Cleo? Venus couldn't understand it. She was so sure she had been lost beneath Monster High, like other monsters. The Queen would never let a prisoner escape, so she must have been hiding somewhere. Five years have passed, and it took until now for her to make an appearance. Then again, Cleo was always one for the dramatic.
As much as Venus speculated about Cleo's presence, she was at a complete loss when it came to her depleted memory. Cleo would have to encounter one of the Queen's monsters for something that powerful to occur.
Venus trudged through the snow surrounding Abbey's cave. She ran down the slope, the spiraling mountaintop shrinking behind her. The sun began to set and Venus stopped to stare, awed. She sighed. The sky was the one thing surrounding the Queen's city that reminded Venus of the beauty of nature. She both loved and hated that the sky was it.
No, she couldn't think like this—she wouldn't allow herself to. The Queen did this. She got rid of all the forests surrounding her kingdom. Though forests remained elsewhere, these woods were what mattered most to Venus. They were her home, and it was destroyed. Venus clenched her fists. The Queen would pay. That is what mattered. They had to prove the Queen responsible for the wreckage of the world.
By the time night had fallen, Venus made it to the edge of the kingdom. She scanned the rooftops of the concrete city until she spotted a sparkling golden peak in the distance. Venus checked her surroundings and, after taking a deep breath, strode into the city.
Monsters of all kinds were bustling about; bumping into Venus on occasion but, luckily, paying her no attention. The city, as much as Venus hated it, was magnificent. Skyscrapers towered like mighty oaks and shops lit up every street corner. The city was a hub of electricity, a resource most everyone bordering the kingdom lacked. Past the skyscrapers, Venus could see the mountain far in the distance, Abbey's cave invisible to the public eye. Monsters laughed as they walked into a restaurant, and a young monster was hastened into an apartment building by his mother. Venus scowled at the sight of a monster with a smile on its face.
How could they be so clueless?
Rushing through the crowds, Venus kept her eye on the golden peak. Moving through the city was draining for the plant monster, yet of everyone in her group, she was the one who spent the most time there. It was her determination that kept her going; her desire for change. All the other monsters wanted to get cozy outside the city but it was Venus who wanted to keep an eye on what the Queen was up to. The others were already suspicious about her rise to power and that she may be behind all the strange anomalies since Monster High was destroyed, like all the elder monsters and more disappearing. But Venus knew there had to be more to it. Cities didn't just pop up in less than five years. Wasn't that suspicious on its own?
She shook her head, watching as the golden peak grew with every step. Venus was nearing the center of the city. Soon, the golden peak fanned out into the Queen's imposing home. Her Palace.
It was risky to be here—Venus knew it—yet she wanted to. But she couldn't just walk through the front gates and expect to be welcomed. No, she'd have to enter another way.
-.-.-.-
Venus stood leaning against a tree in the Queen's garden. It was winter, so everything in it was gray and dying. Snow would've made the garden more pleasant but, around here, all besides the mountain Abbey lived on lacked snow. Venus was putting herself at greater risk being on Palace grounds, but it was the only way she would see anyone. No, she didn't want to invade the Palace. She just wanted to see someone—anyone—even though it was for a selfish and petty reason: causing them to feel guilty... somehow. Venus almost resented herself for thinking in such a way, but she was tired. She was sick of waiting and feeling drained for a cause she'd been believing in longer than her friends. She'd been keeping an eye on the Queen for years... She could put herself at a greater risk just this once, right? Venus sighed deeply, her breath resembling a puff of smoke in the winter air.
Footsteps.
She instantly climbed the tree and waited, surveying what lay below. A dark figure in a simple, long-sleeved black outfit appeared in the moonlit garden. The Queen's circular gold insignia flashed on the right shoulder of his uniform. Venus leaped down from the tree. The monster was behind her in an instant and gripped her arms behind her back.
"What do you think you're doing here?" he whispered, so close to her ear that Venus felt his fang scratch it as he spoke.
Venus tried pulling out of his grasp, but her arms barely budged.
"I just came to talk," she squeaked out.
His grip relaxed enough for her to wrench her arms from him. She rubbed where he grabbed her and turned to face him.
Kieran Valentine.
Like any immortal, his main features hadn't changed. His visage was still slender and his skin was still a pale pink, but his jet-black, once shaggy hair was cut short. She almost didn't recognize him in his uniform.
"Valentine," she said, looking head-on into his rose red eyes.
"Plant ghoul..." he replied, expressionless. Valentine stared at her for a moment, and Venus could only imagine what she looked like to him. Her clothes were torn and caked in mud, not to mention her paled green skin and, where there was once pink in her hair, brown. Her hair had grown out uneven at the ends and tangled.
"I haven't seen you in years," he finally said. Then his expression shifted, a sly grin settling on his face before he swiftly turned his back to her.
Venus watched, irritated that he wasn't facing her. She looked below for a moment, only to see a black rose being held in front of her face. She gasped. "You shouldn't pick flowers! It kills them!"
Valentine chuckled, and Venus yanked the flower out of his hand and tossed it in his direction, only to have it fall limply between them.
"I'm not here for a reunion," she told him sternly.
"You said you wanted to talk, darlin'," Valentine drawled.
"Don't you get it?" she said, her voice rising. "You chose wrong. Sure, you started off badly at Monster High, but just as we thought you were getting better—just as we started looking at you as a friend—everything goes to hell, and you choose the wrong side. You betrayed the monsters that would've been there for you through anything!"
"It doesn't matter," he snapped, crossing his arms. "I don't need friends. I just need to do what's best for me."
