Turn of the Table
A Few Days Later…
Teal was sitting in the library, anxiously waiting for the arrival of Allen and Lenalee. She had a new uniform that was given last night. It was a black and burgundy Chinese dress like uniform with a high collar and long sleeves. The skirt was half way to her knees and her boots were half the length as her previous ones.
Ever since she had her talk with Cross the other night, she was starting to eat less and less and was very pale ever since. And she took off her ribbon and couldn't bring herself to put it back on. She was so confused about everything and it was very hard trying to suppress her Noah powers.
The more she tried to restrain herself from using them, the more she wanted to use them to find any trace of her family. If she thought things couldn't get worse, she could feel her Innocence was acting up and possibly getting weaker. She found it harder to control when she was training.
'A curse that surrounds the Noah... If it breaks, will I finally be free? I keep on thinking about them. If it's connected to those demon forms, I don't want that to happen. But... It's pointless trying to revive forgotten feelings.' She collapsed on the couch while lost in her thoughts.
When Teal woke up, she saw Lenalee and Johnny on the other couch. Lenalee was in the same uniform Teal was but she had stockings with flat shoes. On her ankles were dark red rings. Lenalee's hair had grown slightly longer and her hair reached the bottom of her neck.
"Hi, Lenalee, Johnny." Teal rubbed her eyes and yawned. "When you guys get here?"
"We got here a few hours ago." Lenalee smiled.
"Anything interesting happen when I was gone?" Teal asked.
"Well, Ni-San said my Innocence was a new kind. It is called Crystal type. Apparently, the Innocence is dependant on the exorcists' blood for weapon structure. And he hypothesized that any exorcist with an equipment type Innocence can evolve to crystal type."
"That's pretty neat. And it gains power by your feelings, right?"
"I think so. If the other exorcist's Innocence evolve, we can get better results."
"Oh, is Allen here?" Teal just remembered.
"Yes. He was taken to see General Cross. I hope he gets back soon."
Teal couldn't fall back asleep. Lenalee and Johnny fell asleep on the other couch and she decided to take the time to do a little bit of research on curses.
'The Order must have something about the curse of the Noah. If not, hopefully Bookman will have something.'
She walked over to one of the ladders and moved it towards a balcony. 'What kind of books would the Order have about historical curses? Lenalee said they had almost every book that was written so there has to be something here.' She flipped through some book that wasn't even close to what she was looking for.
'Boring… Boring… This shouldn't even be here! Macbeth… Interesting but I don't think I can find anything about curses. Although it does have a curse on it. If I remember correctly, Shakespeare borrowed a spell from witches without permission and when they found out, they cursed his play from then on. Not to mention I remember some creepy stories about that.'
She kicked the side of the bookcase so she could move the ladder to another area. She found a few books that had curses but they were all fictional. 'Gah, every curse that I found is fictional! I would ask Bookman but I don't think he would have anything from the Clan of Noah. What am I even do-ing?' She slipped on the ladder and took a few books down with her.
When she sat up, a hand was in front of her to help her up. She looked up and there was Allen. His hair was as short as the first time she met him.
"You alright?" His right cheek was swollen. Teal nodded. Lenalee woke up after the commotion.
"Allen, what happened? Where's my brother?" She asked.
"He's still in there, talking." Teal put the last book back and went by her friends.
"Oh, this? My master hit me." He smiled.
"You okay?" Teal asked.
"Yeah."
One Week Later…
"We have evidence that Allen Walker is the host to the 14th's Memories." Inspector Leverrier was explaining to the exorcists. Teal was standing between Krory and Miranda. Chaoji and Lenalee were in front of her. She was happy to see that all her friends made a full recovery since the battle.
"However, he will remain an exorcist. You are forbidden to speak of this. We can't afford to lose another exorcist. So we'll keep him as the player."
"Is that true?" Chaoji asked.
"Allen is…" Krory was speechless.
"Ni-san… Is it true?"
"As commander of the Black Order… I will assign the exorcists to a standing order. If Allen Walker turns on the Order…"
"Please, kill me." Allen finished Komui's order. "But that won't be necessary. If the 14th attacks the Order, I will stop him myself."
'Wait... Does that mean... The curse will affect Allen?' Teal's eyes widened. 'General Cross... Did you know about this?'
"Further more, General Cross is missing."
Teal, Lavi and Miranda arrived in Greece. Akuma were swarming an area and were very close to getting an Innocence. The Innocence was somewhere in Athens. The first problem was: get rid of the akuma. There were dozens of akuma in the town square. Most of them looked the same and they were level threes. The rest were a mix of level two's and level one's.
