A/N: Hello all. Yeah she doesn't die aren't you happy? Good I'm glad.
READ THIS NOTE BEFORE CONTINUEING!
I just thought I'd let you know my sudden change of heart. First of all I'm in pre-algebra when I had the opportunity to be in algebra what has this got to do with anything? What I'm getting at is my Teacher said I was stressed out and said if I passed the final exam (which he gave me a month and a half early) I wouldn't have do more homework I took that on Thurs and passed with flying colors. All the big projects in my other subjects have been passed in. On Friday I went into a writing trance (and most of Saturday as well) and I have written several more chapters. My doctor gave me painkillers so I feel so much better! But mostly it was the reviews that flooded my mailbox if you don't know the feeling that people actually care deeply about a character you created it's like cloud nine just knowing that people love a little part of me is to wonderful for words. I love you guys!
If any of you are looking for personal notes here they are at the bottom.
Disclaimer: I own 'Vahn and all other fore mentioned characters and of course the plot. Everything else belongs to the ever so amazing Amelia Atwater-Rhodes.
I heard the door creak open then click shut and shifted wondering how my older sister never managed to get caught coming back so late. I heard my sister cry out and then be silent. She must have stepped on some of the logos 'Vahn had insisted we play with this after noon while my parents were gone. I rolled over and saw someone leaning over my sister's bed then straitening up. The person headed for the door but then caught sight of me. He walked almost silently over to my bed where I was frozen with fear.
"Who are you? What are you doing here?" He (fore the voice was definitely male) whispered. My mouth formed my answer but no sound came out of my mouth. "Leah?" I nodded stiffly. "Stand up." I shook my head. No, I thought, I can't I'm only wearing a sports bra and some boys boxers I can't stand up and let you see me. "Stand up." He said again. I shook my head. With movements to fast for me to see he grabbed my wrist and dragged me to my feet. I felt the blood rush to my face. He pulled me out of my room and into the next. The master bedroom, where my parents were sleeping. He pushed me against a wall. "Stay there or I'll kill you." He said in a horribly low terrifying voice. I nodded. I could hear both my parents snoring. The man walked over to my parent's bed and I heard one snap then a second and the room was eerily silent. The man grasped my wrist again and started to drag me out of my house. When we were out he lit a match and tossed it carelessly at my house. The wood siding started to burn and the fire spread so rapidly I thought it must have been doused in kerosene. I cried out. I raged against this man who had killed my family with out so much as I guilty thought. Oh no! What about 'Vahn? The little four-year-old Hispanic boy my parents had adopted? He was still inside. With a burst of strength I tore my wrist out of his grip and started back inside. I was in the stairs on my way to 'Vahn's room when the man grabbed me from behind.
"No! 'Vahn. He's just little. He's inside. I have to save..." He dragged me backward down the stairs. "NO! You bastard!" I slipped into a foggy state still screaming about 'Vahn.
"Shut up!" The man said. His voice now sounded different and unaccountably familiar. "Angel! Be quiet. It's only a nightmare." He said his voice softer now, soothing.
"My name's not..." I opened my eyes. I stared up at Taber. Taber? How did I-? Memories of the past weeks slowly filtered back through the sludge my mind felt. He was sitting on the edge of the bed that I lay on looking down at me with an odd expression. I sat up quickly worried. "What day-?"
"Three days after..." He trailed off.
"Oh no. I've missed three days of school."
"Don't worry." He said placing his hands on my shoulders pushing me back down onto the pillows. "You haven't missed anything."
"What?" His expression hardened for a split second as his eyes flitted over to look at some one I couldn't see.
"We have a job for you." I tried to sit up to see the other person in the room but Taber's hands remained on my shoulders forcing me to lay still.
"We?" I asked again trying to sit up.
"Risika." He said glancing to the side again but it was so quick I couldn't be sure if he had looked or not.
"What kind of a job?" I asked narrowing my eyes at him.
"We're not sure yet. But you need to do spy on Raven and Gabriel and see what in Hell there game is." Risika glided into view and sat lotus style on my table.
"Mostly Gabriel has been using his powers of-" She smiled slightly. "Persuasion to make Raven the sole heiress of several properties in the towns of Redkill and Widdowsvale New York."
