Chapter Two: Changes

Vanille's POV

I sat at the table in the restaurant, fiddling with the dull coloured table cloth in front of me as I waited for the meal to arrive.

Across from me sat Treyvell whose eyes were fixated on me, glimmering in the light of the candle.

That was the problem with this place. It was so romantic, and I glowered at the candle, growing more and more uncomfortable... Especially at the fact that the boy wasn't even blinking in his stare.

"I hate candles," I said, voicing my point subtly.

He nodded quickly. "O-of course," he said, snuffing it out with his fingers after covering them thickly with a spare blanket beneath the bread basket.

Of course, as the world works, the material caught fire in an instant.

"Wow!" he cried out, quickly stuffing the blanket in the jug of water. "Sorry Vanille," he added, growing red with embarrassment.

I laughed out loud at his stupidity, but felt a little sorry for him, so I reached across and touched his hand. "Did it burn?"

He smiled at my touch. "No, not my hand, but I don't think they'll be using this again," he said, pulling the fire's victim from the water to show her a gaping hole smeared with black ash.

Our meals arrived a moment later. The waiter, a man I knew well for hating Treyvell with such a passion his reasons were kept a secret, glared straight at the boy, his eyes flicking to the burnt cloth.

"Sorry," Treyvell apologised in a small voice. "I-I'll pay for it."

"Can you?" the man snapped.

Treyvell went even redder. He was a poor boy, his family having to bribe and beg for money. He was deeply ashamed of it and rarely spoke of it at all.

"Enough," I growled at the waiter for Treyvell's sake. "He has the money to pay, but if it is not on him at this moment then I will pay for it for you."

Satisfied, the waiter left.

"Vanille, you know I can't pay, but you shouldn't have to in my place," Treyvell said sadly.

"I shook my head and started digging through my food as I spoke. "You brought me here for dinner Treyvell. Consider it my thanks."

He laughed a little. "I just couldn't bear the thought of leaving you to eat deer for your dinner," he pointed out.

"Well, this food isn't much better," I said in disgust, then apologised as I saw his face.

Treyvell had used what money he had for himself to buy us these meals, and I was grateful apart from the fact that I hated this restaurant, its food, the people, everything about it! It was the only other source of food we had in the village apart from hunted animals or gathered food, but the people who ran this restaurant were pompous morons who had more money then the rest of us.

After we had finished dining we headed to the fields where I often sat on my own. The stars were more numerous now, sparkling in the moonlight and seeming to only exist for us.

It did not take long for us to start talking, growing tired of the silence. Treyvell spoke of his family problems, panic clear in his voice, but then he apologised for telling me something he was sure bored me and abruptly stopped no matter how hard I pushed.

"At least you have a family," I said after a few minutes since his refusal to continue on the subject.

Now I was talking about something that bothered me, but it was worse it was a tragic plague in my mind that refused to let me live a normal happy life.

Happy… That word I never really understood.

I felt Treyvell's hand twitch, shuddering in the glass, then it grasped my hand. His skin was so soft and warm, yet it was strong and held me tightly. I smiled, feeling protected and no longer alone.

"You have me," he said after a moment, his smile growing brighter despite the darkness that began to cover the world. "And you won't lose me… not ever."

Our emotions were brimming now like water spilling over the side of a jug, but it wasn't just swelling bliss, for I felt the memories of my past stinging me behind my eyes. They flashed past, the words of my mother: You always have me, dear Vanille.

I wept like I had not done in years and I found myself wrapped in his arms immediately. At first he was tense and I realised I had flung myself into him, but his muscles relaxed and he held me tightly, whispering into my ear that everything would be okay.

That was why they hated me. My mother had been loved, a cherished healer amongst the villagers, but my birth had brought her death, then my father went mad with the loss and ran away from the village.

I had not seen him since and was forced to deal with the blame of my mothers death on my own. Well, accept for Treyvell. He never blamed me, nor did he ever leave my side.

We fell asleep like that, me folded in his arms as he whispered calming things into my ear.

