Chapter 13: The Second Dream
"Okay, as much as this makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside, we need to start preparing now, if you guys are serious about helping us." I felt like we needed to start planning right away, so that we would be ready when the time came, and said as much.
"She's right. They think that they have the element of surprise on their side, but because of Alice, we can be ready for them," Jasper agreed.
"Alice, do you know any details? We need to know everything we can."
"Well…I think that it's going to happen in maybe a few months. I know it's going to happen here, as long as they don't change their minds."
"Alright, do you know about what time of day it's gonna happen?"
"Umm…I think in the late afternoon…the sun was still up, but it wasn't going to be for long…" She seemed like she was trying to remember every single detail of her vision.
"Could you tell what direction they're coming from?" asked Jasper, who looked like he was going through multiple scenarios in his mind so as to put together a strategy. That had probably been his thing while in the fights.
"Well, we were facing them, and the sun was at our backs, so I would say they were coming from the east, probably from the Dakota's area."
"Alright, thanks, Alice. You look worn out, you should rest or something. I can imagine that your visions probably take a lot out of you." She smiled at me gratefully, and sighed.
"Yeah. Can I sleep here tonight? My mom's out of town, and I don't really like being all alone.."
"Sure. You don't even have to ask." I smiled back, a real smile. I had rarely had one of those on my face before I met my friends, but now… I was smiling more and more.
" 'Kay. I'll remember that." She yawned and lay down on the bed with a sigh, and putting her legs on Edward's lap. I could tell she'd be asleep soon. Those visions must really drain her energy.
"Yeah, I should probably get goin'," Emmett said, a little disappointed to be leaving. "Nona will beat me with a cane if I don't." Always the drama queen, Emmett.
"Yeah. My mom's actually home today. She'll want to engage in awkward conversation in an attempt to be a good parent." This Rose said with a heavy dose of cynicism.
"Alright. Bye you guys. Jasper, you should probably call your guys' mom." He went off to do that, and I turned to Edward.
"Since Alice is here, you can stay over there. The family that moved outta here had more use for all these rooms then I do. I have a lot of spares." Edward nodded, and headed to where I had gestured. It seemed that he was pretty tired too. Probably from the sudden gaining of mind reading powers.
I stood up and walked over to the couches. They might be tired, but I still wasn't. I had no idea what to do now. I stretched out on a couch and started to go through possible courses of action in my head. Jasper and I would definitely have to teach them to fight. James and Victoria were nasty pieces of shit, but they weren't stupid, as much as that would make things easier. I knew that James was the controlling one of the two, and Vicky basically did whatever he wanted her to. I also knew that James was deeply mistrusting, and probably wouldn't have a whole lot of extra people with him. If he did, he still wouldn't trust them, so he was more likely to hire goons. Goons fight with their sheer power. Not so much with speed or efficiency, or even much thought at all. It was more like a charging rhino.
I looked up as Jasper entered the living area. He sat himself on the plush leather chair at my feet. He ran his hand through his hair, and groaned.
"What's with all the drama goin' on recently?" He muttered. I had noticed the slight twang and drawl in his voice before, but it was more apparent now. I guessed that his accent from his childhood slipped out more when he was stressed. I could also guess that when the danger actually came, he would be calm. But right now, he was allowing himself to stress over it for awhile.
"I don't know. It doesn't even seem like real life anymore. I mean, first there was the weird dreams, and then Edward starts reading minds, and Alice tells us she can see the future." It seemed like a little much.
"I know. What's next? More freaky powers? Telekinesis, maybe?" He chuckled warily, then turned serious. It would probably be disconcerting, the way he could switch from more lighthearted to serious like the flip of a switch, if not for the fact that I knew that I did that too. "You know we'll have to teach them to fight."
I sighed, I didn't want to have to accept that I was putting my friends in danger. "Yeah. We should start soon." But I would have to suck it up and accept it.
We sat in silence, each contemplating our situation.
"So, what did they call you?" I asked Jasper.
"What do you mean?"
"Oh, you know. You said you had quite a reputation. What did they call you? I can't believe that you'd tell them your real name. So you must've had a nickname."
"Nah. I didn't say much of anything. They just went by my physical description."
"Ah."
We sat in silence some more.
"What did they call you?" he asked.
"They just called me Izzy."
"Really? You told them your real name?"
"Well, my real name is Isabella. But I liked to be called Bella before, so I just said I was Izzy." I couldn't believe I just let slip my real name like that. Something about Jasper made me feel like I could tell him anything.
