Night's Children: Nox Noctis
AN: Sorry this chap took so long! My internet crashed::shakes fist at sky: damn you dial-up!
Alright, there's some fluff in here as promised, figure you guys deserved it after the last few angsty chapters. Also, the Art-Catty part might seem a bit confusing, but after I post the prolog for the trio's side story Dum Spiro, Spero it won't be so mind-boggling, so um…please trust me?
Haha, yes I stole the chapter title from a Tears for Fears song…sue me…actually…please don't sue me…
Oh! Also, the game Riley and Imy are playing is Trouble ™, it was big in the mid-nineties when I was kid I do not own it.
Chapter Fifteen: Mad World
Riley groaned as she rolled over, wincing as a sharp pain jarred throughout her skull. She opened and closed her mouth slowly, grimacing at the dry sensation in it. Her thoughts quickly processed the fact that she had been knocked out, and gradually the memories of what had happened resurfaced. She progressively creaked open her eyes, blinking away the blurriness creeping around the edges.
Her tired and strained eyes crept around her surroundings, processing the situation. She was in a room, a room that was horribly plain and lacked any distinguishing features. Four white walls, one wooden door, with a regular light overhead. Little by little it dawned upon her that she had been sleeping on a bed, a bed with a thick black comforter and white sheets.
She was on her stomach, and as she tried to sit up, she realized that her wrists were bound behind her back with what she assumed was rope, her ankles tied in a similar manner. She exhaled noisily in frustration as it became painfully apparent that she was yet again a captive.
Her eyes widened as she suddenly remembered whom it was that held her prisoner. Isaac. She shuddered, recalling his snake-like mannerisms, and how he had snuck in that cheap shot during their fight that had rendered her unconscious. The man was ruthless, and she felt that if she couldn't escape from him, it would all be over.
Riley squirmed her wrists a bit, trying to get the ropes to give so she could wiggle her hands free, but it was to no avail, they had been securely fastened. She swore to herself, and tried again, this time with her feet. Nothing. She rolled over so that she was on her back, and stared at the bindings around her ankles, mentally willing them to fall off.
Her head ached, and the throbbing pain returned, she groaned, and slumped her head against the surprisingly comfortable pillow. "Damn." She whispered to herself as she felt the room around her start to spin, "What the hell did he do?"
She drew her eyes closed and deepened her breathing, trying to quell the rising urge to scream out in pain as the discomfort increased. She wondered briefly if this was a result of the one attack, or had Isaac been prying into her mind while she was unconscious?
The thought sickened her, and she tried to resist the emotion of anger bubbling up inside of her before it overcame her rationality.
She looked around the room again, trying to find something sharp. She grunted, disappointed when all she saw in this room other than the bed was a nightstand with a lamp on it.
Think Riley, think! She scolded herself before her eyes rested on the light bulb within the lamp. She smiled slightly, feeling a little reassurance. Light bulbs were made of glass, and glass was easily shattered. And shattered glass was sharp enough to cut the ropes.
She flopped like a fish across the bed for a few moments, attempting to get close enough to knock the lamp off of the stand. As soon as she did, she swung her legs around, content when she heard it fall to the ground.
Her face fell, however, when she noticed that all she had accomplished was knocking the shade off, as the light bulb still remained intact.
Sighing, she rolled over until she was at the edge of the bed, struggling for a few moments, she was finally able to sit up. Creasing her eyebrows, she tried to aim the heels of her bound feet for the light bulb, praying she wouldn't miss.
Mentally counting to three, she leaned off the bed and gave a grunt of happy satisfaction when she heard the light bulb shatter against the hard wooden floors, the pain of falling off momentarily forgotten. Rolling off of the lamp, she scrambled with her hands tied to grasp a piece of broken glass, wincing slightly as stray shards pierced her hands.
Finally, she wrapped her fingers around a larger piece and gave a breath of relief. After a few more moments of fidgeting with the shard she adjusted it into a position where she could begin to saw at the rope. Moving her hands back and forth she almost cheered when she felt the rope starting to give slack, meaning that she was cutting through.
The rope snapped apart, and she quickly released her hands from it, wincing slightly as she rubbed the burn marks. She make a grunt of distaste when she saw the small rivulets of blood pouring from where she had pierced them on the glass. Riley sighed and began to pick the shards out. As she had almost completed the process, she froze when she heard footsteps approaching.
Quickly, she began to work on the ropes around her legs with the shard of glass, hissing slightly at the agitation it caused her injured hands. Riley's face contorted in a mixture of severe concentration and severe worry. They couldn't catch her, she had to get out of there now.
"What the hell was all the noise?" She heard a female voice come from beyond the door.
"She's awake," The latter, who had sounded like Isaac, responded.
"Shit." Riley swore for the second time that night as she noticed there wouldn't be enough time to free herself from the bindings.
Her head snapped up when she heard the door creak open and she froze, paralyzed in her fear.
It had been Isaac who had opened the door, and he stood there, sneering at her. His leather coat had been discarded revealing bony, frail-looking arms peaking out from a shredded black tank top. His lip twitched, portraying his annoyance at her actions. But, Riley noticed with grim satisfaction, his lip was cracked and there was some discoloration around his eyes, indicating that Riley had broken his nose in their previous fight.