Lightning's POV

Tonight was the night. I had had it the government and their paranoid ways. There had been a beating that day, soldiers like me forced to attack innocents after they came too close to the walls.

"They may be effected by the diseases that possess the land outside of this town," commander Strade yelled to myself and the other assembled fighters. "It is your job to bring them in so they can be tested and celled for the night. Be as brutal as you must to ensure none escape out clutches."

I could not believe this and made it clear. "We are supposed to be protectors, and you want us to hunt down the innocents of this city, tear them away from their families, and bring them to prison for wandering a little close to the wall?"

Strade was unimpressed as I was expecting. "You are protecting the others of this city from disease, so don't you dare speak to me as thought I have no idea what I am talking about, girl!"

I spat at his feet. "What disease? Can it teleport through the three metre thick walls now, can it?"

Now he was shaking with rage. "If one of these people do not end up in my cells tonight, the blame goes on you, soldier! You know what the consequences will be to, don't you?"

I knew well. I would have a cell of my own with no food nor water, and I would be taunted by the ongoing cries of the innocents, hating me for getting them in the same place as I would be.

In the end, I felt I had no choice, so I bit my tongue and joined the group of soldiers as they swarmed the streets and began attacking the targets we had been given clear photos of.

Children were dragged from houses, the mothers screaming and clutching at their hands. Fathers went out to fight, but we brought them down with, knocking them unconscious and carrying them back. Some women were found tyring to escape, but some of the faster of us chased them down and brought them back a few minutes later.

I stood in the middle of the chaos, unable to decide what to do. I had many chaces to attack and bring down another target, conscious or not, but I did not take it, then neither did I take the equal opportunities to save any.

Surrounding us in a ring were the other city people who had come out to see what was happening, and at the sight of the brutality they were all clearly shocked and disappointed.

I stared at their faces, their eyes wide, some heads shaking, then I was struck in the side of the face.

It was a powerful hit and I was sent reeling towards the crown of curious people. I landed on my side painfully, slid along the ground, and then when I stopped I lifted my head groggily to see the pale face of a young girl.

Her hand gripped her mothers tightly. "Mummy, it's one of the monsters!" she gasped with terror.

For me, that was the last straw.

I stood and threw my weapon to the ground. Let them lock me up, let them strip me of my position. I no longer cared. Where was the protection in this? Was this what we were now? Monsters?

In the end none had escaped, so I avoided a cell. Not wanting to stay in the headquarters where the other soldiers celebrated drunkenly, I wandered the now empty streets, looking around at closed up windows and shadows that ran at the sight of me.

Depressed, I stared down at my hands, the hands of a monster, a beast, an entity of evil. I did not want that. I could not bear to wear such a thing.

So I fled.

With my speed and agility I slunk through the streets completely undetected by the guards on patrol. My feet pattered along the ground, falling silent when I forced them too. I flipped over obstacles, scrambled into shadows, then I found my way out.

Above was a network of tubes where trains ran. That was where I felt I needed to be. It would be easy, running along the top of the tunnel until I could reach the wall. Then I would-

"Hey!"

"Time to run," I whispered to myself as one of the woman guards located me. As soon as I could hear her feet reaching me I leapt towards the nearest house. There was a pipe and I clutched the metal, pulling myself up with sharps thrusts with my arms. My fingers cut on the metal, bu I ignored the pain until I reached the roof.

But there was still no time. Below, more guards had been told of my absence into the city when I should be in the headquarters like a child locked in their room for the night.

I found it ironic that now I was officially turning my back on the government, I began to realise how much I had hated it before.

Leaping from roof to roof was not easy. My legs were trembling from the lack of energy on the tenth jump, but it was the final. I was at a staircase leading to the first train stop, so I climbed with such a rush that I nearly stumbled. It was unlike me, so now escape was looking more impossible. What if I made another mistake?

Another thought came to my mind as I boarded the train at the top of the stairs. It was almost completely empty, so I took the nearest seat to a set of doors on the left and thought about the new dilemma.

This city was located on a flying piece of rock so as to avoid the world below, but diseases were still said to remain in the forest that surrounded us. I stared at my hands gloved with a powerful device. Gravity was the magic it unleashed, hopefully ensuring a clean landing on the outside world, but it would be a long way down.

