Broken

AN: Sorry for taking a long, long time. Okay?...Enjoy! Oh, and I have exciting news about DOTM #13: On some message board, someone posted something saying that the it will be out between Fall 2007 and September 2008. Cool, eh?! But, so long?

---From now on, for most of my stories, I will post qoutes from pretty much anything(Songs, movies, books, from famous people). I just feel like, you know?(::Sarcastically::) Woo-hoo! But it won't be for every chapter. That would be torture for me, trying to find a qoute that will match the chapter or the story.

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Chapter Eight

Damned

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" No remorse, 'cause I remember. You smiled when you tore me apart" - "Angels" - Within Temptation

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" Why should I trust him?" Cassandra asked herself, bitting anxiously on her long red nails. She was sitting on a battered, plush green couch in a small living room. Candles littered the ground, sending a glow of warm, bright light throughout the room. The rotten smells of old meat and cigar smoke emitted from the thick air. Darius, or Lambert, had left, saying that this was her new "home" and that she was to listen to his every comand in order to keep living here.

" Oh, right", she whispered bitterly, laying down on the couch."Because we had a deal...Why am I so stupid? I mean, some strange guy who I don't know at all!- comes along saying I can have my revenge, and-wait...How the hell does he know about my need for revenge!"

" Because", a deep, stern voice said from the doorway."I've been wanting something, also. So we're equal, are we not?"

Cassandra sat up and looked toward the doorway. Darius stood, his face concealed behind a hood. The image of a beautiful, fiery phoenix with balck wings was sewn on his hood. She stood suddenly, hands clenched, jaw set.

" Right, equal", she said, eyes shut tightly."So, how long have you been following me? Was I some thing that will help with your little plot? You think you can use me, and then when you're finished, throw me away?"

He merely shook his head, and before she could blink, he was standing right next to her, an aura of evil surrounding him."No, Cassandra", he spoke, his voice as soothing as a sweet melody."You're important, not something that should be used and manipulated. I'll give you everything you've ever wanted, everything..."

She could feel the slight falsehood in his words, but the vulnerable, foolish side of her took control. Smiling, Cassandra stepped back.

" And what would that everything be?" she asked, smirking.

" Shelter, food, your old posisition as a follower...Stanton."

Her breathe caught and her hands fell to her side. She couldn't conceal the gasp that escaped her lips, and hung in the air. Silence followed, and she continued to stare at him, mouth open. Even though his face was hidden, she knew he was smirking.

" How do you-" He cut her off.

" Because. I know what he did to you- cut you out of his life. For what? I'm not sure, but obviously it was enough for him to forget you. You gave him so much, too."

" I know", Cassandra whispered, staring at the carpet.

" But, you will have him. The prophecy says so..."

Cassandra ripped her gaze from the ground and stared at him, interested."Prophecy? What prophecy?"

" I've seen a prophecy. It shows you, and Stanton, together for an eternity."

" Me? And Stanton? Together?" she said.(AN:lol)

" Yes, and for an eternity", Darius added, slight impatience in his voice.

" But, why are you-"

" I'm helping you with these things, yes. But at a price. You will help me", he spoke. Cassandra nodded...

" What do you want?..."

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Cassandra pressed her back against a wall, hiding her figure from Stanton as he walked down a street across from her. She again felt her heart quicken as she watched him, so darly handsome. It was amusing to see how many people either moved away from him or changed their direction. Was he that intimidating?...Yes.

She then noticed him turn a corner, and quickly, she shoved through the crowd and managed to dodge across the street without getting hit by a speeding car, then walked hastily down the sidewalk. Turning the corner, her heart fell. A mass of people walked down the street, making her search for him almost hopeless.

" Dammit, where are you?" Cassandra whispered, shoving through the throng of people. Some glared, but she simply ignored it, and continued to make her way down the street. Sighing, Cassandra turned and made her way toward a different location. The Dungeon.

She didn't notice him cross the street and head toward La Placita, where the Daughters were for the Day of the Dead Celebration.

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Cassanra stood in the back of the room. the music sent violent vibrations down the walls, making her back crawl. Kids waved their hands over their heads, some kissing viciously.

" Hey", someone said. She jumped, frightened, causing the person to laugh. Cassandra turned and stared at a young teenage girl with long, blond hair. She had a perky look to her, one that reminded her of Vanessa.

" Vanessa?!" she laughed, then began to dance, her hips touching against Cassandra's.

"..."

" Oh, I haven't introduced myself, have I?"

"..."

" Wow, silent", the girl whispered, then continued." I'm Kelly, and you're Cassandra, the failure, right?"

Cassandra clenched her fist, ready to send a painful punch to this girl's face. The girl, sensing her anger, laughed even louder, a cruel sound that caused Cassandra to frown.

" Well, I'm one of Stanton's new apprentices", she said." I guess you could say I've replaced you."

Tears brimmed in her eyes, but she wiped them away and began dancing next to Kelly.

" So", Cassandra began."Anything interesting been happening? Anything new?"

Kelly laughed."Yeah, something big!"

Cassandra smiled, and spoke, her voice almost demanding."Tell me."

Kelly smirked."Why do you need to know-"

"Tell me", Cassandra whispered in Kelly's ear. Kelly shivered slightly, and nodded." Welll, I'm not exactly sure but we know something huge is going to happen and it involves the key."

" The key?" Cassandra said, knowing that it was Serena. Her lips stretched into a cold smile." And?" she coaxed.

" The problem is a follower is trying to stop it- one who's in love with a Daughter of the Moon. Damn Follower, trying to play Romeo with a daughter. In the end, he, and the daughter, will fall tragically. So much for their love story!" Kelly shouted mockingly with glee.

" Anything else?" Cassandra asked, ready to leave.

Kelly merely shook her head. " If I knew the rest, I'd be a member of the Inner Cirlce."

" Oh, right", Cassandra said, jerking away from Kelly and making her way toward the exit. Suddenly, a hand grasped her. Annoyed, Cassandra turned sharply. Kelly held onto her hand, eyebrow arched.

" If you're an outcast", she began, suspicion in her voice. " Then why are you here, asking about the Follower update?"

" Because I still want to be connected to the Atrox", she half lied, and clearing her mind. Kelly drank in her lie, then shrugged and began dancing once more, her hips swaying with the hard beat. Cassandra simply shook her head and made her way out of the Dungeon. Once outside and away from the club, she continued toward the street, away from the abandonded area.

" I am going to find out who this Follower is", Cassandra promised, her voice low and harsh. In the back of her mind, she knew who the Follower was and who the Daughter was...She just didn't want to admit. So, she set out to find him- Stanton. She needed proof. A smirk formed on her lips. Maybe she could coax him into stop seeing the Daughter. In her mind, it wouldn't be coax...More like threaten.