Miranda first created a barrier surrounding the level 2's and some level 3's. 'Fire Seal!' Lavi burned all of the akuma inside the barrier but then more showed up. They got rid of all the level two's but the swarm of level 3's seemed to be endless.
'Spell of Wind: Elemental Storm' Teal destroyed a few akuma but more came seconds after the others were gone. She felt herself struggle to fight. It took Teal more than three tries to destroy the akuma. Teal noticed that one person was carrying a torch and was heading into an alley. She knew it was an akuma.
"I think one of them has the Innocence! I don't think he's running a marathon! I'll go after him!" Teal shouted. Lavi and Miranda couldn't hear her or see her. They were busy fending off akuma. She cornered the akuma in a dead end and it started to transform. Teal destroyed it and picked up the torch.
'Wait a minute… That was too easy…' The torch turned to ash when she held it in her hands.
'It's a fake?' When she looked down, something shot out from the ground. It was some kind of silver plasma. It grabbed her legs and when she was on the ground she was unable to move.
'Spell of Fire: Flame Body' It was enough to get the plasma off of her but it wasn't enough to defeat it.
"You stupid exorcist!" An akuma emerged from nowhere. It was a giant glob of goo that had a giant humanoid form. "You're supposed to stay still!"
"Like I'm going to listen to you?" 'I think I can take care of him.' Teal took a few slashes at it but it regenerated every time. The akuma fired a sludge bomb at Teal and she dodged it. It was nothing more than eroding grim on the wall.
'Dammit, where's his weak spot?' Something grabbed Teal's wrist. It's grasp was extremely hard and painful. A shackle had emerged from the glob and three more were created. Teal tried cutting the chain then her other hand was shackled. The chains pulled her towards the wall as the final set immobilized her legs and she was unable to move. Her weapon couldn't reach the shackles and she was powerless.
"Good girl. Now stay very still and enjoy your nap." The akuma had some sort of sedative in his hand. He was getting closer and Teal desperately squirmed and screamed for Lavi and Miranda.
"Teal! Hang on!" Lavi heard her cries and smiled with relief. She kept on screaming until he would arrive.
"So annoying. I've come too far to let this slip up." The akuma made another chain that collared Teal and silenced her. She was breathing heavily as she trembled of what was going to happen. She was totally paralyzed and Lavi was no where in sight. The mask that the akuma had was getting closer to her face and she could already smell the horrible sweet gas. She gave one last effort to avoid the mask but it was no use. The akuma placed his free hand on her head and placed the mask on her face.
"Every… One…"
'Welcome, little one. I expect great things from you.~'
Who…
'And so it has begun… My child, you will serve Master well.' That voice… It's her. You're dead! You have no say in what I do now!
Everything is dark and suffocating. It's cold yet pleasantly warm. Where am I? Am I dying?
'Teal…' A hand came out from the darkness and it started a path of light. It was that person, that boy. She moved her hand towards the light but still couldn't reach him. 'Don't be afraid. You'll find… *bzzt*
Wait! What am I going to find! Please come back Ja-
Teal woke up and she was reaching towards the ceiling. Everything was still blurry but she was somewhere supposedly safe. Her body ached and she was more than relieved to know that she wasn't in those awful shackles. She sat up and looked around on where she was.
The room was very dark with only a small window in the corner for a light source. There was dust almost everywhere, the walls were made of stone, and there was a huge spider web beside the bed she was on. There was also a worn out desk, a dressing area and a wardrobe.
"I'm defiantly not in Athens anymore." She muttered.
"Got that right! You're in the house of Noah!" A voice said. Somebody glomped her and she almost fell back on the bed.
"Road!" Teal was extremely startled. She was still regaining her sight but she could tell it was Road.
"Nice to see you again! The Earl said that he wants you to join us in a family dinner." She said sweetly.
"Oh, really?" Teal narrowed her eyes.
"And the Earl said it was not a request. And you can wear this!" An akuma maid tossed her a black dress. There was dark violet lace on the cuffs and around the fairly high neckline. She was given dark shoes to match.
"You may want to hurry. Here, I'll help you!" Road let go of Teal and hopped off the bed.
"No, it's alright." Teal picked up the dress and went behind the dressing area. Road headed out the room.
'Damn, how could I get caught so easily? My head is spinning… Okay, all I know is I have to get out of here ASAP. It will be like my yanki days, who knows? It might be easy. Then again, I'm out numbered and it's harder to control my Innocence. If they know that… I'm screwed.' She hung her head. 'I'll do my best. I don't plan giving up without a fight.'
