from Carol's notebook while she and a guy named Clint tried to light their Bunsen Burner. The flint was old and probably overused. They just couldn't get any sparks.
"We're all out of Magnesium. Mind if I borrow some?"
Wanda looked up from her hunched position over the counter. Simon was talking to Clint. She groaned and went back to writing. She was quite content with keeping to herself, even if she was on the brink of developing a nervous twitch, but Simon had decided to provoke her.
"So, Witch-Bitch, I heard that old hag finally croaked."
The heat that Wanda had been feeling suddenly left as she tightened her grip on her pen. "Fuck off, Williams. I'm not in the mood-"
"Touchy! What's the matter? You homeless now? Your brother said you aren't going home. Not that I can't imagine why. I mean, who'd want you?"
"I'm going to kill that bastard." she grumbled to herself, referring to her brother. She grabbed a roll of Magnesium ribbon and threw it at Simon. "Here's your stuff, now go-"
Instead of complying, he did the stupid thing by leaning over the counter and getting right into Wanda's personal space. "Why should I?" he lifted her chin with his finger. Wanda's paper-thin temper finally ripped apart and she shoved Simon back.
The flint still wasn't working, no matter how hard Carol tried. But suddenly, without any warning, the Bunsen Burner burst into flame the second Simon knocked into the counter. The flame rose higher than the gas valve would ever allow it to reach. Simon jerked away from it, but it seemed to be reaching out for him. Wanda could've sworn she heard laughter echoing from somewhere amongst the roar of the flame. Simon scrambled away, shouting accusations that Wanda was trying to kill him.
Dr. McTaggart sprang into action at once. She came over to their lab group to check on the Bunsen Burner. The flame had died down and gone back to normal. Wanda didn't want to have to deal with a hundred questions she couldn't answer. She gathered her books and excused herself from the rest of the school day.
That flame hadn't been her doing. She had tried to control it, but it was acting on its own accord. Wanda walked down the sidewalk toward the shop. A cold November wind picked up and caused several people around her to pull their coats up around their faces. The cold just didn't bother her. Wanda was warm enough, and in light of what all had happened, she felt strangely reassured.
The bell above the door jingled as Wanda walked into Harkness and Monroe's Book and Supply Shoppe. Dropping her backpack beside the door, the black-haired teen made her way to the counter, where she confronted her mentor. Ororo looked up from her inventory list and sighed deep in her throat. For a brief moment, she sensed the presence of a strange energy, but abolished the thought of a rogue spirit upon seeing one of her charges enter the store. "You're supposed to be at school, Wanda." she said.
"Oh great, it's the 'You have to go to all your classes and get good grades' lecture." said Wanda, rolling her eyes and leaning against the glass counter.
"Don't start, Wanda. I've already overlooked that... thing lodged in your nostril."
"So it's gonna be the 'Don't get body parts pierced in foreign countries' lecture."
Ororo groaned. "Wanda. I don't want to put up with this 'lets guess the lecture' game of yours."
Wanda grinned. "So it's the 'I don't want to play the lets guess the-"
"Enough!" Ororo threw up her hands in defeat. "I don't know what's gotten into you, Wanda." she said. It was true that Ororo had been getting odd energy from Wanda since they returned from Russia. She got up from her stool and walked around the counter to start shelving some new books. "Why did you come here instead of wandering about downtown like all the other hooli-" she stopped herself, remembering what Agatha had said to her about encouraging Wanda, and treating her like a daughter, "-liberated students?"
"Liberated students. That's a good one." she laughed halfheartedly. "Actually, 'Ro..." Wanda broke off and began flipping mindlessly through a book on candle magik.
Ororo turned around and looked at her in question. "Yes? What is it?"
Wanda shook her head. "Nothing, never mind." she was staring at an image of a lit candle. She ran her finger over the page, tracing around the edge of the flame, as if she could feel the warmth of it coming off the print. "Do you think Agatha might come back? You know, like a ghost?"
Ororo knew what Wanda meant, and it caused a sadness to grip her spirit to know that she'd have to let her down. "No. I believe it was Agatha's intention to be reborn. If we stay open, she will find us again."
"Oh." was all Wanda said in reply. She seemed to be totally absorbed in the book, but really she was thinking about the cause of the strange temperature extremes she had been feeling. Wanda remembered hearing once that the presence of a ghost could cause sudden chills or hot-flashes. She had thought momentarily that it was Agatha making the atmospheric disturbance, but now she was unsure.
Ororo walked around the counter again, so she and Wanda were face to face. Wanda took no notice of her until the African American witch had her hand over her forehead. "Uhh, Ororo? What are you doing?"
She placed her other hand over her own forehead. "You're warm, Wanda. Are you feeling alright?"
She pushed her mentor's hand off her face and glared at her strangely, "I got German Measles," she scoffed, "I'm fine. I'm probably just warm from the walk-"
"Wanda," Ororo cut her off. This was getting too strange for it to be coincidental. "There's something suspicious about this. Help me close, I'm taking you home."