Hey! Sorry, I know that I didn't update for like forever. Busy with school stuff. And recently, I am more obsessed with reading instead of writing FanFic. Haha! Lol. Anyway, this chapter is so much longer than I have expected it to be.
This chapter is dedicated to all my readers. Please enjoy!
*Disclaimer: I don't own the HoN Series and any of the characters.
As we walked to Goddess knows where, I realize that there is also a sense of darkness pulsing in the air around me just like Neferet. She didn't say anything while we walked with her leading the way but she does have an evil grin, huge on her face.
She suddenly stopped walking as quickly as before and slowly approached a group of people. Apparently, we have already reached our destination, the East Wall, the place of power. Are we going to kill Stevie Rae now? I mean, she just asked me not long ago-very not long ago.
I was too absorbed in my own thoughts, in my own little personal-okay, maybe not too personal-bubble that I got a shock and almost jumped when Neferet yelled, "Lies!" Did she have to shriek so loudly? Vampyres and fledglings have good hearing. Based on her volume, a human one hundred miles away can hear her, perfectly clear.
She pushed through the crowd of people-actually; she is not really pushing, as the groups of fledglings move to let her pass. I just stood at the same spot, not sure what is Neferet going to do next. I suppose I will just aim and release the arrow when she tells me to.
She continued, "You ask us to accept a perversion of nature as something the Goddess made? Those creatures were dead. They should be dead again."
I am one of those creatures she is talking about, right? Isn't she the one who created us? I recalled whatever that have just happened in the morgue not ten minutes again when I have just waken up, or to be more exact, rise from the dead.
"You should know about these creatures as you call them. You tried to use them. You tried to twist them. It was you who kept them as prisoners until through us Nyx healed and then freed them." This voice sounds very familiar… It belongs to Zoey!
I tried to look through the gaps of spaces between the many heads in front of me. I suppose they were trying to get nearer to…what do the humans call it? ...ah… 'kan hao xi (看好戏)', to see the 'good show'. Finally, I managed to take a short look at her. My mind has not done her justice. No matter how many times I have thought of her, picturing her in my head, she is way way more beautiful than that.
Her shoulders are squared and she was facing Neferet, not an ounce of fear in her. How brave of her, many feel uncomfortable, with many mixed emotions but now, I could tell that many were afraid of her, judging by the look on their faces.
When I saw her, I didn't feel so… how to describe it? ... bad, anymore. However, not long after, the monster in me just got stronger, even stronger than before.
"You blame me for these monstrosities?" Neferet eyes widened in surprise and if I may add, false surprise. But I could only think it for a while before the other part of mind somehow wipes it off and it also seems like I cannot control my mouth, cannot say anything I want to say.
"Hey, me and my friends aren't monstrosities!" I looked around to see who the one who spoke was. I've never heard that voice before, not once in my existence or non-existence.
I realized that it was a girl who spoke. A vampyre will be more exact but then she is not any kind of ordinary spoke. Instead of a filled-in sapphire blue moon and tattoos, she has a red-the colour of blood-filled-in crescent moon on her forehead with red tattoos stretching down her cheekbones made of swirling flowers with long, graceful stems. (Though of course, in my opinion, Zoey is one thousand-no, one million-times pretties but I am not saying that she is not pretty or anything.)
Based on Neferet's description to me earlier, she must be Stevie Rae Johnson, the person I am supposed to make sure dies today from the shot of my arrow, using my goddess-given gift.
Argh! Why must she be here today? I understand that if Zoey asked, she could not refuse-I mean, who can?-but then it is because of her presence here that is going to cause her death. She is Zoey's best friend and roommate, aid in helping Zoey adapt to the new surrounding and lifestyle when she first got marked, how could I bear hurting Zoey's heart and probably-most likely-bearing the consequence of her hating me forever by killing her? Gosh! This is giving me such a headache. Too bad even if I took medicine, it wouldn't help.