"Ah. I see. I think maybe I heard of you."
"Yeah. I might've heard of you too. Were you the one who spit on James?"
He looked a little sheepish. "Yeah. He said some stuff that made me real mad."
"Sounds like him."
"Definitely."
"You know, Vicky was about to beat up this girl that didn't even want to fight. She was there to bet, probably her only source of income. She just looked at me, right at me with the most panicked eyes you've ever seen. She had no experience, I could tell. Probably never even threw a punch. When I stepped in to stop Vicky, she whined like a little girl. Even threw a temper tantrum. I guessed I looked helpless to her, because then she said I would be taking her place instead. So I did, but she's never believed I really beat her. James too."
Catching onto what I was saying quickly, Jasper nodded. "Yeah, I think James couldn't really accept that I beat him, either. They might still underestimate us. That's something we can use to our advantage."
We debated over plans for a while, before we went to sleep, still on the couches. As soon as I fell asleep, I could tell I was going to have one of those weird dreams again.
The number of Newbies has been reduced. Those that had lost limbs first had been…'culled'. They killed them. The males that had tried to ambush me glare at me with hatred, but I know that I am safe from them. I beat them all once, I can do it again. I wasn't been a very violent person before, tough, but not violent, but I like how I feel now. The knowledge that I can defeat them makes me feel powerful. And I like it. But I know I can't get drunk on it or I'll start getting cocky. And that's never good. Confidence is good, but cockiness can mean defeat. And here, that's not good.
I can't stop thinking about the Major. More specifically, what he said. What did it mean? I heard some whispers that I did about as well as he did as a Newbie, so he's probably just intrigued. And I know that, but for some reason, I still can't stop obsessing over it. They call him the God of War. I know that he's an Empath, but I don't know the extent of his powers. For some reason, I feel connected to him. Which is weird, because that was the first time I ever saw him. But ever since I looked in his eyes, it feels like there's literally a rope tying us together. And it's really creepy. I don't like it.
I know that some of Us have powers, and I know that those that have useful ones usually live. But I don't want anyone else to know about mine. So I have to survive by beating the others. I always thought I have just been getting lucky, but if that's true, how did I survive the ambush? I have to have at least some skill, right? And that's good. Because I have to stay ahead of Them. Or I die.
And to think, I used to love fairytales. The Happily Ever After was all a lie. That never happens in real life, and I know that won't happen to me. Nobody ever escapes here. Sure, They say that it happened, a while ago. The Major had a friend that escaped with a Newbie that they say was his mate. They whisper that he let them go, but They are scared of him, so They only whisper. It's hard to make friends here, in this place. It's harder for mates. She thinks that they are weaknesses, so She tries to kill them. Finding a mate here is a crime that results in death. They all say that She has a sweet spot for the Major, though. After all, he is her second in command. They say that he is also sometimes Her lover. I shudder just to think about it. From what I have heard, She is pure evil. The Major didn't seem quite that bad, although there are stories of his most cruel moments. So I know that he is capable of being dark, but They say that he hasn't been that way for a while. This place can turn anyone dark, though. Really, it's a testament of his character that he manages not to stay that way all the time.
But apparently, when he is set off, he is a force to be feared even more than She is. And I believe it.
They are coming to take us out for a new lesson. That's just great. Although I guess I should just be happy that no one has dared to oppose Her for a while. Maria has also not decided to conquer any new land yet. I've only been here less than a month, but They need the Newbies at the height of their strength and viciousness. As soon as they start to get weaker, if they don't show really great promise, they're killed. The ones that do show promise live, but in this place, that's not guaranteed. They are then put in charge of the new Newbies in battle, because there needs to be at least some semblance of order. They say that the Major is one of the longest living vampires here, and that in itself is a testament to his skill.
Today's lesson seems pretty easy. We're just supposed to run through some drills with him. There are only a little less than half of what there were originally in our group. Oh, apparently, today's lesson isn't going to be so easy after all. That was just the beginning. I should expect that the great Major's lessons wouldn't be so simple. The drills have become a part of my instincts now. And that, undoubtedly is why we do them. But I can tell the others haven't quite gotten to that point yet. That's my advantage.
When you first learn a skill, you learn it the technique of what you're attempting in a methodical, mechanical way. Like a robot .But after a few thousands times, the process becomes something you can do without even thinking. If you're doing it in the realm of high-level athletics, that's absolutely essential because every move is done with split-second timing. A basketball player often has to decide how he's going to approach the basket while in mid-air. There's no time to think, so how well you perform depends entirely on how well you've trained the instinctual part of your brain. And that's the way they're teaching us to fight. Thankfully, I've managed to get these things down faster than the others.
