Night's Children: Nox Noctis
AN: Apparently FF has banned answering reviews. Sigh, ooplah! Little tidbit for Shadow Goddess however, I was wondering if you would like to read the prolog for the Trysten, Lance, and Art story I'm working on and tell me what you thought of it before I posted it? Maybe? Please?
Ps: I'm tweaking the Canon Daughters' history a bit (just a bit though)
The mysterious mystery unfolds!
Chapter Ten: The Tainted and The Outcast
The tension in the room was thick, seeming to have replaced the air. Trysten and Lance sat on one of their living room sofas, while Imy was sprawled across the other opposite to them, Art sitting next to her. Lance eyed Imy skeptically, and Trysten tried to process the information that she had just told them. It was Art who finally decided to say something.
"What happened?" He asked gently, his eyes full of concern for the broken goddess; "Are you alright?"
She clenched her jaw as she struggled to sit up, panting heavily, "Riley." She muttered.
Lance sighed, "We got that part, what happened to her? Where is she? More importantly, did the Atrox get to her or the other Daughters?"
Trysten looked at Imy. Her arm was in a sling, and there were thick bandages wrapped around her midsection. She was obviously in a considerable amount of agony. "What happened to you?" He asked in monotone.
She groaned, "Twiggy," At the mention of his name Art gave a disgusted snort that the other two fully sympathized with, as the trio didn't exactly get along with the surly bassist. Imy glared at them, but continued, "Riley, and I were in a little bit of a car accident this morning."
Art'sgaze widened, "Are you two alright? What are you doing out of bed?"
Imy gestured to herself with her free hand, "I have bruised a few ribs, dislocated shoulder, nothing major."
"Riley?" Trysten asked, a tremor of worry flowing through him.
Imy shook her head, "She wasfine." She looked out to the window, "I'm not so sure about right now though."
"What do you mean?" Lance demanded, beginning to get irritated.
Imy exhaled slowly, "Cassandra was the person who caused the accident."
"Mind manipulation?" Art queried.
"She tried to t-bone our car with hers." Imy responded bluntly.
The three of them fell silent, "That's not exactly Follower style," Lance said.
"No, it isn't." Imy concurred, her eyes darkening and she gave a humorless chuckle, "As you can understand, Riley wasn't in the best of moods." She paused and swallowed, "Riley went looking for Cassandra."
Trysten shot out of his chair, "No no no…" He muttered, pacing as he ran a hand through his hair.
Lance also stood up, an urgent look in his eye "Do you have any idea where she could be?"
Imy shook her head sadly, "Is she going to be alright?" Her eyes were burning slightly, "Will you be able to help her?"
Lance gave her a cold glare, "Can you not feel the heaviness in the air?"
She nodded, absently fussing with the edge of her shirt.
"That's a sign, Imy. A sign that the Atrox is preparing to cross over one of it's Chosen." He continued. "That thickness in the air is its power gathering."
Imy looked at him in confusion, not seeing what this had to do with Riley. "So? Another new Immortal Follower, big deal."
Lance sent Trysten and Art an incredulous look, to which they both responded with a shrug. "What do you mean so?" He demanded.
"So what if it's preparing to have a Cold Fire ceremony, Riley would only be in danger if she was a…" Her voice trailed off as her face twisted in horror, realization beginning to dawn on her.
"She didn't tell you?" Trysten asked, his eyes widening in surprise. He knew Riley trusted the Goddess in front of them more than anyone else in the world, he had assumed that at least she would know. Why would Riley keep something like this a secret? He clenched his fist tightly, blanching the knuckles, as he thought about what he would of done if the situation was reversed. He resisted the urge to snort; he would have been too ashamed to admit he was the one singled out by the Darkness. Maybe he could see from Riley's perspective after all.
Imy was beginning to shake, anger starting to get a hold of her. "She knows! And she didn't tell me! How does she even know? None of this makes any sense."
Trysten bit his lip, playing with his silver hoop piercing in anxiety. "I told her earlier this morning when I saw her."
Imy was totally confused now, "Why did you see Riley? How did you know she was Lecta?"