"What in Hera's name-!" Came the voice Riley had heard earlier as a girl entered behind Isaac.
She was thin, with jagged and bleached white hair that hung a little lower than her chin. Her features were sharp but attractive in a stern manner, and she looked to be about eighteen years old. A thick, leather dog collar was fastened around her neck, and her eyes were such an amazing shade of sapphire that Riley suspected they were color contacts. She wore tight, black leather pants that hung low on her hips, and a fishnet tank with nothing but a black bra underneath. Her eyes were keen and sharp as she scrutinized Riley and the mess she had made on the floor.
Riley tensed, expecting some type of hard hit from either Isaac or the mystery girl as both seemed to be openly glaring at her with fury. She lowered her head and tried to draw Selene's power, preparing for an attack.
However, when she heard a low, melodic laugh she froze. She looked up slowly from her bloodied hands to see the girl chuckling at her in amusement.
"I like her already," She stated, her voice softer than Riley expected it to be.
Isaac huffed, "Stupid," He directed at the mystery girl, then sent her a look of deep annoyance before he exited quickly out of the room in a storm, "I'll be back in a moment, don't let her out of your sight." He called back to the platinum haired one.
Riley dropped the glass shard she had been holding and stared at the girl in disbelief. Not only had she not reprimanded her for trying to escape, but she had made Isaac leave the room, something she was extremely grateful for.
"What's your name, Lecta?" The girl asked good-naturedly, sitting on an end of the bed, "I go by December."
"Um, Riley," She said, still rather amazed at her uncharacteristic attitude.
December inclined her head, "Zalank, right?"
She nodded.
December looked towards the door, "Sorry about Isaac, guy always was a bastard."
Riley evaluated her for a moment, trying to get a read off of her emotions, but was disappointed to find nothing, "Where am I?" She stated.
She snorted, "You are at the flat Isaac, Dorian, and I share."
"Dorian?"
December sent Riley a look that was almost regretful, "Yeah, you're going to be meeting him soon."
Riley wanted to ask why it was going to be so horrible, but decided that it was better not to know, "Why is Isaac after me?" She questioned her.
"You're the Lecta, it's his job," She stated blandly, beginning to pick at her fingernails, "He's part of a special group of Regulators, the ones that hunt down Lecti."
There was a silence as December stared at her nails and Riley stared at her. She chewed on the inside of her cheek, what had started out so simple had ended in total chaos. Riley pried her gaze away from the Follower, staring at her legs, slowly she unraveled the remaining rope that piled around them and kicked herself free.
"You're Incinti." It wasn't a question.
"Mmhmm." December affirmed, dropping her hand down to the bed, "Heard you got caught up with its counterpart," She grimaced in slight distaste, "Infidi." She scoffed, "Bunch of losers."
Riley's thoughts returned to Tymmie, and she felt that odd stabbing sensation in her chest again, "Yeah." She whispered to herself, looking at her bloodstained hands.
"You want something for them?" Her guard asked, referring to her hands.
"No thank you," Riley muttered, for some reason enjoying the stings the glass created. It took the attention away from the fact that she was trapped yet again. "Why are you being so-?" She stopped herself, about to say nice, but instead settled on a different word, "Courteous to me?"
The white-haired girl shrugged her shoulders, "Figure you're going to be one of us soon," She looked at Riley's hands, "And you've got guts." She made a face, "Not like all of the other prissy ex-goddesses I know."
Riley stifled a chuckle full of dark humor, "You make it sound like I'm choosing to be here."
December sent her a meaningful look, "Aren't you?"
Riley exhaled, the conversation was already becoming similar to the one she had earlier that night with Tymmie. What was she doing here? The nightmares had led her to Cassandra, Cassandra had led her to hate, and hate had led her to Tymmie, Tymmie to Isaac. It was all a macabre chain event, and the more she resisted, the more she found herself being pulled down into the torrent of her own corrupted soul.
But that wasn't the issue; the issue was could she stop it?
She wasn't so sure anymore, it all seemed to be fading from her control.
A forced chuckle interrupted her musings, "Why so glum, Riley? Tonight's your big night." December stated.
Riley made an expression of distaste, thoughts about Trysten, Tymmie, Cassandra, Imy, and the other Daughters filling her mind. She clenched her hand into a fist, ignoring the pain that filled as she imbedded the shards deeper, "I could escape." She whispered.
"But you won't." December reminded her, not saying that she couldn't, but saying that she wouldn't even attempt to.
"I want to," She whispered, digging a few shards out.
December gave her a remorseful, pitying smile, "I know. I did too."
"The people I care about will get hurt," She said brokenly.
The older girl sighed, "Unfortunately, that's what always happens."
"I won't betray them," Riley said, her voice growing more resolved.
December rose an eyebrow, "Why not? What's so special about them?" She asked, and Riley didn't need to be an empath to hear the bitterness in the statement.
"They don't deserve it," Riley kept her words to clips and phrases, not trying to instigate an unnecessary confrontation. She had enough of those already tonight.
"And you do?" December shot back.
