Chapter Ten: Darkness and Desire

WISTY

I stayed on the couch in the living room of Whit's apartment for the whole night. It was six A.M, but Whit and I were already up, too restless to sleep for any longer.

"Are you sure you'll be all right?" asked Whit.

I responded with an eye roll, "Spare me your big brother concern. I can take care of myself, don't worry. Just…find something interesting to do to keep you occupied in the meantime."

"I'll continue reading The Dark Dance trilogy. I should be able to finish the second book today," said Whit. "I'll be in my bedroom upstairs. If Pearce does anything to hurt you, he'll have me to answer to."

"He won't. You kept him in chains, remember?"

I crept downstairs to the basement as quiet as a cat and leaned my head tentatively against the wooden door, listening for any sounds of movement. I heard nothing but stillness and silence. He's not awake yet, I knew. The thought reduced my involuntary trembling and soothed my racing heart. The chloroform my brother sedated him with must be really strong. I was thankful of that.

Using my M, the lock clicked open with a flick of my wrist, and I peeked inside. Sure as I thought, Pearce was on his knees with his head lowered and his shoulders slumped forward, dead to the world. His arms were shackled to the wall behind him. I stepped into the room and closed the door quietly. I walked around him in a circle and then stood in front of him. I bent a little to observe him. He appeared to be kind of soft and gentle in his unconscious state, not at all menacing. He looked almost…handsome. I got the same overwhelming emotions when he was in my presence every time. Being in a room alone with him and breathing the same stale air made me uncomfortable, but I've already faced him a hundred times before, and I could do it again. I would be absolutely fine.

The only thing I could do was to wait. The plan was for me to talk to him, which I believed to be pretty stupid considering the fact that Whit and I could just kill him. I paced the length of the basement back and forth, contemplating on what I would say. Pearce was my beautiful, terrible nemesis. It wasn't like I could just greet him with 'Hello! How's it going?' The sooner and quicker I got this over with, the better.

"Good morning, Wisteria."

I whipped around at the sound of his quiet, velvety voice and met his unwavering gaze.

He said in an amusing tone, "We meet again. I'm delighted that yours is the first face I see after your daredevil brother knocked me out with…what was it again…a chloroform-drenched rag?" His brow furrowed dramatically. "Was the sedation really necessary? That seemed rather craven of the heroic wizard Whitford Allgood. He should've picked a fight with me instead." He shrugged nonchalantly. "I would."

"That's exactly why he chained you up: in order to prevent you from harming the people or doing anything else ludicrous," I said.

Pearce told me, "That isn't my intention."

"No? Then what is?" I raised my voice. "You know you are hated by everyone in the City. There's nothing for you here. You could've stayed in the Shadowland to rot." I took a step toward him and narrowed my eyes. "Why are you here, Pearce?"

He shook his head slowly. "Are you so blind to the truth? Deep down, you know why," he cooed with a cold, flirtatious smile.

The way he said it somehow made my skin crawl. It made me feel nervous and unsettled. What was he trying to convey?

I replied, "Do I? I'm not quite so sure about that."

"You will be."

I stared into his piercing clear blue eyes. We were silent for a while.

Then Pearce spoke again, "I caught sight of Byron and Anna in the square, which means they made it successfully to the Overworld." He asked me, "Are they both safe?"

"They're fine," I answered. "Anna is staying at an apartment down the street with Elsa and Olaf, and Byron is spending time with Elise."

"Byron is choosing some other girl over you? How heartrending," Pearce feigned pity.

I clenched my jaw, feeling the familiar sensation of heat wash over me. Was he mocking me? "What do you care about Byron, Anna, or any of us?" I asked as I tried my best to keep my lividness under control.

"You know, I think you'd be surprised to hear about my life in the Shadowland, Wisty. Byron, Anna, and I—"

"—have established a close friendship with each other," I finished impatiently. "Yes, I've heard. They told me all about it, about your redemption and how you've changed."

Pearce was looking at me wide-eyed, and then he nodded in understanding. "But you and Whit didn't believe them, so that's why you decided to talk to me to see if they're right."

"You made it crystal clear to me in the past that you can't be trusted. You lied, manipulated, betrayed, and afflicted. No matter how many times you try to prove for my sake that you've changed, I'm still not going to believe you," I resolved.