He sighed, and placed his hands in his pockets, knowing that he was about to clue Imy in on his biggest secret. His biggest shame. "She came into the coffee house that I work in, and I know because I'm…Lectus."
Her jaw dropped. "And you didn't tell anyone why?"
He inclined his head, his auburn hair covering his face, "It's not like you were entirely trusting of us to begin with." He answered smartly.
"You see, we thought that the Atrox was preparing to cross over Trysten tonight," Art supplied. "That's why we've been keeping an eye on him all day."
Trysten's eyebrows shot up, "You've been doing what!"
Lance looked at him sheepishly, "Art and I have been taking shifts watching the coffee house." He thenmumbled, "We worry about you Trysten, after all, I know more than anyone the strength the Atrox holds."
"We didn't want you to be on your own," Art supplied.
"I'll be fine. It's not me the Atrox wants tonight." He reassured them.
"Can you be sure?" Lance asked.
Imy's face became drawn in confusion, "What do you mean? Isn't obvious? They want Riley."
"Perhaps, perhaps not." Lance continued cryptically.
Art gave a sharp intake of breath, "You mean that they're just using Riley to get to Trysten?"
At those words, Trysten immediately stopped pacing and plopped down onto the time-beaten sofa, cradling his head in his hands. There was a moment of silence between the four as they tried to process the information.
"It's possible." Imy deducted, breaking the silence. She cocked her head to one side, "But why would they want you so badly?"
Trysten looked up at her, getting direct eye contact, "It's a long story." He stated dismissively.
Imy's stubbornness returned, "It's more helpful to the situation if you share everything. The more I and the other Daughters know, the better chance we have to save Riley."
"It's none of the Daughters' business." Lance said harshly.
"My best friend may be crossed over tonight for bait to lure him," She pointed at the dejected looking Trysten, "I am making it the Daughters' business."
"Imy-" Art began to plead.
The venomous glare she sent him silenced his protests immediately.
Trysten sighed from his spot on the couch, "She has a point." He shared a glance with Art and Lance, "She could be taken because of me. This is all my fault." He muttered, "Imy atleastdeserves to know."
"You realize what the repercussions of telling her might be, don't you?" Lance asked.
Trysten nodded grimly, and exhaled slowly, "Where should I begin?"
oOoOoOoOoOo
It was an hour after the unpleasant conversation with Jacobson, and Jimena honked loudly on her horn as the traffic inched along slowly down Wilshire Blvd. Her hands gripped the steering wheel tightly as she let out a string of violent Spanish curse words she didn't know she knew. Her eyes kept darting from lane to lane of traffic, hoping to find an opening and get out of this hellhole. Alas, no one was willing to part for her, and she was stuck bumper to bumper as she tried to contain the rage that was festering inside of her. Didn't they know that the fate of mankind was resting in her and the Daughters' hands?
Just as she was about to loose it, her cell phone rang, her left hand scrambled along for it as she kept her eyes trained to the road, as if by some miracle the traffic would dissipate into thin air. Finally, her hand clenched around it and she flipped the phone open.
"Hello?" She asked.
"Jimena!" Came a frantic voice from the other side.
"Catty?" Jimena asked incredulously, of all the times for her fellow ex-Daughter to call, she picked this one?
"Thank god I got a hold of you," Catty rambled, "I need to know, have you seen or heard from Imy?"
"Dios," Jimena mumbled under her breath, Imy too? "I haven't." She responded bluntly.
"Has Riley?" She asked.
"I don't know," Jimena said more gently, "I haven't seen or heard from Riley since this morning."
"Do you know about the accident?" Catty practically shrieked.
Count to ten, Jimena. She thought to herself, "Yes, a total jerk 'bad cop' police officer came by my work this evening."
"Do you know where the two could be?" Catty demanded, ignoring Jimena's complaints about Jacobson.
Somehow, the honest answer, that Riley and Imy were both most likely captured and possibly being tortured by hopeless Followers of Evil, didn't seem exactly soothing, Jimena thought up a suitable lie instead, "Calm down Catty, they probably just snuck out to go to a movie or something."
Catty snorted on the other line, "That's stupid Jimena, Imy knows I would let her go out, aren't you even worried about them?"