"Silence, beast! Enough is enough!" Neferet commanded then swept her gaze across the stunned crowd. "Tonight, I discovered another of the creatures Zoey and her people were raising from the dead." She threw a satchel containing the nanny cam monitor and the nanny cam which I have seen in her hands, on the floor.
She looked at… who was that? That gay boy… Ever since I have been 'raised from the dead', I have difficulty remembering people and things that happened when I am still alive. Ah, his name is Jack and he has a boyfriend named Damien. "Jack!" Hah! I am correct! "Do you deny that Zoey made you plant this in the morgue, where you locked the body of the recently dead, James Stark, so that she can watch to see when her wicked spells would resurrect him?" Oh! So the nanny cam is so that she can check on my body, seeing when I will wake up… She still cares about me! How can Neferet lie to so many people? Zoey is so innocent, the evil one is her! Why can't I just speak for myself at this moment to defend the girl I loved? By the way, for the millionth time I am repeating this, call me Stark!
"No. Yes. It wasn't like that," Jack squeaked, stuttering. Apparently he doesn't know how to answer this simple question. Just say that Zoey is innocent, you idiot. Something whined pitifully at his feet and I saw… Duchess! Pitiful girl, how I yearn to go over there right now and ruffle her ears to comfort her.
"Leave him alone!" Damien, the other gay guy shouted from the first seat in the circle, representing air.
"So you continue to be blinded by her? You continue to follow her than Nyx?" Neferet continued, not seeming to care about Jack's answer at all and totally ignoring Damien's words.
The blond next to Zoey-um…Aphrodite, the love goddess, right?-spoke, about something that is irrelevant to the previous topic. "Hey, Neferet. Where's your Goddess insignia?" I checked the front of her dress and indeed, there is no Goddess insignia which is supposed to be worn by professors-and High Priestess-especially on such a big day, considering the casting of the circle at the East Wall.
I looked back to the direction of Zoey and just happened to notice something, or something that is not there to be noticed… Aphrodite doesn't have the blue fledgling outline of a crescent moon on her forehead. It can only mean two things. One, she is using congealer to cover it up but then what reason does she have to do it? We are at school, not outside at the streets. Two, which is very impossible, is that she doesn't have the mark anymore-she is a human. See? Not possible, right? You either die or change to become a mature vampyre when you are marked. Forget it, that's not important right now!
"What's that around your neck?" Zoey asked, using her beautiful, sweet voice.
Neferet moved her hands to stroke something hanging around her neck, a pendant from a chain. On closer look, I realized what it is like. The pendant dangling from a golden chain is a pair of raven black wings carved from onyx. "The wings of Erebus, Nyx's consort."
How can that be? The wings of Erebus is supposed to be pure white, symbolizing goodness, not black which usually means darkness, evil. Another thing, who will wear Erebus's wings around their neck instead of the embodied Goddess insignia?
"Um, excuse me, but, no, they're not. Erebus's wings are made from gold. They're never black. You taught me that yourself in Vamp Soc class." Damien stated.
Yah, I missed that thing out. Even if Erebus's wings are to be carved, it should be gold, not onyx. I almost laughed when he added that last part over there. I suppose it does pay to pay attention in class after all.
"I have had enough of this meaningless babble. It is time this little charade end." Neferet snapped, trying to change the topic.
Zoey said, "You know, I think that's a darn good idea."
Neferet stepped aside and crooked her finger at me, signaling that I should walk to her. I tried resisting but it didn't work. It is like she had a special kind of hold on me or something, controlling me, making me do whatever she wants.
"Come to me and show what it is they created tonight," she told me. As I walked nearer and nearer to her, Duch howled in agony and then whined pitifully. I reached Neferet's side and suddenly, I felt very mad, mad to the extent that I could kill everybody in the whole world and not feel the least bit guilty about it.
"Stark!" I heard her voice clearly in the wind though she whispered it and I'd bet that even her circle couldn't hear her. I feel a connection with Zoey, even when the first time I set my eyes on her. A connection strong enough that I would tell her my deepest secret, the one buried in the pits of my heart and mind.