"I don't get it. You're going to kill a couple of people because they're stealing a bunch of properties?"
"No. We think they are going to be creating a new cattle trade." Taber got a very pained yet apologetic expression on his face when Risika said 'cattle trade.'
"Two whole towns. Two whole fucking towns." Taber muttered.
"Cattle trade?" I asked.
"Some Vampires," Risika said her eyes looking intently into mine but flickering to Taber for a brief moment so brief it might have been imagined. "Naturally think of their food source as cattle." Her voice was clipped her manner concise as though she totally disagreed with the idea.
"Human cattle." I said shocked.
"Yes." Again her gaze flickered to Taber. "Since the New Midnight started a lot of Vampires have been looking to set up a new sort of slave trade that is nothing like either of the Midnight's. It will be exceedingly cruel but in a more ironic sort of way and it will be very nice to the slaves but again in an ironic way."
"And that's why you want to kill Gabriel and Raven?" I said directing my question at Taber.
"Yes." Risika answered. "I no longer care for the reward I don't want them to set this up. We're going to kill Gabriel and Raven so that no one knows it was us but it will make an example so that hopefully no other Vampires will try it."
"Why don't you want any one to know it was you?"
"I knew you'd ask that." Risika said with a smile "Gabriel is one of Jeshica's friends. If she knows we killed him she'll come after us and either she kills us or we kill her. If we are lucky enough to kill her then her sister will come after us and she is a direct descendant of Siete. And even if we kill her we'll still die. So you see if we go around bragging about killing Gabriel then we're dead. And don't smile because you will be too."
"Which means my beautiful Angel that your going to keep your pretty little mouth shut." Taber said speaking up for the first time. I smirked at him.
"Sure I can keep my mouth shut but closing off my mind will be infinitely harder."
"Damn!" Taber cursed and stood up. He stalked over to my window and the curtain pulled back angrily though he didn't touch it.
"How'd you do that?" I asked sitting up. Taber wheeled around confused.
"Do what?" He demanded.
"Pull back the curtain like that?"
"I-... It's complicated." Risika snorted.
"Sure." She said drawling out the word. "Just put a block on that...or teach her to build shields. Neither of which you like very much... Do you Taber?"
"Rachel." Taber said in warning. I was beginning to see the depth of their hate for each other. Risika pushed Taber pushed back.
"Rachel's dead Taber." Risika said in flat tones. "If you say it again your little pet will join her."
"Touchy about your mortal life aren't you?"
"No."
"What ever you say Risika." I felt suddenly very weak.
"Looks like I won't have to kill her after all. You've done it for me." Risika said smugly drawing Taber's attention back to me. Taber seemed torn between wanting to go and not wanting to leave me with Risika. "Oh, go on Taber I give you my word. I won't kill your little pet while your gone." Taber nodded and between one second and the next he was gone. I closed my eyes and slumped back against the pillows. I felt Risika sit on the edge of my bed ad I fairly jumped when she caressed my face. "Don't die little pet. Taber would be terribly upset."
"I'm...not..." I said my words struggling to escape my mouth. "Taber's...pet." Risika remained silent and stood. I opened my eyes. To my surprise Taber and Andrea appeared. Andrea was holding a tray of food and looked almost scared out of her wits. Taber released his hold on her and she took an uncertain step forward then another and another until she sat on a chair at my bedside. She set down the tray and kind of awkwardly helped me sit up.
"I'm sorry Angel I didn't think..."
"I told you you'd kill her." Risika said in an almost happy voice. His expression turned from apologetic to pure rage in one fell swoop. "I told you that if you drank her blood again you'd kill her."
"I don't intend to die." I told her.
"Drank too much didn't you Taber?" She said as though I hadn't spoken at all. His gaze was locked on her mocking form. "Couldn't stop could you? Torture isn't it? She's 'killing you softly.'" Risika stood suddenly and took several steps toward Taber but stopped just out side striking distance. "I can smell her blood." She whispered. "Her body screams for you to take her and yours answers..." In the blink of an eye he had pinned Risika to the wall his pale hand wrapped around her equally pale throat.