Riley stared at her hands, and twisted a silver ring around her finger, "Yes." She whispered. She would gladly suffer if it meant that those she cared for were protected, and sadly, what they needed to be protected from was herself. Deep down, Riley knew that was the only reason she had not caved into the darkness yet, she had to keep fighting, for their sakes. If she fell, Trysten and the other Daughters would fall with her. She would not allow that to happen.
"You realize that the more you struggle, the worse your fate will seem." December said absently, picking up one of Riley's shattered pieces of glass and scrapping dirt from under her fingernails.
Riley swallowed, recalling Tymmie's earlier words, about the continuous half existence that all those tainted by the Atrox felt until they surrendered, how evading was torture. "I know."
"Why not just take the easy way out?" December chided, leaning back on her elbows.
Riley stared at her in confusion, "No offense intended, but why is a Follower so interested in my well-being?"
Her pale face darkened, "Because not too long ago, I was you." She sighed and ran a hand through her jagged hair, "Not a Lecta, that came later, but I was once Invitus. My hope was robbed, yet I had not yet crossed over fully to the Atrox. I was stuck in that terrible ultimatum, fighting every day against my darker cravings because I thought it made me stronger," She huffed, "Now I realize that resisting only made me weaker. You are what you are, Riley, embrace it."
"I don't want to embrace it," She stated her fingers clenching again, the pain all but forgotten.
December sent her a look of pity and understanding, "No one ever does, no one wholly accepts the fact that they are destined to be dead inside." She sat up from her slumped posture, "But what I'm afraid you don't understand, is that if you don't accept it yourself, someone will force your decision for you."
Her eyebrows drew together, "What are you saying?"
She sighed, "Tonight, Riley, you are going to recognize what's inside of you, either voluntarily…" She chose her words carefully, grimacing in distaste, "Or by peer pressure."
Riley felt her jaw go slack, she understood that the Atrox wanted to cross her over tonight, but what December was suggesting is that they would drive her to becoming something evil, a creature or monster totally devoid of compassion. This went beyond a basic robbing of hope, for most Followers still held shreds of humanity; this was complete and total conversion. A chill spread throughout her, if she didn't escape, she would become like Tymmie or like Cassandra, dead inside far sooner and with no resistance.
"How…" She faltered, then took a calming breath, "How are they planning on doing this?"
The older girl gave a lopsided grin without any emotion attached to it, "Dorian. And Isaac."
"And what will they do?"
"Isaac and Dorian are what you would call…specialists." December explained, "Both are valuable tools to the Incinti for converting Lecti. Isaac is the muscle behind the operation; he's a Regulator who's been given innate tracking abilities by the Atrox. His job is simple, bring the Chosen in, and keep guard over them until the task gets handed over to Dorian."
"And then?" Riley asked, hating how her voice shook slightly.
"Dorian is the best mind-manipulator that the Atrox has," December stated, "And his purpose is simple as well." Her features took a sharp edge to them, "His purpose is to break the Lecti."
"Break?"
"Yes." Her tone was somber, "Riley, please, take my advice, and surrender willingly. You don't want Dorian to do it for you."
Riley grit her teeth in a mixture of aggravation and a begrudgedly admitted fear. She was no idiot, she knew that the affects of someone maneuvering with your mind and psyche were much more damaging than the now seemingly petty blows she had administered with Isaac. Although she didn't trust December, how could she after knowing her for only a few moments, she could sense no emotions indicating deceit around her. This Dorian was good at what he did, and the logical and safe choice would be to avoid the conflict with him.
"Well?" December prompted, hoping that the young girl in front of her would succumb to her shortcomings rather than submit to the terror someone like Dorian would have in store for her. December herself had been a victim of Dorian's ministrations after she had first crossed over.
The Follower studied the Goddess, watching how her fist would keep sporadically clenching and unclenching, no doubt irritating the self-inflicted wounds. Her maroon hair was tousled and gave her an almost fragile-looking appearance, and the Follower's icy heart went out to the newly appointed Lecta, knowing exactly what she was going through.
"I can't surrender," Riley said regretfully, "You don't understand the repercussions if I do."
December quirked an eyebrow, despite herself intrigued, "What are those?"
Riley sighed and not for the first time that night her hand went over the base of her throat, where the amulet was normally displayed proudly, "Too many people depend on me," She elaborated, "And if I were to fall to the Atrox, their fates would be sealed."
December rolled her eyes, familiar with the argument, "The fellow Daughters would be able to function more efficiently without having to worry about your crossing over." She said pointedly, "Your presence would distract them, and they would function more as your babysitter than soldiers of Selene."
Riley's head jerked back a bit, as she processed the information, but nevertheless she chewed her lower lip, "It's not just the Daughters of Selene who depend on me." She stated.
She tilted her head, amused, "Oh? And who else?"
"My friend."
"That's rather blunt, isn't it?" December laughed.
"I'm a rather blunt person," Riley responded, not wanting to reveal Trysten's predicament to a Follower loyal to the Incinti.
"Hmph," She said, looking slightly put out, "Suit yourself."