Jimena exhaled slowly, wishing, not for the first time, that Catty would be able to recall her memories like she had, "Of course I'm worried," Jimena answered, "But I also trust the girls."
"Are you saying I don't trust Imy!" Catty cried defensively.
Jimena pulled the receiver away from her head to avoid the sounds of shrieking making her eardrums bleed. "I know you trust Imy, I'm not saying that at all." She tried to state soothingly.
"It sure sounds like that's what you're saying." Catty pouted slightly.
Just as Jimena was about to let out yet another string of swears, she noticed that traffic was lurching forward, "Praise the Gods!" She proclaimed, pressing her foot against the accelerator.
"What are you talking about?" Catty questioned, obviously annoyed.
Jimena saw her apartment complex come into view, and she spoke raptly into the phone, "Look, Catty, I have to go, I'll give you a call when I hear from them."
"But-" She started.
"Talk to you later." Jimena declared, pressing the end button just as she pulled into the parking lot. She sighed, exasperated as she sagged into her seat. The phone began to ring again, and she groaned and picked it up, "Catty I told you, I've got a lot to deal with, between being interrogated by a pain in the ass cop, Riley missing, and-" She paused for a moment when she heard a grunt on the other line and realized it wasn't Catty she was talking to. Fear clenched her chest slightly, "Who is this?" She asked cautiously.
"The pain in the ass cop," Came the gruff voice that could only belong to Officer Gordon Jacobson.
She paled, "Oh, um, how did you get this number?"
"I called your work, a man named Winston gave it to me." He said, his voice hardly hiding his obvious annoyance with her.
Her embarrassment was suddenly covered with astonishment, How did he get this number?
"Is now a good time to talk about the earlier hit and run?" He commanded in a vaguely unpleasant tone.
"Actually no, I really need to go." Jimena stammered out.
"Now hold on just a sec-"
Jacobson's voice ended with a nice little 'click' noise as Jimena hung up the phone and immediately turned it off. The last thing she needed on top of her plate was an irritating Sherlock Holmes wannabe.
She raced out of her car, not even bothering to lock it, as her thoughts returned to the situation at hand. The Daughters were in serious trouble.
She sprinted up the flights of stairs and reached her apartment. She stood outside the door, panting heavily as she fumbled in her purse for her keys. After she finally found the correct key, she unlocked the door and shoved herself in.
For a few moments, her visitor was unnoticed, and Jimena went about her normal routine. She turned on the light and headed towards the answering machine, hoping to find a message from Riley, Tessa, Imy, or Aria. Her face fell and she became disappointed when she noticed there were none.
"I took the trouble of deleting them for you," Came a cold voice from behind Jimena's shoulder.
OoOoOoOoOoOo
"About twenty some years ago, there was a Daughter of Selene who was chosen by the Atrox to become Lecta," Trysten began, his voice clear and precise, "She was a Daughter given the gift of telepathy, and because of her power she was cursed to become The Key." He paused and looked at Imy, "Do you know the story of The Key?"
She seemed deep in thought, "I think Jimena's mentioned it once, but I don't remember."
"The Key is the Daughter prophesized to tilt the scales between good and evil," Art piped up, "For instance, if she crossed over she would drastically change the fate of the warto the Atrox's favor."
"I see." Was all Imy said, carefully observing Trysten as she awaited him to finish his explanation.
"She was only fifteen when she discovered her possible destiny," Trysten continued, "After she found out, the Daughter was constantly in fear of her darker side, and she always forced herself to stay as far away from Followers as she could." He paused again, "All that changed on the day she met a high-ranking Follower by the name of Stanton. Long story short, the two fell in love, but there were several obstacles in the way."
He leaned against the couch, "For one, Stanton was the Prince of the Night, the highest position a Follower can occupy, the one who will inherit the Atrox's power. Another, their relationship was forbidden on both sides of the spectrum, they were in the constant threat of Regulators discovering their relationship and killing them both."
"What does any of this have to do with you?" Imy demanded, impatience gnawing at her.
He held up a hand, "It's important to know the back story."
Lance cleared his throat, "Perhaps it's best if I cover this part?"
