Chapter 16
Alyson crept out of the room that had been her prison only moments ago, her arm wrapped in a supportive grip around Cielo's shoulders as her emerald eyes combed her surroundings for any signs of life. She paused when she caught of the two armed guards that were currently sleeping on the floor, her eyebrows raised in a silent question to the fairy that was hovering over her shoulder.
Tink shrugged and allowed herself a small smile. "They were French."
Alyson grinned despite herself and tightened her grip on Cielo as the duo limped past, her eyes narrowing as every step sent a flash of pain through her abused ankle, her lips twisting into a grimace with every hushed curse and moan that broke through Cielo's cracked lips. The Italian kept his head lowered as they made their way towards the staircase at the end of the hall, his amber eyes glancing warily between Alyson and their intended route.
"Madre de Dio (Mother of God)," he whispered. "We're- we're back? They took us back?"
Alyson gave a stiff nod and helped the younger teen up the stairs, her bruised and aching jaw clenching as she forced herself not to think about the hellish years that she had passed inside this "orphanage", about the pain, about the loneliness, about the abuse...
"Aly?" Tink's bell-like voice brought Alyson back to reality with a sharp jolt. The fairy was hovering over the next flight of stairs, her tiny fingers tugging anxiously at strands of her bright green hair. "Over here. There's a window that you two can get out of nearby. Whoever is in charge hasn't blocked it yet."
"Where are the others?" Alyson demanded.
The fairy hesitated, her expression conflicted. "... Most of them are down the next hallway."
"Most of them?"
Tink hesitated again. "...Katerina... is in the attic. With another woman."
The blood drained from Alyson's features as her grip tightened around Cielo, earning her a worried glare from the Italian.
"What?" Cielo demanded.
"Annette has Kat," Alyson choked. The American teen turned back to Tink before she could see the expression on Cielo's face. "Tink, we need to get them out."
"There are more guards," the fairy whispered anxiously. "On every door. I can't knock out all of them- They have guns!"
"I'm not leaving them behind!" Alyson hissed.
"You'll get yourselves killed- England and the others are on their way, they should be here in a few minutes-"
A loud, furious shout rose up from the floor below them. Alyson swore and gently shoved Cielo towards the stairs that Tink had pointed out to them, her emerald eyes flashing towards Tink in a silent challenge.
"Cielo," Alyson murmured. "Go up the stairs and climb out of the first window that you see. Tink will make sure that you find the right one."
The Italian frowned and moved toward Alyson, his legs shaking with the effort of staying upright. "And you?"
"I'll get the others out and meet up with you later," she replied dismissively. "Try and find our parents, ok? Let them know what's going on."
"Let the fucking fairy tell them, I'm coming with you," Cielo snapped.
Alyson sighed and reached out to support the Italian once more, her legs already carrying her towards the hall that Tink had pointed out to her. She blinked in surprise when a familiar green glow flew over her shoulder, her emerald eyes meeting Tink's as the fairy pulled ahead of them.
"What-?" she began.
The fairy smiled hesitantly. "You need my help to get the doors open."
Alyson grinned and nodded, her jaw clenching once again when she caught sight of the armed men and women that were grouped at the end of the hallway. Two of the guards cried out when they saw the two teens and ran towards them, while the rest of the armed group shouldered their weapons and aimed.
Cielo yelped and pulled Alyson to the ground as the guards opened fire, his feet and fists lashing out instinctively at the two guards that tried to grab them. Alyson snarled and launched herself at the nearest guard, her knuckles slamming into the flesh of the woman's face with enough force to break bone. The woman stumbled and fell to the ground just as her partner was struck with a stray bullet, her limp fingers releasing the pistol that she had clutched in her hands. Cielo scrambled for the weapon and forced himself into a crouch, his amber eyes narrowing in concentration as he fired five times.
None of the shots missed their marks.
Alyson hauled herself to her feet and ran to the nearest door, trying not to think about the motionless bodies that brushed against her threadbare sneakers. She flashed Tink a shaky half-smile when the door opened, all traces of a smile disappearing from her features when she caught sight of the room's inhabitants.
"Oh God," she choked.
Marc Lucien Braginski-Williams didn't reply, didn't give any sign that he had heard his cousin at all. His indigo eyes remained blank and locked on the slack features of the woman that he cradled tenderly in his arms, the woman whose t-shirt was pasted onto her chest over a thick layer of dark red and crusty brown.
Neither Marc nor the woman moved as Alyson stumbled into the room and nearly collapsed beside them. Only after the American had reached out to press two shaking fingers against a point just underneath Saichi's jaw did Marc's eyes flicker to her face.
The woman didn't move.
She would never move again.