Their conversation was interrupted by the sound of a door creaking open in the distance, followed by muffled conversation. December's head jerked up and she stared at the closed bedroom door, "Shit." She whispered, standing up and smoothing imaginary wrinkles in her pants.
Riley looked at her in curiosity, "What's wrong?"
December pressed a finger to her lips, indicating for Riley to be silent. Riley strained her ears, and was able to make out the two voices, one definitely belonging to Isaac, the other deep, timorous, and unknown. She paled, Dorian, the owner of the other voice had to be him, the frantic gazes from December only affirming her assumption.
She tensed, as the footsteps drew nearer, trembling, she hesitantly shut her eyes and drew her power from Selene, hoping it would be enough yet knowing it wouldn't. December looked at her in awe as she saw the grayish haze forming around her.
"That won't work," She chided the younger girl, who only shot her a glance of irritation with dilated pupils.
"I know," She muttered back.
December was unable to respond, as the door swung open violently, Isaac entering the room. He sent one acidic glance at December, "Get out." He stated.
Her face flushed and she bit her lower lip in anger, but she contained it and dipped her head slightly, turning on her heel and going out of the room.
Riley felt whatever spark of courage she had previously fizzle out and die when it was only Isaac and her, as he stared at her with a detatched fury. She felt herself freeze in terror and anxiety when Isaac stepped aside and the person who could only be Dorian entered behind him.
He was tall, with coffee colored hair that was pulled back in a small ponytail at the base of his neck. Five o'clock shadow littered his angular face and his eyes, dark and intimidating, seemed to be sizing her up.
Isaac walked closer to her, smiling wickedly as he let a heavy hand rest on one of her shoulders, "I hope you're ready, little Riley." He said, his voice sending shivers up her spine.
She jerked away from his touch and backed up, still calling upon reserves of her dwindling power. Shutting her eyes and outstretching a bloodied hand, she tried desperately to will the feeling of fatigue upon him. Isaac swayed slightly where he stood as the emotion hit him, slumping against the edge of the bed and breathing heavily and even. Riley almost did a victory dance, as her powers were obviously starting to have effect on the Regulator, and it looked like just one more small push would have him asleep.
It would have worked perfectly, had Riley not forgotten the other Follower in the room. Faster than humanly possible, Dorian clamped a hand around her wrist, twisting it behind her back and forcing her to drop down on her knees. Riley's eyes snapped open, amazed at his incredible speed. The action caused her to loose her concentration, however, and Isaac stood up, his tiredness dispelled instantly, his eyes glaring daggers at her.
"Nice trick," Isaac sneered in contempt, "I'm beginning to think you're more trouble than you're worth, dea."
Riley squirmed in the stoic Dorian's grip, but he held her strongly.
"This is Dorian," Isaac introduced, to which Dorian still remained silent, scrutinizing the back of Riley's maroon head intently. "Dorian is here if you decide to not cooperate with us."
"I know why he's here," Riley spat, still trying to let loose her aching wrist.
Isaac's eyebrows shot up, "Do you now? Well then, this will be much easier."
Riley stared at him in what she hoped was defiance, and not in the dread she felt tightening around her chest, "I won't surrender to the Atrox." She announced, ecstatic when her voice was steady and collected instead of being quaky and meek.
Had she been facing him, she would have seen Dorian's blank countenance transform into a sadistic and almost feral grin at her statement.
Isaac exhaled through his nostrils in annoyance, "Of course you won't," He mumbled in irritation to himself, "Fine by me, you're just prolonging the inevitable." He said more smoothly, gathering the cut pieces of rope off of the floor and making his way over, "Besides, I suppose it isn't fair to cheat Dorian out of his fun."
Riley's face gave away nothing, despite the fact that she had paled a few shades. Isaac wrapped and securely tied the fragments around her wrists yet again while Dorian held them in place. Gripping his long fingers around her bicep, Isaac hoisted her off of her knees and dragged her to the edge of the bed, where she was forced into a sitting position.
"Well then, let's get started." Isaac said, glancing at Dorian who nodded in return.
Riley felt Dorian's calloused hand grip under her chin, and she struggled frantically, knowing to look into his eyes would be her doom. But his hold was firm and he eventually forced her to make eye contact with him.
All Riley could see was the gleaming yellow of his irises before she felt herself dragged into the darkness.
OoOoOoOoOoOoOo
Art sighed as he shifted on the worn couch, his back sore and his mind sorer. His eyes drifted over to the extra weight that had accumulated on his left side and he smiled slightly at the picture of the sleeping Imy. Despite her worry and concern over her best friend's current situation, the fatigue from the trying day had gotten to her, and with light coaxing from Art and a promise that he would wake her up if he heard anything, she consented and surrendered to her drooping eyelids. Her head currently rested on his shoulder, and somehow their fingers had gotten interlaced, not that he minded. His smile grew; it almost felt like old times.
Almost. In the old times, she hadn't known that there was evil festering inside of him like an infection festered in an open wound. In the old times, she had trusted him, Trysten had his sanity under tighter wraps, and Riley wasn't on the path to becoming a monster.
In the old times, she had made him feel human again. Even if it was only temporary.