Trysten said nothing and merely nodded.
"Eventually, the Daughter crossed over to the dark side to be with her lover." He sighed, "However, when she entered the Cold Fire, something unexpected occurred. Something not even the Atrox had anticipated." He looked at the ground, "The Daughter's power became somewhat warped, when the Atrox tried to spread their influence over her soul, they pushed too far and her telepathy became strongly magnified."
"I don't understand." Imy muttered.
Lance also leaned back into the couch, "Hmm…think of it like Yin and Yang." He said, "The Daughter had the power of telepathy before she crossed over, and it was given to her by Selene, so it's like the white in the circle." Imy gave a grunt to signify that she was following his words, "But when the Atrox tried to gift her with it's own variety of telepathy, the black half of a circle, the two merged to create this type of…um…I suppose you would call it super telepathy." He smashed his hands together for emphasis, "But when the two powers merged together, they gave the Daughter an additional power." He fell silent, "The power to return hope to Followers."
Imy's eyebrows shot up, "How the hell did she manage that?"
Art jumped in, "It's simple really, the idea or emotion of hope rests in the mind," He pointed to his head, "By unlocking both sides of her powers, the Daughter was able to give some light to the darkness, like the small white circle in the dark half of a Yin Yang."
She gave a small gasp, "That's incredible!"
Lance nodded, "By crossing her over, the Atrox unknowingly gave the Daughter a deadly weapon against them." He paused, "The Daughter discovered her new gift shortly, and she began to free Followers from the Atrox. Low ranking ones, like Initiates-"
"Or the slaves of Nefandus." Art cut in.
"Or Followers that were Outcasted, Followers that wouldn't be missed." Lance finished, "Secretly, of course, so not to incite the Atrox's wrath. Stanton was able to help her, covering for her and lying to the Atrox when it asked for her whereabouts."
"But she obviously didn't succeed," Imy stated, "Otherwise there wouldn't be any Followers today."
Trysten shook his head, "Her and her lover were eventually discovered." He sent her a meaningful look, "The Daughter tried to heal a rather influential Follower by the name of Karyl, and an Outcast spied on her then reported her to the Atrox."
"What a bastard," Imy swore, referring to the Outcast.
A grim smile graced Trysten's features, "The Outcast has an interesting story as well, but that's not for tonight." He looked out the window, "The Atrox was so enraged that he removed Karyl's immortality and banished him. It sent its Regulators out to kill all those who had been given hope."
Her eyes widened, "That's horrible."
A pained look crossed Lance's features, "Most of the liberated Followers were destroyed, but some managed to escape the Atrox's clutches." He pointed at himself then Art, "I was an Immortal Follower whom the Daughter saved, and Art was a slave at Nefandus. We were both able to get away, and somehow we were able to keep the powers the Atrox bestowed on us."
Imy scooted away from Art slightly, "So you never were a Follower?" she asked him.
"No." Art stated grimly, "But the slaves at Nefandus endured a worse fate. I was lucky to get out when I did."
She lowered her head, "Sorry." She whispered weakly.
"It's ok." Art said gently.
Their reconciled moment was ruined when Trysten cleared his throat, insistent on finishing his story, "It's no surprise that the Atrox wanted the blood of the Daughter and of Stanton, so much that it sent all of its Immortals and Regulators out to search for them." He paused, "And for two years, it was able to find nothing. It was as if the pair had vanished off of the face of the Earth."
"However, as time progressed, a spy of the Atrox reported a rumor; that the traitorous Daughter was pregnant." He exhaled and studied his hands, "This intrigued the Atrox, the child of a Fallen Daughter and the Prince of the Night. The powers the offspring could possess were endless." He sneered, "The Atrox decided to rule out its punishment in the worst way possible; once the child was born, it was destined to become the newest incarnation of the Atrox." Silence filled the room, and Trysten was finding it increasingly more difficult to control his emotions, "The news reached the Magna Mater of the Daughters, a woman by the name of Jimena, who was once a Daughter herself."
Imy's features became the perfect poker face, but Trysten noticed that she had suddenly gripped Art's hand fiercely.