"I swear, Risika, if you say another word I will beat you into a bloody smear on the wall or if I cannot I'll settle for your death." He wore a smile on his beautiful features but it was the kind of smile that would make any mortal duck for cover. The dark pools of Risika's eyes had widened until there were only two slivers of white on either side of her iris. She seemed... afraid. I tried to concentrate on the silent conversation they were having but I picked up nothing. I ate the food Andrea gave me as Taber and Risika stood in the same position for a long time staring at each other. In the end Taber nodded almost imperceptibly and let go of her. He took several steps back. Risika dusted herself off and disappeared. Taber settled himself against the wall opposite the foot of my bed and cast his sharply contrasted gaze upon me.
"Your dismissed Andrea." Taber told her leaving no room for argument. She left closing the door behind her but not before casting one last meaningful look upon me. Taber paced around the room a bit while I continued to eat. Then he came over to my bed turned the chair Andrea had so recently vacated around and sat on it resting his chin on the back. At that moment he looked profoundly like the teenager he masqueraded as.
"Would you stop looking at me like in the span of one breath and another I'm going to fade away and disappear?" He blinked once then drew in a breath and let out an exasperated sigh. I'd never noticed before but he only breathes when he's talking.
"I'm afraid you might." He said acting like a typical teenager and not lifting his head from where it was resting giving me the odd sensation that the top part of his head moved rather than his jaw.
"Like I told Risika I have no intentions of dieing anytime soon." The muscles in his jaw clenched.
"You've been in a half-coma half-nightmare for three days. One would think that you'd have more respect for your condition. I told you wouldn't age but I pretty sure I mentioned that you weren't invulnerable."
"I know that but you didn't seem to be thinking about that little fact when you attempted to kill me." I replied testily.
"I wasn't trying to kill you, I-"For the second time today he stopped short of telling me something.
"Really? You weren't? Then why in Hell were you playing mind games with me?" He folded his arms over the back of the chair and buried his head in them. "Well?" I snapped getting angry.
"I-...I couldn't help it." He mumbled into his arms. I stared at him my mouth opened in shock.
"You couldn't help it?" I asked incredulous.
"I wasn't...I mean...Damn Jeshica..."
"Who?"
"Original creator of Midnight. A real bitch. Taught me...to react to human emotions in the way that will scare them-break them...taught me to be a Trainer...I couldn't...your...I didn't want to...I couldn't stop...I tried."
"You don't hate me at all do you?" I asked softly. I reached out my hand and stroked his hair. He slowly lifted his head up and I drew my hand away. His eyes were filled with shock, which he quickly covered.
"If you'd like to think that."
"What do you mean by that?"
"Mortals are overly romantic and idealistic. My theory is that you think inside every one is a good person is that you know instinctually that you will die and there fore want to fill your lives with goodness in hopes that you'll gain eternal life. I've got sad truth for you. There is no God. No Satan. No Heaven. No Hell. There is only now. Assume there will be no future. Your doomed."
"Stop it." I said weakly.
"Stop what? Telling you the truth?"
"No stop- stop trying to Train me."
"That's not what I'm doing. I gave up on that long ago. Each new slave I acquire is a challenge. You were different. I saw no breaking point in you. Perhaps it is because you are so young and you haven't been out into the cruel real world yet? I spent nearly three days awake thinking about it. I decided then I would keep you make you mine." He smiled at my apparent shock. "Thought you made that decision of your own free will didn't you? Ha!" He scoffed. "Now I have eternity to decide why you're different. What makes you think that you aren't prey like all the other mortals? Why do-Stop." He commanded of himself. "Stop. Stop. Stop. Stop. Stop!" He said sounding angry while he attempted to crush his own skull in is hands. "Sleep." He said directing the last at me before turning to ether and leaving.
pretty-in-pink898 Thanks for the idea
Yueenigma Don't think he would huh? He has issues he can be as ruthless as he likes... I'm really sorry about the e-mail thing my comp kept telling me the e-mails weren't being sent but they really were sorry again if I freaked u out
RedRose121 I will change that now that I have my own e-mail...I'm glad u think I'm talented writer! I'm also glad I haven't made my characters stagnant and boring...
nite-huntress Were u quoting me? You love it? *Gets a mushy look on her face* really really really? That's great and I'll try and remember to change the spelling of Ravyn's name
A/N: Taber is having severe issues. Risika is painfully OOC. Angel is having major heath issues. Review or Flame! (-^_^-)
READ THIS NOTE BEFORE CONTINUEING!