He brought the hand up that wasn't pinned under her and rubbed the side of his face; his life seemed to be constantly lived in the temporary stage. This hope was temporary, for instance, as was his freedom.
But right now, that temporary state gave him the will to continue.
His thoughts drifted back to the time when he had first discovered the ideal of humanity. Born a slave, it was such a strange and foreign concept, to be free to live your life how you wanted to. Yet now he would die to defend that ideal, and he had both the sleeping girl at his side to thank, and her mother.
He remembered the first time he had ever seen a Goddess, and it had been Catty, when he was ten years old and serving as an attendant in her father's home. He had led her away from the pursuing Regulators at her father's command, and had been rewarded with her smile. The smile that he had been indebted to for stirring up his want to be free.
It was only fitting that now he found himself wrapped around her daughter's finger.
Imy shifted in her sleep, unknowingly leaning against him even closer, her uninjured arm hooked around his waist and her head pressed against his chest. A bittersweet smile crossed his face, if she had been awake, she would have been guarded, paranoid of him and the darkness brewing inside. But in her sleep, she held no resolves against him, and he could pretend.
Carefully, he brought the arm that was under her and wrapped it gently around her shoulders, mindful of her dislocated one and bruised ribs, resting his head on top of hers. Hesitantly, he inhaled deeply before lightly kissing the top of her hair, tightening his grip but not to the point of hurting her. He never wanted to hurt her.
Art mentally warned himself that she would be angry when she woke up in this position, but he discarded it. It was a rare moment of comfort and he would cherish it and accept the consequences when they came.
"I'm sorry." He whispered to her, and he was. He was sorry for lying to her about what he was, sorry about her situation with Riley, sorry for the burden of her destiny, but more importantly, he was sorry he had ever let her get away from him.
"Me too."
He startled, shifting his head to look at the brunette, who currently had her face pressed against his chest, one of her hands tightening around his shirt. Slowly, her body shifted and she turned to look at him with her damning golden eyes and he felt himself become speechless.
There were no words for a long stretch of time, Imy simply stared into his green eyes, feelings that had been circling in her heart and head for the past two months resurfacing in an almost painful way. She had missed him, "You lied to me," She finally muttered, breaking the silence.
Art nodded, swallowing, "I had to."
Imy chewed on her lip piercing again in a nervous habit, and Art found his gaze following the movement, "I know. That's why I'm sorry."
She waited patiently for a reaction, and blushed slightly when she noticed where Art's attention was focused, she cleared her throat, and Art's eyes immediately snapped back to hers, embarrassed at having been caught.
"I should have been more accepting," She continued, "I made you ashamed of what you are."
Art exhaled, "I don't hold it against you, I was already ashamed," He gave her a weak, but genuine, smile, "Besides, it's kind of in the Atrox-fighting package, isn't it? Daughters aren't supposed to be accepting of Followers."
Imy tore her stare away and began to fidget with the cuffs of her shirt, "But you never were a Follower, and you weren't a servus by choice. It would be like you hating me for being born a Daughter."
"I won't ever hate you," He admitted, and he meant it.
She looked taken aback for a moment at the statement, but continued, finally letting the emotions that had been settling on her chest for the past two months go, "I was afraid, and because I was afraid, I hurt you."
"You did." He said gently, knowing he couldn't lie to her, "But I think you hurt yourself more."
She breathed in shakily, unaccustomed to being this serious in a conversation, "I missed you." She spoke softly.
Imy felt his fingers tilt her chin up to look at him, cold but comforting. "I missed you too."
She looked at the earnest and hopeful face, and the stirrings in her chest prevailed over her thoughts for the first time in a while. Without hesitation, and ignoring the aching in her ribs, she lifted her face up the few inches and brought her lips to his.
Art froze, pleasantly surprised, and he kissed her back, simple and warm. There was no need to go further and deepen it, not at the moment, and both of them were content to just sit there next to each other. His other hand rose from her shoulders to gently press the back of her head, and her hand tightened around her fistful of his shirt.
It was Art who broke the kiss, pulling back, and he almost chuckled from the put out expression on Imy's face, "You're injured." He stated matter-of-factly, stopping the wonderful sensation against his wishes as reason got the better of him, knowing that if it progressed it would aggravate her shoulder and ribs even more.
She grunted, too happy with her current circumstance to put up an argument, it felt as if a huge burden had been lifted from her shoulders, replaced with something strange and scary, but not in an unpleasant way. "You always were a dork." She said, but not in a demeaning way.
He almost laughed, a feeling of elation filling him as he remembered her old carefree attitude towards him, and how it was slowly resurfacing, "Geek." He replied, as she resumed her position, placing her cheek against his chest.
They both knew that this moment would have to eventually end, that in a few seconds, the feelings of doubt and fear for their friends would resurface, and they would have to progress towards that constant state of uncertainty and hopelessness, and would have to resume trying to save the world from the inevitable evil.
But right now, they were comfortable.
And right now, both of them were perfectly fine with being selfish.
OoOoOoOoOoOo
It was very cold.