The sound of my name from her voice 'woke' me up, triggered me such that the monster side of me is now weaker than my humanity side and I am able to speak for myself though it is not very clear. "Zzzzoey…"
She stumbled one step toward me. "Yes, Stark, it's me," she said, sounding like she was on the verge of tears though hope is evident in her eyes. I think she is the only one who will remember to call me by my middle name instead of my first name.
"Ssssaid I'd come back to you"-and Duch.
She smiled, making my heart skip a beat, and walked slowly towards me when Aphrodite suddenly grabbed her wrist and pulled her back when she reached the edge of the circle. What the-? Can't she let Zoey make her own decisions?
"Don't go to him, Neferet is setting you up," she whispered to Zoey. Hmm… I didn't think of that. It seems like my hearing has improved. I shouldn't have been able to hear that even when I am a blue fledgling and their hearing are better than humans. So, a red fledgling's hearing is even better than a blue fledgling's.
"What has been done to this child is quite horrible. Zoey, I must insist that you close this ritual for this evening. We shall take the fledglings inside, and contact the Council of Nyx to come and judge these events." These words or command came from Shekinah, the High Priestess of all vampyres.
She is tall and thin and her skin was the colour of rich, well-polished dark wood, and like mahogany, it was smooth and flawless, and her intricate tattoo was in the shape of the goddess figure all the vamp professors wore embroidered on their breast pockets. The female figures are symmetrical, their bodies stretched down her high cheekbones and along the side of her face. The arms were lifted with hands raised as if to cup the filled-in sapphire blue crescent moon in the middle of her forehead. Her hair was impossibly long and it fell well past her waist, in a heavy length of shining black silk. Her eyes are dark and shaped like almonds and a long, straight nose and full lips. I have met her once before, during that uneventful Summer Games.
Zoey turned to Stevie Rae and answered an unasked question. "It's okay. That's Shekinah. She'll know the difference between lies and truth." Well, just like Zoey.
"I know the difference between lies and truth, and I carry a judgment with me greater than some distant Council." Neferet spoke up and Zoey turned to face her again.
"You've been found out! I didn't do this to Stark, or to the other red fledglings. You did, and now you're going to have to face what you've done," Zoey yelled.
"And yet the creature calls your name," Neferet retorted. How could she? Suddenly, I had another flashback, Zoey had said: Oh, and she's majorly intuitive-practically psychic. So that is the reason why she knew what I wanted-blood-in the morgue. If so, she should also know how I felt towards Zoey, even in this state. How could she use that against Zoey?
"Zzzzzoey," I called her again, trying to warn her against Neferet like she did but also to tell her that I am under her control and that I am very sorry that I am unable to help her but then, I cannot continue. My mouth is open, but then I couldn't say anything at all.
"Stark, I'm so sorry this had happened to you," Zoey said, looking at me.
"Zoey Redbird! Close the circle now. These events must be reviewed by those whose judgment can be trusted. And I will take this poor fledgling into my care," Shekinah commanded Zoey, voice like a whip.
To my astonishment, and everyone else's as well, Neferet didn't do anything but laugh.
Aphrodite pulled Zoey back toward the center of the circle and said, "I have a bad feeling about this."
"Me, too," Stevie Rae agreed with her from her northernmost position in the circle.
"Don't close the circle, Aphrodite said. Hmm… she is quite smart, not like the other girls I have met before that was like her-bitch like, vain. Most of them only got looks and money, but no brains at all.
From beside Neferet, I could hear her whispering softly to Zoey so that Shekinah will not be able to hear her. "Don't close the circle and you'll look guilty. Close it and you'll be vulnerable. Which do you choose?" What a bitch! She is putting Zoey on the spot as she will still lose no matter what choice she makes. I tried to escape her control on me but to no avail and it only got stronger, tempting the monster in me more.
"I choose the power of my circle and the truth," Zoey answered. I am so proud of her, she didn't step back like a coward but face up to it.
