I'm baaaaaaaack!
And I've got a new trick!
Obsidian is 10 times as slick as the last time!
The last time you saw her!
Okay, I'll stop now. Im addicted to these Magical Trevor videos Xx So anyway,
I changed a lot around in the last chapter but not enough for you to have to read it again. Just enough to make me feel better about myself. Read and Review!
Serena stared at the man, words failing her as she slapped at the nonexistent spiders scuttling over her shoulders. She suddenly felt violated. Something was pushing- prying its way into the deepest recesses of her being where no hand was ever meant to touch. A cold numbness overtook her, inside and out, and she'd bet she could guess where it was coming from.
Or who.
The man started toward them, his strides slow and steady. There was a regal air in every step he took. King- like. Even godly. Or perhaps it was just the rush of power sweeping over her skin. After all, he could hardly be associated with anything holy. If she thought Stanton's wardrobe lacked color, she sincerely owed him an apology. Before her stood the true meaning of colorless. Stanton always made some hint at color whether it was a silver spiked belt, a golden chain, or just a glimpse of those sun tanned arms. Every inch of the stranger, from head to toe, was covered in black with the exception of his face, a powder white. She wondered if it was natural or heavy cosmetics... She took a second glance and finally found the only glimpse of color on his body. His eyes were a luminous dark shade of yellow, almost red, and she had to turn away as soon as she'd caught sight of them. They seemed to flicker and lash out like a flame, and she'd bet if she stared too long or came too close, like fire, they would burn.
"Master!" She snapped out of her daze to see Erica. All of her arrogance and pride had suddenly fallen away to reveal a scared, trembling little girl. Ebony stood at her side, mirroring the same frightened look. Even Alex, who always seemed distant and faraway, looked as if she'd taken a rough shove into an unfortunate reality.
"Master!" Erica called again when the man wouldn't listen.
Master? The uneasy sensation of fear began to creep into Serena's chest. She had a feeling that it wouldn't take her twenty one guesses to figure out who this man was. She turned towards both Jimenas to see if they shared the same thoughts, but they were both staring at the girls' fear in utter distaste. Serena had to keep from smirking. If there was one thing worse than attacking Jimena's pride, it was attacking Jimena's pride and then having the nerve to lose your own right in front of her. She started to ask Stanton what was going on when Ebony stepped forward.
"My lord, please." The girl started, a slight tremor in her voice. "We called to them but they wouldn't listen."
"Did we do something wrong?" Alex asked, eyes wide.
The man finally turned to them, his eyes flickering more viciously than before. They jumped back and then he did the most horrifying thing imaginable. He smiled. It wasn't the pleasant, optimistic smile that a good leader gives his people or even an amused one. It was hardly even a smile at all, but a terrifying imitation of one. His expression remained dead and ghastly, the only hint of a smile in his thin, half-moon curved lips. It was as if he'd forgotten how. "Did you do something wrong?"
His voice sent everyone back a few steps. It was low, like a whisper. Soft, but deadly. She'd heard it before. In fact, she'd heard it quite a few times that night. When the past Stanton had tried to cross her over. When she'd chased Adonis into the cloud of followers. It was this voice that beckoned her to the darkness. The voice of twisted dreams and broken promises. The voice of the Atrox.
"Tell us!" Alex took one brave step forward, her fists clenched. "We can fix it!"
He only laughed, a sound more frightening than his smile. It sent what felt like waves of unseen insects crawling over Serena's skin.
"I doubt-" he started before lowering his fiery eyes to the ground. He immediately scowled. "What are you up to, boy?"
Serena raised an eyebrow. Adonis? Was he back so soon? She followed his gaze, but there was no bright eyed child in sight. His father, however, was still frantically searching the sands for something unknown. She blinked. Boy was to Stanton as nun was to Cassandra. They just didn't go together. She kneeled down by his side. "What are you looking for?"
He looked up to meet her eyes for one second and what she saw there frightened her more than anything she'd seen tonight. It was a raw fear. A raw, panicked, irrepressible fear. Serena swallowed hard as he returned to the sands. Well, that sure as hell didn't mean anything good.
"Stanton..." The Atrox called his name now. "What-"
Serena turned to see why he had trailed off and almost screamed at what she saw. His calm expression had twisted into one of anger and loathing, his eyes raging so brightly that she couldn't bring herself to look directly into them. "Keep it away from him!"
Stanton hands flew faster over the sand now, his breathing rushed.
"Hurry!" The Atrox barked at the mass of followers. "Don't let him touch it!" And suddenly, like still objects breaking from a painting, they were in motion. Fast motion. Serena hardly had time to scream before they dived at Stanton, tackling him to the ground.