Those were the first thoughts that entered Riley's head, as she hid under the kitchen's plastic table counter, her knees brought to her chest and her gray eyes peaking out from the slants that her mussed maroon hair allowed. Her breathing was quick, and her heart was pounding, but Riley tried to still the sensation of fear creeping upon her. It would give away her hiding spot.
Riley was six years old, and the person she was hiding from was her mother.
The day had started out nice enough; Riley had just walked home from the bus stop after her kindergarten class, a picture comprised of macaroni shells and drying glue held under her arm proudly. She let herself into the house and she placed her threadbare coat carefully on a hanger in the closet. Her grin fading from her face, she looked carefully around the room, searching for her mother.
An angry, distorted voice broke the deathly silence of the house, as Riley started walking cautiously towards her mother's bedroom at the end of the hall. Peering in through the crack of the partially closed door, she saw her, sitting on the edge of her bed hunched over, growling into the phone with a perpetual sneer on her face.
Young Riley froze when she saw her mother's head snap up and glare at her small frame peaking through the door. The look in her mother's eyes was livid, and she stood up abruptly and slammed the door in Riley's face.
Riley trembled and grasped the picture she had made in class for her. A few seconds later, and she had darted under the counter, hoping her mother wasn't as angry with her after she got off of the phone.
She paused as she heard the sound of her mother's high heels clicking against the floor, approaching closer. "Riley," She called to her, knowing where she was at, her tone terrifyingly flat.
Shaking, Riley slowly crawled out from her hiding spot, knowing already that cowering would be futile. She kept her chin tucked towards her chest, biting down on her lower lip.
Her mother gripped her wrist tightly, making Riley wince slightly, "Do not ever interrupt me on the phone again, understand?"
Riley nodded minutely.
"Look at me when I'm talking to you," She hissed.
Riley turned her head up, blinking frantically at the tears welling up.
"Hmph," The woman sneered in disgust, "You have his eyes."
Riley just nodded again, used to the statement, even though she didn't quite grasp what it meant.
"You and him ruined my life," She seethed bitterly before flinging Riley away from her and storming off towards her bedroom.
Riley watched her go with wet eyes, and slowly returned back to her place under the tabletop.
Isaac watched the girl begin to twitch slightly as Dorian poked and prodded throughout her memories, a tiny smirk appearing on his face, "Are you done?" He asked nonchalantly, betraying his eagerness to have the process done and over with.
Dorian shook his head, and placed his fingers on Riley's temples, "I'm just getting started," He spoke for the first time that night, his voice cold and near silent, but not belying the amusement he was having.
Isaac stood there with his arms crossed, glaring at the girl who had proven to be more troublesome than any Lecti he had encountered so far.
Both of them were oblivious to the girl watching the process from the hallway, concern filling her sapphire-colored eyes.
The sound of the doorbell echoed throughout the house, and a nine year old Riley halted her studying immediately, sending another glance at her watch that she had normally kept hidden under her shirt sleeve, as the sight of it made her mother even more foul-tempered than usual. It was about ten in the morning on Saturday, and Riley wondered if that was her mother finally coming home, as she had left yesterday without a note or indication to where she was going.
Cautiously, she crept over to the door and unlocked the deadbolt, creaking it open she let loose an audible sigh of relief when she saw the figure on the other side.
It was a little girl, brunette hair pulled into pigtails and her mouth cracking a wide gap-toothed grin. "Hey Riley!"
A hesitant smile crawled across her face, "Hello Imy." She said somberly.
"Where were you yesterday?" Imy asked her innocently, regarding her absence yesterday at school.
"I was sick," Riley lied quickly.
Imy squinted her eyes at her, "You don't look sick."
"I'm better now."
"Oh, ok," Imy readily accepted her friend's answer, "Want to come out and play? My mom said it was alright!"
Riley chewed on her lip and her eyes darted to the street beyond the nine year old, "Um…I don't know if I can…"
"Why not?" Imy pouted, sticking out her lip.
"My mother wouldn't like it." Riley responded.
Realization dawned upon the girl's features, "Ahh," She said, thinking deeply, "Then I'll just come inside and play with you!" She declared.
Gray eyes widened in horror, "No!" She yelled a little too abruptly.
Imy appeared hurt at the sudden rejection, "You don't want to play?"
"It's just…my mother…she's not home-" Riley stammered out.
"But you want to play?" Imy attempted to clarify.
Riley nodded, "But I can't-"
Imy smiled wider than the first one, and made her way into the Zalank household, "Then stop being so stupid!"
Riley wrung her hands together, her eyes darting back out to the street, "Imy, this isn't a good idea! My mother could be home any minute and-"
"And she'll just have to get over it," Imy huffed as cross as a nine year old could get, "Because I want to try playing that board game I got you for your birthday!" She said adamantly.
Riley looked around the house furtively again, praying her mother wasn't coming home, "Only one game, ok?" She pleaded.
Imy nodded rapidly, "I go first!" She volunteered, rushing towards Riley's room.
Riley evaluated her empty home once again before trudging after her.
As the game progressed, Imy beating the preoccupied Riley mercilessly, Riley felt some of the tension and worry lift from her chest as she began to relax in her best, and only, friend's presence. Imy had always had that effect on her, ever since she had first met her last year in the second grade. A childish smile tugged at the corner of her lips as she popped the dice yet again.