I just thought I'd let you know my sudden change of heart. First of all I'm in pre-algebra when I had the opportunity to be in algebra what has this got to do with anything? What I'm getting at is my Teacher said I was stressed out and said if I passed the final exam (which he gave me a month and a half early) I wouldn't have do more homework I took that on Thurs and passed with flying colors. All the big projects in my other subjects have been passed in. On Friday I went into a writing trance (and most of Saturday as well) and I have written several more chapters. My doctor gave me painkillers so I feel so much better! But mostly it was the reviews that flooded my mailbox if you don't know the feeling that people actually care deeply about a character you created it's like cloud nine just knowing that people love a little part of me is to wonderful for words. I love you guys!
If any of you are looking for personal notes here they are at the bottom.
Disclaimer: I own 'Vahn and all other fore mentioned characters and of course the plot. Everything else belongs to the ever so amazing Amelia Atwater-Rhodes.
I heard the door creak open then click shut and shifted wondering how my older sister never managed to get caught coming back so late. I heard my sister cry out and then be silent. She must have stepped on some of the logos 'Vahn had insisted we play with this after noon while my parents were gone. I rolled over and saw someone leaning over my sister's bed then straitening up. The person headed for the door but then caught sight of me. He walked almost silently over to my bed where I was frozen with fear.
"Who are you? What are you doing here?" He (fore the voice was definitely male) whispered. My mouth formed my answer but no sound came out of my mouth. "Leah?" I nodded stiffly. "Stand up." I shook my head. No, I thought, I can't I'm only wearing a sports bra and some boys boxers I can't stand up and let you see me. "Stand up." He said again. I shook my head. With movements to fast for me to see he grabbed my wrist and dragged me to my feet. I felt the blood rush to my face. He pulled me out of my room and into the next. The master bedroom, where my parents were sleeping. He pushed me against a wall. "Stay there or I'll kill you." He said in a horribly low terrifying voice. I nodded. I could hear both my parents snoring. The man walked over to my parent's bed and I heard one snap then a second and the room was eerily silent. The man grasped my wrist again and started to drag me out of my house. When we were out he lit a match and tossed it carelessly at my house. The wood siding started to burn and the fire spread so rapidly I thought it must have been doused in kerosene. I cried out. I raged against this man who had killed my family with out so much as I guilty thought. Oh no! What about 'Vahn? The little four-year-old Hispanic boy my parents had adopted? He was still inside. With a burst of strength I tore my wrist out of his grip and started back inside. I was in the stairs on my way to 'Vahn's room when the man grabbed me from behind.
"No! 'Vahn. He's just little. He's inside. I have to save..." He dragged me backward down the stairs. "NO! You bastard!" I slipped into a foggy state still screaming about 'Vahn.
"Shut up!" The man said. His voice now sounded different and unaccountably familiar. "Angel! Be quiet. It's only a nightmare." He said his voice softer now, soothing.
"My name's not..." I opened my eyes. I stared up at Taber. Taber? How did I-? Memories of the past weeks slowly filtered back through the sludge my mind felt. He was sitting on the edge of the bed that I lay on looking down at me with an odd expression. I sat up quickly worried. "What day-?"
"Three days after..." He trailed off.
"Oh no. I've missed three days of school."
"Don't worry." He said placing his hands on my shoulders pushing me back down onto the pillows. "You haven't missed anything."
"What?" His expression hardened for a split second as his eyes flitted over to look at some one I couldn't see.
"We have a job for you." I tried to sit up to see the other person in the room but Taber's hands remained on my shoulders forcing me to lay still.
"We?" I asked again trying to sit up.
"Risika." He said glancing to the side again but it was so quick I couldn't be sure if he had looked or not.
"What kind of a job?" I asked narrowing my eyes at him.
"We're not sure yet. But you need to do spy on Raven and Gabriel and see what in Hell there game is." Risika glided into view and sat lotus style on my table.
"Mostly Gabriel has been using his powers of-" She smiled slightly. "Persuasion to make Raven the sole heiress of several properties in the towns of Redkill and Widdowsvale New York."
"I don't get it. You're going to kill a couple of people because they're stealing a bunch of properties?"
