New chapter is here! I hope the wait wasn't too long this time! I own nothing but the story. Enjoy!
Kyoko placed her hand over her mouth at her revelation. The day had ended, which meant…
Screeeeech!
Kyoko slapped her hands over her ears and spun around. She looked around everywhere, trying to find the source of the sound, but it was too dark for her to see. She reached out her hands again to try to feel around. She stumbled over fallen items but balanced herself by placing her hand over the bed's base. She let out a deep breath, trying to keep her cool.
Kyoko let out a squeal when something warm was placed over her hand. She moved her hand a little and realized that it was someone else's hand on top of hers. Kyoko's teeth chattered as she felt claws scratch her skin. She was petrified with fear and her heart was thumping so hard that it hurt her chest. All she heard was the beating of her rapid heart and the breathing of someone else. She turned her head slowly and in the darkness she faintly saw a figure there on top of the bed.
"Moko-san?" Kyoko let out a whisper. She got no answer. The figure moved closer to her and let out a hot breath on her face with such a horribly stench that it burned her eyes.
Suddenly regaining her ability to move, Kyoko yanked her hand away and took a couple steps back. Run! Her mind was screaming at her to get out, but she seemed to have forgotten her ability to move her legs. But once she felt another breath on her face, her legs quickly found their strength to move again and she turned and ran away. She tripped and bumped into things along the way in the massive room, but got back up and finally found her way out the door. She raced down the hall and skipped several steps down the stairs, until her shoulder was grabbed from behind and she was spun around. Kyoko shut her eyes and let out a piercing scream, only to have a hand placed over her mouth. Kyoko's eyes snapped open to see her predator. But it was no predator she saw. Once she saw who it was she once again froze, but this time not out of fear, but relief.
"Hush child. You can't go down there!" The captor's voice whispered melodically as Kyoko was released."
"Ms. Woods? You're…? You're a…"
Kyoko stared in shock as she stared at the little woman in front of her. Her blonde hair looked like golden and silver threads intertwined together, shining in the darkness like bright lights. She was still wearing the crown Kyoko had created for her on top of her golden curly locks that went down to her waist. Her eyes shone a bright emerald green. She skin was creamy white. And her dress was white and silver, with so much sparkle and shine to it, yet so simple at the same time. She looked so much more elegant than the Princess of Hearts herself. But why? Swan by day, witch by night… If this is what a witch looked like then her outfit on the set was way off.
"Not now child! We must hurry. Everyone has changed to their other forms now. We need to get you out of here. They are all looking for you."
Kyoko nodded obediently, still confused and in shock, when she suddenly heard a step behind her. Kyoko turned around and gasped to see that it was none other than him…the Hatter. His head was tilted towards the ground. One of his hands gripped onto the handle on a knife. The same knife he had threatened Kyoko with before. The other was placed lightly on top of his hat, covering his eyes. Still covered from head to toe in black, he looked like death itself in the darkness. He slowly looked up and Kyoko caught the glow in his eyes as he formed a slight grin. Kyoko let out a whimper and automatically started retreating only to bump into someone from behind. She twirled around to see the princess in front of her, but she was in no way, shape or form, anything like she was before. Her face was so pale, it was nearly transparent and you could see pulsing veins all over it. Her eyes were a dull yellow and she had thick matted black hair hanging over them. She reached out to grab Kyoko, but Odette yanked her back. Kyoko clenched onto the swan princess in panic. She looked back towards the Hatter and saw that he wasn't alone anymore. Behind him stood all the guests; all with piercing bright red eyes. Odette pulled Kyoko closer and whispered to her.
"Just stay calm. I'll get you out of here."