"Trouble!" She declared in victory as she captured Imy's red piece with her own green one.
"Jerkface!" Imy retorted, sticking her tongue out childishly.
Riley was about to retort, but the statement froze in her mind when she heard the sound of the doorknob turning from the entrance of the house. "Oh no." She whispered, quickly shoving the board game under her bed where she kept it hidden. "Imy you have to leave right now!" She demanded.
"What? Why?" Imy asked, having not heard the door opening.
"My mother's here, she's going to be really-" Riley's words trailed off as she heard the knob to her own room turn behind her, and Imy's eyes widened when she saw how pale her best friend had become.
Time seemed to still as Cassandra stood in her daughter's doorframe, glaring at the small brunette that was in her room, and her eyes narrowed dangerously when she caught sight of the small, silver moon amulet hanging from the girl's neck. "Get out of my house," She snarled at Imy, who sat there, complacent in the fear that Cassandra's mere presence inspired.
Imy sent a worried glance at her friend, "Riley?" She asked in confirmation.
Riley said nothing, only swallowed hard and inclined her head slightly, indicating that Imy should leave.
"Out!" Cassandra reiterated.
Imy stood up shakily, "I'll see you at school," She whispered, quickly lowering her head and exiting the room.
Riley watched her friend leave and felt her heartbeat quicken rapidly in nervousness.
"Why the hell was she here?" Cassandra growled.
Riley fiddled with the frayed edges on the sleeves of her shirt, "She just…she just wanted to play." She mumbled.
Riley kept her eyes averted, but could hear the scowl in Cassandra's voice, "You are to never speak with her again."
The girl gaped and looked up at her mother in defiance, "But-!"
"No buts." Cassandra cut her off sharply, "You can't play with the neighborhood children anymore, do you understand?"
"B-But why?" Riley questioned pitifully.
"Because you're dangerous to them Riley," Her mother said with no sympathy, "If you play with them, you're going to hurt them."
"No I won't." She whispered.
"Yes you will." She spat, "You will hurt them badly, listen to your mother, Riley, I know."
"Why will I hurt them?" Riley pressed.
"Because you're a monster, a horrible, evil monster."
Silence fell between the two, as Riley squeezed her eyes shut to keep the freshly spewing tears at bay, not wanting to cry in front of her mother and make her even angrier.
"Do you want to hurt your friend Riley?"
"No," A meek reply.
"Then you will not speak to her again." Cassandra spoke.
A pause.
"Well?" Cassandra insisted piercingly.
Riley inhaled a shaky breath, "…I won't talk to her again."
"Good." She said bluntly, turning on her heel and leaving her daughter crying on her bedroom floor.
"…Don't…want…to…hurt…anymore," Riley muttered in her state of semi-consciousness, her head lolling to the side as her eyes squeezed tightly together, as if relieving pressure from a huge migraine.
Isaac heaved a sigh of relief, "We done?" He inquired.
A puzzled look crossed Dorian's face, "It's…peculiar." He mumbled.
Isaac raised an eyebrow, "Peculiar?"
Dorian nodded, "She's resisting."
Isaac rolled his eyes, irked by Dorian's constant bluntness, "Care to elaborate?"
"Normally, the resurgence of a few unpleasant memories is enough to convert the person, especially in this case as the girl's got quite a few…" He trailed off.
"But?" Isaac continued for him.
"But, she's not wallowing in despair, I can feel it in the emotions she's projecting. She's still fighting to protect her hope." He said.
"Well, what do you propose we do?" Isaac questioned.
A wolfish smile appeared on his face, "I have an idea. The factors anchoring her to her hope and sanity are accredited to two people."
"And?" Isaac growled, feeling increasingly annoyed with Dorian's inability to fully explain anything.
"If we were to remove the bonds of loyalty and obligation she feels towards them, it would weaken her resolve, make her easier to break." Dorian clarified.
"How?"
His smile grew, "By manipulating her memories, twisting them around and placing false ones with the real ones that reflect her ties to them."
Isaac groaned and fell flat across the bed on his back, "You had better hurry it up," He warned, "The Incinti wants her ready before the night's out."
Dorian merely grunted in response and placed his fingers back over her temples, intent on finishing what he had started.
The bell rang shrilly, echoing throughout the classroom as a fifteen-year-old Riley lifted her head up sluggishly from the desk, obviously dozing off during her lesson. Absently rubbing the sleep away from the corners of her eyes, she vaguely remembered something about a car accident but it drifted away as she straightened in her seat. Gathering her things in one, even sweep she proceeded to head out of the room.
But she was stopped by a hand clamping down on her shoulder.
Puzzled, Riley turned around and saw the face of her best friend, Imy, who seemed to be glaring at her with barely disguised loathing. "What's wrong?" Riley asked her in confusion.
"You know what's wrong," Imy hissed back at her, quickly withdrawing her hand, hatred radiating from her golden eyes.
Riley's eyebrows drew together, "No, I don't?" She asked.
She snorted, "Typical, how very typical." She said in disgust.
"Imy, what's going on!" Riley demanded.
"Cut the act Riley!" Her friend bellowed.