"No. We think they are going to be creating a new cattle trade." Taber got a very pained yet apologetic expression on his face when Risika said 'cattle trade.'
"Two whole towns. Two whole fucking towns." Taber muttered.
"Cattle trade?" I asked.
"Some Vampires," Risika said her eyes looking intently into mine but flickering to Taber for a brief moment so brief it might have been imagined. "Naturally think of their food source as cattle." Her voice was clipped her manner concise as though she totally disagreed with the idea.
"Human cattle." I said shocked.
"Yes." Again her gaze flickered to Taber. "Since the New Midnight started a lot of Vampires have been looking to set up a new sort of slave trade that is nothing like either of the Midnight's. It will be exceedingly cruel but in a more ironic sort of way and it will be very nice to the slaves but again in an ironic way."
"And that's why you want to kill Gabriel and Raven?" I said directing my question at Taber.
"Yes." Risika answered. "I no longer care for the reward I don't want them to set this up. We're going to kill Gabriel and Raven so that no one knows it was us but it will make an example so that hopefully no other Vampires will try it."
"Why don't you want any one to know it was you?"
"I knew you'd ask that." Risika said with a smile "Gabriel is one of Jeshica's friends. If she knows we killed him she'll come after us and either she kills us or we kill her. If we are lucky enough to kill her then her sister will come after us and she is a direct descendant of Siete. And even if we kill her we'll still die. So you see if we go around bragging about killing Gabriel then we're dead. And don't smile because you will be too."
"Which means my beautiful Angel that your going to keep your pretty little mouth shut." Taber said speaking up for the first time. I smirked at him.
"Sure I can keep my mouth shut but closing off my mind will be infinitely harder."
"Damn!" Taber cursed and stood up. He stalked over to my window and the curtain pulled back angrily though he didn't touch it.
"How'd you do that?" I asked sitting up. Taber wheeled around confused.
"Do what?" He demanded.
"Pull back the curtain like that?"
"I-... It's complicated." Risika snorted.
"Sure." She said drawling out the word. "Just put a block on that...or teach her to build shields. Neither of which you like very much... Do you Taber?"
"Rachel." Taber said in warning. I was beginning to see the depth of their hate for each other. Risika pushed Taber pushed back.
"Rachel's dead Taber." Risika said in flat tones. "If you say it again your little pet will join her."
"Touchy about your mortal life aren't you?"
"No."
"What ever you say Risika." I felt suddenly very weak.
"Looks like I won't have to kill her after all. You've done it for me." Risika said smugly drawing Taber's attention back to me. Taber seemed torn between wanting to go and not wanting to leave me with Risika. "Oh, go on Taber I give you my word. I won't kill your little pet while your gone." Taber nodded and between one second and the next he was gone. I closed my eyes and slumped back against the pillows. I felt Risika sit on the edge of my bed ad I fairly jumped when she caressed my face. "Don't die little pet. Taber would be terribly upset."
"I'm...not..." I said my words struggling to escape my mouth. "Taber's...pet." Risika remained silent and stood. I opened my eyes. To my surprise Taber and Andrea appeared. Andrea was holding a tray of food and looked almost scared out of her wits. Taber released his hold on her and she took an uncertain step forward then another and another until she sat on a chair at my bedside. She set down the tray and kind of awkwardly helped me sit up.
"I'm sorry Angel I didn't think..."
"I told you you'd kill her." Risika said in an almost happy voice. His expression turned from apologetic to pure rage in one fell swoop. "I told you that if you drank her blood again you'd kill her."
"I don't intend to die." I told her.
"Drank too much didn't you Taber?" She said as though I hadn't spoken at all. His gaze was locked on her mocking form. "Couldn't stop could you? Torture isn't it? She's 'killing you softly.'" Risika stood suddenly and took several steps toward Taber but stopped just out side striking distance. "I can smell her blood." She whispered. "Her body screams for you to take her and yours answers..." In the blink of an eye he had pinned Risika to the wall his pale hand wrapped around her equally pale throat.