She came out from the screen and followed the akuma maid downstairs. On the way there, she saw that there were tons of pictures on the walls. The halls were somewhat bright, they didn't have a lot of light but one could see where the next corridor is and what's in front of them. There were a few windows but all Teal could see was they looked over a garden.
"Come on, Miss!" The akuma snapped.
"Oi, Jasdero!" Devitto chucked a pie at Jasdero at the table. Jasdero returned his attack by throwing some fruit at him. Then Jasdero poured tea down Devitto's back.
He was jumping around. "Oh, so you wanna play dirty now, eh? Take that!" He threw a fork at Jasdero but when he blinked, there was a THWIG and the fork was in the table.
"You might want to be careful where you throw that thing." Teal said.
"Well, good morning, Princess! Did you have a good sleep?" Devitto laughed.
"Don't call me that." She growled. "You all look well since the ark." She changed the subject as she was going to her seat. Before she sat down, there was an angry clucking and feathers flying around. Jasdero and Devitto were laughing really hard.
"What's with the chicken?" She asked. The chicken leaped off the chair and headed somewhere.
"Hey, Teal, could you help me with my homework?" Road asked. Teal finally could see clearly. Road was dressed in a school uniform, a white shirt with a black skirt and jacket and a tie that was around her neck. Her hair was down and looked like it was a bit shorter than Lenalee's hair.
"Define 'help'. Do you want me to do it for you or do you not understand something?" She raised an eyebrow.
"Could you help me get it done? Or do you want to play dress up later? Your choice." Teal swallowed hard. It was bad enough that she was kidnapped so easily and now she had to play dress up? 'This couldn't get any worse.'
"Alright, I'll help you. What subjects do you have?" She sighed.
"Let's see…" Road put 3 text books on the table. "I have Math, Geography, and History."
"I'll help with your math. It's the only main subject I'm good at." Teal said.
"Hey! No fair! We wanted to do that!" Devitto and Jasdero said.
"Our guest gets first pick. You two can do my Geography. Don't screw it up like last time." Road pushed her book across the table.
"Now that is a sight to see. Family members helping other family members."
Another voice came from the darkness. There was a man with long dark hair and a handsome face. He was wearing a black tuxedo and a monocle. Teal thought it was Tyki because the voice sounded the same.
"Ah, and who are you?" The man stopped and looked at Teal. "I assume you're the exorcist. I am Sheryl Kamelot."
"Father!" Road smiled and she ran up to hug him.
"Yes. My name is Teal." Teal said.
"You don't have a last name?" The man asked as he sat down beside Jasdevi and across from Road. Teal shrugged.
"Hey, who gives you the idea that you can sit next to us?" Jasdevi shouted at him. They had their guns pointed at him. Teal was still writing in Road's math book.
"Now, now, boys. That isn't how we treat others. You should take a page from this young lady's book on how to control your anger. And as well how to dress appropriately."
"Heh, she's probably terrified so much that she won't even speak. Look, she's even pale and shivering." Devitto retorted.
"Can it. I'd be scared if I were you. You have no idea who you're dealing with." Teal handed the book back to Road.
"Oh yeah? You have no way to scare us. You're outnumbered, exorcist." Devitto grinned.
"Hee Hee! Give us your best shot. There's nothing you can do or say to scare us." Jasdero said.
"Vampire." Teal said sarcastically and pointed behind them. She created a shadow which caused Jasdevi to fall out of their seats.
"Dammit! Don't do that!" They shouted. Teal gave a short forced laugh. "If you were smart, you'd consider my warning."
"What makes you think that we should be scared of you?" Jasdero asked.
"Alright, alright. Enough. So… Uh… Teal, tell us more about yourself." Sheryl smiled.
"There's nothing worth mentioning." 'I've only met him for two minutes and I already don't like him.'
"Surely there's something worth mentioning."
"Nope. Unless if you include fighting pirates, robbing people, setting fires and fighting akuma as interesting, my life is pretty boring."
"Three of them are lies!" Jasdero said.
"Bingo."
"Ah, so the Princess knows how to use words. Not very impressive." Teal stood up and threw a knife at Devitto. He dodged it and it was sticking out of his chair.
"You mi…" He was cut off by Road's hard cover book that Teal threw at him.
"Ever heard of a distraction? If I were you, I wouldn't do anything to really piss me off." Teal and Devitto rose from their chairs like they were about to fight each other.