"Jimena had once been close friends with the Fallen Daughter," Lance stated, "She was even married to her brother, Collin. Even though she felt nothing but contempt for Stanton and the path that the Daughter had chosen, she was still very close to her heart." He paused, "She prayed frantically to Selene to protect the unborn child, and eventually they stroke a bargain: if the child were born a girl, it would be under the safety of the Moon, and would be raised as a Daughter." He paused, "But if it were born a boy…Selene could only offer her guidance, not her protection, and she would be powerless if the son chose to fall to the Atrox."
"So what happened?" Imy croaked out, slightly confused.
Lance exhaled, sending his long bangs out of his eyes, "The child was born a boy." He grimaced, "A close friend of the Daughter and Stanton betrayed their location, and they were found." He gave a look of sympathy to Trysten, "They were both killed slowly, to serve asan example to the rest of the Followers."
A somber feeling filled the room, as bitter memories resurfaced.
"But," Art spoke softly, "When the Regulators found the two, the son was nowhere to be found. Jimena had managed to give him to an adoption agency before they struck."
"What happened to him?" Asked Imy.
"He grew up and had a normal childhood," Trysten said, "Until his thirteenth birthday." He paused and gave a hard swallow, "That was the day a Follower found him."
"As you can see, finding the boy was a top priority on the Atrox's list," Lance picked up, "For two reasons. First, the Atrox's thirst forrevenge was unsatisfied with the death of the boy's parents, and second, because the boy was born with latent telepathy. The Atrox wanted to correct the mistake it had made with the Daughter, and it wanted to fill the boy with pure darkness and have the boy succeedhisfather as the newestPrince of the Night."
"So he sent all of his best Followers and Regulators," Art continued, "Even the Atrox's rival faction, the Infidi, wanted the boy for either the high reward or his potential powers."
"Eventually it was the second in command of the Infidi who found him," Trysten stated, "You know him, Tymmie."
Imy suddenly felt a very bitter taste in her mouth.
"Tymmie activated his latent powers, trained him to masterthem like an older brother would," Trysten maintained, "And the little boy began to look up to him like one. They became friends, almost." His face hardened as his jaw clenched, "That is until Tymmie reported him to the Atrox, and the Atrox made the boy its Chosen One. When the boy resisted its dark callings, it sent Regulators to kill his foster family."
"The boy then felt nothing but contempt for Tymmie, he shunned him, he shunned the entire world of the Atrox. He ran away recklessly, constantly pursued by Followers and Regulators." He sighed. "He lived on the streets, and was near death when he was rescued by two unlikely heroes. A liberated Immortal Follower, and a young boy who was once a slave at Nefandus."
Imy's eyes widened as it suddenly clicked into place, she opened her mouth to speak, but Trysten cut her off once again.
"The three became brothers, they helped people from falling into the Follower's trap, much like the Daughters do now. Yet the boy never revealed himself to a Follower, he lived in constant fear of being discovered and becoming the next Prince of the Night." He licked his lips, "For five years the trio lived that way, until one night changed everything."
"The boy met a girl, a Daughter of the Moon. She had just discovered her destiny, and was not yet strong in mastering her power. The two weren't exactly friends, but the boy felt that she was one person he could relate to, the one person who understood what his life was like. She was also haunted by the shadows of her parents, and had a dark streak within her that was akin to his." He cradled his head in his hands once again, "One night, her and the other Daughters fell into a trap led by none other than Tymmie. It was then the boy had to accept his destiny in order to save the girl and her companions." He fell silent for a moment and then looked at her, "The Atrox has been trying to get to me for years, since my birth. Do you understand now why they would want me so badly?"
"Yes." Imy whispered meekly, "Does the Atrox know about your feelings towards Riley?" She said softly, fear creeping into her voice.
"It's possible." Art said, "Tymmie is the strongest mind reader the Atrox have. He would have been able to figure it out."
"Bastard." Lance swore.
Trysten shook his head sorrowfully, "Tymmie will use this as an opportunity to get to me. If not him, than surely Cassandra or any other Follower wanting to achieve a higher rank." He stood up again, "If we don't hurry, they'll more than likely get tired of waiting and cross her over before we can get to her. She's a Chosen as well, if they can't kill two birds with one stone, they'll surely push her into the Cold Fire in order to tempt me to the dark side."
