Night's Children: Cetera Desunt
AN: I'm going to stress that the chapters for Cetera Desunt are going to be shorter than the later chapters of Nox Noctis, simply due to the fact that this book, for about 90 of the time, is solely in Aria's point of view. Nox Noctis viewed a lot of different perspectives therefore its chapters were longer. That, and updates for NN were about once every two months (heh) compared to the once a week updates for this fic.
Also, this story is AU (alternate universe) due to book 12, as I had started writing this series in…um…2004? I think? Anyways, I started it before book 12 came out, so I'm basing Tianna's history from the facts presented in books 6-11. In addition, Dylan is Aria's five year old brother for those who have forgotten.
Chapter Three: Covetousness
Aria slammed her locker shut with a little more force than necessary as the final tardy bell rang for her next class. She rocked a bit on her feet, her head feeling slightly woozy from sleep deprivation as she regained her footing.
Last night had not been an easy one. As soon as she had bolted from the hospital, she went directly home where she was met with 'the interrogator', also known as Tianna Anderson-Moore, as she struggled to come up with suitable lies. She had stuck to the story of friends being attacked by a gang to explain her absence that morning, but it failed to explain her being out all night.
Aria had stared at her mother, who was in mid-rant about responsibility, and had said flatly that it would never happen again.
And she was right, yesterday had been her last night as a Goddess, no more. A reluctant smile crept upon her face as she thought of how she would never have to lie to her parents again.
"Aria!" Came a shrill yell from down the hall, and she sluggishly turned just in time to collide with one of her best, normal, friends Amanda.
Amanda was one of those 'delightfully cruel' types. With long, shiny chestnut hair and doe blue eyes she had quite a following at Turney High which was only fueled by her desire to wear clothes that didn't leave much to the imagination. Currently, she was donned in a leather mini skirt and black tube top that Aria knew wasn't on friendly terms with the school dress code. But it didn't matter. Amanda, along with herself and their other good friend Yvette, constituted the 'inner circle' of Turney.
"Where have you been? I texted you about three thousand times last night and you didn't respond once," Amanda said hotly, placing a hand on her hip.
A flit of irritation flowed through her at that moment, wondering where exactly Amanda felt justified in being angry. So what if Aria didn't reply to some stupid messages on her cell phone, she was too busy, you know saving the world.
"Were you out with Ian?" She prodded, giving a wink as she leaned coyly against the hall of lockers.
The anger Aria felt left her for almost as quickly as it came at the mention of Ian. The tall, handsome, blonde wasn't her boyfriend by any means, but the two were close. Really close. "I wish," She muttered, once again feeling embittered by the lack of normalcy in her life. Any other girl would have been on a date, or gone to a movie with friends, but Aria was stuck watching her teammates get beaten to within an inch of their lives and flambéing Followers of evil.
Amanda gave a low whistle of appreciation, "Can't blame you there. Ever since Trysten dropped out of school, Ian's easily the hottest guy on the market."
Once again annoyance filtered through. To Amanda, Trysten Hatfield was nothing but the hot guy in her gym class, to Aria, he was now the next container for the Atrox. She seethed inwardly, disgusted and disappointed in her now jaded view of life. She looked towards Amanda, who had begun chatting incessantly about a hot date she had that night with some guy from La Brea, and Aria grit her teeth. What she wouldn't give to be involved in a world where the greatest crisis to face was a bad hair day.
But no. Unfortunate karma had bestowed upon her some moronic destiny that had stripped everything from her. No dates, no true friends to confide in, no teenage lifestyle. Not for the first time, she felt horribly cheated.
"Hello? Earth to Ari!" Proclaimed Amanda, knocking on her head for good measure.
She blinked rapidly, "What?"
Amanda giggled, "You just like totally spaced out! Are you feeling ok? Maybe you should go to the nurse or something?"
At the word 'nurse' Aria's mouth felt indescribably dry, and her thoughts drifted to what she had done yesterday, and a sinking sensation hit her stomach. It wasn't guilt, or at least, she didn't want to admit it was guilt, but something rather close to it. Her mind conjured the image of Imy, slumped against a pillar and barely breathing, Riley with tubes and hooks strung into her skin, and the hurt and betrayed looks on both Tessa and Jimena's faces.
