Echo

I gasped, breath shallow and weak. I didn't dare look at my injuries. I didn't dare look at the blood leeching from my body. I stumbled on, a hand pressed to my ribs, trying to hold flayed skin to the bone. It was still dark, the shadowed forest spinning me in circles. "Help," I cried, my voice wasted away into a whisper, "please. Someone." I couldn't feel the pain anymore, though my body quaked with every step. My feet slipped out in front of me. The full moon whirled in my vision as I collapsed in the snow. I opened my eyes, ice clumping my eyelashes together. All I could see was my bloody hand laid out against the snow until the moonlight poured into the dense woods, reveling the silhouette of a wolf before my eyelids fluttered shut...

I burst awake, a gasp sending cold winter air stabbing my lungs. I sat up, confusion making my head spin. "Echo?" Morrie flew to my side, voice high and terrified. She started to sob, clutching me to her like I might disappear at any given moment. I sat shell shocked, awkwardly patting her back, confusion displayed on my face for all to see.

"I'm so sorry," she babbled. "This is all my fault! If I hadn't run off-"

"Shh- its okay. I know how you are when you're upset."

"But if I'd have lost you as well as father-" she cried harder.

"I'm fine, Morana."

"No! No your not! When he brought you here you were covered in blood. Everyone thought you were dead. What happened to you, Echo?"

Unconsciously, my hands searched my skin for any sign of injury. Not even a scar. "How long have I been asleep?"

"About a day now. I came as soon as I could." She replied.

"No- that can't be right." I felt at the skin of my arms and legs, all perfect, smooth white skin. I clenched and unclenched my hand- the one that had been broken. "How is this possible?" I breathed, feeling dizzy. I sat down abruptly, hands clenching the furs.

"How did I get here? And where is here, exactly?" I asked, trying to distract my self from the impossible lack of injuries.

The world exploded. Everything shattered, my head exploded. It felt like my brain had burst behind my eyes. My body screamed, clutching my skull. I took a few, gasping breaths before my senses dulled once more…

I had never been one for crowds or parties. But Morana insisted, and where she went I followed. She looked like a vision; her soft cream dress blossomed into layers after a tight bodice. Her hair was pinned up; loose blond locks hung lose in perfect ringlets. I was dressed in a matching dress, the only difference being the color - mine back. My hair was loose, as well, the dark curls framing my pale face.

Morrie smiled, "Don't look so petrified! It's only a ball!" She slipped the gold mask over her eyes and adjusted the matching silver mask on my face.

"I feel like a fool," I confessed. "I don't like it here to begin with. It doesn't….. feel right," I cringed at my own words.

"You're just nervous, being in the city and all. We hardly get out of that small village." She twirled a piece of her white-blond hair.

"Then I suppose we are in eternal dept to your new friend." I mocked, seeing the blush creep up her neck…

When I came to all I saw was blackness. I closed my eyes, trying to sooth the stinging. My whole body shook, not form cold, not from fear… form….. blood loss? That would explain how sickly I felt. But where was I bleeding?

"Echo?" Nick. Nick was here. Where here was, I had no way of knowing.

"Nick?" my voice was thin, wispy. He didn't answer, instead he just started swearing under his breath. I opened my eyes, withering in pain and seeing nothing. Something spilled fresh across my cheeks - tears? Was I crying? "Nick what is wrong with my eyes?" My heart sped up. "Why can't I see?" There was a rising panic in my chest.

"You're bleeding…from your eyes." He choked out.

"What?!"

"Echo….what did they do to you?"

"I don't know… I don't know!" Fear and frustration bubbled up inside me. Practical, come one Echo. Get your head in this. "Where are we? What's going on?"

"The Voltori got us, no thanks to our little friend." The bitterness in his voice rivaled my own.

"You don't mean-"

"Yes, the one who took my Morana." He said. Under normal circumstances- the phrase 'my Morana' would have made me gag, but I had other things on my mind.

"Where is he?" I couldn't hear the other lycan at all.