Imy nodded and stood up, wobbling, "Let's go then."
Lance snorted, "Absolutely not. You're injured, you stay behind or we'll loose you as well."
Her face darkened, "That's ridiculous! My power is teleportation. Te-le-por-ta-tion. It would be so easy to escape if I were captured."
Lance's eyebrow began to twitch, "You think that the Atrox doesn't know what your gift is? You don't think that they won't already have a method to prevent your escape if the occasion calls for it? Not only that, but if you over exert yourself, you could worsen your condition."
"Aria's a healer, she'll fixme upin no time." Imy retorted.
"Do you know where she is? How would she be able to fix you if you were nowhere near each other?" He quipped, irritation filling him.
"I'm not leaving Riley to those scum!" Imy yelled, loosing patience, "She's my best friend, even you ought to know something of loyalty!"
"How are you being loyal to someone if you get yourself killed?"
"You don't understand!" She huffed, throwing both her arms up in exasperation, the sudden jarring causing her shoulder to shift painfully and she gave a small whimper.
Lance approached dangerously close, eye level, "I understand what its like to be the one in Riley's position. I know what it feels like have one of your friends harm themselves for your protection. Riley doesn't need that guilt if you get yourself killed."
"I can't sit around and do nothing when her life's in danger." Imy said softly.
"I'm not asking you do nothing," Lance said, his tone much more gentle, "You can help Riley, but you can't go after her in your condition. Leave that to us." He looked at Trysten who nodded, "Contact your Magna Mater and your fellow Daughters, perhaps if Trysten and I can meet up with them we can join forces."
"What do you mean 'Trysten and I'?" Art protested, straightening in his seat.
Lance didn't even bat an eyelash, "You stay and make sure Imy doesn't do anything stupid."
"I don't need a babysitter." She huffed.
"You're acting like you do." Lance stated.
Art inclined his head, "I'll watch Imy."
"I don't need a babysitter!" She protested, louder this time.
"Good, we're off then," Lance addressed Art, ignoring her childish remarks. He gave a cautious glance at Trysten, "Are you sure you're ready for this? You know what might happen tonight."
There was no hesitation, "It's my responsibility to save Riley. It's my fault she's all mixed up in this."
Art snorted, "She's a Daughter, Trysten. She was destined to be mixed up in this from her birth."
"Still, I can't stand around and do nothing." He said, picking up a worn jean jacket from the arm of the couch. "Let's hurry."
Lance nodded, picking up a scarf from the closet, "We've already wasted enough time."
Imy opened her mouth to protest yet again, but Art clamped a hand firmly over it, "Good luck you guys. Be careful." He whispered.
"Always are." Said Trysten, giving his rare smile as the pair headed towards the door.
OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO
"What the hell are you doing here!" Jimena spat coldly as she turned and faced the woman that was previously behind her.
Cassandra smirked, her eyes portraying a silent fury from where she was sprawled out across Jimena's couch, "More importantly, why are my daughter's belongings here?"
"She lives with me now," Jimena grit out between her teeth, old memories of contempt coming to her mind from the times when she was a Daughter, "You abandoned her, remember?"
"Hospitality needs some work," She remarked,sitting up.
"Like I give a damn about being hospitible to you?"Jimenastated matter-of-factly, "Leave now. I don't want you here, Riley doesn't want you here."
"You have no right," She snarled, "No right whatsoever."
Jimena placed her hands on her hips, her stance ready to spring into action at any given moment, "No right to what?" She inquired.
"No right to place these false delusions in her head," She snapped, "Making her believe she's something better than she is, a precious Daughter of Selene."
"She was born to become a Daughter-"
"She was born to become a Follower, a hopeless, twisted slave to the Atrox." Cassandra cut her off, standing up. "She's not self-righteous enough to become a Daughter of Selene." She looked at her coyly, "You can see it when you look into her eyes; you know you can. She's weak, she's impressionable, and more importantly, she was created to destroy." She ran a hand along the side of her face, "There's evil inside of her. And once she discovers it, she'll fall straight into our hands." She shook her head, "Daughter of Selene? A Goddess of the Moon? Who are you fooling, Jimena?" Her eyes flashed, "Or are you just trying to atone for your past sins?"