"For your sake?" he retorted. "You think I helped Anna and Byron to survive in the Shadowland for you? I didn't even know that one day I'll get out of there, or that I'll ever see you again! I did something good, and I did it for myself. This is not all about you, Wisty! Don't you see that this is the first time I'm in the Overworld where I'm not bossed around by The One or the Wizard King? I've always been following their orders. But they no longer control me because they're dead. I've never felt freer in my life."

"Don't you convince me that you did all those horrible things because The One and the Wizard King commanded you to," I shot back. "I've seen you kill hundreds of kids with no remorse. You were ruthless, vile, and cruel. All that wickedness came from within you, not from your father or the Mountain King. Let's not forget about those awful, unforgivable crimes you committed under the N.O. Tell me about your enormities, Pearce. Tell me how you've touched the head of little kids, looked them mercilessly in the eye, made their skin peel away from their skull, and then revelled in it. Tell me how it felt like to turn a living person into ashes."

There was a minute of hesitation.

"You want to hear me confess? Fine, I'll confess. It made me feel fantastic," admitted Pearce. "It was spectacular and amazing. And if anyone stands in my way, I'll do it again."

"I knew it. Even if you did change, you wouldn't change completely," I said. "You'll still continue to derive great pleasure in tormenting others." I looked away from him in disgust. "When I saw you walking across the square toward us, I should've just killed you."

"Come now. If you and your brother wanted to kill me, the two of you would've done it by now, don't you think?" Pearce challenged.

There was one question that had been playing in my head the whole time. I finally let it out, "What is it that you want from me?"

He cocked his head and frowned. "What makes you think that I want something from you?"

"Because you keep returning to me," I explained. "Whit and I left you for dead in the bone forest of the Shadowland, but you returned after Bloom and the Inner Circle accused us for being traitors." I paused, and then continued, "Whit and I were kind enough to spare you after our war against the Wizard King's army. Remember that? You were unconscious and so close to dying. You looked like a helpless little kid. I watched as Izbella picked up your frail, boneless body and carried you into the forest back towards the Mountain. I knew that showing you mercy was the right thing. But you made me regret that choice when you revealed to us your identity in the City square, surrounded by your Horsemen and your Undead. You repaid the mercy we've shown you by forming a secretive, savage cult that terrified our City, by endeavouring to destroy me, Whit, and everything we've worked for. That was your second return." I was pacing the room now. I carried on, "You plummeted down the dark pit into the Underworld. I thought that would be the last and final time I'll ever see you. Then, when we reopened the portals, you saw the opportunity to come out from the Shadowland. Now you've returned to the City, again." I held up all middle fingers of my right hand. "Three times I believed that you were gone, and three times you have returned. You keep coming back. No matter how many times Whit and I defeated you; you were just repeatedly reborn from the ashes like a phoenix. I never knew how hard it is for me to truly get rid of you."

"If you know that getting rid of me doesn't work, why don't you stop trying for once?" suggested Pearce. "Maybe you should consider a different approach, and embrace me for the wizard I am now."

I argued, "The wizard you are now is not so different from the wizard you once were."

"You don't know that."

Further words of dispute were about to tumble out of my mouth when I stopped myself. Perhaps he was right. I didn't know what Pearce would become in a few weeks time, or after a year. If Byron, Anna, and Celia—even Celia, a girl who had been my friend, who had always taken care of and looked out for me—really believed that the son of someone so evil could be redeemed, then what other reason was there for me not to hope for the same? I couldn't trust Pearce, but I could trust my friends. Was I really ready to give this guy a second chance? Would he accept it and be true to his word?

Pearce was watching me closely, waiting for my response, as if it was the only one that would truly matter to him.

I sighed and then said, "You're right. I don't. But I do know that you are not the Wizard King or The One Who Is The One. You are different from them, and that means you can be better than them. You can be a better person than they ever were." You loved me once, and I loved you back just as much. I couldn't bring myself to tell him that, or say out loud that I would forgive him. Even if I did, I would never be able to forget.

I revoked Whit's spell that sealed the iron chains and shackles around Pearce's wrists, my magic inducing a glow of blue light. I moved in, undid the shackles, let them clatter to the floor, and then he was free.

The expression on Pearce's face was blankly inscrutable. "You're setting me free, just like that? No oaths you require me to take? No rules you'll set me to obey?" He asked, straightening his stiff, sore back and stretching his arms and legs.

"No oaths. No rules," I confirmed.

Pearce pressed playfully, "Come on, my little firecracker, surely you must have devised some way of punishing me if I hurt anyone."

