7

Kami rolled around on the ground in pain, her lungs burning with the fire of want. She needed oxygen and she needed it fast. Her fingers were numb and she could no longer feel her legs, her ears gave a loud pop and left her deft to the world. Leaving nothing but the darkness to claim her, she should be happy about finally finding freedom but for some reason she couldn't let go. She knew that if she left she would be with her mother again, with her baby brother. But there was something calling her back, it wasn't soft like and angel. It was harsh like the cold truth of the world, but the fact remained that it was there and no matter how hard she tried she couldn't bring herself to ignore it. So even though she wished to leave, she gave in. Upon the moment of doing so it all flooded back: Kai.

Opening her eyes she coughed hard blood falling out of her mouth and fell to mix in with the dust of the stone floor? Scanning her surroundings she found herself in a small cage-like dungeon, the darkness didn't seem natural it seemed colder than normal sending waves of chills down the panther's spine. Standing she wrinkled her nose in disgust as the smell of blood and rotting flesh rushed to meet her. The floor was hard and stone, the walls were the small cold rock but with random splashes of blood throughout the room. On the wall were chains the links large and thick making them capable of holding even the heaviest of people. Standing she tried to move towards the doorway but a sharp yank on her right arm caused her to turn. Only one wrist was cuffed the long chain moving to a metal loop bolted to the floor, simple yet effective.

Settling back down she pulled at her restraints vainly, near freedom and actually getting free are two separate things, and now she know neither prospect. Clenching her fists she noticed how low her strength was finding it difficult just to keep her fist together. Like when you wake up in the morning and find it difficult to lift your own tired body out of bed. Pulling again she listened to the constant clanking the movement gave off and it wasn't until someone spoke that she stopped.

"Kami what the hell are you doing in there?" the voice definitely belonged to Tala.

"Nothin'." she replied glumly although her heart skipped a beat, she felt better knowing she wasn't alone. "Who's over there with you?" she asked speaking louder than usual to ensure her question would reach Tala before it died out.

"Everybody but Spencer and the shrimp." he answered back letting out a heavy sigh as he plopped down next to Bryan the older staring off into space.

"Where are they at?" she called back hoping Spencer had managed to save Ian and maybe even himself.

"Spence is getting the usual while I think the kid is still back at the cabin." his voice was filled with an untold emotion as she strained her ears to listen to him just the thought of them with her comforted her if even the slightest.

"Oh." she all but whispered back the hope for Spencer slowly starting to diminish. 'At least Ian might be okay.'

"Hey Kam I was just thinki-" A loud slam stopped Tala the words catching in his throat as his eyes shot to find two guards 'escorting' Spencer back to their cell the door creaking when it was yanked open. Boris entered behind them and much to their dismay moved to the door of Kami's cage pulling some keys from his pocket. Opening it he glared at the teen that had chosen to stare at the wall intently, as if it was a beautiful work of art. Moving close he grabbed her by the neck and yanked her up to eye level her legs dangling towards the ground.

"Did somebody stick their noses into somebody else's business?" he asked in a tone you would use when talking to an infant when trying to teach them better.

Deciding to be in an annoying mood Kami moved her dead lock glare to meet his eyes, "No somebody didn't." she replied using the same ridiculous tone as he.

Boris angered by her raised his hand and punched her in the left cheek leaving a bruising mark. Refusing to give in Kami let out a small hiss of pain but made no other actions. Boris found this even more irritating then her earlier action, he liked to hear their pain. Hear their screams. Throwing her backward her lithe body slammed against the wall roughly her head smashing painfully against the stone. Walking toward the fallen he calculated for a minute searching through his mental data for her weakness. Finding it he brought his leg up and stomped down on her right ankle grinding his heel into the flesh during the aftermath. It was common knowledge that Kami's ankle still bothered her after Boris had thrown her down a flight of stairs when she was 6, the bone had shattered and never completely healed.

Although Kami was tough sometimes even unbreakable she was still human and like any other she felt pain, she wasn't a GOD and it was times like these that reminded her. Feeling the pain she let out a pained scream a single tear falling down her cheek the throbbing becoming to great. The grinding only wrenched another yell from deep within her throat as she slammed her head into the wall trying to find anything to take her mind from the pain. Trying to quiet herself she bit down on her lip: hard. Two trickles of blood started down her chin both originating from the puncture wounds her teeth had made. She clenched her fists so had that her sharp nails dug deep into her palms, blood began to fall from her closed hands she tried her best not to break into sobs.