"Okay, enough with the love fest." Sheryl stepped in between them. "I don't know what has gotten into you. I meant for them to take a page out of your book on how to control their anger, not for you to take a page out of their books and lose your temper. I've never seen such behavior from a lady." He put his hand on his forehead.
"I'm not much of a lady, then." Teal glared at him. She settled down a little bit but she was still bitter.
"I guess we'll just have to do this the hard way. Both of you, apologize."
"How is that the hard way, old man? Hee!" Jasdero asked.
"Just do it." He ordered. Teal and Devitto glared at each other when they sat down then Teal turned her head away.
'What the hell is her problem?'
Just then, the Earl and Tyki entered the room. Tyki was wearing a black tuxedo and he had long hair that was tied back in a pony tail.
"Ah, little brother, I missed you so much!" Sheryl stood up and walked up to Tyki.
"I've been gone for 5 hours. It's not like I was dead and I just came back. So stop it and sit down, brother."
'I should've guessed. They're brothers.'
"Excuse our tardiness." The Earl said. "And we also have a guest." He pointed his hand at Teal. After the Earl sat down, the akuma servants brought some food. Teal didn't eat anything.
After a while, Road looked up at her. "You're not eating?"
"Not hungry." She kept her head down and did not look at the Earl. She was aware of what she had to do, but just being with the other Noah and the Earl made her terrified.
"It's not like we poisoned it. Why would we kill one of our own?" Road asked.
"I just don't have an appetite."
"If you're worried about your friends, don't be. They're fine. That is if they survived the akuma attack after you were separated. I'll let you see them again… If you provide us with information." The Earl said.
"Let me guess, it's about the heart?"
"Clever girl. You don't have to be so cold. We won't harm you."
"Don't get your hopes high. I know nothing about it. Nor do we have any leads." Teal kept a straight face as best as she could. She glared at the Earl and tried not to blink. She remembered her master saying that if you don't blink when someone studies your face to tell if you are lying or not, they will believe you. Teal had been telling the truth but if the Earl didn't believe her, she may never see her friends again.
"Very well, I trust that you are telling the truth." Teal gave a silent sigh of relief. "In the mean time, you will stay here until your Noah genes fully awaken. You will see your friends when you kill them."
"WHAT?" Teal stood up and slammed her hands on the table. Her blades activated in response to her anger. The akuma that were standing by took a step forward and transformed their arms into weapons. She looked at them, deactivated her Innocence and sat back down. "If you're trying to get me to awaken that woman through my anger, that won't work. She was destroyed in the ark."
"I'm aware of that. And I'd advise you to watch your step and your tongue.~" The Earl warned. "I'd really hate to lose another family member by my own hands again."
"Go ahead. I'm your enemy so why don't you kill me?" She blurted out. 'Why the hell did I say that? That woman is gone so I rather die free and that's all that matters. No... That's not true.'
"I see... You're rather rash.~ Like I said: I rather not kill any more family members by my own hands.~ And if I were you, I wouldn't want any of your comrades around.~ Better get used to living here, exorcist."
After dinner, two akuma escorted Teal back to the room. Teal examined the hallway carefully. If she studied it for a bit, she may have a way for her escape route.
'The Earl obviously doesn't know who I am. Like hell I'm gonna give up. If at first you don't succeed, try again.' The akuma opened the door and threw her in. Teal dusted her arms and knees off after she landed on the ground.
'First things first. I gotta find a way to tell the others not to come after me. Then I can plan my escape. I might as well get some sleep. Oh! There's my bag. I didn't see it there before.' Teal's backpack was sitting on the bed. Most of her items were in it. She had three sets of clothes, her armband for her part time job, a paper boy hat, a couple of masks, toiletry kit, a drawing book, pencils, a piece of parchment which was her 'fixed' map from some black market, her star shaped golem, a small bag that had money in it, a box, and matches.
'Great, my knife's gone. And I don't have my sword with me.' She sighed. 'Worst case is I make a new sword. Or hopefully there's a black smith in a nearby town. Katanas aren't that expensive.' Teal collapsed to her knees and almost threw up. She was covering her mouth.
'Uggh, it's getting worse… This is a really bad time for me to be sick. I have to get that thought out of my head…' Teal collapsed on her bed.
"What are you doing in here, Tyki? This is our room! Did you see the 'Do Not Enter' sign?" Jasdevi shouted.
"I am aware of the sign on the door. I'm just here to remind you of your mission."
"Okay, we admit we were once friends with her. But it's not our job to baby sit her!" Devitto snarled.