I gave him a cold laugh. "Firecracker," I repeated, "Don't you think that name is getting a little trite?"

"Trite?" He came close behind me and brushed my wavy red hair behind my shoulder with incredible tenderness. He leaned in, his warm, hot breath on my skin generating a stirring within me that I hadn't felt in a long time. "'Firecracker' suits you," he purred in my ear. "On the contrary, I think the name is absolutely perfect."

Pearce's fingers traced circles around my freckles, then drifted down my arms. I was reminded of the day I spent scrubbing the barracks with a toothbrush along with my fellow New Order Youths. That was the day where he first kissed me—no, where he assaulted me with a kiss. Just thinking about it caused my core temperature to rise about thirty degrees. I pushed the unpleasant memory to the back of my head. I shook his hands off of me and took a step away from him, but he grabbed me by the arm, spun me around, and pulled me close to his chest.

He still wants me, I realized.

Pearce dropped his eyelids and his gaze settled on my lips. I stood as still as a statue, unable to make a move. My heart beat wildly. Blood pounded in my ears. Time seemed to have slowed to crawl. I watched as he leaned in, so terribly slowly, and connected his lips with mine. The kiss was too soft, too gentle. It was so unlike him, but I felt a burning sensation of desire nonetheless. A desire drawn to his dark side, that left me begging for more. In spite of everything he had done, my passion for him was irresistible. I had been trying to conceal it as best as I could, but now I couldn't help letting it surface.

Pearce seemed to have sensed all of this, because in the next moment, he was planting his lips on mine again, kissing me hungrily. Last night, I had intended to play a little more hard-to-get as I lay on the couch and thought about the conversation I would have with him today, but it was obvious that wasn't going to fool him. Deep down, Pearce knew how much I was attracted to him. He knew that I had never stopped caring about him.

Hang on. What on earth was I doing? One minute we were arguing and in the next we were kissing? No. This felt so unnatural. It felt wrong! Beneath Pearce's sheep's skin, he was still the wolf, the devil in disguise. I was giving him the exact satisfaction that he wanted, and I instantly hated myself for it.

I turned my head and his lips brushed my lower cheek. "Stop," I managed. I struggled out of his grip and pushed aside his hands. I backed away from him to put a short distance between us, but it wasn't enough. "I shouldn't be doing this. This…this isn't right…" I raked a hand through my hair in shame.

"Don't resist. I know you feel something for me, Wisty. Don't fight it," urged Pearce, moving closer.

I took another step back, shaking my head. I started to turn away.

"If you don't prefer me this way, I can always turn into someone else."

What was he talking about? Before I could open my mouth and ask, Pearce was transforming. I watched, stunned, as his appearance shifted. Seconds later, the tall guy standing before me was no longer Pearce. One glance at his jet-black hair, his strong, chiselled features, the electric gaze of his mesmerizing, turquoise-blue eyes, and his kissable lips, and I immediately recognized who it was. He was all too familiar.

My voice cracked, "Heath."

That was when all the memories flooded through me—the dancing, the canoodling, testing our magic together, etc. All the electrifying moments we spent together came back to me in a rush.

"I have a gift," he said. He extended his arm, opened his hand, and a lovely flower grew from the centre of his palm. Its petals were pale, papery silver, with a bright flash of orange in the centre. I remembered this too. Like he didn't show me that a hundred times before, I thought.

Heath gave me a devilish, conceited smile and asked seductively, "Did you miss me?"

I miss everything about you. Your dazzlingly hot looks, the feel of your touch, your sweet, sexy voice…I miss all of it.

"No," I answered. "Of course I didn't. I never even thought about you since that day on the battlefield."

Just then, the bad memories I had of him returned to me as well. The realization that he lied to me, the furiousness I felt afterwards, the terrible betrayal, watching him kill his grandfather…there were too many. I knew what would happen if I touched the centre of that flower. Its petals would pull closed, and stinging nettles would shoot out of its stem into my skin. Behind the plant's white innocence lay the venomous serpent.

"You don't mean that." Heath reached for my hands, and I slapped him in the face with all my strength.

"Ouch. You wound me." He rubbed his cheek, pretending to be in pain, completely unfazed. He sighed as if he was bored. "That was a fail. Perhaps this will change your mind."

Heath's beautiful features distorted and he was transforming again. This time, I saw a handsome young man with broad shoulders and a long, lean torso. His golden eyes were cold and pitiless. They gleamed with magnetic and terrifying power.

