Chapter Five - The Mistakes We Make

Four hours later and everyone had gathered in Thierry's office to discuss the plan of action. Lexa leant against the hard wall, resting her head and gazing absently ahead of her. Voiced opinions, suggestions and arguments drifted over her ears but nothing stuck in her mind; she was too far away to really hear them.

Thierry was sat at his desk, with Hannah's hand rested on his shoulder; she seemed to be the only thing keeping him calm amongst the chaos. Keller, Winnie and Ash were all arguing a full frontal attack, while Lupe shouted for a stealthy rescue, backed quietly by Hannah. Nissa was the only one not involved in the quarrel, but watched with a look of indifference.

"Circle Midnight needs to be taken out! We know exactly where they're gonna be! Why are we debating this? We need to get in there…" Ash snarled.

Lupe growled and snapped in reply, "We can't risk it! This has to be done carefully, with planning. Running in, guns blazing, will not help at all!"

With a sigh, Thierry gently tried to calm the two. "Look, we don't even know if this is the Nightworld. We don't know anything at all." He seemed to be battling against himself, unsure as of what to do. However, what he knew all too well was that all the shouting going on around him was giving him a headache. He glanced at the only other seemingly impartial member of the group. "Nissa, what do you think?"

A look crossed her eyes, briefly showing her surprise at being asked her own opinion. Nissa was a soldier and she did was she was told; whatever decision was made, she would follow through with it as ordered to. "Well…" She began, "I dunno but maybe we should ask Lexa what she wants…"

After a moment's consideration, Thierry nodded. "Lexa?" He asked, wondering if she was at all with them. The shapeshifter turned and met his eyes.

"I wanna get her back," Lexa announced, firmly; her eyes were stern and serious. "I'm going, like it said…alone. I will not abandon her!"

Thierry sighed. "Lexa, you know this is a trap. I'm sorry; I cannot allow you to go. Not alone. And we still don't know what it is Midnight - or whoever it is - wants with you." He was coming to realise how difficult this decision would be; there was a lot at stake, maybe more than he knew.

"Of course it's a trap," Lexa continued, her anger and frustration building with every second that passed while Beryl remained a captive. "It's always a trap. Whenever they write 'come alone', that means it's a trap. They might as well write 'oh, by the way, this is a trap!'. Anyway, I don't care!"

She dreaded to think what her friend might be thinking or feeling, alone and afraid in an unknown world. Lexa tried not to fear the worst, but the thought haunted the back of her mind. Whatever they decided, Lexa was not a Daybreaker and she didn't take orders from anyone; she would get Beryl back with or without their help and she would do it tonight.

Meanwhile, things were getting out of control; Thierry saw that with emotions as strong as these flying around, no sensible decisions could be made. He hated how much time was being wasted in heated, pointless discussion and how still, it wasn't over. He needed to think - alone. It seemed that this was a decision that he must take responsibility for and him alone.

"We can't continue on like this," he said, rising from his chair. "I thank you for your help but I have to think hard about this…I will call you when I have made up my mind." No one seemed happy with his words and led by Ash, made their way out, grumbling and snarling.

Before she left, Thierry placed a hand on Lexa's shoulder but she wouldn't look at him and kept her eyes on the floor. "I'm so sorry…" He whispered gently into her ear, praying she would understand. "Try to get some rest. I promise you, I will get your friend back. I promise!"

However, Lexa found little comfort in his words and left without giving any kind of reply. She headed straight up to her room, slowly and silently, with her eyes following her feet as they shuffled across the carpet. Lupe watched her go with sympathetic eyes. How could they expect her to react to such a loss? She considered going up to comfort her but decided against it. Lexa obviously wanted to be alone and what real comfort could any of them offer anyway?

Nissa too watched Lexa ascend the stairs to her room but another thought plagued her mind. Slowly, she approached Winnie and voiced her concerns. The red head nodded, replying, "Sure, I'll set one up right away. If she tries to leave, we'll know about it and we'll be able to stop her. She can't do this alone…"

But they were too late. As soon as Lexa had locked her bedroom door, she'd climbed from the balcony up onto the roof, around and scrambled down the birch tree along side the mansion, back to solid earth and disappeared into the night.

The wolf crossed unnoticed, hidden in shadows and masked by the sounds and smells of the night. She moved quickly; a dark blur with two silver flashes for eyes. She knew exactly where she was going - an old, abandoned warehouse down by the harbour. Typical, she thought, wondering when and where exactly kidnapping had lost its individuality.

Lexa knew it wouldn't be long before they discovered her missing at the mansion and set out to retrieve her, but hopefully she'd get a long enough head start. She had no plan and in fact forced herself against even thinking about what she was doing. At the back of her mind she continuously told herself to turn back, rethink her actions, try to devise some sort of strategy…she couldn't. She'd begun this and she would finish it.

The salt, sea air reached her nose and she breathed deep, unsure as what to feel, now that she was getting close. Fear? Regret? Anger? In the end, she chose determination and used it to fuel herself and drive her forwards. The harbour appeared up ahead and Lexa shifted back to her human form, dressed in the wolf-skin top and pants she made sure always to wear under her clothes. Sniffing the air, she located Beryl's scent and several others - including the rather out of place aroma of rosemary - coming from one warehouse in particular.