"Now you're just being creepy," Amanda continued to be ignored as Aria felt her mind drifting elsewhere.
The raw…whatever it had been, when Aria had clutched onto the Follower two nights ago. The pure, enraged spite and loathing that had drifted through her for that one moment as she drove the Atrox's influence from him like an exorcism. The power she held in the palms of her hands, the ability to make a grown man scream from a simple touch. That same ability that she had denied her comatose teammates.
"Oooh, look, here comes Art," Stated Amanda, her friend's well-being drifting out of her mind in the presence of eye candy, "You know he's really not that bad looking. If he wasn't so stuck on crazy psycho girl he'd be way hot." She paused for a moment, contemplative, "I'd do him."
Aria's face twisted at her words, her terrifying thoughts interrupted by her friend's audacity, "What the hell is wrong with you?" She declared.
Amanda blinked, taken aback by her tone, "Just admiring, nothing unusual." She raised a perfectly tweezed eyebrow, "What the hell's wrong with you?"
Aria was shaking, she knew it. She also knew that Amanda wasn't acting out of the ordinary for her character, and normally she'd just laugh along. But today was different. Different for so many reasons and Aria just did not have the tolerance for any of it right now.
"I'm going to class," She bit out, abruptly turning her heel and leaving a flabbergasted Amanda behind her.
She didn't go two steps before she felt a hand close down on her shoulder and she swore under her breath, trembling from a barely suppressed rage that she didn't remember having, "Amanda, I'm in a bad mood and you have two seconds before-"
"Then it's a good thing I'm not Amanda," Came a low and definite masculine voice. Aria swerved around to meet the startling green gaze of Art, "We need to talk." Was all he said, his voice low and somber.
Out of the trio, the only one still attending Turney High was Arthur King. Almost immediately after Trysten's fall, Lance had dropped out, and virtually disappeared off of the face of the planet, the only one who knew if he was even still alive was the dark haired boy that was currently staring at her with an uncharacteristic coldness.
"I need to get to class," Aria started, feeling nervous and exposed under Art's piercing stare, as she shifted away from him.
"I don't care," Was all he stated, "What happened to Imy?"
From the sour expression on his face, Aria immediately deducted that he knew exactly what had happened to Imy. "Leave me alone Art," She said attempting to sound as frigid as he was, but instead her voice came out panicked and pitchy.
"Yeah, leave her alone Art." Came a voice from behind her and she let out a gigantic sigh of relief.
"Ian." Art muttered between clenched teeth, "This isn't any of your business."
Everyone knew of the bitterness that existed between Ian Saratoga and Art, most likely started by the fact that Art was still dating Ian's once crush. Even though the blonde had gotten over Imy and moved on, the dislike the two shared seemed to carry over. Though they were civil towards each other, the intense vibes of anger and rivalry that flowed between them could be felt by anyone without Riley's help.
To this, Ian just gave a snort of disdain and draped an arm casually over Aria, "Ignore the loser, we're going to be late for bio," He said, giving her a heart melting smile.
Aria just nodded dumbly and allowed her self to be steered by Ian, as Art watched them go, a dark look shadowing his features as he clenched his fists in irritation.
Ian shook his head as they continued walking, "What's that guy's deal anyway?" He asked no one in particular, but Aria felt compelled to answer.
"He's just upset about his girlfriend," She whispered.
Ian sent her a quizzical look out of the corner of his eye, "What does that have to do with you?"
Unknowingly, Aria's hand drifted over the amulet concealed behind her shirt as she sighed, "Nothing, nothing at all."
"Hmph," Ian said dismissively, shrugging his shoulders for effect, "Forget him, how about we ditch class and grab a bite?"
Aria stared at his dark brown eyes blankly, knowing that it was a perfectly innocent, and ordinary, question. She wrung her hands together, the feeling that strongly resembled guilt once again resurfacing.
Grab a bite?
Imy and Riley could only eat from feeding tubes.
Ditch class?
Tessa was most likely doing that right now over at La Brea, probably out doing drugs.
Forget him?
Forget them.