"Shut up." Jimena responded quickly, jerking away from her violently.
"Couldn't save Serena, now you want to save Riley? Is that it?" She laughed cruelly, "You're pathetic."
"I'm not the one who sold out her companions because she was bitter," Jimena countered, masterfully controlling the wrath that was growing within her, "I'm not the one who uses her own child as a means to gain favor with the Atrox."
"Yet isn't that what you're doing, Jimena? Using Riley as a means to gain favor with your conscience?" She chorused mockingly.
"She was chosen by Selene, it is my duty to protect her from the likes of corrupted fools like you." Jimena said crisply.
"A duty?" She scoffed, "If she is only a mere duty to you, than why do you keep her?" She spread out her arms, "Let her come home to the Atrox, to her true family."
"Who are you to sound like a concerned parent?" Jimena asked incredulously, "Who are you to act like you only want your daughter back? You treated her like shit as a child, you abandoned her when she needed you most, and then you tried to kill her with your goddamned car!"
Her face fell for a fraction of a second, but she quickly recovered, "Do not speak of matters you know nothing about," She hissed.
"I know enough." Jimena stated, crossing her arms over her chest.
"You know nothing." Cassandra murmured, and for a moment Jimena saw a look of genuine grief cross her face, but she quickly covered it with her contemptuous mask.
Jimena took a hazardous step towards her, bracing herself for a blow, "Where is she? Where have you taken her?"
"Oh, so you know she's gone?" Cassandra jeered, "My, my, Jimena, you've grown much more clever since we last met."
"Where?" She repeated, her irritation pushing through her voice.
A half grin pulled at Cassandra's mouth, "I don't know." She said simply.
Jimena's patience snapped at that moment, she grabbed her collar roughly and shoved her against the wall, "Yes you do, I know you do. Tell me before I do something you'll regret."
Cassandra rolled her eyes, refusing to be intimidated, "You think your little gangster act is going to move me?" The moonlight caught heririses through the window, and they glinted yellow, "I've been through much worse."
"I know I can't threaten you," Jimena countered, inhaling deeply, "I can smell the rot of the Atrox's immortality all over you."
She tilted her head, "Aw, you noticed. That's cute."
"Same bitchy attitude though." She commented wryly, she loosened her grip, "But you are going to tell me anyway, threats or no."
Cassandra pried her fingers off of her severely expensive shirt, "Now why would I do something stupid like that?"
Jimena stared at her, evaluating, "Because I think deep down a small part of you knows this isn't best for Riley." Her gaze hardened, "You may be the worst person I've ever met, but you can't possibly feel nothing for your own child."
Cassandra shoved Jimena away from her, the words getting the heated reaction Jimena was hoping for, "You're wrong. I feel nothing, I am nothing." She declared. "Riley is nothing to me."
"That's a lie if I've ever heard one." Jimena said stonily.
"What the hell would you know? You have your hope, you have your humanity." Cassandra spat, anger making her face turn red and her features darken.
"I may have my hope, but I don't have my life." Jimena replied; her eyes still trained to her, "Everything I do, I do for Selene. My husband took my son and left me because of my destiny." She clenched her fist, bitterness beginning to take over, "We're not so different, as much as I loathe to admit it. We're both submitted to higher powers. We've both lost."
Cassandra gnawed on her lip, "Being Selene's whipping girl is nothing compared to what I live through. My life is hell, everyday is a continuous torture full of nothing but pain and misery."
"Do you want that life for Riley?" Jimena asked quietly.
Cassandra's eyes widened slightly, caught off guard,but she said nothing. A moment of awkward silence settled, as the two were both lost in their own thoughts.
"I can do nothing for my son, Cassandra," Jimena pressed on gently, "But you can do something for your daughter. Give us a chance to save her from your fate. Help us save her from becoming a slave to the Atrox." She paused again, knowing her next comment was rather bold, "I think we both know the real reason you came to the Magna Mater of the Daughters, once one of your greatest rivals." She swallowed, "You know you want Riley to be saved. You just as easily could have turned her to the Atrox without confronting me."
