AN: I am so terribly sorry. If anyone still reads this, forgive me. If no one does anymore, forgive me still. I just really wanted to finish writing this.
This is backtracking to the night when Marq went to meet with Kearney's father. I figured I would explain what happened through Marquette's POV.
Marquette's face was stony, and her mouth twitched. Did you find him?
Yes. Stanton smiled darkly at her, as if he knew what would be in store for her. He's waiting for you further down the beach.
If I don't come back, don't worry. Just tell Serena anything. I don't want them to follow me.
She smiled as his hand drifted across her bare skin. As you wish, he whispered across her mind.
She ran down the beach, the sand kicking up around her bare legs, slipping into her sandals. She paused to pull off the sandals, then ran down the rest of the way barefoot. Her white hair clung to her neck from the moisture in the air and the moisture that she was producing.
"Marquette! Marquette!"
She stopped running, turned, and gulped at the air. Aidrian caught up to her, a scowl on his face.
"Marq, what are you doing?" He was angry with her. That was plainly obvious.
"Look, you need to go back. I said I would be there to meet him alone," she said harshly, hoping with every dark inch of her that he would obey this once.
"Who are you going to meet?" He asked, his voice just as harsh, proving to be as stubborn as ever.
Marq hesitated now. "I'm going to see Kearney's father."
"What for?"
"I think he knows what's going on with Kearney."
"Then I'm—"
"I thought you said alone," an amused voice called out.
Marquette turned and finally faced Kearney's father. He was tall, with sandy brown hair and the same multi colored eyes as Kearney. She could see things that were Kearney's, but mostly, she knew, that no matter how much Kearney would beg to differ, she looked so much like her mother, like how she did when Jessimar knew her. Tricky, how reincarnation worked.
"He"—she motioned to Aidrian—"was just leaving."
"I can't let him go back and signal the others. You understand, don't you, Dark One?"
Before she could protest, the former Prince waved his hand, and Aidrian was cloaked in the shadows. She kept an emotionless mask on. He wouldn't get much reaction out of her. Aidrian was a Shadow God, one of the Dead. She needn't have worried about him.
"Why did the Atrox let you go, Alexander?" She asked the question that plagued her and her friend for so long now.
Alexander smiled, staring up at the icy sky. Lazily, he moved his eyes back to her face. Forgetting who she primarily was, he told her. She listened carefully as he spoke of the agreement.
"She's your daughter." There were no questions now. She was Marquette now. Had Jessimar been more dominant in her personality, it might have been a question that escaped her lips, or even an exclamation. However, now, more than ever, Jessimar had been slipping away, leaving her alone.
"We make great sacrifices for the things we believe in. You gave up Asheru. You gave up Berto. You are now giving up the light, favoring the dark that gives you comfort and solace."
"How do I stop her from helping the Atrox?"
"You can't. It's set in stone and blood. She's the Princess of Darkness. And you're just a Shadow goddess. In fact, you shouldn't even exist now, Jessimar. You should be in the same recesses that my wife declined into, her utter madness of still living. You were never born, but created. You're here to serve as both Anubis' and Selene's revenge. Kearney is here to serve her ultimate master, the one she has always listened to."
"…Revenge?"
Her gray eyes narrowed. 'You're here to serve as both Anubis' and Selene's revenge.'
"Yes," Alexander laughed. "You're Selene's revenge against Anubis, and Anubis' revenge against Selene! That's how I met Maris. She, too, was manipulated by Anubis."
Nothing wavered the Shadow Goddess, not even this terrible revelation of her god and father, and he enjoyed that.
Her concrete eyes stayed level with his eyes, and she couldn't help but wonder how Kearney came to be form this…man. He was more cocky than Stanton could ever hope to become, as she could smell that and his power off of him like a dog could smell fresh meat.
"I have to keep Kearney safe. Funny how your first priority is your master and not your daughter, Alexander. Maris would be disappointed with you." There was no difference between Marquette and Jessimar now.
"Oh, Jessi…" Alexander chuckled and shook his head slowly, purposefully. He took a step closer to her, smiling wide as she finally flinched. "How can you say such things, when, in fact, you killed your own sister?"
"That was different."
"Really?"
A finger trailed across her cheek, twisting into her hair. The reaction she gave surprised him. She smiled darkly. To him, if anyone should have been used to revive the Atrox, it should have been Marquette.
"Yeah, really."
He gave her a real smile. It reminded her of the smiles her "father" used to give her growing up. He pulled her head forward, kissing the top, then let her go, a weary and pitiful look in his eyes.
"I don't know who you are, Marquette Jessimar, but I do know how much you cared for my wife, and now care for my daughter. That's why I have to do this. You'll only get in the way."
He cupped her chin, forcing her to look into his eyes. A flash of fear tortured her eyes. Before she could even think of drawing up her soul mists, he had her trapped in his memories.
