AN/ Hi, anyone remember me... I know it's been way too long since I updated this... I don't have any other excuse than; I've been busy...
This chapter took some time to write as well. There are a lot of details that needed to be in the right places and I've done many changes over and over before I was satisfied(sort of anyway... I'm not sure I'm completely happy with it, but it's good enough).
Thank you so much for all the reviews. I can't believe this story has almost reached 400. It's amazing.
And to Sappire333(If you're not her, you can skip this part); Thank you for your concern. Your last review made me put that extra effort in and I was able to post this today. Here are the answers to your random questions...
1. I did get back to school on august the 18th already.
2. My favorite movies... It's hard to pick just a few. I like action movies like Die Hard and such. And also those movies with epic battle scenes. And thrillers, adventures and fantasy are genre high on the list too. A few of my favorites: Jurassic Park, Robin Hood Prince of thieves, Braveheart, The Harry Potter series(love the books even more, but the movies are still great), The Hobbit (even better than the Lord of the Rings movies, which were awesome). I'm also a huge Disney fan and some of the old classics are real master pieces. There are probably many more that I can't think of now... I would love it if they made a Kickin' it movie, just like they did with Hannah Montana and Wizards of Waverly place.
3. Yes, I would probably say that I'm a Kick shipper... (hence my stories...:P )
4. My second favourite horse after Appaloosa... that's a hard question. Probably Quarter or Paint which is almost the same breed...:P
5. A random fact about anything about me... I've got a dog named Maggie that does high fives and plays dead when you 'shoot her'(holding your hand like a gun while saying bang...)
Okay I think that was all... enjoy chapter 23 :)
DISCLAIMER: I do not own Kickin it.
Chapter 23
The Real Story
Claire sat down on the bed.
"May I look at that picture again?" she asked. Jack nodded and handed her his phone, with the picture of Evelyn in that small passage located in the middle of the headquarters.
"I didn't really mean to take the picture of her…" Jack started, with a faint blush. I rolled my eyes, at his excuse. It was so obvious he wanted a picture of my face, and he'd seen his chance.
"I just thought that maybe it would be good to have a picture of those images too," he explained and I realized that Evelyn had been standing in front of the paintings which told the legend like a comic book. All of them could be seen clearly in the background, except for the one with Robert wandering alone in the forest, which was hidden behind the girl. Claire just nodded, busy inspecting the images. Her eyebrows furred.
"Is something wrong?" Jack wondered, noticing her expression. She looked up at him.
"Is this really what they're going on?"
"Yes…" Jack said confused. "I think that's all to it. At least that's what they showed us…" Claire's expression didn't change and Jack quickly added; "The picture behind Ki- Evelyn is showing Robert as he walks through the forest with his torch that seems to 'magically' burn even though it's pouring down." There was sarcasm in his voice. Claire didn't seem to pay much attention to what he said, or maybe she did.
"I knew it…" she said. Standing up, she began pacing back and forth. "I just can't believe- I mean, where's Gabriella?"
"I'm sorry, I don't follow," Jack said.
"Gabriella. She's not in the paintings and what on earth is Robert doing there?" Claire flung her arms out as if she thought the whole thing was absurd.
"He's trying to stop Evelyn," Jack explained even though the answer was obvious.
"I can see that," Claire mumbled, examining the picture. "It's just a bit worse than I thought…"
Her statement didn't exactly make me feel any better and I worried that my chances to become human again just got smaller.
"What's worse?" Jack wondered. Claire looked up from the phone.
"Long ago Evelyn wanted immortality and she was very close at getting it. In fact she still is. But that won't be enough for her now. She wants power and if she can not die; who's gonna stop her?" Claire said. "She has to be destroyed, before she gets too powerful. The Brotherhood is probably the strongest force fighting against her and her magic. I've been thinking about joining forces with them, but as I started to dig a little, I noticed that there was something that wasn't right and thanks to you I now know what it is."
"What's wrong then?" Jack asked.
"You wondered how that flame could burn in that kind of weather. The answer is; it didn't. The torch is obviously just something someone –and I'm assuming it was Robert- came up with to explain the fire later on…"
Jack and I exchanged confused glances.
"What does that mean?" Jack wondered.