"Exactly. That is why the Earl chose you two to get close to her."
"Yeah and I think chucking books at other people is a sign that she likes us." Devitto said sarcastically.
"And she knows how to play dirty. There's no way we are going to get near her!" Jasdero said.
"Do what you have to. Besides, this is one mission that you can't screw up. It'll be easy."
"Then why don't you do it? If I'm not mistaken, you have more experience with girls and you would be able to win her over in no time." Tyki was already gone.
"DAMN IT! How is it he always leaves when we try to get out of these things?"
"I guess we really have to do it. Hee! Hey Devi, do you think she'll be easy to talk to?"
"The book is self explanatory." Devitto said as he climbed on his top bunk. "God. She's so friggin' annoying. It makes me want to kill her."
"Devi! You can't be thinking like that!"
"Oh sure, take her side."
"No, that's not what I meant! We'd fail the mission if that were to happen."
"Well no duh, genius. Lord Millennium said this isn't gonna be easy. As long as she remains an exorcist, we're gonna have a hell of a hard time restraining ourselves NOT to kill her."
It was around 4 am when Teal woke up. She got changed into her uniform and pulled out her map from her bag and she used magic to give her some light. She opened it up and whispered 'Ausistra'. That was the code the maker of the map gave her to open it. She had to say it in reverse to hide the contents.
'I remember this cost me a few month's salary plus an arm and a leg. That woman wasn't so much of a crazy person after all.'
The map's original content disappeared and there was a map of the mansion on it. On the map, the names of the Noah appeared and anyone else in the building, the akuma were on the map as well but it just said 'Akuma'. The map showed anything within a few miles from where Teal was.
She analyzed the map and all the Noah were in individual rooms. There were two akuma outside the door. They both had '2' beside their label. She traced her finger on possible escape routes. There was a town not very far from the mansion. The town had a train station and a ship yard. She analyzed the map and tried to figure out the best way to get to that town.
The mansion overlooked a sea and she could easily swim to the town. If the water was very deep, she could easily use her spells to breathe. There was a forest path but it looked very complicated to get through and she could easily get lost.
'I don't want to use my Innocence until I get closer to England. I don't know how much power I have so I have to save it to the end. Speaking of which, which country is this?'
Teal looked at the top of the map and she found out that the country name wasn't there. 'Crap… I forgot to ask for country names. Maybe the town might give me a clue?' She looked over at the town area and she sank her head. The letters that made it up were some Arabic or words that didn't make much sense.
'That's alright. As long as I get away from here, I'm happy. Here I go!' She whispered 'artsisua' and the map changed back to normal. Teal looked at the clock on the dresser. It was 5:30.
Teal walked up to the door and slipped a smoke bomb that was in her money pouch under the door and it detonated. She opened the door and ran down the hallway that led to the dining area. The smoke was cleared quickly by the akuma and they started going after her. She knew there was a door that led outside somewhere in the hallway.
"Come back here!" The akuma shouted. She didn't look back and kept running. She finally made it to the door that she saw earlier. She quickly unlocked it, went on the balcony and she jumped on to the roof. She looked around for a brief second and ran towards the trees. She could see there were mountains that touched the sea and there was a faint light that could be seen over the trees.
'It must be a light house.' As the fading moon faintly lit her path, she jumped across the roof top and landed on the path to the woods. When she jumped off the roof, she landed on all fours. She got back up, she fled into the woods. The akuma were not far behind her.
"Stop or we'll shoot, exorcist!" One akuma shouted.
"Are you stupid? We can't kill her!" The other akuma shouted.
"Too bad you idiots, you have to shoot me if you want to catch me." She called back.
"Do you have a death wish?" One of them shouted at her.
She kept on running as fast as her legs would let her. She heard trees snap and knew they were back on her trail. Teal looked up at the sky, hoping for some stars to still be out so she could navigate. On Teal's right, a path could be seen and without thinking, she ran towards it.
Teal tripped on a log and some vines wrapped themselves around her legs and her body. Teal grabbed a nearby rock and started stabbing the vines. They let go of their grip but when Teal was free, the akuma grabbed her arm and bent it behind her back. She groaned in pain. She struggled to get free but the akuma just held on to her tighter and cut her shoulder badly.
"Nice try, exorcist. I'm surprised you didn't use your Innocence. If you did, you'd probably be far away by now. Talk about brainless. Don't expect to escape from here." Teal gave a short hard laugh. "That's where you're wrong." The akuma led her back to the mansion. Teal still had the rock she used to free herself from the vines.