Her first thought sent a smile all the way to her lips: Beryl was alive! She felt tears forming as a result of a great, over-powering relief, engulfing her. However, it didn't last very long as the severity of the situation she now stood faced with, revealed itself. Alone and unknowing, with no plan and little hope. Whoever it was hadn't put much effort into concealing themselves, which could only really mean that they assumed they had nothing to fear. However, Lexa could use this to her advantage.

She approached slowly and as carefully as she could, remaining downwind and completely silent. She neared the door and was surprised to find it open; without stopping to think about it, she continued making her way inside.

It was dark, but in the distance, a light drew Lexa towards it. The air was cold and her feet left marks in the dust and as she got closer. The soft sound of voices rose up to meet her ears.

Lexa stopped and for the first time, she had serious doubts about what she was doing. Backed against a wall, she knew she'd made a mistake in coming here alone. She'd known it'd been a trap but she'd never imagined this. Of course, now she regretted her spontaneous actions and lack of planning; surely, she would be the cause of her own doom and most likely Beryl's as well. Lexa cursed herself; no ransom had ever been mentioned and Lexa had never really wondered why that vampire had attacked them back at her apartment, but now she did. Never before had she ever even imagined that she could be one of the four Wild Powers, destined to be either the earth's saviours or its destroyers. She was the right age and it was said that Wild Power

s could live their whole lives, not knowing who they really were. What if by coming here, she'd not only doomed herself and her best friend, but also the world?

So she had two choices, it appeared. The first was to run: to make her way back to Circle Daybreak and get help. The second was to finish what she'd started and try to mend all the mistakes she'd made, right here, right now. If she was the Wild Power, she had only moments to discover the source of her powers and then do what she had to in order to get both herself and Beryl out of here without being captured or killed. However, if she wasn't the Wild Power, she didn't stand a chance and could only pray to the Goddess that she wasn't the only one who'd made a mistake. But whatever she did, she would need to act now.

Taking a deep breath, Lexa began to move. Her life was laid out in front of her and all she had to do was chose a path and wonder where Destiny would take her. She chose to move forwards and if it were that she would die on this night, Lexa would not go down without a fight.

She emerged into a room, lit at the far end by a warm, glowing ball of light, floating near the ceiling. It cast the shadows of both men and woman out across the floor and up the walls, causing them to flicker eerily out of shape as the fiery orb burned like a tiny sun.

Lexa's breath caught in her throat as all eyes locked on her. At the far end of the room, she met the eyes of a young girl. She was small and delicate, with fiery red hair falling down her back in waves and a gentle smile on her lips. She stood at the very back of the room, directly below the ball of light, dressed like any other normal girl in jeans and a t-shirt. At her feet, Beryl lay unconscious.

Lexa's eyes lit up in horror at the sight of her friend but as she tried to run forwards, two enormous hands grabbed each of her shoulders and began slowly leading her forwards.

Weakened by her own feelings of anxiety, she allowed the two vampire thugs to walk her towards the strange girl who watched her with wide - almost innocent - eyes, before releasing her and stepping back. She looked only just sixteen. That was probably the most frightening thing of all. She was only a child.

The shapeshifter wrapped her arms around herself and made the best effort she could to gather all the strength she could find. She stared with wide eyes at this stranger and waited nervously for whatever was to come next. After a time spent in silence, she pulled together the only words she could find and spoke them in a hushed voice.

"What's going on?"

A man stepped forwards from slightly left of the girl; it was the vampire who'd attacked them back in Boston. The cut above his eye was for the most part healed but the anger it had caused remained. He growled.

"Just sit down and shut up!"

"No, I don't think I will," Lexa replied, her strength growing along side her anger. "Just tell me what I need to do to get my friend out of here!"

For the first time, the young girl spoke. "Just wait…" Her voice was hauntingly sweet, though she didn't smile. Instead, she looked intensely focused…she was waiting for something. Lexa stood before her but yet her eyes still spent most of their time watching the entrance at the back of the hall. Confusion built up like air inside her; the pressure was immense. It was at this moment that Lexa discovered the source of the rosemary, floating up from the red haired woman and she remembered, the night of the attack, she'd smelt it then too, though it was only now that she recognised it.

"Who are you and what do you want with me?" Lexa demanded.

Shocked to be spoken to directly and so forcefully, the young girl locked eyes with Lexa. Her expression had changed. In the place of child-like innocence now impatient anger glared at her. "Well, my name is Nya," came the reply, snapping slightly, "and I don't want you, or your little human friend." Both glanced down at Beryl's sleeping form. Up close, Lexa could see the cuts and bruises clearly; Beryl had put up a fight but it had been one she'd lost.

"So why am I here?" One question answered and a thousand more resulting; Lexa stared up, confused and desperate to understand. Thierry had said that it was her they wanted but if it wasn't, what was the point of any of this?

"Because, just like your friend, you are bait…it was never you I wanted."

"Then what is it that you want?"

"I want the same thing that you want…" Nya cocked her head, looking so beautiful. Lexa couldn't believe that she could be so terrifying. But an evil surrounded her like the heat from the tiny sun burning above, it's light licking like a serpent's tongue. She continued.

"I want him…your soulmate."