A/N: I AM SO SO SO HAPPY! Thank you for the wonderful reviews, they make my heart melt. MastaGamerita, I feel ya ;) Oh, by the way, at the end of the chapter you'll want to kill the lady more….. PennTheWriter, thanks so much! Oh, by the way, zeal is important. I could turn it down 0.000000001% for you…
Three
Carter didn't know what to do. Was she dead? No. NO. She couldn't be dead. She just couldn't.
They had just taken her hostage, he told himself. It's fine. The blood is fake. She fine. She's alive.
But inside, he knew it wasn't fine. Echo was missing. Gone.
And she might never make it back.
He violently pushed the thoughts away, focusing on his meal, pushing out the thoughts of the bloodied body of the girl he loved.
The dinner was quiet and subdued.
No one could ignore the empty seat where Princess Echo always sat.
He could barely hear the quiet conversation the adults were having. Queen Selene and Emperor Kai both had bloodshot eyes, deprived of sleep since yesterday.
He didn't know what was really happening, far, far away, deep below the surface of Luna.
Echo was screaming.
You know those really creepy films that kidnappers send you when they want ransom? This was the same, only worse.
Echo tried to hold back the cries of pain that bubbled from her throat as the daughter of Levana did something to her. All Echo knew was that her whole entire body was screaming in agony.
The source of the pain ceased, and Echo's screams died down, her body only throbbing instead of being in pure agony.
The face of the woman appeared in front of her "Well, I'm done with you now," she said, raising a knife to rest under Echo's chin. "But I suppose I'll need more...encouragement. I'll let you live… for now."
Echo felt a sharp pain in her arm as a needle injected something into her arm, and the world was dark yet again.
Cinder jumped slightly at the ringing from the netscreen hanging on the wall of the dining room.
"Incoming communication for Crown Queen Selene Blackburn of Luna and the Eastern Commonwealth from Anonymous of Luna."
Cinder's heart dropped.
"Accept com," she said, dreading the results.
She had good reason to.
The screen showed them Echo, both wrists bloodied and screaming as she was skinned alive by the same woman they'd seen take Echo. Her skin peeled off in sheets, lying on the floor. Blood spurted from random holes.
Cinder fought back the two urges to scream and throw up.
A woman's face appeared.
"Do not cross me, Selene. You will die, and I, daughter of Levana, will ascend to the throne. I am the rightful ruler of Luna. I will make Luna great again! Come to me, and I will spare your daughter."
They were given one last glance of a screaming Echo before the scene faded, and silence fell in the room.
A/N: Sorry it was so short, I still don't have any ideas… IDEAS PLEASE?