'Okay, so later, I'll just have to try a different way.' When they got back to the mansion, Teal was thrown into her room again. This time, she was thrown so hard that she hit the wall and was knocked out.
'Scary... The shadows will get me...'
*bzzzt*
'Someday... *bzzzt* We'll be... *bzzzt*'
'Red snow...'
Shadows...
"The shadows... are scary." Teal barely muttered.
"Geez are you still sleeping? Wake up!"
Teal blinked and Devitto and Jasdero were in her room. Devitto was shaking her on her bad shoulder. She slapped his hand and stood up.
"What are you two doing in here?" She stood up furiously.
"What are you doing making an escape attempt at 5 in the morning? Hee!"
"I failed. Big whoop. What are you two doing in here?"
"Um… Oh yeah, Stupid Tyki wants to see you. The Earl would but he's somewhere in the world."
"Fine. I'll go."
"Oh yeah, and if I were you, I wouldn't be wearing the uniform. Just for safety sake." Jasdero said.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Teal asked suspiciously.
"Just for safety sake. For you at least. There might be one or two akuma that go berserk occasionally and you wouldn't want yourself to get killed, now would you, Princess?"
"Whatever. You two, get out." She opened her door and was waiting for them to leave.
"There's a changing area over there. You have privacy." Devitto sat on her bed.
"Hey what's this?" Jasdero picked up something on the floor. He unrolled it and it was a bra.
'Aw crap! How'd that get out of my bag?' She snatched it from him and literally kicked him out of the room. Then she threw Devitto out.
"Even without using her Innocence, that hurt!" Jasdero cried.
"It was your fault for getting us kicked out. Although, it was funny that she was stupid enough to keep one of those things on the floor."
"At least I'm not the pervert." Teal came out of her room and she was wearing her white tank top, black pants, and her black coat.
"So are you taking me to see Tyki or what?"
"What? No dress this time?" Devitto smirked.
"Shut it, you jerk." She hit him upside on his head.
Jasdevi lead her back to the garden where the other Noah were. Road was playing with a big white dog and Tyki and Sheryl were talking to each other then Sheryl looked up and started walking towards them.
"Hello, there, children."
"We're not kids! We're teenagers! Teen-age-ers! Got that?" Jasdevi shouted at Sheryl.
"And Road's a teenager too!" Sheryl step back and put his hand on his forehead. "No, don't say that! My beloved daughter is not a reckless teenager. I cannot bear to hear those words."
'Drama king…' Jasdevi and Teal thought at the same time.
"But enough chit chat. Come on, Taelia. My brother wishes to speak with you."
"One, it's Teal. Two, I'm over here." Sheryl looked back and realized he grabbed Devitto's arm.
"Let go, you pansy." He growled.
"Oh, my apologies. You two are so alike. You should be lovers."
"Eh?" Teal was blushing furiously at this suggestion.
"You lost it old man! I'm nothing like her!" Devitto was red as well. Jasdero was just staring at the both of them.
"You have got to be kidding! What the heck are you on?"
"Well, you're appearances are the same. So why not? I think it'll be a perfect match." Sheryl was pointing at their clothes. They were both wearing a dark jacket on a white shirt, and black pants. The only difference was their hair color.
"Brother, that's enough. I asked them to bring Teal here so I can talk to her. Not for you to pester them." Teal followed Tyki back to the table. There was an akuma servant that brought them tea. Teal refused and glared at Tyki.
"Well, let's get down to business. After your little escape attempt this morning, the Earl has asked me to tell you that until you don't escape anymore, you are to be escorted by an akuma at all times. And you are not to leave the mansion at all."
'Trying to keep me inside? Like hell that's going to happen.'
"Is that it?" Tyki nodded.
"How predictable. Just because the Earl has made up these stupid rules doesn't mean I'm going to follow them." Teal said.
"Did you know that stubbornness is a fatal flaw? If you're not to careful, you might wind up dead."
"Good. I was afraid it wasn't."
"You really need to watch it, exorcist. Care to tell us why you're so bitter?"
"Is it really that hard to figure out?" She asked monotonically. "You've taken me from my friends and I'm practically in a cage. Wouldn't that piss you off?"
"I understand about losing your friends must be hard on you but I doubt they were your friends to begin with. For instance, I doubt they didn't like the fact that you were hiding what you are. You don't belong with them."
"What the hell do you know?" She growled. "You're not them. Yeah, I hid stuff from them, that much you got right, but you have no right to say that I don't belong with them."