"It means that if this is their version of the story, they've got it all wrong." Claire said. "Stupid Robert must have changed it all to his favour, after Gabriella left. No wonder they aren't getting anywhere…"
"So you're saying that that -I mean the story- didn't really happen?"
"Of course it didn't."
Jack looked at her with a mixture of confusion and curiosity.
"Then what did happen?"
The storm seemed to grow stronger for each life she took. It was as if the wind protested when the dark blade was forced through their hearts, one by one.
She barely heard the rain smattering or the wind brutally making its way through the forest, as she felt the power grow with each teenager sacrificed. A faint breath left their throat as the life was sucked out of them.
With blood staining her lean fingers, she pulled out the dagger from the fourteen year old girl and turned her head, looking at the last boy in line; fifteen year old David Brewer. She smirked. Oh, how she'd waited for this moment.
David's father had been one of the first to make friends with her family as they'd moved to Seaford. He had promised them he'd help them start a new life and he'd gotten her father a job; building the new Town's Hall. It was a job that had its risks and after only three months of labour, a crane, carrying bricks up the three-store building, broke. All the workers on the ground were quick to move away, but one…
Evelyn's father didn't notice the bricks falling from the sky until it was too late. As by a miracle he was still alive when his colleagues dug him out...
The accident had crippled him for life, disabling him to go back to work and Evelyn's family was doomed to a life in poverty. Mr Brewer, who had vowed he would support them, didn't keep his promise. Her mother died from pneumonia four years later, shortly followed by her father.
The young woman had never been able to forgive Mr Brewer. He had led her family into disaster and when she discovered the spell of eternal life and the sacrifice that needed to be made, David Brewer had been her first target. The death of his would not only gain her immortality, but revenge her poor father and mother.
With her heart beating hard against her chest, she approached the boy. Very soon now…
She kneeled down next to him, taking a look at his face. He resembled his father a lot. The same strong chin, dark eyebrows and if his eyes would have been open, they would have reflected the same spirit and determination. In another world she would've thought it was a waste of such a boy to end up like this, but now she could only see his father through him.
Tightening her grip of the dagger, she raised it, ready to finish what she'd started...
Pain suddenly shot through her hand and she dropped the dagger. It barely hit the floor before it was shoved away by an unseen force. Sliding over the wooden planks it came to a sudden stop at a pair of feet.
Shocked, Evelyn looked up at the girl standing in the room. Her beautiful features and her golden hair gave her away, and Evelyn immediately got filled with fear. This couldn't be happening. She was almost done now.
How was it possible for the girl to know what she was doing? She'd been so careful.
In the back of the mind she knew the answer of course…
Last spring Mr Brewer had gotten ill. His body had seemed to refuse to keep anything more than fluid food, and he quickly weakened. Losing almost a third of his weight, he'd been close to dying. Stomach failure they said, poisoning Evelyn knew…
It's true that she'd tried more than once to avenge her father and mother without much success.
Like some kind of miracle Mr Brewer had regained his health. It should've been impossible. Evelyn had been so thorough, having made sure that the poison would be strong enough… It'd quickly dawned on her though. She was not the only one in the village who knew about magic…
The blond girl had saved Mr Brewer from a certain death, but worse yet; she'd figured out Evelyn's secret.
After that Evelyn had to be more careful. Everything had to be done in complete secrecy. The thought of getting rid of the young girl by sacrifice her as one of the teenagers in line had crossed her mind, but she'd realized that that would be too risky. It would be much safer to finish Gabriella after she'd gain immortality.
Having the girl to interrupt her at this last, crucial moment was something that Evelyn hadn't planned. She quickly got to her feet, glaring at the intruder. Although she tried to act calm, her eyes reflected the fear and anger she felt inside.
"What brings you here in such an awful storm?" Evelyn greeted with a stiff grin as if it didn't bother her that the girl was standing there. Gabriella remained still with a blank expression, the sight of the slaughtered teens didn't seem to affect her at all.
"Dark magic," she answered so calmly it made a shiver run down Evelyn's back. "You're committing murder, Evelyn."
"So? I don't expect you to know any of these kids. You're not even from here, so why do you care?" the witch hissed, slowly taking a step back. Gabriella cocked her head to the side, studying her with a mixture of disgust and pity.