"Dead. Vamps dragged him out a few hours ago. He tore out his throat before I could even get his name - let alone beat him to death myself." Nick spat. "I was on my way to meet Thorn when they grabbed me. What about you?"

I froze, breath stopped - everything coming back to me so fast I was nearly sick.

I don't know how long it was before I spoke, "There was an accident."

I herd Nick suck in a breath, "Are you okay? Was anyone hurt?"

I nodded, shielding my blind eyes from him. "Theo's dead," was all I could think to say.

I never did get to know his reaction- because just then the scene changed, I felt the floor fall out from my feet and myself falling, the air squeezing from my lungs...

Morrie stood, silhouetted against a tall, window. She turned to look back at me, smiling. And suddenly- everything shattered. Morrie was slumped against the same wall, bloodied and broken. Nothing changed by her, the party-goers continued whirling around the ball-room, laughing and dancing. The warm lights suddenly felt cold. All I could see was Morrie's body. All I could smell was the blood dripping from her neck.

Then- all there is was screaming. Screaming, my screaming. I reached out- trying to reach her body thought the horde of people. She was covered in blood, it dribbled down her chest from the tare in her thought. Her eyes were huge and still. Unblinking, unseeing, unmoving. I collapsed, feeling everything in my shutting down. I reached forward, lacing my fingers in her cold bloody hand. I closed my eyes, choking on the sent of her blood.

Hands lifted me, taking me out of the building, taking me away from my sister… my sister. My dead sister. I froze, mind scrambling, letting out a long, scream from the hollow of my heart…

"Echo!" Nick shouted.

I snapped my jaw shut, eyes flying opened and the scream dying in my throat. I still couldn't see but I felt the blood streaming down my face. I panted, pushing myself against the stone-wall.

"What the hell is going on?" He demanded.

I caught my breath, trying to sooth my nerves and the churning of my stomach as I thought up a way to explain what was wrong with me- nothing made sense. I racked my brain for anything, anything torn might have mentioned, anything I might have read….. "Reincarnation," I muttered under my breath, body going suddenly ridged, with disbelief and horrid realizations. "I'm seeing my past life…."

"What?"

"I was reincarnated. Morrie too," I struggled to wrap my head around it. "But she… she died." I felt the sob form a hard ball in my thought and I coughed, clearing it away and regaining composure. "But she died," I repeated. "He killed her." Everything began to flood back into my brain, "He killed her and I tried to kill him in revenge- but he couldn't die. So I-"

"Took the one I loved the most." A new voice snaked into my head.

I stiffened "Caius." He was here. "Let Nick go. He's done nothing against you."

I could tell Nick wanted to protest, but in the end- the only one he really cared for was Morrie. If he getting himself out of here was best for her, he would do it. Better one then none. I agreed.

"Oh," Caius muttered, "that's an unfortunate side effect, I didn't think my sister's spell included anything physical."

I racked my brain… his sister. His sister had been a witch- after I had killed Caius's other siblings she had cursed me…. but with what?

"Refresh my memory, what exactly did she do to me?" I snarled.

He paused for a moment, and I wished I could see what he was doing, he could have a knife to my throat for all I knew. I'd never felt so helpless, being blind. "She severed your bond. She made it so you, in return to what you had done to us, would kill everyone you ever cared for." I could here the smile in his voice, "Clearly it has lasted longer then I ever thought possible."

"Why are you doing this?" Nick asked and I stifled a sigh. I'd always made fun of how characters always ask the bad guy the same things; who are you, why are you doing this, where am I? but when it comes down to it - there's really not much to go off of, but I suppose it's a conversation starter, if nothing more.

Nick got no response, instead I herd Caius leave.

In the back of my mind I understood, he hated us - all of us - all the lycans and shifters- because of what I had done.

And we would die here for that.

a/n: For the sake of my sanity, the past-names will remain the same, as will the descriptions, for the most part. Thank you for keeping with me- I know it's been an incredible amount of time since we updated last, blame me. School got hectic for the both of us. I know this makes no scene- but everything will work itself out in the end. -remainNameless6