Jasdero and Devitto looked in Teal and Tyki's direction. They've never seen her this angry before. She had developed a totally different personality.
"Oh really? Then what about when you nearly killed them? They wouldn't be your friends because of that, I'm sure."
"I don't deny I nearly killed them because I let that stupid woman take over me but I've got plenty of guts for stickin' around and most people would be proud of that fact. Even if they weren't I sure as hell am and I'm not going to give up on everything I worked for just because somebody wants me to become their stupid pawn."
"Hmm... I see. The Order has told you many lies."
"This has got nothing to do with the Order. I don't put up with things that I don't like, and I absolutely hate other people choosing my life for me. Personally, I'd rather die free than die in a cage."
"If you were to adjust, you'd wouldn't be living in a cage."
'Where the heck were you?'
"Well little brother, you know the old saying: A wild horse will be broken at some point."
Teal rolled her eyes. She noticed that Devitto and Jasdero were sitting on the railing on the patio they were on. Teal briefly glanced at them then looked away.
That night, Teal checked her map. The guards were off somewhere else instead of guarding her door. All the Noahs were in their rooms. Teal's room was on the opposite end of the other rooms. She dumped some of her stuff on the bed and put it under the sheet to make it look like she was sleeping. She tied up her hair and put her hat on. Then she grabbed her jacket and quietly shut the door.
She looked around to make sure the coast was clear. There was a light on the floor in the hallway. Teal looked up to find the source. There was a window on the roof. Teal saw that there were small ledges. She backed up and jumped. One of her hands slipped. She heard footsteps approaching. She pulled herself on the ledge and pressed her back against the wall and moved toward the shadows.
She saw the guards come back at the door. "Geez… I don't think that contest was such a good idea." Teal was breathing heavily but silently. She couldn't be caught just yet. She accidentally put too much weight on one leg and made some rocks fall. Teal covered her mouth and nose with her hand.
"Did you hear that?"
"Hear what?"
"It sounded like rocks falling. You don't think?" The akuma opened the door. At the same time, Teal opened the window and climbed up.
"Her bag is still there and she's sleeping. We have to stand here just in case."
"What if she sends another smoke bomb?"
"Then we'll stand over there."
"What if she tries to make a run for it when we're standing over there?"
"Then we'll stand back here." Teal slowly shut the window and slid down the roof. 'Okay, so I have to prepare for my next attempt tonight. I know a recipe for a sedative that should work on akuma. For once, I'm so thankful I was on the wrong side of the road.'
She jumped off the roof and lay flat on her stomach in case the akuma saw her. Her dark clothing blended well with the ground.
'Okay, here I go.' She started to crawl until she was close enough to the woods then she silently ran in the woods and leaned against a tree that hid her in the shadows.
Teal checked the map again. Everyone was still in the same spot they were in before. Except for the guards at her door. They kept on moving places.
She followed the map into a certain part of the woods. It was a fairly marshy area where it had a narrow path to the lake and it was a dead end because there were sharp rocks at the mouth. She felt really stupid because she added just about everything and where she was but she didn't add the country names. There should be some usual plants in this bush that she could use.
'Okay... Willow's breath. This will knock someone out for hours.' She grabbed a dark violet string of small leaves from a low branch above her. They stung when you touched them but they would only work if they were stripped with bare hands.
She kept her ears and eyes on constant alert. Every small sound she heard or if something moved, she lay on the ground and was completely motionless.
'Okay next: I need the nectar of a... crimson blue bell. It'll turn the leaves into a powder and the sedative is complete but it smells horrible. So I need one more plant to counter it.'
She was crawling around for almost an hour looking for the crimson blue bells. They grew in cold, damp places and they were twice as big as normal blue bells. And they were easy to spot since they were pure red, hence the name, crimson blue bells. She found one really big crimson blue bell under a rock.
When she stroked against the stem, golden sap came out of the tip and it instantly dissolved the leaves and converted them into white powder but it left a horrible stench. It was like rotten fish in a latex cover.
'My hands still hurt and I know this would help but it is really difficult to get out without the other ingredient and they will prob'ly get suspicious.'
The last ingredient is easy to get: water mixed with honey, resin from a violet ivy and a little bit of blood since they were akuma. The ivy was underwater and she had to walk to the shoreline of the lake. There was some ivy between some of the rocks that were sticking out in the shallow water. When she waded out a little bit, she could feel a little bit of a current.