"You're right. I don't know them more than you do… But I do care. What you've done tonight is unforgivable and what you're about to do is a violation against the order of nature..." Gabriella shook her head. "…and I can't let that happen."
"Well, of course not…" Evelyn mumbled, taking one more step back towards the fireplace. "I'm afraid you're too late though…"
Suddenly the witch reached into the cauldron that was still hanging over the fire and grabbed the spoon. With incredible speed she fished up some of the dark potion and threw it at the girl. The hot liquid hit Gabriella's eyes and she let out a small cry. Covering her eyes she did not see when Evelyn reached down and grabbed the dagger once more. The witch circled around her, like a wolf circling a wounded deer.
"Did you really think that you could stop me?!" Evelyn spat out. Having control over the situation, her confidence returned. "Don't you think that I've known all along what you've been up to?! Don't you think I've noticed you watching me?! You and that pathetic boy!"
"Robert has nothing to do with this," Gabriella said, desperately trying to wipe the substance off her faces.
"Really? Then why is he standing outside?"
Gabriella finally managed to open her eyes and with a blurry vision she saw the face of the young man, peeking through the window. What a fool! Didn't he know better than to follow her here?
Evelyn had stopped behind the girl. Taking the opportunity of her being distracted, she raised the dagger.
As if sensing the danger, Gabriella spun around and caught Evelyn's wrist just when it was about to come down…
"What happened? Did she kill her?" Jack wondered after Claire had stopped in the middle of the story.
"No…" she shook her head. "They started to fight…"
The girl and the witch swirled around the cottage in something that must've looked like a dance at a distance. Up close you could see the rage in the older one's eyes and the courage in the other's though, as they punched and kicked, doing everything that they could to defeat the other.
Gabriella finally seemed to have had enough and with a forceful shove, she caused the witch to lose her balance. Evelyn fell backwards, hitting the cauldron with her head before sinking down into the fire place. The flames embraced her long hair, feeding on it to reach her body.
A cry of pain and wrath left her throat, as she fumbled to her feet. The glare she sent Gabriella was almost as deadly as the flames dancing around her.
Evelyn didn't care much about them though. After all she was as close to immortal as you could get. Some fire couldn't hurt her…
Suddenly she lashed out towards Gabriella. The girl moved quickly and Evelyn crashed into a wooden table. A cloth laying on it immediately caught fire. With her blood boiling, Evelyn gave it another go, but with the same result.
The game of catch continued around the room, setting the entire place on fire. Gabriella smoothly dodged the attacks, while Evelyn got more and more frustrated. Somehow it was getting harder for her to keep up with the girl. The heat and the pain couldn't reach her, but the flames were consuming her body which was still very much mortal. Her legs crumbled beneath her and she sank to the floor.
Realizing where this was going, a tear trailed down her cheek and her whole body shook as she screamed;
"CURSE YOU GABRIELLA! CURSE YOU!"
Gabriella just watched in silence, her eyes never breaking away from Evelyn's. The witch pointed her finger at her.
"You think you're so smart! You think you've defeated me!" A wicked smirk appeared on her face.
"The foolishness of you all
Has brought doom as I call
The shadows of the past
Will come to haunt you at last…"
"The fire spread quickly and Gabriella was forced to leave." Claire finished.
Jack frowned, thinking.
"So…" he started, "Robert changed the story?"
"Yes,"
"Why?"
"Fame, I'd guess," Claire said. "Gabriella left Seaford and Robert. He was free to take all the glory himself."
"But he didn't exclude Gabriella entirely," Jack mumbled, to himself as if he just came to think of something.
"No, he didn't. He was in love with her, so it must've been impossible for him to forget her. Not to mention that it was said that she would return one day, and in that case; his lie would've revealed itself if he would've left her out." Claire stated, while swiping her thumb over the screen of the phone, switching picture to the one with the curse on the wall. Silently, she started to read through the inscriptions.
Jack watched her for a moment, but soon lost his patience.
"So Robert changed the story. I don't see why that would make much of a difference."
Claire shot him a glance.
"It changes the entire way the Brotherhood looks at the legend and the prophecy. Therefore it will potentially change the outcome of things…"
"And that is bad?" Jack looked sceptic. Claire just nodded and went back to reading. Her expression changed into a more concerned one the further she got and I felt my stomach turn with worry.