Cassandra slumped back down onto the couch; her fingers tangled in her hair, shrouding her face, "I've tried to save her." She muttered sorrowfully. "And I've failed."
"What?" Jimena queried in astonishment.
Cassandra glared at her, "Why do you think Riley was the only Daughter without her original necklace?"
Jimena tilted her head, confused slightly, "I don't understand."
She grimaced in distaste, "You wouldn't. Don't you realize what would have happened if the Atrox were to find my child with a moon pendant?" She shook her head, "She would have been an Invitus before her infancy was over."
Jimena's eyebrows shot up, this was certainly unexpected, "Then why abandon her? Why leave her now when she needs your protection?"
She lowered her head, once again hiding her features, "I tried to desensitize myself to her, tried to avoid becoming attached. Her fate was sealed, all I could try to do was buy her some time." When she looked up, Jimena could see tears begin to well in the corners of her eyes, "When I began…" Her voice hitched, "When I began to realize the lengths the Atrox would go to get to her, I then saw there was only one way out for Riley. Only one way to avoid loosing herself like I did. Only one way to truly be free from the curse of her birth."
Jimena felt bile choking her, as much as she tried, she couldn't feel any sympathy for the woman, "So you decided to kill her." She stated.
"Yes." Cassandra whispered.
"She'll hate you, she'll never forgive you for trying to kill her or her friends." Jimena pointed out.
"Yes." Her voice was even softer.
"She might even try to kill you."
"Yes."
"Don't you realize what you've done?" Jimena yelled, fury overcoming her rationality.
"I do."
There was yet another pause and Jimena glared at her in hatred, as a revelation broke through to her, "You're going to try again, aren't you?"
Cassandra was silent for a long moment, as she looked out to the moon, wincing as its light stung her eyes, "Perhaps." She gripped her hands. "I will go to any lengths to save her from becoming one of them." She sighed, "She is Lecta. She will burn in the Cold Fire. After that, it will become impossible to free her from the Atrox's influence."
Jimena wanted nothing more than to punch her as hard as she could, but she restrained herself with a last ounce of patience, "Why Riley? Why is she the Chosen One?" She narrowed her eyes, "It can't be just because you're her mother, there has to be something else, something you're not telling me." She rubbed the back of her neck contemplatively, "After all, another of the current Daughters was born to Follower parents."
Cassandra shuddered, "I shouldn't tell you."
"Oh, I think you should." She returned.
Cassandra looked like the inside of her mouth tasted very bitter, "Her father." Was all she said.
"Karyl?" Jimena assumed, for he and Cassandra had dated for a few years.
A watery smile appeared on her face, "You would think so, wouldn't you?" She spoke cryptically.
"Tell me." She commanded.
Cassandra once again fell into the pattern of irritating silence as she kept wincing at the small portion of moon in the sky, after what felt like hours, she finally spoke again, "Riley is with Tymmie. That's all I can tell you." She stood up, turning her back against an irate Jimena, "I…" She trailed off, "I hope you can find her before its too late." Her voice fell like a hushed whisper, "Tonight, the darkness reigns. Abyssus abyssum invocat, Hell calls to Hell." She warned, the Latin accented slightly wrong, but Jimena was able to comprehend her words.
"Where is Tymmie?" Jimena questioned, reaching out to grab her shoulder.
But she was a millisecond too late, just as her hand was about to make contact; Cassandra disappeared in a twirl of shadows.
Jimena stood there, feeling confused and terrified at the new information presented to her. Her eyes drifted to the sliver of moon through her bayside window, "Please, help us." She prayed quietly to herself in the darkened, and now more lonesome than ever apartment.
OoOoOoOoOoOo
Sorry this took a little while to get out, but as a compromise it's a longer chapter
Also sorry if it seemed like I compressed a lot of information, it was the only way I could think to write it.
Blech. This chapter was a huge irritation to write. A pain in the tookus, you might say.
Feedback always appreciated!
Thanks to my two reviewers!
Next Up: I actually don't have the next chap planned out…it'll be a surprise for me to!