As pain overtook her she leaned against the wall her eyes glazed over as she slipped into her own world lost of all feeling trying to keep herself from going insane. Although she wasn't sure if the insanity did overtake her as all she could seem to remember was a poem she had once read by the poet Sir Edgar Allen Poe, Spirits of the Dead

Thy soul shall find itself alone

'Mid dark thoughts of the gray tombstone -

Not one, of all the crowd, to pry

Into thine hour of secrecy.

Be silent in that solitude,

Which is not loneliness - for then

The spirits of the dead who stood

In life before thee are again

In death around thee - and their will

Shall overshadow thee: be still.

The night, tho' clear, shall frown -

And the stars shall look not down

From their high thrones in the heaven,

With light like Hope to mortals given -

But their red orbs, without beam,

To thy weariness shall seem

As a burning and a fever

Which would cling to thee for ever.

Now are thoughts thou shalt not banish,

Now are visions ne'er to vanish;

From thy spirit shall they pass

No more - like dew-drop from the grass.

"KAMI! KAMI ANSWER ME!"

"C'MON KAM!"

"ARE YOU ALRIGHT?"

Shaking her head Kami heard the several voices of her friends calling to her from their separate cell the worried voices rebounding off the walls and echoing back to her delicate ears. Rubbing her head she opened her mouth to reply but a painful throbbing in her ankle met her mind with other worries to distract her. Letting out a sickening groan she clutched at her ankle rubbing to sore spot that was now turning a gruesome purple. Tracing over the lump with her fingers she was almost positive of a fracture but that was about all she could tell without professional study. Bringing her hands up to her face she let her breath fan over her numbed fingers the cold having claimed then when she passed out.

Having heard the groan the four in the opposite cell moved to the iron bars that was the door and pushed against it trying to catch a glimpse of the younger as she still wasn't responding to their calls. Ignoring the pain from their own beatings they tried again to catch her attention hoping to hear at least a whisper. "Kamia are you okay?" Kai's hoarse voice was unusually soft as he daringly used her full name, she didn't let just anyone refer to her in this manner.

As predicted the name caught her attention as she looked up her face blank, "What? She spoke more to the darkness than to her team as if she was still hiding away in the safety of her mind. Her eyes scanned her surroundings as earlier, she was still in her cage locked away from civilization from life. She spotted the glowing orbs of her team across the small walkway that pathed its form throughout the jail-like structure of the dungeon. She could see them all, sky blue, lilac grey, crystalline blue, and crimson. Tilting her head to the side she stared at them deftly trying to understand the emotions she could see.

"Thank-GOD you're alright, well alive at least. All we could do was listen, you screamed and then everything went quiet. Boris took off with that damn smirk and you've been out for at least 4 hours." Tala spoke up first pressing his face against the rusty metal.

Hearing the door creak he pulled back away and pulled away into the darkness silently letting his rage build for the visitor. Boris stepped up glaring at them all, "Get your lazy asses up and go get some rest. You have training first thing tomorrow! And Wit had better not give me any more bad reports!" he barked his voice cold as he moved first to the boy's cell and then to Kami's. When he was in front of that of the first Tala snarled in anger, "You can't believe Witless he's a bloody liar!" using the nickname they had arranged for Wit to be called by for years.

"Shut up and move!"

When her door swung open Kami remained still waiting for him to release her bonds as well. Boris slowly moved forward knowing he should be weary of the panther from the way she was watching him like a lion out for blood. Pulling her wrist up he used the key to unlock the cuff letting the object fall to the floor before backing away leaving her door open as for her to escort herself out. She did so standing with much effort yelping as pain surged though her leg causing her to fall back to her knees hissing in untold pain.

After long minutes she had managed to get up and walking leaning on Kai and Tala for support. Walking out into the night Kami's eyes cut through the darkness like that of a cat her gaze focusing in on any movement. Fog was settling over the stone figures of the abbey acting like a thin mask similar to the one every child was forced to wear in order to hide their true selves. The abbey likewise was hidden from the world, giving off an illusion to all who passed. But she refused to give in, she refused to be broken by anybody. A promise she had made and a promise she would keep.

The breeze - the breath of GOD - is still -

And the mist upon the hill

Shadowy - shadowy - yet unbroken,

Is a symbol and a token -

How it hands upon the trees,

A mystery of mysteries!

A/N

Sorry if the poem is a little off I don't have internet on this computer and had to recite it all from mind so some words may be a little misplaced. Hope you liked it none-the-less. I told you I'd update faster this time and alas I did! . Anyway right now it's 11:59 and tomorrow I'm going to work with my mum to help her file papers and stuff...-lets head fall into pillow- Anyway catcha' later…Well I'm writing this after the fact so Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, c'ya all in 2006!

This is Tawnie closing out -saving file and exiting-