"What act?" Riley countered, frustration building on her.
"I've seen the way you pretend you care about people, that old trick isn't going to work on me," Imy stated.
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"You think it's ok to keep on living like you are, stepping over everyone and using them for your own sick wants!" Imy backed away from her even more, "Well I'm tired of it, and I'm not going to stand for it anymore. You can trick everyone else, but you aren't fooling me!"
"I don't understand…" Riley trailed off.
"You wouldn't, would you? Of course not, you're one of them, one of those slaves to the Atrox! You've been lying to everyone Riley."
"I'm not-"
But Imy cut her off, "You've just been playing with us, haven't you? Me, Tessa, Aria, and even Trysten! You're just trying to fool us with false loyalty in order to get us to reveal our weaknesses."
"That's ridiculous!" Riley outburst, but Imy ignored her.
"Please, I've seen the way you act around your mother. You're her little slave, she rules over your entire life! You can't say no to her, it's no small wonder that Cassandra's been using you as a tool to bring the downfall of the Daughters."
"I'm not some puppet!" Riley cried, her face flushing.
"Prove it!" Imy snarled, "Trysten told us you were a Lecta, if you were truly innocent, you would have told us." Her eyes narrowed, "I should have suspected that you had something to hide."
"Imy, please-" Riley stammered, "You have to listen to me-"
"Save it," She said darkly, raising one of her hands, "We're all tired of hearing your lies Riley. I thought you were my friend."
"I am your friend!" Riley protested.
"My friend wouldn't betray me like you did!" Imy yelled, shoving passed her out towards the door. Keeping her back to her she whispered, "Just stay the hell away from all of us. We're better off without you. You've brought us nothing but pain."
"Imy," Riley muttered pathetically as her once best friend walked out of her life.
"I'm almost there," Dorian said, sweat trickling down his brow, "That was one big blow to her psyche, she's fragile. I just need the final push."
"Then do it," Isaac snarled, "We're behind schedule."
Dorian nodded and fixed the final scenario.
Riley looked around frantically as she tried to determine her surroundings. Slowly, it dawned upon her that she was still at her school, only now it was night and somehow she had managed to get to the bleachers of the school's outdoor track. She held a hand to her forehead, there was something that didn't make sense about the place.
Her doubts were quickly dispelled when she heard footsteps approaching; lifting her head up, she saw Trysten take a seat next to her.
He smiled widely, leaning his head back against the rest of the cold, aluminum bleacher, "Nice night, isn't it?" He asked casually.
Riley stared at him in confusion, then down at her hands, "I suppose so." She swallowed and looked at the sky, "But there's no moon, or no stars." She whispered.
Trysten shrugged, "Who needs the moon?"
"Everyone does," Riley answered, although she wasn't sure why.
"No one needs it," Trysten replied, his smile fading slightly, "People just think that they do."
"What do you mean?" She questioned softly.
"Everyone thinks that the moon is some guiding light or a source of genuine truth," He scoffed, "But that's not true, if it were, the moon wouldn't leave everyone all alone for three nights a month."
"It has to," Riley defended.
Trysten stared at her, "Why?"
Riley opened her mouth to respond, but there was no answer that came to her, "I…I don't remember."
"Face it Riley," Trysten continued, his voice soft, "The moon abandons its followers when they need her the most."
"That's not true," She retorted childishly.
Trysten brought a hand to her face, "But it is true, Riley. It abandoned me. It's going to abandon you."
"It abandoned you?" Riley asked shakily.
He nodded, and when he turned to look at her, Riley saw the glints of yellow flashing through his eyes, "Yes, it did."
She paled and sighed sadly, "How?"
"Through you." He replied, now his voice taking a bitter edge.
"Me?"
Trysten glared at her now, "You let me down, Riley. You let us all down."
"How?"
"You were weak when we all needed you to be strong, you were full of darkness when we needed you to be full of light." He chewed his lip, "You failed everyone."
Riley inhaled quickly, "I didn't…I didn't do that…"
"But you did Riley. You fell to your dark side."
She shook her head violently, "No! It's not possible, I couldn't have-"
"You fell Riley."
"No!"
"You fell, and you took me with you."
"I won't believe it!"
"You ruined everything."
"But I didn't-"
"You were weak."
"I didn't want to hurt anyone-"
"You hurt them all."
"No, I couldn't have-"
"You failed the Daughters."
"I'm…"
"You failed Jimena."
"I never wanted to-"
"You failed me."
"I'm so-"
"You failed, Riley. You failed."
"-Sorry."
Riley's eyes snapped upon, and she jerked up straight on the bed. When her surroundings registered, and she saw Dorian and Isaac's smug expressions, she did the only thing she could think of.
She screamed.
"She's ready." Dorian stated, proud of his accomplishment.
"Excellent." Isaac answered smugly, gaining an eerie satisfaction when he saw the girl surrender to her inner torment.
OoOoOoOoOoOoOo
Boy, this chapter was longer too! 24 pages! Yay! Um…there's only four more chapters left after this one
Input on pairings would be very nice indeed : D
Next up: Into the Underworld, no one will return unscathed.
!nym!