Neferet smiled a victorious grin then she turned to me, making the monster inside me take over me completely. "Aim for the true mark-the one that will make the earth bleed. Now!" Make the earth bleed? Huh. She said to make her bleed as much as possible-a shot in the heart. Hmm… earth…. Right! Stevie Rae has an affinity for Earth.
While all these are going through my mind, my hands were moving. Moving to hold the bow and arrow I am holding in my hands. Everything seems to happen in slow-motion though I am sure that this is not the case. The human part of me and the monster is fighting. Oh my goddess, do I have a multiple personality disorder?
What are you doing? Put the bow and arrow down! Come on… just shoot her and get over with it. No! Don't you ever do that! Put the bow and arrow down. Immediately! Do you want blood or not? If you just release the arrow, you can have all the blood you want. Is blood more important than Zoey? Do you want her to hate you forever? It is her best friend you are talking about here. Who cares about Zoey! Do you remember the taste of blood, exploding in your mouth?
Argh! Shut up! Both of you! Now I am asking myself to shut up. I must be crazy like I suspected before. Come on…Stark, find a middle ground. Aah… I know… I will have no choice to shoot Stevie Rae with the arrow but then maybe not at her heart, just near it so that she will bleed a lot and that Neferet will think that I shot her in the heart. Whether or not she survives it, not my problem anymore, just her luck.
Neferet must have been thinking about something else-probably something really really bad-as she didn't hear me make my decision or else I am sure that the suppressed monster will overtake me again.
Once my decision is made, everything went back into normal speed and I can see how fast I am moving, fast like the swiftness of the striking snake. I released the arrow which is already in my bow and thought: Near Stevie Rae's heart but NOT her heart.
The arrow sliced the air in a deadly line and struck Stevie Rae, hard. It has so much force that it buried itself to the dark feathers on the end of its shaft. Stevie Rae gasped in pain, and fell to the ground. Then, all hell broke loose. Zoey ran to Stevie Rae while Aphrodite yelled for the others to not break the circle as they also wanted to go to Stevie Rae to check on her.
"Stevie Rae! Oh Goddess no! Stevie Rae!" Zoey shouted and Stevie Rae slowly raised her head to look at her. I hope that she will understand my situation and forgive me for this. Nyx, I know you probably won't listen to me anymore as I have committed such a deadly crime but please, let Stevie Rae survive this and that Zoey will understand my difficulties. Thank you… I prayed to the night.
Blood are pouring swiftly out of the wound that it does, indeed, seem like the earth is bleeding like Neferet had said. Neferet was grinning triumphantly from ear to ear while I fell to my knees at her side, horror at what I have just done filling me. I looked at Zoey, hoping that she will look my way and that I can apologize to her.
Zoey really did look at me but then she didn't show any reaction to it. "Neferet, you are the monstrosity, not Stevie Rae!" Zoey yelled.
Then, her gaze snapped to Neferet as if she is speaking to her. Zoey cried, "No!" with such horror that I don't know what could make her so scared.
As usual, thanks to...
Desi772, horsemadissy, jamesstarkgirlfriend, Jazerelle, vampluver19, RayRayluvs2read, ImaginationFlow, Chaos Mossanite Shadow-Fox, Amiralys, quhuai, ruiqi, Peahen, rashel..quinn, Cassierb 183 for giving a review.
Amiralys, horsemadissy, Chaos Mossanite Shadow-Fox, geeniebop, Melly31992, Tash Salvatore, Desi772, Peahen, Cullenz-Rule, analilo, rashel..quinn, Stark's one and only girl for putting it on his/her favourite story list.
horsemadissy, RayRayluvs2read, ImaginationFlow, Blazedanblazin, Peahen, xXMcCullenXx for putting it on story alert.
Okay... most of the FanFic I read have this so i don't want to be the odd one out. I want at least 25 reviews before i will update the next chapter. know that is quite cruel of me, sorry, especially to those who have supported this story and me from the start.
Now, I need to make a little announcement: I have camp next week so, you know, yeah, I will not be able to update so early. I will try my best though. Please understand if I take some time before i update it because I am getting busier at CCA, got performance coming up...
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