She opened her mouth, the clear-cut answer on the tip of her tongue and ready to be delivered, but something in Ian's eyes stayed her reply. She bit back the choking sensation, "Alright." She spoke so softly that Ian doubted her answer for a moment.
"What was that?" He asked.
"Let's just get out of here," She said louder, grabbing his wrist and directing him towards the school's parking lot. On her way out, she saw Art standing there in the same place they had left him. And there was a look of condemnation directed at the healing goddess who wouldn't heal in his cold, emerald eyes that were also filled with pain.
As they made eye contact, Aria knew that if she ever wanted to come to terms with her conscience, she would halt her steps, turn around and demand that Art take them straight to Imy, and heal away the misery within her. To show courage for once in her pitiful life.
But instead, Aria did what Aria did best. What she was comfortable with, the normal, average, boring, and safe reaction.
She held her chin high, and walked away.
This was her one shot at being a human, not a deity.
And goddamn it all if she wasted it.
Yet despite her mental pep talk, she still could not stop her hands from shaking violently as she left Art, and the ramifications of her decisions, behind.
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"You look lost."
The sudden accusation disrupted Aria's engaging activity, twirling a French fry around in a pile of ketchup, "Huh?" She murmured.
Ian sighed from his seat across from her, cracking his knuckles as he stretched his arms behind his head, "I said, you look lost."
The two had skipped their biology class, and after an awkward, silent car ride, the pair was now sitting at a scarcely packed food court at a local mall that was about two blocks from Aria's own home. Ian had been staring at her for the last few moments in a baffled concern, while she sat idly, her mind completely preoccupied until he had chosen to speak.
Her eyes narrowed and she was immediately on the defensive, "What do you mean by that?" She questioned pointedly.
He held up his hands in a mock defense, "Relax, it was just an observation." He paused for a moment, "You just seem a little tense, that's all." Was what he muttered.
Aria clenched the French fry in her hand so tightly it broke in half, but she didn't seem to notice, "You don't know the half of it."
Immediately deciding a change in topic was in order, Ian cleared his throat, "So what did Art want?"
For me to grow up, "Nothing."
The blonde sighed, leaning back in his chair, "Do you want to talk about it?" He prompted gently.
"No." Her response was too quick, even for her own ears.
Ian just shook his head and put a hand over hers, immediately stopping the trembling, "Then maybe you should go find someone that you will talk about it to." His brown eyes narrowed in observation, "It's obvious that you're upset right now, and it's not healthy to keep it all bottled up like you're doing."
Rage bubbled up inside of her at his patronizing tone, "What the hell would you know? If I need a shrink I'll ask for it!" She growled, "There's nothing wrong, I'm not upset! I'm fine! Perfectly normal!"
Ian looked at the fuming goddess across from him, "You suck at not being upset," He replied bluntly, scooting his chair back as he stood, "I'm going back to school," his eyes seemed to scrutinize her for a moment, "You should go home and get some sleep." He declared, sounding very tired himself, "No offense, Aria, but you look like you've just seen hell on earth."
Aria's eyes widened as she gaped at him in shock, "I'm sorry-!" She blurted, already apologizing for her outburst.
Ian simply rose a hand in protest, "Hey, it's cool don't worry about it." A wry half-grin crept across his features, "Just take a day off, you look a little stressed, and maybe we'll hang out tomorrow?"
Her amber colored eyes widened as her mouth dropped open, and she shook her head, "Sounds good." Was all she muttered softly.
He smiled once again and gave her a peck on the cheek before turning to leave, "Take care of yourself, ok?"
She nodded numbly.
"And call me if anything comes up."
Once again, an approval with no enthusiasm.
"Goodbye Aria."
"Goodbye."
The girl watched him leave, turning around towards the exit where he had parked his car. As soon as he opened the door, he gave her another wave and a reassuring smile as he left.
She sighed and once again resumed twirling the fry in the ketchup.
Ian really was a nice guy, a good guy.
He truly was.
It was too bad, she mused to herself silently after he left the food court, that there was such a distance between his world and hers, one she was sure could never be bridged.
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When Aria finally sauntered into her home, she was met with two very unwelcome surprises.