Venus crossed her arms. "And you decided to go to the Queen for that? You could've been with us."
He looked up, his brows furrowed as if he was planning a tedious task. "Oh, that's right... The rebels."
Venus froze. How did he know about them? How is it they were left alone for so long, yet he knew.
A slow grin formed on Valentine's lips. His fangs glinted in the moonlight. "I've known of them for a long time," he stated. "I'm not the head of the Queen's law enforcement unit for nothing."
Venus bit her tongue. The Queen's law enforcement unit was basically an army of vampires. The only way Venus could imagine someone like Kieran Valentine being in charge was his status as an emotional vampire. Sucking blood, transforming into a bat—those were things any vampire could do. But hypnotism, energy leeching, and the way he would use other monsters' love for his own power... It sickened her. And the vampire army? Venus was sure it was a scare tactic. A tacky one. Especially with vampires being one of the few most dangerous monsters that look appealing in uniform. Only the best for her highness, the Queen.
She shook her head. Valentine knew about her friends. But how? "Why haven't you found us yet?"
He shrugged. "I already know where you are."
"Then why didn't you get rid of us?"
The vampire scoffed. "Not like you're a threat." He paused, staring at the ground. "I have nothing against you, darlin'. Or any of 'em for that matter. They were good to me."
Venus stomped her foot. "Are you kidding me? Y-you're working for the Queen. You abandoned the monsters you tried so hard to accept you, yet you're not taking their side?" Fury surged through Venus, and the next second Valentine was gripping her outstretched arm.
His rose eyes were wide, sliding past Venus' green limb to her fist, an inch away from colliding with his nose. He spoke quietly, his face downcast,"Don't talk about things you don't know about—especially me. You don't... You don't know anything."
Venus stared at Valentine's hand enclosing the vines of her wrist. Her jaw dropped. She didn't know what came over her. Venus yanked out his grip, limp arm swinging at her side. She took a breath, then scowled at the vampire, baring her sharp teeth. "Whose side are you on?"
Valentine looked her head-on without a hint of hesitation. "My own."
Before Venus thought about saying anything, her rage boiled over and her fist crunched against bone. Valentine stumbled back with a pained groan. Venus watched, blue eyes wide. This wasn't like her.
She shakily put her arm at her side, which had been poised to strike again. "I-I'm sorry..."
The vampire held his head in his hands, hunched over. He let out a dry laugh. "Didn't think a ghoul like you had that in you." He sniffed before raising his gaze, his nose unnaturally bent. She had broken it.
Venus struggled to get a word out to somehow apologize to a monster she detested, but instead she shivered. Her breaths came as shallow and rapid puffs in the cold air. She looked down at her hand, the warmth of her green blood trickling between her fingers.
"Venus?" Valentine's voice was faint in her jagged ears. "Are you alright?"
She whipped her gaze up to him, startled by his supposed concern. Unsurprisingly, his face showed none. Not a semblance of sympathy. Venus scrutinized the damage she had done, and her face twisted into a grimace. A dark, red liquid seeped from the opened skin of Valentine's nose. The blood fell to his lips and he ran his tongue across them, inviting it in.
Disgusting. Venus couldn't help but think it. Vampires lived on blood, but rarely did they bleed—and Venus knew what it meant when they did. She pointed a trembling finger at him, wondering what on earth made her think to confront a vampire she'd never been friends with a good idea. "You've fed recently."
Valentine stared at her finger, red eyes round. Venus followed his intense, unnerving gaze and realized with a sudden dread his eyes were locked onto her wounded hand.
He latched onto it, squeezing her wrist so tight her vines' thorns punctured his palm, and she let out a squeak. "Do you mind if I get rid of it?" he asked quietly.
Venus' eyes were squeezed shut, and she cautiously opened them. She could see in his face that he was antsy and was using all his self-control to ask permission. This was new for him. He was almost shaking as he tried locking away his emotions. This wasn't like him.
Valentine may be known for his cocky, manipulative behavior, but everyone knew the truth: he wanted a connection. He wanted what he had taken by force his whole life: love. Valentine almost had that when he tried to make up for his sins at Monster High; he almost had friends. But his actions led him here.
His eyes left her hand, and the plant ghoul relaxed but remained wary. Valentine said he had nothing against her, but what about the monsters he did have something against? Or the ones that weren't lucky enough to give their consent? He had been a vampire for centuries, fueling himself with energy from broken hearts. It was likely he drank blood for obvious reasons, but even so, vampires hardly ever bled.
He was feeding.
A lot.
Was it the Queen's doing? Was she enforcing her vampires to drink as a way of maintaining their strength? By the look in Valentine's eyes, Venus could tell it was something he wasn't used to. A vampire on too much blood was risky, but how does an emotional vampire fare? "I don't think—"
"Valentine?"
The voice from outside the garden caught both monsters off guard. Venus heard footsteps, and she pulled away from Valentine and scrambled up the nearest tree. She peered between branches as another monster entered the garden. This one was female, ears peeking out of her voluminous hair. Werewolf.
"What the hell are you doing? I heard noises," the she-wolf said, her voice ringing with apprehension.
Valentine was quick to reply, "Don't worry, I was just... taking care of something."
The werewolf rolled her eyes. "Whatever. The Queen wants to talk to you."
Valentine's expression shifted for a second. Venus barely caught it, but could he have seemed... concerned? The vampire gave the she-wolf a curt nod and stuffed his hands in his pockets before strolling out the garden as if nothing happened.
The werewolf released a loud sigh before following him. Venus' eyes were trained on her back. You betrayed us too, she thought bitterly. Clawdeen, you backstabber.
