Chapter 2

Missing

bad day today. my story's been deleted, my 'best friend' deserted me in favour of make-up, i have a sore throat, achey eyeballs, and we got this form thingy that our parents have to sign, and mine was only signed by my mum, and they got all angry. WHY HAVEN'T YOU GOT YOUR FATHER TO SIGN THIS? well, i told them, unless you want me to burn it, we're gonna have a problem. WHY! because he's dead, that's why. honestly...

so yeah. because my day's been bad, albel's is gonna be a whole lot worse. read on, now. chop chop.

Nel looked up, startled out of her nap by a loud knocking. She tried to ignore it, desperately needing sleep.

It was insistent now, and somewhat more threatening.

She rolled over and mumbled something that sounded a lot like 'go away.'

The polite but insistent knocks turned to violent hammerings and a voice shouted through the door. "Nel! I know you're in there so open up you moody–"

The spy never found out what moody creature she was, though, because at that moment, the door burst open, revealing a very shocked Clair Lasbard. "Nel! I…uhh…just came to tell you to come to the audience chamber, cause something's wrong…" trailing of embarrassedly, she quickly retreated, closing the door behind her and narrowly avoiding a pillow missile aimed at her pretty face.

Nel rolled over and groaned softly. She did not need this right now. She knew she should go and eat with the others, but she was too scared of seeing him. It was all his fault! It had barely been a week, yet the image played in her head as clearly as if it had happened yesterday. She could see everything; the smiles, the tender touches, the kiss…

Sighing, she dragged herself to her desk, staring at the water filled bowl she used as a mirror. A tired, tear-streaked face stared back at her, eyes red from crying so much. Although she tried to push the thoughts back, they returned, insistent, tying to drag her further down into oblivion. A small ripple in the corner of the bowl, and another.

Angrily she wiped the tears away. This wasn't anything like her. Usually she wouldn't become so affected over a man, but this was different. He was different. Just like the other one…

A soft voice whispered in her mind. Are you going to let him ruin you like this?

Nel stared blankly at her reflection. "How could he do this to me?" she whispered, her voice trembling like a child's.

You cannot let him do this! Show him you're strong! Show him you're brave! Show him that you are better than she will ever be.

"Alright." She slipped into her clothes, washed her face, closed her hand round the handle, and paused. "Oh, come on, woman!" she growled angrily at herself. "Are you going to let him beat you?" Shoving back the fear, she quickly opened the door and sprinted up the stairs before it could take over her once more. Taking slow, careful steps, she made her way to the audience chamber, where everyone waited. Where he waited. Or so she thought. They were all there, faces worried as they talked quietly, their voices echoing in the huge room, making it sound as if there were thousands, instead of the twelve seated round the table that had been brought out.

Upon seeing Nel, one voice not only rose above the others, but drowned them out all together. "Lady Nel! It's good to see you again! Where have you been, kiddo!" Adray bounded up to her, seeming to fill the whole hall with his presence. Zelpher tried to back away politely, but he wrapped her in a great bear hug, squeezing the air from her lungs. Her hand, somehow spared from drowning in a sea of sweaty muscle, twitched feebly as a muffled reply came from somewhere in the region of Adray's chest. "It's good to see you to?"

Perhaps the bear-like man realised that he was suffocating his daughter's best friend. Perhaps it was the sound of one or two ribs breaking. Could even have been the fact that Nel was struggling frantically, slapping his arm and making very rude hand gestures. Or maybe, it was the whole Team dog-piling him in an effort to save their friend. We'll never know. But for whatever reason, Adray finally released his death-grip on Nel, who fell to the floor gasping for air, twitching occasionally. The Team – Fayt, Sophia, Maria, Cliff, Mirage, Peppita, and Roger – picked themselves up and heaved Nel into a sitting position. Clair sighed despairingly. Queen Romeria watched quietly, a shadow of a smile on her painted lips. Magistrate Lasselle blinked a few times, then blinked a few more. The soldier from Airyglyph watched with open-mouthed shock.

Something clicked in Nel's mind just then. There was something wrong. Something very wrong. There was no smirking face, no sneering crimson eyes. The mutter of "fools" did not reach her ears. The man in purple failed for the first time to get her attention, simply because he was not there.

Clair noticed the confusion, and quietly explained to her the situation, and why the soldier was here. The answer filled her with shock, first, then anger, and finally confusion and dread.

Albel Nox was missing.

---------------------------------------------------------

He moaned softly as he woke, then stopped. It was so dark, he wondered if he had even opened his eyes at all. The only source of light was a small sliver from somewhere above.

A throbbing pain from his head startled him out of his thoughts. What was it? His hair felt damp, why? He brought a hand to his head, hissing as his fingers brushed against a lump. He stared at his hand. It was covered in blood. What…?

Images flashed through his mind, and his eyes widened. The mansion, the blood…it was then that his eyes grew accustomed to the gloom.

Earth and stone walls rose up about one and a half metres before it met the ceiling. The cell, from wall to wall, couldn't have been any bigger than two and a half metres, three at the most. He backed away slowly, hands searching for a wall to lean against. There were few things in the world that he allowed himself to fear. But there was one that rose above everything – even fire. He had been claustrophobic since he was nine, ever since…but he had to keep his mind away from that. Even the thought of small places caused him to shiver and sweat.

Just as his reaching hands found the wall, his foot snagged on something, and he crashed to the earth. Seeing what had grabbed him, he cried out and jerked his foot back.

Skeletal fingers released his ankle as a skull grinned back at him. Rotten flesh still clung to the bones, giving off a smell so putrid his eyes stung with tears. That did it. He had to get out. Now.

Panicked eyes swept over his surroundings. There! A door! He rushed to it, but something pulled at his neck, slamming him to the dirt. He scrabbled frantically, trying to reach the freedom that lay just out of reach. He pulled desperately at the collar he always wore round his neck, screaming, his hand closing round cold, unyielding metal. But the chain…it was longer now. It was attached to something. He was trapped.

"No! No, no, NO!" He stretched as far as he could, fingers clawing the air, reaching for a handhold to pull him forwards, away from the skeleton, away from the walls that pressed in on him, swallowing him up into the darkness…

He collapsed, sobbing softly. Once, he wouldn't have allowed himself to show such emotions, least of all fear. But the skeleton…it too had been chained to the wall. It too had tried in its last moments to escape, its arms reached out towards the door. He couldn't let that happen to him. He wouldn't die like that!

He used the chain to find the wall it was attached to. The walls closed in on him, and his breathing became shallow and fast, as if there was no room in his lungs for the life-giving air. Keeping his crimson gaze on the links, he brought his claw crashing down on them. Over and over again, trying to weaken the metal, hopelessly trying to drown out the screams of the cell's former inhabitant.

He would not die like that. He would not!

oh yes, you can expect to see a lot of cliffhangers from me. MWAH HA HA HA. and you're not gonna get anything unless you review. so, review!