"I swear, Risika, if you say another word I will beat you into a bloody smear on the wall or if I cannot I'll settle for your death." He wore a smile on his beautiful features but it was the kind of smile that would make any mortal duck for cover. The dark pools of Risika's eyes had widened until there were only two slivers of white on either side of her iris. She seemed... afraid. I tried to concentrate on the silent conversation they were having but I picked up nothing. I ate the food Andrea gave me as Taber and Risika stood in the same position for a long time staring at each other. In the end Taber nodded almost imperceptibly and let go of her. He took several steps back. Risika dusted herself off and disappeared. Taber settled himself against the wall opposite the foot of my bed and cast his sharply contrasted gaze upon me.
"Your dismissed Andrea." Taber told her leaving no room for argument. She left closing the door behind her but not before casting one last meaningful look upon me. Taber paced around the room a bit while I continued to eat. Then he came over to my bed turned the chair Andrea had so recently vacated around and sat on it resting his chin on the back. At that moment he looked profoundly like the teenager he masqueraded as.
"Would you stop looking at me like in the span of one breath and another I'm going to fade away and disappear?" He blinked once then drew in a breath and let out an exasperated sigh. I'd never noticed before but he only breathes when he's talking.
"I'm afraid you might." He said acting like a typical teenager and not lifting his head from where it was resting giving me the odd sensation that the top part of his head moved rather than his jaw.
"Like I told Risika I have no intentions of dieing anytime soon." The muscles in his jaw clenched.
"You've been in a half-coma half-nightmare for three days. One would think that you'd have more respect for your condition. I told you wouldn't age but I pretty sure I mentioned that you weren't invulnerable."
"I know that but you didn't seem to be thinking about that little fact when you attempted to kill me." I replied testily.
"I wasn't trying to kill you, I-"For the second time today he stopped short of telling me something.
"Really? You weren't? Then why in Hell were you playing mind games with me?" He folded his arms over the back of the chair and buried his head in them. "Well?" I snapped getting angry.
"I-...I couldn't help it." He mumbled into his arms. I stared at him my mouth opened in shock.
"You couldn't help it?" I asked incredulous.
"I wasn't...I mean...Damn Jeshica..."
"Who?"
"Original creator of Midnight. A real bitch. Taught me...to react to human emotions in the way that will scare them-break them...taught me to be a Trainer...I couldn't...your...I didn't want to...I couldn't stop...I tried."
"You don't hate me at all do you?" I asked softly. I reached out my hand and stroked his hair. He slowly lifted his head up and I drew my hand away. His eyes were filled with shock, which he quickly covered.
"If you'd like to think that."
"What do you mean by that?"
"Mortals are overly romantic and idealistic. My theory is that you think inside every one is a good person is that you know instinctually that you will die and there fore want to fill your lives with goodness in hopes that you'll gain eternal life. I've got sad truth for you. There is no God. No Satan. No Heaven. No Hell. There is only now. Assume there will be no future. Your doomed."
"Stop it." I said weakly.
"Stop what? Telling you the truth?"
"No stop- stop trying to Train me."
"That's not what I'm doing. I gave up on that long ago. Each new slave I acquire is a challenge. You were different. I saw no breaking point in you. Perhaps it is because you are so young and you haven't been out into the cruel real world yet? I spent nearly three days awake thinking about it. I decided then I would keep you make you mine." He smiled at my apparent shock. "Thought you made that decision of your own free will didn't you? Ha!" He scoffed. "Now I have eternity to decide why you're different. What makes you think that you aren't prey like all the other mortals? Why do-Stop." He commanded of himself. "Stop. Stop. Stop. Stop. Stop!" He said sounding angry while he attempted to crush his own skull in is hands. "Sleep." He said directing the last at me before turning to ether and leaving.
pretty-in-pink898 Thanks for the idea
Yueenigma Don't think he would huh? He has issues he can be as ruthless as he likes... I'm really sorry about the e-mail thing my comp kept telling me the e-mails weren't being sent but they really were sorry again if I freaked u out
RedRose121 I will change that now that I have my own e-mail...I'm glad u think I'm talented writer! I'm also glad I haven't made my characters stagnant and boring...
nite-huntress Were u quoting me? You love it? *Gets a mushy look on her face* really really really? That's great and I'll try and remember to change the spelling of Ravyn's name
A/N: Taber is having severe issues. Risika is painfully OOC. Angel is having major heath issues. Review or Flame! (-^_^-)