We're supposed to…fight him. That doesn't seem like it's going to end well. Apparently, it's so that we can see what we'd do against a better-trained opponent and also to let him see our weaknesses in a combat situation in the way that that opponent would. I know my weaknesses. I've tried to make sure they won't be what kill me.
The others are almost too thirsty to pay attention. That is until he says whoever does the best will get to feed first. He has all their attention now. Many of them are struggling to stay in one spot. They are typical Newbies, at least from what I've heard and seen. I have little trouble with that. Sure, it's there, but I can ignore it if I want to. The Major has already beaten several of the others. He is very talented, indeed. He seems almost bored. I am supposed to go last, which is good, because I can watch how he fights, preparing me more. He doesn't even seem like he's paying that much attention as he defeats one after another. He's very methodical and precise. Most of the others just rush him, giving him the advantage. He drops every single one of them in under a minute. The guy in front of me has seen this, and seems slightly more stable than the rest of them. But only slightly more so. Instead of rushing him head on, he hangs back for a second, then tries to feint and strike the Major from the side. But the Major doesn't fall for this, and drops him easily. Now it is my turn. I know that I have no hope of winning, not against someone of his experience, training, and skill, but I can at least put up more of a fight than the others.
I step closer to the Major and take my stance, waiting for him to strike first. I need all the advantages I can get. Is that the smallest of smiles on his face? I think it is. Huh. We circle each other a couple of times, judging strengths and weaknesses. I see him shift to his right, but I know that he is most likely feinting, so I dodge and I am right.
He lands and instantly turns toward me again. I am determined to be mostly on the defense, forcing him to attack me instead of the other way around. That gives me time. The others tried to attack him, but I am not trying to do that, and that switches our positions.
He leaps at me, intending to get behind me, and strike before I can notice, but I swerve out of his way so that I am where he was and he lands where I was. I can tell he is going easy on me, even for sparring, but it is actually enjoyable. He isn't attacking with any ferocity or even lethality, but more to see what I do.
I stand here, tensed and ready for his next attack, and he doesn't disappoint. He seems thoughtful, evaluating me. My responses to his attacks, my stance, everything. I know he probably knows exactly what kind of training I have had, and he has more. I know that I have to do something he doesn't expect, which means something I haven't done before.
I can tell, even though I am focused on the Major, that They are just waiting for me to be beaten, and that irritates me, but I don't let it affect me. Instead, I try to anticipate what I can do. The other side of me is waking slightly, blinking her cat-like eyes slowly, and letting a sinister smile stretch across her face. She exhales slowly, her chest rumbling in the purr of a lion or a leopard. A sound remarkably similar to a growl, but one clearly born in pleasure. She whispers to use my Difference, my Gift. I don't want to reveal that right now, but she urges me with eagerness to use it. As much as I don't want to, I know that it's what I should do. I would certainly catch him at least slightly off guard. I know that It has many aspects, so I use the simplest one.
I find the place in my mind that causes the world to vibrate, ever so slightly. I hold It in for a second, and then I push it out all at once, directed at the Major. It envelops him in an instant, forming to him like a second skin. I feel the colored spark in my mind that is both his essence and his Gift. I don't push him, but hold him there. He seems confused for barely a fraction of a second before his mind, as fast as mine, realizes I have a power. He seems slightly surprised that I can use it at my will, before he concentrates his on me.
I am suddenly blasted by a humongous wave of paralyzing fear, despair, hopelessness, and depression. It's an interesting cocktail, but I knew of what he could do, and have lowered my mental defenses. Even so, it's stronger than I thought it would be, and I can tell that it isn't even his highest setting. I let the fear in, ever so slightly. Instead of shutting me down, as it is meant to do, it wakes me up, and I feel invigorated. The Major seems intrigued, and also like he is enjoying the challenge. He keeps the first cocktail there in the background, like a bass line, but adds tendrils of weariness that wrap around my defenses like vines, with spikes of something that tastes bitter in my mouth. I analyze them and store them in my mind for later consideration.