Kyoko nodded in trust. She had no other chance but to trust the swan. Odette stood there silently staring at the group ready to attack in front of them as Kyoko nervously glanced back at the demonic princess perched so close to them. Every second moved so slowly for Kyoko. Every second seemed like it may be her last. This made it all the more unexpected when Odette suddenly jumped over the railing, dragging Kyoko with her. An alarmed Kyoko was caught too off guard to even scream and held her breath in fear and panic, waiting for the thud that would come with their bodies hitting the floor several feet below them, definitely ending her life. Instead, she stopped moving quicker than expected and opened her eyes standing on her two feet. She breathed rapidly, dizzy with her mind whirling, and looked towards an unfazed Odette, who gave her no time to settle down and sprang forward, dashing towards the door. The world was moving so fast around Kyoko as she let herself be dragged along by Odette. She could hear the stomps of several pairs of feet closing in behind her, but somehow she wasn't as scared right now as she was in the past. A little shocked perhaps, but not the heart stopping fear she had been feeling up until her dash down the stairs. Maybe it was the fact that she wasn't alone anymore. Odette was somehow alright. She wasn't affected by the night. At least not the way she should have. Could it be because…?
Odette suddenly came to a halt, causing Kyoko to crash into her. Kyoko steadied her feet and looked questioningly at Odette, trying not to think about the thuds against the ground behind her that were getting louder by the second. Kyoko realized that Odette was gazing in a trancelike stare at something in front of her. Kyoko followed her line of vision and realized that there was someone standing there, leaning against the trunk of a tree, but she couldn't exactly see who or what it was due to the darkness. Then, Kyoko jumped, startled as she felt something tighten around her ankles. She looked down and saw wines being wrapped around her legs. She pulled on the wines with her hands and tried to rip her legs out until she felt a squeeze on her shoulder. She looked up and saw Odette shaking her head at her.
"Don't struggle. It'll only make it worse."
"But…but they'll catch up to us!"
"No, they won't come here anymore."
Kyoko looked at Odette, confused. Then she realized…she couldn't hear the footsteps anymore. It was silent around them. It was only the three of them. But who was this person? Kyoko straightened up and looked curiously at the figure in front of her. She pursed her lips as it began snickering.
"Ms. Woods. Who is that?" Kyoko whispered.
"It's him…The Dark One."
Kyoko stood silent after that. The Dark One. The one who changed Odette into a swan. The one who was troubling everyone in this world. The one she was supposed to stop. He was standing right in front of her. But who was he? And why did he trap them here? For some strange reason, Kyoko wasn't frightened, but rather, she felt a bit irritated. She squinted her eyes to try to see the person before her, but it was no good. It was too dark. Suddenly feeling a wave of courage wash over her, Kyoko broke the silence.
"Who are you?"
"Kyoko don't speak to him!" Odette looked at her worriedly. Kyoko took a deep breath and continued.
"Well? Are you going to speak up or just stand there in the shadows?"
"Kyoko!"
Kyoko stood her ground, determined. She wanted to know who this man was and what he wanted with her. Then the snickering got louder and louder until suddenly it stopped. The figure straightened up a little.
"So? Are you really supposed to be the one? The one from the prophecy?" A raspy, rather high pitched voice came out.
Prophecy? What was he talking about? Kyoko didn't understand what to say or do. Then one black pointed shoe stuck out of the shadows. Slowly a leg followed along with the rest of the figures body. He was cloaked in a red and silver fabric. His hair was a ruffled dirty blonde. He lifted his head up and smiled with fairly sharp yellowish teeth. His eyes were a light hazel brown unlike a shade Kyoko had ever seen, but the rest of his face, the shape of his eyes, his nose, his conceited smile, Kyoko knew it.
"You! You're the Dark One?"
Kyoko's mouth hung open as she stared at him. He was nothing like what he was in the real world. He wasn't wearing expensive jackets or jeans. His hair wasn't styled. He wasn't wearing any of the, what he called, bling. His skin looked terrible; pale and peeling. But that smile. The look in his eyes. It was exactly the same.
"Shotaro!"
He snickered again.
"You're really something. But question is, are you really going to be the one? I highly doubt it. I've been watching you for a while. Waiting for us to have a formal encounter. And well, here we are, and frankly, I'm not very impressed."
Kyoko clenched her fists. Her eyes burned with fiery anger as her little friends took over. They flew over to the wines and gnawed them with their teeth and tore at them until Kyoko ripped her legs out of their hold. Odette's jaw dropped as Kyoko stepped out of her trap.
"H-how did you do that?"
But Kyoko didn't hear the astonished Odette. She only saw and heard the man in front of her. Odette gazed as an unusual threatening aura overtook Kyoko.