The first, that Tianna, her mother, had apparently taken the day off of work and was staring at her expectantly.
The second was that Jimena was comfortably sitting on the living room's sofa.
"You." She hissed, pointing a finger accusingly, "What are you doing here?"
Jimena said nothing, her face a perfect mask of concealed emotion.
Aria's mother stared in horror at her daughter, "What is the matter with you? Jimena's our guest!" She looked at Jimena and shook her head apologetically, "I'm sorry, Jimena, Aria normally doesn't act like this."
Jimena crossed her arms and looked at her coolly, "Yes, Aria doesn't seem to be acting normal at all lately."
Aria's lip twitched into a sneer at her 'mentor's' words, but she said nothing, attempting to communicate her loathing via eye contact.
Tianna ran a few fingers through her long, dark hair as she sighed and collapsed against the back of the chair she had been sitting in, "Aria, why don't you take a seat? We need to talk."
"No." She bit out, still eyeing Jimena warily.
"Aria." Her tone held finality.
Begrudgedly, Aria plopped into a nearby armchair, her arms crossed and her eyes glowering.
Jimena cleared her throat professionally, straightening in her seat, "First things first, Aria, I told your mother about your recent," She smirked, "After school job."
"What?" She bellowed, panic overtaking her, she turned to her mother, "Mom, don't listen to her, she doesn't know what she's talking about!"
"Aria-" Tianna prompted gently.
"NO!" She cried, "This woman's just desperate, she'll say anything!"
Jimena's smirk twisted into a grimace at Aria's harsh words.
"Aria!" Tianna cut off her daughter's rant as she fished around her neck before her fingers landed on a chain, slowly she pulled it out from under her shirt, a silver moon gleaming in the light, "I already know, honey, I already know."
She could literally feel the blood draining from her face, "How-?" She whispered, her attention drifting to her mentor's, "You knew? And you didn't tell me!" She swerved on her heel towards Tianna, "And how do you know! You're not supposed to remember!" She proclaimed.
A nostalgic smile spread across Tianna's face as she fingered the pendant, "I wasn't like the others, I wasn't born a Daughter." She sent her child a meaningful look, "I wanted to become one of Selene's Chosen, it was my request and I'm grateful to this day that Selene accepted me."
Aria's mouth suddenly tasted very bitter, "Then you're a fool." Her clenched fists began to tremble, "Don't you understand? You volunteered to be considered a freak and outcast? Volunteered to be the target of the Atrox and its Followers? And you're grateful for that!"
The smile immediately dropped and a cold look entered her eyes, making Tianna appear similar to Jimena, "Being a Daughter of the Moon isn't about the risks, Aria, it's about protecting the world from evil." She stood up, "It's about being something bigger than yourself; otherwise Selene wouldn't send her Daughters down in teams." Tianna's dark gaze continued to stare her daughter down, "I had hoped you would have been intelligent enough to recognize that instead of behaving like a five year old with a temper tantrum."
If Aria was irritated before, she was livid now, "How dare you patronize me like that?" Her teeth were grinding viciously against each other, "There's no point to saving a world that would see you as some abnormal mutant!" Tianna opened her mouth to protest, but Aria cut her off, "You know it's true! Why else would we not be able to talk about the Atrox?"
This time, it was Jimena who intervened, "To talk about the Atrox would draw attention like a magnet, the Followers would know who you are, where you live, your family, and everything else in a moment. It is not society's standards, it's doing what's right and protecting yourself." She hissed.
"Then this war endangers those we care about!" She seethed, loosing whatever composure she had, she swerved and looked at Tianna, "If a more ambitious Follower were to discover who I was, what's to stop them from coming after you?"
Tianna stood up, "I can take care of myself." Was all she stated simply.
Aria copied her mother's rigid posture, "Perhaps, but someone like Dylan most certainly can't."
"A situation where neither of us could protect him is rare," She responded coolly, obviously far more levelheaded than her fifteen-year-old.
Aria pointed an accusing finger, "That's not true! Two months ago, some kid named Twiggy was almost killed in a car accident when a Follower decided to ram his car." She paused, "Who decided to ram the car because there were two Daughters of the Moon with him. Two Daughters who were powerless to save their friend."