"Just when you thought things couldn't get worse…" she mumbled.
"What?" Jack wondered, leaning forward to try and get a view of the screen. Claire got up without a word. She quickly dug the old notebook out of her bag and opened it. Having found the right page, she placed it on the desk.
Jack and I looked at it for a moment before he turned to Claire.
"The curse?" he said.
"Read it," she demanded.
He did as he was told and I could see that he was slightly puzzled of what it said. I read it too, but unlike Jack I had no idea what we were looking at. Not really anyway…
"Odd, isn't it?" Claire said. Jack just nodded, his eyes still travelling over the words. I looked at Jack and Claire confused. What had I miss?
As if reading my thoughts Jack said;
"I guess the story wasn't the only thing that was changed, was it?"
"No it wasn't…" she put the phone down next to the notebook. With the texts side by side, Claire pointed at the fourth paragraph in the book;
Oh Gabriella if only you knew
The one who love for you grew
He who's standing brave and tall
Will be truly thy final fall
"This was spoken to Gabriella," Claire said. "He is the one who loved her – a.k.a. Robert. And he is destined to be Gabriella's fall.
Of course Robert would choose to change this dark prophecy, and in his version, it says;
Oh Gabriella, only she knows
The weakness that within me grows
He who I am seeing
Will help her destroy my being
This works with his story, since it seems like it's meant for Robert instead of Gabriella, and it also refers to Robert as one of the chosen two to destroy her… Ironically, by changing the curse Robert probably fulfilled it. " Claire finished.
It took a moment for it all to sink in. So the story and the curse had been changed and the Brotherhood had almost no knowledge of what really happened, meaning they were fumbling in the mess of a made up story.
"This is the part with the worst consequences though," Claire continued, pointing at the following part of the curse.
As the ninth generation arise
I will claim my prize
Father against son they'll turn
For one of them must burn
Through this I'll be strong again
Then bow they will, women and men
To the mighty queen back from the dead
And my powers will finally spread
After reading it Jack and I looked at Robert's version that was a bit different…
As the ninth generation arise
I can claim my prize
Father against son they'll turn
For one of them must burn
Or else I'll be strong again
Then bow they will, women and men
To the mighty queen back from the dead
And my powers can finally spread
Just like before, the part with 'Father against son they'll turn' made me think of the relationship between Jack and Mr Brewer. I shot my friend a glance. He seemed to be thinking about that too, and as if Claire could see the thoughts running through our heads she said;
"You and your father have a stormy relationship, don't you?" She put a hand on Jack's shoulder. The boy tensed, but didn't answer. There wasn't any need to. His silent told her she was right.
She gave him a sympathetic smile and continued;
"The biggest difference between these two versions of the curse is that in the Brotherhood's there is a belief that they can stop her and keep her away through sacrifice."
Jack blinked a few times.
"So you're saying that dad's only acting the way he does because he has to?"
"Most likely…"
Jack looked down at the curse again.
"And the part where it says 'For one of them must burn'; does that mean…?" he trailed off, sounding worried.
"Well here," she pointed at the real curse in the notebook, "it says that Evelyn will need for that to happen to be able to return, whereas in the order's version it says that this is one of the things that they need to do to prevent her from coming back…"
Jack sat silent, shaking his head slightly. With a deep sigh he ran his fingers through his hair.
"This is just… too complicated. I don't know if I –"
"I'm afraid you don't have much of a choice." Claire cut him off. He looked up at her surprised. "Like Kimberly you're destined for this."
"Me?" he looked sceptical, raising an eyebrow.
"Yes you. You're the only one who can bring Kim back to herself."
"What?" he glanced at me. I nodded, causing the worry in his eyes to grow. "I can't do that... I mean I'd like to, but I-I-I'm just a kid. I'm sorry but you must have the wrong guy." He attempted to stand, but was effectively pushed back down again by Claire. She leaned down, her face levelled with his.
"Now listen carefully Jack Brewer. You're the only one who can help my niece, so you better pluck up the courage and do it!" she said.
"Why me?"
"Because you're the chosen one,"
"Chosen? By who?"