The train stopped and the doors slid open. With my sword in my hand I peered outside too see three soldiers glaring back with their guns pointed straight at me.

"Step out of the train and follow us," they said with monotone voices. They were robots, like I was, but unlike me they did not see another life available.

I left the train with my hands in the air. "Easy boys," I said, seeing that they were both male. "I don't want to start and trouble."

They did not even see me go. I shot at a pipe before their feet and a mix of gas and smoke covered their view. I took the well planned opportunity to run, leaping over the top of the train and speeding along the tube, but instead of reaching the top my jump fell short and I found myself rushing through the inside, hoping that there would be no other trains.

Of course there were, due to my bad luck. It came racing along, the tunnel shaking with its speed. I did not stop at all. My breath was raggad with fear and exhaustion as my feet led me ahead at a frightening speed, then I saw the train'd headlights glaring, its horns screaming.

I threw myself into the air, my body spinning and twirling. I watched the top of the train pass beneath me, then the tracks appeared again. I landed, my feet standing for a moment before sending me into a delayed roll along the tracks.

I was almost there. At the end of the tunnel was a turn, but beyong that change of direction was the wall, and I knew what I had to do. My speed was crucial now, so I put all of my energy into my legs as they cried out in agony from the fall. I ignored the pain of course, as we all must do when desperate measures are called upon, and it payed off.

I launched myself at the glass that curved in the turn. My feet went first, kicking against the surface, and like water it exploded around me, shattering and clicking against the rails as I flew through the air. Stings of pain ran along my arms from some of the shards, but my eyes stayed focused on the wall. It was very close and I wondered if I could make it. Below the soldiers were firing, tyring to kill me now instead of taking me back to the headquarters. Well, if I fell they would not need bullets.

My shadow was on the wall as I passed over it. I could feel my red cape brush against the steel and I let out a breath as I realised how close I was, but there was no crack of bones, no sudden blackness.

Green trees whipped at me, cutting my exposed flesh. It was an onslaught of branches and I cried out until the stinging pain subsided for a moment. I was past the attacking tree depths, but the ground was still below.

I tumped against the hard green surface, immediately realising that the old myth of grass cushioning any fall was rubbish. With a groan I rolled myself onto my back, my eyes opening a crack to see that I was indeed free, but how many bones had it cost me?

Slowly and carefully I sat myself up and started checking every part of my body that ached. There were many cuts and bruises, some red patches I did not like the look of, but nothing was broken or missing, and there were no bullet holes at all.

With a sigh or relief I lay back and laughed out loud. No longer could I hear the soldiers, only the cry of birds, and there was no stink of smoke and no chatter of people working themselves ragged with whatever business they had.

There was no time to waste. I was suddenly filled with an intense wish to see the world that I had been sheltered from for all my life, so I dragged my tired feet to the edge of my world and looked down.

Through the mist of clouds I could see brown land with patches of green. Vegetation. That was a good sign, but rocky brown meant death for sure. I had to land in the right place, and then put more of a strain on my gravity ability.

I took another step forward, my gut gnawing at itself a little as I realised the height. I took a deep breath, slowed my heart as best I could, snapped my fingers… then jumped.

The pull of the gravity magic was strong and I was falling slowly already, like a parachute had been pulled, but as I pointed my head straight forward I sped up a little. It would kick in when I needed to the most, I hoped.

I had to pull this off. I was so close to freedom, so close to a change in my life. If this failed, that was it. I was dead, and for what? What would I have achieved? Turning against a government that deserved to be punished deserved a pat on the back, but was it worth my life?

I was frozen with fear as I realised that I was beginning to fall too fast. The ground below was coming up fast as thought it were the one flying through the air, but I knew it was not true. I clicked my fingers again, furiously, but there was not enough energy left in me to work gravity properly.

"Damn it!" I gasped angrily as fear began to rob me consciousness. I could do nothing now accept let death take me, but at least I would not feel a thing, I thought as I fell into darkness just in time.