Jimena cleared her throat, still sitting comfortably on the sofa, "Perhaps, but Selene also gave you the power to restore his health." She raised an eyebrow, "You have to understand Aria that this lifestyle does take, but it also gives." She crossed her arms, "You, more than any other of the new Daughters, have the ability to benefit mankind with your gift and yet you choose to shun and ignore it."
"I don't care!" She screamed, "I don't want any of this, I just want to be normal!" Her curly hair had fallen over her face, shadowing her features, "It isn't fair to watch my friends, my actual friends, go on and have natural lives while I am burdened with the destiny of the world! I'm done with being a goddess and I'm done with Imy, Riley, Tessa, and you!" She yelled at her once mentor.
A crestfallen look appeared over the ex-gangster's face as she sighed slowly, staring at the ground, "I know what you're going through, Aria." The younger goddess went to cut her off, but Jimena held up a hand, "Hear me out." She averted her eyes from the floor to the healing goddess, "Because of my own destiny, I've lost my husband and my son." She cleared her throat, "I watched my best friend in the world get destroyed by Regulators, I've seen another one of my friends shot by a Follower as she attempted to save someone's life." Her eyes hardened, "I had to deal with another going insane and betraying us all." She stared her down, and Aria felt herself shrink back again, "Followers killed my grandmother, manipulated my once boyfriend into going into enemy gang territory, and destroyed everything else I've held close to me." She got up, and brushed imaginary dirt off of her pants, "But I endured, because I know that this war is greater than myself."
"Jimena-" Tianna stated gently at her friend and once fellow goddess.
"No, Tianna," The Magna Mater said harshly, "Aria needs to hear all of this." She exhaled angrily, "You think you're suffering, Aria? Think about myself, think about your fellow Daughters. Riley's childhood was a living hell due to the nature of her mother, and she's been ostracized her entire life. The only person who ever came even close to understanding her, willingly caved to his own inner demons and became her enemy." Jimena paused, "And she's not the only one. Tessa's family disintegrated due to the Atrox, and her parents, both Followers, saw her as a burden rather than their own child." Her onyx eyes narrowed, "Not even Daughters are just affected, Gordon's son committed suicide due to the Atrox's influence and yet he, a normal and average man, happily accepted fighting for Selene, why can't you?"
Aria was deadly silent, shaking, as her face grew paler.
Jimena exhaled angrily and went towards the door, as soon as her hand landed on the knob, her words came, low and harsh, "They found Tessa earlier today in an alleyway," Her eyes narrowed, "She's hospitalized right now, apparently she was beaten to within an inch of her life before going into a self-induced coma." The door cracked open and Jimena turned to stare at the brunette, "You can't run forever Aria, one day you'll realize that like I had to."
Silence overtook the three women as all their attention was focused on Aria, as if waiting for confirmation. The youngest of the trio realized that once again an opportunity for redemption had presented itself like it had with Art, she could go with Jimena now and heal all of them, and no one would think any less of her for the temporary cowardice.
"Go." Was all the young goddess could say, still trembling violently.
And with that one spoken word, disappointment settled like a suffocating blanket over the occupants of the room.
Jimena only nodded, and silently exited the Anderson-Moore's home.
As soon as the leader of the Daughters of the Moon had left, Tianna turned to her eldest child, her voice quiet but full of frustration, "Go up to your room, we'll talk about this later." Was all she said, unable to meet her daughter's eyes.
Aria nodded numbly as she stomped up the stairs and stormed into her bedroom, flinging herself on the bed before she began to cry viciously into her pillow.
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So…Nym has an announcement:
Nym will be moving in about two weeks, meaning that in about two weeks nym will be on a hiatus for quite a while as she attempts to establish an internet connection from a 98 windows PC (insert eyetwitch) as her beautiful laptop is being sent ahead with all other 'unnecessary' crap. Things are going to be hectic, and alas, 'real' life unfortunately takes precedence over fanfic land….stupid 'real' life…
Next Up: Aria's on her own as she plans to leave L.A., that is, until she meets a handsome stranger on the only train out of town.