"I got it!" Karyl yelled before snickering lowly and giving Stanton a sharp kick in the side. "Always wanted to do that..."
The Atrox motioned them back and like a wave of shadow, they washed over the beach and back towards their king.
"Guard it with your life!" He hissed at his minions before turning back to Stanton and shaking his head.
"Stanton!" Serena crawled to his side, where he had doubled over, mumbling a string of curses at his former ally. "Are you alright?"
He turned to her, his deep sapphire eyes stricken with a pain too real to be simply physical. "Serena."
"What were you looking for?" She gently took his face in her hands. Her voice slipped into a whisper. "Should I try to get it back?"
No. A flicker of fear sparked in his eyes. He'll kill you.
She frowned. "But I thought I was... the key..." She had no idea what it meant, but it had to count for something...
Serena... He pulled himself up into a sitting position. It was prophesied that one daughter was to betray Selene and submit to the Atrox. That daughter was you. A domino effect would occur and soon after, each Goddess would fall into submission.
Serena cocked an eyebrow. All that because of me?
He forced a small grin and traced his thumb over her cheek. The prophecy was wrong. I was supposed to be the follower who would lead you to the Atrox. But complications arose.
He smirked and she could guess what those complications were.
I fell in love with you. He folded his hands tightly and stared down at the ground. I thought that I could be with you and still remain faithful to the Atrox but eventually I had to choose where my loyalties lied.
And what did you choose?
Take a wild guess. He sighed deeply. We banded together and rather than leading the Atrox to victory, we led to its undoing.
Serena bit at her bottom lip. So the prophecy was reversed?
He nodded. And pretty much useless. Which means-
You're worthless to me...
They both jumped as the Atrox's voice invaded their minds. Serena's head shot up to see him standing over them, two phosphorescent embers burning into her. Is that what was in every followers eyes? An reflection of his own?
... which means I have no problem getting rid of you.
He laughed a high-pitched laugh and loomed over Stanton. "You'd think after five hundred years or so you'd learn some sort of obedience."
He held a hand out in midair and Serena jumped forward expecting him to lunge at Stanton, but he just flicked it quickly before letting it fall back to his side. Serena stared in confusion when she heard a small hiss at her side.
"Stanton?"
She turned to him. He seemed fine until she saw it. An inch of skin on his cheek had somehow sliced neatly in two and a fresh stream of bright red blood was trickling down his jaw. Serena gasped, against her own control. She was afraid. She was very afraid.
Stanton groaned, lifting a finger to touch his cheek. When he saw the blood, anger flashed through his eyes. "You can't just-"
"You are mine, Stanton. I can do whatever I like."
Serena gave an angry sigh. She was losing count of the people who claimed her husband. The Atrox turned at the sound.
"Would you suggest a better way of dealing with his insolence?"
She glared back. This was ridiculous. "If you told him to jump into the ocean and drown, would you expect him to do it?!"
"Of course, I would." The Atrox frowned. "Or else why would I command it?"
Good point...
"Well... then... um..."
"Master!" Serena turned to see Erica and the rest of the daughters nearing them. They all suddenly seemed vulnerable and weak, as if something was draining their life force.
"Yes?" The flaming embers slanted in their direction.
"Our power!" Alex shrieked, her large eyes frantic. "It's slipping away!"
A slight grin slipped over an otherwise dead expression. "That is not my concern. I'm not Selene. I couldn't take them from you."
"You know what we mean!" Erica suddenly burst forward, her features twisted in panic. Ebony took the girl by the shoulder and pulled her back. Serena scowled. What she saw in the darker girl's eyes was worse than any of the anger or fear she'd seen in her comrades': Defeat.
"You're doing this!" Erica screamed at him, despite Ebony's hold on her. "You're doing it, aren't you?!"
"Erica..." Alex pleaded, the beginnings of tears glistening at the corners of her eyes.
"Stop struggling!" Ebony scolded, her tone firmer than before.
The Atrox just laughed at their terror, a hint of excitement dancing through his eyes.
"No se. I don't get it." The older Jimena crossed her arms in anxiety. "What's wrong?"
"You can't do this! Not after everything we've done for you!" Erica raged, finally breaking free and charging towards the Atrox. "What's so funny?!" she asked before slapping him clear across the face.
Everyone silenced. Even the mass of bustling followers in the distance. A high shriek from Alex pierced through the silence, but the Atrox stood still, his expression as calm as ever. Serena thought, for a moment, that he wasn't going to react, when suddenly his hand lashed out and caught the girl by the wrist.