"Hmmm. Interesting… You might not be as useless as I thought you were. But still not quite worthy of the title as the chosen one."
"Shut up Shotaro! So you're the one causing all the chaos around here! I should have known!"
"Me?" The Dark One place a hand over his heart acting hurt and made an innocent look that still looked rather menacing on his face.
"Yes! You changed Ms. Woods and her brother into animals. You've caused fear in everyone's lives!"
The Dark One began chuckling.
"What's so funny!"
"You are. With your little complaints and such. And what's with these names? Ms. Woods. Shotaro. How cute. The chosen one has given everyone little nicknames." He chuckled once more.
"Stop with that laughing!"
Odette pulled on Kyoko's arm trying to make her stop, but Kyoko was lost to her as she yanked her arm back.
"Oh, but it's so funny! Who do you think you are? Telling me to shut up. Speaking so loudly with me."
In an instant, the Dark One zoomed closer to Kyoko so that he was standing right in front of her. His smile was gone now and his face was full of anger and his eyes burned a dark shade of red. He held up his hands from which a light shone out and a seemingly ball of fire sore out and hit Kyoko in the chest and threw her back.
"Kyoko!" Odette tried to go over to her, but she was still bound by the wines.
Kyoko raised herself up on her elbows and glared at the Dark One as she held one hand to her chest. She winced at the pain.
"Know you place human!"
"Me? You should know YOUR place!"
"Silence! You are no match for me, but still, I don't plan to let you go free. Your very presence taunts me and I will not stand for that you filthy creature."
The Dark One smiled as he was able to see Kyoko's minions that were swirling in anger from his words. He was rather proud of himself having this girl worked up so quickly by him. Kyoko pushed herself back up to her feet, still clenching her chest.
"How dare you! Up until now I was confused and scared about what Ms. Woods told me about you, but now, I'm kind of glad it's you. Seven days. I have seven days to destroy you. And destroy you I will!"
The Dark One broke out into a sinister laughter. He ground his teeth and smiled.
"Alright. Challenge accepted. I was planning on killing you in an instant, but now I think I'll have a little fun with you."
The Dark One came closer to Kyoko and grab her left wrist. Kyoko tried to pull her arm away, screaming at him to let go and beating him on the chest with her other hand as her demons clawed at him, too, but it had no effect. He took his three fingers of his other hand and pressed them to the palm of her hand. Kyoko screamed in agony as her skin under the Dark One's fingers burned. It felt like a blazing hot swore was being pierced into her skin. She finally tore her hand away from his grasp and clenched it close to her chest as tears rolled down her cheek. She held out her trembling hand and saw that he had left a print on her palm. It was a diamond with two lines cutting through its northern and southern points. Kyoko stared at her hand, still gripping her own wrist, and then looked up, now with a hint of fear in her heart. But her anger and hatred was still stronger.
"What did you do? What is this?"
"That my princess is the sign of Selenstra."
"Selenstra?"
"It's kind of like a virus that infects your body. Slowly… Seven days you say? Well, alright then. Seven days is all you've got alright."
"I don't…"
"You'll find out soon enough. In the meantime, I have other places to be. Oh and you there! Little Miss Swan Princess."
A forgotten Odette looked towards him, alarmed at what his next move may be. He snickered.
"Don't worry. I won't hurt you. I just wanted to let you know that you look lovely tonight. Nice to see you back in your old form…for now. Just remember, stay out of my path, or else..."
And with that, he began to retreat away slowly. Kyoko lunged for him, but she merely fell through him and a thick mist set around her. Kyoko got back up and frantically looked around.
"Where are you? You coward! How dare you run away from me!"
Kyoko felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned around and grabbed the hand and reached out towards the person before her, only to realize it was Odette as the mist cleared up. Kyoko let go of her and once again glanced around.
"He's gone…" Odette whispered to her.
Odette closed her eyes, placing a hand over her mouth and let out light sobs. Kyoko got up and lightly placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Ms. Woods. What's wrong?"
"He has him. He has him!"
"Who?"
"My…my Peter. He took him."
Odette fell to her knees. Kyoko just stood there shocked. Not knowing what to do.
"H-how do you know?"
"He showed him to me. I saw him before my eyes. It was a warning I think…a warning not to help you."