Alyson gasped and buried her face in Saichi's cropped black hair, her entire body shaking with sobs that she couldn't restrain. She closed her eyes tightly when Cielo's shocked and horrified gasp came from the doorway, her shaking fingertips still pressed against what should have been Saichi's pulse.
Marc continued to do nothing, his eyes still filled with that awful blankness, his arms still wrapped automatically around the corpse of the girl that he had loved.
Katerina gasped as the blade of the knife bit into her skin again, her violet eyes slipping closed before she could see the new edition to the collection of cuts that were carved into the skin of her arms. Her tormentor chuckled at the sound of the Russian girl's gasp and the knife went for more blood, earning it another reluctant noise of protest.
"W-why do you hate me?" Katerina whispered.
The knife paused. Annette was silent, her dark eyes studying the tearful Russian girl carefully.
"What did I ever do to you?" Katerina pressed, her voice gaining strength as the first hints of anger began to flash through her bright violet eyes. "What did I do to deserve this? Why am I a monster to you?"
"You shouldn't exist," Annette replied, her voice so quiet and deadly that it sent a bolt of icy fear through Katerina's nerves. "None of you should. It's not natural. You, your brother, your friends, Dieu (God), even your parents. You shouldn't exist!"
"I-it's not like we chose to!" Katerina objected, only to realize her mistake as the Canadian woman glared down at her with merciless eyes.
Annette snarled and lashed out with the knife again, her lips twisting into a pleased smirked when the blade sliced through more layers of skin, when blood began to flow from the teen's cheek in a thick stream of scarlet.
"Don't interrupt me," she snarled. She paused for a moment to consider the girl before her, her eyes narrowing thoughtfully as Katerina forced herself to return the woman's cold gaze with a defiant glare.
"Do you even understand what it's like?" Annette murmured. "To know that your country, your home, your history, is a boy, a mere child really... To know that every problem that you face, every war, every family member that was murdered or killed could have been because of this personification, this Matthew Williams. And then, to learn that this boy had the audacity to be happy, to feel like he had a right to fall in love, to have children, to go against the laws of God and nature and have a whole, loving family when you have nothing! Do you know how much I hate my country for that? Do you know how much I hate him for making me this way?"
"He suffers too," Katerina hissed. "We all suffer. Why can't you understand that? Every war, every problem, every death, the countries feel them! They can't be killed permanently but they can be wounded, they can experience death, they can hate war just like any soldier or civilian. They try to take care of their citizens, they don't want to cause any problems. It's the governments, not-"
Annette lashed out again, her lips twisting as Katerina broke off with a gasp of pain.
"What did I tell you about interrupting me?" the Canadian woman snapped. She leaned forward until her face was only inches away from the other girl's, a satisfied smirk appearing on her features when Katerina flinched away. "You need to learn to do what you're told, cherie. Your parents should have taught you some manners..."
Annette raised the knife again, her delicate hands aiming the point towards Katerina's neck. The Russian girl flinched again and struggled to get to her feet, her muscles trembling with exhaustion and adrenaline. Annette merely smirked and slashed the knife across Katerina's throat, only to gape in shock when the blade missed its mark and cut into her victim's collarbone instead.
Katerina glared at the woman, a low snarl breaking through her lips as years of anger and hatred flashed through her eyes. She lunged at Annette without a word, sending the two of them to the ground in a tangle of struggling limbs. Katerina's fists slammed frantically into the other woman's face, her thin fingers uncurling for the briefest of moments to pry the knife out of Annette's shaking hands and lift the blade over her chest. Without thinking, Katerina drove the knife through the woman's chest, her lips twisting into a small, triumphant smile before she realized what she had done.
Annette laughed shakily as the Russian girl stumbled away, her small hands red with blood, her violet eyes wide with shock and the beginnings of self-loathing.
"You... murderer..." Annette gasped. "J-just like... your parents... They'll be... so proud..."
My parents... Katerina repeated dazedly. Мне жаль (I'm sorry)... D-don't hate me, maman...
"...You are a monster," Annette whispered smugly, her next words drowned in a loud, terrible gurgle that sent thin streams of blood pouring from her parted lips.
Katerina watched in horrified fascination as the woman's muscles began to tremble and her eyes rolled back into her head, her breath catching as Annette finally stopped breathing.
I am a murderer... The Russian thought sadly, her vision darkening before she, too, collapsed onto the floor, her violet eyes locking on the blood that continued to drip from her wrists and neck before everything went black.
Yay! I finally got this up! /victory dance/ So, I'm really sorry (again) for the awful updating schedule... I swear I'll get a new chapter up as soon as I can (and start the Spamano spin-off of my pirate fic). Just be patient, please? I'm in Spain right now (and will stay here until August 25th, just in case you were wondering), so I won't have as much time as usual but I will still try and write as often as I can, okay? Thanks to everyone who has reviewed/read/been patient. You guys are amazing!