"Let me go!" she protested leaning back with all of her weight, but he ignored her, raising her a few inches off of the ground where her feet kicked about wildly.
"Erica." He stared solemnly at her as a father eyes a child before a lecture. "Did you honestly think you could hit me and get away with it?"
She only lifted her foot in an attempt to kick him, but he held her off and laughed. His fingers tightened and she gritted her teeth in pain. "It hurts."
"Apologize and I'll make it stop."
She only stared at him, her eyes defiant.
He seemed elated at the chance to cause her more pain. "Fine."
Erica was squirming now, trying her best to escape, but she still remained locked in his hold. The area around her wrist had began to shade into a sickening purple.
He leaned forward to whisper in her ear. "If you stopped struggling it wouldn't hurt so much."
She refused to take heed to his words and continued to thrash about aimlessly, her tiara falling off in the process, but her fight was losing momentum by the second and soon she dangled lifelessly in the air, her shoulders trembling at each movement.
"Apologize or I'll break it." The Atrox threatened. And Serena was guessing he'd do it too. She tried not to get involved in civil wars and she really couldn't stand Erica, but this just wasn't right. Laying her palms face down on the sand, she started to hoist herself up when Stanton pulled her back down.
"No." He held on to her arm. "It's not our fight."
"But-"
"You can't be the hero every time someone's in trouble, Serena."
"Parada! Stop it!" She turned to see the future Jimena stepping toward them. "Put her down!"
The Atrox turned to reply, but Erica got there first. Her mask of pain twisted into one of loathing. "I don't want your help!" she spat, her eyes venomous. "It's too late to play guardian now!"
Jimena's confident expression crumbled away and she stumbled back as if taking a blow.
A slow smirk slipped over the Atrox's face. "She's right, you know." His fingers slowly uncoiled and Erica fell to her knees, clutching her wrist close to her chest. "If you'd taken your place as mentor, none of this would have happened." He rested a pale, spidery hand on Erica's shoulder and she flinched at his touch. "With out their assistance I never could have broken free. I couldn't have summoned my followers or even possessed this body." He gave Jimena his deadened smile. "I couldn't have done it without you, Pandia."
Visibly shaken now, Jimena lowered her head to the ground, dark wisps falling over her eyes.
"But not to worry." The Atrox's smile widened. "They're of no further use to me."
"No!" Alex cried. "You promised us eternal life!"
"I knew it." Ebony sighed, her voice surprisingly calm. "I knew we should have listened to Samantha."
"Master please!" Alex was stumbling across the sands now, tears pouring down her cheeks. "We can still fight! Our powers-"
"Will be gone in less than three months." he challenged her. "Your seventeenth birthdays are coming up fast or have you forgotten?"
Alex stopped in mid-run her eyes wild and desperate, and Ebony walked up beside her to slip an arm around her shoulder. Serena stared in disbelief. Only minutes ago, Alex had been the one taunting her and stealing her son. Now here she was bawling like a child begging her mother not to leave her in the dark. "Well..." Erica stared up at her king, confusion and loss taking the place of her anger. "What are we supposed to do now?"
"Where do we go?" Alex whimpered.
"That depends." The Atrox shrugged. "Perhaps you should've been nicer to your parents. Besides..." He raised a hand and a sudden gust of cold wind consumed the air around them. "Who said I was going to let you live?"
As if on cue, Jimena sprung forward, but the winds were too fast for her. A dark mist had encircled the Atrox and the three goddesses and, like a tornado, it spun about so fast that if they even dared approached it, they would be swept into the mass of followers. Jimena groaned. Cursing to herself, she turned to Stanton. "How do I get through this?"
He simply frowned, the answer already clear in his tired eyes. "You don't."
Erica was crawling backwards away from her leader now, her eyes wide and scared. Alex was still crying but her whimpers had become low throaty sobs. Her face was red and glistening with tears. A flicker of fear passed through Ebony's expression, but that was all. Unlike her sisters, she seemed to accept her fate.
"Don't be foolish." The Atrox scolded as Erica darted to every end of her shadowy prison in hopes of an escape. She lifted a hand to the mist and it began to fade into the silvery gas she'd used to possess Serena, but the mist only deflected it.
"Dammit!" she cursed when it wouldn't work. "This isn't fair!"
"You're making this harder than it has to be." The Atrox materialized behind her and she cringed in surprise.
"Fuck off!"
"Erica!" Ebony took her roughly by the arm. "Its too late."
"Get off me!"
"We should have ran when we had the chance!"