Kyoko looked down at her feet. She felt ashamed now.
"It's all my fault. I shouldn't have acted that way. I should have been more careful about what I said. I don't know what came over me. When I saw him, I just…"
"No. It's not your fault. In fact, I applaud you at your bravery. It didn't seem like it, but I could tell your attitude made him nervous. And that might be our advantage. We need to show him we're not afraid."
"Well, it doesn't matter now. He's gone. And he's taken the President with him. And I don't know what to do to get him back or to stop that person."
"Don't worry, we'll figure out a way."
"No! You can't help me! Or else…or else… I don't even know what he'll do to the President, to Peter. And what if he takes someone else, too."
"No. That's what he wants. He wants you left all alone. And I believe in you. I'll help you. After all, it might be the only way I'll ever see Peter again."
Kyoko and Odette just sat there on their knees in the spikey grass. Their knees hurt from the thorns sticking out, but their bodies were too numb to care. Suddenly, Odette gasped, causing Kyoko to look up in surprise.
"What's wrong?"
"Show me your hand!"
Kyoko put out her right hand.
"No, the other one!"
Kyoko reached out her left hand that had the strange sign on it.
"I was so caught up with my worries for Peter, I forgot about this. Oh my goodness, my dear, this is really bad!"
"What is it?"
"It's Selenstra…"
"It's what?"
"It's…it's…"
Odette sighed, shaking her head.
"There's no point worrying about that now. We just need to find that demon again so we can get Peter back and make you all better again."
"But I don't understand. What is it?"
"I-I'll tell you about it tomorrow. For now, we should find somewhere to hide."
Odette got up and Kyoko followed. Odette led Kyoko deep into the forest. Kyoko stayed huddled close to the princess as the world around her was starting to scare her again. Finally Odette came to a halt in front of a tangle of wines. She reached out and pulled the wines to the side. Kyoko gasped at what she saw in front of her. The sight was breath-taking. There was a lake in front of her, but it wasn't like any lake she had ever seen before. This lake had an enchanting feel to it, with clear blue water that sparkled under the moonlight. As Kyoko looked up, she saw that the canopies creating a window full of millions of bright stars that twinkled and danced around in the navy sky. The grass here was so soft and the blades were so perfect with little droplets of water hanging on them. There were different types of flowers growing everywhere with all sorts of different colors and patterns, webbing around the trees and the ground. Some flowers were large enough for Kyoko to take a seat in them while others were tiny little buds growing on the trees. Little butterflies with glitter on their wings fluttered by Kyoko.
"Thank goodness. This place is normal!"
"Normal? This is NOT normal! It's amazing!"
Odette let out a slight chuckle at Kyoko who had her hands clasped together, all worries suddenly forgotten. Odette led Kyoko over to what looked like a white puffy cloud. Kyoko reached out to touch it and realized that it was actually wooly, soft material.
"You can sleep her for tonight. I don't think anyone will find us here. Well, anyone but him of course. I only ever told Peter about this place and the scent from the flowers will cloak your smell."
Kyoko went and lay down. It was so soft and smooth that Kyoko already started to doze off. She let out a yawn.
"Thank you Ms. Woods. But I'm still so confused about what happened. I mean, why are you a princess instead of a witch?" And why did…"
"Hush now. Enough with the questions. But if you must know, I think it's because you helped me that I'm not a witch anymore and seems like it affected my home, too. But just sleep now. We have a lot to do…"
Odette laughed as she saw that Kyoko was already asleep. But in a moment, Odette's expression changed. She placed her hand on Kyoko's head.
"Sleep well Child. You have a lot in store for you."
I hope everyone enjoyed the chapter. It turned out being longer than expected, but hopefully it was a good read. I don't know when I'll update again, but I'll try to make it soon. The story isn't exactly turning out how I thought it would, but I like where it's going. But be sure to let me know if you want to see a change and I'll see what I can do. There's still much in store. I hope I'm not starting to bore anyone. I'll try my best to keep my chapters exciting. I'm planning on starting another Skip Beat story once this story is wrapped up, so I would really really appreciate it if you guys could give me some input on how my writing is so far. Please leave a comment or PM me to let me know! Thanks for reading! And Happy Holidays!