Claire hesitated slightly.
"I'm not sure I should tell you that…"
Jack shook his head, thinking this whole situation was crazy.
"This is serious Jack. If you're successful you will be able to not only help Kimberly, but also save Seaford -and probably the world- from Evelyn."
"And if I'm not?"
"Then we're in trouble…" she stated.
Jack sighed, looking at me in a way he'd never done before. It was so intense that I had to look away.
"Jack, Evelyn is on her way, we have to act now." Claire continued. "And you have to help."
Letting out another sigh, he finally turned to her again and said;
"What do you need me to do?"
"That, my friend, is something only you can answer…"
~~~Wings of Love~~~
Jack was walking in silence, moving slower than usual, which made me feel stressed. Claire had driven us back to Jack's neighbourhood. We'd been dropped off a few blocks down the road, before she'd left to go check on some things.
I gave my friend a glance from were I sat on his shoulder. According to Claire, Jack was the one to fix this and only he would know what to do. Problem was; he seemed just as clueless as I.
"Tsipti," I chirped, trying to urge him to go faster. He turned his face away, ignoring me. I frowned. Something wasn't right. Stretching my wings, I flew up in front of his face.
"Tsip?" I tried again, more softly this time while searching his eyes.
He sighed and stopped walking. Grabbing his elbow, he glanced at me. I gave him a nod, encouraging him to tell me what was on his mind.
"I was just thinking…" he looked down, his voice quiet. "When you get back to human…"
I felt my heartbeat speed up, almost believing that he about to ask me out. He looked up at me again and I felt my cheeks burn.
"…will things get back to normal?" he asked worriedly. I shook my head, realizing that he thought that I would ditch him as soon as I wasn't depended on him any longer. It hurt a little to be honest. Didn't he have higher thoughts about me?
I flew down to his chest and grabbed his shirt, right by his heart. Clinging to it, I pressed myself against him, trying to convince him that I wouldn't leave him. It seemed to work and his hand cupped me, holding me gently. I looked up and met Jack's eyes. He chuckled at my act, causing a wave of warmth to flush through my body.
"So… I thought about what Claire said… about me being the only one with the ability to break the spell." Jack said and began to walk again. Still holding me against his chest, he stroked my back with his thumb. I closed my eyes and snuggled up in his hold. I was really going to miss being carried around like this. "I wish I knew what to do but I have no idea, honestly." Jack continued. "But I was thinking. What is the one thing that I have, but no one else?" Jack barely gave me any time to think before he answered his own question. "Access to dad's office," he said.
I nodded. I guess he was right.
"I bet all the answers are in there!"
Feeling a lot more hopeful, we hurried back to the Brewer's house.
"Alright, we'll have a few hours before dad gets back from work," Jack said as we reached the porch. I had returned to my usual place on his right shoulder and I was now waiting for him to unlock the door. Turning the key, Jack frowned.
"That's weird…" he mumbled. "It's already opened…"
Carefully, we peeked inside as if we were expecting someone to come right at us. The house looked empty though.
"Hello?"
No answer.
"Hm…I must've forgotten to lock the door earlier," Jack said, trying to sound more sure than he was as he stepped inside. The big house felt eerier than it'd ever done before and I cringed. Jack swiftly moved through the building, heading towards the office. I swiped my gaze over the rooms we passed, making sure that there was no one there. Even though I didn't spot anything out of order, I still had a creepy feeling that something was wrong.
The double doors that led to the astonishing dining room, from which I had entered the house for the first time came into view. They were slightly opened, like they use to be and without giving it a second thought Jack stepped inside, just to freeze on the spot.
A familiar man was sitting by the huge table.
"Dad? What are you doing here?"
Mr Brewer didn't answer. Looking at us through watering eyes, he clenched his jaw as if he was trying to keep it together. I swallowed hard, knowing what his emotional outbursts could cause.
"What's going on?" Jack tried again, his voice filled with worry. The door to the office creaked opened and a blond fifteen year old girl walked out. With a smug smile she folded her arms across her chest.
"Hello Jack"
I know you guys probably hate me right now for that cliffy...:P
Hope you liked it anyway. I'm not gonna let the next chapter take so long.
Thanks again for reading and please leave a review:)
/MJ