Erica pulled harder, using her nails to tear into Ebony's arm, but it didn't seem to effect her.
"Where are you gonna go?!" Her grip finally loosened and Erica tumbled back unto the sand, her breathing heavy and labored. Serena thought that she was going to get up and run away again, but the girl just sat there, her eyes darting from side to side and she could imagine the millions of thoughts running through her mind. When Erica finally looked up, the fire had died out of her eyes. Nothing remained but a deep sorrow that pained Serena to even look at. "I don't..." she stared at Ebony, her eyes distant, her voice smaller than usual. "I don't want to die."
Ebony knelt down to slip her arms around her. She whispered something in her ear and Erica collapsed against her, low sobs starting in her throat. Alex was standing above the two and Erica's lost resolve seemed to shake her up even more. She raced toward Jimena, her red, spiky hair in disarray over her head.
"Help!" she begged, her body trembling all over. "Please, help me!"
"I don't know how!" Jimena called back, her hands shaking. "I don't know how to get through!"
"Please!" Alex turned around to see the Atrox nearing her. "Just... just-"
"I don't know what to do!" Jimena cried. "I can't help you."
Alex gave Jimena a tortured look. A look that asked why mommy was leaving you alone with the monsters in your closet or a babysitter that you didn't particularly like.
Jimena turned away. "I'm sorry." Her voice broke on the last syllable and she lowered her head so that no one could see the tears in her eyes.
"Jimena." Serena started toward her, but someone else beat her to it.
"Jimena." Serena watched as a recovered Maggie slipped pale arms around her best friend from behind. Her eyes were pained and sorrowful. "I'm sorry. I should have warned you-"
"No." Jimena raised her head again, not one tear dampening her skin. "It was common sense."
"Ji-"
"It's my fault." She eyed her mentor, challenging her. "And I'll take the blame for it."
Maggie started to retaliate but seemed to think better of it and just smiled a sad but encouraging smile, her arms still wrapped consolingly around Jimena.
Serena grinned at the two before reluctantly turning back to the mist. Alex had joined Erica now, both of them holding on to Ebony for dear life as if she could save them from what was about to happen. They formed a rather twisted circle, their arms intertwined together, their faces nestling in each other's hair, squeezing so hard as if trying to disappear into one another. And there was Ebony in the center, a single tear streaming down her cheek. When had it fallen? They finally looked like the sisters they claimed to be, every argument forgiven, every fight forgotten. The bond was finally there, but why had it taken them so long and cost them so much to forge it?
"Any last words?" The Atrox asked, his stare blank and unfeeling. Alex looked as if she was about to respond, but when Ebony squeezed her shoulder lightly, she only stared at him, fresh whimpers rising in her throat. Erica leaned deeper into Ebony. Her eyes were still streaming with tears, but she was no longer sobbing. Only that deep sorrowful gaze remained.
"Tough as usual, I see." The Atrox muttered and Serena knew he was speaking to Ebony. She didn't respond.
"You won't cry?"
Still no response.
He sighed, apparently disappointed. "Fine."
Then with a simple flourish of his hand, he drew something from the girls. At first, Serena thought it was the remains of the power he'd given them until she noticed a difference in their forms. They flickered back and forth out of focus and she realized what was happening. Slowly, but surely, they were fading. Serena gripped Stanton tightly by the shoulder and saw that Jimena was doing the same to Maggie. The younger Jimena sat baffled in the sand, absently rolling the grains harshly between her fingers. Alex had finally disappeared into the mist with one last piercing scream and Erica was coming up close behind her. The last girl glanced in Serena's direction and for a moment met her eyes. Serena couldn't quite place the emotion there, but it wasn't fear of death or anger that she'd failed. Her dark eyes held sorrow and regret like Erica's but there was something brighter as well. A sense of joy. Or relief. As if she no longer had to bear a burden and Serena realized with sadness that it was the happiest she had seen the girl tonight.
The last daughter was transparent now, almost airy. With one last blink, another tear fell to match the one before it and with that, she vanished into the night.
So much drama. Well at the least I just terminated three of the many characters that I don't know what to do with. Advice: NEVER write with so many characters. I've learned the very hard way... So please REVIEW and tell me what you think. Likes. Dislikes. My block is finally gone. I can write much more easily now. Its still a bit difficult to write this though. Not only is there a shit load of drama but... characters as well. I also have to watch out for the DEADLY PLOT HOLES! Tell me if you've found any!
The next chapter should be fun. To write anyway. Very fun. Still dramatic... But fun... It'll probably be ridiculously long too unless I split it. Well ciao. Hope you enjoyed. REVIEW!