She pulled out the ivy and it had a bittersweet smell. She ripped some leaves in half and the resin started to flow. It almost took the full plant to eliminate the smell of the sedative. She used the last leaves on her hands and it eliminated the stench on her hands and more importantly, the sting.
'Alright, let's find some honey.' Teal gave a small moan as her hands were starting to feel cool and the sting was going away.
'Dammit, how the hell am I supposed to find a bee hive in the middle of the night? I can't tell what kind of trees these ones are. Hold it!' She jerked her head to the right and the sunlight was starting to push through the cracks between the trees.
She pulled out her map and the akuma had figured out that she wasn't in that room. One of them was going through her items and another was searching her room.
'Crap!' Her jaw dropped. She quickly put the powder into a small vial and put a plug on it. 'They're going to start looking for me. Okay: I have an idea: Play dumb. Playing dead won't work so I have to switch to plan B: play dumb.'
She was able to find the beach that wasn't very far from where she made her exit. Some fish were jumping in the water as if to welcome the dawn. The crystal blue waves gently were rolling on the beach. She looked up and the sun was just touching the mountain peaks. There was a light mist on the surface of the water and the base of the mountain.
'So pretty.' Teal sighed. She picked up a shell that was carried on shore. Something flashed in front of her eyes. It was like a shadow of a child but its voice was inaudible. Then the child disappeared and more figure less shadows appeared and the water was turning red. Teal blinked and everything turned back to normal.
'What was that? I'm probably hallucinating from lack of sleep.' She shook her head.
'Well, I'd better go back before they send out-' She was about to turn when she was stopped by something that wasn't there before.
"Eh?" She cranked her head up and Jasdero and Devitto were standing right in front of her.
"Eh!" 'Okay... Play dumb just play dumb...' Teal told herself over and over as she backed away.
"Already breaking the rules? Sheesh, what are we going o do with you?" Devitto shook his head like a disapproving parent.
'Just say 'Rules? What rules?'
"Never been a big fan of rules, never will. What's it to you?" 'Nice knowing you idiot.'
"Uh... We're concerned about you, that's all." Jasdero faked a smile.
"Oh... I see. That's very considerate." Teal replied with a fake smile. "Although, I call shenanigans." She glared at them.
"What?" They said at the same time.
"Jeez, learn some slang once in a while! Okay then, read my lips: I'm not falling for your BS. I'm guessing that you guys are still pretty pissed and are just at the point where you want to kill me." She leaned against the slope.
"Don't get so cheeky, you brat!" Devitto pointed at her.
"Devi! Calm down! He doesn't really mean that." Jasdero turned his head to Teal. She wasn't buying it whatsoever.
"What are you two really doing here other than being a pain in the neck?"
"Us? Being a pain in the neck? You're the irritating one ever since you got here!" Devitto was still shouting at her and Jasdero has yet to join in the match.
"Well, excuse ME. Last time I checked I was kidnapped by force and I'm still in a bad mood. Just cross your fingers to pray I don't go black."
"That's what kidnapped means, stupid. You were taken by force."
"Another thing: don't patronize me. That'll make me go black faster."
"What do you mean by black, Teal?" Teal flinched and hesitated when Jasdero asked her. She wasn't expecting them to be calling her by her name.
"Long story short, if I snap, you should stay the hell away from me. You'd be surprise what I can do when I go black. Even if I don't, stay the hell away from me."
"Better get used to it, Princess, 'cause your not going anywhere and neither are we. So might as well be friends." He smirked.
"Keep dreaming." She replied bluntly.
"Jasdero, I-am-so-gonna-kill-her. She's-so-damn-annoying!" Devitto growled through his teeth while his hands were twitching. Teal flipped him off when they weren't looking at her but Devitto saw it out of the corner out of his eye and glared at her.
"What? My hand got stuck between the root and I cut my fingers. There's nothing to get so pissed about." She showed him her hand and she did have a large cut on her fingers.
Devitto and Jasdero flinched. They could tolerate blood but it was blood of an exorcist and they were fighting the urge to attack her. It was the Noah inside them. Whenever they pick up any kind of scent of an exorcist, they have an uncontrolable urge to kill.
"You two okay over there? You both look like... Hang on, what happened to you're arms?" Teal noticed that their left arms were injured and looked like their infected.
"It's none of your business." Jasdero said coldly.
Teal just shrugged and was more focused on getting some of her blood for her sedative and healing her fingers.
'The shadows... Scary...' After she healed her fingers, she held her head, praying for that voice to stop. Those words kept on echoing in her head.
"Dammit, I'm sorry."
"Hey! Where're you going?"