He then adds a green layer of stabbing jealousy as well as a warm layer of content. He withdraws the fear, seeing how it wakes me up, and instead replaces it with disorientation. I can't help but be a little affected by his experiments, even though I can tell he's not trying to completely overwhelm me with a particular emotion, instead adding layers and layers to see how many I can handle at once. He adds a dose of loyalty, devotion and confusion, before surrounding me in the coldness of pure sadness. I take a deep breath and thicken my defenses. He smiles to himself, before weaving a melody of captivity, more hopelessness, paralysis, horror, and other emotions I don't have a name for. I can tell he's not going to give up, so I keep my mental defenses up, but I know I have to try something different. I then smile at him, and, focusing deep inside myself, I try to transform my defenses into a giant mental mirror, but I'm not strong enough or familiar enough with this aspect of my Gift, and I only succeed partially. He seems surprised, though, and maybe impressed when I manage to reflect a tiny dose of the bitter emotion back at him. Our battle is now only happening in the plane of our Gifts instead of physically. I know that he is much more familiar with his than I am with mine, but I try all the same.
Instead of the look of intrigue and curiosity he was wearing before, when he was experimenting with me, he now simply looks cold. He then, doing something I didn't know he could do, reaches around my defenses and extracts my emotions from within me. I now can't feel anything, and without the determination that fueled my Gift, my defenses and the part of my gift keeping him immobile disintegrate into nothing. I am lost without my emotions and can't do anything. My other side can, though. She seems outraged, and grows until she fills me up. A sound that I have never heard before comes from my mouth, and the Major seems interested again. I surrender my body to her, and the entire world is tinted strange colors I am merely a passive observer as she engages the Major in battle.
She attacks him ruthlessly, and, like a switch flips inside him, he snarls, his eyes growing dark. I speculate in passing that this must be the side of him that they call Major. I have been referring to him as the Major before, but this side of him is what the nickname must truly refer to. They said that the God of War is one stage farther. The other side of me might be taking over my body, but I discover that she is not alone. She is curled around a small cage in the back of my mind, not allowing whatever is inside to come out. Apparently this side of me is not the worst part of me.
While I am passively speculating, my body has been engaging in fierce one-to-one with Major. This other side of me is positively outraged. She gives this fight everything she's got.
She tells me that she does have a name. I ask her what it is, and she just snarls at me. She says I'll know soon. And she turns all her attention back to the fight.
She's managed to get a few scratches on him, but he's also managed to scratch her, and by default, me. More so than she's gotten on him. They sting, but I don't really care. I still don't feel anything. But she, the side of me currently in control, is filled with fury. She is more feral than I am, although in a way that makes her absolutely more lethal. Major is more experienced though, and eventually subdues her, sitting on her stomach and pinning my arms on the ground. She thrashes, kneeing him in the back, trying to bite him, get out of his hold, and he leans in close to my face and growls steadily. She calms slightly, staring at him in contempt. Major then does something unexpected. He licks my neck. I would be confused, if I had my emotions. A purr comes out of my mouth, the same one that she made when she woke. He makes the same sound, a deep, throaty, one, next to my ear, softly. He then licks my ear, and looks into my eyes. She stares back, and relaxes, slowly reaching up to lick his neck.
He purrs again in contentment, before he apparently becomes Major Jasper again. He looks slightly shocked, then gets up off of me, releasing my emotions. They come back in a rush, and all of a sudden, I realize what just happened, and I am deeply confused. He seems confused, also. I also realize that the Newbies had gone back with Them to get their limbs reattached, and presumably, to feed. They had apparently all assumed he'd be done with me soon, and had not waited around, as the others had been restless. So only we were out here. Nobody had witnessed the strange interaction. I felt slightly awkward, as I had no idea what had just happened, other than I had licked him and he had licked me. At least, our bodies had. Also, we had purred. The side of me previously in control curled up in content around the small cage, and I swear, she winked at me, before closing her eyes in slumber once again.
Major Jasper seemed to be lost in thought as he walked me back inside. I knew he was still aware of things, but he was mostly inside his own head. I stepped inside the tent, and he turned and left. There was one of Them sitting inside, who looked surprised to see me. I can tell that he thought Major Jasper had inadvertently killed me or something. He stood up and took me out to feed. I pushed all thoughts of what had happened aside, and focused on the hunt.
AN/: And that is where I shall end it. If none of that made sense, feel free to tell me. Because I honestly have no idea. Also, if you have any suggestions for what dream-Izzy's mysterious "other side" should be called, you should probably put that in a review. Because I also have no idea what I should call her, but just typing "other side" all the time is most likely confusing. So, please suggest ideas! I'm kind of desperate here…yeah.