Ugh. I turned away, feeling sick. I should've struck him harder.

"Like me better now?" The guy asked.

I put a hand on my hip, slightly tilted my head, and greeted in a deadpan manner, "Hello to you too, Darrius. How's The Family doing? Oh, wait, I forgot. They were wiped off the face of the earth." I said cynically.

Darrius responded, "And how's Pearl Marie? She was working for The Family, wasn't she? It must be execrable to discover that she betrayed you. Tell me, how is she? Oh, wait, I forgot," he mimicked, "She's dead. I pray that she will rest in peace."

I lunged forward and raised my fist, growling in anger, ready to punch his handsome, detestable face, but he caught it in his hand. He squeezed, and I immediately heard a crunching sound as the bones of my fingers were being crushed beneath the weight of his sheer physical strength. I yelped in pain, but I endured worse.

Darrius shifted back into Pearce.

"You won't be able to do that little transformation for much longer," I told him, cradling my injured hand. "In fact, you won't be able to use your magic at all soon. You see, my 'daredevil' brother Whit came up with this ingenious plan to Excise you. You losing your powers of wizardry will be very convenient for us both."

"Talking about Excision…" said Pearce, "Whit had been neutralized, and yet he still managed to heal you and Janine anyway. It was like a miracle. I'm wondering: how did he get his powers back?"

"That's top secret," I said. "You didn't get an answer from Whit back then, and you're not going to get one from me now."

Pearce nodded, "I get it. Telling me would mean that the Excision plan you had for me will be backfired, because I can just get my powers back like Whit did."

I admitted, "You read me like an open book."

"Spending time with you as Heath gave me the opportunity to do that. I know you better than you think. You wanted to know why I'm here. Well, I came back for you."

"Y-you did?" I stammered.

"Ever since I was trapped in the Shadowland, I did all I could to keep myself from thinking about you. I didn't want to, because it hurts too much. But no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't," Pearce disclosed genuinely. "I won't let you regret being with me ever again. I love you, Wisty."

I reminded him softly, "A witch and wizard can never be together. Loving me is dangerous. Our love, our power can destroy the world."

"Not if we use it for good." It was so strange hearing him say these words.

"You're really willing to do that?" I asked.

"For me and for you," he replied. He moved closer to me until we were only a few inches apart, and caressed my cheek. Every part of my body was screaming at me to get away from this villain, but the electrostatic crackle of our energy between us was so strong that it felt impossible to break our connection. Pearce continued, "Your love is all I ever wanted. You are the one thing that makes me good, the one person who can really change me. You are my pearl in a world of dirt."

He kissed me passionately, and instead of resisting or fighting him this time, I instinctively returned them with my own. They were gentle at first, and then gradually, they grew fierce. Kissing him reminded me of the love I had with Heath, and it had been too long since I felt that way. Pearce's hands slid from beneath my arms down to my waist. I wrapped my arms around his neck and let him embrace me tight. I melted into his kiss, drinking him in. His tongue made its way past my teeth and into my mouth, finding mine, causing a million beautiful sparks to explode within my chest. The feeling was intoxicating and unlike anything I've ever experienced. I wished we could stay like that forever. We kissed until we were both breathless and dizzy.

Pearce's eyes were locked on mine with a smouldering intensity. His mouth was twisted into a lopsided grin. "Isn't that just so damn hot?"

"Totally," I assented. "The Book of Truths hinted at the concept of how power can be divided and multiplied at the same time. I gave Whit some of my magic. That was how he got his powers back. Power willingly shared can grow even stronger. Power given is power gained. That was something Whit and I had to learn in order to defeat you and your father's spirit." The words tumbled out of my mouth before I could stop it. I hoped I wouldn't regret that.

"I see," Pearce said quietly, looking to the ground. "You were brave to do a thing like that." He returned his gaze to me, and asked teasingly, "Do I have to actually kiss you in order to get that little secret out?"

I laughed and so did he. It felt so weird to laugh with him.

"I've decided not to Excise you, by the way," I said after I've calmed down.

"Why not?" He wondered.

I acknowledged, "Because I don't have it in me. Because I just…I just can't do that to you."

"I'm glad you didn't fight me just now like I expected you to. It would've been a lot more fun if you did, though."

I shook my head. "I'm tired of fighting." I stared deeply into his vast, clear blue eyes and said, "I never thought that I'd say this, but…I love you too, Pearce."